Prenatal diagnosis in three cases of iniencephaly with unusual postmortem findings

Iniencephaly is a rare and lethal congenital malformation of the neural tube characterized by occipital bone defect, cervical dysraphism, fixed retroflexion of the fetal head and severe lordosis of the cervicothoracic spine. The etiology is unknown. Prenatally diagnosed cases of iniencephaly are rare because careful and early ultrasonographic evaluation is necessary. We present three cases of iniencephaly prenatally diagnosed by sonography at 20–22 weeks' gestation in which therapeutic abortion was induced. The sonographic findings were compatible with the postmortem findings. The present cases of iniencephaly were found to carry unusual associated malformations such as two lobes in the right lung and chorangiosis of the placenta. Only hypoplastic lungs have been reported by previous authors. We also studied the 677C→T mutation on the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene in the parents in one of the present cases. The mother was found to be heterozygous for the 677CT polymorphism. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of environmental impacts from municipal solid waste management in the municipality of Aarhus, Denmark (EASEWASTE).

A new computer based life cycle assessment model (EASEWASTE) was used to evaluate a municipal solid waste system with the purpose of identifying environmental benefits and disadvantages by anaerobic digestion of source-separated household waste and incineration. The most important processes that were included in the study are optical sorting and pre-treatment, anaerobic digestion with heat and power recovery, incineration with heat and power recovery, use of digested biomass on arable soils and finally, an estimated surplus consumption of plastic in order to achieve a higher quality and quantity of organic waste to the biogas plant. Results showed that there were no significant differences in most of the assessed environmental impacts for the two scenarios. However, the use of digested biomass may cause a potential toxicity impact on human health due to the heavy metal content of the organic waste. A sensitivity analysis showed that the results are sensitive to the energy recovery efficiencies, to the extra plastic consumption for waste bags and to the content of heavy metals in the waste. A model such as EASEWASTE is very suitable for evaluating the overall environmental consequences of different waste management strategies and technologies, and can be used for most waste material fractions existing in household waste.     

Climatic and genetic controls of yields of switchgrass, a model bioenergy species

The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard calls for 136 billion liters of renewable fuels production by 2022. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has emerged as a leading candidate to be developed as a bioenergy feedstock. To reach biofuel production goals in a sustainable manner, more information is needed to characterize potential production rates of switchgrass. We used switchgrass yield data and general additive models (GAMs) to model lowland and upland switchgrass yield as nonlinear functions of climate and environmental variables. We used the GAMs and a 39-year climate dataset to assess the spatio-temporal variability in switchgrass yield due to climate variables alone. Variables associated with fertilizer application, genetics, precipitation, and management practices were the most important for explaining variability in switchgrass yield. The relationship of switchgrass yield with climate variables was different for upland than lowland cultivars. The spatio-temporal analysis showed that considerable variability in switchgrass yields can occur due to climate variables alone. The highest switchgrass yields with the lowest variability occurred primarily in the Corn Belt region, suggesting that prime cropland regions are the best suited for a constant and high switchgrass biomass yield. Given that much lignocellulosic feedstock production will likely occur in regions with less suitable climates for agriculture, interannual variability in yields should be expected and incorporated into operational planning.     

Visual prey detection by near-infrared cues in a fish

Many animal species are able to perceive light wavelengths beyond those visible to humans. While numerous species are additionally sensitive to short wavelengths (UV), long wavelengths such as the near-infrared spectrum (NIR) are supposed to be unsuitable for visual perception. Here, we experimentally show that under exclusive NIR illumination, the cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus displays a clear foraging response towards NIR reflecting prey. Additional control experiments without prey indicate that the observed behavior is not a mere response to the NIR environment. These results give first evidence for NIR visual sensitivity in a functional context and thus challenge the current view about NIR perception.     

城市再生水景观利用水华识别和预警方法探讨

城市再生水景观回用的主要问题是水体富营养化导致水华的暴发。为了抑制藻类的大规模生长,需要提前采取预防措施,以便将有可能爆发水华的藻类及时杀死或除去。目前,人们已经对景观水体中常见藻类的生长规律做了深入的研究,发现水体中藻数量(藻密度)的多少与水体的pH值和DO值的变化有密切而相对稳定的关系。通过在线实时监控pH值和DO值,找到△pH、△DO与藻类生长之间的关系,并结合pH、DO、温度、正磷酸盐和总氮等指标,实现实时识别和预测水华爆发的目的。     

农村生活污水处理设施优先控制区域识别与监管策略

选取嘉兴市秀洲区和海宁市为研究对象,以乡镇区划为研究单元,采用综合源强估算法和GIS软件,对处理设施的氨氮（NH₃-N）、总磷（TP）、化学需氧量（COD）排放强度进行定量估算和空间分析.结果表明,秀洲区处理设施的NH₃-N和COD排放强度高于海宁市,而TP排放强度与海宁市差不多.秀洲区内,洪合镇各污染物的排放强度均最高;海宁市内,盐官镇NH₃-N排放强度最高,许村镇TP和COD排放强度最高.采用因子分析法和加权指数法计算排污权重,再结合生态敏感性评价和环境功能区划,筛选出运维和监管优先控制区.秀洲区内,洪合镇、王江泾镇、油车港镇被划分为优先控制区,该优先控制区内处理设施数量占比27.87%,排污权重占比72.42%,通过重点监管17.66%的设施,可监管秀洲区59.98%的污染物排放.海宁市内,长安镇、许村镇、海洲街道、盐官镇、袁花镇被划分为优先控制区,该优先控制区内设施数量占比69.10%,排污权重占比71.23%,通过重点监管16.85%的设施,可监管海宁市43.54%的污染物排放.研究结果可为提高设施的运维监管效率提供技术支撑.