Experimental and theoretical studies on NO selective catalytic oxidation over α-MnO2

Based on the experimental and theoretical methods, the NO selective catalytic oxidation process was proposed. The experimental results indicated that lattice oxygen was the active site for NO oxide over the $\mathrm{\alpha }$-MnO₂(110) surface. In the theoretical study, DFT (density functional theory) and periodic slab modeling were performed on an $\mathrm{\alpha }$-MnO₂(110) surface, and two possible NO oxidation mechanisms over the surface were proposed. The non-defect $\mathrm{\alpha }$-MnO₂(110) surface showed the highest stability, and the surface O_s (the second layer oxygen atoms) position was the most active and stable site. O₂ molecule enhanced the joint adsorption process of two NO molecules. The reaction process, including O₂ dissociation and O=N-O-O-N=O formation, was calculated to carry out the NO catalytic oxidation mechanism over $\mathrm{\alpha }$-MnO₂(110). The results showed that NO oxidation over the $\mathrm{\alpha }$-MnO₂(110) surface exhibited the greatest possibility following the route of O=N-O-O-N=O formation. Meanwhile, the formation of O=N-O-O-N=O was the rate-determining step.     

水体中的微生物对壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚的生物降解

为有效控制水体中壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚的污染 ,以芽孢杆菌、假单胞菌、诺卡氏菌和假丝酵母为试验菌株 ,研究了其对壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚的生物降解特性。试验结果表明 ,4菌株在一定的条件下对水体中的壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚均有一定的降解率。若按体积比 1∶ 2∶ 1∶ 1的比例将四菌株组合成复合菌群 ,可大幅度提高处理效率 ,降解率可达 61 %。应用该复合菌对影响壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚降解的各种主要因素进行了研究 ,发现降解菌在θ为 2 5～ 30℃ ,p H值为 5.5～ 8.5及壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚初始质量浓度ρ(NP1 0 EO)为 0～ 1 0 0 mg/ L范围内保持高活性 ;当底物质量浓度大于 1 0 0 mg/ L 时 ,平均降解速率线性下降 ;当接种量标准为 1× 1 0 8CFU/ m L (即菌悬液 /反应液为1 0 % )时壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚的降解是高效与经济的     

Mechanical Properties with the Functional Group of Additives for Starch/PVA Blend Film

This paper deals with the mechanical properties and degree of swelling (DS) of starch/PVA blend film with the functional groups i.e., hydroxyl and carboxyl group, of additives. Starch/PVA blend films were prepared by using the mixing process. Glycerol (GL) with 3 hydroxyl group, sorbitol (SO) with 6 hydroxyl group, succinic acid (SA) with 2 carboxyl group, malic acid (MA) with 1 hydroxyl and 2 carboxyl group, tartaric acid (TA) with 2 hydroxyl and 2 carboxyl group and citric acid (CA) with 1 hydroxyl and 3 carboxyl group were used as additives. The results of measured tensile strength (TS) and elongation (%E) verified that both hydroxyl and carboxyl group as a functional groups increased the flexibility and strength of the film. Values of DS for GL-added and SA-added films were low. However, DS values of the films added MA, TA or CA with both hydroxyl and carboxyl group were comparatively high. When the film was dried at low temperature, the properties of the films were evidently improved. The reason is probably because the hydrogen bonding was activated at low temperature.     

利用微生物技术治理煤矿瓦斯的研究展望

目前,我国的煤矿瓦斯防治技术主要为通风、抽放等物理方法,该类方法仍不能完全满足防治煤矿瓦斯灾害的安全要求。笔者提出一种治理煤矿瓦斯的新思路,采用一种新的控制方法,试图通过生物技术使瓦斯涌出量减少,防治煤矿瓦斯灾害。为此,对应用微生物技术治理煤矿瓦斯的可行性进行了分析,简单介绍了甲烷氧化菌的氧化机理及其在其他领域的应用,并通过初步试验对甲烷氧化菌降解煤样瓦斯的效果进行了测定,从而对其有了感性的认识,在已有的对甲烷氧化菌的研究和初步试验的基础上,对应用甲烷氧化菌解决煤矿瓦斯危害进行了展望。     

Trait space of rare plants in a fire‐dependent ecosystem

The causes of species rarity are of critical concern because of the high extinction risk associated with rarity. Studies examining individual rare species have limited generality, whereas trait‐based approaches offer a means to identify functional causes of rarity that can be applied to communities with disparate species pools. Differences in functional traits between rare and common species may be indicative of the functional causes of species rarity and may therefore be useful in crafting species conservation strategies. However, there is a conspicuous lack of studies comparing the functional traits of rare species and co‐occurring common species. We measured 18 important functional traits for 19 rare and 134 common understory plant species from North Carolina's Sandhills region and compared their trait distributions to determine whether there are significant functional differences that may explain species rarity. Flowering, fire, and tissue‐chemistry traits differed significantly between rare and common, co‐occurring species. Differences in specific traits suggest that fire suppression has driven rarity in this system and that changes to the timing and severity of prescribed fire may improve conservation success. Our method provides a useful tool to prioritize conservation efforts in other systems based on the likelihood that rare species are functionally capable of persisting.     

Trait‐based prediction of extinction risk of small‐bodied freshwater fishes

Small body size is generally correlated with r‐selected life‐history traits, including early maturation, short‐generation times, and rapid growth rates, that result in high population turnover and a reduced risk of extinction. Unlike other classes of vertebrates, however, small freshwater fishes appear to have an equal or greater risk of extinction than large fishes. We explored whether particular traits explain the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List conservation status of small‐bodied freshwater fishes from 4 temperate river basins: Murray‐Darling, Australia; Danube, Europe; Mississippi‐Missouri, North America; and the Rio Grande, North America. Twenty‐three ecological and life‐history traits were collated for all 171 freshwater fishes of ≤120 mm total length. We used generalized linear mixed‐effects models to assess which combination of the 23 traits best explained whether a species was threatened or not threatened. We used the best models to predict the probability of 29 unclassified species being listed as threatened. With and without controlling for phylogeny at the family level, small body size—among small‐bodied species—was the most influential trait correlated with threatened species listings. The k‐folds cross‐validation demonstrated that body size and a random effect structure that included family predicted the threat status with an accuracy of 78% (SE 0.5). We identified 10 species likely to be threatened that are not listed as such on the IUCN Red List. Small body size is not a trait that provides universal resistance to extinction, particularly for vertebrates inhabiting environments affected by extreme habitat loss and fragmentation. We hypothesize that this is because small‐bodied species have smaller home ranges, lower dispersal capabilities, and heightened ecological specialization relative to larger vertebrates. Trait data and further model development are needed to predict the IUCN conservation status of the over 11,000 unclassified freshwater fishes, especially those under threat from proposed dam construction in the world's most biodiverse river basins.     

How farmers develop local ecological knowledge for on-farm tree management: The perspectives of some farming communities of Ghana

Scientific insights into what it means to manage on-farm trees by local farmers, is an essential step towards documenting local ecological knowledge for sustainable landscape management. A study was therefore conducted in the Kumawu Forest District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana to assess how farmers conceptualise on-farm tree management and develop local knowledge for it. Using a case study approach, data were collected through informal interviews and focus group discussions with 120 farmers drawn from 15 communities who were involved in the management of three cropping systems; cocoa, maize and cassava-cocoyam-plantain mix. It was observed that the farmers regard on-farm tree management as a continuous process which occurs in three phases of the farming cycle; land preparation, crop cultivation and fallow management. For each of the three phases, farmers are guided by specific principles that ensure enough light penetration in-between tree crowns in the land preparation phase, suitable spacing between trees and crops in the crop cultivation phase and adequate tree regeneration in the fallow phase. The decisions made during the selection of tree species, spacing of trees adjudged suitable for any particular cropping system and recruitment of saplings prior to the fallow phase of farming constitute tree management. Farmers develop tree management knowledge by studying the physical characteristics of species, matching them to ecological functions they could perform and how they are likely to respond to treatments meant to control or enhance their development. Species are then subjected to trial and recommended or otherwise.     

Systematic Temporal Patterns in the Relationship Between Housing Development and Forest Bird Biodiversity

As people encroach increasingly on natural areas, one question is how this affects avian biodiversity. The answer to this is partly scale‐dependent. At broad scales, human populations and biodiversity concentrate in the same areas and are positively associated, but at local scales people and biodiversity are negatively associated with biodiversity. We investigated whether there is also a systematic temporal trend in the relationship between bird biodiversity and housing development. We used linear regression to examine associations between forest bird species richness and housing growth in the conterminous United States over 30 years. Our data sources were the North American Breeding Bird Survey and the 2000 decennial U.S. Census. In the 9 largest forested ecoregions, housing density increased continually over time. Across the conterminous United States, the association between bird species richness and housing density was positive for virtually all guilds except ground nesting birds. We found a systematic trajectory of declining bird species richness as housing increased through time. In more recently developed ecoregions, where housing density was still low, the association with bird species richness was neutral or positive. In ecoregions that were developed earlier and where housing density was highest, the association of housing density with bird species richness for most guilds was negative and grew stronger with advancing decades. We propose that in general the relationship between human settlement and biodiversity over time unfolds as a 2‐phase process. The first phase is apparently innocuous; associations are positive due to coincidence of low‐density housing with high biodiversity. The second phase is highly detrimental to biodiversity, and increases in housing density are associated with biodiversity losses. The long‐term effect on biodiversity depends on the final housing density. This general pattern can help unify our understanding of the relationship of human encroachment and biodiversity response. Patrones Sistemáticos Temporales en la Relación entre Desarrollos Urbanos y la Biodiversidad de Aves de Bosque     

长江口-浙闽沿岸沉积色素的分布特征及其指示意义

利用高效液相色谱法分析了长江口-浙闽沿岸表层沉积物中的色素组成和含量,探讨了海洋初级生产力、浮游植物功能类群和浮游植物色素保存效率的空间分布特征及其影响因素.结果表明,沉积物中的色素类型主要为沉积绿素(chloropigments,Chlorins)[包括叶绿素a(chlorophyll-a,Chl-a)及其降解产物(pheopigments,Pheo-a),如脱镁叶绿素a(pheophytin-a,PHtin-a)、脱镁叶绿酸a(pheophorbide-a,PHide-a)、焦脱镁叶绿素a(p Pheophytin-a,p PHtin-a)、甾醇绿素酯(sterol chlorin esters,SCEs)和胡萝卜醇绿素酯(carotenol chlorin esters,CCEs)].Chlorins高值区呈南北两大斑块状分布,可能主要是受到长江冲淡水及浙闽沿岸泥质区上升流输运的营养盐的影响.研究区域内类胡萝卜素整体上无明显趋势性变化,在长江口以及浙闽沿岸各呈现一个高值区.基于沉积物中特征类胡萝卜素比例估算得到的浮游植物功能类群中硅藻、甲藻、定鞭藻、青绿藻、隐藻和蓝藻的相对贡献分别为48.8%±17.4%、10.7%±11.5%、8.1%±7.2%、18.6%±8.2%、9.4%±6.4%和4.3%±3.2%.对营养盐水平、水体盐度等外界环境的偏好导致硅藻和甲藻比例离岸降低,青绿藻、隐藻和蓝藻比例离岸增加.Chl-a/Pheo-a比值的分布表明,较高的沉积速率以及季节性的底层水体缺氧事件导致了近岸海域(长江口最大浑浊带外缘、杭州湾湾口以及浙闽沿岸上升流区)具有较高的沉积色素保存效率,这些沉积色素保存效率较高的区域可能是进行海洋生态环境历史重建的理想区域,而杭州湾水体通过舟山群岛与外部海水进行水体交换时造成的较差沉积环境可能是导致杭州湾外海具有较低沉积色素含量和较低保存效率的主要原因.     

添加动物源氨基酸水解液研制生物有机肥

为改善生物有机肥性质,提高生物有机肥质量,采取在生物有机肥中添加外源氨基酸水解液以提升生物有机肥中功能微生物的数量.以病死猪酸解制得氨基酸水解液为生物有机肥外加原料,研究了氨基酸水解液添加量、有机肥种类（鸡粪、牛粪、中药渣）、发酵时间对功能菌株SQR9数量的影响.结果表明:当氨基酸水解液添加量为20%时固体发酵效果优于其他接种量,预发酵3 d后接种SQR9的功能菌数量明显高于未预发酵直接接菌,预发酵中肥料（以干质量计,下同）的最高功能菌数量可达4×108 CFU/g,而第0天接菌时肥料的最高功能菌数量仅为1.2×108 CFU/g.以腐熟鸡粪、牛粪、中药渣堆肥为载体,添加酸解氨基酸研制生物有机肥的最优接菌量分别为10.0%、7.5%、10.0%;SQR9菌株生长的最佳含水量为40%.此外,氨基酸水解液的添加可提高生物有机肥的w（TN）.研究显示,氨基酸水解液的添加能有效促进固态发酵过程中功能菌株数量的增加.