Astronomic background of global huge earthquakes at beginning of 21st century

Since the beginning of the 21st century,major earthquakes have frequently occurred worldwide.To explore the impact of astronomical factors on earthquakes,in this study,the statistical analysis method of correlation is used to systematically analyze the effects of astronomical factors,such as solar activity,Earth’s rotation,lunar declination angle,celestial tidal force,and other phenomena on M≥8 global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.With regard to solar activity,this study focuses on the analysis of the 11-year and century cycles of solar activity.The causal relationship of the Earth’s rotation is not obvious in this work and previous works;in contrast,the valley period of the solar activity century cycle may be an important astronomical factor leading to the frequent occurrence of global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.This topic warrants further study.

Megestrol acetate plus metformin for fertility-sparing treatment of atypical endometrial hyperplasia and early-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma: a prospective study

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of medroxyprogesterone acetate(MA)plus metformin as the primary fertility-sparing treatment for atypical endometrial hyperplasia(AEH)and early-stage grade 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma(G1 EAC)and the recurrence rate after treatment.Methods Sixty patients(aged 20-42 years)with AEH and/or grade 1 EAC limited to the endometrium were enrolled prospectively and randomized into two groups(n=30)to receive oral MA treatment at the daily dose of 160 mg(control)or MA plus oral metformin(850 mg,twice a day)for at least 6 months.The treatment could extend to 12 months until a complete response(CR)was achieved,and follow-up hysteroscopy and curettage were performed every 3 months.For all the patients who achieved CR,endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1,p-Akt and p-AMPK were detected immunohistochemically.Results A total of 58 patients completed the treatment.After 9 months of treatment,23(76.7%)patients in the combined treatment group and 20(71.4%)in the control group achieved CR;two patients in the control group achieved CR after converting to the combined treatment.The recurrence rate did not differ significantly between the control group and combined treatment group(30.0%vs 22.7%,P>0.05).Ten(35.7%)patients in the control group experienced significant weight gain of 5.7±6.1 kg,while none of the patients receiving the combined treatment exhibited significant body weight changes.Compared with the control group,the patients receiving the combined treatment showed enhanced endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1 and p-AMPK with lowered p-Akt expression.Conclusion Metformin combined with MA may provide an effective option for fertility-sparing treatment of AEH and grade 1 stage IA EAC,and the clinical benefits of metformin for controlling MA-induced weight gain and promoting endometrial expressions of IGFBP-rP1 and p-AMPK while inhibiting p-Akt expression warrants further study.

Phylogenetic Relationships and Status Quo of Colonies for Gayal Based on Analysis of Cytochrome b Gene Partial Sequences

Thirty-three mutations and four different haplotypes were found when cytochrome b（Cytb） gene partial sequences of 12 gayals were analyzed. Together with sequences of Bos indicus, Bos taurus, Bos grunniens, and Bos gaurus with Bubalus bubalis as the out group, the partial sequences of Cytb gene of gayals were aligned and base composition and nucleotide variation of Cytb gene were analyzed. The phylogenetic trees were constructed by the NJ method and the MP method respectively, both supporting almost the same topology. Gayal is an independent species of Bos from Bos indicus, Bos taurus, and Bos gaurus. The results also indicate that a great proportion of gayal bloodline was invaded by other species, and the protection of gayal is facing a formidable situation.

Effect of Different Vegetation Types on Soil Erosion by Water

The C factor in Universal Soil loss Equation reflecting the effect of vegetation on soil erosion by water is one of the important parameters for estimating soil erosion rate and selecting appropriate land use patterns. In this study, the C factor for nine types of grassland and woodland was estimated from 195 plot-year observation data of six groups of soil erosion experiments on Loess Plateau. The result indicates that the effects of woodland and grassland on soil erosion keep approximately uniform after two or three years' growth. The estimated woodland C factor ranges from 0.004 to 0.164, and the grassland C factor ranges from 0.071 to 0.377, showing that the effect of woodland and grassland on soil conservation is greatly better than that of cropland. The study results can be used to compare or estimate the soil loss from land with different vegetation cover, and are the useful references for land use pattern selection and the project of returning cropland to forest or grassland.

Isolation of S-adenosylmethionine Synthetase Gene from Suaeda salsa and Its Differential Expression Under NaCl Stress

AdoMet plays numerous roles of being the major methyl-group donor in trans-methylation reactions. To gain insight into the possible functions of the AdoMet protein of Suaeda salsa L. in response to salt stress, S adenosylmethionine synthetase gene (SAMS2) was analyzed. We isolated SAMS2 cDNA clone (AF321001) from a lambda -Zap cDNA library constructed from the halophyte S. salsa Pall aerial tissue treated with 400 mmol/L NaCl. SsSAMS2 was found to encode a S-adenolyl-L-methionine synthetase enzyme (AdoMet synthetase). The fragment was 1 531 bp with an open reading frame of 395 amino acids, the calculated molecular weight was about 43 kD. SsSAMS2 showed the highest homology to SAMS2 gene of Catharanthus roseus G. Don., with 93% identity in deduced amino acid sequence. Southern blotting analysis showed that SsSAMS2 might be a two-copy gene in S. salsa genome. Northern blot indicated that the cDNA was up-regulated by salt and other stresses. Enzyme activity assay indicated that the activity of SAMS2 increased under NaCl stress.

Habitat Utilization of the Sichuan Hill Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) in the Non-breeding Period in Laojunshan Nature Reserve

The Sichuan Hill Partridge （Arborophila rufipectus ） requires successional broadleaf forest and their populations have declined as a result of fragmentation of endemic bird areas in subtropical forest in the mountains of southwestern China. In this paper, habitat utilization of the Sichuan Hill Partridge was studied in replanted broadleaf forests, in Laojunshan Nature Reserve of Sichuan, to determine the importance of habitat features, during the non-breeding period from November to December 2005. The Sichuan Hill Partridge utilized habitats within elevations of 1 000 to 1 600 m and with a south-facing slope of two to 15 degrees, close to road and forest edges. The birds preferred sites with smaller bamboo density, lower bamboo cover and snow cover and shrub cover was greater at used sites than at random sites. Principal components analysis indicated that food on the ground layer, topographic condition, concealment and temperature were the first four components of bird habitat selection, and the load of the first component was 29.407%. The findings indicated that the Sichuan Hill Partridge might face the well-documented trade-off between food resource and predation risk when utilizing habitat. We suggest that the conservation and restoration of successional broadleaf forest habitats will benefit the Sichuan Hill Partridge.

Petrogenesis of skarn in Shizhuyuan W-polymetallic deposit, southern Hunan,China:Constraints from petrology,mineralogy and geochemistry

Skarn is the main altered rock type and is of great importance to mineralization and ore-prospecting in the Shizhuyuan area of Hunan province, China. Its features of petrography, mineralogy and geochemistry were studied systematically. The results show that the skarn mainly consists of garnet skarn, secondary wollastonite-garnet skarn, tremolite-clinozoisite skarn, and few wolframine garnet skarn, idocrase-garnet skarn and wollastonite skarn with granoblastic texture, granular sheet crystalloblastic texture, and massive structure, disseminated structure, mesh-vein structure, comb structure, and banded structure. And, it is mainly composed of garnet, fluorite, chlorite, hornblende, epidote, tremolite, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite, plagioclase, quartz, idocrase, and calcite and so on. The chemical components mainly include SiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, MgO and CaO, and the trace elements and REEs consist of Li, Be, V, Co, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Ce, Nd, Pb and Bi, etc. And, the obvious fractionation exists between LREE and HREE, and it shows typical features of Nanling ore-forming granite for W？Sn polymetallic deposit. Skarn is derived from the sedimentary rock, such as limestone, mudstone, argillaceous rock, and few pelitic strips. It is affected by both Shetianqiao formation strata and Qianlishan granite during the diagenesis, indicating a strong reduction environment. The occurrence of skarn, whose mutation site is favorable to the mineralization enrichment, is closely related to the mineralization and prospecting.

Tomographic inversion of near-surface Q factor by combining surface and cross-hole seismic surveys

The estimation of the quality factor Q plays a fundamental role in enhancing seismic resolution via absorption compensation in the near-surface layer.We present a new geometry that can be used to acquire field data by combining surface and cross-hole surveys to decrease the effect of geophone coupling on Q estimation.In this study,we drilled number of receiver holes around the source hole,each hole has different depth and each geophone is placed geophones into the bottom of each receiver hole to avoid the effect of geophone coupling with the borehole wall on Q estimation in conventional cross-hole seismic surveys.We also propose a novel tomographic inversion of the Q factor without the effect of the source signature,and examine its stability and reliability using synthetic data.We estimate the Q factors of the near-surface layer in two different frequency bands using field data acquired in the Dagang Oilfield.The results show that seismic absorption in the nearsurface layer is much greater than that in the subsurface strata.Thus,it is of critical practical importance to enhance the seismic solution by compensating for near-surface absorption.In addition,we derive different Q factors from two frequency bands,which can be treated,to some extent,as evidence of a frequency-dependent Q.

Analysis on the Degradation Causes of Bashang Inland Lake Wetland in Hebei Province

The degeneration of Bashang inland lake wetland in Hebei Province is caused by both some natural reasons,such as temperature rises and violent pathogenic wind,and some human factors like the large increase of population and arable area,the production of season-staggered vegetable,which have increased the water utilization and made many lakes dry up completely or partly.Based on the degeneration reasons,the related measures for restoring the function of Bashang wetland ecosystem were proposed in this paper.

Question and Countermeasure Research of Human Living Environment Designs in New Countries

In the view of new rural living environment,problems existing in the construction of current new rural living environment were analyzed so as to propose some theoretical ideas and ways for resolving the problems existing in the design of new rural living environment.

Integrated interpretation of dual frequency induced polarization measurement based on wavelet analysis and metal factor methods

In mineral exploration, the apparent resistivity and apparent frequency （or apparent polarizability） parameters of induced polarization method are commonly utilized to describe the induced polarization anomaly. When the target geology structure is significantly complicated, these parameters would fail to reflect the nature of the anomaly source, and wrong conclusions may be obtained. A wavelet approach and a metal factor method were used to comprehensively interpret the induced polarization anomaly of complex geologic bodies in the Adi Bladia mine. Db5 wavelet basis was used to conduct two-scale decomposition and reconstruction, which effectively suppress the noise interference of greenschist facies regional metamorphism and magma intrusion, making energy concentrated and boundary problem unobservable. On the basis of that, the ore-induced anomaly was effectively extracted by the metal factor method.

Comparison of stand structure and growth between artificial and natural forests of Pinus sylvestiris var. mongolica on sandy land

Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestiris Linnaeus var. mongolica Litvinov) as a valuable conifer tree species has been broadly introduced to the sandy land areas in 揟hree North?regions (North, northwest and northeast of China), but many problems occurred in the earliest Mongolian pine plantations in Zhanggutai, Zhangwu County, Liaoning Province (ZZL). In order to clarify the reason, comprehensive investigations were carried out on differences in structure characteristics, growth processes and ecological factors between artificial stands (the first plantation established in ZZL in 1950s) and natural stands (the origin forests of the tree species in Honghuaerji, Inner Mongolia) on sandy land. The results showed that variation of diameter-class distributions in artificial stands and natural stands could be described by Weibull and Normal distribution models, respectively. Chapman-Richards growth model was employed to reconstruct the growth process of Mongolian pine based on the data from field investigation and stem analysis. The ages of maximum of relative growth rate and average growth rate of DBH, height, and volume of planted trees were 11, 22 years, 8, 15 years and 35, 59 years earlier than those of natural stand trees, respectively. In respect of the incremental acceleration of volume, the artificial and natural stands reached their maximum values at 14 years and 33 years respectively. The quantitative maturity ages of artificial stands and natural stands were 43 years and 102 years respectively. It was concluded that the life span of the Mongolian pine trees in natural stands was about 60 years longer than those in artificial stands. The differences mentioned above between artificial and natural Mongolian pine forests on sandy land were partially attributed to the drastic variations of ecological conditions such as latitude, temperature, precipitation, evaporation and height above sea level. Human beings' disturbances and higher density in plantation forest may be ascribed as additional reasons. Those results may be potentially useful for the management and afforestation of Mongolian pine plantations on sandy land in arid and semi-arid areas.

A Summary of Studies on Prediction of Urban Construction Land Scale

Research results of prediction of urban construction land scale were sum- marized from the aspects of influencing factors of construction land expansion and prediction models of construction land scale, and their characteristics and deficiencies of these studies were analyzed to provide reference for deep research on pre- diction of urban construction land scale in China. The results show that there are few studies on basic theories about total scale of construction land presently, and there is no theoretical framework in studies on influencing factors. A single model has been used to conduct prediction on a small scale in most studies, but there have been few studies on iarge-scale prediction based on comprehensive benefit. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the exploration of basic theory and mechanism of urban construction land prediction, study iarge-scale prediction based on comprehensive benefit, and strengthen the comprehensive application of econometric analysis, spatial analysis and information technology analysis.

Characterization of Genetic Polymorphism of Novel MHC B-LBⅡ Alleles in Chinese Indigenous Chickens

Genetic polymorphism of the major histocompatibility complex （MHC） B-LBⅡ gene was studied by amplification of exon 2 using PCR, followed by cloning and DNA sequencing in eight indigenous Chinese chicken populations. To reveal the genetic variation of the B-LB Ⅱ gene, 37 types of patterns detected by PCR-SSCP were investigated first, which would be used to screen novel B-LB Ⅱsequences within the breeds. The types of PCR-SSCP patterns and final sequencing allowed for the identification of 31 novel MHC B-LBⅡ alleles from 30 unrelated individuals of Chinese chickens that were sampled. These are the first designators for the alleles of chicken MHC B-LBⅡ gene based on the rule of assignment for novel mammalian alleles. Sequence alignment of the 31 B-LB Ⅱ alleles revealed a total of 68 variable sites in the fragment of exon 2, of which 51 parsimony informative and 17 singleton variable sites were observed. Among the polymorphic sites, the nucleotide substitutions in the first and second positions of the codons accounted for 36.76% and 35.29%, respectively. The sequence similarities between the alleles were estimated to be 90.6%-99.5%. The relative frequencies of synonymous and nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions within the region were 2.92%±0.94% and 14.64%±2.67%, respectively. These results indicated that the genetic variation within exon 2 appeared to have largely arisen by gene recombination and balancing selection. Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of the β1 domain coded by exon 2 revealed 6 synonymous mutations and 27 nonsynonymous substitutions at the 33 disparate sites. In particular, the nonsynonymous substitutions at the putative peptide-binding sites are considered to be associated with immunological specificity of MHC B-LB Ⅱ molecule in Chinese native chickens. These results can provide a molecular biological basis for the study of disease resistance in chicken breeding.

Analysis of the Groundwater System Change and Driving Factors in Songnen Plain in Jilin Province

[Objective] The aim was to provide theoretical basis for the study of underground water dynamic changes in Songnen Plain in Jilin Province.[Method] The dynamic changes and driving factors for the underground water in Songnen Plain in Jilin Province was expounded.[Result] Since 1960s,the temperature in the Songnen Plain in Jilin Province increased gradually.The average temperature increased 2℃;precipitation reduced gradually.Especially,the trend of precipitation reduction in west area was more distinct;in the meantime,the development of underground water augmented gradually and reached 2 800 million m3 in 2008.Driven by many factors,regional underground water level had distinct changes.Potential water position reduced greatly in northwest fan-shaped area.The one in other places were stable and even increased in certain parts;confined water position decreased quickly in general and it increased in certain parts.[Conclusion] The general deterioration trend of underground water environment was inevitable.But,the deterioration process can be eased through scientific planning and regional underground water resources so as to realize sustainable utilization of regional underground water resources.

Temporal-spatial Changes in Inner Mongolian Grassland Degradation during Past Three Decades

[Objective] This study aimed to analyze the temporal-spatial variation of Inner Mongolian grassland degradation during past three decades. [Method] The dis- tribution characteristics of grassland were described by land use types supervised classification with TM/ETM. Then, temporal-spatial changes of grassland coverage were quantified by the mean of maximum vegetation coverage in last 30 years. Lastly, the grassland degradation reasons were explored through statistic analysis between the grassland coverage and precipitation, temperature and grazing intensity. [Result] The grassland degradation index of Inner Mongolia was increased from 1.38 to 1.68, and the smallest was 1.28 in 2005s. Grassland degradation and improve- ment were concurrent after 1980s, but grassland degradation was the major change trend for Inner Mongolia grassland. The area of grassland degradation was enlarged from 18.08×10^4 km2 in 1980s to 22.47×10^4 km2 in 2010s on the whole and distribu- tion range was shifted from central-eastern to west in Inner Mongolia that mainly distributed on Hulun Buir and Xilin Gol grassland in 1980s and Ordos and Alax grassland in 2010s. The grassland area of degradation had a rising trend form 1980s to 1995s, then reduced to 10.8x104 km2 in 2005s, and decreased in 2010s, which mainly speared in the west of Xilin Gol grassland. [Conclusion] Inner Mongo-lian grassland degradation were become more seriously in last 30 years because that temperature, precipitation and graze intensities change, which not performance on decreasing coverage but grassland areas.

Bioinformatics Analysis of PHYB Gene in Upland Cotton(Gossypium hirsutum)

[Objective] This study was conducted to clarify the biological information of PHYB genes in upland cotton （Gossypium hirsutum）. [Method] Two PHYB genes were identified from the genome database of allotetraploid cotton （G. hirsutum L. acc. TM-1）, and were found to be distributed on subgenomes A10 and D10. And then bioinformatic analysis on these two genes were performed. [Result] The PHYB genes of upland cotton had the same motifs and domains with the PHYB genes in other plant species, and even the number and location of the motifs and domains of these PHYB genes were consistent. The PHYB amino acid sequence alignment and the phylogenetic tree constructed based on PHYB amino acid sequence of these plant species indicated that the two PHYB genes in upland cotton had higher homology and closer evolutionary relationships with cocoa （Theobroma cacao）, but lower similarity to PHYB genes in monocotyledonous plants, such as rice （Oryza saitva） and corn （Zea mays）. The comparison of PHYB gene structure also revealed that plant PHYB gene was more conserved during evolution. The autophosphorylation of dozens of phosphorylation sites in upland cotton PHYB gene may be essential for the functions of phytochromes and plays a significant role in regulating phytochrome-mediated signal transduction pathways. [Conclusion] The results of this paper will provide a theoretical basis for the cloning and functional research of PHYB genes.

Cloning and Sequence Analysis of Actin Gene from Rehmannia glutinosa

[ Objective ] The aim of this study is to clone and analyze the actin gene from Rehmannia glutinosa. [ Method ] Degenerate primers were designed according to the conserved regions of actin sequences of Rehmannia glutinosa and its similar species, RT-PCR was next conducted to amplify the actin gene from Rehmannia glutinosa. [ Result] The amplified fragment is 724 bp and correspondingly 240 amino acids. The BLAST results indicate that the homology between the amplified fragment and other higher plants for aetin gene sequences and amino acid are more than 80% and 90%, respectively, suggesting that the amplified fragment is the actin gene of Rehmannia glutinosa. [ Conclusion] Phylogenetic analysis shows that the actin gene of Rehmannia glutinosa has an intimate genetic relationship with actin7 gene of Nicotiana tabacum.

Genetic Variation of the ORF5 Gene of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus in East China during 2008-2010

[Objective] A total of 260 swine samples of dead or sick pigs collected from 7 provinces （municipalities） Jiangsu, Anhui, Shanghai, Shandong, Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi of China during 2008-2010 were detected for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV）. And the ORF5 genes of some isolates were amplified and sequenced for understanding the molecule epidemiology and the genetic evolution of PRRSV in East China. [Method] Using RT-PCR method, PRRSV was detected by RT-PCR from samples. The complete ORF5 genes of 36 PRRSV positive samples was amplified, sequenced and analyzed with other 15 strains available on GenBank. [Result] PRRSV was detected in 118/260 of the clinical samples, with a positive rate was 45.4%. Sequence analysis showed that the 36 isolates of this study belonged to the North American-type PRRSV strains and were closely related to the highly pathogenic PRRSV （HP-PRRSV） with 94.6%-100% amino acid sequence identities. The sequence analysis combined with the phylogenetic analysis indicated that all these North American-type PRRSV strains in East China were further divided into five subgenotypes, subgenotype Ⅲ showed closer identity with HPPRRSV; almost all subgenotypes were found to be variable in the primary neutralizing epitope; subgenotypes Ⅲ and IV had more glycosylation sites than others. Although these 36 isolates were collected from different provinces in East China, there were no obvious relations between the distribution of PRRSV and the region. [Conclusion] The PRRSV infection was widespread and HP-PRRSV was the popular strain in East China during 2008-2010. However some different genetic characteristics appeared in the genomes, the genetic evolution was relatively stable. There exists a cross-cutting phenomenon on the genetic relationship of PRRSV isolates obtained from different provinces. Subgenotypes IV and V only appeared in some provinces, but the distribution of PRRSV did not show apparent geographical characteristics.

Correlation of eco-hydrographic benefit and height increment of Robinia pseudoacacia stand with climatic environmental factors in Yellow River Delta Wetland of China

The relationship between eco-hydrographic benefit of forest vegetation and climatic environmental factors is one of the focuses in the research on environmental protection and ecosystem countermeasures in Wetland. The runoff, sediment and soil moisture rate dynamics in Robinia pseudoacacia plantation and its clearcut area were investigated in the natural runoff experiment plots in Yellow River Delta Wet- land, Shandong Province, China. The correlation of height increment ofR. pseudoacacia with nine climate factors such as light, water, heat, etc. was analyzed by stepwise regression analysis. The results showed that the amounts of runoff and sediment in clearcut area of R. pseudoacacia were 53.9%-150.8% and 172.8%-387.1% higher than that in Robinia pseudoacacia plantation, respectively. The runoff peak value in R. pseudoacacia stand was obviously lower than that in clerarcut area, meantime, the occurrence of runoffpeak in R. pseudoacacia stand was 25 min later than in its clerarcut area. The soil moisture rates in R. pseudoacacia stand and its clearcut varied periodically with annual rainfall precipitation in both dry season and humid season. The annual mean soil moisture rate in R. pseudoacacia stand was 23.3%-25.6% higher than that in its clearcut area. Meanwhile, a regression model reflecting the correlation between the height increment of R. pseudoacacia and climatic factors was developed by stepwise regression procedure method. It showed that the light was the most important factor for the height increment ofR. pseudoacacia, followed by water and heat factors.