Application of the top specified boundary layer (TSBL) approximation to initial characterization of an inland aquifer mineralization: 1. Direct contact between fresh and saltwater

This paper presents a basic study in generalized terms that originates from two needs: (1) to understand the major mechanisms involved in the mineralization of groundwater of the Great Bend Prairie aquifer of Kansas by saltwater originating from a deeper Permian bedrock formation, and (2) to develop simple, robust tools that can readily be used for local assessment and management activities in the salt-affected region. A simplified basic conceptual model is adopted, incorporating two horizontal layers of porous medium which come into contact at a specific location within the model domain. The top layer is saturated with freshwater, and the bottom layer is saturated with saltwater. The paper considers various stages of approximation which can be useful for simplified simulation of the build-up of the transition zone (TZ) between the freshwater and the saltwater. The hierarchy of approximate approaches leads to the development of the top specified boundary layer (TSBL) method, which is the major tool used in this study for initial characterization of the development of the TZ. It is shown that the thickness of the TZ is mainly determined by the characteristic dispersivity. The build-up of the TZ is completed after a time period equal to the time needed to advect a fluid particle along the whole extent of the TZ. Potential applications and the effects of natural recharge and pumpage on salinity transport in the domain are discussed and evaluated in the context of demonstrating the practicality of the TSBL approach.     

Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata in a primigravida

Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP) is a sublethal autosomal recessive disorder characterized by skeletal dysplasia, microcephaly, mental retardation, congenital cataracts, joint contractures, skin changes, and failure to thrive. Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis has been reported during the second trimester of pregnancy. Prenatal diagnosis is also possible from the first trimester onwards by demonstration of peroxisomal dysfunction in cultured chorionic villous or amniotic fluid cells. In all cases reported hitherto, the prenatal diagnosis was established after the birth of a previous affected child. In contrast to these studies in pregnant multiparous women at risk for RCDP, we report on the first case of prenatal ultrasound diagnosis of RCDP at 19 weeks' gestation in a primigravida. In addition, a complex cardiac malformation associated with hypoplasia of the thymus (DiGeorge anomaly) is described.     

二氧化硫吸入对小鼠脑、心、肾、睾丸超微结构的影响

为了研究二氧化硫(SO2)对小鼠脑、心、肾、睾丸超微结构的影响,以探讨其毒性作用的本质,对小鼠进行SO2动态吸入染毒.设对照组及SO2染毒组(28、56 mg·m-3),取各组小鼠脑、心、肾、睾丸于电镜下观察.结果表明:(1)SO2染毒组小鼠脑组织的部分神经元细胞和许多胶质细胞受损,可见胶质细胞核畸形、内质网扩张、线粒体肿胀,以及神经纤维发生髓鞘分离的现象,2种剂量未见明显差异.(2)SO2染毒组小鼠心肌细胞的线粒体肿胀,肌原纤维结构紊乱,细胞核染色质有边集、团块状改变现象,血管内皮细胞肿胀,心肌闰盘扩张、松解;剂量较高的SO2(56 mg·m-3)染毒组小鼠,还可见到心肌纤维断裂、溶解,部分心肌细胞肌膜破裂,细胞器释出现象,并可观察到淋巴细胞浸润(3)SO2染毒组小鼠肾近曲小管上皮细胞受损严重,肾小球和远曲小管上皮细胞也有一定程度的损伤,可见内质网扩张、线粒体肿胀现象;SO2剂量为56 mg·m-3的染毒组较剂量为28 mg·m-3染毒组更为严重,可见肾小管上皮细胞嗜酸性变、线粒体空泡变现象.(4)SO2染毒可引起小鼠睾丸的基膜、各级生精细胞、精子和支持细胞发生病理改变,可观察到线粒体肿胀、核膜不清、精细胞顶体脱落现象;SO2剂量为56 mg·m-3时比剂量为28 mg·m-3时超微结构损伤严重,可见基膜破损、细胞器释出现象.本研究为SO2是一种全身性有毒因子的观点提供了病理形态学证据.     

基于皮电、心率和β波的指挥人员应急能力度量

指挥人员的应急能力是决定应急工作效率的重要因素,按照生理、心理性指标度量的指挥人员的应急能力,是选择指挥人员的重要依据之一。首先,分析指挥人员应急能力与情绪、生理性应激的关系。然后,利用E-prime软件,通过情绪Stroop效应范式诱发情绪,用生物反馈仪测量生理性应激状态下生理指标变化,研究高应急能力指挥人员应具备的能力条件。试验结果表明,高应急能力组人员应激前后皮电、心率、β波以及反应时间等指标变化率显著低于低应急能力组人员。试验结果与人的应急能力分类指标相符,能力较强的指挥人员的生理指标变化率较低,适合从事应急指挥方面的工作。     

Routine fetal cardiac screening: what are we doing and what should we do?

In many countries, ultrasound examination is used in the second trimester to look for congenital malformations as part of routine prenatal care. While tertiary centres scanning high-risk pregnancies have reported a high degree of accuracy in the detection of congenital heart disease, many studies have shown that cardiac abnormalities are commonly overlooked during routine obstetric evaluation and there still remains a huge variation between centres. The majority of babies with congenital heart disease are born to mothers with no identifiable high-risk factors and so will not be detected unless there is widespread screening of the low-risk population. It is feasible to achieve widespread screening for fetal congenital heart disease in low-risk groups, but this does need commitment and effort from those performing the scans and those teaching them how to examine the heart. Staff performing routine obstetric ultrasound scans should learn a simple technique for examining the fetal heart and to use this in all patients. Links to a tertiary centre can provide support for checking scans of concern as well as for providing training and for obtaining feedback. In addition, an audit system needs to be established in each centre to trace false-positive and false-negative cases as well as to confirm true positives and true negatives. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transport of reactive colloids and contaminants in groundwater: effect of nonlinear kinetic interactions

Transport of reactive colloids in groundwater may enhance the transport of contaminants in groundwater. Often, the interpretation of results of transport experiments is not a simple task as both reactions of colloids with the solid matrix and reactions of contaminants with the solid matrix and mobile and immobile colloids may be time dependent and nonlinear. Further colloid transport properties may differ from solute transport properties. In this paper, a one-dimensional model for coupled and contaminant in a porous medium (COLTRAP) is presented together with simulation results. Calculated breakthrough curves (BTC's) during contamination and decontamination show systematically the effect of nonlinear and kinetic interactions on contaminant transport in the presence of reactive colloids, and the effect of colloid transport properties that differ from solute transport properties. It is shown that in case of linear kinetic reactions, the rate of exchange of mobile and immobile colloids have a large impact on the shape of BTC's even if the solid matrix is saturated with respect to colloids. BTC's during the contamination and decontamination phase have identical shapes in this case. Moreover, the slow reactions of contaminants and colloids may lead to unretarded breakthrough of contaminants. Independent of reaction rates, nonlinear reactions lead to BTC's that are steeper during contamination than in the linear case. A characteristic aspect of nonlinear sorption is that shapes of BTC's differ during the contamination and decontamination phase. It has been observed that shapes of some of the simulated adsorption and desorption curves are similar as shapes found in experiments reported in literature. This stresses the importance of incorporating both kinetics and nonlinearity in models for coupled colloid and contaminant transport and the capability of COLTRAP to interpret experimental results. Finally, to figure out whether nonlinear processes play a role, it is very important to consider both contamination and decontamination in transport experiments.     

Contamination in Ontario farmstead domestic wells and its association with agriculture:: 1. Results from drinking water wells

Groundwater provides about 30% of water requirements in Ontario, but farm families depend almost entirely on private wells. Major potential contaminants on farms are nitrate (NO₃⁻), pathogenic microorganisms, pesticides and petroleum derivatives. A survey of farm drinking-water wells was conducted throughout the Province of Ontario, Canada, in 1991 and 1992 and tested for these contaminants. The main objectives of the survey were to determine the quality and safety of drinking water for farm families, and determine the effect of agricultural management on groundwater quality at a provincial scale. Four farm wells were chosen in each township where >50% of the land area was used for agricultural production. Elsewhere one well per township was usually sampled. Within each township the types of farming activity and dominant soils were additional criteria for selection. The network comprised 1292 of the estimated 500,000 water-wells in Ontario, and the study conformed to a stratified random survey. A subset of 160 wells, chosen by farm type, soil, and the presence or absence of a fuel storage tank, was investigated for the presence of petroleum derivatives: benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene. About 40% of farm wells tested contained one or more of the target contaminants above the maximum acceptable concentration; 34% of wells had more than the maximum acceptable number of coliform bacteria, 14% contained NO₃⁻-N concentrations above 10 mg l⁻¹ limit and about 7% were contaminated with both bacteria and NO₃⁻. Only six wells contained pesticide residues above the interim maximum acceptable concentration (IMAC), but pesticides were detected in 7% of wells in winter and in 11% in summer. No wells contained detectable petroleum derivatives. These results for NO₃⁻ contamination were not significantly different from those reported for a survey of Ontario wells for the period 1950–1954, but the frequency of contamination by Escherichia coli was greater in the present study. None of the point sources investigated contributed significantly to the NO₃⁻ contamination. The percentage of wells contaminated by coliform bacteria decreased significantly with increasing separation of the well from the feedlot or exercise yard on livestock farms. A full statistical model including the type of well construction, depth, age and soil hydrologic group was developed to describe the frequency of NO₃⁻ contamination.     

Protective influence of Vitamins against Petroleum-induced free radical toxicity in Rabit

The effect of exposure to crude oil contaminated diet on the blood antioxidant defence system, lipid peroxidation, lipid profile as well as possible protective roles of vitamins E and C were studied in rabbits. Oxidative stress induction by crude oil was indicated by significantly (P < 0.05) increased lipid peroxidation and a non-significant (P < 0.05) decrease in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. A similar pattern was also detected in the lipid profile: total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol insignificantly (P < 0.05) increased while HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride significantly decreased relative to rabbits fed normal diet. The reciprocal relationship between HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in addition to compromised antioxidant enzymes could predispose exposed animals to coronary heart disease. However, pre-treatment of the diet with vitamins C and E exhibited a protective role on the toxic effect of crude oil on lipid profile, lipid peroxidation as well as antioxidant enzymes. The order of protection was vitamin E + C > vitamin E > vitamin C. These observations seemed to suggest that the protective role of vitamins C and E is synergistic. The protective role of the vitamins is probably time-dependent as significant (P < 0.05) restoration of lipid profile as well as antioxidant enzymes activities to control values was effected after four weeks of exposure. It is therefore suggested that toxic effect of crude oil may be reduced by dietary supplementation of vitamins C and E.