Damage assessment and preservation of suspending system of Yongle-Big-Bell

The Yongle-Big-Bell is an exquisite heritage of ancient China and has more than 600 years history. The long history renders the suspending wooden rack serious damage. Therefore, the security is of our great concern. In order to know if the wooden rack is safe or not for the conventional striking in the festival service, a systemic research work has been done. At first the existing deformation and response to the strike of the beetle were measured, and then calculations using method of material mechanics and finite element analysis were conducted. Based on the results of our research, some concluding remarks and suggestion were given: The Yongle-Big-Bell can be struck regularly without urgent danger of collapse. In view of the existence of serious rotten damage, the repair and protection of wooden rack are pressing.

X(3915) and X(4350) as New Members in the P-Wave Charmonium Family

The analysis of the mass spectrum and the calculation of the strong decay of P-wave charmonium states strongly purport to explain the newly observed X(3915) and X(4350) as new members in the P-wave charmonium family, i.e., chi'(c0) for X(3915) and chi ''(c2) for X(4350). Under the P-wave charmonium assignment to X(3915) and X(4350), the J(PC) quantum numbers of X(3915) and X(4350) must be 0(++) and 2(++) respectively, which provide important criteria to test the P-wave charmonium explanation for X(3915) and X(4350) proposed by this Letter. The decay behavior of the remaining two P-wave charmonium states with the second radial excitation is predicted, and an experimental search for them is suggested.

Color to Gray: Visual Cue Preservation

Both commercial and scientific applications often need to transform color images into gray-scale images, e. g., to reduce the publication cost in printing color images or to help color blind people see visual cues of color images. However, conventional color to gray algorithms are not ready for practical applications because they encounter the following problems: 1) Visual cues are not well defined so it is unclear how to preserve important cues in the transformed gray-scale images; 2) some algorithms have extremely high time cost for computation; and 3) some require human-computer interactions to have a reasonable transformation. To solve or at least reduce these problems, we propose a new algorithm based on a probabilistic graphical model with the assumption that the image is defined over a Markov random field. Thus, color to gray procedure can be regarded as a labeling process to preserve the newly well-defined visual cues of a color image in the transformed gray-scale image. Visual cues are measurements that can be extracted from a color image by a perceiver. They indicate the state of some properties of the image that the perceiver is interested in perceiving. Different people may perceive different cues from the same color image and three cues are defined in this paper, namely, color spatial consistency, image structure information, and color channel perception priority. We cast color to gray as a visual cue preservation procedure based on a probabilistic graphical model and optimize the model based on an integral minimization problem. We apply the new algorithm to both natural color images and artificial pictures, and demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms representative conventional algorithms in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. In addition, it requires no human-computer interactions.

A new family of Ce6MoO15 as fast oxide ion conductor

A novel solid solution Ce6MoO15 was achieved. Their structure and oxide ionic conductivity were studied. Based on Ce6MoO15, rare earth element substitution on cerium site shows that all resulting oxides enhance the conductivity further, and have high oxide-ion conductivity, which may be a kind of promising material for SOFCs.

Phycobilisomes linker family in cyanobacterial genomes: divergence and evolution

Cyanobacteria are the oldest life form making important contributions to global CO2 fixation on the Earth. Phycobilisomes (PBSs) are the major light harvesting systems of most cyanobacteria species. Recent availability of the whole genome database of cyanobacteria provides us a global and further view on the complex structural PBSs. A PBSs linker family is crucial in structure and function of major light-harvesting PBSs complexes. Linker polypeptides are considered to have the same ancestor with other phycobiliproteins (PBPs), and might have been diverged and evolved under particularly selective forces together. In this paper, a total of 192 putative linkers including 167 putative PBSs-associated linker genes and 25 Ferredoxin-NADP oxidoreductase (FNR) genes were detected through whole genome analysis of all 25 cyanobacterial genomes (20 finished and 5 in draft state). We compared the PBSs linker family of cyanobacteria in terms of gene structure, chromosome location, conservation domain, and polymorphic variants, and discussed the features and functions of the PBSs linker family. Most of PBSs-associated linkers in PBSs linker family are assembled into gene clusters with PBPs. A phylogenetic analysis based on protein data demonstrates a possibility of six classes of the linker family in cyanobacteria. Emergence, divergence, and disappearance of PBSs linkers among cyanobacterial species were due to speciation, gene duplication, gene transfer, or gene loss, and acclimation to various environmental selective pressures especially light.

Wangia profunda gen. nov., sp nov., a novel marine bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from southern Okinawa Trough deep-sea sediment

An orange-pigmented, Gram-negative, nonmotile, strictly aerobic and oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterium (SM-A87(T)) was isolated from the deep-sea sediment of the southern Okinawa Trough area. The main fatty acids were i15 : 0, i17 : 0 3OH, i15 : 1 G, i17 : 1 omega 9c, 15 : 0, i15 : 0 3OH and summed feature 3 (comprising i-15 : 0 2OH and/or 16 : 1 omega 7c). MK-6 was the predominant respiratory quinone. DNA G+C content was 35.8 mol%. Flexirubin-type pigments were absent. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SM-A87(T) formed a distinct lineage within the family Flavobacteriaceae, with < 93% sequence similarity to the nearest strain of genus Salegentibacter. Moreover, strain SM-A87(T) could be distinguished from the nearest phylogenetic neighbors by a number of chemotaxonomic and phenotypic properties. On the basis of polyphasic analyses, it is proposed that strain SM-A87(T) be classified in a novel genus and a new species in the family Flavobacteriaceae, designated Wangia profunda gen. nov., sp. nov. The type strain is SM-A87(T) (CCTCC AB 206139(T)=DSM 18752).

Preservation of black carbon in the shelf sediments of the East China Sea

Concentrations and carbon isotopic (C-14, C-13) compositions of black carbon (BC) were measured for three sediment cores collected from the Changjiang River estuary and the shelf of the East China Sea. BC concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 0.14 mg/g (dry weight), and accounted for 5% to 26% of the sedimentary total organic carbon (TOC) pool. Among the three sediment cores collected at each site, sediment from the Changjiang River estuary had relatively high BC contents compared with the sediments from the East China Sea shelf, suggesting that the Changjiang River discharge played an important role in the delivery of BC to the coastal region. Radiocarbon measurements indicate that the ages of BC are in the range of 6910 to 12250 years old B. P. (before present), that is in general, 3700 to 9000 years older than the C-14 ages of TOC in the sediments. These variable radiocarbon ages suggest that the BC preserved in the sediments was derived from the products of both biomass fire and fossil fuel combustion, as well as from ancient rock weathering. Based on an isotopic mass balance model, we calculated that fossil fuel combustion contributed most (60%. 80%) of the BC preserved in these sediments and varied with depth and locations. The deposition and burial of this "slow-cycling" BC in the sediments of the East China Sea shelf represent a significant pool of carbon sink and could greatly influence carbon cycling in the region.

中国海蓝子鱼科Family Siganidae分类和动物地理学特点

蓝子鱼科鱼类隶属于鲈形目、刺尾鱼亚目，广泛分布于我国东海、南海及台湾海域。本文根据中国科学院海洋研究所多年来在我国海域采集并收藏的以及部分补充采集的蓝子鱼标本，参考国际最新研究资料，对我国海域蓝子鱼科鱼类进行分类和动物地理学研究，共记录中国海域蓝子鱼科鱼类1属2亚属11种。经研究分析，得到如下结论： 1.中国沿海蓝子鱼科鱼类的多样性问题。国内曾有13种蓝子鱼的分布记录，其中蠕纹蓝子鱼Siganus vermiculatus和暗体蓝子鱼S. punctatissimus仅以前的学者做过名录形式的记载，并无标本收藏，本文中不做介绍。此外尖嘴蓝子鱼Siganus unimaculatus也可能存在于中国海域，有待于进一步研究。目前确定在中国海域有分布的蓝子鱼为11种，约占世界总种数（27）的40％多，种的多样性较高。 2. 形态学比较研究说明，蓝子鱼在体形、体色、牙齿、头骨、椎骨、耳石等特征方面存在种间差异，可作为蓝子鱼科鱼类分类的有效鉴别特征。对于外部形态极其相似的种，可借助内部解剖特征相辅助予以区分。 3．对蓝子鱼动物地理学特点研究分析结论如下：a.中国海域存在的11种蓝子鱼在印度－太平洋海域均有分布，没有地方特有种。b.长鳍蓝子鱼和褐蓝子鱼在我国东海、台湾海域和南海均有分布，褐蓝子鱼在黄海北部亦有分布，种群数量较大；其它9种，除凹吻蓝子鱼仅分布于南海外，均分布于南海及台湾海域，种群数量较小。c.中国海域蓝子鱼种类组成与邻近的菲律宾、马来西亚、印度尼西亚海域比较相似，中国分布的种类在这些海域均有分布，且分布于这一区域而中国没有记录的有5种。与日本相比，种类组成也比较相似，中日共有种达9种，仅分布于中国海域2种，仅分布于日本海域1种。 4. 作者参照国际最新研究结果和较为公认的分类系统Nelson（1994），将蓝子鱼科置于刺尾鱼亚目，而不再使用国内学者长期惯用的蓝子鱼亚目。蓝子鱼科包括一属蓝子鱼属Siganus Forsskål, 1775，两亚属：蓝子鱼亚属Siganus Forsskål, 1775 和罗蓝子鱼亚属 Lo Seale, 1906，同时使全部种名的变动和确定与国际最新研究结果(Woodland, 1990; 2001）取得一致。

中国海豆蟹科Family Pinnotheridae分类学研究

本文根据中国科学院海洋研究所收藏的豆蟹科标本和国内外相关文献，进行了中国海域豆蟹科的分类学研究。作者克服了豆蟹科分类难度大，研究积累较少，种的界限不清等困难，在短期内初步查清了中国海域豆蟹科种类及分布情况，共记述5亚科12属 40种。发现4新记录属，9新记录种，和豆蟹属1未定种Pinnotheres sp.，丰富了中国海豆蟹科区系内容，列出了共栖种中国海域全部记录过的宿主。 作者对鉴定过程中出现的疑难问题：“中型三强蟹Tritodynamia intermedia Shen, 1935是否为霍氏三强蟹 Tritodynamia horvathi Nobili, 1905的同物异名” 进行了细致比较、研究，否定了通行多年的Sakai（1976）的“T. intermedia Shen为T. horvathi Nobili的次异名”的结论，肯定了二者均为有效种。 对中国海域豆蟹科种类地理分布初步研究表明其分布与日本海域和东南亚海域都有相似之处，但有显著不同：仅发现于中国海域而未见于日本海域的豆蟹属Pinnotheres多达8种：涨腹豆蟹Pinnotheres excussus Dai et al., 1980，球豆蟹Pinnotheres pilulus Dai et al., 1980，锯颚豆蟹Pinnotheres serrignathus Shen, 1932，宽豆蟹Pinnotheres dilatatus Shen, 1932，青岛豆蟹Pinnotheres tsingtaoensis Shen, 1932，海阳豆蟹Pinnotheres haiyangensis Shen, 1932，钝颚豆蟹Pinnotheres obtusidentata（Dai et al., 1980），光豆蟹Pinnotheres luminatus Dai et al., 1980）；仅发现于中国海域的三强蟹属Tritodynamia有4种：福建三强蟹Tritodynamia fujianensis Chen, 1979，长腿三强蟹Tritodynamia longipropodum Dai et al., 1980，宽身三强蟹 Tritodynamia dilatatum Yang et Sun,1996和海南三强蟹 Tritodynamia hainanensis Dai et al.g, 1980；而未发现于中国海域的日本特有种多达13种。结果表明这一类群由于共栖和地域分化程度较高乃至地区性特有种数显著较多。 论文通过对豆蟹科系统分类和初步的动物地理学研究，搞清了中国海豆蟹科的种和分布、多样性及其宿主等基本情况。为今后研究豆蟹科种类生物学、生态学特性提供了基础资料。

Sources and preservation of organic matter in Plum Island salt marsh sediments (MA, USA): long-chain n-alkanes and stable carbon isotope compositions

Elemental (TOC, TN, C/N) and stable carbon isotopic (delta(13)C) compositions and n-alkane (nC(16-38)) concentrations were measured for Spartina alterniflora, a C-4 marsh grass, Typha latifolia, a C-3 marsh grass, and three sediment cores collected from middle and upper estuarine sites from the Plum Island salt marshes. Our results indicated that the organic matter preserved in the sediments was highly affected by the marsh plants that dominated the sampling sites. delta(13)C values of organic matter preserved in the upper fresh water site sediment were more negative (-23.0+/-0.3) as affected by the C-3 plants than the values of organic matter preserved in the sediments of middle (-18.9+/-0.8) and mud flat sites (-19.4+/-0.1) as influenced mainly by the C4 marsh plants. The distribution of n-alkanes measured in all sediments showed similar patterns as those determined in the marsh grasses S. alterniflora and T. latifolia, and nC(21) to nC(33) long-chain n-alkanes were the major compounds determined in all sediment samples. The strong odd-to-even carbon numbered n-alkane predominance was found in all three sediments and nC(29) was the most abundant homologue in all samples measured. Both delta(13)C compositions of organic matter and n-alkane distributions in these sediments indicate that the marsh plants could contribute significant amount of organic matter preserved in Plum Island salt marsh sediments. This suggests that salt marshes play an important role in the cycling of nutrients and organic carbon in the estuary and adjacent coastal waters. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.