Considerations for preserve design based on the distribution of rare plants in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,USA

Park design principles are proposed on the basis of consideration and analysis of rare plant species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. Rare species richness can be used as a simple measure of preservation success. A semilogartihmic species-area model for the Smokies was used in this analysis. Species richness would increase logarathmically with expansion of the national park area. An analysis of the relationship between species richness and the distribution of geologic and topographic features in the national park was also reported. An asymptotic relation was documented for the accumulation of newly recorded rare and endangered vascular plant species in the Smokies region up to 1978. Several multiple regression linear models predicted rare vascular plant species richness in Great Smoky Mountains National Park from area and topographic variates.Preserve design criteria can be based upon species-area, environmental gradient, and natural features distribution patterns for the specific taxa and biogeographic region under consideration. In addition, natural history characteristics for particular vulnerable species must be assessed. Rather than concentrating on the preservation of undocumented immigration and extinction processes, preserve design should be directed towards protecting geographic components and gradient patterns characteristic of a region.     

四川燃煤电厂对周围土壤的辐射影响

燃煤电厂对环境与人群所产生的辐射影响早已引起了国内外学者的关注。本文通过对四川省境内重庆、河门口、江油等燃煤电厂烟尘中天然放射性水平的分析，估算出由烟尘沉降所造成周围土壤中天然放射性本底的年增加量不到０．１％，这说明由烟尘沉降每年对土壤所产生的辐射影响是较小的；然而由于沉降的放射性在相当长的时期内存在于土壤的表层，因此随电厂运转时间的增加，其所产生的辐射影响就必须引起重视了；本文通过对电厂周围表层与深层土中天然放射性水平的比较与分析说明，燃煤电厂的长期运转有可能使周围表层土壤中天然放射性本底增加。     

城市洪涝灾害的成灾模式初步分析

城市是一个通过水、电、气、交通、通讯、计算机网络等国民经济命脉系统联系在一起的集政治、经济、文化、外交等社会活动中心于一体的人口资产密集区。我国目前正处于经济和城市化高速发展时期,城市在发展的同时深刻地改变了当地自然环境,增加了洪涝灾害发生的频率,城市洪涝灾害损失也以前所未有的速度增长,城市洪涝灾害损失的基本模式,除了造成人员伤亡、建筑物和物资直接受损毁外,更在于命脉系统因灾瘫痪导致社会经济活动中断;地下设施迅速发展加重了洪涝灾害风险;建筑物内部财产损失比重增加;以及由洪涝灾害促使持续发展受阻和环境破坏等问题。     

A PRELIMINARY QUANTIFICATION OF THE IMPACTS OF ASPEN TO CONIFER SUCCESSION ON WATER YIELD- II. MODELING RESULTS1

ABSTRACT: Heat pulse velocity techniques were developed for effective monitoring of water movement in aspen (Populus tremuloides), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), and Englemann spruce (Picea engelmannif). Water loss was monitored in replicated trees of each species for one year. These data were used to modify the plant activity index (a reflection of the ability of plants to transpire water at various times during a year) and the crop coefficient (a reflection of differences in consumptive use rates of water by different vegetation types when all other factors are held constant) for each species within the model ASPCON, a deterministic, lumped-parameter model describing the hydrology of aspen to conifer succession. Results of the modeling in dicate 18.6 cm net loss of moisture available for streamflow when spruce replaced aspen, and a loss of 7.2 cm when fir forests replaced aspen. The aspen to conifer successional trend appears, therefore, to be significantly reducing water yields in the western United States.     

DIFFERENTIAL ACCUMULATION OF SELENIUM AMONG AXIAL MUSCLE,REPRODUCTIVE AND LIVER TISSUES OF FOUR WARMWATER FISH SPECIES1

Bluegill (Lepotmis macrochirus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), white catfish (Ictalurus catus), and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), collected from an electric power plant cooling reservoir and a municipal water supply reservoir near Roxboro, North Carolina, were analyzed for selenium concentrations in axial muscle, reproductive and liver tissues. Fishes from the municipal water reservoir had lower selenium concentrations (≤0.2-2.1 μg/g - wet weight) than found in the cooling reservoir fishes (1.6-70.0 μg/g - wet weight) but similar distributions of concentrations among the tissues was evident. Selenium was differentially accumulated, with higher concentrations in liver tissues (0.7-70.0 μg/g - wet weight), followed by female reproductive tissues (0.7-25.0 μg/g - wet weight), axial muscle tissues (≤0.2-23.0 μg/g - wet weight) and male reproductive tissues (0.2-7.2 μg/g - wet weight).     

Biomethanation of plant materials and agricultural residues using dung samples as wild population of microbes and also with isolated methanogens

Recycling of plant materials and agricultural residues for biomethanation was attempted in vials. The methanogenic activities of certain sewage samples have also been tested. Both sterilized and non-sterilized biomasses were used. Biomethanation was carried out with dung samples (cow, goat, buffalo, piggery wastes and poultry wash) as wild populations of microbes and in combination with other microbial isolates (isolated in the laboratory).Biomethanation had been observed to be good in most cases and particularly with the sterilized biomass. Mixed inoculum (dung samples and poultry wash) was found to be best for biomethanation. Of the microbe isolates, isolates from buffalo, pig and paper mill wastes appear to be most effective. Pretreated sawdust and rice straw were found to be good subtrates for biomethanation. Of the different plant biomass used Spirogyra (algae), Ipomea and water hyacinth were most effective whereas Jatropa gossypifolia and Parthenium sp. were the least effective. Biomethanation of Spirogyra was carried out both in anoxic and oxic conditions. Though methane production decreased enormously under oxic conditions, definite methane production continued indicating that the biomethanation process is not exclusively anoxic. Similarly, biomethanation of sewage samples from different sewage treatment plants were carried out with and without isolated methanogens and methane production was found to be moderate.     

Reuse of wastewater for industrial needs: the Pontedera case

This paper presents result from an economic and technical point of view evaluation study, which has sought to establish the potential for replacing well-water that is currently used at the Piaggio industrial plant in Pontedera with recycled wastewater. The study is based upon a pilot wastewater treatment plant, which has been used to test wastewater treatment processes and to compare with achieved quality of recycled waters with that of water drawn on-site from physical/chemical pre-treatment and end with a reverse osmosis and air stripping stage. However, after the physical/chemical pre-treatment, the first option uses oxidation with ozone followed by activated carbon filtration, whereas the second method uses ultrafiltration. The first method is more effective at reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) whereas the second method is more effective in removing bacteria. Nonetheless, both methods deliver water for re-use of a quality comparable with or better than that of well-water. In principle, the reverse osmosis permeate from either process could be re-used in all production phases at the industrial plant. However, the method base upon oxidation with ozone followed by activated carbon filtration is preferred, because, the process is simpler and continuous. The economic analysis of this process gives an estimated cost of Euro 0.55 per m³ for treated water. This compares favorably with other treatment processes and with the cost of other forms of water supply, which are projected to increase in any case.     

DESIGN OF DESALTING PLANTS FOR CONJUNCTIVE OPERATION1

ABSTRACT The selection of an evaporator design must reflect the balancing of captial cost (primarily in heat exchanger surface and vessels) against operating cost (primarily steam cost) to achieve minimum cost. In a conjunctive plant the tendency is to select a low-capital cost, high-operating cost plant. In addition, it is advantageous to use a high-capacity plant which needs to be operated much less of the time than a plant which is sized just at the needed rate. For example, in the study of a possible system to satisfy a future increase of 450 MGD in water supply to New York Qty, a plant of 750 MGD capacity was selected as optimum. This plant, of the advanced VTE-MSF process type, would have a performance ratio of 9 lb product/1000 Btu as compared to 10-13 normally used for base-loaded plants. Steam would be supplied by a multi-unit dual-purpose nuclear power plant. The most economical type of energy supply would be “interruptible”; the steam would be used by a low pressure turbine to generate electricity during periods of peak electrical demand but would be available to the desalting plant at other times. The low pressure turbine would be available as spinning reserve during desalting plant operation. It is estimated that the desalting plant would have a load factor of 27 per cent over its life.     

元代自然资源的保护和利用探幽

元代1264年定都燕京后,为加强政治统治,在中原先进的农耕经济影响下,改变过去“逐水草而居”游牧经济的生产方式,在积极保护动、植物资源和合理开发利用土地、水资源等方面,采取了一些恢复和发展农业生产的举措。剖璞见玉,对今仍有史鉴作用。     

陕南化龙山珍稀濒危植物的保护和利用

化龙山是大巴山系在川陕境内的最高山峰,海拔２９１７．２ｍ,植物资源丰富,有野生维管植物１９７７种,隶属１８６科８１５属。化龙山是陕西省珍稀濒危植物资源最丰富的地区,共有国家保护的珍稀濒危植物２２科３０属３３种,其中属一级保护１种,二级保护１１种,三级保护２１种,属濒危２种,稀有１４各,渐危１７种,珍稀濒危植物古老成分较多,并以第三纪孑遗成分为主单少型属和中国特有属分别是１６属和１０属。这些珍稀濒危