Confined placental mosaicism for trisomy 14 and maternal uniparental disomy in association with elevated second trimester maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin and third trimester fetal growth restriction

A case of confined placental mosaicism (CPM) and maternal uniparental isodisomy 14 identified after placental karyotype revealed trisomy 14 in a newborn with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and minor dysmorphic features is reported. During the second trimester of the pregnancy, multiple marker screening revealed an increased risk for Down syndrome of >1 in 10. The maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (MShCG) was markedly elevated at 4.19 MoM. Amniocentesis revealed a normal 46,XX karyotype. Fetal growth restriction has been associated with elevated MShCG and placental aneuploidy with CPM for chromosomes 2, 7, 9 and 16. The present case of CPM for chromosome 14 was also associated with fetal growth restriction and elevated second trimester MShCG, suggesting a common link. Further studies need to be done to determine if indeed elevation of second trimester MShCG is associated with increased risk of CPM. The present case again demonstrates the need to perform placental karyotype in unexplained fetal growth restriction. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustaining Economic Welfare: Estimating Changes in Total and Per Capita Wealth

Genuine saving measures the real change in0 total wealth, factoring in the depreciation of produced assets, depletion of natural resources, pollution damages, and expenditures on education. This paper presents a theoretical framework for measuring changes in wealth in total and per capita terms, establishes the link between savings measures and prospects for social welfare, and provides summary empirical estimates of the savings measures. China excepted, the majority of countries below median income are distinguished by apparent declines in total wealth per capita.     

Changes in the Biochemical Composition of Tetraselmis Suecia and Isochrysis Galbana During Growth and Decay

The variations of the biochemical composition of Tetraselmis suecica and Isochrysis galbana during growth and decay were determined. the content of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) of the cultures, as expected, slowly degraded into phaeopigments during decay, confirming that chlorophyll measurements do not always provide an accurate estimate of phytoplanktonic biomass and, consequently, may fail if used to measure the food availability of particulate matter for consumers. Measurements of total amounts of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, related to the nutritional value of particles in terms of caloric content, are shown to provide information on the readily available food for consumers, particularly during the blooms. the protein/carbohydrate, C/N and POC/Chl-a ratios were used to evaluate the differences between these two species during the growth and the decomposition processes. A comparison between experimental and field conditions was undertaken to implement our understanding of the growth and degradation processes of particulate organic matter of phytoplanktonic origin in the sea and its role on natural systems, during and after phytoplankton blooms.     

中国经济增长对碳排放的影响分析

通过相关分析探讨了中国国内生产总值(GDP)的增长与碳排放量的关系.结果表明,二者有明显的相关性(R2＝0.958 1).进一步研究认为,由于中国投资率在35%～40%以上,且工业增加值占GDP的比重超过50%,因此中国过分依赖投资的经济增长方式和以第二产业(工业)为主的经济结构在很大程度上是导致温室气体排放量增加的主要原因.未来在全球化背景下,经济增长可转变为更多地依靠科技创新、技术进步和制度的改进,因此,调整经济增长方式和产业结构,可以在保持发展经济的同时,使碳排放强度呈逐渐下降的趋势.     

Formation and growth of indoor air aerosol particles as a result of d-limonene oxidation

Oxidation of d-limonene, which is a common monoterpene, can lead to new aerosol particle formation in indoor environments. Thus, products containing d-limonene, such as citrus fruits, air refresheners, household cleaning agents, and waxes, can act as indoor air aerosol particle sources. We released d-limonene into the room air by peeling oranges and measured the concentration of aerosol particles of three different size ranges. In addition, we measured the concentration of d-limonene, the oxidant, and the concentration of ozone, the oxidizing gas. Based on the measurements we calculated the growth rate of the small aerosol particles, which were 3–10 nm in diameter, to be about , and the losses of the aerosol particles that were due to the coagulation and condensation processes. From these, we further approximated the concentration of the condensable vapour and its source rate and then calculated the formation rate of the small aerosol particles. For the final result, we calculated the nucleation rate and the maximum number of molecules in a critical cluster. The nucleation rate was in the order of and the number of molecules in a critical-sized cluster became 1.2. The results were in agreement with the activation theory.     

The influence of ClO− and acidity in the reaction between H2O2 and CuCl2

The potentially explosive reaction of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and copper chloride (CuCl₂) was investigated. Pressure tests revealed that the reaction was strongly temperature - dependent and can easily undergo runaway reaction. Nevertheless, there was only a slight pressure increase at the low temperatures studied or when using low concentrations of CuCl₂. Under the conditions generating the slight pressure increase, hypochlorite anions (ClO⁻) are generated and the acidity increases. As the reaction reaches completion, ClO⁻ disappears, and the acidity decreases. Interestingly, the addition of phosphate buffer to maintain the weakly acid conditions led to a runaway reaction, and the use of basic ClO⁻ promoted the exothermic reaction. Based on the results, acidity has a strong impact on the reaction behaviour.     

Long-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions and economic growth in the European union

This paper examines long-run and short-run dynamics of renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and economic growth in the European Union. This study employs cointegration tests, Granger causality tests and vector error correction estimates to examine the direction of Granger causality, the long-run dynamics of economic growth and energy variables on carbon emissions. This study analyses time series data from the World Development Indicators over the period from1961 to 2012. The results of this study support a link between renewable energy consumption, economic growth, industrialization, exports and CO₂ emissions in the long-run and short-run. The results support that the sign of the long-run dynamics from the endogenous variables to the CO₂ emissions variable is negative and significant, which implies that the energy and environmental policies of the European Union aimed at curbing CO₂ emissions must have been effective in the long-term. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption and exports have significant negative impact on CO₂ emissions in the short-run. However, industrialization and economic growth have positive impact on CO₂ emissions in the short-run. The results suggest that both economic growth and industrialization must have been achieved at the cost of harming the environment. The finding suggests that the increasing consumption of renewable energy tends to play an important role in curbing carbon emissions in the region.     

Reconsideration on the effect of nitrogen on mixed culture polyhydroxyalkanoate production toward high organic loading enrichment history

Effect of nitrogen on mixed culture PHA production was reconsidered. Enrichment history of PHA accumulating culture was discussed. Higher PHA content and biomass growth were achieved in presence of nitrogen. Enrichment strategy toward higher PHA accumulation was investigated. Microbial community succession in PHA accumulation phase was investigated. In most of the operating strategies for mixed microbial cultures polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production, moderate organic loads and low nitrogen concentrations are used, however, the real waste streams contain variable concentrations of carbon and nitrogen. To evaluate the effect of enrichment history on PHA producer and production the various carbon and nitrogen levels were utilized during the accumulation phase. Different operating strategies were applied in three sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) subjected to aerobic dynamic feeding. The maximum PHA production of the enriched cultures under nutrient excess, limitation and starvation (Cmol/Nmol ratio of 8, 40 and ∞, respectively) was evaluated in batch assays. A higher PHA content and biomass growth were achieved in the nutrients presence in comparison to the nutrient starvation condition. The cultures from the SBR treated under short sludge retention time, high organic loading rate, short cycle length (SBR#3) and nutrient excess reached the maximum PHA content (54.9%) and biomass increase (38.9%). Under nutrient limitation, the negative biomass growth was observed under nutrient starvation because of the sampling loss. The succession of microbial communities in SBRs and batch assays was analyzed using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. The SBR#3 had the best overall PHA production performance considering its high PHA content and productivity in all nutrient content, it indicates that nitrogen has a substantial impact on PHA yield especially when high organic loading rate enrichment history is involved.     

Economic growth,international trade,and the depletion or conservation of renewable natural resources

Conservation of renewable natural resources and promotion of economic growth are both sustainable development goals. Here, we study the interdependency between economic growth, international trade, and the use of renewable natural resources—under alternative institutional settings of either open access or full property rights—in an endogenous growth model. We find that if the resource is depleted over time, consumption growth is reduced. Economic growth and international trade only impact resource use when the resource is harvested under full property rights. Then, widening international trade can lead countries to shift from conservation to depletion. Changes in the institutional setting of resource use in one country may have repercussions on trading partners. Our results indicate potential trade-offs between the sustainable development goals and imply that policies focusing on resource use or trade (e.g., international trade bans or certified trade) are not sufficient to prevent resource depletion.     

模拟酸雨对华南典型树种生长及营养元素含量的影响

我国是世界上的第3大酸雨区,而华南地区是我国酸雨比较严重的地区之一。越来越严重的酸雨将对森林生态系统林木生长产生负面影响。本文采用盆栽试验模拟研究酸雨对华南典型树种尾叶桉和马尾松幼树生长及营养元素含量的影响。酸雨水平有4个:pH6.8(CK)、pH5、pH4和pH3。幼树生长期间观察并记录其酸雨受害症状,每隔10a测量一次树高,4个月后统计生物量、叶面积情况,并分析植株样品中的N、P、K、Ca、Mg等元素的质量分数。试验结果表明,在不同酸度酸雨的协迫下,尾叶桉和马尾松幼苗表现出不同程度的受害症状,酸度越高受害越严重。酸雨显著地抑制尾叶桉和马尾松的树高生长,降低幼苗生物量,减少叶面积生长。与对照相比,生长四个月后,pH5、pH4和pH3处理分别导致尾叶桉生物量降低10.79%、19.21%和27.25%,马尾松降低12.78%、22.98%和28.70%。尾叶桉植株内P、Mg、Ca质量分数不同程度地受到酸雨的影响,而N、K质量分数不受酸雨影响;马尾松除了P元素以外,其它元素质量分数在各个酸雨处理之间差异不显著。