Rainfall intensity affects runoff responses in a semi-arid catchment

The source and hydrochemical makeup of a stream reflects the connectivity between rainfall, groundwater, the stream, and is reflected to water quantity and quality of the catchment. However, in a semi-arid, thick, loess covered catchment, temporal variation of stream source and event associated behaviours are lesser known. Thus, the isotopic and chemical hydrographs in a widely distributed, deep loess, semi-arid catchment of the northern Chinese Loess Plateau were characterized to determine the source and hydrochemical behaviours of the stream during intra-rainfall events. Rainfall and streamflow were sampled during six hydrologic events coupled with measurements of stream baseflow and groundwater. The deuterium isotope (²H), major ions (Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, NO₃⁻, Ca²⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, and Na⁺) were evaluated in water samples obtained during rainfall events. Temporal variation of ²H and Cl⁻ measured in the groundwater and stream baseflow prior to rainfall was similar; however, the isotope compositions of the streamflow fluctuated significantly and responded quickly to rainfall events, likely due to an infiltration excess, overland dominated surface runoff during torrential rainfall events. Time source separation using ²H demonstrated greater than 72% on average, the stream composition was event water during torrential rainfall events, with the proportion increasing with rainfall intensity. Solutes concentrations in the stream had loglinear relationships with stream discharge, with an outling anomaly with an example of an intra-rainfall event on Oct. 24, 2015. Stream Cl⁻ behaved nonconservative during rainfall events, temporal variation of Cl⁻ indicated a flush and washout at the onset of small rainfall events, a dilution but still high concentration pattern in high discharge and old water dominated in regression flow period. This study indicates rainfall intensity affects runoff responses in a semi-arid catchment, and the stored water in the thick, loess covered areas was less connected with stream runoff. Solute transport may threaten water quality in the area, requiring further analysis of the performance of the eco-restoration project.     

An Early Cretaceous slab window beneath central Tibet,SW China: Evidence from OIB‐like alkaline gabbros in the Duolong area

The geodynamic mechanism of the late Early Cretaceous magmatic flare‐up in the collisional zone between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes in Tibet is controversial because of a scarcity of robust evidence. To address this problem, we report geochronological, geochemical and Hf isotopic data for the newly discovered Gufeng gabbros from the Duolong Cu–Au mineral district of the western Bangong–Nujiang Suture Zone (BNSZ). The gabbro samples, dated at 126.3 ± 1.8 Ma, show geochemical similarities to typical ocean island basalt (OIB) and have positive εHf(t) values of +3.3 to +6.9. The gabbros were generated by decompression melting of deep upwelling asthenosphere. This event is best explained by slab break‐off and the resultant development of a slab window beneath central Tibet.     

Assessment of alternative adsorption models and global sensitivity analysis to characterize hexavalent chromium loss from soil to surface runoff

We investigate our ability to assess transfer of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), from the soil to surface runoff by considering the effect of coupling diverse adsorption models with a two‐layer solute transfer model. Our analyses are grounded on a set of two experiments associated with soils characterized by diverse particle size distributions. Our study is motivated by the observation that Cr(VI) is receiving much attention for the assessment of environmental risks due to its high solubility, mobility, and toxicological significance. Adsorption of Cr(VI) is considered to be at equilibrium in the mixing layer under our experimental conditions. Four adsorption models, that is, the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and linear models, constitute our set of alternative (competing) mathematical formulations. Experimental results reveal that the soil samples characterized by the finest grain sizes are associated with the highest release of Cr(VI) to runoff. We compare the relative abilities of the four models to interpret experimental results through maximum likelihood model calibration and four model identification criteria (i.e., the Akaike information criteria [AIC and AIC_C] and the Bayesian and Kashyap information criteria). Our study results enable us to rank the tested models on the basis of a set of posterior weights assigned to each of them. A classical variance‐based global sensitivity analysis is then performed to assess the relative importance of the uncertain parameters associated with each of the models considered, within subregions of the parameter space. In this context, the modelling strategy resulting from coupling the Langmuir isotherm with a two‐layer solute transfer model is then evaluated as the most skilful for the overall interpretation of both sets of experiments. Our results document that (a) the depth of the mixing layer is the most influential factor for all models tested, with the exception of the Freundlich isotherm, and (b) the total sensitivity of the adsorption parameters varies in time, with a trend to increase as time progresses for all of the models. These results suggest that adsorption has a significant effect on the uncertainty associated with the release of Cr(VI) from the soil to the surface runoff component.     

Fast genetic mapping in barley: case studies of cuticle mutants using RNA-sequencing

Barley(Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the earliest domesticated crop species and ranked as the fourth largest cereal production worldwide. Forward genetic studies in barley have greatly advanced plant genetics during the last century; however, most genes are identified by the conventional mapping method. Array genotyping and exome-capture sequencing have also been successfully used to target the causal mutation in barley populations, but these techniques are not widely adopted because of associated costs and partly due to the huge genome size of barley. This review summarizes three mapping cases of barley cuticle mutants in our laboratory with the help of RNA-sequencing. The causal mutations have been successfully identified for two of them and the target genes are located in the pericentromeric regions. Detailed information on the mapping-by-sequencing, mapping-and-sequencing, and RNA-sequencing assisted linkage mapping are presented and some limitations and challenges on the mapping assisted by RNA sequencing are also discussed. The alternative and elegant methods presented in this review may greatly accelerate forward genetics of barley mapping, especially for laboratories without large funding.     

LHRH-A和hCG对南方鲶血清促性腺激素水平的影响

运用放射免疫分析法测定了促黄体释放激素类似物 (LHRH A)和人绒毛膜促性腺激素(hCG)对南方鲶血清促性腺激素 (GTH)水平的影响 ,结果表明 :LHRH A和hCG都能提高南方鲶一龄幼鱼血清GTH水平 ,hCG与LHRH A结合注射后血清GTH水平显著高于单独注射hCG或LHRH A后的血清GTH水平。LHRH A和hCG结合注射可诱导性成熟南方鲶排卵 ,同时排卵过程中伴随着血清GTH水平的急剧上升 ,在排卵后迅速下降 ;注射同样剂量的药物而未排卵的血清GTH水平虽有升高 ,但升高的幅度不及排卵鱼。这种血清GTH水平的急剧增高对诱导南方鲶卵母细胞最后成熟和排卵具有重要作用。     

A STUDY ON LAND SYSTEM INNOVATIONS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SMALL TOWNS IN CHINA

The economic development in China and the rising of the living standard need to speed up the urbanisa-tion.The development of small towns is an important way to Chinese urbanization.Land use plays a very important role in the development of small towns.However there are many problems in the development of small towns,esp.in land use.The paper first discusses the land problems in the development of small towns.Such as much cultivated land lies idle,under-utilization and waste of land,increasing illegal use of land,unstable contractural relationship for land use.The relationship between the development of small towns and land use is also studied.Then the guidelines for the land system innovations of small towns are put forward.Namely the sustainability of social and economic development,the bal-ance between land reservation and land utilization,the provision of service to village ,agriculture and farmer,the manage-ment of land resource and land assets,the parsimonious andlegal use of land.The basic framework of land system innova-tions of small towns is put forward finally.It include the land replacement policy for small towns and the permanent tenan-cy of farmland,the overall plan for land uses and other plans in harmony,the establishment of a flexible system of land supplies,using land with payments ,the transfer of agricultural land and refining the land law related to the construction of small towns.     

初轨计算中的病态分析

本文对现有初轨计算方法进行病态性分析与误差分析；研究结果表明：病态对现有初轨算法的影响，主要来源于法方程系数中包含观测误差．系数行列式愈大，定轨精度的损失愈多，当■被随机误差项△μ淹盖时，现有初轨算法将失效．此外，仿真结果还显示：■与△μ的大小还极大地依赖观测弧段的空间位置，当观测弧段包含近站点作为中点时，■最大，而■小，此时定轨精度较高；当观测弧段位于近站点的某一侧时，■小，而■大，此时定轨精度较低，观测弧段愈偏离近站点，病态影响愈大；因而在观测时，应尽量使观测弧段与近站点对称（此时μ值较大），这是提高短弧定轨的一种有效途径．     

Discovery of 13 New Variable Stars in the Field of the Open Cluster NGC 2168 （M35）

A wide-field time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 2168 was carried out using the BATC Schmidt telescope. In total 13 new variable stars are discovered with three W UMa systems, one EA type and two EB type eclipsing binaries (one of them could be a W UMa system), and seven pulsating stars including three candidates of δScuti stars.