Change in avian functional fingerprints of a Neotropical montane forest over 100 years as an indicator of ecosystem integrity

Ecologically relevant traits of organisms in an assemblage determine an ecosystem's functional fingerprint (i.e., the shape, size, and position of multidimensional trait space). Quantifying changes in functional fingerprints can therefore provide information about the effects of diversity loss or gain through time on ecosystem condition and is a promising approach to monitoring ecological integrity. This, however, is seldom possible owing to limitations in historical surveys and a lack of data on organismal traits, particularly in diverse tropical regions. Using data from detailed bird surveys from 4 periods across more than a century, and morphological and ecological traits of 233 species, we quantified changes in the avian functional fingerprint of a tropical montane forest in the Andes of Colombia. We found that 78% of the variation in functional space, regardless of period, was described by 3 major axes summarizing body size, dispersal ability (indexed by wing shape), and habitat breadth. Changes in species composition significantly altered the functional fingerprint of the assemblage and functional richness and dispersion decreased 35–60%. Owing to species extirpations and to novel additions to the assemblage, functional space decreased over time, but at least 11% of its volume in the 2010s extended to areas of functional space that were unoccupied in the 1910s. The assemblage now includes fewer large-sized species, more species with greater dispersal ability, and fewer habitat specialists. Extirpated species had high functional uniqueness and distinctiveness, resulting in large reductions in functional richness and dispersion after their loss, which implies important consequences for ecosystem integrity. Conservation efforts aimed at maintaining ecosystem function must move beyond seeking to sustain species numbers to designing complementary strategies for the maintenance of ecological function by identifying and conserving species with traits conferring high vulnerability such as large body size, poor dispersal ability, and greater habitat specialization. Article impact statement: Changes in functional fingerprints provide a means to quantify the integrity of ecological assemblages affected by diversity loss or gain.     

Safety assessment of the film boiling chemical vapor infiltration (FB-CVI) process through a system-theoretic accident model and process (STAMP)

Film boiling chemical vapor infiltration (FB-CVI) is considered as one of the fastest process methodologies for manufacturing carbon-carbon (C–C) composite products and possesses various advantages compared to conventional methodologies. However, there are safety concerns associated with this process for large-scale manufacturing, mainly owing to the intrinsic nature of the precursor and the process conditions. Considering the multifunctional interactions of the various systems during the process, a system-theoretic process analysis (STPA)/system theoretic accident model and process (STAMP) model is used to perform a safety analysis of the hazardous states of the FB-CVI process at the system level. As a case study, the FB-CVI process equipment employed for the manufacturing of C–C composites is considered. The safety constraints present in the system are assessed for adequacy through a hazard analysis by STPA/STAMP. The analysis through STPA/STAMP demonstrated the capability to create proactive strategies for the design and realization of process equipment that can be employed to manufacture C–C composite products through the FB-CVI process.     

Study on Assessing Economic Vulnerability of Small Island Regions

The main purpose of this study is to assess economic vulnerability of small island development regions as part of their sustainability constraints. By combining economic and environmental time series data, we assessed a composite index of economic vulnerability which is constructed from three exogenous variables, namely economic exposure, economic remoteness, and economic impact of environmental and natural disasters. We used the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan as the case studies for this paper.The results indicated that using a gross island products based valuation index, Kikaijima is the most vulnerable island in the Amami Islands with a composite economic vulnerability index (CEVI) value of 0.678, while by using a per capita based index, Okinoerabujima is considered the most vulnerable island with a CEVI value of 0.680. From the results we also revealed that smaller islands have relative higher vulnerability than the bigger one, which also confirms some previous country-level vulnerability studies.However, it is matter of fact that some islands that have relatively high vulnerability also have good economic performance as shown by their per capita income. In this regard, it can be argued that the success of these small islands could have been achieved in spite of and not because of their inherent vulnerability conditions as an indicator of sustainability constraint. Regarding these findings, we also examined a comparison between vulnerability results and the preliminary concept of an island's resilience in order to capture another perspective on sustainability assessment in a small island region.     

基于不同废污泥源的短程反硝化快速启动及稳定性

为探究不同废污泥源快速启动短程反硝化和实现稳定NO_2~--N积累的可行性,在3个完全相同的SBR反应器(S1、S2和S3)分别接种:实验室城市污水反硝化除磷系统排泥、城市污水厂剩余污泥及河涌底泥,比较其短程反硝化启动快慢和NO_2~--N积累特性,考察系统短程反硝化活性和NO_3~--N→NO_2~--N转化性能,并从微生物学角度分析反应器功能菌群特征.结果表明,在乙酸钠为唯一碳源、高碱度和适宜COD/NO_3~--N比进水条件下,3个SBR短程反硝化反应器在短时间内均能够成功启动,系统平均NO_3~--N→NO_2~--N转化率为S1 S2 S3(75. 92% 73. 36% 69. 90%).同时发现持续低温条件下S1和S2呈现不同程度的短程反硝化性能恶化趋势,但S3能够稳定维持良好NO_2~--N积累性能.微生物高通量测序表明,变形菌门和拟杆菌门居PD系统主导地位,3个短程反硝化反应器NO_2~--N积累关键功能菌属Thauera属丰度差异明显:S3 S1 S2(25. 09% 4. 71% 3. 60%),表明S3具备稳定高效的NO_2~--N积累性能,同时高丰度Thauera属可能是维持低温短程反硝化活性的重要原因.     

Pt-Sn/Al2O3蜂窝催化剂催化氧化C6烃

采用等体积分浸法制备Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃蜂窝催化剂（Pt含量仅为0.06wt%）.运用X射线衍射（XRD）、透射电镜（TEM）等技术对催化剂理化性质进行表征,并选取4种代表性C₆烃（苯、环己酮、环己烷和正己烷）对催化剂性能进行评价.活性评价试验中,Pt/Sn比为3/1催化效果最佳.此时4种C₆烃转化率达到90%的温度（T₉₀）较Pt催化剂均降低约20℃,其原因在于Sn可将Pt分割为较小的团簇提高Pt分散度.寿命评价试验以环己烷为例同Pt-Sn蜂窝催化剂连续运行720h,催化活性无明显变化,其原因在于,Sn可有效抑制其粒径增长;Pt₃Sn合金降低表面对C₆烃的吸附,减少催化剂表面积炭.     

Density functional theory (DFT) studies of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts

Based on density functional theory (DFT) and basic structure models, the chemical reactions on the surface of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitrification catalysts were summarized. Reasonable structural models (non-periodic and periodic structural models) are the basis of density functional calculations. A periodic structure model was more appropriate to represent the catalyst surface, and its theoretical calculation results were more comparable with the experimental results than a non-periodic model. It is generally believed that the SCR mechanism where NH₃ and NO react to produce N₂ and H₂O follows an Eley-Rideal type mechanism. NH₂NO was found to be an important intermediate in the SCR reaction, with multiple production routes. Simultaneously, the effects of H₂O, SO₂ and metal on SCR catalysts were also summarized.     

Effect of substituents in hydroxyl radical-mediated degradation of azo pyridone dyes: Theoretical approaches on the reaction mechanism

Understanding the degradation behavior of azo dyes in photocatalytic wastewater treatment is of fundamental and practical importance for their application in textile-processing and other coloration industries. In this study, quantum chemistry, as density functional theory, was used to elucidate different degradation pathways of azo pyridone dyes in a hydroxyl radical (HO^?)-initiated photocatalytic system. A series of substituted azo pyridone dyes were synthesized by changing the substituent group in the para position of the benzene moiety, ranging from strong electron-donating to strong electron-withdrawing groups. The effect of dye molecular structure on the photocatalytic degradation reaction mechanism was analyzed and quantification of substituent effects on the thermodynamic and kinetics parameters was performed. Potential energy surface analysis revealed the most susceptible reaction site for the HO^? attack. The calculated reaction barriers are found to be strongly affected by the nature of substituent group with a good correlation using Hammett σ_p constants and experimentally determined reaction rates. The stability of pre-reaction complexes and transition state complexes were analyzed applying the distortion-interaction model. The increased stability of the transition state complexes with the distancing from the substituent group has been established.     

生态调控后贵州花溪水库浮游植物群落结构的变化特征及影响因素

为了解生态调控后花溪水库浮游植物功能群变化特征与环境因子的关系,基于浮游植物功能群、NMDS（非度量多维尺度分析）、RDA（冗余分析）、Pearson相关性分析方法,于2017年3月-2018年3月逐月对浮游植物群落结构与水环境指标进行采样分析.结果表明:①生态调控前,花溪水库共鉴定浮游植物4门18种,共归类出10个功能群,且功能群H1占绝对优势,其代表藻种为水华束丝藻（Aphanizomenon flosaquae）;生态调控后,共鉴定浮游植物6门66种,共归类出20个功能群,主要优势功能群为B/Lo,其代表藻种为小环藻（Cyclotella sp.）和多甲藻（Peridinium sp.）.②生态调控后,花溪水库优势功能群结构发生了变化,其变化特征为B/Lo（春季）→D/B/Lo/X2/N/P（夏季）→D/B/Lo/N（秋季）→D/MP/B/Lo/W1/W2（冬季）.功能群B的生物量在春季达到峰值（3 056.3 μg/L）,与其对低营养环境有良好的耐受性有关;功能群Lo的生物量在秋季达到峰值（2 900.9 μg/L）,与组成功能群Lo的甲藻特性有关.③RDA结果表明,生态调控前影响浮游植物生长的环境因子为SD（透明度）、ρ（DIN）（DIN为无机氮）;生态调控后影响浮游植物生长的环境因子为WT（水温）、ρ（DO）、ρ（DIN）.研究显示,生态调控后花溪水库功能群结构发生了明显变化,影响功能群变化的主要环境因子为WT和ρ（DO）.      

过硫酸钠缓释材料的释放性能及其对2, 4-二硝基甲苯的降解效果

针对原位化学氧化技术修复土壤和地下水时氧化剂因释放过快而导致的利用率低等问题,通过熔化成型法制备过硫酸钠缓释材料,分析石蜡、硅砂和过硫酸钠不同配比对材料成型度和释放性能的影响,研究缓释过程中溶液pH的变化,探讨其在水溶液中的缓释行为及其对2,4-二硝基甲苯（2,4-DNT）的降解效果.结果表明:当固定过硫酸钠质量为6 g、硅砂质量为18 g、蜡砂比（石蜡、硅砂质量之比）为1:4~1:8时,过硫酸钠缓释材料成型度适中,且过硫酸钠的累积缓释量随着时间的延长而逐渐增大,第31天时过硫酸钠累积释放百分比为74.67%~88.40%,可实现过硫酸钠的持续可控释放.当硅砂质量为18 g、蜡砂比为1:1~1:6时,过硫酸钠累积释放百分比随着过硫酸钠质量的增加而增大,且溶液中的pH呈先降低后上升的变化规律.缓释材料缓释前后实物图和显微镜分析结果显示,过硫酸钠缓释材料的释放是一个由外到内、速率由快变慢最终趋于平稳的过程.过硫酸钠质量为12 g、硅砂质量为18 g、蜡砂比为1:4的缓释材料对2,4-DNT具有较好的降解效果,第16次置换浓度为0.2 mg/L的2,4-DNT水溶液时,2,4-DNT的降解率为56.38%.研究显示,改变制备材料的配比可有效实现缓释材料中过硫酸钠的缓慢释放及对污染物的有效降解,可为原位化学氧化修复土壤和地下水提供理论支撑.      

石期河流域地下水化学特征及物质来源分析

为明确典型岩溶溶丘洼(谷)地区域地下水化学特征及其成因,以石期河流域为研究对象,运用Gibbs图、Piper图、端元分析及离子比例系数等方法,对地下水水化学特征及物质来源进行了定性和定量分析.结果表明,研究区内地下水pH值介于6.06～8.07之间,Ca~(2+)、 Mg~(2+)和HCO~-_3是地下水中的主要离子,其质量浓度范围分别为2.61～108.7、 0.54～27.61和8.1～370.74mg·L~(-1),符合岩溶水高钙弱碱性特征;地下水物质成分中, Ca~(2+)和Mg~(2+)主要受到碳酸参与的灰岩和白云岩风化作用的控制, Na~+主要来源于硅酸盐岩的溶解,同时, Ca~(2+)和Na~+在地下水流动过程中进行阳离子交替吸附作用; K~+、 Cl~-和NO~-_3主要受到农业化肥施放和生活废水排放的影响.此外,大气降水作为该区域地下水的主要补给来源,对当地地下水化学特征和物质来源也有一定的影响.