Interacting effects of habitat destruction and changing disturbance rates on biodiversity: Who is going to survive?

Changes in disturbance rates due to climate change may increase or decrease diversity, whereas permanent loss of habitat is generally believed to decrease diversity. It is, however, very likely that the effects of disturbances and habitat destruction interact. Understanding such combined effects is essential to predict the response of communities to global changes and in particular which functional types of species are most endangered. Using an individual-based spatially explicit community model, we investigate (1) whether diversity-disturbance curves alter when spatially uncorrelated or autocorrelated habitat destruction is added, and (2) which functional types of species are able to survive under these altered conditions. Model communities consisted of four functional types of species trading off between colonisation ability and competition strength. We found that habitat destruction may alter both height and shape of diversity-disturbance curves: maximum diversity at intermediate disturbance rates may shift to other disturbance rates or even split into two peaks giving rise to bimodal diversity-disturbance relationships with different sub-communities persisting at low and high disturbance rates. Diversity responded differentially depending on how the colonisation-competition trade-off was represented. Our results suggest that, for trade-offs in seed production rate, generally the best coloniser will better withstand the interacting effects of habitat destruction and changing disturbance rates; however, for trade-offs in mean dispersal distances, functional types characterized by intermediate abilities will perform best. We conclude that predictions of the impacts of changing disturbance rates on biodiversity depend on community structure and cannot be made without knowledge of concurrent permanent habitat destruction.     

Spatial and seasonal variability of dissolved oxygen and nutrients in the Southern Adriatic coastal waters

The main objective of this paper is to present vertical and horizontal patterns of dissolved oxygen and nutrients found during four seasonal surveys (March, June, September and December 2000) in the Southern Adriatic Sea coastal waters. The multivariate technique Principal Component Analysis has been applied to our dataset considering the following parameters: seawater temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate). The resulting plot shows in a self-explanatory way that a seasonal trend was not observable in the investigated period and that no significant differences occur between the stations sampled in the Taranto Gulf and those along the Adriatic coast. Water column stratification persists in all seasons, except in spring, in the shallowest stations. The surface layer is characterized by a low nutrient content. The influence of the Northern Adriatic Surface Water in the Southern Adriatic sub-basin seems to be very low and can be traced by nitrate and silicate only in spring and winter. Regarding deep waters, nitrate distribution shows an increasing gradient moving from the coast to the open sea, having the lowest concentration in the shelf area and the highest in the most offshore stations of the Otranto Strait. In the Otranto Strait area the vertical distributions of physical and chemical parameters show, at middle depths, the inflow of Levantine Intermediate Water, traced by both the maximum of salinity, nitrate and phosphate and the minimum of oxygen. The LIW signal is lost moving northward. The outflow of Adriatic Dense Water is less evident, being traced only in spring by an oxygen increase at the bottom layer in the shelf area. The N:P ratio is highly variable but in the range already observed in the Southern Adriatic, suggesting a P-limitation, which can both contribute to the low primary productivity of the area and support the N:P ratio anomaly of the Eastern Mediterranean.     

基于模拟退火的随机取向含核椭球颗粒粒径反演

烟颗粒的光散射数值模拟计算多采用单种匀质的球形、椭球或分形模型。实际上,多种情况下的烟颗粒并非仅由单种匀质组成,例如细水雾灭火和湿式洗涤塔除尘过程中生成的烟颗粒即是一种以碳烟颗粒作为凝结核、水为外壳的含核水凝物气溶胶颗粒。针对随机取向条件下,利用离散偶极子近似方法对轴对称的含核椭球颗粒模型进行数值模拟计算,得到光散射Mueller矩阵,并基于Lorenz-Mie散射理论,采用全局搜索能力很强的模拟退火算法,实现了单分散系的含核椭球颗粒的粒径反演。讨论分析了内核半径与外壳有效半径比q及内核折射率n对轴对称的含核椭球颗粒粒径反演的影响。粒径反演结果表明:q对含核椭球颗粒的粒径反演结果及误差影响较大,n在一定程度上影响颗粒的粒径反演。     

基于分形理论与模拟退火算法的安全投资预测

在研究安全投资规律及影响因素的复杂性、不确定性的基础上,提出基于分形理论与模拟退火算法的安全投资预测新方法。该方法首先运用重标极差法分析了安全投资时间序列预测的可行性,然后利用模拟退火算法并结合对原始数据的一系列变换求解满足预测误差精度的平移量,得到安全投资时间序列的分形维数,最后根据分形统计模型可以预测出下一时间单位的安全投资。通过实例证明该方法的可行性和有效性,提高了决策过程的科学性,对企业制定未来安全投资总量具有借鉴作用。     

Degradation of anthraquinone dye C.I. Reactive Blue 19 in aqueous solution by ozonation

This study investigated the degradation of anthraquinone reactive dye C.I. Reactive Blue 19 (RB-19) with initial concentration of 100 mg L⁻¹ in aqueous solution by ozone oxidation. The results of UV/VIS and FTIR spectra showed that the anthraquinone structures, nitrogen linkages and amino groups of RB-19 were destroyed under direct ozone reaction. The identification by LC–MS and GC–MS analyses indicated that some organic acids (e.g., phthalic acids) and 1,3-indanone could be the primary degradation products, respectively. The Microtox toxicity of the ozonated RB-19 solution initially increased but subsequently decreased when ozonation time increased. This detoxification accompanied biodegradability enhancement revealed by BOD/COD ratio increasing from 0.15 to 0.33 after 10 min of ozonation.     

Aerobic biotransformation of decabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-209) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aerobic biodegradation of decabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-209) by Pseudomonas aeruginosa under the influence of co-metabolic substrates and heavy metal cadmium ion was studied, The results showed that certain amount of co-metabolic substrates, such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, starch, and beef extract, would promote the biodegradation of PBDE-209, among which glucose most favorably accelerated PBDE-209 degradation by about 36% within 5 d. The highest degradation efficiency was reached at the ratio of PBDE-209 and glucose 1:5 while excessive carbon source would actually hamper the degradation efficiency. Exploration of influences of cadmium ion on PBDE-209 biodegradation indicated that degradation efficiency was stimulated at low concentrations of Cd²⁺ (0.5–2 mg L⁻¹) while inhibited at higher levels (5–10 mg L⁻¹), inferring that the heavy metals of different concentrations possessed mixed reactions on PBDE-209 bioremoval. Bromine ion was produced during the biotransformation process and its concentration had a good negative correlation with the residues of PBDE-209. Two nonabromodiphenyl ethers (PBDE-208, PBDE-207), four octabromodiphenyl ethers (PBDE-203, PBDE-202, PBDE-197, PBDE-196) and one heptabromodiphenyl ethers (PBDE-183) were formed with the decomposition of PBDE-209, demonstrating that the main aerobic transformation mechanism of PBDE-209 was debromination.     

The significance of heterogeneity on mass flux from DNAPL source zones: an experimental investigation

Understanding the process of mass transfer from source zones of aquifers contaminated with organic chemicals in the form of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) is of importance in site management and remediation. A series of intermediate-scale tank experiments was conducted to examine the influence of aquifer heterogeneity on DNAPL mass transfer contributing to dissolved mass emission from source zone into groundwater under natural flow before and after remediation. A Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) spill was performed into six source zone models of increasing heterogeneity, and both the spatial distribution of the dissolution behavior and the net effluent mass flux were examined. Experimentally created initial PCE entrapment architecture resulting from the PCE migration was largely influenced by the coarser sand lenses and the PCE occupied between 30 and 60% of the model aquifer depth. The presence of DNAPL had no apparent effect on the bulk hydraulic conductivity of the porous media. Up to 71% of PCE mass in each of the tested source zone was removed during a series of surfactant flushes, with associated induced PCE mobilization responsible for increasing vertical DNAPL distributions. Effluent mass flux due to water dissolution was also found to increase progressively due to the increase in NAPL-water contact area even though the PCE mass was reduced. Doubling of local groundwater flow velocities showed negligible rate-limited effects at the scale of these experiments. Thus, mass transfer behavior was directly controlled by the morphology of DNAPL within each source zone. Effluent mass flux values were normalized by the up-gradient DNAPL distributions. For the suite of aquifer heterogeneities and all remedial stages, normalized flux values fell within a narrow band with mean of 0.39 and showed insensitivity to average source zone saturations.     

基于迭代退火算法的高压变频器功率单元频繁故障诊断方法研究

现有的变压器故障诊断方法较为复杂且计算冗余度较高,在高压变频器的功率单元频繁发生故障时难以高效地检测故障。为此,提出基于迭代退火算法的高压变频器功率单元频繁故障诊断方法。采用小波包分解方法提取高压变频器功率单元的电压信号特征熵,将该特征熵输入到支持向量机模型。使用迭代退火算法优化支持向量机的训练参数,并输出诊断结果。研究结果表明：该方法提取的高压变频器单元故障的平均冗余度最低至3.2%,平均诊断时间为15.1 ms,可实现高压变频器功率单元频繁故障的高效诊断。     

产碱菌株F-3-4降解2,6-二叔丁基苯酚机理研究

研究有毒化合物的生物降解途径．以鉴定有毒化合物在微生物作用下的降解中间产物．以及是否最终成为无害的产物（CO2和H2O），对人们认识有毒化合物在环境中的迁移规律及生物去除的办法．途径具有重要的启示作用。通过色质联机测试中间产物以及降解过程体系酶的变化，对产碱菌株F-3-4降解2,6-二叔丁基苯酚（2,6-DTBP）的途径和机理进行了研究。GC—MS测试结果表明。中间降解产物为乙酸、丙酮酸和异丁酸等化合物。降解过程体系酶测定结果显示．儿茶酚2，3-双加氧酶变化比较明显。表明在菌种生物降解底物过程中。主要以2，3位开裂为主。即主要以间位开裂途径进行开环反应，从而推测了F-3-4对2,6-DTBP的降解途径和机理。     

Environmental impact assessment on the construction and operation of municipal solid waste sanitary landfills in developing countries: China case study

An inventory of material and energy consumption during the construction and operation (C&O) of a typical sanitary landfill site in China was calculated based on Chinese industrial standards for landfill management and design reports. The environmental impacts of landfill C&O were evaluated through life cycle assessment (LCA). The amounts of materials and energy used during this type of undertaking in China are comparable to those in developed countries, except that the consumption of concrete and asphalt is significantly higher in China. A comparison of the normalized impact potential between landfill C&O and the total landfilling technology implies that the contribution of C&O to overall landfill emissions is not negligible. The non-toxic impacts induced by C&O can be attributed mainly to the consumption of diesel used for daily operation, while the toxic impacts are primarily due to the use of mineral materials. To test the influences of different landfill C&O approaches on environmental impacts, six baseline alternatives were assessed through sensitivity analysis. If geomembranes and geonets were utilized to replace daily and intermediate soil covers and gravel drainage systems, respectively, the environmental burdens of C&O could be mitigated by between 2% and 27%. During the LCA of landfill C&O, the research scope or system boundary has to be declared when referring to material consumption values taken from the literature; for example, the misapplication of data could lead to an underestimation of diesel consumption by 60–80%.