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.     

High precision topographic data on Lop Nor basin＇s Lake ＂Great Ear＂ and the timing of its becoming a dry salt lake

High precision elevation measurements using DGPS were carried out along three representative tran-sects for the ＂Great Ear＂ area, a dry salt lake within the Lop Nor basin. Results indicate that the Lop Nor basin is only 5.2 m deep and its lowest point occurs at the center of the ＂Great Ear＂. In addition, the basin is asymmetric-steeper in the southwest （0.19‰） and gentler in the northeast （0.09‰）. Points along the same ＂Great Ear＂ ring were found to have an identical elevation value, but different when from different ones （lower towards the center）. The spacing of the ＂Great Ear＂ rings was found to be closely related with the surface steepness. The closer the ＂Great Ear＂ rings are spaced, the steeper the ground surface, and vice versa. These findings support the argument that the ＂Great Ear＂ rings are the former shoreline trails left behind by Lop Nor water during the last few episodes of recession towards its total dry up. A comprehensive analysis of the high precision elevation data, historical accounts, aerial and satellite photographs and imagery, and official topographic maps of the study area suggests that the ＂Great Ear＂ area in the Lop Nor basin was incorrectly mapped as being covered by a great body of water on the 1963 topographic maps. A re-interpretation of the 1958 aerial photographs and newer remote sensing imagery indicated that the ＂Great Ear＂ ring structure was already in place in 1958 and it continued to appear on the subsequent remote sensing data without any major changes. It is estimated that lake water in the ＂Great Ear＂ area of the Lop Nor basin disappeared between the late 1930s and early 1940s.     

Chemical leaching of an Indian bituminous coal and characterization of the products by vibrational spectroscopic techniques

High volatile bituminous coal was demineralized by a chemical method. The vibrations of the "aromatics" structure of graphite, crystalline or non-crystalline, were observed in the spectra at the 1600 cm-1 region. The band at 1477 cm-1 is assigned as V_R band, the band at 1392 cm-1 as V_L band and the band at 1540 cm-1 as G_R band. Graphite structure remains after chemical leaching liberates oxygenated functional groups and mineral groups. The silicate bands between 1010 and 1100 cm-1 are active in the infrared (IR) spectrum but inactive in the Raman spectrum. Absorption arising from C-H stretching in alkenes occurs in the region of 3000 to 2840 cm-1. Raman bands because of symmetric stretch of water molecules were also observed in the spectrum at 3250 cm-1 and 3450 cm-1. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of a graphite layer on the surface. Leaching of the sample with hydrofluoric acid decreases the mineral phase and increases the carbon content. The ash content is reduced by 84.5wt% with leaching from its initial value by mainly removing aluminum and silicate containing minerals.     

Removing the impact of wind direction on remote sensing of sea surface salinity

Sea surface salinity (SSS) plays an important role in the sub-polar area, where intrusions with low salinity influence the deep thermohaline circulation and the meridional heal transport. SSS fields and their seasonal and inter-annual variability are thus…     

Microstructures of metallic film and diamond growth from Fe-Ni-C system

The microstructures of metallic film surrounding diamond have been systemically studied using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the atom force microscopy (AFM). The film can be divided into three layers (inner layer near diamond, external layer near graphite and middle layer). The graphite cannot be directly transformed into diamond in the film at HTHP; there exists a parallel relationship between (−111) of γ-(Fe,Ni) and (110) of Fe₃C in the inner layer; the sawtooth-like step morphology found by AFM on the film is similar to that of corresponding diamond surface. A new model for diamond growth at HPHT is proposed from the parallel relationship and sawtooth-like step morphology. It is believed that Fe₃C may be a transitional phase in the course of diamond growth, γ-(Fe,Ni) in the inner layer can absorb carbon atom groups with lamella structure from Fe₃C, and then the carbon groups stack on growing diamond.     

Mechanism of selective separation on the surface of ionic sieve of removal of lead

This note describes a kind of ionic sieve with high selectivity to remove trace lead in water, in which stannic molybdopyrophosphate is used to be the substrate. The mechanism of selective separation on the surface of ionic sieve of removal of lead was explored by analyzing fourier transformation infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and the results of selective adsorptivity experiment. The investigation suggests that in the process of synthesizing ionic sieve the olation reactions occur in solid phase by thermodynamic recrystallization and the adsorption units with special selectivity to lead are formed by chemical modification. After the ion exchange for Pb²⁺, the oaltion reactions not only keep the microstructures of adsorption units from collapse, but also provide lead cavties with special selectivity to lead ion that are capable of having special binding “memory effect” to Pb²⁺ by SnO₃ ²⁻ and P₂O₇ ⁴⁻ groups on the surface of this ionic sieve. Meanwhile, the selective separation capacity is a kind of weak chemical effect that is relative to the valence electron state of the adsorbed ion directly and tightly.     

Aerosol influence domain of Beijing and peripheral city agglomeration and its climatic effect

In recent years, along with development of industries and intensification of human activities, aerosol influ- ence and its climatic effect, and the aerosol-associated “aberrance” cloud phenomenon have increasingly drawn people’s attention. The term “A…     

Risk Analysis on Groundwater Resources Carrying Capacity Based on Blind Number Theory

Blind numbers of evaluation indices about groundwater resources carrying capacity are defined from the concomitancy of randomness, fuzziness, grey property and unascertainment of groundwater system. Based on fuzzy theory, a comprehensive evaluation model on groundwater resources carrying capacity is constructed with blind information. Then a risk assessment model of surcharge about groundwater resources carrying capacity is established on blind reliability theory. The probable value ＂＊＂ matrix of fuzzy membership degree about carrying capacity corresponding to each judgment level can be obtained with the aid of blind algorithm as well as the subjective reliability ＂×＂ matrix. And then a graph of ＂groundwater carrying capacity v.s. accumulative reliability＂ can be gained Based on the graph, fuzzy membership degree of groundwater resources carrying capacity to each judgment level under different risk probability can be got. Thus, a comparatively reasonable judgment to groundwater resources carrying capacity might be obtained, with comprehensive analysis to the state of society, economy technology and ecology.     

聚四氟乙烯复合薄膜的摩擦磨损性能

制备了一种PTFE(聚四氟乙烯)复合固体润滑膜(复合膜),在干摩擦状态下研究这种涂层的摩擦磨损性能,并将其摩擦系数、磨损率以及磨痕形貌与PTFE单质涂层(单质膜)进行对比.结果表明:复合膜摩擦系数较低且稳定,磨损率远低于单质膜磨损率,说明该复合膜能在摩擦磨损过程中形成稳定的转移膜,为此可有效改善单质PTFE的摩擦磨损性能,同时获得较低的摩擦系数和较低的磨损率.     

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.     

“Chi-Fang-Qi”: Is it the aureole of an ancient supernova?

An annotation for the statement about JingXing (Great Star) in the most famous Chinese ancient historical book Ski Ji Historical Records authored by Sima Qian reads as follows: “There was a red aureole (“Chi-Fang-Qi”) which connected with a deep-color aureole (“Qing-Fang-Qi”). Two yellaw stars were in the red aureole,one yellow star was in the deep-color aureole”. The author of the annotation was Meng Kang, an officer as well as a scholar of the Wei State in the Three Kingdoms period. The same records are to be found in two other Chinese histurical books compiled by the authors of later ages in Tang Dynasty——Jin History and Sui History. The scene illustrated by the record of “Chi-Fang-Qi” is very similar to the pictures of SN1987A taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Let it be noted that although the ancient authors were often with serious wrong understandings of some astronomical phenomena such as supernovae, their depictions about natural phenomena they witnessed were mostly objective, and it was unlikely that they fictionally made the record of “Chi-Fang-Qi”. We infer that the ancient observers might have ever watched a very bright supernnva with an aureole structure in its remnant and then left such a record. Meng Kang perhaps was the first to give the record about“Chi-Fang-Qi”, and he might have lived in the period from about AD 180 to AD250, very near to AD 185. so, here the supernova the ancient people watched was most likely the one in the year of AD 185. This supposition is consistent with the distance parameter of the most possible remnant of SN185 derived by some modern measurements. If the correlation between the record of “Chi-Fang-Qi” and the supernova remnant can he further proven true, it would be an important verification of the modern theory about stellar evolution.     

Different effects of fly ash and slag on anti-rebar corrosion ability of concrete with chloride ion

In this paper, we have studied the anti-rebar corrosion ability of high-strength concrete (HSC), which were made by one or two mixed fly ash and slag. The different effects of fly ash and slag on concrete anti-rebar corrosion ability were discussed in chloride ion-contaminated condition. The results indicate that the effects of slag on concrete anti-chloride ion penetration ability are more excellent than that of fly ash at the same content. When the content of fly ash is 10%, the corrosion-inhibition action is not obvious; when the content is higher than 25%, this effect is remarkable. Corrosion-inhibition action of slag is better than that of fly ash. Slag is not like fly ash that has obvious effect on anode curves Tafer slope, so its contribution to restraining rebar in concrete corrosion is the result of high concrete anti-chloride ion penetration ability and binding chloride ion. Their “superimposition effect” can be realized only at reasonable content and proportion condition. Biography: DING Qingjun (1962–), male, Professor, Ph.D., research direction: high-property concrete.     

Agglomerating Growth of One-Dimensional Carbon Nano-Materials Synthesized from Ethanol Flames

One-dimensional carbon nano-materials （ODCNMs） synthesized from ethanol flames exhibit various agglomerated morphologies, such as ＂chrysanthemum-like＂, ＂hairball-like＂ or ＂orange-peel-like＂, ＂vertically aligned＂ and ＂wrinkling-pileup＂. The present work studied the agglomerating process and the growth mechanism by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. It is thought that the size and distribution of the catalyst particles produced from pretreatment of the substrates play a key role during the formation of agglomerations. It is expected that the steady growth of ODCNMs in flames will be improved through the preparation of the catalysts.     

Preparation of monolayer-assembled fluorescent film and its sensing performances to hidden nitroaromatic explosives

Pyrene was chemically assembled on a glass plate surface in a monolayer manner via spacers containing triethylenetetramine （TETA） subunits. It has been demonstrated that the fluorescence emission of the film is sensitive to the presence of trace amount of nitroaromatic compound （NAC） vapors. As discovered in the present work, the response selectivity of the pyrene-functionalized film depends on the length of the spacer, the vapor pressure of a given NAC, and the quencher size. The film shows faster response to those quenchers which have higher vapor pressure and smaller size. Compared to the film with shorter spacers, the present film with longer flexible spacers shows a slower response to the NACs, but higher selectivity to the quencher size. Additionally, the detection limits to common ex- plosives in vapor phase, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene （TNT） and 2,4-dinitrotoluene （DNT）, are 7.14×10^-12 and 5.49×10^-11 g·mL^-1, respectively. Further examinations indicated that the sensing process is fully reversible, and the vapors of those common interference such as benzene, toluene, ethanol, and perfume have little effect upon the sensing performances of the film.     

The excitation energy transfer between β-Car and Chla molecules in PS Ⅱ core antenna complexes CP43 and CP47

The excitation energy transfer efficiency between β-Car and Chla molecules in purified CP43 and CP47 was calculated by comparing absorption and fluorescence excitation after normalization at 550 nm, CP43 had an energy transfer efficiency of 29.1% while the CP47 had an energy transfer efficiency of 62.8%, proving that excitation energy was transferred between β-Car and Chla molecules in CP43 and CP47 at normal conditions. The excitation energy transfer between β-Car and Chla molecules in CP43 and CP47 may occur through the “Dexter” mechanism and the distance between these two kinds of pigments should be less than 1 nm. In addition, the results were also used to discuss the conformational relationship between β-Car and Chla molecules in CP43 and CP47.     

Regional characteristics of the interdecadal turning of winter/summer climate modes in Chinese mainland

Tomé and Miranda’s climate trend turning discriminatory model is used to identify the spatial-temporal characteristics of the interdecadal turning of winter/summer climate modes at stations and in eight sub-areas over Chinese mainland based on the 1961–2000 observations. It is found that the stations with close occurrence years of the interdecadal trend turning (ITT) and coincident trends after the ITT exhibit a zonal distribution. A view is accordingly proposed that the interdecadal turnings of climate modes in China have remarkably regional structures. The research results show that after the early 1980s, winter climate over Chinese mainland overall trends towards a “warm-wet” mode, while summer climate had an abrupt change into “warm wet” mode in the late 1980s, suggesting that the time of the “warm-wet” mode turning for winter climate is earlier than that for summer climate. The regional characteristics and test results of the ITTs in eight sub-areas suggest that winter climate exhibits a distinctive “warm-dry” trend in North China after the late 1970s, and a slight “warm-dry” trend in Northeast China, South China, and Southwest China after the late 1980s. A “warm-wet” trend appears in the rest four sub-areas (the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Huaihe River Valley, briefly Jianghuai, the east of the Tibetan plateau, and the east and west of Northwest China) after the early 1980s. The summer climate trends towards a “warm-dry” mode in Northeast China, North China and the east of Northwest China after the late 1980s, but a “warm-wet” mode appears in Southwest China and the east of the Tibetan plateau after the middle 1970s, as well as in Jianghuai and the west of Northwest China after the early 1980s. Specially, summer climate in South China started a “cold-wet” trend in 1984.     

The specific contribution of object’s origin on artifacts categorization

Gelman and Bloom found that adults and children＇s object naming was sensitive to how an object was created （man-made or not）, but they did not reveal on which specific level of conceptual system this effect was. Using a free-naming task and a force-choice task, two experiments were conducted to test a hypothesis that this effect was specifically on domain level （＂artifact/non-artifact＂ distinction）, in Experiment 1, participants were asked to name shortly-depicted objects, rate their confidence, and report their reasons for each naming response. Resuits showed that most of the naming responses in ＂man-made＂ condition were in artifact domain, and most in ＂natural＂ condition were in non-artifact domain, although in both conditions names were very divergent on basic level. In Experiment 2, another group of participants were asked to choose one from two names （one in artifact domain and the other in non-artifact domain） to match the same shortly-depicted objects presented in the first experiment. Results of Experiment 1 on domain level were replicated in Experiment 2. These convergent findings supported the hypothesis that the effect of object＇s origin is specifically on domain level of conceptual system of objects. Reasons explicitly reported for naming responses in Experiment 1 suggested that participants might automatically infer objects＇ functions in ＂man-made＂ condition but not in ＂natural＂ condition. Here the function-based hypothesis of artifacts classification is discussed.     

Microscopein situ FTIRS studies of CO adsorption on an array of platinum microelectrodes

An array of platinum microelectrodes was designed and fabricated. The adsorption of CO on such a Pt microelectrode (μ-Pt) was investigated by employing microscopein situ FTIR spectroscopy. A nanostructured film is formed at the surface of μ-Pt (denoted as μ-Pt(R)) when it has been subjected to a treatment of fast potential cycling. Abnormal infrared effects (AIREs) were observed in CO adsorption on the surface of μ-Pt(R), consisting of the inversion of the IR bipolar CO band and the extensively enhanced IR adsorption of CO_ad species.     

Patterns and levels of PCDD/F in a Chinese graphite electrode sludge

The graphite electrode sludge was sampled from a huge chloralkali plant in central China. The total level of PCDD/F was found as high as 378.85 μg/kg sludge (dry weight). The patterns of PCDD/F in each homologue indicated the predominance of tetra-to octa-chlorinated PCDFs. Furthermore, the toxic 2,3,7,8-substituted PCDFs constituted over 80% of the total PCDFs in the sludge and the corresponding PCDDs were only at 15 μg/kg level. The calculated value of the international toxic equivalence (I-TEQ) in sludge was 21.65 μg/kg sludge (dry weight). This typical “dioxin chloralkali pattern” was apparently identified in the sediments near the effluent outlet of the chloralkali plant.     

Viewpoints on the proinflammation state of leukemia

Proinflammation represents a pathophysiological state on the early stage of a number of diseases, especially the infectious and immunological ones. In recent years, proinflammation has attracted much attention, and the term 損roinflammation factors?appears frequently in the literature. While investigating leukemia and leukemic cells from the angle of 損roinflammation state? we got some intriguing findings, e.g. we detected the significantly elevated expression of proinflammation factor IL-18 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which could up-regulate matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and specific tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). The increased MMP may play a role in the aggressiveness of myeloid leukemic cells, and be associated with a poor prognosis. This phenomenon reflects an ignored aspect of leukemia. Investigations from the angle of 損roinflammation state?have broaden the fields of tumor and leukemia study.