Chorionic villus sampling—short-term versus long-term culture in a subtle 2; 18 translocation

Prenatal diagnosis on chorionic villous tissue was performed for a woman with the karyotype 46,XX,t(2;18)(q32;q12)—a subtle ‘difficult’ translocation. The case illustrates the necessity of good quality cytogenetics for accurate prenatal diagnosis. For chorionic villi this can be obtained only with long-term culture.     

Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling: Analysis of 350 consecutive cases

We report a series of 350 patients submitted to transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (CVS). A technique using two ultrasound-guided needles and a suction pump was used. In most cases, the procedure was performed between 9 and 13 weeks. Twenty-one pregnancies were selectively terminated; nine spontaneous abortions followed the procedure and one fetal loss after 28 weeks was recorded; 153 pregnancies are in progress and 169 delivered fetuses are alive and well. Transabdominal biopsy is a feasible and effective technique for CVS.     

Spontaneous abortion after transcervical chorionic villus sampling: A case report

A case of spontaneous abortion after transcervical CVS is presented. Despite no evidence of bacteria in the vagina and cervix prior to sampling and the prophylactic use of Metronidazole, pathological evidence of chorioamnionitis was found. The implications of this are discussed.     

Demonstration of Line Transect Methodologies to Estimate Urban Gray Squirrel Density

Sciurus carolinensis ) have been labor intensive and costly, I demonstrate the use of line transect surveys to estimate gray squirrel density and determine the costs of conducting surveys to achieve precise estimates. Density estimates are based on four transects that were surveyed five times from 30 June to 9 July 1994. Using the program DISTANCE, I estimated there were 4.7 (95% CI = 1.86–11.92) gray squirrels/ha on the Clemson University campus. Eleven additional surveys would have decreased the percent coefficient of variation from 30% to 20% and would have cost approximately $114. Estimating urban gray squirrel density using line transect surveys is cost effective and can provide unbiased estimates of density, provided that none of the assumptions of distance sampling theory are violated.     

环境保护要依靠公众参与——关于环境保护主要依靠力量的市民调查

环境问题和环境保护已日益深入到社会政治、经济、文化、生活各个领域。在呼吁公众参与的条件下，依靠谁去搞好环境保护？公众是如何看待自己在环境保护中的作用的呢？对这些问题的回答将有助于了解公众关于环境保护的心态，有助于环境保护公众参与政策更具有针对性的实施。本文就这一话题进行了城市居民的抽样调查。调查表明，公众普遍认为，政府和公众参与是搞好环保的主要依靠力量；而公众对环境宣传教育和污染企业的治理以及技术进步的期望较低。本文进一步分析了不同年龄、文化程度、职业和人均月收入带来的影响，以期把握不同层次公众的心态。在此基础上本文就环境宣传教育如何促进公众参与提出了一些思考。     

时域反射仪结合土钻法测定土壤容重

土壤水分是土地持续利用、水资源规划与管理、环境化学、节水农业技术研究的基础。介绍了时域反射仪（TDR）及其测定土壤水分的方法及应用，并利用时域反射仪结合土钻法测定土壤容重，与经典的环刀法测定土壤容重进行了比较，结果表明：两种测定结果存在一定的差异，TDR结合土钻法测定土壤容重能连续测定而且稳定性好。     

MODELING THE IMPACT OF MULTICOMPONENT VOCs ON GROUND WATER USING THE STEFAN‐MAXWELL EQUATION1

ABSTRACT: Computer programs that model the fate and transport of organic contaminants through porous media typically use Fick's first law to calculate vapor phase diffusion. Fick's first law, however, is limited to the case of a single, dilute species diffusing into a stagnant, high concentration, bulk vapor phase. When dealing with more than one diffusing species and at higher concentrations, the multicomponent coupling effects on vapor phase diffusion and advection of the various constituents become significant. VLEACH, a one‐dimensional finite difference model developed for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), is typical of the models using Fick's first law to model vapor‐phase diffusion. The VLEACH model was modified to accommodate up to 10 components and to calculate the binary diffusion coefficients for each of the components based on molecular weight, molecular volume, temperature and pressure, and to address the coupling effects on multiple component vapor phase diffusion and its impact on ground water. The resulting model was renamed MC‐CHEMSOIL. At low vapor phase concentrations, MC‐CHEMSOIL predicts identical ground water impacts (dissolved phase loading) to those from VLEACH 2.2a. At higher vapor phase concentrations, however, the relative difference between the models exceeded 20 percent.     

Effects of publication bias on conservation planning

Conservation planners need reliable information on spatial patterns of biodiversity. However, existing data sets are skewed because some ecosystems, taxa, and locations are underrepresented. We determined how many articles have been published in recent decades on the biodiversity of different countries and their constituent provinces. We searched the Web of Science catalogues Science Citation Index (SCI) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) for biodiversity-related articles published from 1993 to 2016 that included country and province names. We combined data on research publication frequency with other provincial-scale factors hypothesized to affect the likelihood of research activity (i.e., economic development, human presence, infrastructure, and remoteness). Areas that appeared understudied relative to the biodiversity expected based on site climate likely have been inaccessible to researchers for reasons, notably armed conflict. Geographic publication bias is of most concern in the most remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Our provincial-scale model may help compensate for publication biases in conservation planning by revealing the spatial extent of research needs and the low cost of redoing this analysis annually.     

Recycling-oriented characterization of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from mobile phones by electronic and chemical imaging

This study characterizes the composition of plastic frames and printed circuit boards from end-of-life mobile phones. This knowledge may help define an optimal processing strategy for using these items as potential raw materials. Correct handling of such a waste is essential for its further “sustainable” recovery, especially to maximize the extraction of base, rare and precious metals, minimizing the environmental impact of the entire process chain. A combination of electronic and chemical imaging techniques was thus examined, applied and critically evaluated in order to optimize the processing, through the identification and the topological assessment of the materials of interest and their quantitative distribution. To reach this goal, end-of-life mobile phone derived wastes have been systematically characterized adopting both “traditional” (e.g. scanning electronic microscopy combined with microanalysis and Raman spectroscopy) and innovative (e.g. hyperspectral imaging in short wave infrared field) techniques, with reference to frames and printed circuit boards. Results showed as the combination of both the approaches (i.e. traditional and classical) could dramatically improve recycling strategies set up, as well as final products recovery.     

Combined Effects of Levels of Protection and Environmental Variables at Different Spatial Resolutions on Fish Assemblages in a Marine Protected Area

Abstract: The links between species–environment relations and species’ responses to protection are unclear, but the objectives of marine protected areas (MPAs) are most likely to be achieved when those relations are known and inform MPA design. The components of a species’ habitat vary with the spatial resolution of the area considered. We characterized areas at two resolutions: 250 m² (transect) and approximately 30,000 m² (seascape). We considered three categories of environmental variables: substrate type, bottom complexity, and depth. We sought to determine at which resolution habitat characteristics were a better predictor of abundance and species composition of fishes and whether the relations with environmental variables at either resolution affected species’ responses to protection. Habitat features accounted for a larger proportion of spatial variation in species composition and abundances than differences in protection status. This spatial variation was explained best by habitat characteristics at the seascape level than at the transect level. Species’ responses to protected areas were specific to particular seascape characteristics, primarily depth, and bottom complexity. Our method may be useful for prioritizing marine areas for protection, designing MPAs, and monitoring their effectiveness. It identified areas that provided natural shelter, areas acting as buffer zones, and areas where fish species were most responsive to protection. The identification of such areas is necessary for cost‐effective establishment and monitoring of MPAs.