The Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) model: applicability for investigating the immunosuppressive effects of the aquatic pollutant benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)

Despite the fact that BaP is a carcinogen, mammalian immunosuppressant, and ubiquitous aquatic pollutant, knowledge regarding the effects of BaP on the immune system of fish is still lacking. To begin to fill this gap, studies were conducted in medaka to examine the effects and mechanisms by which BaP exposure might alter host immunocompetence. Fish, exposed by IP injection of BaP (2-600 microg/g BW), were examined after 48 h for effects upon immune function and CYP1A expression/activity. Benzo[a]pyrene, at a concentration below that which increased levels of CYPIA expression/activity (2 microg BaP/g BW) suppressed lymphocyte proliferation. Concentrations of BaP at 20 and 200 microg/g BW. suppressed antibody-forming cell (AFC) numbers, superoxide production, and host resistance against bacteria. In contrast, exposure to the low affinity aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist, benzo[e]pyrene (BeP), neither induced CYP1A expression nor altered immune function. Given the lack of immunosuppressive effects produced by BeP, and the fact that exposure to the AhR antagonist (and CYP1A inhibitor) alpha-naphthoflavone (ANF) ameliorated the suppressive effects of BaP upon AFC numbers, the AhR pathway (including CYP1A-mediated production of reactive BaP metabolites) appears important in mediating BaP-induced immunotoxicity in fish, as in mammals. In the past, the medaka has proven a successful model for assessing carcinogenic agents. These studies have demonstrated its utility for also determining the immunosuppressive effects of an important aquatic contaminant.     

Propagation of MHD body and surface waves in magnetically structured regions of the solar atmosphere

The fact that magnetically structured regions exist in the solar atmosphere has been known for a number of years. It has been suggested that different kinds of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves can be efficiently damped in these regions and that the dissipated wave energy may be responsible for the observed enhancement in radiative losses. From a theoretical point of view, an important task would be to investigate the propagation and dissipation of MHD waves in these highly structured regions of the solar atmosphere. In this paper, we study the behavior of MHD body and surface waves in a medium with either a single or double (slab) magnetic interface by use of a nonlinear, two-dimensional, time-dependent, ideal MHD numerical model constructed on the basis of a Lagrangean grid and semi-implicit scheme. The processes of wave confinement and wave energy leakage are discussed in detail. It is shown that the obtained results depend strongly on the type of perturbations imposed on the interface or slab and on the plasma parameter, . The relevance of the obtained results to the heating problem of the upper parts of the solar atmosphere is also discussed.     

General elastic analysis of piles and pile groups

This paper describes the development of a boundary element analysis for the behaviour of single piles and pile groups subjected to general three‐dimensional loading and to vertical and lateral ground movements. Each pile is discretized into a series of cylindrical elements, each of which is divided into several sub‐elements. Compatibility of vertical, lateral and rotational movements is imposed in order to obtain the necessary equations for the pile response. Via hierarchical structures, 12 non‐zero sub‐matrices in a global matrix are derived for the basic influence factors. Solutions are presented for a series of cases involving single piles and pile groups. In each case, the solutions are compared with those from more simplified existing pile analyses such as those developed by Randolph and by Poulos. It is shown that for direct loading effects (e.g. the settlement of piles due to vertical loading), the simplified analyses work well. However, for ‘off‐line’ response (such as the lateral movement due to vertical loading) the differences are greater, and it is believed that the present analysis gives more reliable estimates. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

碎部点解析测定法及其精度分析

本文主要介绍了解析测定碎部点的各种方法,简要给出计算步骤及算式,推求了各种方法的点位精度估计公式,提出了应用中应注意的事项。     

The foreshock sequence of haicheng earthquake and earthquake swarm—the use of foreshock sequences in earthquake prediction

We have compared the Haicheng foreshock sequence with several earthquake swarms which occurred in its neighborhood. The spatial distribution of the earthquakes is relatively concentrated. For the most part, the events occurred within a few kilometers of each other. The focal mechanisms are comparatively stable. However, there are several swarms in which the variations of focal mechanisms are quite obvious after the occurrence of the largest event of the sequence, which would allow it to be recognized as a swarm. However, there are also swarms whose focal mechanisms are no less stable throughout the sequence compared to the Haicheng foreshock sequence. This feature could thus not be used to identify a foreshock sequence. The temporal distributions of foreshocks and swarms are quite similar in some cases. This is again not a definite criterion for identifying foreshocks, but is worthy of further study. Thus, no definite criterion for identifying foreshock sequences has been found. However, some earthquake swarms may be recognized in their later stage.Finally, we introduced a magnitude sequence with gaps which can be used to see whether a large event is still forthcoming. This method (in conjunction with other methods) could be used in areas prone to large earthquakes, immediately before a large event, to improve the probability of predicting the occurrence of a large event. We also report that the temporal distribution of all the sequences showed a 12-hour recurrence pattern that corresponded with the earth tides, indicating that tidal forces might be influencing foreshocks and earthquake swarm occurrence.     

厦门港帽铃水母生活史的研究

本文详细描述了厦门港帽铃水母从胚囊期到水螅体的各发育期的外部形态、发育时间与大小,以及附着与变态过程,并对其结果进行讨论。     

Structural damage detection using the optimal weights of the approximating artificial neural networks

This work presents a novel neural network‐based approach to detect structural damage. The proposed approach comprises two steps. The first step, system identification, involves using neural system identification networks (NSINs) to identify the undamaged and damaged states of a structural system. The partial derivatives of the outputs with respect to the inputs of the NSIN, which identifies the system in a certain undamaged or damaged state, have a negligible variation with different system errors. This loosely defined unique property enables these partial derivatives to quantitatively indicate system damage from the model parameters. The second step, structural damage detection, involves using the neural damage detection network (NDDN) to detect the location and extent of the structural damage. The input to the NDDN is taken as the aforementioned partial derivatives of NSIN, and the output of the NDDN identifies the damage level for each member in the structure. Moreover, SDOF and MDOF examples are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of using the proposed method for damage detection of linear structures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Isotope Constraints on the Aquatic Carbon Budget: Langat Watershed,Malaysia

Langat River drains a tropical watershed in the southwest of the Malaysian Peninsula. The watershed is heavily urbanized in its downstream portion. Water samples were collected from May 2010 to December 2011, at three localities along the main stem river, 1 location at its Semenyih tributary and from an upstream groundwater source. Concentration and δ¹³C data of riverine DIC and DOC indicate the dominance of C3 plant-derived material as the primary source of carbon, with δ¹³C_DIC values enriched in ¹³C relative to that of the C3 source. This enrichment is likely due to CO₂ outgassing, as calculated concentrations of riverine CO₂ are significantly higher than ambient atmospheric values, with methanogenic activity a theoretically possible contributing factor, particularly at the upstream location. The Langat River therefore acts as a net source of CO₂, with a total sub-basin flux of 19.7 × 10³ t C year^?1. This is comparable to the sum of riverine DOC, DIC and POC loss rates from the sub-basin, calculated as 24.5 × 10³ t C year^?1, and highlights the significance of CO₂ evasion from water bodies to the atmosphere for balancing the budget of the terrestrial carbon cycle. The DIC and DOC concentration and δ¹³C data also suggests that in the more urbanized downriver areas, much of the organic carbon input may be anthropogenicaly derived due to ubiquity of sewage treatment plants and landfill sites. Such human-induced perturbations to riverine carbon cycling should be taken into account in future studies of urbanized watersheds.     

新疆层云和层积云冰粒子属性的季节变化

利用CloudSat 卫星资料,选取冰粒子的等效半径（IER）、数浓度（INC）、含水量（IWC）,统计分析了层云、层积云微物理量的垂直分布和季节变化。层云/层积云小粒子（0～50 μm）、中等粒子（50～80 μm）、大粒子（≥80 μm）出现频率分别为18.7%/16.3%、77.6%/62.6%、3.7%/21.2%。在IER 垂直分布上,层云小、中等粒子在云层中部出现较多,层积云小粒子在云层上部出现较多,中等、大粒子在云层中部出现较多。层云/层积云INC低值段（0～50 L^-1）、中值段（50～100 L^-1）、高值段（≥100 L^-1）出现频率分别为90.1%/76.5%、9.6%/19.5%、0.3%/4.1%。在INC垂直分布上,层云低、中值段在云层中部出现较多,层积云低、中值段分别在云层中部、上部出现较多。层云/层积云IWC低值段（0～50 mg·m^-3）、中值段（50～100 mg·m^-3）、高值段（≥100 mg·m^-3）出现频率分别为96.7%/82.8%、3.2%/13.4%、0.1%/3.7%。在IWC垂直分布上,层云低值段在云层中部出现较多,层积云低、中值段分别在云层中部、上部出现较多。