Pb-Al relationships in waterfowl feces discriminate between sources of Pb exposure

Hunted mallards (n = 56) were collected in the Ebro Delta (Spain) in 2007-08 to evaluate the use of feces as a non-invasive monitoring method to study lead shot ingestion. The prevalence of Pb shot ingestion in these birds was 28.6%, and similar to that reported before a ban on Pb shot use in 2003. Lead concentrations in terminal intestinal contents were higher in mallards with Pb shot in their gizzard. Feces Pb concentrations >34 μg/g d.w were indicative of Pb shot ingestion, and background Pb levels were <12.5 μg/g d.w. To discriminate between birds ingesting soil Pb, and those ingesting Pb shot, we correlated Al and Pb levels and showed that mallards with ingested Pb shot in the gizzard stood out as outliers within the regression. Feces Pb-Al relationships can be used as a simple non-invasive tool in monitoring programs regarding Pb shot ingestion in birds.     

Machine learning for radioxenon event classification for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

A method of weapon detection for the Comprehensive nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty (CTBT) consists of monitoring the amount of radioxenon in the atmosphere by measuring and sampling the activity concentration of ^131mXe, ¹³³Xe, ^133mXe, and ¹³⁵Xe by radionuclide monitoring. Several explosion samples were simulated based on real data since the measured data of this type is quite rare. These data sets consisted of different circumstances of a nuclear explosion, and are used as training data sets to establish an effective classification model employing state-of-the-art technologies in machine learning. A study was conducted involving classic induction algorithms in machine learning including Naïve Bayes, Neural Networks, Decision Trees, k-Nearest Neighbors, and Support Vector Machines, that revealed that they can successfully be used in this practical application. In particular, our studies show that many induction algorithms in machine learning outperform a simple linear discriminator when a signal is found in a high radioxenon background environment.     

AA3流动注射仪快速测定地表水中的总氰化物

在反复实验的基础上建立了运用Bran+Luebbe AutoAnalyzer 3流动注射分析仪快速测定地表水中总氰化物的分析方法。结果表明,该方法与传统的分光光度法相比,具有自动进样、分析速度快、测定成本低等优点。与经典的分析方法相对照,结果无显著性差异,能够满足大批量地表水监测的要求。在测试系统中引入了恒温槽,进一步提高了测试的精密度和准确度。     

A Bayesian hierarchical approach to quantifying stakeholder attitudes toward conservation in the presence of reporting error

Stakeholder support is vital for achieving conservation success, yet there are few reliable mechanisms to monitor stakeholder attitudes toward conservation. Approaches used to assess attitudes rarely account for bias arising from reporting error, which can lead to falsely reporting a positive attitude toward conservation (false-positive error) or not reporting a positive attitude when the respondent has a positive attitude toward conservation (false-negative error). Borrowing from developments in applied conservation science, we used a Bayesian hierarchical model to quantify stakeholder attitudes as the probability of having a positive attitude toward wildlife notionally (or in abstract terms) and at localized scales while accounting for reporting error. We compared estimates from our model, Likert scores, and naïve estimates (i.e., proportion of respondents reporting a positive attitude in at least 1 question that was only susceptible to false-negative error) with true stakeholder attitudes through simulations. We then applied the model in a survey of tea estate staff on their attitudes toward Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong landscape of northeast India. In simulations, Bayesian model estimates of stakeholder attitudes toward wildlife were less biased than naïve estimates or Likert scores. After accounting for reporting errors, we estimated the probability of having a positive attitude toward elephants notionally as 0.85 in the Kaziranga landscape, whereas the proportion of respondents who had positive attitudes toward elephants at a localized scale was 0.50. In comparison, without accounting for reporting errors, naïve estimates of proportions of respondents with positive attitudes toward elephants were 0.69 and 0.23 notionally and at local scales, respectively. False (positive and negative) reporting probabilities were consistently not 0 (0.22–0.68). Regular and reliable assessment of stakeholder attitudes–combined with inference on drivers of positive attitudes–can help assess the success of initiatives aimed at facilitating human behavioral change and inform conservation decision making.     

Effectiveness of Panama as an intercontinental land bridge for large mammals

Habitat fragmentation is a primary driver of wildlife loss, and establishment of biological corridors is a common strategy to mitigate this problem. A flagship example is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC), which aims to connect protected forest areas between Mexico and Panama to allow dispersal and gene flow of forest organisms. Because forests across Central America have continued to degrade, the functioning of the MBC has been questioned, but reliable estimates of species occurrence were unavailable. Large mammals are suitable indicators of forest functioning, so we assessed their conservation status across the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowest section of the MBC. We used large-scale camera-trap surveys and hierarchical multispecies occupancy models in a Bayesian framework to estimate the occupancy of 9 medium to large mammals and developed an occupancy-weighted connectivity metric to evaluate species-specific functional connectivity. White-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), jaguar (Panthera onca), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and tapir (Tapirus bairdii) had low expected occupancy along the MBC in Panama. Puma (Puma concolor), red brocket deer (Mazama temama), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), and collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), which are more adaptable, had higher occupancy, even in areas with low forest cover near infrastructure. However, the majority of species were subject to ≥1 gap that was larger than their known dispersal distances, suggesting poor connectivity along the MBC in Panama. Based on our results, forests in Darien, Donoso–Santa Fe, and La Amistad International Park are critical for survival of large terrestrial mammals in Panama and 2 areas need restoration.     

大空间中热隐患的可视化监测

在无人值守的情形下,实现对大型建筑空间内发热物体、火灾等热隐患的智能监测是非常必要的,笔者基于已有的研究成果,讨论了大空间热隐患监测中,高温目标的可视化甄别和温度场的可视化测量原理。利用CCD(电荷耦合器件)的近红外响应特性(800~1200nm)、短波段内单调发射率函数、非相关滤色片构造和归一化数据处理模式等关键技术,使得常见的CCD图像监控设备实现了高温热隐患的非接触、可视化智能监测(即包括高温目标的可视化甄别以及温度场的可视化测量),改进的设备有望推广应用。     

碗窑碾压混凝土坝变形成因分析及监控指标的拟定

鉴于碗窑碾压混凝土重力坝个别变形测点测值异常现象,依据大坝变形观测资料,通过变形规律时空分析和统计模型的建立,以及影响因子的分解,合理地解释了其变形成因,从而得出碗窑水库大坝变形性态总体正常的结论。为确保大坝安全运行,通过建立有限元力学模型和混合模型,拟定了典型坝段坝顶水平位移的一级监控指标,进而更有效地监控大坝的安全性态。另外,就个别测点坝段时效有呈逐年缓慢上升的趋势,建议管理单位加强观测,并及时分析,确保工程安全运行。     

农药优先监测品种的筛选研究

本文对我国目前正在广泛使用的几百个农药品种,从其产量,田间的施用量以及环境毒理学,环境化学,环境生物学的角度进行了系统的研究。在对各种农药进行环境风险性评价的基础上,筛选出目前在我国使用量大,毒性高,环境危害严重的10个农药品种,作为我国近期内应执行的环境优先监测品种。可以认为,若能控制了这些优先监测农药的环境污染,那么,也就在总体上控制了农药的污染问题。     

膜生物反应器生物降解与膜分离共作用特性研究

膜生物反应器实质是生物降解与膜分离相互影响,共同作用的过程,污泥浓度与通量之间存在一定的相关关系,膜分离对生和性能尤其是细菌活性有着重要的影响,而生物反应器内细菌胞外聚合物,溶解性有机物及微细胶体可能成为形成凝胶层导致通量下降的主要因素。     

固定源废气监测工作若干技术问题的探讨

从监测工况、测点位置、采样过程、结果计算等几方面出发，结合实际经验，对大气固定污染源的监测工作中存在的一些疑难问题进行探讨。