Chemoautotrophic symbionts and translocation of fixed carbon from bacteria to host tissues in the littoral bivalve Loripes lucinalis (Lucinidae)

Specimens of Loripes lucinalis (Lucinidae) living in reducing sediments were collected near a sewage outfall at low tide on the Moulin Blanc beach, Brest, France, from January to March 1987. Electron microscope studies revealed numerous Gram-negative-type bacteria in the gill cells. Ribulosebiphosphate carboxylase, a diagnostic enzyme of the Calvin-Benson cycle of CO₂-fixation was measured only in the gill extracts. Various tissues of L. lucinalis were examined for activity of APS reductase, (EC 1.8.99.2), ATP sulphurylase (EC 2.7.7.4) and rhodanese (EC 2.8.1.1), enzymes involved in sulphide oxidation. APS reductase was only found in symbiont-containing tissues, i.e., gills. These enzymatic studies characterise the symbionts as chemoautotrophic sulphide-oxidizing bacteria. Histoautoradiography demonstrated that part of the carbon dioxide fixed by symbiotic bacteria in the gills is translocated to symbiont-free tissues of the bivalve. The ultrastructure of the gill is detailed and a nomenclature based on established and new terminology is proposed to describe the various cellular types comprising the gill filament.     

Fetal ascites and oligohydramnios: Prenatal diagnosis of a sialic acid storage disease (index case)

In a 20-year-old primiparous patient, a routine ultrasound scan performed at 28 weeks revealed fetal ascites, bilateral talipes, and oligohydramnios. This woman, married to possibly her first cousin, was at risk for an autosomal recessive disease, a metabolic disorder. At 29 weeks, an amniotic fluid biochemical study revealed the presence of an abnormal band of free sialic acid, leading to a diagnosis of a congenital form of sialic acid storage disease. Termination of pregnancy was performed at 30 weeks. Measurement of free sialic acid in cultured fetal skin fibroblasts confirmed the diagnosis.     

Influence of some coral reef communities on the calcium carbonate budget of Tiahura reef (Moorea,French Polynesia)

The calcium carbonate budget of coral reefs is the result of the interaction of the processes of calcification and biological degradation, and is reflected in the chemical properties of the seawater overlying the reefs. A series of experiments at Moorea Island (French Polynesia) in 1988 monitored the diurnal and nocturnal variations in the chemical properties of seawater under field and laboratory conditions. Our results revealed that in the study area (Tiahura barrier reef flat), the calcium carbonate budget varied over space and time as a function of location in the water current. Two in-situ sites were investigated; one was situated 100 m from the algal crest of the barrier reef, the other 300 m further downstream. As a result of cumulative upstream events, the daily net calcification was ten times higher at the downstream (5.22 gm^-2 d^-1) than at the upstream (0.45 gm^-2 d^-1) site. The carbonate uptake by in situ Porites lobata in enclosures (8 kgm^-2 yr^-1) was ten times higher than the uptake by the whole community in the surrounding water (0.8 kgm^-2 yr^-1) and five times higher than that recorded for P. lobata in laboratory experiments (1.4 kgm^-2 yr^-1), where illumination levels were 10% of in situ levels. In laboratory experiments, the planktonic fraction of the seawater had no perceptible influence on the calcium carbonate budget. In the absence of bioeroders, living coral totally depleted the carbonate content of the seawater (3.7 gm^-2d^-1). Bioerosive organisms played an important role in restoring this calcium carbonate; e.g. sea urchins grazing on algal turf covering dead coral ingested CaCO₃ and released this as a carbonate powder (1.26 gm^-2d^-1); a form of carbonate which is extremely accessible to chemical dissolution.     

Socio-cultural inequities in access to prenatal diagnosis: The role of insurance coverage and regulatory policies

The article presents the results of a 4-month-period survey by questionnaire among all women attending the Marseille Centre for Prenatal Diagnosis for amniocentesis. Socio-cultural status of women getting access to amniocentesis is significantly higher than in the general population of pregnant women in the same geographic area of south-eastern France. Sociocultural status is also higher among women who have to cover costs of procedure to get access to amniocentesis than among those who benefit from it free-of-charge according to French Social Security regulations. In contrast, risk perception and attitudes toward termination of pregnancy are similar in these two groups. A total of 24·4 per cent of respondents declared that they got access to amniocentesis ‘on their own initiative’, the remaining 75·6 per cent declaring that they ‘were following medical advice’. Multidimensional analysis shows that the women who do not benefit from free-of-charge amniocentesis, and who have a high level of education and no antecedents of fetal and perinatal deaths, are more likely to perceive themselves as ‘self-referring’. The study indicates that institutional coverage may be effective in reducing socio-cultural inequities in access to prenatal diagnosis. But such a policy may conflict with the respect of women' s individual autonomy in the amniocentesis decision.     

Illicit crops and armed conflict as constraints on biodiversity conservation in the Andes region

Coca, once grown for local consumption in the Andes, is now produced for external markets, often in areas with armed conflict. Internationally financed eradication campaigns force traffickers and growers to constantly relocate, making drug-related activities a principal cause of forest loss. The impact on biodiversity is known only in general terms, and this article presents the first regional analysis to identify areas of special concern, using bird data as proxy. The aim of conserving all species may be significantly constrained in the Santa Marta and Perijá mountains, Darién, some parts of the Central Andes in Colombia, and between the middle Mara?ón and middle Huallaga valleys in Peru. Solutions to the problem must address the root causes: international drug markets, long-lasting armed conflict, and lack of alternative income for the rural poor.     

海洋排污不容乐观--浅论海洋排污及海洋排污观

海洋容纳和消化污染物是有限的，而我们继续排放污染却是长久的，为了子孙后代和人类的可持续发展，应该从现在就在海洋能够自净的基础上控制污染物的排放。并且要认识到污染物在海洋中会损害和破坏海洋生态环境，也会影响到人类自身的生存安全。大海是人类最后的退路，保护海洋环境就是保护人类自己。大海不是没有被污染，而是正在被加速地污染。     

活性污泥法对松香废水的二级处理试验

采用活性污泥对经炉渣吸附后的松香废水进行二级生化处理。试验过程中对污泥进行驯化培菌;试验结果表明,经驯化的污泥对松香废水进行二级处理,COD_(Cr)、BOD_5的去除率分别达到65.5％和82.3％,色度由724倍降低到135倍,为开发松香废水治理的实用技术提供了途径。     

摩擦对高坯料压缩稳定性的影响

采用刚塑性有限元法 ,对高坯料在平模间的压缩过程建立了刚塑性有限元模型并进行数值模拟 ,探讨数值模拟过程中横向扰动力的施加方法 ,对模拟结果进行了分析 ,最终获得了摩擦因子对坯料压缩稳定性的影响规律     

PVC项目环境风险评价实例分析

环境风险评价是环境影响评价领域的一个新课题,20世纪80年代以来,发达国家就将环境风险评价纳入环境管理的范畴.由于PVC生产行业的许多产品、副产品和原料都属于易燃、易爆或有毒的危险品,故对具有发生潜在事故风险的PVC建设项目,其潜在风险事故发生的可能性及其影响后果在环境风险评价中均应得到反映.本文就PVC项目的环境风险识别和环境风险评价作简单介绍.