Marginal bleaching of thalli of Rhizocarpon as evidence for acid rain in the Norra Storfjället, Sweden

Recent lichen surveys in the foreland of The Syterb?cken glacier reveal that the crustose lichens, principally species of Rhizocarpon section Rhizocarpon, exhibit marginal bleaching, readily distinguishable from normal pigmented forms. The largest elliptical thallus of Rhizocarpon measured 290 mm maximum diameter on a bedrock outcrop beyond the margin of Little Ice Age moraines in the upper Syterb?cken Valley. Many small and large thalli of Rhizocarpon suffered damage to the periphery of individual thalli. We examine here some of the possible hypotheses explaining these occurrences. Among others, these are bedrock lithology, ice crystal blasting, long-term snowbank cover, ultraviolet exposure and acid rain. While at this time none of the possibilities can be ruled out entirely, acid rain would appear to be at least one of the factors involved. Acid rain, which is known to produce a soil pH as low as 3.3 in the field area, appears to provide a high input of H(+) ions that the lichen algal component cannot withstand. However, the lack of similar effects on associated foliose or fruticose forms raises the possibility that perhaps two or more factors specific to the environment of Rhizocarpon are operating.     

珍贵油料植物诸葛菜的研究

四川大学植物遗传研究室经过几年的调查研究,发现诸葛菜的农艺性状较好,分枝多、角果多,每果子粒多,千粒重较重,含油量较高,特别是油分品质优异,其营养价值高的脂肪酸如油酸和亚油酸的含量较高,分别为20.32％,和53.17％,其营养价值低的脂肪酸如亚麻酸和芥酸的含量较低,分别为4.76％和0.94％,是油菜优质育种的优异新种源,可以作为油菜远缘杂交育种亲本,并可能选育出优质油料新作物。本文对诸葛菜的开花授粉习性作了观察,对核型特点作了分析,可供育种工作的参考,诸葛菜主产中国。四川大学在国内外首先推荐这种有希望的油料新种源。     

Uranium enrichment by the separation-nozzle process

The Science of Nature - The development of reliable manufacturing methods for commercial separation elements, the successful operation of separative stages, and extensive tests performed on plant...     

The effect of NADH on different human and mouse cell lines

Part of the work was supported by the Bundesministerium für Forschung und Technologie, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, and from the Carl Zeiss, Hoechst, and Ernst Leitz companies. Special thanks are due to Dr. K. Wahn, Department of Virology, University of Giessen, for conducting the electron microscope and phase-contrast investigations, to Prof. G. Sauer, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, and Dr. W. R. Willems, Department of Medical Virology, University of Giessen, for supplying the different cell lines.     

A polyiodide with regular I 4 2− chains: Tl6PbI10

The Science of Nature -     

Vacuum energy in a Friedmann-Lemaître cosmos

The Science of Nature -