A new neosuchian with Asian affinities from the Jurassic of northeastern Brazil

Phylogenetic relationships near the origin of extant crocodylians are weakly supported, and this lack of resolution makes for poor estimates of taxonomic and morphological diversity. Previously known taxa are found throughout the Cretaceous in Laurasia and at a few sites from Brazil, Australia, and northern Africa. Here, we report Batrachomimus pastosbonensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Late Jurassic of northeastern Brazil, which is deeply nested within Neosuchia and associated to the Cretaceous Asian paralligatorids. The new taxon predates all other members of Paralligatoridae and its immediate sister group (including Eusuchia) by 30 million years. A nearly complete skull, osteoderms, and limb bones were recovered, and autapomorphies of B. pastosbonensis include a scalloped lateral margin of the rostrum in dorsal view, unsculpted alveolar margin at the caudalmost portion of the maxilla, blunt lateral prongs on the jugal at the base of the postorbital bar, hourglass shaped choanae, and pterygoid choanal septum extended between the palatal shelves of the palatines. The crocodyloid-like skull proportions and the slender, conical teeth suggest an amphibious and piscivorous life history to this 1 m long animal.

     

流域经济与海洋经济联动发展研究

陆海联动是发展海洋经济的新思维，也是解决沿海地区海陆经济发展和环境矛盾的一个有效措施，而流域是陆域上最接近海洋的部分，实施流域经济与海洋经济联动发展是实现陆海统筹发展的前提；促进流域 海洋联动发展、将内陆 流域 海洋互动作为区域经济发展思路是实现陆海联动的最佳途径。在分析流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的背景、意义、基础、效应等的基础上，以长江经济带为例，运用灰色关联分析方法，定量刻画了流域经济与海洋经济的关联程度，指出流域经济与海洋经济的关联度、海洋第三产业与流域第三产业关联度以及海洋主要产业与基本流域第二产业关联度等都非常高。最后从规划编制、建立流域 海洋互动产业网、发展海洋科技以及生态环境保护等方面，提出了促进流域经济与海洋经济联动发展的建议     

Recycling as appropriate behavior: a review of survey data from selected recycling education programs in Michigan

Data from surveys conducted by six separate recycling education programs funded under the Clean Michigan Fund are compared. The findings indicate that a strong pro-recycling attitude exists among the populations sampled with a significant percentage of respondents planning to increase their level of recycling in the future. To aid this increase in participation these data suggest that education efforts should focus on helping people become more familiar with the details of how to recycle. And finally, these data support the idea that efforts to promote waste reduction and recycling behavior should focus on non-monetary motives.     

Soil washing treatability tests for pesticide-contaminated soil

The 1987 Sand Creek Operable Unit 5 record of decision (ROD) identified soil washing as the selected technology to remediate soils contaminated with high levels of organochlorine pesticides, herbicides, and metals. Initial treatability tests conducted to assess the applicability of soil washing technology did not effectively evaluate the removal of the elevated contaminant concentrations that were found. To further evaluate the applicability of soil washing at this industrial site, a second more comprehensive pilot-scale treatability test was conducted. Twenty-three test runs were conducted over a two-week period in late September 1992, using a pilot-scale soil washing device called the volume reduction unit (VRU). The experimental design evaluated the effects of two wash temperatures, two pH levels, three surfactants, four surfactant concentrations, and two liquid-to-soil ratios on the contaminant removal efficiency of the soil washing process. Site soils from layers at three different depths were used in the study. Results from the pilot-scale treatability test indicated that the VRU could achieve contaminant reduction efficiencies of 97 percent for heptachlor and greater than 91 percent for dieldrin in the uppermost contaminated soils (surface to 1-ft. depth). Residual concentrations of heptachlor and dieldrin in the treated soil ranged from 50 ppm to less than 1.6 ppm, and 6.8 ppm to less than 1.6 ppm, respectively. However, the analytical method detection limit of 1.6 ppm was not low enough to provide residual concentration data at the risk-based action levels of 0.55 ppm for heptachlor and 0.15 ppm for dieldrin.     

Vacuum pyrolysis process for remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils

A vacuum pyrolysis process was used for the remediation of hydrocarbon–contaminated soils from “Les Vidangeurs de Montréal” site in Mascouche in the province of Québec, near Montréal. Ten samples were tested on a laboratory scale batch reactor, and one sample was tested on a prototype process development unit. The process is simple, efficient, reliable, and economically competitive with other existing technologies. The vacuum pyrolysis process efficiently treated soils contaminated with a variety of pollution levels and types, irrespective of the soil matrix, providing treated soils meeting the A criterion (noncontaminated, residential level) of the Ministry of Environment Québec (MENVIQ). The pyrolytic oil and the noncondensable pyrolytic gases can be used as makeup fuel in the process, because they have a high calorific value and their combustion should not pose any emission problems. The waterphase effluent must be treated before discharge.     

The carajas iron ore project: The strategy of a third world state- owned enterprise in a depressed market

This paper describes how the Carajas iron ore project was set up in February 1985 at a time of deep recession in the iron ore and steel industries. Development of the project was met with much criticism, mainly from North American steel makers, who argued that the project would only be successful through the support of a Third World government, highly dependent on foreign exchange, without any consideration being given to its economic feasibility or to the fundamentals of the market. The authors explain why the World Bank took the step of setting up the project and how its development can be partly explained by the interests of the Japanese and European steel makers. The role of the Brazilian government is explained and the authors conclude that the relatively low rate of investment anticipated by the project will be overshadowed by the high gains in foreign exchange.     

SIMULATION AND DECISIONMAKING: THE PLATTE RIVER BASIN IN NEBRASKA1

Substantial conflict exists over water management and allocation in the Platte River Basin of Nebraska. An interdisciplinary computer simulation model, representing the water quantity, water quality, environmental, and economic dimensions of the conflict, was developed in order to analyze the tradeoffs among allocation scenarios. Most importantly, decisionmakers and interest groups were involved in model development. Simulation results for a base case and two scenarios are presented. One scenario favors protection of instream flow for wildlife; the other favors water diversions for agriculture. Impacts of the instream flow scenario, as measured by the amount of land irrigated, groundwater levels, the amount of wildlife habitat for cranes and catfish, and net agricultural benefits did not differ greatly from those of the base case. However, impacts of the diversion scenario were substantial. On the negative side, instream flows and wildlife habitat declined an average of 39 percent; while, on the positive side, groundwater levels and net agricultural benefits each increased 6 percent. The modeling process was successful insofar as it promoted an understanding among the highly diverse interest groups of the systems nature of the Basin. One agreement on a water diversion schedule among three of the parties has been reached, partly as a result of this process. More comprehensive compromises have not yet been forged. Our experience, however, indicates that modeling success at the policymaking level depends more on the extent to which the policymakers understand the model than it does on model sophistication.     

Operating Experience with Biogas Plants in Sri Lanka

Three hundred and three biogas plants, representing a majority of the units installed in Sri Lanka up to 1984, were inspected, and it was found that 280 of these had been put into commission at some time prior to the study. Of the 280 commissioned plants, 170 (61%) were functioning satisfactorily providing biogas for cooking and/or lighting. The remaining 110 (39%) were either not functioning or were supplying very little gas owing to gas leaks, inadequate input of dung, or poor plant management. The most common plant was the 6 m³, fixed dome, household plant, and the most common raw material used was cattle dung. In the majority of household plants the cost of construction was partly or wholly subsidized.