Who cares? Individual contributions to pup care by breeders vs non-breeders in the cooperatively breeding banded mongoose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Mungos mungo</Emphasis>)

Knowledge of the investment rules adopted by breeders and non-breeders, and the factors that affect them, is essential to understanding cooperative breeding as part of a life-history tactic. Although the factors that affect relative contributions to care of young have been studied in some cooperative bird species, there is little data on mammals, making coherent generalisations within mammals and across taxa difficult. In this study, we investigate individual contributions to pup escorting, a strong predictor of offspring provisioning, in the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), a cooperatively breeding mammal in which reproductive skew is low. Contributions by those under a year old (which virtually never breed) increased with age and body weight but were generally low. Among older age classes (yearlings and adults), individuals that had not bred in the current litter generally contributed less to escorting than those that had bred (with the exception of yearling males). In addition, females that did not breed reduced their investment if they were heavy presumably because such females are more likely to breed in the following event and benefit from saving resources for this. The generally greater contributions by breeders in banded mongooses contrast with the recent findings in meerkats (Suricata suricatta), another obligatorily cooperative mongoose with similar group size but wherein reproductive skew is high. Our results suggest that relative contributions by breeders vs non-breeders are not dependent on group size but on the ratio of breeders to carers and the probability that non-breeders will breed in the near future.     

The maximum power principle: An empirical investigation

The maximum power principle is a potential guide to understanding the patterns and processes of ecosystem development and sustainability. The principle predicts the selective persistence of ecosystem designs that capture a previously untapped energy source. This hypothesis was investigated empirically in controlled and replicated tests conducted in planktonic microcosms. Microecosystems that developed under a pH-controlled light regime, in which light duration was altered based on changes in an ecosystem-controllable variable (water column pH), were compared with those that developed under fixed photoperiods. According to the principle, pH-decreasing (and power-increasing) organization should selectively persist under pH-controlled light. To assess changes in pH dynamics that occurred under the alternative selection regime, in which photoperiods were not linked with pH-affecting selection or organization, the microecosystems that developed under fixed photoperiods were subjected to pH-controlled light on the last day of each test. The daily light duration increased 506 min on average in microecosystems that developed under pH-controlled light and 412 min on average in microecosystems that developed under fixed photoperiods. Selective reinforcement of acid-secreting blue-green algae in response to CO₂ and nutrient limitations could account for the greater increase in power acquisition in microecosystems that developed under pH-controlled light.     

Cardenolide content,emetic potency,and thin-layer chromatography profiles of monarch butterflies,Danaus plexippus,and their larval host-plant milkweed,Asclepias humistrata,in Florida

Summary This paper is the fourth in a series on cardenolide fingerprints of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus, Danainae) and their host-plant milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae) in the eastern United States. Cardenolide concentrations ofAsclepias humistrata plants from north central Florida ranged from 71 to 710 µg/0.1 g dry weight, with a mean of 417 µg/0.1 g. Monarchs reared individually on these plants contained cardenolide concentrations ranging from 243 to 575 µg/0.1 g dry weight, with a mean of 385 µg/0.1 g. Cardenolide uptake by butterflies was independent of plant concentration, suggesting that sequestration saturation occurs in monarchs fed cardenolide-rich host plants. Thinlayer chromatography resolved 19 cardenolides in the plants and 15 in the butterflies. In addition to humistratin,A. humistrata plants contained several relatively non-polar cardenolides of the calotropagenin series which are metabolized to more polar derivatives in the butterflies. These produced a butterfly cardenolide fingerprint clearly distinct from those previously established for monarchs reared on otherAsclepias species. In emetic assays with the blue jay,Cyanocitta cristata, the 50% emetic dose (ED₅₀) per jay was 57.1 µg, and the average number of ED₅₀ units per butterfly was 13.8, establishing that this important south eastern milkweed produces highly emetic, chemically defended monarchs. Our data provide further support for the use of cardenolide fingerprints of wild-caught monarchs to make ecological predictions concerning defence against natural enemies, seasonal movement and larval host-plant utilization by monarch butterflies during their annual cycle of migration, breeding and overwintering.     

Decision making in dune management: theory and practice

Effective decision making depends upon the availability of quality information. Procedures involved in assessing dune vulnerability and protection require monitoring of sporadic processes and information must be collected from many discipline sources. In particular, a significant challenge to strategic management is recognition of subtle discontinuities which could undermine the long term stability of the dune system. These changes may be irregular and/or non linear requiring managers to be aware of existing parameters, patterns and emerging discontinuities. A range of components within the system should be measured on a systematic, temporal and spatial basis. An environmentalchecklist is a useful management technique which systematises information, so that strategic objectives can be made operational and achievable. Problems can be identified and solved with this methodology particularly if it is incorporated into aW problem solving model. The checklist procedure proposed in this paper has been developed and tested in field conditions for a range of north-west and south-European dune systems. Whereas a universalchecklist applicable to all systems is utopian in aim, intra and extra-regional comparisons can be undertaken with only minor modifications of some components. Parameters covering site and dune morphology, beach condition; surface character of the seaward 200 m of the dunes; pressure of use and recent protection measures are the basis for calculating vulnerability and protection indices. The balance between these indices can be determined, analysed and form the foundation for future informed management decisions.     

Optimal maternal investment in the dung beetle<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Onthophagus taurus</Emphasis>?

Optimal investment theory is based on the assumption that the proximate constraint acting on parental investment is resource based. A trade-off between per offspring investment and total investment seems intuitive. Consequently, a parents investment strategy is expected to represent a trade-off between the benefits of investment for current offspring and the costs to future reproduction for parents. In this study, we provide clear evidence that the costs and benefits of maternal provisioning in the dung beetle Onthophagus taurus influence the amount of provisions provided by the mother. Horse dung is typically of a higher nutritional value than cow dung and females were shown to provide 20% less dung to offspring when provisioning with horse dung. By reducing their investment per offspring and exhibiting a clear preference to provision offspring with horse dung, females were able to produce significantly more offspring. Females provisioning with horse dung received greater fitness returns per unit of investment and experienced lower provisioning costs, in terms of the minimum amount of dung required to produce a surviving offspring, than females provisioning with cow dung. Females provisioning in soil of low moisture content were found to have higher tunneling costs than those provisioning in soil of high moisture content, while the fitness returns per unit of investment did not differ. We adopted a marginal value theorem (MVT) approach to calculate the theoretical optimal level of investment for each dung type and for each soil moisture. Predicted levels of provisioning were lower for horse dung than for cow dung and for moist soil than for dry soil. Therefore, the results of this study are in qualitative agreement with MVT predictions and provide empirical support for the proposal that females can adaptively adjust their level of investment in response to resource and/or habitat quality. However, the theoretically predicted optimal investment yielded a poor quantitative fit with our observed levels of investment, with females providing over twice the investment predicted by the MVT approach. We suggest that this difference may reflect either our inability in directly quantifying all the necessary costs and benefits of investment in O. taurus and/or the applicability of the underlying assumptions of MVT.Communicated by D. Gwynne     

基于前景理论和BWM的深基坑支护方案综合评价

针对深基坑施工工程的复杂性及决策者风险态度对多指标决策的影响,构建了融合前景理论的深基坑施工支护最优方案选择模型。首先建立深基坑支护方案优选决策问题的多目标评价指标体系,借鉴TOPSIS思想将正、负理想方案作为决策者参照值,在此基础上,进一步将灰色关联分析法引入前景理论定义了正、负价值函数;通过BWM方法得出各指标的客观权重,根据权重函数得到决策者对客观权重的主观评价,在此基础上计算每个备选方案的综合前景值并排序,获得最优支护方案。最终通过两个工程实例验证了模型的有效性,并通过与其他方法比较说明了该模型在准确性方面的优势。     

湘潭某新建小学安全现状及管理措施研究

为减少湘潭某新建小学校园安全事件的发生,本文采用安全检查表对该校进行安全隐患排查,通过排查发现该校存在一定的安全隐患问题,主要集中在“物的不安全状态”和“不良环境”2个方面,针对隐患依据4M理论从“人—机—环—管”4个方面提出合理可行的安全管理措施及隐患消除方法。经分析,该校校园环境中存在的安全隐患可通过采取科学有效的方法进行治理。希望本研究可以为小学校园安全管理提供一定的思路。     

相邻木结构建筑火灾蔓延临界值研究*

为研究相邻木结构建筑火灾由已燃建筑传递至未燃建筑的临界值,利用突变理论与数值模拟分别研究相同条件下贵州省典型木结构建筑火灾发展过程中发生突变现象的临界值,并采用实验手段对前2种方法所测得的结果进行验证,从而证明尖点突变理论在相邻木结构建筑火灾蔓延临界值预测中的可行性与有效性。建立描述相邻木结构建筑火灾发展过程的能量守恒方程,通过对能量守恒方程的推导,得到相邻木结构建筑火灾突变势函数。结果表明:在相邻木结构建筑火灾发展过程中,火焰由已燃建筑传递至未燃建筑这一过程具有尖点突变的特征,计算出的火灾蔓延临界值为892.2 K;根据数值模拟找到已燃建筑传递至未燃建筑的状态,此时的临界值为881.5 K:2组简易实验测得的临界温度分别为903.2,889.8 K,与突变理论预测值和数值模拟结果相比,3种方法误差不大,因此可认为利用尖点突变对相邻木结构建筑火灾突变临界值进行预测具有可行性。     

Who is susceptible and why? An agent-based approach to assessing vulnerability to drought

In this paper, we specify susceptibility to drought from a psychology-based bottom-up perspective. On the basis of the protection motivation theory (Rippetoe and Rogers in J Pers Soc Psychol 52(3):596–604, 1987), we developed the protection-capacity model (Krömker and Mosler in Global environmental change in Alpine regions: impact, recognition, adaptation, and mitigation. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp 93–112, 2002) to analyse the susceptibility with respect to the protection capacity of agents. The protection capacity is determined by the agents’ subjective assessment of the situation, which consists of the appraisal of threat, on the one hand, and the coping appraisal, on the other hand. Additionally, the protection-capacity model specifies several factors which influence the two central appraisal processes. Empirical data were collected in interviews with experts and with a total of 65 exemplarily selected households which are typical for the respective case study regions (Andhra Pradesh, India; Algarve and Alentejo, Portugal; Volgograd and Saratov, Russia). The data were analysed with the help of fuzzy set methodology. Results show that the households of the Indian region are the most susceptible when compared to those of the Russian region with ‘low’ and to households of the Portuguese region with a ‘very low’ degree of susceptibility. Moreover, we identified subgroups within the regions which are characterized by different degrees of susceptibility and a different profile of factors influencing susceptibility. Altogether, the agent-based perspective allows identifying relevant factors that need to be addressed to minimize susceptibility of the population and special subgroups. However, the results are not representative for the case study regions because of the small database. Additionally, more effort is needed to validate the findings.     

边界元法在填埋场气体运移数值模拟中的应用

基于多孔介质流体动力学理论和边界元法原理,构建了填埋气运移边界元数值模型,进行填埋场内部填理气的运动规律研究;通过与理想条件下的解析解对比分析,检验了该边界元数值模型方法本身;进行了垂直抽气井设施的填埋场实例气体运动数值模拟,得到了填埋场内部填埋气体的压力分布情况,由此确定了集气井的影响范围.模型精度分析和模型验证结果表明,该模型与解析解的平均相对误差在3%以下,与实测数据的平均相对误差均在10%左右,具有较高的精度;抽气井模拟结果表明,该模型可应用于填埋场气体运移的模拟预测和现场分析,能够为填埋场释放气体控制系统设计和优化提供理论依据.