Ecological and Economic Services Provided by Birds on Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Farms

Abstract: Coffee farms can support significant biodiversity, yet intensification of farming practices is degrading agricultural habitats and compromising ecosystem services such as biological pest control. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) is the world's primary coffee pest. Researchers have demonstrated that birds reduce insect abundance on coffee farms but have not documented avian control of the berry borer or quantified avian benefits to crop yield or farm income. We conducted a bird‐exclosure experiment on coffee farms in the Blue Mountains, Jamaica, to measure avian pest control of berry borers, identify potential predator species, associate predator abundance and borer reductions with vegetation complexity, and quantify resulting increases in coffee yield. Coffee plants excluded from foraging birds had significantly higher borer infestation, more borer broods, and greater berry damage than control plants. We identified 17 potential predator species (73% were wintering Neotropical migrants), and 3 primary species composed 67% of migrant detections. Average relative bird abundance and diversity and relative resident predator abundance increased with greater shade‐tree cover. Although migrant predators overall did not respond to vegetation complexity variables, the 3 primary species increased with proximity to noncoffee habitat patches. Lower infestation on control plants was correlated with higher total bird abundance, but not with predator abundance or vegetation complexity. Infestation of fruit was 1–14% lower on control plants, resulting in a greater quantity of saleable fruits that had a market value of US$44–$105/ha in 2005/2006. Landscape heterogeneity in this region may allow mobile predators to provide pest control broadly, despite localized farming intensities. These results provide the first evidence that birds control coffee berry borers and thus increase coffee yield and farm income, a potentially important conservation incentive for producers.     

乙酸型顶极群落的内平衡与反馈调节机制研究

通过产酸脱硫反应器处理高浓度硫酸盐有机废水的连续流试验，从“动态”角度考察COD／SO4^2-比改变引起的pH值、氧化还原电位（ORP）、碱度（ALK）和末端产物（VFAs）等的变动及生态因子的叠加效应引发的优势种群变迁，分析了乙酸型顶极群落的稳定性及其发生定向性生态演替的规律，进而阐明了乙酸型顶极群落抵抗环境压力的内平衡与反馈调节机制，并指出乙酸型代谢和乙酸型顶极群落是产酸脱硫生态系统的典型特征。     

铸态珠光体基体球墨铸铁 S195曲轴的研制

针对生产实际要求,研究了微量元素加入量、开箱时间等对铸态球墨铸铁珠光体量及性能的影响,试验了铸态球墨铸铁曲轴的各种常规性能.     

入冬水生高等植物的衰亡对河流水质的影响

上海市郊河流水体中有很高的氮、磷和有机负菏，由于受水生高等植物生灭的影响，初春河流中的氮、磷和有机负菏明显高于上一年的初冬，河流中的水生高等植物能大量地吸收水体中的氮、磷，抑制藻类生长，净化水质；但其植株残体在水中的腐解，又会重新释出营养元素，造成对水体的二次污染。在冬季，随着水生高等植物的大量死亡这种污染更加明显，应加强对水生高等植物的利用，尝试建立既能净化水质，又有创造经济效益的生态工程模式，使市郊受污水体得到资源化利用。     

Prenatal diagnosis in two cases of de novo complex balanced chromosomal rearrangements. Three-year follow-up in one case

We report two cases of apparently balanced complex de novo chromosomal rearrangements (BCCR) detected prenatally at 17 weeks and 10 weeks of gestation, respectively. Chromosomes were studied using GTG-banding and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). In one case four chromosomes and in the other case three chromosomes were involved in the rearrangements. One of the pregnancies was terminated and no external or internal abnormalities were detected at autopsy. The other pregnancy continued to term. Level III ultrasound examination showed no abnormalities. The child is now 3 years old and has neither congenital anomalies nor evidence of delayed psychomotor development.     

浅谈荆马河污水资源化生态工程

遵循可持续发展的原则，针对经济欠发达地区的水环境污染现状，提出了兴建产业化的污水处理生态工程，科学地发展污灌，既有效地改善了京杭运河（徐州段）的水环境质量，又使徐州市城市污水得以资源化利用，对促进环境与社会经济协调发展具有积极意义。     

再燃脱硝的动力学模拟和组分影响分析

采用Gear算法模拟了再燃脱硝再燃区中化学反应过程，反应的热力学和动力学参数采用GRI3．0,模拟结果和实验结果作比较，说明该模拟可以用于预测再燃脱硝的基本过程。在模拟的基础上讨论了不同再燃燃料及其中的不同组分如HCN、NH3、H2和CO等对脱硝效果的影响。     

Past and future sustainability of water policies in Europe

The article contributes to a discussion on two global issues on water: water resources management, and water supply and sanitation. Focusing on Europe, it traces the legal roots of current systems in history: as a resource, water is considered as a common property, rather than a market good; while as a public service it is usually a commodity. Public water supply and sanitation technologies and engineering have developed under three main paradigms: quantitative and civil engineering; qualitative and chemical/sanitary engineering (both on the supply side); and the most recent one, environmental engineering and integrated management (on the demand side). The cost of public drinking water is due to rise sharply in view of the two‐fold financial challenge of replacing an ageing infrastructure and keeping up with ever‐rising environmental and sanitary quality standards. Who will pay? Government subsidies, or water users? The author suggests that apparent successes with privatisation may have relied heavily on hidden government subsidies and/or the healthy state of previously installed water infrastructure: past government subsidies are still felt for as long as the lifetime of the infrastructure. The article stresses the importance of public participation and decentralized local management of water and sanitation services. Informing and involving users in water management decisions is seen as an integral part of the ‘ethics’ side of the crucial three E's (economics, environment, ethics). The article strongly argues for municipal provision of water services, and hopes that lessons learnt and solutions found in the European experience may serve water services management efforts in other regions of the world.     

流域管理:权力产权的外部性问题

水资源的自然、经济和社会属性要求政府对流域的开发和利用进行管理,以解决个体使用者的外部性问题.但实际上由于政府并不是只有单一目标的统一组织,在分权体制下,不同区域、部门的政府单元掌握着实际权力.由于权力也存在外部性,各管理区域、部门之间存在利益冲突,导致政府的管理失效.解决政府权力外部性的办法:一是要转变政府职能,改变政府的激励机制;二是严格界定各政府单元的权力界限,对流域进行统一管理.     

The role of scientists in statutory interpretation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Like many federal statutes, the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) contains vague or ambiguous language. The meaning imparted to the ESA's unclear language can profoundly impact the fates of endangered and threatened species. Hence, conservation scientists should contribute to the interpretation of the ESA when vague or ambiguous language contains scientific words or refers to scientific concepts. Scientists need to know at least these 2 facts about statutory interpretation: statutory interpretation is subjective and the potential influence of normative values results in different expectations for the parties involved. With the possible exception of judges, all conventional participants in statutory interpretation are serving their own interests, advocating for their preferred policies, or biased. Hence, scientists can play a unique role by informing the interpretative process with objective, policy‐neutral information. Conversely, scientists may act as advocates for their preferred interpretation of unclear statutory language. The different roles scientists might play in statutory interpretation raise the issues of advocacy and competency. Advocating for a preferred statutory interpretation is legitimate political behavior by scientists, but statutory interpretation can be strongly influenced by normative values. Therefore, scientists must be careful not to commit stealth policy advocacy. Most conservation scientists lack demonstrable competence in statutory interpretation and therefore should consult or collaborate with lawyers when interpreting statutes. Professional scientific societies are widely perceived by the public as unbiased sources of objective information. Therefore, professional scientific societies should remain policy neutral and present all interpretations of unclear statutory language; explain the semantics and science both supporting and contradicting each interpretation; and describe the potential consequences of implementing each interpretation. A review of scientists’ interpretations of the phrase “significant portion of its range” in the ESA is used to critique the role of scientists and professional societies in statutory interpretation.