Petroleum isoprenoid hydrocarbons derived from catagenetic degradation of archaebacterial lipids

The three GC coeluting C₄₀ bis-phytanes with head-to-tail, tail-to-tail and head-to-head linkages considered to be archaebacterial markers, have been recognized in petroleum by enhanced mass-fragmentography. Supporting evidence has been obtained by the simultaneous occurrence of two C₂₁–C₂₄ series of isoprenoid and quasi-isoprenoid hydrocarbons that are supposedly formed during the catagenetic degradation of the isomeric C₄₀ isoprenoids. The C₂₁–C₂₄ quasi-isoprenoid hydrocarbons have been identified conclusively for the first time by comparison with authentic standards.     

Usability evaluation and PPGIS: towards a user-centred design approach

Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) is a field of research that, among other things, focuses on the use of GIS by non-experts and occasional users. These users tend to have a diverse range of computer literacy, world views, cultural backgrounds and knowledge. These aspects require that the systems used within PPGIS are accessible and easy to use. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and the related usability evaluation techniques focus on how to make computer systems more accessible, while focusing on user needs and requirements. Thus, the synergy between PPGIS and HCI seems natural. In this paper, we discuss the aspects of this synergy, building on our experience from three workshops. We demonstrate how usability evaluation can contribute to PPGIS research, and how PPGIS research can contribute to the HCI aspects of GIS in general. We conclude this paper with a call for a user-centred design approach to PPGIS projects.     

Abundance and Taxonomic Diversity of Bacteria Inhabiting the Sediment-Water Interface in a Marine Harbor Channel

Ocean Science Journal - The abundance of bacteria inhabiting the sediment-water interface and their taxonomic composition were determined with the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method...     

Transport in fracture processes: Fragmentation and slip

We present a new development in the asymmetric continuum theory with the shear oscillations (twist motions) and independent spin; these motions (displacement velocities and spin) can be shifted in phase to describe the independent rebound processes. Our approach provides an extension of the asymmetric continuum theory by including the microfragmentation processes with a double transport which may appear in an advanced fracture process under very high load. The related nonlinear equations, leading to soliton solutions, are derived.     

An indurated Pleistocene coastal barrier on the inner shelf of the Gulf of Valencia (western Mediterranean): evidence for a prolonged relative sea-level stillstand

The objective of this study is to document and interpret a recently discovered carbonate-cemented coastal barrier on the inner shelf of the Gulf of Valencia (western Mediterranean Sea). The coastal barrier was identified in a high-resolution digital bathymetric model based on a cartographic survey of the study area using a multibeam echosounder. Moreover, radiocarbon dating and petrographic analyses were performed on a rock sample recovered from the seabed. The data reveal the submerged coastal barrier to be approx. 1.7 km wide and 70 km long, and incised by channels of various dimensions. Aligned more or less parallel to the modern coastline, it is interpreted as corresponding to the shoreline of a former sea-level stillstand. The barrier and lagoon system became stranded above sea level in the course of a subsequent forced regression, which also caused the incision of the river courses. Age dating of the cemented rock suggests that the fossil coastal barrier most probably formed during the prolonged Tyrrhenian (Eemian) sea-level highstand, induration taking place by carbonate cementation at the contact between freshwater and seawater (beach-rock formation). The fact that the fossil barrier is today submerged below modern sea level is explained by the sustained subsidence affecting the region.     

Seismicity of Vesuvius on its present state of activity

Reference is hereby made to the characteristics of seismic recordings of volcanic origin as obtained at the Vesuvian Observatory up to date. The new seismic equipment recently put into operation and consisting of four three-component seismographs set up on the slopes of the Vesuvius Great Cone is also described. The characteristics of the records obtained by the above said equipment are hereby explained and related to the activity of the volcano.     

Climate change and infectious diseases: Can we meet the needs for better prediction?

The next generation of climate-driven, disease prediction models will most likely require a mechanistically based, dynamical framework that parameterizes key processes at a variety of locations. Over the next two decades, consensus climate predictions make it possible to produce forecasts for a number of important infectious diseases that are largely independent of the uncertainty of longer-term emissions scenarios. In particular, the role of climate in the modulation of seasonal disease transmission needs to be unravelled from the complex dynamics resulting from the interaction of transmission with herd immunity and intervention measures that depend upon previous burdens of infection. Progress is also needed to solve the mismatch between climate projections and disease projections at the scale of public health interventions. In the time horizon of seasons to years, early warning systems should benefit from current developments on multi-model ensemble climate prediction systems, particularly in areas where high skill levels of climate models coincide with regions where large epidemics take place. A better understanding of the role of climate extremes on infectious diseases is urgently needed.     

An Attempt to Partition Stomatal and Non-stomatal Ozone Deposition Parts on a Short Grassland

To evaluate the damaging effect of tropospheric ozone on vegetation, it is important to evaluate the stomatal uptake of ozone. Although the stomatal flux is a dominant pathway of ozone deposition onto vegetated surfaces, non-stomatal uptake mechanisms such as soil and cuticular deposition also play a vital role, especially when the leaf area index \({LAI}< 4\). In this study, we partitioned the canopy conductance into stomatal and non-stomatal components. To calculate the stomatal conductance of water vapour for sparse vegetation, we firstly partitioned the latent heat flux into effects of transpiration and evaporation using the Shuttleworth–Wallace (SW) model. We then derived the stomatal conductance of ozone using the Penman–Monteith (PM) theory based on the similarity to water vapour conductance. The non-stomatal conductance was calculated by subtracting the stomatal conductance from the canopy conductance derived from directly-measured fluxes. Our results show that for short vegetation (LAI \(=\) 0.25) dry deposition of ozone was dominated by the non-stomatal flux, which exceeded the stomatal flux even during the daytime. At night the stomatal uptake of ozone was found to be negligibly small. In the case of vegetation with \({LAI}\approx 1\), the daytime stomatal and non-stomatal fluxes were of the same order of magnitude. These results emphasize that non-stomatal processes must be considered even in the case of well-developed vegetation where cuticular uptake is comparable in magnitude with stomatal uptake, and especially in the case of vegetated surfaces with \({LAI}< 4\) where soil uptake also has a role in ozone deposition.     

Circulation and fertility of waters in Concepcion Bay

The spatial and temporal distributions of oxygen, nutrients and pigments in the waters of Concepcion Bay, Chile (36°40′S, 73°01′W) are described for 1978–1979. Analysis of the seasonal fluctuations shows the upwelling of water poor in oxygen and rich in nutrients inside the bay during summer. The upwelled water fertilizes the bay and produces progressive eutrophication, causing mass mortalities, discoloured water and mineralization of organic matter.     

Notes on three earthquakes in Santiago de Cuba (14.10.1800, 18.09.1826, 07.07.1842)

Damage and parameters of the earthquakes of October 14, 1800, September 18, 1826, and July 7, 1842, in Santiago de Cuba, in southeastern Cuba, have been studied. A quantitative re-evaluation of the size of the events is not feasible due to a lack of data. Hence, we have reinterpreted existing data to establish likely intensities and determine the epicentral region of occurrence. Available data do not permit accurate depth determinations. Intensities estimated from contemporary documentary sources give maximum values of 8, 8–9 and 8 (MSK scale), respectively. These seismic shocks were located in the Southeastern Seismotectonic Province of Cuba, Plate Boundary Zone Caribbean—North Atmerican. The earthquakes are associated with the Oriente fault system.