Polonium-210 in euphausiids: A detailed study

A detailed study of ²¹⁰Po, the predominant alpha-emitting nuclide found in most marine organisms, has been undertaken in a particular zooplanktonic species, the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica. The purpose was to obtain information concerning the origin, the localization and the flux of the nuclide in and through this organism. Measurements of ²¹⁰Po were made in euphausiids of different sizes, in dissected organs and tissues, and in excretion products. The results show higher concentrations in the smaller specimens; this fact cannot be explained on the basis of surface adsorption, but is probably related to the ingestion of food. Dissection results show that the distribution of ²¹⁰Po in euphausiids is not homogeneous, but that the majority is concentrated in the internal organs, the alimentary tract and the hepatopancreas in particular. The natural radiation dose received by these organs is in consequence much higher than that received by the whole animal. Use of a dynamic model allowed the flux of ²¹⁰Po through M. norvegica to be calculated. The calculations confirm that food is the principal source of ²¹⁰Po for this species, and clearly show that fecal pellets constitute the major elimination route. Extrapolation of the data to zooplankton in general leads to the conclusion that zooplankton metabolic activity plays an important role in transporting ²¹⁰Po from the surface layers of the ocean to depth.     

Chorionic mosaicism: Association with fetal loss but not with adverse perinatal outcome

Cytogenetic data from the United States NICHD collaborative study of chorionic villus sampling (CVS) were used to evaluate the clinical significance of chorionic mosaicism. The 10 754 patients with normal cytogenetic results were compared wtih 108 patients (1.0 per cent) with placental mosaicism and 181 patients (1.6 per cent) with pseudomosaicism. Of the pregnancies intended to continue, the pregnancy loss rate was significantly greater in patients with placental mosaicism than in the cytogenetically normal cohort (8.6 vs. 3.4 per cent, p <0.05). However, there was no difference in the frequencies of abruptio placenta, preterm labour or delivery, small-for-gestational-age newborns, pregnancy-induced hypertension, or neonates with Apgar scores less than 7.     

Parasite-dependent protocooperation

We thank A. Ferreira, UNESP, for his continued assistance in our studies, and E., A. and H. Fowler for their constant assistance and moral support.     

A pest is a pest is a pest? The dilemma of neotropical leaf-cutting ants: Keystone taxa of natural ecosystems

Leaf-cutting ants of the generaAcromyrmex andAtta are considered the principal polyphagous pests of the Neotropics Although some members of these genera are of economic importance, have a broad geographic distribution, and are extremely good colonizers, others are endemic and closely interact with native ecosystems. Control is generally practiced against any colony, irrespective of its taxonomic status. Indiscriminate control coupled with habitat destruction threatens endemic species with extinction, and, through habitat simplification, favors other pest species. As nests ofAtta are large, having several square meters of nest surface, the endemic taxa can be easily used as environmental indicators for natural ecosystems Likewise, the pest species can be used to detect environmental disturbance As these ants are keystone species and easily identified by nonspecialists, efforts should be made to integrate these into viable conservation programs     

How well do sunken vessels approximate fish assemblages on coral reefs? Conservation implications of vessel-reef deployments

The amount of artificial habitat (termed ??artificial reef??, AR) in marine systems is rapidly increasing, yet the effect of most types of AR on reef communities remains unknown. We examined the role of well-established vessel-reefs in structuring coral reef fish assemblages by comparing assemblages on 7 World War II wrecks (>65?years old) to those on interspersed coral patch reefs of comparable size in a tropical lagoon. Fish abundance, species richness, diversity and feeding guild structure on wrecks were similar to natural reefs; however, species composition differed between the two reef types (R?=?0.189?C0.341, average dissimilarity: 67.3?C68.8?%). Despite being more species-rich and diverse, fish assemblages on larger wrecks were less similar to assemblages on their adjacent natural reefs than smaller wrecks. Wrecks may also have affected fish abundance on adjacent natural reefs, with reefs adjacent to larger wrecks supporting higher abundances than reefs adjacent to smaller wrecks. Our results indicate that increases in vessel-reef habitat may not greatly affect reef fish assemblage parameters, but may affect the relative abundances of particular species.     

Fires, explosions and related incidents at work in Great Britain in 1996/97 and 1997/98

Incidents in Great Britain reported to the Health and Safety Executive during 1996/97 and 1997/98 involving fires, explosions, runaway chemical reactions and unignited releases of flammable materials are reviewed. Statistical comparisons are made against previous years based on the materials involved, and a number of common themes and causes are identified.     

Treatment of uncertainty and developing conceptual models for environmental risk assessments and radioactive waste disposal safety cases

The common approach to performing quantitative risk assessments in the contaminated land industry in the UK lacks a formal methodology for the treatment of the full range of uncertainties and for documenting decisions regarding the development of conceptual models and the selection of computer codes. The approach presented here represents an alternative, more detailed, and systematic approach for developing conceptual models and addressing uncertainties when undertaking contaminated land risk assessments. It is intended that the advantages of this approach are recognised by practitioners in the contaminated land industry and adopted, where appropriate, to help improve the quality of contaminated land risk assessments. The identification of features, events, and processes (FEPs) has been applied to safety assessments of deep geological and near-surface disposal of radioactive wastes. One of the primary benefits of using this approach is in the development of conceptual models. The approach identifies the FEPs that need to be addressed during the development of conceptual models and in the selection of suitable computer codes that can be used to represent the conceptual models. This approach has been applied by BNFL at the low-level radioactive waste disposal site at Drigg in Cumbria and is currently being adopted for a contaminated land study at the Sellafield site, also in Cumbria. This paper presents the advantages of using FEPs in the development of conceptual models and the treatment of uncertainties. The paper also discusses the application of this approach to contaminated land studies and provides an example to demonstrate the application of the approach. BNFL's approach at the Drigg site involves the identification of components (features) and phenomena (events and processes) that govern interactions and dependencies between the components by arranging them in a matrix format.     

Diversity and adaptation of shelters in transitional settlements for IDPs in Afghanistan

The diversity of shelters used in transitional settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Herat, Afghanistan is described. The information is based on a field survey undertaken in March 2002 and highlights the adaptation techniques, which IDPs undertake to improve any provided shelter. Potential areas for improvement are indicated; for example, the possibility for using insulated, demountable liners to prevent cold-related deaths without sacrificing shelter flexibility along with the likely need for better agency coordination of the shelter responses they provide. The wider context in which the technical recommendations would be implemented must also be considered. Such issues include agency resources, political impediments to providing the desired option, and the preference of many IDPs that the best shelter would be their home.     

An ozone budget for the UK: using measurements from the national ozone monitoring network; measured and modelled meteorological data,and a 'big-leaf' resistance analogy model of dry deposition

Data from the UK national air-quality monitoring network are used to calculate an annual mass budget for ozone (O3) production and loss in the UK boundary layer during 1996. Monthly losses by dry deposition are quantified from 1 km x 1 km scale maps of O(3) concentration and O(3) deposition velocities based on a big-leaf resistance analogy. The quantity of O(3) deposition varies from approximately 50 Gg-O(3) month(-1) in the winter to over 200 Gg-O(3) month(-1) in the summer when vegetation is actively absorbing O(3). The net O(3) production or loss in the UK boundary layer is found by selecting days when the UK is receiving "clean" Atlantic air from the SW to NW. In these conditions, the difference in O(3) concentration observed at Mace Head and a rural site on the east coast of the UK indicates the net O(3) production or loss within the UK boundary layer. A simple box model is then used to convert the concentration difference into a mass. The final budget shows that for most of the year the UK is a net sink for O(3) (-25 to -800 Gg-O(3) month(-1)) with production only exceeding losses in the photochemically active summer months (+45 Gg-O(3) month(-1)).     

大气腐蚀试验标准中相对湿度和温度控制的考虑

<正>在本文中,我们将讨论操作腐蚀试验箱的实验室工程师和研究员提出的众多问题:如何测量和控制这些试验箱中的相对湿度和温度。腐蚀试验标准中对相对湿度测量和控制的描述不具体,甚至某些时候是错误的,导致试验者产生了很大的困惑。设备制造商已经使用了各种各样的测量技术,每种测量技术代表对标准的一种合理解释,但是它们相互之间产生的结果不尽相同。除了这些困惑外,对相对湿度控制的需求和人们所期望的现代测试标准同样不明确。最后,实验室条件