Response of the northwestern Pacific upper water δ~(13)C to the last deglacial ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean

The deglacial δ~13C minimum events that originated from the ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica, have been recorded in a range of marine sediments from the southern to tropical oceans in late Pleistocene. However, the broad δ~13C minimum event was also reported as far as to the northern middle latitudes, in northwestern Pacific marginal sea areas, during the last deglaciation. In the northwestern Pacific, forcing from the northern high latitudes is strongly expressed, while the records of in- fluence from the southern high latitudes are few. The Kuroshio Source Region (KSR) forms a boundary between the northwestern Pacific and the southern, tropical Pacific. So, high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal records in core MD06-3054 from the KSR are well positioned to identify signals from the southern hemisphere in the northwestern Pacific. Planktonic foraminiferal tests from the upper 1030 cm of the core were subject to AMS14C, carbon and oxygen isotopic measurements. A negative excursion was found to occur from about 20.0-6.0 ka BP in δ~13C records of both surface (Globigerinoides ruber) and subsurface (Pulleni- atina obliquiloculata) dwellers, but the overall trends of the two curves have reversed since 26.5 ka BP. Moreover, the δ~13C rec- ord of G. ruber (the surface dweller) shows a robust link to the record of atmospheric CO2, and its changes precede the records of P. obliquiloculata (the subsurface dweller). According to the hydrologic conditions, the broad δ~13C minimum event recorded in the KSR is also a response to the increasing ventilation of the deep Southern Ocean around Antarctica during the last deglaciation. The inconsistency between the records of the surface and subsurface dwellers was possibly caused by the ways that the low δ~13C signal was transmitted. Subsurface water primarily received the low δ~13C signal from the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), whereas the surface water was probably mainly impacted by atmospheric CO2 in the KSR. The records from the KSR confirm the deduction that the broad δ~13C minimum event in the Okinawa Trough was due to the impact of tropical Pacific surface water dur- ing the last deglaciation, and suggest that signals from the southern high latitudes also can be delivered to the northern middle latitudes.     

A gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous analysis of 50 phenols in wastewater using deconvolution technology

Phenolic compounds exist widely in the influents and effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and most are un-regulated. In this study, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the simultaneous analysis of 50 phenolic compounds in wastewater was developed. Deconvolution technology was used to identify contaminants that are covered by co-extracted materials. A mass spectral library containing all 50 silylated phenolic compounds was first established and used for deconvolution. Twelve typical phenolic compounds were selected to optimize the sample preparation procedures. Solid-phase extraction using a C18 cartridge coupled with an HLB cartridge was used for pre-concentration and dichloromethane was used for elution. The solutes were derivatized and analyzed by GC-MS. The blank and matrix spike recoveries ranged from 57.46% to 136.4% and 47.87% to 114.8%, respectively. Method detection limits ranged from 3.64 to 97.64 ng L⁻¹. The relative standard deviations of all the recovery experiments were lower than 13.6%. The instrument limits of quantification ranged from 0.7 to 87.7 pg. The method has been applied to analyze the influents and effluents of 5 Chinese STPs. Except for regulated phenolic compounds (phenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol), three un-regulated phenolic compounds, including 2-chlorophenol, 2,5-dichlorophenol and 2,4-dichloro-3-ethyl-6-nitrophenol were identified in the effluent wastewater. The detected concentrations of un-regulated phenolic compounds could possibly cause environmental effects, indicating that immediate attention is required to prevent complications.     

Growth, photosynthesis and podophyllotoxin accumulation of Dysosma versipellis in response to a light gradient and conservation implications

Dysosma versipellis (Hance) M. Cheng ex Ying (Berberidaceae) is a rare and vulnerable, perennial herb endemic to China with pharmaceutical significance. Increasing habitat loss and over-exploitation of the plant has severely affected the plant’s in situ conservation, necessitating ex situ conservation and commercial cultivation. The light regime is a critical environmental factor contributing to successful ex situ conservation via efficient production of biomass and secondary metabolites. We investigated th...     

Phase field simulation of interatomic potentials for double phase competition during early stage precipitation

Phase field model was employed to study the variations of interatomic potentials of Ni 3 Al (L1 2 phase) and Ni 3 V (DO 22 phase) as a function of temperature and concentration. The long-range order (LRO) parameter related interatomic potentials equations formulated by Khachaturyan were utilized to establish the inversion equations for L1 2 and DO 22 phases, with which interatomic potentials could be calculated. The interatomic potentials of Ni-Al and Ni-V exhibited approximately linear increases and decreases, individually, with enhanced Al concentration. Substituting the inverted interatomic potentials into the microscopic phase field equations led to three cases of precipitation sequence: the DO 22 phase preceded L1 2 phase precipitating at the interatomic potentials of Ni-V > Ni-Al; the vice cases; and two phases precipitated simultaneously at interatomic potentials of Ni-V and Ni-Al were equal.     

The effects of the guide field on the structures of electron density depletions in collisionless magnetic reconnection

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations are performed to investigate the formation of electron density depletions in collisionless magnetic reconnection.In anti-parallel reconnection,the quadrupole structures of the out-of-plane magnetic field are formed,and four symmetric electron density depletion layers can be found along the separatrices due to the effects of magetic mirror.With the increase of the initial guide field,the symmetry of both the out-of-plane magnetic field and electron density depletion layers is distorted.When the initial guide field is sufficiently large,the electron density depletion layers along the lower left and upper right separatrices disappear.The parallel electric field in guide field reconnection is found to play an important role in forming such structures of the electron density depletion layers.The structures of the out-of-plane magnetic field By and electron depletion layers in anti-parallel and guide field reconnection are found to be related to electron flow or in-plane currents in the separatrix regions.In anti-parallel reconnection,electrons flow towards the X line along the separatrices,and are directed away from the X line along the magnetic field lines just inside the separatrices.In guide field reconnection,electrons can only flow towards the X line along the upper left and lower right separatrices due to the existence of the parallel electric field in these regions.     

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions and their evolutions of gases generated by herbaceous swamp peat at different thermal maturity stages

Coalbed methane (CBM) accumulation models include continuous gas accumulation and staged gas accumulation.However,studied on the geochemical characteristics and indices to evaluate staged accumulation CBM are lacking.This study for the first time obtained the carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of methane and ethane generated at different evolution stages using thermal simulation of samples prepared by treating an herbaceous swamp peat at different temperatures.The results showed that the carbon isotopic compositions of methane and ethane were obviously affected by the thermal evolution level of the starting sample,while the hydrogen isotopic compositions were closely related to the maturity of gases.The carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of gases generated by coal-forming organic matter with Ro values from 1.2%,1.7%,2.4%,3.2% and 3.7% to 5.2% were determinated.The relationship between Ro values and the carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of gases generated by coal-forming organic matter at different evolution stages as well as the carbon or hydrogen isotopic relationships between methane and ethane were established.The results provide a scientific basis for studying the genesis of CBM generated at different maturity intervals and understanding the geochemical characteristics of staged accumulation CBM.These results were applied to a case study on CBM from the southern Qinshui basin,and it was found that the CBM accumulated after the Middle Jurassic and was characteristic of staged gas accumulation.This is consistent with the result of geological studies,and further showed that the results of thermal simulation experiments are very important for evaluating the genesis of natural CBM.     

Angular dependent NEXAFS study of the molecular orientation of PTCDA multilayers on Au （111） surface

The molecular orientation of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA) multilayers adsorbed on Au (111) surface has been investigated using angular dependent O K-edge near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The significant angular dependence of important resonant structures (π* and σ*) reveals that PTCDA molecules adopt an ordered geometry on the substrate surface. The average tilt angle of the PTCDA molecular planes is 27°±10° from the Au (111) surface.     

Role of locust <Emphasis Type="Italic">Locusta migratoria manilensis</Emphasis> claws and pads in attaching to substrates

The present study attempts to investigate the role of rigid claws and smooth adhesive pads in the locust Locusta migratoria manilensis,when attaching to various substrates.We measured the attachment forces on sandpaper and silicate glass plate of locusts with intact attachment system,and those with either the pretarsal claws or the tarsal pads having been entirely destroyed,to explore the role of pads and claws when a locust is walking on various substrates.To obtain information about morphological characteristics and material properties of the claws,we examined the intact and fractured claws by scanning electron microscopy,and tested the fractural force in a fracture experiment.We proposed a mechanical model for locust climbing on a slanting surface to analyze the conduction and final result of the attachment forces generated by the attachment organs on the fore-,mid-and hindlegs.Attachment forces generated by locusts with destroyed pads were similar to those generated by locusts with intact attachment system on both substrates,which presumably indicated that the claws have a significantly important role when attaching to various substrates.The result of the fracture experiment demonstrated that the claws are made of relatively stiff material,and their shear strength ranged between 39-45 MPa.Mechanical analysis of locust climbing on slanting surface showed that the force generated by the hindlegs suspended the whole body of locust up from the surface and pushed the body forward,while the midlegs steadily suspended the centre of gravity and the forelegs pulled the suspended body forward.The results obtained contribute to the further interpretation of the interaction mechanisms between insect attachment system and substrates,and supply information for designing and manufacturing slippery plates for trapping plague locusts.     

Potential influence of water level changes on energy flows in a lake food web

Large seasonal water-level fluctuations may influence isotopic signatures of primary producers and the types and amounts of these potential food sources accessible to aquatic fauna of Poyang Lake,the largest freshwater lake in China.In this study,the isotopic signatures of primary producers and consumers were determined,stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis and mixing models were combined to investigate the influence of water levels on the diet and isotopic composition of Poyang Lake fish and inverteb...     

Constitutive modeling for unsaturated soils considering gas hardening effect

The influence of gases on unsaturated soils is discussed in the paper.First,the selection of stress state variables is discussed.It is shown that gas pressure as well as generalized effective stress and modified suction are required to construct a constitutive model of an unsaturated soil.The deformation mechanisms of solid,liquid and gas phases in soils are then investigated.It is realized that the deformation of gas phase interacts with the deformations of the other two phases in soils.Gas laws are used to describe the gas behavior.Similar to the other two phases in soil,the change of gas volume can be divided into an elastic part and a plastic part, and the latter part is then introduced to the soil hardening equation to reflect the impact of the gas on the soil.Then,a simple elasto-plastic model considering the gas effect for isotropic states is developed.Finally,the model predictions are given and compared with existing experimental data.A good agreement between them is found.Comparisons of the predictions between our model and Wheeler’s model are also performed.