化石电子自旋共振(ESR)测年等效剂量标准生长曲线的构建

目前在化石ESR测年工作中主要采用Gamma源(⁶⁰Co或¹³⁷Cs)对样品进行辐照,由于这种辐照源放射性较强对环境和人体健康存在安全隐患,因此只有少数专业机构有资格开展Gamma辐照工作,加之辐照过程较高的时间和经济成本,在很大程度上制约了ESR测年方法的应用。为此本研究对十余个已开展过测年工作的考古遗址的化石样品进行了再分析,并尝试建立牙釉质等效剂量标准生长曲线,在不对样品进行辐照的前提下通过测定自然样品的ESR信号强度来获得其等效剂量。研究显示对于较年轻的化石样品,采用牙釉质标准生长曲线与附加剂量法获得的等效剂量值较一致,但对较老的样品(等效剂量D_e>2000 Gy)两种方法得到的等效剂量值存在明显差异。研究表明通过非辐照的方式获得样品的D_e值具有可行性但目前建立的标准生长曲线尚有待完善,同时探讨了采用标准生长曲线方法对开展化石ESR测年工作的潜在优势。

     

中国早中更新世古人类遗址年代学研究中两种同位素测年方法的应用与思考

中国早中更新世人类遗址的发现对研究东亚地区早期人类的生存与演化具有重要意义,但这一时段的遗址已超出或接近¹⁴C、光释光和铀系等常用同位素测年方法的极限。电子自旋共振/铀系(ESR/U系)联合化石测年和宇宙成因核素²⁶Al/¹⁰Be埋藏测年是目前为数不多的能同时对早中更新世遗址地点进行年代学研究的两种同位素测年方法,优势在于可以直接对被关注的考古遗存(如文化层内的动物化石或石英质砾石石制品)进行测年分析,避免了由于测年对象与考古遗存之间地层关系的不明确给测年结果带来不确定性。本文以云南元谋人、北京周口店第一地点、湖北白龙洞和山东沂源人遗址为例,介绍了ESR/U系法和²⁶Al/¹⁰ Be埋藏测年法在上述早期遗址年代学研究中的应用,并探讨了两种方法存在的局限性。对于洞穴遗址的ESR/U系联合测年,化石年龄的不确定性主要来自于对化石外部剂量率的重建,需要化石有较明确的出土层位;而²⁶Al/¹⁰Be埋藏测年需要解决来自于被测沉积物或石制品可能存在的复杂埋藏历史对测年结果的影响。ESR/U系联合化石测年和等时线²⁶Al/¹⁰Be埋藏测年方法是目前最可行的早期遗址测年技术手段,在动物群化石组合和磁性地层学等间接测年方法给出的时间框架下,通过上述两种同位素测年方法可以为研究东亚早期人类活动提供更为精细的年代。

     

怀来盆地珠窝堡遗址ESR年代学初步研究

作为"大泥河湾"考古的重要组成部分,怀来盆地是研究和探讨中国北方乃至东北亚地区更新世期间古人类生存行为、人群迁徙扩散以及文化交流等科学问题的重要地区。珠窝堡遗址的发现,不仅为怀来盆地的史前史研究提供了重要依据,更为泥河湾考古工作增添了新的亮点和坐标。珠窝堡遗址试掘后尚未进行年代学方面的研究,作为怀来盆地最新发现和首次试掘的旧石器遗址,其年代的确定不但有助于厘清古人类在这一地区出现的时代,而且对于建立该地区古人类行为适应、技术发展以及古环境演化的整体年代框架具有重要意义。本研究利用石英Ti-Li心ESR法对珠窝堡遗址样品进行了年龄测定,珠窝堡遗址的ESR年龄为504±76 ka,是怀来盆地内目前发现的年代最早的文化遗存。     

准噶尔盆地南缘断裂带显微构造特征与活动时代

对准噶尔盆地南缘霍尔果斯-玛纳斯-吐谷鲁逆断裂带中的断层泥和构造岩显微构造进行了研究,并对断裂带中的石膏、石英脉和断层泥进行了ESR测年。显微构造研究表明,断裂带至少经历了3期构造变形,断层泥和石英碎粒中既发育有线状擦痕、阶步等粘滑活动显微构造,也发育有剪切滑动、定向排列等蠕滑活动变形现象。ESR测年结果显示,霍尔果斯-玛纳斯-吐谷鲁逆断裂带形成于1.5Ma前,在0.4~1.0 Ma和0.08~0.12 Ma期间进行了二次再调整。断裂活动时间与青藏高原阶段性隆升的时间一致,说明准噶尔盆地南缘霍尔果斯-玛纳斯-吐谷鲁逆断裂带的形成与青藏高原的隆升过程密切相关。     

Evaluation of antitumor, immunomodulatory and free radical scavenging effects of a new herbal prescription seaweed complex preparation

Seaweed Complex Preparation (SCP) is a clinical traditional Chinese medicine preparation which is composed of seven traditional Chinese herbs, and it has been used for treatment of lung cancer, liver cancer and digestive cancer. However, little information is available about the pharmacodynamic basis. The antitumor, immunomodulatory and free radical scavenging effects of SCP were evaluated in this study. Transplanted tumor in vivo method was used to determine the antitumor effect. The effects on splenocyte proliferation and phagocytosis of macrophages in tumor-bearing mice were measured by the MTT method and the phagocytizing cock red blood cell (CRBC) method respectively. The scavenging activities of SCP on DPPH and hydroxyl radicals in vitro were investigated. It was found that the medium-dose and high-dose of SCP could significantly inhibit the growth of transplanted hepatic tumor of murine hepatocarcinoma cell line H22, and promote proliferation of splenocytes and phagocytosis of macrophages. SCP possessed noticeable scavenging activities on DPPH and hydroxyl radicals. The antitumor effects of SCP might be achieved by improving immune system and scavenging free radicals, which is in accordance with the viewpoint of traditional Chinese medicine in promoting the body resistance and eliminating pathogenic factors for cancer treatment.     

ESR/U-series chronology of the Neanderthal occupation layers at Galería de las Estatuas (Sierra de Atapuerca,Spain)

The Galería de las Estatuas is a Mousterian site located within the Cueva Mayor-Cueva del Silo karstic system at the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain). This site is characterised by an important Upper Pleistocene stratigraphic sequence in which a large number of lithic artefacts exhibiting clear Mousterian affinities and a rich assemblage of faunal remains have been found.Additionally, this site has yielded a foot phalanx of a clear Neanderthal affinities and its sediment has yielded Neanderthal mitochondrial and nuclear DNA.Two test pits, GE-I and GE-II, have been excavated since 2008 which have been divided in 5 and 2 lithostratigraphical units, respectively. A minimum age of 45 ka cal BP for this site was obtained by radiocarbon dating in GE-II. This chronology was refined using single-grain Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL: 80–112 ka in GE-I and 70–79 ka in GE-II) and single-grain thermally transferred OSL (TT-OSL). Although in all case TT-OSL ages were systematically older than their single-grain counterparts. The detrital sequence is sealed by a flowstone whose base is dated to 53.7 ± 3.5 ka cal BP using U-series dating.In order to better constrain the age of this site, nine herbivorous teeth were collected from the whole sedimentary sequence to be dated by the ESR/U-series dating method though only seven provided modelled ages. Six of them were collected from levels 2 to 5 of the GE-I test pit while the last tooth was taken from level 2 of the GE-II test pit. Our results, ranging between 80 and 110 ka, are in agreement with those obtained by single grain TT-OSL and suggest that the sedimentological levels containing Mousterian lithic artefacts and faunal and human remains began to be deposited during the second part of the MIS5. These results fill a temporal gap in the chronology of the Atapuerca sites for which no contemporary MIS5 date was obtained until recently.     

膨胀土-胶粉（ESR）强度特性室内试验研究

膨胀土是一种特殊的区域性黏土,在我国分布非常广泛,所引起的灾害问题也日益突出。为了提高资源的循环利用,减少膨胀土灾害潜在的影响,笔者进行一系列用废弃轮胎胶粉改良膨胀土的探索。主要是通过室内无侧限抗压强度试验,研究膨胀土及膨胀土 胶粉（expansive soil rubber,简称ESR）强度特性,进一步分析胶粉含量、含水率等因素对无侧限抗压强度的影响,根据试验结果总结出胶粉改良膨胀土无侧限抗压强度的最佳含量为20％,同时证明了废弃轮胎胶粉改良膨胀土具有良好的效果,从而为膨胀土改良开拓一个新的方法。     

ESR测年研究中人工辐照吸收剂量的确定

在ESR测年研究中,被测样品的年代是通过样品的古剂量与样品所接受的年剂量的比值得到的。古剂量则是在实验室内经放射性源的人工辐照模拟自然界的ESR信号增长情况获得的。因此,人工辐照样品吸收剂量的确定成为影响测年可靠性的一个重要因素。目前一般有两种方法确定测年样品的人工辐照吸收剂量值一种是剂量率法,即在辐照前利用标准剂量体系对辐照位置的吸收剂量率进行校准,然后在同一位置辐照被测样品,通过校准得到的吸收剂量率和辐照时间确定样品的吸收剂量,通常所用的标准剂量体系为硫酸亚铁剂量计;另一种是伴随法,即在辐照前将参考剂量计与被测样品一起放到辐射场中辐照,参考剂量计一般采用经标准剂量体系(如硫酸亚铁剂量计或量热计等)校准过的丙氨酸剂量计,照后由参考剂量计直接给出被测样品的吸收剂量。文中就确定吸收剂量的两种方法的可靠性进行了探讨,并利用两种类型的丙氨酸剂量计通过伴随法测定了被测样品的吸收剂量。结果表明,根据目前ESR测年研究中地质样品人工辐照的实际情况,利用伴随法通过参考剂量计确定被测样品的吸收剂量更为实用与可靠     

Calcretes in the Thar desert: Genesis,chronology and palaeoenvironment

The calcretes in the Thar desert occur in a variety of settings, including the piedmonts, sheetwash aggraded plains; and this study adds calcretes in regolith and colluvio-alluvial plains to the group of settings in which calcretes occur in the region. Field logs, morphological details and analytical data such as petrographic, cathodoluminescence and geochemical characteristics are described along with a discussion on their implications. Sand dunes and sandy plains dating to < 20 ka have weakly developed calcretes. The better-developed calcrete horizons occur in piedmonts, interdunes or in areas that have sufficient groundwater. Deep sections in the region show phases of calcrete development in aeolian sand aggradation at ∼ 150, ∼ 100, ∼ 60 and 27–14 ka. The extensive sheetwash plains have mature calcretes and date to mid-Pleistocene. Our studies indicate that these calcretes represent a hybrid process, where carbonate enrichment of the originally calcareous host occurred due to periodically raised groundwaters, and its differentiation into nodules occurred under subaerial environment i.e., after recession of groundwater. Deep sections also show a stack of discrete calcretes that developed in individual aggradation episodes with hiatuses as indicated by ESR dating results. Nodules display a multiplicity of carbonate precipi tation events and internal reorganization of calcitic groundmass. The process is accompanied by degradation and transformation of unstable minerals, particularly clays and with a neosynthesis of palygorskite. The ancient calcretes are dated from the beginning of the Quaternary to ∼ 600 ka and show more evolved morphologies marked by brecciation, dissolution, laminar growth on brecciated surfaces, pisolites and several generations of re-cementation. Mica/chlorite schists and such other rocks are particularly vulnerable to replacement by carbonate. In an extreme case, replacement of quartzose sandstone was observed also. The presence of stretches of alluvio-colluvial plains in an area presently devoid of drainage bespeaks of occasional high-energy fluvial regime, under a semi-arid climate. The mid-Pleistocene period saw a shift towards more arid climate and this facilitated sheetwash aggradation. Finally, during the late Pleistocene, aggradation of aeolian sands indicated a progressively drier climate. However, this does not find its reflection in stable isotope data. The amount of carbonate in the form of calcretes is substantial. The present studies indicate that aeolian dust or rainwater are minor contributors to the carbonate budget. A more important source was provided by the pre-existing calcretes in the sheetwash aggraded plains and detrital carbonate in the aeolian sediments. The original source of carbonate in the region, however, remains unresolved and will need further investigations. Electron spin resonance protocols for the dating of calcretes were developed as a part of this study and the results accorded well with geological reasoning     

天山阿特奥依纳克河流域冰川沉积序列

阿特奥依纳克河位于我国天山的最西段,最大现代冰川作用中心托木尔峰的南麓。在第四纪冰期与间冰期的气候旋回中,该处留下了形态较为完整的6套冰川沉积。应用ESR测年技术 (辅以OSL测年技术) 对冰碛物及其相应的冰水沉积物进行了定年,测得6套冰碛年龄分别为7.3±0.8ka BP (OSL,冰水沙);12.3±1.2ka BP (OSL) 与15~29ka BP;46~54ka BP;56~65ka BP;155.8±15.6ka BP与234.8±23.5ka BP;453.0±45.3ka BP,测年结果表明它们分别形成于新冰期、海洋同位素阶段(MIS)2、3b、4、6、12。第三套冰碛测年结果表明该处MIS3b冰进规模较大,其规模基本上与末次盛冰期 (MIS2) 的规模相当。此处最老冰碛测年结果与我国中段天山乌鲁木齐河源高望峰冰碛的测年结果 (459.7±46ka BP与477.1ka BP) 遥相呼应,老冰碛的年龄显示我国天山西段与中段至少于MIS12进入了冰冻圈,开始发育冰川。