利益相关者视角下的濒危物种价值评估与生态补偿——以翅果油树为例

濒危物种价值评估可为生物多样性保护提供重要的政策支撑。本文以国家二级重点保护植物翅果油树为例,从利益相关者视角作为切入点,基于选择实验法评价其偏好和支付意愿(WTP),进而探讨生态补偿机制。基于管理部门、企业和农户三方利益相关者的利益诉求,分析确定了5个翅果油树的物种属性,即种植面积、产品分类、树苗品种、保护投入和农户收益。运用随机参数Logit模型分析了利益相关者对不同物种属性变量的偏好和支付意愿。结果表明: 受访者对“保护增加投入”偏好最强和支付意愿最高,每户为331.00 yuan·a^-1;对产品开发的“高低端产品同时开发”和“高端产品开发为主”变量偏好次之,WTP分别为每户242.71和227.57 yuan·a^-1;对“农户收益”、“保护投入不变”、“树苗品种”和“种植面积”由强到弱依次表现出一定的偏好及支付意愿;而对“保护不投入”和“低端产品开发为主”偏好最弱且WTP为负值。通过直接和间接补偿方式对补偿客体(翅果油树及其生境)实施生态补偿,得到的补偿剩余价值为每户每年285.62元。     

转Cry1Ah基因抗虫玉米HGK60对田间节肢动物及杂草多样性的影响

近年来,随着转基因技术快速发展,转基因作物环境释放风险成为需要重点关注的问题,而对生物多样性的影响研究是客观评价其风险的重要手段。本研究以2018年海南春、冬两季转Cry1Ah基因抗虫玉米‘HGK60'及其对照常规玉米‘郑58'为研究对象,重点探讨了其对田间节肢动物、虫害及杂草多样性的影响。 结果表明: 田间调查共记录节肢动物43753头,隶属7目19科69种,转基因抗虫玉米HGK60与对照常规玉米郑58的节肢动物群落组成、结构及各生态指标均无显著差异;与郑58玉米相比,转基因抗虫玉米HGK60对钻蛀类害虫具有明显的抗性;田间杂草隶属8科16种,转基因抗虫玉米HGK60与郑58玉米田间杂草在密度及各生态指标上差异均不显著,且二者在整个生育期的变化趋势基本一致。说明转Cry1Ah基因抗虫玉米HGK60的种植对田间节肢动物及杂草多样性无显著的影响。该结果为转基因作物的环境风险研究提供了一定的数据支持。     

华南地区花镜植物资源筛选评价及应用研究

为营造物种多样、季相丰富、景观优美的生态经济型花镜,筛选出一批适合于华南地区花镜景观营造的植物种类,并采用层次分析法进行综合评价。结果表明,适合华南地区花镜景观营造的植物305种,隶属于84科221属,主要有爵床科（Acanthaceae）、豆科（Fabaceae）、菊科（Asteraceae）、石蒜科（Amaryllidaceae）等,小乔木、灌木、草本和藤本植物分别有16、127、134和28种;乡土植物100种,占32.79%,外来植物205种,占67.21%。综合评价分析表明,Ⅰ级、Ⅱ级和Ⅲ级花镜植物分别有148、151和6种;层次分析表明,前景植物、中景植物和背景植物分别有106、162和157种;季节分析表明,春、夏、秋和冬季植物分别有216、232、195和128种。这表明可用于华南地区花镜景观营造的灌木和草本植物资源丰富,应用形式多样。     

濒危植物水青树叶表型性状多样性分析

通过对水青树(Tetracentron sinense)24个居群161株个体的10个叶形态性状与7个叶表皮微形态性状进行观测,采用描述性统计、相关性分析、主成分分析以及聚类分析对其叶表型性状多样性进行研究。结果表明,水青树叶表型性状变异系数的变化幅度为4.21%～49.23%,Shannon-wiener多样性指数在0.82～2.07之间,其中叶最长(LLEST)性状最高,叶先尖削(LBPI)性状最低,平均1.80;叶形态性状相关性分析表明,性状之间存在密切联系,有47对性状呈极显著正相关,15对性状呈极显著负相关;主成分分析中前三个主成分的贡献率可达83.712%,可靠地代表了水青树表型性状的分布;Q型聚类分析发现,当阈值为15时,24个水青树居群可分为3类。水青树总体表现出较低表型多样性,唐家河、虹口、佛坪三个居群应作为保护与管理的重点群体。     

Enzymatic synthesis of cetyl oleate in a solvent-free medium using microwave irradiation and physicochemical evaluation

Abstract

A cosmetic ester, cetyl oleate was synthesized using microwave irradiated system. The esterification reaction was carried using Candida antarctica lipase B in a solvent-free media. The influence of various reaction parameters was studied, and the efficiency of Fermase CALB^TM10000 was compared with other enzymes. Equilibrium conversion of 97.5% was obtained within 20?min at 60?°C temperature, 1:2 oleic acid to cetyl alcohol molar ratio and 4% w/w dose of lipase. A comparative study showed that microwave irradiation is a much more efficient method than ultrasound irradiation and conventional heating. Fermase CALB^TM10000 was reusable over 6 enzymatic cycles as its stability improved under microwave system. Physicochemical parameters of cetyl oleate were tested in order to analyze its suitability for further cosmetic use.     

Estimates of the number of patients with high cumulative doses through recurrent CT exams in 35 OECD countries

PurposeTo estimate the number of patients in OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries who receive a cumulative effective dose (CED) ≥ 100 mSv from recurrent computed tomography (CT) exams.MethodsTaking into account recently published data on the number of CTs per patient and the fraction of patients with CED ≥ 100 mSv as well as country-specific data for the number of CT exams/1,000 population from OECD publication, this paper makes estimations for 35 OECD countries.ResultsThe estimated total number of patients with CED ≥ 100 mSv for all 35 OECD countries combined in a 5-year period is around 2.5 million (2,493,685) in a population of 1.2 billion (1,176,641,900), i.e., 0.21% of the population. Expressed per 1,000 population, the range is from 0.51 for Finland to 2.94 for the US, a nearly six-fold difference. Countries with more than 2 patients with CED ≥ 100 mSv in a 5-yr period per 1,000 population are: Belgium, France, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Portugal, Turkey, and US.ConclusionsThe first estimates of the number of patients likely receiving CED ≥ 100 mSv through recurrent CT exams in 35 OECD countries indicate that 2.5 million patients reach this level in a 5-year period. There is an urgent need for various stakeholders including medical physicists, referring physicians, health policy makers, manufacturers of CT equipment and epidemiologists to attend to the issue in the interest of patient radiation safety.     

Are we overestimating risk of enteric pathogen spillover from wild birds to humans?

Enteric illnesses remain the second largest source of communicable diseases worldwide, and wild birds are suspected sources for human infection. This has led to efforts to reduce pathogen spillover through deterrence of wildlife and removal of wildlife habitat, particularly within farming systems, which can compromise conservation efforts and the ecosystem services wild birds provide. Further, Salmonella spp. are a significant cause of avian mortality, leading to additional conservation concerns. Despite numerous studies of enteric bacteria in wild birds and policies to discourage birds from food systems, we lack a comprehensive understanding of wild bird involvement in transmission of enteric bacteria to humans. Here, we propose a framework for understanding spillover of enteric pathogens from wild birds to humans, which includes pathogen acquisition, reservoir competence and bacterial shedding, contact with people and food, and pathogen survival in the environment. We place the literature into this framework to identify important knowledge gaps. Second, we conduct a meta‐analysis of prevalence data for three human enteric pathogens, Campylobacter spp., E. coli, and Salmonella spp., in 431 North American breeding bird species. Our literature review revealed that only 3% of studies addressed the complete system of pathogen transmission. In our meta‐analysis, we found a Campylobacter spp. prevalence of 27% across wild birds, while prevalence estimates of pathogenic E. coli (20%) and Salmonella spp. (6.4%) were lower. There was significant bias in which bird species have been tested, with most studies focusing on a small number of taxa that are common near people (e.g. European starlings Sturnus vulgaris and rock pigeons Columba livia) or commonly in contact with human waste (e.g. gulls). No pathogen prevalence data were available for 65% of North American breeding bird species, including many commonly in contact with humans (e.g. black‐billed magpie Pica hudsonia and great blue heron Ardea herodias), and our metadata suggest that some under‐studied species, taxonomic groups, and guilds may represent equivalent or greater risk to human infection than heavily studied species. We conclude that current data do not provide sufficient information to determine the likelihood of enteric pathogen spillover from wild birds to humans and thus preclude management solutions. The primary focus in the literature on pathogen prevalence likely overestimates the probability of enteric pathogen spillover from wild birds to humans because a pathogen must survive long enough at an infectious dose and be a strain that is able to colonize humans to cause infection. We propose that future research should focus on the large number of under‐studied species commonly in contact with people and food production and demonstrate shedding of bacterial strains pathogenic to humans into the environment where people may contact them. Finally, studies assessing the duration and intensity of bacterial shedding and survival of bacteria in the environment in bird faeces will help provide crucial missing information necessary to calculate spillover probability. Addressing these essential knowledge gaps will support policy to reduce enteric pathogen spillover to humans and enhance bird conservation efforts that are currently undermined by unsupported fears of pathogen spillover from wild birds.     

Neuropeptide‐S‐receptor deficiency affects sex‐specific modulation of safety learning by pre‐exposure to electric stimuli

Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a neuropeptide involved in the regulation of fear. Because safety learning is impaired in patients suffering from anxiety‐related psychiatric disorders, and polymorphisms of the human neuropeptide S receptor (NPSR) gene have also been associated with anxiety disorders, we wanted to investigate whether NPSR‐deficiency interferes with safety learning, and how prior stress would affect this type of learning. We first investigated the effect of pre‐exposure to two different types of stressors (electric stimuli or immobilization) on safety learning in female and male C57Bl/6 mice, and found that while stress induced by electric stimuli enhanced safety learning in males, there were no differences in safety learning following immobilization stress. To further investigate the role of the NPS system in stress‐induced modulation of safety learning, we exposed NPSR‐deficient mice to stress induced by electric stimuli 10 days before safety learning. In nonstressed male mice, NPSR‐deficiency enhanced safety learning. As in male C57Bl/6 mice, pre‐exposure to electric stimuli increased safety learning in male NPSR +/+ mice. This pre‐exposure effect was blocked in NPSR‐deficient male mice showing impaired, but still intact, safety learning in comparison to their NPSR +/+ and NPSR +/? littermates. There was neither a pre‐exposure nor a genotype effect in female mice. Our findings provide evidence that pre‐exposure to stress induced by electric stimuli enhances safety learning in male mice, and that NPSR‐deficiency prevents the beneficial effect of stress exposure on safety learning. We propose an inverted U‐shape relationship between stress and safety learning.     

Electrolytes and Interphases in Sodium‐Based Rechargeable Batteries: Recent Advances and Perspectives

For sodium (Na)‐rechargeable batteries to compete, and go beyond the currently prevailing Li‐ion technologies, mastering the chemistry and accompanying phenomena is of supreme importance. Among the crucial components of the battery system, the electrolyte, which bridges the highly polarized positive and negative electrode materials, is arguably the most critical and indispensable of all. The electrolyte dictates the interfacial chemistry of the battery and the overall performance, having an influence over the practical capacity, rate capability (power), chemical/thermal stress (safety), and lifetime. In‐depth knowledge of electrolyte properties provides invaluable information to improve the design, assembly, and operation of the battery. Thus, the full‐scale appraisal of both tailored electrolytes and the concomitant interphases generated at the electrodes need to be prioritized. The deployment of large‐format Na‐based rechargeable batteries also necessitates systematic evaluation and detailed appraisal of the safety‐related hazards of Na‐based batteries. Hence, this review presents a comprehensive account of the progress, status, and prospect of various Na⁺‐ion electrolytes, including solvents, salts and additives, their interphases and potential hazards.