Responses of breeding waterbird communities to environmental changes in subsidence wetlands in the North China Plain

In the context of global degradation and loss of natural wetlands,waterbirds have been increasingly using artificial wetlands as alternative habitats.However,waterbirds are facing various threats in these artificial wetlands,due to dramatic environmental changes induced by anthropogenic activities.Exploring the effects of these changes on the temporal dynamics of the waterbird communities can help understand how waterbirds adapt to environmental changes and thus formulate effective management and conservation plans.In this study,we carried out field surveys on waterbirds and environmental factors across 20 subsidence wetlands created by underground coal mining in the Huainan coal mining area in the breeding seasons of 2016 and 2021.We predicted that the waterbird assemblages(i.e.,number of individuals,species richness,Shannon-Wiener diversity,Pielou evenness and species composition) differed between the two years,and that these differences were correlated with the temporal changes in environmental factors.Across the surveyed wetlands,we recorded 26 waterbird species in 2016 and 23 in 2021.For individual wetlands,the number of waterbird individuals and species richness increased by 71.6% and 20.1%,respectively,over the five years,with no changes in Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou evenness.The overall increase in the number of bird individuals was mainly caused by an increase in vegetation gleaners and gulls that adapt well to anthropogenic activities.The species composition was significantly different between the two years,which was mainly caused by changes in the number of individuals of dominant species under influence of changes in human activities.For most wetlands,the temporal pairwiseβ-diversities could be explained by species turnover rather than nestedness,probably due to high mobility of waterbird species and dramatic changes in local environments.Our study suggests that waterbird communities could respond to environmental changes in subsidence wetlands,providing important implications for waterbird conservation in human-dominated artificial wetlands.

Insights into the changes in the surface properties of goethite with Ni in the lattice in the presence of salicylhydroxamic acid:Experimental and density functional theory studies

Comparative experiments and theoretical analysis of the surface chemistry changes of goethite(GT)and goethite containing Ni(GTN)in the lattice in the presence of salicylhydroxamic acid(SA)were performed.It was revealed that in the presence of 100 g·t^(-1)of SA,the flotation recovery of GTN and GT increased with increasing pH,achieving a maximum recovery of 98.9%for both minerals at p H 8.3 and decreasing beyond that pH,with GTN having a slightly higher recovery than GT,except at pH 8.3.This was further confirmed by the higher complexation energies of GTN···SA(-883.87 kJ·mol^(-1))compared with GT···SA(-604.23 kJ·mol^(-1))resulting from covalent,closed-shell,and conventional hydrogen bonding.The higher adsorption of SA onto GTN relative to GT was due to the formation of aπ-hole in GTN,thereby promoting a higher interaction of the collector with the mineral.Thus,the presence of Ni in the GT lattice improves and decreases the adsorption and desorption of SA onto and from the mineral,respectively,compared with those onto and from GT.

Sedimentary Environment and Mineralization of the Black Shale Polymetallic Layer in the Early Cambrian,SW China:Constraints from in situ LA-ICP-MS Analysis of Pyrite

A polymetallic layer is usually developed at the bottom of the early Cambrian black shale in Guizhou Province.The mineral that makes up the polymetallic layer is related to the sedimentary facies.To analyze the differentiation mechanism between polymetallic deposits(Ni-Mo and V),the Zhijin Gezhongwu profile located in the outer shelf and the Sansui Haishan V deposit located in the lower slope are selected to study the in situ sulfur isotopes and trace elements of pyrite.The results show that δ^(34)S values of pyrite vary widely from−7.8‰to 28‰in the Gezhongwu profile,while the δ^(34)S values are relatively uniform(from 27.8‰to 38.4‰)in the Haishan profile.The isotopic S composition is consistent with the transition that occurs in the sedimentary phase from the shelf to the deep sea on the transgressive Yangtze platform;this indicates that the δ^(34)SO_(4)^(2−)values in seawater must be differently distributed in depositional environments.The sulfur in the Ni-Mo layer is produced after the mixing of seawater and hydrothermal fluid,while the V layer mainly originates from seawater.Overall,the Ni-Mo and V deposits have been differentiated primarily on the basis of the combined effect of continental weathering and hydrothermal fluid.

Vertically aligned montmorillonite aerogel-encapsulated polyethylene glycol with directional heat transfer paths for efficient solar thermal energy harvesting and storage

The conversion and storage of photothermal energy using phase change materials(PCMs)represent an optimal approach for harnessing clean and sustainable solar energy.Herein,we encapsulated polyethylene glycol(PEG)in montmorillonite aerogels(3D-Mt)through vacuum impregnation to prepare 3D-Mt/PEG composite PCMs.When used as a support matrix,3D-Mt can effectively prevent PEG leakage and act as a flame-retardant barrier to reduce the flammability of PEG.Simultaneously,3D-Mt/PEG demonstrates outstanding shape retention,increased thermal energy storage density,and commendable thermal and chemical stability.The phase transition enthalpy of 3D-Mt/PEG can reach 167.53 J/g and remains stable even after 50 heating-cooling cycles.Furthermore,the vertical sheet-like structure of 3D-Mt establishes directional heat transport channels,facilitating efficient phonon transfer.This configuration results in highly anisotropic thermal conductivities that ensure swift thermal responses and efficient heat conduction.This study addresses the shortcomings of PCMs,including the issues of leakage and inadequate flame retardancy.It achieves the development and design of 3D-Mt/PEG with ultrahigh strength,superior flame retardancy,and directional heat transfer.Therefore,this work offers a design strategy for the preparation of high-performance composite PCMs.The 3D-Mt/PEG with vertically aligned and well-ordered array structure developed in this research shows great potential for thermal management and photothermal conversion applications.

Recovery of Li, Ni, Co and Mn from spent lithium-ion batteries assisted by organic acids: Process optimization and leaching mechanism

The proper recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)can promote the recovery and utilization of valuable resources,while also negative environmental effects resulting from the presence of toxic and hazardous substances.In this study,a new environmentally friendly hydro-metallurgical process was proposed for leaching lithium(Li),nickel(Ni),cobalt(Co),and manganese(Mn)from spent LIBs using sulfuric acid with citric acid as a reductant.The effects of the concentration of sulfuric acid,the leaching temperature,the leaching time,the solid-liquid ratio,and the reducing agent dosage on the leaching behavior of the above elements were investigated.Key parameters were optimized using response surface methodology(RSM)to maximize the recovery of metals from spent LIBs.The maxim-um recovery efficiencies of Li,Ni,Co,and Mn can reach 99.08%,98.76%,98.33%,and 97.63%.under the optimized conditions(the sulfuric acid concentration was 1.16 mol/L,the citric acid dosage was 15wt%,the solid-liquid ratio was 40 g/L,and the temperature was 83℃ for 120 min),respectively.It was found that in the collaborative leaching process of sulfuric acid and citric acid,the citric acid initially provided strong reducing CO_(2)^(-),and the transition metal ions in the high state underwent a reduction reaction to produce transition metal ions in the low state.Additionally,citric acid can also act as a proton donor and chelate with lower-priced transition metal ions,thus speeding up the dissolution process.

Improving the Accuracy of Vegetation Index Retrieval for Biomass by Combining Ground-UAV Hyperspectral Data-A New Method for Inner Mongolia Typical Grasslands

Grassland biomass is an important parameter of grassland ecosystems.The complexity of the grassland canopy vegetation spectrum makes the long-term assessment of grassland growth a challenge.Few studies have explored the original spectral information of typical grasslands in Inner Mongolia and examined the influence of spectral information on aboveground biomass(AGB)estimation.In order to improve the accuracy of vegetation index inversion of grassland AGB,this study combined ground and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)remote sensing technology and screened sensitive bands through ground hyperspectral data transformation and correlation analysis.The narrow band vegetation indices were calculated,and ground and airborne hyperspectral inversion models were established.Finally,the accuracy of the model was verified.The results showed that:(1)The vegetation indices constructed based on the ASD FieldSpec 4 and the UAV were significantly correlated with the dry and fresh weight of AGB.(2)The comparison between measured R^(2) with the prediction R^(2) indicated that the accuracy of the model was the best when using the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index(SAVI)as the independent variable in the analysis of AGB(fresh weight/dry weight)and four narrow-band vegetation indices.The SAVI vegetation index showed better applicability for biomass monitoring in typical grassland areas of Inner Mongolia.(3)The obtained ground and airborne hyperspectral data with the optimal vegetation index suggested that the dry weight of AGB has the best fitting effect with airborne hyperspectral data,where y=17.962e^(4.672x),the fitting R^(2) was 0.542,the prediction R^(2)was 0.424,and RMSE and REE were 57.03 and 0.65,respectively.Therefore,established vegetation indices by screening sensitive bands through hyperspectral feature analysis can significantly improve the inversion accuracy of typical grassland biomass in Inner Mongolia.Compared with ground monitoring,airborne hyperspectral monitoring better reflects the inversion of actual surface biomass.It provides a reliable modeling framework for grassland AGB monitoring and scientific and technological support for grazing management.

Patterns and drivers of avian taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity in China vary across geographical backgrounds and dispersal abilities

Geographical background and dispersal ability may strongly influence assemblage dissimilarity;however,these aspects have generally been overlooked in previous large-scale beta diversity studies.Here,we examined whether the patterns and drivers of taxonomic beta diversity(TBD)and phylogenetic beta diversity(PBD)of breeding birds in China vary across(1)regions on both sides of the Hu Line,which demarcates China’s topographical,climatic,economic,and social patterns,and(2)species with different dispersal ability.TBD and PBD were calculated and partitioned into turnover and nestedness components using a moving window approach.Variables representing climate,habitat heterogeneity,and habitat quality were employed to evaluate the effects of environmental filtering.Spatial distance was considered to assess the impact of dispersal limitation.Variance partitioning analysis was applied to assess the relative roles of these variables.In general,the values of TBD and PBD were high in mountainous areas and were largely determined by environmental filtering.However,different dominant environmental filters on either side of the Hu Line led to divergent beta diversity patterns.Specifically,climate-driven species turnover and habitat heterogeneity-related species nestedness dominated the regions east and west of the line,respectively.Additionally,bird species with stronger dispersal ability were more susceptible to environmental filtering,resulting in more homogeneous assemblages.Our results indicated that regions with distinctive geographical backgrounds may present different ecological factors that lead to divergent assemblage dissimilarity patterns,and dispersal ability determines the response of assemblages to these ecological factors.Identifying a single universal explanation for the observed pattern without considering these aspects may lead to simplistic or incomplete conclusions.Consequently,a comprehensive understanding of large-scale beta diversity patterns and effective planning of conservation strategies necessitate the consideration of both geographical background and species dispersal ability.

Stochastic Analysis and Modeling of Velocity Observations in Turbulent Flows

Highly turbulent water flows,often encountered near human constructions like bridge piers,spillways,and weirs,display intricate dynamics characterized by the formation of eddies and vortices.These formations,varying in sizes and lifespans,significantly influence the distribution of fluid velocities within the flow.Subsequently,the rapid velocity fluctuations in highly turbulent flows lead to elevated shear and normal stress levels.For this reason,to meticulously study these dynamics,more often than not,physical modeling is employed for studying the impact of turbulent flows on the stability and longevity of nearby structures.Despite the effectiveness of physical modeling,various monitoring challenges arise,including flow disruption,the necessity for concurrent gauging at multiple locations,and the duration of measurements.Addressing these challenges,image velocimetry emerges as an ideal method in fluid mechanics,particularly for studying turbulent flows.To account for measurement duration,a probabilistic approach utilizing a probability density function(PDF)is suggested to mitigate uncertainty in estimated average and maximum values.However,it becomes evident that deriving the PDF is not straightforward for all turbulence-induced stresses.In response,this study proposes a novel approach by combining image velocimetry with a stochastic model to provide a generic yet accurate description of flow dynamics in such applications.This integration enables an approach based on the probability of failure,facilitating a more comprehensive analysis of turbulent flows.Such an approach is essential for estimating both short-and long-term stresses on hydraulic constructions under assessment.

Effects of Coagulation and Ozonation Pretreatments on Biochemical Treatment of Fluid Catalytic Cracking Wastewater

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) salty wastewaters, containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), are very difficult to treat by biochemical process. Anoxic/oxic (A/O) biochemical system, based on nitrification and denitrification reactions, was used to assess their possible biodegradation. Because of the negative effects of high salt concentration (3%), heavy metals and toxic organic matter on microorganisms’ activities, some techniques consisting of dilution, coagulation and flocculation, and ozonation pretreatments, were gradually tested to evaluate chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia-nitrogen (ammonia-N) and total nitrogen (TN) removal rates. In this process of FCC wastewater, starting with university-domesticated sludge, the ammonia-N and TN removal rates were worst. However, when using domesticated SBR’s sludge and operating with five-fold daily diluted influent (thus reducing salt concentration), the ammonia-N removal reached about 57% while the TN removal rate was less than 37% meaning an amelioration of the nitrification process. However, by reducing the dilution factors, these results were inflected after some days of operation, with ammonia-N removal decreasing and TN barely removed meaning a poor nitrification. Even by reducing heavy metals concentration with coagulation/flocculation process, the results never changed. Thereafter, by using ozonation pre-treatment to degrade the detected organic matter of di-tert-butylphenol and certain isoparaffins, COD, ammonia-N and TN removal rates reached 92%, 62% and 61%, respectively. These results showed that the activities of the microorganisms were increased, thus indicating a net denitrification and nitrification reactions improvement.

Effect of coal resources development and compensation for damage to cultivated land in mining areas

The exploitation of coal resources inevitably affects, to different degrees, arable land resources and impacts the socio-economic development in mining areas. Therefore it is of great practical importance to probe the rules of the effect from coal resource exploration on arable land. Suitable and effective measures to compensate for damaged to and loss of arable land resources should be taken on the basis of carrying out green mining and reducing damage to limited arable land resources. We have used GIS in simulating the effect of coal resource exploration on arable land. In light of our simulation of the space-time spectrum, the effect is analyzed. Given the socio-economic development conditions of a mining area, specified rational amounts and opportunities for compensation to arable land in mining areas are explored. Finally, from a policy perspective, relevant proposals for rational arable land resource compensation are proposed to facilitate the coordinated development between coal resource exploitation and socio-economy development in mining areas.

Lithological and environmental controls on large tafoni along conglomerate cliffs in subtropic humid Danxiashan UNESCO Global Geopark

Tafoni are a type of cavernous weathering features widespread in different climate zones around the world,but their origin has not been fully understood.Little attention was paid on tafoni in conglomerates.Danxiashan UNESCO Global Geopark,located within the subtropic humid region of South China,has a landscape of large tafoni that occur on cliffs of red conglomerates.Both the Dinosaur Rock and Pagoda Peak of the geopark were selected to investigate the formation mechanisms of tafoni in conglomerates.During the field investigation,the size,rock hardness,and the external and internal meteorology of tafoni were measured and tested.The texture and composition of rock samples were observed,and the ion chromatography experiments were performed as well.Results show that tafoni have well ellipsoidal openings.Clasts of the conglomerates are largely sub-rounded and poorly sorted,and the cement is dominantly composed of calcite and iron oxide.The hardness of the lips is almost equal to that of the columns,and both are slightly higher than the backwalls.Compared with the external intense environmental changes,the interior of the tafoni is characterized by smaller temperature and relative humidity ranges and windless condition.Therefore,the porous and permeable conglomerates provide favorable lithology for tafoni development,and the micro-environment within the caverns is conducive to improving water utilization efficiency and enhancing salt weathering.The salts mainly consist of sulfates and nitrates,which might be derived from frequent raining,water evaporation and red beds as well.Consequently,tafoni are the result of the synergistic effects by multiple factors,rather than a single mechanism.

Preparation of a Novel Highly Effective and Environmental Friendly Wheat Seed Coating Agent

A novel environmental friendly wheat seed coating agent was prepared from the natural polymer,biological pesticide,microfertilizer,microelements and other additives.The laboratory and field test results showed that it could enhance the yield up to 16% and reduce its input cost to 1/6 as compared with the conventional wheat seed coating agent.It is safe without causing any pollution and would have significant economic and environmental benefits.

Effect of cyclic drying and wetting on engineering properties of heavy metal contaminated soils solidified/stabilized with fly ash

团结 / 稳定(S/S ) 是重金属污染了土壤的处理的最有效的方法之一。在团结 / 稳定的污染土壤上的周期的弄湿并且弄干的效果被调查。一系列测试节目，自由压缩力量(UCS ) 测试， TCLP 沥滤测试和扫描电子显微镜学(SEM ) 测试，在污染的铅和锌上被执行土壤由苍蝇灰团结 / 稳定。UCS 和 S/S 的重金属离子的沥滤的特征污染了的测试结果表演玷污显著地随苍蝇灰内容的增加被改进。S/S 土壤的 UCS 第一随弄干并且弄湿周期的时间的增加增加，在到达山峰以后，它与它减少。当污染物质内容更低时(1 000 mg/kg ) ， TCLP 集中稍微首先在周期的弄干并且弄湿下面减少，然后增加，而是变化是次要的。TCLP 集中在 5 000 mg/kg 的一个高污染物质内容下面是更高的，并且随弄干并且弄湿周期的时间的增加增加。扫描电子显微镜学(SEM ) 的结果测试与 UCS 测试和 TCLP 沥滤测试一致，它揭示在弄干并且弄湿周期以后设计稳定的污染土壤的性质的变化的微观机构。

Multi-agent Blind Model and Its Application to Regional Eco-environmental Quality Assessment

Through denoting each expert as an agent and viewing a multiple criteria decision-making as a synthesis problem of aggregating experts’ ratings, a multi-agent blind model (MABM) is developed for regional eco- environmental quality assessment. In this model, the ratings of the evaluated object under an index, given by expert group, are first utilized to construct a series of blind numbers. In general, each index will correspond to different blind numbers. On the basis of aggregating index weights, the rank score in the form of a blind number is obtained for the evaluated object. Then, by means of calculating expected value of the above blind number, its rank score is further converted into a crisp value. By way of comparing the expected value with classification standards, eco-environmental quality of the evaluated sample could be identified successfully in the end. As a case, the MABM is used to evaluate the eco-environmental quality of Chaohu Lake basin. Study result shows that the MABM is a useful model for regional eco-environmental quality assessment.

Probabilistic back analysis for geotechnical engineering based on Bayesian and support vector machine

Geomechanical parameters are complex and uncertain.In order to take this complexity and uncertainty into account,a probabilistic back-analysis method combining the Bayesian probability with the least squares support vector machine(LS-SVM) technique was proposed.The Bayesian probability was used to deal with the uncertainties in the geomechanical parameters,and an LS-SVM was utilized to establish the relationship between the displacement and the geomechanical parameters.The proposed approach was applied to the geomechanical parameter identification in a slope stability case study which was related to the permanent ship lock within the Three Gorges project in China.The results indicate that the proposed method presents the uncertainties in the geomechanical parameters reasonably well,and also improves the understanding that the monitored information is important in real projects.

The transformation and concentration of environmental hazardous trace elements during coal combustion

Studied the content and distribution of 18 environmental hazardous trace elementsin the lignite, fatty coal, anthracite and its burnt products by combustion simulatingexpriment in the one-dismensinal boiler.The transformations and concentration of 18 traceelements during different coal combustion were discussed.The results show that there aresome content distribution of 18 hazardous trace elements in every burnt product, but thelaw of concentration and dispersion of every trace element during different coal combustionis very different.Experiment results indicate that the transformation and concentrationof trace elements during coal combustion are related to the element contents and occur-rencesof trace elements in raw coal, but are also affected by some man-made factorssuch as the combustion method of boiler, combustion temperature and atmosphere, thetype of precipitators and so on.

Integrated Evaluation Model for Eco-Environmental Quality in Mountainous Region Based on Remote Sensing and GIS

Based on Remote Sensing （RS）, Geographic Information System （GIS）, and combining Principal Component Analysis, this paper designed a numerical integrated evaluation model for mountain eco-environment on the base of grid scale. Using this model, we evaluated the mountain eco-environmental quality in a case study area-the upper reaches of Minjiang River, and achieved a good result, which accorded well with the real condition. The study indicates that, the integrated evaluation model is suitable for multi-layer spatial factor computation, effectively lowing man＇s subjective influence in the evaluation process; treating the whole river basin as a system, the model shows full respect to the circulation of material and energy, synthetically embodies the determining impact of such natural condition as water-heat and landform, as well as human interference in natural eco-system; the evaluation result not only clearly presents mountainous vertical distribution features of input factors, but also provides a scientific and reliable thought for quantitatively evaluating mountain eco-environment.

Adhesion between nanobubbles and fine cassiterite particles

Adhesion is an important process of particle-bubble interaction in fine particle(-10μm)flotation.This paper studied the adhesion process and mechanism between nanobubbles and fine cassiterite particles by using a high-speed camera,atomic force microscope(AFM),adsorption capacity tests,and induction time tests.After being pretreated with nanobubbles(NBs)water,fine cassiterite particles flotation tests were carried out using caprylhydroxamic acid(CHA)as a collector.The results showed that NBs can improve the recovery and flotation rate of fine cassiterite while decreasing the collector dosage.The adsorption capacity test indicated that the cassiterite treated with NBs had lower demand for collector concentration.The AFM imaging results further demonstrate that NBs could reduce the adsorption of CHA on the surface of minerals.Since NBs played a part of the role of collector,it can improve the flotation effect while reducing the amount of collector.The induction time test and the high-speed camera observation test showed that NBs promoted the attachment between bubbles and cassiterite particles.On the other hand,NBs agglomerate cassiterite particles,increasing the probability of particles colliding with bubbles.

The impact of earlier flood recession on metacommunity diversity of wintering waterbirds at shallow lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain

The hydrological regime in wetlands plays an important role in the process of wintering waterbird metacommunity assemblage.However,increasing frequency of extreme climate and the intensification of human activities,such as the construction of sluices and dams,have resulted in frequently abnormal hydrological regime in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain.In recent years,earlier flood recession has become one of the main hydrological problems faced in the shallow lakes,having a great impact on wetland biodiversity.It is necessary to understand the impact of earlier flood recession on waterbirds,an indicator of wetland biodiversity,and the metacommunity concept is helpful to elucidate the underlying mechanism involved in the processes of assemblage by waterbird communities.In this study,we surveyed the wintering waterbirds at three sub-lakes of Caizi Lakes during 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and compared the richness,abundance,alpha and beta diversity of waterbirds in and among local metacommunities under earlier flood recession and normal hydrological regime.The results showed that the earlier flood recession reduced the species richness in the early stage and abundance in the late stage,it also reduced the Shannon-Wiener index in the early stage and increased the dissimilarity between and within waterbird metacommunities in the late stage.The partition of beta diversity showed that the turnover component played a major role in the process of waterbird metacommunity assemblage.It was found that the earlier flood recession reduced the richness,abundance in different stages of flood recession,which also increased the turnover of waterbirds.Metacommunities with high habitat heterogeneity had better resistance to abnormal hydrological regime,which resulted in high dissimilarity between and within metacommunities.The results of this study provide important information for waterbird conservation and water level management at shallow lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain.

Size effects on the tensile strength and fracture toughness of granitic rock in different tests

This study investigates the tensile failure mechanisms in granitic rock samples at different scales by means of different types of tests.To do that,we have selected a granitic rock type and obtained samples of different sizes with the diameter ranging from 30 mm to 84 mm.The samples have been subjected to direct tensile strength(DTS)tests,indirect Brazilian tensile strength(BTS)tests and to two fracture toughness testing approaches.Whereas DTS and fracture toughness were found to consistently grow with sample size,this trend was not clearly identified for BTS,where after an initial grow,a plateau of results was observed.This is a rather complete database of tensile related properties of a single rock type.Even if similar databases are rare,the obtained trends are generally consistent with previous scatter and partial experimental programs.However,different observations apply to different types of rocks and experimental approaches.The differences in variability and mean values of the measured parameters at different scales are critically analysed based on the heterogeneity,granular structure and fracture mechanics approaches.Some potential relations between parameters are revised and an indication is given on potential sample sizes for obtaining reliable results.Extending this database with different types of rocks is thought to be convenient to advance towards a better understanding of the tensile strength of rock materials.