Aquatic areas of ecological importance as inputs into surface water resource protection areas in Zambia

1. Although the network of national parks in Zambia offers a degree of protection for freshwater diversity, the protection status of numerous systems outside of these parks requires further action. The biodiversity associated with its freshwater systems, both lotic and lentic, is unique, covering a climatic gradient from tropical to subtropical across the Zambezi and Congo basins. Recent Zambian legislation allows for the delineation of water resource protection areas (WRPAs), with one of the criteria being that they include aquatic areas of ecological importance (AEIs).
2. In this study, a systematic conservation planning approach was used to identify aquatic AEIs objectively. Importantly, the approach included a rigorous and iterative stakeholder engagement and review process.
3. The conservation planning software marxan was chosen because of its ability to integrate upstream–downstream connectivity. In total, 5,671 planning units (sub-catchments with an average area of approx. 14,000 ha) were populated with 77 biodiversity features: data were drawn from a wide range of sources, and included fishes, semi-aquatic mammals, molluscs, amphibians, and ecotonal physiographic features, such as waterfalls. Sub-catchments were preferentially chosen using a combination of area- and distance-weighted boundary costs.
4. The final solution highlights critical clusters in each of the major freshwater ecoregions in Zambia, with all conservation targets being met. Results show that although the existing protected area network also coincides with identified aquatic AEIs, approximately 80% of all aquatic AEIs fall outside of formally protected areas.
5. The outcomes of this process serve as one of three prioritization layers (the other two being water provision and sensitivity to human impacts) that are integrated in a larger study to select and prioritize WRPAs.

     

Chemical constituents of Hypogymnia enteromorpha

The lichenHypogymnia enteromorpha (Ach.) Nyl. was sequentially extracted by a solvent series that ranged from non-polar to highly polar liquids. The principal extracellular lichen products isolated from this species were thiophaninic acid, physodalic acid, physodic acid, atranorin, and ventosic acid. The carbohydrate D-arabitol was isolated from the more polar extracts. The isolated constituents were identified by means of mixed melting points, specific color tests, thin layer chromatographic R_f values, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Quantitative estimates of the amounts of these lichen constituents present in the plant are presented. Three components, thiophaninic acid, ventosic acid, and D-arabitol are here reported for the first time to be constituents of this lichen.

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Zusammenfassung Die FlechteHypogymnia enteromorpha (Ach.) Nyl. wurde stufenweise mit mehreren Lösungsmitteln extrahiert, die in ihren Zusammensetzungen von unpolar bis zu hochpolar reichten. Die wichtigsten extrazellularen Produkte, die von dieser Flechtenspezies isoliert wurden waren Thiophaninsäure, Physodalsäure, Physodsäure, Atranorin und Ventossäure. Das Kohlenhydrat D-arabit wurde von den etwas mehr polaren Extrakten isoliert. Die isolierten Bestandteile wurden durch Mischungsschmelzpunkte, spezifische Farbproben, dünnschicht-chromatographische R_f-Werte, Infrarotspektroskopie, NMR-Spektroskopie, Massenspektrometrie und Elementaranalyse identifiziert. Quantitative Bestimmungen erfolgten hinsichtlich der Flechten-Bestandteile. Die drei Verbindungen Thiophaninsäure, Ventossäure und D-arabit werden hier zum erstenmal als Bestandteile dieser Flechte beschrieben.

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Résumé On a soumis le lichenHypogymnia enteromorpha (Ach.) Nyl. à une séquence d'extractions à l'aide d'une série de solvants comprenant des liquides de nature non-polaire jusqu'à très polaire. Les principaux produits extracellulaires de lichen isolés de cette espèce comprennent l'acide thiophéninique, l'acide physodalique, l'acide physodique, l'atranorine et l'acide ventosique. On a isolé l'hydrate de carbone D-arabitol parmi des solvants de haute polarité. L'identification des constituants se fit à l'aide des points de fusions, les épreuves colorimetriques spécifiques, les valeurs R_f de chromatographie sur couche mince, la spectroscopie infrarouge, la spectrometrie de masse et l'analyse élémentaire. Des évaluations quantitatives du niveau de ces composants de lichen présents dans cette plante sont presentées. Trois composés, l'acide thiophaninique, l'acide ventosique et le D-arabitol sont rapportés ici pour la première fois comme constituants de ce lichen.

     

The Japanese keiretsu system——A special kind of business relations and corporate governance is changing in a globalizing world

1.Structure of the keiretsu The name keiretsu(in Japanese.系列) means literally "system"," series" or "line".Keiretsu are groups of companies with very close business relations(Munich Business School,2008).The core of these conglomerates is a bank which provides them with liquidity or loans and     

Microstructure of viscoelastic thermal compressed (VTC) wood using computed microtomography

The paper describes for the first time the analysis of the structure of compressed wood using computed tomography. The anatomical structures of Douglas-fir and hybrid poplar before and after densification with the viscoelastic thermal compression (VTC) process were described by pore size distributions and mean pore sizes and compared. The compression of Douglas-fir mainly affected earlywood, while the compression of hybrid poplar mainly occurred in the vessels. In both wood species, the densification resulted in a significant decrease in the pore volumes. The porosity decreased to less than half of the original value for Douglas-fir earlywood and to approximately one-quarter for the vessels in hybrid poplar. The relevant mean pore sizes also decreased dramatically to about one-quarter compared to the original values. In contrast, latewood in Douglas-fir and libriform fibers in hybrid poplar are quite stable under compression. Douglas-fir latewood retained its original structure after compression and did not show any reduction in pore size. The results confirmed that the anatomical structure of VTC densified wood can be described by pore size distributions and mean pore sizes. However, in the case of broad or bimodal distributions, the mean pore sizes are of less significance.     

Conversion of tropical moist forest into cacao agroforest: consequences for carbon pools and annual C sequestration

Tropical forests store a large part of the terrestrial carbon and play a key role in the global carbon (C) cycle. In parts of Southeast Asia, conversion of natural forest to cacao agroforestry systems is an important driver of deforestation, resulting in C losses from biomass and soil to the atmosphere. This case study from Sulawesi, Indonesia, compares natural forest with nearby shaded cacao agroforests for all major above and belowground biomass C pools (n = 6 plots) and net primary production (n = 3 plots). Total biomass (above- and belowground to 250 cm soil depth) in the forest (approx. 150 Mg C ha^?1) was more than eight times higher than in the agroforest (19 Mg C ha^?1). Total net primary production (NPP, above- and belowground) was larger in the forest than in the agroforest (approx. 29 vs. 20 Mg dry matter (DM) ha^?1 year^?1), while wood increment was twice as high in the forest (approx. 6 vs. 3 Mg DM ha^?1 year^?1). The SOC pools to 250 cm depth amounted to 134 and 78 Mg C ha^?1 in the forest and agroforest stands, respectively. Replacement of tropical moist forest by cacao agroforest reduces the biomass C pool by approximately 130 Mg C ha^?1; another 50 Mg C ha^?1 may be released from the soil. Further, the replacement of forest by cacao agroforest also results in a 70–80 % decrease of the annual C sequestration potential due to a significantly smaller stem increment.     

从法正林转向近自然林:德国多功能森林经营在国家、区域和经营单位层面的实践

简要介绍德国林业的发展历史、多功能林业的法律规定和实现多功能目标的近自然林业理论和技术, 分别从经营单位、区域和国家层面分析总结了德国作为林业发达国家开展多功能森林经营的具体实例和初步结果, 提出了在各个层面上多功能森林经营的工作要点和评价效果的方法、指标和标准等可学习借鉴的要点。认为多功能近自然林业的理论是中华民族一直倡导的"真、善、美"的文化理念在林业经营中的具体表达, 我国开展多功能林业有良好的历史文化基础和现实需求动力。     

Empirical Modeling of Mean Residence Time in a Co‐Rotating Twin‐Screw Extruder with Rice Flour

Mean residence time of rice flour in a twin‐screw extruder was determined using a blue tracer. Variables studied included moisture content, screw speed, barrel temperature, and screw configuration. Mean residence time increased with the increase of the barrel temperature and with the addition of reverse and kneading elements. Mean residence time was significantly related to screw speed, moisture content, die pressure, and screw configuration (P < 0.05). An empirical model was developed to predict mean residence time with the ability to reflect the changes of the barrel temperature and screw configuration. The effects of different extrusion operating conditions including screw speed, moisture content, barrel temperature, and screw geometry on the mean residence time were considered in the model. The validity of the developed model was extensively evaluated and verified using different screw geometries and other processing variables. The mean residence times predicted by the developed model are in good agreement with the experimental data.