Temperature variations on the Tibetan Plateau over the last two millennia

The paleoclimate data recovered from ice cores,tree rings and lake sediments indicate regional features of cfimatic change on the Tibeta n Plateau (TP) during the last 2000 years. The composite temperature reconstructions in-dicate that several main climatic episodes, such as the “LittleIce Age“ between 1400 and 1900, the “Medieval Warm Pe-riod“ in 1150-1400, a less warm period in 800-1100, and an earlier cold period between the 3rd and 5th centuries,occurred in the TP. In addition, temperature varied from region to region. The period from AD 800 to 1100, which waswarm in northeastern TP, was contemporaneous with cool-ing in the western and southern TP. The southern TP ex-perienced warming between 1150 and 1400. For western TP,the δ^18O records of the Guliya ice core indicate that the pe-Hod 1250-1500 witnessed a clear warming. Large-scaletrends in the temperature history from northeastern TP aremore similar to those in eastern China than are the trendsfrom the Guliya ice cap far to the west and southern TP. The most prominent similarities between the temperature varia-tions of the TP and eastern China are such cold phases as 1100-1150, 1500-1550, 1650-1700 and 1800-1850, andthe latter three cold events match with three widespreadg lacial advances which occurred on the TP during the Little Ice A2e.     

A carbon- and oxygen-isotope record of recent environ- mental change from Qinghai Lake, NE Tibetan Plateau

An understanding of natural climatic variability is essential for evaluating anthropogenic impacts on recent and future climate[1—3]. Due to the lack of lengthy instrumental records, such an understanding must be gained from natural archives of climate change. Palaeolimnological indicators of past lake levels may provide a sensitive record of changes in effective precipitation in closed basins. This approach is particularly relevant on the Tibetan Plateau, where instrumental records are very…     

海南岛万泉河口沉积环境演变

根据对柱样沉积物²¹⁰Pb定年及有机碳、硫和有机碳同位素含量分析, 研究万泉河口沉积环境演变. 硫和δ¹³C均自19世纪初期开始持续减少, 硫从1.92%逐渐减少到0.36%, δ¹³C从−20.63‰减少到−23.64‰. C/S比在20世纪之前一直很稳定, 处于0.47~0.80之间, 有机碳与硫呈正相关; 在此之后, C/S比急剧增加, 至表层为3.94, 硫的含量与有机碳的增加没有相关关系. 结果表明在19世纪之前万泉河口尚为开阔的海湾, 处于正常海洋环境,未形成被沙坝围封的泻湖, 海水能够直接出入. 19世纪初期开始, 随着玉带滩沙坝向北发育, 河口逐渐被围拦成泻湖型, 进入的海水量逐渐减少; 在19与20世纪之交, 水体已开始明显淡化, 发展成为今天近乎淡水的泻湖.     

五台山滹沱群SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄: 华北克拉通早元古代拼合新证据

采自五台山台怀镇南8 km处滹沱群变质火山-沉积岩层中的长英质凝灰岩样品含有两组锆石, 所记录的SHRIMP锆石方法²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb年龄分别为2180±5 Ma和2087±9 Ma. 在误差范围内, 较老的一组年龄与五台山大洼梁花岗岩年龄相当, 表明它们来自相似的地壳岩浆源; 而较年轻的一组锆石年龄与相邻地区阜平杂岩湾子表壳岩中变沉积岩和变火山岩及南营花岗片麻岩年龄相当, 因而被解释为滹沱群火山作用年龄. 这两组年龄的存在表明: (1) 滹沱群形成于早元古代而非太古宙; (2) 早元古代火山-沉积作用在五台和阜平地区同时间发生. 这样, 早元古代沉积作用在该区是广泛的, 它们代表了华北克拉通东部陆块西侧大陆边缘相沉积. 滹沱群火山作用年龄的确定也表明该群所经历的变质-变形事件发生在2087±9 Ma 之后, 这进一步佐证我们最近根据其他方面研究结果所得出的吕梁造山事件(约1.8 Ga)是该区主要构造事件的结论: 该事件导致华北克拉通东部陆块和西部陆块的最终拼合, 并成为全球早-中元古代超级大陆组成部分之一.     

Effect of hydrogen peroxide on the binding of Merocyanine 540 to human erythrocytes

The fluorescent dye Merocyanine 540 (MC540) is often used as a probe to monitor the molecular packing of phospholipids in the outer leaflet of biomembranes. In a previous study we showed that the increased staining of erythrocytes with a perturbed membrane structure was mainly due to an increase in the fluorescence yield of cell-bound MC540, rather than to an increase of the number of bound molecules. Erythrocytes and ghosts exposed to continuous fluxes of H₂O₂ exhibited pronounced lipid peroxidation. Further, red blood cells subjected to this form of oxidative stress also showed increased staining with MC540. It appeared that this was caused by a strong increase in binding of MC540, together with a slight red shift of the fluorescence emission maximum and a small increase in the fluorescence yield of bound MC540. The changed MC540 binding characteristics were not observed when lipid peroxidation was suppressed by the presence of the antioxidant BHT in the incubation medium. However, open ghosts exposed to H₂O₂ showed no increase of MC540 binding, excluding a direct involvement of lipid peroxidation. Measurement of fluorescence emission spectra and gel filtration studies showed that MC540 can bind to H₂O₂-exposed hemoglobin. Experiments with erythrocytes lysed in hypotonic medium after exposure to H₂O₂ revealed that peroxidation of lipids with H₂O₂ induced a non-specific permeabilization of the plasma membrane to MC540, thereby allowing MC540 to bind to the oxidatively denatured, more hydrophobic hemoglobin. These results indicate that conclusions about packing of phospholipids in the outer leaflet of the membrane based on increased MC540-staining should be drawn with care. Received 27 September 1996; received after revision 5 November 1996; accepted 27 November 1996     

Spectrum characteristics and pump wavelengths of Nd3+-doped double-clad fiber

Conclusion The optimum wavelength of Nd³⁺-doped double-clad fiber laser or amplifier made in China is near 830 nm. The efficiency of Nd³⁺-doped double-clad fiber devices pumped by 820-nm laser is low due to ESA. In order to increase the photochemical stability of the outer cladding, the material of the outer cladding must be advanced.     

Two classes of metabolites fromTheonella swinhoei are localized in distinct populations of bacterial symbionts

The marine spongeTheonella swinhoei (lithistid Family Theonellidae, Order Astrophorida) has yielded many important, bioactive natural products, most of which share structural features with bacterial natural products. The presence of microbial symbionts inT. swinhoei has been reported, and it was originally suggested that the cytotoxic macrolide swinholide A and many of the bioactive cyclic peptides fromT. swinhoei were all produced by symbiotic cyanobacteria. By transmission electron microscopy, we found four distinct cell populations to be consistently present inT. swinhoei: eukaryotic sponge cells, unicellular heterotrophic bacteria, unicellular cyanobacteria and filamentous heterotrophic bacteria. Purification and chemical analyses of each cell type showed the macrolide swinholide A to be limited to the mixed population of unicellular heterotrophic bacteria, and an anti-fungal cyclic peptide occurred only in the filamentous heterotrophic bacteria. Contrary to prior speculation, no major metabolites were located in the cyanobacteria or sponge cells.     

Effect of various stressors on the levels of lipid peroxide,antioxidants and Na+, K+-ATPase actrivity in rat brain

The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), an index of lipid peroxidation, and the antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH), as well as the activity of Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase, were assessed in whole rat brain after immobilization, anemic hypoxia (NaNO₂) and 72 h starvation. The effect of these stressors on plasma glucose and corticosterone levels was also observed. Hypoxia and starvation stimulated the lipidj peroxide formation in braini as indicated by an increase in the level of MDA, being higher after starvation than hypoxia. Brain SOD activity was also increased in response to hypoxia and starvation while GSH content was only diminished ini hypoxia. However, neither MDA nor antioxidants were affected by immobilization. On the other hand, the activity of brain Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase was significantly increased by immobilization and hypoxia but decreased in starvation. A similar pattern of change was also observed in plasma glucose and corticosterone levels in response to these stressors. These results elucidate differences in the biochemical response of animals towards various types of stress, with increased lipid peroxide formation in hypoxia and starvation.     

Antioxidant survey to assess antagonism to redox stress using a prokaryotic and an eukaryotic system

Using a prokaryote (Escherichia coli) and a metazoa-resembling eukaryote (Ochromonas danica), we surveyed antioxidants which might overcome redox stress imposed by menadione sodium bisulphite (MD) and buthionine sulphoximine (BSO). BSO oxidant stress was evident only inO. danica; MD oxidant stress was evident in both organisms. Glutathione, its precursors, e.g. cysteine, homocysteine, and 2-oxo-4-thiazolidine carboxylic acid, and red blood cells, emerged as prime antioxidants for relieving BSO and MD oxidant stress. BSO and MD oxidant activity and antioxidant-annulling effect inO. danica were judged comparable to those found in animal cells whereas the resultsE. coli were not entirely equivalent. TheO. danica system emerged as a practical, rapid, and useful system for pinpointing oxidant stressors and antioxidants, and shows promise for studies with mammalian systems.