A Simulation Study to Assess the Sensitivity of a Forest Health Monitoring Network to Outbreaks of Defoliating Insects

The sensitivity of the United States Forest Health Monitoring network to outbreaks of defoliating insects was examined by means of a simulation study. A model constructed specifically for the study was used to generate a wide variety of defoliation patterns in forested landscapes. Forest configuration was that of Minnesota, USA, as expressed by the GAP land cover classification. Combinations of model parameters were based on a Latin Hypercube sample. The relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak characteristics was then examined via multiple regression. Both theoretical and model results pointed to a strong, linear relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and outbreak size. Model results provided additional insight, suggesting a significant relationship between the average number of plots defoliated and other outbreak characteristics after outbreak size was taken into account.     

Modeling the chemical and toxic water status of the Scheldt basin (Belgium), using aquatic invertebrate assemblages and an advanced modeling method

Self-Organizing Maps have been used on monitoring sites in several Scheldt sub-basins to identify the main aquatic invertebrate assemblages and relate them to the physico-chemical and toxic water status. 12 physico-chemical variables and 2 estimates of toxic risk were available for a dataset made up of a total of 489 records. Two of the five defining clusters reflecting a relatively clean environment were composed by very well diversified functional feeding groups and sensitive taxa. The cleanest assemblage was mainly linked to the sites from the Nete sub-basin. The three other clusters were inversely described with a dominance of oligochaetes and deposit feeders as well as a bad water quality.Such an analysis can be used to support ecological status assessment of rivers and thus might be useful for decision-makers in the evaluation of chemical and toxic water status, as required by the EU Water Framework Directive.     

珠江三角洲潮土和水稻土酸缓冲特性试验研究

珠江三角洲潮土和水稻土对不同种类的酸具有一定的缓冲性,不同种类的酸对不同类型土壤的酸化趋势不同。大旺水稻土对酸的敏感性强于龙山潮土,龙山潮土属于稍易受害的稍敏感土壤,大旺水稻土属于易受害的敏感土壤;同一土壤对酸的缓冲能力比对碱的缓冲能力强;不同种类的酸对土壤的敏感性不同,土壤对硝酸的敏感性强于对硫酸的敏感性;土壤加酸后酸缓冲曲线和土壤中铝释放曲线的交点可以作为衡量土壤对酸敏感性的指标,交点越低,敏感性越强;加酸后土壤中铝的释放可以用模型y=nx+k来预测。     

水体中常见无机阳离子对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的影响

选择了6种水体中常见的阳离子（Na^＋、Mg^2＋、Ca^2＋、Al^3＋、Cu^2＋、Ni^2＋）,分别考查了其对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的影响;从光吸收、无机离子本身的性质对光生电子的捕获及传递等讨论了上述离子影响TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的反应速率的原因。结果表明：由于其不能捕获光生电子,Na^＋、Mg^2＋、Ca^2＋本身对TiO2薄膜光催化还原Cr（Ⅵ）的反应速率影响不大;Al^3＋吸引电子能力较强,成为光生电子和Cr（Ⅵ）之间的桥梁,促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的还原;浓度为1 mmmol/L时,Cu^2＋显著地促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的光催化还原,其主要原因是Cu^2＋捕获光生电子的能力很强,起到了催化剂的作用,而浓度大于10 mmol/L时,Cu^2＋形成单质Cu以及对紫外光的吸收都使促进作用降低;Ni^2＋未充满的d轨道具有获得并传递光生电子的能力,也促进了Cr（Ⅵ）的还原;在浓度同为1mmol/L时,对Cr（Ⅵ）光催化还原的促进作用依次为：Cu^2＋〉Al^3＋〉Ni^2＋〉Na^＋、Ca^2＋、Mg^2＋。     

镍网负载纳米TiO2光催化反应器对酸性品红脱色效果实验研究

采用负载纳米TiO2的三维镍网装配了光催化反应器,就其对酸性品红溶液进行脱色效果进行了实验研究。考察了反应器的3种装配条件、品红初始浓度、pH值、H2O2投加量、紫外光剂量等因素对酸性品红脱色效果的影响。结果表明：UV灯＋镍网＋TiO2模式组合的反应器脱色效果最好;在相同的处理时间内酸性品红溶液的脱色率随起始浓度的增大而减小;将酸性品红溶液pH值调至5时脱色效果最明显,70 min的脱色率可高达94.8%。脱色效果还可以通过溶液中添加H2O2和控制紫外线剂量来调节。当溶液中H2O2投加量为0.5 g/L时,处理70 min后的脱色率可高达98.3%;到达反应界面紫外光剂量越多则能够获得越高的酸性品红脱色率。     

烟气同时脱硫脱硝化学反应的可能性分析

根据烟气气体组分情况,将可能发生的化学反应方程式进行筛选,确定独立反应个数。通过热力学计算得到了标准状态下热力学函数值,进而求得了不同温度下的热力学性质。通过标准生成自由焓、标准吉布斯自由能变、标准熵变的计算,分析了烟气同时脱硫、脱硝中发生化学反应的可能性,为烟气同时脱硫、脱硝动力学理论的研究打下了基础。     

Phytotoxicity of atrazine, isoproturon, and diuron to submersed macrophytes in outdoor mesocosms

The submersed macrophytes Elodea canadensis, Myriophyllum spicatum and Potamogeton lucens were constantly exposed over a five-week period to environmentally relevant concentrations of atrazine, isoproturon, diuron, and their mixture in outdoor mesocosms. Effects were evaluated investigating photosynthetic efficiency (PE) of the three macrophytes and growth of M. spicatum and E. canadensis. Adverse effects on PE were observed on days 2 and 5 after application. M. spicatum was found to be the more sensitive macrophyte. E. canadensis and P. lucens were less sensitive to atrazine, diuron and the mixture and insensitive to isoproturon. PE of M. spicatum was similarly affected by the single herbicides and the mixture demonstrating concentration addition. Growth of E. canadensis and M. spicatum was not reduced indicating that herbicide exposure did not impair plant development. Although PE measurements turned out to be a sensitive method to monitor PSII herbicides, plant growth remains the more relevant ecological endpoint in risk assessment.     

Ganges River Dolphin: An Overview of Biology,Ecology, and Conservation Status in India

Ganges River dolphin, Platanista gangetica gangetica, is one of the three obligatory freshwater dolphins in the world and is distributed in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Sangu–Karnaphuli River systems in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. This species is facing considerable threats to its survival, and its population has dwindled from 4000 to 5000 in the early 1980s to 3500 in 2014 in the distribution range. This article reviews current status of the sub-species, habitat use, and the potential threats that the dolphins face for their survival (details of taxonomic status and genetics, evolutionary adaptations and anatomical peculiarities, physical adaptation, primitive characteristics, biology, behavior, surfacing behavior and dive times, mating and birth, and life span/age have been placed as Electronic Supplementary Materials). Recommendations have been made for the protection and developing strategies for the conservation of this Endangered and endemic sub-species.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-014-0534-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

氧活性粒子氧化NO生成HNO_3

采用强电离介质阻挡放电方法制取高浓度氧活性粒子(O+2、O3)并注入气体外排烟道中,实现O+2、O3氧化NO转化成资源酸(HNO3)的等离子化学反应。描述强电离放电的氧活性粒子产生器,讨论烟道中O+2、O3氧化NO成HNO3等离子体反应机制,分析回收酸液的NO-2、NO-3离子种类及浓度。考察强电离放电等离子体源的输入功率、水体积百分比、气体温度、气体流速对NOx氧化率的影响。氧化率为97.2%的最佳实验条件是:O+2浓度为1.38×1010个/cm3,O3浓度为210 mg/L,烟气温度为65℃,H2O体积浓度为5.6%,停留时间为0.94 s。     

Integrated biological responses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to analyze water quality in regions under anthropogenic influence

This study analyzed water quality in regions around Patos lagoon (Southern Brazil) that are under anthropogenic pressure. Water samples were collected from five different sites, including one used as a source for human consumption (COR) and others known to be influenced by human activities (IP). Danio rerio (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) organisms were exposed for 24 h to these water samples, plus a control group. It was observed that: (1) reactive oxygen species levels were lower in COR and IP than in the control group; (2) glutamate-cysteine ligase (catalytic subunit) expression was higher in COR than in other sites; (3) exposure to all water samples affected long-term memory (LTM) when compared to control group. Thus, some water samples possess the ability to modulate the antioxidant system and to induce a decline in cognitive functions, as measured by LTM. The obtained results indicate that a combination of variables of different organization level (molecular, biochemical and behavioral) can be employed to analyze water quality in impacted regions.