Biomarker responses to pollution in two invertebrate species: Scrobicularia plana and Nereis diversicolor from the Cádiz bay (SW Spain)   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Pérez E  Blasco J  Solé M 《Marine environmental research》2004,58(2-5):275-279

The clam Scrobicularia plana and the polychaete worm Nereis diversicolor were collected in several sites from a littoral enclosure in SW Spain. The aim of our study was to relate various biomarker responses in these species to a pollution gradient caused by untreated domestic discharges and to verify the adequacy of the selected species as sentinels in this habitat. The biomarkers selected were the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and DT-diaphorase (DT-D). In addition, the activities of cytochrome P450-dependent ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity, the phase II detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the neurotoxicity marker acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured. Metallothionein levels were selected as biomarkers of heavy metals exposure in both species. The results suggest a different response in the water filtering organism (clam) and the sediment eater (polychaete), probably as a consequent of different pollution exposure and that samples from the "Ca?o Sancti-Petri" were exposed to biologically active compounds that altered some of their biochemical responses. AChE was the most sensitive biomarker in both species and N. diversicolor proved to be a more robust sentinel in this ecosystem.  相似文献   

The Dodo: from extinction to the fossil record     

Julian P. Hume 《Geology Today》2012,28(4):147-151

The dodo, Raphus cucullatus (Aves, Columbidae), has become one of the most famous birds in the world, a true icon of extinction. Known from a few contemporary illustrations and accounts, probably more has been written about it than any other species, yet we know practically nothing about the bird in life. Recent excavations on Mauritius are now revealing the ecology and habitat of this iconic bird, and providing new information as to why it was so vulnerable to human interference.  相似文献   

Hydrogen isotope fractionation in freshwater and marine algae: II. Temperature and nitrogen limited growth rate effects     

Zhaohui Zhang  Julian P. Sachs  Adrian Marchetti 《Organic Geochemistry》2009,40(3):428-439

Zhang and Sachs [Hydrogen isotope fractionation in freshwater algae: I. Variations among lipids and species. Organic Geochemistry 38, 582–608, 2007] demonstrated that algal lipid δD values track water δD values with high fidelity (R² > 0.99), but that D/H fractionation varied among lipids and algal species. Here we report on the influence of temperature and nitrogen limitation on D/H fractionation in lipids from cultured microalgae. Two species of freshwater green algae, Eudorina unicocca and Volvox aureus, were grown in batch culture at 15 °C and 25 °C. Increased D/H fractionation of 2?4‰/°C occurred at the higher temperature in all lipids analyzed. The marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana was grown in continuous culture under nitrogen replete (NR) and nitrogen limited (NL) conditions, resulting in a growth rate that was 4.4 fold lower under the latter conditions. The fatty acid content of NL cells was approximately 4 fold higher than in NR cells, whereas the sterol content was similar in both. While sterols from the NL culture were enriched in deuterium by 37‰ relative to the NR culture, fatty acids from both cultures had similar δD values, implying that D/H fractionation during isoprenoid (branched) lipid synthesis is affected by nitrogen limitation, but D/H fractionation during acetogenic (linear) lipid synthesis is not. Cross-talk of the precursor isopentenyl diphosphate between the cytosolic MVA and plastidic DOXP/MEP synthetic pathways is a plausible mechanism for the observed D/H differences between isoprenoid and acetogenic lipids. This preliminary study highlights the need to consider both the type of lipid and potential changes in growth conditions in paleoenvironmental studies using lipid D/H ratios.  相似文献   

An empirical–conceptual gully evolution model for channelled sea cliffs     

Julian Leyland  Stephen E. Darby   《Geomorphology》2008,102(3-4):419-434

Incised coastal channels are a specific form of incised channel that are found in locations where stream channels flowing to cliffed coasts have the excess energy required to cut down through the cliff to reach the outlet water body. The southern coast of the Isle of Wight, southern England, comprises soft cliffs that vary in height between 15 and 100 m and which are retreating at rates ≤ 1.5 m a^− 1, due to a combination of wave erosion and landslides. In several locations, river channels have cut through the cliffs to create deeply (≤ 45 m) incised gullies, known locally as ‘Chines’. The Chines are unusual in that their formation is associated with dynamic shoreline encroachment during a period of rising sea-level, whereas existing models of incised channel evolution emphasise the significance of base level lowering. This paper develops a conceptual model of Chine evolution by applying space for time substitution methods using empirical data gathered from Chine channel surveys and remotely sensed data. The model identifies a sequence of evolutionary stages, which are classified based on a suite of morphometric indices and associated processes. The extent to which individual Chines are in a state of growth or decay is estimated by determining the relative rates of shoreline retreat and knickpoint recession, the former via analysis of historical aerial images and the latter through the use of a stream power erosion model.  相似文献   

An evaluation of the applicability of the NGA models to ground-motion prediction in the Euro-Mediterranean region   总被引：4，自引：4，他引：0  

Peter J. Stafford  Fleur O. Strasser  Julian J. Bommer 《Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering》2008,6(2):149-177

The first phase of the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) project has now finished, resulting in the publication of five new sets of empirical ground-motion models for PGA, PGV and response spectral ordinates. These models mark a significant advancement in the state-of-the-art in empirical ground-motion modelling and include many effects that are not accounted for in existing European equations. Under the assumption that the Euro-Mediterranean database from which the European relationships are derived is unlikely to drastically change in the near future, a prudent question to ask is: can the NGA models be applied in Europe? In order to answer this question, the NGA model of Boore and Atkinson (PEER Report 2007/01, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Berkeley, CA, 234 pp., 2007), which is shown to be representative of the NGA models as a suite, is compared with the dataset used for the development of the most recent European empirical ground-motion models for response spectral ordinates and peak ground velocity. The comparisons are made using analyses of model residuals and the likelihood approach of Scherbaum et al. (Bull Seism Soc Am 94(6):2164–2185, 2004). The analyses indicate that for most engineering applications, and particularly for displacement-based approaches to seismic design, the NGA models may confidently be applied within Europe. Furthermore, it is recommended that they be used in conjunction with existing European models to provide constraint on finite-fault effects and non-linear site response within logic-tree frameworks. The findings also point to the potential benefits of merging the NGA and European datasets.  相似文献   

Coordinated monitoring of the eccentric O-star binary Iota Orionis: the X-ray analysis   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Julian M. Pittard  Ian R. Stevens  Michael F. Corcoran  Ken G. Gayley  Sergey V. Marchenko  Gregor Rauw † 《Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society》2000,319(1):137-153

  相似文献   

Outer solar system, Europa, Titan and the possibility of life     

Julian A Hiscox 《Astronomy& Geophysics》2000,41(5):5.23-5.24

A British Interplanetary Society Meeting brought together researchers on the varied environments on planets and moons that might harbour life, reports Julian Hiscox. The Jupiter and Saturn systems are especially dynamic and perhaps hold the key to how life originated on Earth.  相似文献   

Large-amplitude ground-motion recordings and their interpretations     

Fleur O. Strasser  Julian J. Bommer 《Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering》2009

Empirical recordings of ground motions featuring large amplitudes of acceleration or velocity play a key role in defining the maximum levels of ground motion required for the design of engineering projects, in view of their potentially very destructive nature. They also provide valuable insights as to the nature of the tails of the ground-motion distribution. The present paper reviews the interpretations put forward for a dataset of recordings selected for their large value of PGA (?1 g) or PGV (?100 cm/s), and attempts to classify causative physical processes according to a uniform nomenclature. The aim of the study is to identify to what extent large-amplitude ground motions are predictable, by separating scenarios that could generally be encountered and foreseen using current knowledge of the processes involved in earthquake ground-motion generation and propagation, such as particular features of the recording site, from occurrences that are related to unforeseeable characteristics of the source and path.  相似文献   

Numbers of scaled and matched accelerograms required for inelastic dynamic analyses   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Jonathan Hancock  Julian J. Bommer  Peter J. Stafford 《地震工程与结构动力学》2008,37(14):1585-1607

Selecting, scaling and matching accelerograms are critically important to engineering design and assessment, enabling structural response to be determined with greater confidence and through fewer analyses than if unscaled accelerograms are employed. This paper considers the response of an 8‐storey multiple‐degree‐of‐freedom reinforced concrete structure to accelerograms selected, linearly scaled or spectrally matched using five different techniques. The first method consists of selecting real records on the basis of seismological characteristics, while the remaining methods make an initial selection on the basis of magnitude and spectral shape before (1) scaling to the target spectral acceleration at the initial period; (2) scaling to the target spectrum over a range of periods; (3) using wavelet adjustments to match the target spectrum and (4) using wavelet adjustments to match multiple target spectra for multiple damping ratios. The analyses indicate that the number of records required to obtain a stable estimate of the response decreases drastically as one moves through these methods. The exact number varies among damage measures and is related to the predictability of the damage measure. For measures such as peak roof and inter‐storey drift, member end rotation and the Park and Ang damage index, as few as one or two records are required to estimate the response to within ±5% (for a 64% confidence level) if matching to multiple damping ratios is conducted. Bias checks are made using predictive equations of the expected response derived from the results of 1656 nonlinear time‐domain analyses of the structure under the action of unscaled accelerograms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Soft-sediment deformation during thawing of ice-rich frozen soils: results of scaled centrifuge modelling experiments   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Charles Harris  Julian Murton  & Michael C. R. Davies 《Sedimentology》2000,47(3):687-700

The origin of periglacial involutions remains uncertain, largely because of the difficulties of field monitoring in modern permafrost regions. This paper describes an alternative approach, in which process studies are based on scaled centrifuge modelling of thawing ice-rich soils. Centrifuge scaling laws allow similitude in self-weight stresses between the model scale and the prototype (field) scale to be achieved. In these experiments, 120- to 130-mm-thick frozen models comprising a sand unit overlying ice-rich kaolinite clay (three models) or ice-rich silt (one model) were thawed under an acceleration of 20 gravities. The models were therefore equivalent to 2·4–2·6 m of frozen sediments (permafrost) at the prototype scale. Temperature profiles and porewater pressures during the thawing of each model are described. Porewater pressures significantly in excess of hydrostatic were not observed in the sand/silt model. In the sand/clay models, however, excess pressures developed rapidly after thawing, and observed fluctuations in pressure were interpreted as water-escape events. After thawing, careful sectioning of the models revealed small-scale deformation structures at the clay–sand interface, resulting from loading of the upper sand layer into very soft fluid-like clay and injection of clay upwards into the base of the sand. It is concluded that these experiments provide analogues for some Pleistocene involutions. Such involutions therefore mark phases of permafrost degradation when high porewater pressures caused loading and injection along sedimentary boundaries.  相似文献