Geochronology of source materials from high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in Jurassic sedimentary rocks of Hefei Basin

Eclogite cobbles were discovered by Wang et al. (2001) in the Fenghuangtai Formation of the northern margin of Dabie Mountains in the Dushan area of Anhui Province, China[1]. They proposed that after the formation during the Triassic, the high-pressure (HP) and ultra-high-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks reached the sur-face through exhumation and uplifting before the late Ju-rassic. However, they have not provided any evidence about isotopic ages. One kind of cobbles of HP-UHP rocks w…     

Computer simulation of flow fields for quenching medium

Using finite element method (FEM), the complex flow fields of quenching medium in a quenching tank are calculated for the cases with and without a work-piece in it. The influence of the flow homogenization device on the flow fields is studied. The computer simulation results are in consistency with the actual measurement results. According to the simulated results, the structure of the quenching tank and the flow homogenization device are optimized and more uniform flow fields are obtained.     

2D self-assembling of 4, 5-didodecylthiolphthalonitrile on graphite surface

An important precursor 4,5-didodecylthiolphthalonitrile (DCP) for synthesis of phthalocyanines (Pcs) and subphthalocyanines (SubPcs) was synthesized and the assembling structure of this molecule on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface was characterized using the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in ambient conditions. In high-resolution images of the molecules, we found that the arrangement of the cyano groups forms a “head-to-head” configuration to keep the stability of the entire system. The mismatch of the DCP molecules with the substrate lattice has also been observed in the experiment.     

Assignment of Soret MLCT band of reduced form of copper binuclear cluster in cytochrome c oxidase film

Low concentration of dithionite results in the reduction of Cu-Cn binuclear and heine a active sites of the cytochrome c oxidase thin solid film immersed in the acidic phosphate buffer, but Fe-Cu binuclear center keeps in the oxidation state. It manifests as a negative peak at 426 nm and a positive one at -408 nln in the difference spectra induced by dithionite. The former implies decrease of the oxidized form of heme a center, that is, Fea^3 →Fea^2 . And the latter results from the contribution of metal-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition in the reduced binuclear Cu-Cu cluster, rather than from that of heine a center. This stronger Soret MLCT band must be helpful to overcoming the difficulty in distinguishing the weaker copper sign from the stronger one of iron when studying copper-iron protein.     

Expression of recombinant human lysozyme in the milk of transgenic mice

Human lysozyme is a 130-aa (amino acid) alkaline polypeptide, and has both anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties which make it an important component of human natural immunity system. As a first step toward the ultimate goal of improving the anti-bacterial properties of bovine and ovine milk, a transgenic mouse that contains the genomic DNA sequence of the human lysozme gene has been generated for the first time. From 83 mice generated by microinjection, a total of 6 positive transgenic mice were identified by PCR and Southern blot. F1 mice positive for transgene in lines were also detected by PCR. This shows that transgene could be transmitted from founder transgenic mice to their offspring. Recombinant human lysozyme (rHlys) was found in the whey of 3 female positive transgenic mice by Western blot. The highest concentration of rHlys for transgenic mice was 0.2mg/mL. The antibacterial activity of the whey for transgenic mice was highly enhanced up to 0.4 times as much as that of human, while that of non-transgenic mouse was very low. Although the lysozyme activity of transgenic mice is still lower than that of human, the rHlys exhibits the same specific activity as that of human lysozyme. It provides a strong basis for further studies into the possible application of rHlys express in mammary gland.     

Regional patterns of particulate spectral absorption in the Pearl River estuary

Knowledge about the spectral absorption properties of marine particulate matters is of important signification for various goals of optical oceanography, among them the most concerns are the bio-optical algorithms for ocean color remote sensing[1], basic theory of light radiative transfer in water column[2], bio-optical models for estima-tion of primary productivity and simulation of the upper ocean ecological process[3,4]. The spectral absorption by marine particulate matter is combined influe…     

Change in the sedimentary environment of Wanquan River Estuary,Hainan Island,China

Pb geochronology and sediment core profiles of organic carbon, total sulfur and organic carbon isotope (d 13C) values were used to reconstruct the local environ-mental history of the Shamei Lagoon, located in the Wan-quan River Estuary, eastern Hainan Island, China. Totalsulfur and d 13C values decreased upwards in the top 30 cm of a sediment core that spanned the last 200 years of deposi-tion. Total sulfur concentration and d 13C values respectively decreased upward from 1.92% to 0.36%, and -20.63?to -23.64? The C/S ratio in the 19th century and earlier was relatively stable in the range of 0.47—0.80, and there was a positive correlation between organic carbon and total sulfur. Since around 1900 AD, the C/S ratio increased rapidly to a maximum of 3.94, but no simple correlation was found be-tween organic carbon and total sulfur during this more re-cent period. These results indicated that before 1800 AD, the lagoon had a fully marine character, and the location of to-day抯 Wanquan River Estuary was an open embayment.From 1800 to 1900, the salinity of Shamei Lagoon decreased noticeably. The amount of seawater which could enter thelagoon decreased gradually as the Yudai spit grew. Today,seawater scarcely affects the lagoon; it is essentially a fresh-water basin.     

Thermodynamic evolution of lithosphere of the North China craton： Records from lower crust and upper mantle xenoliths from Hannuoba

Lithospheric thinning in East China attracts much attention of geologists. In many cases where a lithospheric thinning is inferred, the trigger for instability is a preced-ing episode of crustal thickening by the continental colli-sion[1]. Lithospheric processes (e.g. lithospheric thinning) could be recorded by the thermal history of the lower crustal and upper mantle xenoliths. Xu et al.[2] suggested that the cooling (from >1200 to 850℃) recorded by spinel harzburgite from Northeast China …     

Climate indexes of phytoliths from Homo erectus'''' cave deposits in Nanjing

Many related papers have been published since the first report on the discovery of Nanjing hominid crania by Mu et al.[1]. Mu et al.[1], Xu et al.[2—4], the Tangshan Ar-chaeological Team[5] and Dong[6] have successively stud-ied the Nanjing Homo erectus?symbiotic faunas. Mu et al. and Xu et al. considered that the nature of the fauna in the Tangshan area belongs to the Oriental Realm,and this region was usually occupied by Ailuropoda-Tapirus fauna in the Pleistocene. However, the typica…     

Degradation of pyrene and characterization of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccharothrix</Emphasis> sp. PYX-6 from the oligotrophic Tianchi Lake in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,China

Bacterial strain PYX-6 that utilizes anthracene,phenanthrene, or pyrene for carbon and energy sources for growth was isolated from a non-polluted lake (Tianchi Lake) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. Its morphology, physiological and biochemical properties, cell wall pattern and G C mol% content of DNA molecules were characterized. The 16S rRNA gene of strain PYX-6 was sequenced and analyzed for similarities to related bacterial species. Results indicated that strain PYX-6 is a member of the Genus Saccharothrix, and the strain was named Saccha-rothrix sp. PYX-6. When pyrene was the sole carbon source in cultural medium, the strain PYX-6 assimilated pyrene for growth and 0.005% of yeast extract stimulated pyrene degradation and assimilation. The optimal pH of cultural medium and the optimal shaking frequency during cultivation were 6-8 and 200 r/m, respectively. It was found that the disappearance of pyrene in medium occurred before significant growth of strain PYX-6 took place. Phthalic acid, benzylacetic acid, and benzylpropenoic acid were detected as catabolic intermediates during pyrene degradation with mass spectroscopy and this result indicated that Saccharothrix sp.PYX-6 adopted a pathway that is different from the pathway of the previously reported pyrene-degrading Mycobacterium sp. PYR-1.