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.     

Dynamic analysis of preferential orientation of arasonite crystals in nacre from mollusk shell

Based on the scanning electron microscope （SEM） observations, it is confirmed that the nacre is composed of aragonite crystals and organic matrix with interlaced arrangement, showing ordered ＂brick-mortar＂ structure. The dynamic analysis of preferential orientation of aragonite crystals in the nacre from the abalone （Haliotis diverscolor supertexta） with different shell ages is systematically investigated using X-ray diffraction （XRD） and high resolution transmission electron microscope （HRTEM）. Experiments reveal that, in the nacre from the juvenile mollusk shell, there exist three kinds of orientations of aragonite crystals： （113）, （002） and （012）. However, along with the growing of the mollusk shell, the intensity of （012） and （113） becomes weak, and the （002） becomes the preferred crystal orientation of aragonite in the nacre from the adult mollusk shell, which means that the c axis of aragonite crystals is perpendicular to the nacreous layers. The results obtained show that the nacre possesses a highly ordered structure at the micrometer/nanometer mulUscale levels.     

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers and paleoenvironmental reconstruction in Zoigê peat sediments during the last 150 years

Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) were analyzed in peat samples taken from the Zoigê grassland, located on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and pH in the 210 Pb-dating peat core were reconstructed based on the cyclization of branched tetraethers (CBT) and methylation of branched tetraethers (MBT) indices for the last 150 years. The results showed that the MAAT and pH values involved three stages of variation over the last 150 year...     

Molecular basis and genetic improvement of economically important traits in aquaculture animals

Aquaculture has been believed to be a major Chinese contribution to the world. In recent 20 years, genome and other genetic technologies have promoted significant advances in basic studies on molecular basis and genetic improvement of aquaculture animals, and complete genomes of some main aquaculture animals have been sequenced or announced to be sequenced since the beginning of this century. Here, we review some significant breakthrough progress of aquaculture genetic improvement technologies including genome technologies, somatic cell nuclear transfer and stem cell technologies, outline the molecular basis of several economically important traits including reproduction, sex, growth, disease resistance, cold tolerance and hypoxia tolerance, and present a series of candidate trait-related genes. Finally, some application cases of genetic improvement are introduced in aquaculture animals, especially in China, and several development trends are highlighted in the near future.     

西瓜绿豆汁复合饮料的加工工艺

以绿豆、西瓜为主要原料研制复合饮料,对其加工工艺及参数进行深入的探讨.试验中对浸泡,脱腥,调配等工序进行了重点研究。     

焦化废水处理过程中溴代二噁英类化合物的去除途径和生成机理

用同位素稀释法-气相色谱/高分辨质谱测定了焦化废水处理过程中废水和污泥中的多溴代二苯并-对-二噁英和多溴代二苯并呋喃(简称溴代二噁英, PBDD/Fs)的浓度, 并对其进行了质量平衡计算. 结果表明, 原水、出水、外排泥中8种2,3,7,8-PBDD/Fs的总量分别为1.94 pg/L, 0.28 pg/L和2.24 pg/g dw, 对应的毒性当量浓度分别为0.77 pg I-TEQ/L, 0.14 pg I-TEQ/L和0.46 pg I-TEQ/g dw. 采用两级高效厌氧生物流化床和内循环好氧生物三相流化床组成的A/O₁/H/O₂工艺能较好地去除2,3,7,8-PBDD/Fs, 各组分的去除率介于75%~100%. 去除的主要途径是吸附、沉淀到污泥中和除油池去除, 2,3,7,8-PBDD/Fs总量的去除率分别是59%和39%. 首次发现焦化废水处理过程的生物系统生成了一些2,3,7,8-PBDD/F单体, 其主要组分为1,2,3,4,7,8/1,2,3,6,7,8-HxBDD.     

Biosensors based on acetylcholinesterase immobilized on mesoporous silica thin films

Using tetraethoxysilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the silica sources, amino-functionalized mesoporous silica thin films with 3-dimensional cubic structure have been deposited on conducting ITO substrate in the presence of surfactant F127 templates under acid conditions. The acetylcholinesterase （AchE） and cytochrome c （Cyt c） were incorporated into the pores of mesoporous thin films, and an amperometric biosensor was obtained. After adsorption of AchE and Cyt c, the ordered cubic structure of mesoporous silica and the bioactivities and electrochemical activities of the immobilized protein and enzyme molecules were retained. The sensor properties of the biosensor were investigated by using acetylthiocholine iodide as the substrate and Cyt c as the electron transfer mediator. The inhibition versus the logarithm of concentration was found to be linear to organophosphorus pesticide dichlorvos over the concentration ranges of 1.0×10-8 mol/L to 1.0×10-3 mol/L with the detection limit of 3.1×10^-9 mol/L.     

Roles of a sustained activation of NCED3 and the synergistic regulation of ABA biosynthesis and catabolism in ABA signal production in Arabidopsis

ABA, acting as a stress signal, plays crucial roles in plant resistance to water stress. Because ABA signal production is based on ABA biosynthesis, the regulation of NCED, a key enzyme in the ABA biosynthesis pathway, is normally thought of as the sole factor controlling ABA signal production. Here we demonstrate that ABA catabolism in combination with a synergistic regulation of ABA biosynthesis plays a crucial role in governing ABA signal production. Water stress induced a significant accumulation of ABA, which exhibited different patterns in detached and attached leaves. ABA catabolism followed a temporal trend of exponential decay for both basic and stress ABA, and there was little difference in the catabolic half-lives of basic ABA and stress ABA. Thus, the absolute rate of ABA catabolism, i.e. the amount of ABA catabolized per unit time, increases with increased ABA accumulation. From the dynamic processes of ABA biosynthesis and catabolism, it can be inferred that stress ABA accumulation may be governed by a synergistic regulation of all the steps in the ABA biosynthesis pathway. Moreover, to maintain an elevated level of stress ABA sustained activation of NCED3 should be required. This inference was supported by further findings that the genes encoding major enzymes in the ABA biosynthesis pathway, e.g. NCED3, AAO3 and ABA3 were all activated by water stress, and with ABA accumulation progressing, the expressions of NCED3, AAO3 and ABA3 remained activated. Data on ABA catabolism and gene expression jointly indicate that ABA signal production is controlled by a sustained activation of NCED3 and the synergistic regulation of ABA biosynthesis and catabolism.