Entropy budget of the earth, atmosphere and ocean system

The energy budget in the system of the earth, atmosphere and ocean conforms to the first law of thermodynamics, namely the law of conservation of energy, and it is balanced when the system is in a steady-state condition. However, the entropy budget following the second law of thermodynamics is unbalanced. In this paper, we deduce the expressions of entropy flux and re-estimate the earth, atmosphere and ocean annual mean entropy budget with the updated climatologically global mean energy budget and the climatologically air-sea flux data. The calculated results show that the earth system obtains a net influx of negative entropy (-1179.3 mWm-2K-1) from its surroundings, and the atmosphere and the ocean systems obtain a net input of negative entropy at about -537.4 mWm-2K-1 and -555.6 mWm-2K-1, respectively. Calculations of the entropy budget can provide some guidance for further understanding the spatial-temporal change of the local entropy flux, and the entropy production resulting from all kinds of irreversible processes inside these systems.     

Value of ecosystem services in China

The function and services are the important components of the life-support system in the planet, as well as the basic elements for sustainable development of environment and society.It is a must to evaluate it for incorporating it with the social-economic system.It is also an important approach to draw the public attention on the environmental and ecosystem conservation.In this study, the ecosystem function and services in China were estimated by employing the classification and economic parameters from Costanza et al.The type and area of terrestrial ecosystems were extracted from Vegetation Map of China (1:4 000 000), and then the distribution map of ecosystem services of China was drawn.According to our calculation, the total value of ecosystem services in China is 77 834.48′108 RMB yuan per annum.The value for terrestrial ecosystem is 56 098.46′108 yuan per annum, and that for marine ecosystem is 21 736.02′108 yuan per annum.The value of ecosystem services in China is 1.73 times bigger than GDP in 1994.The value for forest ecosystem services is 15 433.98′108 yuan per annum, which is 27.51% of the total annual ecosystem services in China.Although wetland is little in area, its ecosystem service value is huge, which is 26 736.9′108 yuan per annum.The value for grassland ecosystem is 8 697.68′108 yuan per annum.Coastal ecosystem service is 12 223.04′108 yuan per annum.Overall, the ecosystem service in China contributes 2.71% to that of our planet.The estimation method employed in this study was a conservative one, and should be improved in the future studies.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of the deposition process of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon （DLC） films

The deposition process of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon （DLC） film greatly affects its frictional properties. In this study, CH3 radicals are selected as source species to deposit hydrogenated DLC films for molecular dynamics simulation. The growth and structural properties of hydrogenated DLC films are investigated and elucidated in detail. By comparison and statistical analysis, the authors find that the ratio of carbon to hydrogen in the films generally shows a monotonously increasing trend with the increase of impact energy. Carbon atoms are more reactive during deposition and more liable to bond with substrate atoms than hydrogen atoms. In addition, there exists a peak value of the number of hydrogen atoms deposited in hydrogenated DLC films. The trends of the variation are opposite on the two sides of this peak point, and it becomes stable when impact energy is greater than 80 eV. The average relative density also indicates a rising trend along with the increment of impact energy, while it does not reach the saturation value until impact energy comes to 50 eV. The hydrogen content in source species is a key factor to determine the hydrogen content in hydrogenated DLC films. When the hydrogen content in source species is high, the hydrogen content in hydrogenated DLC films is accordingly high.     

Discovering protein complexes from protein-protein interaction data by dense subgraph

High-throughput techniques,such as the yeast-two-hybrid system,produce mass protein-protein interaction data. The new technique makes it possible to predict protein complexes by com-putation. A novel method,named DSDA,has been put forward to predict protein complexes via dense subgraph because the proteins among a protein complex have a much tighter relation among them than with others. This method chooses a node with its neighbors to form the initial subgraph,and chooses a node which has the tightest relation with the subgraph according to greedy strategy,then the chosen node is added into the initial subgraph until the subgraph density is below the threshold value. The ob-tained subgraph is then removed from the network and the process continues until no subgraph can be detected. Compared with other algorithms,DSDA can predict not only non-overlap protein com-plexes but also overlap protein complexes. The experiment results show that DSDA predict as many protein complexes as possible. And in Y78K network the accuracy of DSDA is as twice times as that of RNSC and MCL.     

Fractal analysis on the spatial distribution of acoustic emission in the failure process of rock specimens

The spatial distribution of acoustic emission (AE) events in the failure process of several rock specimens was acquired using an advanced AE acquiring and analyzing system. The box counting method (BCM) was employed to calculate the fractal dimension (FD) of AE spatial distribution. There is a similar correlation between the fractal dimension and the load strength for different rock specimens. The fractal dimension presents a decreasing trend with the increase of load strength. For the same kind of specimens, their FD values will decrease to the level below a relatively same value when they reach failure. This value can be regarded as the critical value, which implies that the specimen will reach failure soon. The results reflect that it is possible to correlate the damage of rock with a macroscopic parameter, the FD value of AE signals. Furthermore, the FD value can be also used to forecast the final failure of rock. This conclusion allows identifying or predicting the damage in rock with a great advantage over the classic theory and is very crucial for forecasting rockburst or other dynamic disasters in mines.     

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTERFERENCE PLANE GRADIENTS IN LDA FOR INVESTIGATING THE CONDITIONAL HETERODYNE

An experimental set-up of LDA with interference plane gradients is constructed to show the conditional heterodyne contribution. The separation factor (S_f) of two Doppler spectrum is calculated in the disc experiment We find that S_f has no maximum value, as one could be tempted to expect for the case Z_v=Z_(min). In a single lens set-up it is difficult to suppress the conditional heterodyne contribution Telescope-lens system can be used to obtain both the noncoherent detection for the conditional heterodyne and the larger separation factor S_f.     

Ecosystem valuation and the conservation of wild lands in vigorous economic regions:A case study in Jiuduansha Wetland,Shanghai

As the loss of wild lands to satisfy traditional economic development has become a global environmental problem in recent decades, using ecosystem valuation to estimate the total economic value (TEV) of an ecosystem has become popular. The main purpose of the ecosystem valuation is to strengthen the importance of ecosystems, and bring the ecosystem services into the traditional cost-benefit analyses of land use strategy. Some studies have illustrated that in remote areas, wilderness can produce more value if it is conserved, rather than converted to traditional agricultural or industrial uses. The same situation does not seem to exist in vigorous economic regions. Thus, a case study was conducted on the Jiuduansha Wetland in Shanghai using three approaches: the direct market valuation, the replacement valuation and the contingent valuation. The net present TEVs of three land use scenarios over one hundred years were evaluated. The results proved that simply based on ecosystem valuation, when compared with the other two scenarios of "conservation" and "selective use", "partial conversion into terrene (dry land)" of Jiuduansha might be the optimal scenario for the well-being of the people in Shanghai. Land price was identified as the most important factor. This situation is likely due to the scarcity of land available for traditional economic development in Shanghai. Thus, we speculated that the fate of the wilderness to "be destroyed" in vigorous economic regions could not be changed simply based on ecosystem valuation. However, the variety of interest by local residents in wilderness might enhance the TEVs of scenarios such as "conservation" and "selective use", and affect the valuation results. Since some important benefits of natural ecosystems remain unknown and others are underestimated, we suggested that any land use decisions regarding the Jiuduansha Wetland should be conservative and cautious as converting wetlands into terrene is an irreversible process.     

Ecosystem valuation and the conservation of wild lands in visorous economic resions： A case study in Jiuduansha Wetland, Shanshai

As the loss of wild lands to satisfy traditional economic development has become a global environmental problem in recent decades, using ecosystem valuation to estimate the total economic value （TEV） of an ecosystem has become popular. The main purpose of the ecosystem valuation is to strengthen the importance of ecosystems, and bring the ecosystem services into the traditional cost-benefit analyses of land use strategy. Some studies have illustrated that in remote areas, wilderness can produce more value if it is conserved, rather than converted to traditional agricultural or industrial uses. The same situation does not seem to exist in vigorous economic regions. Thus, a case study was conducted on the Jiuduansha Wetland in Shanghai using three approaches： the direct market valuation, the replacement valuation and the contingent valuation. The net present TEVs of three land use scenarios over one hundred years were evaluated. The results proved that simply based on ecosystem valuation, when compared with the other two scenarios of ＂conservation＂ and ＂selective use＂, ＂partial conversion into terrene （dry land）＂ of Jiuduansha might be the optimal scenario for the well-being of the people in Shanghai. Land price was identified as the most important factor. This situation is likely due to the scarcity of land available for traditional economic development in Shanghai. Thus, we speculated that the fate of the wilderness to ＂be destroyed＂ in vigorous economic regions could not be changed simply based on ecosystem valuation. However, the variety of interest by local residents in wilderness might enhance the TEVs of scenarios such as ＂conservation＂ and ＂selective use＂, and affect the valuation results. Since some important benefits of natural ecosystems remain unknown and others are underestimated, we suggested that any land use decisions regarding the Jiuduansha Wetland should be conservative and cautious as converting wetlands into terrene is an irreversible process.     

A Novel Method for Human Expression Rapid Reconstruction

Human expression rapid reconstruction has many potential applications in entertainment and social security. In this work, a rapid human expression measurement system based on a digital fringe projection and phase-shift technique is developed. The measurement system consists of a digital light processing (DLP) projector and a high-speed change-coupled device (CCD) camera. The DLP projector is used to project computer-generated fringe patterns onto the human face, and the high-speed CCD camera synchronized with the projector acquires the fringe images at a frame rate of 30 frames/s. Based on a three-step phase-shifting method and an accurate phase-height mapping algorithm, each frame of the 3-D human expression can be reconstructed. The principle of the proposed method is described and some experimental results are presented to demonstrate its performance. The experiment results show that the measurement system can reconstruct accurate 3-D human expression. An obvious merit of this method is that it can reconstruct the 3-D human expression in a very short time and it is not sensitive to the movement of the face during the measurement processing.     

The uncertainty measure for q-exponential distribution function

Based on the q-exponential distribution which has been observed in more and more physical systems, the uncertainty measure of such an abnormal distribution can be derived by employing a variational relationship which can be traced from the first and second thermodynamic laws. The uncertainty measure obtained here can be considered as the entropic form for the abnormal physical systems having observable q-exponential distribution. This entropy will tend to the Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy when the nonextensive parameter tends to unity. It is very important to find that this entropic form is always concave and the systemic entropy is maximizable.     

Latitudinal shift and tilt of the ring current during magnetic storms

The equatorial ring current (ERC) theory suggested that the distribution of global disturbed horizontal geomagnetic field only depends on the cosine of station’s latitude. However, we always observe a larger ΔH at higher latitude stations than lower ones, implying that the ERC could tilt or/and shift with respect to the equatorial plane during intense storms. In this paper, we analyze 11 intense magnetic storms from 2000 to 2004, and introduce two configurational factors to characterize the topology of storm time ring current. The results show that ERC has occasionally deviated off equatorial plane with both tilt angle δ_t≈13°―25° and latitude shift δ_s≈0°―21.8°. The ground disturbed field distribution should be improved as ΔH_k = ΔH_maxcos(φ_k-δ ), which agree well with the geomagnetic observations.     

Microcalorimetric study on the antibiotic activity of clarithromycin and erythromycin

By using LKB-2277 Bioactivity Monitoring System, the heat effect changes in the process of inhibitory action of clarithromycin and erythromycin onEscherichia coli at 37°C were determined. Quantitative analysis showed that relationship between antibiotic concentrationc and rate contantk ofEscherichia coli growth, and half inhibitory ratio concentration IC₅₀: clarithromycin:k=0. 030 03–1. 1736×10⁻³ c, 8. 45 mg ·L⁻¹; erythromycin:k=0.031 08–8.4657×10⁻⁴ c, 14. 45 mg·L⁻¹. As a result of the microcalorimetry experiments, it not only indicated that antibacterial activity of clarithromycin was stronger than that of erythromycin, but also reported the changeable features of thermodynamics of the bacterial cell in biological, biochemical and metabolic process under different drug action. Foundation item: Supported by Natinal Natural Science Fundation of China (29973030), Natural Science Fundation of Hubei Province (98J052) and Post-doctoral Science Fundation of China Biography, SHEN Xue-song (1956-), Associate professor Research direction: biothermochemistry.     

Dynamic Mechanisms for Evolution of Mountain Rural Settlements and Soil Conservation in Upper Yangtze River Basin

This paper presents the logic relationship between rural settlement reconstruction and soil conservation in the Upper Yangtze River. Firstly, by introducing the concepts of ＂flow＂ and ＂intercepted flow＂, we probe into the dynamic mechanism on interaction between ecological and environmental system, and then point out that the ＂intercepting sites＂ are physical conditions for establishment of human settlements in mountains. Secondly, by using ecological theories, ＂flow＂, ＂source＂, and ＂sink＂, material cycle and energy flow in mountains have been discussed. Thirdly, according to dissipative structure theory and thermodynamic laws, a hypothesis has been proposed that ＂entropy flow＂ is a dynamic force for settlement evolution. Finally, it is argued that a project for soil conservation is set to control and utilize flows so rural settlements can be supported and farmers＇ life improved.     

Quantitative Assessment on Endangerment Degree of Rare Animal and Plant Species in Tibet, China

It is of profound theoretical and practical significance to study endangerment status of rare species in Tibet. Index system is firstly set down for quantitative assessment of rare animal and plant species, then endangerment degree of wildlife under special state protection are calculated, which is expressed by value E. The results reveal that Yunnan snub-nosed monkey （Rhinopithecus bieti）, Himalayan tahr （Hemitragus jemlahicus） and Gigantic Cypress （Cupressus gigantea） have the highest E respectively in animals and plants. According to value E, all species are categorized into 4 ranks： critically endangered（0.6-0.8）, endangered （0.4- 0.6）, vulnerable （0.2-0.4） and lower risk （ E ≤ 0.2）. By comparison of the first five animals and plants of the highest E, each sub-ecozone bears a distinct identity.     

Methane emissions from wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The areal extent of cold freshwater wetlands on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is estimated at 0.133 × 10⁶ km², suggesting a significant methane potential. Methane fluxes from wet alpine meadows, peatlands,Hippuris vulgaris mires and secondary marshes were 43.18, 12.96, −0.28 and 45.90 mg · m⁻² · d⁻¹, respectively based on the transect flux studies at the Huashixia Permafrost Station (HPS) from July to August 1996. Average CH₄ fluxes in the thaw season were extrapolated at 5.68 g · m⁻² according to the areal percentage of wetland areas in the Huashixia region. The CH₄ fluxes at four fixed sites, representative of similar ecosystems, ranged from −19.384–347.15 mg · m⁻² · d⁻¹, and the average CH₄ fluxes varied from 6.54 to 71.97 mg · m⁻² · d⁻¹ at each site during the observation period from April to September 1997. The CH₄ emissions at each site during the entire thaw season was estimated from 1.21 to 10.65 g · m⁻², displaying strong spatial variations. Seasonal variations of CH₄ fluxes also were observed at four sites: CH₄ outbursts occurred upon the spring thaw in May and June, CH₄ fluxes increased afterwards with rising soil temperatures. Episodic fluxes were observed in summer, which influenced the average CH₄ fluxes considerably. Annual CH₄ emissions from cold wetlands on the QTP were estimated at about 0.7–0.9 Tg based on the distribution of wetlands, representative CH₄ fluxes, and number of thaw days. The centers of CH₄ releasing were located in the sources of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers, and Zoigê Peatlands.     

Restricted allowable generalized quantum gates

An allowable generalized quantum gate (introduced by Long, Liu and Wang) has the form of U = Σ _k=0 ^d−1 c _k U _k , where U _k’s are unitary operators on a Hilbert space H and |Σ _k=0 ^d−1 c _k |⩽1 and |c _k |⩽1 (0⩽k⩽d−1). In this work we consider a kind of AGQGs, called restricted allowable generalized quantum gates (RAGQGs), satisfying 0 < Σ _k=0 ^d−1|c _k |⩽1. Some properties of the set RAGQG(H) of all RAGQGs on H are established. Especially, we prove that the extreme points of RAGQG(H) are exactly unitary operators on H and that B(H)=R ⁺ RAGQG(H).     

Minus domination number in cubic graph

An upper bound is established on the parameter Γ -(G) for a cubic graph G and two infinite families of 3-connected graphs G k, G * k are constructed to show that the bound is sharp and, moreover, the difference Γ -(G * k)-γ s(G * k) can be arbitrarily large, where Г -(G * k) and γ s(G * k) are the upper minus domination and signed domination numbers of G * k, respectively. Thus two open problems are solved.     

The Total Irredundance Numbers on Graphs

This paper discusses the total irredundance relations between the graph G and its clone-contraction graph H, that is, let H be the clone-contraction graph of G and v1,v2,...,vk be all contraction vertices ofH. IfS is a maximal total irredundant set of H such that A = S ∩ {V1,V2,…,Vk} contains as few vertices as possible, then S＇= S-A is the maximal total irredundant set of G. Furthermore, we obtain the bound of the total irredundance A（G） number： irt ≤△（G）/2△（G）＋1 n, which n is the order of graph G, and △（G） is maximum degree in G.     

The evidence of Sm-Nd isochron age for the early Paleozoic ophiolite in Mangya area, Altun Mountains

The REE patterns of the basic volcanic rocks in Mangya area, Altun, are slight rich in LREE with (La/Ya)-N=1.69-3.20, (La/Sm)-N=1.37-1.87, other trace element ratios of the rocks are Th/Ta≈1 (for a few samples greater than 1.5), Nb/Y=0.34-0.62, Ti/Y=310-443 (on the average: 381), Ti/V=37-62, Zr/Nb=9.4-12.4, Sr/Rb=12-80 (on the average: 37), and Nb/Th=7.7-16.8. These features are similar to that of E-MORE or OIB. The ε Nd(t) value, being 3.95- 4.12, shows that the source of the volcanic rocks is derived from depleted asthenosphere mantle mixed with materials from enriched mantle. These, together with the information of geological setting and rock assemblages, indicate that the basic volcanic rocks are of ophiolite. The Sm-Nd isotope ages for the eight basic volcanic rock samples construct a straight line with good correlation, and the calculated isochron age is (481.3±53) Ma. Besides, the eight calculated ε Nd(t) and model ages are close to each other, which suggests that they are homologous, so the isochron is not a mixed line. In the meantime, the isochron age ((481.3±53) Ma) is lower than the model ages (T DM=1 004-1 534 Ma) of the samples, suggeting that the isochron age represents the formation age of the basic volcanic rocks and the ophiolite belt in Mangya area, Altun is formed in the early Paleozoic (Cambrian-Ordovician). In spite of the greater uncertainty of the age, it is still reliable because it is consistent with the age constrained by the regional strata.     

A study on responses of soil erosion and sediment yield to closing cultivation on sloping land in a small catchment using 137Cs technique in the Rolling Loess Plateau, China

By comparison of volumes and ¹³⁷Cs contents of the deposited sediments before and after 1993, changes of specific sediment yields and relative sediment contributions from the gully area and from the inter gully area after closing cultivation on the later area on a small catchment of Zhaojia Gully, in the Rolling Loess Plateau, are analyzed in this paper. Closing cultivation in a large scale has not resulted in decrease but increase of specific sediment yield of the catchment, in sharp decrease of the sediment yield and the relative sediment contribution of the inter-gully area, and in increase of the sediment yield and the contribution of the gully area, for a short term. The mean specific sediment yield of 29650 t km⁻² a⁻¹ of 1994–1996 in the catchment was 2.2 times the average value of 13413 t km⁻² a⁻¹ for a long term. The specific sediment yield of the inter-gully area decreased from the 14335 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1994 to 7034 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1995 and 3517 t km⁻² a⁻¹ in 1996, while the yield of the gully area varied between 44944 and 62136 t km⁻² a⁻¹ during the period of 1994–1996 which was much greater than the value of 21118 t km⁻² a⁻¹ before 1993. The relative sediment contribution from the inter-gully area decreased from 23% in 1994 to 15% in 1995 and 6% in 1996, while the contribution from the gully area increased from 77% in 1994 to 85% in 1995 and 94% in 1996. It is suggested that compacting of ploughed soils resulted in increasing of the erosion resistance but in decreasing of the precipitation infiltration, therefore, the soil erosion reduced but the runoff amount increased on the inter-gully area. Increase of delivering runoff from the inter-gully area to the gully area should result in activeness of gully erosion and mass movements, consequently, in increase of the total sediment yield from the catchment.