大尺度景观规划设计的思想与实践——荷兰风景园林师瑞克·德·菲索专访

瑞克·德·菲索先生从他在瓦格宁根度过的学生时代便积累了对大尺度项目的浓厚兴趣,从业多年,他参与并主持了多项重要的大型景观项目,包括马肯湖—瓦登海项目、弗和米尔圩田项目等。通过实践,他展示了自然过程和人类的需求在大尺度项目中很好地整合在一起。他的主要工作方法包括叠图分析、与不同学科背景的专家合作等。此外,他还指出,除了设计的品质,与决策者的沟通也是项目成功的关键。     

Ecological Design is More Important Than Compensatory Mitigation for Successful Restoration of Alpine Spoil Heaps

Spoil heaps of surplus rock from hydropower tunnel construction negatively impact alpine landscapes unless restored. Such spoil heaps have been created for more than 100 years, but we still lack knowledge about the relative importance of compensatory mitigation (seeding and fertilization), spoil‐heap construction method, local environmental factors, and regional climatic factors for restoration success. We studied the species composition of 19 alpine spoil heaps in Western Norway and their undisturbed surroundings using ordination and statistical modeling. Substrate grain size was the principal factor explaining differences in species composition between spoil heaps and their surroundings. Soil characteristics, that is, organic matter content and pH, and reutilization of topsoil were also important. Seeding and fertilization had negligible effects on restoration success. Slow recovery was observed for total vegetation cover and species richness of vascular plants and lichens while bryophyte cover recovered rapidly. Lower bryophyte cover and bryophyte and vascular plant species richness on older than on younger spoil heaps indicated recent changes in spoil‐heap construction practices that favor plant colonization. Our results indicate that spoil‐heap design is more important for restoration success than compensatory mitigation. We therefore suggest spoil heaps designed with a fine‐grained top substrate preferably from stockpiled local topsoil, with uneven surface topography that mimics natural topographic variation, and recommend discontinuation of seeding and fertilization.     

改变景观的力量——德克·西蒙斯教授专访

在今天,我们的生存环境面临着诸多挑战,包括气候变化,生物多样性减少,可用于发展的土地资源接近上限等等。面对这些问题,前荷兰首席国家风景园林师德克·西蒙斯认为我们必须关注那些能够改变景观的力量,不管它们是水利工程、旅游业、农业还是新能源。西蒙斯在文中介绍了他的过程导向方法论的思想起点,并通过几个获奖项目阐释了他如何运用这一方法。同时特别强调对生态系统的保护和修复是这个时代最重要的议题之一,也是我们这一代人最重要的使命之一。作为风景园林师,设计结合研究是我们的有力武器。我们不能仅关注眼前工作,还需要用长远的眼光批判地看待整个城市化进程。     

More than skin deep: Major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-based attraction among Asian American speed-daters

What might explain our instinctual attraction to certain individuals, aside from visible factors such as appearance? We examined possible biologically-driven selection for immunology genes, specifically preferences for Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)-dissimilarity, through the ecologically-valid method of speed-dating. Two-hundred-and-sixty-two single Asian Americans went on speed-dates (N observations?=?2215) with participants of the other sex, making second date offers and rating each other on measures of mate desirability, facial attractiveness, and body scent attractiveness. Using a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis, women, but not men, showed preferences for speed-dating partners based on MHC-complementarity. The direction of findings varied by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), such that SNPs closer to the major HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) genes supported dissimilarity preferences, whereas those farther away supported similarity preferences. The relative effects of MHC-based measures in comparison to an array of behavioral predictors were examined via random forests. Results indicated that for both men and women, the importance of MHC-based indices was comparable to that of a partner's self-reported personality attributes in predicting second date offers.     

Nasal Glucagon Delivery is More Successful than Injectable Delivery: A Simulated Severe Hypoglycemia Rescue

Objective: A severe hypoglycemia (SH) episode is an acute, high-stress moment for the caregivers of persons with diabetes (PWD). We compared the success rates of nasal glucagon (NG) and injectable glucagon (IG) administration for PWD-trained and untrained users in treating simulated SH episodes.Methods: Thirty-two PWD-trained users and 33 untrained users administered NG and IG to high-fidelity manikins simulating treatment of an SH emergency. Simulation rooms resembled common locations with typical diabetic supplies and stressor elements mimicking real-life SH environments. Success rate and time to administer glucagon were measured.Results: Of all the PWD-trained and untrained users, 58/64 (90.6%) could successfully deliver NG, while 5/63 (7.9%) could successfully deliver IG. For NG simulations, 28/31 (90.3%) PWD-trained users and 30/33 (90.9%) untrained users could successfully administer the dose (mean time 47.3 seconds and 44.5 seconds, respectively). For IG simulations, 5/32 (15.6%) PWD-trained users successfully injected IG (mean time 81.8 seconds), whereas none (0/31 [0%]) of the untrained users were successful. Reasons for unsuccessful administration of NG included oral administration and incomplete pushing of the device plunger. For IG, inability to perform reconstitution steps, partial dose delivery, and injection at an inappropriate site were the causes for failure.Conclusion: With or without training, the success rate for administering NG was 90.6%, whereas it was only 7.9% for IG. NG was easily and quickly administered even by untrained users, whereas training was necessary for successful administration of IG. NG may expand the community of caregivers who can help PWD during an SH episode.Abbreviations: IG = injectable glucagon; NG = nasal glucagon; PWD = person with diabetes; SH = severe hypoglycemia; T1D = type 1 diabetes; T2D = type 2 diabetes     

More than just a coating: Ecological importance,taxonomic occurrence and phylogenetic relationships of seed coat mucilage

Studies on the ecological importance of seed coat mucilage have provided valuable information about its roles in critical stages of the plant life cycle. Seed mucilage may, by providing a moist environment and maintaining metabolic activity in the seed, promote seed development. In seed dispersal, seed mucilage influences topochory, epizoochory, endozoochory and hydrochory by anchorage of seeds to soil surface, lubrication or changing the specific weight of the seed. In arid environments, seed mucilage can prevent seeds from drying or initiate DNA repair mechanisms, thereby maintaining the soil seed bank. Seed mucilage reduces oxygen diffusion to the seed and thus has a role in regulating seed dormancy. Due to it being hydrophilous, acting as a physical barrier and containing chemicals, seed mucilage is proposed to promote seed germination in favorable environments. In seedling growth, seed mucilage may lubricate the radicle as it penetrates the soil and be degraded by soil microfloras and thus promote seedling growth. Further investigation of seed mucilage for more species in diverse habitats from the perspectives of evolution, genetics, proteomics, phylogeny and plant–microbe interactions would contribute substantially to our understanding about its ecological importance.