TOXICITY OF TWO HERBICIDES 2,4 -D DIMETHYLAMINE AND BENSULFURON METHYL TO RICE FIELD CHIRONOMUS KIIENSIS (TOKUNAGA) ( DIPTERA: CHIRONOMIDAE)

1 INTRODUCTIONRice field is a unique man -made wetland envi-ronment where many varieties of aquatic insects oc-curred ( Ali, Ahmad, 1988; Yamazaki,et al,2001a; Che Salmah, Abu Hassan, 2002). Duringrice cultivation in Malaysia, herbicides are used in-tensi…     

Stochastic and dynamic temperature changes in the interplanetary gas

Exact solutions have been found to the Fokker-Planck equations, incorporating stochastic velocity changes and modelling particles moving in an inverse square central force field under an inverse square collision frequency. The solutions for the velocity distribution contain a combination of collisional and dynamical (reversible) heating. At a general position, there are two populations each with three distinct temperatures, one normal to the orbital plane and the others closely parallel and perpendicular to the mean orbit. Collisional heating is strong and most readily detected in the secondary component of gas which reaches upstream directions along indirect orbits (attractive central force). For interplanetary helium gas reaching 1 a.u., the collisional heating ranges from effective transverse increase of 200 K and radial increase of 1500 K in the downstream wake, to several thousand K increase in radial temperature of the secondary component transverse to the initial gas stream. In interpreting 584 Å sky background radiation observations, the dynamical changes in the velocity spread have to be taken into account for helium gas that is initially hot, when Doppler shifts relative to the solar emission line are significant; the present solutions being the thermal approximations to the distribution function reveal the appropriate radial temperature as a function of space.     

Analytical Solutions for Free-Hydrocarbon Recovery Using Skimmer and Dual-Pump wells

Accidental release of petroleum hydrocarbons to the subsurface may occur through spills around refineries, leaking pipelines, storage tanks, or other sources. If the spill is large, the hydrocarbon liquids may eventually reach a water table and spread laterally in a pancake-like lens. Hydrocarbons that exist as a separate phase are termed light nonaqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs). The portion of the LNAPL that is mobile, not entrapped as residual saturation, is termed "free product."
This paper presents new analytical solutions for the design of long-term free-product recovery from aquifers with skimmer, single- and dual-pump wells. The solutions are for steady-state flow, based on the assumption of vertical equilibrium, and include the effect of coning of LNAPL, air, and water on flow. The solutions are valid for soils of large hydraulic conductivity where the effect of capillary pressure on coning is small.
The results show how to estimate the maximum rate of inflow of LNAPL for skimmer wells, i.e., wells in which LNAPL is recovered with little or no water production. The paper also shows how to calculate the increase in LNAPL recovery when water is pumped by single- or dual-pump wells. A simple equation is given that can be used to adjust the water rate to avoid smearing of the LNAPL below the water table.     

Coastal conglomerates around the Hadjer el Khamis inselbergs (western Chad,central Africa): new evidence for Lake Mega‐Chad episodes

This paper reports on a study dealing with the rhyolitic inselbergs of Hadjer el Khamis that formed palaeoislands during Lake Mega‐Chad events. Field observations have shown that: (1) conglomeratic patches of immature to mature clasts are preserved at the feet of the Hadjer el Khamis inselbergs; (2) in cross‐section, their pro?le reveals a well de?ned cliff–platform junction at a constant elevation (325 m). The monolithological clasts show all degrees of roundness, from angular cobbles to well rounded pebbles. This wide range of maturity suggests a coastal origin for these cobbles. The system was permanently fed with angular clasts, which were progressively worn by waves. Cobbles that were wave‐worked for the longest time are the best rounded. The cliff–platform junction is the result of erosion by waves, which attacked and undercut the inselberg cliffs during Lake Mega‐Chad events. Asymmetrical erosion pro?les moreover suggest a wind regime dominated by SW to NE oriented winds. These interpretations have two implications. The elevation of the cliff–platform junction is an indication of the highest water level of Lake Mega‐Chad at 320–325 m, which is in agreement with other observations elsewhere in the basin. The SW to NE oriented winds show that monsoon‐related winds were prevalent during Lake Mega‐Chad events, suggesting the Inter‐Tropical Convergence Zone was located higher in latitude than today. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analyse sismo-stratigraphique du bassin d'Abda (Maroc occidental), exemple de structures inverses pendant le rifting atlantiqueSeismo-stratigraphic analysis of the Abda Basin (West Morocco): a case of reverse structures during the Atlantic rifting

The review of the seismic reflection and well data from the coastal Abda Basin (western Morocco) shows that its Triassic and Jurassic sequences were deposited in a submeridean sag basin, whose eastern margin is characterised by progressive truncations and pinching out of these sequences against a prominent Palaeozoic high. The uplift of this latter is interpreted as a response to an Upper Triassic–Middle Jurassic local compressional event that controlled Triassic–Jurassic sedimentation within the Abda Basin. The present day ‘West Meseta Flexure’ is a surface expression of this uplift. To cite this article: H. Echarfaoui et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 371–377.     

Wheat crop production estimation using satellite data

This paper reports acreage, yield and production forecasting of wheat crop using remote sensing and agrometeorological data for the 1998–99 rabi season. Wheat crop identification and discrimination using Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) ID LISS III satellite data was carried out by supervised maximum likelihood classification. Three types of wheat crop viz. wheat-1 (high vigour-normal sown), wheat-2 (moderate vigour-late sown) and wheat-3 (low vigour-very late sown) have been identified and discriminated from each other. Before final classification of satellite data spectral separability between classes were evaluated. For yield prediction of wheat crop spectral vegetation indices (RVI and NDVI), agrometeorological parameters (ET_max and TD) and historical crop yield (actual yield) trend analysis based linear and multiple linear regression models were developed. The estimated wheat crop area was 75928.0 ha. for the year 1998–99, which sowed ?2.59% underestimation with land record commissioners estimates. The yield prediction through vegetation index based and vegetation index with agrometeorological indices based models were 1753 kg/ha and 1754 kg/ha, respectively and have shown relative deviation of 0.17% and 0.22%, the production estimates from above models when compared with observed production show relative deviation of ?2.4% and ?2.3% underestimations, respectively.     

Characterization of some Egyptian serpentinites used as ornamental stones

Egypt is characterized by wide occurrence of serpentinites, particularly in the central and southern parts of Eastern Desert. There are several cooperate factors that affect the serpentinites used as ornamental stones. These factors involve mineralogical characteristics （including mineral composition and microstructure parameter）, physical properties and mechanical properties. Antigorite is an essential serpentinite mineral, with a minor amount of chrysotile. Talc, carbonates （magnesite and dolomite） and tremolite are the main associated minerals. Quality and quantity of associated minerals such as talc and carbonates （dolomite and magnesite） affect the properties of serpentinites used as ornamental stones. Carbonates are resistant to weathering but suffer from acidic cleaning agents in interior use, whereas serpentinites with a high content of talc used on external faces undergo an increase in volume and a consequent rapid degradation. Studied serpentinites are characterized by relatively small grain size with foliated texture, low water absorption, low porosity, and high abrasion resistance. In the samples studied the uniaxial compressive strength （UCS） varies between 89 and 189 MPa, with an average of 152 MPa. According to the classification of Bell （1992）, sample No. B8 is very high in strength while the rest high in strength.     

Within versus between-lake variability of sedimentary diatoms: the role of sampling effort in capturing assemblage composition in environmentally heterogeneous shallow lakes

The effect of within-lake diatom assemblages variability on sample representativity and its subsequent impact on between-lake comparisons were addressed in three environmentally heterogeneous shallow lakes from the Argentinean Pampas. Surface sediment samples were collected from the open waters and the highly vegetated littoral areas on a seasonal basis and analyzed for diatom assemblages composition. Within-lake variability was assessed by comparing the Bray Curtis distances between original data and the Monte Carlo-simulated average assemblages composition through non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Diatom assemblages showed a high variability in composition, evidencing large dispersions of samples around the centroid in NMDS plots. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance tests signaled significant differences in average composition between the three lakes, related mainly to their differences in conductivity and depth. Representativity of original samples was assessed through principal coordinates analyses ordinations of the three lakes, being samples lying in the overlapping areas of the plot classified as poor representatives of between-lake differences. Several samples, both from littoral and open waters, were classified as poor representatives through this method. Simulation allowed us to evaluate the effect of sample replication on improving between-lake comparisons, and showed that collecting two littoral and two open-water samples allowed us to faithfully capture differences in average composition among the three lakes. Hence, the results suggest that using a single sample to estimate diatom assemblages composition in these lakes should be avoided, as it fails to capture between-lake differences, leading to biases in compositional comparisons among lakes and regions. Consequently, including multiple samples from each lake when constructing calibration sets would be the best option to obtain reliable paleoenvironmental reconstructions from single sediment cores in these environmentally heterogeneous shallow lakes.