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Ash
Kinds of Ash Terms modified by Ash Selected AbstractsEVOLUTION OF SUBTERRANEAN DIVING BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: DYTISCIDAE HYDROPORINI, BIDESSINI) IN THE ARID ZONE OF AUSTRALIAEVOLUTION, Issue 12 2003Remko Leys Abstract Calcrete aquifers in arid inland Australia have recently been found to contain the world's most diverse assemblage of subterranean diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). In this study we test whether the adaptive shift hypothesis (ASH) or the climatic relict hypothesis (CRH) is the most likely mode of evolution for the Australian subterranean diving beetles by using a phylogeny based on two sequenced fragments of mitochondrial genes (CO1 and 16S-tRNA-ND1) and linearized using a relaxed molecular clock method. Most individual calcrete aquifers contain an assemblage of diving beetle species of distantly related lineages and/or a single pair of sister species that significantly differ in size and morphology. Evolutionary transitions from surface to subterranean life took place in a relatively small time frame between nine and four million years ago. Most of the variation in divergence times of the sympatric sister species is explained by the variation in latitude of the localities, which correlates with the onset of aridity from the north to the south and with an aridity maximum in the Early Pliocene (five mya). We conclude that individual calcrete aquifers were colonized by several distantly related diving beetle lineages. Several lines of evidence from molecular clock analyses support the CRH, indicating that all evolutionary transitions took place during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene as a result of aridification. [source] The ALLHAT Study Revisited: Do Newer Data From This Trial and Others Indicate Changes in Treatment Guidelines?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPERTENSION, Issue 5 2007Marvin Moser MD Following a hypertension symposium in Washington, DC, in November 2006, a panel was convened to discuss new data from the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) and to revisit the significance of this trial in the management of hypertension. Based on these data and information from other trials, the expert panel also addressed the questions, "Is it time for a new Joint National Committee report?" and "Should the 2003 hypertension treatment recommendations be updated or are they still valid?" The panel was moderated by Marvin Moser, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. On the panel were Suzanne Oparil, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and President of the American Society of Hypertension (ASH); William Cushman, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and attending physician at the Washington, DC, VA Medical Center; and Vasilios Papademetriou, MD, Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and attending physician at the Washington, DC, VA Medical Center. This expert panel discussion was supported by Pfizer Inc and each author received an honorarium from Pfizer Inc for time and effort spent participating in the discussion and reviewing the transcript for important intellectual content prior to publication. The authors maintained full control of the discussion and the resulting content of this article; Pfizer had no input in the choice of topic, speakers, or content. (Please note that Dr Oparil's comments herein do not represent the official opinion of ASH.) [source] Plasma and urine levels of urinary trypsin inhibitor in patients with acute and fulminant hepatitisJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 2 2002SHI DE LIN Abstract Background and Aim Urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI) is synthesized by hepatocytes and excreted into urine. Plasma and urine UTI levels have been measured to evaluate whether these levels may be useful markers in various pathological conditions. However, there has been no study on plasma and urine UTI levels in patients with acute liver diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate plasma and urine UTI levels and their relationship with the severity of hepatic damage in patients with acute liver diseases. Methods Plasma and urine UTI levels were measured by newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 15 patients with acute hepatitis (AH), 12 patients with acute severe hepatitis (ASH) and 10 patients with fulminant hepatitis (FH), as assessed on admission. The serial changes in plasma and urine UTI were also observed in some patients with AH and ASH. Results Plasma UTI levels (U/mL, median [25,75th percentile]) were: 11.0, (9.5,16.1) in patients with AH; 7.8 (5.6,11.5) in those with ASH; 6.5 (4.0,9.5) in patients with FH; and 9.7 (7.3,11.0) in normal controls. Plasma UTI levels in patients with FH were significantly lower than in those with AH. Plasma UTI levels showed significant positive correlations with the levels of prothrombin time (PT), hepaplastin test, antithrombin III, ,2-plasmin inhibitor, plasminogen (Plg) and fibrinogen. After the recovery of liver dysfunction, increased plasma UTI levels in patients with AH were decreased, whereas previously decreased plasma UTI levels in patients with ASH were increased. Urine UTI levels were significantly increased in patients with AH compared with those of normal controls. In patients with ASH and FH, urine UTI levels were increased but not significantly. Urine UTI levels significantly positively correlated with PT and Plg. After the recovery of liver dysfunction, previously increased urine UTI levels in patients with AH were decreased. The correlation between plasma UTI and urine UTI levels was not significant. Conclusions The findings of the present study suggested that the levels of plasma and urine UTI changed in patients with AH and were closely related to the abnormalities of coagulo-fibrinolysis, including PT. Further studies are needed to clarify whether these levels may be useful markers to predict the prognosis of acute hepatitis. [source] Nitric Oxide-Mediated Intestinal Injury Is Required for Alcohol-Induced Gut Leakiness and Liver DamageALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2009Yueming Tang Background:, Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) requires endotoxemia and is commonly associated with intestinal barrier leakiness. Using monolayers of intestinal epithelial cells as an in vitro barrier model, we showed that ethanol-induced intestinal barrier disruption is mediated by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) upregulation, nitric oxide (NO) overproduction, and oxidation/nitration of cytoskeletal proteins. We hypothesized that iNOS inhibitors [NG-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (l -NAME), l -N6 -(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (l -NIL)] in vivo will inhibit the above cascade and liver injury in an animal model of alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). Methods:, Male Sprague,Dawley rats were gavaged daily with alcohol (6 g/kg/d) or dextrose for 10 weeks ± l -NAME, l -NIL, or vehicle. Systemic and intestinal NO levels were measured by nitrites and nitrates in urine and tissue samples, oxidative damage to the intestinal mucosa by protein carbonyl and nitrotyrosine, intestinal permeability by urinary sugar tests, and liver injury by histological inflammation scores, liver fat, and myeloperoxidase activity. Results:, Alcohol caused tissue oxidation, gut leakiness, endotoxemia, and ASH. l -NIL and l -NAME, but not the d -enantiomers, attenuated all steps in the alcohol-induced cascade including NO overproduction, oxidative tissue damage, gut leakiness, endotoxemia, hepatic inflammation, and liver injury. Conclusions:, The mechanism we reported for alcohol-induced intestinal barrier disruption in vitro , NO overproduction, oxidative tissue damage, leaky gut, endotoxemia, and liver injury , appears to be relevant in vivo in an animal model of alcohol-induced liver injury. That iNOS inhibitors attenuated all steps of this cascade suggests that prevention of this cascade in alcoholics will protect the liver against the injurious effects of chronic alcohol and that iNOS may be a useful target for prevention of ALD. [source] Quantitative Lipid Metabolomic Changes in Alcoholic Micropigs With Fatty Liver DiseaseALCOHOLISM, Issue 4 2009Angela M. Zivkovic Background:, Chronic ethanol consumption coupled with folate deficiency leads to rapid liver fat accumulation and progression to alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). However, the specific effects of alcohol on key liver lipid metabolic pathways involved in fat accumulation are unknown. It is unclear whether lipid synthesis, lipid export, or a combination of both is contributing to hepatic steatosis in ASH. Methods:, In this study we estimated the flux of fatty acids (FA) through the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), phosphatidylethanolamine- N -methyltransferase (PEMT), and FA elongation pathways in relation to liver triacylglycerol (TG) content in Yucatan micropigs fed a 40% ethanol folate-deficient diet with or without supplementation with S -adenosyl methionine (SAM) compared with controls. Flux through the SCD and PEMT pathways was used to assess the contribution of lipid synthesis and lipid export respectively on the accumulation of fat in the liver. Liver FA composition within TG, cholesterol ester (CE), phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine classes was quantified by gas chromatography. Results:, Alcoholic pigs had increased liver TG content relative to controls, accompanied by increased flux through the SCD pathway as indicated by increases in the ratios of 16:1n7 to 16:0 and 18:1n9 to 18:0. Conversely, flux through the elongation and PEMT pathways was suppressed by alcohol, as indicated by multiple metabolite ratios. SAM supplementation attenuated the TG accumulation associated with alcohol. Conclusions:, These data provide an in vivo examination of liver lipid metabolic pathways confirming that both increased de novo lipogenesis (e.g., lipid synthesis) and altered phospholipid metabolism (e.g., lipid export) contribute to the excessive accumulation of lipids in liver affected by ASH. [source] Treatment of alcoholic liver diseaseLIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2007Christopher Paul Day Severe alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) is the major complication of advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and has a high mortality even when treated with corticosteroids. Despite the importance of reactive oxygen species in the pathophysiology of ALD and ASH, antioxidants provide no benefit in the treatment of patients with ASH. Proinflammatory cytokines are important in the pathophysiology of ALD and might mediate most of the inflammatory aspects of these disorders. New treatment modalities in ASH might involve antagonism of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by specific antibodies or other TNF-interfering treatment strategies. Propylthiouracil and S-adenosyl methionine may be beneficial to patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, but both require further randomized, controlled trials before their use can be recommended. Liver transplantation is an effective therapy for patients with advanced alcoholic cirrhosis who have not recovered after a period of abstinence. Liver Transpt 13: S69,S75. 2007. © 2007 AASLD. [source] Delayed Occurrence of Unheralded Phase IV Complete Heart Block After Ethanol Septal Ablation for Symmetric Hypertrophic Obstructive CardiomyopathyPACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006JOANNA J. WYKRZYKOWSKA Ethanol septal ablation has emerged as a less invasive alternative to surgical myomectomy for treatment of asymmetric hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (ASH). The procedure has very low mortality, but high-degree AV conduction block is a frequent complication. Prior studies have documented baseline left bundle branch block and high volume of ethanol injection (greater than 4 mL) as risk factors. Complete heart block is often preceded by postprocedure conduction abnormalities and generally develops within 48 hours after ethanol ablation. We present a unique case of a patient with symmetric hypertensive hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (SHOCM) who developed phase IV complete heart block >96 hours postprocedure without preceding conduction abnormalities or other classic risk factors.3 [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in acute leukemia,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Amber Fullmer First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in lymphoma,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Thomas M. Habermann First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in chronic myeloid leukemia,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2010Amber Fullmer First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in myeloproliferative neoplasms,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Ayalew Tefferi No abstract is available for this article. [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically-oriented abstracts in hematopoietic stem cell transplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010David L. Porter First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in myelodysplastic syndromes,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010David P. Steensma First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in coagulation medicine and platelet disorders,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Rajiv K. Pruthi No abstract is available for this article. [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in sickle cell disease,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Carlo Brugnara No abstract is available for this article. [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in chronic lymphocytic leukemia,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Susan O'Brien First page of article [source] ASH 2009 meeting report,Top 10 clinically oriented abstracts in multiple myeloma,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010Shaji Kumar First page of article [source] Identification of proteins to predict the molecular basis for the observed gender susceptibility in a rat model of alcoholic steatohepatitis by 2-D gel proteomicsPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 20 2008Atrayee Banerjee Abstract Females are reported to be highly susceptible to alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) compared to the males. Although a variety of mechanisms have been proposed to explain this higher sensitivity of females, the precise mechanism is not well understood. The objective of this study was to identify changes in global protein expression in liver tissues of male and female rats with pathologically evident ASH by 2-DE (dimensional electrophoresis). ASH was induced in the SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats by feeding ethanol (EtOH) containing Lieber-DeCarli diet for 6,wk followed by a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10,mg/kg, i.p.). Higher liver injury in females in the ASH group as compared to the males was confirmed by HE stained liver sections. As identified by 2-DE, 22 protein-spots were differentially expressed in the females in the ASH group as compared to the males. Following identification of these proteins by MALDI-MS, they were mainly categorized into metabolism and oxidative stress-related proteins. The expression pattern of a few of these oxidative stress-related proteins like Ferritin Heavy chain (Ferritin-H chain), ER stress protein 60 (ER 60) and Heat-shock protein-60 (HSP 60) were verified by Western blotting. To conclude, the current study has identified a set of proteins that highlights potential novel mechanisms associated with higher liver injury noted in the female rat ASH model. [source] Enhance Cyanide Recovery by UsingAir-Sparged HydrocycloneCHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 4 2003J.R. Parga Torres Abstract Human health and environmental concerns dictate that industrial processes be improved or replaced. Recovery or recycling is an important activity that allows cyanide residue from the industrial processes to be re-used, reducing its production cost and disposal problems. In this regard, the air-sparged hydrocyclone (ASH) has been used as a reactor for the treatment of cyanide solutions for cyanide recycling by acidification/volatilization using the Mexican modification of the Mills-Crowe process. Aqueous cyanide-ion concentration can be reduced from 250 ppm to below 20 ppm in the ASH with recoveries greater than 80 % in a single stage. [source] The Fate of Lead in MSWI-Fly Ash During Heat Treatment: An X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study,ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 6 2009Rudolf Paul Wilhelm Jozef Struis The study focuses on the potential of removing toxifying Pb from a certified, multi-element fly ash (BCR176) by thermal treatment between 300 and 950,°C under different carrier gas compositions (Ar or Ar,+,O2). The treatment was studied by in situ monitoring the evaporation rate of Pb, C, S, Na, and K during heating and by synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy of selected samples collected during vaporization at the Pb L3 -edge. [source] Combustion of a substitution fuel made of cardboard and polyethylene: influence of the mix characteristics,modelingFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 7 2008S. Salvador Abstract The model proposed in this paper describes the combustion of a porous medium subjected to a radiative heat flux at its surface. There is no forced convection of air through the medium; hence this situation corresponds to the one encountered at the surface of fuel elements such as pellets, bricks or ballots, inside a furnace or kiln. Ash is not removed from the surface. No assumption is made a priori in terms of the limiting phenomena. The medium is composed of cardboard and polyethylene (PE). Based on previous experimental work (Fuel 2004; 83:451,462), the material is assumed to be a macroscopically homogeneous porous medium. Local thermal equilibrium is also assumed. Most of the parameters required for the modeling were determined from specific experiments. Good predictions of the sample mass evolution and of the temperature levels inside the sample body were obtained for a large range of densities and PE content. A devolatilization front of about 20,mm first propagates inside the medium. The volatile matter flux is advected to the surface, which leads to the formation of the flame above the surface. Then a second char oxidation front propagates, starting from the surface. The front thickness is approximately 25,mm under the experimental conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Ontogenetically stable hydraulic design in woody plantsFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2006J. S. WEITZ Summary 1An important component of plant water transport is the design of the vascular network, including the size and shape of water-conducting elements or xylem conduits. 2For over 100 years, foresters and plant physiologists have recognized that these conduits are consistently smaller near branch tips compared with major branches and the main stem. Empirical data, however, have rarely been assembled to assess the whole-plant hydraulic architecture of woody plants as they age and grow. 3In this paper, we analyse vessels of Fraxinus americana (White Ash) within a single tree. Vessels are measured from cross-sections that span 12 m in height and 18 years' growth. 4We show that vessel radii are determined by distance from the top of the tree, as well as by stem size, independently of tree height or age. 5The qualitative form for the scaling of vessel radii agrees remarkably well with simple power laws, suggesting the existence of an ontogenetically stable hydraulic design that scales in the same manner as a tree grows in height and diameter. 6We discuss the implications of the present findings for optimal theories of hydraulic design. [source] Effect of king palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) flour incorporation on physicochemical and textural characteristics of gluten-free cookiesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Karina N. De Simas Summary The replacement of the blend of rice flour (70%) and corn starch (30%) with king palm flour [Archontophoenix alexandrae (F. Muell.) H. Wendl. and Drude] at levels of 0,30% was investigated for its effects on the chemical and physical characteristics of gluten-free dough and cookies. Cookies containing 10, 20 and 30% of king palm flour were analysed by twenty-one celiac consumers through preference-ranking test. Ash, minerals, and dietary fibre contents increased in cookies that were added with king palm flour. Compared with the control dough, the incorporation of king palm flour increased the firmness and decreased the adhesiveness of dough samples. The incorporation of king palm flour increased the hardness of cookies in relation to the control dough. None of the cookies differed significantly (P > 0.05) in the lightness (L*) parameter. All formulations produced cookies with hue angles around 60, which indicate a tendency to brown colour. The study reveals that the incorporation of king palm flour showed desirable results in nutritional characteristics, because of the increase of the dietary fibre and minerals contents. In this study, the cookies preferred by celiac consumers were those containing 10 and 20% of king palm flour (P > 0.05). [source] CHEMICAL PROPERTIES of PROCESSED RAS CHEESE SPREADS AS AFFECTED BY EMULSIFYING SALT MIXTURES,JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION, Issue 3 2000LAILA B. ABDEL-HAMID Processed cheese spreads were produced using Ras cheese and various emulsifying salt mixtures. Acidified Ras cheese (2 month old) was used as the cheese base with salt mixtures (1) Na-pyrophosphate + Na-polyphosphate, (2) Na-pyrophosphate + Na-polyphosphate + Na-tripolyphosphate, and (3) Na-pyrophosphate + Na-polyphosphate + Na-orthophosphate + Na-tripolyphosphate. For comparison, cheese spreads were also made with commercial emulsifying salts JOHA S10, S9 special, and NO. Total and soluble nitrogen (SN), peptization, ash, mineral, pH value, and potentiometric acid-base titration for the processed cheese were studied. Ash, sodium and potassium contents showed a significant difference among the treatments. the pH values tended to decrease with increasing polyphosphate ratio in the salt mixture and with prolonging the storage period. the SN increased with increasing the pyrophosphate percent in the salt mixture and with higher pH value. the buffering capacity of cheese made of salt mixtures difsered from those made of the commercial mixtures, and it was correlated to the individual salts used in the mixture. The mixtures of (1) 70+30%, (2) 60+30+10% and (3) 50+20+20+10% can be recommended for producing the spreadable processed Ras cheese with acceptable chemical properties. [source] Widespread dispersal of Icelandic tephra: how does the Eyjafjöll eruption of 2010 compare to past Icelandic events?,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Siwan M. Davies Abstract The Eyjafjöll AD 2010 eruption is an extraordinary event in that it led to widespread and unprecedented disruption to air travel over Europe , a region generally considered to be free from the hazards associated with volcanic eruptions. Following the onset of the eruption, satellite imagery demonstrated the rapid transportation of ash by westerly winds over mainland Europe, eventually expanding to large swathes of the North Atlantic Ocean and the eastern seaboard of Canada. This small-to-intermediate size eruption and the dispersal pattern observed are not particularly unusual for Icelandic eruptions within a longer-term perspective. Indeed, the Eyjafjöll eruption is a relatively modest eruption in comparison to some of the 20 most voluminous eruptions that have deposited cryptotephra in sedimentary archives in mainland Europe, such as the mid Younger Dryas Vedde Ash and the mid Holocene Hekla 4 tephra. The 2010 eruption, however, highlights the critical role that weather patterns play in the distribution of a relatively small amount of ash and also highlights the spatially complex dispersal trajectories of tephra in the atmosphere. Whether or not the preservation of the Eyjafjöll 2010 tephra in European proxy archives will correspond to the extensive distributions mapped in the atmosphere remains to be seen. The Eyjafjöll 2010 event highlights our increased vulnerability to natural hazards rather than the unparalleled explosivity of the event. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Volcanic ash layers from the Last Glacial Termination in the NGRIP ice core,JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2005Anette K. Mortensen Abstract The tephrochronological record of the 1400,1640,m depth (,10,000,16,000 calendar ice core years before present) of the NGRIP ice core has been established by particle screening of selected samples. Ash was identified in 20 samples. Correlation with ice, marine and terrestrial records from volcanic source regions in the northern hemisphere positively identifies the Saksunarvatn Ash and the Vedde Ash (Ash Zone 1). Major element chemistry of the remaining identified ash layers mainly points towards an Icelandic origin. This tephrochronological record provides new important marker horizons for correlating the timing of the climatic changes associated with the Last Glacial Termination within the North Atlantic region, as well as outlining more details concerning the frequency and composition of volcanic eruptions occurring at this deglaciation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Calendar year age estimates of Allerød,Younger Dryas sea-level oscillations at Os, western NorwayJOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2004Øystein S. Lohne Abstract A detailed shoreline displacement curve documents the Younger Dryas transgression in western Norway. The relative sea-level rise was more than 9,m in an area which subsequently experienced an emergence of almost 60,m. The sea-level curve is based on the stratigraphy of six isolation basins with bedrock thresholds. Effort has been made to establish an accurate chronology using a calendar year time-scale by 14C wiggle matching and the use of time synchronic markers (the Vedde Ash Bed and the post-glacial rise in Betula (birch) pollen). The sea-level curve demonstrates that the Younger Dryas transgression started close to the Allerød,Younger Dryas transition and that the high stand was reached only 200,yr before the Younger Dryas,Holocene boundary. The sea level remained at the high stand for about 300,yr and 100,yr into Holocene it started to fall rapidly. The peak of the Younger Dryas transgression occurred simultaneously with the maximum extent of the ice-sheet readvance in the area. Our results support earlier geophysical modelling concluding a causal relationship between the Younger Dryas glacier advance and Younger Dryas transgression in western Norway. We argue that the sea-level curve indicates that the Younger Dryas glacial advance started in the late Allerød or close to the Allerød,Younger Dryas transition. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Natural revegetation of coal fly ash in a highly saline disposal lagoon in Hong KongAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2008L.M. Chu Abstract. Question: What is the relationship of the naturally colonizing vegetation and substrate characteristics in fly ash lagoons? Location: West lagoon, Deep Bay, a 13-ha coastal lagoon in Hong Kong in subtropical Southeast Asia. Methods: Vegetation establishment was examined in a coal fly ash lagoon two years after its abandonment to investigate the distribution of vegetation in relationship to the chemical properties of the fly ash in the lagoon. A greenhouse experiment assessed the limits imposed on plant growth in fly ash. Results: The fly ash was saline, slightly alkaline and very poor in organic matter and nitrogen. Ash from bare and vegetated areas differed significantly in their salinity and extractable concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and various metals. Bare ash had a significantly higher conductivity and extractable sodium, aluminum, manganese, potassium, and lead. In total 11 plant species that belonged to seven families were found growing on the fly ash; all species except the shrub Tamarix chinensis were herbaceous. Using discriminant analysis, the most important factors in distinguishing bare and vegetated ashes were conductivity and sodium. Cluster analysis of bare samples gave two distinct groups, one from the periphery of the lagoon, which had lower sodium, conductivity, organic carbon, potassium and copper, and the other from a second group that contained ashes from the central region of the lagoon. Results of the greenhouse experiment showed that the inhibition of plant growth was significantly correlated with the presence of soluble toxic elements in ash. Conclusion: Toxicity and salinity seem to be the major limiting factors to plant establishment in fly ash, and these factors must be ameliorated for the successful reclamation of these fly ash lagoons. [source] A scientific study of Choson white ware: early porcelain from a royal kiln at Kwangju UsanniARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2002C. K. Koh Choo Scientific study of kiln site no. 9 at Usanni, one of the earliest royal Kwangju kiln complexes in operation (from the early 15th to the early 16th century), shows that the technological expertise used to produce white ware was inherited from the celadon technology of the Koryo dynasty. The body material, of low Al2O3 and high SiO2 content, is based on porcelain stone. Such a material, with almost no titanium and a low level of iron, was a rediscovery of the white ware material used earlier at the Sori kiln from the 9th century through to the 11th century. Ash continued to be one of the major ingredients of the glaze, and wares were fired in much the same way as the Koryo celadon, in kilns constructed of mud and rocks and in two steps. The Confucian philosophy and aesthetic of frugality and simplicity adopted from the Ming dynasty onwards by the new government acted as the catalyst for the successful ascent of the new technology. [source] Detection of Lateglacial distal tephra layers in the NetherlandsBOREAS, Issue 2 2005SIWAN M. DAVIES Davies, S. M., Hoek, W. Z., Bohncke, S. J. P., Lowe, J. J., Pyne O'Donnell, S. & Turney, C. S. M. 2005 (May): Detection of Lateglacial distal tephra layers in the Netherlands. Boreas, Vol. 34, pp. 123,135. Oslo. ISSN 0300,9483. Three distal tephra layers or cryptotephras have been detected within a sedimentary sequence from the Netherlands that spans the last glacial-interglacial transition. Geochemical analyses identify one as the Vedde Ash, which represents the southernmost discovery of this mid-Younger Dryas tephra so far. This tephra was found as a distinct horizon in three different cores sampled within the basin. The remaining two tephras have not been geochemically ,fingerprinted', partly due to low concentrations and uneven distributions of shards within the sequences sampled. Nevertheless, there is the potential for tracing these tephra layers throughout the Netherlands and into other parts of continental Europe. Accordingly, the possibilities for precise correlation of Dutch palaeoenvironmental records with other continental, marine and ice-core records from the North Atlantic region are highlighted. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||