A new intelligent electronic nose system for measuring and analysing livestock and poultry farm odours

This paper introduces a new portable intelligent electronic nose system developed especially for measuring and analysing livestock and poultry farm odours. It can be used in both laboratory and field. The sensor array of the proposed electronic nose consists of 14 gas sensors, a humidity sensor, and a temperature sensor. The gas sensors were especially selected for the main compounds from the livestock farm odours. An expert system called “Odour Expert” was developed to support researchers’ and farmers’ decision making on odour control strategies for livestock and poultry operations. “Odour Expert” utilises several advanced artificial intelligence technologies tailored to livestock and poultry farm odours. It can provide more advanced odour analysis than existing commercially available products. In addition, a rank of odour generation factors is provided, which refines the focus of odour control research. Field experiments were conducted downwind from the barns on 14 livestock and poultry farms. Experimental results show that the predicted odour strengths by the electronic nose yield higher consistency in comparison to the perceived odour intensity by human panel. The “Odour Expert” is a useful tool for assisting farmers’ odour management practises. Supported by Ontario Pork, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (OMAF) of Canada.     

人工神经网络在深圳市水库富营养化评价中的应用

对富营养化评价标准进行插值获取大量的样本,建立了基于BP人工神经网络的富营养化评价模型。将模型应用于评价深圳市13座主要水库的富营养化状况,对其成因进行分析,并提出了对策与建议。研究结果表明,石岩水库与深圳水库为轻度富营养化,占评价水库总数的15.4%;西丽水库等11座水库为中营养,占评价水库总数的84.6%。人工神经网络用于建立湖库富营养评价模型是适合的。     

The effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on the earthworm Eisenia fetida under experimental conditions of tropical and temperate regions

Plant Protection Products can affect soil organisms and thus might have negative impacts on soil functions. Little research has been performed on their impact on tropical soils. Therefore, the effects of the insecticide lambda-Cyhalothrin on earthworms were evaluated in acute and chronic laboratory tests modified for tropical conditions, i.e. at selected temperatures (20 and 28 °C) and with two strains (temperate and tropical) of the compost worm Eisenia fetida. The insecticide was spiked in two natural soils, in OECD artificial soil and a newly developed tropical artificial soil. The effects of lambda-Cyhalothrin did rarely vary in the same soil at tropical (LC50: 68.5-229 mg a.i./kg dry weight (DW); EC50: 54.2-60.2 mg a.i./kg DW) and temperate (LC50: 99.8-140 mg a.i./kg DW; EC50: 37.4-44.5 mg a.i./kg DW) temperatures. In tests with tropical soils and high temperature, effect values differed by up to a factor of ten.     

前馈神经网络在环境评价和预测中的应用进展

本文针对水环境中复杂的不确定性及非线性关系,在水环境不确定性分析的基础上,详细阐述了以BP网络和RBF网络为代表的前馈神经网络法的基本原理,分析了两种方法的优点。同时,本文对两种方法在水环境影响评价工作中的应用现状进行总结,分析了两种方法的研究发展趋势。     

基于人工神经网络的突发环境事故应急系统

突发环境事故现场具有形势紧迫、信息获取困难等特点,引入人工神经网络技术(Artificial Neural Networks,ANN)设计开发的突发环境事故应急决策支持系统(ANN-EEDSS),能够完成现场应急指挥调度的定量化决策支持。关键技术包括突发环境事故神经网络构建方法,事故信息与应急措施的数字化方法,决策信息的翻译表示,事故影响因素的权重分析。最后阐述了系统现场运行和工作的流程。     

Development of phenanthrene catabolism in natural and artificial soils

The characteristics of natural soils often vary from those of artificial soil (e.g. OECD), which may lead to substantial differences in the bioavailability of test substances. The aim of this investigation was to characterise the development of phenanthrene catabolism in both natural and artificial soils with varying total organic carbon (TOC) content after 1, 14, 42 and 84 d soil-phenanthrene contact time. Indigenous catabolic activity was measured via the addition of 14C-phenanthrene using the respirometric soil slurry assay. Notably, the lag phases, fastest rates and total extents of 14C-phenanthrene degradation were relatively comparable in soils with similar TOC content after 1 d contact time. However, natural soils generally exhibited significantly shorter lag phases, faster rates and higher extents of mineralisation, than their artificial counterparts after 42 and 84 d contact time. Such findings suggest that the extrapolation of results from artificial soils to real/natural soils may not be straightforward.     

When Has an Abandoned Field Become a Semi-Natural Grassland or Heathland?

This study presents a meta-analysis of a collective dataset describing the succession from abandoned fields to semi-natural grassland and heathland vegetation over the past century. The study objectives were to develop a method for statistical discrimination between abandoned fields and semi-natural habitats and to analyze the probability that an abandoned field had developed into a semi-natural habitat. A statistical classification model was developed, based on lists of vascular plants from 2059 plots from Danish semi-natural grasslands and heathlands, and abandoned fields of varying age. This model was shown to discriminate effectively between abandoned fields and semi-natural habitats, and it was found to be potentially useful for the detection of abandoned fields approaching semi-natural vegetation. We suggest that the model may help clarify restoration targets and assess biological condition in formerly cultivated areas. Statistical modeling revealed that succession age, period of abandonment and succession trajectory had significant effects on the probability that abandoned fields reached the semi-natural phase. Our study indicates that restoration projects targeting grassland and heathland should take local species pools and soil fertility into account. Nomenclature: Species names follow Flora Europaea (Tutin and others 1964–1993).     

涤沦仿真丝污水治理的研究

经实验比较了涤沦仿真丝污水治理中常见的两种工艺即“厌氧酸化＋好氧酸化”和“加酸沉淀＋好氧生化”的处理效果,提出了后一种工艺才能真正治理污染的观点。加酸沉淀可去除CODcr77％左右,同时大大提高了污水的可生化性。     

人工替代栖息地对长江口湿地的补充作用研究

利用恢复生态学和景观生态学原理构建人工替代栖息地是恢复和重建生物栖息地环境的重要手段之一,是用于滨海河口区修复或重建滩涂湿地等栖息地的一种替代方法。人工替代栖息地构建出了接近自然原貌的人工系统,创造一种湿地植被和湿地动物可以协调共存的生境,不仅可以为鸟类资源和渔业资源提供良好的栖息环境,其中多样化组合的植被群落在滨水景观、水质净化等方面也起到了重要的作用,对长江口自然湿地的恢复和自然保护区的动态管理具有不可忽视的补充作用。在迁徙鸟类重要中转驿站,珍稀或者经济鱼类的洄游通道,特殊价值的重要湿地景观格局以及水资源战略储备区域中布局人工替代栖息地,可以发挥其对长江口湿地的补充作用,使高度开放而又极为敏感的长江河口地区循着生态健康道路发展。