Late Cenozoic uplift of the Liupan Mountains:Evidence from the Neogene loess deposits

The Liupan Mountains,one of the important mountain ranges in western China,are located on the boundary between the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and the Ordos Block.The uplift history of the Liupan Mountains remains controversial.Loess deposits are good tracers of regional tectonic and geomorphic changes,because loess is sensitive to erosion and the formation and preservation of loess requires relatively flat highlands and relatively stable tectonic environments.We investigated the distribution of Neogene loess deposits on the western piedmont of the Liupan Mountains and examined a near-continuous loess section(Nanping section)on the piedmont alluvial highlands.Correlation of magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy with the QA-ⅠMiocene loess sequence dates this 56-m section covering the interval from~8.1 to 6.2 Ma.The lower boundary age of this section,together with previously reported Zhuanglang red clay(sand-gravel layers with intercalated loess during~9–8 Ma and near-continuous loess during~8–4.8 Ma)and Chaona red clay(~8.1–2.58 Ma),indicates that the Liupan Mountains were uplifted in the late Miocene(~9–8 Ma)and basically formed by~8 Ma,attesting to no intense mountain building since that time.In addition,based on the information from the Zhuanglang core and the QA-Ⅰsection,we infer that sizable parts of the Liupan Mountains were uplifted during the late Oligocene–early Miocene and did not experience intense uplift during~22–9 Ma.

新型生长快速需钠弧菌基因组无痕编辑体系构建

需钠弧菌Vibrio natriegens作为近几年发展起来的一种新型生长快速底盘细胞,在合成生物学领域展现出良好的应用前景。基因组编辑是合成生物学研究中不可或缺的遗传操作手段。但是,开展需钠弧菌的合成生物学研究仍然有待进一步发展精准、高效的基因组编辑系统。针对这个问题,首先对6株需钠弧菌的生理表型进行检测,选取生长快速、表型稳定的CICC 10908菌株作为基因组编辑研究的宿主细胞。其次,建立并优化需钠弧菌自然转化系统。优化后的系统将筛选标记基因cat-sacB或KanR整合到需钠弧菌染色体上的同源重组效率分别达到4×10^–5和4×10^–4。再次,在优化的自然转化系统基础上,利用双向选择性筛选方法,建立了精准、高效的需钠弧菌基因组无痕编辑体系。通过测试,基因敲除、回补、插入和替换这4种不同类型基因编辑的阳性率分别为93.8%、100%、95.7%和100%。最后,需钠弧菌可以实现质粒的高效转化和消除。该工作为需钠弧菌合成生物学研究提供精准、高效的基因组无痕编辑手段。

Defect engineering of molybdenum disulfide through ion irradiation to boost hydrogen evolution reaction performance

The inert basal plane of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) restrains its further hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance.This work attempts ion irradiation to activate inert basal plane of MoS2 nanosheet to improve its electrocatalytic performance.Experimental results demonstrate the sulphur vacancies generated by ion irradiation on the basal plane of MoS2 mainly boost the efficiency of HER performance.The moderate fluence of carbon ion irradiation gains the optimum HER performance with an onset potential of 77 mV and Tafel slope of 66 mV/dec.