Immunotoxicity effect of benzo[α]pyrene on scallop Chlamys farreri

The toxic effects of benzo[α]pyrene (B[α]P) at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 7.5 μgL⁻¹) on scallop (Chlamy farreri) immune system were studied. The results showed that B[α]P had significant toxic effects on the haemocyte counts, neutral red uptake, phagocytosis, bacteriolytic and antibacterial activity (P<0.05), while the seawater control and acetone control had no significant differences. The haemocyte counts, neutral red uptake, phagocytosis and bacteriolytic activity in all B[α]P treatment groups as well as antibacterial activity in groups of 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 7.5 μgL⁻¹ B[α]P decreased significantly (P<0.05). Some of these indices tended to be stable on the sixth day and others on the ninth day, and the indices showed clear time- and concentration-response to B[α]P. Bacteriolytic activity in 0.1μgL⁻¹ B[α]P treatment group and antibacterial activity in 0.1 μgL⁻¹ and 0.5 μgL- B[α]P treatment groups increased at the beginning of exposure and reached their peaks on day 1 and day 6, respectively. Following that, both activities decreased gradually and became stable after day 9. When all the indices reached stability, they were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05), except for antibacterial activity in 0.1 μgL⁻¹ B[α]P treatment group (P>0.05). Thus, B[α] has evident toxic effects on scallop immune system, which supports the view that a relationship exists between pollution and immunomodulation in aquatic organisms.     

Identifying substandard vessels through Port State Control inspections: A new methodology for Concentrated Inspection Campaigns

Substandard vessels that fail to comply with international maritime regulations are the target of Port State Control inspections. Despite their significant costs, many inspections do not lead to any detentions and, in a significant number of cases, no deficiencies are detected. In this paper, quantile regressions for count data are used to estimate the likelihood of having a high number of deficiencies of a specific type. The purpose is to complement existing practices focusing on detention with the objective to improve the selection process. Similar factors influence the likelihood of having a vessel detained and that of having a vessel recording a high number of deficiencies. However, quantile regressions applied to the number of deficiencies help improving the identification of factors influencing the likelihood of finding some specific types of deficiencies, which is the focus of Concentrated Inspection Campaigns. The paper concludes that the selection process for such campaigns should be improved using this new methodology.     

Interstellar extinction toward the ultradeep Galactic field of the Chandra observatory from 2MASS data

We have measured the interstellar extinction in the region of ultradeep Galactic-field observations by the Chandra telescope (l ^II, b ^II) ≈ 0.1–1.42 using photometric data from the 2MASS infrared allsky survey. The angular resolution of our interstellar extinction map is 1′.8. We show that the interstellar extinction has a minimum, A _V ～ 3.4, near the center of the Chandra field of view and increases to A _V ～ 5.8–6 at the edge of the field of view. In addition, we show that the bulk of the extinction is gained in the Galactic disk and is approximately the same for all bulge stars. Our results will be subsequently used to process the Chandra data and to estimate the properties of the stellar population in this region.     

利用标贯击数估算静压桩的沉桩阻力

选用最易获得的标准贯入试验锤击数估算静力压入桩的沉桩阻力,提出了经验公式。对桩端阻力、桩侧阻力在土层中的变化等计算的细节问题进行了讨论,并编制了计算结果可视化的程序。2个工程实例的计算结果表明,用标贯锤击数估算静压桩沉桩阻力的方法是可行的,计算出的压桩力满足工程精度要求,可以方便的用于判断沉桩可能性、估算承载力、选择沉桩设备等。     

The two micron all sky survey

This paper describes the design, expectations, and prototyping of a new allsky survey, called 2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey) to be carried out with the new generation of infrared array detectors.     

Mediterranean Marine Reserves: Fish Indices as Tests of Protection Efficiency

Abstract. The fish assemblages of a strictly protected area and of a neighbouring fished area, located off a Mediterranean urbanized coast (Carry-le-Rouet, France), were compared in order to select the most evident, constant, and easily recorded indices of the 'reserve effect'. Visual censusing was repeated simultaneously at both sites eight time a year during 3 years along four permanent transects layed on shallow rocky bottoms (9–14 m). Overall species richness was 16% higher in the reserve, but differences in average instantaneous richness were only marginally significant. The most contrasting results were shown by the occurrence frequency, abundance, and demographic structure of two types of target species. The type A target species group comprises 16 large meso- and macrocarnivores particularly threatened by spearfishing, including the common nectobenthic sparids Diplodus spp. Type B target species are represented by two small territorial fishes particularly impacted by angling: the serranid Serranus cabrilla and the terminal phase males of the labrid Coris julis . The size structure of Diplodus spp., S. cabrilla , and C.julis subpopulations strongly argues for the role of protected areas as a reservoir of large spawners. Fishing pressure is assumed to modify the social conditions of the C. julis local populations and to induce earlier sex change.     

High-resolution grain-size characterisation of gravel bars using imagery analysis and geo-statistics

The scarcity of grain-size data from gravel-bed rivers has traditionally hindered hydraulic, sediment transport and river habitat studies. A new remote sensing methodology to estimate grain-size distribution is presented. It combines textural digital images of the riverbed at 1 : 1000 and 1 : 40 scales with grain-size sampling. It was applied to a 12-km reach of the Isábena River (Central Pyrenees NE Spain). First, textural patterns for each grain-size range were obtained, selecting the most closely related texture variables, including the use of semivariograms. Second, multiple linear regression equations were derived from the textural variables to estimate each value of the grain-size distribution. The highest correlation values (r²) were obtained from the central part of the distribution (D₅₀ with a RMS error of 12.7%). Finally, new multiple linear regression equations to estimate the D₅₀ and D₈₄ were obtained from 1 : 1000 images and four textural variables. These were used to derive D₅₀ and D₈₄ maps of the riverbed, re-sampled at a resolution of 1.5 m pixels, with RMS estimation errors of 26% and 32%, respectively. Downstream change in grain-size is also well reproduced by the method. The mean D₅₀ of 72 and 32 mm were estimated in the upper and the lower reaches of the river, respectively. The methodology shows great potential for application, the relation between the spatial resolution of the images and the mean grain-size of the riverbed sediment being the main issue for future development.     

Immunotoxicity Effect of Benzo[α]Pyrene on Scallop Chlamys farreri

The toxic effects of benzo[α]pyrene (B[α]P) at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 7.5 ugL-1) on scallop (Chla-mys farreri) immune system were studied. The results showed that B[a]P had significant toxic effects on the haemocyte counts, neu-tral red uptake, phagocytosis, bacteriolytic and antibacterial activity (P<0.05), while the seawater control and acetone control had no significant differences. The haemocyte counts, neutral red uptake, phagocytosis and bacteriolvtic activity in all B[α]P treatment groups as well as antibacterial activity, in groups of 0.5, 1, 2.5 and 7.5 ugL-1 B[α]P decreased significantly (P<0.05). Some of these indices tended to be stable on the sixth day and others on the ninth day, and the indices showed clear time- and concentra-tion-response to B[α]P. Bacteriolytic activity in 0.1ugL-1 B[α]P treatment group and antibacterial activity in 0.1 ugL-1 and 0.5 ugL-1 B[α]P treatment groups increased at the beginning of exposure and reached their peaks on day 1 and day 6, respectively. Following that, both activities decreased gradually and became stable after day 9. When all the indices reached stability, they were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05), except for antibacterial activity in 0.1 ugL-1 B[α]P treatment group (P<0.05). Thus, B[α]P has evident toxic effects on scallop immune system, which supports the view that a relationship exists between pollution and immu-nomodulation in aquatic organisms.     

应用SHRIMP铀-铅定年法研究腾冲地区中更新世英安岩的形成时代

腾冲火山岩群是我国著名的年轻火山岩群,前人主要采用K-Ar法、不平衡铀系等同位素定年方法研究该区火山岩的年龄并划分其喷发期次,采用K-Ar法获得腾冲火山岩0.013~17.84 Ma的年龄以及0.13~2.9 Ma的等时线年龄,不平衡铀系法主要用于该地区0.23 Ma以来的样品年龄研究。传统的同位素定年体系的精确度和定年范围对于研究该区火山岩的年龄存有很大局限性。近年来,微区原位离子探针U-Pb定年在年轻地质体年代学研究中表现出巨大潜力,在国际上已经应用于中更新世晚期地质体的年龄测定。本文报道了应用锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年方法对腾冲曲石地区中更新世英安岩的3次测定结果,3次实验的年龄值在误差范围内一致。在对一次离子流选择及其强度、二次离子积分时间等实验条件探讨的基础上,综合分析3次实验中的二次离子计数表明第3次实验结果具有更高的精确度,年龄值为0.41±0.01 Ma,属中更新世,代表该英安岩的形成时代,该年龄结果是目前我国获得的最年轻的高精度锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年龄。本研究获得的中更新世锆石U-Pb年龄为年轻地质体的年代学研究提供了新的思路。