Toxicity of tributyltin in the marine mollusc Mytilus edulis

Our previous studies have demonstrated that tributyltin (TBT) is genotoxic to the early life stages of marine mussels and worms. Here, the toxicity of TBT to adult organisms was determined using a suite of biomarkers designed to detect cytotoxic, immunotoxic and genotoxic effects. Exposure of adult mussels, Mytilus edulis, to environmentally realistic concentrations of TBTO for 7 days resulted in a statistically significant decrease in cell viability at concentrations of 0.5 μg/l and above. TBT had no effect on phagocytic activity or antioxidant capacity (FRAP assay). There was a statistically significant increase in DNA damage detected using the comet and micronucleus assays between the controls and 0.5, 1 and 5 μg/l of TBTO (P > 0.0005). Furthermore there was a strong correlation between DNA strand breaks (comet assay) and formation of micronuclei (P = 0.0005; R² = 61.5%). Possible mechanisms by which TBT could damage DNA either directly or indirectly are discussed including the possibility that TBT is genotoxic due to its ability to disrupt calcium homeostasis.     

利用非线性模拟预测磁暴的发生

众所周知，磁暴与具有南向方向的星际磁场密切相关。这一结论是通过对线性预测滤波器的研究得出的，研究中采用的资料是Ｄｓｔ和ＩＭＦ数据系统，然而，从一次磁暴到另一次磁暴，该方法都要求对线性滤波器作较大的改动。因此在预测磁暴的活动中，线性滤波器法就显得具有一定的局限性。     

阿拉伯海东北部;印度深海扇下部的早期扩张和大陆向大洋基底的过渡

为了研究印度河深海冲积扇,地震测量穿入基底,利用测量结果能够绘制阿拉伯海东北部的基底构造图,并描述它的地球动力学演化。基底的主要大地构造是一条ＥＷ向地堑,并伴有一个突出的中心,ＥＷ向地垒——Ｐａｌｉ－ｔａｎａ地垒。这条裂谷被若干ＮＥ—ＳＷ向的断层斜向切割。大的ＥＷ向磁异常同大洋性阿拉伯海盆的磁异常层序不连续。但是,这些磁异常与地壳中的反磁化作用是有联系的,表明这条裂谷位于与德干圈闭（ＤｅｃｃａｎＴｒａｐｓ）有关的被线状火山岩体侵入的拉伸大陆壳之下,或者说位于老于像在东南方向的Ｌａｘｍｉ海盆的年代２８（６４Ｍａ）大洋壳之下。伴随这些构造,在Ｌａｘｍｉ海岭从印度大陆的分离过程中ＮＥ－ＳＷ向断层随着走向滑移模式可以起转变方向的作用。笔者提出裂谷作用和大洋扩张已经发生在与连接大洋性Ｌａｘｍｉ海盆、ＮａｒｍａｄａＳｏｎ线性构造和Ｇｏｐ裂谷的三联点周围。这个阶段早于阿拉伯海盆的大洋扩张作用。这一解释符合前面提到的在年代２８之前印度和塞舌尔的初始分离说。Ｌａｘｍｉ海岭可能是后来离去附着到印度大陆的塞舌尔微板块的一部分。     

Identification of transcriptional effects of ethynyl oestradiol in male plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) by suppression subtractive hybridisation and a nylon macroarray

Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to generate cDNA libraries representing genes differentially expressed in response to ethynyl oestradiol (EE2) exposure in liver from male plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) previously analysed for vitellogenin (VTG) induction. Characterisation of the cDNA clones identified many as VTG (2 genes) and zona radiata proteins (ZRP) (3 genes), but 40 encoded other proteins, with more than half cryptic. Further analysis identified 85 non-redundant clones suitable for array on nylon membrane. Radiolabelled cDNAs were prepared from hepatic mRNA from EE2 treated plaice (0 and 21 days) and hybridised with the arrayed clones. Analysis of the data showed that 11/17 novel, 21/22 VTG, 13/14 ZRP, 2/2 liver aspartic proteinase (LAP) and 8/10 other mRNAs were up-regulated by EE2 exposure.     

Persistence of oiling in mussel beds after the Exxon Valdez oil spill

Persistence and weathering of Exxon Valdez oil in intertidal mussel (Mytilus trossulus) beds in Prince William Sound (PWS) and along the Gulf of Alaska was monitored from 1992 to 1995. Beds with significant contamination included most previously oiled areas in PWS, particularly within the Knight Island group and the Kenai Peninsula. In sediments, yearly mean concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons ranged from < 60 micrograms/g in reference beds to 62,258 micrograms/g wet wt., or approximately 0 to 523 micrograms/g dry wt. total polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (TPAHs). In mussels, mean TPAH concentrations ranged up to 8.1 micrograms/g dry wt. Hydrocarbon concentrations declined significantly with time in some, but not all mussels and sediments, and should reach background levels within three decades of the spill in most beds. In 1995, mean hydrocarbon concentration was greater than twice background concentration in sediments from 27 of 34 sites, and in mussels from 18 of 31 sites.     

Magnetically enhanced coagulation of very small iron grains

Laboratory experiments, in which very small (approximately 20 nm) grains are produced in the presence of a magnetic field on the order of 100 Gauss in a low-pressure hydrogen atmosphere, have demonstrated that such smokes can become permanently magnetized. We show that magnetization results in an enormous enhancement in the coagulation efficiency of such materials even in the absence of external magnetic fields. Small iron grains should have been produced in the solar nebula by thermal processing of preexisting interstellar grains. If such processing occurred via high-energy electromagnetic events then the resultant magnetized grains could have triggered the formation of centimeter- to meter-sized protoplanetessimals by acting as "nets" capable of sweeping up nonconductive silicates suspended in the gas. It is possible that the presence of conductive fractal aggregates observed in modern-day protostellar disks could be explained by the enhanced coagulation efficiency of very small magnetized iron particles.