An endpoint damage oriented model for life cycle environmental impact assessment of buildings in China

The midpoint impact assessment methodology and several weighting methods that are currently used by most building Life cycle assessment （LCA） researchers in China, still have some shortcomings. In order to make the evaluation results have better temporal and spatial applicability, the endpoint impact assessment methodology was adopted in this paper. Based on the endpoint damage oriented concept, four endpoints of resource exhaustion, energy exhaustion, human health damage and ecosystem damage were selected according to the situation of China and the specialties of the building industry. Subsequently the formula for calculating each endpoint, the background value for normalization and the weighting factors were defined. Following that, an endpoint damage oriented model to evaluate the life cycle environmental impact of buildings in China was established. This model can produce an in- tegrated indicator for environmental impact, and consequently provides references for directing the sustainable building design.     

Study on cellular internalization of poly（vinyldiaminotriazine）-based hydrogen bonding type non-viral transgene vector

Previously we successfully prepared poly（vinyldiaminotriazine）（PVDT）-based non-viral vectors which complexed piasmid DNA via hydrogen bonding with adenine-thymine base pairs, in this report, surface charges and complex sizes of this system were further examined. The results showed that PVDT-based polymer could cover surface charges of DNA resulting in slightly negative or neutral complexes. It was also found that the complex sizes were governed by two events： the aggregation induced by the instability of neutral particles, and more compact complexes produced by PVDT-based polymers. In the study of cellular uptake, chlorpromazine and filipin III were used to inhibit clathrin-and caveolae-mediated endocytosis, respectively. We found that PVDT-based systems were transported into cells via a non-clathrin, non-caveolae mediated endocytosis. This special process was studied by temperature inhibition and kinetics assays. It was revealed that such a pathway was characterized by （i） a more en- ergy dependent process and （ii） a much slow transfection-effective internalization.     

A model of calcium signaling and degranulation dynamics induced by laser irradiation in mast cells

Recent experiments show that calcium signaling and degranulation dynamics induced by low power laser irradiation in mast cells must rely on extracellular Ca^2＋ influx. An analytical expression of Ca^2＋ flux through TRPV4 cation channel in response to interaction of laser photon energy and extracellular Ca^2＋ is deduced, and a model characterizing dynamics of calcium signaling and degranulation activated by laser irradiation in mast cells is established. The model indicates that the characteristics of calcium signaling and degranulation dynamics are determined by interaction between laser photon energy and Ca^2＋ influx. Extracellular Ca^2＋ concentration is so high that even small photon energy can activate mast cells, thus avoiding the possible injury caused by laser irradiation with shorter wavelengths. The model predicts that there exists a narrow parameter domain of photon energy and extracellular Ca^2＋ concentration of which results in cytosolic Ca^2＋ limit cycle oscillations, and shows that PKC activity is in direct proportion to the frequency of Ca^2＋ oscillations. With the model it is found that sustained and stable maximum plateau of cytosolic Ca^2＋ concentration can get optimal degranulation rate. Furthermore, the idea of introducing the realistic physical energy into model is applicable to modeling other physical signal transduction systems.     

Progress in fabricating arrays of soft spherical vessels on mesoscale with spatial control

Microarrays of spherical vessel-like colloids such as liposomes, polymerized vesicles and polyelectrolyte capsules may find diverse applications in bioanalysis, biosensing, and combinatorial chemistry, for their capabilities in encapsulating chemical species such as drugs, biomolecules, probes, polymers and nanoparticles. This review reports the advances on methods for fabricating microarrays of the various hollow colloids. Related strategies are described in detail, including patterning techniques, surface modification methods, and tethering approaches such as oligonucleotide hybridization, receptor-ligand binding, covalent coupling and electrostatic interaction. The preliminary developments of functionalities of these arrays serving as sensor chips, microcarriers and microreactors are summarized as well.     

Hydrothermal plume anomalies along the Central Indian Ridge

Water column turbidity and temperature were investigated along the Central Indian Ridge （CIR） from 25°19＇S to 23°48＇S during a December 2005 cruise on board Chinese PJV DayangYihao. Measurements were made using NOAA＇s MAPR （Miniature Autonomous Plume Recorder） sensors during CTD casts, TV grabber operations, and tow-yo profiles, yielding the following results on hydrothermal plume anomalies： （1） Strong hydrothermal turbidity and temperature anomalies were recorded over the previously discovered Kairei （25°19.2＇S, 70°02.4＇E） and Edmond （23°52.7＇S, 69°35.8＇E） vent fields, with the plume anomalies concentrated at depths of 2150--2300 m and 2700--2900 m, respectively. The maximum height of the turbidity anomalies near the Kairei vent field recorded in December 2005 was slightly below 2100 m, which is consistent with the plume depth measured in June 2001, indicating that the Kairei plume may have maintained its buoyancy flux in the intervening 4.5 years. （2） The water column beneath the Kairei plume has background anomalies of about 0.005ANTU, whereas no such background turbidity anomalies were observed below the Edmond hydrothermal plume. （3） No visible turbidity anomalies were detected from 24°42＇S to 24°12＇S including the Knorr Seamount. Thus 24°12＇S marks the southern end of the hydrothermal plume. （4） Significant turbidity anomalies were observed at four individual sections from 24°12＇S to 23°56＇S at the depth of 2500--3000 m along the eastern rift valley wall. Whether the individual sections of anomalies are connected is still unknown due to the absence of data at the intervening gaps. If the four sections are connected with each other and are linked to the Edmond vent field farther to the north, the total along-axis length of the plume anomaly would be more than 37 km, implying a plume incidence value Ph of 0.38, greater than the predicted Ph of 0.21 --0.25 based on the spreading rate of the Central Indian Ridge.     

Measurement of contact angle between stainless steel surface and carbon dioxide by pendant drop method

To measure contact angle between CO2 and solid surface, in this study a visual high-pressure vessel has been developed, with a corresponding well-controlled constant temperature system. Pendant drop method is applied to the investigation of the contact angles of CO2 on a stainless steel surface in its own vapor. The image of the pendant drop is recorded by a camera, and a B-Snake method is used to analyze the contour and the contact angle of the droplet. The experimental results have provided a set of well tested data, which show that C02 has good infiltration into stainless steel surface and the developed method can be used as a standard testing one for measuring the contact angle between high-pressure liquid and solid surface.     

Ultrafast isomerization dynamics of retinal in bacteriorhodopsin as revealed by femtosecond absorption spectroscopy

A femtosecond （fs） broad-band absorption apparatus was used to measure the early photoisomerlzation process of bacteriorhodopain＇s （BR） photocycle to reveal the character of the important Intermediate of J625 and to obtain a deeper understanding of the role of photoisomerizaUon in BR photocycle. Two time constants of 0.5 pa （95%） and 2.0 pa （5%） were brought out by global fitting on thirty curves In the nser-lnfrared reglon. We suggest that the first time constant results from the decay of I480 intermediate, and the longer component might be associated with BR isomer. The global analysis over 450, 540, 630, 710 and 870 nm traces identified two time constants, -0.5 and -3 pa. The slower component can be extracted from the processes of both J625→BR568 （540 nm） and J625→K590 （630 nm）, suggesting J-intermediate takes a partial cis configuration. The obvious negative feature in early delay time of 700- 760 nm reglona was attributed to the radiative transition （stimulated emission） from the Franck-Condon actlve conflguratlon along the isomerization potential surface of all-trans-retinal.     

Shape demagnetization effect on layered magnetoelectric composites

Magnetoelectric （ME） voltage coefficient of plate layered magnetostricUve-piezoelectric composites was always considered independent of the in-plane size due to the oversimplification in ME theoretical models. Here we report that the ME voltage coefficient depends on the in-plane size owing to shape demagnetization effect on magnetostriction. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that ME voltage coefficient of layered ME composites changes with the variation in in-plane sizes （length and width）. ME coefficient increases with a rise in in-plane sizes, and different aspect ratio also results in different ME coefficients. Proper design of in-plane shape will greatly promote the development of ME devices.     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of tuff at the bottom of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation,Zunyi, South China

A SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology study of the tuff at the bottom of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation at Songlin, Zunyi, South China yielded a mean ^206Pb/^238U age of 518±5 Ma. It is significantly younger than the Re-Os ages of 537--542 Ma for the overlying polymetallic Ni-Mo-PGE-rich layer in the basal Niutitang Formation at Songlin, suggesting that the Re-Os ages might represent that of the original magma chamber for the Ni-Mo-PGE-rich layer rather than the formation age of the strata. The intra-basinal stratigraphic correlation also implies that the absolute age of the Chengjiang biota should be younger than 518±5 Ma. Our new result, together with the SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age for the K-bentonite in the Zhongyicun member of the Zhujiaqing Formation at the Meishucun section, Yunnan Province, provides a temporal constraint for the Lower Cambrian of the Yangtze Platform in South China.     

Analysis of the carbon source for diamond crystal growth

The lattice constants of diamond and graphite at high pressure and high temperature （HPHT） were calculated on the basis of linear expansion coefficient and elastic constant. According to the empirical electron theory of solids and molecules （EET）, the valence electron structures （VESs） of diamond, graphite crystal and their common planes were calculated. The relationship between diamond and graphite structure was analyzed based on the boundary condition of the improved Thomas-Fermi-Dirac theory by Cheng （TFDC）. It was found that the electron densities of common planes in graphite were not continuous with those of planes in diamond at the first order of approximation. The results show that during the course of diamond single crystal growth at HPHT with metal catalyst, the carbon sources forming diamond structure do not come from the graphite structure directly. The diamond growth mechanism was discussed from the viewpoint of valence electron structure.