Testing hypotheses about management to enhance habitat for feeding birds in a freshwater wetland

The level of water was manipulated in a freshwater wetland, with the aim of enhancing abundances of benthic animals and, ultimately, improving habitat for feeding birds (Japanese Snipe, Gallinago hardwickii). We tested whether these actions had the predicted and desired effects on benthic animals, by contrasting changes in two managed locations to one control location which was left unmanipulated. The number of taxa and abundances of chironomids decreased strongly and significantly in the manipulated locations, while the abundance of oligochaetes appeared to vary in a seasonal manner. Temporal variability of the structure and composition of assemblages was also increased in manipulated locations. Such effects have previously been suggested to indicate stress in benthic assemblages. Therefore, in contrast to what was predicted, managerial actions made benthic fauna less abundant and thus, less suitable as habitat for feeding birds. Several general lessons can be learned from these results. (1) Effects of managerial actions like these are difficult to predict a priori and can only be reliably evaluated with an experimental framework. (2) Because abundances of animals vary naturally, evaluations of managerial actions must include appropriate spatial replication. (3) Sampling at hierarchical temporal scales is important, because abundances of animals may vary in an unpredictable manner at short temporal scales and because changes in temporal variability may be a symptom of stress. (4) Combined use of uni- and multivariate techniques provides a comprehensive set of tools to assess the effects of restoration and creation of new habitats. Finally, these results emphasise the need for clear predictions about desired outcomes and specific experimental plans about how to test whether the desired results were achieved, before managerial actions are taken. Although this is often very difficult to achieve in real situations, it is necessary for practices of management to evolve on the basis of sound empirical experience.     

The Interior-to-Edge Breakpoint Distance as a Guideline for Nature Conservation Policy

A method is proposed to quantify disturbance impact on isolated habitats. For every landscape patch, the breakpoint distance, defined as the penetration distance for which equality of interior and edge habitat is observed, can be calculated. Disturbance with equal impact at all patch sides is assumed. Effects of patch compactness, size, convolution, and perforation are discussed. The potential use of the measure for nature reserve design is discussed. The breakpoint distance follows the reserve design guidelines for individual patches, based on island biogeography and is consistent with the form and function principle. A large breakpoint distance is preferred for natural habitats. Small size, small compactness, intense convolution, and the occurrence of many gaps depress the breakpoint distance.     

The Information Cycle as a Framework for Defining Information Goals for Water-Quality Monitoring

/ The necessity to tailor information becomes increasingly urgent as the information revolution continues to generate ever-increasing flows of data and so-called information. From European experiences, a new approach for monitoring system design is suggested in this paper. In this approach, careful and detailed specification of information needs is a major contributing factor to the effectiveness of information products. To develop better specifications for information products, the process of collecting and transforming data into useful information requires careful thought and guidance. A dialogue between information users on one hand and information producers on the other is essential. This dialogue can be based on the information cycle, describing the continuous process from specifying information needs for water management and a strategy to collect information through data collection and data analysis up to utilization of information by water management. By following the respective steps in the information cycle, the process of information gathering can be completed. The cyclic character provides a quantitative means of connecting monitoring system design and operations with the information expectations and/or products required by management.     

ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES FOR FLOOD CONTROL CHANNELS1

ABSTRACT: The environmental effects of flood control channel modifications such as clearing and snagging, straightening, enlargement, and/or paving can be quite severe in some cases. Information review reveals that several environmental features have been incorporated into the design, construction, operation, or maintenance of recent flood control channel projects to avoid adverse environmental impacts and enhance environmental quality. Typically, these features have been proposed by conservation agencies and designed with minimal quantitative analysis. Environmental features for channel projects include selective clearing and snagging techniques, channel designs with nonuniform geometry such as single bank modification and floodways, restoration and enhancement of aquatic habitat, improved techniques for placement of excavated material, and revegetation.     

A guide for assessing control room operator performance using speed and accuracy,perceived workload,situation awareness,and eye tracking

In the petrochemical industry, control room operators must address safety-critical alarms and other tasks using complex interfaces. This study developed a guide for assessing human performance using standard human factors measurement tools, and tested the sensitivity of those tools with two interface designs (i.e., gray and black) at three levels of workload (i.e., easy, medium, and difficult). The guide measures human performance through speed and accuracy, perceived workload using two standard instruments (i.e., NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and Subjective Workload Assessment Technique (SWAT)), situation awareness through the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT), and gaze through eye tracking coordinates. Twelve engineering student participants completed one simulation session at each of the three workload levels using one of two interface designs. Workload was manipulated through the number of simulated events (failures) in each session. Overall, the speed and accuracy measures, workload ratings, and eye tracking showed sensitivity to differences in workload level, and situation awareness showed sensitivity to the interaction between workload level and interface type. None of the tools were sensitive to interface type alone. Accuracy was highest under easy workload. Time per failure decreased at higher workload levels. Perceived workload ratings from the SWAT increased as workload increased, but workload ratings from the NASA-TLX were not different across workload levels. When workload increased, situation awareness remained steady for the gray interface but decreased sharply for the black interface, illustrating an interaction effect. Finally, the percentage of time spent looking at different areas of the screen during steady-state periods differed among workload levels. The tools in this guide can be used in the petrochemical industry to make design decisions for control room interfaces when workload levels are a concern.     

钻井液化学剂可生物降解性研究

实验测定了16种钻井液化学剂的BOD_5和COD_cr，并计算其BOD_5／COD_cr比值。提出了以BOD_5／COD_cr的比值划分钻井液化学剂可生物降解性的分级标准，并对16种钻井液化学剂的可生物降解性进行分级，为其应用提供依据。     

APPLICATION OF ADVANCES IN FLOOD FREQUENCY ANALYSIS1

ABSTRACT: Flood frequency analyses are frequently being made using widely available computer programs. Serious errors can result from blind acceptance of such results. Visual interpretation of observed flood series can be used for evaluation on frequency paper with compatible scales. Such frequency papers are presented in the paper. In ephemeral streams, more infrequent floods may constitute a separate set from the more frequent floods because (a) runoff producing storms cover only a portion of the contributing area, (b) transmission losses in the normally dry streambed may reduce the peak flow, and (c) some runoff may be stored in stock water ponds which therefore leads to partial area runoff. The Cunnane plotting position used in this paper is superior to the more widely used Weibull equation, having a mathematically sound basis for locating observed floods on an assumed probability.     

Warm forming die design,Part II: Parting surface temperature response characterization of a novel thermal finite element modeling code

The majority of the research activities in the area of warm forming are concentrated on demonstrating or simulating the improved formability associated with forming lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures. However, the ability to design the proper thermal management system within the forming tool is a critical aspect to delivering this technology as a viable, stable production alternative to traditional stamping. This work begins to address the thermal stability issues of this process by examining the impact of process cycle time on the parting surface temperature response. Cycle times of 10, 15, 30, and 300 s were evaluated using a reciprocating surface and a self-heated experimental block of 1020 steel fitted with resistance cartridge heaters. The presented results indicate that cycle time does not significantly impact the steady-state temperature response at the parting surface for a well-insulated die that has proper thermal management. Parting surface experimental results were compared to values obtained numerically and through the use of the novel thermal finite element analysis software PASSAGE/Forming^®.     

基于磁化水的全尾砂胶结充填体强度研究

针对某矿山全尾砂充填体抗压强度低,水泥用量大的现状,将磁化水引入全尾砂胶结充填料浆的配浆试验,通过均匀布点理论优选出最佳磁化条件,探究了磁化水-全尾砂充填体的7天、14天、28天抗压强度的变化规律以及磁化水对水泥活性的影响。研究结果表明:在磁感应强度B=1000-2000Gs,水循环流速V=1.4-2.0m/s,磁化时间T=10-20min时,磁化水-全尾砂充填模块的7天抗压强度提高19%-28%,14天抗压强度提高17%-25%,28天抗压强度提高13-15%。     

生物膜与A／O工艺耦合快速降解氨氮

应用由城市污水处理厂序批式间歇反应器（SBR）中筛选得到的4株特殊氨氧化菌，分别在SBR和有回流的生物膜与A／O工艺耦合体系培养中，考察其降解低碳高氨氮废水的功能。结果表明，自养硝化与异养氨氧化菌的混合菌群较单一自养硝化菌株降解氨氮速率快；在生物膜与A／O工艺耦合系统中，自养硝化与异养氨氧化菌协同代谢加速氨氮氧化脱除，氨氮脱除速率远比SBR系统快。对生物膜与A／O工艺耦合系统中氨氮脱除动力学进行了研究，模拟了NH4^＋、NO2^-；质量浓度与氨氮脱除比速率之间的关系，模型得到了较好的验证。