Health impacts of domestic coal use in China

Domestic coal combustion has had profound adverse effects on the health of millions of people worldwide. In China alone several hundred million people commonly burn raw coal in unvented stoves that permeate their homes with high levels of toxic metals and organic compounds. At least 3,000 people in Guizhou Province in southwest China are suffering from severe arsenic poisoning. The primary source of the arsenic appears to be consumption of chili peppers dried over fires fueled with high-arsenic coal. Coal samples in the region were found to contain up to 35,000 ppm arsenic. Chili peppers dried over high-arsenic coal fires adsorb 500 ppm arsenic on average. More than 10 million people in Guizhou Province and surrounding areas suffer from dental and skeletal fluorosis. The excess fluorine is caused by eating corn dried over burning briquettes made from high-fluorine coals and high-fluorine clay binders. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formed during coal combustion are believed to cause or contribute to the high incidence of esophageal and lung cancers in parts of China. Domestic coal combustion also has caused selenium poisoning and possibly mercury poisoning. Better knowledge of coal quality parameters may help to reduce some of these health problems. For example, information on concentrations and distributions of potentially toxic elements in coal may help delineate areas of a coal deposit to be avoided. Information on the modes of occurrence of these elements and the textural relations of the minerals and macerals in coal may help predict the behavior of the potentially toxic components during coal combustion.

Global database of surface ocean particulate organic carbon export fluxes diagnosed from the 234Th technique

Through the processes of the biological pump, carbon is exported to the deep ocean in the form of dissolved and particulate organic matter. There are several ways by which downward export fluxes can be estimated. The great attraction of the 234Th technique is that its fundamental operation allows a downward flux rate to be determined from a single water column profile of thorium coupled to an estimate of POC/234Th ratio in sinking matter. We present a database of 723 estimates of organic carbon export from the surface ocean derived from the 234Th technique. Data were collected from tables in papers published between 1985 and 2013 only. We also present sampling dates, publication dates and sampling areas. Most of the open ocean Longhurst provinces are represented by several measurements. However, the Western Pacific, the Atlantic Arctic, South Pacific and the South Indian Ocean are not well represented. There is a variety of integration depths ranging from surface to 220m. Globally the fluxes ranged from -22 to 125 mmol of C/m**2/d. We believe that this database is important for providing new global estimate of the magnitude of the biological carbon pump.

Archean tectonics and crustal evolution of the Biligiri Rangan Block, southern India

The Southern Granulite Terrain in India is a collage of crustal blocks ranging in age from Archean to Neoproterozoic. This study investigate the tectonic evolution of one of the northernmost block- the Biligiri Block (BRB) through a multidisciplinary approach involving field investigation, petrographic studies, LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb geochronology, Hf isotopic analyses, metamorphic P-T phase diagram computations, and crustal thickness modeling. The garnet bearing quartzofeldspathic gneiss from the central BRB preserve Mesoarchean magmatic zircons with ages between 3207 and 2806 Ma and positive epsilon Hf value (+2.7) which possibly indicates vestiges of a Mesoarchean primitive continental crust. The occurrence of quartzite-iron formation intercalation as well as ultramafic lenses along the western boundary of the BRB is interpreted to indicate that the Kollegal structural lineament is a possible paleo-suture. Phase diagram computation of a metagabbro from the southwestern periphery of the Kollegal suture zone reveals high-pressure (similar to 18.5 kbar) and medium-temperature (similar to 840 degrees C) metamorphism, likely during eastward subduction of the Western Dharwar oceanic crust beneath the Mesoarchean BRB. In the model presented here, slab subduction, melting and underplating processes generated arc magmatism and subsequent charnockitization within the BRB between ca. 2650 Ma and ca. 2498 Ma. These results thus reveal Meso- to Neoarchean tectonic evolution of the BRB. The spatial variation of crustal thickness, derived from flexure inversion technique, provides additional constraints on the tectonic linkage of the BRB with its surrounding terrains. In conjunction with published data, the Moyar and the Kollegal suture zones are considered to mark the trace of ocean closure along which the Nilgiri and Biligiri Rangan Blocks accreted on to the Western Dharwar Craton. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

暖温带落叶阔叶混交林能量生态学研究

本文是首篇研究中国暖温带落叶阔叶混交林能量生态学的论文。在文中，笔者以详实的第一手资料从能量环境、能量流动、能量组合以及能量平衡几个方面，全面、系统地阐述、分析了辽东栎林——这一暖温带落叶阔叶混交林典型自然群落代表的能量生态学特征。 在能量环境一章中，笔者从能量流动，能量平衡的角度出发重点研究了辽东栎群落的辐射能量环境特征。笔者以1991-1993年的观测资料为基础，从乔木、灌木和草本三个层次分析了生长季总辐射、散射辐射、直射辐射、反射辐射、净辐射、先合有效辐射、透射辐射、吸收辐射以及乔木层和灌木层反射率的季节动态和日进程特征，并从天文因子、气象因子和群落自身发育特征几方面解释分析了辐射能量环境的这种时空动态特征，同时，分析了这种变化特征对群落能量流动、分配和平衡过程可能产生的影响。 另外，笔者也对群落湿度和风速环境的时空动态特征进行了分析。 在能量流动一章，笔者以1992-1993年的野外实验资料为依据，沿季节动态、月际变化和日进程的时间轴，从群落、乔木层、灌木层、草本层以及各乔、灌木种群的空间尺度详细分析、阐述了太阳辐射能在森林群落内的流动和转化特征，并从能量环境和群落发育的角度解释分析了能量在群落内的这种时空分布和转化特征。所讨论的能流对象包括群落、乔、灌、草各层及各乔、灌木种群的总能流固定量、叶片呼吸耗能量、剩余能流固定量以及沿枯枝落叶流出的能流量。 与分析能流过程同步，笔者从上述的时、空尺度分别以生长季内太阳总辐射和光合有效辐射为基础计算、分析了森林群落的光能转化率特征。 在这一章的最后，笔者概述性地介绍了辽东栎群落的能量平衡特征 在第四章，笔者从能值的角度出发，以能量密度为标准讨论了能量沿群落各层及各乔、灌木种群的积累、分配和组合特征，并讨论了能量流动和光能转化率与热值和能量密度的关系。 辽东栎群落能量生态学的研究不但为了解暖温带落叶阔叶林生态系统的结构和功能，为恢复和重建退化的森林生态系统提供了丰富详实的理论信息，而且，也为山区人工林优化模式的组建提供了理论依据和实践指南。

暖温带山地森林生态系统水分问题研究

本文的研究是中国科学院院重大项目“暖温带森林生态系统结构、功能及生产力持续发展”的主要内容之一。作者以详实的第一手资料，从森林小气候及环境特征、森林降水的水文学效应及降水化学、森林的热量平衡及蒸发散、树木个体的水分生理生态学几个方面阐述、分析了暖温带山地森林生态系统主要林分的水分及其相关生态学问题。 在森林小气候及环境特征一章，作者从不同季节的日变化和生长季的月际变化两个视角，以落叶阔叶混交林和油松林为研究对象，考察了林冠上和林下四个不同梯度的风速、气温、湿度、地温的时空动态。 在森林降水的水文学效应和降水化学一章，笔者以1993、1994年试验年度的83次降雨观测资料为基础，分析了暖温带落叶阔叶混交林、辽东栎林、油松林、落叶松林、次生灌丛降水总量与各降水分量的关系，建立了单次降雨与各降雨分量的经验模型，并给出了生长季林冠作用层和林地作用层的水量分配的月际动态。在探讨上述水量关系的同时，作者还分析了前四类林分大气降水及各降水分量中N、K、Ca、S、Mg、P、Al七种元素的浓度及含量变化，就不同树种对上述元素的选择性交换作了探讨，比较了不同林分的降水化学效应差异。 在第四章，作者以落叶阔叶混交林和油松林为研究对象，分析了两类林分在94试验年度生长季辐射平衡、显热通量、潜热通量、蒸发散以及土壤热通量的季节变化和日变化特征。 在树木个体的水分生理生态部分，作者应用压力室一容积技术测定了暖温带落叶阔叶林、油松林和次生灌丛10种主要树种的水分生理指标：日最低水势值、最大膨压时的渗透势、膨压为零时的渗透势、初始质壁分离时渗透水的相对含量、初始质壁分离时的相对含水量、质外体水的相对含量、细胞最大弹性模量，并比较了不同树种间上述指标与抗旱性的关系。此外，作者还应用Li-1600稳态气孔计测定了上述林分中主要树种的日均蒸腾强度的季节动态，并比较了上下两面叶片蒸腾特性的差异。最后，作者采用九种水分生理指标对10种主要树种的抗旱性作了主分量分析，给出了综合性抗旱指标。 在第六章，作者应用热脉冲技术系统地研究了暖温带山地森林主要乔木树种的树干液流的时空变化特征，并应用时序分析方法对上述树种的树液流量变化建立了自回归模型，在此基础上提出了生理惯性指标，给予了生理学解释。

中国暖温带森林群落多样性若干问题的研究

中国暖温带落叶阔叶林区维管植物共158科，931属，近4000种（含亚种，变种和变型），种子植物l3l科，877属，3770余种。暖温带植物区系有很强的温带性质，各类温带成分共548属，而各类热带成分仅226属，热带成分与温带成分(R/T)的比率为0．31。运用TWINSPAN和DCA对全国34个植物区系进行了数量分类排序，结果反映了一个地区的植物区系性质主要取决于其所在地的地理位置，同时也受山地海拔高度的强烈影响这一植物区系的基本特征。 根据暖温带森林植物的特点，修订了Raunkiear生活型系统。暖温带森林植物以地面芽植物(H)占较大的优势，占暖温带全部种类的33.9%;其次是地下芽(G)植物，占l 9.7%;全部高位芽植物占27.5%，绝大部分为落叶阔叶高位芽植物。主要由这些生活型组成的暖温带植物生活型总谱基本反映了暖温带夏季温暖多雨、冬季寒冷干旱的中纬度地区地面芽植物群落气候特征。 暖温带森林植被类型主要有7个植被亚型，约50个群系。辽东栎群落是典型的地带性森林群落。应用TWINSPAN和DCA程序将68块暖温带部分地区辽东栎群落样地和83块北京山区辽东栎群落样地分别划分为1 5个和14个群落类型。用物种丰富度指数、Simpson指数、多样性奇测法、Shannon-Wiene r指数、Pielou均匀度指数，Heip均匀度指数、AIatalo均匀度指数等常用的多样性测度方法，分别对暖温带和北京山区辽东栎群落的多样性进行了测度，结果发现，多样性作为一个整体与DCA第1轴有很大的相关关系：暖温带辽东栎群落多样性指数与DCA第1轴的复相关系数为0.7左右，北京山区较高，为0.8左右。多样性的空间特征为：随海拔的升高和纬度的降低，多样性指数呈上升趋势，反映了水热条件在辽东栎水平分布范围内、人类活动和水分因子在辽东栎垂直分布范围内对群落多样性的影响;不同群落之间多样性指数由低到高的顺序为：灌丛、辽东栎萌生丛、辽东栎林、辽东栎纯林、混交林，符合群落演替过程中多样性的动态规律。 对秦岭主峰太白山海拔1400-1600m之间植被类型和物种多样性进行了研究，在划分的1 5种群落类型中，以位于海拔1500-2300m之间的落叶阅叶混交林和栎类混交林的群落多样性最高，在海拔2300-3600m之间，群落多样性趋于单调下降，反映了热量的不足在这一海拔高度范围成为多样性的主要限制因子。

中国西南地区植物群落的可入侵性与紫茎泽兰的入侵

生物入侵作为全球变化的一部分，已经引起广泛的关注;而群落可入侵性是生物入侵研究的核心和热点问题之一。本文以原产墨西哥，广泛入侵我国西南地区的紫茎泽兰(Eupatorium adenophorum)为例：首先，对西南地区被紫茎泽兰入侵的群落和生境进行了分类;然后，就地形、本地植物物种多样性、环境梯度等对群落可入侵性的影响进行了探讨;最后，对紫茎泽兰的空间分布格局进行了模拟和预测。 在小尺度上，紫茎泽兰入侵与本地植物物种多样性呈负相关，表明资源的可利用性可能是调节群落可入侵性的主导因素;本地植物物种多样性在群落演替过程中和入侵的早期抑制紫茎泽兰入侵;在大的尺度上，物理环境的变异超过了内在生物因子的重要性，本地植物物种多样性与紫茎泽兰入侵成功呈正相关。 紫茎泽兰主要通过公路和河流在我国西南地区入侵和扩散;资源的可利用性是影响公路和河流两侧群落可入侵性的关键因子。 紫茎泽兰分布中心主要在沧源、元江和西昌;位于分布区边缘的乐业、重庆和泸定有可能成为新的分布中心，并对邻近地区，尤其北面和东面的区域形成繁殖体压力;紫茎泽兰整体上有向东和向北扩散的趋势。目前主要分布在云贵高原，将来的分布区还将以云贵高原为核心。

Phylogenetic study of complete cytochrome b genes in musk deer (genus Moschus) using museum samples

As an endangered animal group, musk deer (genus Moschus) are not only a great concern of wildlife conservation, but also of special interest to evolutionary studies due to long-standing arguments on the taxonomic and phylogenetic associations in this group. Using museum samples, we sequenced complete mitochondrial cytochrome b genes (1140 bp) of all suggested species of musk deer in order to reconstruct their phylogenetic history through molecular information. Our results showed that the cytochrome b gene tree is rather robust and concurred for all the algorithms employed (parsimony, maximum likelihood, and distance methods). Further, the relative rate test indicated a constant sequence substitution rate among all the species, permitting the dating of divergence events by molecular clock. According to the molecular topology, M. moschiferus branched off the earliest from a common ancestor of musk deer (about 700,000 years ago); then followed the bifurcation forming the M. berezouskii lineage and the lineage clustering M. fuscus, M. chrysogaster, and M. leucogaster (around 370,000 years before present), interestingly the most recent speciation event in musk deer happened rather recently (140,000 years ago), which might have resulted from the diversified habitats and geographic barriers in southwest China caused by gigantic movements of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in history. Combining the data of current distributions, fossil records, and molecular data of this study, we suggest that the historical dispersion of musk deer might be from north to south in China. Additionally, in our further analyses involving other pecora species, musk deer was strongly supported as a monophyletic group and a valid family in Artiodactyla, closely related to Cervidae. (C) 1999 Academic Press.

A new family of antimicrobial peptides from skin secretions of Rana pleuraden

While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Guizhou region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the Yunnan frog, Rana pleuraden. Members

A novel family of antimicrobial peptides from the skin of Amolops loloensis

While conducting experiments to investigate antimicrobial peptides of amphibians living in the Yunnan-Sichuan region of southwest China, a new family of antimicrobial peptides was identified from skin secretions of the rufous-spotted torrent frog, Amolops loloensis. Members of the new peptide family named amolopins are composed of 18 amino acids with a unique sequence, for example, NILSSIVNGINRALSFFG. By BLAST search, amolopins did no show similarity to any known peptides. Among the tested microorganisms, native and synthetic peptides only showed antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC2592 and Bacillus pumilus, no effects on other microorganisms. The CD spectroscopy showed that it adopted a structure of random combined with beta-sheet in water, Tris-HCl or Tris-HCl-SDS. Several cDNAs encoding amolopins were cloned from the skin cDNA library of A. loloensis. The precursors of amolopin are composed of 62 amino acid residues including predicted signal peptides, acidic propieces, and mature antimicrobial peptides. The preproregion of amolopin precursor comprises a hydrophobic signal peptide of 22 residues followed by an 18 residue acidic propiece which terminates by a typical prohormone processing signal Lys-Arg. The preproregions of precursors are very similar to other amphibian antimicrobial peptide precursors but the mature amolopins are different from other antimicrobial peptide families. The remarkable similarity of preproregions of precursors that give rise to very different antimicrobial peptides in distantly related frog species suggests that the corresponding genes form a multigene family originating from a common ancestor. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Evolution and biogeography of talpid moles from continental East Asia and the Japanese islands inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences

We sequenced the cytochrome b gene from two little-studied mammal species from the highlands of Southwest China, the long-tailed mole Scaptonyx fusicaudus and the gracile shrew-like mole Uropsilus gracilis. This data was used to examine the phylogenetic r

Mandibular morphometric variation among Chinese cercopithecoids and the unique structure of the snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus) mandible

In order to understand how mandibular structure differs among the Chinese cercopithecoids (Rhinopithecus, Trachypithecus and Macaca), particularly the uniqueness of the snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus), we analysed ten mandibular measurements by principal components analysis (PCA), and examined scaling patterns. The results provided by the PCA illustrated differences due to size among the cercopithecoids and the relationship between colobines (Trachypithecus and Rhinopithecus) and cercopithecines, in which macaques (Macaca) are included. Allometric analysis indicated that, biomechanically, there is not a marked difference between macaques and leaf-eating monkeys. This may be associated with the fact that both share some similar ecology and niches in south and southwest China. The snub-nosed monkeys exhibit a significantly more robust mandible, evident in the symphysis, corpus, condyle, and masticatory momentum arm. This supports the hypothesis, based on the study of dental structure, that Rhinopithecus is a unique group in Asian Old World monkeys (OWMs) and has developed some unique characteristics in order to adapt to the tough food available in the severe cold climate of the Plateaux of Qinghai-Tibet, Yun-Gui and Qingling in China.

Phylogenetic relationships of the mustache toads inferred from mtDNA sequences

Species of the genus Vibrissaphora are unique among all annurans in that males exhibit external cornified spines in the maxillary region during the breeding season. They were separated from species of the genus Leptobrachium based on this unique character. We construct a phylogeny using the 16S, ND4, and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes of 42 individuals from eight species of Vibrissaphora and five species of Leptobrachium from mainland China, Southeast Asia, and Hainan Island. Species of both Oreolalax and Scutiger were used as outgroups. The results indicate that: L. huashen and L. chapaense form a clade that is nested within Vibrissaphora, and L. hainanense is the sister taxon to the clade comprising all Vibrissaphora plus L. chapaense and L. huashen; V. boringiae is grouped with a clade consisting of V. leishanensis, V. liui, and V. yaoshanensis; and V. yaoshanensis is a species separate from V. liui. We propsed taxonomix changes that reflect these findings. Also based on the resulting phylogenetic trees, we propose that the mustache toads originated in the trans-Himalayan region of southwest China, and that the evolution of maxillary spines, large body size, and reverse sexual size dimorphism in these frogs was influenced by intrasexual selection due to adopting a resource-defense polygyny matting system.

Sexual differences in vigilance of paired Ruddy Shelduck in winter

The effect of distance between members of pairs of the Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) during vigilance behavior was studied during winter at Lijiang Lashihai Lake Reserve, southwest China. The distance between the paired birds while feeding was grouped into three categories: <1 m, 1-3 to and >3 m. Nearly 90% of the distances recorded between paired males and females were within three meters. The degree of vigilance increased with distance apart for females, but not for males. The scanning rate of males was significantly, higher than that of females at <1 m and at 1-3 m respectively, but no significant difference occurred when the distance between them was >3 m. These results are discussed in relation to mate competition and wintering strategy; it is suggested that staving close together is the optimal strategy for members of Ruddy Shelduck pairs.

Geographical distribution of testate amoebae in Tibet and northwestern Yunnan and their relationships with climate

In Asia, especially in China, our knowledge of the distribution of testate amoebae is still limited. In this paper, the geographical distribution of testate amoebae in Tibetan Plateau and northwestern Yunnan Plateau, southwest China and their relationships with the climatic factors have been studied. We found testate amoebae shifted in the most dominant species and increased in species (or genus) richness from northwest to southeast. Further, the linear regression analyses revealed that both species richness and genus richness have higher positive correlations with the mean temperature of the warmest month and annual mean precipitation as contrasted with the mean altitude, which showed weak negative correlation. This indicates that the temperature and precipitation are more significant influences on the richness than the altitude. The cluster analysis based on the community structure, defined by Sorenson's coefficient matrix, suggested four groups from the 10 physiographical regions. This geographical distribution pattern was also closely related with the climatic regionalization. The present climatic regionalization pattern of the study area originated from the uplift of Tibetan Plateau and mainly occurred in or after the late Pleistocene. Therefore, the geographical distribution of testate amoebae in our study area may have experienced complicated and drastic changes corresponding to the variation of the climate caused by the geological events.