Crustal electric structure of Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region in the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

Through the analysis and 2-D inversion for the 5 profiles in Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region (105°～107°E,36°～37.5°N) in the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, we have obtained the electric structure within a range of 160 km in width (east-west) and 60 km in depth in the studied area. The results show that the crustal electric structure can be divided into 6 sections, corresponding respectively to Xiji basin (Ⅰ), Xihuashan-Nanhuashan uplift (Ⅱ), Xingrenbu-Haiyuan basin (Ⅲ), Zhongwei-Qingshuihe basin (Ⅳ), Zhongning-Hongsibu basin (Ⅴ) and west-margin zone of Ordos (Ⅵ) from the southwest to the northeast. The crustal electric structure is characterized by a broom-shaped pattern, which scatters to the northwest and shrinks to the southeast. The structures in the top part of Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region are complete and large, however, they diminish from the arc top to the northwest and southeast ends. In the depth from 0 km to 10 km, the resistivity is high in the sections Ⅱ and Ⅵ, but relatively low in the other four sections, showing a similar pattern of basin depression. The electrical basement in the section Ⅲ is the deepest, displaying a "dustpan" shape that is deep in the southwest and shallow in the northeast. A series of discontinuous zones with high conductivity exist in the middle-lower crust in Haiyuan arcuate tectonic region, which is possibly related to the moderate and strong earthquakes in the region. The resistivity distribution in the focal area of the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake is significantly heterogeneous with an obviously high conductivity zone near the hypocenter regime.     

拜城—大柴旦剖面的上地壳Q值结构

利用横跨塔里木盆地、阿尔金造山带和柴达木盆地的拜城—大柴旦综合地球物理剖面的人工地震宽角反射/折射资料，对拜城—大柴旦剖面研究区上地壳的Q值结构进行了反演. 结果表明，研究区上地壳的Q值结构具有明显的分层性，Q值随深度的加大而增大；横向对应的不同地质构造单元的Q值具有不同的分布特点. 塔里木盆地的上地壳具有稳定的Q值结构，但盆地北缘（特别是库车坳陷）的Q值比南缘的低，表明北缘的介质比较破碎. 这可能与盆地北缘活跃的构造特征与巨大的沉积厚度有关，是引起盆地南北两侧地震活动性差异（北缘强，南缘弱）的重要原因之一. 阿尔金造山带上地壳的平均Q值较高（约500），这可能由于结晶基底埋藏较浅，基岩出露，因此地震波在此处传播能量衰减较慢所致. 柴达木盆地西半部分上地壳的Q值除了表层的（厚1.0～2.0km）较高外，其余各层的Q值与塔里木盆地中部的相当（平均约400），显示了与塔里木盆地相似的稳定构造.     

Tricarbon monoxide in TMC-1

We report the measurement of three new lines of C3O in TMC-1. The observed peak antenna temperatures, appropriately corrected for atmospheric and telescope losses, are found to be consistent with a large velocity gradient radiative transfer model whose parameters span the range of standard values for this cloud. The derived fractional abundance for C3O is 1.4 x 10(-10), comparable with the results predicted from a model calculation based on a gas-phase ion-molecule reaction scheme. The results of negative searches for C3O in six other sources are not inconsistent with expected conditions in these clouds.     

辽河裂谷的深部构造与裂谷活动的侧向迁移

对横穿辽河裂谷的闾阳－海城－东沟剖面的深部地震探测、重力测量、大地电磁测深、大地热流测量资料做了进一步分析,发现辽河裂谷地带壳幔间具有多个薄层过渡的特征,与东西两侧的辽东台隆和燕山台褶带明显不同。壳幔过渡带的薄层结构、速度结构、温度结构以及壳内低速层和软流圈顶面构造特点表明辽河裂谷的构造演化过程自西向东侧向迁移,当前上地幔物质运动的前锋不在裂谷之下,而是向东移至金州地震带附近的析木一带,深部物质运动是辽河裂谷形成及其活动性侧向迁移的主要动力学因素     

Survival of microorganisms in smectite clays: implications for Martian exobiology

Manned exploration of Mars may result in the contamination of that planet with terrestrial microbes, a situation requiring assessment of the survival potential of possible contaminating organisms. In this study, the survival of Bacillius subtilis, Azotobacter chroococcum, and the enteric bacteriophage MS2 was examined in clays representing terrestrial (Wyoming type montmorillonite) or Martian (Fe(3+)-montmorillonite) soils exposed to terrestrial and Martian environmental conditions of temperature and atmospheric pressure and composition, but not to UV flux or oxidizing conditions. Survival of bacteria was determined by standard plate counts and biochemical and physiological measurements over 112 days. Extractable lipid phosphate was used to measure microbial biomass, and the rate of 14C-acetate incorporation into microbial lipids was used to determine physiological activity. MS2 survival was assayed by plaque counts. Both bacterial types survived terrestrial or Martian conditions in Wyoming montmorillonite better than Martian conditions in Fe(3+)-montmorillonite. Decreased survival may have been caused by the lower pH of the Fe(3+)-montmorillonite compared to Wyoming montmorillonite. MS2 survived simulated Mars conditions better than the terrestrial environment, likely due to stabilization of the virus caused by the cold and dry conditions of the simulated Martian environment. The survival of MS2 in the simulated Martian environment is the first published indication that viruses may be able to survive in Martian type soils. This work may have implications for planetary protection for future Mars missions.     

Manganese accumulation by the antennule of the Norway lobster Nephrops norvegicus (L.) as a biomarker of hypoxic events

In laboratory tests, manganese accumulation by the appendages of the sediment burrowing Norway lobster. Nephrops norvegicus (L.) (including the lateral antennules) was approximately three times greater [600 microg Mn g(-1) (dry weight) after 5 days in 20 mg Mn l(-1)] than that by the carapace. The accumulation was linearly dose-dependent (10-40 mg Mn l(-1)) and duration-dependent (2-30 days). and showed no decrease after 3 weeks in undosed seawater. A high manganese uptakc to the lateral antennules during hypoxia in the field was verified from the SE Kattegat, Sweden. These results indicate that accumulation of Mn on the mobile appendages of the Norway lobster fulfils most of the criteria for a biomarker of exposure to hypoxia. Using these measurements in conjunction with Mn concentrations in the internal tissues, it may be possible to resolve both the timing and the extent of the Mn exposure and the underlying hypoxic event.     

The influence of fish cage aquaculture on pelagic carbon flow and water chemistry in tidally dominated mangrove estuaries of peninsular Malaysia

The impact of floating net cages culturing the seabass, Lates calcarifer, on planktonic processes and water chemistry in two heavily used mangrove estuaries in Malaysia was examined. Concentrations of dissolved inorganic and particulate nutrients were usually greater in cage vs. adjacent (approximately 100 m) non-cage waters, although most variability in water-column chemistry related to water depth and tides. There were few consistent differences in plankton abundance, production or respiration between cage and non-cage sites. Rates of primary production were low compared with rates of pelagic mineralization reflecting high suspended loads coupled with large inputs of organic matter from mangrove forests, fishing villages, fish cages, pig farms and other industries within the catchment. Our preliminary sampling did not reveal any large-scale eutrophication due to the cages. A crude estimate of the contribution of fish cage inputs to the estuaries shows that fish cages contribute only approximately 2% of C but greater percentages of N (32-36%) and P (83-99%) to these waters relative to phytoplankton and mangrove inputs. Isolating and detecting impacts of cage culture in such heavily used waterways--a situation typical of most mangrove estuaries in Southeast Asia--are constrained by a background of large, highly variable fluxes of organic material derived from extensive mangrove forests and other human activities.     

Teratogenesis in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos exposed to a creosote-contaminated sediment extract and CYP1A inhibitors

The goal of these experiments was to explore the relationship between cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction and the teratogenicity of sediments from the Atlantic Wood Industries Superfund site (Elizabeth River, VA) in Fundulus heteroclitus embryos. In these experiments we used embryos spawned from reference site adults to assess CYP1A activity and teratogenicity induced by aqueous Elizabeth River sediment extracts (ERSE). Embryo exposures to ERSE induced CYP1A activity and caused deformities, including pericardial edema, heart elongation and tail shortening. Co-exposures with various CYP1A inhibitors significantly decreased CYP1A activity and increased the teratogenicity of the sediment extract. Potential mechanisms for this increased toxicity are discussed herein.     

Effects of single and combined exposures to benzo(a)pyrene and 3,3'4,4'5-pentachlorobiphenyl on EROD activity and development in Fundulus heteroclitus

The goal of this study was to assess the interactive effects of a polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), and a co-planar halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon (HAH), 3,3'4,4'5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126) on ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and occurrence of deformities in Fundulus heteroclitus. While each compound administered alone elicited dose-dependent increases in EROD activity, the combined treatment of these two compounds generally did not elicit an additive EROD response. There was a significant correlation between deformity occurrence and EROD induction in embryos dosed with PCB alone but not for embryos dosed with BaP alone, or a combination of BaP and PCB 126.