Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.     

基于人误系统复合状态(MSHES)的人误防范理论研究

评析国内外以第一代人因可靠性分析(静态)、第二代人因可靠性分析(动态)为主体形成的人误防范理论和方法;针对目前不能量化人的生理、认知、心理等相关非结构性和非确定性参数和数据的"瓶颈",建立基于人-机-环系统业务流程的人误系统复合状态(Multiplex State ofHumanErrors System,MSHES)结构模型;探求运用粗糙集数据挖掘,对资深专业人员的经验规则信息、人因事故或事件分析的信息,挖掘人因层次结构中的根因与人误层次结构中的差错之间的关联关系,构建基于规则的人误防范专家系统结构模型;探究人的风险性评估和人误防范理论。     

不同粒径大气颗粒物中金属元素分布与风险评估研究进展

金属元素(MEs)是大气颗粒物的重要组成部分。综述了不同粒径大气颗粒物中MEs的分布、生态风险和人体健康风险评估的研究现状。在颗粒物中MEs主要呈现3种粒径分布：细模态单峰型、粗模态单峰型和双峰型,对应于不同的污染源。富集因子法、地累积指数法和潜在生态风险指数法是MEs生态风险评价最常用的3种方法,大部分MEs在细模态的富集程度远高于粗模态,我国城市大气颗粒物均呈现非常高的综合潜在生态风险(风险指数>1 000)。Cd、Pb、As是目前主要的污染元素,应重点关注。不同粒径段的颗粒物会沉积在呼吸系统不同部位。健康风险评估结果显示,我国大部分城市地区均存在重金属元素对人体的致癌风险和非致癌风险,会对人体产生致癌风险的MEs有Cr、As和Cd,Mn可能引起非致癌风险。因此,将不同粒径段颗粒物中MEs的分布特征和风险评估结合起来是未来该领域的重点研究方向。

     

First-trimester diagnosis of Meckel–Gruber syndrome by transabdominal sonography in a low-risk case

Meckel–Gruber syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder often resulting in neonatal death within a few hours of life. The condition is usually diagnosed ultrasonographically in the second trimester and earlier diagnosis has been mainly confined to high recurrence risk pregnancies. We describe the earliest non-invasive diagnosis of this condition at 12⁺² weeks' gestation in a patient with no previous history using transabdominal ultrasound. Pregnancy termination was declined. Subsequent development of anhydramnios in the mid-trimester resulted in poor fetal visualization. We propose that first-trimester diagnosis of this condition is not only possible but preferable, as normal liquor volume facilitates visualization of fetal anatomy.     

Modeling instability development in layered systems

This study investigates patterns of finger development and propagation in layered porous media. Fingers are created with interfacial perturbations, formed by adding a thin zone of regularly varying hydraulic conductivity along the layer. Simulation results agree qualitatively with those observed in two-dimensional laboratory experiments. In all cases, the formation of instabilities requires seeding of perturbations, even if the system is unstably stratified. A series of simulations show how the shapes of the instabilities differ according to where along the unstable interface the instabilities form and the layer in which they develop. Pathline analyses indicate how the patterns of flow in the domain can be exceedingly complex. Concentration distributions are influenced by movements of water between layers and the formation of a large convection cell in the lowermost layer. These numerical investigations reinforce inferences from the experimental studies that classical stability theory is less useful in determining whether instabilities will form and what their shape will be. Even with the relatively simple layering, patterns of flow and resulting concentrations are complex.     

基于HFACS的中国特别重大煤矿事故研究

特别重大煤矿事故一直被认为是中国最严重的社会问题之一。本论文的研究目标有两个。首先,分析中国特别重大煤矿事故的致因因素;其次,定量考察事故致因因素间的相互作用关系。基于HFACS模型,在层级层面上,94起特别重大煤矿事故的实证表明:"不安全行为"的发生频率最高;在类别层面上,"监管不力"的发生频率最高;在指标层面上,"对违法行为失察或制止不力"的发生频率最高。借助OR技术,计算得出上一层级对下一层级指标的影响关系,并得到了一系列致因因素间的影响路径,这为遏制和预防特别重大煤矿事故提供了"路线图"。     

污水处理系统中硝化菌的菌群结构和动态变化

研究分析了4种不同工艺类型的城市污水处理厂中氨氧化细菌(AOB)和亚硝酸盐氧化细菌(NOB)的丰度及菌群结构.实时定量PCR结果表明4种工艺中AOB菌群的丰度范围为8.56×106~4.46×107cells/gMLSS;NOB菌群的丰度为3.37×108~1.53×109cells/gMLSS.每个工艺中Nitrospira都是优势NOB,占NOB菌群的88% 以上. A2O工艺冬季AOB和Nitrospira丰度比夏季均有所降低,这是导致冬季生物脱氮效果变差的主要原因.基于 amoA基因的系统发育分析结果显示所有的序列属于Nitrosomonas,其中Nitrosomonas oligotropha cluster 占克隆文库的60.1%,是AOB 种群中的优势菌属,Nitrosomonas-like cluster和 Nitrosomonas europaea cluster次之,分别占克隆文库的29.6%和9.1%.N. europaea cluster只在A2O工艺中出现,且在A2O工艺夏季污泥样品克隆文库中达到44.7%.低DO运行使N. europaea cluster成为优势AOB是A2O工艺夏季出现较高亚硝酸盐积累率的主要原因.研究结果证实了城市污水处理厂中优势AOB和NOB分别为Nitrosomonas和Nitrospira,硝化菌群占总菌群的1%~7%,其丰度、相对含量和菌群结构是影响硝化效果的主要因素.     

用自旋捕集技术研究氟化物刺激人多形核白细胞呼吸爆发产生的活性氧自由基

用ESR波谱研究证明,F~-刺激人多形核白细胞(PMN)呼吸爆发产生活性氧自由基(O_2~-和·OH),同时消耗O_2.用DMPO自旋捕集技术表明,在高浓度F~-刺激下PMN产生DMPO-OOH加合物;在低浓度F~-刺激下则产生DMPO-OH;在适中浓度F~-刺激下PMN先产生DMPO-OOH,随浓度降低变为DMPO-OH.用超氧化物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶的实验确定氧自由基主要来自O_2~-.用CTPO和CrOX的自旋探针测氧法证明,PMN受F~-刺激产生氧自由基时消耗的O_2是细胞外介质中的O_2.     

Prospective spatial prediction of infectious disease: experience of New York State (USA) with West Nile Virus and proposed directions for improved surveillance

Infectious disease surveillance has become an international top priority due to the perceived risk of bioterrorism. This is driving the improvement of real-time geo-spatial surveillance systems for monitoring disease indicators, which is expected to have many benefits beyond detecting a bioterror event. West Nile Virus surveillance in New York State (USA) is highlighted as a working system that uses dead American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) to prospectively indicate viral activity prior to human onset. A cross-disciplinary review is then presented to argue that this system, and infectious disease surveillance in general, can be improved by complementing spatial cluster detection of an outcome variable with predictive “risk mapping” that incorporates spatiotemporal data on the environment, climate and human population through the flexible class of generalized linear mixed models.

Assessing the extent and nature of wildlife trade on the dark web

Use of the internet as a trade platform has resulted in a shift in the illegal wildlife trade. Increased scrutiny of illegal wildlife trade has led to concerns that online trade of wildlife will move onto the dark web. To provide a baseline of illegal wildlife trade on the dark web, we downloaded and archived 9852 items (individual posts) from the dark web, then searched these based on a list of 121 keywords associated with illegal online wildlife trade, including 30 keywords associated with illegally traded elephant ivory on the surface web. Results were compared with items known to be illegally traded on the dark web, specifically cannabis, cocaine, and heroin, to compare the extent of the trade. Of these 121 keywords, 4 resulted in hits, of which only one was potentially linked to illegal wildlife trade. This sole case was the sale and discussion of Echinopsis pachanoi (San Pedro cactus), which has hallucinogenic properties. This negligible level of activity related to the illegal trade of wildlife on the dark web relative to the open and increasing trade on the surface web may indicate a lack of successful enforcement against illegal wildlife trade on the surface web.