Residues of 14C-4n-nonylphenol in mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) oocytes and embryos during dietary exposure of mature females to this xenohormone

In order to assess in fish the maternal transfer of alkylphenolic compounds to the progeny, the identification and quantification of the labelled compounds present in oocytes and embryos was conducted after dietary exposure of mature female mosquitofish to 14C-4n-nonylphenol during vitellogenesis and embryogenesis respectively. Radioactivity found in bile and liver extracts accounted for 0.9-0.6 and 0.2-0.1% of ingested radioactivity for females exposed during vitellogenesis and embryogenesis respectively. The amount of extractable radioactivity present in oocytes and embryos was 0.19 and 0.07% of the ingested dose respectively. The radio-HPLC profiles obtained from bile, liver, oocyte and embryo extracts were similar. They showed the presence of 4n-NP-glucuronide as the major metabolite and traces of unchanged 4n-NP. The other metabolites corresponded to 8-hydroxynonylphenol, 9-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-nonanoic acid and para-hydroxybenzoic acid which is the final product of the alkyl chain oxidation. Our results indicate that exposure of ovoviviparous female fish to 4-NP during vitellogenesis and embryogenesis leads to the contamination of the progeny by 4-NP and its metabolites.     

Oxidative stress responses in two populations of Laeonereis acuta (Polychaeta, Nereididae) after acute and chronic exposure to copper

Acute (4 days) and chronic (14 days) effects of copper were evaluated on the antioxidant defenses of Laeonereis acuta (Polychaeta) collected in unpolluted (UP) and polluted (P) sites. In the acute assay (125 and 250 micro g Cu/l) superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities did not change, whereas catalase (CAT) increased in worms from both the sites. Lipid peroxidation was higher in copper exposed worms from the P site. In the chronic assay (62.5 micro g Cu/l) polychaetes from the P site showed enhanced activities of SOD, GST and CAT and higher contents of metallothionein-like proteins and sulfhydrils compared to worms from UP. Differences in responses between polychaetes from UP and P sites suggest that organisms from the polluted site, P, are more susceptible to oxidative stress conditions.     

欧亚冰盖的消融

巴巴多斯和新几内亚的海平面变化表明：在过去的15000a中曾有过两次大规模的冰川融水流．同其它环境变化(如北大西洋深水环流)相比，这两次融水流形成的时间显然有助于我们进一步了解从未次冰期到问冰期的气候变迁及新仙女木事件．     

Irish on the move

Trends in emigration from Ireland over time are reviewed. "During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries overseas migration to the United States and seasonal harvest migration to Britain were the main types of movement, but over the past 100 years the Irish have developed a special affinity for settling in British towns. Although the outflow was halted for a time during the 1970s, when return migration took over, the 1980s have seen a renewal of the exodus. This time, however, the character of the flow has changed from predominantly low-skill construction and factory workers to embrace better-educated emigrants, including many graduates. This shift reflects Ireland's changing position in the international market for labour."     

乙醇生产将导致2008年粮食价格继续升高

我们正在经历人类历史上巨大灾难。美国降低对石油的依赖度转而用粮食提炼原料用于汽车燃油的错误决策,已经引起了前所未有的全球范围粮食危机。     

埃达克质岩的构造背景与岩石组合

本文介绍了埃达克质岩形成的构造背景与岩石组合。埃达克质岩可以形成于不同的构造背景并与不同类型的岩石同时出现：1）火山弧环境中常出现埃达克质岩一高镁安山岩-富Nb玄武质岩组合,它的形成可能与板片熔融以及熔体一地幔橄榄岩的相互作用有关;2）大陆活动碰撞造山带环境（如羌塘）中埃达克质岩常与同期钾质或橄榄玄粗质岩共生,这可能与俯冲陆壳熔融和俯冲陆壳熔体交代的地幔橄榄岩熔融有关;3）造山带伸展垮塌环境（如大别山）中埃达克质岩会伴随有镁铁质一超镁铁质岩浆出露,增厚下地壳产生埃达克质岩浆后的榴辉岩质残留体拆沉进入地幔,与地幔橄榄岩的混合可能形成后期镁铁质一超镁铁质岩浆的源区;4）大陆板内伸展环境中埃达克质岩常与同期橄榄玄粗质的岩石共生,增厚、拆沉下地壳,以及富集地幔的熔融或岩浆混合在岩石的成因中发挥了重要作用。     

印度板块和亚洲大陆在何时何地碰撞

印度板块和亚洲大陆的初始碰撞时间是所有相关的喜马拉雅-西藏造山体系演化模式的主控条件,并严重影响到对众多与青藏高原隆升和东亚大陆挤出相关的地质过程速率的解释,以及对新生代全球气候变化的理解。尽管印度板块和亚洲大陆汇聚的速率在55Ma突然减缓被广泛地认为是初始碰撞的标志,但这次碰撞所造成的主要构造效应直到20多个百万年以后才显现出来。对印度板块和亚洲大陆相对位置的重新估算,表明它们在55Ma时并没有达到可以彼此发生碰撞的距离。基于来自西藏新的野外证据和对已有数据的重新评估,认为初始碰撞发生在始新世—渐新世之交（约34Ma）,并对55Ma时发生的地质事件提出了另一种解释     

Quantification of the effects of secondary matrix on the analysis of sandstone composition, and a petrographic-chemical technique for retrieving original framework grain modes of altered sandstones

Most studies of sandstone provenance involve modal analysis of framework grains using techniques that exclude the fine-grained breakdown products of labile mineral grains and rock fragments, usually termed secondary matrix or pseudomatrix. However, the data presented here demonstrate that, when the proportion of pseudomatrix in a sandstone exceeds 10%, standard petrographic analysis can lead to incorrect provenance interpretation. Petrographic schemes for provenance analysis such as QFL and QFR should not therefore be applied to sandstones containing more than 10% secondary matrix. Pseudomatrix is commonly abundant in sandstones, and this is therefore a problem for provenance analysis. The difficulty can be alleviated by the use of whole-rock chemistry in addition to petrographic analysis. Combination of chemical and point-count data permits the construction of normative compositions that approximate original framework grain compositions. Provenance analysis is also complicated in many cases by fundamental compositional alteration during weathering and transport. Many sandstones, particularly shallow marine deposits, have undergone vigorous reworking, which may destroy unstable mineral grains and rock fragments. In such cases it may not be possible to retrieve provenance information by either petrographic or chemical means. Because of this, pseudomatrix-rich sandstones should be routinely included in chemical-petrological provenance analysis. Because of the many factors, both pre- and post-depositional, that operate to increase the compositional maturity of sandstones, petrologic studies must include a complete inventory of matrix proportions, grain size and sorting parameters, and an assessment of depositional setting.     

Emigration,return, immigration: a review and evaluation of Greece's postwar experience of international migration

"This paper offers a review and evaluation of the Greek experience of international migration.... The analysis is based partly on available published data, and partly on qualitative appraisals. Three major international migration phases are analysed--emigration, return migration and immigration--and the main socio-economic and cultural effects of these migration trends are discussed. The paper pays particular attention to the recent mass immigration movements, noting their heterogeneity...and describing their impact on the Greek labour market. The article concludes with some comments on the difficulties of formulating a Greek migration policy in the light of the country's location, open borders and internationalized economy."