Polyoxometalates for photocatalytic degradation of aqueous dyestuff solutions and quantitative structure–property relationship study on photolysis rate constants

Polyoxometalate, K₆TiW₁₁O₃₉Sn·7H₂O (TiW₁₁Sn), was synthesized and characterized. TiW₁₁Sn and K₆ZrW₁₁O₃₉Sn·12H₂O (ZrW₁₁Sn) were evaluated for their photocatalytic degradation of triarylmethane (brilliant green and acid blue 9), bisazo (C.I. reactive black 5), and monoazo dyestuffs (C.I. reactive red 24, C.I. reactive red 194, and C.I. reactive orange 5) with natural sunlight in homogeneous aqueous solutions. TiW₁₁Sn and ZrW₁₁Sn effectively and photocatalytically decolorized the dyestuffs. The TiW₁₁Sn- and ZrW₁₁Sn-mediated photocatalytic degradation of the dyestuffs involved a pseudo-first-order reaction and was modeled by Langmuir–Hinshelwood-type kinetics. The observed pseudo-first-order rate constants (K^/) of triarylmethane dyestuffs were generally bigger than that of the azo dyestuffs. Quantitative structure–property relationship models of the K^/ of the dyestuffs were developed using partial least-square regression. The cumulative variance of the dependent variable explained by the partial least-square components was > 0.753 for each optimal model. This value indicated that the model had good predictive ability and robustness. The K^/ values of the dyestuffs were related to the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, and the most positive net atomic charges on a sulfur atom of dyestuffs. The linear correlation coefficients between the predicted and experimental values were all > 0.9950.     

Assessment of mammal reproduction for hunting sustainability through community‐based sampling of species in the wild

Wildlife subsistence hunting is a major source of protein for tropical rural populations and a prominent conservation issue. The intrinsic rate of natural increase. (r_max) of populations is a key reproductive parameter in the most used assessments of hunting sustainability. However, researchers face severe difficulties in obtaining reproductive data in the wild, so these assessments often rely on classic reproductive rates calculated mostly from studies of captive animals conducted 30 years ago. The result is a flaw in almost 50% of studies, which hampers management decision making. We conducted a 15‐year study in the Amazon in which we used reproductive data from the genitalia of 950 hunted female mammals. Genitalia were collected by local hunters. We examined tissue from these samples to estimate birthrates for wild populations of the 10 most hunted mammals. We compared our estimates with classic measures and considered the utility of the use of r_max in sustainability assessments. For woolly monkey (Lagothrix poeppigii) and tapir (Tapirus terrestris), wild birthrates were similar to those from captive populations, whereas birthrates for other ungulates and lowland‐paca (Cuniculus paca) were significantly lower than previous estimates. Conversely, for capuchin monkeys (Sapajus macrocephalus), agoutis (Dasyprocta sp.), and coatis (Nasua nasua), our calculated reproductive rates greatly exceeded often‐used values. Researchers could keep applying classic measures compatible with our estimates, but for other species previous estimates of r_max may not be appropriate. We suggest that data from local studies be used to set hunting quotas. Our maximum rates of population growth in the wild correlated with body weight, which suggests that our method is consistent and reliable. Integration of this method into community‐based wildlife management and the training of local hunters to record pregnancies in hunted animals could efficiently generate useful information of life histories of wild species and thus improve management of natural resources.     

定性与定量评估4种重金属及2种农药混合物对费氏弧菌的毒性相互作用

重金属与农药共同暴露产生的联合毒性作用可以对实际环境产生潜在的风险。为了研究重金属与农药混合物在不同浓度比毒性相互作用(协同、拮抗与加和)及其定量评估相互作用大小,根据单个物质无观测浓度(NOEC)、5%效应浓度(EC5)、10%效应浓度(EC10)和50%效应浓度(EC50),设计3组混合物体系(即农药-农药、重金属-重金属和农药-重金属)分别按NOEC、EC5、EC10和EC50浓度比的12条混合物射线,测试单个化合物及混合物对以费氏弧菌的发光抑制急性毒性,利用浓度加和(CA)、独立作用(IA)、模型偏差比(MDR)及其观测值置信区间定性和定量评估12条混合物射线的毒性相互作用。结果表明,农药-农药二元混合物体系和农药-重金属六元混合物体系均产生明显的协同作用,其中农药-农药混合物体系中,混合物射线EE-NOEC在50%效应下协同作用大小达到30.6(MDRCA和MDRIA数值);混合物射线EE5、EE10的协同作用大小接近于混合物射线EE-NOEC,混合物射线EE50的效应大于15%时CA和IA计算的MDR值均在置信区间上限的上方,即混合物发生协同作用;农药-重金属混合物体系的4条混合物射线EE-NOEC、EE5、EE10和EE50在所有测试浓度水平的MDR值均在置信区间上限的上方,呈现出明显的协同作用;在50%效应下,混合物射线EE-NOEC、EE5、EE10和EE50的MDRCA和MDRIA值分别为4.05和4.91、6.12和7.98、3.70和4.60、2.62和2.59。重金属-重金属四元混合物体系除了EC50浓度比混合物表现出拮抗作用,其余混合物在所有测试浓度范围的MDR值均在置信区间范围内,均为加和作用。因此,混合物的毒性相互作用大小随着组分浓度比变化而发生变化。     

温度对奶牛粪便温室气体排放的影响

采用封闭罐-气相色谱法对4种不同温度处理下奶牛粪便温室气体排放速率进行测定.结果表明,温度是影响奶牛粪便温室气体排放的主要因子,温度较低时奶牛粪便温室气体排放速率低,而且随着奶牛粪便处理温度升高而增大.在5、15、25和35℃4个处理中,奶牛粪便CO2排放速率两两之间差异显著;CH4排放速率除了5和15℃处理差异不显著之外,其他两两处理之间差异显著;35℃处理时N2O排放速率与其他温度的排放速率差异均显著,其他两两处理之间差异不显著.     

阿特拉津对铜绿微囊藻和四尾栅藻生长的影响

在实验室内利用MA培养液培养,通过测定藻生长量和叶绿素a含量,研究不同浓度下的阿特拉津对铜绿微囊藻(Microcystis aeruginosa)和四尾栅藻(Scenedesmus quadricauda)生长的影响,并以藻细胞数表示的最大比生长率为指标,评价2种藻对阿特拉津的敏感性.结果表明,在0.001～5.000 mg·L-1质量浓度范围内,阿特拉津对铜绿微囊藻和四尾栅藻的生长表现出低浓度刺激、高浓度抑制的效应,且阿特拉津对四尾栅藻的刺激效应明显大于铜绿微囊藻.     

Do bumble bee queens choose nest sites to maximize foraging rate? Testing models of nest site selection

We proposed “foundress-max” hypothesis that a bumble bee foundress chooses her nest site to maximize her energy intake rate from nectar. To examine the hypothesis, we estimated the maximum energy intake rate at each site in the study area and compared the distribution of the maximum energy intake rates with those of actual nest sites. We also calculated rank correlations of the maximum energy intake rate with the number of nest-searching foundresses at 54 sites. The nest locations supported the foundress-max hypothesis, but the number of nest-searching foundresses did not. This could be attributed to the density of food sites: many food sites may attract many foundresses. Therefore, we subsequently proposed “foundress-sum” hypothesis that a foundress chooses her nest site to maximize the sum of energy intake rates. The nest locations supported the foundress-max hypothesis more than the foundress-sum hypothesis. A profitable food site would affect foundresses’ nest site selection.     

Time stress,predation risk and diurnal–nocturnal foraging trade-offs in larval prey

Insect larvae increase in size with several orders of magnitude throughout development making them more conspicuous to visually hunting predators. This change in predation pressure is likely to impose selection on larval anti-predator behaviour and since the risk of detection is likely to decrease in darkness, the night may offer safer foraging opportunities to large individuals. However, forsaking day foraging reduces development rate and could be extra costly if prey are subjected to seasonal time stress. Here we test if size-dependent risk and time constraints on feeding affect the foraging–predation risk trade-off expressed by the use of the diurnal–nocturnal period. We exposed larvae of one seasonal and one non-seasonal butterfly to different levels of seasonal time stress and time for diurnal–nocturnal feeding by rearing them in two photoperiods. In both species, diurnal foraging ceased at large sizes while nocturnal foraging remained constant or increased, thus larvae showed ontogenetic shifts in behaviour. Short night lengths forced small individuals to take higher risks and forage more during daytime, postponing the shift to strict night foraging to later on in development. In the non-seasonal species, seasonal time stress had a small effect on development and the diurnal–nocturnal foraging mode. In contrast, in the seasonal species, time for pupation and the timing of the foraging shift were strongly affected. We argue that a large part of the observed variation in larval diurnal–nocturnal activity and resulting growth rates is explained by changes in the cost/benefit ratio of foraging mediated by size-dependent predation and time stress.     

Detection and delineation of critical areas using echelons and spatial scan statistics with synoptic cellular data

Geographical surveillance for hotspot detection and delineation has become an important area of investigation both in geospatial ecosystem health and in geospatial public health. In order to find critical areas based on synoptic cellular data, geospatial ecosystem health investigations apply recently discovered echelon tools. In order to find elevated rate areas based on synoptic cellular data, geospatial public health investigations apply recently discovered spatial scan statistic tools. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a joint role for these together in the spirit of a cross-disciplinary cross-fertilization to accomplish more effective and efficient geographical surveillance for hotspot detection and delineation, and early warning system.     

Optimum Nitrogen Use and Reduced Nitrogen Loss for Production of Rice and Wheat in the Yangtse Delta Region

A long-term field and lysimeter experiment under different amount of fertilizer-N application was conducted to explore the optimal N application rates for a high productive rice–wheat system and less N leaching loss in the Yangtse Delta region. In this region excessive applications of N fertilizer for the rice–wheat production has resulted in reduced N recovery rates and environment pollution. Initial results of the field experiments showed that the optimal N application rate increased with the yield. On the two major paddy soils (Hydromorphic paddy soil and Gleyed paddy soil) of the region, the optimal N application rate was 225–270 kg N hm^–2 for rice and 180–225 kg N hm^–2 for wheat, separately. This has resulted in the highest number of effective ears and Spikelets per unit area, and hence high yield. Nitrogen leaching in the form of NO ₃ ^– -N occurs mainly in the wheat-growing season and in the ponding and seedling periods of the paddy field. Its concentration in the leachate increased with the N application rate in the lysimeter experiment. When the application rate reached 225 kg N hm^–2, the concentration rose to 5.4–21.3 mgN l^–1 in the leachate during the wheat-growing season. About 60% of the leachate samples determined contained NO ₃ ^– -N beyond the criterion (NO ₃ ^– -N 10 mg l^–1) for N pollution. In the field experiment, when the N application rate was in the range of 270–315 kg hm^–2, the NO ₃ ^– -N concentration in the leachate during the wheat-growing season ranged from 1.9 to 11.0 mg l^–1. About 20% of the leachate samples reached close to, and 10% exceeded, the criterion for N pollution. Long-term accumulation of NO ₃ ^– -N from leaching will no doubt constitute a potential risk of N contamination of the groundwater in the Yangtse Delta Region.     

汽车修理养护企业挥发性有机物排放控制标准探讨

通过对汽车修理养护企业喷烤漆废气排放现状进行调查分析,指出中国目前适用于控制汽车修理养护企业废气排放的标准《大气污染物综合排放标准》(GB 16297-1996)在实际运用中存在的问题。依据《制定地方大气污染物排放标准的技术方法》(GB/T 3840-1991)《大气污染物综合排放标准详解》《工作场所有害因素职业接触限值化学有害因素》(GBZ 2.1-2007)《工业企业设计卫生标准》(TJ 36-1979)、美国环保局多介质环境模型等,用不同方法计算汽车修理养护企业排放的废气中几种挥发性有机物的排放浓度和排放速率限值,并对监测结果进行评价分析,提出编制汽车修理养护企业废气排放控制标准的建议。