Variations of Soil Nutrient and Organic Matter Content in a Subtropical Mangrove Ecosystem

Variations of soil nutrient and organic matter content along tidal gradients of a small mangrove forest in Hong Kong were investigated. Effects of sampling months on nutrient status were also analysed. Two transects, A and B, were established perpendicular to the shoreline. Transect A transverse a wider band of vegetation and was less disturbed by human activities; while Transect B was close to human settlement and all mangrove plants were more frequently flooded by incoming and outgoing tides. Surface soils at 5 and 10 m intervals along Transects A and B, respectively, were collected in December 1989, March 1990, July 1990 and September 1990. Concentrations of soil organic matter, total and extractable nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were high in landward sites and decreased gradually along tidal gradients; while pH and salinity increased with distance from landward to seaward sites. These trends along tidal gradients indicate the importance of tidal frequency and amplitude on soil properties. Significant differences in soil properties were also found between two transects. Transect A had significantly higher organic matter and nutrient content than Transect B. In both transects, there were sites with extraordinarily high levels of nutrients and organic matter (5–10 times higher than the average values) suggesting local contamination. Most of these contaminated sites were located at the landward edges. Positive correlations between organic matter, N, P and K content were found suggesting that these nutrients were from similar input sources. Variations along tidal gradients and local contaminated sites at the landward edges suggest that human discharges, litter deposition and surface runoff were major nutrient inputs. In both transects, no definite seasonal periodicity was found and temporal variations existed in a more random manner than variations along tidal gradients.     

Effects of Landfill Gas on Growth and Nitrogen Fixation of Two Leguminous Trees (Acacia Confusa,Leucaena Leucocephala)

A study was made on the effects of landfill gas on ARA (acetylene reducing activity) of nodules of two woody legumes (Acacia confusa and Leucaena leucocephala) widespread on landfill sites in Hong Kong. The effects of the three main components of landfill gas, O₂, CO₂ and CH4, were first measured separately over a 1-hr period. Maximum ARA was found at 20% O₂ (close to atmospheric partial pressure) and ARA decreased as the O₂ decreased in the range of 16–1%. Acacia confusa nodular ARA was significantly inhibited at 30–50% CO₂, but not Leucaena leucocephala nodular ARA. CH₄ had no significant effect on ARA of either species. As the landfill gas concentrations in the landfill topsoil were mostly > 10% O₂ and < 10% CO₂, root nodules should fix N₂ effectively over these ranges of gases. A four-week test was conducted to assess the long-term influence of landfill gas on seedlings of the two legumes. Landfill gas and elevated CO₂ both suppressed their growth and their nodular ARA. Even under the influence of the gases, however, seedlings with nodules formed a higher biomass than seedlings lacking nodules. The growth of the two legumes under actual landfill conditions was investigated by transplanting non-inoculated and pre-inoculated seedlings to two landfill sites in Hong Kong: Junk Bay and Shuen Wan Landfill. After six months, most of the non-inoculated seedlings became infected: Acacia confusa 63 and 70%, Leucaena leucocephala 17 and 89%, respectively, at the test sites. The results indicate that there were free rhizobia at these landfill sites to infect the legumes and they had formed effective nodules to fix N₂ under landfill conditions.     

Femtosecond dynamics of electron localization at interfaces

The dynamics of two-dimensional small-polaron formation at ultrathin alkane layers on a silver(111) surface have been studied with femtosecond time- and angle-resolved two-photon photoemission spectroscopy. Optical excitation creates interfacial electrons in quasi-free states for motion parallel to the interface. These initially delocalized electrons self-trap as small polarons in a localized state within a few hundred femtoseconds. The localized electrons then decay back to the metal within picoseconds by tunneling through the adlayer potential barrier. The energy dependence of the self-trapping rate has been measured and modeled with a theory analogous to electron transfer theory. This analysis determines the inter- and intramolecular vibrational modes of the overlayer responsible for self-trapping as well as the relaxation energy of the overlayer molecular lattice. These results for a model interface contribute to the fundamental picture of electron behavior in weakly bonded solids and can lead to better understanding of carrier dynamics in many different systems, including organic light-emitting diodes.     

Unconditional quantum teleportation

Quantum teleportation of optical coherent states was demonstrated experimentally using squeezed-state entanglement. The quantum nature of the achieved teleportation was verified by the experimentally determined fidelity Fexp = 0.58 +/- 0.02, which describes the match between input and output states. A fidelity greater than 0.5 is not possible for coherent states without the use of entanglement. This is the first realization of unconditional quantum teleportation where every state entering the device is actually teleported.     

牛奶蛋白的免疫潜能

１导言随着蛋白分馏技术的进步,大规模生产多种高纯度牛奶蛋白和多肽已成为现实。其结果是许多国家,特别是奶牛业具有经济重要性的国家,利用牛奶蛋白作为用于食品和生物制药工业的天然化合物的兴趣正在高涨。本文扼要介绍牛奶蛋白免疫特性的一些重要发现。２食物牛奶蛋...     

Conservation of freshwater wildlife in Hong Kong: A genetic perspective

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Nutritional Composition and Thermal Properties of Goldstripe Sardinella (Sardinella gibbosa) Fillets and By-Products

Fish is a nutritious food for the whole family and a good source of protein and n-3 fatty acids. The fish-processing industry produces tonnes of fish-processing waste and by-products annually. Disposal of untreated by-products of the fish-processing industry may cause environmental pollution. Sardinella gibbosa or goldstripe sardinella is commonly used in surimi and fish cracker productions in Malaysia. However, data on the nutritional composition of goldstripe sardinella fillets (GSF) and by-products (GSB) remain limited. The objectives of this study are to determine the nutritional composition and thermal properties of fillets and by-products of S. gibbosa. Results showed that the protein and moisture contents of GSF were higher than GSB. Conversely, the ash and fat levels of GSF were lower than GSB. Levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in GSF and GSB were higher than monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Palmitic acid and oleic acid were the major SFA and MUFA found in GSF and GSB. Both GSF and GSB contain higher percentages of DHA and EPA. Melting and crystallization profiles of the oil from S. gibbosa fillets were similar to by-product oil, which was related to their fatty acid content.