Major element concentrations were analyzed on the sediments of a 203.6-m core from the North China Plain near Tianjin. The chemical index of alteration (CIA), Al₂O₃-(CaO+Na₂O)-K₂O diagram and elemental ratios, such as Al/K and Ti/Na, were used to reveal information of chemical weathering in the source regions since the late Pliocene. Results show that the fluvial materials in the North China Plain were derived from vast regions, which were in the early Na and Ca removal stage and underwent numerous upper-crustal recycling processes. Proxies of chemical weathering show a decreasing trend, in parallel with the global cooling since the late Pliocene, suggesting a strong role of the global cooing in controlling the continental chemical weathering intensity.

The images of the open cluster NGC2168 are taken using the newly-fitted 2k×2k CCD attached to the 1-m telescope at the Yunnan Observatory with two different orientations. After the catalogue position of a star from UCAC2 is compared with its corresponding measured position, a surprising result shows that a small field of view (about 7′×7′) exhibits an obvious distortion. Specifically, the polynomial between the standard coordinate (ζ,η) and its corresponding measured one (x,y) for a star in each field of view has significant terms as high as 4th order. Accordingly, the positional measurement accuracy of a bright UCAC2 star can be derived as well as ~7 mas in each direction (60 s of exposure time and near the zenith). This new finding would be important for a CCD image to deliver a highly accurate position in its whole field of view.

Wettability of molten Sn-Ag-Cu alloy on Cu substrate has been determined by sessile drop method, as well as its dependence on time and temperature. It was found that the evolution of contact angle at the alloy’s melting point experienced four different stages. Especially, the contact angle was unstable and fluctuant in stage II, and gradually decreased in stage III mainly due to a chemical reaction between Sn-Ag-Cu alloy and Cu substrate. The contact angle decreased with increasing temperature, but increased slightly at 629 K, for another chemical reaction occurred. Interfacial characteristic has been further investigated by examining the sample’s cross section. Intermetallic compounds of Cu₆Sn₅ and β-Sn phase were found at the interface of Sn-Ag-Cu/Cu.

Permanganate was used as an oxidant to control estrone in the present study. Kinetics was determined at pH 2.5–9.4 and temperature 15–40°C for the reaction of estrone with potassium permanganate. It was found that the reaction is second-order overall and first-order with respect to both estrone and permanganate. The second-order rate constant for the reaction at pH 5.8 and 25°C is 44.45 L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹. The reaction rate first decreased with the increase of pH in the range of 2.5–6.6 and then increased greatly with the increase of pH in the range of 6.6?9.4. In addition, the rate constant exponentially increased with the increase of reaction temperature. Removal of estrogenicity was also investigated during the degradation of estrone using yeast estrogen screen (YES). Results show that the estrogenicity increased in the initial 15 min of reaction and then decreased fast, with a removal rate of 73.8% within the 30 min of reaction. Results also demonstrate that the reaction rate between estrone and permanganate is faster in natural water background than in the ultra-pure water system. Permanganate oxidation is therefore a feasible option for removal of estrone in drinking water treatment processes. However, the contact time must be enough in order to remove estrone without causing the increase of estrogenicity.

The secondary electron donor, TyrZ, is implicated in tuning the primary charge separation and the water oxidation in active pho-tosystem II (PSII). Two types of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the function of TyrZ. One is that TyrZ tunes the water oxidation through the direct interaction with substrate water molecules; the other is that TyrZ is located in a hydrophobic environment without interacting with H2O, and controls the water oxidation by tuning the strength of the hydrogen bond between TyrZ and His190. Here, methanol was used as a probe to study the possible relationship between TyrZ and H2O by monitoring the TyrZ oxidation and TyrZ• reduction at cryogenic temperatures with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The oxidation of TyrZ and reduction of TyrZ• in both S2 and S0 states at 10 K were accelerated by addition of a small amount of methanol (6%). Theoretical studies indicate that Tyr oxidation becomes more difficult if it interacts directly with the methanol molecule; while the decrease of the polarity of its environment accelerates the oxidation of Tyr. Accordingly, CH3OH does not directly interact with TyrZ in active PSII, and the accelerative effect of methanol is caused by the strength increase of the hydrogen bond between TyrZ and His190, resulting from the decrease of polarity of their environment after the displacement of H2O by CH3OH inside PSII. Considering the similarity between methanol and water, the results in this study support the model in which TyrZ does not interact with H2O in active PSII.

Residue networks are constructed by defining the residues as the vertices and atom contacts between them as the edges. The residue network of a protein complex is divided into two types of networks, i.e. the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic residue networks. By analyzing the network parameters, it is found that the correct binding complex conformations are of both higher sum of the interface degree values and lower characteristic path length than those incorrect ones. These features reflect that the correct binding complex conformations have better geometric and/or residue type complementarity, and the correct binding modes are very important for preserving the characteristic path lengths of native protein complexes. In addition, two scoring terms are proposed based on the network parameters, in which the characteristics of the entire complex shape and residue type complementarity are taken into account. These network-based scoring terms have also been used in conjunction with other scoring terms, and the new multi-term scoring HPNCscore is devised in this work. It can improve the discrimination of the combined scoring function of RosettaDock more than 12%. This work might enhance our knowledge of the mechanisms of protein-protein interactions and recognition.

A full-length cDNA that encodes the rice chloroplastic glutamine synthetase 2 gene was isolated from a Minghui 63-normalized cDNA library; and GS2 rice transformants were obtained by an Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation method. Transcripts of the GS2 gene were shown to accumulate at higher levels in the primary transgenic plants in the T₀ generation; whereas plants in the T₁ generation exhibited a co-suppressed chlorosis phenotype (yellow leaves) accompanied by decreased plant height, few tillers and decreased dry weight. The plants with yellow leaves also displayed a significant decline in GS2 messenger RNA (mRNA) transcriptional level and chlorophyll content; a decrease in total GS activities of ~50% was also found. Although there was no decrease in the concentration of total free amino acids, a change in the concentration of individual amino acids was observed. Our result also indicates a decreased metabolic level (soluble protein content and ammonium concentration) in GS2 co-suppressed plants. A correlation between chlorophyll content and GS2 mRNA expression level was also observed. The GS2 co-suppressed plants showed better performance when complemented with exogenous glutamine, indicating that the lack of an organic nitrogen pool inside the cell is the possible reason for the chlorosis phenotype of the transformants.

Lepus yarkandensis, an endemic hare species in the Tarim Basin of China, has been suffering from habitat fragmentation due to desert expansion. To evaluate the effect of habitat fragmentation on its genetic diversity, the genetic diversity based on male-specific SRY gene marker is examined. A relatively low level of SRY genetic diversity is found compared to previous studies with mtDNA data, possibly due to the low SRY mutation rate and positive selection. Furthermore, one haplotype exists in eight populations along the Tarim River but not in many other relatively isolated populations, suggesting that habitat fragmentation may affect population divergence. Despite this, our pairwise Fst analysis shows no significant differentiation among populations, and this may be mainly caused by positive selection on the SRY gene in that 88 percent of individuals share the same haplotype. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis shows deep differentiation between L. yarkandensis and other two hare species (L. capensis and L. europaeus).

The amount of coseismic deformation and its distribution of the Wenchuan earthquake provide important scientific bases for re-vealing the mechanisms of earthquake preparation and characterizing the rupture propagation of the Wenchuan earthquake. The previous studies have indicated that the earthquake ruptured the middle-to-north segment of the Longmenshan central fault and the middle segment of the Longmenshan range-front fault, which are characterized by two surface rupture zones of 240 km and 90 km in length, respectively. Based on the pre-earthquake information and photos of landforms and buildings obtained through geologic and geomorphic survey of the area around Shaba Village of Beichuan County, Sichuan Province and the extensive interview with local villagers, we measured the displacements of the major terrain features and the dislocated buildings by total station instruments and differential GPS and obtained the maximum vertical displacement of 9±0.5 m and right-lateral displacement of 2±0.5 m around the Zou’s house in Shaba Village. Though the near-surface deformation exhibits a normal faulting around Shaba Village, the dynamic environment has not changed on the whole. The NW wall of the fault uplifted but without gravity gliding as normally occurring on the hanging wall of a normal fault, which proves that the 9±0.5 m displacement should be the maximum coseismic vertical displacement of the May 12, 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake.

We analyzed the properties of the solar wind appeared during November 7–8, 1998. Results show that the spaceship ACE spotted a shock (hereinafter referred to as the first shock) at 07:33 UT, November 7. The sheath appeared from the first shock to 22:00 UT November 7. A magnetic cloud-like (MCL) was observed during the period from 22:00 UT November 7 to 11:50 UT, November 8. Another shock was observed at 04:19 UT, November 8 (the second shock). It is apparent that the second shock has entered the rear part of the MCL (MCL_2), though the former part of the MCL (MCL_1) was not affected by the second shock. The main phase of the geomagnetic storm is split into three steps for the convenience of SYM-H index analysis. Step 1 covers the period from the sudden storm commence (SSC) at 08:15 UT, November 7 to the moment of 22:44 UT, November 7. Step 2 starts from 22:44 UT, November 7 and ends at 04:51 UT, November 8. The last step runs from 04:51 UT, November 8 to 06:21 UT, November 8. Step 2 has played a key role in the main development phase of the geomagnetic storm. Analysis of the solar wind properties associated with the main phase shows that the three steps in the main phase have sheath, MCL_1, and MCL_2 as their respective interplanetary source. Specifically, the sheath is covered by the solar wind data from 07:33 UT to 22:00 UT, November 7, MCL1 by the solar wind data from 22:00 UT, November 7 to 04:19 UT November 8, and MCL_2 by the solar wind data from 04:19 UT to 05:57 UT, November 8. MCL_1 had a strong and long lasting so UTh directed magnetic field, allowing it to play a key role in the development of the main phase. MCL_2 made a much smaller contribution to the main development phase, compared with MCL_1.

A substorm event has been simulated for the first time by using SWMF (Space Weather Modeling Framework) developed by the University of Michigan. The model results have been validated using Geotail and Cluster satellite observations. The substorm onset occurs at 22:08 UT on September 28, 2004, as identified from FUV WIC observations on the NASA IMAGE spacecraft. SWMF can couple effectively the magnetosphere, inner magnetosphere and ionosphere processes and is driven by the solar wind and IMF (Interplanetary Magnetic Field) parameters, which are measured by ACE satellite and time delayed to the upstream boundary of the model. It shows that (1) SWMF can predict well the large-scale variations of the magnetospheric magnetic field and ionospheric currents during the substorm event; and (2) the accuracy of the time delay of the solar wind from ACE to the outer boundary of the model has great effects on the model results. Finally, the substorm trigger mechanism has been discussed and the way of improvement of the model has been pointed out.

The Newtonian relaxation is used to assimilate data from the Second Global Soil Wetness Project (GSWP2) into the initial field for soil moisture in a regional climate model (i.e., BCC_RegCM 1.0, hereinafter called RegCM). The results show that different nudging parameters can improve the simulation of the air temperature and the precipitation to some extent in summertime season over East China. When the nudging intensity is 0.5 and nudging duration is 5 days, the result is desirable. Introducing the data assimilation of soil moisture into RegCM, the amelioration is not only in the spatial distribution pattern but also in the magnitude of the temperature and the precipitation. More specifically, the assimilation experiments have corrected the systematical cold bias of the air temperature and the precipitation on the low side, which is much closer to the observation compared with the control experiment. On the whole, the assimilation experiments shed light on the fact that the simulated bias in the original RegCM may be affected by the description of soil moisture in the land surface process. Therefore, the effect of soil moisture in RegCM should be paid more attention in the future.

A strong electric (E) field sounding system was designed to measure the vertical component of the E-fields, temperature, relative humidity and GPS data along the sounding path. In the summer of 2008, in situ measurements of E-field inside the thunderstorms were conducted in Pingliang, Gansu Provience, with the cooperation of an X-band weather radar. One E-field profile inside a thunderstorm was successfully acquired. The sounding data indicated four charge layers along the sounding trajectory, three inside the thuderstorm and one at its lower boundary. The lower cloud boundary charge layer was negative, acting as a screening layer, and laid between 4.3 to 4.5 km a.s.l. The lower positive charge center (LPCC) existed between 4.5–5.3 km a.s.l. (from 3°C to −2°C); the main negative charge area was present between 5.4–6.6 km a.s.l. (−3°C to −10°C); the upper positive charge layer was between 6.7–7.2 km a.s.l. (?11°C to −14°C). The results support the tripole charge structure inside thunderstorms (above 0°C isotherm altitude), but the LPCC is much larger-than-usual in Chinese inland plateau.

Aiming at fabrication of complex microstructures and micro-patterns, a kind of femtosecond laser micromachining technology based on the BMP image edge tracing was proposed. We introduced the general principle of this technology and discussed the implementation of the machining paths extraction, optimization, tracing and the feedback of the machining procession in detail. On the basis of this technology, control software for femtosecond laser micromachining was developed. Furthermore, we have accomplished the fabrication of complicated two-dimensional (2D) micro-patterns on a copper thin film. The results indicate that this technology can be used for digital control micromachining of complex patterns or microstructures at micron and submicron scales by femtosecond laser.

The effect of nitrogen dilution on the premixed combustion characteristics and flame structure of laminar premixed metha-nol-air-nitrogen mixtures are analyzed numerically based on an extended methanol oxidation mechanism. The laminar burning velocities, the mass burning fluxes, the adiabatic flame temperature, the global activation temperature, the Zeldovich number, the effective Lewis number and the laminar flame structure of the methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures are obtained under different nitrogen dilution ratios. Comparison between experiments and numerical simulations show that the extended methanol oxidation mechanism can well reproduce the laminar burning velocities for lean and near stoichiometric methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures. The laminar burning velocities and the mass burning fluxes decrease with the increase of nitrogen dilution ratio and the effect is more obvious for the lean mixture. The effective Lewis number of the mixture increases with the increase of nitrogen dilution ratio, and the diffusive-thermal instability of the flame front is decreased by the nitrogen addition. Nitrogen addition can suppress the hydrodynamic instability of methanol-air-nitrogen flames. The decrease of the mole fraction of OH and H is mainly responsible for the suppressed effect of nitrogen diluent on the chemical reaction in the methanol-air-nitrogen laminar premixed flames, and the NO_x and formaldehyde emissions are decreased by the nitrogen addition.

In this paper, a new molecular computing model is developed to solve the maximum independent set problem, based on the method of DNA length reducing. To solve the maximum independent set problem with n-vertices and m-edges, the time complexity is O(n+m). With the enlargement of the problem scale, the numbers of the required tubes will increase linearly. Two important methods in this experiment are single strand DNA (ssDNA) circularization and DNA length reducing. In addition, using reverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and circligase, the structure of DNA molecules is changed in each computing step, transforming from linear double strand DNA (dsDNA) to linear ssDNA and circular ssDNA. Using the circular DNA structure, the recombination among DNA molecules is avoided. To verify this computing model, a small maximum independent set problem was solved.