A nucleation site and mechanism leading to epitaxial growth of diamond films

A diamond nucleation site responsible for epitaxial growth of diamond on silicon by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is identified in high-resolution transmission electron microscopic images. Other sites in the same sample leading to polycrystalline growth, but deleterious to epitaxial CVD growth, are also described. A mechanism for the heteroepitaxial growth of diamond is suggested, in which etching of the nondiamond carbon binder exposes and removes nonadherent nanodiamond nuclei, leaving intact only those directly nucleated on the silicon substrate. This work enhances our understanding of diamond nucleation and heteroepitaxial growth and its potential applications.     

Anticrack nucleation as triggering mechanism for snow slab avalanches

Snow slab avalanches are believed to begin by the gravity-driven shear failure of weak layers in stratified snow. The critical crack length for shear crack propagation along such layers should increase without bound as the slope decreases. However, recent experiments show that the critical length of artificially introduced cracks remains constant or, if anything, slightly decreases with decreasing slope. This surprising observation can be understood in terms of volumetric collapse of the weak layer during failure, resulting in the formation and propagation of mixed-mode anticracks, which are driven simultaneously by slope-parallel and slope-normal components of gravity. Such fractures may propagate even if crack-face friction impedes downhill sliding of the snowpack, indicating a scenario in which two separate conditions have to be met for slab avalanche release.     

Observations of energetic ions from comet giacobini-zinner

During the encounter with comet Giacobini-Zinner, the energetic particle anisotropy spectrometer on the International Cometary Explorer spacecraft observed large fluxes of energetic ions, believed to result principally from ionization of the cometary atmosphere followed by pickup and acceleration by the ambient flow of the solar wind. These heavy cometary ions were observed from approximately 1 day before closest approach to about 2(1/2) days afterward. Three regimes of differing ion characteristics have been identified. An outer region with a scale of approximately 10(6) kilometers contains variable fluxes of antisolar-streaming pick-up ions in the undisturbed solar wind. In the middle region, of approximately 10(5) kilometers, fluxes have less large-scale variability and broader angular and energy distributions. This region is separated from the outer zone by a sharp transition. The inner region has a scale of approximately 10(4) kilometers and is characterized by reduced fluxes and complex angular distributions.     

The energetic cost of limbless locomotion

The net energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by the snake Coluber constrictor, moving by lateral undulation, is equivalent to the net energetic cost of running by limbed animals (arthropods, lizards, birds, and mammals) of similar size. In contrast to lateral undulation and limbed locomotion, concertina locomotion by Coluber is more energetically expensive. The findings do not support the widely held notion that the energetic cost of terrestrial locomotion by limbless animals is less than that of limbed animals.     

The energetic cost of climbing in primates

Primates are exceptional among mammals for their climbing abilities and arboreal lifestyles. Here we show that small primates (less than 0.5 kilogram) consume the same amount of mass-specific energy (COTTOT) whether climbing or walking a given distance. COTTOT decreases with increasing body size for walking but does not change for climbing. This divergence of COTTOT is likely due to fundamental differences in the biomechanical determinants of the costs of climbing versus walking. These results have important implications for understanding the origins of primates, suggesting that small early primates may have been able to move into a novel arboreal niche without increasing metabolic costs.     

冰核细菌Erwinia ananas 110 冰核基因iceA的原核表达及冰核活性分析

为获得具有高冰核活性的基因工程菌,从冰核细菌Erwinia ananas 110扩增冰核基因iceA,将其克隆到pMD19–T载体上,转化大肠杆菌DH5α,单、双酶切鉴定并测序;阳性克隆目的片段亚克隆到表达载体pET–23a(+)上,转化大肠杆菌DH5α,单、双酶切鉴定重组质粒;阳性重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)pLysS,并经IPTG诱导表达。SDS–PAGE电泳检测表明,冰核基因iceA能够并以包涵体形式表达,相对分子质量约为180 000。冰核活性测定结果表明,重组菌BL21(DE3)pLysS/pET–ice的冰核活性与野生冰核细菌Erwinia ananas 110在–5、–4、–3、–2 ℃下无明显差别。     

Ultraviolet emission from a diamond pn junction

We report the realization of an ultraviolet light-emitting diode with the use of a diamond pn junction. The pn junction was formed from a boron-doped p-type diamond layer and phosphorus-doped n-type diamond layer grown epitaxially on the 111 surface of single crystalline diamond. The pn junction exhibited good diode characteristics, and at forward bias of about 20 volts strong ultraviolet light emission at 235 nanometers was observed and was attributed to free exciton recombination.     

Evidence for multiple sources of diamond from primitive chondrites

Fine-grained diamonds, the most abundant form of circumstellar dust isolated from primitive meteorites, have elemental and isotopic characteristics that are dependent on the host meteorite type. Carbon isotopic compositions vary from -32 to -38 per mil, and nitrogen associated with the diamond changes in overall abundance by over a factor of four from 0.2 to 0.9 weight percent, between ordinary and CM2-type chondrites. Although the ratio of carbon to nitrogen evolves in a distinctive way during combustion of diamond separates, metamorphic degassing of nitrogen is not the main cause of the differences in nitrogen content. The data suggest that intrinsic differences must have been inherited by the diamonds at the time of their formation and that the diamonds were distributed heterogeneously in the solar nebula during condensation. However, the hypothesis that a distinct nitrogen carrier remains hidden within the diamond cannot be ruled out.     

2004-2010年广西能值生态足迹动态分析

运用能值生态足迹对广西2004-2010年的可持续发展状况进行评价与分析,结果表明:2004-2010年广西人均生态足迹从3.5830 hm2增长到4.2511 hm2,人均生态承载力从2.2715 hm2增长到2.5873 hm2,人均承载力增长的幅度远小于人均生态足迹,导致广西的生态赤字从1.3115 hm2增长到1.8743 hm2,能源消费尤其是煤炭消费的快速增长是其主要原因,同时广西资源利用的效益虽有提高但与国内部分省市相比仍处于较低水平,这说明广西的社会经济发展是不可持续的.最后通过分析生态足迹和生态赤字的影响因素,提出了广西可持续发展的建议.     

昆明金线鲃属三新种记述

描记采于昆明官渡区和西山区金线鲃属鱼类3新种。分别命名为官渡金线把Sinocyclocheilus guanduensis Li et Xiao，sp．nov，黄龙洞金线把Sinocyclocheilus huanglongdongensis Liet Xiao sp．nov和何氏金线把Sinocyclocheilus hei Li et Xiao sp．nov。官渡金线鲃侧线鳞平均72．4(66-76)，侧线上鳞平均30(29-31)，侧线下鳞18～19，与滇池金线鲃上述3种鳞片61．6(58～69)、22(18～26)和11～12显著不同，两者分子遗传距离4．2％-4．5％表明是两个不同物种；黄龙洞金线鲃口须长，吻须后伸过眼后缘，颌须后伸达前鳃盖骨后缘，体鳞细小。背鳍前体背大部裸露无鳞或细鳞隐于皮下，而显著不同于滇池金线鲃，两者分子遗传距离2．2％～2．4％，亦表明为不同种；何氏金线把以鳃耙3～4．侧线鳞80以上，口须长等与滇池金线鲃鳃耙5～6，侧线鳞58～69，口须短明显不同。     

The energetic basis of specificity in the Eco RI endonuclease--DNA interaction

High sequence selectivity in DNA-protein interactions was analyzed by measuring discrimination by Eco RI endonuclease between the recognition site GAATTC and systematically altered DNA sites. Base analogue substitutions that preserve the sequence-dependent conformational motif of the GAATTC site permit deletion of single sites of protein-base contact at a cost of +1 to +2 kcal/mol. However, the introduction of any one incorrect natural base pair costs +6 to +13 kcal/mol in transition state interaction energy, the resultant of the following interdependent factors: deletion of one or two hydrogen bonds between the protein and a purine base; unfavourable steric apposition between a group on the protein and an incorrectly placed functional group on a base; disruption of a pyrimidine contact with the protein; loss of some crucial interactions between protein and DNA phosphates; and an increased energetic cost of attaining the required DNA conformation in the transition state complex. Eco RI endonuclease thus achieves stringent discrimination by both "direct readout" (protein-base contracts) and "indirect readout" (protein-phosphate contacts and DNA conformation) of the DNA sequence.     

人工巢箱条件下两种山雀鸟类的同域共存机制

种间竞争会导致鸟类对自身的生存策略进行多方面调整,将多种因素结合起来分析不同鸟类的同域共存机制具有十分重要的意义.2009-2011年的3-7月,在辽宁省东部山区以悬挂人工巢箱的方法招引杂色山雀(Parus varius)和大山雀(Parus major),通过比较这两种鸟类在繁殖时间、繁殖参数和巢址选择上的差异,分析其繁殖期的栖息地选择及繁殖对策,探讨这两种鸟类同域共存的机制.结果表明,生态位的部分分离是大山雀和杂色山雀能够长期共存的基础.两者都是在繁殖期到来立即开始繁殖,均出现两次繁殖高峰,采用消减窝卵数的对策来适应环境质量的下降.对繁殖参数的分析表明,两种鸟类的繁殖对策都为k-选择,但大山雀略偏向r端,大山雀倾向高窝卵数、低繁殖成功率的繁殖策略;杂色山雀倾向低窝卵数、高繁殖成功率的繁殖策略.两种鸟类都选择在林龄较长的森林中筑巢,但是大山雀较注重巢址的安全性能,巢距地面较高,周围乔木密集;杂色山雀较为注重植被类型的选择,巢址多选择在植被多样、灌木生长茂盛的针阔混交林中,推测可能与杂色山雀的食物构成有关.     

Strength of diamond

The yield strength of diamond is measured under a pressure of 10 gigapascals at temperatures up to 1550 degrees C by the analysis of x-ray peak shapes on diamond diffraction lines in a powdered sample as a function of pressure and temperature. At room temperature, the diamond crystals exhibit elastic behavior with increasing pressure. Significant ductile deformation is observed only at temperatures above 1000 degrees C at this pressure. The differential yield strength of diamond decreases with temperature from 16 gigapascals at 1100 degrees C to 4 gigapascals at 1550 degrees C. Transmission electron microscopy observations on the recovered sample indicate that the dominant deformation mechanism under high pressure and temperature is crystal plasticity.     

Melting of diamond

Radiation from a Q-switched YAG laser, focused on the (100) face of a single crystal diamond anvil in a high-pressure diamond cell, caused a portion of the diamond anvil face to melt. Potassium bromide mixed with graphite was under pressure between the anvils when melting occurred. The diamond surface melted at pressures greater than approximately 120 kilobars and graphitized at lower pressures. Evidence for the melting and graphitization of the diamond was obtained by optical and scanning electron microscopy.