Rank-size distributions of Chinese cities: Macro and micro patterns

A large number of studies have been conducted to find a better fit for city rank-size distributions in different countries. Many theoretical curves have been proposed, but no consensus has been reached. This study argues for the importance of examining city rank-size distribution across different city size scales. In addition to focusing on macro patterns, this study examines the micro patterns of city rank-size distributions in China. A moving window method is developed to detect rank-size distributions of cities in different sizes incrementally. The results show that micro patterns of the actual city rank-size distributions in China are much more complex than those suggested by the three theoretical distributions examined(Pareto, quadratic, and q-exponential distributions). City size distributions present persistent discontinuities. Large cities are more evenly distributed than small cities and than that predicted by Zipf′s law. In addition, the trend is becoming more pronounced over time. Medium-sized cities became evenly distributed first and then unevenly distributed thereafter. The rank-size distributions of small cities are relatively consistent. While the three theoretical distributions examined in this study all have the ability to detect the overall dynamics of city rank-size distributions, the actual macro distribution may be composed of a combination of the three theoretical distributions.     

Experimental study of the mechanical properties of expansive soil with added nanomaterials

The main purpose of this paper is to describe ways to improve the microstructure of expansive soil by adding nanomaterials. Mechanical tests were done to explore the changes in shear strength and compression index of expansive soil that was modified by adding different amounts of two kinds of nanomaterials (nano-alumina and nano-silica). The test results show that adding 1.2% nano-alumina and about 2% nano-silica to expansive soil provides the optimal compression index. The test results show that adding 1.2% nano-alumina and about 1.5% nano-silica to expansive soil provides the optimal unconfined compression stress. Scanning electron microscopy of the microstructure of expansive soil modified by nanomaterials provided a deeper understanding of the effects of nanomaterials on improving expansive soil.     

河套盆地北缘色尔滕山河流地貌参数特征及其成因分析

地貌形态是构造和地表过程相互作用的复杂产物,主要通过构造活动和岩石的抗侵蚀能力等来调节。构造活动相对较弱的古老造山带往往可以忽略构造驱动的岩石抬升,使得研究岩石抗侵蚀能力对其地貌雕刻的贡献成为可能。但是目前大多数活动造山带地貌研究的结果显示地貌主要受控于活动构造,关于岩性对地貌演化影响的报道较少。色尔滕山山前断裂为河套盆地北缘的一条重要控盆断裂,全新世以来该断裂的活动性较强,曾发生过两次较大震级地震（M6. 4和M5. 9）。前人活动构造研究表明该断裂的活动性具有空间差异,中部乌加河镇活动性最强,两端逐渐减弱。但相对河套盆地北缘其他大型断裂（如狼山山前断裂、乌拉山北缘断裂和大青山山前断裂）,该断裂的地貌参数研究较少。同时其地貌演化特征及发育机理仍然不清楚,这些均制约了对该断裂的变形动力学理解。本文基于30 m分辨率的DEM数据对该断裂进行详细的河流地貌学参数研究,包括使用Arcgis和Matlab脚本提取色尔滕山山前33条河流的子流域盆地面积 高程积分（HI）和相应河道陡峭指数（Ksn）、河道纵剖面及其裂点等地貌学参数。结果表明研究区河流HI值大部分处于0. 40~0. 66之间,其中乌加河镇附近具有高值,流域盆地处于发育的壮年期。瞬态河道和稳态河道均沿着色尔滕山山前断裂走向分布,可能表明色尔滕山山前大部分河道目前处于瞬时地貌向均衡地貌演化阶段,并且通过对比发现瞬态河道裂点成因存在岩性和构造共同控制的现象。河道陡峭指数空间分布差异性较大,乌加河镇附近（S13~S20）陡峭指数较大,向两边陡峭指数逐渐减小,在S8河流以西又有增大的趋势。通过结合岩性和降雨情况分析发现,河道陡峭指数除了受岩性抗侵蚀能力影响外,其分布还与色尔滕山山前断裂垂直滑移速率分布和垂直位错分布基本一致。综合来看,地貌参数的空间分布是岩性差异和色尔滕山山前断裂活动分段差异性共同控制的结果,表明该地区岩性和构造对地貌的协同塑造作用。     

东昆仑造山带海德乌拉铀矿床成矿流体特征研究

东昆仑造山带海德乌拉铀矿床是近些年西北地区最新探明的与火山岩有关的独立铀矿床,该矿床的发现为东昆仑造山带探寻热液型铀矿床提供了指示意义。本文选择与海德乌拉铀矿成矿期相关的透明矿物（粉红色方解石、紫黑色萤石及石英）作为研究对象,系统地开展C- H- O同位素和流体包裹体研究,查明该矿床成矿流体的来源与性质,并探讨矿床成因。研究结果表明,海德乌拉铀矿床成矿期石英中主要为H2O气液两相包裹体,少见CO2- H2O两相包裹体;在粉红色方解石脉、紫黑色萤石脉中流体包裹体均含H2O气液两相包裹体,在粉红色方解石脉中偶见纯液相包裹体,均未见到纯气相及含固相包裹体。成矿期粉红色方解石、紫黑色萤石及石英中包裹体均一温度范围分别为133~187℃（均值163℃）、127~204℃（均值169℃）、183~287℃（均值219℃）,盐度范围分别为1. 40%~7. 02%NaCleq（均值3. 65%NaCleq）、0. 53%~3. 06%NaCleq（均值1. 26%NaCleq）、7. 17%~17. 26%NaCleq（均值为11. 46%NaCleq）。流体包裹体气相成分以H2O为主,另含少量CO2等。C- H- O同位素实验数据表明,流体中δ13CFluid- V- PDB、δDFluid- V- SMOW、δ18OFluid- V- SMOW值的变化范围分别为1. 59‰~1. 00‰、71‰~63‰、0. 03‰~3. 72‰,表明成矿流体并非单一来源,可能为大气降水与岩浆水混合来源。此外,沥青铀矿的沉淀主要是由于流体与围岩的相互反应所引起的物理化学条件变化加上流体沸腾/CO2去气,最终导致了沥青铀矿等成矿物质发生大规模的卸载与沉淀。     

浅论县（市）级土地利用数据库系统建设

随着经济的迅猛发展,各地土地利用情况多种多样,采用手工管理土地资料更新周期长,综合利用率低,各种查询统计要耗费大量的人力物力,而且统计计算的数据结果精度不高。因此仅仅依靠传统的手工管理模式已经远远不能满足土地管理工作的需要,为保质保量按时完成全国土地利用现状更新调查,加强地籍规范化管理,利用成熟的计算机技术辅助进行土地调查已势在必行。     

Use of remote sensing in characterization and management of Dhamni micro-watershed of Chandrapur district of Maharashtra

Soil resource characterization of Dhamni micro-watershed in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra was carried out using IRS-1D LISS-III data in conjunction with field survey and ancillary data. The study indicates that nearly 84.2 per cent of the total geographical area of the watershed is under cultivation. Forest (mainly degraded) occupy only 4.5 per cent area Whereas wasteland with scrub cover 9.4 per cent area of the watershed. Nine soil series were tentatively identified and mapped as soil series association in to five mapping units. These soils belong to order Inceptisol, Vertisol and Mollisol. Except the soils of wasteland with scrub, other soils are moderately suitable for pigeonpea and soybean and have average to good productivity.     

Cloning and sequence analysis of a full-length cDNA of <Emphasis Type="Italic">SmPP1cb</Emphasis> encoding turbot protein phosphatase 1 beta catalytic subunit

Reversible protein phosphorylation, catalyzed by protein kinases and phosphatases, is an important and versatile mechanism by which eukaryotic cells regulate almost all the signaling processes. Protein phosphatase 1 （PP1） is the first and well-characterized member of the protein serine/threonine phosphatase family. In the present study, a full-length cDNA encoding the beta isoform of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase l（PPlcb）, was for the first time isolated and sequenced from the skin tissue of flatfish turbot Scophthalmus maximus, designated SmPPlcb, by the rapid amplification of cDNA ends （RACE） technique. The cDNA sequence of SmPPlcb we obtained contains a 984 bp open reading frame （ORF）, flanked by a complete 39 bp 5＇ untranslated region and 462 bp 3＇ untranslated region. The ORF encodes a putative 327 amino acid protein, and the N-terminal section of this protein is highly acidic, Met-Ala-Glu-Gly-Glu-Leu-Asp-Val-Asp, a common feature for PP1 catalytic subunit but absent in protein phosphatase 2B （PP2B）. And its calculated molecular mass is 37 193 Da and pI 5.8. Sequence analysis indicated that, SmPPlcb is extremely conserved in both amino acid and nucleotide acid levels compared with the PPlcb of other vertebrates and invertebrates, and its Kozak motif contained in the 5＇UTR around ATG start codon is GXXAXXGXXATGG, which is different from mammalian in two positions A6 and G3, indicating the possibility of different initiation of translation in turbot, and also the 3＇UTR of SmPPlcb is highly diverse in the sequence similarity and length compared with other animals, especially zebraf＇lsh. The cloning and sequencing of SmPPlcb gene lays a good foundation for the future work on the biological functions of PP1 in the flatfish turbot.     

Comets,Enceladus and panspermia

A growing body of evidence suggests the operation of life and life processes in comets as well in larger icy bodies in the solar system including Enceladus. Attempts to interpret such data without invoking active biology are beginning to look weak and flawed. The emerging new paradigm is that life is a cosmic phenomenon as proposed by Hoyle and Wickramasinghe (Lifecloud: the Origin of Life in the Galaxy, 1978) and first supported by astronomical spectroscopy (Wickramasinghe and Allen, Nature 287:518, 1980; Allen and Wickramasinghe, Nature 294:239, 1981; Wickramasinghe and Allen, Nature 323:44, 1986). Comets are the transporters and amplifiers of microbial life throughout the Universe and are also, according to this point of view, the carriers of viruses that contribute to the continued evolution of life. Comets brought life to Earth 4.2 billion years ago and they continue to do so. Space extrapolations of comets, Enceladus and possibly Pluto supports this point of view. Impacts of asteroids and comets on the Earth as well as on other planetary bodies leads to the ejection of life-bearing dust and rocks and a mixing of microbiota on a planetary scale and on an even wider galactic scale. It appears inevitable that the entire galaxy will be a single connected biosphere.     

Solar Microflares Observed by SphinX and RHESSI

In 2009, the Russian Complex Orbital Observations Near-Earth of Activity of the Sun (CORONAS-Photon) spacecraft was launched, carrying the Polish Solar PHotometer In X-rays (SphinX). The SphinX was most sensitive in the spectral range 1.2?–?15 keV, thus an excellent opportunity appeared for comparison with the low-energy end of Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) spectra. Common spectral measurements with these instruments cover the range where most of the flare energy is accumulated. We have chosen four consecutive small solar events observed on 4 July 2009 at 13:43 UT, 13:48 UT, 13:52 UT, and 13:55 UT (RHESSI flare peak times) and used them to compare the data and results from the two instruments. Moreover, we included Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) records in our analysis. In practice, the range of comparison performed for SphinX and RHESSI is limited roughly to 3?–?6 keV. RHESSI fluxes measured with a use of one, four, and nine detectors in the 3?–?4 keV energy band agree with SphinX measurements. However, we observed that SphinX spectral irradiances are three times higher than those of RHESSI in the 4?–?6 keV energy band. This effect contributes to the difference in obtained emission measures, but the derived temperatures of plasma components are similar. RHESSI spectra were fitted using a model with two thermal components. We have found that the RHESSI hot component is in agreement with GOES, and the RHESSI hotter component fits the SphinX flaring component well. Moreover, we calculated the so-called thermodynamic measure and the total thermal energy content in the four microflares that we studied. The results obtained show that SphinX is a very sensitive complementary observatory for RHESSI and GOES.