Assessing Anchor Damage on Coral Reefs: A Case Study in Selection of Environmental Indicators

Because environmental conservation can remove scarce natural resources from competing uses, it is important to gain support for conservation programs by demonstrating that management actions have been effective in achieving their goals. One way to do this is to show that selected significant environmental variables (indicators) vary between managed and unmanaged areas or change over time following implementation of a management regime. However, identifying indicators that reflect environmental conditions relevant to management practices has proven difficult. This paper focuses on developing a framework for choosing indicators in a coral reef habitat. The framework consisted of three phases: (1) information gathering to identify candidate variables; (2) field-testing candidate variables at sites that differ in intensity of human activity, thus identifying potential indicators; and (3) evaluating potential indicators against a set of feasibility criteria to identify the most useful indicators. To identify indicators suitable to measure the success of a management strategy to reduce anchor damage to a coral reef, 24 candidate variables were identified and evaluated at sites with different intensities of anchoring. In this study, measures that reflected injuries to coral colonies were generally more efficient than traditional measures of coral cover in describing the effects of anchoring. The number of overturned colonies was identified as the single most useful indicator of coral reef condition associated with anchoring intensities. The indicator selection framework developed here has the advantages of being transparent, cost efficient, and readily transferable to other types of human activities and management strategies.     

A Proactive Approach Can Make Site Remediation Less Expensive

Without any incentive to clean up a contaminated site, remediation is often delayed until the site owner is compelled to act by regulatory agencies. In such a context, the selected technology is typically the one that will reach the remediation goals as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this criterion is often met by overly expensive technologies, resulting in high and sometimes unaffordable total remediation costs, leading to a remediation with a negative net benefit. This study examines the effects of time constraint and benefit value on the optimal remediation strategy for a diesel-contaminated site. This strategy is developed using the technico-economic model METEORS, which takes into account the technology’s effectiveness, the uncertainty of the level of contamination, and the possibility of reducing this uncertainty through either an additional characterization (before selecting and applying a technology) or the monitoring of the remediation technology (during its use). Results of simulations with both economic and temporal constraints support a proactive approach to site remediation.     

矿井通风网络解算可视化软件研究

采用面向对象编程语言Visual Basic6.0为开发工具,以Access为后台数据库,开发了具有风机优选功能的矿井通风网络解算软件。该软件承袭了Windows系统应用程序界面直观、交互性好的特点,集矿井通风网络解算、自然风压计算、风机自动选型以及经济断面优化等功能于一体,并辅以强大的数据管理系统,为矿山通风设计和管理工作提供了便利工具。     

多因素耦合条件下硫化矿自燃神经网络动态预测模型研究

硫化矿石自燃是多种因素、多场耦合综合作用的结果,是一典型的非线性问题。笔者应用人工神经网络技术,以Matlab软件为平台,通过现场调查和理论分析,建立了矿石含硫量、通风强度、环境温度3因素与硫化矿石自燃之间的预测模型;通过数据样本学习与部分现场监测数据相结合进行模拟,研究表明预测数据与实测结果基本吻合,误差控制在10%以内,取得了较好的效果。该研究为预防硫化矿石自燃提供一个新的思路和方法,具有一定的理论意义和应用价值。     

PROCEDURES FOR THE EVALUATION OF ENGINEERING ALTERNATIVES1

ABSTRACT: This paper describes a method of analyzing the nonquantifiable parameters which should be considered in the evaluation of engineering alternatives. The nonquantifiable parameters can include environmental impact, feasibility of implementation, and performance. The method considers rating all the alternatives on the basis of a set of criteria which reflect these parameters. A procedure is discussed for obtaining review and guidance in the evaluation of engineering alternatives from the local elected officials or governing bodies and for obtaining the views and desires of the local communities. This is achieved through the formation of project review committees and an evaluation procedure which allows for the technical rating of alternatives by the engineer and the weighing of the evaluation criteria by the political and social groups. With the growing environmental concern and the high cost of engineering projects, the involvement of the public during the evaluation of engineering projects is becoming increasingly important to the final success of the project.     

Dynamic of functional microbial groups during mesophilic composting of agro-industrial wastes and free-living (N2)-fixing bacteria application

Although several reports are available concerning the composition and dynamics of the microflora during the composting of municipal solid wastes, little is known about the microbial diversity during the composting of agro-industrial refuse. For this reason, the first parts of this study included the quantification of microbial generic groups and of the main functional groups of C and N cycle during composting of agro-industrial refuse. After a generalized decrease observed during the initial phases, a new bacterial growth was observed in the final phase of the process. Ammonifiers and (N₂)-fixing aerobic groups predominated outside of the piles whereas, nitrate-reducing group increased inside the piles during the first 23 days of composting. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), showed an opposite trend of growth since ammonia oxidation decreased with the increase of the nitrite oxidation activity. Pectinolytics, amylolytics and aerobic cellulolytic were present in greater quantities and showed an upward trend in both the internal and external part of the heaps.Several free-living (N₂)-fixing bacteria were molecularly identify as belonging especially to uncommon genera of nitrogen-fixing bacteria as Stenotrophomonas, Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter and Caulobacter. They were investigated for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen to employ as improvers of quality of compost. Some strains of Azotobacter chrococcum and Azotobacter salinestris were also tested. When different diazotrophic bacterial species were added in compost, the increase of total N ranged from 16% to 27% depending on the selected microbial strain being used. Such microorganisms may be used alone or in mixtures to provide an allocation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in soil.     

Digit ratios (2D:4D), secondary sexual characters and cell-mediated immunity in house sparrows <Emphasis Type="Italic">Passer domesticus</Emphasis>

Homeobox genes regulate development of digits, and it has been suggested that the ratio of length of second to length of fourth digit reflects such genetic effects in a sex-specific manner. We show that digit ratios in the sexually dichromatic house sparrow Passer domesticus differ between sexes, with males having higher ratios than females, and that individuals produce consistent ratios on the two feet. If Homeobox or other genes had pleiotropic effects on development of digits, behavior, and physiology of males and females, we would expect secondary sexual characters and immunity to be related to digit ratio in a sex-specific manner. The size of the visible part of the black badge in February (a secondary sexual character), but not total badge size, was positively correlated with digit ratios, suggesting that males with more male-like digit ratios had larger visible badges. Because of sex-specific effects of development on secondary sexual characters and immunity, we predicted sex-specific differences in immune response to be related to digit ratio. House sparrows with large digit ratios had weaker T cell-mediated immune response than individuals with small digit ratios, particularly in females, implying that females with more male-like digit ratios had weak immune responses. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that early development, as reflected by digit ratios, and genetics affect the expression of adult characters that are supposedly strongly contributing to fitness.     

基于矿井通风三维仿真系统软件的矿用空气幕选型方法

根据矿井风流调节的具体要求,合理选择矿用空气幕的型号是应用矿用空气幕技术的关键。在分析矿用空气幕选型依据及原理的基础上,应用矿井通风三维仿真系统软件模拟矿用空气幕运行的效果,来研究确定矿用空气幕的选型参数及影响因素。结果表明,应用矿井通风三维仿真系统软件所选择的矿用空气幕与理论推导的计算结果一致,此方法能够最大限度地反映矿山实际情况,具有直观、高效等特点。     

序批式动态膜生物反应器处理低碳氮比废水的试验研究

以序批式动态膜反应器为研究对象,对其处理低碳氮比废水的效果进行了试验研究.试验温度为19 ～ 21℃,MLSS为3～5g/L;好氧阶段溶解氧质量浓度为2 ～4 mg/L,厌氧阶段溶解氧质量浓度为0.2～0.5 mg/L;水力停留时间共12 h,其中好氧阶段8h,厌氧阶段4h.结果表明:当进水COD、TN和NH4+-N质量浓度分别为250～300mg/L、103 ～ 156 mg/L和92～140 mg/L时,反应器对上述污染物表现出较高且稳定的去除效率,COD、TN和NH4+-N平均去除率分别达到76.15％、82.16％和90.13％.同时,反应器系统中污泥的比硝化速率与常规处理装置中的活性污泥相比较高,以NH4+-N的降解量计为0.101 d-1,以NO3--N的积累量计为0.091 d-.