TEMPERATURE SEQUENCE AND ITS CHANGE FOR RECENT 200 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE REACHES OF THE TARIM RIVER

Based on the populus euphratica chronologies in the middle reaches of the Tarim River,the temperature sequence in growing season of populus euphratica for recent 200 years at Shaya weather station is reconstructed, which can be regarded as evidence of warm-cold changes in recent 100 years in the middle reaches of the Tarim River.

Near-surface Geothermal Gradient Observation and Geothermal Analyses in the Xianshuihe Fault Zone,Eastern Tibetan Plateau

The Xianshuihe fault（XSHF） zone, characterized by intense tectonic activity, is located at the southwest boundary of the Bayan Har block, where several major earthquakes have occurred, including the 2008 Wenchuan and the 2013 Lushan earthquakes. This study analysed underground temperature sequence data for four years at seven measuring points at different depths（maximum depth： 18.9 m） in the southeastern section of the XSHF zone. High-frequency atmospheric noise was removed from the temperature sequences to obtain relatively stable temperature fields and heat fluxes near the measurement points. Our measurements show that the surrounding bedrock at（the seven stations distributed in the fault zone） had heat flux values range from-41.0 to 206 m W/m^2, with a median value of 54.3 m W/m^2. The results indicate a low heat flux in the northern section of DaofuKangting and a relatively high heat flux in the southern section of Kangting, which is consistent with the temperature distributions of the hot springs near the fault. Furthermore, our results suggest that the heat transfer in this field results primarily from stable underground heat conduction. In addition, the underground hydrothermal activity is also an obvious factor controlling the geothermal gradient.

The complete genome of hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ289 and its phylogenetic relationship

Genus Pseudoalteromonas belongs to Family Pseudoalteromonadaceae in Gammaproteobacteria. A cold-adapted gram-negative bacterium, hydrocarbon-degrading Pseudoalteromonas sp. NJ289, was isolated from sea-ice of the Antarctica region, and sequenced the whole genome through the next generation sequencing platform. The assembly yielded three contigs representing two chromosomes and one plasmid with the sizes of 3.2 Mb, 636 kb and 1.8 kb, respectively. The G＋C contents of genome were 40.83% and included 3 589 ORFs. Functional annotation indicated some potential roles in enzymatic activity and environmental adaptability. This study may help for understanding the population diverse, evolutionary ecology and the microbial interaction.

Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of a catalase gene in Paphia textile

Catalase is an important antioxidant protein that can protect organisms against various forms of oxidative damage by eliminating hydrogen peroxide. In this study, the catalase c DNA of Paphia textile（Pt CAT） was cloned using RTPCR and rapid amplification of c DNA ends（RACE）. Pt CAT is 1 921 bp long and consists of a 5′-UTR of 50 bp, a 3′-UTR of 349 bp, and an ORF of 1 542 bp that encodes 513 amino acids with a molecular weight of 58.4 k D and an estimated isoelectric point of 8.2. Sequence alignment indicated that Pt CAT contained a highly conserved catalytic signature motif（^（61）FNRERIPERVVHAKGAG^（77））, a proximal heme-ligand signature sequence（^（352）RLFSYSDP^（359））, and three catalytic amino acid residues（H^（72）, N^（145）, and Y^（356））. Pt CAT also contains two putative N-glycosylation sites（^（34）NKT^（36） and ^（437）NFT^（439）） and a peroxisome-targeting signal（^（511）AQL^（513））. Furthermore, Pt CAT shares 53%–88% identity and 29%–89% similarity with other catalase amino acid sequences. Pt CAT m RNA was present in all tested organs, including the heart, digestive gland, adductor muscle, gonad, gill, and mantle, but its expression was highest in the digestive gland. High-temperature-induced stress produced two expression patterns of Pt CAT m RNA： first, an initial up-regulation followed by a down-regulation in the heart, digestive gland, and gonad and, second, consistent down-regulation in all other organs. These results demonstrate that Pt CAT is a typical member of the catalase family and might be involved in the responses to harmful environmental factors.

Characteristics of pellets with immobilized activated sludge and its performance in increasing nitrification in sequencing batch reactors at low temperatures

Immobilized pellets obtained by means of entrapping activated sludge in waterborne polyurethane were successfully adapted in ammonium（NH4^＋–N）synthetic wastewater.Its physicochemical characteristics were determined using scanning electron microscope,pyrosequencing,and microelectrodes,and its influence on the nitrification process in sequencing batch reactors（SBRs）at low temperatures was evaluated.A large number of rod-shaped bacteria were observed on the surface of the immobilized pellet,in which Rudaea spp.（Xanthomonadaceae family）was an important bacterial component（23.44% of the total bacteria）.The oxygen uptake rate of immobilized pellets reached 240.83±15.59 mg O2/（L·hr）,and the oxygen was primarily consumed by the bacteria on the pellet surfaces（0–600μm）.The dosing of the pellets（30 m L/L）into an SBR significantly improved the nitrification efficiency at low temperatures of 7–11℃,achieving an average NH4^＋–N removal of 84.09%,which is higher than the removal of 67.46% observed for the control group.