An assessment of Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) collection in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve,Nepal

Yarsagumba （Ophiocordyceps sinensis）, an endemic species to the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, is one of the most valuable medicinal mushrooms in the world. In Nepal, it is distributed largely in isolated patches of alpine grasslands of 3,000-5,000 m elevation. Although it is reported from 27 northernmost districts of Nepal, the local distribution pattern of this species is largely unknown. Furthermore, the collection system and local management regime of this species are not well documented. We conducted a field survey at Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve （DHR） among the different stakeholders in January-June 2012 to assess collection sites, patterns and trends and to understand the management regime. We estimated that about 75 kg of Yarsagumba is collected every year from DHR and the amount has been declining since 2008. To manage the resource, locals have initiated regulating the collection by issuing permits, taxing to the collectors, and monitoring the activities of harvesters with the help of park authorities. The revenue generated at local level from the permits has been used for community developmental activities.     

A coupled chemo‐viscoplastic cap model for simulating the behavior of hydrating cemented tailings backfill under blast loading

Although the use of blasting has become a routine in contemporary mine operations, there is a lack of knowledge on the response of cement tailings backfills subjected to sudden dynamic loading. To rationally describe such a phenomenon, a new coupled chemo‐viscoplastic cap model is proposed in the present study to describe the behavior of hydrating cemented tailings backfill under blast loading. A modified Perzyna type of visco‐plasticity model is adopted to represent the rate‐dependent behavior of the cemented tailings backfill under blast loading. A modified smooth surface cap model is consequently developed to characterize the yield of the material, which also facilitates hysteresis and full compaction as well as dilation control. Then, the viscoplastic formulation is further augmented with a variable bulk modulus derived from a Mie–Gruneisen equation of state, in order to capture the nonlinear hydrostatic response of cemented backfills subjected to high pressure. Subsequently, the material properties required in the viscoplastic cap model are coupled with a chemical model, which captures and quantifies the degree of cement hydration. Thus, the behavior of hydrating cemented backfills under the impact of blast loading can be evaluated under any curing time of interest. The validation results of the developed model show a good agreement between the experimental and the predicted results. The authors believe that the proposed model will contribute to a better understanding of the performance of cemented backfills under mine blasting and contribute to evaluating and managing the risk of failure of backfill structures under such a dynamic condition. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

近期新疆哈密代表性冰川变化及对水资源影响

新疆哈密是资源性缺水地区,冰川是该区主要的供给水源。为了对该区冰川和水文水资源的现状和未来变化做出合理评价和预估,以榆树沟6号冰川和庙尔沟冰帽为代表,结合野外实测资料以及近年来在冰川变化领域所取得的相关研究成果,综合分析了在气候变暖背景下新疆哈密地区冰川近年来的变化过程及对水资源的影响。结果表明,1972-2011年,榆树沟6号冰川厚度平均减薄20 m,减薄速率约为0.51 m/a,冰川末端退缩254 m,年均退缩约6.5 m。由于强烈消融,冰川表面径流发育明显,且在末端有冰碛湖形成。相比之下,庙尔沟冰帽消融速率相对较小,对气候变暖的敏感度较低,这与冰帽类型和所处海拔较高有直接关系。综合分析发现,流域有无冰川覆盖及覆盖的比率大小,直接造成哈密地区不同流域近期河川径流变化的差异。     

Albedo models for the residual south polar cap on Mars: Implications for the stability of the cap under near-perihelion global dust storm conditions

It is uncertain whether the residual (perennial) south polar cap on Mars is a transitory or a permanent feature in the current Martian climate. While there is no firm evidence for complete disappearance of the cap in the past, clearly observable changes have been documented. Observations suggest that the perennial cap lost more CO₂ material in the spring/summer season prior to the Mariner 9 mission than in those same seasons monitored by Viking and Mars Global Surveyor. In this paper we examine one process that may contribute to these changes—the radiative effects of a planet encircling dust storm that starts during late Martian southern spring on the stability of the perennial south polar cap. To approach this, we model the radiative transfer through a dusty planetary atmosphere bounded by a sublimating CO₂ surface.A critical parameter for this modeling is the surface albedo spectrum from the near-UV to the thermal-IR, which was determined from both space-craft and Earth-based observations covering multiple wavelength regimes. Such a multi-wavelength approach is highly desirable since one spectral band by itself cannot tightly constrain the three-parameter space for polar surface albedo models, namely photon “scattering length” in the CO₂ ice and the amounts of intermixed water and dust.Our results suggest that a planet-encircling dust storm with onset near solstice can affect the perennial cap's stability, leading to advanced sublimation in a “dusty” year. Since the total amount of solid CO₂ removed by a single storm may be less than the total CO₂ thickness, a series of dust storms would be required to remove the entire residual CO₂ ice layer from the south perennial cap.     

Chasing Chinese Caterpillar Fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) Harvesters in the Himalayas: Harvesting Practice and Its Conservation Implications in Western Nepal

The Chinese caterpillar fungus is famous for its high market value, unusual life history, and significant medicinal uses. It is harvested by very poor communities and sold for an extraordinarily high price. Most of the studies on this species are focused on therapeutic uses, chemical analyses, ecology, and trade. However, harvesting techniques and intensity of the harvests remain undocumented. We document harvesting techniques, trends of harvest, and perceptions of the Chinese caterpillar fungus harvesters in Dolpa, Nepal, based on surveys, focus-group discussions, and direct observations. Along with increasing market value, intensity of the harvest has been increasing. The Chinese caterpillar fungus harvest has now become the second most important livelihood strategy for the local communities, after agriculture. Reported per-capita harvest based on the first day of collection has declined over the last 4 years, apparently because of the decline in the stock and the increasing number of harvesters.     

Spatial interpolation and image-integrative geostatistical prediction of mosquito vectors for arboviral surveillance

Remote sensing can augment traditional methods of mosquito species surveillance for arboviruses. Abundance and patterns of mosquito vectors of West Nile virus in Chesapeake, Virginia, USA, were studied using light trap collection data and a Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper+ digital image for spatial interpolation and geostatistical mapping of the abundance of 24 species of mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile virus to humans. We evaluated spatial interpolation techniques including inverse distance weighting, ordinary kriging, co-kriging geostatistics using combined Landsat-7 tasselled cap transform indices (brightness, greenness, and wetness) to characterize habitats and breeding conditions. Results highlight gaps in surveillance coverage, geostatistical improvement of vector patterns and abundance, and spatial patterns of error. Constraints and opportunities for adoption of remote sensing and spatial analysis for mosquito control are identified and discussed.     

南极长城站地区环境演变的生物地球化学研究——古降水的复原与末次冰盖消退时间的推断

作者在南极地区近代环境的研究中提出了一种新的研究方法——利用生物地球化学指示元素来研究古环境的变迁。通过研究南极长城站地区西湖底沉积物丛其所含的植物残体、复原了约4000年来的年平均降水量的变化,推断了末次冰盖从本区消退的时间为3500年前。研究南极地区近代环境的演变对解决全球性环境演变是不可缺少的内容。     

Observations of dawn–dusk aligned polar cap aurora during the substorms of January 21, 2005

A new type of polar cap aurora, dawn–dusk aligned polar cap aurora (DDAPCA), was detected during the exceptionally intense January 21, 2005 substorm (AE_max=3504 nT). The DDAPCA was located at very high latitude (>85° MLAT) in the polar cap region. As the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) GSM By component rotated from a positive to a negative value, the DDAPCA tilt angle relative to the dawn–dusk direction rotated anticlockwise and reached ∼45°. It is speculated that the DDAPCA arises from the formation of an X-line in the distant (>80R_E) tail due to polar cap magnetic field reconnection under unusually high solar wind compression conditions.     

Gravity Anomaly Calculation Based on Volume Integral in Spherical Cap and Comparison with the Tesseroid-Taylor Series Expansion ApDroach

利用重力资料研究区域乃至全球地质问题时,重力或重力异常正演方法最好从基于直角坐标系向球坐标系方向发展。本文对近似的球冠面积分重力异常正演方法进行改进,使其计算精度和计算效率都得到很大程度地提高;再通过数值试验及实际应用,分析Tesseroid单元体基于泰勒级数展开的重力正演方法与球冠重力正演方法的计算精度与稳定性,最后探讨两种方法的优缺点及其应用方向。     

南黄海盆地中、古生界盖层条件

分析南黄海盆地中、古生界的盖层条件,可为该区油气地质条件研究以及后期油气资源评价提供基础。充分利用现有钻井、测井、地震等多种实际资料,在对盆地及邻区构造、地层、沉积等地质背景分析的基础上,进行了盖层条件的分析。结果表明,南黄海盆地中、古生界主要发育5套盖层,包括钻井已经钻遇的上二叠统龙潭-大隆组泥质岩、下三叠统泥灰岩和膏岩、下白垩统湖相泥质岩,以及两套经地震解释和海陆对比划分的下寒武统、下志留统泥质岩;盆地现存盖层条件的好坏是中、古生界油气藏能否得以保存的关键条件,其中下古生界整体要优于上古生界,上古生界的青岛坳陷要好于烟台坳陷,海相中生界总体较差。