δ13C difference between plants and soil organic matter along the eastern slope of Mount Gongga

Carbon isotope ratios (δ¹³C) of plants, litter and soil organic matter (0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10–20 cm) on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga were measured. The results show that δ¹³C values of plants, litter and soil organic matter all decrease first and then increase with altitude, i.e δ¹³C values gradually decrease from 1200 to 2100 m a.s.l., and increase from 2100 to 4500 m a.s.l. The δ¹³C altitudinal variations are related to the distribution of C₃ and C₄ plants on the eastern slope of Mount Gongga, because C₄ plants are observed to grow only below 2100 m, while C3 plants occur at all altitudes. There are significantly positive correla-tions among δ¹³C of vegetation, δ¹³C of litter and δ¹³C of soil organic matter, and litter, 0–5 cm, 5–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil or-ganic matter are 0.56‰, 2.87‰, 3.04‰ and 3.49‰ greater in δ¹³C than vegetation, respectively. Considering the influences of rising concentration of atmospheric CO₂ and decreasing δ¹³C of atmospheric CO₂ since the industry revolution on δ¹³C of plants, 1.57‰ is proposed to be the smallest correction value for reconstruction of paleovegetation using δ¹³C of soil organic matter.     

Carbon isotopic compositions of pore and matrix carbonates in carbonate nodules, and origin of carbonate formation

Carbon isotopes of pedogenic carbonate are often used to study paleoenvironments, but the existence of detrital carbonate changes the carbon isotopic composition. To develop an experimental method to determine existence of detrital carbonate in carbonate nodules, and to avoid it during isotope analysis, 23 pedogenic carbonate nodules in Miocene loess from the Loess Plateau of China were studied through micromorphology and carbon isotope analysis. The difference in carbon isotopic composition between matrix carbonate (B) and pore carbonate (A) (δ¹³C_(B-A)) ranges from 0.27‰ to 0.44‰ in nodules containing detrital carbonate and –0.16‰ to 0.13‰ in nodules where detrital carbonate is absent. The latter is within measurement error, but the former is beyond it. Here we propose an isotopic approach to determine if nodules contain detrital carbonate: if δ¹³C_(B-A) is within the measurement error, the nodules do not contain detrital carbonate, and vice versa. We suggest that it is better to analyze pore carbonate instead of matrix carbonate when using carbon isotope of carbonate nodules to reconstruct paleoenvironments.     

Stable isotopes of modern herbivore tooth enamel in the Tibetan Plateau: Implications for paleoelevation reconstructions

Fossil tooth enamel from herbivores is considered one of the best proxies for paleoclimate and paleoelevation reconstructions, due to its low susceptibility to diagenetic alteration. A synthesis of oxygen and carbon isotope analyses of modern tooth enamel from herbivores such as Tibetan yaks, asses and antelopes is assessed. The average δ 13C(PDB) value of herbivore tooth enamel in the Lhasa and south Qiangtang terrains is-11.3‰± 1.1‰, whereas in the north Qiangtang and Hoh Xil terrains value is-10.2‰± 1.4‰...     

Indicators of δ13C and δ18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments

The analyses of δ13C and δ18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments from two cores on Hydrate Ridge in Cascadia convergent margin offshore Oregon, eastern North Pacific show the values of d 13C from -29.81‰ to -48.28‰ (PDB) and d 18O from 2.56‰ to 4.28‰ (PDB), which could be plotted into a group called typical carbonate minerals influenced by the methane in cold venting. Moreover, the values of d 13C and d 18O show a consistent trend in both cores from top to bottom with increasing of d 13C and decreasing of d 18O. This trend could be explained as an effect caused by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in depth and the oxygen fraction during the formation of gas hydrate in depth together. These characteristics of d 13C and d 18O indicate that the gas hydrate-associated sediments are significantly different from the normal marine carbonates, and they are deeply influenced by the formation and evolution of gas hydrate. So, the distinct characteristics of d 13C and d 18O of gas hydrate-associated sediments could be undoubtedly believed as one of parameters to determine the presence of gas hydrates in other unknown marine sediment cores.     

Features of major greenhouse gases in loess, Shanxi Province, China

According to the investigations of five loess sections in Shanxi Province, China, it was found that the concentrations of the major greenhouse gases CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O in loess-paleosol sequences are generally high, even sometimes may be several times or scores of times higher than their atmospheric concentrations respectively. Although the CO₂ concentration in the same loess section shows poor regularity among different layers, it increases slowly from north to south in space. The CH₄ concentration in the layers under Malan Loess is much higher than that in the atmosphere, although it is not high in Malan Loess. Most of the δ¹³C values of CO₂ in loess are -11.14‰—15.48‰ (relative to PDB standard). Analysis of carbon isotopic compositions of CO₂ indicates that the main source of CO₂ in loess section is decomposition of ‘stable’ organic matters by microbes. The δ¹³C_g of CO₂ is a little heavier than organic source for exchanging carbon isotope with carbonate in loess. The abundant carbonate in loess not only makes the loess a huge carbon reservior but also adjusts     

Gas-Liquid Interfacial Plasma engineering under dilute nitric acid to improve hydrophilicity and OER performance of nickel foam

The world has been moving rapidly to find new eco-friendly energy sources. Water electrolysis consists of two reactions of Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), whereas the OER is considered the rate-limiting step. The most commercialized electrode for OER in the alkaline electrolyte is Ni foam, but its original surface is hydrophobic. It is possible to accelerate the adsorption and desorption process of reactants and products during OER by adding hydrophilic functional groups such as –OH on the surface of Ni foam. In this study, a novel Gas-Liquid Interfacial Plasma (GLIP) engineering at room temperature was successfully applied to modify the Ni foam surface dilute (1 ?M) HNO₃ solution. At a current density of 400 ?mA ?cm^?2, GLIP-treated Ni foam electrodes at 1 ?M HNO₃ concentrations showed OER overpotentials of 458 ?mV. Among all, GLIP with 1 ?M HNO₃ treatment of 30 ?min showed 129 ?mV less overpotential than the nickel foam before treatment. In summary, GLIP can be justified as an environmentally friendly and efficient surface treatment to improve the wettability and OER performance of Ni-based electrodes in water electrolysis.     

Relationship between climatic conditions and the relative abundance of modern C3 and C4 plants in three regions around the North Pacific

Using −24‰ and −14‰ as the endpoints of stable carbon isotopic composition of total organic carbon (δ¹³C_TOC) of surface soil under pure C₃ and C₄ vegetation, and surface soil δ¹³C_TOC data from eastern China, Australia and the Great Plains of North Amer- ica, we estimate the relative abundance of C₃/C₄ plants (i.e., the ratio of C₃ or C₄ biomass to local primary production) in modern vegetation for each region. The relative abundance of modern C₃/C₄ vegetation from each region is compared to the corresponding climatic parameters (mean annual temperature and precipitation) to explore the relationship between relative C₄ abundance and climate. The results indicate that temperature controls the growth of C₄ plants. However, even where temperature is high enough for the growth of C₄ plants, they will only dominate the landscape when precipitation declines as temperatures increase. Our results are consistent with those of other investigations of the geographic distribution of modern C₄ plant species. Therefore, our results provide an important reference for interpretation of past C₃/C₄ relative abundance records in these three regions.     

Modification and investigation of silica particles as a foam stabilizer

As a solid foam stabilizer, spherical silica particles with diameters ranging from 150 to 190 nm were prepared via an improved Stöber method and were subsequently modified using three different silane coupling agents to attain the optimum surface hydrophobicity of the particles. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and the measured contact angles were used to characterize the surface properties of the prepared particles. The foam stability was investigated by the foam drainage half-life and the expansion viscoelastic modulus of the liquid film. The results demonstrate that all of the modified silica nanoparticles effectively improve the foam stability. The surface hydrophobicity of the modified particles is found to be a key factor influencing the foam stability. The optimum contact angle of the particles lies in the approximate range from 50° to 55°. The modifier molecular structure used can also influence the stabilizing foam property of the solid particles. The foam system stabilized by (CH₃)₂SiCl₂-modified silica particles exhibits the highest stability; its drainage half-life at maximum increases by 27% compared to that of the blank foam system and is substantially greater than those of the foam systems stabilized by KH570- and KH550-modified particles.     

Geochemical characteristics and formation process of natural gas in Kela 2 gas field

 On the basis of a large amount of natural gascomponents and the carbon isotope as well as some otheranalysis data in Kela 2 gas field, the geochemical character-istics, source, origin, and formation process of natural gashave been discussed. The components of gas in the field tendto be "dry", and the drying coefficient is close to 1.0. Thecarbon isotope tends to be heavier, for instance, the averageof δ¹³C₁ is -27.36‰ and that ofδ¹³C₂ is -18.5‰. Compre-hensive analysis shows that humic natural gas in the Kuqapetroleum system comes mainly from Triassic and Jurassicsource rocks, and the contribution of Jurassic source rocks tothe pool maybe is more than that of Triassic rocks. The maincause that the gas tends to be dry and bears heavier isotopecomposition lies in the fact that Kela 2 natural gas is the ac-cumulation of late production of humic source rocks, and itis affected by the abnormal high pressure as well. Consider-ing the hydrocarbon generating and structural history, wecan regard the gas pool formation processes as twice fillingand twice adjusting (destroying), that is, the filling anddestroying process in the early Himalayan movement and thefilling and adjusting in the late Himalayan movement.     

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses of mammal bone fossils from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River,China

Based on AMS ¹⁴C dating data, carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on mammal bone collagen of deer, cattle and pigs from the Zhongba site in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of the Yangtze River. These analyses were conducted to reconstruct palaeodiets of mammals, palaeoecology, palaeoenviroment and previous human activities in the study area. Results show that the collagen loss of bone did not change the in vivo isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, and most of the bone fossils were well preserved. The bone collagen of samples from deer had a mean δ¹³C of -23.1‰ and a mean δ¹⁵N of 4.7‰, suggesting that deer subsisted in a closed habitat and fed on branches and leaves. The bone collagen of cattle had a mean δ¹³C of –19.6‰ and a mean δ¹⁵N of 5.2‰, which indicates that cattle subsisted in an open habitat and fed on grasses and stems. The δ¹³C values show that both deer and cattle fed on C₃ plants and lived in the same ecosystem, but the t-test results show that deer δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values were both more negative than those of cattle, indicating that they inhabited different niches. The δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of cattle partially overlapped those of deer, suggesting some competition in diets between them. The t-tests show that the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of pigs were more positive than those of cattle and deer, which signifies that pigs occupied a higher trophic level compared to cattle and deer. The wide range of pig δ¹³C values demonstrates that pig trading had been taking place from early Neolithic Age to late Bronze Age. There were no significant differences in deer δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values among different archaeological periods, making it clear that climatic, ecological and environmental conditions were kept relatively stable from 2200 to 4200 a BP. This stability may have been responsible for the extensive and complete cultural layers at the Zhongba site. The minimum number of samples required to estimate the mean δ¹³C values of deer, pigs and cattle are 8, 73 and 16, respectively, and for mean δ¹⁵N values of deer, pigs and cattle, the minimum numbers are 4, 5 and 6, respectively.     

Hf isotopic composition of zircons from the Huashan-Guposhan intrusive complex and their mafic enclaves in northeastern Guangxi: Implication for petrogenesis

High precision zircon U-Pb dating indicates that main intrusive bodies (Tong'an,Niumiao,Huashan,Lisong),and a mafic microgranular enclave in the Huashan-Guposhan complex were formed at 160-163 Ma.The εHf(t) values of zircons from the Huashan granite vary from -2.8 to +0.3 and those from the Lisong granite vary from -2.3 to +0.3,which are obviously different with those values (+2.6 to +7.4) of the mafic enclaves from the Lisong granite.These Hf isotopic data indicate that the mafic enclaves and host granites...     

A rapid and accurate 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay for quantification of bacteriocins with nisin as an example

The objective of this study is to propose a more accurate and faster MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] colorimetric assay (MCA) for quantitative measurement of polypeptide bacteriocins in solutions with nisin as an example. After an initial incubation of nisin and indicator bacterium Micrococcus luteus NCIB 8166 in tubes, MTT was added for another incubation period. After that, nisin was quantified by estimating the number of viable bacteria based on measuring the amount of purple formazan produced by cleavage of yellow tetrazolium salt MTT. Then MCA was compared to a standard agar diffusion assay (ADA). The results suggested a high correlation coefficient (r ²=0.975±0.004) between optical density (OD) and the inhibitory effect of nisin on a bacterial strain Micrococcus luteus NCIB 8166 at a range of 0.125~32 IU/ml. The MCA described in this study was very quick. Quantification of nisin took only 7~8 h and the detection limit was at the level of 0.125 IU/ml when compared to 12 IU/ml and 24~28 h for ADA. The MCA provides an accurate and rapid method for quantification of nisin in solutions and is expected to be used for quantification of other antimicrobial substances.     

High-resolution carbon isotope record for the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum from the Nanyang Basin,Central China

The Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) was a transient episode of global warming, associated with massive atmospheric greenhouse gas input that occurred at the Paleocene/Eocene boundary. Biostratigraphic and isotope stratigraphic studies indicate that the PETM event is well documented in the marl deposits of the Yuhuangding section in the Nanyang Basin, Central China, with a carbon isotope negative excursion of ~6.1‰ within 19-m-thick marl deposits. This is the highest resolution record of the PETM so far found in the world. The PETM event was triggered within 2-cm-thick marl sediments, with a decrease of δ¹³C (stable carbon isotope ratio) from –3.2‰ to –5.2‰, suggesting a massive methane hydrate release for a transient period that was possibly caused by a catastrophic event. A comparison between marine and terrestrial records indicates a “Three-Phase Model” for the PETM event. Initially there is a rapid negative excursion in the δ¹³C record, followed by a slowly decreasing trend, and then a gradual positive recovery, corresponding respectively to a rapid dissociation of oceanic methane hydrate, followed by a slow release of methane and then the consumption of the released methane.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In situ</Emphasis> boron isotope measurements of natural geological materials by LA-MC-ICP-MS

There are two main methods to determine boron isotopic composition. One is the solution method, in which boron is purified after the samples are dissolved in solution and the boron isotope ratios are determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (P-TIMS and N-TIMS) or multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). The other is an in-situ analysis method, in which the in-situ boron isotopic ratios in minerals are analyzed directly using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) or laser ablation multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS). In the in-situ analysis method for boron isotopes, the multifarious chemical purification and separation processes of the solution method are avoided, with increased work efficiency. In addition, the microzones and microbeddings of minerals can be analyzed in-situ to reveal the fine processes and conditions of mineral formation. In this study, using the standard-sample-bracketing (SSB) method, mass bias of the instrument and the fractionation of isotopes were calibrated, and the in-situ determination method of LA-MC-ICP-MS for boron isotopes was established. Through detailed analyses on a series of boron isotope standards and samples, a matrix effect was assessed but not detected, and the analysis results were in accordance with the formerly reported values or P-TIMS determined values, within the error range. The analytical results for IAEA B4 and IMR RB1 with relatively high boron contents were δ¹¹B = –(8.36±0.58)‰ (2σ, n=50) and δ¹¹B = –(12.96±0.97)‰ (2σ, n=57), respectively; the analytical result for IAEA B6 with relatively low boron content was δ¹¹B = –(3.29±1.12)‰ (2σ, n=35). In-situ measurements for B isotopes were performed on geological samples such as tourmaline, ulexite, ludwigite, inyoite and ascharite, with the results consistent with those determined by P-TIMS, within the error range.     

集值映射的ε-强次微分及应用

 在Hausdorff局部凸拓扑向量空间中引进了集值映射ε-强有效次微分的概念。在一定条件下, 通过凸集分离定理证明了该次微分的存在性定理。 作为应用,得到了约束集值优化问题ε-强有效解在Lagrange乘子形式下的最优性必要条件。     

Anomalies in mid-high-temperature linear thermal expansion coefficient of the closed-cell aluminum foam

Low-density closed-cell aluminum foam is promising to be used as load-bearing and thermal insulation components. It is necessary to systematically study its thermal expansion performance. In this work, linear thermal expansion coefficient(LTEC) of the closed-cell aluminum foam of different density was measured in the temperature range of 100–500 °C. X-ray fluorescence was used to analyze elemental composition of the cell wall material. Phase transition characteristics were analyzed with X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. LTEC of the closed-cell aluminum foam was found to be dominated by its cell wall property and independent of its density. Particularly, two anomalies were found and experimentally analyzed. Due to the release of the residual tensile stress, the LTEC declined and even exhibited negative values. After several thermal cycles, the residual stress vanished. With temperature higher than 300 °C,instantaneous LTEC showed hysteresis, which should result from the redistribution of some residual hydrogen in the Ti2Al20 Ca lattice.     

Interactions between HMG proteins (HMG1/2 and HMG14/17) and human ε-globin gene promoter (ε-promoter)

High mobility group (HMG) proteins are abundant non-histone proteins in the nuclei of eukaryocytes. It has been shown that HMG proteins may play important roles in the structure and function of chromatin. In the present study, thebinding of HMG proteins (HMG1/2 and HMG14/17) to the human ε-globin gene promoter (ε-promo- ter, -177-+1 bp) has been examined by using both the in vitro nucleosome reconstitution and the electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA). We found that HMG1/2 proteins could bind to the naked ε-promoter DNA, however, HMG14/17 could not. Using the in vitro nucleosome recons- titution, we revealed that HMG14/17 could bind to the mononucleosome reconstituted in vitro with ε-promoter,whi- le HMG1/2 could not. Those results indicate that the binding of HMG proteins to ε-promoter is dynamic as the nucleo- some assembling and disassembling. Wespeculated that this selective binding of HMG proteins to ε-promoter might playa critical role in the regulation of ε-globin gene expression.     

基于非离子表面活性剂的高压CO2泡沫稳定性试验

针对壬基酚聚氧乙烯醚系列非离子表面活性剂,利用高温高压可视化泡沫仪,在不同温度、压力和矿化度条件下对CO2泡沫性能进行测试,分析(聚氧乙烯基)EO聚合度、矿化度、压力和温度对CO2泡沫性能的影响。同时通过驱替试验对CO2泡沫作为驱油剂的封堵和流度控制能力进行测试,并与高温高压泡沫仪的试验结果进行对比,分析泡沫仪测试的泡沫综合性能指数与泡沫在驱替试验中的阻力系数的相关性。结果表明:随着EO聚合度的增大,表面活性剂的亲水性增加,所产生CO2泡沫的性能及稳定性提高;泡沫液矿化度增大、压力增大和温度升高都会导致CO2泡沫性能下降。驱替试验结果揭示了表面活性剂分子结构对CO2泡沫的影响,对CO2泡沫用非离子表面活性剂的设计和性能提高具有指导意义。     

SiO_2纳米颗粒稳定的泡沫体系驱油性能研究

利用Warning Blender方法测定SiO2+SDS泡沫体系的泡沫性能,确定SiO2纳米颗粒的最佳使用浓度,并研究不同温度和矿化度对泡沫性能的影响。利用岩心驱替实验装置对比SDS和SiO2+SDS两种不同泡沫体系对岩心的封堵、调剖和驱油性能。利用微观可视化玻璃刻蚀模型,对比水驱、SDS泡沫体系以及SiO2+SDS泡沫体系对盲端油的驱替效果。室内实验结果表明,SiO2+SDS泡沫体系比单一SDS泡沫体系具有更强的稳定性,能够明显提高泡沫的封堵、调剖及驱油能力,增加盲端油的驱替效果。