Patterns of Citations of Open Access and Non‐Open Access Conservation Biology Journal Papers and Book Chapters

Abstract: Open access (OA) publishing, whereby authors, their institutions, or their granting bodies pay or provide a repository through which peer‐reviewed work is available online for free, is championed as a model to increase the number of citations per paper and disseminate results widely, especially to researchers in developing countries. We compared the number of citations of OA and non‐OA papers in six journals and four books published since 2000 to test whether OA increases number of citations overall and increases citations made by authors in developing countries. After controlling for type of paper (e.g., review or research paper), length of paper, authors’ citation profiles, number of authors per paper, and whether the author or the publisher released the paper in OA, OA had no statistically significant influence on the overall number of citations per journal paper. Journal papers were cited more frequently if the authors had published highly cited papers previously, were members of large teams of authors, or published relatively long papers, but papers were not cited more frequently if they were published in an OA source. Nevertheless, author‐archived OA book chapters accrued up to eight times more citations than chapters in the same book that were not available through OA, perhaps because there is no online abstracting service for book chapters. There was also little evidence that journal papers or book chapters published in OA received more citations from authors in developing countries relative to those journal papers or book chapters not published in OA. For scholarly publications in conservation biology, only book chapters had an OA citation advantage, and OA did not increase the number of citations papers or chapters received from authors in developing countries.     

IMPACT OF MINING ACTIVITIES ON WATER QUALITY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA1

ABSTRACT: An intensive water quality investigation was conducted in western North Carolina to determine whether water quality problems existed from point and nonpoint source inputs of sediment from surface mining activities. Depth integrated measurements of sediment transport and biological sampling of benthic communities indicated that very serious water quality problems were caused by erosion from a concentrated area of open pit mining for mica, kaolin, and feldspar. The erosion occurred on haul roads, active mines, inactive mines, and tailings disposal piles. The need for using specific “Best Management Practices” for erosion control on the mining operation is discussed. These practices need to be implemented to restore populations of trout to the degraded reaches of the river. Additional monitoring data are presented that indicate that the biological integrity of surface waters can be preserved in the vicinity of point source mining discharges when the operators utilize proper practices in settling and neutralizing their effluent. While much has been done to abate the point source discharges, attention now needs to be focused on the nonpoint sources of sediment from mining operations.     

Effects of forest clearcutting in New England on stream macroinvertebrates and periphyton

Clearcutting may alter stream biota by changing light, temperature, nutrients, sediment particle size, or food in the stream. We sampled macroinvertebrates during late summer of 1979 in first and second order headwater streams draining both two- and three-year-old clearcuts and nearby uncut reference areas in northern New England, USA. Periphyton were sampled throughout the summer by placing microscope slides in these streams for 13–37 days. Periphyton cell densities on these slides following incubation were about six times higher in cutover than in reference streams. Green algae (Chlorophyceae) accounted for a higher proportion of total cell numbers in cutover than in reference streams, whereas diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) dominated the reference streams. The macroinvertebrate density in cutover streams was 2–4 times greater than that in the reference streams, but the number of taxa collected was similar in both cutover and reference streams. Higher numbers of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and/or true flies (Diptera) in the cutover streams accounted for the differences. Because nutrient concentrations in the cutover streams were nearly the same as those in the reference streams, these differences in macroinvertebrate and periphyton densities were apparently caused by higher light levels and temperature in the streams in the clearcuts. Leaving buffer strips along streams will reduce changes in stream biology associated with clearcutting.Contribution from the Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, USDA Forest Service, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA.     

Moving Beyond Strawmen and Artificial Dichotomies: Adaptive Management When an Endangered Species Uses an Invasive One

Evans et al. (Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 2008) have attempted to enmesh me in their dispute with the Florida Bureau of Invasive Plant Management about a specific system, Kings Bay/Crystal River. In so doing, they repeatedly mischaracterize my positions in order to depict, incorrectly, invasion biology as monolithic and me as a representative of one extreme of a false dichotomy about management of introduced species. In addition, they introduce an issue irrelevant in this case (extinctions) and cite incorrect data. Proposing to manage people, manatees, introduced plants, and cyanobacteria in Kings Bay by participative adaptive management, they ignore the fact that living organisms can both disperse autonomously and hitchhike. Finally, they present few details on any aspect of their management proposal and do not address the myriad problems that have beset previous attempts at scientific adaptive management, especially at large scales. Until such a management approach is fleshed out and implemented, it is impossible to assess its validity for Kings Bay, and it is very premature to suggest it as a general model for dealing with invasive species disputes.     

Adaptive Management of Nonnative Species: Moving Beyond the “Either-Or” Through Experimental Pluralism

This paper develops the outlines of a pragmatic, adaptive management-based approach toward the control of invasive nonnative species (INS) through a case study of Kings Bay/Crystal River, a large artesian springs ecosystem that is one of Florida’s most important habitats for endangered West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus). Building upon recent critiques of invasion biology, principles of adaptive management, and our own interview and participant–observer research, we argue that this case study represents an example in which rigid application of invasion biology’s a␣priori imperative to minimize INS has produced counterproductive results from both an ecological and social standpoint. As such, we recommend that INS control in Kings Bay should be relaxed in conjunction with an overall program of adaptive ecosystem management that includes meaningful participation and input from non-institutional stakeholders. However, we also note that adaptive management and INS control are by no means mutually exclusive, in Kings Bay or elsewhere. Instead, we suggest that adaptive management offers a means by which INS control efforts can emerge from—and be evaluated through—ongoing scientific research and participatory dialogue about the condition of specific places, rather than non-contextual assumptions about the harmfulness of INS as a general class.     

Reason,emotion, compassion: can altruism survive professionalisation in the humanitarian sector?

The humanitarian sector has grown enormously over the past two decades. Some fear that professionalisation comes at the expense of altruistic volunteering. This may be a valid concern if altruism is the product of organisational culture and individual experiences rather than an innate trait. This paper examines advances in evolutionary biology and neurology that provide evidence in support of both the nature and nurture arguments, echoing earlier insights from social sciences. It then questions to what extent humanitarian principles build on altruistic impulses or instead seek to constrain them, and reviews recruitment profiles of selected humanitarian organisations and applicants' letters accordingly. This initial investigation warrants further research to identify how altruism as a personal trait and an organisational principle has influenced diverse humanitarian actors and traditions. This paper outlines how training curricula and organisational reward systems can build on—rather than stifle—natural altruism to nurture critical, reflexive practitioners.     

东北蝲蛄资源及其开发利用

东北蛄是世界淡水鳌虾的一种，在我国仅产于黑龙江流域，是风味独特的水产珍品，但未被人们重视。本文根据近年来的部分研究成果，初步报道了东北蛄资源现状生物学、特性及其经济价值，并提出开发利用途径．     

实时荧光定量PCR技术对氨氧化细菌的研究

传统的PCR技术只能实现对核酸的定性检测而无法对其进行定量研究。随着分子生物学技术的发展,在传统PCR技术的基础上发展起来的实时荧光定量PCR技术实现了对核酸的定量研究。该技术是向常规PCR反应体系中加入荧光染料或荧光探针,通过监测PCR反应过程中荧光信号的变化来实现对核酸的定量。实时荧光定量PCR技术具有应用范围广、灵敏度高、操作简单、工作量低等特点,在医学和微生物学领域已广泛地应用于疾病诊断、病毒定量检测、微生物群落结构分析及演替规律的研究。文章综述了该项技术的原理、特点及其在环境氨氧化细菌研究中的应用,同时也指出了该技术存在的问题及其发展应用前景。     

污水处理新技术-同步硝化反硝化生物脱氮机理及影响因素分析

同步硝化反硝化(SND)是目前国内外污水脱氮技术研究领域的新热点.基于其高效低能耗特性,从宏观环境理论、微环境理论和生物学理论方面探讨同步硝化反硝化的脱氮机理,分析有机碳源、溶解氧、活性污泥絮体结构和pH值等因素对同步硝化反硝化所产生的影响.提出有待进一步解决的问题及深入研究的技术,从而达到节能降耗并提高工艺稳定性的目的.     

鱼体高铁血红蛋白检测在应急监测中的应用

针对2005年11月14日吉林发生的松花江污染,采用鱼体血液指标进行了分析,结果发现污染物对鲤鱼血液高铁蛋白浓度影响显著,并探讨了此方法需注意的问题。