Temporal and spatial variations in macrofouling of silicone fouling‐release coatings

Nontoxic, low surface free energy silicone coatings having reduced biofouling adhesion strength have been developed as an alternative to antifouling paints. Silicone coatings permit macrofouling to adhere; however, fouling can be removed easily by water pressure or light scrubbing. One of the current methods used to evaluate the performance of non‐toxic silicone fouling‐release coatings relies heavily on fouling coverage. The organismal community structure as well as total coverage can affect the ease of fouling removal from these coatings. This paper explores fouling coverage and organismal adhesion over time. Long‐term fouling coverage data were collected at four sites (in Massachusetts, Hawaii and Florida) using static immersion panels coated with silicone and oil‐amended silicone systems. Inter‐site differences in fouling coverage and community structure were observed for each coating. Intra‐site variation and temporal change in coverage of fouling was minimal, regardless of coating formulation. The extent of coverage was affected by the duration of immersion and the local environmental conditions; these factors may also have an impact on the foul‐release capability of the silicone coatings. Organismal adhesion data was collected in Hawaii and Florida. These adhesion measurements were used as a tool to discriminate and rank fouling release coatings.     

Effect of hydrogen coverage on the buckling of penta-graphene by molecular dynamics simulation

By employing a series of MD simulations, buckling behaviour of penta-graphene and functionalised penta-graphene having different hydrogen (H) coverage is presented in this study. To this end, the buckling onset strain is determined for different systems. The results reveal that the new allotrope is slightly stiffer than graphene. Moreover, the effect of H adatoms in the range 0–56% on buckling behaviour is investigated. Finally it is shown that the H coverage has an influence on stability, and ripple-type destortion of the penta-graphene under compression.     

长白山原始阔叶红松林林下草本植物多样性格局及其影响因素

于2009年生长季(5～9月份)对布置在1.0hm2的原始阔叶红松林样地内的100个草本样方(1m×1m)进行物种及其植株高度、盖度以及土壤因子、光照环境进行调查,分析不同层片与土壤因子、光照环境的相关性以及乔木层、灌木层、土壤因子、光照环境对草本层多样性格局的影响,以阐明长白山阔叶红松林林下草本层多样性格局及其影响因素。结果表明:(1)阔叶红松林下的草本植物存在明显的季节动态变化,其中,5月份黑水银莲花(Anemone amurensis)、延胡索(Corydalis ambigua)等早春短命植物占优势,6月份部分早春短命植物和早夏植物、晚夏植物同时出现,物种丰富度最高,7月份是夏季植物的生长旺季,物种多样性最高,8～9月份草本植物逐渐枯萎。(2)灌木层的多样性与草本层的多样性呈极显著正相关,灌木层的株数密度与不同月份的草本层盖度呈正相关、与草本层多样性呈负相关,而乔木层对草本层盖度和多样性的影响均不显著。(3)土壤速效钾、光照和土壤水分是关联乔木层和草本层的重要环境因子。研究认为,阔叶红松林下的乔木层通过影响光照、降水及枯落物的含量而间接影响草本层的多样性格局。     

苏干湖湿地土壤全盐含量空间异质性及影响因素

土壤盐分的空间异质性是影响湿地植被格局形成和演变的主要因素之一,对于认识内陆盐沼湿地盐分的空间分布及其对环境的响应机制具有重要意义。利用经典统计学、地统计学和Kriging插值等方法研究了苏干湖盐沼湿地浅层剖面0-50 cm土层全盐含量的空间异质性与地下水位埋深、植被覆盖度间的相互作用关系。结果表明：（1）苏干湖湿地0-10 cm、10-30 cm和30-50 cm土层的全盐含量均值分别为204.41、18.62、15.89 g/kg;（2）土壤全盐含量随着土层深度的增加变异性由强变弱,随机空间变异和总异质性程度由高变低,受结构性因素的影响具有强烈的空间相关性,且变程值介于5.2-8.49 km,0-10 cm、10-30 cm全盐含量具有各向异性特征,而30-50 cm的各向异性比接近于1,表现为各向同性;（3）各层土壤全盐含量具有较强的空间异质性,高、低值中心呈斑状镶嵌分布,土壤全盐含量与地下水埋深间呈正相关,与植被覆盖度间呈极显著负相关（P<0.01）。苏干湖内陆盐沼湿地土壤全盐含量空间异质性主要受植被覆盖度的影响,而地下水埋深的变化增加了其空间变异的复杂性,体现了内陆盐沼湿地土壤理化空间系统的复杂性和非均质性。     

基于TM卫星影像数据的北京市植被变化及其原因分析

植被覆盖变化是全球变化研究的重要内容之一,由于NDVI与植被的分布密度呈线性相关,是指示大尺度植被覆盖的良好指标,因此在宏观植被盖度的估算中常被应用.利用1987年9月26日和2009年9月22日的Landsat TM卫星影像,以NDVI为桥梁,分别计算了北京市域的植被盖度和大于0.1的NDVI差值指数,北京市域与不同生态区域两个尺度对其植被变化情况进行了量化分析,结果表明,2009年与1987年相比,北京市极低覆盖度、中覆盖度和高覆盖度植被的面积均有所减少,其所占全市土地面积的比例从1987年到2009年分别降低了5.15％和0.54％和0.03％;而低覆盖度和极高覆盖度植被的面积比例则分别增加了5.71％和0.01％.大于0.1的植被差值指数统计结果显示,全市域植被质量以改善为主,全市植被发生改善变化的土地面积共919302.3 hm2,其中发生轻微改善的比例为28.31％,中度改善的为41.33％,极度改善的面积为30.36％;全市植被发生退化变化的面积326931.12 hm2,其中发生中度退化、轻微退化和极度退化的面积分别占到了退化变化土地面积的41.98％、43.20％和14.82％.从不同区域的植被差值指数看,植被发生退化变化最明显的区域为燕山山区北部、五环以内和五至六环间区域,这几个区域退化变化的植被面积占相应区域的面积比例分别达到了30.25％、58.17％和47.38％,而且均以严重退化与中度退化为主,两者合计的面积比例分别为15.79％、44.72％和34.19％.而发生退化变化面积比例最小的区域为太行山区和延庆盆地,其退化面积占该区域植被面积的比例分别为13.35％和17.02％,且退化程度均以轻微退化和中度退化为主,其面积比例介于5％-8％之间.从植被变化的驱动力看,目前还看不出北京这种植被变化结果与气候变化之间的直接关联.北京市植被变化的驱动力主要还是人为因素.这包括了区域性的大环境绿化生态工程建设(包括山区与平原区),城市绿化市政工程建设、平原区农业结构调整、新农村生态环境建设,以及由于降水而导致的山区河岸带变化等.其中河流水面变化对河岸带植被变化的影响范围在多年平均水面线外0-150 m范围内,0-100 m范围为受影响较大的区域.     

Post‐Establishment Seedling Success in the Brazilian Cerrado: A Comparison of Savanna and Forest Species1

Due to frequent fire, low nutrient availability, and prolonged drought, tropical savanna is a stressful environment for the survival and growth of woody plant seedlings. To understand why forest species do not succeed in this environment while savanna species are able to persist, the effects of fire and woody cover on seedlings of these two functional groups were investigated in the Brazilian Cerrado. Seedlings were established in experimental plots under three densities of woody cover, in sites protected from fire and sites to be subjected to fire. There was a clear difference in the ability of savanna and forest species to survive fire. None of the three forest species were able to survive fire during the first two years of life, whereas eight of the nine savanna species were able to resprout following fire. The small seed size of the ninth savanna species, Miconia albicans, predisposed its seedlings to be sensitive to fire, because there was a strong positive correlation between seed size and survivorship. Savanna species were less dependent on woody cover than were forest species, which exhibited higher growth and survival under tree canopies than in open grassland. The low rates of establishment and survival of forest trees in savanna, combined with high sensitivity to fire, appear sufficient to prevent the expansion of forest into savanna under current fire regimes in the Cerrado.     

A novel approach to evaluate ELISA antibody coverage of host cell proteins—combining ELISA-based immunocapture and mass spectrometry

Monitoring host cell proteins (HCPs) is one of the most important analytical requirements in production of recombinant biopharmaceuticals to ensure product purity and patient safety. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the standard method for monitoring HCP clearance. It is important to validate that the critical reagent of an ELISA, the HCP antibody, covers a broad spectrum of the HCPs potentially present in the purified drug substance. Current coverage methods for assessing HCP antibody coverage are based on 2D-Western blot or immunoaffinity-purification combined with 2D gel electrophoresis and have several limitations. In the present study, we present a novel coverage method combining ELISA-based immunocapture with protein identification by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS): ELISA-MS. ELISA-MS is used to accurately determine HCP coverage of an early process sample by three commercially available anti-Escherichia coli HCP antibodies, evading the limitations of current methods for coverage analysis, and taking advantage of the benefits of MS analysis. The results obtained comprise a list of individual HCPs covered by each HCP antibody. The novel method shows high sensitivity, high reproducibility, and enables tight control of nonspecific binding through inclusion of a species-specific isotype control antibody. We propose that ELISA-MS will be a valuable supplement to existing coverage methods or even a replacement. ELISA-MS will increase the possibility of selecting the best HCP ELISA, thus improving HCP surveillance and resulting in a final HCP profile with the lowest achievable risk. Overall, this will be beneficial to both the pharmaceutical industry and patient safety.     

Alpine and Arctic tundra shrub populations show similar ontogenetic growth trends but differing absolute growth rates and lifespan

The majority of terrestrial primary production is performed by plants, the ontogenetic growth trends of which significantly influence biomass and carbon dynamics. Here, we present a study of ontogenetic trends in primary (apical) and secondary (stem thickening) growth of plants in Arctic (Svalbard, Norway) and alpine (Krkonoše, Czechia) populations of the black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), the dominant plant species of certain tundra communities. The environmental conditions in alpine areas are more favourable for plant growth than those in the High Arctic, where temperatures are lower, there is less precipitation and soils are shallower, among other differences. These differences were clearly reflected in significant distinctions in absolute growth rates and shrub age between the populations under study. However, we found almost no divergence in ontogenetic growth trends between the populations (based on ring width measurements made from the base to the top of plants, known as serial sectioning). In both populations, primary and secondary stem base growth decrease over the course of ontogeny whereas secondary stem top growth and basal area increment increase. No significant differences in the slope of the trends were found in either primary or secondary stem base growth. Trends of the growth ratio between basal area increment and primary growth revealed neither absolute nor relative differences between the populations. Ontogenetic trends in the shrubs analysed were surprisingly stable despite the prominently dissimilar environmental conditions. Empetrum plants have adapted to the different environments by altering their absolute growth rate only. This adaptation has probably also resulted in the different longevity of plants constituting the study populations, confirming the theory that slower-growing plants live longer. Primary growth and secondary stem base growth seem to be more basic characteristics of plant growth compared to basal area increment and secondary growth at the apex because the latter two seem to be dependent on the absolute growth rate.     

Above‐ and Belowground Impacts of European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) on Four Native Forbs

Fast‐growing European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) shrubs are aggressively invading woodlands in eastern and midwestern North America. Buckthorn casts dense shade, alters soil conditions, and may be allelopathic. We used greenhouse and field experiments to investigate above‐ and belowground effects of Rhamnus on four herbaceous species native to southern Wisconsin. In the greenhouse, we assessed how Rhamnus leaves and fruit affected seed germination and seedling growth relative to sugar maple (Acer saccharum) leaves. Fewer seeds of Eurybia macrophylla and Thalictrum dasycarpum germinated under Rhamnus leaves, and those that germinated were slowed. We planted seedlings of the four natives into four treatments at three sites in the field to assess how their survival, growth, and flowering respond to the separate and combined effects of light levels, buckthorn canopies, and buckthorn soils. Buckthorn consistently reduced native plant performance by diminishing survival, flowering, and growth in Thalictrum, survival and flowering in Eurybia, and flowering and growth in Symphyotrichum lateriflorum. Removing buckthorn canopies enhanced growth of these native species, but buckthorn soils separately inhibited growth at least as much (despite being more fertile). Buckthorn's impacts on native plants exceed effects attributable to light levels and soil fertility, suggesting allelopathy. Buckthorn reduced performance more in the uncommon species (Thalictrum and Eurybia) than the common species (Geranium maculatum and Symphyotrichum). As we do not yet know how long these inhibitory soil effects persist, we need additional research to learn how best to control buckthorn's impacts on native plant communities.     

31种木本植物开花物候与系统发育的关系

植物物候通常被认为是由环境因素,如降水、温度和日照长度所决定,然而环境因素是否是物候唯一的决定因素仍然存在很大争议。谱系结构表征了植物在进化上的顺序,该发育时序是否对物候产生影响,当前仍然未知。在调查2016年春季新疆乌鲁木齐市最常见的31种木本植物的初始开花时间、败花时间和开花持续时间的基础上,通过分析植物开花物候的分布特征、开花物候在乔灌木间的差别、以及植物谱系距离与开花物候距离间的关系,试图揭示植物的开花物候和物种谱系(进化)顺序间的关系。结果表明:(1)新疆乌鲁木齐市31种木本植物的初始开花时间为4月18日±9d、败花时间为5月5日±12d、开花持续时间为(16±8)d;(2)乔木的初始开花时间和败花时间的标准差分别均低于灌木,乔木开花物候相对灌木更稳定;(3)乔木的初始开花和败花时间均显著早于灌木(P0.05),但开花持续时间在两者间未有显著性差异(P0.05);(3)31种木本植物间的初始开花时间距离、败花时间距离和开花持续时间距离均与物种谱系距离存在显著线性回归关系(P0.05)。综上可知:乔灌木在垂直空间上的分化使得木本植物的开花物候在植物生活型间存在不同。对植物的开花物候,除已被证明的降水、温度和日照长度等环境因素的影响外,物种进化顺序也可能造成了它在植物种间、时间和空间上的变异。