Temporal Analysis of Genetic Structure to Assess Population Dynamics of Reintroduced Swift Foxes

Reintroductions are increasingly used to reestablish species, but a paucity of long‐term postrelease monitoring has limited understanding of whether and when viable populations subsequently persist. We conducted temporal genetic analyses of reintroduced populations of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in Canada (Alberta and Saskatchewan) and the United States (Montana). We used samples collected 4 years apart, 17 years from the initiation of the reintroduction, and 3 years after the conclusion of releases. To assess program success, we genotyped 304 hair samples, subsampled from the known range in 2000 and 2001, and 2005 and 2006, at 7 microsatellite loci. We compared diversity, effective population size, and genetic connectivity over time in each population. Diversity remained stable over time and there was evidence of increasing effective population size. We determined population structure in both periods after correcting for differences in sample sizes. The geographic distribution of these populations roughly corresponded with the original release locations, which suggests the release sites had residual effects on the population structure. However, given that both reintroduction sites had similar source populations, habitat fragmentation, due to cropland, may be associated with the population structure we found. Although our results indicate growing, stable populations, future connectivity analyses are warranted to ensure both populations are not subject to negative small‐population effects. Our results demonstrate the importance of multiple sampling years to fully capture population dynamics of reintroduced populations. Análisis Temporal de la Estructura Genética para Evaluar la Dinámica Poblacional de Zorros (Vulpes velox) Reintroducidos     

Use of co-combustion bottom ash to design an acoustic absorbing material for highway noise barriers

The present study aims to determine and evaluate the applicability of a new product consisting of coal bottom ash mixed with Portland cement in the application of highway noise barriers. In order to effectively recycle the bottom ash, the influence of the grain particle size of bottom ash, the thickness of the panel and the combination of different layers with various particle sizes have been studied, as well as some environmental properties including leachability (EN-12457-4, NEN-7345) and radioactivity tests. Based on the obtained results, the acoustic properties of the final composite material were similar or even better than those found in porous concrete used for the same application. According to this study, the material produced presented no environmental risk.     

室内空气中污染物的检测技术

室内环境空气污染对人体健康影响很大,文中指出了影响人体健康的致病因子,分析了单个微粒的光通量和粒径之间的关系。鉴于单下颗粒的散射光信号很弱,本文提出一种方法,把激光器的内腔作为颗粒注入区,利用激光器的内腔功率谱密度远大于腔外功率密度的特点,结合先进的激光散控制理论,对空气中的颗粒进行检测。     

Production of radioactive particles for use in environmental studies

This paper presents an aerosol generation technique developed to produce dry aerosol particles of various sizes from aqueous solutions of salt. The technique was tested with sodium chloride, lithium carbonate and uranyl acetate at various aqueous concentrations which produced particles in the size range of 0.13-1.37 microm Mass Median Diameter (MMD). The generated aerosols were acceptably monodisperse with a geometric standard deviation of 1.4-2. Both MMD and Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) increased significantly (p<0.001) with increased concentration of the salt in solution. The technique can also be used to generate aerosols of different chemical species. The results obtained indicate that the system is convenient for use with various aerosol-forming materials, with a stable particle size distribution being maintained for a long period of steady operation. The technique was successfully applied in wind tunnel studies to simulate the release of submicron radioactive particles and their interception by crops, grass and tree canopies. The relevance and application of the technique in other areas of environmental assessment studies is discussed.     

Entrainment mortality of Ichthyoplankton: Detectability and precision of estimates

The ability to detect and to develop a precise and accurate estimate of the entrainment mortality fraction is an important step in projecting power plant impacts on future fish population levels. Recent work indicates that these mortailities may be considerably less than 100% for some fish species in the early life stages. Point estimates of the entrainment mortality fraction have been developed based on probabilistic arguments, but the precision of these estimates has not been studied beyond the simple statistical test of the null hypothesis that no entrainment mortaility exists.The ability to detect entrainment mortality is explored as a function of the sample sizes (numbers of organisms collected) at the intake and discharge sampling stations of a power plant and of the proportion of organisms found alive in the intake samples (intake survival). Minimum detectable entrainment mortality, confidence interval width, and type II error (probability of accepting the null hypothesis of no entrainment mortality when there is mortality) are considered. Increasing sample size and/or decreasing sampling mortality will decrease the minimum detectable entrainment mortality, confidence interval width, and type II error for a given level of type I error.The results of this study are considered in the context of designing useful monitoring programs for determining the entrainment mortality fraction. Preliminary estimates of intake survival and the entrainment mortality fraction can be used to obtain estimates of the sample size needed for a specified level of confidence interval width or type II error. Final estimates of the intake survival and the entrainment mortality fraction can be used to determine the minimum detectable entrainment mortality and the type II error.     

Shoal composition, body size and foraging in sticklebacks

Individuals which deviate from the majority in groups are likely to be most vulnerable to predation. This oddity effect, by definition, is frequency dependent, eventually fading at equal frequencies of the phenotypes in a group. It has been hypothesized that the increased predation risk of odd individuals may play an important role in the formation of phenotypically uniform shoals of fish. However, recent work has indicated that individuals may experience, or value, their predation hazard differently depending on their own size in relation to that of other group members: single large fish, but not small ones, appear concerned about their oddity in a shoal. Here I show that the apparent wariness of large fish is also expressed in a frequency-dependent manner, closely conforming to what is predicted if the oddity effect is responsible for their behavior. Using foraging activity of individuals as a means to evaluate their predation risk, I demonstrate with shoals comprising 12 threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) that large fish forage least actively when in a shoal consisting of 2 large and 10 small fish. An increase in the number of large fish to 4 among 8 small individuals clearly results in an increase in their foraging activity. However, having reached an equal frequency with small fish in a shoal, large fish do not seem to change their foraging activity much even when their number in a shoal increases further. In contrast, foraging activity of small sticklebacks remains fairly constant throughout the entire range of tested shoal compositions, providing further evidence that small and large fish respond to their oddity differently. Received: 12 February 1998 / Accepted after revision: 7 May 1998     

环境烟草烟气粒径分布及其对光散射的影响

为了测量典型办公室内环境中环境烟草烟气悬浮颗粒物的数浓度和粒径分布变化,以及其对颗粒光散射的影响,在6.8 m×3.2mx2.8 m的试验间进行试验,采用测量范围为5～1 000 nm的DMS500扫描电迁移率粒径谱仪进行粒径测量.结果表明,不同卷烟样品的烟气粒径分布曲线近似,都可以用对数正态分布函数来描述.4种卷烟样品粒径分布及参数变化速率相似,在4 800 s内数中值粒径CMD平均值从105 nm增大至155 nm,几何标准差GSD平均值从1,58减小至1.45,CMD和GSD的变化趋势近似符合指数函数.利用基于Mueller光散射理论的程序计算烟颗粒对散射光的影响.粒径分布的变化显著改变了颗粒散射光强度,CMD最大使散射光强度增大7倍,GSD引起的强度变化较小.综合考虑烟气颗粒数浓度降低和粒径分布的变化,散射光强度最大增大3倍.     

喷嘴直径对降尘效果影响的试验研究

为提高喷雾降尘效率,以改善作业环境,有必要研究喷嘴直径与降尘效果间的关系。基于自行设计的喷雾降尘试验系统,采用马尔文实时高速喷雾粒度分析仪、高速摄像仪及粉尘浓度测定仪对不同直径喷嘴的雾化特性参数和降尘效率进行测定。结果表明,在相同喷雾压力下,随着喷嘴直径的增大,全尘降尘效率持续增加,而呼吸性粉尘降尘效率先增加后减小,并在喷嘴直径为1.5 mm时达到最大值;在耗水量相同的情况下,随着喷嘴直径的增大,全尘和呼吸性粉尘降尘效率均下降。在井下喷雾降尘中,当耗水量不受限制时,为同时确保全尘和呼吸性粉尘降尘效率,宜选择直径为1.5 mm的喷嘴;当耗水量受限制时,宜选择直径为1.2 mm的喷嘴。     

滤料粒径对BAF小尺度下流场形态及挂膜速度的影响

为探讨颗粒粒径对曝气生物滤池(BAF)运行效果的影响,采用数值模拟和实验研究方法分析了滤料粒径对曝气生物滤池流场形态及挂膜速度的作用机理.选用5个颗粒尺寸结构空间作为计算区域,利用Fluent软件对相同颗粒间隙、不同颗粒粒径下BAF小尺度下的流场形态进行模拟分析,并通过对3种粒径下流线图、速度矢量图、压力分布及湍流强度变化的对比分析,发现颗粒粒径为3 mm时流场形态最好,最有利于气水混合及氧传质的进行.同时,为验证模拟结果的正确性,对同种材质、相同运行条件下3种不同颗粒粒径进行挂膜速度对比,通过考察挂膜启动28 d的COD去除率变化及污泥生物量的对比分析,发现颗粒粒径为3 mm时,运行最为稳定,系统运行第16 d时就达到了80%的COD去除效率.     

Pollution levels and characteristics of phthalate esters in indoor air of offices

The pollution status and characteristics of PAEs (phthalate esters) were investigated in indoor air of offices, and PAEs of both gas-phase and particulate-phase were detected in all the samples. The concentration (sum of the gas phase and the particulate phase) was 4748.24 ng/m³, ranging between 3070.09 and 6700.14 ng/m³. Diethyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were the most abundant compounds, together accounting for 70% of the Σ6PAEs. Dividing the particulate-phase PAEs into four size ranges (<2.5, 2.5-5, 5-10, >10 μm), the result indicated that PAEs in PM_2.5 were the most abundant, with the proportion of 72.64%. In addition, the PAE concentration in PM_2.5 correlated significantly with the total particulate-phase PAEs (R² = 0.85). Thus, the amount of PAEs in PM_2.5 can be estimated from the total amount of particulate-phase PAEs using this proportion. In a comparison between the offices and a newly decorated study room, it was found that pollution characteristics were similar between these two places. Thus, it is implied that the PAE concentration decreased by 50% 2 yr after decorating.