... All rickettsial diseases respond to treatment with antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline As of 10 May, the Government of SouthAfrica has reported 186 confirmed cases of RVF in humans, including 18 deaths, in Free State Province, Eastern Cape Province, Northern Cape Province, Western Cape, and North West Province. RVF is a viral disease that primarily affects animals (such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels). The disease can also affect humans. The main mode of transmission of RVF ...
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Countries and Regions A-Z List of Countries and Other Areas Africa (Sub-Sahara) East Asia and the Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (northern Africa, Middle East) South and...
Countries and Regions A-Z List of Countries and Other Areas Africa (Sub-Sahara) East Asia and the Pacific Europe and Eurasia Near East (northern Africa, Middle East) South and...
BackgroundChildhood is a high risk time for ultraviolet induced skin damage as this age group has more time and opportunity to be outdoors in the sun. Children in Africa with the...Full Text Available
This study examines the degree of price-integration of equity indices between the major markets of Africa, namely Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia and SouthAfrica with the European markets of London and Paris. Vector Autoregressive and Autoregressive Distributed Lag methods reveal that African markets are largely price-segmented. The only markets that are price-integrated have shared economic and financial institutions, such as Namibia and SouthAfrica, and Egypt, Tunisia and France. The evidence suggests that development policy should be focussed on enhancing existing institutions rather than embarking prematurely on regional integration.
It has been widely assumed that SouthAfrica has achieved universal basic education. Through an analysis of the 2001 census and two national enrolment datasets rather than statistical projections, this study re-examines this assumption and provides new estimates of enrolment levels in primary, basic and secondary education. Using GER, NER, and ASER indicators, disaggregated by gender and province, the study shows that access to education in SouthAfrica is not as widespread as published sources note. While statistics show that national access levels are lower than prevailing estimates, the relatively high levels of access in some of the most disadvantaged provinces suggest the need to re-evaluate assumptions about targets for universal access for developing regions. In addition, the analysis reveals SouthAfrica's unexpected and provocative gendered patterns of ...
This paper discusses geology, coalfields, coal quality, seams and strata, coal reserves, mining methods, production, coal liquefaction, and research on spontaneous combustion and methane explosions.
BackgroundIn SouthAfrica, HIV prevalence among youth aged 15-24 is among the world's highest. Given the urgent need to identify effective HIV prevention approaches, this review...Full Text Available
BackgroundSouthAfrica has a high tuberculosis (TB)-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection rate of 73%, yet only 46% of TB patients are tested for HIV. To date, relatively...Full Text Available
High levels of unemployment are a permanent feature in the urban areas of many developing countries. SouthAfrica is no exception in this regard. Poverty and hardship caused by unemployment force many participants in the labour market to venture into the urban informal economy in order to survive. The activities of the waste pickers fall within the urban informal economy. In spite of the fact that waste pickers are a common sight in the urban areas of Pretoria and other South African cities, remarkably little is known about them and scant attention is paid to them. The aim of the study was to establish a socio-economic profile of the street waste pickers in Pretoria and to describe the social interaction and relationship dynamics between the waste pickers and their families, each other, th...
BackgroundTo investigate the feasibility, the ease of implementation, and the extent to which community health workers with little experience of data collection could be trained...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe burden of non-communicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes, is growing in SouthAfrica. This country has a complex mix of over- and under-nutrition, especially...Full Text Available
This document is a discussion of a static electrification event in each of the 1050 MVA units installed at the Koeburg Nuclear Power Plant in SouthAfrica. Results of a tear-down inspection performed after the event are given, as is an analysis of the event. A number of photographs are included.
This investigation clearly demonstrates that through partial impregnation techniques wood-polymer composites can be formed from the Pinus species grown in SouthAfrica with a considerable saving in monomer costs without sacrificing the important physical properties of these materials.
BackgroundLoss to follow-up (LTF) challenges the reporting of antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes, since it encompasses patients alive but lost to programme and deaths misclassified...Full Text Available
The reserves and the mine are described. Planned capacity is 27.5 million tonnes per year of coal for the Sasol II and Sasol III liquefaction plants. There will be 7 longwall faces, 15 entry workings with shotfiring, and 19 entries with continuous miners.
BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) is the most common opportunistic infection in HIV-infected adults in developing countries. Isoniazid (INH) is recommended for treatment of latent TB infection,...Full Text Available
Background: In North America and Europe, 80% of invasive skin cancers are basal cell carcinoma while 20% are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In contrast, African studies reveal a preponderance...Full Text Available
The strategy for building SASOL plants reflects a commitment to long-range planning. The first plant, which represented a large investment for a moderate production capacity, was built to establish a technology for reducing SouthAfrica's dependence on imported motor fuels. After the success of the plant, SASOL made plans for a larger plant, which had to be justified solely on economic grounds. At that time, petroleum crude was cheap and plentiful, and the second plant was cancelled. But when OPEC formed and the price of petroleum crude was increased, the South African government reconsidered the plans for another SASOL plant. Furthermore, because the cost of fuels produced at Sasol I proved to be significantly insensitive to inflation and future OPEC price increases were expected, SASOL projected that a new, larger plant should make a profit within a few years after its initial operation. But OPEC prices and ...
The strategy for building SASOL plants reflects a commitment to long-range planning. The first plant, which represented a large investment for a moderate production capacity, was built to establish a technology for reducing SouthAfrica's dependence on imported motor fuels. After the success of the plant, SASOL made plans for a larger plant, which had to be justified solely on economic grounds. At that time, petroleum crude was cheap and plentiful, and the second plant was cancelled. But when OPEC formed and the price of petroleum crude was increased, the South African government reconsidered the plans for another SASOL plant. Furthermore, because the cost of fuels produced at Sasol I proved to be significantly insensitive to inflation and future OPEC price increases were expected, SASOL projected that a new, larger plant should make a profit within a few years after its initial operation. But OPEC prices and ...
The article surveys studies into the global warming which have found that the OECD countries are responsible for less than half of the total registered warming. Calculation and analysis methods for estimating the global contributions from the blocks of OECD, Africa/America/Middle East, Asia and former Soviet Union/Eastern Europe are presented. The results and some pollution abatement measures are discussed.
The ?new variant famine? hypothesis posits links between HIV/AIDS and new patterns of impoverishment, food insecurity and hunger, in southern and easternAfrica. This paper explores the relevance of the NVF hypothesis to understanding Swaziland?s recurrent food crises and high HIV prevalence. Evidence exists that all four markers of NVF are present in Swaziland. The national government and the international community will have to contend with this phenomenon in future planning for the wellbeing of Swazi citizens.
A discussion of the Sasol I, II, and III coal liquefaction plants of the Republic of SouthAfrica was presented. The technology, capacity, and economics of these projects were included in the discussion. These plants utilize the Fischer-Tropsch process of indirect coal liquefaction and produce a barrel of synthetic crude for about $55 (or about $20 above current market prices). Outlines of the differences in indirect coal liquefaction and newer direct methods were presented. It was determined that the South African dedication to coal liquefaction was made more for the political aspects of energy independence than economics.
ObjectivesCoastal ecosystems in developing countries supply a diverse range of services to local communities and national economies, including fish production, protection against floods and storms and support to tourism. Multiple drivers of change are influencing the status of the ecosystems, most of which are anthropogenic (Brown et al., 2006). Managing coastal ecosystems requires recognition of the diverse range of uses and users, and coordination between structures and processes, many of which are curr [continued...]DescriptionCommitment to the management of coastal ecosystems through addressing both ecological and social objectives already exists in East and Southern Africa (Glavovic 2006; Gustavson et al. 2009). More understanding, however, of the ecosystem services of priority to the poor and to poverty alleviation would strengthen the capacity of these initiatives to deliver on poverty alleviation and resource sustainability. The coastal regions of Tanzania, ...
Abstract Aim- To explore whether the subspecific genetic entities of Acacia saligna occupy different bioclimatic niches in their native and introduced ranges and whether these niches are predictable using species distribution models (SDMs). Location- Australia, SouthAfrica and the Mediterranean Basin. Methods- Species distribution models were developed in MAXENT using six climatic variables to calculate the climatic suitability of the ranges of A.saligna. We assessed (1) the subspecific niche differences identified by SDMs using measures of niche overlap and model performance; (2) the ability of SDMs to predict the most likely subspecific genetic entities present in SouthAfrica based on comparisons to genetic data; and (3) the ability of SDMs to predict the most likely subspecific geneti...
Poaching of wildlife animals for subsistence and commercial purposes has lead to population declines in Africa. In forensic cases, a need exists to identify the species of origin of carcasses, meat or blood. In the study presented here, the mitochondrial COI gene was sequenced to determine the species of unknown samples in three suspect South African forensic wildlife cases. In two cases the unknown samples were identified as originating from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) and in the third case the sample was identified as common reedbuck (Redunca arundinum). This is the first report of the COI sequence of common reedbuck. The study highlights the need for accurate wildlife reference material from each country in order to convict wildlife cases.
...Events Archive Worldwide Africa Programme Arab Programme Asia and Pacific Programme Europe and NIS Programme Latin American and Caribbean Programme Least-Developed Countries South-South Cooperation Human Security Directory of Offices Research & Statistics Publications Research and Statistics Subsites Annual Report Evaluation Group Investment and Technology Promotion Policymaking Organs Legal Resources Goodwill Ambassadors Industrial Competitiveness and Trade Private Sector Development Environmental Management Energy and Climate Change Research and Statistics Financial Institutions Partnerships Thematic ...Events Archive Worldwide Africa Programme Arab Programme Asia and Pacific Programme Europe and NIS Programme Latin American and Caribbean Programme Least-Developed Countries South-South Cooperation Human Security Directory of Offices Research & Statistics Publications Research and Statistics ...
The fact that SouthAfrica had no commercially significant deposits of crude oil necessitated the early development of production of gasoline from coal which was present in abundance in low to medium grade in thick seams, the development of the process since the early 1950s is discussed. Both the Fischer Tropsch and Lurgi processes are used, and three large plants named Sasol One, Two, and Three have been completed. A flow diagram for the Lurgi process as used in these plants is included. Typical products and their properties resulting from the Sasol-type Synthol operation are presented in tabular form. Marketing considerations and economics of production of the Sasol products are discussed briefly. (BLM)
The fact that SouthAfrica had no commercially significant deposits of crude oil necessitated the early development of production of gasoline from coal which was present in abundance in low to medium grade in thick seams, the development of the process since the early 1950s is discussed. Both the Fischer Tropsch and Lurgi processes are used, and three large plants named Sasol One, Two, and Three have been completed. A flow diagram for the Lurgi process as used in these plants is included. Typical products and their properties resulting from the Sasol-type Synthol operation are presented in tabular form. Marketing considerations and economics of production of the Sasol products are discussed briefly. (BLM)
Abstract: The basement of the South China Sea (SCS) and adjacent areas can be divided into six divisions (regions) - Paleozoic Erathem graben-faulted basement division in Beibu Gulf, Paleozoic Erathem strike-slip pull-apart in Yinggehai waters, Paleozoic Erathem faulted-depression in eastern Hainan, Paleozoic Erathem rifted in northern Xisha (Paracel), Paleozoic Erathem strike-slip extending in southern Xisha, and Paleozoic-Mesozoic Erathem extending in Nansha Islands (Spratly) waters. The Pre-Cenozoic basement in the SCS and Yunkai continental area are coeval within the Tethyan tectonic domain in the Pre-Cenozoic Period. They are formed on the background of the Paleo-Tethyan tectonic domain, and are important components of the Eastern Tethyan multi-island-ocean system. Three branches of t...
Details are given of the Sasol operation in SouthAfrica. Flow sheets are provided for Sasol 1 and Sasol 2 and 3. The Sasol 1 plant produces waxes, liquid fuels, pipeline gas and chemicals; the Sasol 2 and 3 plants primarily produce ethylene, gasoline and diesel fuel. The versatility of the process is emphasized. The product selectivities of the fixed bed and Synthol reactors are shown and the properties of the products are compared. The influence of the catalyst on selectivity is examined.
There are a number of factors favoring synfuel production in SouthAfrica; (1) there are suitable coal fields in the immediate vicinity of our main industrial area.; (2) nature has given us relatively favorable geological conditions permitting highly mechanized extraction techniques so that coal can be delivered to the synfuel plants at Secunda at a cost - including return on capital - of less than $10.00 per ton, based on 1980 price levels; and (3) because the industry and its natural market are remote from the coast, it enjoys some transport protection against products refined from imported crude oil. Even more important we realized a long time ago that in trying to close the gap between the cost of synfuels and international oil prices, one is confronted with a moving target which can more effectively be attacked sooner rather than later. With such highly capital intensive projects, cash operating costs are relatively low. Product price ...
The four mines supplying the Sasol-2 plant at Secunda, SouthAfrica are approaching their full production potential of 29 million t/year. Current production is 27.7 million t/year of coal for gasification and steam raising. Three mining methods are employed: bord and pillar, longwall and continuous mining. Details are given of the mining operations and machinery. A 43 km overland conveyor transports the coal to the Sasol plant stockpile.
This extended article describes Sasol, the synthetic fuel producing plant in SouthAfrica. It produces other fuels in addition to synfuel, from local coal. A very thorough review covering all aspects of the plant is given. These include: economic; chemical and environmental. The chemistry of the processes involved, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and the Lurgi process are described in some detail. Consideration is also given to the establishment of new plants, research and development projects, marketing and available coal resources.
References covering the years 1904-80 are listed under the following headings: cultivation and occurrence (India and Pakistan, Africa, South America, Pacific, Middle East); Taxonomy, morphology, variation and selection; Reference works and reviews; Ecology of Prosopis (General effects on surrounding soil and vegetation): Physiology (General, Roots, Growth, Hydrology, Saline tolerance); Control of mesquite: Propagation (Germination and other nursery techniques, Vegetative propagation): and Utilization (General, Chemical analyses, Food and Ethnobiology, Fodder, Wood, Charcoal, Gum, Paper). 141 references.
... (restricted)] 251-260 Revisiting new variant famine: the case of Swaziland by Scott Naysmith & Alex Waal & Alan Whiteside [Downloadable! (restricted)] 261-269 Food prices and the HIV response: findings from rapid regional assessments in eastern and southern Africa in 2008[InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.][InlineMediaObject not available: see fulltext.] by Stuart Gillespie & Paul Jere & John Msuya & Scott Drimie [Downloadable! (restricted)] 271-289 Declining global per capita agricultural production and warming oceans ...
Abstract Interest in soy foods has increased with consumer awareness of its health benefits, especially with soy-related ingredients being utilized as one of the major sources of high-protein fortification. The aim of the present study was to assess South African (SA) consumers' opinion of soy and soy products through different statements on consumption, taste, protein value and healthiness. The respondents (n = 3001) for this randomized cross-sectional study were randomly selected from metropolitan and rural areas in SouthAfrica. Trained fieldworkers administered questionnaires by conducting face-to-face interviews. Fourteen statements from four sections of the questionnaire (consisting of 17 food-related topics in total), probing information on consumers' opinion on soy and soy products...
...as agro forestry subject matter specialist, eastern supervisor, conservation and GIS officer with the Ministry of Agriculture and WWF-Korup national park project, respectively, in south west Cameroon . Peter holds joint Honours BSc in Forestry & Soil Science (WALES-UK) and MSc Resource Management (Edinburgh-UK)....
Summary We describe the initiation and establishment of The University of Zambia - University College London Medical School (UNZA-UCLMS) Research and Training Project, an entirely African scientist-led, south-north partnership. In its 16 year existence, the project, by successfully obtaining competitive grant funding, has transformed itself into one of Africa's most productive African-led R&D programmes with training and visible research outputs. The project serves as a role model and now networks R&D and training activities with six southern African (10 institutions) and six European countries. This project case study illustrates that deep commitment is essential for success and that the factors which facilitate success in R&D in Africa need to be evaluated. The long-term prospects for su...
In 1980, Congress passed the energy security act which created the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation. This entity was created to serve as a catalyst for the development of synthetic fuels projects by the private sector. Then what happened. Increased exploration in the United States stimulated by relaxation of price controls on oil produced an increase in reserves of these resources. Fuel conservation, combined with a reduced energy demand caused by a recession, significantly reduced our overall energy consumption and curtailed our imports of foreign crude oil. All of these factors combined have reduced the enthusiasm to invest in synthetic fuels plants, in spite of the fact that the difference between surplus and shortage is frighteningly thin. SouthAfrica, compared to the U.S., is a small country. The Sasol Two and Sasol Three projects are equivalent to a U.S. investment of $400 billion, on a country size-by-size basis. It's ...
Summary Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of an educational outreach intervention to improve primary respiratory care by South African nurses. Methods Cost-effectiveness analysis alongside a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial, with individual patient data. The intervention, the Practical Approach to Lung Health in SouthAfrica (PALSA), comprised educational outreach based on syndromic clinical practice guidelines for tuberculosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. The study included 1999 patients aged 15 or over with cough or difficult breathing, attending 40 primary care clinics staffed by nurses in the Free State province. They were interviewed at first presentation, and 1856 (93%) were interviewed 3 months late...
Since several years, several manufacturers of circuit breakers from various countries (SouthAfrica, UK, The Netherlands, USA..) try to impose in accommodations a highly sensitive electronic-type of differential circuit-breaker initially devoted to industrial installations where qualified and experienced professionals are present. This technical paper presents first the principles of the classical electromechanical circuit breakers and of the electronic circuit breaker, and then compares their relative efficiency and level of safety in residential use conditions (grounding schemes, voltage drops, rupture of the neutral conductor, rupture of the phase conductor, overvoltages). (J.S.)
The mine dumps that arise from the gold mining operations in SouthAfrica are a potential source of high concentrations of radon (222"Rn). Studying the diffusion of radon and the emanation from the soil will help to deduce the radon flux from these dumps to identify the problem areas for rehabilitation. This study describes measurements of the emanation coefficient and the modelling of the depth profile of the radon activity concentration, which is compared to a depth profile that was measured on such a mine dump. Emanation coefficients ranging from 0.13 to 0.39 have been obtained.
In 1980 Sasol completed its very large coal conversion complex, Sasol Two and Three in SouthAfrica. This complex, the largest coal-to-liquids facility in the world, utilizes Sasol's proprietary Fischer-Tropsch technology, the Synthol Process. The two key elements of the Synthol Process are its catalyst and its unique fluidized bed reactor, the Synthol Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor. Details on the catalytic aspects and reaction mechanism have been given elsewhere. In this paper, the history of the development of the reactor is discussed.
The Median Tectonic Zone (MTZ) of New Zealand is a generally north trending belt of Mesozoic subduction related I-type plutonic, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks in South Island and Stewart Island that separates Permian strata of the Eastern Province Brook Street Terrane from lower to mid Gondwana margin assemblages of the Western Province. High precision isotope dilution U/Pb ages of zircons from 30 rocks are reported. Pre-digestion leaching of zircon in hydrofluoric acid yielded significantly more concordant residues by removing common Pb and dissolving more soluble high-U domains that have been more affected by relatively recent Pb loss. The results show that MTZ magmatism ranges in age from at least Early Triassic to Early Cretaceous (247-131 Ma), with a pronounced gap in the Middle Jurassic. Triassic plutons tend to occur on the eastern side of the MTZ, and they intrude volcanic/sedimentary sequences of the MTZ in ...
The difficult economic circumstances with which almost the whole world had to contend, brought serious financial crisis in many countries. SouthAfrica also had its own share of serious problems. Despite this situation, Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration Company, Limited, showed on increase in earnings of 24 per cent per share. The reason for this lies mainly in two areas. Firstly the company acquired the mining related business of Rand Mines, Limited. Included in the acquisition was a partfolio of shares mainly in the company's associated gold and uranium mining companies and additional shares in its listed coal mining subsidiaries. Secondly, the average gold price realised by producers in rand terms, was considerably higher than in the previous year. Consolidated profit attributable to members increased by 52 per cent to R82,6 million.
Taking the port city of Alicante the author outlines how numerous crossroads connect the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. Along the arc of Euro-Mediterranean trading centres lies the European continent as a whole, extending eastwards to the republics emerging from the disintegration of the Soviet Empire, and in the south to Francophone and Muslim Africa. This arc of trading towns includes Istanbul, Dubai, Naples, Antwerp, Hamburg, Marseilles and Alicante. The author traces the movements of individuals pursuing "suitcase trade" performed by means of face-to-face links, word of mouth, and verbal agreements. The author then traces this vast "choreographed movement" that originates from Europe's borders, and suggests that although reasons other than trade influence mobility a...
The article draws on interpretive frameworks from diffusion research and social network analysis to explore one particular "travelling reform"--outcomes-based education--that went global. The argument is made that by virtue of studying late adopters of a travelling reform one is examining globalisation. The cases in point for late adoption are Central Asian education systems (in particular Mongolia and Kyrgyz Republic) that borrowed outcomes-based education reforms at a time when the popularity of similar reforms were already in decline in other countries, notably in New Zealand, Australia and SouthAfrica. The emphasis of this study is on the timing of policy borrowing, and it is suggested that more attention is given to the economics of policy borrowing. (Contains 3 notes.)
The status of commercial technology for indirect liquefaction, as exemplified by SASOL facilities in SouthAfrica, is reviewed. The impact of substituting more advanced gasifiers and synthesis systems is then investigated. Slagging BGC/Lurgi, Texaco and Shell-Koppers gasifiers were substituted for the Dry Ash Lurgi units used at SASOL. SASOL SYNTHOL synthesis units were replaced by slurry phase Fischer-Tropsch units employing technology pioneered by Kolbel. The advanced systems were found to have a highly favorable impact on plant efficiency, product distribution and gasoline cost. If all the projected technical improvements can be realized for indirect liquefaction, the yields of refined transportation fuels per ton of coal will approach those anticipated for direct liquefaction processes.
Thirty-nine conference papers review practical and topical aspects of hydroelectric development, from planning and design to construction, operation and refurbishment. More than half of the papers deal with small-scale hydro, reflecting the continuing strong interest in this subject throughout the world. The planning and economic evaluation of large-scale hydro schemes and pumped-storage plants, and environmental aspects of hydroelectric developments are also discussed. A special session has also been included on hydro in Latin America, where some of the world's largest schemes are planned or under construction. The papers reproduced here draw on the expertise of engineers from eighteen countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa. All the papers were selected and indexed separately.
In order to quantify the biomass burning emissions, the main atmospheric pollution source of tropical and subtropical regions, we carried out the analysis of ashes that are also formed during these fires. To this end, we developed analytical methods to characterize the composition of savannah grass burning ashes by using X-ray fluorescence for mineral elements and microanalysis for C, H, O and N. Samples used in this work have been collected during laboratory combustion experiments, with chemically well-defined natural savannah grasses from Ivory Coasts and SouthAfrica. The reproducibility and efficiency of different developed procedures have been studies. The analytical relative precision is generally better than 5%. This development has allowed to establish, for the first time, the global mass balance of ashes resulting from savannah grass burning. (authors). 16 refs., 3 figs., 8 tabs.
Previous studies with a limited number of strains have indicated that there are two genotypes of yellow fever (YF) virus in Africa, one in west Africa and the other in east and central Africa. We have...Full Text Available
Several researchers have investigated morphological changes on the south-eastern Mediterranean coast during the late Holocene. However, very few of these studies include quantitative data covering the last 200?years. In this study, topographical maps, nautical charts and aerial photographs are used to estimate the shoreline migrations and beach?nearshore sand balance over the last 200?years in Haifa Bay, Israel, the northernmost final depositional sink of the Nile littoral cell. The findings reflect two main periods. During the first period, between 1799 and 1928, human intervention along the bay?s coast was negligible, a significant coastal expansion of ?50 to 150?m (averages of 0.4?1.2?m/year) was measured, and sand accumulation was estimated at ?70,000?m3 annually in the beach?nearshore...
World demand for rare-earth elements and the metal yttrium?which are crucial for novel electronic equipment and green-energy technologies?is increasing rapidly. Several types of seafloor sediment harbour high concentrations of these elements. However, seafloor sediments have not been regarded as a rare-earth element and yttrium resource, because data on the spatial distribution of these deposits are insufficient. Here, we report measurements of the elemental composition of over 2,000 seafloor sediments, sampled at depth intervals of around one metre, at 78 sites that cover a large part of the Pacific Ocean. We show that deep-sea mud contains high concentrations of rare-earth elements and yttrium at numerous sites throughout the easternSouth and central North Pacific. We estimate that an a...
The most significant lessons provided by these developments at SASOL are the importance of long-range planning and the need for establishing a commercialized technology base in synfuels. These are necessary to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and can be accomplished with suitable cooperation between government and private industry and between agencies within the government. The Fischer-Tropsch process is not the only method for producing gasoline from coal, but so far it is the only one commercially proven. Another process, which produces gasoline from methanol, has been considered for commercialization. The government of New Zealand decided in December 1979 to build a commercial-size plant using its abundant natural gas as the feedstock in a natural gas to methanol to gasoline process. Because methanol can also be produced from gasified coal, this process may be an attractive option for the production of gasoline from coal in the United States. ...
The most significant lessons provided by these developments at SASOL are the importance of long-range planning and the need for establishing a commercialized technology base in synfuels. These are necessary to reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources and can be accomplished with suitable cooperation between government and private industry and between agencies within the government. The Fischer-Tropsch process is not the only method for producing gasoline from coal, but so far it is the only one commercially proven. Another process, which produces gasoline from methanol, has been considered for commercialization. The government of New Zealand decided in December 1979 to build a commercial-size plant using its abundant natural gas as the feedstock in a natural gas to methanol to gasoline process. Because methanol can also be produced from gasified coal, this process may be an attractive option for the production of gasoline from coal in the United States. ...
Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (N.O.R.M.) occurs in most soil and rock, and by mining and mineral processing, some of the radionuclides are significantly enhanced. An in-situ gamma-ray detector called M.E.D.U.S.A., has been used to produce a map of relative activity concentrations in a gold mine tailings dam on the Witwatersrand in SouthAfrica. A CsI(Na) scintillation detector is used in this system. M.E.D.U.S.A. spectra obtained from the survey were analyzed using the Full-Spectrum Analysis (F.S.A.) procedure to compute the {sup 40}K, {sup 238}U and {sup 232}Th activity concentrations. The activity concentrations are used with global positioning data (G.P.S.) to produce the concentration maps. A hyper-pure germanium gamma-ray detector (Hp Ge) was used to measure gamma-rays from the naturally occurring nuclides for soil samples taken at different points on the site to calibrate the M.E.D.U.S.A. system. Radon soil gas measurements ...
Magmatic sulfide deposits are the most significant source of platinum-group elements (PGE) in the world. Key to understanding their genesis is determining the processes and timing of sulfide saturation, metal enrichment and crustal contamination. In this study, we have identified droplets of magmatic sulfide from the Platreef, SouthAfrica, where droplets of sulfide have been trapped in the earliest crystallising phase, chromite. Due to their early entrapment at high temperatures, metal concentrations and ratios that they display are indicative of a very early-stage sulfide liquid in the system, as they will have cooled and fractionated within an essentially closed system, unlike interstitial blebs that crystallise in an open system as the magma cools. Analysis of these droplets in an opaque mineral like chromite by LA-ICP-MS is problematic as some of the fractionated inclusion is necessarily lost during cutting and polishing to initially ...
The Sunoco Felda oil trend of the South Florida basin has been a prolific oil producer. All the oil is produced from the Cretaceous Sunniland formation, a leached limestone bioherm. Although the producing section has been considered reefal in the literature, petrographic and biostratigraphic analyses of various cores in producing fields have determined that these deposits are composed of particles of fragmented rudist and other fauna deposited in a tidal shoal. Atop this debris an algae and gastropod section has been deposited, typical of a mound deposited on a tidal mud flat. This model is exemplified in the Sunoco Felda and West Sunoco fields and was used in exploring the Sunoco Felda trend. From the petrological analysis of these two fields and from knowledge of other wells in the basin, biostratigraphic and lithologic trends can be determined and extended offshore into the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The author stresses petrology in exploring ...
The island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) lies within the North Caribbean strike-slip plate boundary zone. The post-Eocene history of Hispaniola is marked by strike-slip accretion of crustal fragments onto a Late Cretaceous-Eocene island arc. Three onshore Neogene clastic basins have been the focus of petroleum exploration in Hispaniola. Oil production was achieved by drilling surface anticlines in the Azua Basin in South-Central Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) during World War II (Maleno and Higuerito fields). More modern seismic exploration has been carried out in the Enriquillo, San Juan and Cibao Basins, but has not resulted in production. Recent surface and seismic stratigraphic mapping has elucidated the geologic history of Southern Hispaniola. It consists of several Late Cretaceous-Eocene oceanic and island-arc terranes separated by E-W to NW/SE-striking ''ramp'' or thrust-bound clastic basins of Neogene age ...
AbstractMultiple HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) are known to cocirculate in Africa. In West Africa, the high prevalence of CRF02_AG, and cocirculation of subtype...Full Text Available
The difficult economic circumstances with which almost the whole world had to contend, brought serious financial crisis in many countries. SouthAfrica also had its own share of serious problems. Despite this situation, Transvaal Consolidated Land and Exploration Company, Limited, showed on increase in earnings of 24 per cent per share. The reason for this lies mainly in two areas. Firstly the company acquired the mining related business of Rand Mines, Limited. Included in the acquisition was a partfolio of shares mainly in the company's associated gold and uranium mining companies and additional shares in its listed coal mining subsidiaries. Secondly, the average gold price realised by producers in rand terms, was considerably higher than in the previous year. Consolidated profit attributable to members increased by 52 per cent to R82,6 million.
ObjectivesThe SPIRIT V (A Clinical Evaluation of the XIENCE V Everolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System in the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Coronary Artery Lesions) study is a post-market surveillance experience of the XIENCE V (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in patients with higher-risk coronary anatomy. BackgroundPrevious pre-approval studies have shown the safety and efficacy of EES in highly selected groups of patients. MethodsThe SPIRIT V trial is a prospective, open label, single arm, multicenter study. Two thousand seven hundred patients with multiple de novo coronary artery lesions suitable for treatment with a planned maximum of 4 EES were enrolled at 93 centers in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada, and SouthAfrica. Lesions had a referenc...
Results reported are for single dose exposures and refer to "6"0Co-#gamma#-irradiation. The RBE determined by V79 cell survival and based on the Do ratio was found to be 1.70#+-#0.4 ranging from 1.5 to 1.8. In the case of the regeneration of mouse jejunal crypts the RBE was calculated at ten cell curvival and was found to be 1.68. The maximum acute mouse skin reaction at a skin score of 2.0 was found to be 2.1 while the average skin reaction was 1.7. Growth retardation of Vicia faba bean roots measured at the level of 50% indicated an average RBE of 3.0 and a range of 2.7 to 3.7. The OER obtained for V79 cell survival was found to be 1.7 to 1.8. Comparison is made with the RBE and OER measurements for the neutron facilities at Clatterbridge, Fermilab and Louvain-la-Neuve which produce neutrons by the same nuclear reaction and whose physical specifications closely resemeble those of the Faure neutrons. This comparison indicates that the Faure beam shows no unusual biological features ...
The article reports the reserves of fossil resources. The world's total coal reserves and recoverable coal reserves the estimated at 8,400 billion tons and 728 billion tons, respectively. For oil, the verified reserves and reserve production ratio in the Middle East are 420.9 billion bbl and about 100 years, respectively. They are 141 billion bbl and about 20 years for North and South America, 81 billion bbl and about 18 years for the Soviet Union, 10.8 billion bbl and 34 years for China, 9.8 billion bbl and 26 years for Western Europe and 38.7 billion bbl and 42 years for Africa. The total reserves of natural gas in the world were shown to be 3,981.6 x 10/sup 12/ cf at the World Petroleum Congress in 1987. The amount of recoverable primitive oil sand resources in the world is 436 billion bbl, of which as much as about 70 percent is in Canada. The amount of ultimate primitive oil shale resources is 3,281 billion bbl, of which 2,002.4 ...
The American Natural Resources System has been attempting to obtain the financing commitments and regulatory approvals necessary to construct the nation's first commercial-scale coal-gasification plant. It would employ the same technology as Sasol plants of SouthAfrica and much of the same hardware as the Sasol II plant now approaching completion. But instead of converting the gas that comes out of the gasifier vessels into liquid hydrocarbons, the proposed plant would upgrade the gas to a Btu-content equivalent to that of natural gas. It could be mixed, transported, and utilized as a constituent part of the natural gas stream. The plant would be located in North Dakota and would utilize coal as the feedstock. North Dakota lignite gasifies very efficiently and, since the plant would be located at the mine mouth, the low-Btu quality of the coal is not a particularly adverse factor. The gas produced by the plant would be transported by ...
Macroinvertebrate communities in Rietvlei nature reserve wetland area and their relationship with water quality were studied with the aim to evaluate their use as potential indicators of pollution. Sampling locations were selected to include outlets from swage effluent, agricultural and informal residential runoff. A large increase in nutrient concentrations was observed downstream from discharged treated sewage with an associated decrease in species richness. Bioassays performed included: Daphnia magna, Hydra attenuate, Lactuca sativa, Allium cepa and Pyxicephalus adspersus. The highest percentage of lethality response to a screen (100% concentration) of sampled wetland water by test specimens were observed at the point source input of the Hartbeespoort treated sewage plant. Data generated from the AUSRIVAS method and multitrophic level bioassays revealed the deterioration of the wetland possibly due to factors such as increasing urbanization, industrialization, agriculture runoff and ...
Timing and geometry of Maastrichtian third-order sequences and systems tracts of south-central Wyoming were mostly controlled by rapid basin subsidence resulting from thrust loading of foreland basin crust. The basement of the Red Desert/Washakie basin was affected by thrusting in the Sevier belt to the west and by thrusting along the edge of the Wind River Mountains and Granite Mountains. A transgressive systems tract consists of the youngest Ericson Formation above a regional unconformity, backstepping Almond Formation nearshore and nonmarine facies, and shelfal mudstones of the lower Lewis Shale. Regionally, the onset of transgression is younger from east to west, beginning at 71.5 Ma in eastern Wyoming and at 70.5-71 Ma in south-central Wyoming. The transgression culminated in a condensed shale section evident on gamma-ray logs that occurs throughout the basin. Above the gamma-ray zone, the highstand systems tract of ...
The Baird and McGuire site is a former chemical manufacturing facility in northwest Holbrook, Massachusetts, approximately 14 miles south of Boston. From 1912 to 1983 the company operated a chemical manufacturing and batching facility on the property. Manufactured products included herbicides, pesticides, disinfectants, soaps, floor waxes and solvents. Waste disposal methods at the site included direct discharge into the soil, nearby brook and wetlands, and a former gravel pit (now covered) in the eastern portion of the site. EPA conducted a removal action at the site in 1983 after a waste lagoon overflowed spreading contaminants into the Cochato River. The company ceased operating shortly thereafter. A second removal action was conducted in 1985, following the discovery of dioxin in site soils. EPA also conducted an Initial Remedial Measure at the site from 1985 through 1987 which involved constructing a new water main to direct water away ...
A field-based microcosm approach was tested to identify deterioration of sediment quality in waterways using freshwater macroinvertebrates. The method can potentially identify the nature of contaminants based on species-specific responses. Sediments were collected from the Murray and Darling Rivers and irrigation drains within the Sunraysia region of south-eastern Australia and compared to non-polluted reference sediment. Clean sediments were also spiked with fertiliser to test whether nutrients affected the aquatic fauna. Seven of the eight sediments from the Sunraysia region had a negative impact on the macroinvertebrates, in particular sediment from the Darling River, which supported an impoverished fauna. Three species of chironomid showed varied responses to sediment quality and, although it was hypothesised that nutrients may have impacted on the macroinvertebrate fauna, the results suggest that other pollutants are also involved. The field-based microcosm ...
The Convective and Orographically-induced Precipitation Study (COPS) has the aim to advance the quality of forecasts of orographically-induced precipitation in complex terrain. COPS is a Research and Development Project of the World Weather Research Program and considered to be one of the largest field campaigns on quantitative precipitation forecasting that has been performed so far. A network of state-of-the-art active and passive remote sensing systems was combined with in total 10 airborne platforms, Meteosat rapid scans and dense networks of standard meteorological instruments during the three months long field phase (June-August, 2007) in south-western Germany/eastern France to observe atmospheric variables in the three spatial dimensions and in time. By the University of Hohenheim, two novel ground-based mobile scanning lidar systems were deployed: a scanning rotational Raman lidar which provides combined measurements of the field of ...
The Ordos Basin is a typical lapped basin, including three sequences of strata: early Paleozoic, late Paleozoic and Mesozoic, with a total thickness of 4000-6000m. Impermeable sealing beds are well developed at the top and base of the upper Paleozoic sequence, separating it from the Mesozoic and the lower Paleozoic strata to form an independent petroleum system. In this petroleum system, the source rocks are widely distributed coals and dark mudstones occurring in the Carboniferous-lower Permian coal measures, with a thickness of 10-15 and 40-60m, respectively. The reservoirs are mainly early Permian tight sandstones, mostly with a porosity of 4-8% and a permeability of 0.1-1.0x10{sup -3}{mu}m{sup 2}. The regional cap rock is a 100-150m thick mudstone in the upper Permian strata. The structural framework of the basin is a huge asymmetric syncline, dipping gently toward the east and north, and steeply toward the south and west. Well data show that gas-saturated, ...
The paleogeography postulated from the distribution of Permian and Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Middle East is shown and related to the paleostructure of the region. The Middle East region as defined here includes the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Iraq, SE Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, West Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula. Within the limits of the area included in this study, a relatively stable pre-Late Triassic tectonic regime can be recognized and distinguished from a succession of diastrophic events of the Late Triassic epoch, which caused marked changes in the types and distribution of facies. Excluding NE Iran, the Middle East was stable from Late Cambrian to Middle Triassic times, as it formed a part of the Arabian Massif and much of the Middle East Platform, which is a broad shelf bordering the positive Afro-Arabian Massif to the NE and east. The sediments of this platform have undergone no strong deformation and have been subjected only to epeirogenic movements which ...
Sodium monofluoroacetate (1080) is a vertebrate pesticide widely used for possum control in New Zealand. Fluoroacetate is also a toxic component of poisonous plants found in Australia, SouthAfrica, South America, and India. Because of its importance and effectiveness in pest control and the highly toxic nature of this compound, its acute sub-lethal and target organ toxicity have been extensively studied. In relation to its use as a pesticide its environmental fate, persistence, non-target impacts and general toxicology have been and continue to be extensively studied. Toxic baits must be prepared and used with extreme care, otherwise humans, livestock, and non-target wildlife will be put at risk. The high risk of secondary poisoning of dogs is a cause for concern. 1080 acts by interfering with cellular energy production. Possums die from heart failure, usually within 6-18 h of eating baits. Long-term exposure to sub-lethal ...
Present and potential future changes to the global environment have important implications for marine pollution and for the air-sea exchange of both anthropogenic and natural substances. This report addresses three issues related to the potential impact of global change on the air-sea exchange of chemicals: Global change and the air-sea transfer of the nutrients nitrogen and iron. Global change and the air-sea exchange of gases. Oceanic responses to radiative and oxidative changes in the atmosphere. The deposition of atmospheric anthropogenic nitrogen has probably increased biological productivity in coastal regions along many continental margins. Atmospheric deposition of new nitrogen may also have increased productivity somewhat in mid-ocean regions. The projected future increases of nitrogen oxide emissions from Asia, Africa and South America will provide significant increases in the rate of deposition of oxidized nitrogen to the central ...
Lacustrine rocks are a significant component of many rift-valley sequences. Comparisons of both active and ancient rift valleys indicate that the lacustrine facies are commonly rich in organic matter and may be important sources for oil. For example, Holocene sediments in Lake Tanganyika and Cretaceous lacustrine rocks in west Africa contain as much as 12% and 20% TOC, respectively. The Newark Supergroup contains abundant lacustrine rocks. The widespread occurrence of black shales, the general similarity to known organically rich rift systems, and a few isolated geochemical analyses have caused some speculation about the potential of the Newark Supergroup to be an effective source of oil and gas. Sufficient geochemical analyses are available from lacustrine rocks in the Newark, Connecticut, and Deep River basins to evaluate their potential as hydrocarbon sources. In general, both the quantity and quality of organic matter in these rocks are less than that required ...
Although the German Molasse Basin can be regarded as a mature hydrocarbon province, no regional sequence stratigraphic analysis has been carried out so far. We have studied seismic lines and well data from the region between the Isar and Inn rivers (SE Germany) that have been generously supplied by German oil companies (DEE, BEB, Mobil, RWE-DEA and Wintershall). Initial work indicates that five major seismic sequences within three main depositional cycles are developed. The Alpine thrust belt to the south serves as the primary sediment source in the foreland basin. However, sedimentary infill mainly took place parallel to the basin axis. Our analysis suggests that the stratigraphic development of the Molasse Basin was mainly controlled by eustatic sea-level changes which caused the shoreline to shift in the W-E direction. The shifting of the depocenter axis in a N-S direction was controlled by the tectonic evolution of the thrust belt. The sea-level curve ...
Over the past 40 years, cavern storage of LPG's, petrochemicals, such as ethylene and propylene, and other petroleum products has increased dramatically. In 1991, the Gas Processors Association (GPA) lists the total U.S. underground storage capacity for LPG's and related products of approximately 519 million barrels (82.5 million cubic meters) in 1,122 separate caverns. Of this total, 70 are hard rock caverns and the remaining 1,052 are caverns in salt deposits. However, along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and the Pacific northwest, salt deposits are not available and therefore, storage in hard rocks is required. Limited demand and high cost has prevented the construction of hard rock caverns in this country for a number of years. The storage of natural gas in mined caverns may prove technically feasible if the geology of the targeted market area is suitable; and economically feasible if the cost and convenience of service is competitive with ...
Cholera outbreaks continue to occur regularly in Africa. Cholera has been associated with proximity to lakes in East Africa, and Vibrio cholerae has been found experimentally to concentrate...Full Text Available
The AVR experimental nuclear reactor was Professor Dr. Rudolf Schulten's brainchild. Visionary ideas led to the success of this technology: - Helium coolant because of the particularly high heat transfer coefficients; - an integrated primary system reactor concept as the basis of all safety considerations in the interest of maximum safety; - uranium-235 and thorium-232 fuel allowing new fuel to be bred; - high temperatures for electricity generation at maximum thermodynamic efficiencies, i.e. optimum fuel utilization; - the possibility to run chemical processes economically at high temperatures by means of nuclear fuels; - the inherent safety of the reactor, for a major accident accompanied by a complete loss of cooling cannot occur for nuclear physics reasons, as was tested twice in the AVR. The AVR attained its first criticality on August 28, 1968. It was operated for more than 20 years, until December 31, 1988, at approximately 67% time utilization, which is an excellent ...
The AVR experimental nuclear reactor was Professor Dr. Rudolf Schulten's brainchild. Visionary ideas led to the success of this technology: - Helium coolant because of the particularly high heat transfer coefficients; - an integrated primary system reactor concept as the basis of all safety considerations in the interest of maximum safety; - uranium-235 and thorium-232 fuel allowing new fuel to be bred; - high temperatures for electricity generation at maximum thermodynamic efficiencies, i.e. optimum fuel utilization; - the possibility to run chemical processes economically at high temperatures by means of nuclear fuels; - the inherent safety of the reactor, for a major accident accompanied by a complete loss of cooling cannot occur for nuclear physics reasons, as was tested twice in the AVR. The AVR attained its first criticality on August 28, 1968. It was operated for more than 20 years, until December 31, 1988, at approximately 67% time utilization, which is an excellent performance ...
Processes for the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide have had commercial importance since about 1920, when the commercial production of methanol and higher alcohols on oxide catalysts began. Soon thereafter Fischer and Tropsch discovered that liquid hydrocarbons could be synthesized from carbon monoxide and hydrogen over Group VIII metal catalysts. Following extensive catalyst and process development efforts, this technology provided Germany with a source of liquid fuels during World War II. The period following the war saw an acceleration in research and development on the Fischer-Tropsch process, but the only commercial application that was to emerge was the SASOL process in the Union of SouthAfrica. The oil crises of the 1970s have rekindled worldwide interest in indirect liquefaction technologies for the production of clean, high-quality motor fuels from coal. The development of more efficient coal gasification processes and the advent of ...
Hydrolytic exoenzymes as indicators of metabolically active bacteria were investigated in four consecutive sapropel layers collected from bathyal sediments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For comparison,...Full Text Available
The uptake of "2"3"8U and "2"3"2Th in different parts of some selected plants used in traditional treatment of hypertension and diabetes in south-eastern Morocco (Errachidia area) has been studied using two different types of solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) LR-115 type II and CR-39. Plant uptake of radionuclides is one of many vectors for introduction of contaminants into the human food chain. Thus, it is critical to understand soil-plant relationships that control nuclide bioavailability. Soil concentrations of uranium ranged from 6.10 to 11.62 ppm, with a mean of 7.90 ppm. Soil concentrations of thorium ranged from 2.70 to 4.80 ppm, with a mean of 3.41 ppm. Mean uranium specific activities were 8.38 Bq kg"-"1 in root tissue, 5 Bq kg"-"1 in stem tissue and 6.02 Bq kg"-"1 in leaf tissue. Mean thorium specific activities were 2.53 Bq kg"-"1 in root tissue, 1.64 Bq kg"-"1 in stem tissue and 1.96 Bq kg"-"1 in leaf tissue. The transfer factors of "2"3"8U ...
Retention or dispersion of larvae from the spawning grounds has been identified as one of the key processes influencing recruitment success in fish stocks. To examine the potential effects of transport on recruitment. numerical simulations were performed utilizing a three-dimensional physical oceanographic model of the Baltic Sea. Cod larvae were represented as Lagrangian drifters released in the deepwater region of the Bornholm Basin, the main spawning ground for Baltic cod. Simulations were performed for the major spawning seasons of 1993 and 1994. when annual and interannual variability of meteorological forcing was large. The principal goals of the modelling exercise were first to identify the physical processes influencing the demersal distribution of the early life stages and second to describe the transport of the pelagic stages in response to variations in windstress, thereby identifying the meteorological and hydrodynamic mechanisms influencing retention and/or dispersal. The ...
This study was carried out mainly to produce uranium trioxide (UO_3), with the standard of commercial specifications from rock phosphate deposits in eastern part of Nuba mountains, south Kurdufan state. A simplified hydrometallurgical procedure has been adopted for production of yellow cake from the ore. Elemental analysis has shown that the ore is rich in Ca and deficient in elements of potential interest such as Fe, Cu and Zn. Uranium content in ore, phosphoric acid and purified yellow cake (UO_3) obtained with different precipitants was analyzed using alpha-spectrometry. On the average, the activity concentration of uranium in ore corresponds to 82 #+-# 24 ppm (0.10%). From the data of pregnant liquor, it was observed that the addition of KCIO_3 as an oxidant improves the dissolution of uranium from the ore by almost 20%. Data has also indicated that the yellow cake purified by hydrogen peroxide has higher concentration of uranium by 44.5% ...
This paper describes a risk based approach and inspection planning as part of the Pipeline Integrity Management (PIM) system for the 95.5 km long 18'' GASVOL gas pipeline in the Southeastern region of Brazil transporting circa 5 000 000 m3 dry gas per day. Pipeline systems can be subject to several degradation mechanisms and inspection and monitoring are used to ensure system integrity. Modern pipeline regulations and codes are normally based on a core safety or risk philosophy. The detailed design requirements presented in design codes are practical interpretations established so as to fulfill these core objectives. A given pipeline, designed, constructed and installed according to a pipeline code is therefore the realization of a structure, which, along its whole length, meets the applicable safety objectives of that code. The main objective of Pipeline Integrity Management (PIM) is to control and document the integrity of ...
There are at present 116 floating production systems and 60 storage vessels dotting the oceans involved in hydrocarbon exploration and production activities. Although concentrated mostly in the North Sea, they can be found also off the coast of Australia, eastern Canada, Brazil, some African nations and the Gulf of Mexico. They range from converted tankers to purpose built rigs. The most adaptable of the various systems is the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, first developed as a cost-effective means of developing fields in Brazil's very deep offshore areas. Still being tested and modified for work in widely different environments, FPSOs appear to have met all requirements in producing expenditure efficiencies, maximizing profits, and protecting workers. One of the most efficient and most technically advanced is a 292-metre long FPSO built for the Terra Nova Alliance by Daewoo Shipyards in South Korea. It ...
Olive field is oil productive from a thin stratigraphically trapped sandstone within the Upper Cretaceous lower Tuscaloosa Formation. The discovery of Olive in 1981 led to renewed interest in the Mid-Dip Tuscaloosa Trend that continues today. Discovery and development was based on the correlation of the B sandstone to a mappable soft seismic event at a depth of 10,500 ft. The field was developed by 25 wells on 40-acre spacing. Olive has been waterflooded since 1983 and is a target for enhanced recovery using carbon dioxide. A total of 7.5 million stock tank bbl or approximately 75% of the original oil in place is estimated to be recoverable by conventional and enhanced recovery methods. The B sandstone was deposited by a northwest to southeast-flowing high-sinuosity meandering river system. Point bar, channel, and channel abandonment deposits are present. The point bar formed from the lateral migration of the river system from west to east, and channel abandonment is evident at the ...
The Early Palaeozoic Warburton Basin underlies the gas and oil producing Cooper and Eromanga Basins. Postdepositional tectonism created high potential fracture porosities, complicating the stratigraphy and making reservoir prediction difficult. Sequence stratigraphy integrating core, cuttings, well-log, seismic and biostratigraphic data has recognized a carbonate-dominated to mixed carbonate/siliciclastic supersequence comprising several depositional sequences. Biostratigraphy based on trilobites and conodonts ensures reliable well and seismic correlations across structurally complex areas. Lithofacies interpretation indicates sedimentary environments ranging from carbonate inner shelf, peritidal, shelf edge, deep outer shelf and slope to basin. Log facies show gradually upward shallowing trends or abrupt changes indicating possible sequence boundaries. With essential depositional models and sequence analysis from well data, seismic facies suggest general reflection configurations ...
This is a review of recently published literature on surgery in tropical Africa. It presents the current state of surgical need and surgical practice on the continent. We discuss the enormous burden of surgical pathology (as far as it is known) and the access to and acceptability of surgery. We also describe the available facilities in terms of equipment and manpower. The study looked at the effects of the human immunodeficiency virus, the role of traditional healers, anesthesia, and the economics of surgery. Medical training and research are discussed, as are medical migration out of Africa and the concept of task shifting, where surgical procedures are performed by others when surgeons are not available. It closes with recommendations for involvement and action in this area of great glob...
BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition and one the most common causes of disability in the developed nations. Anecdotally, there is a general...Full Text Available
Sinonasal malignancy is a cause of otorhinolaryngologic morbidity and mortality in West Africa. However, there is a dearth of information in the literature on its clinicopathologic presentation in West...Full Text Available
... Pollimyrus adspersus is only known from Boma and Matadi, Lower Congo River basin and from the Lilanda ... Africa: Pollimyrus adspersus is present at Boma and Matadi, Lower Congo River basin and in the L...
Baobab fruit are harvested and used throughout Africa as an important source of food and are sold to generate income. Commercial use is increasing rapidly as derivatives of the fruit such as baobab seed oil and fruit pulp are being exported to Europe and North America. The cash derived from the sale of fruit support thousands of rural people. This study examines baobab fruit yields in an area being harvested for commercial use. It represents baobab populations and harvesting scenarios typically found in Southern Africa and is the first study in Africa to combine demographic and production data in determining baobab fruit yields. Fruit production was examined across five land-use types (nature reserves, rocky outcrops, plains, fields and villages) and over three consecutive years. Factors a...
The presence of antibodies to Rickettsia prowazeki in domestic animals from several parts of Africa, and the isolation of this rickettsia from the blood of goats and sheep and from...Full Text Available
ObjectivesTo determine what biodiversity data is held by record centres for the South Downs Lifescapes pilot area and the format in which it is stored.
... Received: February 22, 2010; Accepted: August 17, 2010 Hygrophila polysperma (Roxb.) T. Anderson. (ACANTHACEAE) Berkeley County: central part ... This is the first report for South Carolina. Hygrophila...
BackgroundSeventy percent of urban populations in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums. Sustaining HIV patients in these high-risk and highly mobile settings is a major future challenge....Full Text Available
Population residing in the northern part of the Chelyabinsk oblast and the southeastern part of the Sverdlovsk oblast of Russia affected to accidental exposure since 1957. The territory (East Ural Radioactive Trace - EURT) was contaminated after explosion of container with highly radioactive wastes at the Mayak Production Association. Studies of health effects of exposure in the southern, head part of EURT are conducted in the Ural Research and Practical Center of Radiation Medicine (U.R.P.R.M.). In the 1990's U.R.P.C.R.M. formed a cohort of EURT within Chelyabinsk oblast (14,500 cases and 19,400 external controls). The cohort was followed in 1957-1987 and the results of the study are discussed by Crestinina et al. First results of study on exposure late health effects among rural population in the northern part of the EURT are presented in this paper. Firstly, or the period 1958-2000 a statistically significant increase in cancer ...
Within the Annual Conference 2009 of the VGB PowerTech e.V. (Essen, Federal Republic of Germany) from 23rd to 25th May, 2009, in Lyon (France) the following lectures were held: (1) Electricity demand, consequences of the financial and economic crisis - Current overview 2020 for the EU-27 (Hans ten Berge); (2) Status and perspectives of the electricity generation mix in France (Bernard Dupraz); (3) European electricity grid - status and perspective (Dominique Maillard); (4) Technologies and acceptance in the European energy market (Gordon MacKerran); (5) EPR construction in Finland, China, France, (Claude Jaouen); (6) EPR Flamanville 3: A project on the path towards nuclear revival (Jacques Alary); (7) Worldwide nuclear Revival and acceptance (Luc Geraets); (8) An overview on the status of final disposal of radioactive wastes worldwide (Piet Zuidema); (9) Who needs pumped storage plants? PSP are partner to grid stability and renewable energies (Hans-Christoph Funke); (10) Sustainable ...
Within the Annual Conference 2009 of the VGB PowerTech e.V. (Essen, Federal Republic of Germany) from 23rd to 25th May, 2009, in Lyon (France) the following lectures were held: (1) Electricity demand, consequences of the financial and economic crisis - Current overview 2020 for the EU-27 (Hans ten Berge); (2) Status and perspectives of the electricity generation mix in France (Bernard Dupraz); (3) European electricity grid - status and perspective (Dominique Maillard); (4) Technologies and acceptance in the European energy market (Gordon MacKerran); (5) EPR construction in Finland, China, France, (Claude Jaouen); (6) EPR Flamanville 3: A project on the path towards nuclear revival (Jacques Alary); (7) Worldwide nuclear Revival and acceptance (Luc Geraets); (8) An overview on the status of final disposal of radioactive wastes worldwide (Piet Zuidema); (9) Who needs pumped storage plants? PSP are partner to grid stability and renewable energies (Hans-Christoph Funke); (10) Sustainable ...
The author indicates the research which will be done as part of Programme Sibir, a large-scale programme for the development of the eastern USSR. The research includes the liquefaction of brown coal, and new methods of prospecting.
... XVIII Airborne Corps forces grew from one brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division to a multi-national organization of five full divisions (Eastern Area ...
Fava beans (Vicia fava) are cultivated rather widely in most countries of the Eastern Mediterranean area and provide a cheap but protein-rich food that can be eaten alone, in various...Full Text Available
Abstract The baobab tree, with more than 300 uses and commercial value in EU and United States, has been identified as one of the most important trees to be conserved and domesticated in Africa. A decline in baobab populations because of changes in climate could have a negative effect on African livelihoods. Therefore, it is important to study the potential future distribution of this species and determine strategies for conservation. We used Maxent, 480 geo-referenced records, present and future climatic and soil layers. Different general circulation models and scenarios were selected. Models were simulated for (i) All records, (ii) East Africa and (iii) West Africa species records. For each combination, the proportion of the present habitat that might remain suitable in the future was de...
An evaluation of eastern shale oil (ESO) residue as an asphalt additive to reduce oxidative age-hardening and moisture susceptibility was conducted. Rheological and infrared analyses of the unaged and aged asphalts and blends were then conducted to evaluate oxidative age-hardening. 18 refs., 5 figs., 6 tabs.
This study examines the extent of radioactive pollution of moss cover of forest communities of the Kamenskii district of the Sverdlovsk region. This area contains the periphery section of the Eastern-Ural Radioactive Trace, formed as a result of the Kyshtymskii accident. Mosses do not release radionuclides for a long time, making them a biological indicator of radioactive environmental pollution and making them useful for radioecological monitoring. 14 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) developed neoplastic disorders when experimentally exposed both in the laboratory and field to chemically contaminated sediment from Black Rock Harbor (BRH),...Full Text Available
National and international organizations have paid particular attention to the use of food irradiation as a method to reduce postharvest food losses, to ensure hygienic quality of foods-especially those of animal origin, and to overcome certain non-tariff barriers to trade for the following reasons: (1) The increasingly strict standards for quality and quarantine in food trade. (2) The increasingly restrictions and prohibitions of fumigants of food for health or environmental reasons. (3) The increasing awareness of foodborne diseases in both advanced and developing countries. (4) The high postharvest losses of foods in developing countries. (5) The increase liberalization of food trade after GATT Uruguay Round, and the need to maintain or increase export of food and agricultural commodities and to be competitive in the world market. Irradiated foods have been commercialized since 1973 when the first potato irradiator was established at the Shihoro Agricultural Cooperative, Hokkaido, ...
BackgroundIn Africa low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g), is the strongest determinant of infant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of...Full Text Available
BackgroundDespite having the largest population in Africa, Nigeria has no accurate population based data to plan and evaluate eye care services. A national survey was undertaken...Full Text Available
BackgroundCharacterizing infectious disease burden in Africa is important for prioritizing and targeting limited resources for curative and preventive services and monitoring the...Full Text Available
BackgroundCholera has claimed many lives throughout history and it continues to be a global threat, especially in countries in Africa. The disease is listed as one of three internationally...Full Text Available
The pyrethroid knockdown resistance gene (kdr) has become widespread in Anopheles gambiae in West Africa. A trial to test the continuing efficacy of insecticide-treated...Full Text Available
Bartonella species are being recognized as important bacterial human and canine pathogens, and are associated with multiple arthropod vectors. Bartonella DNA extracted...Full Text Available
This paper summarizes the findings for the African Region of the WPA Task Force on Steps, Obstacles and Mistakes to Avoid in the Implementation of Community Mental Health Care. We present an overview...Full Text Available
Increasing attention has been given to human monkeypox since the achievement of global smallpox eradication. Monkeypox, which was first described in Central Africa in 1970, resembles smallpox clinically...Full Text Available
Background and AimsThe small leafy succulent shrub Halocnemum strobilaceum occurs in saline habitats from northern Africa and Mediterranean Europe to western Asia,...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa, Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnancy presents an enormous diagnostic challenge. The epidemiological and clinical relevance...Full Text Available
BackgroundTrypanosomosis is a major impediment to livestock farming in sub-Saharan Africa and limits the full potential of agricultural development in the 36 countries where it is...Full Text Available
AT AFRICA (O.F.) AIDO1 SYMMES CREEK AT AID ALLO1 MAHONING RIVER AT ALLIANCE ALZO1 ALEXANDRIA AMDO1 AMSTERDAM ARMO1 CAPTINA CREEK AT SR 148 AT ARMSTRONG MILLS ASVO1 WALNUT CREEK...
The occurrence of outbreaks of cholera in Africa in 1970 and in Latin America in 1991, mainly in coastal communities, and the appearance of the new serotype Vibrio cholerae O139 in...Full Text Available
Coercive experiences at sexual debut have been shown to be associated with other sexual risks throughout the life course. Using nationally representative surveys from 12–19 year old...Full Text Available
BackgroundIn malarious areas of the world, a higher proportion of the population has blood group O than in non-malarious areas. This is probably due to a survival advantage conferred...Full Text Available
ObjectiveThere has been much debate about the value of condoms in HIV/STI programming. This should be informed by evidence about intervention impact on condom use, but there is limited...Full Text Available
DescriptionRoot-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are major nematode pests of most tropical crops, making roots less efficient at withdrawing nutrients and water from soil, sometimes causing the total failure of crops grown by resource-poor farmers in Africa. Nematicides are some of the most toxic products used in crop protection, and are inappropriate or too expensive for use on most crops in Africa and there is an urgent need for new methods of nematode management. The fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia is [continued...
The objective of this investigation was to perform a preliminary evaluation of the utility of residual materials prepared from Green River Formation (western) and New Albany Shale (eastern) shale oils as recycling agents for aged asphalt pavement. Four petroleum asphalts were first aged by a thin-film accelerated-aging test, which simulates long service life of asphalt in pavement. The aged asphalts were mixed (recycled) with Green River Formation shale oil distillation residua to restore the original viscosities. Separately, for comparison, a commercial recycling agent was used to recycle the aged asphalts under the same circumstances. The recycled asphalts were reaged and the properties of both binder and asphalt-aggregate mixtures studied. Originally, the same study was intended for an eastern shale residua. However, the eastern shale oil distillation residua with the required flash point specification also had the ...
The oil shales of the Eastern United States represent a very large energy resource that also lies close to the marketplace. Although estimates vary, one estimate shows that more than 400 billion barrels of oil are recoverable from surface-mineable Devonian oil shales in the states of Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. Conventional thermal retorting of Eastern and Western oil shales with comparable organic carbon contents results in a much lower oil yield for the Eastern shales. This discouraged research and development of this energy resource, until about ten years ago, when the Institute of Gas Technology discovered that retorting Eastern oil shales in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere at elevated pressures gives oil yields that are 2.5 times those possible by thermal retorting. Over the last ten years many research, development, and feasibility programs, both Government- and ...
ObjectiveTo investigate the associations between intimate partner violence, rape and HIV among South African men.DesignCross-sectional study involving...Full Text Available
... verges of a two-lane highway in continuous Jarrah Eucalyptus marginata forest of south-western Australia. Midway during this ... Birds were recorded from the beginning of continuous Jarrah Eucalyptus marg...
This document is a collection of spreadsheets detailing in a county by county manner the agricultural crop, agricultural wastes, municipal wastes, and industrial wastes of South Carolina that are potential biomass energy sources.
AimTo estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment in the population aged 40 years and over in Muyuka, a rural district in the South West Province...Full Text Available
BackgroundRecent advances in the understanding of the maternal and paternal heritage of south and southwest Asian populations have highlighted their role in the colonization of Eurasia...Full Text Available
BackgroundScorpion venom contains insect and mammal selective toxins. We investigated the venom of the South Indian red scorpion, Mesobuthus tamulus for the purpose...Full Text Available
Glossitis among U.S. military working dogs in South Vietnam was characterized by variable redness and loss of papillae on the anterodorsal third of the tongue; salivation, drooling, and inappetence were the principal clinical signs. Symptomatic treatment ...
We report on genetic identification of ‘whale meat’ purchased in sushi restaurants in Los Angeles, CA (USA) in October 2009 and in Seoul, South Korea in June and September 2009. Phylogenetic...Full Text Available
... east Nigeria) and has also been recorded from south west Cameroon. Only two records; that from Angola the locality ... east Nigeria) and has also been recorded from south-west Cameroon. It is inferred tha...
Multibeam backscatter imagery extracted from gridded bathymetry of Rose Island, American Samoa, South Pacific. These data provide coverage between 20 ... ...
... TTP tactics, techniques, and procedures UCP Unified ... be sold or transferred to Pakistan, pursuant to ... substantial amounts of those funds being spent ...
Inverse and direct methods have been used to analyze a large number of borehole temperature logs in order to infer past climatic changes. Results indicate a warming of 1-2[degree]C in eastern and central Canada during the past 150 years. A period of cooling between 500 and 200 years before present, corresponding to the time of the Little Ice Age, has also been identified in the same areas. A regional ground temperature history is estimated for eastern and central Canada from the simultaneous inversion of several temperature logs. The inferred temperature changes appear correlated with the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide as reported from a Greenland ice core, and agree with existing meteorological and dendrochronological records for the area.
Due to shortage of fresh water resources, the vegetation of the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced a series of declines resulting from salinization of groundwater, which is the major source of irrigation. To assess these changes, field measurements combined with Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) based Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) were analysed. TM and ETM+ images from two dates, 1987 and 2000 were acquired to enable the computation of the greenness anomalies for three sites in the eastern region, Fujairah, Kalba and Hatta. The results show an overall increase in agricultural area, associated with a severe decrease in vegetation greenness and health conditions, particularly in the Kalba study area. The SAVI values decreased ...
Old world cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica, and is endemic to several Asian and Middle-Eastern countries where the...Full Text Available
The world's oceans contain a complex mixture of micro-organisms that are for the most part, uncharacterized both genetically and biochemically. We report here a metagenomic study of the marine planktonic...Full Text Available
Second Regional Meeting for Nuclear Energy in Central Europe is an annual meeting of the Nuclear Society of Slovenia. The proceedings contains 75 articles from Slovenia, surrounding countries and countries of the Central and Eastern European Region
BackgroundSyphilis, a known major public health issue for soldiers during periods of conflict, is exacerbated in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to widespread sexual violence....Full Text Available
Salinisation of freshwater has been identified as a serious environmental issue in Australia and around the world. Protective concentrations (trigger values) for salinity can be used to manage salinity impacts, though require locally relevant salinity tolerance information. 72-h acute salinity tolerance values were determined for 102 macroinvertebrates collected from 11 locations in four biologically distinct freshwater bio-regions in Northeast Australia and compared with sensitivities observed in Southeast Australia. The salinity tolerance of individual taxa was consistent across Northeast Australia and between Northeast and Southeast Australia. However, two distinct communities were identified in Northeast Australia using distributions of the acute tolerance values and a calculated index of salinity sensitivity. Salinity trigger values should therefore be representative of local or regionally relevant communities and may be adequately calculated using sensitivity values from ...
In this study we determined the composition and biogeochemistry of novel, brightly colored, white and orange microbial mats at the surface of a brine seep at the outer rim of the Chefren mud volcano....Full Text Available
This report describes research performed by the Morgantown Energy Technology Center in the following areas: oil and gas; advanced systems describing a coal solid fuel and an eastern shale oil residue waste program; environmental remediation; and waste management technologies.
The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the energy conservation policy conducted in the Central and Eastern European countries - its development from the start of reforms and up to the present. The problems of rational energy consumption are shown to be closely connected with the concrete conditions of the transition from the economy based on the command principles to the market economy. The author indicates the main areas of application for energy conservation activities. He also describes the models for determination of energy intensity in different branches of energy economy, and organisational structure of the measures to be taken foe energy conservation. (author)
An evaluation of eastern shale oil as an asphalt additive to reduce oxidative age hardening and moisture susceptibility is being conducted. An eastern shale oil residue having a viscosity of 1.30 Pa`s at 60{degrees}C (140{degrees}F) was blended with three different petroleum-derived asphalts that are known to be very susceptible to oxidative aging. In addition, blends of the eastern shale oil residue and the petroleum-derived asphalts are being coated onto three different aggregates that are known to be susceptible to water stripping. The oxidative age hardening portion of this study is not complete at this time. To date, information has been obtained on the unaged samples and two of the aged petroleum-derived asphalts (AAD-1 and AAK-1). When complete, this data will include rheological data on the unaged, RTFO-aged, and the RTFO/PAV-aged samples and infrared data on the unaged and RTFO/PAV-aged samples. With respect to the ...
ObjectivesIn the long term, we aim to improve understanding of the relationships between ecosystem services, water resources, food production and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, we seek to understand how local communities deal with climate-related risk and uncertainty and the opportunities they have - or could have - in shaping adaptation planning around pro-poor, small-scale irrigation and to identify priorities for ecosystem management, particularly in terms of pro-poor water allocation. In [continued...]DescriptionIncreased food production is widely considered to be a fundamental step toward the reduction of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although the agricultural sector account for two-thirds of the labour force, SSA is the only region in the world where per capita food production declined over the latter half of the 20th century. It also remains highly vulnerable to extreme climate variability and future climate change ...
Local communities in southern Africa derive many benefits from marula [Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst. subsp. caffra (Sond.) Kokwaro]. These include the contribution of this species towards health, nutrition, food security and conservation by sharing local skills and knowledge related to it. Marula fruits can be eaten fresh, squeezed to make juice, brewed in traditional beer or used to make jam and jelly. The kernels are also edible and can be pressed to extract oil for cooking and cosmetics, i.e., for skin and hair application. The bark, roots, seeds and leaves are exploited for traditional medicinal purposes. Marula has acquired significant commercial value since its fruits and other products have entered local, regional and international trade in southern Africa. To diversify frui...
This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively.
This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively.
This study revisits the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for water pollution by using a recent dynamic technique, which is the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, for a board sample of 97 countries during the period 1980-2001. On a global scale, as we cannot obtain the EKC relationship between real income and biological oxygen demand (BOD) emissions, this paper further classifies these countries into four regional groups - Africa, Asia and Oceania, America, and Europe - to explore whether the different regions have different ECK relationships. The empirical results show evidence of the inverted U-shaped EKC relationships' existence in America and Europe, but not in Africa and Asia and Oceania. Thus, the regional difference of EKC for water pollution is supported. Furthermore, the estimated turning points are, approximately, US$13,956 and US$38,221 for America and Europe, respectively. (author)
The benefits provided by underutilised fruit tree species such as baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) in combating increasing malnutrition and poverty become more apparent as awareness grows regarding concerns of climate change and food security. Due to its multiple uses, its high nutritional and medicinal value, drought tolerance and relatively easy cultivation, baobab has been identified as one of the most important edible forest trees to be conserved, domesticated and valued in Africa. In order to contribute towards the cultivation of the species, suitability of sites in Africa and worldwide was evaluated for potential cultivation using species? locality data and spatial environmental data in MAXENT modelling framework. A total of 450 geo-referenced records of the baobab tree were assembled ...
Sorghum is a good candidate crop for breeding to increase provitamin A, i.e., biofortification. Yellow endosperm sorghums contain carotenoids, including precursors of vitamin A, and sorghum is a major staple crop in areas of Asia and Africa where vitamin A deficiency is prevalent. Our objective was to collect and characterize yellow endosperm sorghums as a potential new source of genetic diversity to increase provitamin A content. A set of 164 landraces were collected from southern Niger and northern Nigeria. The most important use of these cultivars was as food. The endosperm exhibited a significant variation in yellow intensity. Lutein, zeaxanthin and ?-carotene were the most abundant carotenoids in the ten landraces with the most intense yellow color. Cluster analysis, principal coordin...
... Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu) - National Heritage - New South Wales http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/...national/brewarrina/index.html Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu) - National Heritage - New South Wales Change text size Skip to ...Search You are here: Environment home »Heritage »Heritage places »National heritage places Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu), New South Wales ... The Brewarrina fish traps continue to be visible in the Darling River today and were included in the National Heritage List on 3 ...
In many industrialised societies, women remain underrepresented in the sciences, which can be predicted by the gender gap in math achievement at school. Using PISA 2006 data, we explore the role of family background and single-sex schooling in girls' disadvantage in maths in South Korea and Hong Kong. This disadvantage is found to be associated with single-sex schooling, but not with family background. Attending a girls' school confers a benefit only in South Korea, whereas the gendered curriculum counteracts the selectivity advantage of girls' schools in Hong Kong. We find that a gendered social structure prevalent in both societies.
The paper gives a detailed overview of the history of subsidence engineering in South African collieries. Surface displacements resulting from total-seam extraction are discussed, and the important role of local geology is highlighted. It is shown that the differences in subsidence behaviour between South African and European collieries can be attributed to the presence of competent strata in the overburden of South African coal seams. Criteria are given for the prediction of the most important subsidence parameters, and a new model for the simulation of surface subsidence above total-extraction panels is introduced. The final section of the paper deals with the damage to surface structures caused by total-seam extraction. A brief summary of the most important undermining experiments in South African collieries is given, and it is concluded that local experiences of damage compare with those in Europe. ...
although additional research is needed to corroborate such findings. Key words: Avicennia germinans; disturbance; downed wood; Everglades National Park; Hurricane Andrew;...
PurposeTo describe the prevalence of cataract in older people in 2 areas of north and south India.DesignPopulation-based, cross-sectional study.ParticipantsRandomly...Full Text Available
Health Iran Iraq Landmines Middle East Muslim Outreach Narcotics Nonproliferation North Korea Pakistan Piracy Reconstruction and Stabilization Sudan Trafficking in Persons War...
Shows the general distribution of Dall sheep in the Seldovia and Seward quadrangles. Data from Alaska Fish and Game Habitat Management maps of the South ... ...
... more so when that and he is leaving it with ... reminds me of the story about the sick man who ... fers based on industrial cooperation and the establish- ...
Description: Hurricane Hugo, which struck South Carolina in September of 1989, destroyed a significant proportion of the State's timber. Primary wood-products ...
... River at Ango Ango (4 km south of Matadi (upstream)), and the second on a small tributary ... proposal were to be adopted the site at Matadi would be lost. No conservation measures in place ...
measure meteorological variables and bulk water temper- ature. The locations of the buoys are given in Table 1. TB2 and TB3 were moved slightly farther south ...
Jan 25, 2006 ... Source positions are determined using matched-filter and centroiding .... The upper 1-sigma statistical error in the full-band counts. ...
... Stone, CR & Grover, CC Practice Readers ... Tolbert, M., Withers, S. & Watkins, HT, Good Workers All State Department of Education, Columbia, South ...
Pneumococcal disease in young children has not been as well characterized in East Africa as it has been in industrialized countries. Although pneumococci are likely to cause substantial mortality...Full Text Available
BackgroundWith 2.5 million new HIV infections per year, effective preventive methods against HIV are urgently needed, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. MDP301 is an ongoing trial...Full Text Available
This report consists of a review of the geological, geochemical and geophysical data available for the Eastern Copper River basin with emphasis on the mud volcanoes, and the results of geophysical and geochemical studies carried out in the summers of 1982 and 1984. The purpose was to determine if there are geothermal energy resources in the Copper River Basin. The Eastern Copper River basin is situated on the flanks of a major volcano, Mt. Drum, which was active as late as 200,000 years ago and which is thought to have retained significant amounts of residual heat at high levels. Mt. Wrangell, farther to the east, has been volcanically active up to the present time. The 1982 geophysical and geochemical surveys located three principal areas of possible geothermal interest, one near Tazlina and two near the Klawasi mud volcanoes. The intensive survey work of 1984 was concentrated on those areas. We have integrated the results of soil helium, soil ...
Atmospheric transport represents one of the critically important pathways for the distribution of pollutants from any oil shale operation. Our experience in studying eastern and western shale resources and operation suggest many common features regarding the atmospheric domain, but also many significant differences. Any issue of atmospheric transport and dispersion can be broken down into major elements: source factors which include the spatial and temporal distribution of pollutant sources as well as their chemical and physical characteristics, boundary conditions which include the character of the underlying surface as a lower boundary and the large scale meteorological circulations as an ''upper'' boundary; and meteorological structure is the resulting wind, temperature, moisture, and turbulence environment in the volume of air occupied by emitted material in an atmosphere subjected to the boundary conditions described above. ...
This paper overviews the curricula of nuclear medicine (NM) undergraduate training in 34 Central and Eastern European (CEE) and 37 European Union (EU) medical faculties. The data show enormous variation in the number of hours devoted to nuclear medicine, varying between 1-2 to 40 hours and highly differentiated concepts/ideas of nuclear medicine training in particular countries. In most EU countries this teaching is integrated with that of radiology or clinical modules, also with training in clinical physiology. In many CEE countries teaching and testing of NM are independent, although integration with other teaching modules is frequent. The paper discusses the differences in particular approaches to nuclear medicine teaching. (author)
Abstract The Jebel Ressas Pb-Zn deposits in North-Eastern Tunisia occur mainly as open-space fillings (lodes, tectonic breccia cements) in bioclastic limestones of the Upper Jurassic Ressas Formation and along the contact of this formation with Triassic rocks. The galena-sphalerite association and their alteration products (cerussite, hemimorphite, hydrozincite) are set within a calcite gangue. The Triassic rocks exhibit enrichments in trace metals, namely Pb, Co and Cd enrichment in clays and Pb, Zn, Cd, Co and Cr enrichment in carbonates, suggesting that the Triassic rocks have interacted with the ore-bearing fluids associated with the Jebel Ressas Pb-Zn deposits. The 18O content of calcite associated with the Pb-Zn mineralization suggests that it is likely to have precipitated from a fl...
The experimental results of brittle/ductile two-layer analogue models verify that intraplate tectonic deformation in central-eastern Asia is controlled mainly by the netlike plastic-flow (NPF) occurring in the lower lithosphere, including the lower crust and lithospheric mantle. The ductile lower layer in the model, corresponding to the lower lithosphere in the natural prototype, is made of a mixture of gum rosin and turpentine oil and the brittle upper one, to the upper crust, is formed by the consolidation of talc-powder slurry. The NPF hypothesis for continental dynamics can be regarded as a combination and development of two kinds of seemingly mutually exclusive ones, which are based on the theories of slip-line field and viscous (plastic) flow, respectively. In contrast to "homogeneou...
Summary Analyses of event runoff coefficients provide essential insight on catchment response, particularly if a range of catchments and a range of events are compared by a single indicator. In this study we examine the effect of climate, geology, land use, flood types and initial soil moisture conditions on the distribution functions of the event runoff coefficients for a set of 14 mountainous catchments located in the eastern Italian Alps, ranging in size from 7.3 to 608.4km2. Runoff coefficients were computed from hourly precipitation, runoff data and estimates of snowmelt. A total of 535 events were analysed over the period 1989-2004. We classified each basin using a "permeability index" which was inferred from a geologic map and ranged from "low" to "high permeability". A continuous s...
Forest gap models have been used widely in the study of forest dynamics, including predicting long-term succession patterns and assessing the potential impacts of climate change on forest structure and composition. However, little effort is devoted to predict forest dynamics in the high elevation areas, although they have the sensitive response to global climate change. In the present study, based on a modified height-diameter function, we developed a new version (FAREAST-GFSM) of the forest patch model, FAREAST for simulating the changes of subalpine forests. The observed data from the Gongga Mt. Alpine Station were also used to test model precision. With the improved performance of FAREAST-GFSM, we explored the impact of three warming scenarios on subalpine forest on the eastern Tibetan ...
Agricultural sustainability is a vital parameter to be ascertained locally and globally if food security is to be achieved and maintained. Agricultural sustainability is the combined product of social, economic and ecological sustainability. It is also a function of temporal and spatial variations, a fact which indicates that area-specific sustainability indices need to be designed. We present here an Agricultural Sustainability Index (ASI) for rural eastern India and use it to calculate the ASI for 150 farms for three decades over a 60-year period, viz., 1950?1960, 1980?1990 and 2000?2010 for a representative Indian village of Gangapur (25?83?N, 85?65?E). The ASI was calculated using 30 variables, 10 each of social, economic and ecological sustainability. An extensive questionnaire-based ...
The South China Sea is an area of disputes on sovereignty and resource jurisdiction claims. As one of the six claimants, the Republic of China (Taiwan) has played an important role not only because it is the originator of the U-shaped lines, but also it has continuously occupied the largest island, Tai-Ping-Dao, in the Spratlys. This article reviews the ROC's position on the issues through an exploration of its maritime claims to the territorial sea, continental shelf, and exclusive economic zone.
This autumn, Nice welcomed the thirteen European photovoltaic conference. It was the occasion for the world of solar energy to measure technical progress which were carried out and the market which are still to win. If developing countries are a reserve of new markets, they are not solvent and programmes depend on North/South negotiations. (N.C.).
This paper will describe the application of power generation by the use of microturbine technology by Capstone Turbine Corporation throughout South America. The purpose of this paper is to describe the technology and the experience gained over the last six years. The microturbines are power generation systems that produce energy from a diverse range of liquid or gaseous fuels. The generator is driven by a small gas turbine with a common shaft for the rotors of the generator and the engine. (author)
Significant recent writings have suggested strong parallels and actual links between the historical legal architectures of Canadian Aboriginal policy and South African apartheid. This article's further probing of these claims shows them to be very doubtful. At the same time, some more limited legal parallels between the two systems shows the importance of undertaking further analysis of the transmission and exchange of legal ideas and norms within the Commonwealth order.
The Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine (SBMM) is a 65 ha site located on the eastern shore of the Oaks Arm of Clear Lake, Lake County, California. Between 1864 and 1957, SBMM was the site of underground and open pit mining operations for S and Hg, coinciding with past and present hot spr...
The US$360 million project to increase gas supplies to Eastern and Southern Thailand is discussed, and the use of international competitive bidding to purchase the line pipe and other facilities is reported. The government approved proposal for a gas fired combined-cycle power station and gas separation plant are discussed. (UK).
In spite of the fact that market requirements for new plants continue to be restricted, steam turbine technology and operation engineers have left nothing undone to improve products and operating characteristics. They are generally guided by the principle of optimum economic power supplies but lowest pollution. The new eastern markets are expected to give new impulses to steam turbine design. Cogeneration is of special future importance. (orig.).
The Hanford Site in eastern Washington state currently is engaged in the largest waste cleanup in world history. In order to make informed decisions about remediation options, the public throughout the Pacific Northwest and the nation needs to understand the wastes that are present, their sources of generation, their composition, and their behavior in the environment. The fact that Hanford operations` were conducted in secret for over four decades presents a unique public information challenge to those who currently are responsible for communicating with the public.
BackgroundThere are several known factors that cause ischemic heart disease. However, the part played by air pollution still remains something of a mystery. Recent attention has...Full Text Available
Eastern Oregon cattle distribution was studied with global positioning (GPS) collars for 2 years on the Zumwalt prairie in the spring and fall and Hells Canyon during the winter to determine distribution and habitat selection differences between Spanish bred (Corriente X Longhorn) and English bred c...
... It is well camouflaged and each individual has unique back pattern markings. It eats mainly spiders and insects. The Eastern Lined Earless Dragon is a small dragon lizard measuring up to 21cm in length. It is well camouflaged and each individual has unique back ... It is well camouflaged and each individual has unique back pattern markings. It eats mainly spiders and insects. It lives in and around grass tussocks as well as small holes in the ground that are also used by invertebrates such as wolf spiders and crickets....
The paper shortly recapitulates the background to and the importance of the principle of channeling of liability to the operator, contained in the international Conventions in the field of nuclear liability. It tries to outline the main problems involved in the process of backfitting in some more detail and to describe part of the work that has been done in Sweden and elsewhere to try to solve them. Finally, the paper contains some concluding remarks indicating that no entirely satisfactory solution to the problem is presently at hand. (orig./HP)
BackgroundIntermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp) is a key intervention in the national strategy for malaria control in Tanzania. SP, the current drug...Full Text Available
The report gives results of the first 3 years of study to determine environmentally sound methods for disposing of wastes from nonregenerable flue gas desulfurization systems. Untreated and treated wastes from seven different scrubbers at eastern and western plants, using lime, l...
Background:Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) can occur in patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). In the Gulf Registry of acute coronary events (Gulf RACE), we identified...Full Text Available
The paper will report the experience gained in the implementation of the national assistance projects, including the detailed assessment of the national situation compared to the ITWG Model Action Plan, the upgrading of the technical skills, the training of national experts and the joint analysis of nuclear material at ITU. The status of the work with the 13 future Member States to the European Union will also be reported on during the conference
The Chernobyl reactor accident has pronupted all European countries to rehabilitate their existing measurement and monitoring systems and to design and erect new ones. These systems are meant to ensure a rapid overview on the situation in case of an accident to adopt suitable actions for protection or prevention. 6 papers report on the state of such measurement systems in Europe, inparticular those in France (TELERAY), in Germany (IMIS) and in Switzerland (RADAIR). The IMIS-system is discussed for its extension to Eastern Germany. (HP).
Seismic records, combined with dredged samples and a core, indicate that the Spratly Islands of the Dangerous Ground Province are constructed of presently active carbonate build-ups, known to extend back continuously at least to the Pleistocene and presumed to have initiated in the Miocene, most likely upon the crests of sea-floor cuestas that trend north-east-south-west parallel to the sea-floor spreading magnetic anomalies of the contiguous abyssal plain of the southern part of the South China Sea. The cuestas range from spectacular to subdued, constructed of Triassic and Cretaceous strata and no older rocks have been identified from dredges. The cuesta axes plunge towards the south-west away from the islands, suggesting that the reefs began colonising their more elevated parts, but the ...
The North-West Borneo Trough is bordered along its south-east margin by a melange wedge that has been the subject of disagreement with insufficient discussion. Offshore Palawan it has been interpreted as an accretionary prism that has been preserved in place when subduction ceased in the Middle Miocene. It is unconformably overlain by undeformed Upper Miocene to Holocene draping strata. Farther south-west along the Trough, the seismically identical melange wedge has been named a Major Thrust Sheet System, which was assumed to have been thrust as a nappe north-westwards over the autochthonous Dangerous Grounds terrane of attenuated continental crust of the South China Sea passive margin. The accretionary prism model is the simplest, resulting in interpretation of the North-West Borneo Troug...
To study the causes of agricultural declines in south-west Sweden, a multi-proxy study including pollen analysis, bog surface wetness indicators and aeolian sediment influx reconstructions was carried out on the Store Mosse Bog, situated on the coastal plain of Halland. Patterns of agricultural changes during the past 6,000?years from this study were compared to one additional site on the coastal plain (Undarsmosse Bog) and to four sites in the forested upland region. First, we compared land use activity on the coastal plain and in upland regions of south-west Sweden. Three periods with reduced agricultural activities were observed, primarily in records from the coastal plain. Next, the causes for these declines were studied by comparing land use indicators in the pollen records from the S...
BACKGROUND: Since the identification of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) in prostate cancer patients in 2006 and in chronic fatigue syndrome patients in 2009, conflicting findings have been reported regarding its etiologic role in human diseases and prevalence in general populations. In this study, we screened both plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) collected in Africa from blood donors and human immunodeficiency virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals to gain evidence of XMRV infection in this geographic region. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 199 plasma samples, 19 PBMNC samples, and 50 culture supernatants from PBMNCs of blood donors from Cameroon found to be infected with HIV-1 and HIV-1 patients from Uganda were screened for XMRV infecti...
This report describes the Forum on Flexible Education: Reaching Nomadic Populations in Africa, which was held in Garissa, Kenya, from 20-23 June 2006. The objectives of the Forum were to share experiences and best practices, create linkages and encourage collaboration in order to make education more accessible to nomadic communities. Representatives from the Kenyan MOE, COL, ComSec and UNICEF provided remarks at the Opening Session of the Forum. They stressed the need to find ways to include nomadic children in the education process and the importance of developing alternative channels for the delivery of education and training. There were two keynote addresses. The first, from Professor Gidado Tahir, Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission in Nigeria--presented by his colleague, Dr Salihu Bakari--focused on the realities of the nomadic lifestyle and educational strategies that have been effective. The second, by Dr. Nafisa Muhammad and ...
Objective To establish current practice in the use of Read codes for diabetes.Design Cross sectional study.Setting 17 practices in the Battersea...Full Text Available
BackgroundWhile the gene flow in some organisms is strongly affected by physical barriers and geographical distance, other highly mobile species are able to overcome such constraints....Full Text Available
OPERATE AT SOUTH POLE WINTER AMBIENTS, GIVEN THE PROJECT'S BUDGET AND TIME LINES . ... 17 MAXIMUM ELECTRICAL LENGHT CONSTRAINED BY Ku-BAND AT 50 FT. ... A MAXIMUM LENGTH OF 50 FEET HAS BEEN SPECIFIED BY THE SYSTEM LINK CALCULATIONS TO ...
The status of the South American Geocentric reference System (SIRGAS) Project is presented, including the project goals, objectives and tasks already carried out by the Working Groups. (author). 2 refs., 1 fig., 1 tab
Ross River virus (RRV) is a fascinating, important arbovirus that is endemic and enzootic in Australia and Papua New Guinea and was epidemic in the South Pacific in 1979 and 1980. Infection with RRV...Full Text Available
... Zeitschrift fur SaugetierkundeOnline publication date: 16-Sep-2010.DANIEL J. THOMPSON, DOROTHY M. FECSKE, JONATHAN A. JENKS, and ANGELA ... Hillscougarlong-distance dispersalmountain lionOklahomaPuma conc...
ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of otolaryngologic diseases in Korea.MethodsWe obtained data from the 2008 Korea...Full Text Available
To resolve the phylogeny of the autochthonous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups of India and determine the relationship between the Indian and western Eurasian mtDNA pools more precisely, a diverse...Full Text Available
Field experiments were conducted in the south Texas and Texas High Plains area in 2005 and 2006 to evaluate peanut variety tolerance to carfentrazone-ethyl and pyraflufen-ethyl. Lactofen was used as the standard. Carfentrazone-ethyl at 0.03 and 0.04kgai/ha, pyraflufen-ethyl at 0.003 and 0.004kgai/ha, and lactofen at 0.22kgai/ha were applied 35 days after planting (DAP) in south Texas and 51-56 DAP in the High Plains area in weed-free plots. Peanut cultivars selected for evaluation were those normally used in each area. In south Texas, Tamrun 96, Tamrun OL 01, and Tamrun OL 02 were evaluated while in the High Plains area, Flavor Runner 458, GP-1, and Tamrun OL 02 were evaluated. No peanut cultivar by herbicide interaction was observed in south Texas but an interaction did occur in the High ...
... in an incinerating toilet; and, resulting ash would be retrograded from Antarctica via McMurdo ... toilet would be used with resultant ash retrograded from Antarctica. 11. Would the proposed activity ...
BackgroundMalaria is a major public health problem in Cameroon. Unlike in the southern forested areas where the epidemiology of malaria has been better studied prior to the implementation...Full Text Available
... is known as "reproductive cloning." The Link to Stem Cell Research Stem cell research and research cloning are closely linked. Scientists in ... to arrive at a position on cloning and stem cell research. Many nations, including the UK, China, and South ...
The alternative to the use of deeper wells through temperature amplification of the geothermal resource by electric heat pumps is explored. Systems in Ephrata, Washington and Chamberlain, South Dakota are explored. (MHR)
Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) is a Lyme disease-like infection described in patients in the southeastern and south-central United States, where classic Lyme disease is relatively rare....Full Text Available
800.872.8723 Domestic Offices International Offices FAQ Blog Connect Home > South Korea Home Local Time: Print | E-mail Page Korea Korea Home Doing Business in Korea Market...
We investigated the effects of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge on the ecology of bacterial communities in the sediment of a small, low-gradient stream in South Australia. The quantification...Full Text Available
BackgroundStudies conducted in developed countries using economic models show that individual- and household- level variables are important determinants of health insurance ownership....Full Text Available
Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of three polyspecific antivenoms for bites by pit vipers.Design Randomised double blind comparative trial of three antivenoms.Setting...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe continued depletion of tropical rainforests and fragmentation of natural habitats has led to significant ecological changes which place most top carnivores under heavy...Full Text Available
This table contains point-source catalogs for the ~2 Ms exposure of the Chandra Deep ... Source positions are determined using centroid and matched-filter techniques; .... The 1-sigma upper statistical error (Gehrels 1986, ApJ, 303, ...
A remarkable range of variation has been demonstrated in the biting habits of A. darlingi in South America. At the centre of its area of distribution, the species comprises both anthropo-endophilic...Full Text Available
The model of `ecological forestry' has evolved as a part of the development of the concept of ecosystem management. `Ecological forestry' emphasises that manipulation of a forest ecosystem should consider, and as far as practicable work within the limits of, natural disturbance patterns prior to extensive human alteration of the landscape. This paper evaluates the extent to which forest management practices in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor) forests of south-western Australia align with this view of the characteristics and appropriate silviculture of `ecological forestry'. Characteristics and appropriate silviculture of `ecological forestry' are evaluated in relation to (i) the stand level decisions of stand structure and harvest timing and (ii) the landsc...
This article examines the potential threat of marine pollution caused by offshore oil and gas development activities in the disputed areas of the South China Sea (SCS) and the Spratly Islands. After addressing the potential threat of marine pollution, it discusses the legal obligations and political commitment of the SCS littoral states regarding the protection of the marine environment in the area. The role that Taiwan can play in these matters is also examined.
In recent years the feedstock base of the coking plants in the South has been significantly degraded: the charges contain an increased quantity of gas coal and coal from coalfields in the East are being included. Certain plants in the Ukraine receive coal from the Kuznetsk, Pechora and Karaganda coalfields. Addition of these coal types in the charges of plants in the South is expected to continue in the future. Their efficient utilization requires careful investigation of the new charges in order to determine the optimal composition and to produce blast furnace coke meeting modern specifications.
The methodology for studying the behaviour of the toxic pollutant metals (Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr) in the South Shetland region is presented here, toxic pollutants are caused by the urban and industrial activity at the Southern hemisphere and they are pressured to be incorporated to the region though atmospheric transport processes the Cs 137 (refI) was used as a tracing element, which was freed and dispersed in the atmosphere as a result of nuclear bombs testing. During the austral summer samples from ground, sediments, atmospheric and glacier were extracted.
The Sundsta granite is a reddish, acidic granite, situated in the Western Pregothian mega-unit in Vaermland, south-western Sweden. Its Rb-Sr whole-rock age is 1566+-39 Ma with an initial ratio 0f 0.705 +-0.003. The region is dominated by grey, migmatized granitoids presumably belonging to the Aamaal-I group which has ages of 1650-1700 Ma. The marked difference in degree of migmatization between these two rock-units may indicate that the intrusion of the Sundsta granite post-dates the main migmatization phase of the Aamaal-I granitoid in this region.
This report summarises work done on the SUCON Project during 1996-1999 (European Commission Contract No. FI4C-CT95-0001). The project has focused on three major objectives: 1) An assessment of the radiological consequences of the contamination of the South Urals and the Ob river system from the production of plutonium at 'Mayak', 2) The development of models to calculate doses to individuals and populations in the South Urals using environmental data, and 3) The intercomparison, harmonisation and standardisation of techniques used in dose reconstruction and specification of good practice in particular with regard to remedial measures. (au)
Subsurface conditions at sites in the coastal plains region of South Carolina were investigated using standard penetration and mechanical quasi-static cone penetration tests. The penetration test results are compared with measured static axial pile capacity. The cone penetration test results are compared with stratigraphy and soil types encountered at each site. Results show that with certain limitations, cone penetration test results can be used to assess general stratigraphy and soil type and predict static axial pile capacity with reasonable accuracy.
This article examines the interplay between globalising and localising forces occurring in a child welfare reform project in South Korea. Focusing especially on care and education services for children and families provided by the Korean 'Dream Start' programme, which provides comprehensive health, parental involvement and welfare services to low-income children and their families, I discuss its involvement in the process of 'glocalisation'. Drawing on Foucaultian ideas, I conducted a critical discourse analysis of the policy documents of Dream Start. The article concludes by discussing local resistance to the creation of a cosmopolitan child and the dual qualities of inclusion/exclusion inscribed in the Dream Start project.
This article presents a linear-analytical case study on the development of ICT within the educational systems of Chile and South Korea. Through a comprehensive meta-data analysis and bibliographic review, we collected information on both educational systems and their ICT adoption policies. Key differences necessary to understand how both countries have developed their educational systems by integrating ICT were analyzed, including the educational system structure, the organization of state entities responsible for educational ICT, cultural characteristics, the creation of policies regarding ICT in education, and the effectiveness of such policies for the expansion of infrastructure and the ICT curriculum integration. We analyze these key differences in order to understand two cases of ICT ...
The study investigated the impact of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme on the phenomenon of female trafficking in South-South Nigeria. To this end, six research questions were raised. These revolved around: (i) resource situation and adequacy of training provided for repatriated trafficked victims in the service provider centre; (ii) efforts in the formal education sector of the UBE to curb female trafficking; and (iii) parents and female students' disposition toward female trafficking. The design of the study was descriptive survey. The sample was 420 female students and their parents as well as 100 teachers in the formal segment of the UBE programme and 130 repatriated trafficked victims in a service provider centre. Four sets of instruments were utilised to generate data for the study. The first was quantitative designed to elicit information on the resource situation of the service provider centre and the adequacy of the training given to the ...
The role of atmospheric urea on the biogeochemical cycle of Water Soluble Organic Nitrogen (WSON) in the Eastern Mediterranean was assessed by collecting and analyzing wet and dry deposition samples and size segregated aerosols during a one year period (2006). In rain water volume weighted mean (VWM) concentration of urea was found equal to 5.5mM. In atmospheric particles the average concentration of urea in coarse and fine mode was 0.9+/-1.9nmolNm^-^3 (median 0.0nmolNm^-^3) and 2.2+/-3.0nmolNm^-^3 (median 1.1nmolNm^-^3), respectively. The percentage contribution of urea to WSON fraction was 0% and 20% in coarse and fine particles respectively. On an annual basis 0.81mmolm^-^2 and 1.78mmolm^-^2 of urea were deposited via wet and dry deposition, contributing to WSON by 10% and 11% respectiv...
A statistical method is developed to determine the locations of major pollutant sources affecting a distant downwind receptor, provided that air trajectories can be estimated. Probability density functions are estimated which indicate the overall residence time of air parcels over a given geographic region as they travel toward a receptor and residence time for the case of high pollutant concentrations at the receptor. These functions are used to estimate a conditional probability function which indicates the potential for a source region to contribute to high air pollution concentrations. Finally, a source contribution function is formulated to indicate the relative contribution of different source regions to high concentrations at the receptor. The method is tested using data collected at Grand Canyon National Park in 1980. The dominant pathway for air masses arriving at Grand Canyon during this period was southern California. A lesser pathway was from the border of Utah and ...
Full text: Recent geoarchaeological research in the Erzurum district, north-eastern Anatolia, has revealed an abundance of obsidian at numerous neolithic and Bronze Age sites. Geochemical characterisation using neutron activation analysis indicates that the obsidian was obtained from several sources that are chemically distinct from the major sources already known from Central Anatolia an the Lake Van area. Multiple sources are represented in the samples collected from at least two of the sites, namely the sites of Sos and Pulur. The primary source of some of the obsidian utilised at the site of Sos has been located in the volcanic sequence outcropping tot he north-west of Pasinler. Field survey however has shown that the alluvial deposits along the main rivers and some of their tributaries were the main sources of the obsidian utilised at the sites near Erzurum. Trade or exchange of obsidian with sites outside the Erzurum area seems to have been limited.
An evaluation of eastern shale oil (ESO) residue as an asphalt additive to reduce oxidative age-hardening and moisture susceptibility was conducted. The ESO residue, having a viscosity of 23.9 Pa{sm_bullet}s at 60{degrees}C (140{degrees}F), was blended with three different petroleum-derived asphalts, AAD-1, AAK-1, and AAM-1, that are known to be very susceptible to oxidative aging. Rheological and infrared analyses of the unaged and aged asphalts and the blends were then conducted to evaluate oxidative age-hardening. In addition, the petroleum-derived asphalts and the blends were coated onto three different aggregates, Lithonia granite (RA), a low-absorption limestone (RD), and a silicious Gulf Coast gravel (RL), and compacted into briquets. Successive freeze-thaw cycling was then conducted to evaluate the moisture susceptibility of the prepared briquets. The abbreviations used above for the asphalts and the aggregates are part of the Strategic Highway Research ...
The effects of anthropogenic (nitrogen fertilization) and natural [soil texture, pH content of humus, ammonium nitrogen (N-NH4), and the available forms of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg)] factors on nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) content and distribution were shown. The dependencies between these factors and the content of NO3-N in soil were estimated in three soil layers: 0-30 cm; 31-60 cm; 61-90 cm. The research was carried out in 2004-2006, and the soil samples were taken from 411 places throughout eastern Poland in two seasons: spring and autumn. The concentration of NO3-N significantly depended on the year of investigation, season of the year, and depth of sampling. Distribution of NO3-N in the soil profile indicates possibility of NO3 leaching during winter and early spring....
Onshore and marine seismic-reflection data obtained near the Trans-Alaskan Crustal Transect (TACT), in the region of the eastern Aleutian trench and lower Cook Inlet, reveal highly reflective midcrustal layering that begins at a depth of 10-15 km within the upper plate of the Aleutian subduction zone. Beneath the continental shelf, midcrustal reflections were recorded over broad areas and occur in subhorizontal bands that are 1 to 3 s thick. The reflections extend beneath complexly deformed late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic accreted rocks that are exposed at the surface. Preliminary interpretation of seismic refraction data indicates that under the shelf the top of the reflections corresponds in depth with a sharp increase in rock velocity, from 5.9 km/s to 6.6 km/s. North and northwest of the shelf, beneath the Chugach and Kenai mountains, midcrustal features dip 20{degree}-30{degree} north or northwest, and below the Chugach Mountains, the top of the reflections ...
In the frame of the use of the Relap5 thermal hydraulic code in the predictions of LOCA transient scenarios in PWRs and considering the recent development of a methodology to evaluate the related uncertainty, the response to a Small Break LOCA of Eastern and Western type PWRs has been analyzed. A four loop/horizontal Steam Generator WWER-1000 (KOZLODUY in Bulgaria) and a two loop/vertical U-tubes Steam Generator Westinghouse (KRSKO in Slovenia) nuclear power plants have been considered in the analysis. The reference transient is a 2% equivalent cold leg break accident, without High Pressure Injection System intervention, as specified in the frame of a ``counterpart test`` activity involving experimental tests on four Integral Test Facilities: LOBI (European Community), SPES (Italy), BETHSY (France) and LSTF (Japan). The code results in the two cases, also taking into account the related uncertainty as evaluated by means of the aforementioned methodology, are ...
Results are given for deep-level petroleum and gas drilling probes in various coastal zones of Southern Sakhalin covering the Poronai depression and the Aniv Bay trough. The exploratory probes indicate that the Middle Miocence deposits of the Boundary trough contain commercial-size deposits of petroleum, that commercial-size gas deposits are in the upper Myocene deposits of the Aliv Bay trough, and that the upper Cretaceous and Cenozoic deposits of the eastern section of Southern Sakhalin lack folded deformations. 7 references, 2 figures.
...review on the Bank Simpanan Nasional (National Savings Bank) in Malaysia by Mohd. Fuad Md. Sawari & Razi Hassan & ...crisis and Islamic stock markets integration by Bakri Abdul Karim & Nor Akila Mohd. Kassim & Mohammad Affendy Arip [Downloadable! (...Index and the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index by Azhar Abdul Rahman & Mohd Azlan Yahya & Mohd Herry Mohd Nasir [Downloadable! ...at the International Islamic University Malaysia by Noor Hazilah Abd Manaf & Dinon Mohd & Kalthom Abdullah [Downloadable! (restricted)] ...
The authors have interpreted 1,400 km of industry and government multichannel seismic reflection data from eastern Lake Superior. Seismic sequences have been identified by using reflection character and reflector terminations and truncations. This framework, coupled with outcrop information, has allowed them to assign lithologic units to some of these reflectors and reconstruct the timing and geometry of structures within the basin. The authors have mapped the Base Jacobsville-Bayfield Group/Top oronto Group, Base oronto Group/Top Keweenawan volcanics, and Basement as well as several reflectors internal to these groups. Integration of gravity and magnetic data with the seismic grid permits regional mapping of faults and folds between seismic lines. In the eastern part of the basin, high-angle basement-involved reverse faults, such as the southeastern combination of the Keweenaw fault, trend NNW-SSE, while broad folds trend E-W. The Keweenaw ...
The Devonian oil shales of the Eastern United States are a significant domestic energy resource. The overall objective of the multi-year program, initiated in October 1987 by the US Department of Energy is to perform the research necessary to develop the Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Hydroretorting (PFH) process for producing oil from Eastern oil shales. The program also incorporates research on technologies in areas such as raw shale preparation, beneficiation, product separation, and waste disposal that have the potential of improving the economics and/or environmental acceptability of recovering oil from oil shales using the PFH process. The results of the original 3-year program, which was concluded in May 1991, have been summarized in a four-volume final report published by IGT. DOE subsequently approved a 1-year extension to the program to further develop the PFH process specifically for application to beneficiated shale as feedstock. Studies ...
The Devonian oil shales of the Eastern United States are a significant domestic energy resource. The overall objective of the multi-year program, initiated in October 1987 by the US Department of Energy is to perform the research necessary to develop the Pressurized Fluidized-Bed Hydroretorting (PFH) process for producing oil from Eastern oil shales. The program also incorporates research on technologies in areas such as raw shale preparation, beneficiation, product separation, and waste disposal that have the potential of improving the economics and/or environmental acceptability of recovering oil from oil shales using the PFH process. The results of the original 3-year program, which was concluded in May 1991, have been summarized in a four-volume final report published by IGT. DOE subsequently approved a 1-year extension to the program to further develop the PFH process specifically for application to beneficiated shale as feedstock. Studies ...
A petrographic comparison of Triassic, fluvial sandstones from the Deep River Basin in the eastern piedmont of North Carolina with nearby Holocene stream sands (1) indicates that he Triassic climate was more arid than today's and (2) distinguishes an eastern, more plutonic terrane from a western, more metamorphic source terrane. The paleoclimatic interpretation is based on differences in framework composition between modern and ancient sands of the same grain size, derived from the same rock type, transported similar distances and deposited in similar settings. The Triassic sandstones contain more lithic-fragments but less quartz than otherwise equivalent, modern sand in the Deep River Basin. Feldspar content is more complex, controlled by both source-rock composition and climate. Sand from the more plutonic terrane contains more feldspar and plutonic lithic-fragments than sand from the more metamorphic terrane, which contains more ...
Naturally-occurring wetlands perform such functions as flood control, pollution filtration, nutrient recycling, sediment accretion, groundwater recharge and water supply, erosion control, and plant and wildlife preservation. A large concentration of wetlands is located in Eastern Europe. A significant amount of Eastern European wetlands has been converted to agricultural use in the past, and remaining wetlands are subject to agricultural drainage. Drained wetlands are used as prime agriculture lands for a variety of food crops. Other agricultural uses of wetlands range from growing Phragmites australis (common reed) for thatch and livestock feed, to collecting peat for heating and cooking fuel. Altered hydrologic regimes due to global climate change could further exacerbate encroachment of agricultural land use into wetlands. The vulnerability and adaptation studies of the US Country Studies Program are used to analyze where climate change ...
Greenland is the world's largest island, with an area of 2.2 million square kilometres, 80 % of which is covered by the ice sheet. The climate is Arctic, but as Greenland stretches 2600 km from north to south, there is a huge variability in climate, with temperature decreasing from south to north. Due to the influence of oceanic currents, the west coast is slightly warmer than the east coast. Precipitation also decreases strongly from the south to the north, and also with distance from the coast. Kangerlussuaq is located in the dry, continental area of central west Greenland. The bedrock of Greenland is dominated by Precambrian gneisses, with sedimentary rocks occurring in some areas of East and North Greenland, and smaller areas of basalts. All of Greenland has been glaciated several times and has thus been eroded and shaped by the ice, as it still is at the ice margin. Soils are generally thin, and especially in the ...
The European Commission recently authorized the import of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) fruit pulp as a novel food. In rural West Africa the multipurpose baobab is used extensively for subsistence. Three hundred traditional uses of the baobab were documented in Benin, Mali, and Senegal across 11 ethnic groups and 4 agroecological zones. Baobab fruits and leaves are consumed throughout the year. The export of baobab fruits could negatively influence livelihoods, including reduced nutritional intake, change of power relations, and access rights. Capacity building and certification could encourage a sustainable and ethical trade of baobab fruits without neglecting baobab use in subsistence.
Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) demonstrate an increased susceptibility to invasive bacterial infections (IBI). The most common organisms causing IBI are Streptococcus pneumoniae, nontyphi Salmonella species and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). IBI are the most common causes of death in children below 5 years of age with SCD. Increased susceptibility to IBI is because of several factors including dysfunctional antibody production and opsonophagocytosis as well as defective splenic clearance. Early diagnosis of Hib and pneumococcal infections combined with antibiotic prophylaxis and immunization programs, could lead to significant improvements in mortality, especially in Africa. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2010;55:401-406. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Abstract: Some conservationists argue for a focused effort to protect the most critically endangered species, and others suggest a large-scale endeavor to safeguard common species across large areas. Similar arguments are applicable to the distribution of scientific effort among species. Should conservation scientists focus research efforts on threatened species, common species, or do all species deserve equal attention? We assessed the scientific equity among 1909 mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians of southern Africa by relating the number of papers written about each species to their status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Threatened large mammals and reptiles had more papers written about them than their nonthreatened counterparts, whereas threatened...
Homidium bromide and isometamidium chloride are used extensively in the treatment of bovine trypanosomiasis in Africa, but no specific and sensitive method to detect the drug in plasma has been published yet. Comparing the methods of other investigators it was found that they could not overcome the protein binding of these drugs which reduced the available and determined drug to 10% of the real concentrations. These techniques overcome the protein binding by enzyme digestion and an alteration of the pH before adding the sample directly on clean-up columns. Drug recover rates above 80% were obtained. For the detection, the HPLC was employed using a C18 reversed phase analytical column and UV detection, determining both drugs as intact molecules. (author).
An assessment was undertaken of the risk of liver cancer in the USA associated with aflatoxin ingestion from peanuts. Both laboratory-animal data and epidemiological data collected from the scientific literature and several prominent mathematical extrapolation techniques were used. Risk estimates differed by a factor of greater than 1000 when the extrapolated results of three selected animal studies were analysed. Dose-response data for the male Fischer rat, the most sensitive mammalian species studied, produced an estimate of 158 cases of liver cancer per year in the USA at current levels of aflatoxin exposure. An estimate of 58 annual cases was predicted on the basis of epidemiological data of populations in Africa and Thailand.
Electricity generation from wind turbines is now cost competitive for grid and off-grid applications in many developing regions, and close to competitive in others. Wind resources could generate thousands of megawatts of badly-needed power in Asia, North Africa, and Latin America. Barriers to penetrating power generation markets remain, however, including unequal access to investment capital, energy price and other market distortions, and often weak institutions for commercializing new technologies. Recognizing the potential economic and environmental benefits of wind power, bilateral and multilateral assistance organizations have for several years offered financial and technical assistance to promote its diffusion. Based on this experience and assistance for other renewable electric technologies, lessons and recommendations can be drawn regarding how assistance could more effectively overcome persistent market and policy barriers, especially in light of the ...
Summary Objective- To evaluate the role of prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (co-trimoxazole) antibacterial prophylaxis in reducing morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected post-natal women in southern Africa. Methods- Double-blind placebo-controlled trial. HIV-infected women with WHO stage 2 or 3 HIV disease who had recently delivered in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia were randomised to receive daily co-trimoxazole (cotox) or matched placebo daily for the duration of the trial. Participants were followed up for a minimum of 1-year. Primary outcome measures were mortality from any cause or hospital admission and serious adverse events. Results- Of 600 women randomised, follow-up information was available from 355 (18...
Several studies have shown that migratory birds play an important role in the ecology, circulation and dissemination of pathogenic organisms. In October 2006, a health status evaluation was performed on a large population of migratory birds passing through the territory of Ustica (Italy), an island located on the migration route of many species of birds to Africa, and various laboratory tests were conducted. In total, 218 faecal swabs and the internal organs of 21 subjects found dead in nets were collected for bacteriological and virological examination, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease. In addition, 19 pooled fresh faecal samples were collected for mycological examination. The bacteriological analysis produced 183 strains belonging to 28 different species of the Enterobacte...
A multiphase origin of the Cu-Co ores in the western part of the Lufilian fold-and-thrust belt in Central Africa is proposed based on literature, satellite image interpretations and petrographic and fluid inclusion analyses on samples from the stratiform mineralization of Kamoto and Musonoi (DR Congo). The various mineral occurrences in the Katanga Copperbelt can be classified in distinct categories: stratiform, supergene enrichment and vein-type. The stratiform mineralization form the largest group and can be found mainly in Lower Roan (R-2) rocks, which can be identified as ridges on satellite imagery. Ore deposits outside the R-2 occur along lineaments and result often from supergene enrichment.The main phase of the stratiform mineralization in the Katanga Copperbelt occurred during dia...
A section of the northern margin of the Guineo-Congolian rain forest of the Central African Republic is studied to determine to what extent deforestation is evolving. Three sites are presented to highlight the diversity in local environmental settings at the northern margin of the closed equatorial rain forest: the contiguous equatorial rain forest, the boundary between the closed rain forest and the grasslands, and a predominantly secondary grassland environment. Proven image processing procedures for determining land cover and vegetation vigor were applied to Landsat MSS data to determine land cover characteristics and identify alterations in land cover that indicate potentially degraded forest environments. Land cover was independently assessed using spectral signatures determined from a statistical clustering routine. The images presented and image analyses contribute insights and information to an ongoing effort to determine more reliable data on the status of global tropical rain ...
The history of the North German Mission Society (established 1836 in Hamburg) and its activity on the West African coast (from 1847 onwards among the Ewe, in what is now Ghana and Togo where it was and still is known as the 'Bremen Mission') mirrors neatly the various phases of the idea of 'mission': its composite motivation (Enlightenment, humanism and Pietism); the rejection of a narrow denominationalism (though the management of the mission was from 1850 onwards in the hands of the society's Bremen branch which belonged to the Reformed tradition); the entanglement of mission and overseas trade; the ambivalent attitude towards imperialism; the shaping of the missionary process as a profoundly educational one; the growing independence of the African church when the German missionaries wer...
The report presents an overview of A.I.D. efforts, which encompass a wide range of environmental issues and support environmental training, research, and institutional development. The report's opening section details A.I.D.'s efforts to enlist host-country support for environmental programs, with specific emphasis on improving natural resource management (especially in Africa), encouraging policy change, strengthening the private sector's environmental role, and preparing environmental profiles of host countries and helping them develop conservation strategies. The ensuing sections recount A.I.D. efforts in particular topics of environmental concern (biological diversity and environmental health and safety), critical ecological areas (coastal areas and forests and fragile lands), and specific country programs (reforestation in Haiti). A brief history of the evolution of the Agency's environmental strategy since 1976 is included.
Mycoplasma infections of small ruminants are known to exist in the Mediterranean region, Asia, Africa and cause significant economic impacts but little is known of the Mycoplasma spp. in sheep and goats in the Middle East. During the period of 2002-2003, 104 flocks of local sheep and goats (17 sheep, 27 goat and 60 mixed flocks) were surveyed for the occurrence of mycoplasma infections in Northern Jordan. The clinical signs seen in the studied flocks were, to varying degrees, mastitis in sheep and goats, arthritis, mainly in kids, and pneumonia in both sheep and goats of most age groups. Small ruminant farms were sampled and pooled milk samples and nasal swabs were collected for culture and isolation of mycoplasma. Mycoplasmas were isolated from 17 (26%) of the 62 milk samples and 12 (3.9%...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered to be one of the most common malignancies worldwide, and the most common one in Africa and Asia. Over the last decade, a rising incidence of up to 10-15/100,000 per population has been seen in the Western world, with an estimate of 250,000 deaths and more than a million worldwide per year. By the year 2010, the World Health Organization expects that HCC will be the leading cause of cancer mortality surpassing lung cancer. This increasing incidence is most likely related to an increasing prevalence of chronic hepatitis C (HC) and B (HB) virus infections and other diseases inducing chronic inflammation (Befeler and Di Bisceglie 2002; Llovet et al. 2003).
Wood usage for cooking and heating is still very relevant in most developing countries especially those of sub-Saharan Africa and many parts of Asia. Therefore, sustainable means of generating it for this and other purposes are necessary bearing in mind the influence of indigenous knowledge/users perspective on any production method regarding success and sustenance. In conformity with this view, questionnaires were administered on 240 respondents in 8 rural communities of Akinyele and Ido Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Oyo State, Nigeria, to elicit information on species that can be used as fuelwood, preferred by the respondents for incorporation into and/or retention in agroforestry plots, out of which 179 (i.e. 75% of the total number of questionnaires administered) were successfully r...
Summary Background There is a need for new artemisinin-based combination therapies that are convenient, effective, and safe. We compared the efficacy and safety of pyronaridine-artesunate with that of artemether-lumefantrine for treatment of uncomplicated P falciparum malaria. Methods This phase 3, parallel-group, double-blind, randomised, non-inferiority trial was undertaken in seven sites in Africa and three sites in southeast Asia. In a double-dummy design, patients aged 3-60 years with uncomplicated P falciparum malaria were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive pyronaridine-artesunate once a day or artemether-lumefantrine twice a day, orally for 3 days, plus respective placebo. Randomisation was done by computer-generated randomisation sequence in blocks of nine by study centre....
Summary The steadily growing epidemic of diabetes mellitus poses a threat for global tuberculosis (TB) control. Previous studies have identified an important association between diabetes mellitus and TB. However, these studies have limitations: very few were carried out in low-income countries, with none in Africa, raising uncertainty about the strength of the diabetes mellitus-TB association in these settings, and many critical questions remain unanswered. An expert meeting was held in November 2009 to discuss where there was sufficient evidence to make firm recommendations about joint management of both diseases, to address research gaps and to develop a research agenda. Ten key research questions were identified, of which 4 were selected as high priority: (i) whether, when and how to sc...
Abstract. Malaria vector control targeting the larval stages of mosquitoes was applied successfully against many species of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) in malarious countries until the mid-20th Century. Since the introduction of DDT in the 1940s and the associated development of indoor residual spraying (IRS), which usually has a more powerful impact than larval control on vectorial capacity, the focus of malaria prevention programmes has shifted to the control of adult vectors. In the Afrotropical Region, where malaria is transmitted mainly by Anopheles funestus Giles and members of the Anopheles gambiae Giles complex, gaps in information on larval ecology and the ability of An. gambiae sensu lato to exploit a wide variety of larval habitats have discouraged efforts to develop and impl...
The Baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L.) is a key multipurpose species for the African region. In the recent years there has been an extended commercial interest for different A. digitata products. As a spectacular African key species there has been a growing interest from NGO?s and various research groups. A research group, focussing on the following countries Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, has participated in a concerted research action with cross counter disciplinary cooperation between plant physiology, population genetics, tree breeding, food science, and socioeconomics. This paper presents a review and the way knowledge gaps are being addressed using the above mentioned approach. The overall work was initiated in 2005?2006 when a large collection of A. digitata seeds was carried out in...
WIPP, intended for underground permanent disposal of defense transuranic waste, is located 40 km east of Carlsbad at a depth of 655 m in the salt beds of the 600-m thick Permian Salado Formation. It will consist of 56 ``rooms`` each 91.5 m long, 10 m wide, and 4 m high, grouped in 8 ``panels`` of 7 rooms each. About 7.5 km of access drifts will also be provided. Excavation began in 1982 and surface/access/test facilities and one panel were completed by 1988, many years before it could be used. Current plans are to start emplacing waste in WIPP in 1998 and continue for 35 years. The north- south drift E140 is the widest (25 ft) of the four main north-south drifts and is the main north-south passage. Plans to conduct experiments with waste in 1993 were abandoned, and the plan now is to use panel 1 for permanent disposal of waste starting in 1998. The stability evaluation resulted in the conclusion that, while it would be ...
Husky Oil Operations Ltd (Husky) is considering the development of the South White Rose Expansion (SWRX) area, located approximately 4 km south of the current Southern Glory Hole (SGH) in approximately 120 m of water. Within the new glory hole, one new drill centre will be constructed with wells tied back and into the SGH manifolds. The SWRX drill centre will comprise three horizontal production wells and two horizontal water injection wells with expansion capacity for eight wells. Husky is intending to submit a Development Plan Amendment to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) as part of the development. This document presented the results of a study that assessed the potential impact of the new development on existing White Rose safety studies. The study reviewed existing safety studies that were developed for the White Rose project to determine the potential impact of the new SWRX development. These studies ...
Increasing economic and recreational opportunities, attractive scenery and a perception of a better quality of life are luring people to the coast. Unfortunately, these activities together with the commensurate increase in population in the area inevitably result in pollution of coastal waters with excessive microorganisms and other pollutants. Microbial pollutants not only contaminate the coastal water but also aquatic food sources, thus posing a health risk to consumers. Fish is a major source of protein in Cameroon, especially in the coastal areas. In this study, we investigated the microbiological quality of fish from the Limbe and Tiko beaches in South West Cameroon from May to October 2007. We isolated human pathogenic bacteria from three anatomic sites (skin, gills, intestine) of 50 fish (150 specimens) and investigated their susceptibility patterns to a battery of antibiotics. Data were analyzed statistically using chi2 with significance set at p ...
The results of an extensive, detailed geologic and geophysical evaluation of the offshore South Florida basin show this area to have considerable hydrocarbon exploration potential. Geophysical mapping on six key horizons identified numerous structural closures at Dollar Bay through Bone Island mapping levels. Geologic evaluation indicated at least four viable potential reservoir horizons, including the Sunniland formation - the main producing unit onshore in what is called the Sunniland trend. Mature, organic rich carbonate source rocks are found in several stratigraphic intervals throughout the basin, and extensively developed seals consisting of micritic limestones and anhydrites are also common in the stratigraphic section. All the critical factors for hydrocarbon accumulation - source, reservoir, trap, and seal - appear to be present in the offshore Pulley ridge area of the South Florida basin. Using high-resolution seismic data, additional ...
An innovative horizontal drilling system was used to install two horizontal wells as part of an integrated demonstration project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina. The SRS is located in south-central South Carolina in the upper Coastal Plain physiographic province. The demonstration site is located near the A/M Area, and is currently known as the Integated Demonstration Site. The Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development initiated an integrated demonstration of innovative technologies for cleanup of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in soils and groundwater at the SRS in 1989. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate, at a single location, multiple technologies in the fields of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation. Innovative technologies are compared to one another and to baseline technologies in terms of technical performance and cost effectiveness. ...
An innovative horizontal drilling system was used to install two horizontal wells as part of an integrated demonstration project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina. The SRS is located in south-central South Carolina in the upper Coastal Plain physiographic province. The demonstration site is located near the A/M Area, and is currently known as the Integated Demonstration Site. The Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development initiated an integrated demonstration of innovative technologies for cleanup of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in soils and groundwater at the SRS in 1989. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate, at a single location, multiple technologies in the fields of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation. Innovative technologies are compared to one another and to baseline technologies in terms of technical performance and cost effectiveness. Transfer ...
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW)
The first 750 MW block of the new South Humber Bank gas-fired combined cycle power plant, sited about 300 km north from London, was officially commissioned in September 12th 1997. The project has been a major success story for Imatran Voima Oy (IVO), which developed the concept and managed the project and owns 22.5 % of the plant; and ABB Power Plants Limited, responsible for the turnkey delivery. IVO Generation Services (UK) is responsible for the running and maintenance of the facility. IVO also manages two other existing plants in Britain, at Brigg (240 MW) and Peterborough (360 MW).
The Spratly Islands are developing into a flashpoint in the South China Sea region. Geological surveys conducted underneath the seabed of these islands following the oil crisis in the 1970s shows an enormous potential of oil and gas reserves. Moreover, with the adoption of the new International Law of the Sea concept there are overlapping claims by contending countries. Unless these claimant countries reconcile their differences and come to terms, the conflict is bound to escalate. This thesis is an in depth study of the disputes over the Spratlys and examines four cases of islands based territorial disputes that could be used as a model in resolving these tensions. This thesis argues that a military option will only create division and in-flame longstanding animosities. Instead, a peaceful solution is recommended as quickly as possible so that regional nations will realize the full potential of these islands. Spratly Islands in the South China ...
The paper presents cloud structure models for Jupiter's Great Red Spot, Equatorial and North Tropical Zones, North and South Temperate Zones, and North and South Polar Regions. The models are based on images of Jupiter in three methane bands and nearby continuum radiative transfer calculations include multiple scattering and absorption from three aerosol layers. The model results include the transition in the upper-cloud altitude to 3 km lower altitude from the tropical zones to temperate zones and polar regions, a N/S asymmetry in cloud thickness in the tropical and temperature zones, and the presence of aerosols up to about 0.3 bar in the Great Red Spot and Equatorial Zone. It is concluded that polarization data are sensitive to aerosols in and above the upper cloud layer but insensitive to deeper cloud structure.
Changes in cell density and cyst flux of Alexandrium tamarense, paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin contents in shellfishes, and environmental parameters were measured in two stations in Daya Bay, South China Sea from March 2005 to July 2006. Vegetative cells of A. tamarense occurred sporadically; however, they presented abundantly during the winter months. Meanwhile, cyst flux reached its maximum level just following the peak abundance of motile cells. The PSP contents in shellfish were generally low, but higher in winter with the maximum of 14,015 @mg STX equiv./kg. The majority of toxins were found in digestive glands, with a maximum of 66,227 @mg STX equiv./kg. There were significant positive relationships between toxin level and vegetative cell density and cyst flux. This indica...
Supplement 2 to the Safety Evaluation Report for Mississippi Power and Light Company, et. al, joint application for licenses to operate the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Port Gibson, in Claiborne County, Mississippi, has been prepared by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This supplement reports the status of certain items that had not been resolved at the time of publication of the Safety Evaluation Report.
This article explores the extent to which and how non-formal education (NFE) contributes to the development of a more diversified basic education system and thus to the achievement of EFA. It outlines the current nature of NFE, the frameworks provided by the EFA movement, and the evolution of reflection, policies and practices in NFE in relation to basic education as a whole. Based on significant developments in various countries across the South, the article also discusses some key challenges that ministries of education and their partners need to face in moving towards relevant and equitable diversity in education. The article posits that, despite the many problems faced by NFE, there is justification for building on its experiences and integrating these within a larger policy and system...
Bank sediments along a 40km reach of the South River, downstream of Waynesboro, VA, store mercury from historical contamination as a result of textile manufacturing. Knowledge of the rate at which contaminated sediment is released to the stream channel through bank erosion is required to implement restoration programs designed, for example, to minimize its ecological impact and to reduce risk to human health. Digitized stream channel boundaries based on visual interpretations of georeferenced aerial imagery from 1937 and 2005 were compared to calculate a minimum estimate of the total area of bank sediment eroded between Waynesboro and Port Republic, Virginia. Estimates of riverbank height were extracted from aerial LIDAR data, allowing areal estimates of bank retreat to be converted to vol...
ERDMANN A.L., DE ANDRADE S.R., FERREIRA DE MELLO A.L., KLOCK P., DO NASCIMENTO K.C., SANTOS KOERICH M. & STEIN BACKES D. (2011) Practices for caring in nursing: Brazilian research groups. International Nursing Review58, 379-385 Background:- The present study considers the production of knowledge and the interactions in the environment of research and their relationships in the system of caring in nursing and health. Aim:- To elaborate a theoretical model of the organization of the practices used for caring, based on the experiences made by the research groups of administration and management in nursing, in Brazil. Methods:- The study is based on grounded theory. Twelve leaders of research groups, working as professors in public universities in the south and the south-east of Brazil, distri...
Samples of two seawater farmed fish (crimson snapper (Lutjanus erythopterus) and snubnose pompano (Trachinotus blochii)), water, air, sediment, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton were collected from two estuarine bays (Daya Bay and Hailing Bay) in South China. The concentrations of persistent halogenated compounds (PHCs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) varied widely with the different sample matrices under investigation. The compositional patterns in fish, fish feed, macroalgae and phytoplankton, as well as the good correlations between the abundances of p,pprime-DDT and BDE-209 and their metabolites (i.e., p,pprime-DDD and p,pprime-DDE for p,pprime-DDT and BDE-47 for BDE-209) in fish indicated the occurr...
Author.The geochemical and isotopic study, based on the analysis of twenty water samples from well in the coastal plain of Sarafand (South-Lebanon), permit to eliminate the hypothesis of marine intrusion in this aquifer. The increase of salinity observed in certain wells is due to the contamination of cretaceous aquifer water by the quaternary formations. The two poles of mixing are respectively characterized: by weak tritium contents (between 2 and 3 UT) and a value of stable isotopes (-5,9<0,18<-5,5) corresponding to the appearance of cretaceous formation area; by the high tritium contents and enrichment relative to heavy isotope in the mineralized water of superficial formations. On the other hand, the isotope contents permit the set a rapid renewal of the cretaceous aquifer water due to quick circulation in the Karstic system
In 1946, the Philippines raised claims in the South China Sea over an area already known as Spratly Islands. This claim advanced through peculiar stages, starting when Thomas Cloma allegedly discovered islands in 1946, later named as Freedomland, and maturing to some extent in 1978 by the governments claim over the so-called Kalayaan Island Group. Considered as an oceanic expansion of its frontiers, this paper reviews the basis of the claim, first over the nature of Clomas activities, and secondly over the measures the Philippine government took as a reaction of Clomas claim of discovery of an area already known in western cartography as the Spratlys. Eventually, what is the nature of the link between the 1978 Kalayaan Islands Groups official claim and 1956 Clomas private one?
Meiji (Mischief) coral atoll, in Nansha (Spratly) Islands, South China Sea, consists of an annular reef rim surrounding a central lagoon. On the atoll rim there are either protuberant ?motu? (small coral patch reefs on the rim of atoll) islets or lower sandy cays that contain modern microbialite deposits on the corals in pinnacles and surrounding bottoms of the atoll. Microbialites, including villiform, hairy, and thin spine growth forms, as well as gelatinous masses, mats and encrustation, developed on coral colonies and atoll rim sediments between 0 and 15 m deep-water settings. The microbialites were produced by natural populations of filamentous cyanobacteria and grew on (1) bulbous corals together with Acropora sp., (2) on massive colonies of Galaxea fascicularis, (3) on dead Montipor...
Regular fuel reduction burning is an important management strategy for reducing the scale and intensity of wildfires in south-west Australian native forests, but the long term effects of this on tree and stand growth are not well understood. Five fire treatments, including application of frequent and infrequent low intensity burns, and 25?years of fire exclusion, were applied to small (4?ha) experimental plots in a low rainfall mixed jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and marri (Corymbia calophylla) forest to investigate the effects of these treatments on tree stem diameter growth, stand basal area increment and tree mortality. Mean tree stem growth measured over 20?years was lowest in the long unburnt treatment compared with the burn treatments, although surface soil nutrient levels were gener...
This study estimates the electricity demand function for the residential sector of South Korea with the aim of examining the effects of improved energy efficiency, structural factors and household lifestyles on electricity consumption. In the study, time series data for the period from 1973 to 2007 is used in a structural time series model to estimate the long-term price and income elasticities and annual growth of underlying energy demand trend (UEDT) at the end of the estimation period. The result shows a long-term income elasticity of 1.33 and a long-term price elasticity of -0.27% with -0.93% as the percentage growth of UEDT at the end of the estimation period. This result suggests that, in order to encourage energy efficiency in the residential sector, the government should complement the market based pricing policies with non-market policies such as minimum energy efficiency standards and public enlightenment.
This study estimates the electricity demand function for the residential sector of South Korea with the aim of examining the effects of improved energy efficiency, structural factors and household lifestyles on electricity consumption. In the study, time series data for the period from 1973 to 2007 is used in a structural time series model to estimate the long-term price and income elasticities and annual growth of underlying energy demand trend (UEDT) at the end of the estimation period. The result shows a long-term income elasticity of 1.33 and a long-term price elasticity of -0.27% with -0.93% as the percentage growth of UEDT at the end of the estimation period. This result suggests that, in order to encourage energy efficiency in the residential sector, the government should complement the market based pricing policies with non-market policies such as minimum energy efficiency standards and public enlightenment. (author)
This study estimates the electricity demand function for the residential sector of South Korea with the aim of examining the effects of improved energy efficiency, structural factors and household lifestyles on electricity consumption. In the study, time series data for the period from 1973 to 2007 is used in a structural time series model to estimate the long-term price and income elasticities and annual growth of underlying energy demand trend (UEDT) at the end of the estimation period. The result shows a long-term income elasticity of 1.33 and a long-term price elasticity of -0.27% with -0.93% as the percentage growth of UEDT at the end of the estimation period. This result suggests that, in order to encourage energy efficiency in the residential sector, the government should complement...
Wheat is the second major staple crop, after rice, in India and Pakistan and is also gaining similar importance in Nepal and Bangladesh. Wheat production in South Asia has increased from 15?mt in 1960s to 95.5?mt during 2004?2005. It still needs to grow at the rate of 2?2.5% annually until the middle of 21st century. However, for India, recent estimations have shown a growth requirement of about 1.1%. Although the wheat improvement programs in these countries, with the active collaboration of national agricultural research centers (NARS) and CIMMYT, has made a significant progress, it is a matter of significant concern that wheat production has stagnated for last few years. Since there is little scope for increasing land area under wheat, the major challenge will be to break the yield barr...
Major forecast errors on the background error covariance from initial conditions, atmospheric forcing, model open boundary conditions, and the river discharges are examined in a coastal model of northern South China Sea. The analysis of background error covariance matrix produced by model ensemble shows that the perturbations of the initial conditions and atmospheric forcing play major roles in producing and maintaining the amplitude of ensemble spread except for the sea surface height (SSH) field. The perturbation of model open boundary conditions can influence ensemble spread of all variables and covariance between temperature and velocity or between temperature and SSH. The perturbation of river discharge mainly affects the covariance of salinity in river estuary. A data assimilation ex...
The Taiwan Strait is an important channel in the west Pacific Ocean transporting water and chemical constituents between the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Due to its complex bottom topography, alternating monsoon forcing and conjunction of several current systems [such as the Zhejiang-Fujian (Zhe-Min) Coastal Current, the Kuroshio intrusion and the extension of the South China Sea Warm Current], the physical and biogeochemical processes and ecosystem dynamics in the Taiwan Strait vary significantly both in space and in time. Our recent interdisciplinary studies, combining in situ and remote sensing observations with numerical modeling, allow us to address several important issues concerning the Taiwan Strait. The temporal and spatial variation of circulation in the Taiwan Strait ...
A study on the distribution of "1"3"7Cs in coastal waters up to a distance of 15 km was undertaken for a decade (1995-2004) and observed that the activity has reduced by 15-20 fold. Statistical and trend analysis was carried out to resolve the contribution of different facilities at a distance of 5 km (north and south) from the discharge point by log normal probability analysis and found that at 5 km south, the median value of "1"3"7Cs due to TAPS and FRP discharges were 3.7 mBq/l and 1.50 mBq/l respectively. The observed levels of "1"3"7Cs are of no consequences from the point of view of dose to members of the public. (author)
Oil, in various forms, has been used for thousands of years and has even been recommended as a medicinal product. Starting in the mid-19. century, however, mineral oil production became an economic, political, social and scientific gold mine. Subterranean and offshore drilling rigs have created colossal fortunes among multinationals and made certain nations extremely wealthy. Starting in the 1920's, oil companies began to explore the possibilities of undersea drilling, but it was only in 1947 that the first offshore drilling rig was set up. With three-quarters of the planet covered by water, it was inevitable that oil companies would turn to offshore drilling - especially as sub-sea oil fields may cover as much as 84 million square kilometres. Drilling rigs now go deeper than ever and are able to operate in up to 3000 meters water depth. This paper will present the technical merits of two similar all-electric drill-ships 'Pride Africa' ...
Tanzania has recently developed a comprehensive environmental policy which has put high priority on several specific environmental issues. One of the issues is the quality of waste water. A special priority is given to the pollution from the sisal industry. The East-African agro-industries generate very large quantities of organic residues from production and processing of different crops. These residues form a major contribution to the pollution of air, soil and waterways, but, at the same time they constitute a large potential for production of bioenergy through anaerobic digestion as well as potential substrate for other biological fermentation processes. Generally, these residues are regarded as having no or very little value and the different disposal methods are mainly a matter of getting rid of the waste. The generation of residues are very often concentrated on few large units, which makes the exploitation of these resources feasible in large scale biogas systems. Typically the ...
The adjoint of an ocean general circulation model is used as a tool for investigating the causes of changes in ENSO SST indices. We identify adjoint Kelvin and Rossby waves in the sensitivities to sea level and wind stress at earlier times, which can be traced back for more than a year through western and weak eastern boundary reflections. Depending on the thermocline depth the first and second baroclinic modes are excited. The sensitivities to the heat flux and SST are local and decay in about a month. The sensitivities to the fluxes are converted into the influence of SST using the adjoint of a statistical atmosphere model. Focusing on SST perturbations in the index region itself, we recover, up to a scale factor, the delayed oscillator concept.
Riparian agricultural environments in eastern Australia are widely used for cattle grazing, but are also preferred habitat for native, soil-disturbing mammals such as the bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus). We examined the effects of mound construction by wombats, and track development by cattle and wombats, on soil displacement in a riparian landscape at high and low levels of cattle usage. Splash erosion was measured on mounds and inter-mounds with splashboards, and changes in the profiles of cattle-wombat tracks were assessed using a profilemeter. Twice as much soil was detached by splash erosion from mounds than inter-mounds, irrespective of cattle usage, and about three-times more coarse sand and 40% more fine sand was detached from mounds and inter-mounds at the high cattle sites. ...
The economic development of eastern Europe was associated during the last 15 years with the following average annual increases in energy consumption: Approximately 1% in the sectors industry, building and transport, almost 7% in the farming sector, approximately 3% in households, and nearly 4% in the municipal sector. This trend will not continue. As the economic system shifts from centrally planned to free economy and as the previously secluded economy is forced to face world market conditions as well as changed pars of exchange and conditions of payment, it not only experiences a transitory, sharp dip of economic growth in general but, in particular, drastic structural changes. - While there is to be expected, on the whole a slump in national economic growth, in tradiational branches of industry (e.g., metallurgy, the chemicals and textile industry) as well as in farming, such sectors as the service industry and small trade are expanding. (orig./UA).
Soil erodibility (the K factor in the Universal Soil Loss Equation, USLE) is an important index to measure soil susceptibility to water erosion, and an essential parameter needed for soil erosion prediction. To evaluate the appropriateness of the nomograph and other methods for estimating the K factor for the USLE and to develop a relationship for soil erodibility estimation for Chinese soils, a set of soil erodibility values was calculated using soil loss data from natural runoff plots at 13 sites in eastern China. The definition of soil erodibility in relation to the USLE was strictly followed. Comparing these measured values to those estimated using the nomograph method, the method adopted for the EPIC model and the formula of Shirazi and Boersma, we found that all these estimated soil ...
November was a quiet month in Washington. Although Congress has recessed until 1991, the Senate filled vacancies in party leadership positions created by November's elections. The House is expected to proceed with its changes in early December. The Nuclear Energy Forum was held in Washington, DC on November 11-14 to discuss the status of the nuclear industry in the USA. The Forum, held in conjunction with the American Nuclear Society's annual meeting, assembled a large number of CEO's from US, European, and Far Eastern utilities and vendors. The meeting concluded with an announcement by Philip Bayne, President of NYPA and chairman of the Nuclear Power Oversight Committee (NPOC), of the results of a year-long NPOC study entitled a open-quotes Strategic Plan for Building New Nuclear Power Plants.close quotes.
Crustal xenoliths (pyroxenites and plagioclase + quartz + pyroxene lithologies) from the Quaternary Big Pine volcanic field on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada Batholith in California (USA) represent the products of metasomatic reaction between the margins of a Cretaceous granodioritic pluton and Paleozoic marbles, possibly at mid-crustal depths based on the equilibration temperatures recorded by Ti-in-quartz geothermometry. This interpretation is based on the presence of plagioclase showing relict plutonic textures, pyroxenite characterized by nearly pure diopside clinopyroxene, recrystallized plagioclase with anomalously high anorthite content, textures indicating replacement of plagioclase by clinopyroxene (and vice versa), `ghost' plagioclase rare earth element signatures in some...
Coyle, D.R., and J.W. Amrine, Jr. 2004. New collection records and host range of the cottonwood leafcurl mite, Tetra lobulifera (Keifer) (Acari: Eriophyidae), in the USA. Internat. J. Acarol. 30(1):3-8. The cottonwood leafcurl mite, Aculops lobuliferus Keifer, 1961, is renamed as Tetra lobulifera (Keifer). This eriophyid mite is capable of inflicting substantial damage on plantation- and native-grown cottonwoods (Populus spp.). We report new State and County collection records from the eastern and northwestern U.S.A. as well as new host records, including Populus grandidentata Michx. (big-tooth aspen), for this pest. This updates the established geographic range of T. lobulzjera, and demonstrates its ability to utilize other host plants in the genus Populus for development.
Previous studies on river health evaluation mainly focused on characterizations at a river-corridor scale and ignored the complex interactions between the river ecosystem and other components of the river basin. Based on the consideration of the interactions among rivers, associated river basin and habitats, an assessment framework with multi-scale indicators was developed. An index system divided among these three scales to characterize the health of river ecosystems in China???s Liao River Basin was established. Set pair analysis was applied to integrate the multi-scale indicators and determine the health classes. The evaluation results indicated that the rivers in the western and eastern zones of the Liao River were classified as sick, and rivers in the main stream of the Liao and Hunta...
The costs of greenhouse gas emission-reductions vary among countries depending on emission levels, technologies used, past emission-reduction achievements, path of economic development, fuel mix, and initial endowment of hydrocarbon resources. The criterion of cost-effectiveness therefore suggests that the ways should be found to encourage emission reductions in the countries where the required costs of reduction of additional unit of emissions are the lowest. These countries usually face crucial capital constraints and have other development priorities than investing in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Developed countries could invest their resources in the former Soviet Union and the east European countries to achieve the same level of reduction of greenhouse gases with lower costs than they could in their own countries.
Impacts of gas pipeline rights-of-way (ROWs) through wetlands depend on types of habitat, construction techniques, final elevations, ROW maintenance practices, soil composition, and local climate. In some instances factors unrelated to the presence of the pipeline may have greater impacts on wetland modification than does the pipeline itself. At one site, the required seeding program inhibited natural reestablishment of wetland plants; at another, downstream construction resulted in a major disruption to the adjacent wetland habitat. This paper discusses observation from 13 study sites, each zero to 30 years old, that are located in seven Eastern States.
Indoor and soil gas Radon (222Rn) concentration measurements were accomplished in two stages in Sivas, a central eastern city in Turkey. In the first stage, CR-39 passive nuclear track detectors supplied by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA) were placed in the selected houses throughout Sivas centrum in two seasons; summer and winter. Before the setup of detectors, a detailed questionnaire form was distributed to the inhabitants of selected houses to investigate construction parameters and properties of the houses, and living conditions of inhabitants. Detectors were collected back two months later and analysed at TAEA laboratories to obtain indoor 222Rn gas concentration values. In the second stage, soil gas 222Rn measurements were performed using an alphameter near the selected h...
Detailed geothermal studies of deep drill holes provide insights to heat transfer processes in the crust, and allow separation of different factors involved, such as palaeoclimatic and structural conductive effects as well as advective fluid flow effects. We present high resolution geothermal results of the 2516m deep Outokumpu Deep Drill Hole in eastern Finland drilled in 2004-2005 into a Palaeoproterozoic formation with metasedimentary rocks, ophiolite-derived altered ultramafic rocks and pegmatitic granite. The down-hole temperatures have been logged five times after end of drilling and extend to day 948 after drilling. The hole is completely cored (79% core coverage) and thermal conductivity measurements were done at 1m intervals. The geothermal results on temperature gradient, thermal...
This case study is an application, to a nuclear power plant, of the methodology for quantifying environmental costs and benefits, contained in the regional energy plan, adopted in April, 1983, by the Northwest Power Planning Council, pursuant to Public Law 96-501.The study is based on plant number 2 of the Washington Public Power Supply System (WNP-2), currently nearing completion on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington State. This report describes and documents efforts to quantify and estimate monetary values for the following seven areas of environmental effects: radiation/health effects, socioeconomic/infrastructure effects, consumptive use of water, psychological/health effects (fear/stress), waste management, nuclear power plant accidents, and decommissioning costs. 103 references.
Oils, tars, and degraded oils of varying degrees of biodegradation occur in the Permian Phosphoria Formation along the eastern flank of the Wind River mountains, Wyoming, US. Biodegradation has altered the isomer distributions of steranes, the hopanes, and the mono- and triaromatised steroids in these oils. The conventional maturity parameters based on these biomarkers are of limited use in estimating their maturity. On the other hand, even in severely biodegraded oils the vanadylporphyrin distributions are unaltered. Because of this, the Porphyrin Maturity Parameter (PMP) derived from the vanadylporphyrin distribution is an ideal parameter for estimating the maturity of these oils. This study also confirms the previous observation that T[sub s] and T[sub m] are unaffected by even severe biodegradation. 14 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.
Continuing high rates of acidic deposition in the eastern United States may lead to long-term effects on stream communities, because sensitive catchments are continuing to lose anions and cations. A two-year study of the effects of pH and associated water chemistry variables on detrital processing in three streams with different bedrock geology in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia were investigated. Leaf pack processing rates and macroinvertebrate colonization and microbial biomass (ATP concentration) on the packs in the three stream were compared. It was found that macroinvertebrate and microbial communities differed both among streams that differed in their capacity to buffer the effects of acidic precipitation and among years in the same stream; these differences in biotic communities were not large enough to affect rates of leaf processing between the two years of the study, but they did significantly affect processing rates between acidic and ...
The Jaduguda U (?Cu?Fe) deposit in the Singhbhum shear zone has been the most productive uranium deposit in India. Pyrite occurs as disseminated grains or in sulphide stringers and veins in the ore zone. Veins, both concordant and discordant to the pervasive foliation, are mineralogically either simple comprising pyrite ? chalcopyrite or complex comprising pyrite + chalcopyrite + pentlandite + millerite. Nickel-sulphide minerals, though fairly common in concordant veins, are very rare in the discordant veins. Pyrite in Ni-sulphide association is commonly replaced by pentlandite at the grain boundary or along micro-cracks. Based on concentrations of Co and Ni, pyrite is classified as: type-A ? high Co (up to 30800?ppm), no/low Ni; type-B ? moderate Co (up to 16500?ppm) and moderate to high ...
Bioremediation of land crude oil and lube oil spills is an effective and economical option. Other options include road spreading (where permitted), thermal desorption, and off-site disposal. The challenge for environment and operations managers is to select the best approach for each remediation site. Costs and liability for off-site disposal are ever increasing. Kerr-McGee`s extensive field research in eastern and western Texas provides the data to support bioremediation as a legitimate and valid option. Both practical and economical bioremediation as a legitimate and valid option. Both practical and economical, bioremediation also offers a lower risk of, for example, Superfund clean-up exposure than off-site disposal.
Papers are presented on the modeling, dispersion, formation, transformation, monitoring and biological effects of atmospheric pollution. Specific topics include a prognostic mesoscale model for pollutant transport and diffusion, commuter exposure modeling, a Gaussian plume model for an urban area, carbon monoxide dispersion in an urbanized area, wind-tunnel modeling of flue gas dispersion, the regional-scale transport of fine aerosol components in eastern North America, and a Markov process for the generation of hourly average wind vectors. Attention is also given to photochemical aerosol formation in multicomponent systems, heterogeneous nitrogen oxide-particulate reactions, the generation and measurement of primary soot aerosols of size between 50 and 400 A, inertial particle size classification techniques, the design of air quality monitoring networks, visibilities in polluted and unpolluted areas, and monitoring air quality according to an analysis of ...
Coal mining activities cause an increased acidity and an associated decrease of the pH-value in mine waters. This process is also known as acid mine drainage (AMD). Due to AMD, lakes that were formed in the post mining landscapes in the lignite mining area of Central Germany are characterized by specific limnological development changes. Remote sensing is a time and cost saving technique that enables the observation of the hydrological and limnological development of the lakes ranging from a small to a mid size scale. The current research was based on Landsat TM5/ETM+7 satellite data collected between 1999 and 2004. In combination of satellite data, surface waters of the post mining lakes in Central Germany were sampled and analyzed for their physicochemical properties. The objective of th...
In order to better understand the structure and composition of forest plant communities, we aimed to predict the abundance of understory herbaceous species locally at the stand level and according to different environments. For this, we seeked to model species distributions of abundance at a regional scale in relationship with the local stand structure (canopy openness) and regional soil resources (soil pH). Floristic inventories, performed in different light and soil conditions located in 1202 records of north eastern France, were used to analyze the combined effect of canopy openness and soil pH on the abundance of 12 common western European forest species: Anemone nemorosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca altissima, Hedera helix, Lamium galeobdolon, Lonicera periclymenum, Molinia caerulea...
The passive continental margin in the northern South China Sea is a weakly active area. It has been found to be favorable for large gas field development and also to be profitable for gas hydrate. The active faults, diapir structure, slump deposits, faults break of slopes, gas chimneys and sandstone of submarine fan, control the concentration of gas hydrate. Gas chimneys are widely distributed in the northern South China Sea. They supply the pathway for migration of deeper gas to gas hydrate stability zones especially in the basin of tectonic inactive zone. This paper discussed the geological structures of gas hydrate occurrence in gas fields and presented a detailed analysis of gas chimneys within the northern slope of the South China Sea. The paper described the geological setting of the Qiongdongnan Basin and provided information on the data description and processing. Two multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiles ...
Extracts from Helichrysum caespititium were found to have antimicrobial activity. Structure elucidation of the active compound, 2-(4-methylpentanoyl)-4-(3-methylbuten-2-yl)-phloroglucinol (caespitin), by means of spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analyses, is described.
BackgroundMalaria is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Nigeria. It is not known how user fees introduced under the Bamako Initiative (BI) system affect healthcare...Full Text Available
The consumption of food products obtained in areas subjected to radioactive contamination as a consequence of a radiation accident appears to be the most significant source of irradiation for the population. At the same time, this route can be regulated very effectively. The regularities of contamination of agricultural production, peculiar features of internal dose formation in the population and the effectiveness of countermeasures in agriculture have been analysed using the experience of two major accidents in the former USSR - in the South Urals (Kyshtym accident) in 1957, and at the Chernobyl NPP in 1986. (Author).
Description is given of how the design challenges were met in commissioning the Sasol Two plant in 1980, a larger plant than Sasol One, and devoted to producing liquid fuels. The design parameters included treating South African coals of poor quality with high ash contents, and rapidity in building the plant.
A research program has been undertaken to characterize oil sand deposits. Studies include delination of reservoir architecture; petrophysical attributes; and petrography and core analysis.
BackgroundThe 516G > T polymorphism in exon 4 of the CYP2B6 gene has been associated with increased plasma Efavirenz (EFV) concentrations. EFV concentrations...Full Text Available
A primary and basic question prevails in the methanol industry - What will be the global demand for methanol, for the expanded production of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), during the next few years This article attempts to answer the question by discussing the global market; supply and demand factors; the market in North America, Western Europe, Far East and Asia, South America, and other regions; and the uncertainties that remain.
Reinterpretation of the South Florida basin reveals that it was a keep-up carbonate shelf during the Lower Cretaceous. Until the Cenomanian, it was connected to the Bahamas and the Cay Sal Bank north of Cuba. The Cenomanian sea level rise was at least partially responsible for the formation of the Florida Straits, isolating the platform. The combination of an abrupt worldwide rise in sea level and subsidence caused the South Florida platform to founder, ending shallow-water and evaporitic sedimentation over the majority of the shelf. The Cay Sal and Bahamian platforms remained as active shallow shelves separated by the Old Bahamas Channel. The Lower Cretaceous sediments are characterized by shallow shelf limestones, dolomites, and evaporites (mostly anhydrite). The evaporite-rich sections, originally thought to represent basinal facies, are reinterpreted as supratidal to shallow subtidal evaporites, based on examination of core and cuttings. ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Results of seismic surveys are presented.
Glossitis, known clinically as "redtongue," was studied in tissues from 34 military working dogs (MWD) in the Republic of Vietnam. This condition was manifested grossly by loss of lingual papillae on the dorsal margins of the rostral third of the tongue. Microscopically, the principal lesions consisted of loss of filiform papillae, hemorrhage and edema in the lamina propria, acanthosis, and cellular infiltration. The cause of glossitis remains unknown at this time. PMID:1137213
A total of 172 persons from nine South Amerindian, three African and one Eskimo populations were studied in relation to the Paired box gene 9 (PAX9) exon 3 (138 base...Full Text Available
Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) of South Korea has awarded Asea Brown Boveri Switzerland, a member of the ABB Group, a contract to supply the main equipment for two gas-fired combined-cycle power stations. News of the contract followed an announcement last year that Kepco will build a series of gas-fired power stations in the early 1990s to supply electricity to new housing and commercial areas being built in the Seoul-Incheon connurbation. (author).
After the devastating natural disasters that have hit China recently, another crisis is looming, Drought, pollution and heavy usage in the fast-developing megacities have resulted in a shortage of water. A huge construction effort is underway to divert water from the south to the north. But experts warn that it will not solve China's structural water problems.
This issue of Exploratorium Magazine focuses on Antarctica. Antarctica has one of the most extreme climates in the world with an untouched environment inviting researchers with great opportunities for study. This issue describes the journey of four Exploratorium staff members to frozen Antarctica. Chapters include: (1) "Life at the Bottom of the World"; (2) "Try This! Dress the Scientist"; (3) "South Pole Astronomy"; and (4) "Ground Truth." (YDS)
BackgroundIn Nigeria ACT use at the community level has not been evaluated and the use of antimalarial drugs (commonly chloroquine (CQ)) at home has been shown to be largely incorrect....Full Text Available
In order to conserve vaccines in hot countries a solar refrigerator has been made by a French university. It is a photothermal refrigerator without batteries. It uses two gases: ammonia and calcium chloride. The refrigerator is autonomous and can work eleven days without sun. (N.C.)
...ER14AU08.000 (6) Unit 2: North Baldwin Meadow, San Bernardino County, California...and ARUR 12. Gold Mountain and North Baldwin Lake, San Bernardino County, California...ER26DE07.007(13) Unit ARUR 15. South Baldwin Ridge/Erwin Lake, San Bernardino...
Throughout the 1990's to year 2000, energy integration, and particularly natural gas integration, was seen as a major goal in the southern cone of South America. The regional perspective for energy was related to an even more challenging objective - Latin American economic integration, which was quickly moving forward by the constitution of Mercosur, the free trade zone built by Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, and also having Bolivia and Chile as special partners. Mercosur was getting stronger and becoming a successful political project. Trade conflicts existed, but they were considered normal and nobody would disagree about the viability of Mercosur. By the beginning of the 21. century, the economic integration process in South America was already advancing timidly as compared to the impetus from the beginning of 1990's. Mercosur started facing complex and almost insurmountable challenges after the numerous global financial crises ...
The DOE Region IV Unconventional Gas Program involved the evaluation of unconventional gas resources at ten sites in the coal fields of the Eastern US. These projects dealt mainly with coalbed methane resources, although three of them also examined potential gas resources in Devonian black shales. The resource evaluations were accomplished primarily through recovery of core samples of potential gas-bearing strata and determination of specific gas content using the US Bureau of Mines direct method. In some cases actual gas production from the test holes was evaluated. Four of the projects were sited in the Warrior Basin, three in the Central Appalachian Basin, and one each in the Northern Appalachian Basin, the Deep River Basin of North Carolina, and the Valley Coal Fields of Virginia. Results from three of the projects, two in the Warrior Basin and one in the Northern Appalachian Basin, indicated the potential for economic recovery of coalbed methane. The projects ...
The coal transportation industry has played an integral role in determining coal markets, particularly in recent years, as the industry has evolved from cost-based pricing to market-based pricing. Aggressive pricing by Western rail carriers has caused extensive changes in coal marketing patterns in the Midwest. Multi-modal barge deliveries of Western and Appalachian coals have also played a significant, though lesser, role in changing coal markets. Eastern rail carriers have generally lagged in their aggressive pursuit of new coal markets and, to date, few changes in coal markets have been realised. The historic dominant role of transportation in shaping markets for coal will continue into the future as the utility industry contends with the effects of CAAA compliance and deregulation and as the coal industry contends with regional coal displacements and major imbalances in supply and demand. The dominance of rail transportation in defining coal distribution ...
Detailed quantitative sequence stratigraphic analysis and three-dimensional (3-D) modeling of the fluvio-deltaic Pikeville, Hyden, and four Corners formations of the Breathitt Group, eastern Kentucky, indicate that it is possible to make confident deterministic correlations of sand bodies at offshore development well spacings. The key to high-confidence correlation is the delineation of the 3-D architecture of third-order composite sequences, which are seismically mappable, and the recognition of internal fourth-order sequences, which are stacked into lowstand, transgressive, and highstand sequence sets. Volumetric partitioning of reservoir sand bodies between systems tracts and sequences allows prediction of channel sandstone geometries and channel: crevasse splay ratios. Furthermore, channel-fill type is predictable from the sequence stratigraphy. Within 13 studied fourth-order sequences, incised valley fills represent the main reservoirs, which are laterally ...
We present a proof-of-concept analysis of the measurement of the health damage of ozone (O_3) produced from nitrogen oxides (NO_x=NO+NO_2) emitted by individual large point sources in the eastern United States. We use a regional atmospheric model of the eastern United States, the Comprehensive Air quality Model with Extensions (CAMx), to quantify the variable impact that a fixed quantity of NO_x emitted from individual sources can have on the downwind concentration of surface O_3, depending on temperature and local biogenic hydrocarbon emissions. We also examine the dependence of resulting O_3-related health damages on the size of the exposed population. The investigation is relevant to the increasingly widely used 'cap and trade' approach to NO_x regulation, which presumes that shifts of emission over time and space, holding the total fixed over the course of the summer O_3 season, will have minimal effect on the environmental outcome. By ...
The use and application of remote sensing data for monitoring the environmental impacts of open cast lignite mining in Eastern Germany is described. This investigation is based on the digital analysis of several Landsat-TM and ERS-1 data sets acquired from 1989 to 1994. The characteristics of the imagery enable quantitative analysis of different open cast mine features, such as waste, water bodies, change of land use, reclamation processes and estimation of vegetation cover in the affected areas. On the basis of the Maximum Likelihood Classification of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data the open cast mining areas were separated into bare open cast areas and areas of less and dense vegetation. The bare open cast areas were classified with respect to type of different sediments and the vegetation was seperated into different classes according to the age of the vegetation and the density cover. Apart from these, water bodies within the mining areas were classified into ...
In cooperation with NRPB, the specifications of the mainframe COSYMA version 95/1 and the PC COSYMA version 2.0 were prepared and the corresponding modifications implemented. Important improvements are dose-rate dependent models for deterministic health effects, the time dependent efficiency of stable iodine tablets, the extension of data bases for the inclusion of activation products, and supplementary evaluation programs. PC COSYMA has been completed by an economics module, further options in the ingestion pathways, and a graphics package for presenting assessment results. COSYMA has been applied for probabilistic dose assessments within paramter studies and special investigations of EPR concepts. RODOS, the real-time on-line decision support system for nuclear emergency management, has been further developed with the aim of the first pilot version 2.0 for pre-operational application in the second half of 1995. At present, some 20 institutes in the EU, 8 institutes in Russia, Belarus ...
On the basis of soil losses records during 10 years, three levels of water erosion were established for two soil (Typical Hapludox and Oxic Dystropept) located on high and medium terraces of alluvial flat plain of piedmont in the Eastern Plains in La Libertad Research Center of CORPOICA. Eighteen 3 x 10 m"2 run-off plots were fitted out on a nonrandom arrangement of nine plots by landscape and three soil use and management treatments: zero grazing Brachiaria decumbens pasture for six years, up land rice, soybean and maize rotations for six years and bare soil for 10 years. Soil losses under these treatments allowed to define three degrees of erosion: slight (N_3 moderate (N_2) and severe (N_3) respectively. From each plot soil samples were taken at two depths for physical analyses. infiltration and resistance to cone penetration were measured in the field. Without exception water erosion produced a detrimental effect on soil physical properties and the hydrological ...
An evaluation of eastern shale oil (ESO) residue as an asphalt additive to reduce oxidative age hardening and moisture susceptibility was conducted by Western Research Institute (WRI). The ESO residue, have a viscosity of 23.9 Pa{lg_bullet}s at 60{degree}C (140{degree}F), was blended with three different petroleum-derived asphalts, ASD-1, AAK-1, and AAM-1, which are known to be very susceptible to oxidative aging. Rheological and infrared analyses of the unaged and aged asphalts and the blends were then conducted to evaluate oxidative age hardening. In addition, the petroleum-derived asphalts and the blends were coated onto three different aggregates, Lithonia granite (RA), a low-absorption limestone (RD), and a siliceous Gulf Coast gravel (RL), and compacted into briquettes. Successive freeze-thaw cycling was then conducted to evaluate the moisture susceptibility of the prepared briquettes. The rheological analyses of the unaged petroleum-derived asphalts and ...
Dawsonite, NaAlCO{sub 3}(OH){sub 2}, is widespread as a cement, replacement, and cavity filling in Permo-Triassic sedimentary rocks of the Bowen-Gunnedah-Sydney basin system eastern Australia. The origin of dawsonite in these rocks was studied by petrographic and stable isotope analysis. Dawsonite {delta}{sup 13}C (PDB) values range from {minus}4.0 to +4.1{per_thousand} and are remarkably consistent throughout the Bowen-Gunnedah-Sydney basin system. These values indicate either a marine carbonate or magmatic source for carbon in the dawsonite. A magmatic carbon source is considered more likely on the basis that (1) evidence of and the cause for widespread marine carbonate dissolution in the sedimentary successions are not apparent, (2) dawsonite is widespread in both marine and nonmarine facies, (3) the region has been the site of major igneous activity, (4) other dawsonite deposits of similar carbon isotopic composition are linked to igneous activity, and (5) ...
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) developed neoplastic disorders when experimentally exposed both in the laboratory and field to chemically contaminated sediment from Black Rock Harbor (BRH), Bridgeport, Connecticut. Neoplasia was observed in oysters after 30 or 60 days of continuous exposure in a laboratory flow-through system to a 20 mg/L suspension of BRH sediment plus postexposure periods of 3, 30, or 60 days. Composite tumor incidence was 13.6% for both exposures. Tumor occurrence was highest in the renal excretory epithelium, followed in order by gill, gonad, gastrointestinal, heart, and embryonic neural tissue. Regression of experimental neoplasia was not observed when the stimulus was discontinued. In field experiments, gill neoplasms developed in oysters, deployed in cages for 30 days at BRH and 36 days at a BRH dredge material disposal area in Central Long Island Sound, and kidney and gastrointestinal neoplasms developed in caged oysters deployed ...
The study area is located in the Bekaa plain of Lebanon totaling about 12753 ha. It lies between the eastern foothills of Mount Lebanon chain and expands across the Litani River towards the foothills of the eastern Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Its characteristics, i.e. natural terrain, climate and socio-economy, make it vulnerable especially due to soil pollution. This paper tries to identify the nature and level of soil pollution by heavy metals. Valley slopes represent a complex landform and lithology that contributed to the formation of different soil. Agriculture in the plain is being practiced mainly with cash, field crops and vegetables. Throughout the central part of the plain, groundwater table is abundant and relatively high (<1.0 m. locally) that multiplies the vulnerability of the soil-groundwater system. There are different sources of pollution, such as industrial (tanneries, batteries, leather manufacturing), solid and liquid wastes, ...
Abstract in english The principal vector of malaria in eastern Venezuela, Anopheles aquasalis, is exophagic and exophilic. Control using indoor insecticide house sprays has failed to lower the number of malaria cases. Therefore, studies were initiated in two villages of the eastern coastal state of Sucre to better understand this vector's biology and develop a more integrated control program. An. aquasalis was found to have a crepuscular biting behavior with a major peak at dusk and a minor (more) peak at dawn. Mosquitos were collected more outdoors than indoors. Forty-seven percent of the biting took place before people went to bed (22:30 hr) and 69% of the mosquitos biting during this time period bite outdoors. Outdoor biting could be the reason why indoor spraying alone did not lower malaria cases. Seasonal abundance was greater in the rainy season compared to the dry season. Seasonal parous rates were high (78.3%-100%) and similar indoors ...
The proceedings include the following lectures: Facing the challenges - new structures for electricity production. Renewable energies in Europe - chances and challenges. Nuclear outlook in the UK. Sustainable energy for Europe. Requirements of the market and the grid operator at the electricity production companies. Perspectives for the future energy production. Pumped storage plants - status and perspectives. Nuclear power/renewable energies -partners or opponents? New fossil fired power stations in Europe - status and perspectives. Nuclear energy: outlook for new build and lifetime extension in Europe. Biomass in the future European energy market - experiences for dong energy. Meeting the EU 20:20 renewable energy targets: the offshore challenges. DESERTEC: sustainable electricity for Europe, Middle East and North Africa. New power plants in Europe - a challenge for project and quality management. Consideration of safely in new build activities of power plants. ...
The Oklo natural fossil fission reactors in Gabon, Equatorial Africa, have been studied as a natural analogue for spent nuclear fuel in a geological environment. For these studies, it is important to know what has happened to these reactors since they formed. This review is focussed on existing geological and geochronological information concerning the Oklo reactors and the surrounding ore. A sequence of geological and geochemical events in the Oklo area, as described in the literature, is given. The data and the studies behind this established geochronology are discussed and evaluated. Of the regional geology, special attention is given to the dating of the Francevillian sediments, and the intrusion of a dolerite dyke swarm. The processes that led to the mineralisation at Oklo, the subsequent formation of the nuclear reactors and later migration of fission products are described. Further discussion concerns the studies of the dolerite dyke swarm, since this ...
In previous molecular phylogenetic analyses of the freshwater mussel family Unionidae (Bivalvia: Unionoida), the Afrotropical genus Coelatura had been recovered in various positions, generally indicating a paraphyletic Unionidae. However that result was typically poorly supported and in conflict with morphology-based analyses. We set out to test the phylogenetic position of Coelatura by sampling tropical lineages omitted from previous studies. Forty-one partial 28S nuclear rDNA and partial COI mtDNA sequences (1130 total aligned nucleotides) were analyzed separately and in combination under both maximum parsimony and likelihood, as well as Bayesian inference. There was significant phylogenetic incongruence between the character sets (partition homogeneity test, p<0.01), but a novel heuristic for comparing bootstrap values among character sets analyzed separately and in combination illustrated that the observed conflict was due to homoplasy rather than separate gene histories. ...
Renewable energy systems have been suggested as appropriate technologies for developing countries for many years. But they are less attractive to low-income rural and urban populations for reasons of risk and initial capital outlay, and market penetration is usually small as a result. Technology transfer by outside intervention appears unlikely to deliver to enough people in Africa; only self propagating technologies have managed that to date. Unfortunately target populations in developing countries have little capital and are understandably reluctant to take risks. Outside interests see little likelihood of profit and have already demonstrated reluctance to invest in many developing countries. Benefit from technology relies on continued use after purchase and is rightly associated with reliability and availability. Mean time to repair may be a better measure of appropriateness than mean time between failures. Technology based on the idea of `advanced simplicity` - ...
Emissions of nitric oxide from soils of equatorial rain forest were measured in the Dimonika Natural Park (4 degrees 30'S, 12 degrees 30'E) in the Mayombe Forest in Congo. Three research campaigns were carried out in June and July 1991 and in February 1992. Fluxes were measured by dynamic chamber techniques using a chemiluminescence instrument Scintrex LMA3. NO fluxes measured on natural soils are in between 5 and 17x10[sup 9] molecules cm[sup -2]s[sup -1]; they are of the same order of magnitude as those observed in similar tropical forest media. Soil treatment experiments show that the auto-decomposition of HNO[sub 2] in these acid soils (pH 4) (chemodenitrification) is a potentially important cause of nitric oxide production in this type of ecosystem. Nitrous acid comes from autotrophic nitrification all the year around, and also from biological denitrification, shown by N[sub 2]O emissions, during the rainy season. The regulation of NO release from soils is linked ...
In January 2001, Husky Oil Operations Limited (Husky), in joint-venture with Petro-Canada submitted a Development Application (DA) to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) for the White Rose Development. This DA was prepared following the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act. In December 2001, the C-NLOPB approved the White Rose DA. This document outlined a proposed amendment to the original Development Plan involving an expansion of its White Rose Development in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin on the Grand Bank. The expansion will consist of a subsea tie-back to the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel through the existing Southern Glory Hole (SGH) and utilizing a new glory hole constructed approximately 4 km south of the SGH. The document presented an overview of the development; geology, ...
Under the auspices of the Mine Environment Neutral Drainage (MEND) Program, several waste rock piles were monitored and characterized. Acid rock drainage (ARD) became a mechanism better understood based on the data acquired during these projects. Numerical simulation was used to better comprehend the quantitative issues associated with the characterization of three specific sites for the purpose of this study. The sites selected were the south waste rock pile of the Doyon Mine in Quebec, the Northdale of the mining district of Ronnenberg in Germany, and the waste rock pile of the Sugar Shack South of the Questa mine in New Mexico. The observed and simulated conditions were very distinct from one mine to another, even if the same mechanisms were involved. The dominant oxygen and heat transfer mechanisms displayed the most varied behavior between the sites. ARD control or site rehabilitation decisions were based on the quantitative understanding ...
Preliminary results from a large-scale testbed of advanced lighting control technologies at the Phillip Burton Federal Building at 450 Golden Gate Ave. in San Francisco are presented. The first year objective of this project is to determine the sustainable energy savings and cost-effectiveness of different lighting control technologies compared to a portion of the building where only minimal controls are installed. The paper presents the analyzed results from six months of tests focused on accurately characterizing the energy savings potential of one type of daylight-linked lighting controls compared to the lighting in similar open-planned areas without dimming controls. After analyzing a half year;s data, we determined that the annual energy savings for this type of daylight- linked controls was 41% and 30% for the outer rows of lights on the South and North sides of the building, respectively. The annual energy savings dropped to 22% and 16% for the second row of ...
The information in this Final Environmental Statement is the second assessment of the environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, Units 1 and 2, located on the Mississippi River in Claiborne County, Mississippi. The Draft Environmental Statement was issued in May 1981. The first assessment was the Final Environmental Statement related to construction, which was issued in August 1973 prior to issuance of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station construction permits. In September 1981 Grand Gulf Unit 1 was 92% complete and Unit 2 was 22% complete. Fuel loading for Unit 1 is scheduled for December 1981. The present assessment is the result of the NRC staff review of the activities associated with the proposed operation of the Station, and includes the staff responses to comments on the Draft Environmental Statement.
A new lactone, 1,8-dihydroxy-10-methoxy-3-methyldibenzo[b,e]oxepine-6,11-dione (1), and two new xanthones, 1-hydroxy-8-(hydroxymethyl)-6-methoxy-3-methyl-9H-xanthen-9-one (2) and 1-hydroxy-8-(hydroxymethyl)-3-methoxy-6-methyl-9H-xanthen-9-one (3), were isolated from a mangrove endophytic fungus Phoma sp. SK3RW1M collected from the South China Sea. This is the first report on xanthone derivatives isolated as secondary metabolites from Phoma species. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, mainly 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques, and the structure of compound 2 was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Cytotoxicity assays showed that compounds 1-3 were inactive against KB and KBv200 cells.
At-site and regional frequency analyses of annual maximum 1-, 2-, and 3-days rainfall in Han River basin was performed and compared based on the regional L-moments algorithm. To perform regional frequency analysis, Han River basin was subdivided into 3 sub-basins such as South Han River, North Han River, and downstream regions. For each sub-basin, the discordancy and homogeneity tests were performed. As the results of goodness of fit tests, lognormal model was selected as an appropriate probability distribution for both South Han River and downstream regions and gamma-3 model for North Han River region. From Monte Carlo simulation, RBIAS and RRMSE of the estimated quantiles from regional frequency analysis and at-site frequency analysis were calculated and compared each other. Regional frequency analysis shows less RRMSE of the estimated quantiles than at-sites frequency analysis in overall return periods. The differences of RRMSE between two ...
In accordance with Department of Energy (DOE) Regulations surveys for wetland presence or absence were conducted in September 1996 on the DWI-1630 site (Witherspoon Landfill) located in South Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee. The DWI-1630 site includes a closed, capped landfill area, areas of past disturbance adjacent to the capped area, and patches of hardwood forest. Wetlands were identified on the landfill cap and in a small bottomland that was formerly used for a retention pond in the southwest corner of the DWI-1630 site. The wetlands identified on the cap are man-induced, atypical situation wetlands. These areas have hydrophytic vegetation and wetland hydrology, but the soils do not have hydric characteristics. Wetland development appears to be due to a combination of the grading or subsidence of the clay landfill cap, the low permeability of the clay fill soil, and the absence of surface drainage outlets from the depressions. These atypical situation ...
The effects of temperature and different forms of nutrients on Chattonella marina growth have been investigated in strains isolated from the Daya Bay, the South China Sea. The strain of C. marina preferred high temperatures, with an optimal temperature of 25?C, and 18?C was the minimum for its survival. Higher cell number and growth rate were obtained in high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations (500 ?g/L, 74 ?g/L) than under nutrient limitation. Nitrogen influenced the growth most, as the specific growth rate and maximum cell density were lower in nitrogenlimited cultures than noted under phosphorus limitation or under limitation from both. C. marina was capable of using many kinds of organic nitrogen sources including L-serine (L-Ser), glycine (Gly), alanine (Ala), L-threonine (L-Thr),...
Discordant U-Pb zircon isotopic data from amphibolite facies orthogneisses of the Charleston Metamorphic Group, western South Island, New Zealand, define a lower intercept age of 114#+-#18 m.y. that is interpreted as the crystallization age of the orthogneiss magmas. The upper intercept age of 1026#+-#97 m.y. reflects inherited components of Precambrian zircon derived from the source region of the magmas. The age, and whole rock chemical characteristics, indicate that the orthogneisses are part of the same phase of Early cretaceous magmatic activity that produced voluminous arc-related calc-alkaline plutonic rocks throughout western South Island. Previously published K-Ar and Rb-Sr mineral ages indicate uplift and cooling of the Charleston Metamorphic Group to less than 400deg C by 110-90 m.y. This uplift occurred as a consequence of low-angle normal faulting related to the Late Cretaceous breakup of Gondwana, and suggests that regional ...
California's pacific coast stretches roughly over 11.5 latitudinal degrees, extending from about 32.5{sup o}N to 44{sup o}N. There is nearly 900nm of California coastline offering superior opportunity for wave energy use. The longitudinal position of the coast shifts eastward at two distinct locations: Punta Gorda just south of Cape Mendecino in the north and Point Conception in the south. The change in longitudinal orientation in southern California also coincides with significant change in California's bathymetry. The tilts in the longitudinal coastal lines at the two points also define California wave zones into three areas: the short coastal line north of Punta Gorda, the long north and middle line between the two points, and the short line of the heavily populated southern coast. The northern and central zones are characterized by high waves of relatively low frequency; the southern coast is characterized by low waves of ...
We explore a possibility that the daily sea-level pressure (SLP) over South Korea responds to the high-speed solar wind event. This is of interest in two aspects: First, if there is a statistical association this can be another piece of evidence showing that various meteorological observables indeed respond to variations in the interplanetary environment. Second, this can be a very crucial observational constraint since most models proposed so far are expected to preferentially work in higher latitude regions than the low latitude region studied here. We have examined daily solar wind speed ${\\rm V}$, daily SLP difference ${\\rm \\Delta SLP}$, and daily ${\\rm \\log(BV^{2})}$ using the superposed epoch analysis in which the key date is set such that the daily solar wind speed exceeds 800 ${\\rm kms^{-1}}$. We find that the daily ${\\rm \\Delta SLP}$ averaged out of 12 events reaches its peak at day +1 and gradually decreases back to its normal level. The amount of ...
The CAMDU 6 reactor has an international reputation as one of the world's best performing and safe reactors. CANDU 6 reactors are consistently ranked in the world's top 10 for annual and lifetime performance. Six CANDU 6 units are currently in operation in four continents; in Quebec, New Brunswick, South Korea, Argentina and Romania. There are another two CANDU 6 units currently under construction at wolsong, in Korea which ore scheduled to go into service in 1998 and 1999 respectively. A second CANDU 6 unit is currently being considered for Romania. The construction of two CANDU 6 units at Qinshan, in China, is now underway. The performance of the four first-generation CANDU 6 plants, which have now been in service for 15 years, continue to show very good performance, with capacity factors on average since in-service of over 85%. The annual capacity factor of 10.21% during 1997 has been achieved by the Wolsong-1 unit in South Korea. These high ...
Concentrations of trace metals were determined in water, sediment, fish feed and two species of farmed fish, pompano and snapper, collected from Daya Bay and Hailing Bay of South China in July 2007 and January 2008. Total average concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg and As were 1.6, 2.7, 27.3, 0.025, 0.62, 0.18 and 0.59?g/gdrywt in pompano and 1.5, 2.6, 23.6, 0.020, 0.55, 0.22 and 0.53?g/gdrywt in snapper. In general, the concentrations of all target metals except Hg were positively correlated with lipid contents whereas negative correlations were observed between the metal concentrations and fish body weights. Model calculation indicated that dietary uptake of Zn and Cd predominate their accumulation in snapper, accounting for 99.9% and 98.2% of the total inputs. Risk ...
For many years, the Lower Cretaceous Sunniland oil-producing fields have been interpreted as reef deposits. Petrologic evidence from cores from field and wildcat wells strongly indicates on the basis of faunal composition and character, that the fields are producing from moundlike shoals. These shoals are considered to have been deposited in a mudflat environment similar to that of present-day Florida Bay. This present-day Florida Bay analog is used to determine the various environmental subzones and controls on the deposition of the Sunniland Formation. This concept of using a model together with a modern analog can be a powerful tool in the exploration of stratigraphic traps. A petrologic and petrophysical study of the Sunniland Formation in the wells that have been drilled in the Florida Bay and Keys areas was made to extend the model and its application throughout the South Florida basin. The evaluation of these wells has produced new insights into the ...
This analysis defines and evaluates the surface water supply system from the existing J-13 well to the North Portal. This system includes the pipe running from J-13 to a proposed Booster Pump Station at the intersection of H Road and the North Portal access road. Contained herein is an analysis of the proposed Booster Pump Station with a brief description of the system that could be installed to the South Portal and the optional shaft. The tanks that supply the water to the North Portal are sized, and the supply system to the North Portal facilities and up to Topopah Spring North Ramp is defined.
The literature is littered with reports presenting the proportion of patients admitted with ischaemic stroke receiving thrombolysis. This gives some measure of activity and the efficiency of prehospital and hospital triage. Some stroke centres have reported rates of thrombolysis as high as 20%, but without knowing the population that such services serve, these proportions do not indicate how well or equitably the treatment is being delivered. Here, we explore various metrics to monitor our efforts to provide equitable access to stroke thrombolysis in Lothian, a region in the South East of Scotland. PMID:21086712
... Thursday: South Brisbane Sailing Club, Orleigh Park Hill End Terrace, West End. Friday: Booroodabin Bowls Club, 126 Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead. Related Photos Ros Capeness and Jeff Shearin: six months on (Emma Sykes - ABC Local) Map Fig Tree Pocket 4069 Subscribe/RSS Subscribe to ABC Brisbane videos Subscribe to all ABC Local videos Topics: floods, people Locations: brisbane-4000,...
... Thursday: South Brisbane Sailing Club, Orleigh Park Hill End Terrace, West End. Friday: Booroodabin Bowls Club, 126 Breakfast Creek Road, Newstead. Related Photos Six months on: Kerrin Quinn's Story (Emma Sykes - ABC Local) Map Fernvale 4306 Subscribe/RSS Subscribe to ABC Brisbane videos Subscribe to all ABC Local videos Topics: disasters-and-accidents, floods Locations: brisbane-4000, fernvale-4306 Print page ...
Surveys for interior wetland birds at mine-associated emergent wetlands on coal surface mines in southern Illinois detected one state threatened and two state endangered species. Breeding by least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) and common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) was confirmed. Regional assessment of potential wetland bird habitat south of Illinois Interstate 64 identified a total of 8,109 ha of emergent stable water wetlands; 10% were associated with mining. Mine-associated wetlands with persistent hydrology and large expanses of emergent vegetation provide habitat that could potentially compensate for loss of natural wetlands in Illinois.
This paper presents a survey on public preferences in SE England for the use of wind, biomass and nuclear power in electricity generation. Using a labelled CE the perceived importance (value) to the public of distance and the energy options' impacts on biodiversity, emissions, land occupation and household cost was explored. Results suggest that impacts, technology name, demographic characteristics, attitudes towards the environment, knowledge and experience with the technologies were significant choice determinants. Considering the current debate about the development of nuclear power and biomass in UK and worldwide, this survey provides an insight into the factors affecting public acceptability
During 2009, the Hilton M. Briggs Library, South Dakota State University, went live with MetaLib, a federated search engine from Ex Libris. This paper presents the implementation process, addresses resource accessibility issues, and suggests a number of resources that can be consulted about these issues. Readers can apply similar strategies to projects involving federated search systems, as many implementation projects involve the same basic considerations presented here. The author did not find any studies specifically focused on configurations of MetaLib resources, so this content should be singularly useful.
National Power is building its first gas turbine combined cycle power station at Killingholme, situated to the south of the River Humber in the East of England. NEI ABB Gas Turbines Limited was awarded the turnkey contract in July 1990 to build a nominal 650 MW combined cycle power station based around three Asea Brown Boveri GT13E gas turbines. The project is outlined in this article. The plant is due for completion in July 1993. (author)
This study examines the effects of blasting on waste dumps at open pit mining operations. Of specific concern were mining operations at the base of a five hundred foot high waste dump such as the operation at the South Pit of the Smoky-River Coal Ltd. property near Grande Cache, Alberta. An assessment of waste dump stability including factors such as quasi-static deformation behaviour, historical dump deformation behaviours and potential blasting effects was undertaken. It is concluded that safe blasting may be carried out in proximity to waste dumps, but monitoring of dump behaviour is recommended to ensure operational safety. 22 refs., 4 apps.
This work deals with the development of wind maps in the Venezuelan coastal zones (South America). The Navier-Stokes equations for real viscous incompressible flow are discretized via the finite element method and they are applied to a full 3D numerical model. Two regions were analyzed: the Margarita island and the Paraguana peninsula, both of them located in the Caribbean Sea at the North of Venezuela. These regions were modeled by using a three dimensional control volume, discretized through hexaedric eight-noded finite elements. Some wind maps obtained in this research are presented and discussed. (author)
The first objective is to utilize reservoir characterization and advanced technologies to optimize the design of a carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) project for the South Cowden Unit (SCU) located in Ector County, Texas. The SCU is a mature, relatively small, shallow shelf carbonate unit nearing, waterflood depletion. The second objective is to demonstrate the performance and economic viability of the project in the field. This report includes work on the reservoir characterization and project design objective and the demonstration project objective.
Denison Mines Limited is completing two final feasibility studies on the Coalspur thermal coal property in northwestern Alberta and the Belcourt property south of Dawson Creek, B.C. Denison is also carrying out a geological field program on a promising metallurgical coal property, Wildhay, west of Hinton, Alberta. Fording Coal Ltd. will close its Fording River mine for at least the second half of December. Site preparation has started at the Obed-Marsh thermal coal project northeast of Hinton.
The COsmic ray Research and Education Array (COREA) collaboration has installed an array of six detector stations at two high schools in and near Seoul, Korea for measurement of air-shower events from high-energy cosmic rays. Three stations are installed at each site, where each station consists of four plastic scintillation detectors covering an area of 2m2. In this presentation, we report the currenst status of the COREA project, describing the experimental equipment and measurement of coincident events.
In 1996, a field-scale phytoremediation demonstration project was initiated and managed by the U.S. Air Force at a site in western Fort Worth, Texas, using a plantation of 1-year-old stems harvested from branches of eastern cottonwoods during the dormant season (whips) and a plantation of 1-year-old eastern cottonwood seedlings (calipers). The primary objective of the demonstration project was to determine the effectiveness of eastern cottonwoods at reducing the mass of dissolved trichloroethene transported within an alluvial aquifer. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a study, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, to determine water-level variations and their effects on tree growth and mortality and on the biogeochemical system at the phytoremediation site. As part of the study, water-level and water-quality data were collected throughout the duration of the project. This report presents water-level variations at ...
In this study, a regional dynamical model (WRF) is used to drive biogenic emission models to calculate high resolution (10 x 10 km) biogenic emissions of isoprene (C_5H_8), monoterpenes (C_1H_1_6), and nitric oxide (NO) in China. This high resolution biogenic inventory will be available for the community to study the effect of biogenic emissions on photochemical oxidants in China. The biogenic emissions are compared to anthropogenic emissions to gain insight on the potential impact of the biogenic emissions on tropospheric chemistry, especially ozone production in this region. The results show that the biogenic emissions in China exhibit strongly diurnal, seasonal, and spatial variations. The isoprenoid (including both isoprene and monoterpenes) emissions are closely correlated to tree density and strongly vary with season and local time. During winter (January), the biogenic isoprenoid emissions are the lowest, resulting from lower temperature and solar radiation, and highest in ...
Structural complexities reduce the homogeneity necessary for a site characterization model to an unacceptable level for performance assessment for radioactive waste disposal sites. The proposed site lies between the northern, stable Diablo platform and the southern, mobile Mesozoic Chihuahua tectonic belt. Structural movement along this interface has been active for the past 14,000 years. In addition, the area lies along the northern margin of the Permian Marfa basin and the northeastern margin of the deeply faulted Hueco bolson segment of the late Cenozoic Rio Grande rift system. Recent seismic activity with extensive surface rupture in Quitman Canyon (30 mi southeast of the site) is also documented from the 1931 Valentine, Texas, earthquake (6.4 Richter scale). The site is underlain by either a thrust fault or the complex terminus of a Mesozoic thrust fault. This fault is a segment of the continuous thrust sheet extending from exposures in the Sierra Blanc area, 30 mi east (Devil ...
This paper reports that some regions have prepared for these days of disposal shortage with comprehensive waste plans that include a strong WTE presence. Witness Broward County, Florida's program, 12 years in planning by public and private entities, Broward is the second most populated county in the state, with 1.3 million residents and a heavy tourist population, which, together, produce 1.6 million tons of waste annually. The disposal program includes Waste Management, Inc.'s expansion of a 400-acre Central Disposal Sanitary Landfill, the county's new 588-acre landfill, composting, and curbside pickup for recyclables. And, this south Florida plan would not be complete without the two brand new combustion plants. Clean Air and Water Acts notwithstanding, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation can induce standards stricter than the federal government's due to the sensitive South Florida ecology. ...
In association with excavation of the No. 135 steam producing well in the Onikubi geothermal power plant in Miyagi Prefecture, shapes of production zones and drilling-induced fracture (DIF) were acquired from the borehole televiewer (BHTV) data. The BHTV logging shoots sound waves onto well walls of wells filled with fluid and detects the reflection waves to investigate the state of the well walls. Vertical fracture with opening lengths from 2 to 3 m were found at depths of about 1232 m and 1312 m. Water run-off has occurred at a depth of about 1312 m during the excavation, to which these vertical fractures might have contributed possibly. In depths of about 1232 m and 1312 m, fractures inclining toward north-east direction and south-west direction are predominant. Some fractures in the depth of about 1333 m incline toward east-south-east direction and west-north-west direction. Fracture inclination azimuth in all of the present logging ...
This report surveys potential impacts of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) on inter-ASEAN affairs and its external relations when ASEAN will enlarge its members to include all nations in South East Asia, and thus fully represent the region. For this purpose, the survey was conducted on Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, which joined in 1995, from the viewpoint of their economic and political system, and their relations with other member countries. The nature of ASEAN has gradually transformed, in which all the countries in the region have increased and internal economic issues have been tackled. It has an aim to stimulate inter-ASEAN trade and induce foreign direct investment into ASEAN as a whole by reducing import duties on intra-ASEAN trade. Underlying in these, new development is a concern about growing economic and military power of China. ASEAN solidarity will work an leverage against China should change toward worse, and ...
Provenance and paleocurrent data from synorogenic fluvial sandstones can be used to constrain theories about the timing and structural style of Laramide foreland uplifts and associated basins. The Green River basin of southwestern Wyoming is a large ellipsoidal basin bounded by uplifts with diverse orientations and basement rock compositions. Sandstone from the main body of the Eocene Wasatch Formation in the Green River basin was sampled along the south and west flanks of the Rock Springs uplift. Petrographic examination and paleocurrent measurements reveal two main facies. The first facies is rich in feldspar and metamorphic rock fragments derived from the Wind River Mountains to the north. The second facies is dominated by quartz and sedimentary rock fragments, reflecting a source in the Uinta Mountains to the south. Distribution of these facies indicates that a sediment lobe extends 15 km into the basin from the Uinta Mountains. Another ...
A geochemical survey to assess and evaluate the Devonian oil shale resources of north Alabama, northwest Georgia, and south-central Tennessee has been performed. Information is provided on the location and extent of the more favorable kerogen-bearing Devonian shale, oil and uranium content of the shale, trace metal and standard rock analyses for shale, data on the physical properties of the shale rock, mineralogy of the shale, chemical properties of the oil, and other pertinent data deemed necessary for resource development. The results indicate that the oil yield from areas underlain by Chattanooga Shale can be divided into areas having greater than 7 g/t and areas having less than 7 g/t. In general, the oil yield by Fischer assay of samples from the folded Appalachian Valley and Ridge and the Appalachian Plateaus provinces is poor, all having less than 5 g/t and most samples closer to 0 g/t. The extreme variance of Fischer assay values in the Chattanooga Shale ...
This work describes the use of volatile halocarbons in a pulp mill effluent, including chloroform, bromodichloromethane, and tri- and tetrachloroethylene, as tracers for the distribution and movements of effluent currents in a receiving water bay (Jackfish Bay) on the northern shore of Lake Superior. The results indicate the simplicity and usefulness of the technique and the significantly improved resolution of effluent plume delineation over the customary use of conductance profiles. Concentration patterns of the effluent volatiles suggest counterclockwise circulation of bay water that mixes with inflowing lake water at the eastern reach of the outer bay. The distribution of volatile contaminants is governed by the thermal regime of the receiving waters. During the summer months, the effluent plume wedges between the thermocline and epilimnion, mixing into the surface waters as the distance from the input source increases. In the fall, the colder effluent plume ...
The U.S.A. is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars on coal liquefaction research and this is aimed at improving the German processes to give better yields at lower temperatures and pressures using regenerable, instead of throw-away, catalysts. In assessing the various processes it should be remembered that Australia's requirements are different from those of America. American work is mainly directed to producing a clean, low sulphur, low ash, fuel(solid, liquid or gaseous) particularly from their high sulphur Eastern coals, in order to release for other purposes the very large quantities of oil and gas used in the U.S.A. each year in power stations. Obviously there is no scope for this approach in Australia, where over 90% of electricity is produced already from coal and where there are adequate resources of low sulphur coals to meet Australia's forseeable power requirements. Australia's pressing needs are for transport ...
This document gathers the presentations given at the first French national meetings of solar energy for the development of solar systems in buildings. The meeting was organized over two days. The first day comprises 4 workshops about: urbanism and planning, cultural acceptability of solar energy in buildings (the OPAC 38 housing association, point of view on an energy information point, the Freiburg (Germany) solar region and marketing examples), technical integration to the structure (Clipsol solutions), and economical criteria (compared impacts of R and D public photovoltaic programs (USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy), financing of rehabilitation projects, global approach of solar photovoltaic energy, technical solutions and strategy of products development, why and how to make an economical analysis of solar energy applications in the building industry). The second day comprises a plenary session and a round table: global status of solar energy development in Europe, status of ...
In 1982 the semi-submersible drilling unit Ocean Ranger capsized and sank off the Grand Banks, resulting in the loss of the entire 84-man crew. A Royal Commission was set up to conduct an enquiry into the incident, and to carry out a process of research and opinion-gathering towards providing recommendations to both federal and Newfoundland governments. The primary purpose of the Commission was to determine why the Ocean Ranger sank, why none of the crew were saved, and how to avoid similar disasters. A number of studies and seminars were held to focus expert knowledge and opinion in several key fields and to update studies and fill gaps in the data base. Summaries of selected study reports and the seminar proceedings are presented in the following areas: the environment, including ice, marine climatology, weather forecasting services, wave climatology, oceanographic information, and seabed information; design, including mobile offshore drilling rig design evolution, continuity from ...
The sycamore lace bug, Corythucha ciliata is a new, invasive pest of Platanus trees in China. Although C. ciliata is often subjected to acute low temperatures in early winter and spring in northern and eastern China, the cold tolerance of C. ciliata has not been well studied. The objectives of this study were to determine whether adults of C. ciliata are capable of rapid cold hardening (RCH), and to compare the benefits of RCH vs. cold acclimation (ACC) in the laboratory. When the adult females incubated at 26^oC were transferred directly to the discriminating temperature (-12^oC) for 2h, survival was only 22%. However, exposure to 0^oC for 4h before transfer to -12^oC for 2h induced RCH, i.e., increased survival to 68%. RCH could also be induced by gradual cooling of the insects at rates ...
The paper presents the results of radon concentration measurements in dwelling houses in Poland's northeastern region. The investigations were carried out using PICO-RAD carbon detectors. The results from 412 measurements ranged from 4 to 1300 Bq m{sup -3}. In the inhabited parts of houses the respective values were: arithmetical mean =25 Bq m{sup -3}, geometrical mean =17 Bq m{sup -3} and median =16 Bq m{sup -3}. In the basements these values were 76, 36 and 32 Bq m{sup -3}, respectively. By taking into account the population density and the mean radon concentration in the inhabited part of the houses, the mean annual dose equivalent from radon was estimated to be 0{center_dot}63 mSv for the northeastern region of Poland. (Copyright (c) 1988 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)
Beneath the harsh deserts of Saudi Arabia lie dark chambers and complex mazes filled with strange shapes and wondrous beauty. Radon concentration measurements have been carried out in the desert caves of Al-Somman Plateau in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Passive radon dosimeters, based on alpha particle etch track detectors with an inlet filter, were used in this study. A total of 59 dosimeters were placed in five caves for a period of six months. Out of 59 dosimeters, 37 could be collected for analysis. Measurements showed significant variations in radon concentrations in caves depending upon their natural ventilation. The results of the study show that the average radon concentration in the different caves ranges from 74 up to 451Bqm{sup -3}. The average radon concentration in four of the caves was low in the range 74-114Bqm{sup -3}. However, one cave showed an average radon concentration of 451Bqm{sup -3}. Radon is not a problem for tourists in the ...
Beneath the harsh deserts of Saudi Arabia lie dark chambers and complex mazes filled with strange shapes and wondrous beauty. Radon concentration measurements have been carried out in the desert caves of Al-Somman Plateau in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Passive radon dosimeters, based on alpha particle etch track detectors with an inlet filter, were used in this study. A total of 59 dosimeters were placed in five caves for a period of six months. Out of 59 dosimeters, 37 could be collected for analysis. Measurements showed significant variations in radon concentrations in caves depending upon their natural ventilation. The results of the study show that the average radon concentration in the different caves ranges from 74 up to 451Bqm"-"3. The average radon concentration in four of the caves was low in the range 74-114Bqm"-"3. However, one cave showed an average radon concentration of 451Bqm"-"3. Radon is not a problem for tourists in the majority of ...
Energy is a critical factor which determines the progress of rural development. Energy is therefore an area of concern. The quality, availability and cost of conventional energies, plus the associated environmental effects are a growing problem - not only for the health infrastructure but also for agriculture and domestic life. This is true not only in developing countries where the fast growing industries and urban populations demand a soaring proportion of available energy at the expense of the rural communities, but also in the poorest countries with weak energy infrastructure. Renewable energies, much studied in the last 20 years, can meet the needs of rural health and education services and communities by providing high quality, low cost, non-polluting energy. Solar energy, in particular, has the flexibility to produce electricity, heat and cooling. Solar technologies, furthermore, are backed by an established and experienced industry. This report proposes to meet the energy needs ...
Rehabilitation of the abandoned uranium mining areas in Saxonia and Thuringia is a task posing also legal problems. The radiation protection laws of the former GDR continued to be effective to a great extent and proved to be a legal basis not ``perfect`` in formal terms, but suitably efficient in practice to tackle the manifold problems encountered in the land reclamation and waste disposal work. Originally intended to serve as a legal interim regime awaiting amendment at a later date, the body of laws available for the task proved to be a sufficient basis. (orig./HP) [Deutsch] Das fortgeltende Strahlenschutzrecht der frueheren DDR hat sich zwar nicht als formal `perfektes`, in der Sache aber strahlenschutzgerechtes und praktikables Instrument zur Loesung der anstehenden Sanierungsaufgaben erwiesen. Bei seiner Beurteilung darf nicht ausser Acht gelassen werden, dass die Ueberleitung dieses Rechts seinerzeit aus der Not eines kurzfristigen Regelungsbedearfs geboren wurden und stets nur ...
Indoor and soil gas Radon ({sup 222}Rn) concentration measurements were accomplished in two stages in Sivas, a central eastern city in Turkey. In the first stage, CR-39 passive nuclear track detectors supplied by the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA) were placed in the selected houses throughout Sivas centrum in two seasons; summer and winter. Before the setup of detectors, a detailed questionnaire form was distributed to the inhabitants of selected houses to investigate construction parameters and properties of the houses, and living conditions of inhabitants. Detectors were collected back two months later and analysed at TAEA laboratories to obtain indoor {sup 222}Rn gas concentration values. In the second stage, soil gas {sup 222}Rn measurements were performed using an alphameter near the selected houses for the indoor measurements. Although {sup 222}Rn concentrations in Sivas were quite low in relation with the allowable limits, they are higher than the ...
The key to improving transmission-network security is faster response to contingencies. Now a new breed of pumped-storage plant - designed for ultra-fast response - may soon provide a tool dispatchers can use to improve network security. This type of plant can also substantially increase the effective capacity of existing transmission lines and improve the performance of thermal generating units. The Mt. Hope Waterpower Project, planned for Rockaway Township, NJ, 35 miles west of New York City, lies strategically adjacent to major load centers at the eastern end of the PJM control area and near the interconnection point with the New York Power Pool (NYPP). This location also is in an area deficient in significant generating facilities. Maximum design capacity of the project is 2000 MW, provided by six reversible pump/turbines, each with a nominal 340-MW rating. The upper reservoir, with a surface area of only 60 acres, provides 5000 acre-ft of active storage volume ...
European research in green energy production from crops has resulted in the development of full scale bioreactors that use energy crops as feedstock. Switchgrass has been touted as one of the most promising crops for energy production among several perennial grass species grown under moderate to hot climates. However, few studies have been conducted in colder climate conditions. This study examined the mesophilic methane yield of switchgrass grown under the cooler growing conditions that exist in northeastern North America. In 2007, switchgrass was harvested in late July, August and September and conserved as silage. The regrowth of plots harvested in late July was also harvested in late September as a two-cut strategy. A 30 L small-scale laboratory digester was used to anaerobically digest the switchgrass silage samples. Specific methane yield decreased considerably with advancing plant development, but was similar between the first harvest in late July and the regrowth in late ...
Deformation in the overburden proves useful in deducing spatial and temporal changes in the volume of a producing reservoir. Based upon these changes we estimate diffusive travel times associated with the transient flow due to production, and then, as the solution of a linear inverse problem, the effective permeability of the reservoir. An advantage an approach based upon travel times, as opposed to one based upon the amplitude of surface deformation, is that it is much less sensitive to the exact geomechanical properties of the reservoir and overburden. Inequalities constrain the inversion, under the assumption that the fluid production only results in pore volume decreases within the reservoir. We apply the formulation to satellite-based estimates of deformation in the material overlying a thin gas production zone at the Krechba field in Algeria. The peak displacement after three years of gas production is approximately 0.5 cm, overlying the eastern margin of the ...
This paper presents a practical case study on the dynamic stability of the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) power system and its effect on increasing power transfer limit of the interconnection between Eastern Operating Area (SEC-EOA). The problem of optimal tuning of the power system stabilizer parameters was converted into optimization problem wth eigenvalue-based objective functions, which was then solved by genetic algorithms. In this regard, two eigenvalue-based objective functions were considered and the problem is solved using real-coded genetic algorithm (RCGA). The effectiveness of the suggested technique to enhance the power system dynamic stability and to extend the power transfer capability limit of the SEC-EOA and the SEC-EOA power system was verified through a comprehensive eigenvalue analysis and time-domain nonlinear simulation. The results also indicated that the proposed tuning schemes of the existing stabilizers in the system have led to an ...
This document describes research performed at the Morgantown Energy Technology Center in the areas of oil and gas, advanced systems application, environmental technologies, applied energy science and remediation. The following subtasks are described: CROW{sup TM} Process Modeling, Development of a Portable Data Acquisition System and Coalbed Methane Simulator, Tank Bottom Waste Processing using the TaBoRR{sup TM} Process, Process Support and Development, Eastern Shale Oil Residue as an Asphalt Additive, Solid Waste Management, Remediation of Contaminated Soils, The Syn-Ag{sup TM} Process: Coal Combustion Ash Management Option, the Maxi-Acid{sup TM} Process: In- sit Amelioration of Acid Mine Drainage, Spill Test Facility Database, Heavy Oil/Plastics Co-Processing, Fossil Fuel and Hydrocarbon Conversion Using Hydrogen-Rich Plasmas, and North Site Remediation.
Sources of radon and pathways in which radon can reach dwelling-rooms are shortly discussed. In continuation of the previous measurements of radon in Swiss dwellings with track detectors and working level monitors, a complementary passive method for radon concentration measurements indoors and radon exhalation rate measurements from walls and soil surfaces is introduced. Radon decay products concentrations, air temperature gradients and wind velocities were measured continuously in four Swiss dwellings during several weeks in autumn and winter of 1985/86. The Rn-222 concentrations indoors ranged from about 10 Bq/m"3 in two houses in the Eastern Jura up to more than 23,000 Bq/m"3 in two houses situated in the Central Alps. Indoor equilibrium factors between 0.1 up to 0.5 with distinct dependences on floor-levels have been found. The influence of the temperature gradient between the oudoor and indoor air on the indoor radon daughter concentration has been determined. ...
Due to the recent catastrophic energy system failures in California along with those in the North-Eastern US and Southern Canada, London, and Italy, the time has come to proclaim the failure of deregulation, privatization or liberalization and propose a new energy system. This book shows in the first section, how five precipitating forces led to the deregulation debacle in California: (1) major technological changes and commercialization, (2) regulatory needs mismatched to societal adjustments, (3) inadequate and flawed economic models, (4) lack of vision, goals, and planning leading to energy failures, and (5) failure and lack of economic regional development. The second half of the book, examines how 'civic market', new economic models, and planning for complexity as sustainable economic development transformed in California, the same five forces to create an 'agile energy system' based on renewable energy generation, hybrid or ...
It is currently unclear if the potential for West Nile virus transmission by mosquito vectors in the eastern United States is related to landscape or climate factors or both. We compared abundance of vector species between urban and suburban neighborhoods of Henrico County, VA, in relation to the following factors: temperature, precipitation, canopy cover, building footprint, and proximity to drainage infrastructure. Mosquitoes were collected throughout the 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons and tested for West Nile virus (WNV) in pools of 10-50. Test results of mosquito pools were compared to average site abundance from 37 sites in Henrico County, VA; abundance was then examined in relation to ecological variables. Urban infrastructure was positively correlated with the abundance of Culex pipiens L./Cx. restuans, and our findings implicate combined sewer overflow systems as large contributors to Culex vector populations. No measure of urbanization examined in our study ...
Located approximately 350 km east of Newfoundland, on the eastern edge of the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, and approximately 50 km from both the Terra Nova and Hibernia oilfields, the White Rose oilfield is considered the main oil producing basin off the eastern coast of North America. Husky Oil is very active in the region and holds almost 32 per cent net working interest in the Significant Discovery License areas in the Jeanne d'Arc basin. The development of an economically significant oil discovery in the White Rose Significant Discovery Area is being proposed jointly by Husky Oil and Petro-Canada. It is estimated that the project would enable the recovery of an estimated 36 million cubic meters (230 million barrels) of recoverable oil in this area that covers approximately 40 square kilometers. The operators propose to use a ship-shaped floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility which could store up to 135,000 ...
A microcosm laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the impact of biological reworking by the ragworm Nereis diversicolor on the redistribution of particle-bound radionuclides deposited at the sediment-water interface. Over the course of the 40-day experiment, as much as 35% of a {sup 137}Cs-labelled particulate tracer deposited on the sediment surface was redistributed to depths of up to 11 cm by the polychaete. Three different reworking models were employed to model the profiles and quantify the biodiffusion and biotransport coefficients: a gallery-diffuser model, a continuous sub-surface egestion model and a biodiffusion model. Although the biodiffusion coefficients obtained for each model were quite similar, the continuous sub-surface egestion model provided the best fit to the data. The average biodiffusion coefficient, at 1.8 {+-} 0.9 cm{sup 2} y{sup -1}, is in good agreement with the values quoted by other workers on the bioturbation effects of this polychaete species. ...
A microcosm laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the impact of biological reworking by the ragworm Nereis diversicolor on the redistribution of particle-bound radionuclides deposited at the sediment-water interface. Over the course of the 40-day experiment, as much as 35% of a "1"3"7Cs-labelled particulate tracer deposited on the sediment surface was redistributed to depths of up to 11 cm by the polychaete. Three different reworking models were employed to model the profiles and quantify the biodiffusion and biotransport coefficients: a gallery-diffuser model, a continuous sub-surface egestion model and a biodiffusion model. Although the biodiffusion coefficients obtained for each model were quite similar, the continuous sub-surface egestion model provided the best fit to the data. The average biodiffusion coefficient, at 1.8 #+-# 0.9 cm"2 y"-"1, is in good agreement with the values quoted by other workers on the bioturbation effects of this polychaete species. The ...
...and welcome to ...lab also known as berkeley lab my name is jeff miller and ...and a public affairs i'd like to ? ...but space is science center and ...berkeley albany high school science department and berkeley high school science department and oakland high school science ...be a q. and ...here please use and because we wanna make sure that your questions are here ...heard of also for the latest developments on science and technology ...guy we're going to be any more and more new features i hope ...and change ...thank you ? much and thank you for coming on the welcome to my world of and mayotte science journalist and what i've done for the last almost thirty years ...people about things about which there passionate and national religion tonight and ...people to explain the science and and i asking the question so what ...and ...worldwide and what it does best ? uh ...bench science and turn it into reality what do you scientists and ...uh they take scientific theory and they turn ...
A meeting was held on October 15, 16, 17, 1990 to discuss the state of tritium safety and environmental effects. The meeting was organized with the help of the International Energy Agency planning committee consisting of K. Steinmetz, Y. Seki, G. Nardella, and G. Vivian. Representative of tritium production facilities and heavy water reactor power production were also involved. The meeting was organized to address seven topics in tritium safety that were thought to require further work. The topics were: (1) materials science, (2) environmental models, (3) environmental model validation, (4) tritiated organic compounds, (5) human dosimetry, (6) tritium sampling and measurement, and (7) long-term environmental databases.
Government facilities such as the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP) near Aiken, South Carolina, often use remote sensing data to assist in environmental management. Airborne multispectral scanner (MSS) data have been acquired at SRP since 1981. Various types of remote sensing data have been used to map and characterize wetlands. Regional Landsat MSS and TM satellite data have been used for wetlands mapping by various government agencies and private organizations. Furthermore, SPOT MSS data are becoming available and provide opportunities for increased spacial resolution and temporal coverage for wetlands mapping. This paper summarizes the initial results from using five dates of SPOT MSS data from April through October, 1987, as a means to monitor seasonal wetland changes in freshwater wetlands of the SRP. 11 refs., 4 figs.
The Spratly Islands constitute one of the earth's most ecologically significant areas, hosting a high diversity of marine species, providing critical habitats for endangered species, and providing marine larvae to reestablish depleted stocks among the heavily overfished and degraded coastal ecosystems of the South China Sea. Territorial disputes have led to the establishment of environmentally destructive, socially and economically costly military outposts on many of the islands. Given the rapid proliferation of international peace parks around the world, it is time to take positive steps toward the establishment of a Spratly Islands Marine Peace Park. Its purpose would be to manage the area's natural resources and alleviate regional tensions via a freeze on claims and claim supportive act...
Abstract The Planck-ATCA Coeval Observations (PACO) project collected data between 4.5 and 40 GHz for 482 sources selected within the Australia Telescope 20 GHz (AT20G) catalogue and observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Observations were done almost simultaneously with the-Planck-satellite, in the period between 2009 July and 2010 August. In this paper, we present and discuss the data for the complete sample of 159 sources with-SAT20G > 200-mJy in the South Ecliptic Pole region. The Planck Early Release Compact Source Catalogue (ERCSC) contains 57 of our sources. A comparison between the PACO catalogue and the ERCSC confirms that the reliability of the latter is better than 95-per cent. The missing ERCSC sources are typically associated with the Large Magellanic Cloud, the ...
Separation of the bulk soluble chemical salts from the insoluble metal hydroxides and radionuclides is central to the strategy of disposing Hanford tank waste. Sludge washing and caustic leaching have been selected as the primary methods for processing the 230 million L (61,000,000 gal) of Hanford tank waste. These processes are very similar to those selected for processing waste at the West Valley Site in New York and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The purpose of sludge washing is to dissolve and remove the soluble salts in the waste. Leaching of the insoluble solids with caustic will be used to dissolve aluminum hydroxide and chromium hydroxide, and convert insoluble bismuth phosphate to soluble phosphate. The waste will be separated into a high-level solids fraction and a liquid fraction that can be disposed of as low-level waste after cesium removal. The washing and leaching operations involve batchwise mixing, settling, and decanting within the ...
This work aims to contribute to the understanding of the influence of the ionospheric layer height (ILH) on the thin layer ionospheric model (TLIM) used to retrieve ionospheric information from the GNSS observations. Particular attention is paid to the errors caused on the estimation of the vertical total electron content (vTEC) and the GNSS satellites and receivers inter-frequency biases (IFB), by the use of an inappropriate ILH. The work relies upon numerical simulations performed with an empirical model of the Earth?s ionosphere: the model is used to create realistic but controlled ionospheric scenarios and the errors are evaluated after recovering those scenarios with the TLIM. The error assessment is performed in the Central and the northern part of the South American continents, a re...
Two neutrino mixing angles have been measured, and much of the neutrino community is turning its attention to the unmeasured mixing angle, $\\quq$, whose best limit comes from the reactor neutrino experiment CHOOZ.\\cite{bib:chooz} New two detector reactor neutrino experiments are being planned, along with more ambitious accelerator experiments, to measure or further limit $\\quq$. Here I will overview how to measure $\\quq$ using reactor neutrinos, mention some experiments that were considered and are not going forward, and review the current status of four projects: Double Chooz in France, Daya Bay in China, RENO in South Korea and Angra in Brazil. Finally I will mention how the neutrino observer can gauge progress in these projects two years from now as we approach the times corresponding to early estimates for new results.
Studies of CWF preparation at laboratory scale have been carried out using the type and amount of additives and coal content as process variables. Other factors such as particle size, time and rate of stirring were kept constant. CWF with 45 wt% of dry solids, heating value of 5,475 BTU/lb, and stable without the evidence of sedimentation for 9 weeks have been obtained using carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as the additive. Low coal content and low heating value can be increased by hydrothermal process on the elevated temperature and pressure. By this process, CWF with dry solid of 55 wt% and a heating value of 7,125 BTU/lb could be obtained. 6 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.
Purpose The mangroves of New Caledonia, in the south Pacific, act as a buffer between a lagoon of more than 20,000?km2 and the island, which is characterized by ultramafic rocks and lateritic soils that are exploited for their richness in heavy metals. We will provide a better understanding of the redox conditions, and of heavy metal distributions in mangroves receiving shrimp farm effluents. Materials and methods Samples were collected from four areas defined in terms of vegetation composition: a salt flat, an Avicennia marina forest, in which effluents are released; a Rhizophora stylosa forest, and a dead Rhizophora forest. They were collected during times of maximum effluent release. Some measurements on pore water were also done during a period without effluent. Cores (70?cm deep) were...
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has millions of gallons of high level nuclear waste stored in underground tanks at Hanford, Washington and Savannah River, South Carolina. These tanks will eventually be emptied and decommissioned. This will leave a residue of sludge adhering to the interior tank surfaces that may contaminate groundwaters with radionuclides and RCRA metals. Experimentation on such sludges is both dangerous and prohibitively expensive so there is a great advantage to developing artificial sludges. The US DOE Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) has funded a program to investigate the feasibility of developing such materials. The following text reports on the success of this program, and suggests that much of the radioisotope inventory left in a tank will not move out into the surrounding environment. Ultimately, such studies may play a significant role in developing safe and cost effective tank closure strategies.
Batadomba-lena, a rockshelter in the rainforest of southwestern Sri Lanka, has yielded some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in South Asia. H. sapiens foragers were present at Batadomba-lena from ca. 36,000 cal BP to the terminal Pleistocene and Holocene. Human occupation was sporadic before the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Batadomba-lena's Late Pleistocene inhabitants foraged for a broad spectrum of plant and mainly arboreal animal resources (monkeys, squirrels and abundant rainforest snails), derived from a landscape that retained equatorial rainforest cover through periods of pronounced regional aridity during the LGM. Juxtaposed hearths, palaeofloors with habitation debris, postholes, excavated pits, and animal and plant remains, including abundant Canarium nutshells, ref...
The exceptional ability of marine sponges to adapt to often drastic changes of their environments could be due to special structural features in cell membranes, including firstly phospholipids (PL). Thus, PL class composition was investigated in marine sponges (22 species from 19 genera to 15 families) originating from various locations (East Atlantic, North Atlantic, South-West Pacific, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian?Persian Gulf). The quantitative determination of PL class composition was obtained by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) with scanning densitometry of the different spots. Previous reports have shown phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) as the major PL class in marine sponges, followed by phosphatidylcholine (PC), while other papers described PC as a minor class...
... Home Our work Conservation Advice Land management for nightjars Land management for nightjars Nightjars are masters of camouflage The nightjar is now a scarce breeding bird of lowland heathland, forest clearings and clearfells on suitable light soils throughout Britain, north to southern Scotland, and in coppice woodland in south-east England. Nightjars were once much more numerous and widespread than today, but now appear to be recovering.... This offers shelter, camouflage and seclusion from potential predators. Scattered trees are used to sing from and to roost in. In conifer forest clearings, clear-fells and restocks, especially on former heathland, the vegetation structure is like that of heathland, augmented with lying brash, which provides added concealment. Restocked clearings are abandoned as the tree canopy closes over the open ground around seven to ...
This paper reports the use of molecular methods to characterize the coprophilous fungal communities (CFC) that inhabit the dung of four species of mammalian herbivores at two sites, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) in New Mexico and Wind Cave National Park (WCNP) in South Dakota. Results reveal that CFC from domesticated cattle (Bos taurus) at SNWR, and bison (Bison bison) and black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) at WCNP were diverse but dominated primarily by members within eight taxonomic orders, including the rarely cultured and anaerobic order Neocallimastigales. In addition, 7.7% (138 of 1,788) of the sequences obtained from all dung samples were at least 97% similar to root-associated fungal (RAF) sequences previously described from blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis...
Abstract Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal that is found in aquatic food webs and is hazardous to humans. An emerging conceptual model predicts that the areas of the landscape that have the potential to contain food webs with elevated concentrations of Hg are those that receive high amounts of Hg and sulfate deposition and have high coverage of forests and wetlands and low coverage of agriculture. The objective of the present study was to test this conceptual model using concentrations of Hg in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from 145 reservoirs in four ecoregions of North Texas. The highest level of Hg contamination in fish was in the South Central Plains, the ecoregion that receives the highest levels of Hg and sulfate deposition and contains extensive forest and wetland habitat and ...
Tests using reconstituted samples have been performed to assess the diffusive transport of 137Cs and 60Co through natural regolith materials from a region in South Australia being considered for a radioactive waste repository. A double diffusion cell apparatus made of polycarbonate resin was developed to estimate the effective diffusion (De) and sorption coefficients (Kd) that allowed large withdrawals from the source and collector cells and has enabled tests with low concentrations of radioactivity. An alternative to porous stainless steel filter plates has also been used to reduce uncertainty in test interpretation. Analysis of the transient data used a staged method of the Laplace transform to take into consideration the volume of the samples withdrawn from the apparatus during testing....
Various SST indices in the Indo-Pacific region have been proposed in the literature in light of a long-range seasonal forecasting of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). However, the dynamics associated with these different indices have never been compared in detail. To this end, the present work re-examines the variabilities of ISM rainfall, onset and withdrawal dates at interannual timescales and explores their relationships with El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and various modes of coupled variability in the Indian Ocean. Based on recent findings in the literature, five SST indices are considered here: Ni?o3.4 SST index in December?January both preceding [Nino(?1)] and following the ISM [Nino(0)], South East Indian Ocean (SEIO) SST in February?March, the Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) mode in ...
In recent years, increased attention has been focused on the use of lasers in different fabrication steps of solar cells, in particular laser doping to form emitter and/or selective emitter. In this method the laser energy is used to melt silicon, allowing the diffusion of dopant atoms to occur in the liquid phase. The main advantage of this method is the localised nature of the laser beam, which melts and diffuses a limited area without heating the bulk, therefore reducing the possible degradation associated with high temperature processes. At the University of New South Wales a novel laser doping method was developed, which combines the formation of the selective emitter with a self-aligned metallisation pattern. Despite achieving high efficiencies, concerns arose regarding the adhesion ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional and multi-component seismic area is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in Red River and Ratcliffe shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing three-dimensional and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short-radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil in place will result in additional oil recovery by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. Field demonstrations are in progress to collect data for evaluation of horizontal completions in both the Red River and Ratcliffe. A vertical well in the Red River will test attribute analysis of 3D seismic data for prediction of porosity development. Additional seismic acquisitions and interpretation are in progress for both the Ratcliffe and Red River. A water-injectivity test in a new horizontal completion in the Red Rive B zone at Buffalo Field is ...
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in Red River and Ratcliffe shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing three-dimensional and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with extended-reach jetting lance and other ultra-short-radius lateral technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil in place will result in additional oil recovery by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and multi- component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short- lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determination of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in- place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3-D) and multi-component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimate of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in- place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3-D) and multi- component seismic are being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short- lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimate of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate targeted infill and extension drilling opportunities, better determinations of oil-in-place, methods for improved completion efficiency and the suitability of waterflooding in certain shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Williston Basin, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing three-dimensional is being investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Improved completion efficiency is being tested with short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies. Improved completion efficiency, additional wells at closer spacing and better estimates of oil-in-place will result in additional oil production by primary and enhanced recovery processes.
Abstract Few butterflies are pests of economic significance, but some may be locally destructive, such as the papilionid Graphium agamemnon Linnaeus, which is known to feed on the commercially important soursop (Annona muricata Linnaeus) in Vietnam. This paper documents the life history and ecology ofG. agamemnon and investigates commonly used control measures in south-east Vietnam. A novel method of controlling G. agamemnon infestation is described. If soursop basal rootstock (Annona glabra Linnaeus) is encouraged to shoot during times of peak butterfly activity, ovipositing G. agamemnon females are preferentially attracted to the new growth where the resulting early stages may be easily detected and removed by hand.
Summary 1. Plants express multiple defensive traits, but little is known about the genetic stability and phenotypic plasticity of these traits in nature. To investigate sources of variation and their potential ecological consequences for herbivores, we combined field observations of cyanogenic lima bean with laboratory experiments. 2. Field studies in South Mexico revealed a distinct variability of cyanogenic traits within and among wild lima bean populations. To differentiate among genetic variation and the impact of ambient conditions on plant phenotypes, we used seed grown plants as well as clones propagated from high (HC) and low cyanogenic (LC) wild type plants. 3. In growth chamber experiments, we cultivated plants under three intensities each of drought and salt stress, nutrient sup...
The risks from mining and processing of ores is reviewed on a generic basis with particular reference to some of the confusions which can arise due to lack of consistency or common logic in the use of exclusion, exemption and clearance. The difference in exclusion and exemption are challenged by comparing doses received in high background radiation areas and the doses received from a mining practice. The common principle of risk to the human species is not applied consistently. The differences between IAEA recommendations and local regulatory conditions are compared, and the use of exemption levels as clearance levels is considered. A case study on management of mine tailings is presented with special focus on the use of clearance levels. In all areas of review the interpretation of regulation is subject to confusion resulting from inconsistencies which can distort free market economics. (author).
Energy use patterns and utilisation efficiencies in 40 factories producing palm kernel oil (PKO) in southwestern part of Nigeria were studied. The factories were stratified into small, medium and large scale categories based on the mode of operations and production capacities. Questionnaires were administered on the factories to obtain historical data on petrol, diesel and electricity consumption and PKO production outputs for seven years (1998-2004). Energy use efficiency indicators employed include: energy intensity (EI), energy cost per unit product (EC/P), energy ratio (ER), food energy ratio (FER) and percentage oil yield by weight. Results of the study indicated that averagely, 0.58, 0.53 and 0.74GJ/103l of PKO were needed in the small, medium and large PKO factories, respectively. T...
A seasonal forecasting technique to produce probabilistic and deterministic streamflow forecasts for 23 basins in Norway and northern Sweden is developed in this work. Large scale circulation and moisture fields, forecasted by the ECHAM4.5 model 4 months in advance, are used to forecast spring flows. The technique includes model output statistics (MOS) based on a non-linear Neural Network (NN) approach. Results show that streamflow forecasts from Global Circulation Model (GCM) predictions, for the Scandinavia region are viable and highest skill values were found for basins located in south-western Norway. The physical interpretation of the forecasting skill is that stations close to the Norwegian coast are directly exposed to prevailing winds from the Atlantic ocean, which constitute the principal source of predictive information from the atmosphere on the seasonal timescale.
Efforts are being made to determine a gamma radiation dose for mortality of third-instar larvae of Anastrepha fraterculus which infest mangos of the Haden variety of 400 g weight. Four radiation treatments were tested: 0.4 kGy, 0.6 kGy, 0.8 kGy and 1.0 kGy. Using as a criterium for mortality the interruption of the biological cycle between larva and pupa, the following results were achieved: 49.61%, 63.33%, 74.86% and 90.72%. The percentages obtained have been corrected using the Abbot formula. When the criterium was based on no adult emergence, 100% mortality was achieved for the four treatments. (author)
The Yaojia Formation recovered by CCSD-SK-Is borehole (China Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling-SongkeI-the south borehole) is 157.67 m long and 99.96% of cores recovery. The age of the formation corresponds with a range from the Santonian to the early Campanian. The sequences and processes of lithology-lithofacies and cyclic stratigraphy are revealed by a detailed core description. Eleven rock types and three kinds of sedimentary subfacies, including shallow lake, deep lake, and delta front, are recognized from the drilling core. There are eleven sedimentary microfacies including dolostone, argillaceous limestone, shallow lake turbidite, deep lake turbidite, subaqueous mouth bar, distal bar, sheet sandstone, subaqueous distributary bay, slump deposits, shallow lake mudstone, and d...
The Quantou Formation recovered by CCSD-SK-Is borehole (China Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling-SongkeI-the south borehole) is 132.07 m long and the recovery of cores is 100%. The sequence and process of lithology-lithofacies and cyclostratigraphy are revealed by a detailed core description. Nine rock types and three kinds of sedimentary facies including meandering river, shallow lake, and delta front are recognized from the drilling core, there are ten sedimentary microfacies, which are point bar, natural levee, crevasse splay, crevasse channel, floodplain, flood lake, distributary mouth bar, interdistributary bay, mudstone of still water, and turbidite. The Quantou Formation represents seventy-six meter-scale cycles (sixth-order cycle), twenty-five fifth-order cycles, eight four...
The first member of the Qingshankou Formation recovered by CCSD-SK-Is borehole (China Cretaceous Continental Scientific Drilling-SongkeI-the south borehole) is 81.41 m long, and the recovery of cores is 100%. The age of the member is approximately Turonian. The sequence and process of lithology-lithofacies and cyclic stratigraphy were revealed by a detailed core description. 6 rock types (mudstone, dolomite, marl, limestone, ostracode limestone, and volcanic ash) comprise the sedimentary strata. Deposition occurred in a deep lake, including 6 sedimentary microfacies: mudstone, sandy turbidite, dolomite, marl, limestone, and volcanic ash microfacies. The first member of the Qingshankou Formation represents 81 meter-scale cycles (sixth-order cycle), 25 fifth-order cycles, 6 fourth-order cycl...
BackgroundAlthough self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) insertion is widely used for relief of malignant colorectal obstructions, the immediate technical and clinical failure rates of SEMSs and the associated risk factors remain largely unknown. ObjectiveTo identify rates and factors predictive of technical and clinical failure of SEMSs when their use is attempted for the decompression of malignant colorectal obstruction. DesignRetrospective chart review. SettingA tertiary-care academic medical center in South Korea. PatientsThis study involved a total of 412 patients with malignant colorectal obstruction in whom SEMS insertion was attempted. InterventionPlacement of colonic SEMSs. Main Outcome MeasurementsTechnical success and immediate and long-term clinical success rates. ResultsTechnical...
Here we present a revision of the fossil record of chitons (Mollusca, Polyplacophora) of Late Pleistocene and Holocene marine deposits of Uruguay and discuss their potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Chitons were recorded as isolated valves in bivalve- and gastropod-rich assemblages. They are represented by the species Chaetopleura angulata (Spengler), C. isabellei (d'Orbigny), C. asperrima (Gould) and Ischnochiton striolatus (Gray). The last two species are recorded for the first time as fossils not only in Uruguay but also in South America. Exclusively recorded for the Late Pleistocene is the warm water species I. striolatus, whose current southern range limit is located in Santa Catarina, Brazil. Higher temperatures than at present are inferred for the Uruguayan coast duri...
Biodynamic parameters of the ragworm Nereis diversicolor from southern Spain and south England were experimentally derived to assess the inter-population variability of physiological parameters of the bioaccumulation of Ag, Cd and Zn from water and sediment. Although there were some limited variations, these were not consistent with the local metal bioavailability nor with temperature changes. Incorporating the biodynamic parameters into a defined biodynamic model, confirmed that sediment is the predominant source of Cd and Zn accumulated by the worms, accounting in each case for 99% of the overall accumulated metals, whereas the contribution of dissolved Ag to the total accumulated by the worm increased from about 27 to about 53% with increasing dissolved Ag concentration. Standardised va...
SummaryThis paper examines the sensitivity and uncertainty of evaporation estimates from Nasser Lake, south of Egypt using data collected at the floating station Raft, 2km upstream of the Aswan High Dam, and 12 evaporation models. Based on their approach the evaporation models were ranked in five classes, respectively the Bowen ratio energy budget (BREB) approach, three energy-aerodynamic based methods, a mass transfer method, two temperature and five solar radiation-temperature approaches. State dependent parameter models were used to estimate the sensitivity indices of the different evaporation estimation methods at daily and monthly frequencies. A drastic reduction in the cost of the sensitivity analysis was obtained when coupled with efficient sampling methods, producing quasi-Monte Ca...
In this study we investigated cultural, familial, and individual beliefs that influenced international students? perceptions of therapy and help-seeking behaviors. Included were changes in perception or behavior before and after the students came to the US, and factors that influenced help-seeking behaviors. Six international students from East Asian countries where English is a foreign language, including Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, were interviewed. We used semi-structured interviews and participant observations for collecting data. The findings indicated changes after students came to the US. Further discussions focus on encouraging and discouraging factors relative to seeing therapists, and culturally sensitive interventions for family therapy clinicians.
The aim of this study was the evaluation of contralateral hip fractures after a previous hip fracture. For this retrospective analysis patients were selected from the database of the LUMC, a teaching hospital in the south-west of the Netherlands. We analyzed all patients with a second fracture of a hip between 1992 and 2007. The exclusion criteria were high impact trauma and patients with diseases or medication known to have a negative effect on bone metabolism. A total of 1,604 hip fractures were identified. The possible predictive factors for the second fracture and descriptive statistics related to surgery (Hb and HT before and after the operation, total amount of intra- and postoperative blood loss, type of osteosynthesis, complications, time of death after the last fracture, time betw...
From the COMBO-17 digital sky survey data, 1,231 faint blue galaxies with photometric redshifts of 0.1South) are selected as the sample. We have studied the distributions of the photometric redshifts of these sample galaxies, in the conditions that the photometric redshifts are obtained respectively by using only optical data and by using both optical and near-infrared data. The results indicate that there are 183 galaxies whose photometric redshifts derived from both optical and infrared data are greater than 1.2, that the rms error of the derived photometric redshifts is 0.046, and that to increase the photometric SNR is also helpful for discriminating those misjudged low-redshift galaxies by using only the optical data. We have studied a...
Villarrica (Chile) is one of the most active volcanoes in South America having erupted about 60 times in the last 460years. Although its historical eruptive activity has been mainly effusive and weakly explosive, it had strong explosive behaviour in postglacial times. Chaimilla (<3.1ka) is one of the best exposed and widely dispersed pyroclastic deposits, related to both fall and flow activity. The deposit is dispersed over an area of 250km^2 and consists of 8 units (A-H) which were grouped into four sequences. Stratigraphic data suggest that the eruption had a relatively short duration and evolved from i) an Opening phase, dispersing ash, lapilli clasts, accretionary lapilli, blocks and bombs, to ii) a Pulsatory phase, originating a series of magmatic explosions, to iii) a Collapsing phas...
To reconstruct the profiles of heavy metal levels in the South Ocean ecosystem of Antarctica, the concentrations of lead (Pb), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn) in seal hairs and lake sediments spanning the past 1500?years from Fildes Peninsula of King George Island and in weathering lake sediments from Nelson Island of West Antarctica were determined. The lead contents in the seal hairs and the weathering sediments show a sharp increase since the late 1800s, very likely due to anthropogenic contamination from modern industries. After the 1980s, the Pb content in seal hairs dropped by one-third, apparently due to the reduced usage of leaded gasoline in the Southern Hemisphere. Copper arises mainly from the weathering process, and its level may be substantially affected...