Human Settlements on the Northern Shores of Lake Aral and Water Level Changes

The shore of Lake Aral in Kazakhstan is a perfect area for studying the human adaptation strategy to past climate changes. New archaeological material, gathered along the northern shores during the expedition of the INTAS project CLIMAN, is briefly presented. Changes in settlement activity during the Atlantic and Subboreal are related to lake level changes of the Aral Sea. A previ-ously proposed lake level maximum needs to be revised. In particular the lake level stand at 72/73 m, with an assumed age of 5000 BP is definitely refused. Based on the presented data the maximum lake level most probably never reached beyond 57/58 mean average sea level (masl). Furthermore the regression during the 15^th–16^th centuries has been underestimated. It may have been lower than the present day level. Thus the present desiccation of the Aral Sea is historically not unique, as a similar regression, probably induced by man as well, has occurred at least once during history. A readjustment of the water level is, therefore, possible at any time.     

Second-trimester maternal serum screening using alpha-fetoprotein,human chorionic gonadotrophin,and unconjugated oestriol: Experience of a regional programme

Over a 2-year period from January 1991 to December 1992, second-trimester maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome using alpha-fetoprotein (aFP), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and unconjugated oestriol (uE₃) was made available to five health districts in East Anglia, with a total population of 1·2 million. Amniocentesis was offered when the risk of Down's syndrome at term was 1:200 or greater. 25359 singleton pregnancies were screened, representing an uptake of 77 per cent. The recall rate for the 24 per cent of women who had not had a dating scan prior to the test was 9·4 per cent compared with 3·9 per cent for those who had been scanned (P<0·0005). Seventy-five per cent (36/48) of Down's syndrome pregnancies were detected for a false-positive rate of 4·0 per cent. Twenty-five out of 36 of detected Down's syndrome pregnancies were dated by scan prior to sampling, and in the 11 remaining cases, the dates were confirmed by scan after a high-risk result was obtained. The exclusion of uE₃ from the screening protocol would have reduced the detection rate to 52 per cent (25/48) for the same false-positive rate. Eighty-five per cent of women identified at high risk accepted the offer of an amniocentesis. Other fetal abnormalities detected were trisomy 18 (3), trisomy 13 (2), 45,X (6), 69,XXX (5), other chromosome abnormalities (9), open neural tube defects (26), hydrocephalus (7), abdominal wall defects (4), and steroid sulphatase deficiency (6).     

Eight years of annual no-till cropping in Washington's winter wheat-summer fallow region

The tillage-based winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-summer fallow (WW-SF) cropping system has dominated dryland farming in the Pacific Northwest USA for 125 years. We conducted a large-scale multidisciplinary 8-year study of annual (i.e., no summer fallow) no-till cropping systems as an alternative to WW-SF. Soft white and hard white classes of winter and spring wheat, spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), yellow mustard (Brassica hirta Moench), and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) were grown in various rotation combinations. Annual precipitation was less than the long-term average of 301 mm in 7 out of 8 years. Rhizoctonia bare patch disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 appeared in year 3 and continued through year 8 in all no-till plots. All crops were susceptible to rhizoctonia, but bare patch area in wheat was reduced, and grain yield increased, when wheat was grown in rotation with barley every other year. Remnant downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) weed seeds remained dormant for 6 years and longer to heavily infest recrop winter wheat. There were few quantifiable changes in soil quality due to crop rotation, but soil organic carbon (SOC) increased in the surface 0–5 cm depth with no-till during the 8 years to approach that found in undisturbed native soil. Annual no-till crop rotations experienced lower average profitability and greater income variability compared to WW-SF. Yellow mustard and safflower were not economically viable. Continuous annual cropping using no-till provides excellent protection against wind erosion and shows potential to increase soil quality, but the practice involves high economic risk compared to WW-SF. This paper provides the first comprehensive multidisciplinary report of long-term alternative annual no-till cropping systems research in the low-precipitation region of the Pacific Northwest.     

Marine oil spill contingency planning

According to the practice researching and formulating “The Oil Spill Contingency Plan of south Chinese Sea”,this paper analyses and discusses the structure,functions and main contents of marine oil spill contingency planning,programs the organizing and commanding system and emergency response system,and advances the planning and researching method to coordinate comprehensively and to design practically the detailed emergency response steps until to formulate the ease operating programs for the plan implementation(PPI) and the PPI to apply high-techniques supporting emergency administrations and response.     

First-trimester diagnosis of Meckel–Gruber syndrome by transabdominal sonography in a low-risk case

Meckel–Gruber syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder often resulting in neonatal death within a few hours of life. The condition is usually diagnosed ultrasonographically in the second trimester and earlier diagnosis has been mainly confined to high recurrence risk pregnancies. We describe the earliest non-invasive diagnosis of this condition at 12⁺² weeks' gestation in a patient with no previous history using transabdominal ultrasound. Pregnancy termination was declined. Subsequent development of anhydramnios in the mid-trimester resulted in poor fetal visualization. We propose that first-trimester diagnosis of this condition is not only possible but preferable, as normal liquor volume facilitates visualization of fetal anatomy.     

地下水中汞的形成及其与人群健康的关系

地下水中汞元素的形成，主要是含汞矿物岩土溶解作用的结果，但其含量一般很低。汞与人体关系密切，结肠癌、肺癌死亡率与土壤中汞含量呈正相关，胃癌死亡率则与汞元素含量呈负相关。地下水汞元素含量小于１μｇ／Ｌ时，不会对人体健康产生危害。     

Prenatal diagnosis of Pallister–Killian syndrome: Resolution of cytogenetic ambiguity by use of fluorescent in situ hybridization

We report a case of Pallister-Killian syndrome initially diagnosed prenatally as tetrasomy 21. A 33-year-old primiparous woman was noted at 24 weeks' gestation to have moderate polyhydramnios. Ultrasonography showed diminished fetal stomach filling, hydronephrosis, and prominence of the cisterna magna. Cytogenetic analysis of cultured amniocytes was initially interpreted as mosaic tetrasomy 21: 46,XX/47,XX,+i(21q). The patient was then referred to our centre for genetic counselling. At 34 weeks' gestation, a dysmorphic infant was delivered and died within 30 min. Physical features were consistent with the Pallister-Killian syndrome. Renal, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system anomalies were found at post-mortem examination. Analysis of peripheral lymphocytes revealed 5 per cent of cells with a marker chromosome, while 92 per cent of cultured fibroblasts had this same marker. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using an alpha-satellite probe for chromosomes 13 and 21 failed to hybridize to the marker, while a chromosome 12 centromeric probe unequivocally identified it as an i(12p). Use of FISH can provide rapid, specific prenatal diagnosis of ambiguous marker chromosomes and improve prenatal counselling.     

2015年海南省火电行业大气环境影响研究

基于火电企业在线监测数据、环境统计数据、排污许可及火电排放清单等，分析各统计口径下的海南火电大气污染物排放量差异，并基于在线监测数据分析海南省火电排放时间变化规律.分别设置现状、排污许可及超低排放3种情景，采用CALPUFF模型分析3种情景下火电厂对海南大气环境的影响.结果显示，不同统计口径下火电厂各污染物排放量差异较大，最大差值可达到5.65倍；在时间维度上，海南省火电行业污染物排放量月际分布较平稳，每月污染物排放量约占全年的7%~10%，24h变化呈现明显“两峰两谷”特征.在大气环境影响方面，火电企业大气SO₂、NO_x、PM_2.5、PM₁₀浓度分布总体呈现西部高东部低的趋势.现状情景下火电企业对各城市年均浓度影响范围为SO₂ 0.001~0.015μg/m³、NO_x 0~0.01μg/m³、PM₁₀ 0.001~0.006μg/m³、PM_2.5 0~0.003μg/m³，最高浓度基本出现在东方市、临高县.火电厂对大气环境的影响程度为许可情景>现状情景>超低情景，执行排污许可时火电厂排放PM₁₀和NO_x对各城市均值年均浓度较现状情景分别增加50%和38%；全面实施超低排放后，火电厂对大气环境影响有明显改善，SO₂和PM_2.5对各城市均值年均浓度较现状情景分别降低57%和69%.     

青浦区城市化中人居环境的协调发展研究

青浦区人居环境的可持续发展体系是一个由人口、社会、资源、环境与经济5个子系统构成的开放巨系统。文章通过提出综合衡量系统“协调性”和“发展水平”的“协调发展度”模型，研究青浦区在城市化中人居环境复合系统内5个子系统之间协调发展度情况。并运用回归模型，探讨协调发展度与城市化发展水平之间的内在联系，提出城市化进程必须与其人居环境的可持续发展相适应。     

Using structured systems analysis to design an integrated system for transport planning and environmental analysis

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