Robust optimization evaluation of reliance on locally produced foods

While local food production may be beneficial in terms of developing the local economy and reducing greenhouse gases from transportation, sustainability strategies focused on local food production may generate their own risks due to yield variability. We have developed a robust optimization (RO) model to determine the minimum amount of land (cropland and pasture) required to grow food items that would satisfy a local population’s (accounting for gender and age) calorie and nutrient needs. This model has been applied to Boone County, Missouri, which has a population of approximately 170,000. Boone County is 1790 km², with 16% of the land defined as cropland and 30% defined as pasture. The model includes 27 nutrients from 17 potential foods that could be produced: six fruits and vegetables, five grains and six animal-sourced foods. Yield estimates are based on the predominate methods of agriculture in the USA. We first run our model assuming no variability, using the midpoint yield estimates. Then, to quantify uncertainty in yield for different food types, we use historical yield data over 10 years to estimate this variability and run our RO model under these variability estimates. We compare the two model results to illustrate the impact of data uncertainty on meeting sustainable local food for communities. Solutions suggest that nutrition needs can be met for the Boone County population within the land area defined.     

Fetal exsanguination following intrauterine angiographic assessment and selective termination of a hydrocephalic,monozygotic co-twin

Selective termination by intracardiac potassium chloride injection was performed in twins discordant for hydrocephaly at 20 weeks' gestation. Because of the potential for vascular anastomoses to exist between the twins, fetal angiography was performed prior to the selective termination procedure. Determination of vascular connections between the fetuses was hindered by fetal bradycardia following intracardiac administration of contrast material. Selective termination was performed without difficulty using intracardiac potassium chloride (KCl) to produce asystole in the twin with hydrocephaly. The unaffected fetus appeared active and had a normal heart rate during and immediately after the procedure. However, both twins were found to have died the following day. Pathologic examination documented several vascular anastomoses between the monochorionic, diamniotic fetuses. A likely cause of death was exsanguination of the normal twin into the abnormal one. This case illustrates the difficulties encountered in selective termination of monozygotic twins and, to our knowledge, represents the first reported use of intrauterine fetal angiography.     

种植密度和降水对冬小麦田N2O排放的影响

为研究种植密度对农田N2O排放的影响和探讨N₂O排放季节性波动的原因,于1999～2000年小麦生长季在南京市郊江宁县进行了不同播种量(0、90、180和270kg/hm²)的大田试验.观测分析结果表明:在相同的气象条件和田间管理下,播种～越冬阶段的N₂O排放不受播种量的影响,返青～成熟阶段的N₂O排放通量与播种量成正比.裸地条件下的N₂O排放与播量为90kg/hm²下的排放无明显差异.造成该生长季内N₂O排放季节性波动的主要原因是降水,返青～成熟阶段的N₂O排放通量随观测日前6d的加权平均降水量呈指数增加.     

氮肥水平对不同土壤CH4排放的影响

鉴于氮肥施用对农田CH₄排放的影响还有很大不确定性,室外盆栽试验于2002年在南京农业大学实施.选取3个供试土壤,各土壤设置对照和低、中、高3个不同氮肥水平,施入尿素量分别为0 g/盆钵(对照) ,0.64g/盆钵,(低氮水平) ,1.28g/盆钵(中氮水平) ,1.93g/盆钵(高氮水平) .结果表明在水稻生长季,不同氮肥(尿素)施用量对稻田土壤CH₄排放影响表现为不同土壤之间,及不同氮肥水平之间CH₄排放均存在显著差异.无氮肥施入的情况下,3种土壤的CH₄季节性累积排放量存在显著差异,分别为6.7g/m²,12.6g/m² 和8.3g/m².施加氮肥后,3种土壤的CH4排放量随氮肥施入量的增加,均表现为降低趋势,不同土壤CH₄排放量存在差异,土壤背景氮含量最高的F(江苏溧水)土壤的CH4排放都比相应氮肥水平下的G(江苏涟水)和H(江苏农科院)土壤的CH₄排放低1倍左右.更进一步发现从低氮到中氮水平,3种土壤CH₄排放量随氮肥用量的增加降低幅度最大,而此时各土壤的NH₄-N含量随氮肥用量增加明显提高,推断造成CH₄排放降低的主要可能原因是各土壤的氨态氮含量的增加所致.从中氮到高氮水平3种土壤的CH₄排放量的变化不尽相同,G和H土壤的CH₄排放量随氮肥用量的增加而降低,而F土壤在中氮和高氮水平下的CH4排放量没有明显变化,值分别为30g/m².     

不同种类有机肥施用对稻田CH4和N2O排放的综合影响

以麦茬稻田为对象,研究基肥施用不同有机肥对稻田CH4和N2O排放的综合影响.结果表明:有机肥施用对稻田CH4和N2O排放的季节变化模式无明显影响,但影响其排放量.与施用化肥(化肥处理)相比,施用菜饼+化肥(菜饼处理)促进CH4和N2O的排放,其季节排放总量分别增加了252%和22%;施用小麦秸秆+化肥(秸秆处理)和牛厩肥+化肥(牛厩肥处理)明显增加CH4排放,增加量分别为250%和45%,同时却减少N2O排放,分别减少18%和21%;施用猪厩肥+化肥(猪厩肥处理)降低CH4和N2O的排放,分别降低4%和18%.对CH4和N2O排放的综合温室效应分析表明,菜饼和秸秆处理的全球增温潜势(GWP)约为化肥处理的2.5倍,牛厩肥和化肥处理基本持平,但施用猪厩肥可减少10%～15%.各处理的GWP从高到低依次为菜饼、秸秆、牛厩肥、化肥和猪厩肥.单位产量的GWP以秸秆处理最高,菜饼次之,牛厩肥比化肥处理略高,猪厩肥处理最低.从本生长季来看,猪厩肥的施用对于实现环境效益与生产效益的协调发展具有一定作用.     

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from a subtropical coastal embayment (Moreton Bay, Australia)

Surface water methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) concentrations and fluxes were investigated in two subtropical coastal embayments (Bramble Bay and Deception Bay, which are part of the greater Moreton Bay, Australia). Measurements were done at 23 stations in seven campaigns covering different seasons during 2010-2012. Water-air fluxes were estimated using the Thin Boundary Layer approach with a combination of wind and currents-based models for the estimation of the gas transfer velocities. The two bays were strong sources of both CH₄ and N₂O with no significant differences in the degree of saturation of both gases between them during all measurement campaigns. Both CH₄ and N₂O concentrations had strong temporal but minimal spatial variability in both bays. During the seven seasons, CH₄ varied between 500% and 4000% saturation while N₂O varied between 128 and 255% in the two bays. Average seasonal CH₄ fluxes for the two bays varied between 0.5 ± 0.2 and 6.0 ± 1.5 mg CH₄/(m²·day) while N₂O varied between 0.4 ± 0.1 and 1.6 ± 0.6 mg N₂O/(m²·day). Weighted emissions (t CO₂-e) were 63%-90% N₂O dominated implying that a reduction in N₂O inputs and/or nitrogen availability in the bays may significantly reduce the bays' greenhouse gas (GHG) budget. Emissions data for tropical and subtropical systems is still scarce. This work found subtropical bays to be significant aquatic sources of both CH₄ and N₂O and puts the estimated fluxes into the global context with measurements done from other climatic regions.     

Unique zinc mass in mandibles separates drywood termites from other groups of termites

Previously, the presence of metals in arthropod mandibles has been linked with harder cuticle, and in termites, a 20% increase in hardness has been found for mandibles containing major quantities of zinc. The current study utilises electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis to assess incidence and abundance of metals in all extant subfamilies of the Isoptera. The basal clades contain no zinc and little to no manganese in the cutting edge of the mandible cuticle, suggesting that these states are ancestral for termites. However, experimentation with mandibles in vitro indicates the presence of some elements of the cuticular biochemistry necessary to enable uptake of zinc. The Termopsidae, Serritermitidae, Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae all contain minor quantities of manganese, while trace to minor quantities of zinc occur in all except the Serritermitidae. In contrast, all Kalotermitidae or drywood termites contain major levels of zinc in the mandible edge. Diet and life type are explored as links to metal profiles across the termites. The presence of harder mandibles in the drywood termites may be related to lack of access to free water with which to moisten wood. Scratch tests were applied to a set of mandibles. The coefficient of friction for Cryptotermes primus (Kalotermitidae) mandibles, when compared with species from other subfamilies, indicates that zinc-containing mandibles are likely to be more scratch resistant.     

Reassessment of the Ocean-To-Atmosphere Flux of Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) in the surface sea waters is produced predominantly by photochemical processes, oxidized by micro-organisms and outgassed to the atmosphere. to assess carbon monoxide flux from the oceans to the atmosphere, the photochemical production and microbial oxidation of carbon monoxide in the oceanic mixed-layer was investigated during several oeanographic cruises and in the laboratory. the photoproduction rate of carbon monoxide was found to be well correlated to the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in coastal and open ocean surface waters. Taking a global average carbon monoxide production rate of 10 ± 2 nmole litre^-1 (mg DOC hr)^-1 in the surface open ocean water, and 25 ± 7 nmole litre^-1 (mg DOC hr)^-1 in coastal sea water, at cloud-free summer solar noon, the photochemical production of carbon monoxide in the global oceans is estimated to be at a rate of 1200 ± 200 Tg CO y^-1. the microbial carbon monoxide turnover time in the mixed-layer was observed to range from hours in a coastal estuary to 16 days in the Pacific along 1057deg; W in dark incubations. Natural sunlight can largely inhibit the microbial consumption of carbon monoxide in surface water. On a global scale, microbial consumption is responsible for the loss of less than 10% of photochemical produced carbon monoxide in the surface ocean. Field measurements have shown that the net transport of carbon monoxide from the euphotic zone to the underlying deeper ocean water is limited and that the overall life time in surface sea waters is less than 3-4 hours. When combined, these field measurements with the photoproduction and microbial consumption rates obtained, we estimate the oceanic flux to the atmosphere is about 1000 ± 200 Tg CO y^-1, which represents the largest single source of atmospheric carbon monoxide.     

Interactions between water and land in The Netherlands

The Netherlands are one of the most densely populated coastal countries in the world and there is only limited space for living, working, transport and recreation, while there is also the need to preserve and expand valuable natural habitats. In order to solve many existing and future conflicts of interest, and in order to create ‘added value’, strategies are developed to optimize the use of water-land systems. The principle of ‘building with nature’ is applied in order to integrate land in sea and water in land in such a way that future generations will be able to use coastal resources in a sustainable way, including a minimal effort to maintain the coastline and the promotion of a multiple-use system. The concept of Integrated multifunctional sustainable coastal zone development is introduced. This concept deals with a balanced approach to the lack of space for present and future coastal uses in relation to each other, to the hinterland, and to the sea. Flexible master plans are developed, taking into account many functions of the coastal zone, and facilitating adaptation to future developments—e.g. impacts of climate change and relative sea level rise. In this regard increasing the flexibility of the coastal zone is of vital importance. Large-scale coastal land reclamations in The Netherlands are dealt with, based on two different principles: (1) polder systems (low lying land reclamations surrounded and protected by dikes), (2) systems of ‘building with nature’—land reclamation protected by man-made foreshores, beaches and dunes. In the latter type new flexible dynamic-equilibrium coasts are created for many functions, while coastal vulnerability is reduced and a flexible coast is developed.