Atmospheric trace metals at remote northern and southern hemisphere sites: pollution or natural?

The chemical composition of atmospheric particles collected near sea level over the North Atlantic indicates that Al, Sc, Mn, Fe, Co, Cr, Na, Mg, Ca, K, and Sr are derived from either crustal weathering or the ocean. The elements V, Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Sb, and Se are present in concentrations higher than expected from these sources. Although the V is probably derived from pollution sources on the North American continent, a comparison of enrichment factors relative to average crustal material for the remainder of these elements over the North Atlantic with enrichment factors for similar samples collected at the geographic South Pole suggests that the anomalously high enrichment factors may be due to natural rather than anthropogenic sources. A vapor phase for these metals may be involved at their source.     

Plant volatile compounds: sensory cues for health and nutritional value?

Plants produce many volatile metabolites. A small subset of these compounds is sensed by animals and humans, and the volatile profiles are defining elements of the distinct flavors of individual foods. Flavor volatiles are derived from an array of nutrients, including amino acids, fatty acids, and carotenoids. In tomato, almost all of the important flavor-related volatiles are derived from essential nutrients. The predominance of volatiles derived from essential nutrients and health-promoting compounds suggests that these volatiles provide important information about the nutritional makeup of foods. Evidence supporting a relation between volatile perception and nutrient or health value will be reviewed.     

水花生的根、茎、叶形态解剖特征及生态适应性

运用光学显微镜和扫描电镜的方法,对水花生的根、茎、叶营养器官进行比较观察。结果表明:根的初生木质部为二原型、三原型和四原型;初生结构和早期次生结构正常,异常的次生生长是由于次生韧皮部外侧发生的额外形成层所致,后一轮额外形成层起源于前一轮向外产生的薄壁细胞,结合组织为发达的薄壁细胞,二-四轮三生维管束排成整齐的同心环类型,不定芽主要起源于异常根的额外形成层,芽外有二至三轮鳞片,其内着生许多毛状物;水花生茎有气腔,薄壁细胞间有间隙,形成层细胞层数多。地下茎比较粗,形成层细胞层数少,薄壁细胞较大。地下茎加粗过程中形成三生结构,其异常结构是由于次生韧皮部外侧发生的额外形成层所致,其起源于薄壁细胞;水生叶与旱生叶在栅栏组织与海绵组织的分化以及维管束之间的薄壁细胞大小方面存在差异。由于特殊的解剖结构,水花生很强的生态适应性。     

The origins of gene instability in yeast

Two unstable mutations at the his4 locus of yeast are due to the insertion of the transposable elements Ty912 and Ty917 into the his4 regulatory region. The two transposons are related, one being derived from the other by a substitution of 4000 base pairs of DNA. Element Ty912 includes identical terminal repeats, whereas the terminal repeats of Ty917 are not identical. Transposition of Ty912 or Ty917 generates 5-base-pair duplications of the target DNA at either end of the element. Expression and reversion of a his4 gene containing Ty912 or Ty917 is controlled by three unlinked regulatory genes. The properties of these regulatory genes are similar to those described for the controlling elements in maize.     

亚热带不同母岩成壤过程中金属元素的迁移和积累特点

为了解不同岩石风化成壤过程中重金属等元素在土壤剖面中的积累特点,在浙江省选择玄武岩、花岗岩、泥页岩、石灰岩和碳质页岩这5类岩石发育的原位土壤剖面,按发生层采集分层土壤样品和基岩样品,分析主要元素全量组成,并以稳定元素Zr为参照,采用质量平衡法分析了成壤过程中土壤重金属等元素的淋失与积累特点。结果表明,石灰岩发育土壤剖面中重金属元素的淋失和积累明显不同于其他母岩,由石灰岩转变为土壤过程中重金属呈现明显的富集,同时成壤过程中发生了大量重金属等元素的淋失。泥页岩和碳质页岩发育土壤重金属富集不明显,其重金属含量与母岩接近或低于母岩;但碳质页岩因母岩中重金属本底较高,其形成的土壤含较高的重金属。玄武岩和花岗岩发育土壤风化程度高于泥页岩和碳质页岩发育土壤,前者在成壤过程中Si、Ca、K、Cr、Cu、Zn、Hg、Ni、Co的淋失高于后者。成壤过程中重金属的平均淋失比例由高至低依次为Hg>As>Cu>Zn>Cd>Ni>Co>Pb>Cr,Cr和Pb的稳定性最高。多数情况下,元素的淋失比例由表土向母质层降低。石灰岩成壤过程中镉的富集和高淋失特点可能是石灰岩分布区土壤镉积累的主要原因。     

Elements 112 to 119: were they present in meteorites?

Chondrites contain a small fission xenon component of unexplained origin. Evidence on the geochemical behavior of this component suggests that it was not derived from an actinide element (Z = 89 to 103), or from a transition metal between Z = 104 and 111, but from a more volatile progenitor. The most likely candidates are the superheavy elements between Z = 112 and 119, whose lighter congeners (mercury, tellurium, lead, and the like) are known to be strongly fractionated in meteorites.     

Transposition of cloned P elements into Drosophila germ line chromosomes

Recombinant DNA carrying the 3-kilobase transposable element was injected into Drosophila embryos of a strain that lacked such elements. Under optimum conditions, half of the surviving embryos showed evidence of P element-induced mutations in a fraction of their progeny. Direct analysis of the DNA of strains derived from such flies showed them to contain from one to five intact 3-kilobase P elements located at a wide variety of chromosomal sites. DNA sequences located outside the P element on the injected DNA were not transferred. Thus P elements can efficiently and selectively transpose from extrachromosomal DNA to the DNA of germ line chromosomes in Drosophila embryos. These observations provide the basis for efficient DNA-mediated gene transfer in Drosophila.     

Toxic trace elements: preferential concentration in respirable particles

The toxic trace elements arsenic, antimony, cadmium, lead, selenium, and thallium were found to be most concentrated in the smallest respirable particles emitted from coal-fired power plants. These elements, or their compounds, are probably volatilized during combustion and preferentially adsorb or condense onto the small particles which can most easily pass through conventional control equipment.     

不同成因型母质发育土壤稀土元素的地球化学特征分析

分析了 1 7种母质发育土壤的稀土元素 (REE)的地球化学特征 ,结果表明 :(1 )基性岩浆岩母质发育土壤的稀土总丰度最高 ,红砂岩者最低 ;(2 )岩浆岩和喷出岩者的 REE科勃尔分布模式仍表现出母岩特征 ,沉积型者则相对平稳 ,但海相沉积型者变异显著 ;(3 )各类母质发育者∑ Ce/∑Y特征值达 3 .5 -4.7,∑ Ce与∑ Y分馏特征明显 ;(4 )砂页岩等 4种母质者δCe正异常 ,火山喷出岩等 3种母质者 δCe相对稳定 ,酸性岩浆岩等 1 0种母质者 δCe负异常 ;紫砂岩母质者 δEu正异常 ,页岩等 3种母质者δEu相对稳定 ,基性岩浆岩等 1 3种母质者 δEu负异常 ;(5 )逐步回归分析表明 ,∑ REE与 Ce、Sm、Dy、Lu,∑ Ce与 Pr、Sm,∑ Y与 Dy、Lu相关显著 ;(6)双重筛选逐步回归分析表明 ,∑ REE、∑ Ce与土壤 Fe2 O3相关极显著 ,∑ Y与土壤 p H值、粉砂粒、物理性粘粒相关显著 ;(7)通过 REE动态聚类分析 ,不同母质土壤可划分为基于岩性背景的三大类     

Early differentiation of the Earth and the problem of mantle siderophile elements: a new approach

The long-standing problem of the excess abundances of siderophile elements in the mantle can be resolved by considering an equilibrium core-mantle differentiation in the earth at 3000 to 3500 kelvin. This high-temperature differentiation results in mantle siderophile element abundances that closely match the observed values. Some lithophile (light) elements could enter the core in this process as is necessary to account for its low density. The abundances of siderophile elements in the mantle are consistent with the conclusion derived from the recent physical models that the earth was molten during accretion.     

Human genome ultraconserved elements are ultraselected

Ultraconserved elements in the human genome are defined as stretches of at least 200 base pairs of DNA that match identically with corresponding regions in the mouse and rat genomes. Most ultraconserved elements are noncoding and have been evolutionarily conserved since mammal and bird ancestors diverged over 300 million years ago. The reason for this extreme conservation remains a mystery. It has been speculated that they are mutational cold spots or regions where every site is under weak but still detectable negative selection. However, analysis of the derived allele frequency spectrum shows that these regions are in fact under negative selection that is much stronger than that in protein coding genes.     

石家庄市雾霾时空特征及影响因子研究

分析了石家庄市2015年全年空气质量监测点位所统计的PM2.5和PM10浓度数据的时空分布特征,并研究了PM2.5和PM10浓度与风速、降水量、气温、气压等气象因子以及社会经济之间的相关程度。结果表明,石家庄市PM2.5、PM10在时间上具有周期性演变规律,主要集中在秋冬季节,在空间上具有分布不均衡的现象;影响PM2.5、PM10时空分布规律的因素包括自然气象和社会经济两大因素,气象要素是雾霾集聚、转移与扩散的重要影响因子,而社会经济要素是影响石家庄市雾霾频发的根本性原因。因此,治理雾霾的根本在于能源结构的调整。     

江西省水稻优势产区重金属污染及累积规律

对江西省7个水稻优势主产区的农田土壤环境质量进行监测和评价,发现该省农田土壤环境质量除部分因污水灌溉出现不同程度的重金属污染外,整体上属于清洁型,土壤环境质量适合水稻生产。分析该省50年代以来水稻田土壤中各种重金属的变异,农田土壤中铜、铅、镉和汞的含量呈现富集趋势,铬的含量变化不大,锌、镍和砷的含量出现下降趋势。运用SPSS 14.0对监测结果进行聚类分析研究,农田土壤中的镉、汞和砷等重金属主要来源于农业生产中化学投入品的大量使用,锌、铅和铬等重金属主要来源于大气中的沉降物,铜和镍的土壤含量与成土母质和矿业开采有一定关联。     

木材弦向导温系数的理论推导

从木材的化学组成和微观结构出发,应用统计热力学原理和类比推理方法,从理论上研究和推导木材弦向导温系数的理论表达式。应用该表达式计算28种木材的弦向导温系数,并与同条件下的试验值相比较,理论计算的最大误差为12.9%,平均误差为8.3%。     

Specification of jaw subdivisions by Dlx genes

The success of vertebrates was due in part to the acquisition and modification of jaws. Jaws are principally derived from the branchial arches, embryonic structures that exhibit proximodistal polarity. To investigate the mechanisms that specify the identity of skeletal elements within the arches, we examined mice lacking expression of Dlx5 and Dlx6, linked homeobox genes expressed distally but not proximally within the arches. Dlx5/6-/- mutants exhibit a homeotic transformation of lower jaws to upper jaws. We suggest that nested Dlx expression in the arches patterns their proximodistal axes. Evolutionary acquisition and subsequent refinement of jaws may have been dependent on modification of Dlx expression.     

Phenotypic diversity mediated by the maize transposable elements Ac and Spm

Mutations caused by the insertion of members of the Ac or Spm family of transposable elements result in a great diversity of phenotypes. With the cloning of the mutant genes and the characterization of their products, the mechanisms underlying phenotypic diversity are being deciphered. These mechanisms include (i) imprecise excision of transposable elements, which can result in the addition of amino acids to proteins; (ii) DNA methylation, which has been correlated with the activity of the element; (iii) transposase-mediated deletions within elements, which can inactivate an element or lead to a new unstable phenotype; and (iv) removal of transcribed elements from RNA, which can facilitate gene expression despite the insertion of elements into exons. An understanding of the behavior of the maize elements has provided clues to the function of cryptic elements in all maize genomes.     

History and Present Situation and Developing Tendency of Rare Earth Applied in Agriculture

History of rare earth applied in agriculture Concept of rare earth Rare earth(RE for short)is a general designation of 17 elements,including 15 elements of lanthanum system,they are lanthanum (La),cerium (Ce),praseodymium (Pr),neodymium (Nd),promethium(Pm),samarium(Sm),europium(Eu),gadolinium(Gd),terbium(Tb),dysprosium(Dy),holmium(Ho),erbium(Er),thulium(Tm),ytterbium(Yb),lutetium(Lu)),and 2 elements of the same clan with lanthanum system: scandium (Se)and yttrium (Y) in the periodic table of elements.Rare earth look like earth or soil,and their quantity which may be separated from ore are very rare or few,so scientists call them rare earth elements.     

湖南典型水耕人为土铁的形态及剖面分异特征

针对不同母质发育水耕人为土（水稻土）中铁的形态及其剖面分异特征开展深入研究，对于正确认识稻田关键元素的分布与行为具有重要意义。本研究以湖南省花岗岩风化物（GR）、板页岩风化物（PS）、第四纪红色黏土（QRC）、石灰岩风化物（LS）、紫色砂页岩风化物（PSS）和近代河湖（冲）沉积物（FLD）共6种母质发育的水耕人为土为研究对象，通过30个典型剖面系统分析了剖面（0~100 cm）及水耕人为土不同土类间铁的形态及其分异特征，探讨土壤剖面铁的形态转变、剖面迁移转化规律。结果表明，湖南省6种典型母质发育的水耕人为土在中国土壤系统分类中的位置已经探明，检索出简育水耕人为土（HSA）、铁聚水耕人为土（FSA）和潜育水耕人为土（GSA）3个土类，暂未发现铁渗水耕人为土。水耕人为土剖面全铁（Fet）含量均值为44.66 g/kg，不同形态铁的构成表现为：晶质铁（Fec）>硅酸盐铁（Fesi）>活性铁（Feo）>络合铁（Fep）。铁的形态在剖面分布呈现出Fesi在剖面变化不大、Fec在剖面呈现先升后降、Feo和Fep在剖面呈现先降后升共三种趋势。PS、QRC和LS的Fec、FLD的Feo、GR的Fep含量均值分别高于其他母质；GR、PS和QRC发育的水耕人为土淀积系数高于LS、PSS和FLD。FSA的Fec含量均值和淀积系数、GSA的Fep含量均值分别显著高于其他土类。研究表明，湖南6种母质发育的典型水耕人为土中铁的不同形态发生转化并在剖面、母质、土类间体现出显著分异。铁的形态及淀积系数反映了水耕人为土的发育程度及成土环境，对于水耕人为土的发生学特性与系统分类具有指示作用。