Prenatal diagnosis of isolated bilateral microphthalmia with confirmation by evaluation of products of conception obtained by dilation and evacuation

We describe the prenatal diagnosis of isolated bilateral fetal microphthalmia in a woman at increased risk of having a fetus with microphthalmia. Ultrasound examinations at 161 and 19-5 weeks' gestation demonstrated bilateral fetal microphthalmia with no other associated structural defects. The patient elected to terminate her pregnancy at 19.5 weeks. Pathological evaluation of the products of conception obtained by dilation and evacuation confirmed the prenatal diagnosis of isolated bilateral fetal microphthalmia.     

DNA polymorphism and globin chain analysis in the prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassaemia major in Taiwan

Thirty-six pregnancies in 25 families at risk of β-thalassaemia major received prenatal diagnosis. Chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis was done in 35 pregnancies to obtain fetal cells for DNA linkage study, for which Southern blotting and DNA hybridization were used to detect seven restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) within the β-globin gene cluster: ϵ-HincII, ^Gγ-HindIII, ^Aγ-HindIII, Φβ-HincII, 3′Φβ-HincII, β-AvaII, and 3′β BarnHI. β-Thalassaemia major was diagnosed in seven and excluded in 22 pregnancies. In the remaining six cases, β-thalassaemia major could not be excluded. In these six pregnancies and another one with late booking, ultrasound-guided cordocentesis was performed at the 22nd to 27th week of gestation. Globin chain composition was determined with urea-acetic acid-Triton X-100-12 per cent polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. β-Thalassaemia major was diagnosed in two fetuses and excluded in the other five. Eleven fetuses (in which β-thalassaemia major was excluded) have been delivered and are healthy at more than 5 months old DNA linkage analysis coupled with globin chain electrophoresis provides an effective way for prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassaemia major, although these methods are being replaced by more direct detection techniques using oligonucleotide probes.     

Persistently elevated AFP and AChE in amniotic fluid from a normal fetus following demise of its twin

Intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) in one of twins at 12 weeks of gestation was accompanied by markedly elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) at 17 and 18 weeks. Amniotic fluid AFP from the healthy surviving twin's sac at 18·5 and 23 weeks was also greatly increased along with a positive acetylcholinesterase (AChE) band. Persistently elevated AFP and positive AChE so long after fetal demise–-6·5 and 11 weeks post IUFD–-has not, to our knowledge, been previously described. In similar cases, high level ultrasound and careful placental examination at birth should be utilized to search for fetal abnormalities or multiple pregnancy with IUFD.     

不同曝气位点对微氧强化硫酸盐还原-反硝化脱硫效果及群落结构的影响

微氧强化硫酸盐还原-反硝化脱硫(SR-DSR)工艺因具有同步处理废水中COD、NO~-_3、SO■生成S~0且运行成本低、流程短的优势而受到关注.但因不同曝气方式而在反应器中形成的不同微氧区的位置对反应器运行效能、S~0转化率和群落结构的影响尚不明确.因此,本文以5 mL·min~(-1)·L~(-1)曝气速率、10.4 mmol·L~(-1)硫酸钠、31 mmol·L~(-1)乳酸钠和8 mmol·L~(-1)硝酸钾连续运行膨胀颗粒污泥床(EGSB)反应器,对比研究了回流槽中(底部)曝气(微氧区位于反应器下部)和反应区上部曝气(微氧区分别位于反应器上部和下部但DO更低)运行稳定后,反应器的运行效能、S~0转化率和功能微生物的演替规律.结果表明,上部曝气时乳酸盐去除率为100%,出水中乙酸盐浓度为9.1 mmol·L~(-1),丙酸盐浓度为3.7 mmol·L~(-1),NO~-_3去除率为100%,出水中NO~-_2浓度为0.35 mmol·L~(-1),SO■去除率为84%,出水中S~(2-)浓度为2.6 mmol·L~(-1),S~0转化率为59%.与底部曝气相比,上部曝气时出水中乙酸盐和丙酸盐浓度分别升高2.2和1.9 mmol·L~(-1),NO~-_2浓度下降0.15 mmol·L~(-1),S~(2-)浓度降低0.5 mmol·L~(-1),SO■去除率和S~0转化率分别下降6%和1%.上部曝气时,反应器下部和上部均存在相对减弱的微氧环境,使得反应器中硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)Desulfomicrobium和Desulfobulbus的总丰度分别增加9%和5%,硫氧化反硝化菌(soNRB)Halothiobacillaceae和Sulfurovum的丰度均减小3.1%,异养反硝化菌(hNRB)Comamonas的丰度升高0.2%,互营菌Synergistaceae的丰度减少37%.其中,反应器下部的SRB和soNRB总丰度分别升高28%和3%,为SO■还原和S~0转化提供了充分条件,而反应器上部的微氧环境又减弱了SO■还原过程,从而降低了反应器出水中的S~(2-).因此,在碳源充足的条件下,可以采取反应器上部曝气的方式创造微氧环境,既可以保证较高的S~0转化率,又可以减少出水中S~(2-)和NO~-_2的浓度.     

Paradise Threatened: Land Use and Erosion on St. John, US Virgin Islands

2 /yr, respectively. Geomorphic evidence indicates that plantation agriculture during the 18th and 19th centuries did not cause severe erosion. Since about 1950 there has been rapid growth in roads and development due to increasing tourism and second-home development. Our field investigations identified the approximately 50 km of unpaved roads as the primary source of anthropogenic sediment. Field measurements of the road network in two catchments led to the development of a vector-based GIS model to predict road surface erosion and sediment delivery. We estimate that road erosion has caused at least a fourfold increase in island-wide sediment yields and that current sedimentation rates are unprecedented. Paving the dirt roads and implementing standard sediment control practices can greatly reduce current sediment yields and possible adverse effects on the marine ecosystems surrounding St. John.     

Enhanced production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) by filamentation-suppressed recombinantEscherichia coli in a defined medium

Fed-batch cultures of recombinantEscherichia coli strains were carried out for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) in a chemically defined medium. TheE. coli strains used were XL1-Blue, harboring pSYL105, a stable high-copy number plasmid containing theAlcaligenes eutrophus polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) genes, and XL1-Blue, harboring pSYL107, which is pSYL105 containing theE. coli ftsZ gene to suppress filamentation. With XL1-Blue(pSYL105) the final cell mass and PHB concentration obtained in 62 h were 102 and 22.5 g/L, respectively. Fed-batch culture of XL1-Blue(pSYL107) under identical conditions resulted in a final cell mass and PHB concentration of 127.5 and 48.2 g/L, respectively. The PHB contents obtained with XL1-Blue(pSYL105) and XL1-Blue(pSYL107) were 22.1 and 37.8%, respectively. Therefore, PHB was more efficiently produced in a defined medium by employing filamentation-suppressed recombinantE. coli.     

Adaptive management: Promises and pitfalls

Proponents of the scientific adaptive management approach argue that it increases knowledge acquisition rates, enhances information flow among policy actors, and provides opportunities for creating shared understandings. However, evidence from efforts to implement the approach in New Brunswick, British Columbia, Canada, and the Columbia River Basin indicates that these promises have not been met. The data show that scientific adaptive management relies excessively on the use of linear systems models, discounts nonscientific forms of knowledge, and pays inadequate attention to policy processes that promote the development of shared understandings among diverse stakeholders. To be effective, new adaptive management efforts will need to incorporate knowledge from multiple sources, make use of multiple systems models, and support new forms of cooperation among stakeholders.     

Progress toward remediation of the Sydney Tar Ponds: A major Canadian PCB/PAH “superfund” site

The Muggah Creek estuary in Sydney, Nova Scotia, received liquid and solid wastes from a steel mill and its associated coke ovens for approximately 100 years. This resulted in pollution of soils and sediments with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals, and other pollutants, including those in untreated domestic wastewaters. The Canadian federal and Nova Scotia provincial governments organized the Sydney Tar Ponds Agency (STPA) to develop a remediation approach for the Coke Ovens site soils and Sydney Tar Ponds sediments. The STPA developed a remediation approach for the Sydney Tar Ponds sediments, involving solidification/stabilization (S/S) through mixing cement and other materials into the sediments, and then capping them as a waste pile. High‐density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic sheeting vertical barriers are proposed to be used to divert groundwater and surface water from entering into the S/S‐treated sediments and to collect any water and associated pollutants released from the S/S‐treated sediments. The Coke Ovens site soils are proposed to be landfarmed to reduce some of the PAHs and other pollutants and then capped with a layer of soil. This remediation program is estimated to cost on the order of $400 million (CAN). This article presents a review of the significant potential problems with the STPA proposed remediation strategy of the Sydney Tar Ponds sediments and Coke Ovens site soils. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Superfund site remediation by landfilling—overview of landfill design,operation, closure,and postclosure issues

This article discusses the appropriateness of using landfills as part of remediating hazardous chemical and Superfund sites, with particular emphasis on providing for true long‐term public health and environmental protection from the wastes and contaminated soils that are placed in the landfills. On‐site landfilling or capping of existing wastes is typically the least expensive approach for gaining some remediation of existing hazardous chemical/Superfund sites. The issues of the deficiencies in US EPA and state landfilling approaches discussed herein are also applicable to the landfilling of municipal and industrial solid “nonhazardous” wastes. These deficiencies were presented in part as “Problems with Landfills for Superfund Site Remediation” at the US EPA National Superfund Technical Assistance Grant Workshop held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February 2003. They are based on the author's experience in investigating the properties of landfill liners and the characteristics of today's landfills, relative to their ability to prevent groundwater pollution and to cause other environmental impacts. Discussed are issues related to both solid and hazardous waste landfills and approaches for improving the ability of landfills to contain wastes and monitor for leachate escape from the landfill for as long as the wastes in the landfill will be a threat. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Workplace deviance,organizational citizenship behavior,and business unit performance: the bad apples do spoil the whole barrel

The influences of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and workplace deviant behavior (WDB) on business unit performance were investigated using data from branches of a fast food organization. Data included measures of WDB and OCB obtained from staff, ratings of performance provided by supervisors, and objective measures of performance. It was found that WDB was negatively and significantly associated with business unit performance measured both subjectively and objectively. OCB, however, failed to contribute to the prediction of business unit performance beyond the level that was achieved by WDB. It appeared, therefore, that the presence of deviant employees among business units impinges upon the performance of the business unit as a whole, whereas OCBs had comparatively little effect. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.