晋西黄土区土壤水分空间异质性的地统计学分析

土壤水分的空间分布存在着一定的随机性和结构性特征,而对不同尺度土壤水分空间变异规律的研究是土壤水分研究中的热点问题.该文通过2004—2005年对山西吉县蔡家川小流域不同取样尺度（20 m×20 m、2 m×2 m） 391个样点土壤水分的测定（TDR土壤水分测定法）,使用地统计学方法进行土壤水分的空间异质性分析,以区域化变量理论为基础,以变异函数为主要工具,以克立格法为基本方法进行土壤水分异质性研究.结果表明:研究区土壤水分的理论变异模型为球状模型,20 m×20 m网格取样变程为494.16 m,2 m×2 m网格取样变程为27.4 m,试验区土壤水分的变异属于中等程度的变异;通过克立格插值估计,整个研究区坡面土壤水分平均值为10.94%（0～30 cm）和11.88%(30～60 cm).      

Real-time quantitative PCR assays for quantification of L1781 ACCase inhibitor resistance allele in leaf and seed pools of Lolium populations

The I1781L amino acid substitution in the target ACCase enzyme causes broad resistance to ACCase inhibitor herbicides in several monocotyledenous weeds of agronomic importance. This mutation results from a substitution of an adenine (A) residue by either a thymine (T) or cytosine (C) at position 5341 in Alopecurus myosuroides Huds and at an equivalent position in Lolium species, Avena fatua L. and Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. Two different procedures, the PCR-based allele-specific assay (ASA) and the derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) method, have previously been described for detecting this mutation. These methods are, however, only amenable to low sample throughput and are used in the analysis of single plants. Here, an alternative high-throughput ARMS/Scorpion real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) method for measuring levels of the I1781L mutation in pools of leaf and seed samples of Lolium populations is presented. The limit of detection for C and T mutant alleles in a background of wild-type A is 0.02 and 0.0003% respectively. In this study, DNA from batches of 24 leaf segments measuring 0.5 cm from different plants or 1000 seeds could be conveniently extracted and accurately analysed. As part of assay validation, the comparative analysis of five geographically distinct Lolium populations with dCAPS and Q-PCR procedures demonstrated the accuracy of the latter method, and the three possible II1781, IL1781 and LL1781 ACCase genotypes being distributed as predicted by the Hardy-Weinberg principle. Given the dominance of the L1781 over the I1781 allele at recommended field rates for most ACCase inhibitors, the frequency of herbicide survivors in the field owing only to the presence of the I1781L mutation is thus predicted to be 2pq + q(2), where p and q are the frequencies of the I1781 and L1781 alleles as determined by Q-PCR. The Q-PCR assay established allows detection of very low levels of the L1781 ACCase mutation before resistance would normally be discernible in the field. Therefore, it offers the opportunity to tackle resistance at its very onset, potentially avoiding implementation of complicated and often costly weed management practices.     

Phosphorylation of ovalbumin by dry-heating in the presence of pyrophosphate: effect on protein structure and some properties

Ovalbumin (OVA) was phosphorylated by dry-heating in the presence of pyrophosphate at pH 4.0 and 85 degrees C for 1 and 5 days, and the physicochemical and structural properties of phosphorylated OVA were investigated. The phosphorus content of OVA increased to 1.01% by phosphorylation, and the electrophoretic mobility of PP-OVA also increased. Although the solubility of dry-heated OVA decreased, the decrease was slightly depressed by phosphorylation. The circular dichroism spectra showed that the change of the secondary structure in the OVA molecule, as measured by alpha-helix content, was mild by phosphorylation. The exchange reaction between the sulfhydryl and disulfide groups was enhanced and the surface hydrophobicity of OVA increased by phosphorylation. The tryptophan fluorescence intensity of OVA decreased by phosphorylation, suggesting that the conformational change occurred in the OVA molecule by phosphorylation. Although the differential scanning calorimetry thermograms of OVA showed a lowering of the denaturation temperature from 78.3 to 70.1 degrees C by phosphorylation, the stability of OVA against heat-induced insolubility at pH 7.0 was improved. The results indicated molten (partially unfolded) conformations of OVA formed by dry-heating in the presence of pyrophosphate.     

Electrodes with high power and high capacity for rechargeable lithium batteries

New applications such as hybrid electric vehicles and power backup require rechargeable batteries that combine high energy density with high charge and discharge rate capability. Using ab initio computational modeling, we identified useful strategies to design higher rate battery electrodes and tested them on lithium nickel manganese oxide [Li(Ni(0.5)Mn(0.5))O2], a safe, inexpensive material that has been thought to have poor intrinsic rate capability. By modifying its crystal structure, we obtained unexpectedly high rate-capability, considerably better than lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), the current battery electrode material of choice.