Trace metal-binding proteins in marine molluscs and crustaceans

Some marine invertebrates, such as the American oyster, Crassostrea virginica, the blue crab, callinectes sapidus and the American lobster, Homarusamericanus, concentrate trace metals in their tissues. The occurrence of metallothionein, a low molecular weight, sulfur-containing metal-binding protein, has been correlated with elevated levels of trace metals in these organisms. It is our hypothesis that, whilst metallothioneins are involved in the sequestration of elevated levels of trace metals, they primarily function in regulating normal metal metabolism. In this paper we describe recent field and laboratory experiments designed to examine how oysters, blue crabs and lobsters manage accumulated cadmium, copper and zinc. The possible rôles of metallothionein, as well as the tissue distribution of metals, are emphasized. Metallothioneins were found in all animals we examined; concentrations of metallothioneins and the the amount of bound trace metals are related to time of exposure. We have also demonstrated that the laboratory developed metallothionein models for blue crabs and lobsters may be useful in predicting the partitioning of trace metals in animals living in environments polluted with trace metals.     

Cadmium accumulation by the blue crab, callinectes sapidus: Involvement of hemocyanin and characterization of cadmium-binding proteins

The accumulation of cadmium from seawater by the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, was studied as a function of metal concentration and exposure time, with special emphasis on cadmium-binding proteins. Cadmium was found, in decreasing order of magnitude, in gills, digestive gland and hemolymph. When exposed to 0·5 ppm cadmium for 2–24h, virtually all of the cadmium in the cytosolic fraction of the gill was associated with a low molecular weight (LMW) cadmium-binding protein (MW 8000). However, after 48h of exposure only 50% of the cadmium in the cytosol was bound to this protein. The rest wasfound to be associated with proteins of a molecular weight of 300 000 and 60 000. This pattern of cadmium distribution did not change over a 12-day depuration period. Similar results were obtained upon exposure to 0·1 ppm cadmium. The pattern of cadmium accumulation in the cytosolic fraction of the digestive gland was in marked contrast to that observed for the gill. Initially, the cadmium was distributed over three low molecular weight fractions. During depuration the distribution of cadmium changed and all of the metal became bound to a low molecular weight protein (MW 9000). The cadmium concentrations in the gill and digestive gland remained essentially constant during depuration (12 days). The LMW cadmium-binding proteins were purified by a combination of gelpermeation and ion-exchange chromatography. Their molecular weight, spectral properties and amino acid composition are characteristic of the vertebrate metallothioneins. During exposure to cadmium the metal rapidly appeared in the hemolymph, mainly associated with hemocyanin. During depuration cadmium was transferred from the hemolymph to the digestive gland, demonstrating that hemocyanin acts as a carrier in trace metal transport.     

Improved NMO correction with a specific application to shallow-seismic data

The application of traditional NMO‐correction techniques in the processing of seismic data may result in severe distortion. This distortion is observed as a decrease in frequency content (NMO stretch) or even a total loss of data for steep velocity gradients. It is shown that the specific nature of the observed distortion is introduced by the particular implementation of the traditional NMO‐correction technique. It is also shown that other techniques that have been proposed in the literature suffer from similar artefacts. An alternative approach is suggested, based on the correction of tapered blocks of seismic data, followed by a coherence filter to compensate for the specific artefacts thus introduced. Correction of seismic amplitudes (e.g. geometrical spreading and attenuation) is implemented as an integral part of the NMO‐correction method thus allowing for both dynamic and kinematic reconstruction of interfering events. From the application of this method to synthetic and field data, it is concluded that the proposed technique may be particularly useful in the processing of shallow seismic (shear‐wave) data. Although not illustrated in this paper, it is emphasized that application of the proposed method is by no means restricted to shear waves; application to P‐wave data will prove equally useful, although the stretch effects involved may not be as severe as in the examples given in this paper.     

Structural and tectonothermal evolution of the ultrahigh-temperature Bakhuis Granulite Belt,Guiana Shield,Surinam:Palaeoproterozoic to recent

We constrain the multistage tectonic evolution of the Palaeoproterozoic UHT metamorphic(P=0.9–1.0 GPa,T>1000℃,t=2088–2031 Ma)Bakhuis Granulite Belt(BGB)in Surinam on the Guiana Shield,using large-to small-scale structures,Al-in-hornblende thermobarometry and published fluid inclusion and zircon geochronological data.The BGB forms a narrow,NE–SW striking belt between two formerly connected,~E–W oriented granite-greenstone belts,formed between converging Amazonian and West African continental masses prior to collision and Transamazonian orogeny.Inherited detrital zircon in BGB metasediments conforms agewise to Birimian zircon of West Africa and suggests derivation from the subsequently subducted African passive margin.Ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism may have followed slab break-off and asthenospheric heat advection.Peak metamorphic structures result from layer-parallel shearing and folding,reflecting initial transtensional exhumation of the subducted African margin after slab break-off.A second HT event involves intrusion,at ca.0.49 GPa,of charnockites and metagabbros at 1993–1984 Ma and a layered anorthosite at 1980 Ma,after the BGB had already cooled to<400℃.The event is related to northward subduction under the greenstone belts,along a new active margin to their south.A pronounced syntaxial bend in the new margin points northward towards the BGB and is likely the result of indentation by an anticlinorial flexural bulge of the subducting plate.Tearing of the subducting oceanic plate along this bulge explains why the charnockites are restricted to the BGB.The BGB subsequently experienced doming under an extensional detachment exposed in its southwestern border zone.Exhumation was focused in the BGB as a result of the flexural bulge in the subducting plate and localised heating of the overriding plate by charnockite magmatism.The present,straight NE–SW long-side boundaries of the BGB are superimposed mylonite zones,overprinted by pseudotachylites,previously dated at ca.1200 Ma and 950 Ma,respectively.The 1200 Ma mylonites reflect transpressional popping-up of the BGB,caused by EW-directed intraplate principal compressive stresses from Grenvillian collision preserved under the eastern Andes.Further exhumation of the BGB involved the 950 Ma pseudotachylite decorated faulting,and Phanerozoic faulting along reactivated Meso-and Neoproterozoic lineaments.     

Quantitative 3D imaging of partially saturated granular materials under uniaxial compression

Acta Geotechnica - Gauging the mechanical effect of partial saturation in granular materials is experimentally challenging due to the very low suctions resulting from large pores. To this end, a...     

Numerical studies of two-dimensional saturated/ unsaturated drainage models

The partial differential equation which governs the seepage of water in unsaturated and saturated porous media is solved numerically by a generalized Newton iteration technique for two models, one ditch drainage model and one earth dam model. For each model, which is two-dimensional, a few hypothetical soils with different moisture retention curves are considered. In both models only drainage from an initially saturated soil occurs; thus, the problem of hysteresis is avoided. The results of the computations are compared with those of corresponding saturated (pure groundwater) models; solutions obtained earlier by this author and others.

Computational instability phenomena appear when the slope of the retention curves is made steep, i.e., for poorly-graded soils.     

From Eduard Suess to Alfred Wegener

A slim volume by EduardSuess (1875) exercised a profound influence in France, where particularly MarcelBertrand was stimulated by the concept of horizontal forces involved in the formation of mountain chains. Others in France (Termier, Haug) and in Switzerland (Lugeon, Schardt, Argand) followed in his steps, and eventually their researches lead to the establishment of the nappe theory in the Alps. It was EmileArgand (1924) who linked the nappe theory withWegener's theory of continental drift, and in doing so laid the foundation for a more general theory of crustal mobility.

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Zusammenfassung Ein kleines Buch von EduardSuess (1875) hat einen tiefen Einfluß ausgeübt in Frankreich, wo besonders MarcelBertrand angeregt wurde von den Gedanken über horizontale Kräfte in der Entstehung von Gebirgsketten. Andere in Frankreich (Termier, Haug) und in der Schweiz (Lugeon, Schardt, Argand) traten in Bertrands Fußstapfen, und ihre Forschungen führten zur Gründung der Deckentheorie in den Alpen. EmileArgand (1924) hat dann die Deckentheorie mitWegeners Verschiebungstheorie verknüpft und damit die Grundlage geschaffen für eine allgemeine Theorie der krustalen Mobilität.

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Résumé Un petit volume d'EduardSuess (1875) a exercé une influence profonde en France où notamment MarcelBertrand fut stimulé par l'idée des mouvements horizontaux dans la génèse des chaînes de montagnes. D'autres marchèrent sur ses traces (Termier etHaug en France,Lugeon, Schardt etArgand en Suisse), et leurs recherches dans les Alpes conduisirent à la théories des nappes. Plus tard EmileArgand (1924) a relié la théorie des nappes à la théorie de la dérive continentale et par là jeté les fondements d'une théorie générale de la mobilité crustale.

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(1875) , a Marcel Bertrand . (Termier, Haug) (Lugeon, Schardt, Argand) . Emil Argand (1924)

     

The effect of a topographic high on the morphological stability of a two-inlet bay system

The cross-sectional stability of two tidal inlets connecting the same back-barrier lagoon to the ocean is investigated. The condition for equilibrium is the cross-sectional area tidal prism relationship. In an earlier study [Van de Kreeke, J., 1990. Can multiple inlets be stable? Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 30: 261–273.], using the same equilibrium condition, it was concluded that where two inlets connect the same basin to the ocean ultimately one inlet will close. One of the major assumptions in that study was that the water level in the basin fluctuated uniformly. In hindsight this assumption might be too restrictive. For example, in the Wadden Sea the back barrier lagoon consists of a series of basins, rather than one single basin, separated by topographic highs. These topographic highs limit but do not exclude the exchange of water between the sub-basins. For this reason in the present study, a topographic high in the form of a weir was added, separating the back-barrier lagoon in two sub-basins. The water level in the sub-basins, rather than in the back-barrier as a whole, is assumed to fluctuate uniformly. For this schematization the hydrodynamic equations are solved using a finite difference method. The results, together with the equilibrium condition, yield the equilibrium flow curve for each of the inlets. The intersections of the two equilibrium flow curves represent combinations of cross-sectional areas for which both inlets are in equilibrium. The stability of the equilibriums was investigated using a non-linear stability analysis resulting in a flow diagram. Calculations were carried out for different inlet and weir characteristics. Sinussoidal tides were the same for both inlets. The results show that for relatively large wetted cross-sectional areas over the topographic high, approaching the situation of a single basin, there are no combinations of inlet cross-sectional areas for which both inlets are in a stable equilibrium. This supports the conclusion in the earlier study. For relatively small wetted cross-sectional areas over the topographic high there is one set of stable equilibriums. In that case the two-inlet bay system approaches that of two single-inlet bay systems.     

Über Gebirgsbildung und Vulkanismus in den Molukken

Ohne Zusammenfassung