Effects of Pigment Indicators on the Color Expression of Leaves of the Colored-leaf Garden Plants

[Objective] In this study, the relationship between the pigments and the color expression of leaves of colored-leaf plants was discussed. [Method] The colors of leaf blades of 6 kinds of plants were analyzed with the Royal Horticultural Soci-ety Colour Chart. The chlorophyl content, carotenoids content and anthocyanin con-tent in leaf blades were determined. In addition, the color types of leaf blades, kinds of pigments, pigment contents and pigment distributions of 6 kinds of plants were compared. [Result] The chlorophyl contents ranked as Populus canadensis Moench （green leaves） 〉 Populus deltoids cv. Zhonghuahongye （purple green leaves） 〉 Populus euramericana cv. Quanhong （red leaves）; Acer palmatum Thunb. （green leaves） 〉 Acer palmatum cv. Atropurpureum （purple red leaves） 〉 Acer pal-matum Thunb. cv. Atropurpureum （red leaves）. The ranking of anthocyanin contents was just opposite. The chlorophyl content was negatively related to the anthocyanin content. The leaf color of plants is determined by various pigments. The more the chlorophyl is, the greener the leaf is. The more the anthocyanin is, the redder the leaf is. In the colored-leaf plants, the chlorophyl content represents about 80% of the content of pigments, the carotenoids content represents about 17%, and the an-thocyanin represents about 3%. There is a difference in the chlorophyl content be-tween colored-leaf plants and green plants. However, the relatively low chlorophyl content wil not hamper the normal life activities of colored-leaf plants. [Conclusion] We hoped to provide reference and basis for the production and landscaping of col-ored-leaf plants.

Experimental investigation into the effects of Argemone biodiesel/diesel blends on cyclic variations in a multi-cylinder CRDI engine

Internal combustion engines suffer from high cyclic variations that result in higher emissions,lower efficiency,higher fuel consump-tion and poor drivability.The purpose of this study is to investigate how Argemone mexicana biodiesel(AGB)/diesel blended fuels affect the cyclic variability of combustion parameters such as maximum cylinder pressure(Pmax)and indicated mean effective pressure(IMEP)in a four-cylinder turbocharged intercooled common-rail direct injection engine under various engine loading conditions.The chemical and physical properties of AGB produced from A.mexicana oil were measured and compared according to the ASTM D6751 standards.In various volumetric ratios,AGB and diesel fuel were blended as D100,AB10(10%AGB+90%D100),AB20(20%AGB+80%D100)and AB30(30%AGB+70%D100).The IMEP and Pmax time-series data were collected over 200 consecutive cycles at low,partial and high engine loads at a constant engine speed of 2000 rpm.The coefficients of variation(COV)of combustion parameters(Pmax and IMEP)were measured for different AGB/diesel blends and found to be within acceptable limits.The results show that COV_(Pmax) and COV_(IMEP) decrease as the engine load increases.It was observed that at low load,AB10 has the lowest COV(Pmax,IMEP),and at partial and high load,AB20 has the lowest COV(Pmax,IMEP)among all the blends.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans and polychlorinated biphenyls in surface soil from the Tibetan Plateau

Concentrations of Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans（PCDD/Fs） and polychlorinated biphenyls（PCBs） in soil samples from Tibetan Plateau were determined. The average concentration of total 2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs was（2.30 ± 1.02） pg/g, and World Health Organization Toxicity Equivalency（WHO-TEQ） average concentration was（0.013 ± 0.010）pg WHO-TEQ/g. The average concentration of ∑PCBs（7 indicator PCB and 12 dioxin like-PCB congeners） was（16.2 ± 9.25） pg/g, and WHO-TEQ average concentration was 0.043 ±0.049 pg WHO-TEQ/g. Comparing to previous studies in similar environmental conditions,PCDD/Fs and PCBs in this study showed a relatively lower concentration. The altitude dependences of PCDD/Fs and PCBs were also studied. Total organic carbon（TOC） normalized concentrations presented a quadratic relation with the altitudes, and an inflection could be found on the parabola of the total concentrations and some congeners of high concentration.The concentrations decreased with altitudes below about 4500 m above sea level（a.s.l.）, while they increased with altitudes above it. These phenomena indicate that cold condensation of PCDD/Fs and PCBs would happen above 4500 m a.s.l, on the Tibetan Plateau.