Littoral benthos of the saline crater lakes of the basin of Oriental, Mexico

Two saline crater lakes in the basin of Oriental, Puebla-Tlaxcala-Veracruz, were investigated for littoral benthic macroinvertebrates. Fifty taxa were identified with the oligochaetes, amphipods, chironomids and leeches the dominant organisms. These four taxa made up to 99 per cent in both number and biomass.Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Hyalella azteca, Tanypus (Apelopia) sp. andStictochironomus sp. were the most abundant organisms. Unlike other saline lakes which have a littoral benthos dominated by chironomids, Alchichica and Atexcac were dominated by oligochaetes (70–73 per cent). The gastropod,Physa sp., was found up to a salinity of 8 g L⁻¹; in other studies, it has been found in lower salinities.L. hoffmeisteri is also a typical inhabitant of freshwater lakes, particularly of deep waters. It was dominant in the shallow, saline waters of the two lakes studied. Salinity did not affect species richness. Alchichica, the most saline of the six crater lakes of Puebla (salinity, 7.4 g L⁻¹), had 30 per cent more species than the freshwater lakes, and double the species number of Atexcac. It seems the main factor controlling species richness and the density and biomass of organisms in Alchichica and Atexcac is the presence of aquatic vegetation. It does this by increasing habitat heterogeneity and providing food and protection against predators.     

Inferences on the main volcano-tectonic structures at Mt. Etna (Sicily) from a probabilistic seismological approach

We analysed earthquakes at Mt. Etna for the period 1983–1991 using a method that weights uncertainties in hypocentral location. Three-dimensional distributions of hypocentral probability and energy density were studied, and two first-order volcano-tectonic structures identified. The first, on the northern and western sides, is roughly NE–SW oriented, and strongly marks the northernmost limit of earthquake occurrences in the volcano region; the second, NNW–SSE trending, affects the south-eastern flank of the volcano, and is evidence for an almost aseismic uprise of magma along it. Both structures fit well with the geodynamic framework of eastern Sicily. On the contrary, there is no evidence for a main magma chamber, as postulated in the literature.     

Characterization of displacement demand for elastic and inelastic SDOF systems

The results of a research concerning the characterization of elastic and inelastic displacement spectral demand as a function of magnitude, source-to-site distance, and soil type are presented. The displacement spectra were computed for single degree of freedom systems subjected to a large set of strong ground motion records.In the elastic case, design displacement spectra, modeled in a simplified way with a bilinear shape in the period range 0–4 s, are then proposed for the estimation of the displacement demand to structures located on different local soil condition, at different distance from the causative fault, and for different levels of magnitude. In order to evaluate the reliability of the proposed design displacement spectra, probabilistic displacement spectra corresponding to different levels of probability of non-exceedance were also carried out.The inelastic displacement demand to elasto-plastic systems was analyzed through the ratio between inelastic and elastic spectral displacements. Simplified relationships of the inelastic displacement ratio are then proposed as a function of displacement ductility, soil condition and period of vibration. Finally, as a comparison, the inelastic displacement ratios were also estimated considering other constitutive models.     

Patterns of fisheries institutional failure and success: Experience from the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence snow crab fishery,in Nova Scotia,Canada

This paper examines why market and government institutions failed to prevent over fishing in the Southern Gulf snow crab fishery, whereas non-market institutions succeeded. A general conclusion is that the institutional environment in which economic behaviour must be coordinated for successful fisheries management is complex. More specifically, collective action dilemmas arise from the interdependency of human and fish species interactions. However, successful institutions are capable of resolving these dilemmas when they achieve credible commitment. Coordination mechanisms such as co-management contracts, horizontal patterns of communication and win–win negotiations all contribute to building an institutional arrangement in which participants are motivated to comply with conservation objectives.     

Free vibration of rectangular plates with circular openings

The optimized Rayleigh-Ritz method is applied to generate values of the fundamental frequency coefficient and the one corresponding to the first fully antisymmetric mode for rectangular plates elastically restrained against rotation and with located circular holes. The results of this study are compared with existing data and the agreement is quite good.     

Forced transverse vibrations of a simply supported rectangular orthotropic plate in the case where the force acts over a plate subdomain

The present study deals with the exact solution of the title problem in the case where a uniformly distributed p₀ cos ωt-type force acts over a rectangular portion of the plate. The problem is of interest in naval and ocean engineering systems where a motor or an engine mounted on a plate or slab induces a dynamic excitation over a finite area. Mechanical designers commonly consider the problem from the point of view of a concentrated dynamic or static force. On the other hand, modelling the structural system as an orthotropic element is of considerable interest in ocean and naval design in view of the ever-increasing use of composite materials and also of the anisotropic characteristics often induced by metallurgical processes.     

An economic device for protecting bridge piers against ship collisions

Ship collisions against bridge piers have caused considerable damage (loss of human lives and partial structural destruction) in some instances. The present technical note discusses, in preliminary form, some of the advantages of a device developed at the Institute of Applied Mechanics. It is hoped that this short report will stimulate discussion, analysis and further development of the current investigations, and contribute to improving the defence of a bridge pier located in a seaway.     

Increased toxicity of benzo(a)pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol in the presence of polychlorobiphenylols

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) often co-exist in contaminated environments. Polychlorobiphenylols (OH-PCBs), formed by CYP-dependent monooxygenation of PCBs, are potent inhibitors of the glucuronidation of hydroxylated BaP metabolites. We hypothesized that OH-PCBs could drive the biotransformation of (-)BaP-7,8-dihydrodiol (BaP-7, 8-D) away from detoxication and towards formation of the reactive metabolite. A mixture of five OH-PCBs with 4-6 Cl atoms was infused into isolated, perfused, biliary intact livers (n=3 fish) removed from 3-methylcholanthrene-induced channel catfish. Controls (n=3) were infused with vehicle. Subsequently, [3H]-BaP-7, 8-D was infused into each liver and bile was collected for 1 h. The livers were taken for analysis of metabolites and DNA adducts. Induction status was confirmed by EROD assay. Bile was analyzed for metabolites. It was found that preinfusion of the mixture of OH-PCBs reduced the extent of glucuronidation of BaP-7, 8-D and increased the formation of DNA adducts 5-fold over controls. GSH conjugates, tetrols and triols were increased in the OH-PCB-infused fish, providing further support for our hypothesis that if the glucuronidation were inhibited, CYP-dependent activation would increase. These studies suggest a mechanism for synergy of toxicity of PAH and PCBs.