Temporal trends of mercury in marine biota of west and northwest Greenland

Temporal trends in mercury concentrations ([Hg]) during the last two to three decades were determined in liver of shorthorn sculpin, ringed seal and Atlantic walrus from northwest Greenland (NWG, 77 degrees N) and in liver of shorthorn sculpin and ringed seal from central west Greenland (CWG, 69 degrees N) during the last decade. Stable-nitrogen (delta(15)N) and carbon (delta(13)C) isotope values were determined in muscle of ringed seals to provide insight into potential trophic level changes through time. Log-linear regressions on annual median [Hg] did not reveal any temporal trend in shorthorn sculpin from CWG and NWG and walrus from NWG. In ringed seals from NWG, an increase in [Hg] of 7.8% per year was observed. When based on delta(15)N-adjusted [Hg] this rate increased to 8.5% but was still non-significant. In ringed seal from CWG no trend was found in [Hg] during the period 1994-2004. However, during the last part of the period (1999-2004) the [Hg] increased significantly. Including tissue delta(15)N values as a covariate had a marked effect on these results. The annual changes in delta(15)N-adjusted [Hg] was estimated to -5.0% for the whole period and 2.2% during the last 5 years compared to -1.3% and 12.4%, respectively, for the non-adjusted [Hg].     

Seismic waves in a layered half-space from an arbitrary buried source

In this paper, a transfer matrix and a three-dimensional dynamic response of a layered half-space to an arbitrary buried source are derived with the aid of a technique which combines the Laplace and two-dimensional Fourier transforms in a rectangular coordinate system. This method is clear in concept, and the corresponding formulas given in the paper are simple and convenient for marine seismic prospecting and other fields' applications. An example is presented and the calculated results are in good agreement with those of the finite element method (FEM).     

WISE EXPLOITATION OF NEWLY GROWING LAND RESOURCES——An Assessment on Land-use Change of Chongming Island Using GIS

1INTRODUCTIONThreewell-documentedmajorglobalchangesaffectinghumanbeingsareincreasingconcentrationofcarbondioxideintheatmosphere,alterationinthebiochemistryoftheglobalnitrogencycle,andon-goinglanduse/coverchange(LUCC)(VITOUSEK,1994).Forcen-turies,humanbeingshavebeenalteringtheearth'ssurfacetoproducetheirfoodandsheltersthroughagri-culturalactivities(REIDetal.,2000).Likeothercountries,Chinaisalsosubjecttolandtransformation,forinstance,abouthalfamillionhectaresofwetlandshavebeenreclaime…     

TREND OF PRECIPITATION VARIATION IN HUBEI PROVINCE SINCE THE 1960S

1INTRODUCTIONOneoftheeffectsofglobalwarmingisthatprecipita-tionhasincreasedoversomeareasintheworld,andthegaugedataofprecipitation (excludingAntarctica)showthatglobalprecipitationhasincreasedslightlybyabout9mmforthe20thcentury, whichwas verysmallcomparedwiththeinterannualandmul-ti-decadalvariability(NEWetal.,2001).Butregion-ally,thereexisted agreatdealofdifferences,suchasinmostpartsofAfrica, Amazon,westernSouthAmerica,theweatherhasbecomedrier,andinmostpartsofEuropeandCanada,thereexisted…     

Efficient gusA Transient Expression in Porphyra yezoensis Protoplasts Mediated by Endogenous Beta-tubulin Flanking Sequences

1 Introduction Porphyra yezoensis is one of the most widely con-sumed and cultivated seaweeds in the world. Over the past decades, much effort has been made in improving the cultured stocks and developing breeding techniques of alga. At present, nuclear transformation systems of eu-karyotic algae such as green unicellular alga Chlamydo-monas reinhardii (Rochaix and Dillewijn, 1982), diatom Phseodactylum tricornutum (Lioudmila et al., 2000) and simple multicellular green alga Volvox carteri (…     

Purification and Refolding of a Novel β-Agarase from Inclusion Body of E. coli

1 Introduction Agarases produced by agar-degrading bacteria are classified into two groups based on their modes of action, namely, α-agarase and β-agarase. They hydrolyze α -1, 3 linkage and β-1, 4 linkage of agarose respectively (Duckworth and Turvey, 1969). Agarases are widely used in food, cosmetic and medical industries for the produc-tion of oligosaccharides from agar (Kobayashi et al., 1997; Yoshizawa et al., 1995). Neoagaro-oligo- saccharides produced by β-agarase inhibit the gro…     

DEM FROM SAR:PRINCIPLE AND APPLICATION

1　IntroductionWiththetechnologicalimprovementsofradarimagerysystems,thescientificcommunitieshavebetteropportunitiestostudyapplicationsinvariousremotesensingfieldssuchasoceanography ,geolo gy ,atmosphere ,cartography ,environmentsurveil lance .Theseresearchstudieshaveacommonobjec tive:toknowmoreabouttheearth’senvironmentandtheinaccessiblecelestialobjectsmoreprecisely .Cartographicinformationisimportantformanyfields:theterritorydevelopmentanddefense ,theforestforecasts,theminingresources,etc.F…     

ISSUES ON CHINA′S ENERGY SECURITY

Energysupplyisadeterminantfactor to the developmentand the prosperity of a modern society. China is one ofthe largest energy consumers andproducersin the world,and energy supply and its security in the country aregreat issues concerned not onlybytheChina …     

Extraction of organochlorine pesticides in sediments using soxhlet,ultrasonic and accelerated solvent extraction techniques

The application of soxhlet, ultrasonic and accelerated solvent extraction techniques to the analysis of six organochlorine pesticides (α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, o, p'-DDT, p,p'-DDT and p, p'-DDE) in Taihu Lake sediment samples is described. It was found that the limits of quantification ranged from 0.002μgg-1 to 0.004μgg-1, and the recoveries of organochlorine pesticides with the three extraction techniques were acceptable (>80.7%). With a mass selective detector, better results were obtained by accelerated solvent extraction using hexane-acetone (1:1) as compared with soxhlet and ultrasonic extraction. It was shown that the accelerated solvent extraction was the optimum technique for the analysis of organochlorine pesticides in sediments. The general features of the three extraction techniques are also presented.