Extreme collisions between planetesimals as the origin of warm dust around a Sun-like star

The slow but persistent collisions between asteroids in our Solar System generate a tenuous cloud of dust known as the zodiacal light (because of the light the dust reflects). In the young Solar System, such collisions were more common and the dust production rate should have been many times larger. Yet copious dust in the zodiacal region around stars much younger than the Sun has rarely been found. Dust is known to orbit around several hundred main-sequence stars, but this dust is cold and comes from a Kuiper-belt analogous region out beyond the orbit of Neptune. Despite many searches, only a few main-sequence stars reveal warm (> 120 K) dust analogous to zodiacal dust near the Earth. Signs of planet formation (in the form of collisions between bodies) in the regions of stars corresponding to the orbits of the terrestrial planets in our Solar System have therefore been elusive. Here we report an exceptionally large amount of warm, small, silicate dust particles around the solar-type star BD+20,307 (HIP 8920, SAO 75016). The composition and quantity of dust could be explained by recent frequent or huge collisions between asteroids or other 'planetesimals' whose orbits are being perturbed by a nearby planet.     

Strategies for 4-D regional modeling of water vapour using GPS

Global Positioning System (GPS) signals experience ranging errors due to propagation through the neutral atmosphere. These range delays consist of a hydrostatic component, dependent on air pressure and temperature, and a wet delay dependent on water vapour pressure and temperature.Range delays arising from the hydrostatic component can be computed with accuracies of a few millimeters using existing models, provided that surface barometric or meteorological data are available. By using a regional network of GPS reference stations, it is possible to recover estimates of the Slant Wet Delay to all satellites in view. Observations of the Slant Wet Delay (SWD) can be used to model the vertical and horizontal structure of water vapour over a local area. These techniques are based on a tomographic approach using the SWD as input observables, where 4-D models of the wet refractivity may be derived. This method allows improved resolution of water vapour estimates for precise positioning applications and assimilation into Numerical Weather Predictions (NWP). In this paper we present strategies for real-time modeling of wet refractivity, with simulations and preliminary results of data processing for a regional GPS network in Southern California.     

Discovery of seep carbonate nodules as new evidence for gas venting on the northern continental slope of South China Sea

The geotectonic evolution of the northern South China Sea (SCS) is controlled by the Eurasian, the Pa-cific and the Indian-Australian Plates. With regard to its tectonic evolution, the northern margin composed of faulted terraces and basins and deposited …     

fMRI evidence for objects as the units of attentional selection.

Contrasting theories of visual attention emphasize selection by spatial location, visual features (such as motion or colour) or whole objects. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to test key predictions of the object-based theory, which proposes that pre-attentive mechanisms segment the visual array into discrete objects, groups, or surfaces, which serve as targets for visual attention. Subjects viewed stimuli consisting of a face transparently superimposed on a house, with one moving and the other stationary. In different conditions, subjects attended to the face, the house or the motion. The magnetic resonance signal from each subject's fusiform face area, parahippocampal place area and area MT/MST provided a measure of the processing of faces, houses and visual motion, respectively. Although all three attributes occupied the same location, attending to one attribute of an object (such as the motion of a moving face) enhanced the neural representation not only of that attribute but also of the other attribute of the same object (for example, the face), compared with attributes of the other object (for example, the house). These results cannot be explained by models in which attention selects locations or features, and provide physiological evidence that whole objects are selected even when only one visual attribute is relevant.     

Discovery of the highly depleted N-MORB-type volcanic rocks: new evidence for the Mianlue paleo-ocean

The highly depleted N-MORB-type volcanic rocks have been discovered in Mianlue mélange of Qinling orogenic belt, central China. These mafic rocks are associated with the meta-peridotites, showing LREE-depleted pattern, similar to N-MORB and typical ophiolites. It is indicated that an ancient ocean existed in the Mianlue area of Qinling orogenic belt during the late Paleozoic.     

Dendritic spines as individual neuronal compartments for synaptic Ca2+ responses.

The possibility that postsynaptic spines on neuronal dendrites are discrete biochemical compartments for Ca(2+)-activated processes involved in synaptic plasticity is a widely proposed concept that has eluded experimental demonstration. Using microfluorometry on CA3 neurons in hippocampal slices, we show here that with weak presynaptic stimulation of associative/commissural fibres, Ca2+ accumulates in single postsynaptic spines but not in the parent dendrite. Stronger stimulation also promotes changes in dendrites. The NMDA-receptor antagonist AP-5 blocks changes in Ca2+ in spines. Sustained steep Ca2+ gradients between single spines and the parent dendrite, often lasting several minutes, develop with repeated stimulation. The observed compartmentalization allows for the specificity, cooperativity and associativity displayed by memory models such as long-term potentiation.     

Hysteresis in the perception of motion direction as evidence for neural cooperativity

When elements of a parallel network, such as the human brain, are extensively interconnected, the network can exhibit 'cooperative behaviour'. Such behaviour, which is characterized by order-disorder transitions, multi-stable states, and a form of memory called 'hysteresis', has been observed in human stereopsis and has motivated models of stereopsis that incorporate cooperative networks. More recently, cooperative phenomena have also been observed in human visual motion perception. This report strongly supports a cooperative interpretation of motion perception by demonstrating hysteresis in the perception of motion direction. The results agree quantitatively with a mathematical model incorporating nonlinear excitatory and inhibitory interactions among direction-selective elements.     

Development of emergency water quality standard for Cr6+ and Hg2+ in Liao River basin

The acute toxicity data of Cr＋ and Hg2＋ to the aquatic organisms in Liao River basin was collected and screened. Calculated results of criteria values using popular species sensitivity distribution （SSD） methods were evaluated through data analysis. The comprehensive methodology of emergency water quality standards （EWQSs） was established on the basis of the SSD method of Australia and New Zealand according to the evalu- ation results. The affected fractions of the aquatic organisms were set to be 5 %, 15 %, 30 % and 50 %, corre- sponding to the risk grades of Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ and IV, and four-grade EWQSs, respectively. The EWQSs for Cr6＋ and Hg2. in the Liao River were derived and the corresponding risk indicators were also proposed. The results showed that the four-grade EWQSs for Cr6＋ were 2.85 μg/L, 21.0 μg/L, 161 μg/L and 797 μ/L, respec- tively, and the risk indicators were daphnia （grade Ⅱ ）, shrimp （grade Ⅲ）, and the bighead fish or tadpole （grade IV）. The four-grade EWQSs for Hg2＋ were 0.59 μg/L, 2.32 μg/L, 6.25 μg/L and 15.6 μg/L, respective- ly, and the risk indicators were crucian carp or daphnia （grade Ⅱ）, shrimp （grade Ⅲ）, and worm or crab （grade IV）. The results provided valuable information for the risk analysis of sudden ambient water environmen- tal pollution accident.     

Further molecular evidence for the Hordeum vulgare ssp. spontaneum in Tibet as ultimate progenitor of Chinese cultivated barley

106 aeeessions of Tibetan wild barley, including 50 accessions of the two-rowed wiht barley Hordeum vulgare ssp. sopntaneum （HS）, 27 accessions of the six-rowed bottle-shaped wild barley H. lagunculiforme （HL） and 29 accessions of the six-rowed wiht barley H. agriocrithon （HA） that separately represent different agrigeographical regions of Tibet, were used to study the genetic diversity and genetie differentiation using SSR markers selected from seven barley linkage groups. 229 allelic variants were identified with an average of 7.6 alleles/locus. The average of total number of alleles per locus in HA （6.4） is much higher than that in HS （3.9） and HL （3.4）. The genetie diversity and its standard deviation among the three subspecies were in the order of HS〉HL〉HA. Very significant genetic differentiation was observed among the three subspecies of wild barley. Comparisons of the results fiom this and previous studies showed a strong Oriental-Occidental differentiation of barley, and that Shannan region of Tibet might be the center of origin of the Tibetan two-rowed wild barley, thus supporting not only the hypothesis of a mono-phyletie origin of cultivated barley but also the proposition that the Tibetan two-rowed wild barley as ultimate progenitor of Chinese cultivated barley.     

New evidence for the origin of natural gas in Ordos Basin from hydrocarbons of oil water

The chief aim of the present work is to investigate the controversy origin of natural gas in the Ordos Basin by using the hydrocarbons of oil water. New evidence has been found: There is relatively high content of light hydrocarbons and low content of heavy components in the hydrocarbons fraction of oil water in the middle gas field of the Majiagou Formation, Ordovician reservoir. The hydrocarbons of oil water in Well Shan 12 and Well Shan 78 have relatively high abundance of tricyclic terpane. Tricyclic terpane/hopane of the two samples are 1.48 and 0.36, respectively. They also show that pregnane and hompregnane are in relatively high abundance with lower hopane/sterane ratio. Pr/Ph is less than 2.0. These characteristics reflected the source input of marine carbonate sedimentary environment. In contrast, the hydrocarbon of Well Shan 81 is lack of tricyclic terpane series and pregnane. It has a high hopane/sterane ratio and Pr/Ph is 3.27. These parameters are typical character of terrestrial organic matter. Furthermore, the hydrocarbons of oil water in Well Shan 37 and Well Shan 34 is between the two typical situations. They have little content of tricyclic terpanes. They may be derived from a mixing source of marine carbonate and terrestrial organic matter input. Similarly, the maturity parameters approve this suggestion. The samples of Well Shan 12 and Well Shan 78 which derived from marine carbonate have relatively high maturity and samples derived from terrestrial organic matter have lower maturity. The maturity of the hydrocarbons of mixing source is between these two situations. The suggestion coincides with the geological background and source rocks distribution.     

Hf-W-Th evidence for rapid growth of Mars and its status as a planetary embryo

Terrestrial planets are thought to have formed through collisions between large planetary embryos of diameter ～1,000-5,000?km. For Earth, the last of these collisions involved an impact by a Mars-size embryo that formed the Moon 50-150?million years (Myr) after the birth of the Solar System. Although model simulations of the growth of terrestrial planets can reproduce the mass and dynamical parameters of the Earth and Venus, they fall short of explaining the small size of Mars. One possibility is that Mars was a planetary embryo that escaped collision and merging with other embryos. To assess this idea, it is crucial to know Mars' accretion timescale, which can be investigated using the (182)Hf-(182)W decay system in shergottite-nakhlite-chassignite meteorites. Nevertheless, this timescale remains poorly constrained owing to a large uncertainty associated with the Hf/W ratio of the Martian mantle and as a result, contradicting timescales have been reported that range between 0 and 15?Myr (refs 6-10). Here we show that Mars accreted very rapidly and reached about half of its present size in only 1.8(+0.9)(-1.0) Myr or less, which is consistent with a stranded planetary embryo origin. We have found a well-defined correlation between the Th/Hf and (176)Hf/(177)Hf ratios in chondrites that reflects remobilization of Lu and Th during parent-body processes. Using this relationship, we estimate the Hf/W ratio in Mars' mantle to be 3.51?±?0.45. This value is much more precise than previous estimates, which ranged between 2.6 and 5.0 (ref. 6), and lifts the large uncertainty that plagued previous estimates of the age of Mars. Our results also demonstrate that Mars grew before dissipation of the nebular gas when ～100-km planetesimals, such as the parent bodies of chondrites, were still being formed. Mars' accretion occurred early enough to allow establishment of a magma ocean powered by decay of (26)Al.     

环太湖主要入湖河流污染负荷量 对太湖水质的影响及趋势分析

基于2007—2014年环太湖主要入湖河流水量、水质监测资料以及湖区水质监测资料,以CODMn、NH3-N、TP、TN为主要污染指标,阐述入太湖各湖区污染负荷量的时空分配,评估环太湖主要河流入湖污染负荷量对湖区水质时空变化的影响。通过环太湖入湖河流水量分析,考虑污染负荷量的历史长序列变化规律,定量了环太湖入湖河流水量、水质等相关因素对太湖水体污染负荷量贡献率,分析环太湖河流入湖污染负荷量对太湖水质的影响。结果表明,近年来对太湖入湖河流的治理成效,说明对入湖河流污染物的控制是缓解和治理太湖污染负荷输入的重要途径,为制定和实施环太湖河流入湖污染负荷限排总量意见提供参考。     

Structural evidence for dimerization-regulated activation of an integral membrane phospholipase.

Dimerization is a biological regulatory mechanism employed by both soluble and membrane proteins. However, there are few structural data on the factors that govern dimerization of membrane proteins. Outer membrane phospholipase A (OMPLA) is an integral membrane enzyme which participates in secretion of colicins in Escherichia coli. In Campilobacter and Helicobacter pylori strains, OMPLA is implied in virulence. Its activity is regulated by reversible dimerization. Here we report X-ray structures of monomeric and dimeric OMPLA from E. coli. Dimer interactions occur almost exclusively in the apolar membrane-embedded parts, with two hydrogen bonds within the hydrophobic membrane area being key interactions. Dimerization results in functional oxyanion holes and substrate-binding pockets, which are absent in monomeric OMPLA. These results provide a detailed view of activation by dimerization of a membrane protein.     

城市二级排水回用作循环冷却水处理技术

城市二级排水回用作循环冷却水 ,重点是应去除二级排水中的COD和氨氮 ,本文介绍了相关的净化技术 ,并对其进行了评价     

Enhanced conversion efficiency of Yb2+–Yb3+-codoped glass as spectral converter for photovoltaic application

We propose a kind of Yb²⁺–Yb³⁺-codoped glass, which is used as spectral converter layer to adjust AM1.5 solar spectrum for a better match with silicon bandgap. The energy-level rate equations and power transmission equations are established to analyze the down-conversional effect of the codoped glass on solar spectrum. The numerical results show that with proper doping concentration and thickness the glass layer may improve conversion efficiency by about 12 %. Moreover, we also apply the modified spectrum as excitation source of solar cell in a simulation platform, and reveal that there is about 15 % improvement in practical cells.     

一种单宁酸基三元聚合物水煤浆添加剂的制备和性能研究

水煤浆是由不同粒度的煤、水和少量添加剂制备而成的一种新型流态化煤基燃料.在制浆过程中加入添加剂,对配制水煤浆的分散性和稳定性起着关键性的决定作用.目前市场上存在着多类分散剂产品,但其综合性能依然很难全面满足社会实际需要.本研究通过单宁酸(TA),2-丙烯酰胺-2-甲基丙磺酸(AMPS),马来酸酐(MA)接枝共聚反应制备得到一种新型三元聚合物水煤浆添加剂,控制原料配比、反应时间、反应温度和引发剂含量因素,得出最佳的实验条件.通过流动性,粘度,析水率和稳定性为判断依据,结果显示固定添加剂使用量为干煤质量的1.5‰,制得62%浓度水煤浆,流动性和稳定性均较好,粘度低,其最高可制得浓度为65%水煤浆.利用单宁酸改性得到的三元聚合物作为水煤浆的添加剂具有一定的应用潜力.