A General Approach to Model Movement in (Highly) Fragmented Patch Networks

Landscape heterogeneity can often be represented as a series of discrete habitat or resource patches surrounded by a matrix of non-habitat. Understanding how animals move in such networks of patches is important for many theoretical and applied questions. The probability of going from one patch to another is affected in a non-trivial way by the characteristics and location of other patches in the network. Nearby patches can compete as possible destinations, and a particular patch can be shadowed by neighboring patches. We present a way to account for the effects of the spatial configuration of patches in models of space use where individuals alternate between spending time in a patch and moving to other patches in the network. The approach is based on the original derivation of Ovaskainen and Cornell (J Appl Probab 40:557–580, 2003) for a diffusion model that considered all possible ways in which an individual leaving a particular patch can eventually reach another patch before dying or leaving the patch network. By replacing the theoretical results of Ovaskainen and Cornell by other appropriate functions, we provide generality and thus make their approach useful in contexts where diffusion is not a good approximation of movement. Furthermore, we provide ways to estimate time spent in the non-habitat matrix when going from patch to patch and implement a method to incorporate the effect of the history of previous visits on future patch use. We present an MCMC way to fit these models to data and illustrate the approach with both simulated data and data from sheep moving among seasonally flooded meadows in northern Patagonia.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.     

Response of Thawed Epidi dymal Red Deer Spermatozoa to Increasing Concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide,and Importance of Individual Male Variability

Oxidative stress represents a challenge during sperm manipulation. We have tested the effect of increasing hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) levels on red deer spermatozoa after cryopreservation, and the role of male‐to‐male variation in that response. In a first experiment, eight thawed samples were submitted to 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200 μm H₂O₂ for 2 h at 37°C. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (H₂DCFDA‐CM) increased with H₂O₂ concentration, but we only detected a decrease in sperm function (motility by CASA and chromatin damage by sperm chromatin structure assay) with 200 μm . Lipoperoxidation assessed by the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) method increased slightly with 50 μm H₂O₂ and above. In a second experiment, samples from seven males were submitted to 0 and 200 μm H₂O₂ for 2 h, triplicating the experiment within each male. Males differed at thawing and regarding their response to incubation and H₂O₂ presence. We found that the kinematic parameters reflected male‐to‐male variability, whereas the response of the different males was similar for lipid peroxidation and viability. A multiparametric analysis showed that males grouped differently if samples were assessed after thawing, after incubation without H₂O₂ or after incubation with H₂O₂. Red deer spermatozoa are relatively resilient to H₂O₂ after thawing, but it seems to be a great male‐to‐male variability regarding the response to oxidative stress. The acknowledgement of this individual variability might improve the development of optimized sperm work protocols.     

GC-based analysis of plant stanyl fatty acid esters in enriched foods

Approaches for the capillary gas chromatographic (GC) based analysis of intact plant stanyl esters in enriched foods were developed. Reference compounds were synthesized by enzyme-catalyzed transesterifications. Their identities were confirmed by means of mass spectrometry. Using a medium polar trifluoropropylmethyl polysiloxane stationary phase, long-chain plant stanyl esters could be separated according to their stanol moieties and their fatty acid chains. Thermal degradation during GC analysis was compensated by determining response factors; calibrations were performed for ten individual plant stanyl esters. For the analysis of low-fat products (skimmed milk drinking yogurts), the GC separation was combined with a "fast extraction" under acidic conditions. For fat-based foods (margarines), online coupled LC-GC offered an elegant and efficient way to avoid time-consuming sample preparation steps. The robust and rapid methods allow conclusions on both, the stanol profiles and the fatty acid moieties, and thus provide a basis for the authentication of this type of functional food ingredients.     

地下水对土壤耕层的污染特性研究

通过模拟不同水位、污染度的地下水在不同质地土壤耕层中的迁移，进行了地下水中盐分和重金属对土壤耕层污染规律的研究。结果表明，不同水位、不同质地土壤中，污染地下水在土壤中EC值的垂直分布规律相似，土壤底层和表层EC值较高。轻质土耕层内EC值变幅较大；水位越高，耕层中EC值总体越小。地下水中Na和SO4^2-在土壤耕层中的分布以表层浓度较高，其他层上浓度较低。Cr^6 在土壤表层分布浓度较高，Hg^2 在近地表层浓度较高，而Pb^2 在土层上的分布没有明显的规律。对单一离子来说，随着地下水污染度的增加，在某一土层上该离子的浓度也有所增大。     

Effects of polyolefin‐coated fertilizer on nutritional quality of spinach plants

Pot experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the effects of four different urea or ammonium containing polyolefin‐coated fertilizers (POCFs) on the nutritional quality of spinach (Spinacia olèracea L.) and to investigate the mechanisms of these effects in comparison with conventional, rapidly available fertilizer. Compared to the conventional fertilization method yield was decreased in all the four POCF treatments due to less available fertilizer nitrogen (N) and/or realized ammonium nutrition. However, application of POCFs decreased oxalate and nitrate contents and increased ascorbate concent in spinach. Decreased oxalate and nitrate contents were attributed to lower nitrate availability in the soil having caused by the controlled‐released characteristic of POCFs and/or ammonium nutrition. Increased ascorbate content was due to both decreased oxalate and decreased nitrogen contents of the spinach plants. It was concluded that band applications of urea or ammonium containing POCFs improved the nutritional quality of spinach due to realized ammonium nutrition and/or less amount of available fertilizer N.     

Comparing Soil Chemical and Biological Properties of Salt Affected Soils under Different Land Use Practices in Hungary and India

Eurasian Soil Science - This study was conducted with the aim to assess the effect of land use on chemical properties (organic carbon; pH; electrical conductivity; available P, K, Ca, Mg, Na),...     

Association of a second phase of mortality in cucumber seedlings with a rapid rate of metalaxyl biodegradation in greenhouse soils

A study was undertaken from 2004 to 2007 to investigate factors associated with decreased efficacy of metalaxyl to manage damping-off of cucumber in Oman. A survey over six growing seasons showed that growers lost up to 14.6% of seedlings following application of metalaxyl. No resistance to metalaxyl was found among Pythium isolates. Damping-off disease in the surveyed greenhouses followed two patterns. In most (69%) greenhouses, seedling mortality was found to occur shortly after transplanting and decrease thereafter (Phase-I). However, a second phase of seedling mortality (Phase-II) appeared 9–14 d after transplanting in about 31% of the surveyed greenhouses. Analysis of the rate of biodegradation of metalaxyl in six greenhouses indicated a significant increase in the rate of metalaxyl biodegradation in greenhouses, which encountered Phase-II damping-off. The half-life of metalaxyl dropped from 93 d in soil, which received no previous metalaxyl treatment to 14 d in soil, which received metalaxyl for eight consecutive seasons, indicating an enhanced rate of metalaxyl biodegradation after repeated use. Multiple applications of metalaxyl helped reduce the appearance of Phase-II damping-off. This appears to be the first report of rapid biodegradation of metalaxyl in greenhouse soils and the first report of its association with appearance of a second phase of mortality in cucumber seedlings.     

基于校园网络的综合教务管理系统的设计与实现

建立基于校园网的综合教务管理系统是对现有教务管理模式的重大改进。介绍了该系统的网络结构方案、软件调试与设置、对用户的管理与授权及信息安全措施     

植生粒对三江源退化高寒草地植物群落组成及生物量的影响

【目的】近年来,由于气候变暖和超载过牧,三江源高寒草地出现退化,导致源区生态环境恶化,草地植被多样性和生物量降低,而补播是恢复草地退化常用的有效方法之一,植生粒适用于高寒草原近自然补播恢复,本研究通过探究植生粒对三江源区高寒草地植物组成及生物量的影响,从而为高寒退化草地的恢复及可持续利用提供科学依据。【方法】以三江源退化高寒草地为研究对象,利用组成比例不同的植生粒对其进行补播。【结果】补播5种配方植生粒均增加了以嵩草类植物为优势种的群落重要值,提高了物种数量、植被盖度,并提高了除C处理外的群落的Shannon-wiener多样性指数,降低了Pielou均匀度指数。补播组成为15 g草种、8.5 g复混肥和71.5 g凹凸棒土的植生粒可以更好地促进豆科植物的生长,该配方处理下豆科植物的生物量增加量为8.35 g/m²;补播15 g草种、15 g复混肥和65 g凹凸棒土的植生粒显著增加了禾本科植物地上生物量、莎草科植物地上生物量,增加量分别为3.6和8.95 g/m²,降低了豆科植物地上生物量,说明该植生粒可以更好地促进禾本科和莎草科植物的生长。...