The Mersey Estuary : sediment geochemistry

This report describes a study of the geochemistry of the Mersey estuary carried out between April 2000 and December 2002. The study was the first in a new programme of surveys of the geochemistry of major British estuaries aimed at enhancing our knowledge and understanding of the distribution of contaminants in estuarine sediments. The report first summarises the physical setting, historical development, geology, hydrography and bathymetry of the Mersey estuary and its catchment. Details of the sampling and analytical programmes are then given followed by a discussion of the sedimentology and geochemistry. The chemistry of the water column and suspended particulate matter have not been studied, the chief concern being with the geochemistry of the surface and near-surface sediments of the Mersey estuary and an examination of their likely sources and present state of contamination

Advancements and challenges towards a collaborative framework for 3D tele-immersive social networking

Social experiences realized through teleconferencing systems are still quite different from face to face meetings. The awareness that we are online and in a, to some extent, lesser real world are preventing us from really engaging and enjoying the event. Several reasons account for these differences and have been identified. We think it is now time to bridge these gaps and propose inspiring and innovative solutions in order to provide realistic, believable and engaging online experiences. We present a distributed and scalable framework named REVERIE that faces these challenges and provides a mix of these solutions. Applications built on top of the framework will be able to provide interactive, truly immersive, photo-realistic experiences to a multitude of users that for them will feel much more similar to having face to face meetings than the experience offered by conventional teleconferencing systems

Communications Apprehension: A Note About Ethnic Diversity

This paper summarizes the results of an intercultural survey of an ethnically diverse group of students in a Canadian university commerce program. The sample self-reported the level of communications apprehension on the 24-item Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, which uses six questions in four communications settings to generate four subscores and one general score for communications apprehension (McCroskey, 1982). While prior research results showed that the level of communications apprehension varies among ethnic groups, our research results showed no significant variation.Cet article récapitule les résultats d'une enquête interculturelle faite auprès d'un groupe d'étudiants, hétérogène au plan ethnique, issu d'un programme universitaire en administration. Les répondants ont évalué leur degré d'appréhension de communication à partir du questionnaire Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (McCroskey, 1982). Cet instrument, composé de 24 énoncés, mesure l'appréhension de communication via six énoncés reliés à quatre structures de communication. Bien que les recherches antérieures aient démontré que le degré d'appréhension de communication varie selon le groupe ethnique, nos résultats ne supportent pas cette hypothèse

Viruses in extreme environments

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comInternational audienceThe tolerance limits of extremophiles in term of temperature, pH, salinity, desiccation, hydrostatic pressure, radiation, anaerobiosis far exceed what can support non-extremophilic organisms. Like all other organisms, extremophiles serve as hosts for viral replication. Many lines of evidence suggest that viruses could no more be regarded as simple infectious ‘‘fragments of life'' but on the contrary as one of the major components of the biosphere. The exploration of niches with seemingly harsh life conditions as hypersaline and soda lakes, Sahara desert, polar environments or hot acid springs and deep sea hydrothermal vents, permitted to track successfully the presence of viruses. Substantial populations of double-stranded DNA virus that can reach 109 particles per milliliter were recorded. All these viral communities, with genome size ranging from 14 kb to 80 kb, seem to be genetically distinct, suggesting specific niche adaptation. Nevertheless, at this stage of the knowledge, very little is known of their origin, activity, or importance to the in situ microbial dynamics. The continuous attempts to isolate and to study viruses that thrive in extreme environments will be needed to address such questions. However, this topic appears to open a new window on an unexplored part of the viral world

Ablation of Proliferating Cells in the CNS Exacerbates Motor Neuron Disease Caused by Mutant Superoxide Dismutase

Proliferation of glia and immune cells is a common pathological feature of many neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here, to investigate the role of proliferating cells in motor neuron disease, SOD1G93A transgenic mice were treated intracerebroventicularly (ICV) with the anti-mitotic drug cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C). ICV delivery of Ara-C accelerated disease progression in SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS. Ara-C treatment caused substantial decreases in the number of microglia, NG2+ progenitors, Olig2+ cells and CD3+ T cells in the lumbar spinal cord of symptomatic SOD1G93A transgenic mice. Exacerbation of disease was also associated with significant alterations in the expression inflammatory molecules IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β and the growth factor IGF-1

Predicting Impacts of Water Management in Coastal Zones by Hydraulic and Salinity Modeling

Tidal effects and salinity intrusion are two defining characteristics of coastal zones. The firstcauses complex variations of water level and unsteady flows in the river and canal network. The second is aconstraint to agriculture and freshwater fishery, but provides suitable conditions for brackish wateraquaculture. These phenomena bring about conflicts in the development of agriculture, fishery andaquaculture due to different requirements of water quality. Hydraulic and salinity modeling have beendeveloped and applied to simulate tidal propagation and salinity intrusion, and to analyze the effects of watermanagement on hydrological and salinity conditions that control land use in the coastal zones. This paperpresents experiences in developing and applying a hydraulic and salinity model, the Vietnam River Systemsand Plains (VRSAP), for water resources development in Ca Mau Peninsula, Mekong Delta, Vietnam.During the planning and feasibility study phase in 1989-1991 that focused on rice production, this model wasused to analyze the impacts of protection from salinity intrusion for different water management units.During the implementation and operation phase from 1992 to the present, it has been used to find out suitablesluice operation schedules for improving agricultural production in the region. Recently, because conflicts inthe requirement of fresh water for agriculture and brackish water for shrimp culture occurred, the model isbeing refined and applied to upscale the effects of intaking saline water and supplying fresh water from thefield to canal system level, and also to analyze the effect of sluice operation on the hydrological conditionsthat would accommodate both agriculture and aquaculture in different parts of the region

The State-Moro Armed Conflict in the Philippines: Unresolved national question or question of governance?

The continuing struggle of the Moro secessionist movement in the Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s longest armed conflicts. The tenacity of the conflict lies in two competing concerns: the assertion of self-determination rights of the Moro separatist movement; and the affirmation of the Philippines’ sovereign right to territorial integrity. However, beneath these rights are crucial issues that remain unanswered both by the contending forces—problems where internecine violence and conflict emanate from. This article argues that self-determination rights can be adequately exercised by people who have clearly defined their national identity and concept of a nation. Unfortunately, the Moro multi-ethnic national identity has yet to be crystallised while the idea of a Bangsamoro (Bangsa Nation) remains weak. On the other hand, the state has yet to address the Moros’ legitimate demands of political autonomy, socio-economic development, and social justice and discrimination. Without underestimating the ethnic component of secessionism, the article concludes that poor governance has prolonged, complicated, and further justified the Moros’ quest to secede from the Republic