Response of cyanobacterial carbon concentrating system to light intensity: a simulated analysis

Cyanobacteria possess a delicate system known as the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), which can efficiently elevate the intracellular inorganic carbon (Ci) concentration via active transportation. The system requires energy supplied by photosystems; therefore, the activity of the Ci transporter is closely related to light intensity. However, the relationship between CCM and light intensity has rarely been evaluated. Here, we present an improved quantitative model of CCM in which light is incorporated, and developed a CCM model that modified after Fridlyand et al. in 1996. Some equations used in this model were inducted to describe the relationship between transport capacity and light intensity, by which the response of the CCM to light change is simulated. Our results indicate that the efficiency of the carbon concentrating system is sensitive to light intensity. When the external Ci concentration was low, CO2 uptake dominated the total Ci uptake with increasing light intensity, while under high external Ci concentrations HCO3- uptake primarily contributed to the total Ci uptake. Variations in the ratio of energy allocated between the transport systems could markedly affect the operation of CCM. Indeed, our simulations suggest that various combinations of Ci fluxes can provide a possible approach to detect the way by which the cell distributes energy produced by the photosystems to the two active Ci transport processes. The proportion of the energy consumed on CCM to the total energy expenditure for the fixation of one CO2 molecule was determined at 18%-40%.

The Apertospathulidae, a new family of haptorid ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora)

We studied the morphology of three rare haptorid ciliates, using live observation and silver impregnation: Apertospathula verruculifera n. sp., Longispatha elegans n. gen., n. sp., and Rhinothrix porculus (Penard, 1922) n. gen., n. comb. Simple ethanol fixation (50-70%, v/v) is recommended to reveal the ciliary pattern of "difficult" ciliates, such as R. porculus, by protargol impregnation. The three genera investigated have a distinct feature in common, viz., a lasso-shaped oral bulge and circumoral kinety, where the right half is slightly to distinctly longer than the left and the circumoral kinety is open ventrally. Thus, they are united in a new spathidiid family, the Apertospathulidae n. fam., which probably evolved from a Bryophyllum-like ancestor by partial reduction of the oral bulge and circumoral kinety. Apertospathula verruculifera has a wart-like process, the palpus dorsalis, at the anterior end of the dorsal brush. The right branch of the circumoral kinety is only slightly longer than the left one. Longispatha elegans has a straight oral bulge and circumoral kinety, the right branch of which extends to the posterior end of the body while the left branch ends in the anterior third of the body. Rhinothrix porculus, a curious ciliate with a snout-like dorsal elongation of the oral bulge, the palpus oralis, has a highly characteristic ciliary pattern: the oral pattern is as in Longispatha, but the bulge and circumoral kinety extend spirally to the posterior end of the body while the somatic kinetics course meridionally. This is achieved by inserting some shortened kinetics in the curves of the oral bulge.

Comparative study on CO2 emissions from different types of alpine meadows during grass exuberance period

Potentilla fruticosa scrub, Kobresia humilis meadow and Kobresia tibetica meadow are widely distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. During the grass exuberance period from 3 July to 4September, based on close chamber-GC method, a study on CO2 emissions from different treatments was conducted in these meadows at Haibei research station, CAS. Results indicated that mean CO2emission rates from various treatments were 672.09+152.37 mgm-2h-1 for FC (grass treatment); 425.41+191.99 mgrn-2h-1 for FJ (grass exclusion treatment); 280.36+174.83 mgrn-2h-1 for FL (grass and roots exclusion treatment); 838.95+237.02 mgm-2h-1 for GG (scrub+grass treatment); 528.48+205.67 mgm-2h-1for GC (grass treatment); 268.97 ±99.72 mgm-2h-1 for GL (grass and roots exclusion treatment); and 659.20±94.83 mgm-2h-1 for LC (grass treatment), respectively (FC, FJ, FL, GG, GC, GL, LC were the Chinese abbreviation for various treatments). Furthermore, Kobresia humilis meadow, Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow and Kobresia tibetica meadow differed greatly in average CO2 emission rate of soil-plant system, in the order of GG＞FC＞LC＞GC. Moreover, in Kobresia humilis meadow,heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration accounted for 42% and 58% of the total respiration of soil-plant system respectively, whereas, in Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow, heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration accounted for 32% and 68% of total system respiration from G-G; 49% and 51%from GC. In addition, root respiration from Kobresia humilis meadow approximated 145 mgCO2m-2h-1,contributed 34% to soil respiration. During the experiment period, Kobresia humilis meadow and Potentilla fruticosa scrub meadow had a net carbon fixation of 111.11 grn-2 and 243.89 grn-2,respectively. Results also showed that soil temperature was the main factor which influenced CO2 emission from alpine meadow ecosystem, significant correlations were found between soil temperature at 5 cm depth and CO2 emission from GG, GC, FC and FJ treatments. In addition, soil moisture may be the inhibitory factor of CO2 emission from Kobresia tibetica meadow, and more detailed analyses should be done in further research.

Independence of alpine meadow plants from soil organic matter for nitrogen supply: evidence from stable nitrogen isotopes

Stable nitrogen isotope signatures of major sources of mineral nitrogen ( mineralization of soil organic nitrogen, biological N-2 fixation by legumes, annual precipitation and plant litter decomposition) were measured to relatively define their individual contribution to grass assimilation at the Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem, Qinghai, China. The results indicated that delta N-15 values (- 2.40 parts per thousand to 0.97 parts per thousand) of all grasses were much lower than those of soil organic matter (3.4 +/- 0.18 parts per thousand) and mineral nitrogen ( ammonium and nitrate together,7.8 +/- 0.57 parts per thousand). Based on the patterns of stable nitrogen isotopes, soil organic matter (3.4 +/- 0.18 parts per thousand), biological N-2 fixation (0 parts per thousand), and precipitation (- 6.34 +/- 0.24 parts per thousand) only contributed to a small fraction of nitrogen requirements of grasses, but plant litter decomposition (- 1.31 +/- 1.01 parts per thousand) accounted for 67%.

Radiation and diversification within the Ligularia-Cremanthodium-Parasenecio complex (Asteraceae) triggered by uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The Ligularia-Cremanthodium-Parasenecio (L-C-P) complex of the Tussilagininae (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) contains more than 200 species that are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in eastern Asia. These species are morphologically distinct; however, their relationships appear complex. A phylogenetic analysis of members of the complex and selected taxa, of the tribe Senecioneae was conducted using chloroplast (ndhF and trnL-F) and nuclear (ITS) sequences. Phylogenetic trees were constructed from individual and combined datasets of the three different sequences. All analyses suggested that Doronicum, a genus that has been included in the Tussilagininae, should be excluded from this subtribe and placed at the base of the tribe Senecioneae. In addition, the Tussilagininae should be broadly circumscribed to include the Tephroseridinae. Within the expanded Tussilagininae containing all 13 genera occurring in eastern Asia, Tussilago and NSPetasites diverged early as a separate lineage, while the remaining I I genera comprise an expanded L-C-P complex clade. We suggest that the L-C-P clade, which is largely unresolved, most likely originated as a consequence of an explosive radiation. The few monophyletic subclades identified in the L-C-P clade with robust support further suggest that some genera of Tussilagininae from eastern Asia require generic re-circumscriptions given the occurrence of subclades containing species of the same genus in different parts of the phylogentic tree due to homoplasy of important morphological characters used to delimit them. Molecular-clock analyses suggest that the explosive radiation of the L-C-P complex occurred mostly within the last 20 million years, which falls well within the period of recent major uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau between the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. It is proposed that significant increases in geological and ecological diversity that accompanied such uplifting, most likely promoted rapid and continuous allopatric speciation in small and isolated populations, and allowed fixation or acquisition of similar morphological characters within unrelated lineages. This phenomenon, possibly combined with interspecific diploid hybridization because of secondary sympatry during relatively stable stages between different uplifts, could be a major cause of high species diversity in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas of eastern Asia. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular phylogeny, recent radiation and evolution of gross morphology of the rhubarb genus Rheum (Polygonaceae) inferred from chloroplast DNA trnL-F sequences

Background and Aims Rheum, a highly diversified genus with about 60 species, is mainly confined to the mountainous and desert regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and adjacent areas. This genus represents a good example of the extensive diversification of the temperate genera in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, in which the forces to drive diversification remain unknown. To date, the infrageneric classification of Rheum has been mainly based on morphological characters. However, it may have been subject to convergent evolution under habitat pressure, and the systematic position of some sections are unclear, especially Sect. Globulosa, which has globular inflorescences, and Sect. Nobilia, which has semi-translucent bracts. Recent palynological research has found substantial contradictions between exine patterns and the current classification of Rheum. Two specific objectives of this research were (1) to evaluate possible relationships of some ambiguous sections with a unique morphology, and (2) to examine possible occurrence of the radiative speciation with low genetic divergence across the total genus and the correlation between the extensive diversification time of Rheum and past geographical events, especially the recent large-scale uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Methods The chloroplast DNA trnL-F region of 29 individuals representing 26 species of Rheum, belonging to seven out of eight sections, was sequenced and compared. The phylogenetic relationships were further constructed based on the sequences obtained.Key Results Despite the highly diversified morphology, the genetic variation in this DNA fragment is relatively low. The molecular phylogeny is highly inconsistent with gross morphology, pollen exine patterns and traditional classifications, except for identifying all samples of Sect. Palmata, three species of Sect. Spiciformia and a few species of Sect. Rheum as corresponding monophyletic groups. The monotypic Sect. Globulosa showed a tentative position within the clade comprising five species of Sect. Rheum. All of the analyses revealed the paraphyly of R. nobile and R. alexandrae, the only two species of Sect. Nobilia circumscribed by the possession of large bracts. The crude calibration of lineages based on trnL-F sequence differentiation implied an extensive diversification of Rheum within approx. 7 million years.Conclusions Based on these results, it is suggested that the rich geological and ecological diversity caused by the recent large-scale uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau since the late Tertiary, coupled with the oscillating climate of the Quaternary stage, might have promoted rapid speciation in small and isolated populations, as well as allowing the fixation of unique or rare morphological characters in Rheum. Such a rapid radiation, combined with introgressive hybridization and reticulate evolution, may have caused the transfer of cpDNA haplotypes between morphologically dissimilar species, and might account for the inconsistency between morphological classification and molecular phylogeny reported here.

对螺钉无轴向压力的高精度自动螺丝刀的设计

区别于现有的电动、气动螺丝刀工具,该螺丝刀系统在驱动螺丝时,能对螺钉头实现无轴向压力的调节。刀头在旋转的同时随螺钉轴向进给,转速与进给量匹配,保证刀头与螺钉不脱节。该系统调整精度高,刀头转动精度可达0.72°,其应用于断路器类低压电气产品的自动调试,对确保产品质量、提高生产效率具有积极意义。

具有自适应能力管道机器人的设计与运动分析

提出并研制一种基于自适应移动机构的管内探查机器人。通过对机器人传动机构的设计,实现了在不增加驱动电动机数量的前提下,机器人具有适应不同管道直径的能力。机器人的传动机构能够在管道直径改变时,自动地改变行走部件的输出形式以克服障碍,完成越障任务。在没有应用链式多节构型的情况下,机器人配备一个驱动电动机就能够完成越障任务,改善了传统螺旋驱动式机器人越障能力不高的问题,同时也提高了对驱动电动机的使用效率。为了分析试验中发现的机器人保持架自转现象,对机器人进行运动分析,并由分析结果对相关部分进行改进。试验结果表明,该机器人能够在内径为190 mm和180 mm的管道中行进,并能够顺利通过两节管道间形成的同心台阶障碍,验证了自适应移动机构的行走能力。

一种适用于多指灵巧手的机电一体化驱动器概念

本文提出了一种机电一体化驱动器的概念,这种驱动器能够将电机的旋转运动转换为直线运动,并在不外加力和力矩传感器的基础上利用运动转换副上产生的微应变来估算电机的输出力矩和驱动器末端的牵引力信息。利用高精度、高灵敏度并带有温度和噪声补偿电路的应变片来测量微应变,以取得稳定而可靠的测量结果。应变片直接贴在驱动器的主体结构表面可以最小化尺寸,而且可以实现机电一体化而不是机械-电子集成系统。仿真实验表明,这种方法和传统的电流估算法相比,可以减少由于噪音和波动带来的电流信号误差,得到更加精确的信息,并且(与加入力或者力矩传感器相比)能够有效缩小外型尺寸,同时去除不必要的机械与电子接口,因此增加了系统的鲁棒性。

大型铰接并联六维测力平台摩擦建模

在已有制造工艺及标定技术基础上,为进一步改善大型铰接并联六维测力平台的测量精度,本文基于螺旋理论和影响系数原理,引入符号函数建立了Stewart结构大型铰接六维测力平台的摩擦模型。文中提出了关节摩擦对铰接并联六维测力平台测量精度的影响矩阵及I、H类误差表达式,绘制了在不同外载和关节摩擦系数条件下,六维测力平台的I、II类误差曲线,并总结丁关节摩擦和平台自重对测力平台测量精度的影响规律。为具有普通球形铰链人型Stewart平台六维测力下台精度的提高和改善提供了理论基础。

并联结构六维力传感器性能分析与优化设计

基于螺旋理论和空间模型理论绘制了Stewart平台型六维力传感器的性能图谱,总结了结构参数对传感器各性能指标的影响规律;在此基础上对大型Stewart平台六维力传感器的结构进行了非线性单目标、多目标优化设计,为具有普通球形铰链大型Stewart平台六维力传感器的设计和优化提供了依据。

基于立体视觉的移动机器人自主导航定位系统

描述了一种基于立体视觉的移动机器人自主导航定位系统。该系统采用双目立体视觉完成环境特征的 3D信息提取 ,实时计算出机器人相对作业目标的位姿 (6D)关系 ,导引移动机器人控制系统按目标导向进行运动。系统在相对位姿计算中采用旋动(Screw)理论 ,将带约束的多变量函数的非线性优化问题转化为线性方程组的最小二乘问题 ,简化了计算复杂性。实验表明 ,这个导航定位系统在定位精度和数据处理速度上均可满足机器人导航的要求。

LW-1型机器人重复位姿精度检测系统

本文介绍了一种非接触式（ＬＷ－１型）机器人重复位姿精度检测系统．该系统采用电涡流传感器作为位置信息传感器．以这种传感器的检测性能为基础，研究设计了相应的传感器测量结构、数学模型和坐标变换求解方法，使系统技术指标及使用性能达到了检测机器人重复位姿精度的实用要求．该系统具有鲁棒性强、设计合理、结构简单、造价低廉等特点，可以满足我国现阶段在机器人学研究和机器人开发应用方面的需求

遥控作业移动机器人环境建模方法研究

本文介绍了用于遥控机器人作业虚拟环境生成的建模方法．重点研究了基于人机交互的双目立体视觉和多视点建模方法，以克服视觉自动建模方法计算复杂、鲁棒性差的缺点．给出了环境建模的实验系统和实验结果。

藏北措勤盆地白垩纪碳酸盐岩沉积相及缺氧事件响应研究

As a part of Gangdisi-Nianqingtanggula plate, Cuoqin basin (N 29°3O'～33°20'; E 80°～90°) is situated in the west of the Tibet autonomous Region, with an area of 100000 square kilometers. Cretaceous shallow-water carbonate is widely distributed in this basin. Its accumulative thickness is more than 1000 meters. Sedimentary facies of cretaceous shallow-water carbonate and carbon isotope feature are studied in details here. On basis of two main sections researched comprehensively, five facies marks are found. With the combination of Wilson's model and ramp model, a platform-mild slope model are put forward, which is thought to be a comprehensive model for this area. There are three sedimentary circles which are comprised of terrestrial clastic tidal flat and carbonate platform facies in Duoba Member of Duoni Formation. Langshan Formation is mainly comprised of carbonate platform facies. We also studied the carbon isotope features influenced by Cretaceous Aptian-Albian's oceanic anoxic events (OAE). After correlating the δ~(13)C curves of the studied section with that of Peregrina Canyon section in Mexico, we find that there are similar δ~(13)C curves fluctuation styles, namely there is also a δ~(13)C positive excursion in shallow-water carbonate in the studied area, and the degree of δ~(13)C positive excursion in shallow-water carbonate is much higher. There are two main causes which should interpret above δ~(13)C positive excursion feature: on the one hand ,much organic carbon take much 12C off when they are buried with a higher speed during the OAE, which lead to the ~(12)C rise of oceanic total dissolved carbon (TDC),on the other hand, during the OAE there are stratification structures in pale-ocean, in the upper mixed layer with high carbon fixation (HCML). There are so much plankton organisms which absorb much ~(12)C as the ~(13)C of shallow-water carbonate in this layer rise higher. Furthermore, on the basis of the theories of carbonate isotope strata, we suggest that the currently used boundary between Aptian and Albian in the studied area is possibly above the international one, which means the main parts of Duoba Member of Duoni Foramatiom in this area should be belong to Albian in stead of Aptian.