Dinoflagellate "brown tides" in Alexandria, Egypt waters during 1997-1998

Charles Darwin the research ship undertook an Oceanographic Cruise in 1986, CD 86/17 of the North Arabian Sea. Sediment cores were collected between 15° and 25°N. In this study sediment cores collected from deep Indus and Oman basins (CD 1715, CD 1730, CD 1738) have been analyzed for mineralogy, water content and porosity. In general, the cores are mainly composed of clay to silt sized terrigenous and biogenic constituents. Quartz, chlorite and illite are the common minerals of Arabian Sea sediments. Porosity determined by water content of sediments has been correlated with quartz/chlorite and quartz/illite peak ratios to show a relationship between mineral composition and physical properties.

Patterns of interaction in construction team meetingsξ

Sir John Egan’s 1998 report on the construction industry (Construction Task Force 1998) noted its confrontational and adversarial nature. Both the original report and its subsequent endorsement in Accelerating Change (Strategic Forum 2002) called for improved working relationships—so-called ‘integration’—within and between both design and construction aspects. In this paper, we report on our observations of on-site team meetings for a major UK project during its construction phase. We attended a series of team meetings and recorded the patterns of verbal interaction that took place within them. In reporting our findings, we have deliberately used a graphical method for presenting the results, in the expectation that this will make them more readily accessible to designers. Our diagrams of these interaction patterns have already proved to be intuitively and quickly understood, and have generated interest and discussion among both those we observed and others who have seen them. We noted that different patterns of communication occurred in different types of meetings. Specifically, in the problem-solving meeting, there was a richness of interaction that was largely missing from progress meetings and technical meetings. Team members expressed greater satisfaction with this problem-solving meeting where these enriched exchanges took place. By making comparisons between the different patterns, we are also able to explore functional roles and their interactions. From this and other published evidence, we conclude that good teamworking practices depend on a complex interplay of relations and dependencies embedded within the team.

National Agricultural Research Organisation. Fisheries Resources Research Institute Annual Report 1998/99

The annual report presents research programs carried out by the institute during the reporting period. FIRRI has the mandate is to promote, undertake and coordinate all aspects of research in fisheries, fish production systems and the water environment, aquaculture and socio-economics while conserving the natural resource.

云南高黎贡山白颌大角蟾的核型、C-带及Ag-NORs的研究

比较了云南高黎贡山地区的贡山独龙江和腾冲大蒿坪白颌大角蟾（Megophryslateralis）两个地理种群的核型、C-带和Ag-NORs结果表明，两个地理种群在核型和带型上都有差异两个地理种群的核型均为2n＝26，NF＝52染色体形态差异不明显，而次缢痕的位置完全不同，贡山独龙江标本的次缢痕位于No．2的长臂上近着丝点处，腾冲标本的次缢痕位于No．5的短臂上近着丝点的部位在腾冲标本中发现一雄性个体中有一条额外的染色体，可能是B染色体两地标本的C-带差异不太显著，贡山独龙江标本的C-带相对较为显著．贡山独龙江标本的Ag-NORs位于No．2长臂近着丝点处，与次缢痕的部位对应，两条同源染色体上大小有显著差异．腾冲标本的Ag-NORs位于No．5短臂上近着丝点处，与次缢痕的部位对应依据核型和带型的比较，对白颌大角蟾的分类和进化问题进行了讨论。

人工诱导异源四倍体、新四倍体及异源三倍体白鲫的细胞遗传学研究

作者比较了第一代异源四倍体鱼、异源三倍体鱼、新四倍体鱼与亲本白鲫、红鲫及其杂交一代的染色体组型。三种亲本的二倍体染色体数均为100，但其组型分组各有差异，白鲫染色体组型公式：12m＋36sm＋32st十20t,NF＝148，在亚中着丝点组中有一对特大的标记染色体；红鲫染色体组型：20m＋34sm＋26st＋20t,NF＝154；白鲫×红鲫杂种染色体组型：16m＋35sm＋29st＋20t,NF＝151，有一条与白鲫相似的特大标记染色体，证实其组型由白鲫和红鲫各提供一套染色体组组成。异源三倍体的染色体数为1

The use of Th in HTR: State of the art and implementation in Th/Pu fuel cycles

Nowadays nuclear is the only greenhouse-free source that can appreciably respond to the increasing worldwide energy demand. The use of Thorium in the nuclear energy production may offer some advantages to accomplish this task. Extensive R&D on the thorium fuel cycle has been conducted in many countries around the world. Starting from the current nuclear waste policy, the EU-PUMA project focuses on the potential benefits of using the HTR core as a Pu/MA transmuter. In this paper the following aspects have been analysed: (1) the state-of-the-art of the studies on the use of Th in different reactors, (2) the use of Th in HTRs, with a particular emphasis on Th-Pu fuel cycles, (3) an original assessment of Th-Pu fuel cycles in HTR. Some aspects related to Thorium exploitation were outlined, particularly its suitability for working in pebble-bed HTR in a Th-Pu fuel cycle. The influence of the Th/Pu weight fraction at BOC in a typical HTR pebble was analysed as far as the reactivity trend versus burn-up, the energy produced per Pu mass, and the Pu isotopic composition at EOC are concerned. Although deeper investigations need to be performed in order to draw final conclusions, it is possible to state that some optimized Th percentage in the initial Pu/Th fuel could be suggested on the basis of the aim we are trying to reach. Copyright © 2009 Guido Mazzini et al.

Heavy metals in plants and phytoremediation - A state-of-the-art report with special reference to literature published in Chinese journals

Goal, Scope and Background. In some cases, soil, water and food are heavily polluted by heavy metals in China. To use plants to remediate heavy metal pollution would be an effective technique in pollution control. The accumulation of heavy metals in plants and the role of plants in removing pollutants should be understood in order to implement phytoremediation, which makes use of plants to extract, transfer and stabilize heavy metals from soil and water. Methods. The information has been compiled from Chinese publications stemming mostly from the last decade, to show the research results on heavy metals in plants and the role of plants in controlling heavy metal pollution, and to provide a general outlook of phytoremediation in China. Related references from scientific journals and university journals are searched and summarized in sections concerning the accumulation of heavy metals in plants, plants for heavy metal purification and phytoremediation techniques. Results and Discussion. Plants can take up heavy metals by their roots, or even via their stems and leaves, and accumulate them in their organs. Plants take up elements selectively. Accumulation and distribution of heavy metals in the plant depends on the plant species, element species, chemical and bioavailiability, redox, pH, cation exchange capacity, dissolved oxygen, temperature and secretion of roots. Plants are employed in the decontamination of heavy metals from polluted water and have demonstrated high performances in treating mineral tailing water and industrial effluents. The purification capacity of heavy metals by plants are affected by several factors, such as the concentration of the heavy metals, species of elements, plant species, exposure duration, temperature and pH. Conclusions. Phytoremediation, which makes use of vegetation to remove, detoxify, or stabilize persistent pollutants, is a green and environmentally-friendly tool for cleaning polluted soil and water. The advantage of high biomass productive and easy disposal makes plants most useful to remediate heavy metals on site. Recommendations and Outlook. Based on knowledge of the heavy metal accumulation in plants, it is possible to select those species of crops and pasturage herbs, which accumulate fewer heavy metals, for food cultivation and fodder for animals; and to select those hyperaccumulation species for extracting heavy metals from soil and water. Studies on the mechanisms and application of hyperaccumulation are necessary in China for developing phytoremediation.