Vitellogenin in the blood plasma of male cod (Gadus morhua): a sign of oestrogenic endocrine disruption in the open sea?

An ELISA for cod vitellogenin (VTG) has been set up using cod lipovitellin for plate coating and standardisation. The assay has been applied to plasma samples collected from male and female cod caught in three distinct areas around the UK, three areas off the Norwegian coast and also to cod reared initially at an aquaculture site and subsequently maintained at a research station. The aim of the study was to determine whether there were any signs of oestrogenic endocrine disruption in a fish species living offshore. VTG induction was found in male cod caught in the North Sea, the Shetland Box area, in Oslofjord and also in cultivated fish. There was a strong relationship between concentrations of VTG and fish size. There was no evidence that the presence of VTG in the plasma of males is a natural part of their life cycle. On the other hand, the size of fish at which these elevated VTG concentrations appear (ca. 5 kg) is about the size that cod change from feeding primarily on benthic invertebrates to mainly other fish, both benthic and pelagic. The possibility is suggested that large cod pick up oestrogenic endocrine disrupters through the food chain.     

多通道化学传感器及其在热液喷口探测中的应用

热液喷口附近的羽状流中存在明显的化学及浊度异常,通过探测这些异常可判断是否存在热液喷口及确定喷口的具体位置。本文研制了一款可用于探测热液喷口的多通道化学传感器,该传感器具有体积小、精度高的特点,且可在4000米深海中进行工作。该化学传感器共配备五个全固态电极,一个为参比电极,其余四个为离子选择性电极,并且可根据所测量的化学离子进行更换。本文基于该化学传感器共进行了两组实验。在第一组浅海试验中,化学传感器集成了pH,Eh,CO₃^2-和SO₄^2-电极,在浅海海域中测量对应化学量,结果表明该化学传感器可在实际应用中获得高精度、稳定的测量数据。第二组实验为深海热液探测,装配了pH,Eh,CO₃^2-和H₂S电极的化学传感器在西南印度洋中脊区域的29次测线中投入使用,共获得有效数据27组。通过对测量所得到的化学量进行分析,本文提出了一种确定热液喷口的化学异常探测方法,若某时间段内Eh和H₂S的电势降低,而pH和CO₃^2-的电势上升则可判定存在化学异常。利用该方法对27组有效数据进行分析,共发现5个潜在的热液喷口。实验结果表明,该化学传感器可有效地探测由热液引起的化学异常,适用于实际热液探测中。     

立体雷达方法在星载测雨雷达上的应用

星载测雨雷达的应用,必须满足一些主要条件：高的空间分辨率、宽阔的覆盖范围、大的动态降雨测量范围以及精确的点测量等。由于技术条件的限制,满足这些条件的雷达工作在被雨衰减的频率段,因此必须修正由于衰减所导致的误差。立体雷达方法利用雷达从两个不同角度对雨团的观测来进行衰减效应的订正并实现整个观察区域的雷达反射率因子和比衰减因子场的反演。通过数值实验研究了星载特性的引入造成的不均匀性束内填充效应对立体雷达方法的影响     

北大西洋罗卡尔海槽北部晚第四纪地层及古海洋学变化

运用微化石及沉积学方法,对采自罗卡尔海槽北部不同沉积环境下的六个浅层重力管样品进行了层序分析,从采自巴拉扇沉积的钻孔样品可识别出半远洋、浊流、准浊流沉积层序。从罗卡尔海槽东北部的陆坡裙、海底陆坡到冰碛沉积区内获得的岩芯,是一些半远洋与冰海沉积物、泥质粉砂岩和等深积砂岩与之互层或覆于其上,甲藻类孢子,浮游有孔虫类以及超微生物地层标志,反映了四次冰消作用,巴拉扇的一个长岩芯样记录了这四次冰消作用,即晚冰期、阿勒罗德—波令期、新仙女木期及全新世,沉积记录显示了北大西洋的冰消作用不是一个简单的线型演变过程,而具有非线型的突变事件特征。由于海面温度的突变,而影响了海底洋流的活动。     

LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS ON NAVIGATION-INDUCED BED SHEAR STRESSES AND SEDIMENT RESUSPENSION

IINTRODUCTIONDependingonflowandoperatingconditions,navigationtrafficmaycausesignificantresuspensionofdepositedsediment.Jnanumberofsituationsresuspensionofdepositedsedimentcanhavesevereenvironmentalrepercussions.Forinstance,ifthesedimentcontainscontaminants,thecontaminantsmaybereentrainedwiththesediment,taintingthewaterquality(Erdmannetal.,1994).Inothersituations,..evedincreasesintheamountofcleansuspendedsedimentcanbedetrimentalforaquaticplantsandanimals(Garcfaetal.,1998).Inordertoassesst…     

Kyanite far from equilibrium dissolution rate at 0–22℃ and pH of 3.5–7.5

Kyanite is an important and slow-dissolving mineral. Earlier work has measured its dissolution rate at high temperature and acidic pH, but experimental measurements at low temperature and near neutral p H were lacking. The rate equation by Palandri and Kharaka(A compilation of rate parameters of water–mineral interaction kinetics for application to geochemical modeling. US Geological Survey, Open File Report 2004-1068, 2004) indicates that the rate of kyanite dissolution at room temperature and near neutral pH is on the order of 10^-17 mol m^-2 s^-1, orders of magnitudes slower than most common silicate minerals such as albite and quartz. This study used an externallystirred mixed-flow reactor, which allows high solid:solution ratios, to measure the dissolution rate of kyanite at 0–22 ℃ and pH of 3.5–7.5. The measured dissolution rate of kyanite is 4.6–7.6 9 10-13 mol m^-2 s^-1 at 22℃, and the apparent activation energy is 73.5 kJ mol^-1. This dissolution rate is close to the rate of quartz dissolution and four orders of magnitude faster than the prediction by rate equation of Palandri and Kharaka(2004).Based on our new experimental data, we recommend the following rate equation for modeling the dissolution of kyanite at ambient temperatures.r=ke(-Ea)/R(1/T-1/(298.15))where k = 5.08 9 10-13 mol m^-2 s^-1, and Ea= 73.5 kJ mol^-1. Review of literature data(Carroll in The dissolution behavior of corundum, kaolinite, and andalusite: a surface complex reaction model for the dissolution of aluminosilicate minerals in diagenetic and weathering environs. Dissertation, Northwestern University, 1989) led to a recommended rate equation for andalusite as for T = 25℃ and pH = 2–10:r=k1aH+^n1+k2+k3aH^+^n3where k1= 4.04 9 10^-10 mol m^-2 s^-1, k2= 7.95×10^-10 mol m^-2 s^-1, k3= 1.01×10^-17 mol m^-2 s^-1, n1= 1.2 and n3=-0.6.     

地震预警:ShakeAlert在太平洋西北部的应用

对地震预警算法ElarmS-2(地震报警系统第二版)在太平洋西北部的应用效果进行了评估。本文数据来源于美国俄勒冈州、加利福尼亚州、华盛顿州和加拿大的不列颠哥伦比亚省(这里的3州1省即本文所指太平洋西北部——译注,下同)的实时监测数据和历史地震数据。在测试的地震中,矩震级最大的为7.2级,这也是ElarmS-2算法可以精确测量的最大震级。在台网范围内,ElarmS-2可以准确检测到台网内编目震级大于等于3级的地震,但是对于发生在海上或台网边缘的地震,ElarmS-2能准确识别的事件的截止震级会偏高。对ElarmS-2算法进行若干调整后,降低了发出错误的多重警报的概率。通过模拟历史地震事件,发现新的配置改善了发生在台网边缘的地震事件的算法的性能,而且不会影响台网密集区域的地震事件良好约束的解。我们希望误报数量减少,而且不会误报大地震事件。虽然ElarmS-2假设固定的震源深度,但是震中距和震级估计值仍然是足够准确的,可以提供对震动强度的准确预测。     

Geophonino的开发与编程:一个低成本的基于Arduino技术并用于垂直地震检波器的地震记录仪

通常用于地震勘探的商用数据采集系统都是一些很昂贵的设备。本文中,我们开发了一种低成本的数据采集系统(Geophonino),用来记录来自垂直地震检波器的地震信号。该信号首先通过INA155仪表放大器,这个放大器适用于诸如地震噪声这样的低振幅信号,以及一个基于MAX7404开关电容滤波器的反混叠滤波器。然后,放大和滤波后的信号经过Arduino Due数字化和处理并写入SD存储卡中。将Geophonino设置为连续写入,其中采样频率、振幅增益和寄存时间可由用户定义。完整的原型是一个开源和开放硬件的系统。我们已经把写入的信号与从不同的商用数据采集系统和不同种类的地震检波器获得的信号进行了比较测试。得到的结果显示被测试的测量值之间具有良好的相关性,表明可以将Geophonino作为低成本的地震数据采集替代系统。     

Geophonino-3D的设计与测试:应用H/V谱比法的低成本三分量地震噪声记录仪

地震效应与地震发生地的地质特性密切相关,会加强该地区的地表运动,尤其是软土地区。加强的程度与共振频率相关,可通过水平与垂直谱比法(H/V谱比法)测量地震噪声从而估算共振频率。本文设计了一种低成本用户友好型数据采集系统(Geophonino-3D),用于记录三分量地震噪声。可开发的系统由信号调节电路和安装有SD Shield(用于存储数据)的Arduino Due组成。本设备首先在实验室中对其实验灵敏度、内部噪声稳定性、通道一致性进行了测试,评估了其是否适用于H/V谱比法。随后,通过在阿利坎特省(西班牙东南部)8个土壤特性不同的场地记录地震噪声,进行了实验验证。根据比较商用地震记录仪测出的功率谱密度和H/V峰值,评估了所开发数据采集系统的性能。所得结果表明本数据采集系统适用于应用H/V谱比法记录地震噪声。Geophonino-3D采用开源和开放硬件系统,部件价格远低于其他商用设备,对于资金短缺的研究团队来说,这是明显的进步。