Whole-mount in situ TUNEL method revealed ectopic pattern of apoptosis in cadmium treated naupliar larvae of barnacle (Balanus amphitrite Darwin)

The effect of cadmium on stage II naupliar larvae of barnacle (Balanus amphitrite Darwin) was investigated. Barnacle larvae were exposed to 0-15 microM CdCl(2) for 24 h. Apoptotic cells were stained by the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) method. Incidence of apoptosis, as measured by numbers of animals with ectopic pattern of apoptosis as well as numbers of apoptotic cells per animal, was assessed using confocal microscopy. An increase in incidence of apoptosis was observed in the experimental animals with an increase in cadmium concentration. Mortality increased, and motility decreased, when barnacle larvae were exposed to an increasing concentration of cadmium. The relationship between the occurrence of apoptosis and swimming behaviour was investigated in larvae exposed to 10 microM CdCl(2). Significant increases in apoptosis were detected in the non-motile and dead nauplii. This study suggested that whole-mount in situ TUNEL method may be used to study increased occurrence of apoptotic cells in crustacean larvae.     

Asbestos exposure among Seoul metropolitan subway workers during renovation of subway air-conditioning systems

Air quality in underground spaces has seldom been evaluated in Korea. Accordingly, the current study recently evaluated asbestos exposure among Seoul metropolitan subway workers during the renovation of the subway's air-conditioning system. To identify possible routes of asbestos exposure, suspected sources, including gaskets, ceiling boards, ceiling materials, and dust settled inside ducts, were all sampled. Personal air samples were also taken to evaluate any asbestos exposure during the renovation. The asbestos fibers found in the samples were analyzed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). Twelve out of eighteen bulk samples contained asbestos, the majority of which was chrysotile fibers. Asbestos was detected in 9 out of 72 personal air samples and the level ranged from 0.003 to 0.02 fibers/cm(3). While asbestos levels were below Korean occupational limit of 2 fibers/cm(3), they were still detectable and therefore further monitoring would be appropriate.     

Surface ozone trends in Hong Kong in 1985-1995

Ozone trends in Hong Kong were assessed from the ozone data recorded at three urban stations and one station in the new development area. Three parameters were selected as the robust trend indicators in the study: monthly mean, monthly averaged daily 1-h maximum, and number of annual hours > 120 microg m(-3). As the ozone data displayed obvious seasonal variation, using deseasonalized monthly average parameters to estimate the ozone trends could smooth out the influence of seasonal fluctuations. The detection of an increase of more than 10% per year in ozone concentration at one station was particularly alarming. Effects of meteorological factors, control programmes of ozone precursors, and long-range transport on the ambient ozone level were examined in the study.     

空调冷却塔水与空气军团菌的PCR方法快速检测

应用 Enviro Amp PCR-反向杂交法(涉及 5S rRNA基因和 mip基因 )和半巢式 PCR(涉及 16S rRNA基因 )成功检测人工气溶胶化的军团菌 ,这些方法进一步用于检测空调系统冷却塔的水及由其产生的气溶胶中的军团菌 ,从空气样品中检测到军团菌属及嗜肺军团菌 .检测的冷却塔水样品 100%含军团菌属细菌 ,其中 41.6%含嗜肺军团菌 .2种方法相比 ,半巢式 PCR法更经济、方便 .     

粉煤灰的有效利用

介绍了我国粉煤灰利用状况及政策,结合实例分析了粉煤灰的有效利用和清洁生产对促进粉煤灰有效利用的作用。     

云南稻核心种质苗期与孕穗期耐冷性特点及关系分析

以544份云南地方稻核心种质为材料,在昆明自然低温(苗期平均5.5～12.3℃,孕穗期平均17.8℃)冷害下,按籼粳、稻作区进行云南稻核心种质苗期耐冷性与孕穗期耐冷性的特点及关系研究.结果表明:(1)苗期耐冷性与孕穗期耐冷性密切相关,苗期耐冷性强的材料表现为孕穗期株高、剑叶长和宽、穗颈长、穗下节长、1～2节长、穗长较长、穗粒数较多,耐冷性较强.通过对苗期耐冷性的严格选择,可以间接获得孕穗期耐冷性较强的材料.(2)苗期和孕穗期耐冷性在籼粳间、稻作区间差异明显.籼粳间均表现为粳稻强于籼稻;稻作区间苗期耐冷性为滇中一季籼粳稻区和滇南单双季籼稻区最强,滇中一季籼粳稻区和滇西北高寒粳稻区孕穗期耐冷性较强,揭示了水稻苗期与穗期耐冷性的形成演化机制存在一致性和差异性.     

天然次生林人工更新后对土壤物理性质及碳贮量的影响

天然林被人工林取代后对土壤水文物珲性质及土壤碳贮量有重要的影响.文章以海南天然次生林人工更新为尾细桉(Eucalyptus urophylla×E.tereticornis)和马占相思(Acacia mangium)林前后的土壤为研究对象,研究分析了人工植被更新对土壤水文物理性质和土壤碳贮量的影响.结果表明:天然次生林更新为桉树、马占相思人工林后,土壤容重增加,土壤总孔隙度、毛管孔隙度和非毛管孔隙度减小,0～80 cm土壤的最大贮水量、毛管贮水量和非毛管贮水量降低,桉树和马占相思人工林最大贮水量分别降低19.8 mm和43.3mm,桉树人工林0～40cm土壤碳贮量降低6.77t·hm-2,马占相思人工林的增加14.68t·hm-2.     

Sea otters,social justice,and ecosystem‐service perceptions in Clayoquot Sound,Canada

We sought to take a first step toward better integration of social concerns into empirical ecosystem service (ES) work. We did this by adapting cognitive anthropological techniques to study the Clayoquot Sound social‐ecological system on the Pacific coast of Canada's Vancouver Island. We used freelisting and ranking exercises to elicit how locals perceive ESs and to determine locals’ preferred food species. We analyzed these data with the freelist‐analysis software package ANTHROPAC. We considered the results in light of an ongoing trophic cascade caused by the government reintroduction of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) and their spread along the island's Pacific coast. We interviewed 67 local residents (n = 29 females, n = 38 males; n = 26 self‐identified First Nation individuals, and n = 41 non‐First Nation individuals) and 4 government managers responsible for conservation policy in the region. We found that the mental categories participants—including trained ecologists—used to think about ESs, did not match the standard academic ES typology. With reference to the latest ecological model projections for the region, we found that First Nations individuals and women were most likely to perceive the most immediate ES losses from the trophic cascade, with the most certainty. The inverse was found for men and non‐First Nations individuals, generally. This suggests that 2 historically disadvantaged groups (i.e., First Nations and women) are poised to experience the immediate impacts of the government‐initiated trophic cascade as yet another social injustice in a long line of perceived inequities. Left unaddressed, this could complicate efforts at multistakeholder ecosystem management in the region.     

Identifying the crash characteristics on freeway segments based on different ramp influence areas

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between crash types and different freeway segments and identify the factors contributing to crashes on different freeway segments. Unlike most of the previous studies on freeway segments, this study separately investigates basic freeway segments, single ramp influence segments, and multiple ramp influence segments.

Methods: Nonlinear canonical correlation analysis (NLCCA) and proportionality test were used to identify the relationship between crash types and different freeway segments. The data sets for the different freeway segments accumulated for this study consist of 9,867 crash samples with complete information on all 22 chosen variables. A multinomial logit model (MNL) was used to estimate the influence of crash factors on different freeway segments.

Results: The results show that weaving and diverge overlap influence segments (WD) are more likely to have injury or fatal crashes; diverge and diverge overlap influence segments (DD) are more likely to have property damage–only (PDO) crashes; merge and merge overlap influence segments (MM) are more likely to have sideswipe crashes; and WD have non-sideswipe crashes; WD and weaving overlap influence segments (MW) are more likely to have rear end crashes; and MM segments are less likely to have hit object crashes. The contributing factors are identified by MNL and the results show that different traffic variables, environmental variables, vehicle variables, driver variables, and geometric variables significantly affected the likelihood of crashes on different freeway segments.

Conclusions: Investigation of crash types and factors contributing to crashes on different freeway segments is based on multiple ramp influence segments, which can promote a better understanding of the safety performance of various freeway segments.