Hydrodynamic constraints and storm wave characteristics on a sub‐horizontal shore platform

Few studies of wave processes on shore platforms have addressed the hydrodynamic thresholds that control wave transformation and energy dissipation, especially under storm conditions. We present results of a field experiment conducted during a storm on a sub‐horizontal shore platform on the east coast of Auckland, New Zealand. Small (<0.5 m) locally generated waves typically occur at the field site, whereas during the experiment the offshore wave height reached 2.3 m. Our results illustrate the important control that platform morphology has on wave characteristics. At the seaward edge of the platform a scarp abruptly descends beneath low tide level. Wave height immediately seaward of the platform was controlled by the incident conditions, but near the cliff toe wave height on the platform was independent of incident conditions. Results show that a depth threshold at the seaward platform edge > 2.5 times the gravity wave height (0.05–0.33 Hz) is necessary for waves to propagate onto the platform without breaking. On the platform surface the wave height is a direct function of water depth, with limiting maximum wave height to water depth ratios of 0.55 and 0.78 at the centre of the platform and cliff toe, respectively. A relative ‘platform edge submergence’ (water depth/water height ratio) threshold of 1.1 is identified, below which infragravity (<0.05 Hz) wave energy dominates the platform energy spectra, and above which gravity waves are dominant. Infragravity wave height transformation across the platform is governed by the relative platform edge submergence. Finally, the paper describes the first observations of wave setup on a shore platform. During the peak of the storm, wave setup on the platform at low tide (0.21 m) is consistent with measurements from planar sandy beaches, but at higher tidal stages the ratio between incident wave height and maximum setup was lower than expected. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.08.003

The primordial crust on the Earth formed from the crystallization of the surface magma ocean during the Hadean. However, geological surveys have found no evidence of rocks dating back to more than 4 Ga on the Earth's surface, suggesting the Hadean crust was lost due to some processes. We investigated the subduction of one of the possible candidates for the primordial crust, anorthosite and KREEP crust similar to the Moon, which is also considered to have formed from the crystallization of the magma ocean. Similar to the present Earth, the subduction of primordial crust by subduction erosion is expected to be an effective way of eliminating primordial crust from the surface. In this study, the subduction rate of the primordial crust via subduction channels is evaluated by numerical simulations. The subduction channels are located between the subducting slab and the mantle wedge and are comprised of primordial crust materials supplied mainly by subduction erosion. We have found that primordial anorthosite and KREEP crust of up to ～50 km thick at the Earth's surface was able to be conveyed to the deep mantle within 0.1-2 Gy by that mechanism.     

二噁英引起斑马鱼下颌短小及其与Sonic hedgehog基因的关联

环境污染物二噁英中毒性最强的2,3,7,8-四氯二苯并对二噁英(2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin,以下简称TCDD)经由芳烃基受体(aryl hydrocarbon receptor,Ahr)引起啮齿类口唇开裂,斑马鱼下颌短小等典型特征,本试验研究了TCDD引起的下颌短小与形态发育基因Sonic hedgehog(shh)的关系,用0-1．0μg／L的TCDD给受精后24h(24hpf)的斑马鱼胚染毒直至观察并进行形态学观察及原位杂交,结果观察到TCDD引起斑马鱼的下颌短小与其浓度相依存．同时观察到TCDD染毒群的Shh基因表达以及类似基因tiggy-winkle hedgehog(twhh)的低下．观察Shh缺失的斑马鱼变异体Syu,或给正常斑马鱼染毒,添加Shh阻断药Cycopamant Cyclopamine,可以同样观察到斑马鱼的下颌短小,本试验表明TCDD引起的下颌短小与shh和twhh表达是相关联的．同时也说明斑马鱼有可能作为二噁英类污染物的生物学毒性评价生物。     

Arsenic species and their accumulation features in green turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Total arsenic (As) and its compounds were determined in liver, kidney, muscle, and stomach contents of green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Total As concentrations in the muscle were higher than those in the kidney and liver. Arsenobetaine (AB) was the predominant compound in all the three tissues and its levels were positively correlated with total As concentrations. This indicates that AB greatly contributes to As accumulation in green turtles. Higher concentrations of remaining As in the sample after extraction were detected in the liver, implying that lipid-soluble or protein bound As compounds accumulate in the liver of green turtles. Total As levels in tissues showed significant negative correlations with standard carapace length. The size-dependence of As accumulation in green turtles may be related to their feeding habit, shifting from carnivore to herbivore at different growth stages. Concentrations of AB and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were low in the stomach contents but high in the tissues, implying bioaccumulation of these arsenicals in green turtles.     

Toxicogenomic analysis of immune system-related genes in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) exposed to heavy oil

Heavy oil contamination is one of the most important environmental issues. Toxicities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including immune toxicities, are well characterized, however, the immune toxic effects of heavy oil, as a complex mixture of PAHs, have not been investigated. In the present study, we selected Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) as a model organism, and observed alteration of immune function by the exposure to heavy oil. To analyze the expression profiles of immune system-related genes, we selected 309 cDNAs from our flounder EST library, and spotted them on a glass slide. Using this cDNA array, alteration of gene expression profiles was analyzed in the kidneys of flounders exposed to heavy oil. Six Japanese flounders (mean body weight: 197 g) were acclimated to laboratory conditions at 19–20 °C. Three fish were exposed to heavy oil C (bunker C) at a concentration of 3.8 g/L for 3 days, and the others were kept in seawater without heavy oil and used as the control. After the exposure period, the fish were transferred into control seawater and maintained for 4 days, and then they were dissected and their kidneys were removed. Total RNA was extracted from the kidney samples to use in gene expression analyses. The microarray detected alteration of immune system-related genes in the kidneys of heavy oil-exposed flounders, including down-regulation of immunoglobulin light chain, CD45, major histocompatibility complex class II antigens and macrophage colony-stimulating factor precursor, and up-regulation of interleukin-8 and lysozyme. These results suggest that pathogen resistance may be weakened in heavy oil-exposed fish, causing a subsequent bacterial infection, and then proinflammatory genes may be induced as a defensive response against the infection. Additionally, we found candidate genes for use as biomarkers of heavy oil exposure, such as N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 and heat shock cognate 71 kDa proteins.     

Calculating downward longwave radiation under clear and cloudy conditions over a tropical lowland forest site: an evaluation of model schemes for hourly data

Field measurements of radiation fluxes—notably downwelling longwave radiation flux (LW flux)—are as yet rare or nonexistent outside a very select number of sites in the tropics. Data gaps can only be filled through the use of estimation schemes based on measurements of other meteorological variables, and there is a need for recommendations on best practice in this area. We selected 18 contrasting semi-empirical estimation schemes for downward longwave radiation, based on air emissivities, combined with six different sky cover estimation schemes and compared the expected longwave flux with hourly observations from a flux tower at Caxiuan? in Brazil. Of all schemes tested, the Dilley–Kimball emissivity scheme combined with Kasten and Czeplak’s sky cover scheme during the day and Dilley and O’Brien’s model B scheme at night proved to be the most reliable, yielding estimates of LW flux generally within 20?W/m² of measurements across all time points.     

Failure of double friction pendulum bearings under pulse‐type motions

Although the behavior of friction sliding bearings is well understood, the failure behavior has not been thoroughly investigated. However, predicting and understanding the failure of bearings is an important key in designing isolated structures to minimize their collapse in extreme events, and thus, this study is critical. Because of its relative simplicity and particular availability in certain markets, the failure of the double friction pendulum (DFP) bearing at its physical displacement limit is investigated. The bearing is modeled with a rigid body model including inertia for each of the bearing components. A nonlinear viscoelastic impact model is included to simulate the impact between bearing components. As isolation systems are particularly vulnerable to long‐period excitations, analytical pulses are used as input excitations to investigate the influences of pulse parameters on the failure of DFP. The influences of DFP design parameters are investigated as well. To confirm that the response to the analytical pulses correctly represents the behavior under long‐period ground motions, wavelet analysis to is performed on 14 pairs of pulse‐type ground motion records to extract their pulses, and the failure prediction made from the extracted analytical pulse is compared with the failure from the real ground motions. It is found that using the extracted pulses provides a good estimation for the failure prediction of the ground motions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acoustic properties of deformed rocks in the Nobeoka thrust,in the Shimanto Belt,Kyushu, Southwest Japan

Laboratory measurements for compressional and shear wave velocities (Vp and Vs, respectively) and porosity were conducted with core samples from the Nobeoka Thrust Drilling Project (NOBELL) under controlled effective pressure (5–65 MPa at 5 MPa intervals) and wet conditions. Samples were classified according to deformation texture as phyllite, foliated cataclasite, or non‐foliated cataclasite. Measured values of Vp, Vs, and porosity are within a range of 5.17–5.57 km/s, 2.60–2.71 km/s, and 2.75–3.10 %, respectively, for phyllite; 4.89–5.23 km/s, 2.46–2.57 km/s, and 3.58–4.53 %, respectively, for foliated cataclasite; and 4.90–5.32 km/s, 2.51–2.63 km/s, and 3.79–4.60 %, respectively, for non‐foliated cataclasite, which are all consistent with the previous laboratory experiments conducted with outcrop samples under dry conditions. However, our results also indicate higher Vp and Vs and lower porosity than those measured by the previous studies that adopted the wire‐line logging methods. The variations in Vp, Vs, and porosity are controlled by deformation structure and are greater for phyllite and foliated cataclasite than for non‐foliated cataclasite.     

Catalytic function of avian cytochrome P450 1A4 and 1A5 (CYP1A4 and CYP1A5) enzymes heterologously expressed using in vitro yeast system

The present study clarifies the enzymatic properties of two avian cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) paralogs, CYP1A4 and 1A5, using a yeast-based vector system. Recombinant CYP1A4 and 1A5 proteins from common cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) were expressed in yeast cells, and showed typical reduced CO-difference spectra with a peak at 446 nm. Kinetic analysis of O-dealkylase of methoxy-, ethoxy-, pentoxy- and benzyloxyresorufin catalyzed by the CYP1A enzymes revealed that Vmax value for ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity was much higher than that for the other three O-dealkylase activities for both isozymes. Interestingly, remarkable substrate specificity of the CYP1As was observed for O-dealkylation of benzyloxyresorufin and methoxyresorufin; CYP1A4 was highly specific for catalyzing benzyloxyresorufin-O-debenzylase activity, whereas CYP1A5 was more efficient in catalyzing methoxyresorufin-O-demethylase activity. The present study also measured CYP1A-dependent EROD activity in the presence of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) to evaluate the ability of this dioxin-like congener to inhibit the EROD activity. One hundred nanomolar TCDF noncompetitively inhibited CYP1A5-dependent EROD activity, although no inhibitory effect was detected for CYP1A4-dependent EROD activity. These results indicate that the avian CYP1A paralogs have different affinities for substrate and inhibitor, thus suggesting their distinct physiological and toxicological roles.