Use of opportunistic sightings and expert knowledge to predict and compare Whooping Crane stopover habitat

Predicting a species’ distribution can be helpful for evaluating management actions such as critical habitat designations under the U.S. Endangered Species Act or habitat acquisition and rehabilitation. Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) are one of the rarest birds in the world, and conservation and management of habitat is required to ensure their survival. We developed a species distribution model (SDM) that could be used to inform habitat management actions for Whooping Cranes within the state of Nebraska (U.S.A.). We collated 407 opportunistic Whooping Crane group records reported from 1988 to 2012. Most records of Whooping Cranes were contributed by the public; therefore, developing an SDM that accounted for sampling bias was essential because observations at some migration stopover locations may be under represented. An auxiliary data set, required to explore the influence of sampling bias, was derived with expert elicitation. Using our SDM, we compared an intensively managed area in the Central Platte River Valley with the Niobrara National Scenic River in northern Nebraska. Our results suggest, during the peak of migration, Whooping Crane abundance was 262.2 (90% CI 40.2?3144.2) times higher per unit area in the Central Platte River Valley relative to the Niobrara National Scenic River. Although we compared only 2 areas, our model could be used to evaluate any region within the state of Nebraska. Furthermore, our expert‐informed modeling approach could be applied to opportunistic presence‐only data when sampling bias is a concern and expert knowledge is available.     

Spatially Explicit Power Analyses for Occupancy‐Based Monitoring of Wolverine in the U.S. Rocky Mountains

Conservation scientists and resource managers often have to design monitoring programs for species that are rare or patchily distributed across large landscapes. Such programs are frequently expensive and seldom can be conducted by one entity. It is essential that a prospective power analysis be undertaken to ensure stated monitoring goals are feasible. We developed a spatially based simulation program that accounts for natural history, habitat use, and sampling scheme to investigate the power of monitoring protocols to detect trends in population abundance over time with occupancy‐based methods. We analyzed monitoring schemes with different sampling efforts for wolverine (Gulo gulo) populations in 2 areas of the U.S. Rocky Mountains. The relation between occupancy and abundance was nonlinear and depended on landscape, population size, and movement parameters. With current estimates for population size and detection probability in the northern U.S. Rockies, most sampling schemes were only able to detect large declines in abundance in the simulations (i.e., 50% decline over 10 years). For small populations reestablishing in the Southern Rockies, occupancy‐based methods had enough power to detect population trends only when populations were increasing dramatically (e.g., doubling or tripling in 10 years), regardless of sampling effort. In general, increasing the number of cells sampled or the per‐visit detection probability had a much greater effect on power than the number of visits conducted during a survey. Although our results are specific to wolverines, this approach could easily be adapted to other territorial species. Poder de Análisis Espacialmente Explícito para el Monitoreo Basado en Ocupación del Glotón (Gulo gulo) en las Montañas Rocallosas de Estados Unidos     

丹东凤凰山山上与山下降水酸度迥异原因分析

采用分段监测的方法研究了辽宁丹东凤凰山垂直高度上的降水酸度及组分特征,并利用后向气流轨迹与分段离子相关性叠加分析的方法,对山上与山下降水酸度的差异成因进行了分析。结果表明：凤凰山4次降水中,pH值山上均低于山下,总离子浓度山上均低于山下,说明近地面大气污染物对酸雨起到一定的中和作用;山上降水酸度主要受大气远距离传输影响,山下降水酸度受本地源和远距离传输的共同作用。     

不同取样尺度下华北落叶松人工林土壤呼吸的空间变异性

基于在3个取样尺度(4、2、1 m)对庞泉沟自然保护区的落叶松人工林(L_arix principis-rupprechtii)土壤呼吸速率(Rs)以及生物和非生物因子的观测数据,对不同取样尺度Rs的空间变异性进行了研究,分析了不同取样尺度下5、10和15 cm深度的土壤温度(T_5、T_(10)、T_(15))、10 cm深度的土壤水分(Ws)、土壤全氮(N)、全碳(C)、碳氮比(C/N)、全硫(S)、凋落物量(L_w)和凋落物含水量(L_m)对Rs空间变异的影响,并计算了3种尺度各变量在不同置信水平与估计精度下的最佳采样数量.结果表明,1除4 m取样尺度的C/N比、2 m的Ws和1 m的T_10、T_15的空间变异属于弱变异外,Rs及其它相关因子的空间变异均属于中等变异;Rs、C/N比和S的变异系数随着取样尺度的增大而减小,N、C、Ws、T_5、T__(10)、T__(15)、L_w和L_m则相反.2随着取样尺度的减小,Rs、Ws、T_5、T_(10)、T_(15)、L_w和L_m的空间自相关性减弱,而C、N和C/N比的空间自相关性增强,S则随着取样间距的减小空间自相关性先减弱后增强.3不同取样尺度下影响Rs空间变异的关键因子不同,在较大的尺度上土壤温度是影响Rs空间变异性的主要因素,而在较小的尺度上则受C、L_m和L_w的共同影响.4随着置信水平和估计精度的减低,R_s及其影响因子的合理取样数目逐渐减少;Rs、C/N比和S的取样数目随着取样间距的减小而增加,而N、C、Ws、T_5、T_(10)、T_(15)、L_w和L_m的取样数量则减少.     

Occurrence of human pathogenic bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance genes revealed by metagenomic approach: A case study from an aquatic environment

Antibiotic resistance genes(ARGs), human pathogenic bacteria(HPB), and HPB carrying ARGs are public issues that pose a high risk to aquatic environments and public health. Their diversity and abundance in water, intestine, and sediments of shrimp culture pond were investigated using metagenomic approach. A total of 19 classes of ARGs, 52 HPB species, and 7 species of HPB carrying ARGs were found. Additionally, 157, 104, and 86 subtypes of ARGs were detected in shrimp intestine, pond water, and sediment samples, respectively. In all the samples, multidrug resistance genes were the highest abundant class of ARGs. The dominant HPB was Enterococcus faecalis in shrimp intestine, Vibrio parahaemolyticus in sediments, and Mycobacterium yongonense in water, respectively. Moreover, E. faecalis(contig Intestine_364647)and Enterococcus faecium(contig Intestine_80272) carrying efr A, efr B and ANT(6)-Ia were found in shrimp intestine, Desulfosaricina cetonica(contig Sediment_825143) and Escherichia coli(contig Sediment_188430) carrying mex B and APH(3′)-IIa were found in sediments, and Laribacter hongkongensis(contig Water_478168 and Water_369477), Shigella sonnei(contig Water_880246),and Acinetobacter baumannii(contig Water_525520) carrying sul1, sul2, ere A, qac H, OXA-21, and mph D were found in pond water. Mobile genetic elements(MGEs) analysis indicated that horizontal gene transfer(HGT) of integrons, insertion sequences, and plasmids existed in shrimp intestine, sediment, and water samples, and the abundance of integrons was higher than that of other two MGEs. The results suggested that HPB carrying ARGs potentially existed in aquatic environments, and that these contributed to the environment and public health risk evaluation.     

基于贝叶斯公式的地下水污染源识别

将贝叶斯公式与地下水二维水质对流-扩散方程相耦合,建立依靠监测井监测值的地下水污染源参数（污染源强度M、排放位置（X₀,Y₀）和排放时刻T₀）反演模型.针对监测井监测值信息量不充分或者监测值与模型参数关联性较弱的问题,提出了一种基于贝叶斯公式与信息熵的监测井优化设计方法.构建一个污染物在承压含水层中瞬时排放的算例,在确定单井监测及监测次数条件下,以监测井位置D及监测频率Dt的优化为目标,分别进行模型参数后验分布信息熵最小的单目标监测方案优化,以及信息熵最小且监测耗时最短的多目标监测方案优化.依据优化后的监测方案采用延迟拒绝自适应Metropolis算法进行污染源参数反演识别.算例研究表明：在预设定单井监测,且监测次数为5次条件下,单目标优化后的监测方案为D=（830.2,199.8）,△t=2.7,在此监测方案下,4个污染源参数M,X₀,Y₀,T₀的反演均值误差分别为19.5%、13.2%、3.4%、1.3%;多目标优化后的监测方案为D=（807.9,199.4）,△t=1.2,在此监测方案下,4个污染源参数M,X₀,Y₀,T₀的反演均值误差分别为19.9%、13.4%、3.7%、4.2%.与基于单目标优化的监测方案的反演结果相比,基于多目标优化的监测方案条件下,污染源参数的反演均值误差虽分别增加了0.4%、0.2%、0.3%、2.9%,但监测时间却显著缩短了55.6%.     

污染场地土壤气中VOCs定量被动采样技术研究及应用

污染场地中土壤气样品的采集是蒸气入侵风险评估的关键,目前最常用的主动土壤气采集技术包括真空苏玛罐和泵吸附管,其操作繁琐、成本高、易受多种因素影响、只能采集短时间的浓度.土壤气定量被动采样技术是一种新兴的采样技术,很好地克服了主动式采样存在的不足,是目前污染场地中土壤气调查的研究热点.通过总结现有研究,就定量被动采样技术的理论、被动采样器吸附剂和外壳材料的选择、被动采样器吸附速率的研究及定量被动采样在污染场地中的应用进行论述.综合研究发现,只要严格控制吸附速率,被动采样能够提供准确的定量土壤气浓度测量;采样器结构的设计、外壳材料的选择能够有效控制吸附速率;吸附速率受环境因素和土壤性质的影响,场地校正是获得准确结果的有效途径.我国在土壤气采样领域的研究刚刚起步,建议:加大高效、广谱型或混合型吸附材料及相应测试方法和设备的研发;加强吸附速率的影响因子及场地校准方法的研究;加强土壤钻孔内土壤气的补给速率的模型和场地实测研究;增加不同种采样器的现场应用比较研究;进行适合我国国情的技术标准的研究与制订.      

First-trimester prenatal diagnosis in twin pregnancies

Two twin pregnancies at risk for a sex-linked disorder are described. Both pregnancies were dichorionic. Transabdominal sampling was chosen for prenatal diagnosis. Molecular genetic techniques raised suspicion with regard to the accuracy of the samples in one case. Second-trimester amniocentesis confirmed the error. Selective feticide of the affected fetus was performed. When first-trimester prenatal diagnosis is offered in dichorionic twin pregnancies, confirmation through molecular genetic testing can confirm that villi have been obtained from different fetuses. All parties must be aware that additional invasive diagnostic procedures in the second trimester may be required in cases of doubt.     

Postnatal placental confirmation of trisomy 2 and trisomy 16 detected at chorionic villus sampling: A possible association with intrauterine growth retardation and elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein

Detection of trisomy 2 and trisomy 16 mosaicism through chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is not an infrequent finding. We describe here two cases, one of non-mosaic trisomy 2 and the other of high level mosaicism for trisorny 16. Amniocentesis in both cases demonstrated non-mosaic 46,XY karyotypes. Each pregnancy continued to delivery of liveborn, normal-appearing boys; both pregnancies were complicated by severe intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Postnatal studies of placental biopsies in both cases confirmed the original CVS findings, whereas cord blood karyotypes were normal in both boys. Both children have demonstrated adequate catch-up growth.     

Extra embryonic/fetal karyotypic discordance during diagnostic chorionic villus sampling

From a total of 1312 diagnostic chorionic villus samplings (CVS) there were 22 which showed discordance between the karyotype of the chorionic villi and that of the fetus. This frequency was some 20-fold higher than that reported at amniocentesis. In the majority of discordant cases, the fetal karyotype was normal while the placenta! karyotype was mosaic. In four cases, the placenta! karyotype was non-mosaic (a trisomy 16, a monosomy X, and two tetraploids) while the fetal karyotype was normal. In one case, the placenta was trisomy 18 while the fetus was mosaic. There were two ‘false-negative’ results where short-term methods showed only normal cells while both long-term cultures of chorionic villi and fetal cells were mosaic, in one 46,XY/47.XXY and in the other 46,X Y/47.X Y, + 21.