Assessment of imposex in the common whelk, Buccinum undatum (L.) from the Eastern Scheldt, The Netherlands

Several cruises were carried out on the Eastern Scheldt between September 1992 and March 1995 to study the frequency and appearance of imposex in the common whelk, Buccinum undatum L. Incidences of imposex were always > 90%. For the first time several stages of imposex in Buccinum undatum are reported. The evolution of imposex in the whelk seems to follow a similar route as in Hinia reticulata belonging to the same superfamily (Buccinacea). Tissue organotin concentrations of animals collected in February 1995 showed the highest organotin concentrations in the digestive gland and lowest in the foot of the animals. Concentrations of phenyltin compounds (up to 625 ngSn/g DW) were much higher than those of butyltin compounds (up to 40 ngSn/g DW).     

Cytochrome P450 differences in normal and imposex-affected female whelk Buccinum undatum from the open North Sea

Normal and imposex-affected female Buccinum undatum were sampled from the open North Sea at three locations, one with low, and two with high shipping densities. Cytochrome P450 components and P450 aromatase activity were determined in the microsomal fractions isolated from pooled digestive gland/gonads. Cytochrome P450 aromatase activity was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in normal females collected in the low shipping density area (1,325 +/- 295 fmol/h/mg protein) than levels from imposex animals from a high shipping density area (620 +/- 287 fmol/h/mg protein). A negative correlation was found between aromatase activity and organotin body burden (r = -0.99). Levels of CYP450, cytochrome b5 and NADPH cytochrome c reductase activity did not show differences among groups. This is the first field evidence of depressed aromatase activity in imposex affected females, although additional research under laboratory controlled conditions is required to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the development of imposex in this species.     

Predatory pelagic fishes of the Bijagós Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau) show high overlap in diets dominated by sardinella

Knowledge of trophic interactions between the key components of marine communities is required to understand food-web dynamics and develop ecosystem-based management approaches. In West Africa, where fisheries sustain the livelihoods of a significant part of the human population, this understanding is even more urgent, especially in the face of rapidly expanding fisheries and some stock collapses in the region. We studied the feeding ecology of the Crevalle jack Caranx hippos, West African Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus tritor and Guinean barracuda Sphyraena afra in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. These are the most abundant pelagic predatory teleost fishes in the area, but little is known about their ecology despite being species with commercial and recreational value, and they likely also play an important role in various African coastal ecosystems. Our findings show a high degree of dietary overlap among these three predator species, despite some degree of segregation by prey size and type. All three predators depend on Sardinella maderensis as the most important prey, which together with other members of the Clupeidae represented 47–96% of the ingested prey items. There was little difference in the diets of the predators between the dry and rainy seasons. These novel findings suggest a ‘wasp-waist’-structured ecosystem in the Bijagós Archipelago in which S. maderensis is the central small-sized pelagic fish species, and stress the need for an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in the region, with precautionary measures taken to avoid the overexploitation of clupeids.     

An Exploration of the Interplay between the Measurement Uncertainty and the Number of Samples in Contaminated Land Investigations

In the assessment of potentially contaminated land, the number of samples and the uncertainty of the measurements (including that from sampling) are both important factors in the planning and implementation of an investigation. Both parameters also effect the interpretation of the measurements produced, and the process of making decisions based upon those measurements. However, despite their importance, previously there has been no method for assessing if an investigation is fit‐for‐purpose with respect to both of these parameters. The Whole Site Optimised Contaminated Land Investigation (WSOCLI) method has been developed to address this issue, and to allow the optimisation of an investigation with respect to both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, using an economic loss function. This function was developed to calculate an ‘expectation of (financial) loss’, incorporating costs of the investigation itself, subsequent land remediation, and potential consequential costs. To allow the evaluation of the WSOCLI method a computer program ‘OCLISIM’ has been developed to produce sample data from simulated contaminated land investigations. One advantage of such an approach is that as the ‘true’ contaminant concentrations are created by the program, these values are known, which is not the case in a real contaminated land investigation. This enables direct comparisons between functions of the ‘true’ concentrations and functions of the simulated measurements. A second advantage of simulation for this purpose is that the WSOCLI method can be tested on many different patterns and intensities of contamination. The WSOCLI method performed particularly well at high sampling densities producing expectations of financial loss that approximated to the true costs, which were also calculated by the program. WSOCLI was shown to produce notable trends in the relationship between the overall cost (i.e., expectation of loss) and both the number of samples and the measurement uncertainty, which are: (a) low measurement uncertainty was optimal when the decision threshold was between the mean background and the mean hot spot concentrations. (b) When the hot spot mean concentration is equal to or near the decision threshold, then mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. (c) When the decision threshold exceeds the mean of the hot spot, mid‐range measurement uncertainties were optimal. The trends indicate that the uncertainty may continue to rise if the difference between hot spot mean and the decision threshold increases further. (d) In any of the above scenarios, the optimal measurement uncertainty was lower if there is a large geochemical variance (i.e., heterogeneity) within the hot spot. (e) The optimal number of samples for each scenario was indicated by the WSOCLI method, and was between 50 and 100 for the scenarios considered generally; although there was significant noise in the predictions, which needs to be addressed in future work to allow such conclusions to be clearer.     

A combined pyrolysis mass spectrometric and light microscopic study of peatified Calluna wood isolated from raised bog peat deposits

Stem wood of the Angiosperm Calluna vulgaris (Scotch heather), isolated at different depths from a selection of raised bog peat deposits, was chemically characterized using in-source pyrolysis mass spectrometry (Py-MS) and Curie-point pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). Light microscopy was performed to relate mass spectrometric characteristics with anatomical features. Peatified wood samples, isolated from increasing depth show a gradual decrease in carbohydrate content. This decrease in anatomically reflected in a selective removal of secondary cell wall material from the fibre-tracheids and wood parenchyma. During prolonged peatification a selective removal of hemicellulose sugars is observed, while a part of the cellulose fraction is preserved. This highly resistant cellulose is mainly located in the secondary cell walls of the vessels. The lignin macromolecule is preserved, but a gradual decrease in syringyl to guaiacyl ratio (S/G) is observed during peatification. Because no increase in catechol and phenolic compounds is observed, we conclude that S/G shifts are due to removal the of syringyl-rich secondary cell wall material and the retention of guaiacyl-rich compound middle lamella. Small chemical changes in the lignin macromolecule involve shifts in oxygen substitutions on the aliphatic side chains of the methoxyphenolics and the occurrence of aromatic acids.     

The coordination number of ferrous ions in silicate glasses

Mössbauer and optical absorption measurements on a number of silicate glasses show that most of the ferrous ions in these glasses are distributed over two types of octahedral sites. Less than 0.5% of all ferrous ions occupy tetrahedral sites. It is shown that the Bernal liquid model of random close packing does not apply to silicate glasses. Attention is drawn to the fact that measurements on silicate glasses cannot provide reliable information about coordination numbers in silicate liquids.     

Complex adaptive blended learning for higher GIS education: A theory-driven pedagogy moving forward after the pandemic

None of the prior studies implementing blended learning (BL) for GIS education has explored pedagogical theories to support BL design, and none coupled blended GIS learning practice with theories. Based on the theoretical framework of complex adaptive blended learning system (CABLS), this article presents a holistic and systematic view of BL for higher GIS education (termed as CABLS-GIS), where its key components are tightly integrated as an integral whole. The framework was implemented for an introductory-level GIS course to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of a BL design from students' perspectives. Most students involved in the implementation agreed that the BL enhanced their learning outcomes. They were mostly positive about the BL and motivated to use the BL materials. Incorporating more BL materials, especially practical ones, and active learning activities were suggested by them. A few negative comments about the BL suggested a thorough consideration of individual learners' characteristics.     

地下水水源保护区范围计算的KLF法及其在徐州张集地区的应用

详细介绍了地下水水源保护区范围的计算方法:Krijgsman-Lobo-Ferreira(KLF)法,分别推导出了正水流梯度方向、负水流梯度方向和垂直于地下水流方向保护区范围的计算公式,并就方法的适用性及参数取值等问题进行了探讨.在徐州张集地区应用的结果表明,KLF法提供了一种计算地下水保护区范围的便捷、科学、有效的方法,计算结果对于确定地下水源保护区范围及有效保护地下水源具有实际意义.     

Effects of meteorological and hydrogeological factors on gross recharge percentage at unconfined sandy aquifers with an equatorial climate

A thorough understanding of rainfall recharge processes and their controlling factors is essential for management of groundwater systems. This study investigates the effects of various meteorological and hydrogeological factors on the gross recharge percentages, the rainfall–recharge relationships and the recharge threshold values for unconfined sandy aquifers under an equatorial climate. Among the meteorological factors investigated, rainfall intensity was found to have the most significant impact on the gross recharge rate. The effects of potential evaporation rate, relative humidity and air temperature on the gross recharge percentage were significant when the vadose zone thickness is larger than 2·5 m. The recharge threshold values were found to depend strongly on the vadose zone thickness. The rainfall–recharge relationships could generally be well defined by a normal–log relationship. The rainfall–recharge relationships derived here are applicable to yield estimates of gross recharge percentages for unconfined sandy aquifers under an equatorial climate, using rainfall intensity and vadose zone thickness as input variables. In this study, a theory was developed and validated to provide physical explanations for the observations, based on the residence time of the percolated rainwater within the vadose zone. Among the soil hydraulic parameters tested, porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity were found to have the most pronounced effects on the gross recharge percentage. Utilizing the sensitivity results and the theory derived, an approach was developed for extending the application of the derived rainfall–recharge relationships to other sand textures. The approach was found to be capable of producing rough and fast estimations of gross recharge percentage for other sand textures. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.