与环境保全并存的生业的可能性:水满村的事例

生活在海南岛水满村的黎族的传统生业主要由水田农耕、火田农耕陆稻、根茎类作物以及其他作物)、野生植物采集和野生动物狩猎构成。在村周围覆盖着大面积的草地,这种人工环境是定期焚烧的结果。然而自从 20 世纪 80 年代以来,由于政府环保政策的实施,这样的生业方式已经发生了巨变。焚烧被禁止,水田农耕也得到了强化。与此同时,人们也强化了水田可使用野生植物的利用。这样生业变化导致了村落周围二次植被的恢复,也改善了村民们日常饮食的营养摄入。从环境学或营养学上说,当今的水满村的农业生产也许是合理的生业。尽管不断变化的市场经济价值观可能会影响到这种生业的可持续性,但是这种生业还是可能成为未来亚洲各国农业的模范。     

Bone marrow cells adopt the phenotype of other cells by spontaneous cell fusion

Recent studies have demonstrated that transplanted bone marrow cells can turn into unexpected lineages including myocytes, hepatocytes, neurons and many others. A potential problem, however, is that reports discussing such 'transdifferentiation' in vivo tend to conclude donor origin of transdifferentiated cells on the basis of the existence of donor-specific genes such as Y-chromosome markers. Here we demonstrate that mouse bone marrow cells can fuse spontaneously with embryonic stem cells in culture in vitro that contains interleukin-3. Moreover, spontaneously fused bone marrow cells can subsequently adopt the phenotype of the recipient cells, which, without detailed genetic analysis, might be interpreted as 'dedifferentiation' or transdifferentiation.     

Light-induced conversion of an insulating refractory oxide into a persistent electronic conductor

Materials that are good electrical conductors are not in general optically transparent, yet a combination of high conductivity and transparency is desirable for many emerging opto-electronic applications. To this end, various transparent oxides composed of transition or post-transition metals (such as indium tin oxide) are rendered electrically conducting by ion doping. But such an approach does not work for the abundant transparent oxides of the main-group metals. Here we demonstrate a process by which the transparent insulating oxide 12CaO x 7Al(2)O(3) (refs 7-13) can be converted into an electrical conductor. H(-) ions are incorporated into the subnanometre-sized cages of the oxide by a thermal treatment in a hydrogen atmosphere; subsequent irradiation of the material with ultraviolet light results in a conductive state that persists after irradiation ceases. The photo-activated material exhibits moderate electrical conductivity (approximately 0.3 S cm(-1)) at room temperature, with visible light absorption losses of only one per cent for 200-nm-thick films. We suggest that this concept can be applied to other main-group metal oxides, for the direct optical writing of conducting wires in insulating transparent media and the formation of a high-density optical memory.     

Chloroplast avoidance movement reduces photodamage in plants

When plants are exposed to light levels higher than those required for photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species are generated in the chloroplasts and cause photodamage. This can occur even under natural growth conditions. To mitigate photodamage, plants have developed several protective mechanisms. One is chloroplast avoidance movement, in which chloroplasts move from the cell surface to the side walls of cells under high light conditions, although experimental support is still awaited. Here, using different classes of mutant defective in chloroplast avoidance movement, we show that these mutants are more susceptible to damage in high light than wild-type plants. Damage of the photosynthetic apparatus and subsequent bleaching of leaf colour and necrosis occur faster under high light conditions in the mutants than in wild-type plants. We conclude that chloroplast avoidance movement actually decreases the amount of light absorption by chloroplasts, and might therefore be important to the survival of plants under natural growth conditions.     

Two-dimensional investigation of forced bubble oscillation under microgravity

Recent referential studies of fluid interfaces subjected to small vibration under microgravity conditions are reviewed. An experimental investigation was carried out aboard the American Space Shuttle Discovery. Two-dimensional (2-D) modeling and simulation were conducted to further understand the experimental results. The oscillation of a bubble in fluid under surface tension is governed by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The SIMPLEC algorithm was used to solve the partial differential equations on an Eulerian mesh in a 2-D coordinate. Free surfaces were represented with the volume of fluid (VOF) obtained by solving a kinematic equation. Surface tension was modeled via a continuous surface force (CSF) algorithm that ensures robustness and accuracy. A new surface reconstruction scheme, alternative phase integration (API) scheme, was adopted to solve the kinematic equation, and was compared with referential schemes. Numerical computations were conducted to simulate the transient behavior of an oscillating gas bubble in mineral oil under different conditions. The bubble positions and shapes under different external vibrations were obtained numerically. The computed bubble oscillation amplitudes were compared with experimental data.     

Polymerization of Isoprene by Amidinate-Ligated Yttrium Catalysts.Unprecedented Switching of the Regio-and Stereoselectivity with an Alkyl Aluminum Compound

1 Results Search for catalysts which can control the regio- and stereoselectivity for olefin polymerization is a very important research subject.For the polymerization of isoprene,we have recently achieved,for the first time,the isospecific 3,4 polymerization by using a cationic rare earth metal alkyl catalyst bearing a silylene-linked cyclopentadieny-phosphido ligand[1], and the cis-1,4 living polymerization by a bis(phosphinophenyl)amido-ligated rare earth metal catalyst[2]. In addition to these ligan...     

Rapid and reversible shape changes of molecular crystals on photoirradiation

The development of actuators based on materials that reversibly change shape and/or size in response to external stimuli has attracted interest for some time. A particularly intriguing possibility is offered by light-responsive materials, which allow remote operation without the need for direct contact to the actuator. The photo-response of these materials is based on the photoisomerization of constituent molecules (typically trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene chromophores), which gives rise to molecular motions and thereby deforms the bulk material. This effect has been used to create light-deformable polymer films and gels, but the response of these systems is relatively slow. Here we report that molecular crystals based on diarylethene chromophores and with sizes ranging from 10 to 100 micrometres exhibit rapid and reversible macroscopic changes in shape and size induced by ultraviolet and visible light. We find that on exposure to ultraviolet light, a single crystal of 1,2-bis(2-ethyl-5-phenyl-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene changes from a square shape to a lozenge shape, whereas a rectangular single crystal of 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-phenyl-4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene contracts by about 5-7 per cent. The deformed crystals are thermally stable, and switch back to their original state on irradiation with visible light. We find that our crystals respond in about 25 microseconds (that is, about five orders of magnitude faster than the response time of the azobenzene-based polymer systems) and that they can move microscopic objects, making them promising materials for possible light-driven actuator applications.     

A silicon transporter in rice

Silicon is beneficial to plant growth and helps plants to overcome abiotic and biotic stresses by preventing lodging (falling over) and increasing resistance to pests and diseases, as well as other stresses. Silicon is essential for high and sustainable production of rice, but the molecular mechanism responsible for the uptake of silicon is unknown. Here we describe the Low silicon rice 1 (Lsi1) gene, which controls silicon accumulation in rice, a typical silicon-accumulating plant. This gene belongs to the aquaporin family and is constitutively expressed in the roots. Lsi1 is localized on the plasma membrane of the distal side of both exodermis and endodermis cells, where casparian strips are located. Suppression of Lsi1 expression resulted in reduced silicon uptake. Furthermore, expression of Lsi1 in Xenopus oocytes showed transport activity for silicon only. The identification of a silicon transporter provides both an insight into the silicon uptake system in plants, and a new strategy for producing crops with high resistance to multiple stresses by genetic modification of the root's silicon uptake capacity.     

Solution-processed silicon films and transistors

The use of solution processes-as opposed to conventional vacuum processes and vapour-phase deposition-for the fabrication of electronic devices has received considerable attention for a wide range of applications, with a view to reducing processing costs. In particular, the ability to print semiconductor devices using liquid-phase materials could prove essential for some envisaged applications, such as large-area flexible displays. Recent research in this area has largely been focused on organic semiconductors, some of which have mobilities comparable to that of amorphous silicon (a-Si); but issues of reliability remain. Solution processing of metal chalcogenide semiconductors to fabricate stable and high-performance transistors has also been reported. This class of materials is being explored as a possible substitute for silicon, given the complex and expensive manufacturing processes required to fabricate devices from the latter. However, if high-quality silicon films could be prepared by a solution process, this situation might change drastically. Here we demonstrate the solution processing of silicon thin-film transistors (TFTs) using a silane-based liquid precursor. Using this precursor, we have prepared polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) films by both spin-coating and ink-jet printing, from which we fabricate TFTs with mobilities of 108 cm2 V(-1) s(-1) and 6.5 cm2 V(-1) s(-1), respectively. Although the processing conditions have yet to be optimized, these mobilities are already greater than those that have been achieved in solution-processed organic TFTs, and they exceed those of a-Si TFTs (< or = 1 cm2 V(-1) s(-1)).