Practical environmental monitoring of major construction projects

Independent teams undertook environmental monitoring of particular concentrations of major construction projects forming part of Hong Kong’s U.S. $20 billion airport infrastructure programme located in dense urban areas. The team combination of environmental specialists with experienced civil engineers enabled pragmatic mitigation measures to be developed and accepted by the construction personnel with the result that potentially significant adverse impacts were averted. The authors discuss the mechanism and success of this innovative approach.     

A rare case of de novo structural rearrangement of X chromosome diagnosed by amniocentesis

A dicentric X chromosome was found in a female fetus during cytogenetic studies performed on amniotic cells. Blood samples from the parents showed normal karyotypes and the pregnancy was terminated. The mechanism for the formation of this ‘de novo’ rearrangement is discussed.