Measuring biological diversity

The diversity of a set of species refers to the joint dissimilarity of the species in the set. This paper discusses the measurement of diversity from the set of pairwise distances between the species in the set. A measure called the effective number of species is developed from a non-parametric probability inequality and is shown to have a simple interpretation in terms of comparing linear experiments.     

投加混凝剂活性污泥法优选混凝剂试验研究

选取五种常用无机混凝剂,把活性污泥与生活污水按一定比例混合后,进行混凝试验,结果表明,三氯化铁去除TP的效果最好,在投加量为99 mg/l时,可去除污水中88%的TP。三种混凝剂FeCl3、PFS、PAFC与PAM复合进行参数优化的正交试验,对TP有最佳处理效果的絮凝条件为：投加FeCl3,投加量为99 mg/l,投加顺序为FeCl3先投加1 min,以污泥恰搅起不分层的速度搅拌（约160 r/min）30 min。试验结果对投加混凝剂活性污泥法选择合适的混凝剂有借鉴作用。     

Cu~(2 )对长江华溪蟹的毒性作用

人工控制条件下 ,初步研究了长江华溪蟹 (Sinopotamonyangtsekiense)对Cu2 的毒性反应 ,并探讨其作为环境监测生物的可能性 .结果表明 ,随浓度的升高、浸药时间的延长 ,Cu2 对长江华溪蟹的毒性增大 .Cu2 的毒性与长江华溪蟹性别也有密切关系 ,雄性个体对Cu2 的忍耐度低于雌性个体 ;对达到性成熟的长江华溪蟹个体 ,Cu2 毒性与其大小无明显相关性 .温度影响Cu2 对长江华溪蟹的毒性 ,较高温度 (18℃ )下的毒性高于较低温度 (14℃ )下的毒性 .图 3表 1参 16     

Extending the Dewanji and Kalbfleisch model to incorporate marker data

The model of Dewanji and Kalbfleisch for the estimation of time to tumour onset from a serial-sacrifice experiment is extended to include a marker state prior to the onset of the tumour. There are two versions of the model, one where a tumour is allowed to develop without the onset of marker, the other where a tumour develops after the marker but in which the marker later becomes unobservable.     

Geese and dietary allelochemicals — food palatability and geophagy

Summary The palatability of plants was studied in young, immature and adult geese of three species,Anser anser, Anser indicus andBranta canadensis, with respect to secondary plant metabolites. In their first 1–4 weeks of life, hand-reared goslings feed on a wide variety of plants, more or less irrespective of their allelochemical contents. Older birds become more selective, but still consume plants which are normally considered to be unpalatable or even toxic for other animals. Choice experiments were performed with pure secondary metabolites which were offered on otherwise highly palatable food items, such as leaves ofTaraxacum officinale. These experiments revealed a similar trend, in that very young goslings discriminate their food much less than older goslings or adult geese. In general, food contaminated with essential oils was rejected, whereas alkaloids, glycosides, amines and sulfur compounds were tolerated to a remarkable degree. In consequence, especially young, but also adult geese must have a high capacity to tolerate and/or to detoxify dietary allelochemicals. Another detoxification mechanism became evident during the experiments: geese ingest soil and mud quite regularly. It could be shown experimentally that the respective soil had a high capacity to bind alkaloids. We assume that geophagy is a means (besides a presumed active detoxification in the liver) to adsorb and thus reduce the contents of dietary allelochemicals.     

Solute transport in crystalline rocks at Äspö — I: Geological basis and model calibration

Water-conducting faults and fractures were studied in the granite-hosted Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (SE Sweden). On a scale of decametres and larger, steeply dipping faults dominate and contain a variety of different fault rocks (mylonites, cataclasites, fault gouges). On a smaller scale, somewhat less regular fracture patterns were found. Conceptual models of the fault and fracture geometries and of the properties of rock types adjacent to fractures were derived and used as input for the modelling of in situ dipole tracer tests that were conducted in the framework of the Tracer Retention Understanding Experiment (TRUE-1) on a scale of metres. After the identification of all relevant transport and retardation processes, blind predictions of the breakthroughs of conservative to moderately sorbing tracers were calculated and then compared with the experimental data. This paper provides the geological basis and model calibration, while the predictive and inverse modelling work is the topic of the companion paper [J. Contam. Hydrol. 61 (2003) 175].The TRUE-1 experimental volume is highly fractured and contains the same types of fault rocks and alterations as on the decametric scale. The experimental flow field was modelled on the basis of a 2D-streamtube formalism with an underlying homogeneous and isotropic transmissivity field. Tracer transport was modelled using the dual porosity medium approach, which is linked to the flow model by the flow porosity. Given the substantial pumping rates in the extraction borehole, the transport domain has a maximum width of a few centimetres only. It is concluded that both the uncertainty with regard to the length of individual fractures and the detailed geometry of the network along the flowpath between injection and extraction boreholes are not critical because flow is largely one-dimensional, whether through a single fracture or a network. Process identification and model calibration were based on a single uranine breakthrough (test PDT3), which clearly showed that matrix diffusion had to be included in the model even over the short experimental time scales, evidenced by a characteristic shape of the trailing edge of the breakthrough curve. Using the geological information and therefore considering limited matrix diffusion into a thin fault gouge horizon resulted in a good fit to the experiment. On the other hand, fresh granite was found not to interact noticeably with the tracers over the time scales of the experiments.While fracture-filling gouge materials are very efficient in retarding tracers over short periods of time (hours–days), their volume is very small and, with time progressing, retardation will be dominated by altered wall rock and, finally, by fresh granite. In such rocks, both porosity (and therefore the effective diffusion coefficient) and sorption K_ds are more than one order of magnitude smaller compared to fault gouge, thus indicating that long-term retardation is expected to occur but to be less pronounced.     

气溶胶自由基毒理学机制的研究

应用两级核孔滤膜的空气采样器采集了上海市区及郊区农村两点的粗颗粒（＞2．5μm)及细颗粒（MP2．5）气溶胶。用质子激发X荧光（PIXE）分析了其元素含量及其水溶后样品的元素含量。用ESR观察了颗粒物中的自由基；应用丙二醛（MDA）和四唑盐（MTT）方法比较了辐照前后粗颗粒的细胞毒性。结果显示市区气溶胶粒子中的Fe,Cr和Mn化合物比郊区粒子中的易溶于水，郊区细粒子中的Fe化合物比粗粒子中的易溶于水。ESR谱显示颗粒物中含有自由基，毒理实验显示了辐照后的气溶胶颗粒与未辐照的相比具有更高的细胞毒性。结果提示了气溶胶主要的致细胞毒性之一是通过自由基机制。     

Distinct potential aerosol masses under different scenarios of transport at a suburban site of Beijing

In order to evaluate the secondary aerosol formation potential at a suburban site of Beijing,in situ perturbation experiments in a potential aerosol mass(PAM) reactor were carried out in the winter of 2014.The variations of secondary aerosol formation as a function of time,OH exposure,and the concentrations of gas phase pollutants and particles were reported in this study.Two periods with distinct secondary aerosol formation potentials,marked as Period Ⅰ and Period Ⅱ,were identified during the observation.In Period Ⅰ,the secondary aerosol formation potential was high,and correlated well to the air pollutants,i.e.,SO_2,NO_2,and CO.The maximal secondary aerosol formation was observed with an aging time equivalent to about 3 days of atmospheric oxidation.In period Ⅱ,the secondary aerosol formation potential was low,with no obvious correlation with the air pollutants.Meanwhile,the aerosol mass decreased,instead of showing a peak,with increasing aging time.Backward trajectory analysis during the two periods confirmed that the air mass in Period Ⅰwas mainly from local sources,while it was attributed mostly to long distance transport in Period Ⅱ.The air lost its reactivity during the long transport and the particles became highly aged,resulting in a low secondary aerosol formation potential.Our experimental results indicated that the in situ measurement of the secondary aerosol formation potential could provide important information for evaluating the contributions of local emission and long distance transport to the aerosol pollution.     

Distribution, sources and potential toxicological significance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) in Guanting Reservoir sediments, China

The Guanting Reservoir lost its function as the second biggest drinking water source for Beijing due to the pollutions from the upstream flow of Yongding River in 1997. From 1998, lots of studies were carryied out to renew the function of Guanting Reservoir as domestic drinking water source before 2008 Olympic Games. This is the first time that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in the surface sediment of Guanting Reservoir have been analyzed. A distinctive spatial distribution of PAHs was observed. Sediments from four sites along Inlet of Yongding River to reservoir bam had PAHs concentrations of 1377--2855 μg/g dw in descending order. The composition of PAHs is investigated and used to assess patrogenic,combustion and naturally derived of the sediments samples of Guanting Reservoir. Special PAHs ratios, such as phenanthrene/anthracene(P/A) and fluoranthene/pyrene(Fl/Pyr) were calculated to assess the relative importance of different origins. The data confirmed a relatively high level of petrogenic contamination in four sites. These high PAHs levels were associated with the input of untreated and partially treated industrial sewage. In addition, the concentrations of PAHs compounds of samples indicated that sediments of reservoir were most likely to pose potential biological impairment.     

A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Animal Experiments with Guidelines for Reporting

To maximize the findings of animal experiments to inform likely health effects in humans, a thorough review and evaluation of the animal evidence is required. Systematic reviews and, where appropriate, meta-analyses have great potential in facilitating such an evaluation, making efficient use of the animal evidence while minimizing possible sources of bias. The extent to which systematic review and meta-analysis methods have been applied to evaluate animal experiments to inform human health is unknown. Using systematic review methods, we examine the extent and quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of in vivo animal experiments carried out to inform human health. We identified 103 articles meeting the inclusion criteria: 57 reported a systematic review, 29 a systematic review and a meta-analysis, and 17 reported a meta-analysis only. The use of these methods to evaluate animal evidence has increased over time. Although the reporting of systematic reviews is of adequate quality, the reporting of meta-analyses is poor. The inadequate reporting of meta-analyses observed here leads to questions on whether the most appropriate methods were used to maximize the use of the animal evidence to inform policy or decision-making. We recommend that guidelines proposed here be used to help improve the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of animal experiments. Further consideration of the use and methodological quality and reporting of such studies is needed.