Novel photocatalysis oxidation system UV/Fe^2＋/air to degrade 4-CP wastewater

This paper reported the degradation of 4-CP wastewater by a novel photocatalysis oxidation system-- UV/Fe^2＋/air system, in which air was used as a cheap oxidant that reacted with the excitation state of organics to form H2O2 under the UV light. The formed H2O2 reacted with the added ferrous ion to form Fenton reaction and led to the quick degradation of organic pollutants. It was found that 4-CP could be completely removed within 40 min. The degradation of 4-CP in the UV/Fe^2＋/air system was superior to the conventional UV/Fenton system （the initial concentration of H2O2 was 22 mg·L^-1）. UV/Fe^2＋/air is an effective and cheap method for treatment of the organics that can be excited by UV light.     

Isolation and identification of the three rice monotelosomics

In order to obtain rice monotelosomic, the progeny of 24 telotrisomics, derived from an indica rice variety, Zhongxian 3037, were screened. The variants that differed morphologically from the diploids and the original primary trisomics as well as the telotrisomics were collected for cytological identification. The variants with 24 chromosomes were selected according to the prometaphase chromosomes. From these variants, three monotelosomies with one chromosome arm deletion in each were verified by fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） using a rice centromeric BAC clone of 17p22 as a marker probe. The three monotelosomics were derived from telotrisomic 1S, 4L and 11L, respectively. Further identification was conducted on the prometaphase or pachytene chromosomes of the three variants, which were probed with the same centromeric BAC clone together with the corresponding chromosome arm specific makers, a0059H02 （on the short arm of chromosome 1）, a0034E24 （on the long arm of chromosome 4）, and a0071H11 （on the long arm of chromosome 11）. The results indicated that the telocentric chromosomes in the three monotelosom. ics were derived from their respective corresponding telotrisomics. According to the telocentric chromosomes of the variants, they were monotelosomic 1S （one long arm of chromosome 1 was lost）, monotelosomic 4L （one short arm of chromosome 4 was lost） and monotelosomic 11L （one short arm of chromosome 11 was lost）, respectively.     

Influences of the degradation of swamp and alpine meadows on CO2 emission during growing season on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

CO2 emission fluxes of two types of ecosystem, swamp meadow and alpine meadow, in the Fenghuo- shan region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were studied by the static chamber-portable infrared chro- matographic method. The results showed that there was large difference in the CO2 emission fluxes between the two ecosystems and in the same ecosystem of different degradation degrees. CO2 emis- sion flux of the swamp meadow gradually decreased with increasing degradation degree, while that of the alpine meadow gradually increased with increasing degradation degree except in May. The CO2 emission flux of undegraded swamp meadow was 65.1%―80.3% higher than that of undegraded alpine meadow; and the CO2 emission flux of moderately degraded swamp meadow was 22.1%―67.5% higher than that of alpine meadow; but the CO2 emission flux of severely degraded alpine meadow was 14.3%―29.5% higher than that of swamp meadow. The soil moisture content and temperature in the upper 5 cm soil layer and above-ground biomass were significantly correlated with the CO2 emission fluxes and regarded as the main environment factors to control the CO2 emission.     

Reductive smelting of spent lead–acid battery colloid sludge in a molten Na_2CO_3 salt

Lead extraction from spent lead–acid battery paste in a molten Na2CO3 salt containing Zn O as a sulfur-fixing agent was studied. Some influencing factors, including smelting temperature, reaction time, Zn O and salt dosages, were investigated in detail using single-factor experiments. The optimum conditions were determined as follows: T = 880°C; t = 60 min; Na2CO3/paste mass ratio = 2.8:1; and the Zn O dosage is equal to the stoichiometric requirement. Under the optimum conditions, the direct recovery rate of lead reached 98.14%. The results suggested that increases in temperature and salt dosage improved the direct recovery rate of lead. XRD results and thermodynamic calculations indicated that the reaction approaches of lead and sulfur were Pb SO4→Pb and Pb SO4→Zn S, respectively. Sulfur was fixed in the form of Zn S, whereas the molten salt did not react with other components, serving only as a reaction medium.     

Simultaneous in-situ determination of U-Pb age and trace elements in zircon by LA-ICP-MS in 20 μm spot size

Simultaneous in-situ determination of U-Pb ages and 20 trace elements of three international zircon standards （91500, GJ1 and TEMORA 1） and one laboratory zircon standard （SK10-2） separated from Cenozoic fine-grained gabbro was carried out on quadrupole ICP-MS equipped with 193 nm excimer laser in 20 μm spot size. The weighted mean ^206Pb/^238U ages of 91500, GJ1 and TEMORA 1 are 1064.4±4.8 Ma （2σ）, 603.2±2.4 Ma （2σ） and 418.2±2.4 Ma （2σ）, respectively. The relative standard deviations （RSDs） of ^206Pb/^238U ages （2σ） are less than 2.2% for single measurements and 0.6% for weighted means. The obtained weighted mean ^206Pb/^238U ages of three standard zircons agree with the recommended values within 2σrerror. The weighted mean ^206Pb/^238U age of SK10-2 is 31.42=0.25 Ma （2σ） and the RSDs of ^206Pb/^238U ages （2σ） are between 2.4% and 5.7% for single measurements and less than 0.8% for weighted mean. The obtained weighted mean ^206Pb/^238U age is in good agreement with the age obtained by Yuan （2004）. Trace element concentrations of NIST612 and NIST614 obtained under the same LA-ICP-MS operating conditions agree with the recommended values within analytical error. The results indicate that it is possible to measure U-Pb age and trace elements simultaneously by LA-ICP-MS in a small spot size of 20μm.     

Synthesis of a copper(Ⅱ) oxide-montmorillonite composite for lead removal

The synthesis of a copper(Ⅱ) oxide-montmorillonite composite and its application in the removal of lead(Ⅱ) ions in solution were investigated. The Acros Organics (ACOR) montmorillonite was activated using potassium hydroxide solution. The activated ACOR montmorillonite was titrated with copper(Ⅱ) nitrate solution to produce the copper(Ⅱ) oxide-montmorillonite composite. Adsorption experiments were conducted using batch-mode techniques under reducing conditions at ambient temperature. The reaction mechanism indicated a higher proton coefficient, greater intraparticle diffusion, and higher mass transfer rates compared with those achieved with bare montmorillonite. The intraparticle diffusion constant derived from the slope was 2.93-3 (mg·g-1·min-0.5), and the intercept C was 9.86, ≠ 0. In the presence of a CuO coating, the adsorption efficiency was 85.55% at pH 4 and 89.62% at pH 7. Therefore, the copper(Ⅱ) oxide-montmorillonite composite, as a novel adsorbent with a very high adsorption capacity, exhibited substantially enhanced adsorption of Pb2+ ions compared with bare montmorillonite.     

Characterization of a PDR type ABC transporter gene from wheat （Triticum aestivum L.）

DON, as a virulence factor, plays an important role in the infection of Fusarium graminearum in wheat. The infection ability of F. graminearum depends on its capacity of producing DON. The production of DON by F. graminearum is significantly decreased in the wheat varieties with scab resistance. In this study, GeneChip analysis indicated that an EST encoding an ATP-binding cassette （ABC） transporter was up-regulated by 45 times in a wheat landrace Wangshuibai, which is resistant to DON accumulation. A pair of EST-derived primers were designed based on the EST sequence, and a clone was then isolated from a wheat genomic DNA TAC library. The TAC clone was sequenced using chromosome walking and gene prediction was conducted using Softberry. A cDNA clone of this gene was subsequently isolated from Wangshuibai induced by DON using gene-specific primers designed according to the untranslated sequence of the gene. The genome size of the gene is 7377 bp, consisting of 19 exons with coding sequences of 4308 bp. It encodes a protein with 1435 amino acid residues and the calculated molecular weight is about 161 kD. BLAST analysis indicated that the gene may belong to pleiotropic drug resistance （PDR） sub-family, and hence designated as TaPDR1 （Triticum aestivum pleiotropic drug resistance）. TaPDR1 was located on chromosome 5A of wheat using nullisomic-tetrasomic lines of Chinese Spring. TaPDR1 was up-regulated by induction of both DON and F. graminearum. Expression patterns of TaPDR1 were different in wild-type Wangshuibai and the fast-neutron induced Wangshuibai mutant lacking FHB1, a major QTL of FHB resistance and DON resistance in chromosome arm 3BS. These results suggested that TaPDR1 might be a candidate gene responsible for DON accumulation resistance. The expression profile showed that TaPDR1 expression was neither induced by hormones typically involved in biotic stress, such as JA and SA, nor by abiotic stresses, such as heat, cold, wounding and NaCI. However, TaPDR1 expression was regulated by Al^3＋ and [Ca^2＋], indicating that [Ca^2＋]1 might mediate the signal of TaPDR1 expression.     

Determination of Dimethylallylamine by Titration in Nonaqueous Solvent

The content of dimethylallylamine was determined using glacial acetic acid as solvent, acetic-formic mixture as an anhydrite, perchloric acid-glacial acetic acid as titrant, and 1% crystal violet in acetic acid as indicator in the presence of methylamine and dimethylamine The influences of inert constituents and water on the titration were investigated, and a complete analytical method was determined. The results showed that the determination error of total amines increased with water increasing, while the effect of water on the determination of dimethylallylamine was little when the amount of water was within 5%, the relative error was generally within 1%, and that the end-point was acutely when about 10% chloroform was added. Compared with gas chromatography, this method is simple, convenient and accurate.     

Optical Properties of Ru（bipy）2 （dppx）^2＋ in Different Environments

The emission spectra of Ru（bipy）2 （dppx）^2＋ in different environments has been studied. It was found that the solvent polarity and the ability of donating and transferring proton are the important factors in predicting luminescence intensity in different systems. The increasing content of water in the organic solutions of Ru（bipy）2 （dppx）^2＋ leads to de crease in emission intensity that follows the Perrin sphere of quenching model. The effect of base content of DNA on the fluorescence spectra of Ru （bipy）2 （dppx）^2＋ has also been studied.     

Surface chemical structure of titania-silica nanocomposite powder

Titania-silica （TS） nanocomposite powder with three different composite structures, containing 10-30 mol% SiO2 in each structure, have been prepared by sol-gel processes. The surface characteristics of these titania-silica samples have been investigated by X-ray photo-emission spectroscopy （XPS） and high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）. The study for all TS oxides annealed at 773 and 1173 K showed： an abnormal surface enrichment in Si increased with increasing annealing temperature; the Ti^3＋, Ti^2＋, Si^3＋ and Si^2＋ oxides coexisted with Ti^4＋ and Si^4＋ oxides, and the contents of these Ti/Si suboxides increased with increasing SiO2 content and annealing temperature; there was a layer rich in O on the topmost surface and the excess O could be attributed to the chem-adsorption of H2O; different composite structures could lead to different contents of Ti/Si suboxides. These results indicated that the surface of TS oxide powder derived by sol-gel process was a double layer with enriched O first and then SiOx/TiOy（x, y〈2）. Ti/Si suboxides could result from the thermal diffusion of Ti^4＋ and Si^4＋, which might be induced by the strong interaction between Ti^4＋ and Si^4＋.     

Novel trichromatic phosphor Co-doped with Eu, Tb in SiO2 gel matrix

The Eu, Tb co-doped SiO2 matrix tricolor fluorescence system was prepared by sol-gel technique. Red emission at 618 nm, green emission at 543 nm and blue emission at 350-500 nm were observed in the PL spectra of the sample, indicating that Eu^3＋, Eu^2＋ and Tb^3＋ ions coexisted in the matrix. In the co-doped sample, the blue emission of Eu^2＋ was much stronger than that of the sample single doped with Eu, which implied that the electron transfer between Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ maybe happened in the SiO2 matrix. The influences of the annealing temperature and Tb concentration on the PL spectra of the samples were investigated. The optimal doped concentration of Tb was determined to be 0.2% and the optimal annealing temperature 850℃. Annealed at 600℃, Tb^3＋ had a sensitizing effect on Eu^3＋ in the SiO2 matrix, and the emission intensity of Eu^3＋ in the Eu, Tb co-doped sample was more than four times that of the single doped sample, which could be attributed to the energy transfer from Tb^3＋ to Eu^3＋.     

Isolation and identification of a novel STR (D17S2204) in the vicinity of NF1 locus

Using a synthetic oligonucleotide (dA-dC)15 as a probe to screen a probe pool made by microdissected human chromosome band 17q11-q12, a DNA fragment containing (CA)16 was isolated, which is a novel short tandem repeat (STR) determined by searching in the GenBank and GDB. It has 8 allelic types with a PIC value of 0.61. The novel STR is conformed with Mendelian segregation according to the linkage analysis of a three-generation neurofibromatosis type Ⅰ (NF1) pedigree. The STR was localized at chromosome band 17q11-q12 in the vicinity of NF1 gene by FISH analysis. The accession number of the STR in GenBank and GDB is G32112 and D17S2204 respectively.     

Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence properties of a novel CaLaGa307：Dy3＋ phosphor

A single host white emitting phosphor, CaLaGa3O7:Dy3+, was synthesized by chemical co-precipitation. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, laser particle size analysis, and photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectra were used to investigate the structural and optical properties of the phosphor. The phosphor particles were composed of microspheres with a slight tendency to agglomerate, and an average diameter was of about 1.0 μm. The Dy3+ ions acted as luminescent centers, and substituted La3+ ions in the single crystal lattice of CaLaGa3O7 where they were located in Cs sites. Under excitation with ultraviolet light and a low voltage electron beam, the CaLaGa3O7:Dy3+ phosphor exhibited the characteristic emission of Dy3+ (4F9/2-6H15/2 and 4F9/2-6H13/2 transitions) with intense yellow emission at about 573 nm. The chromaticity coordinates for the phosphor were in the white region. The relevant luminescence mechanisms of the phosphor are investigated. This phosphor may be applied in both field emission displays and white light-emitting diodes.     

Detection of water masers in a sample of 84 IRAS sources

Using a newly installed system on the 25 m telescope of Urumqi Observatory, we searched for H20 maser emission towards 84 IRAS sources including young stellar objects （YSOs） and candidates for OFUIR stars. Water masers were detected in four star formation regions and one envelope of late type of stars for the first time. New water maser components were measured in two sources. In a maser source with no water maser emission detected six years ago, strong maser emission was found at different velocities, showing that there was a new explosion of water maser in this source.     

The responses of East Asian Summer monsoon to the North Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in an enhanced freshwater input simulation

We investigated the response of the East Asian Summer Monsoon （EASM） to a weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation （AMOC） and its mechanism in an enhanced freshwater input experiment （FW） by using a fully-coupled climate model. The response was a weakened EASM and the mechanisms can be explained as follows. The simulated weakened AMOC resulted in a drop in sea surface temperature （SST） in the North Atlantic （NA） and, correspondingly, an anomalous high sea level pressure （SLP） over the North American regions, which in turn increased the northeast surface winds across the equator in the eastern tropical Pacific （ETP）. The anomalous northeast winds then induced further upwelling in the ETP and stronger air/sea heat exchange, therefore leading to an anomalous cooling of the eastern tropical sea surface. As a result, the climatologic Hadley Circulation （HC） was weakened due to an anomalous stronger sinking of air in the ETP north of the equator, whereas the Walker Circulation （WC） in the western tropical Pacific （WTP） north of the equator was strengthened with an eastward-shifted upwelling branch. This feature was in agreement with the anomalous convergent winds in the WTP, and led to a weakened EASM and less East Asian summer precipitation （EASP）. Furthermore, comparison with previous freshwater experiments indicates that the strength of EASP could be influenced by the magnitude of the added freshwater.     

Improved hemimorphite flotation using xanthate as a collector with S(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) activation

The flotation of hemimorphite using the S(Ⅱ)–Pb(Ⅱ)–xanthate process,which includes sulfidization with sodium sulfide,activation by lead cations,and subsequent flotation with xanthate,was investigated.The flotation results indicated that hemimorphite floats when the S(Ⅱ)–Pb(Ⅱ)–xanthate process is used; a maximum recovery of approximately 90% was obtained.Zeta-potential,contact-angle,scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectrometry(SEM–EDS),and diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(DRIFTS) measurements were used to characterize the activation products on the hemimorphite surface and their subsequent interaction with sodium butyl xanthate(SBX).The results showed that a Zn S coating formed on the hemimorphite surface after the sample was conditioned in an Na2 S solution.However,the formation of a Zn S coating on the hemimorphite surface did not improve hemimorphite flotation.With the subsequent addition of lead cations,Pb S species formed on the mineral surface.The formation of the Pb S species on the surface of hemimorphite significantly increased the adsorption capacity of SBX,forming lead xanthate(referred to as chemical adsorption) and leading to a substantial improvement in hemimorphite flotation.Our results indicate that the addition of lead cations is a critical step in the successful flotation of hemimorphite using the sulfidization–lead ion activation–xanthate process.     

Synthesis and formation mechanism of micro/nano flower-like MgCO3·5H2O

Micro/nano magnesium carbonate pentahydrate（MgCO3 ·5H2 O） with flower-like morphology was synthesized using magnesite as a substrate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate as an additive. The synthesized samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The influence of pyrolysis time on crystal morphology was explored. The formation mechanism was investigated on the basis of the characterized results and the crystal structure of MgCO3 ·5H2 O. The results showed that the flower-like MgCO3 ·5H2 O was 1.5-3.0 μm in length and 100-500 nm in diameter and was successfully obtained with a pyrolysis time of 30 min. The formation mechanism of flower-like MgCO3 ·5H2 O is suggested to be the selective adsorption of potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the surface. The process of flower-like crystal growth is as follows： amorphous nanoparticles formation, acicular and rod monocrystal formation, flower-like monocrystal formation, and flower-like polymers（MgCO3 ·5H2 O） crystallization. In the MgCO3 ·5H2 O crystal, the magnesium ion presents two different octahedral coordinations corresponding to2 26 Mg（H O）＋and2 2 2 4 23 [Mg（H O）（CO） ]--, and the chemical formula of the crystal is2 2 6 2 4 23 Mg（H O） Mg（H O）（CO）2.     

Variations of optic properties of water under action of static magnetic field

Effects of static magnetic field on optic properties of water are investigated by infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The ultraviolet spectroscopy experiments show the changes of properties of water under action of static magnetic field, in the region of 191 to 400 nm. The infrared experiment shows that the water exposed in a magnetic field had saturation and memory effects. The magnetized effects increased with increasing exposed time, but were weakened with increasing of time when the magnetic field was removed. In the X-ray experiment, the strength of diffraction increased also, after the water was exposed in magnetic field. Meanwhile, the shift of peak and increase of strength of X-ray diffraction of magnetized water added with nanoFe3O4 occurred as compared with that of pure water added with nano Fe3O4. This result suggests that the magnetized wa- ter has certain magnetism. Finally, these phenomena are simply explained by the molecular structure of water and the theory of magnetization of water.     

Rearrangements of microtubule cytoskeleton in stomatal closure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> induced by nitric oxide

NO （nitric oxide）, known as a key signal molecule in plant, plays important roles in regulation of stomatal movement. In this study, microtubule dynamics and its possible mechanism in the NO signal pathway were investigated. The results were as follows： （i） In vivo stomatsl aperture assays revealed that both vinblastine （microtubule-disrupUng drug） and SNP （exogenous NO donor） prevented stomatsl opening in the light, and vinblastine even could enhance the inhibitory effect of SNP, whereas tsxol （a microtubule-stsbilizing agent） was able to reduce this effect; （ii） microtubules in the opening Arabi-dopsis guard cells expressing GFP：a-tubulin-6 （AtGFP：a-tubulin-6） were organized in parallel, straight and dense bundles, radiating from the ventral side to the dorsal side, and most of them were localized perpendicularly to the ventral wall; （iii） under the same environmental conditions, treated with SNP for 30 min, the radial arrays of microtubules in guard cells began to break down, twisted partially and be- came oblique or exhibited a random pattern; （iv） furthermore, the involvement of cytosolic Ca^2＋ in this event was tested. Stomatal aperture assays revealed that BAPTA-AM （a chelator of Ca^2＋） greatly suppressed the effect of NO on stomatal closure; however, it did not show the same function on stomatal closure induced by vinblastine. When BAPTA-AM was added to the SNP-pretreated solution, the SNP-induced disordered microtubulue cytoskeleton in guard cells underwent rearrangement in a time-dependent manner. After 30 min of treatment with BAPTA-AM, the cortical microtubules resumed the original radial distribution, almost the same as the control. All this indicates that NO may promote rearrangement of microtubule cytoskeleton via elevation of [Ca^2＋]cyt （free Ca^2＋ concentration in the cytoplasm）, finally leading to stomatsl closure.