Impact of Brunswick river mouth training walls on adjacent beaches, Brunswick heads, New South Wales, Australia

River training walls have been built at scores of locations along the NSW coast and their impacts on shoreline change are still not fully understood. In this study, the Brunswick River entrance and adjacent beaches are selected for examination of the impact of the construction of major training walls. Thirteen sets of aerial photographs taken between 1947 and 1994 are used in a CIS approach to accurately determine tire shoreline Position, beach contours and sand volumes, and their changes in both time and space, and then to assess the contribution of both tire structures and natural hydrodynamic conditions to large scale (years-decades and kilometres) beach changes. The impact of the training walls can be divided into four stages: natural conditions prior to their construction (pre 1959), major downdrift erosion and updrift accretion during and. following the construction of the walls in 1959 similar to 1962 and 1966. diminishing impact of the walls between 1966 and 1987, and finally no apparent impact between 1987 similar to 1994. The impact extends horizontally about 8 km updrift and 17 km downdrift, and temporally up to 25 years..

Number of phase levels of a Talbot array illuminator

The number of phase levels of a Talbot array illuminator is an important factor in the estimation of practical fabrication complexity and cost. We show that the number it) of phase levels of a Talbot array illuminator has a simple relationship to the prime number. When there is an alternative pi -phase modulation in the output array, the relations are similar. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 070.6760, 050.1950, 050.1980.

Effects of micronutrients on biological treatment efficiency of textile wastewater

Micronutrients play a very important role in biological processes for wastewater treatment. Many industrial wastewaters lack in nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients) required for microbial growth, and this is one of the main problems at many activated sludge plants treating industrial wastewater. The microbial community structure is one of the important factors controlling the pollutant-degrading capacity of biological wastewater treatment system. In this study, the concentrations of micronutrients of the textile wastewater discharged from a textile plant were determined, and the effects of micronutrients on treatment efficiency and microorganism community structure of the biological treatment system were studied. The results showed that the optimal concentrations of magnesium, molybdenum, zinc, thiamine and niacin in the textile wastewater were 5.0, 2.0, 1.0, 1.0 and 1.0mg/L, respectively. The COD removal rates when magnesium, molybdenum, zinc, thiamine and niacin were added individually to the wastewater in their optimal concentrations were 1.8, 1.4, 1.3, 1.6 and 2.2 times of that of the control, respectively. The improving effects of combinations of zinc and thiamine, zinc and niacin, thiamine and niacin were better than single micronutrient. The diversity of quinones (DQ) changed significantly after the micronutrient was added into the wastewater treatment system. This indicated that there was probably a feasibility of optimizing the biological treatment performances and microorganism community structure of textile wastewater treatment system through micronutrient supplement.

Revision of the genus Niwaella in China (Pisces, Cobitidae), with description of two new species

Loaches of the genus Niwaella, family Cobitidae, are distributed only in East Asia. At present only in Japan and South Korea have fishes of the genus Niwaella been found. Herein we revise the genus Niwaella in China. Son and He ( 2001) transferred the species Cobitis laterimaculata to the genus Niwaella, but their specimens were not N. laterimaculata, but a new species, N. longibarba sp. n., collected from Cao'ejiang River, Huangzezhen, Chengxian County, Zhejiang Province. The new species is distinguished from N. laterimaculata by its colour pattern of a row of slightly large, and long, scattered dark brown vertical bars on the dorsolateral surface, two or three striations on the caudal fin, and long barbels and undeveloped mental lobes. In this paper we also describe another new species, N. xinjiangensis sp. n., collected from Xinjiang River, Guangfeng County, Jiangxi Province, May 1990, with diagnostic colour pattern of 17 - 20 large and long, dark brown vertical bars on the dorsolateral surface, a dark stripe or rounded black spots along the lateral midline and some blotches below the lateral midline; it is a large-sized species, with shorter barbels, and longer caudal peduncle. Thus five species of the genus Niwaella are known, three are endemic to eastern China and two are endemic to either Japan or South Korea.

A method for the analysis of low-mass molecules by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

We report a novel method termed matrix suppressed laser desorption/ionization to improve the analysis of low-mass molecules by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In this method, the surfactant of cetrimonium bromide (CTAB) is added to the conventional matrix of alpha-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid solution to prepare the MALDI samples. During the MALDI process, the presence of CTAB could substantially or even completely suppress the matrix-related ion background. As a result, very clean mass spectra can be routinely obtained in the low-mass range. In addition, the presence of CTAB can significantly improve the mass resolution of low-mass molecules. It is seen that high-quality spectra were routinely obtained at a matrix/CTAB ratio of 1000:1. This method has been successfully used to analyze a variety of low-mass molecules.

Synthesis and structure of iron complex with 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane [Li(THF)(4)][Fe(S2C2B10H10)(2)(THF)]

The crystal of complex [Li(THF)(4)][Fe(S2C2B10H10)(2)(THF)] 3 belongs to monoclinic, space group P2(1) with a = 11.964(2), b = 16.527(3), c = 12.554(3) Angstrom,beta = 108.70(3)degrees, V= 2351.3(8) Angstrom(3), Z = 2, M-r = 835.95, D-c = 1.181 g/cm(3), mu (MoKalpha) = 5.30 cm(-1), f(000) = '874, R = 0.0622 and Rw 0.1538 for 1641 observed reflections with I > 2sigma(I). The ionic complex,of 3 contains the square pyramidal anion of [Fe(S2C2B10H10)(2)(THF)](-) and the tetrahedral cation of [Li(THF)(4)](+). The iron is 5-coordinated and located in the square pyramidal configuration. The iron atom and the four sulfur atoms are almost coplanar. The Lithium atom is coordinated with four oxygen atoms of four THF molecules and located in a tetrahedral configuration.

Multilayer assembly of Mn-substituted Keggin-type [ZnW11O39Mn(H2O)](8-) on chemically modified glassy carbon electrode and its electrocatalytic properties

Through layer-by-layer assembly, undecatungstozincates monosubstituted by transition metals Mn, ZnW11 Mn (H2O) O-39(8-) was successfully immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode surface grafted covalently by 4-aminobenzoic acid. The electrochemical behavior of these polyoxometalates was investigated. Cyclic voltammetry proves the uniform growth of the film. They exhibit some special electrochemical properties in the films, different from those in homogeneous aqueous solution. The effect of pH on the redox behavior of ZnW11Mn(H2O)O-39(8-) in the film was discussed in detail. The multilayer film electrodes have an excellent electrocatalytic response to the reduction of H2O2 and BrO3-, and to the oxidation of ascorbic acid.

Hydrothermal synthesis of the complex fluorides LiBaF3 and KMgF3 with perovskite structures under mild conditions

The complex fluorides, LiBaF3 and KMgF3; which are isostructural with perovskite phases, are hydrothermally synthesized at 120-240 degrees C and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, IR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

Influence of several non-nutrient additives on nonspecific immunity and growth of juvenile turbot, Scophthalmus maximus L.

The effects of three non-nutrient additives on nonspecific immunity and growth of juvenile turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) were studied in this feeding experiment. The five treatments are basal diet alone, basal diets containing three different additives [0.4 g kg(-1) of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), 1.3 g kg (-1) of yeast cell wall and 0.8 g kg (-1) of bile acids] individually or in combination. Two hundred and twenty-five turbots (average initial weight 151.3 +/- 11.3 g) were randomly allotted in five treatments with three replicates within each treatment in a 72-day period. Comparing with basal diet group, activities of C3, C4, phagocyte, lysozyme, specific growth rate and feed conversion rate in yeast cell wall, XOS and the combined groups was enhanced significantly (P < 0.05); however, these parameters in bile acid groups were increased slightly (P > 0.05) except for phagocyte (P < 0.05); superoxide dismutase activity in additive groups was not significantly increased (P > 0.05) except for the combined group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of yeast cell wall and XOS enhanced the nonspecific immunity of juvenile turbot. Synergistic or additive effect of the three additives was not observed.

Status and dynamics of Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem on the Tibetan plateau

This paper provides information about the distribution, structure, and ecology of the world's largest alpine ecosystem, the Kobresia pygmaea pastures in the southeastern Tibetan plateau. The environmental importance of these Cyperaceae mats derives from the extremely firm turf, which protects large surfaces against erosion, including the headwaters of the Huang He, Yangtze, Mekong, Salween, and Brahmaputra. The emphasis of the present article is on the climate-driven evolution and recent dynamics of these mats under the grazing impact of small mammals and livestock. Considering pedological analyses, radiocarbon datings, and results from exclosure experiments, we hypothesize that the majority of K. pygmaea mats are human-induced and replace forests, scrub, and taller grasslands. At present, the carrying capacity is increasingly exceeded, and reinforced settlement of nomads threatens this ecosystem especially in its drier part, where small mammals become strong competitors with livestock and the removal of the turf is irreversible. Examples of rehabilitation measures are given.