NOTES ON THE AVAILABILITY AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATER FROM THE GRAVEL PLAINS OF THE NAMIB-NAUKLUFT PARK

SUMMARY

Data are presented on the occurrence of a surprising number of permanent water sources on the gravel plains of the Namib-Naukluft Park, South West Africa. As a consequence, no game animal is further than ca 25 km away from the nearest watering-place. Within a broad range of ionic contents, the surface waters of the desert display a marked similarity in their chemical composition, being mainly dominated by Na⁺>Ca⁺⁺>Mg⁺⁺: Cl^?>SO₄ ^?>HCO₃ ^??CO_3- ^?. Evaporation, precipitation and rock dominance seem to be the main controlling mechanisms involved in determining the chemical composition of the waters.     

Solubility of Saturated Fatty Acids in Water at Elevated Temperatures

The solubility in water of saturated fatty acids with even carbon numbers from 8 to 18 was measured in the temperature range of 60 to 230°C and at a pressure of 5 or 15 MPa. The pressure had no significant effect on the solubility. The solubility of the fatty acids increased with increasing temperature. At temperatures higher than about 160°C, the logarithm of the solubility in mole fraction was linearly related to the reciprocal of the absolute temperature for each fatty acid, indicating that the water containing solubilized fatty acid molecules formed a regular solution at the higher temperatures. The enthalpy of a solution of the fatty acids in water, which was evaluated from the linear relationship at the given temperatures, increased linearly with the carbon number of the fatty acid.     

小麦条锈病罹病植株对水分胁迫的响应

水分胁迫时,小麦条锈病病叶的叶片扩散阻力(LDR)明显增大,蒸腾速率(Tp)、相对含水量(RWC)、水势(ψw)、渗透势(ψπ)和压力势(ψp)明显降低。亲和与不亲和性反应寄主病叶对水分胁迫的反应明显不同。亲和性反应寄主叶片在水分胁迫时表现出较低的反应型,产孢期推迟;Tp、LDR、RWC、ψw、ψp和ψπ在产孢前轻微下降或升高;在开始产孢后病叶Tp急剧升高,LDR、Tp、RWC、ψw、ψπ和ψp大幅降低,在健叶尚可有效控制水分蒸腾散失时病叶已丧失了这种能力。不亲和性反应寄主病叶的蒸腾作用在显症期亦有轻微变化,但之后病叶Tp、LDR、RWC和ψw渐趋健叶水平,并保持了较健叶更低的ψπ和更高的ψw,具备了更强的水分调控能力。病株健叶与病叶具有相似的气孔行为。     

土壤水分胁迫对夏玉米植株性状整齐度的影响

利用大型防雨设施池栽,严格调控水量,研究夏玉米全程及阶段性土壤水分胁迫对植株性状整齐度的影响。结果表明,夏玉米生育全程水分胁迫,植株性状整齐度全面劣化,产量极低;苗期阶段水分胁迫导致大、小苗,壮、弱苗两极分化明显,株高整齐度显著下降,其负效应持续至生育后期,生育进程推迟,千粒重显著降低,对产量造成一定影响;穗期阶段水分胁迫对穗长、穗料数整齐度影响明显,产量降幅度较大;花粒期阶段水平胁迫对千粒重及穗     

Self‐Powered Wireless Sensor Node Enabled by a Duck‐Shaped Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Harvesting Water Wave Energy

This paper presents a fully enclosed duck‐shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) for effectively scavenging energy from random and low‐frequency water waves. The design of the TENG incorporates the freestanding rolling mode and the pitch motion of a duck‐shaped structure generated by incident waves. By investigating the material and structural features, a unit of the TENG device is successfully designed. Furthermore, a hybrid system is constructed using three units of the TENG device. The hybrid system achieves an instantaneous peak current of 65.5 µA with an instantaneous output power density of up to 1.366 W m^?2. Following the design, a fluid–solid interaction analysis is carried out on one duck‐shaped TENG to understand the dynamic behavior, mechanical efficiency, and stability of the device under various water wave conditions. In addition, the hybrid system is experimentally tested to enable a commercial wireless temperature sensor node. In summary, the unique duck‐shaped TENG shows a simple, cost‐effective, environmentally friendly, light‐weight, and highly stable system. The newly designed TENG is promising for building a network of generators to harvest existing blue energy in oceans, lakes, and rivers.     

顺磁物质对土壤低场核磁共振信号特征及含水量测定的影响

核磁共振(NMR)技术由于具有高效快速、不破坏土壤结构且对人体无害等优点,逐渐被应用到土壤学相关领域研究中。然而,土壤中顺磁物质的存在对核磁共振信号特征的影响仍不明确。本研究旨在揭示顺磁物质对不同类型土壤低场核磁共振(LF-NMR)信号特征和土壤含水量测定的影响。结果表明:土壤水的LF-NMR信号量最高可达150左右,土壤矿物、有机质和微生物等固相物质的LF-NMR信号量基本不超过0.3,相对可以忽略。质地和顺磁物质对土壤水的LF-NMR信号量测量有更大影响。LF-NMR仪器存在弛豫时间监测盲区,信号量损失主要是由于顺磁物质加速了水中氢质子的弛豫过程,导致小孔隙中水分反馈的极快的LF-NMR信号不能被监测设备捕获。对于顺磁物质含量较少的壤性潮土(1.2%)和黏壤性黑土(1.3%),LF-NMR信号量损失不大,其与土壤含水量呈线性关系;但对于黏粒含量(45.3%)和顺磁物质含量(4.0%)较高的黏性红壤,测定中会损失一部分LF-NMR信号量,监测到的LF-NMR信号量与土壤含水量不再呈线性关系。此外,外源添加顺磁物质(3.0 g·L^-1的MnCl₂溶液)也会降低黑土和红壤中可被监测的LF-NMR信号量,黑土和红壤的信号量最大损失率分别为41.0%和46.7%,极大地改变其与土壤含水量之间的定量关系。因此,在利用LF-NMR测量富含顺磁物质(>1.3%)或有外源顺磁物质进入的黏性土壤的含水量时,应先通过校正降低顺磁物质等对LF-NMR信号量的影响。研究结果对利用低场核磁共振技术准确分析土壤水分分布及土壤孔隙结构具有重要意义。     

CO2 and water vapour exchange in four alpine herbs at two altitudes and under varying light and temperature conditions

CO₂ and water vapour exchange rates of four alpine herbs namely: Rheum emodi, R. moorcroftianum, Megacarpaea polyandra and Rumex nepalensis were studied under field conditions at 3600 m (natural habitat) and 550 m altitudes. The effect of light and temperature on CO₂ and water vapour exchange was studied in the plants grown at lower altitude. In R. moorcroftianum and R. nepalensis, the average photosynthesis rates were found to be about three times higher at 550 m as compared to that under their natural habitat. However, in M. polyandra, the CO₂ exchange rates were two times higher at 3600 m than at 550 m but in R. emodi, there were virtually no differences at the two altitudes. These results indicate the variations in the CO₂ exchange rates are species specific. The change in growth altitude does not affect this process uniformly.The transpiration rates in R. emodi and M. polyandra were found to be very high at 3600 m compared to 550 m and are attributed to overall higher stomatal conductance in plants of these species, grown at higher altitude. The mid-day closure of stomata and therefore, restriction of transpirational losses of water were observed in all the species at 550 m altitude. In addition to the effect of temperature and relative humidity, the data also indicate some endogenous rhythmic control of stomatal conductance.The temperature optima for photosynthesis was close to 30°C in M. polyandra and around 20°C in the rest of the three species. High temperature and high light intensity, as well as low temperature and high light intensity, adversely affect the net rate of photosynthesis in these species.Both light compensation point and dark respiration rate increased with increasing temperature.The effect of light was more prominent on photosynthesis than the effect of temperature, however, on transpiration the effect of temperature was more prominent than the effect of light intensity.No definite trends were found in stomatal conductance with respect to light and temperature. Generally, the stomatal conductance was highest at 20°C.The study reveals that all these species can easily be cultivated at relatively lower altitudes. However, proper agronomical methodology will need to be developed for better yields.     

Effects of potassium levels over the range occurring in host plants on the growth of an insect herbivore (Manduca sexta)

Third instar tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta L.: Sphingidae) on low dietary potassium had a lower relative growth rate than individuals on diets with potassium concentrations reflecting those in host-plants, due to decreased consumption rate, lower efficiencies of conversion of ingested and digested food (ECI and ECD), and a prolonged growth/feeding phase. Furthermore, these larvae, when placed on a diet with a moderate potassium concentration through the fourth stadium, ended up being smaller due to lower ECI and less biomass gained, and had a prolonged growth phase, which suggest an irreversible cost of the previous low potassium diet. Third instar hornworms on high potassium diets had lower ECI and ECD, and they had a prolonged growth phase. These individuals, when placed on a moderate potassium diet in the fourth stadium, gained less biomass, than those previously offered hostplant-like-potassium diets. Body potassium concentrations (% dw) at the end of the third stadium were similar among treatment groups. With increasing potassium concentrations in the diet, utilization efficiencies of potassium decreased and potassium concentrations in the frass increased. Correspondingly, water content (% fw) of the newly-molted fourth instar larvae declined with increasing potassium, indicating a passive loss of water during potassium excretion. Low and high dietary potassium reduced survivorship of third instar larvae; fourth instar caterpillars previously fed the low potassium diet also had poor survivorship. We conclude that, within the normal range of potassium concentrations in the hostplants, caterpillar performance is largely unaffected by potassium concentration, but that potassium-poor and potassium-rich diets, such as those hornworms may sometimes experience, can reduce growth and survivorship.     

不同集雨种植方式对干旱区紫花苜蓿种植的影响

在甘肃省定西半干旱黄土丘陵区采用完全随机设计,研究不同覆盖材料(普通地膜CMR、生物可降解地膜BMR和土垄SR)和不同沟垄比(60 cm∶30 cm、60 cm∶45 cm和60 cm∶60 cm)对径流效率、土壤贮水量、土壤含水量、紫花苜蓿干草产量和水分利用效率的影响.结果表明：SR、BMR和CMR的平均径流效率分别为32.0%、90.7%和96.4%.在紫花苜蓿生育前期(4-6月),各处理之间土壤贮水量差异不显著;在紫花苜蓿生育后期(7-10月),BMR和CMR的土壤贮水量显著高于SR,SR的土壤贮水量显著高于平作,如在紫花苜蓿孕蕾期,平作、SR、BMR和CMR 0~140 cm土层土壤贮水量分别为223.27、248.56、277.81和284.16 mm.平作、SR、BMR和CMR全生育期实际干草产量分别为4112.1、3397.5、4317.8和4523.8 kg·hm^-2,水分利用效率分别为11.08、10.48、14.56、14.95 kg·mm^-1·hm^-2.在同一覆盖材料下,不同沟垄比对土壤贮水量和水分利用效率的影响不显著.当沟垄比为60 cm∶44 cm时,CMR和BMR处理的实际产量均达到最大.