Erratum

In the report "Taste flashes: Reaction times, intensity, and quality" by S. T. Kelling and B. P. Halpern (28 Jan., p. 412), an error appeared in Table 2 on page 413. The magnitude estimate for the 1000-millisecond sodium saccharin pulse obtained during the last 100 milliseconds of the pulse duration was 16 +/- 1.4, not 1.6 +/- 1.4.     

A Net Sink for Atmospheric CH3Br in the East Pacific Ocean

Surface waters along a cruise track in the East Pacific Ocean were undersaturated in methyl bromide (CH(3)Br) in most areas except for coastal and upwelling regions, with saturation anomalies ranging from + 100 percent in coastal waters to -50 percent in open ocean areas, representing a regionally weighted mean of -16 (-13 to -20) percent. The partial lifetime of atmospheric CH(3)Br with respect to calculated oceanic degradation along this cruise track is 3.0 (2.9 to 3.6) years. The global, mean dry mole fraction of CH3Br in the atmosphere was 9.8 +/- 0.6 parts per trillion, with an interhemispheric ratio of 1.31 +/- 0.08. These data indicate that approximately 8 percent (0.2 parts per trillion) of the observed interhemispheric difference in atmospheric CH3Br could be attributed to an uneven global distribution of oceanic sources and sinks.     

Olmec civilization, veracruz, Mexico: dating of the san lorenzo phase

Archeological excavations at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Veracruz, show that the Olmec sculptures of this zone are associated with the San Lorenzo phase, which can be placed in the Early Formative period (1500-800 B.C.) on the basis of ceramic comparisons. Five of six radiocarbon dates for the San Lorenzo phase fall within the 1200-900 B.C. span. The San Lorenzo phase therefore marks the beginning of Olmec civilization, and the sites forming the San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan group represent the oldest civilized communities known in Mexico or Central America.     

滨海淤泥质盐土区暗管降盐效果研究

[目的]探讨滨海淤泥质盐土区暗管埋设的适宜参数。[方法]试验设计60、80、100 cm 3个暗管埋深,5、10、15 m 3个暗管间距,共9个处理,0~20、20~40、40~60 cm 3个土层定点取样,辅助滴管,分析盐分变化。[结果]A_1B_1、A_1B_2、A_1B_3、A_2B_1处理0~60 cm土体盐分最低,平均含盐量5.4~6.4 g/kg,较原始盐分土壤降低60%以上,降盐效果明显。[结论]淤泥质滨海盐土区辅助滴管措施,暗管埋深60~80 cm为宜;80 cm埋深下,暗管间距不宜高于10 m,在5~7 m具有较好的降盐效果。     

Flake tools stratified below paleo-Indian artifacts

In northwest Missouri, Lithic stage flake tools struck from prepared cores have been excavated underlying a Paleo-Indian fluted point assemblage. These assemblages were in two different loesses of the last glaciation. Thermoluminescent analysis of stone tools dates the Paleo-Indian occupations at 8690 +/- 1000 B.C. and 12,855 +/- 1500 B.C.; the Lithic stage occupations must be older than 13,000 B.C. on the basis of geologic correlation, lithic analysis, and cultural stratigraphy.     

Cotton remains from archeological sites in central coastal peru

Cotton remains from four archeological sites in central coastal Peru, representing a time sequence from about 2500 to 1000 B.C., were compared with similar materials obtained from living wild and cultivated forms of Gossypium barbadense L. The comparison revealed that the archeological cotton samples were primitive forms of Gossypium barbadense, differing little from present-day wild forms of the same species. Although not the earliest cottons recorded for the New World, they appear to represent the earliest stages of cotton domestication yet recorded.     

Coeval 40Ar/39Ar Ages of 65.0 Million Years Ago from Chicxulub Crater Melt Rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Tektites

(40)Ar/(39)Ar dating of drill core samples of a glassy melt rock recovered from beneath a massive impact breccia contained within the 180-kilometer subsurface Chicxulub crater in Yucatán, Mexico, has yielded well-behaved incremental heating spectra with a mean plateau age of 64.98 +/- 0.05 million years ago (Ma). The glassy melt rock of andesitic composition was obtained from core 9 (1390 to 1393 meters) in the Chicxulub 1 well. The age of the melt rock is virtually indistinguishable from (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages obtained on tektite glass from Beloc, Haiti, and Arroyo el Mimbral, northeastern Mexico, of 65.01 +/- 0.08 Ma (mean plateau age for Beloc) and 65.07 +/- 0.10 Ma (mean total fusion age for both sites). The (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages, in conjunction with geochemical and petrological similarities, strengthen the recent suggestion that the Chicxulub structure is the source for the Haitian and Mexican tektites and is a viable candidate for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact site.     

Anomalous nitrogen isotope ratio in comets

High-resolution spectra of the CN B2 summation operator +-X2 summation operator + (0,0) band at 390 nanometers yield isotopic ratios for comets C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) and C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR) as follows: 165 +/- 40 and 115 +/- 20 for 12C/13C, 140 +/- 35 and 140 +/- 30 for 14N/15N. Our N isotopic measurements are lower than the terrestrial 14N/15N = 272 and the ratio for Hale-Bopp from measurements of HCN, the presumed parent species of CN. This isotopic anomaly suggests the existence of other parent(s) of CN, with an even lower N isotopic ratio. Organic compounds like those found in interplanetary dust particles are good candidates.     

Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean

Here we provide global estimates of the seasonal flux of sediment, on a river-by-river basis, under modern and prehuman conditions. Humans have simultaneously increased the sediment transport by global rivers through soil erosion (by 2.3 +/- 0.6 billion metric tons per year), yet reduced the flux of sediment reaching the world's coasts (by 1.4 +/- 0.3 billion metric tons per year) because of retention within reservoirs. Over 100 billion metric tons of sediment and 1 to 3 billion metric tons of carbon are now sequestered in reservoirs constructed largely within the past 50 years. African and Asian rivers carry a greatly reduced sediment load; Indonesian rivers deliver much more sediment to coastal areas.     

Oxygen, Silicon, and Aluminum in Lunar Samples by 14 MeV Neutron Activation

Abundances of oxygen, silicon, and altiminutm in 27 lunar rocks and C aliquants of lunar soil have been determined by 14 MeV neutron activation. Mean abundances and standard deviations of individual abundances (in weight percent) within each type are: type A (2 rocks), 38.5 +/- 1.2 oxygen, 18.9 +/- 0.8 silicon, and 4.0 +/- 0.4 aluminum; type B (7 rocks), 39.4 +/- 1.0 oxygen, 18.7 +/- 0.8 silicon, and 5.0 +/- 0.6 aluminum; type C (18 rocks), 41.1 +/- 1.0 oxygen, 19.7 +/- 0.7 silicon, and 6.6 +/- 0.5 aluminum; soil (3 aliquants), 40.8 +/- 1.2 oxygen, 20.2 +/- 0.2 silicon, and 7.2 +/- 0.1 aluminum. Oxygen abundances are lower than those in most common terrestrial rocks and are comparable to those found in certain types of stony meteorites. From these results the lunar soil is most similar to the type C lunar rocks.     

组合改良剂对天津滨海盐碱土的改良效应

[目的]对天津滨海盐碱土进行培养,筛选出较佳的改良方案,为滨海地区盐碱土的改良提供理论依据。[方法]利用磷石膏(A)、聚丙烯酰胺(B)、园林废弃有机物(C)3种改良剂,通过3因素3水平正交设计,研究组合改良剂对天津滨海盐碱土的改良效应。[结果]不同处理均能不同程度地降低土壤盐分含量,增加养分含量。其中对土壤盐分指标有显著影响的因素是磷石膏(A),最佳方案是A_2B_1C_2;对土壤结构指标有显著影响的因素是聚丙烯酰胺(B)与园林废弃有机物(C),最佳方案是A_2B_1C_1;对土壤养分指标有显著影响的因素是园林废弃有机物(C),最佳方案是A_3B_2C_3。[结论]磷石膏、PAM、园林废弃有机物对盐碱土改良效果的最佳配方为A_2B_1C_2。     

浙北海涂土壤持水特性研究

对浙江北部不同时期围垦的海涂土壤持水特性进行了研究.结果表明,海涂土壤持水曲线为双曲线型,持水模型以对数函数模型较优.在高吸力段(80～1 200kPa),海涂土壤的持水量与物理性粘粒(<0.01 mm)含量呈正相关(r＝0.961 9**),物理性粘粒含量愈大,持水量也就愈高;而在低吸力段,围垦越早的海涂土壤持水量越大,但围垦时期间隔较短(小于20 a)的海涂土壤持水量变化不显著.比水容量C随吸力的增加而呈数量级递减;易效水含量(吸力S<80 kPa)与海涂围垦时间密切相关,围垦时间越长,易效水含量越高.     

6种植物甲醇提取物对外来入侵杂草的除草活性

以薇甘菊Mikaina micrantha、三叶鬼针草Bidens pilosa Lin.、香丝草Conyza bonariensis(L.)Cronq.、大薸Pistia stratiotes L.和空心莲子草Alternanthera philoxcroides(Mart.)Griseb.等5种外来入侵杂草为供试植物,用小杯法和植株生长量测定法对虎刺楤木、美洲商陆、大头续断、白花曼陀罗、枫杨和大蓟等6种植物甲醇提取物的除草活性进行测定。结果表明:大头续断和虎刺楤木的提取物在以质量浓度5.000mg/mL处理杂草7d后,对薇甘菊、三叶鬼针草、香丝草和大薸的生物活性均显著,大头续断提取物对这4种杂草的抑制率分别为90.05%、83.71%、92.68%和100%;虎刺楤木提取物对这4种杂草的抑制率分别为79.21%、81.17%、88.09%和100%;虎刺楤木提取物对大薸、香丝草和三叶鬼针草的活性显著,IC50分别为0.342 4、0.409 0、0.696 6mg/mL;大头续断和美洲商陆提取物对薇甘菊的根有较强的抑制作用,IC50分别为0.721 0、0.716 7mg/mL;6种植物提取物对空心莲子草的生物活性均不显著。     

Calorimetric measurement of the energy difference between two solid surface phases

A recently designed single-crystal surface calorimeter has been deployed to measure the energy difference between two solid surface structures. The clean Pt{100} surface is reconstructed to a stable phase in which the surface layer of platinum atoms has a quasi-hexagonal structure. By comparison of the heats of adsorption of CO and of C(2)H(4) on this stable Pt{100}-hex phase with those on a metastable Pt{100}-(1x1) surface, the energy difference between the two clean phases was measured as 20 +/- 3 and 25 +/- 3 kilojoules per mole of surface platinum atoms.     

Nitrogen uptake, dissolved organic nitrogen release, and new production

In oceanic, coastal, and estuarine environments, an average of 25 to 41 percent of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (NH(4) (+) and NO(3) (-)) taken up by phytoplankton is released as dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Release rates for DON in oceanic systems range from 4 to 26 nanogram-atoms of nitrogen per liter per hour. Failure to account for the production of DON during nitrogen-15 uptake experiments results in an underestimate of gross nitrogen uptake rates and thus an underestimate of new and regenerated production. In these studies, traditional nitrogen-15 techniques were found to underestimate new and regenerated production by up to 74 and 50 percent, respectively. Total DON turnover times, estimated from DON release resulting from both NH(4) (+) and NO(3) (-) uptake, were 10 +/- 1, 18 +/- 14, and 4 days for oceanic, coastal, and estuarine sites, respectively.     

Early sedentary economy in the basin of Mexico

Artifactual and nonartifactual evidence from the lacustrine shores of the Chalco-Xochimilco Basin suggest the existence of fully sedentary human communities in the Basin of Mexico from at least the sixth millennium B.C.     

Origin and environmental setting of ancient agriculture in the lowlands of Mesoamerica

Archaeological research in the Gulf Coast of Tabasco reveals the earliest record of maize cultivation in Mexico. The first farmers settled along beach ridges and lagoons of the Grijalva River delta. Pollen from cultivated Zea appears with evidence of forest clearing about 5100 calendar years B.C. (yr B.C.) [6200 (14)C years before the present (yr B.P.)]. Large Zea sp. pollen, typical of domesticated maize (Zea mays), appears about 5000 calendar yr B.C. (6000 yr B.P.). A Manihot sp. pollen grain dated to 4600 calendar yr B.C. (5800 yr B.P.) may be from domesticated manioc. About 2500 calendar yr B.C. (4000 yr B.P.), domesticated sunflower seeds and cotton pollen appear as farming expanded.     

Otolith delta 18O record of mid-Holocene sea surface temperatures in Peru

Peruvian sea catfish (Galeichthys peruvianus) sagittal otoliths preserve a record of modern and mid-Holocene sea surface temperatures (SSTs). Oxygen isotope profiles in otoliths excavated from Ostra [6010 +/- 90 years before the present (yr B.P.); 8 degrees 55'S] indicate that summer SSTs were approximately 3 degrees C warmer than those of the present. Siches otoliths (6450 +/- 110 yr B.P.; 4 degrees 40'S) recorded mean annual temperatures approximately 3 degrees to 4 degrees C warmer than were measured under modern conditions. Trophic level and population diversity and equitability data from these faunal assemblages and other Peruvian archaeological sites support the isotope interpretations and suggest that upwelling of the Peru-Chile current intensified after approximately 5000 yr B.P.     

黄须菜的营养成分分析及评价

对野生蔬菜黄须菜的营养成分进行的分析表明，每１００ｇ样品含蛋白质４．１ｇ维生素Ｃ５２ｍｇ，β－胡萝卜素３．７８ｍｇ维生素Ｅ０．２３ｍｇ，维生素Ｋ１０．１５ｍｇ，引外还含有丰富的Ｂ族维生素，粗纤维，矿物和氨基酸等。     

Erratum

Figure 2, part B (p. 100) in the report "Regulation of transendothelial neutrophil migration by endogenous interleukin-8" by A. R. Huber et al. (4 Oct., p. 99) was printed incorrectly. The correct figure (parts A, B, and C) appears below. [See figure in the pdf file].