Trends in heavy metal levels in the dissolved and particulate phase in the Dutch rhine-meuse (MAAS) delta*

Levels of the heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn, in both the dissolved and particulate phase, were determined in two sampling campaigns in August 1978 and August 1984 in the Dutch Rhine-Meuse (Maas) Delta. Besides the heavy metal concentrations, other important parameters were determined, such as the concentrations of seston, chlorophyll and nutrients. The concentrations of dissolved Cd and of Cd, Pb and Cu in particulate matter were much higher in 1978 than in 1984, especially for Cd. This may be due to the strict regulations implemented in Germany to reduce the pollution of natural waters by heavy metals. The correlation between the high Cd content and the chlorophyll content is explained by the binding of Cd to living and dead organisms. The distribution of the metals between the dissolved and the particulate phase, indicated by the distribution quotient Kd , increases from low values of Kd for Cu and Zn, to higher values for Cd and Cr, and the highest values for Pb. The differences are explained by various binding forms of each of these metals in natural waters

塿土坡面降雨水沙运移实验研究

黄土高原是我国植被破坏与水土流失最为严重的地区。本文基于室内坡地降雨实验,分析了塿土坡面降雨入渗补给系数的变化,对比了不同雨强影响下径流泥沙含量和累积泥沙含量的时间变化趋势,并将侵蚀与入渗结合,分析了同时段产沙量和入渗率的变化关系,研究表明:入渗补给系数随雨强增大而逐渐减小,两者可描述为线性关系,雨强越小,入渗补给系数越高;降雨初始产沙值最大,在产沙10 min内变缓。雨强大的,初始产沙量和稳定沙量都稍大,但总体差异不大,产沙量分布曲线形状与入渗率曲线极为相似;不同雨强下累积泥沙量与降雨历时之间存在明显的幂函数关系,且幂函数的指数部分基本随降雨雨强增加而逐渐增加;不同雨强下入渗率和累积泥沙量的变化趋势相反,当累积泥沙量增加,相应的土壤入渗率减小,两者变化趋势随雨强增大而趋于明显。

Modeling of Hillslope Runoff and Soil Erosion at Rainfall Events Using Cellular Automata Approach

National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China [40225004]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [40471048]

Trends in elasticity and electronic structure of 5d transition metal diborides: first-principles calculations

We investigate the cohesive energy, heat of formation, elastic constant and electronic band structure of transition metal diborides TMB2 (TM = Hf, Ta, W, Re, Os and Ir, Pt) in the Pmmn space group using the ab initio pseudopotential total energy method. Our calculations indicate that there is a relationship between elastic constant and valence electron concentration (VEC): the bulk modulus and shear modulus achieve their maximum when the VEC is in the range of 6.8-7.2. In addition, trends in the elastic constant are well explained in terms of electronic band structure analysis, e.g., occupation of valence electrons in states near the Fermi level, which determines the cohesive energy and elastic properties. The maximum in bulk modulus and shear modulus is attributed to the nearly complete filling of TM d-B p bonding states without filling the antibonding states. On the basis of the observed relationship, we predict that alloying W and Re in the orthorhombic structure OsB2 might be harder than alloying the Ir element. Indeed, the further calculations confirmed this expectation.

Lack of altitudinal trends in phytochemical constituents of Swertia franchetiana (Gentianaceae)

Diverse biological characters commonly vary with altitude in species that have a wide altitudinal distribution, partly at least as a result of adaptation to differences in aridity, but whether such variation exists for phytochemical constituents remains unknown. Therefore, levels of seven important phytochemical constituents of Swertia franchetiana (swertiamarin, oleanolic acid, swertisin, mangiferin, 1,5,8-trihydroxy-3-methoxyxanthone, 1,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone and 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyxanthone) were studied and statistically compared, using materials collected from sites ranging from 2200 to 3960 m in altitude. Swertiamarin was the most abundant in all samples, then mangiferin, oleanolic acid and the other three xanthones. Throughout the distributional range of this species, no altitudinal trend was detected for other constituents except 1,8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone, which showed a negative correlation with altitude. However, the concentration of 1, 8-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyxanthone and mangiferin showed a significantly latitudinal and longitudinal correlation. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lack of latitudinal trends in wood anatomy of Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae), a species with a worldwide distribution

Latitudinal or altitudinal variation in several anatomical characters of wood is common for woody dicotyledonous genera with a wide distribution, but whether such variation exists at the species level is disputed. Latitudinal and altitudinal trends in wood anatomy of Dodonaea viscosa were studied, using 102 samples collected between 41.2degrees S and 33.3degrees N latitude and 7-2750 in altitude. We studied variation in four quantitative features: vessel element length, fiber length, vessel frequency, and tangential vessel diameter. Ontogenetic trends were minimal with a slight decrease or increase in the innermost stem and were negligible among the studied specimens. Throughout the distributional range of the species, no latitudinal trends were detected in either the Northern or Southern Hemispheres, Altitudinal trends were also nonexistent, except for two features in specimens from China and Japan. Absence of latitudinal or altitudinal trends in this widely distributed species suggests that in some species the species-level variation in wood anatomy is not controlled by ecological gradients.