Clay minerals in surface sediments of the Pearl River drainage basin and their contribution to the South China Sea

Clay minerals have played a significant role in the study of the East Asian monsoon evolution in the South China Sea by being able to track oceanic current variations and to reveal contemporaneous paleoclimaUc changes prevailing in continental source areas. As one of the most important rivers inputting terrigenous matters to the northern South China Sea, the Pearl River was not previously paid attention to from the viewpoint of clay mineralogy. This paper presents a detailed study on clay minerals in surface sediments collected from the Pearl River drainage basin （including all three main channels, various branches, and the Lingdingyang in the estuary） by using the X-ray diffraction （XRD） method. The results indicate that the clay mineral assemblage consists dominantly of kaolinite （35%-65%）, lesser abundance of chlorite （20%-35%） and illite （12%-42%）, and very scare smectite occurrences （generally 〈5%）. Their respective distribution does not present any obvious difference throughout the Pearl River drainage basin. However, downstream the Pearl River to the northern South China Sea, the clay mineral assemblage varies significantly： kaolinite decreases gradually, smecUte and illite increase gradually. Additionally, illite chemistry index steps down and illite crystallinity steps up. These variations indicate the contribution of major kaolinite, lesser illite and chlorite, and very scarce smecUte to the northern South China Sea from the Pearl River drainage basin. The maximum contribution of clay minerals from the Pearl River is 72% to the northern margin and only 15% to the northern slope of the South China Sea. In both glacials and interglacials, kaolinite indicates that the ability of mechanical erosion occurred in the Pearl River drainage basin.     

Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages of the “Xinghuadukou Group” in Hanjiayuanzi and Xinlin areas and the “Zhalantun Group” in Inner Mongolia, Da Hinggan Mountains

A report is presented of SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating data of meta-igneous and meta-sedimentary rocks of the Xinghuadukou Group(Xinlin-Hanjiayuanzi area,Heilongjiang Province)and meta-volcanic rocks of the Zhalantun Group(Zhalantun district,Inner Mongolia).The SHRIMP analyses show that the meta-igneous rocks from the Xinghuadukou Group formed at 506±10―547±46 Ma,belonging to Early-Middle Precambrian,whereas the meta-sedimentary rocks yielded detrital zircons,with ages of 1.0―1.2,1.6―1.8 and 2.5―2.6 Ga,indicative of deposition age at least<1.0 Ga. Meta-basic volcanic rocks from the Zhalantun Group have a formation age of 506±3 Ma.These data suggest that both the Xinghuadukou and Zhalantun Groups formed during Cambrian and/or Neoproterozoic time,rather than Paleoproterozoic time as previously thought.Early Precambrian inherited zircons in the meta-igneous rocks and numerous Precambrian detrital zircons in the meta-sedimentary rocks imply that these rocks were formed proximal to older crust.It is inferred that the Xinghuadukou and Zhalantun Groups represent Cambrian and/or Neoproterozoic vol- cano-sedimentary sequences formed in an active continental margin setting.     

2,3-Dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase gene was first discovered in Arthrobacter sp. strain PJ3

Bacterium strain PJ3,isolated from wastewater and identified as Arthrobacter sp. bacterium based on its 16S rDNA gene,could use carbazole as the sole carbon,nitrogen and energy source. The genomic library of strain PJ3 was constructed and a positive clone JM109(pUCW402) was screened out for the expression of dioxygenase by the ability to form yellow ring-fission product. A 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase(23DHBD) gene of 933 bp was found in the 3360 bp exogenous fragment of pUCW402 by GenSCAN software and BLAST analysis. The phylogenetic analysis showed that 23DHBD from strain PJ3 formed a deep branch separate from a cluster containing most known 23DHBD in GenBank. Southern hybridization confirmed for the first time that the 23DHBD gene was from the genomic DNA of Arthrobacter sp. PJ3. In order to test the gene function,recombinant bacterium BL21(pETW-8) was constructed to express 23DHBD. The expression level in BL21(pETW-8) was highest compared with the recombinant bacteria JM109(pUCW402) and strain PJ3. We observed that 23DHBD was not absolute specific. The enzyme activity was higher with 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl as a substrate than with catechol. The substrate specificity assay suggested that 23DHBD was essential for cleavage of bi-cyclic aromatic compounds during the course of aromatic compound biodegradation in Arthrobacter sp. strain PJ3.     

Estimation and prediction of black carbon emissions in Beijing City

Black carbon is a by-product of incomplete combustion of carbon containing fuels. It can alter atmospheric radiation property and make adverse impacts on human health. The energy consumption in Beijing City depends largely on coal burning. Recently, Beijing City has been performing the municipal energy structure adjustment as a tool for air pollution abatement, aiming at the air quality goal for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Based on Beijing energy use data in 2000, combined with emission factors of major sources of black carbon, the emission of black carbon in Beijing City is estimated to be 7.77 Gg. Coke, raw coal and biomass as non-commercial energy are the main contributors to municipal black carbon emissions. Based on Beijing energy planning in the year 2008, the emission of black carbon in 2008 will be 2.97 Gg if the contribution from biomass is not taken into account. Assuming that the black carbon emission from rural biomass in 2008 is the same as that in 2004, the biomass burning will be the largest emitter of black carbon to Beijing City in 2008.     

Experimental study on CO2/CO of typical lining materials in full-scale fire test

Lining materials are widely used in buildings to cover walls and ceilings. Combustible linings may produce a potential high fire hazard in buildings. Once ignited, it propagates fire and accelerates the enclosure fire growth. Two types of lining materials were studied during the tests： block board and plywood. The test was conducted in an ISO 9705 room, where linings were mounted on walls without the ceiling. By changing the heat output of the burner, the ventilation, etc., the concentrations of CO2/CO of different lining materials were researched. The effect of test conditions on the production of CO2/CO of different lining materials was investigated, and useful experimental data were provided for the further development of numerical modeling to simulate enclosure fire growth lined with combustible materials.     

The experimental study of interaction between shock wave and turbulence

The interaction between shock wave and turbulence has been studied in supersonic turbulent mix layer wind tunnel. The interaction between oblique shock wave and turbulent boundary layer and the influence of large vortex in mix layer on oblique shock wave have been observed by NPLS technique. From NPLS image, not only complex flow structure is observed but also time-dependent supersonic flow visualization is realized. The mechanism of interaction between shock wave and turbulence is discussed based on high quality NPLS image.     

Micelles-template induced organic nanocrystals based on iodo…nitro interactions

The nanocrystals based on a polar organic compound INBP （4-iodo-4＇-nitrobiphenyl） have been fabricated by reprecipitation approach. For the formation of INBP based nanocrystals, the intermolecular iodo…nitro interaction is the dominant driving force and the micelles formed by the surfactant CTAB （cetyltrimethylammonium bromide） molecules are the efficient templates for controlling morphologies of nanocrystals. The field emission scanning electro microscope （FESEM） images demonstrated that prism-like and needle-like nanocrystals of INBP were formed in pure water and micell containing aqueous solution, respectively. XRD pattern and UV/vis absorption spectra were employed to characterize the nanocrystals.     

Study on peptide-peptide interaction using high-performance affinity chromatography and quartz crystal microbalance biosensor

The specific interaction between sense and antisense peptides was studied by high-performance affinity chromatography （HPAC） and quartz crystal microbalance （QCM） biosensor. Fragment 1-14 of human interferon-β （hlFN-βwas chosen as sense peptide and its three antisense peptides （AS-IFN 1, AS-IFN 2, and AS-IFN 3） were designed according to the degeneracy of genetic codes. The affinity column was prepared with sense peptide as ligand and the affinity chromatographic behavior was evaluated. Glu-substituted antisense peptide （AS-IFN 3） showed the strongest binding to immobilized sense peptide at pH 7.5. A quartz crystal microbalance-flow injection analysis （QCM-FIA） system was introduced to investigate the recognition process in real-time. The equilibrium dissociation constants between sense peptide and AS-IFN 1, AS-IFN 2 and AS-IFN 3 measured 2.08×10^-4, 1.31×10^-4 and 2.22×10^-5 mol/L, respectively. The mechanism study indicated that the specific recognition between sense peptide and AS-IFN 3 was due to sequence-dependent and multi-modal affinity interaction.     

Concentration level and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil and grass around Mt. Qomolangma, China

High mountains may serve as a condenser for persistent organic pollutants. In the present study, soil and grass samples from Mt. Qomolangma region, China were collected from 4600 to 5620 m a.s.I and were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） to determine if they are concentrated at colder, more elevated sites and to evaluate their possible resources and fractionation. The total PAHs concentration in soil samples was 〈 600 ng g^-1, the critical value to differentiate PAHs levels in remote and urban regions. This implied the PAHs levels at Mt. Qomolangma are relatively low and what one might expect in such a remote region of the world. These low values may represent a soil background for mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere soils away from the direct influence of an anthropogenic source. As for the distribution pattern, the low molecular weight PAHs were prone to accumulate at higher altitude, while the high molecular weight PAHs inversely related or unrelated with elevation. Based on high concentration of phenanthrene at elevated sample site and the ratios of individual PAHs, we deduced that home-heating combustion and vehicle emission may result in the constitution trait of PAHs in this mountain region. Monsoon traveling over India, Pakistan and other countries with dense population may carry contaminant to Mt. Qomolangma region.