Differential reproductive strategies of two bivalves in the Dutch Wadden Sea

Cerastoderma edule and Mya arenaria are two common bivalve species in European waters. Longevity and maximum size are much greater in the latter species. Because comparison of species life-history strategies states that a long life span (i.e. high annual survival) generally goes with lower fecundity, we hypothesise that reproductive output would be lower in M. arenaria than in C. edule. In the present paper, we studied the reproductive strategies of these two species in an intertidal and a subtidal area of the western Dutch Wadden Sea, by following seasonal changes in absolute and relative weights of somatic and gonadal tissues in these bivalves. Starting of spawning was similar in the two species, around May, except for intertidal M. arenaria, which initiated spawning in August. Individual energy investment in reproduction was similar for the two species but, unlike M. arenaria, C. edule spawned completely, releasing all energy of gonadal mass in the form of gametes. Mya arenaria used the gonad not only for reproduction but also for storage. In the intertidal area, we found a trade-off between longevity and reproduction, i.e. maximum reproductive output (expressed as a proportion of body mass) was higher in C. edule than in M. arenaria. However, since body size is larger and life span longer in M. arenaria than in C. edule, mean lifetime reproductive output per individual must be higher in the first than in the latter. Based on the differences in reproductive strategies of these two species, we hypothesise that the negative effects of warming climate on bivalve population dynamics in the Wadden Sea will be stronger in C. edule than in M. arenaria.     

城市商业中心特色综合体研究——朝阳天马集团卫生学校地块商住综合体设计

从商业策划的角度介绍了朝阳天马集团卫生学校地块商住综合体设计的总体构思和特点,该项目欲在朝阳最重要的朝阳大街上建造地产的新标志,使之成为城市的重要节点。     

Growth and Production in Posidonia Oceanica (L.) Delile*

Abstract. In situ investigations of growth and production in a stand of Posidonia oceanica (L.) DELILE at a depth of 4 m at Ischia (Gulf of Naples) were carried out over two growing seasons. Posidonia starts to grow in August and an average bundle produces ten leaves in increasing time intervals until May. Growth curves for the leaves are given. Maximum leaf standing crop is in May with 1300 g dry weight per m^-2, leaf area index at this time reaches 22 m² m^-2. Leaf net productivity is highest in March with 12 g dry weight per m² per day. Annual leaf production is estimated as 3110 g dry weight per m², “underground” production as 115 g dry weight per m². About half the leaf production is exported from the system. Adaptive strategies of the growth and production pattern are discussed.     

Droughts and famines: The underlying factors and the causal links among agro-pastoral households in semi-arid Makueni district, Kenya

Famines are often linked to drought in semi-arid areas of Sub-Saharan Africa where not only pastoralists, but also increasingly agro-pastoralists are affected. This study addresses the interplay between drought and famine in the rural semi-arid areas of Makueni district, Kenya, by examining whether, and how crop production conditions and agro-pastoral strategies predispose smallholder households to drought-triggered food insecurity. If this hypothesis holds, then approaches to deal with drought and famine have to target factors causing household food insecurity during non-drought periods. Data from a longitudinal survey of 127 households, interviews, workshops, and daily rainfall records (1961–2003) were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. This integrated approach confirms the above hypothesis and reveals that factors other than rainfall, like asset and labour constraints, inadequate policy enforcement, as well as the poverty-driven inability to adopt risk-averse production systems play a key role. When linking these factors to the high rainfall variability, farmer-relevant definitions and forecasts of drought have to be applied.     

Mid-Century Strategies: pathways to a low-carbon future?

Since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, both national and subnational governments have been encouraged to submit Mid-Century Strategies, outlining how they would reach their deep decarbonization goals. However, research on the design and potential of these strategies has been very limited. To address this shortcoming, here we assess 13 such strategies – six national, seven subnational – in a comparative fashion. We find that the energy-economy-climate models underpinning these strategies are generally of high quality, though national jurisdictions generally performed better. However, most strategies are not plausible without significant changes to policy, and the industrial sector in particular presents a major limitation. The strategies are helpful in revealing this gap, but much works remains to be done for plausible mid-century decarbonization trajectories to become a reality. We also find that public input and societal participation in strategy building were a double-edged sword depending on the constellation of domestic preferences.

• Governmental Mid-Century Strategies for deep decarbonization are underpinned by high-quality energy-economy-climate models

• Governments’ proposed strategies require significant new policies, as even among jurisdictions that have an MCS, extant policies are insufficient to achieve deep decarbonization

• No jurisdiction studied has yet put forward a plausible decarbonization policy for the industrial sector.

• Public input and societal participation can be a double-edged sword: they can increase durability of the strategy but also enable opposing forces to mobilize against ambitious changes.

     

河南\

随机抽查统计了大气科学类18种核心期刊和15种省级刊物中的50期共计605篇论文,发现38%左右的关键词或摘要撰写存在欠规范的问题。为了提高学术论文的撰写质量,对大气科学类学术论文中关键词标引和摘要撰写存在的问题及解决方法进行了探讨。研究表明：关键词主要存在选用通用词、漏选关键词、标引深度不合适、排列顺序混乱等不足,摘要比较常见的问题则表现在基本要素残缺、嵌入不当信息、结果（结论）笼统空泛。该研究指出：关键词的选取以《汉语主题词表》中的叙词为主,可适当搭配新型交叉学科、新理论、新技术中出现的科技术语和专有名词,忌选通用词;应遵循“选准、选全”的原则,从题名、摘要、层次标题、结论乃至正文中提取能完整表达论文主题、具有检索价值的主题词,以4~5个为宜;其排序应遵循一定的逻辑规则。摘要应包含目的、方法、结果、结论四要素;避免使用第一人称、嵌入背景知识、自我见解和主观评价;结果（结论）部分要逻辑清晰、言之有物、定量直观,让读者能透过研究结果窥见论文的核心价值。该文还提出了提炼摘要四要素的四个步骤及大气科学类摘要的三种常见写作格式。

     

Kindergarten Geography: Teaching Diversity to Young People

Abstract

A Southern Poverty Law Center grant enabled purchasing dolls representing children of different races, ethnicity, and condition of disability. The teacher used these with other materials to sensitize kindergarten children to human differences. She directed them to cut pictures from National Geographic Magazine showing people who are “somehow different/' Responses from children were classified. Nine commented on adornment, three on household setting, two on occupation, and one on race. Little research exists on teaching geography to kindergarteners except on the ability to read maps. The authors contend that kindergarteners are quite ready to learn about regional differences among human populations.     

A case study of coping strategies and landslides in two villages of Central-Eastern Nepal

Landslides are an increasing problem in Nepal’s Middle Hills due to both natural and human phenomena: mainly increasingly intense monsoon rains and a boom in rural road construction. This problem has largely been neglected due to underreporting of losses and the dispersed nature of landslides. Understanding how populations cope with landslides is a first step toward developing more effective landslide risk management programs. The present research focuses on two villages in Central-Eastern Nepal, both affected by active landslides but with different coping strategies. Research methods are interdisciplinary, based on a geological assessment of landslide risk and a socio-economic study of the villages using household questionnaires, focus group discussions and transect walks. Community risk maps are compared with geological landslide risk maps to better understand and communicate community risk perceptions, priorities and coping strategies. A modified typology of coping strategies is presented, based on previous work by Burton, Kates, and White (1993) that is useful for decision-makers for designing more effective programs for landslide mitigation. Main findings underscore that coping strategies, mainly seeking external assistance and outmigration, are closely linked to access to resources, ethnicity/social status and levels of community organization. Conclusions include the importance of investing in organizational skills, while building on local knowledge about landslide mitigation for reducing landslide risk. There is great potential to increase coping strategies by incorporating skills training on landslide mitigation in existing agricultural outreach and community forest user group training.     

当代水文地质学发展趋势与对策

当代水文地质学进入了生态环境水文地质学阶段。当代水文地质学的研究目标是:从可持续发展理念出发,构建人与自然协调的、良性循环的地下水系统、水文系统、地质环境系统与生态系统。以系统思想为指导,运用多学科方法,发展向生产领域延伸的地下水工程,是当代水文地质学发展的关键。