Mapping Change in Human Pressure Globally on Land and within Protected Areas

It is widely accepted that the main driver of the observed decline in biological diversity is increasing human pressure on Earth's ecosystems. However, the spatial patterns of change in human pressure and their relation to conservation efforts are less well known. We developed a spatially and temporally explicit map of global change in human pressure over 2 decades between 1990 and 2010 at a resolution of 10 km². We evaluated 22 spatial data sets representing different components of human pressure and used them to compile a temporal human pressure index (THPI) based on 3 data sets: human population density, land transformation, and electrical power infrastructure. We investigated how the THPI within protected areas was correlated to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) management categories and the human development index (HDI) and how the THPI was correlated to cumulative pressure on the basis of the original human footprint index. Since the early 1990s, human pressure increased 64% of the terrestrial areas; the largest increases were in Southeast Asia. Protected areas also exhibited overall increases in human pressure, the degree of which varied with location and IUCN management category. Only wilderness areas and natural monuments (management categories Ib and III) exhibited decreases in pressure. Protected areas not assigned any category exhibited the greatest increases. High HDI values correlated with greater reductions in pressure across protected areas, while increasing age of the protected area correlated with increases in pressure. Our analysis is an initial step toward mapping changes in human pressure on the natural world over time. That only 3 data sets could be included in our spatio‐temporal global pressure map highlights the challenge to measuring pressure changes over time. Mapeo del Cambio en la Presión Humana Global en Tierra y Dentro de Áreas Protegidas     

Multiscale Factors Affecting Human Attitudes toward Snow Leopards and Wolves

The threat posed by large carnivores to livestock and humans makes peaceful coexistence between them difficult. Effective implementation of conservation laws and policies depends on the attitudes of local residents toward the target species. There are many known correlates of human attitudes toward carnivores, but they have only been assessed at the scale of the individual. Because human societies are organized hierarchically, attitudes are presumably influenced by different factors at different scales of social organization, but this scale dependence has not been examined. We used structured interview surveys to quantitatively assess the attitudes of a Buddhist pastoral community toward snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and wolves (Canis lupus). We interviewed 381 individuals from 24 villages within 6 study sites across the high‐elevation Spiti Valley in the Indian Trans‐Himalaya. We gathered information on key explanatory variables that together captured variation in individual and village‐level socioeconomic factors. We used hierarchical linear models to examine how the effect of these factors on human attitudes changed with the scale of analysis from the individual to the community. Factors significant at the individual level were gender, education, and age of the respondent (for wolves and snow leopards), number of income sources in the family (wolves), agricultural production, and large‐bodied livestock holdings (snow leopards). At the community level, the significant factors included the number of smaller‐bodied herded livestock killed by wolves and mean agricultural production (wolves) and village size and large livestock holdings (snow leopards). Our results show that scaling up from the individual to higher levels of social organization can highlight important factors that influence attitudes of people toward wildlife and toward formal conservation efforts in general. Such scale‐specific information can help managers apply conservation measures at appropriate scales. Our results reiterate the need for conflict management programs to be multipronged. Factores Multi‐Escala que Afectan las Actitudes Humanas hacia Leopardos de las Nieves y Lobos     

Responses of bacterial strains isolated from drinking water environments to N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones and their analogs during biofilm formation

Often as a result ofbiofilm formation, drinking water distribution systems （DWDS） are regularly faced with the problem of microbial contamination. Quorum sensing （QS） systems play a marked role in the regulation of microbial biofilm formation; thus, inhibition of QS systems may provide a promising approach to biofilm formation control in DWDS. In the present study, 22 bacterial strains were isolated from drinking water-related environments. The following properties of the strains were investigated： bacterial biofilm formation capacity, QS signal molecule N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones （AHLs） production ability, and responses to AHLs and AHL analogs, 3-chloro-4-（dichloromethyl）-5-hydroxy-2（5H）- furanone （MX） and 2（5H）-furanone. Four AHLs were added to developed biofilms at dosages ranging from 0.1 nmol.L J to 100nmol.L1. As a result, the biofilm growth of more than 1/4 of the isolates, which included AHL producers and non-producers, were significantly promoted. Further, the biofilm biomasses were closely associated with respective AHLs concentrations. These results provided evidence to support the idea that AHLs play a definitive role in biofilm formation in many of the studied bacteria. Meanwhile, two AHLs analogs demon- strated unexpectedly minimal negative effects on biofilm formation. This suggested that, in order to find an applicable QS inhibition approach for biofilm control in DWDS, the testing and analysis of more analogs is needed.     

Cu(NO3)2在亚甲蓝湿式氧化处理中的应用

用CWAO技术处理COD为2 000 mg/L的亚甲蓝水溶液.以Cu(NO3)2为催化剂,考察了催化剂投加量、反应温度、压力及进水pH值对亚甲蓝水样COD去除率、脱色率、出水pH值的影响.实验表明,亚甲蓝的氧化效率随催化剂投加量的增加,反应温度及压力的升高而升高.然而,综合考虑亚甲蓝的氧化效率、试剂费用、设备成本及能量消耗,实验确定Cu(NO3)2的投加量以Cu2 计为150 mg/L,反应温度及压力分别为200℃和2.0 MPa.在酸性进水条件下,COD去除率随进水pH值的降低而升高;而在碱性进水条件下,COD去除率随进水pH值的升高而升高.pH值按COD去除率由高到低的排列顺序是:3.87、11.23、5.50、7.25、9.47,实验确定最佳进水pH值是3.87.在以上最佳的操作条件下,反应150 min,水样COD去除率达97.4%,脱色率达99.97%,出水pH值3.63.     

煤矿人为失误的原因及控制

随着科学技术的进步,机器设备的可靠性得到了大幅度的提高,人为失误导致的事故比例快速上升.掌握人为失误的原因,进而控制人为失误的发生是有效减少事故发生的重要措施.在对神火煤电股份有限公司新庄矿深入调查了解的基础上,初步探讨了煤矿人为失误的原因,提出了控制人为失误的有效途径.     

花卉废物和牛粪联合堆肥中的氮迁移

以花卉废物和牛粪为原料,进行了温度反馈的通气量控制联合堆肥中的氮迁移中试研究.采用自制的静态好氧床进行一次发酵,过程控制采用温度反馈通气量控制方法,发酵周期20d;采用周期性翻堆进行物料二次腐熟,腐熟周期40d.研究了堆肥过程中总氮、有机氮、无机氮、氨氮、硝氮等氮素形态转化随时间的变化特征及温度反馈的通气量控制对氮迁移的影响.结果表明:堆肥初期的氨化作用和反硝化作用显著,氮素总量损失累计达41.98%,其中主要是有机氮的损失,99.95%的氮损失发生在一次发酵阶段;氮素损失主要是在pH和温度较高条件下的氨气大量挥发造成的.对通风进行有效控制、提高物料C/N及添加酸性物质有望减少N损失.对于C/N较低,硝态氮含量较高的物料堆肥,NH₄⁺-N≤0.04%、NH₄/NO₃≤0.16不能作为腐熟度指标.     

湿式电除尘技术及其在电厂的应用前景探讨

作为大气复合污染物控制系统的终瑞精处理技术装备,湿式电除尘器可用于控制PM2.5、酸雾、气溶胶、亚微米颗粒物、汞、重金属及二恶英等污染物的排放。论述了湿式电除尘器的工作原理、技术特点、结构及设计形式,探讨了湿式电除尘器在我国燃煤电厂的应用前景。     

Fatty acid composition of marine macroalgae from the Black Sea and Dardanelles

The fatty acid (FA) composition was determined in 14 species of marine macroalgae belonging to the Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta, which were collected from ?ile in the Black Sea and Kepez in the Dardanelles. Generally, polyunsaturated FAs and monounsaturated FAs were major components (50–77%). Total saturated FAs ranged from 22% to 50%, with 16?:?0 as the most abundant saturate (32–38%). Two samples of Cystoseira barbata collected from a different station had some differences from each other in their contents of 18?:?2n-6 and 18?:?3n-3 and in the 18?:?2n-6/20?:?4n-6 ratios. Green algal species had a significantly higher proportion of unsaturated FAs and a significantly lower proportion of saturated FAs than the red and brown algae. The amount of n-3 FAs was significantly higher in Ulva rigita, Chaetomorpha linum, Enteromorpha linza and Gracilaria verrucosa (8.88, 6.44, 5.31 and 5.24, respectively).     

In vitro cytotoxicity of multi-wall carbon nanotubes on human cell lines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro toxicity of two multi-wall carbon nanotubes on four different cell lines: human alveolar epithelial (A549) cells, hepatocytes (Hep 3B cells), human embryonic kidney cells, and intestinal (P407 cells) cells. The adverse effects of carbon nanoparticles were analyzed after 24 h incubation with different cell lines using the trypan blue dye exclusion method. Incubation of carbon nanotubes with different cells produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of growth of the cells. The TC₅₀ or IC₅₀ values (toxic concentration 50, i.e., concentration of particles inducing 50% cell mortality) of two nanoparticles were (1) found to be in the range 23.5–30.5 µg mL^?1, and (2) less than that of quartz (known toxic agent, 28.8–66.9 µg mL^?1), indicating the greater cytotoxic effect of carbon nanoparticles than quartz particles.     

Absence of metallothionein 3 expression in breast cancer is a rare but favorable marker that is under epigenetic control

Cadmium (Cd²⁺), a known carcinogen, mimics the effects of estrogen in the uterus and mammary gland suggesting its possible involvement in the development and progression of breast cancer. This lab showed through analysis of a small set of archival human diagnostic specimens that the third isoform of the classic Cd²⁺ binding protein metallothionein (MT-3) is not expressed in normal breast tissue, but is expressed in some breast cancers and that expression tends to correlate with a poor disease outcome. The goals of this study were to verify that overexpression of MT-3 in a large set of archival human diagnostic specimens tends to correlate with poor disease outcome and define the mechanism of MT-3 gene regulation in the normal breast epithelial cell. The results showed that MT-3 was expressed in approximately 90% of all breast cancers and was absent in normal breast epithelium. The lack of MT-3 staining in some cancers correlated with a favorable patient outcome. High frequency of MT-3 staining was also found for in situ breast cancer suggesting that MT-3 might be an early biomarker for breast cancer. The study also demonstrated that the MCF-10A cell line, an immortalized, non-tumorigenic model of human breast epithelial cells, displayed no basal expression of MT-3, nor was it induced by Cd²⁺. Treatment of the MCF-10A cells with the demethylation agent, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, or the histone deacetylase inhibitor, MS-275, restored MT-3 mRNA expression. It was also shown that the MT-3 metal regulatory elements are potentially active binders of protein factors following treatment with these inhibitors suggesting that MT-3 expression may be subject to epigenetic regulation.