A spatial investigation of venture capital investment in the US biotechnology industry, 1995–2008

The objective of this research is to investigate the role of geography in the venture capital investment in the US biotechnology industry. Data include 4,409 quarterly investment deals from the MoneyTree Survey during 1995 and 2008. Strong spatial concentration patterns are identified. Using both ordinary squares regressions and geographically weighted regressions, we find that as the geographic distance between biotechnology firms and their investors decreases, deal size increases. Location in established biotechnology clusters, such as New England and California, helps to bring a larger deal into individual firms as well. Also, the impact of distance decay in these two clusters is more significant than that in other regions. In addition, we find that a global venture capital investing syndication network brings large deals. Furthermore, firms in later stages of development, and/or with few financing rounds, tend to receive more capital per deal.     

Sulfide Oxidation across Diffuse Flow Zones of Hydrothermal Vents

The sulfide (H₂S/HS^?) that is emitted from hydrothermal vents begins to oxidize abiotically with oxygen upon contact with ambient bottom water, but the reaction kinetics are slow. Here, using in situ voltammetry, we report detection of the intermediate sulfur oxidation products polysulfides [ $ {\text{S}}_{\text{x}}^{2 - } $ ] and thiosulfate [ $ {\text{S}}_{ 2} {\text{O}}_{ 3}^{ 2- } $ ], along with contextual data on sulfide, oxygen, and temperature. At Lau Basin in 2006, thiosulfate was identified in less than one percent of approximately 10,500 scans and no polysulfides were detected. Only five percent of 11,000 voltammetric scans taken at four vent sites at Lau Basin in May 2009 show either thiosulfate or polysulfides. These in situ data indicate that abiotic sulfide oxidation does not readily occur as H₂S contacts oxic bottom waters. Calculated abiotic potential sulfide oxidation rates are <10^?3 ??M/min and are consistent with slow oxidation and the observed lack of sulfur oxidation intermediates. It is known that the thermodynamics for the first electron transfer step for sulfide and oxygen during sulfide oxidation in these systems are unfavorable, and that the kinetics for two electron transfers are not rapid. Here, we suggest that different metal catalyzed and/or biotic reaction pathways can readily produce sulfur oxidation intermediates. Via shipboard high-pressure incubation experiments, we show that snails with chemosynthetic endosymbionts do release polysulfides and may be responsible for our field observations of polysulfides.     

Aspects of sand behaviour by modified constant shear drained tests

Constant shear drained tests (CSD) are probably the most suitable to simulate the strength and deformation behaviour of soils in slopes under water infiltration conditions or lateral stress relief. This is significant because soil behaviour following a CSD stress path could differ from that of traditional compression triaxial tests. In this paper, CSD tests on sand following an alternative procedure are presented and discussed. The modified CSD tests were conducted by increasing the pore water pressure at a constant rate from one end of the specimen with water free to drain from the opposite end. Among the results from specimens consolidated at variable initial void ratios and principal stress ratios it was revealed that specimens showed a tendency to dilate even for loose sands; failure was reached at low axial strains; and a pre-failure type of instability could be identified. The modified procedure has the potential to provide new insights into the failure mechanisms of slopes under a water infiltration condition.     

Leaching behavior of Li and Ga from granitic rocks and sorption on kaolinite: Implications for their enrichment in the Jungar Coalfield,Ordos Basin

The granite collected from the Yinshan Mountain and kaolinite has been selected for the leaching and adsorption experiment,respectively,aiming to clarify the enrichment processes of Li and Ga during the deposition.Results suggest both Li and Ga could be leached out from granite by using different acid solutions of different p H and kaolinite can adsorb Li and Ga with varying degrees.Lithium and Ga had the highest leaching ratio when p H=1.Special geological events(e.g.volcanic eruptions and wildfires),which could result in very low p H values of water in peatland,may have accelerated the release of Li and Ga from the source rocks.Kaolinite has the highest adsorption fraction was obtained at p H=8.The different characteristics of Li and Ga displayed in the leaching and adsorption experiments probably result from the different occurrences and enrichment processes of Li and Ga in the coals.Lithium was probably enriched before the Li carriers(e.g.kaolinite)had been transported into paleomires because of its high leaching ratio and high adsorption fraction under neutral and alkaline conditions,whereas Ga was more likely concentrated by kaolinite and other carriers after it had been transported into the peat mires.     

新元古代冰期及其年代

新元古代在全球范围内出现了几期冰期事件,称之为“雪球地球”事件。这种剧烈的环境变化带来此后地球上生命演化的一次飞跃。“雪球地球”事件的核心是全球冰期的同时性,需要同位素地质年代学的证据。新元古代末期两次主要的冰期事件是Marinoan冰期和Sturtian冰期,其中Marinoan冰期结束于635Ma;Sturtian冰期可能发生在710～720Ma,已发表的年龄数据限定它在670Ma之前结束。Marinoan冰期后的Gaskiers冰期发生在580～590Ma。对华南的古城、铁丝坳、长安组、江口组等进行进一步精确定年,将对限定Sturtian冰期持续时间和Cryogenian、南华系的下限年龄具有重要意义。     

Change of multifractal thermal characteristics in the western Philippine sea upper layer during internal wave-soliton propagation

The upper layer (above 140 m depth) temperature in the western Philippine Sea near Taiwan was sampled using a coastal monitoring buoy (CMB) with 15 attached thermistors during July 28–August 7, 2005. The data were collected every 10 min at 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 m using the CMB sensors, and every 15 sec at 15 different depths between 25 m and 140 m. Internal waves and solitons were identified from the time-depth plot of the temperature field. Without the internal waves and solitons, the power spectra, structure functions, and singular measures (representing the intermittency) of temperature field satisfy the power law with multi-scale characteristics at all depths. The internal waves do not change the basic characteristics of the multifractal structure. However, the internal solitons change the power exponent of the power spectra drastically, especially in the low wave number domain; they also break down the power law of the structure function and increase the intermittency parameter. The physical mechanisms causing these different effects need to be explored further.     

福建省古生代至中生代大地构造演化的格架

松溪—长汀断裂带和福州—永定断裂带是控制福建古生代及以后大地构造演化的两条北东东向的断裂带。地质地球化学资料表明,前者是加里东期的地体碰撞带,沿线分布了构造混杂岩、变质超基性岩体、具有角闪岩相和中压矿物的变质岩以及同碰撞型花岗岩体,以后又发育为A型俯冲带;后者是发育于加里东构造层之上的海西期张裂带,在形成海西期的福州—永定海峡的同时,产生了石炭纪海底双模式火山岩及层控铁矿,印支期的碰撞活动使海峡封闭并发育A型俯冲作用。由此,北东东向的松溪—长汀断裂带和福州—永定断裂带可以将福建划分为三个古生代的构造地层地体:闽北地体、闽中地体和闽东南地体。通过对福建省古生代地体构造分析、古地磁测量及古地理重建,展现在我们眼前是:华南(其中包括福建)在古生代中期从冈瓦纳大陆分离出来后,横渡特提斯海,在古生代末至中生代初到达劳亚大陆,与中朝板块碰撞引起了福建地体间强烈的造山运动。     

北京地区单双频地基GPS大气水汽遥测试验与研究

该文对北京地区单双频地基GPS大气水汽监测网布网依据、单频与双频地基GPS测量数据解算技术应用、GAMIT和Bernese地基GPS数据分析处理软件应用、远程遥控GPS数据采集与通讯系统、资料分析与数值同化应用等方面的工作进展进行简要介绍,重点讨论了单双频地基GPS大气水汽资料的解算技术及其应用效果。结果表明:在北京天气敏感区通过单双频地基GPS接收机合理组网布局,可构建并利用高分辨率电离层延迟订正技术将单频接收机的大气水汽监测精度提高到实用水平,为强降水天气预报提供有价值的产品。