Response of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. following exposure to PAHs or contaminated sediment

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene significantly reduced the feeding rate of mussels. For both compounds the tissue concentration resulting in a 50% reduction of the clearance rate (TEC₅₀) was calculated. At high tissue concentrations both aromatic compounds reduced the tolerance of mussels to aerial exposure, whereas at low tissue concentrations an improved response was noticed. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were elevated only at low tissue concentrations of fluoranthene and benzo(a)pyrene. At the highest measured tissue concentrations the activity of both enzymes was reduced, possibly due to a narcotic effect. The reproductive success rate of mussels appeared to be affected negatively by the investigated hydrocarbons. The results of a pilot experiment indicate that mussels can be used also for the testing of contaminated sediments.     

Tectonics of an extinct ridge-transform intersection,Drake Passage (Antarctica)

New swath bathymetric, multichannel seismic and magnetic data reveal the complexity of the intersection between the extinct West Scotia Ridge (WSR) and the Shackleton Fracture Zone (SFZ), a first-order NW-SE trending high-relief ridge cutting across the Drake Passage. The SFZ is composed of shallow, ridge segments and depressions, largely parallel to the fracture zone with an `en echelon' pattern in plan view. These features are bounded by tectonic lineaments, interpreted as faults. The axial valley of the spreading center intersects the fracture zone in a complex area of deformation, where N120° E lineaments and E–W faults anastomose on both sides of the intersection. The fracture zone developed within an extensional regime, which facilitated the formation of oceanic transverse ridges parallel to the fracture zone and depressions attributed to pull-apart basins, bounded by normal and strike-slip faults.On the multichannel seismic (MCS) profiles, the igneous crust is well stratified, with numerous discontinuous high-amplitude reflectors and many irregular diffractions at the top, and a thicker layer below. The latter has sparse and weak reflectors, although it locally contains strong, dipping reflections. A bright, slightly undulating reflector observed below the spreading center axial valley at about 0.75 s (twt) depth in the igneous crust is interpreted as an indication of the relict axial magma chamber. Deep, high-amplitude subhorizontal and slightly dipping reflections are observed between 1.8 and 3.2 s (twt) below sea floor, but are preferentially located at about 2.8–3.0 s (twt) depth. Where these reflections are more continuous they may represent the Mohorovicic seismic discontinuity. More locally, short (2–3 km long), very high-amplitude reflections observed at 3.6 and 4.3 s (twt) depth below sea floor are attributed to an interlayered upper mantle transition zone. The MCS profiles also show a pattern of regularly spaced, steep-inclined reflectors, which cut across layers 2 and 3 of the oceanic crust. These reflectors are attributed to deformation under a transpressional regime that developed along the SFZ, shortly after spreading ceased at the WSR. Magnetic anomalies 5 to 5 E may be confidently identified on the flanks of the WSR. Our spreading model assumes slow rates (ca. 10–20 mm/yr), with slight asymmetries favoring the southeastern flank between 5C and 5, and the northwestern flank between 5 and extinction. The spreading rate asymmetry means that accretion was slower during formation of the steeper, shallower, southeastern flank than of the northwestern flank.     

Biochemical and histochemical responses to environmental contaminants in clam, Tapes philippinarum, transplanted to different polluted areas of Venice Lagoon, Italy.

In this study the clam, Tapes philippinarum, a filter-feeding bivalve living in soft bottoms, was used to investigate the water/sediment pollution in Venice Lagoon (Venice, Italy), a heavily urbanised and industrialised area. To this end, clams collected from indigenous populations in a clean farming area (Val Dogà) were transplanted into a relatively low contaminated site (Palude della Rosa) and in a heavily polluted area (Porto Marghera), for 5 weeks. A range of possible induced stress indices were measured, on the basis of potential toxicity mechanisms, including specific enzymatic activities [Bap hydroxylase and NADPH cytochrome c reductase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and propionaldehyde dehydrogenase (PDH)] and general cellular responses (lysosomal latency). Moreover, chemical analyses (polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, DDTs) were carried out on sediments and animal tissues at the beginning and end of the transplantation experiments. The chemical results show an active bio-accumulation activity from sediment in clams translocated to the most polluted area. Correspondingly, biological data indicate marked effects on PDH activity and latency in T. philippinarum from the same site. In contrast, no similar pattern has been observed in the other considered indices, possibly due to antagonistic effects of the complex contaminant mixture present in the environment.     

DNA strand breaks (comet assay) and embryo development effects in grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio) embryos after exposure to genotoxicants.

Grass shrimp embryos develop in egg sacs (stages 1-10) attached to the female for 14-20 days after which they 'hatch' from the egg sacs into a swimming zoea stage (stage 11). Until they emerge from the egg sacs, embryos depend on lipids and lipovitellin stored within the egg. The percent of embryos which hatch after exposure to toxicants relative to controls was the basis of an embryo development assay. Exposure of embryos to chromium(III) chloride, sodium chromate, mercuric chloride, and 2-methyl-1,2-naphthoquinone (MNQ) resulted in a reduced hatching rate. In addition to effects on embryo development, DNA strand damage tests were carried out on contaminant-exposed embryos, using the single-cell electrophoresis method often referred to as comet assay. Development of stage 4 embryos was more affected by MNQ exposure than stage 7 embryos. The hatching rates of stages 4 and 7 embryos exposed to MNQ (172 micrograms/l) were 0 and 90%, respectively. DNA strand damage, measured as DNA tail moments, were 3.4 and 4.4, respectively. Thus, exposure of an early embryo stage to MNQ prevented full embryo development while development of later embryo stages was not affected. It may be that the DNA repair systems are more efficient in later embryo stages than in early stages and thus DNA damaged in the early stages affects development.     

一种基于DNS和第七层交换的CDN实现方案

在骨干网络宽带日益吃紧的背景下,如何将内容更加快速高效地传递到用户终端成为网络改造升级的关键性技术。内容分送网络(CDN),包括内容路由和内容交换两大模块,可以利用有效的网络资源,将内容分发到分布式的服务器集群,使用户与内容距离“更近”。本文阐述了1种Linux平台下的内容分送网络实现方案,构建了基于DNS的内容路由以及第七层的内容交换的系统框架,并且进行了内容路由和内容交换的技术融合。实验结果表明,通过DNS重定向,用户可以从就近的服务节点获取内容,缩短了等待时间。内容分送技术作为下一代网络的核心技术,必然会得到越来越广泛的关注和应用。     

Numerical modeling of hyperpycnal flows in an idealized river mouth

Numerical experiments in an idealized river mouth are conducted using a three-dimensional hydrodynamics model (EFDC model) to examine the impacts of suspended sediment concentration (SSC), settling velocity of sediment and tidal mixing on the formation and maintenance of estuarine hyperpycnal flows. The standard experiment presents an illustrative view of hyperpycnal flows that carry high-concentrated sediment and low-salinity water in the bottom layer (>1.0 m in thickness) along the subaqueous slope. The structure and intra-tidal variation of the simulated hyperpycnal flows are quite similar to those previously observed off the Huanghe (Yellow River) mouth. Results from the three control experiments show that SSC of river effluents is the most important parameter to the formation of hyperpycnal flows. High SSC will increase the bulk density of river effluents and thus offset the density difference between freshwater and seawater. Low SSC of river effluents will produce a surface river plume, as commonly observed in most large estuaries. Both the settling velocity of sediment particles and the tidal mixing play an important role in maintaining the hyperpycnal flows. Increasing settling velocity enhances the deposition of sediment from the hyperpycnal layer and thus accelerates the attenuation of hyperpycnal flows, whereas increasing tidal mixing destroys the stratification of water column and therefore makes the hyperpycnal flows less evident. Our results from numerical experiments are of importance to understand the initiation and maintenance of hyperpycnal flows in estuaries and provide a reference to the rapidly decaying hyperpycnal flows off the Huanghe river mouth due to climatic and anthropogenic forcing over the past several decades.     

Regional decoupling between NW Atlantic barnacle recruit and adult density is related to changes in pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance

We investigated the regional variation in barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) recruit and adult abundance on the NW Atlantic coast. At the end of the recruitment season (June–July), we sampled wave-exposed rocky intertidal sites in two regions on the open Atlantic coast (Maine, AM, and Nova Scotia, AN) and in two regions on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (Northumberland Strait, GN, and Cape Breton Island, GC). Recruit density was highest in the southernmost region (AM), followed by GN and, then, by AN and GC. Regional values of nearshore primary productivity (satellite data of chlorophyll-a concentration, a surrogate for phytoplankton abundance) were highest for AM and GN, suggesting that food supply (barnacles are filter feeders) is an important factor determining regional recruitment patterns. Adult barnacle density was regionally decoupled from recruit density. Adults occurred in very low abundances on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (GN and GC) and were relatively abundant on the Atlantic coast (AM and AN), although always in much lower abundances than recruits. The low adult densities on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast seem to result mainly from intense ice scour, as this coast freezes extensively every winter, as opposed to the ice-free Atlantic coast. Ice scour thus appears to override regional recruitment differences in determining adult density. Therefore, our data suggest that both pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance contribute to setting regional patterns in barnacle population structure on the NW Atlantic coast.