Ammonia production and kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase in the sipinculid Phascolosoma arcuatum exposed to anoxia

The amounts of total NH ₄ ⁺ detected in the external media in which Phascolosoma arcuatum had been exposed to various periods of anoxia were significantly greater than those in which the worms were exposed to normoxia for a similar period. The increased NH ₄ ⁺ production by P. arcuatum during anoxic exposure was unlikely to be due to an increased catabolism of adenine nucleotides or urea. In contrast, there were significant decreases in the concentrations of several free amino acids in the coelomic plasma and body tissues of individuals during the 48 h of anoxic exposure. The amount of NH ₄ ⁺ produced by the anoxic P. arcuatum could be accounted for by the decreases in the concentrations of aspartate or glycine. Increases in the catabolism of free amino acids (FAA), leading to the increased production of NH ₄ ⁺ , in P. arcuatum during anoxia were supported by the detection of significant changes in the kinetic properties of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), in the deaminating direction, from worms exposed to anoxia for 48 h. The apparent increase in the affinity of GDH from the anoxic worm to glutamate would bring about a greater deaminating activity at physiological concentrations of ths substrate. P. arcuatum used in these experiments were collected from the mangrove swamp at Mandai, Singapore between 1990 and 1993.     

Coping with riverbank erosion hazard and displacement in bangladesh: survival strategies and adjustments

As a deltaic plain, Bangladesh annually experiences riverbank erosion hazard due to sudden and rapid channel shifting, particularly in the major floodplain areas of the country. Consequently, valuable cultivable land is lost; also village settlements, markets and towns are destroyed, displacing tens of thousands of people. This paper examines the magnitude of river channel migration and encroachment on land, and the nature of human adjustment systems in the Brahmaputra–Jamuna floodplain, by investigating aspects of the social and cultural dynamics of resettlement of the displaced people. Some policy measures are recommended to improve the ability of the people in the floodplain to cope with these hazards.     

Density functional theory (DFT) studies of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts

Based on density functional theory (DFT) and basic structure models, the chemical reactions on the surface of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitrification catalysts were summarized. Reasonable structural models (non-periodic and periodic structural models) are the basis of density functional calculations. A periodic structure model was more appropriate to represent the catalyst surface, and its theoretical calculation results were more comparable with the experimental results than a non-periodic model. It is generally believed that the SCR mechanism where NH₃ and NO react to produce N₂ and H₂O follows an Eley-Rideal type mechanism. NH₂NO was found to be an important intermediate in the SCR reaction, with multiple production routes. Simultaneously, the effects of H₂O, SO₂ and metal on SCR catalysts were also summarized.     

Determination of Trace Organochlorinated Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Water

A modified steam distillation liquid-liquid extraction (SDE) device is developed for the enrichment of trace organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in up to one litre of water samples. One ml of n-hexane is sufficient to extract the analytes. The extract can be analysed directly by a capillary gas chromatography-electron capture detector. The recoveries range from 84.6 to 102.3% for OCPs and 80.5 to 106.2% for PCBs, respectively. Matrice materials such as lipids and humic substances were removed by the SDE method from the extract and no further cleanup and concentration steps were needed.     

Fractionation of butyltin species during sample extraction and preparation for analysis

Solvent extraction and evaporative concentration steps are often used in procedures for the measurement of butyltins in environmental samples. As part of a larger study utilizing radiolabeled butyltins, the loss and fractionation of butyltins during sample preparation was investigated. TBT, DBT, and MBT were extracted from acidified seawater by hexane with efficiencies of about 95–99, 50–60 and 11% respectively. In addition, losses of about 70% of DBT were found during evaporative concentration of hexane. A variety of sediment extraction procedures were tested and none were found to be highly efficient for total butyltin extraction.     

布、洛、维、肖氏硬度的相关关系

进行了布、洛、维、肖氏硬度之间的回归分析,建立了洛氏硬度与布氏、维氏、肖氏硬度之间,以及布氏硬度与维氏、肖氏硬度之间的回归关系式.     

Method of pollution sources assessment in relation to residential site selection

Much investigation supports a high incidence of disease and death rates when people live in ambient polluted air for a long time. Thus, the location of residential sites is important from a public health viewpoint. The method outlined in this paper is useful for determining the location of residential sites based on pollution sources assessment.     

加强城市灾害应急管理能力建设确保城市的可持续发展

本文通过对我国城市化与经济发展的关系,分析了我国城市面临的灾害形势及城市应急管理中存在的问题,提出了加强城市应急能力建设的途径,可供国内各大中城市参考和借鉴.     

模拟消落带水华暴发行为的数值沙堆模型

以长江最大支流汉江近年来水华污染的现场资料为例,通过氮磷浓度、水温、流速和光照等实测数据构建了消落带开放水域环境体系的数值沙堆模型,描述了藻类生长及水华暴发的动力学机制;利用数值沙堆系统崩塌行为反映出的频率-尺度幂律关系作为判断消落带水域是否暴发水华以及规模大小的依据,采用有限尺度标度分析从不同侧面验证了水华暴发系统的自组织临界性,并揭示出各种拟合参数与水华暴发规模之间的定量关系.研究表明,沙堆模型如果存在良好的幂律关系,相应的消落带水域将暴发水华,且幂律指数越大,水华污染程度越严重.