Protected‐Area Boundaries as Filters of Plant Invasions

Abstract: Human land uses surrounding protected areas provide propagules for colonization of these areas by non‐native species, and corridors between protected‐area networks and drainage systems of rivers provide pathways for long‐distance dispersal of non‐native species. Nevertheless, the influence of protected‐area boundaries on colonization of protected areas by invasive non‐native species is unknown. We drew on a spatially explicit data set of more than 27,000 non‐native plant presence records for South Africa's Kruger National Park to examine the role of boundaries in preventing colonization of protected areas by non‐native species. The number of records of non‐native invasive plants declined rapidly beyond 1500 m inside the park; thus, we believe that the park boundary limited the spread of non‐native plants. The number of non‐native invasive plants inside the park was a function of the amount of water runoff, density of major roads, and the presence of natural vegetation outside the park. Of the types of human‐induced disturbance, only the density of major roads outside the protected area significantly increased the number of non‐native plant records. Our findings suggest that the probability of incursion of invasive plants into protected areas can be quantified reliably.     

基于低碳发展的企业资源损失定量分析及其应用

低碳经济是企业发展中面临的选择,但目前的研究却缺少企业产品生产过程中的资源消耗与环境影响问题之间的定量分析.另有研究发现,企业处于积极环境行为的第一个层次,即只要企业污染治理水平停留在企业污染治理边际成本和企业污染治理边际收益相等处,企业治理环境就是可以获得收益的,因而,企业有进行降低环境影响的强烈需求.本文运用物质流成本会计(MFCA),从数量与价值角度使企业资源损失定量化,使其损失结构清晰化,因此有利于企业找到损失改善点,促使企业减少资源的初始投入量、提高资源使用率,并降低环境影响.以一个案例进行具体运用,在此基础上,引入外部损害成本原理,通过"资源流内部损失-废弃物外部损害"双重维度分析,使企业资源损失从经济性和环境性方面得到全面体现.本文从微观层面为企业低碳经济发展提供了一个新的研究视角.     

基于颗粒流数值方法的岩石压剪破坏细观特征研究

压剪破坏是影响岩体工程安全的主要因素,基于颗粒流程序的伺服控制原理,采用等效晶质模型模拟了粉砂质板岩的压剪破坏过程,通过与室内试验对比验证了其适用性,并从细观角度揭示了岩石在压剪过程中的破坏机理。结果表明:裂纹增长速率与试件压剪过程中经历的弹性、塑性和破坏3个阶段具有相关性;张拉、剪切裂纹呈同步增长趋势,但峰后张拉裂纹增长速率快于剪切裂纹,即试件峰后以张拉破坏为主;随剪切角增大,由沿晶和穿晶断裂向以沿晶断裂为主转变,裂纹数量减小且扩展方向向断裂面集中;穿晶断裂的扩展更容易导致局部失稳,即在宏观上表现为塑性阶段;穿晶裂纹主要沿断裂面扩展、贯通,一定程度上可以抑制断裂面附近较大破裂块体的产生。     

Phosphorus Flows to and from Swedish Agriculture and Food Chain

Phosphorus flows in Swedish agriculture and food chain were studied by material flow analysis. The system studied included agriculture, food consumption, related waste and wastewater from private households and municipal wastewater treatment plants. Swedish farmland had net annual phosphorus inputs of ~12 600 metric tons (4.1 kg P ha⁻¹) in 2008–2010. The total import of phosphorus in food and feed to Sweden exceed imports of phosphorus in fertilizers. Despite strict animal density regulations relating to manure phosphorus content, phosphorus is accumulating on Swedish animal farms. The total quantity of manure produced greatly exceeds imported mineral phosphorus fertilizer and almost equals total phosphorus inputs to Swedish farmland.     

Carrousel氧化沟的三维流场模拟与分析

利用CFD的Fluent软件，采用标准的三维K—ε紊流模型，对桂林市七里店污水处理厂1#氧化沟的流场进行了数值模拟，对导流墙和推进器附近的流速进行了计算分析。结果表明，氧化沟下层流速较低，局部区域流速低于0．2m／s。为了防止污泥沉降，应进一步降低推进器位置。能量损失分析表明，卡罗塞氧化沟能量损失主要来源于沿程摩擦损失和局部损失。可通过增加墙体光滑度、降低入口高度以及增加导流墙的曲率半径等措施减少能量损失，改善现有氧化沟的水力特征。     

Protection of Genetic Diversity and Maintenance of Connectivity among Reef Corals within Marine Protected Areas

Abstract: High‐latitude coral reefs (HLRs) are potentially vulnerable marine ecosystems facing well‐documented threats to tropical reefs and exposure to suboptimal temperatures and insolation. In addition, because of their geographic isolation, HLRs may have poor or erratic larval connections to tropical reefs and a reduced genetic diversity and capacity to respond to environmental change. On Australia's east coast, a system of marine protected areas (MPAs) has been established with the aim of conserving HLRs in part by providing sources of colonizing larvae. To examine the effectiveness of existing MPAs as networks for dispersal, we compared genetic diversity within and among the HLRs in MPAs and between these HLRs and tropical reefs on the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The 2 coral species best represented on Australian HLRs (the brooding Pocillopora damicornis and the broadcast‐spawning Goniastrea australensis) exhibited sharply contrasting patterns of diversity and connectedness. For P. damicornis, the 8‐locus genetic and genotypic diversity declined dramatically with increasing latitude (N_a= 3.6–1.2, H_e= 0.3–0.03, N_g:N = 0.87–0.06), although population structure was consistent with recruitment derived largely from sexual reproduction (G_o:G_e= 1.28–0.55). Genetic differentiation was high among the HLRs (F_ST[SD]= 0.32 [0.08], p < 0.05) and between the GBR and the HLRs (F_ST= 0.24 [0.06], p < 0.05), which indicates these temperate populations are effectively closed. In contrast for G. australensis, 9‐locus genetic diversity was more consistent across reefs (N_a= 4.2–3.9, H_e= 0.3–0.26, N_g:N = 1–0.61), and there was no differentiation among regions (F_ST= 0.00 [0.004], p > 0.05), which implies the HLRs and the southern GBR are strongly interconnected. Our results demonstrate that although the current MPAs appear to capture most of the genetic diversity present within the HLR systems for these 2 species, their sharply contrasting patterns of connectivity indicate some taxa, such as P. damicornis, will be more vulnerable than others, and this disparity will provide challenges for future management.     

First-trimester screening: dealing with the fall-out

The articles collected together in this issue describe first-trimester screening for a variety of complications. With the advance of both technology and research, early pregnancy screening is becoming ever more sophisticated and complex. While there are clear benefits to most women receiving early reassurance that their baby is developing as expected, there is no evidence to suggest that an earlier prenatal diagnosis has less long-term emotional impact than at later gestations. The poignancy of ultrasound images for many parents means that it can be especially difficult to manage the anxiety when an ultrasound marker is highlighted as potential cause for concern. They can then face a journey of anxiety-laden uncertainty, which can extend through much of the pregnancy, and even beyond. Professionals involved in screening need to recognise and acknowledge such adverse side-effects and develop the skills necessary to help parents understand and cope with the uncertainties inherent in the process. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling of dust lifting process behind propagating shock wave

Dust dispersion from a layer is a complicated problem, which has not been completely solved yet, especially if an Eulerian–Eulerian approach has to be used to model the two-phase dusty flow. In previous investigation, a phenomenological model of the dust dispersion process from a layer was developed, but the evaluation of the model revealed some weaknesses. In the current paper, the model of the dust dispersion process was presented and three improvements of the model were studied: Saffman force, Magnus force and particles collisions. The implementation of Magnus and Saffman forces into the code did not improve the numerical results and it was shown that it had very little influence on the dust lifting process, in case the phenomenological model of the layer is used. Some explanations were proposed in the paper. Besides, an empirical model of particles collisions was also added to the code and its influence on the results was studied. It was shown that the particles collisions model improved the obtained results, but further modifications are to be studied in the future.     

An empirical analysis on the impact of environmental regulations on pork trade:evidence from China

This paper uses the gravity model to examine the effect of environmental regulations on pork trade flows between different regions within China.We apply a linear programming tool to estimate pork trade flows from 2000 to 2008,and discuss the environmental acts on livestock pollution and income level to proxy environmental regulations.We use OLS regression and panel data with dummy variable in the cross-sectional GLS estimation.Our results indicate that the gap of environmental regulations between trade partners has a positive relationship with pork trade flows,and the difference in environmental regulations changes the traditional comparative advantage pattern to some extent.This paper provides convincing evidence for the pollution haven effect on livestock in China.     

CFD simulations of dust dispersion in the 20 L vessel: Effect of nominal dust concentration

Measurements of flammability and explosion parameters for dust/air mixtures require uniform dispersion of the dust cloud inside the test vessel. In a previous work, we showed that, in the standard 20 L sphere, the dust injection system does not allow generation of a uniform cloud, but rather high gradients of dust concentration are established. In this work, we used a previously validated three-dimensional CFD model to simulate the dust dispersion inside the 20 L sphere at different dust nominal concentrations (and fixed dust diameter). Results of numerical simulations have shown that, as the dust nominal concentration is increased, sedimentation prevails and, thus, when ignition is provided, the dust is mainly concentrated at the vessel walls.