A massive phytoplankton bloom induced by an ecosystem-scale iron fertilization experiment in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

The seeding of an expanse of surface waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean with low concentrations of dissolved iron triggered a massive phytoplankton bloom which consumed large quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrate that these microscopic plants cannot fully utilize under natural conditions. These and other observations provide unequivocal support for the hypothesis that phytoplankton growth in this oceanic region is limited by iron bioavailability.     

Illmensee inquiry: fraud charge unproven, researcher resumes duties

A summary is provided of the report of an international commission set up by the University of Geneva to investigate allegations of fraud against a leading embryologist, Professor Karl Illmensee. Illmensee is being allowed to resume his faculty duties because the report, while highly critical of the researcher's experimental records, found no compelling evidence that he fabricated his data.     

A new interstellar molecule: tricarbon monoxide

The cold dark interstellar Taurus Molecular Cloud One (TMC-1) is a rich source of acetylenic and polyacetylenic molecular species. As well as linear closed-shell molecules (H(C triple bond C)nCN) and symmetric rotors (CH3C triple bond CH, CH3C triple bond CCN), several radicals (C triple bond CH, C triple bond CCN, (C triple bond C2H) have also been identified, many of which had not been studied previously in the laboratory. Whether the observed abundances can be understood in terms of purely gas-phase ion-molecule chemical schemes, which produce reasonable agreement for the simplest polyatomic species, is unclear; alternative models involving the particulate interstellar grains as catalysts or sources have also been suggested. We now report the detection in TMC-1 of a new molecule, tricarbon monoxide (C3O), whose pure rotational spectrum has only very recently been studied in the laboratory. As C3O is the first known interstellar carbon chain molecule to contain oxygen, its existence places an important new constraint on chemical schemes for cold interstellar clouds. In fact, the observed abundance of tricarbon monoxide fits quite well into our model of galactochemistry.     

U.S. agrigenetics: suit filed against NIH

Three environmental groups have filed suit against the National Institutes of Health in an attempt to block an experiment approved in April by the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee. The experiment, designed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, to enhance the frost resistance of crops, would release genetically engineered organisms into the general environment for the first time. The suit, filed in a federal court in the District of Columbia, claims that releasing frost-resistant bacteria into the environment could have damaging ecological consequences, that NIH should have issued an environmental impact assessment before approving any experiment involving the release of genetically engineered organisms, and that the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee lacks the expertise to assess environmental risks.     

超细晶粒W-40%Cu合金的烧结和力学性能

以纳米W,Cu粉末为原料,通过测定H2中热压烧结和无压烧结的收缩动力学曲线,研究了纳米W-40%Cu化学混合粉末的致密化过程.对比了纳米W粉与常规Cu粉(-44μm)的机械混合粉和纳米W-Cu化学混合粉的热压烧结致密化过程.测定了烧结合金在300℃和500℃下高温应力一应变曲线.实验结果表明:采用纳米W-40%Cu化学混合粉末在H2中无压烧结时最大收缩速率对应温度为980℃;1 200℃烧结平均晶粒小于2μm,相对密度为97%.纳米W-Cu化学混合粉在H2热压烧结时最大收缩速率对应温度为930℃;1 200℃烧结合金的平均晶粒为0.5 μm,相对密度为98%.纳米W-Cu化学混合粉热压合金高温抗压强度比纳米W与常规Cu粉的热压合金高.     

充液圆柱壳内旋转重力波的振动分析

为揭示充液弹性圆柱壳受高频激励，壳内自由液面出现低频大幅旋转重力波的产生机理，应用非线性动力学理论，在考虑弹性壳与流体的非线性耦合条件下，建立了壳液耦合系统的非线性振动方程组．运用Runge-Kutta法进行数值求解，得到了该系统振动的时间历程及频谱特性曲线，进一步分析了系统的非线性动力学特性．结果发现，当激励力幅值足够大，且激励力频率在壳体固有频率与液体固有频率之和的附近窄频带内时，壳内自由液面会出现大幅低频旋转重力波．由此可知，低频大幅旋转重力波的产生机理是由壳体两个同频率模态同时在壳液耦合系统非线性因素的作用下而引起的组合共振．     

嗜盐菌的研究新进展

嗜盐菌作为一种新型微生物资源,已经在很多方面得到应用.如：为微生物生理、分类,系统发育学和生命科学研究提供新的课题,因此,嗜盐菌已引起人们的广泛关注.文章主要讨论了嗜盐菌的嗜盐机理和应用方面的研究新进展.     

Ni-P化学镀层相变过程研究

针对镍磷化学镀镀层相变过程中存在的问题,通过X射线衍射、差热分析和透射电镜等手段对含磷原子数分数12.15%的镍磷镀层的镀态组织和晶化过程进行了初步研究。结果表明,这种中磷含量的镍磷镀层镀态下组织为非晶态,晶化起始温度321℃;退火过程中,非晶组织中先形成镍纳米晶,然后纳米晶镍伴随晶化过程进行迅速长大,并在镍基体上析出亚稳过渡相Ni12P5和稳定的Ni3P相,400℃退火90min后的组织为晶粒尺寸为微米级的镍基体上分布着弥散的Ni3P相和少量的Ni12P5相。     

西部民族地区在大开发中所面临的生态环境问题与思考——以内蒙古自治区鄂托克旗为例

实施西部大开发战略，加快中西部地区发展，是党中央面向新世纪做出的战略决策。位于内蒙古自治区西部的鄂托克旗，是一个典型的蒙古族聚居地区，自然资源丰富、生态环境脆弱，具有我国西部民族地区的典型特征。鄂托克旗所面临的生态环境问题在我国西部民族地区具有较强的代表性，其形成原因及解决方法对于我国西部大开发中的西部民族地区具有普遍意义。     

九顶山自然保护区珍稀濒危植物资源调查研究

九顶山自然保护区有25种中国珍稀濒危保护植物名录中所列的珍稀濒危植物，包括2个濒危种，10个渐危种，13个稀有种，其中1级保护植物2种，2级保护植物12种，3级保护植物11种．这些珍稀濒危植物在园艺、药用、理论研究等方面具有重要价值．区系分析表明本区珍稀濒危植物多发生于第三纪以前，温带性质显著，中国特有成分占优势，和华中及青藏高原植物区系联系密切．