Volatile attractants for three Pteromalid parasitoids attacking concealed spruce bark beetles

Summary. The odour perceptive abilities, and preferences, of three bark beetle parasitoid species; Rhopalicus tutela (Walker), Roptrocerus mirus (Walker), and Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), were investigated to isolate and identify the essential compounds involved in host location. These parasitoids attack several economically important bark beetle species and oviposit preferentially on late larval stages concealed under the bark of conifers. Odours were collected from Norway spruce logs (Picea abies L. Karst.) containing Ips typographus L. (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) larvae. Biologically active compounds were isolated by coupled gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD), and identified by GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Based on these analyses, four different synthetic baits were prepared and tested in a Y-tube walking bioassay. In the complex odour samples from spruce logs, only 16 compounds were EAD-active. The tested R. tutela and R. mirus females displayed similar trends in antennal activity to EAD-active compounds, responding mainly to oxygenated monoterpenes that indicate damaged conifers. Consequently, the synthetic baits were exclusively prepared with oxygenated monoterpenes. Parasitoid females (R. tutela and R. mirus) preferred spruce logs containing susceptible hosts over fresh logs, while male parasitoids (R. mirus) did not show any preference. However, when odours from fresh logs were mixed with synthetic baits (mimicking the odour composition of logs containing susceptible hosts), these combinations attracted female parasitoids (R. tutela, R. mirus, and R. xylophagorum). All synthetic baits seemed to be equally attractive to female parasitoids. Received 12 October 2000; accepted 18 January 2001     

Decision-making for sustainable location of a cement plant in the state of Florida

Site selection is a typical strategic decision for many industries that deals with specifying the most appropriate location for a facility. In the context of sustainable development, site selection decisions need to be improved by adopting environmental, economic and social requirements. This study aims to frame sustainable location decisions by conducting a case study of siting a new cement plant in the state of Florida. As a part of the study, a wide range of technical and sustainability criteria has developed. These criteria can help decision-makers in the cement industry evaluate the selection of a location with the requirements of sustainable development. The sustainability characteristics of alternative sites in the state of Florida are evaluated based on the criteria to identify the most appropriate ones. The analytical hierarchy processand geographic information system techniques are utilized to weight the criteria and evaluate the characteristics of site candidates.     

Predicting Sample Source Location from Soil Analysis Using Neural Networks

A system combining a national soils database with a neural network was developed for prediction of source location for soil samples. The neural network was trained to predict environmental characteristics, which can be of crucial importance to investigating officers in a police operation or to environmental agencies attempting to locate the source of a pollutant. When coupled with maps of environmental conditions and a generalized opinion pool approach, the system was used to produce weighted maps of source location. The system was capable of reducing search areas of a sample source to less than 0.1% of the total area.     

Metal contents and potential health risk assessment of crops grown in a former mining district (Romania)

ABSTRACT

The Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn contents in home-grown crops in a former mining district were determined in order to evaluate the non-carcinogenic long-term potential health risk related to crop consumption. The potential health risk was investigated by estimating the daily intake and the hazard quotients. For all crop categories, the daily intake and the target hazard quotient were below the threshold values for Cd, Cu, and Zn. The daily intake of Pb exceeded the oral reference dose, while the target hazard quotient for vegetables was above 1, indicating a potential health risk. The total target hazard quotient for the individual metals decreased in the following order: Pb>Cd>Cu>Zn. This study confirmed that the daily consumption of crops grown in contaminated soils could pose health risks to humans.     

Assessment of health hazard due to fluoride in groundwater from a rural area in east-coast of India and remedial measures

The present research deals with the quantification of health hazard in a fluorosis prone area from east-coast of India. The average health hazard quotients are 2.09, 2.42, 1.79, and 1.69 for infants, children, male, and female adults, respectively. These values are more than the tolerance limit (1) in 92% groundwater samples and 96% of the study area. The children are more vulnerable to fluorosis than infants and adults. Ca²⁺/ Na⁺ versus HCO₃⁻/Na⁺ and Ca²⁺/Na⁺ versus Mg²⁺/Na⁺ plots suggest silicate weathering as the prime factor while linear relationship of TDS versus NO₃⁻ + (Cl⁻/HCO₃⁻) supports the anthropogenic input of F⁻ to the aquifer system. The study suggests that the F⁻ ions are chiefly derived from fluorite, apatite, biotite, and hornblende present in the granitic basement under alkaline environment. The secondary sources are domestic and industrial sewage as well as return flow from irrigation with ingredients of phosphate fertilizers. The adverse effects of fluorosis can be minimized by mass awareness programmes, alternative source of potable drinking water, defluoridation techniques, dilution of high F⁻ concentration in groundwater, and minimizing the use of phosphate fertilizers.     

基于虚拟力的危化品仓储堆垛定位校正算法

超宽带定位技术作为一种室内高精度定位技术是解决危化品仓库堆垛贮存状态安全监测的有效方法,但在仓库非视距环境中,存在定位精度不足的问题,无法满足堆垛“五距”安全的监管要求。针对此问题,从UWB信号的信道模型和定位精度影响因素出发,利用高斯滤波消除了参考点在定位过程中由于系统和环境带来的随机误差影响,建立了参考点误差矢量库,并提出了一种虚拟力校正算法,利用建立的矢量库来对待测标签进行矢量补偿,达到提高定位精度的目的。实验表明,该方法可以提高危化品仓储堆垛定位精度,适用于监测危化品仓储状态。     

火源长宽比对隧道内矩形火燃烧特性的影响研究

开展了一系列小尺寸实验研究隧道内不同火源受限情况下的火焰形态和顶棚射流火焰长度。实验中采用四个长宽比范围1~8的矩形气体燃烧器作为火源,并通过改变火源的摆放位置和贴壁方向(长边贴壁和短边贴壁)来改变火源的受限程度。结果表明:当火源置于开放空间非受限场景时,随着火源长宽比的增大,火源卷吸空气周长增大,导致火焰高度不断减小。对于贴壁火当矩形火源的长边贴壁时,随着长宽比的增大,其火焰高度同样不断减小;由于卷吸不对称,火焰贴着墙壁向上方蔓延,其火焰高度明显高于开放空间条件下的值。当火源短边贴壁时,火焰高度虽然仍随长宽比的增大而减小,但其火焰高度与开放空间相近,明显小于长边贴壁的情况,说明此时空气卷吸受限程度不大,火焰蔓延没有受到墙壁明显的影响。在前人对轴对称火源(方形和圆形火源)研究的基础上,本文对矩形火源位于隧道纵向中心线和紧贴隧道侧壁的火焰形态和火源长度进行了实验研究,定义了一个修正的无量纲火源功率?Q *mod,并引入了考虑矩形火源长宽比的无量纲特征参量(n+1)/n,建立了综合考虑火源功率、火源尺寸和贴壁方向的矩形贴壁火的火焰长度关系式。     

城市应急避难场所层次布局研究(Ⅱ)——三级层次选址模型

分析应急避难场所层次选址的目标因素:建设成本和避难效果,提出总的移动距离最短和建设成本最小两类选址目标,立足城市发展程度差异和现状应急避难场所建设情况分析,将应急避难场所选址类型分为规划性选址、老城新选址、补充性选址三种。依据应急避难场所的三级层次划分,以及单一流、嵌套、空间非匹配的层次特点,分别建立了应急避难场所的规划性选址、老城新选址、补充性选址共8个三级层次选址模型,并通过模拟实验对模型的效果进行了检验。     

机械排烟系统优化设计数值模拟研究

本文以一超市建筑为例,运用火灾模拟软件FDS对排烟口位置、排烟口数量、排烟量、排烟口面积等对机械排烟效果的影响进行了研究。研究表明顶棚排烟优于侧壁排烟;排烟口应尽量远离疏散出口;排烟量达到一定数值之后,再增加排烟量,对排烟效果影响不大;增加排烟口数量,并合理分布其位置,可以得到良好的排烟效果。     

关于我国首都迁址的再探讨

北京作为中国首都已经出现了许多不相适应的弊端,困扰着首都功能的正常发挥,而且这些问题呈进一步恶化的趋势。无论改都论、双都论还是展都论,都不能从根本上解决北京日趋集中的问题。从北京存在的一系列问题入手,指出了迁都的必要性;然后从迁都的历史可行性、经验可行性、经济可行性和操作可行性4个方面论证了迁都的可行性;运用定量与定性相结合的方法,构建理想首都区位模型,对迁都方位进行了选择。认为长江中游地区是建立新都的最理想方位,并从首都安全、定都成本和区位影响角度,分析了长江中游地区建设中国新都的不可替代的优势,最后还探讨了模型的计算尺度问题和迁都应注意的问题。