Economics and Alternatives for Sulfur Removal from Coke Oven Gas

Two processes are currently being employed in North America for the desulfurization of coke oven gas, the Vacuum Carbonate System, and the Stretford System. A third, the Sulfi-ban Process, which was recently announced, now has several plants scheduled for construction. Overall operating requirements for each of these processes are considered in detail. Emphasis is placed on an identification of power and steam requirements, the types and amounts of solid and/or liquid waste streams produced together with methods for their treatment, and the net desulfurization efficiencies achieved by each process. Detailed estimates of capital and operating costs for desulfurization are considered, and equipment needs for environmental control requirements are discussed.     

Inception of formation and early morphogenesis of the bacterial light organ of the sea urchin cardinalfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siphamia versicolor</Emphasis>

The cardinalfish Siphamia versicolor (Perciformes: Apogonidae) forms a bioluminescent symbiosis with the marine luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis, harboring the bacteria in a ventral, disc-shaped light organ and using the bacterial light apparently for counterillumination and attracting prey. Little definitive information has been available on the developmental and microbiological events surrounding the initiation of symbiosis, a critical stage in the life history of the fish, in S. versicolor or any of the many other species of bacterially luminous fish. To identify the stage at which light organ formation begins, to determine the origin of cells forming the light organ, and to characterize its bacterial colonization status during development, early developmental stages of S. versicolor obtained and reared from wild-caught mouth-brooding males were examined with histological and microbiological methods. A light organ primordium was not evident in embryos, post-embryos, or pre-release larvae, whereas the light organ began to form within 1 day of release of full-term pre-flexion larvae from the mouths of male fish. Analysis of post-release larvae revealed that the light organ arises from a proliferation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells, and that it quickly develops structural complexity, including the formation of chambers and gaps contiguous with the intestinal epithelium. However, the nascent light organ remained uncolonized by the symbiotic bacteria through several days of post-release development, even in the presence of high numbers of the symbiotic bacteria. These results demonstrate that the inception of light organ formation in S. versicolor occurs independently of its symbiotic bacteria and that receptivity to bacterial colonization apparently requires substantial post-release development of the light organ. Larvae therefore most likely acquire their symbiotic bacteria from seawater, during or shortly after the transition from the pre-flexion to the flexion developmental stage.     

Temporal and spatial occurrence of UV-absorbing mycosporine-like amino acids in tissues of the antarctic sea urchin Sterechinusneumayeri during springtime ozone-depletion

From September to November 1991, UV-absorbing mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) were monitored in a natural population of the sea urchin Sterechinusneumayeri from a coastal area of Anvers Island (Antarctic Peninsula). MAA concentrations were determined for specific tissues (gonad, digestive tract and body wall) from adults collected at four depths (intertidal, 8, 15 and 24 m). Four MAAs were identified: mycosporine-glycine, shinorine, porphyra-334 and paly-thine. Concentrations of MAAs among replicate individuals varied considerably. Ovaries had high concentrations of MAAs (84 to 1389 μg g⁻¹ dry wt), while testes had non-detectable levels. The relative abundance of specific MAAs in ovaries appeared to be related to the spawning cycle. Digestive-tract samples had MAA concentrations as high as 3000 μg g⁻¹ dry wt, but the mean MAA content in intertidal individuals decreased by 70% over 3 mo during spring. The body walls of sea urchins had very low amounts of MAAs (≤ 0.08 μg g⁻¹ dry wt). There were significant depth differences in the␣total MAA content of the ovary ( p <0.001), ( p <0.015), digestive tract ( p <0.001), and body wall with organisms from the intertidal and 8 m depth having the highest concentrations of MAAs. Biological dosimetry indicated that UV-B (280 to 320 nm) wavelengths penetrated 3 to 7 m below the sea ice during the study period. The total MAA content in ovaries decreased with depth on all sample dates; however, the MAA content of the digestive tract and body wall did not exhibit a consistent pattern of change with depth. The MAA content of tissues did not change significantly with the temporal gradient of light exposure that was established by both ozone depletion and increasing photoperiod, except in the digestive tract sampled from intertidal specimens. Adult urchins are probably well-protected from UV exposure by the water column and a calcareous test; however, the results of this study suggest that, even under ice cover, depth of habitation is a determinant of MAA content in S. neumayeri. Large daily and seasonal fluctuations in the light regime, which are characteristic of Antarctic coastal environments, apparently do not provide reliable cues to elicit a detectable, temporal, biochemical response. Received: 19 February 1997 / Accepted: 26 March 1997     

Multiobjective Assessment of Multipurpose Water Resources Projects for Developing Countries

Multiobjective assessments of water resource projects are useful for widening the range of impacts that are considered during the process of project planning and selection. Some of the principles and problems associated with multiobjective analyses are reviewed, as are several relatively simple information display techniques and approaches found applicable to conditions in many developing countries. These techniques can be used where data and technical expertise are limited, and where it is not possible to identify and quantify all economic, environmental or social objectives and their trade-offs during the search for the best compromise decision.     

Three new modes of luminescence in the leiognathid fish Gazza minuta: Discrete projected luminescence,ventral body flash,and buccal luminescence

Three new modes of luminescence are described for Gazza minuta (Bloch) (Perciformes: Leiognathidae) as observed in specimens collected in the Philippines in April and May, 1982: discrete projected luminescence (DPL), ventral body flash, and buccal luminescence. DPL sharply contrasts with previously reported modes of diffuse luminescence in leiognathids (counterillumination and opercular flash) in being a pair of bright collimated beams of light emanating from the fish in an anteroventral direction. The brightness, coherence, directionality, and control of DPL suggest striking similarities to luminescence in anomalopid (flashlight) and monocentrid (pinecone) fishes and perhaps in certain apogonids (cardinalfishes). The structural correlate for DPL is a small clear patch of skin lying at the posterior margin of each opercular cavity. Luminescence from the internally located light organ traverses transparent bone and translucent muscle before passing through the clear skin of the patch area. Behavioral and anatomical observations of ventral body flash and buccal luminescence are also presented. These new modes of luminescence indicate a much greater than expected diversity of luminescent behaviors in leiognathids, perhaps greater than that of any other organism yet studied. The internal location of the light organ is recognised as providing the potential for this diversity.     

Political ideology and views about climate change in the European Union

There is a strong political divide on climate change in the US general public, with Liberals and Democrats expressing greater belief in and concern about climate change than Conservatives and Republicans. Recent studies find a similar though less pronounced divide in other countries. Its leadership in international climate policy making warrants extending this line of research to the European Union (EU). The extent of a left–right ideological divide on climate change views is examined via Eurobarometer survey data on the publics of 25 EU countries before the 2008 global financial crisis, the 2009 ‘climategate’ controversy and COP-15 in Copenhagen, and an increase in organized climate change denial campaigns. Citizens on the left consistently reported stronger belief in climate change and support for action to mitigate it than did citizens on the right in 14 Western European countries. There was no such ideological divide in 11 former Communist countries, likely due to the low political salience of climate change and the differing meaning of left–right identification in these countries.     

METEOROLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE AUGUST 27-28, 1971, NEW JERSEY FLOOD1

ABSTRACT. This paper describes the meteorological patterns that produced the combination of heavy rains in August 1971 that resulted in record floods in New Jersey. Daily and hourly precipitation data and selected recurrence frequencies of rainfall amounts are tabulated. History of previous heavy rainfalls in New Jersey indicates that occurrences of very heavy rains are frequently associated with tropical disturbances. Flood damages, fatalities, warnings issued and areas of record river stages are summarized.     

Depth-dependent responses to solar ultraviolet radiation and oxidative stress in the zooxanthellate coral Acropora microphthalma

Colonies of Acropora microphthalma (Verrill 1869) were transferred from depths of 2 to 3, 10, 20, and 30 m to UV-transparent and UV-opaque respirometry chambers placed at 1 m depth at Bowl Reef, Great Barrier Reef, in March 1989. Peak rates of photosynthesis in colonies originating at 2 and 10 m were unaffected by solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 1 m, whereas photosynthesis showed 30 and 38% inhibition in colonies transferred from 20 and 30 m, respectively. This differential sensitivity of corals to UV radiation was consistent with the five- to tenfold higher concentrations of UV-absorbing, mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs, putative defenses against UV) in 2- and 10-m colonies compared with 20- and 30-m colonies. Photosynthesis in zooxanthellae freshly isolated from 2- and 10-m corals, however, was inhibited by UV, indicating that the host's tissues, which contain 95% of the total MAAs in corals at these depths, are the first line of defense against solar UV and provide protection to their endosymbiotic algae. The general bathymetric decline in the activities of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the host, and SOD, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase in the zooxanthellae, is related to the decrease in potential for photooxidative stress with increasing depth.