Lead contamination of small cetaceans in European waters--the use of stable isotopes for identifying the sources of lead exposure

Lead concentrations and isotopic composition have been measured in bone and teeth of small cetaceans belonging to three species (Delphinus delphis, Phocoena phocoena and Stenella coeruleoalba), to evaluate the toxicological risk and to determine sources of lead in the European waters. Lead concentrations, far lower than threshold value inducing toxic effects in human, were higher in teeth than in bones, but highly correlated between the two tissues (r=0.92, p<0.001). Large variations of 206Pb/207Pb values in bone tissue showed that cetaceans must be submitted to various atmospheric influences. No geographical differences appeared which is consistent with studies on their distribution indicating seasonal movements between Brittany waters and the Bay of Biscay. The negative correlation between 206Pb/207Pb ratios and age of the individuals reflected the decrease in the production of alkyl lead in Europe, i.e., the increasing use of unleaded gasoline.     

Does sediment grain size affect diatom grazing by harpacticoid copepods?

Estuarine soft sediments support a diverse group of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms though the role of the sediment per se for the functioning of these organisms remains largely unknown. The present study aimed to test the effect of sediment grain size on the grazing activities of harpacticoid copepods. In controlled experiments, two common intertidal harpacticoid species (Paramphiascella fulvofasciata and Nitokra spinipes) were each offered a mix of two benthic diatom species (Navicula phyllepta and Seminavis robusta) in different sedimentary conditions. Several microcosms were created using a variety of sediment types, including fine silt (<63 microm), coarser grained sands (125-250, 250-450, 100-300 microm), artificial 'sediments' of glass beads (250-500, 2000 microm) and even the absence of sediment was tested. The diatoms were enriched in the stable carbon (13)C to facilitate tracing in the harpacticoids. Both copepod species were able to graze on the diatoms with highest uptake when sediment was absent. In contrast, both harpacticoid species showed no uptake in silty conditions. In general, grazing was favoured when mean sediment grain size increased. The strong negative effect of fine grains on the grazer's efficiency can be explained by the resulting differences in the structure (and accessibility) of the diatom biofilm on the one hand and the mobility of the grazer on the other hand. In view of the subtle equilibrium between primary producers and grazers, these results might have important implications for the effect of siltation of tidal flats due to, e.g., human activities.     

An evaluation of force-based design vs. direct displacement-based design of jointed precast post-tensioned wall systems

The unique features of jointed post-tensioned wall systems, which include minimum structural damage and re-centering capability when subjected to earthquake lateral loads, are the result of using unbonded post-tensioning to attach the walls to the foundation, along with employing energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls. Using acceptance criteria defined in terms of inter-story drift, residual drift, and floor acceleration, this study presents a multiplelevel performance-based seismic evaluation of two five-story unbonded post-tensioned jointed precast wall systems. The design and analysis of these two wall systems, established as the direct displacement-based and force-based solutions for a prototype building used in the PREcast Seismic Structural Systems （PRESSS） program, were performed at 60% scale so that the analysis model could be validated using the PRESSS test data. Both buildings satisfied the performance criteria at four levels of earthquake motions although the design base shear of the direct displacement-based jointed wall system was 50% of that demanded by the force-based design method. The study also investigated the feasibility of controlling the maximum transient inter-story drift in a jointed wall system by increasing the number of energy dissipating shear connectors between the walls but without significantly affecting its re-centering capability.     

Mechanical compression release device in steel bracing system for retrofitting RC frames

1 Introduction Braced steel frames are commonly used to resist seismic loads. Their seismic behavior was extensively studied during the past decades (Bertero et al.., 1989; Roeder, 1989; Jain, 1978). Their design is governed by the buckling behavior of the bracing members (ASCE, 1994,2002; CSA, 1994). To prevent or delay the seismic buckling of compressive members in concentrically braced frames in steel structures, a great number of methods have been proposed. These include the use of sp…     

The First Mesozoic Heterodactyl Bird from China

1 Introduction Enantiornithines were the dominant birds nearly worldwide throughout the entire span of the Cretaceous (Chiappe, 1995; Feduccia, 1996). The adaptive radiation of opposite birds is little known besides the disparity of rostral morphology in Boluochia (Zhou, 1995), Longipteryx (Zhang et al., 2001), Longirostravis ( Hou et al., 2004), and the presence of stomach contents that reflect a diversity of diets. Like the structure of rostrum, differentiation of the locomotor apparatu…     

A pilot survey on antimicrobial activity and diversity of soil-derived actinobacteria from different depths in Gudzhirganskoe saline lake in Eastern Siberia

To explore pharmaceutical actinobacteria from salty environments in Siberia, 8 soil samples were collected from different depths of Gudzhirganskoe saline lake, the Republic of Buryatia, Russia.Totally, 635 actinobacterial strains affiliated with 21 genera in 12 families of 7 orders were obtained by culture-dependent approaches. The predominant genus was Streptomyces(74.5%), followed by Microbacterium(4.9%), Agromyces(3.5%), Nocardiopsis(3.0%), and Kitasatospora(2.5%). Seven strains showed relati...     

The impact of northern Indian Ocean rivers on the Bay of Bengal using NEMO global ocean model

The effect of river runoff over the northern Indian Ocean(NIO) especially over the Bay of Bengal(Bo B) has been studied using global Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean(NEMO). Two sensitivity experiments, with and without river runoff are conducted and the influence of river runoff on the Indian Ocean hydrography,stratification and circulation features are studied. It is found that due to river runoff surface salinity over the northern Bo B decreases by more than 5 and the East India Coastal Current strengthens by 2 cm/s during post monsoon season. The fresh river water reaches up to 15°N in the Bo B and is the main cause for low salinity there.Sea surface temperature in the northwestern Bo B increases by more than 0.2℃ due to the river runoff in summer monsoon while surface cooling upto 0.2℃ is seen in north-west part of Bo B in winter season. The seasonal mixed layer depth in the region is found to be dependent on river runoff. The effect of vertical shear and Brunt Vaisala frequency on stratification is also examined. The ocean water becomes highly stratified up to 3 035 m due to the river runoff. It is found that the energy required for mixing is high in the northern and coastal Bo B.     

Metal concentrations in sediments and clams in four Moroccan estuaries

Metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn and Fe) were analyzed seasonally over three years in sediments and in tissues of the clam Scrobicularia plana in four Moroccan Atlantic estuaries: Loukkos, Sebou, Bou Regreg and Oum er Rbia. Of these metals, Cd was at the lowest concentrations in sediment. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, and to a lesser extent Ni, in sediments suggest greater contamination in Sebou and Bou Regreg than in the other estuaries. The fluctuations of Mn and Fe concentrations in the fine surface sediments reflect their continental origin and show seasonal variations that indicate soil run-off following rain events. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, and especially Ni in clam tissues in these estuaries were generally higher than in some other common bioindicator bivalve species. The seasonal variations in S. plana's tissue metal concentrations are linked to patterns of reproductive activity for all metals except Cd and possibly Zn, whose tissue concentrations may be regulated. Mn and Fe concentrations in S. plana were positively correlated to sediment levels of these metals.     

特提斯洋壳在青藏隆升中所起的作用

地幔对流使特提斯洋壳显示为刚性的整体性,并以“抽屉式”插入到青藏陆壳之下,使之第一次隆升,之后受四川盆地,鄂尔多斯盆地和柴达木盆地刚性地块的阻抗,发生强烈的褶,断,叠作用,使青藏陆壳第二次隆升,同时,莫霍面下沉,褶断,从而形成了今天整个青藏高原的地质特征和地理形态。     

Seasonal variations of phytoplankton diversity in the Coleroon coastal waters, southeast coast of India

The results of an investigation carried out during June 2005 to May 2007 on physico-chemical parameters,species composition and community structure of phytoplankton including Chlorophyll a(Chl-a) at the Coleroon coastal waters(Southeast coast of India) are reported.Air and surface water temperatures(°C) varied from 25.1 to 30.1 and from 24.5 to 28.5 respectively.Salinity values varied from 6 to 28.5 and the pH ranged between 7.0 and 8.3.Variation in dissolved oxygen content was from 3.1 to 7.5 mg/dm-3 while the light extinction coefficient values(LEC) ranged between 3.1 and 10.1 cm.The ranges of inorganic nutrients(μmol/dm-3) viz.,nitrate,nitrite,phosphate and silicate were 10.1-23.4,1.2-8.9,0.2-3.1 and 55-125,respectively.The ranges of Chlorophyll a(μg/dm-3) values was 2.0-7.5.Presently,124 phytoplankton species representing different classes viz:Bacillariophyceae(77),Dinophyceae(19),Cyanophyceae(15),Chlorophyceae(10) and Chrysophyceae(3) were recorded.The phytoplankton cell abundance varied from 0.290 to 111.662 cells/cm-3,with peak diversity(3.38 bits/ind.) during summer season.The maximum abundance was found during summer season coinciding with the stable hydrographical conditions.The seasonal distribution and abundance of phytoplankton are discussed in relation to hydrographical parameters.Canonical Correspondence Analysis(CCA) was applied in this paper for discriminating environmental factors having effect on phytoplankton community at species level.Coleroon coastal water is subjected to long term fluctuations in physico-chemical parameters depending upon the seasonal tidal amplitude and freshwater influx resulting in a continuous exchange of organic,inorganic,plant and animal matters.