Conservation mycology in Australia and the potential role of citizen science

Fungi are undoubtedly important for ecosystem functioning; however, they have been omitted or given scant attention in most biodiversity policy documents, management plans, and formal conservation schedules throughout the world. This oversight may be due to a general lack of awareness in the scientific community and compounded by a scarcity of mycology‐associated curricula at the tertiary level and a lack of mycologists in research institutions. Although molecular techniques advance the systematic cataloging of fungi and facilitate insights into fungal communities, the scarcity of professional mycologists in the environmental sciences hampers conservation efforts. Conversely, citizen science initiatives are making significant contributions to the mycology discipline by increasing awareness and extending the scope of fungal surveys. Future research by professional and amateur mycologists into the distribution of fungi and their function in ecosystems will help identify wider and more effective conservation goals.     

Optimization of the recovery of plastics for recycling by density media separation cyclones

Material recovery processes are presented as the optimum option for recycling plastic wastes as a means of recovering hydrocarbon resources. There exist a large variety of automated material recovery processes for recycling of such wastes but each with significant limitations. Of these, the separation based on differences in densities is advocated as the optimum process either for producing recycled products or preparing wastes for subsequent recovery processing.Density separation processes based on cyclone type density media separation (DMS) is presented as an important, potential method for increasing plastics recycling process capacities. It is demonstrated to have the capacity to separate a significantly larger range of particle sizes than those presently processed industrially. The mathematical relationship for the prediction of quality of typical LARCODEMS type density media separations by particle size and density as expressed by the Ecart Probable is presented.A proposed device configuration is presented for density media separation to optimize the recovery and purity of both density fractions produced. It is also suggested that to be economically viable, a large scale of operation is required for industrial plastics recycling operations recovering and producing a number of different plastics with a purity to be used as a substitute for virgin material.     

汽车用材料——PA66及其玻璃纤维复合材料在不同介质中的老化行为研究

在三种介质（二次水，汽油，乙二醇，50℃温度）条件下对PA66及PA66／GF进行95天左右的人工模拟材料在汽车使用环境下的加速试验，对不同老化时间的PA66及PA66／GF试样进行了宏观力学测试及吸湿性测试，并进一步利用示差扫描量热法（DSC），红外光谱及扫描电镜等手段分析老化前后试样的微观结构及组织差异。结合老化前后试样的力学性能变化，揭示了PA66及复合材料的老化规律和机理。实验表明，PA66及PA66／GF在三种介质中拉伸强度呈现下降趋势。其主要机理是介质溶液对试样渗入的结果影响，降低了分子间的相互作用力（范德华力）从而使材料机械性能下降；同时未发现化学作用对材料的力学性能有明显的变化。     

Efficacy of extracting indices from large‐scale acoustic recordings to monitor biodiversity

Passive acoustic monitoring could be a powerful way to assess biodiversity across large spatial and temporal scales. However, extracting meaningful information from recordings can be prohibitively time consuming. Acoustic indices (i.e., a mathematical summary of acoustic energy) offer a relatively rapid method for processing acoustic data and are increasingly used to characterize biological communities. We examined the relationship between acoustic indices and the diversity and abundance of biological sounds in recordings. We reviewed the acoustic‐index literature and found that over 60 indices have been applied to a range of objectives with varying success. We used 36 of the most indicative indices to develop a predictive model of the diversity of animal sounds in recordings. Acoustic data were collected at 43 sites in temperate terrestrial and tropical marine habitats across the continental United States. For terrestrial recordings, random‐forest models with a suite of acoustic indices as covariates predicted Shannon diversity, richness, and total number of biological sounds with high accuracy (R² ≥ 0.94, mean squared error [MSE] ≤170.2). Among the indices assessed, roughness, acoustic activity, and acoustic richness contributed most to the predictive ability of models. Performance of index models was negatively affected by insect, weather, and anthropogenic sounds. For marine recordings, random‐forest models poorly predicted Shannon diversity, richness, and total number of biological sounds (R² ≤ 0.40, MSE ≥ 195). Our results suggest that using a combination of relevant acoustic indices in a flexible model can accurately predict the diversity of biological sounds in temperate terrestrial acoustic recordings. Thus, acoustic approaches could be an important contribution to biodiversity monitoring in some habitats.     

聚乙烯亚胺改性UiO-66-NH2对水中U(Ⅵ)的吸附

采用聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)改性氨基化锆基金属有机骨架材料(UiO-66-NH₂)制备了UiO-66-NH₂/PEI,利用XRD、SEM和FTIR对产物进行了表征,并将其用于吸附水中的U(Ⅵ)。考察了UiO-66-NH₂/PEI吸附U(Ⅵ)的影响因素,并研究了吸附动力学和等温线。实验结果表明:UiO-66-NH₂/PEI对U(Ⅵ)具有良好的吸附效果,PEI与UiO-66-NH₂质量比为30%、溶液pH为6、吸附剂投加量为80 mg/L、吸附时间为120 min、初始U(Ⅵ)质量浓度为10 mg/L时,UiO-66-NH₂/PEI对U(Ⅵ)的去除率达98.2%(303 K下);UiO-66-NH₂/30%PEI对U(Ⅵ)的吸附在60 min内达到平衡,吸附过程符合准二级动力学模型和Langmuir模型,最大吸附量达452.49 mg/g。     

Adapting the bioblitz to meet conservation needs

When conservation strategies require new, field‐based information, practitioners must find the best ways to rapidly deliver high‐quality survey data. To address this challenge, several rapid‐assessment approaches have been developed since the early 1990s. These typically involve large areas, take many months to complete, and are not appropriate when conservation‐relevant survey data are urgently needed for a specific locale. In contrast, bioblitzes are designed for quick collection of site‐specific survey data. Although bioblitzes are commonly used to achieve educational or public‐engagement goals, conservation practitioners are increasingly using a modified bioblitz approach to generate conservation‐relevant data while simultaneously enhancing research capacity and building working partnerships focused on conservation concerns. We term these modified events expert bioblitzes. Several expert bioblitzes have taken place on lands of conservation concern in Southern California and have involved collaborative efforts of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, botanic gardens, museums, and universities. The results of expert bioblitzes directly informed on‐the‐ground conservation and decision‐making; increased capacity for rapid deployment of expert bioblitzes in the future; and fostered collaboration and communication among taxonomically and institutionally diverse experts. As research and conservation funding becomes increasingly scarce, expert bioblitzes can play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation.     

UiO-66-(COOH)2对水溶液中In(Ⅲ)的吸附性能

以水作溶剂,采用简单的回流法合成了一种稳定的金属有机骨架材料UiO-66-(COOH)2,并首次将其用于In(Ⅲ)离子的吸附分离。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、热重分析(TGA)、N2吸附-脱附和X射线衍射(XRD)等手段对材料进行了表征。通过静态吸附试验,探讨了pH值、接触时间和溶液初始质量浓度等因素对材料吸附In(Ⅲ)离子性能的影响。结果表明,在pH值为3.0、温度为303 K的条件下,UiO-66-(COOH)2对In(Ⅲ)的最大饱和吸附容量可达84.29 mg/g,优于大多数文献的报道值;整个吸附过程在90 min左右完成,且符合Langmuir等温吸附方程,而吸附动力学可以用准二级动力学模型进行描述。其可能的吸附机理是UiO-66-(COOH)2中的羧基与In(Ⅲ)离子的配位作用。此外,该材料能够实现重复使用,且在Na(Ⅰ)、K(Ⅰ)、Mg(Ⅱ)、Cu(Ⅱ)、Zn(Ⅱ)和Ni(Ⅱ)等竞争性金属离子的存在下,对In(Ⅲ)仍具备较好的吸附选择性。研究结果为含铟废水的处理提供了一种有效的新途径,也进一步拓展了MOFs材料的实际应用。     

UiO-66/BiVO4复合光催化剂的制备及其对四环素的光解

通过两步溶剂热法成功制备了UiO-66/BiVO₄复合光催化材料,考察其对四环素（TC）的光催化降解性能.在模拟可见光下,当锆（Zr）：铋（Bi）物质的量投料比为2：1时,对TC的光解效果最好（85.8%）.对TC的总去除率分别比纯UiO-66和纯BiVO₄提高27.1%和23.5%,降解速率是纯BiVO₄的47.9倍.通过X射线衍射仪（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、紫外可见漫反射（UV-vis DRS）等对所制备的纳米光催化剂进行结构、形貌、组成及光电性能表征分析.结果表明：UiO-66与BiVO₄紧密结合形成Ⅱ型异质结,复合材料性能的提升归因于比表面积的和光生载流子分离率的提升及孔隙结构的改善.     

Wrestling with the complexity of evaluation for organizations at the boundary of science,policy, and practice

Boundary organizations are situated between science, policy, and practice and have a goal of supporting communication and collaboration among these sectors. They have been promoted as a way to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts by building stronger relationships between scientists, policy makers, industry, and practitioners (Cook et al. 2013). Although their promise has been discussed in theory, the work of and expectations for boundary organizations are less defined in practice. Biodiversity conservation is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, dissent, and tight budgets, so boundary organizations face the challenging task of demonstrating their value to diverse stakeholders. We examined the challenges boundary organizations face when seeking to evaluate their work and thus aimed to encourage more productive conversations about evaluation of boundary organizations and their projects. Although no off‐the‐shelf solution is available for a given boundary organization, we identified 4 principles that will support effective evaluation for boundary organizations: engage diverse stakeholders, support learning and reflection, assess contribution to change, and align evaluation with assumption and values.     

Black swans,cognition, and the power of learning from failure

Failure carries undeniable stigma and is difficult to confront for individuals, teams, and organizations. Disciplines such as commercial and military aviation, medicine, and business have long histories of grappling with it, beginning with the recognition that failure is inevitable in every human endeavor. Although conservation may arguably be more complex, conservation professionals can draw on the research and experience of these other disciplines to institutionalize activities and attitudes that foster learning from failure, whether they are minor setbacks or major disasters. Understanding the role of individual cognitive biases, team psychological safety, and organizational willingness to support critical self‐examination all contribute to creating a cultural shift in conservation to one that is open to the learning opportunity that failure provides. This new approach to managing failure is a necessary next step in the evolution of conservation effectiveness.