甘青地区新石器-青铜时代居民颅面部形态变异及其在人群形成上的意义

通过对考古遗址出土古代居民遗骸的研究来探寻人群形成、适应、迁徙、融合历史是生物人类学研究的重要内容。甘青地区地处我国西北,位于新疆与中原之间,是人群迁徙与交流的关键地区。以往研究发现该地区新石器-青铜时代居民具有的一些独特的头面部特征,如具有偏狭的中颅型、高颅结合狭颅、中等偏狭的面宽、高而狭的面型、中等的面部扁平度、中眶型、狭鼻型和正颌型。一些学者就来自周边地区人群迁徙或基因交流对甘青地区古代人群形成的影响做过探讨。由于迄今开展的相关研究及掌握的数据资料有限,学术界对甘青地区古代人群内部的变异情况、时代变化及其与周边地区人群的差异程度还缺乏深入的了解,对新石器时代以来甘青地区人群的形成过程以及与东、西方人群的关系还不是很清楚。本文通过对243例甘青地区新石器-青铜时代人群颅骨测量数据的统计和分析,结合相关考古学和古环境学资料,对该地区古代居民颅面部形态特征的总体表现特点、时代变化、内部变异及与周边地区人群的关系进行了探讨,发现：1）从整体颅面部特征上看,甘青地区新石器-青铜时代人群介于典型西方人群与中原人群之间,但与中原人群更为接近;2）甘青地区新石器-青铜时代人群颅骨测量特征呈现一定的时代变化。从新石器时代到青铜时代,颅型趋向圆颅和阔颅化、面型趋狭、鼻型趋狭、眶型趋高;齿槽部的突颌水平变小;3）甘青地区古代人群颅面部测量特征的内部变异程度介于新疆与中原人群之间。从新石器时代到青铜时代,甘青地区人群颅面部测量特征的内部变异呈减小趋势;4）从新石器时代到青铜时代,甘青地区古代人群部分颅面部测量特征呈现出与西方人群接近的趋势。基于本文的分析,认为气候环境、生业方式以及人群之间的基因交流共同造成了甘青地区古代人群颅面部形态特征的变化,甘青地区古代人群形成以受到中原人群影响为主。

     

Arsenic anomalies in shallow Venetian Plain (Northeast Italy) groundwater

A pilot area within the Venetian Plain was selected to assess the arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater. The area represents a typical residential, industrial and agricultural organization representative of most western countries, and is also devoid of lithologies with high or anomalous As content. Hydrogeological and chemical data have been collected, the latter spatialized by a geostatistical approach. The unconfined aquifer reservoir varies from a predominantly gravel composition in the north to a sandy and silt–clay composition further south, including peat layers. The hydrochemical features of the waters are rather homogeneous, featuring low mineral content and a Ca-bicarbonate signature. In contrast, the redox state is highly variable; oxidizing conditions are predominant in the northern and coarse parts of the aquifer, whereas reducing potentials prevail in the southern and silt–clay parts. Several well waters contain arsenic in excess of drinkable limits (=10 ppb), and most of these wells are located in the southern area. A large portion of the studied area has a high probability of containing non-potable water (up to 150 ppb As). Remarkably, As “hot spots” (As > 300 ppb, up to 431 ppb) were identified at the transition from gravel to silt–clay sediments. No industrial or agricultural source of As has been found.     

Recognition of Significant Surface Soil Geochemical Anomalies Via Weighted 3D Shortest-Distance Field of Subsurface Orebodies: A Case Study in the Hongtoushan Copper Mine,NE China

Natural Resources Research - Quantitative prediction of concealed mineralization is always confronted with difficulties in comprehensive analysis between 2D and 3D data and between qualitative and...     

Sea-level rise impacts on longitudinal salinity for a low-gradient estuarine system

Climatic Change - Salinity response to sea-level rise is evaluated for a low-gradient, tidally active estuary, the lower St. Johns River, Florida. A high-resolution numerical model is forced by...     

Computing the Light Periods of Blazars with the Periodogram Spectral Analysis Method

The periodogram spectral analysis method applicable to equallyspaced time series is discussed, and the method is tested first with a simulated data series. It is confirmed that this method is effective for noisy series. Then, applying this method to the analysis of the light periods of the quasars 3C 279 and 3C 345 as well as the BL Lac objects OJ 287 and ON 231, we obtain their light periods to be 7.14 yr, 10.00 yr, 11.76 yr and 6.80 yr, respectively. These results obtained by periodogram spectral analysis are consistent with those obtained by the Jurkevich method in the literature. We have analyzed the effects of different window functions, and commented on their correct selection in practical applications.     

Carbon-Oxidizing and Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Mozhaisk Reservoir Soils

The population and distribution of carbon-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing bacteria in the soils of the Mozhaisk Reservoir are studied.     

Estimated mass and stiffness matrices of shear building from modal test data

A method that estimates mass and stiffness matrices of shear building from modal test data is presented in this paper. The method depends on only measurable points that are less in number than the total structural degrees of freedom, and on the first two orders of structural mode measured. So it is applicable to most of the general test. Based on this method modal data of unmeasurable points are estimated, then global mass and stiffness matrices of structure are obtained by using the first two orders of modal data. Taking advantage of iteration the optimum global mass and stiffness matrices are gained. Finally, an example is studied in this paper. Its result shows that this method is reliable. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

LEVINSON INVERSION OF EARTHQUAKE GEOMETRY SH-TRANSMISSION SEISMOGRAMS IN THE PRESENCE OF NOISE*

The Kunetz-Claerbout equation for the acoustic transmission problem in a layered medium in its original form establishes the relation between the transmission and the reflec tion response for P-waves in an horizontally layered medium and with vertical incidence. It states that the reflection seismogram due to an impulsive source at the surface, is one side of the autocorrelation of the seismogram due to an impulsive source at depth and a surface receiver. By adapting Claerbout's formulation to the transmission of SH-waves, the Kunetz-Claerbout equation also holds for reflection and transmission coefficients dependent on the incident angle. Thus, earthquake geometry SH-transmission seismograms can be used to caculate corresponding pseudoreflection seismograms which, in turn, can be inverted for the impedance structure using the Levinson algorithm. If the average incidence angle is known, a geometrical correction on the resulting impedance model can improve the resolution of layer thicknesses. In contrast to the inversion of reflection seismograms, the Levinson algorithm is shown to yield stable results for the inversion of transmission seismograms even in the presence of additive noise. This noise stabilization is inherent to the Kunetz-Claerbout equation. Results of inverted SH-wave microearthquake seismograms from the Swabian Jura, SW Germany, seismic zone obtained at recording site Hausen im Tal have been compared with sonic-log data from nearby exploration drilling at Trochtelfingen. The agreement of the main structural elements is fair to a depth of several hundred metres.     

Microbial community dynamics and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in polluted marine sediments in Hong Kong

Dynamics of microbial community and biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in polluted marine sediments, artificially spiked with a mixture of PAHs (fluorene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene), were examined for a period of 60 days. Microbial communities were characterised by bacterial counts, ester-linked fatty acid methyl ester (EL-FAME) analysis and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). A noted reduction in species diversity occurred only in the high PAH level treatment at onset. Both EL-FAME and DGGE demonstrated a marked shift in microbial community, in all the PAH level treatments, afterwards, with increases in the number of fatty acid degraders, the relative abundance of fatty acid biomarkers for gram-negative bacteria and a decrease in species diversity. The shift was also accompanied by the significant decrease in PAH concentrations. By the end of the experiment, diversity indices, based on both approaches, recovered when PAH concentrations declined to their background levels, except in the high PAH level treatment.     

Comparison of ecophysiological characteristics between introduced and indigenous mangrove species in China

Due to its rapid growth, the introduced mangrove species Sonneratia apetala from Bangladesh has been widely used in mangrove restoration in southeastern China since 1985. As an indigenous mangrove species in Hainan, China, Sonneratia caseolaris was also planted in Guangdong Province for afforestation purposes. Both species have developed well in their new habitats, but their ecophysiological differences with the native mangrove species have not been studied. In this study, leaf gas exchange, water and nitrogen use efficiencies of two Sonneratia species were compared with those of selected native mangrove species (Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, and Excoecaria agallocha) in Hainan and Shenzhen. The introduced S. apetala maintained lower carbon assimilation rate (A) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) than the indigenous S. caseolaris. In Shenzhen, the two introduced Sonneratia had comparable photosynthetic rates and water use efficiency (WUE) with the native mangrove species, except that PNUE in S. caseolaris was significantly higher than in the native mangrove species. The two Sonneratia species showed significant overlap in PNUE and long-term WUE. Photosynthetic parameters derived from leaf photosynthetic light–response curves and A–C_i curves also suggested lower carbon assimilation capacities for the introduced Sonneratia than for the native mangrove species in both study sites. The lower light compensation point (LCP) of two introduced Sonneratia in both study sites also indicated a better adaptation to a low light regime than the native mangrove species. The results of photosynthetic capacities indicated that the introduced mangrove species have little competitive advantage over local native mangrove species in their respective new habitats.