Purification of a Diatom and Its Identification to Cylindrotheca closterium

A diatom was purified with colony selection and continuous dilution methods. It was identified to Cylindrotheca closterium according to its morphological characteristics and rbc L and 18 s r RNA gene sequences. The alga was not sensitive to ampicillin and neomycin, but sensitive to chloramphenicol which inhibited its growth at concentrations ranging from 50 to 150 μg m L-1. The purified alga was easy to culture and its specific growth rate was 0.207 ± 0.002(d-1). It was resistant to pollution and could be harvested in an easy way. It was relatively high in lipid content(20.08% ± 0.67% of dry weight) and the combined amount of its 16:0 and 16:1(n-7), the most suitable resource of biodiesel, was as high as 64% of the total fatty acids, while the amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids reached 19.96%–20% of the total fatty acids. Thus the purified C. closterium can be cultured as a biodiesel producer or a nutrition supplement producer.     

Evaluation of Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Insecticide Carbaryl to Flounder Gill Cells and Its Teratogenicity to Zebrafish Embryos

In this study, we determined the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of carbamate insecticide carbaryl to flounder gill(FG) cells and its teratogenicity to zebrafish embryos. The cytotoxicity of carbaryl to FG cells was determined with methods including MTT and neutral red uptaking(NRU), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) releasing and Hoechst 33342 and propidium idodide(PI) double staining. Moderate cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner was observed. The 24 h-IC50 value of 53.48 ± 1.21, 59.13 ± 1.19 and 46.21 ± 1.24 mg L-1 carbaryl was obtained through MTT, NRU and LDH assays, respectively. Double fluorescence staining demonstrated that carbaryl induced the death of FG cells mainly through necrosis. There was no significant genotoxicity found in the FG cells exposed to the highest testing concentration of carbaryl(20 mg L-1, P 0.05) as was demonstrated by Comet assay. Zebrafish embryos exposed to carbaryl at concentrations ≥10 mg L-1 displayed moderate toxic effects on the survival, spontaneous movement, hatching, heart rates of the embryos and their development, which were evidenced by yolk and pericardial sac edemas, body length reduction and tail flexure in time- and concentration-dependent manners at specific stages. The 24 h-, 48 h- and 96 h-LC50 values of carbaryl to zebrafish embryos were 41.80 ± 1.10, 17.80 ± 1.04 and 14.46 ± 1.05 mg L-1, respectively. These results suggested that carbaryl is moderately toxic to FG cells cultured in vitro and zebrafish embryos, and the FG cells were similar to zebrafish embryos in their sensitivity to carbaryl as 24 h-IC50 and LC50 indicated.     

A Comparative Study of Fish Assemblages Near Aquaculture,Artificial and Natural Habitats

Habitat plays a critical role in regulating fish community structure. Using the data collected from a monthly trammel net survey in Ma’an archipelago off the east coast of China, we evaluated impacts of five different habitats(artificial reefs, mussel farms, cage aquaculture, rocky reefs and soft bottom) on fish assemblages. This study suggests that artificial reefs(AR) have significantly higher species richness, abundance and diversity than mussel farms(MF) or soft bottom(SB) habitats during most seasons, and that fish taxa in the AR habitats are similar to those in the rocky reef(RR) habitats. Two different fish assemblage patterns were revealed in the study area using non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination: an assemblage dominated by reef fishes(especially by Scorpaenidae species) in AR, RR and cage aquaculture(CA) habitats and an assemblage dominated by Sciaenidae species in MF and SB habitats. We suggest that reef fishes play a key role in differentiating fish community structures in the study area. Although few differences in fish abundance and diversity were found between the CA and SB habitats, a more diverse age structure was observed in the CA habitats. A much more complex fish assemblage and enhanced population of local species were established as a result of the presence of both floating and fixed artificial structures, probably through improved survival rates.     

Effect of Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Mechanical Properties and Permeability of Red Sandstone under Triaxial Compression

Geological disasters will happen in cold regions because of the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on rocks or soils, so studying the effects of these cycles on the mechanical characteristics and permeability properties of rocks is very important. In this study,red sandstone samples were frozen and thawed with 0,4, 8 and 12 cycles, each cycle including 12 h of freezing and 12 h of thawing. The P-wave velocities of these samples were measured, and the mechanical properties and evolution of the steady-state permeabilities were investigated in a series of uniaxial and triaxial compression tests. Experimental results show that, with the increasing of cyclic freeze-thaw times, the P-wave velocity of the red sandstone decreases. The number of freeze-thaw cycles has a significant influence on the uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. The evolution of permeability of the rock samples after cycles of freeze-thaw in a complete stress-strain process under triaxial compression is closely related to the variation of the microstructure in the rock. There is a highly corresponding relationship between volumetric strain and permeability with axial strain in all stages of the stress-strain behaviour.     

Characteristics of convection and overshooting in RGB and AGB stars

Based on the turbulent convection model (TCM) of Li & Yang, we have studied the characteristics of turbulent convection in the envelopes of 2 and 5M⊙ stars at the red giant branch and asymptotic giant branch phases. The TCM has been successfully applied over the entire convective envelopes, including the convective unstable zone and the overshooting regions. We find that the convective motions become progressively stronger when the stellar models are located farther up along the Hayashi line. In the convect...     

Mutual eclipses of J2 Europa by J1 Io observed at Yunnan Observatory in 2009

Mutual events between natural satellites include mutual occultation and mutual eclipse. Mutual eclipse is another kind of mutual occultation as viewed from the center of the Sun instead of the Earth. Two mutual eclipses of J2 Europa by J1 Io (2009 Aug. 28 and Sept. 12) were observed at Yunnan Observatory during the PHEMU09 international campaign. We will calculate the astrometric data of these Galilean satellites by analyzing and fitting the light curves we obtained. The limb-darkening was considered during...     

Solar sail time-optimal interplanetary transfer trajectory design

The fuel consumption associated with some interplanetary transfer trajectories using chemical propulsion is not affordable. A solar sail is a method of propulsion that does not consume fuel. Transfer time is one of the most pressing problems of solar sail transfer trajectory design. This paper investigates the time-optimal interplanetary transfer trajectories to a circular orbit of given inclination and radius. The optimal control law is derived from the principle of maximization. An indirect method is used...     

A note on the discovery of a 2M_⊙ pulsar

It is conventionally thought that the state equation of dense matter softens and thus cannot result in high maximum mass if pulsars are quark stars and that a recently discovered 2M⊙ pulsar (PSR J1614-2230) may make pulsars unlikely to be quark stars. However, this standard point of view would be revisited and updated if quark clustering could occur in cold quark matter because of the strong coupling be- tween quarks at realistic baryon densities in compact stars. It can be argued that the state equation of...     

Associations of decimetric type Ⅲ bursts with coronal mass ejections and Hα flares

We present a statistical study of decimetric type Ⅲ radio bursts,coronal mass ejections(CMEs),and Hα flares observed in the period from July 2000 to March2005.In total,we investigated 395 decimetric type Ⅲ radio burst events,21% of which showed apparent correlation to CMEs that were associated with Hα flares.We noticed that the Hα flares which were strongly associated with CMEs were gradual events,and82% of them took place before CMEs appeared in the field of view of LASCO C2;that most of the CME-associated radio bursts started in the frequency range around750 MHz with a frequency drifting rate of several hundred MHz s-1,of which both positive and negative ones were recognized; and that the correlation of type Ⅲ radio bursts to CMEs without associated flares is fairly vague,less than 9%.     

Infrared spectral evolution of carbon stars

We collected almost all Highly Processed Data Products(HPDP)of ISO SWS01 spectra for the Galactic visual carbon stars,infrared carbon stars,extreme carbon stars and carbon-rich proto-planetary nebulae(PPNs).Those infrared spectra are primarily analyzed and discussed.It is shown that either spectral shapes/peaks,or main molecular/dust features are evidenced to change in the sequence of visual carbon stars,infrared carbon stars,extreme carbon stars and carbon-rich PPNs.Statistically,in this sequence,continua are gradually changed from blue to red and locations of spectral peaks of continua are also gradually changed from short wavelengths to long wavelengths.In addition,in this sequence,intensifies of main molecular/dust features are also gradually changed from prominent in the short wavelengths to prominent in the long wavelengths.Furthermore,from 2MASS and IRAS photometric data,the sequence is also proved.Results in this paper strongly support the previous suggestion for the evolution sequence of carbon-rich objects in our Galaxy,that is the sequence of visual carbon stars→infrared carbon stars→extreme carbon stars→carbon-rich PPNs.