Growth of Daphnia magna males and females fed with the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus in different proportions

Laboratory experiments were used to study the sensitivity of both male and female Daphnia magna to a toxic cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa. Male and female D. magna were fed with M. aeruginosa and a green alga (Scenedesmus obliquus) in different mixtures that included 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% Microcystis. Growth of both males and females declined with increasing proportion of Microcystis in the diet. Males were slightly less sensitive to Microcystis than females with EC₅₀ for growth inhibition at 72% and 63% Microcystis in the diet, respectively. On monospecific Microcystis diet, mortality rates for males (0.16 d^–1) and females (0.17 d^–1) were similar. The reproductive rate of females was the most sensitive endpoint with an EC₅₀ of 42% Microcystis in the diet, whereas population growth rates were the least sensitive (EC₅₀ of 74% Microcystis). Microcystis in the diet severely depressed growth and reproduction in Daphnia and poses a severe threat to its survival in which only a switch in reproductive strategy might provide Daphnia a refuge to a Microcystis environment that gradually becomes uninhabitable.     

Modelling considerations in probabilistic performance‐based seismic evaluation: case study of the I‐880 viaduct

Limitations associated with deterministic methods to quantify demands and develop rational acceptance criteria have led to the emergence of probabilistic procedures in performance‐based seismic engineering. The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research performance‐based methodology is one such approach. In this paper, the impact of certain modelling decisions made at different stages of the evaluation process on the performance assessment of a typical multi‐bent viaduct is examined. Modelling, in the context of this paper, covers hazard modelling, structural modelling and loss modelling. The specific application considered in this study is a section of an existing viaduct in California: the I‐880 interstate highway. Several simulation models of the viaduct are developed, a series of nonlinear time‐history analyses are carried out to predict demands, measures of damage are evaluated and the probability of closure of the viaduct is estimated using the specified hazard for the site. It is concluded that the methodology offers several advantages over existing deterministic performance‐based procedures. Results of the investigation indicate that the assessment methodology is particularly sensitive to the reliability of decisions made by bridge inspectors following a seismic event, and to the dispersion in the demand estimation, which in turn is influenced by several factors including soil–structure interaction effects and ground motion scaling procedures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Variation characteristics of heavy metals and nutrients in the core sediments of Taihu Lake and their pollution history

The sedimentary environment change, trophic evolution and heavy metals pollution history of the northern Taihu Lake in the last 100 years are studied according to the sedimentary geo-chemical proxies of the core sediments, such as grain size, nutrients, heavy metals, diatom, etc. The nutrients in the sediments depended mainly on the lake internal circulation and the heavy metals were from natural geogenic sources before the 1920s, which were not influenced by human activities generally, and grain size was one of the key factors influencing heavy metals content in the sediments. The alternation of manner and strength of human activities in Taihu Lake catchment before and after the 1920s made the lake sediments coarser, and hence heavy metals and TP content decreased contrasted with that before the 1920s. TP content in sediments and water increased from the 1950s to late 1970s due to anthropogenic pollutants discharge, and the lake belonging to mesotrophic state. TN and TOC content and C/N ratio increased due to the increasing external pollutants into Taihu Lake by human activities, TP content also increased obviously in water and sediments, and the diatom association was dominated by eutrophic species since the late 1970s, indicating the eutrophication state of Taihu Lake in this period. Meanwhile the increasing in heavy metals content, such as Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and their proportion of valid fractions in the sediments indicates that they all result from human pollutants since the late 1970s. The heavy metals in the surface sediments have certain potential biological toxicity due to the higher SEM/AVS ratio.     

历史纸质气象档案数字化技术策略初步分析

利用安全扫描和光学字符识别技术实现气象档案数字化是对纸质气象历史档案拯救和开发利用的有效途径。该文在对数字化技术进行调研和试验的基础上, 提出了历史纸质气象档案数字化的建设思路, 针对气象档案记录内容的特点, 对OCR (optical character recognition) 手写体数字识别技术应用进行了分析, 提出了气象档案OCR识别的解决策略, 为业界的纸质气象档案数字化建设提供一种技术思路和有效的技术参考。     

中国古代测绘发展特点

中国古代测绘发展具有显著特点。本文基于大量测绘史料，论述了中国古代测绘发展道路的独创性、发展速度的跳跃性、测绘方法的实用性等特点及其形成原因，反映了测绘科学发展的若干规律，这对于今天的测绘科技创新具有借鉴意义。     

基于能力谱法的SSI体系抗震pushover分析方法

本文首先经过2次等效将土与结构相互作用的多自由度体系等效为单自由度体系,并给出了修正反应谱和等价能力谱的确定方法,进而提出了基于能力谱法考虑土与结构动力相互作用(SSI)效应的结构体系pushover分析方法(SSIPA);然后对3种不同高度考虑SSI效应的结构体系在5条地震动作用下采用本文提出的方法进行了算例分析,将结果与非线性时程分析的结果进行了比较,研究了本方法的适用性和准确性;最后,与建筑抗震设计规范的设计反应谱相结合,对9层考虑SSI效应的钢结构用本文提出的方法进行了弹塑性地震反应分析,根据我国抗震设计规范的规定进行抗震性能的评估验证了本方法的可行性。     

珠江口盆地沉降史定量模拟和分析

运用Petrosys盆地模拟系统，定量和动态地模拟了珠江口盆地三个主要坳陷的沉降过程，论述了沉降速率的变化与生储盖发育之间的关联，认为珠江口盆地构造沉降史具有幕式、多阶段变化的特征。盆地第一幕和第二幕沉降是盆地发育的主要时期，奠定了盆地的构造格架，形成了盆地主要的沉积地层和油气资源。第三幕沉降为盆地的改造和完成阶段，是盆地区域盖层发育的主要时期。     

塔里木北缘前寒武基底隆升剥露史：来自磷灰石裂变径迹的证据

库鲁克塔格隆起位于塔里木盆地北缘,广泛出露前寒武基底岩石。辛格尔村附近出露的太古宙杂岩,包括灰色片麻岩、角闪岩、片岩、混合岩和大理岩。新元古代地层出露在库鲁克塔格隆起西部的兴地、西山口、辛格尔和杀马山附近,不整合在古元古代和中元古代的片麻岩、角闪岩和片岩之上,并被早古生代的地层不整合。因此,该地区是了解塔里木盆地前寒武基底热演化史的理想地区。本研究的目的是为了探索:①塔里木基底岩石最初于何时剥露于地表?②塔里木基底剥露以后是否经历过再次埋藏和剥露?③塔里木基底岩石构造热演化过程对大陆边缘不同构造事件的响应。为了获取塔里木北缘剥露史和冷却过程信息,我们开展了裂变经迹的研究。含磷灰石的样品采自库鲁克塔格隆起的兴地断裂两侧。样品池年龄介于146.0±13.4和67.6±6.7Ma 之间,平均经迹长度介于.11.79±0.14和13.89±0.27μm之间。根据样品年龄和样品所处的构造位置,样品可以分为3组。A 组样品包括 F2、F3、F4、F5和 F8,裂变经迹表观年龄约100～110Ma,通常位于未遭断层变形的地区。B 组样品包括 F7、F9和 F10,裂变经迹表观年龄小于80Ma,构造上位于断层上盘并靠近断层。C 组样品 F11具有最大的裂变经迹表观年龄146.0±13.4Ma。热模拟表明,库鲁克塔格地区的隆升剥露作用可以划分为四期,分别是早侏罗世晚期(180Ma)、晚侏罗世—早白垩世(144～118Ma)、晚白垩世早期(94～82Ma)和新生代晚期(约10Ma)。裂变经迹记录的库鲁克塔格多阶段隆升作用,是对亚洲南缘多期地体碰撞增生的响应。     

Constraining the stepwise migration of the eastern Tibetan Plateau margin by apatite fission track thermochronology

Granites sampled from Garzê-Litang thrust, Longmen Shan thrust, Garzê and Litang strike-slip faults in the eastern Tibetan Plateau have been analyzed with apatite fission track thermochronological method in this study. The measured fission track apparent ages, combined with the simulated annealing mod- eling of the thermal history, have been used to reconstruct the thermal evolutionary histories of the samples and interpret the active history of the thrusts and faults in these areas. Thermal history mod- eling shows that earlier tectonic cooling occurred in the Garzê-Litang thrust in Miocene (~20―16 Ma) whereas the later cooling occurred mainly in the Longmen Shan thrust since ~5 Ma. Our study sug- gests that the margin of eastern Tibetan Plateau was extended by stages: through strike-slip faults deformations and related thrusts, the upper crust formed the Garzê-Litang margin in the Miocene epoch and then moved to the Longmen Shan margin since ~5 Ma. During this process, the deformations of different phases in the eastern Tibetan Plateau were absorbed by the thrusts within them and conse- quently the tectonic events of long-distance slip and extrusion up to hundreds of kilometers have not been found.     

Establishing the time of initial human occupation of Liang Bua, western Flores, Indonesia

Liang Bua, a limestone cave in western Flores, has an archaeological and faunal sequence known to span the last 95 ka and is the type-site for a small-bodied hominid species, Homo floresiensis. This paper describes the geomorphic history of this significant site, and presents numerical ages for key events as determined by thermoluminescence dating of sediments (using a dual-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol) and uranium-series dating of flowstones. Our age estimates indicate that Liang Bua existed as a subterranean chamber by 400 ka ago. It was subsequently exposed by the incision of the Wae Racang River, which invaded the cave around 190 ka and deposited an upward-fining sequence of water-rolled boulders and cobbles. The latter conglomerate was partially reworked around 130 ka ago and was capped by flowstones at 100 ka. The conglomerate also contains stone artefacts, which implies that the occupation of the surrounding area is at least as old as the time of emplacement of the conglomerate. After 190 ka, a complex sequence of erosion and deposition led to the accumulation of at least 11 m of sediment in the front chamber of the cave, which proved suitable for hominid occupation. Such geochronological and geomorphological information is extremely valuable for interpreting the archaeological record at Liang Bua and its wider significance.