农户应用转Bt基因抗虫棉效果分析

 对河北省6个县245个农户两年的问卷调查材料为依据，对应用转Bt基因抗虫棉和非抗虫棉品种的效果以及不同基因来源、不同代数的转Bt基因抗虫棉品种的成本和收益进行了分析比较。结果表明，在调查所涉及的2002和2003年度，转Bt基因抗虫棉品种的产量、农药成本、总成本和收益都比非抗虫棉品种高。转Bt基因抗虫棉1代种子比转Bt基因抗虫棉2代和3代种子产量高，但是两者收益之间的差异在两个年度有不同的趋势。     

农户种植转Bt基因抗虫棉效益分析

对河北省6个县245个农户两年的问卷调查材料为依据,对种植转Bt基因抗虫棉和非抗虫棉品种的效果以及不同基因来源、不同代数的转Bt基因抗虫棉品种的成本和收益进行了分析比较。结果表明,在调查所涉及的2002和2003年度,转Bt基因抗虫棉品种的产量、农药成本、总成本和收益都比非抗虫棉品种高。转Bt基因抗虫棉1代种子比转Bt基因抗虫棉2代和3代种子产量高,但是两者收益之间的差异在两个年度有不同的趋势。     

Spin crossover in ferropericlase at high pressure: a seismologically transparent transition?

Seismic discontinuities in Earth typically arise from structural, chemical, or temperature variations with increasing depth. The pressure-induced iron spin state transition in the lower mantle may influence seismic wave velocities by changing the elasticity of iron-bearing minerals, but no seismological evidence of an anomaly exists. Inelastic x-ray scattering measurements on (Mg(0.83)Fe(0.17))O-ferropericlase at pressures across the spin transition show effects limited to the only shear moduli of the elastic tensor. This explains the absence of deviation in the aggregate seismic velocities and, thus, the lack of a one-dimensional seismic signature of the spin crossover. The spin state transition does, however, influence shear anisotropy of ferropericlase and should contribute to the seismic shear wave anisotropy of the lower mantle.     

Saturation of the southern ocean CO2 sink due to recent climate change

Based on observed atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration and an inverse method, we estimate that the Southern Ocean sink of CO2 has weakened between 1981 and 2004 by 0.08 petagrams of carbon per year per decade relative to the trend expected from the large increase in atmospheric CO2. We attribute this weakening to the observed increase in Southern Ocean winds resulting from human activities, which is projected to continue in the future. Consequences include a reduction of the efficiency of the Southern Ocean sink of CO2 in the short term (about 25 years) and possibly a higher level of stabilization of atmospheric CO2 on a multicentury time scale.     

The aftershock signature of supershear earthquakes

Recent studies show that earthquake faults may rupture at speeds exceeding the shear wave velocity of rocks. This supershear rupture produces in the ground a seismic shock wave similar to the sonic boom produced by a supersonic airplane. This shock wave may increase the destruction caused by the earthquake. We report that supershear earthquakes are characterized by a specific pattern of aftershocks: The fault plane itself is remarkably quiet whereas aftershocks cluster off the fault, on secondary structures that are activated by the supershear rupture. The post-earthquake quiescence of the fault shows that friction is relatively uniform over supershear segments, whereas the activation of off-fault structures is explained by the shock wave radiation, which produces high stresses over a wide zone surrounding the fault.     

Enhanced immunogenicity of the pre-S region of hepatitis B surface antigen

The 55 codons upstream of the gene sequence encoding the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) are called the pre-S(2) region. It has been proposed that polypeptides of high molecular weight that contain the pre-S(2) region should be included in future hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines. The pre-S(2) region and the S gene product [25 kilodalton (kD)] together compose a polypeptide of high molecular weight (33 kD). As an initial attempt to determine the relevance of the 33-kD polypeptide to development of an HBV vaccine, the murine immune response to pre-S(2)-encoded determinants as compared to S-encoded determinants on the same polypeptide was examined. The results indicate (i) the pre-S(2) region is significantly more immunogenic than the S region of HBsAg, (ii) the 26 amino acid residues at the NH2-terminus of the 33-kD polypeptide represent a dominant antibody binding site on the pre-S(2) region, (iii) the immune response to the pre-S(2) region is regulated by H-2-linked genes distinct from those that regulate the response to the S region, and (iv) immunization of an S region nonresponder strain with HBV envelope particles that contain both the pre-S(2) and S regions can circumvent nonresponsiveness to the S region.