Ancient paddy soils from the Neolithic age in China’s Yangtze River Delta

Identifying prehistoric irrigated rice fields and characterizing the beginning of paddy soil development are important for a better understanding of human development and agricultural history. In 2003, paddy soils and irrigated rice fields buried at a depth of 100–130 cm were excavated at Chuo-dun-shan in the Yangtze River Delta, close to Suzhou, China. The fields of sizes between 1.4 and 16 m² were surrounded with ridges that were connected to ditches/ponds via outlets to control the water level within the fields. Many carbonized and partly carbonized rice grains with an age of 3,903 B.C.(measured ¹⁴C age 5,129±45 a BP) were recovered. The surface layers of these buried paddy fields showed a high content of soil organic matter and a considerable high density of rice opals. The latter were identified to derive from Oryza spp. Solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed aromatic carbon (C) as the predominant organic C form in the fossil surface layer. This is expected, if the major source represents burnt rice and straw. In summary, our data are in agreement with new evidences indicating that in China, paddy soils and irrigated rice cultivation were initiated and developed more than 6,000 years ago.     

Bioaccumulation, depuration and oxidative stress in fish Carassius auratus under phenanthrene exposure

In this study, laboratory experiment was carried out to determine phenanthrene bioaccumulation, depuration in whole fish and oxidative stress in the liver of freshwater fish Carassius auratus. Fish were exposed to 0.05 mg/l phenanthrene for different periods, while one control group was designated for each exposure group. Some fish after 7 days of exposure were transferred to diluted water. The concentrations of phenanthrene in fish were analyzed by HPLC. Twenty-four hours after the exposure, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were trapped by phenyl-tert-butylnitrone and detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione-s-transferase (GST) were also determined. The concentrations of phenanthrene in fish increased rapidly shortly after the start of the exposure, reached a maximum level at the 2 days, and then it declined quickly to low-level-steady state. The elimination process of phenanthrene could be divided into two periods-a fast elimination period following a slower loss period. The elimination curve could be fitted mathematically as the sum of two exponential functions according to two-compartment model: C(t)=2.72e(-1.065t) + 0.68e(-0.0364t). The PBN-radical adducts were detected in fish liver samples following the exposure 24h. The hyperfine splitting constants for the PBN-radical adducts were aN = 13.5 G, aH = 1.77 G and g value was 2.0058, which were consistent with those of PBN/()OH. The results indicated that the hydroxyl radical was probably significantly induced during the exposure of phenanthrene, as compared to the control group. The changes of activities of the antioxidant enzymes also were observed. In addition, after fish were removed from phenanthrene exposure, the recovery status of these antioxidant indices was explored. These results clearly indicated phenanthrene could be accumulated in fish and similar redox cyclings were produced, resulting in the changes of the activities of the antioxidant enzymes and the production of ROS with the oxidative stress.     

QSPR study on soil sorption coefficient for persistent organic pollutants

Quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models of soil sorption coefficients for 32 persistent organic pollutants were constructed using our recently introduced Lu index and novel distance-based atom-type DAI topological indices. Using multiple linear regression technique, a 6-variable model was obtained with the correlation coefficient of estimations (R) being 0.95, and the standard error of estimations (s) being 0.23, and the correlation coefficient (R(cv)) and the standard error (s(cv)) in the leave-4-out cross-validation procedure are 0.90 and 0.31, respectively. The results in this study indicate that soil sorption coefficients of POPs are dominated by molecular size while some DAI indices have smaller influence.     

An integrated assessment model of carbon sequestration benefits: a case study of Liping county, China

This research attempts to model the complexity of planting trees to increase China's CO(2) sequestration potential by using a GIS-based integrated assessment (IA) approach. We use the IA model to assess the impact of China's Grain for Green reforestation and afforestation program on farmer and state incomes as well as CO(2) sequestration in Liping County, Guizhou Province. The IA model consists of five sub-models for carbon sequestration, crop income, timber income, Grain for Green, and carbon credits. It also includes a complementary qualitative module for assessing program impacts by gender and ethnicity. Using four scenarios with various assumptions about types of trees planted, crop incomes by township, CO(2) credit prices, state subsidies, methods for estimating carbon sequestered, and harvesting of trees, we find great variation in the impact of the Grain for Green program on incomes and on carbon sequestered over a 48 year period at both the county and township levels.     

HCO-3碱度对铜绿微囊藻生长与光合活性的影响

研究了23 mM (ALK23)和124 mM (ALK124) HCO-3对铜绿微囊藻(〖WTBX〗Microcystis aeruginosa〖WTBZ〗 FACHB 927)生长与光合特性的影响。实验结果表明，ALK23显著抑制铜绿微囊藻的生长，至培养结束，与对照相比对生物量的抑制率为38%，ALK124条件下虽然至培养结束生物量没有显著变化，但碱度增加铜绿微囊藻生物量有一个快速的增殖期，之后其生长速率持续下降。碱度增加强烈抑制光合色素Chla的合成，ALK23和ALK124条件下对Chla含量抑制率分别为74％和56％。藻胆蛋白与叶绿素a的比值（PBP/Chla）在碱度增加的条件下有显著升高。HCO-3碱度增加，铜绿微囊藻的光合活性先降低之后逐渐恢复，至处理结束表现出低碱度（ALK23）促进光合活性，高碱度（ALK124）对光合活性影响不显著。说明HCO-3碱度增加对铜绿微囊藻有一定伤害作用，与高碱度（ALK124）相比，低碱度（ALK23）对细胞的伤害程度更大，随着细胞的增殖，碱度对细胞的伤害作用逐渐恢复，且低碱度下细胞恢复更快。暗示碱度可以作为水华控制的手段之一.     

淮北台DSQ型与SSQ-2I型倾斜仪观测资料的对比分析

对淮北台DSQ型水管和SSQ-2I型水平摆倾斜仪观测资料质量从一般指标和内精度指标进行定量判定,结果表明水管仪观测质量较高,稳定性不及水平摆倾斜仪,观测数据均受大风和降雨影响。因仪器工作原理、技术参数等因素不同,记录到同震形变波在响应延迟、最大振幅和形态特征等方面存在一定差异。     

上市公司会计报表的主要粉饰手法及其识别

近年来,上市公司通过粉饰会计报表来达到配股条件或防止摘牌的现象时有发生,本文揭示了上市公司常用的会计报表粉饰手法,如关联交易法、虚拟资产法、不当收入和费用确认法、溢列存货法等,并分别提出了相应的识别方法.     

Sonographic features of lethal multiple pterygium syndrome at 14 weeks

Lethal multiple pterygium syndrome is a rare inherited disorder. Previous reports suggest that the diagnosis may be based on prenatal sonographic demonstration of severe limb flexion, absence of fetal motion, and a large cystic hygroma in the second and third trimesters. We present the sonographic features and postmortem features of a fetus with lethal multiple pterygium syndrome at 13 weeks of gestation, which shows that the condition can possibly be diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermocoagulation of fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma

Fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma can lead to a high output cardiac failure resulting in hydrops fetalis. One of the prenatal therapeutic options is to occlude the feeding vessels by radiofrequency ablation. We present a case of fetal sacrococcygeal teratoma diagnosed at 13 weeks of gestation. The tumour increased in size more than 100-fold over 5 weeks causing polyhydramnios and cardiac and placental enlargement. Thermocoagulation was performed at 18 weeks' gestation by passing an insulated electric wire through an 18-gauge needle placed close to the feeding vessels of the tumour at its neck. Blood supply to the tumour was successfully reduced. However, fetal death was diagnosed 2 days after the procedure. We speculate that it may be safer to limit the extent of coagulation in one attempt but to repeat the procedure at a later stage when necessary. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.