Concentrations and Distribution of Trace Metals of PM_(10) and TSP Particles Collected in the Qingdao Area

Aerosol samples of PM10 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10μm) and TSP (total suspended particles) were simultaneously collected from April 2001 to March 2002 at the top of Mount Baguan on the downtown campus of Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China. The concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined by means of inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The monthly variability of the mass concentrations of aerosol particles and the concentrations of trace metals are presented and discussed. The distribution pattern of these metals in PM10 and TSP is also discussed. During the observation period, the mass concentration of PM10 at this site ranged from 13.80 to 306.42μgm-3 , while that of TSP ranged from 31.02 to 568.82μgm-3. Both PM10 and TSP reached their highest concentrations in springtime, while the lowest values occurred in summertime. The concentrations of crustal metals followed the same variation pattern, while those of anthropo     

Estimate of global sea-air CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> flux with sea-state-dependent parameterization

Although the annual global sea-air CO₂ flux has been estimated extensively with various wind-dependent-k parameterizations, uncertainty still exists in the estimates. The sea-state-dependent-k parameterization is expected to improve the uncertainty existing in these estimates. In the present study, the annual global sea-air CO₂ flux is estimated with the sea-state-dependent-k parameterization proposed by Woolf (2005), using NOAA/NCEP reanalysis wind speed and hindcast wave data from 1998 to 2006, and a new estimate, −2.18 Gt C year⁻¹, is obtained, which is comparable with previous estimates with biochemical methods. It is interesting to note that the averaged value of previous estimates with various wind-dependent-k parameterizations is almost identical to that of previous estimates with biochemical methods by various authors, and that the new estimate is quite consistent with these averaged estimates.     

Spatiotemporal Variations and Influencing Factors Analysis of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> Concentrations in Jilin Province,Northeast China

High PM_2.5 concentrations and frequent air pollution episodes during late autumn and winter in Jilin Province have attracted attention in recent years. To describe the spatial and temporal variations of PM_2.5 concentrations and identify the decisive influencing factors, a large amount of continuous daily PM_2.5 concentration data collected from 33 monitoring stations over 2-year period from 2015 to 2016 were analyzed. Meanwhile, the relationships were investigated between PM_2.5 concentrations and the land cover, socioeconomic and meteorological factors from the macroscopic perspective using multiple linear regressions (MLR) approach. PM_2.5 concentrations across Jilin Province averaged 49 μg/m³, nearly 1.5 times of the Chinese annual average standard, and exhibited seasonal patterns with generally higher levels during late autumn and over the long winter than the other seasons. Jilin Province could be divided into three kinds of sub-regions according to 2-year average PM_2.5 concentration of each city. Most of the spatial variation in PM_2.5 levels could be explained by forest land area, cultivated land area, urban greening rate, coal consumption and soot emissions of cement manufacturing. In addition, daily PM_2.5 concentrations had negative correlation with daily precipitation and positive correlation with air pressure for each city, and the spread and dilution effect of wind speed on PM_2.5 was more obvious at mountainous area in Jilin Province. These results indicated that coal consumption, cement manufacturing and straw burning were the most important emission sources for the high PM_2.5 levels, while afforestation and urban greening could mitigate particulate air pollution. Meanwhile, the individual meteorological factors such as precipitation, air pressure, wind speed and temperature could influence local PM_2.5 concentration indirectly.     

Impacts of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> enrichment on growth and photosynthesis in freshwater and marine diatoms

The physiological responses of Nitzschia palea Kvtzing, a freshwater diatom, to elevated CO2 were investigated and compared with those of a marine diatom, Chaetoceros muelleri Lemmermann previously reported. Elevated CO2 concentration to 700 μl/L increased the dissolved inorganic carbon （D!C） and lowered the pH in the cultures of N. palea, thus enhancing the growth by 4%-20% during the whole growth period. High CO2-grown N. palea cells showed lower levels of dark respiration rates and higher Ik values. Light-saturated photosynthetic rates and photosynthetic efficiencies decreased in N. palea with the doubling CO2 concentration in airflow to the bottom of cultures, although the doubling CO2 concentration in airflow to the surface cultures had few effects on these two photosynthetic parameters. N. palea cells were found to be capable of using HCO5 in addition to gaseous CO2, and the CO2 enrichment decreased their affinity for HCO5 and CO2. Although doubled CO2 level would enhance the biomass of N. patea and C. muelleri to different extents, compared with the marine diatom, it had a significant effect on the specific growth rates of N. palea. In addition, the responses of photosynthetic parameters of IV. palea to doubled CO2 concentration were almost opposite to those of C. muelleri.     

Influence of albumen on aggregation and O<Subscript>2</Subscript> evolution of protoplasm from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bryopsis hypnoides</Emphasis> Lamourou

The extruded protoplasm from the coenocytic green alga, Bryopsis hypnoides Lamouroux, was able to reform a cell wall and develop further into a mature alga in seawater. In this paper, the influence of albumen on the ability of aggregation and on the photosynthesis of protoplasm was examined. Results show that the protoplasm of B. hypnoides could aggregate in either albumen or chicken egg, which is similar to that in seawater. However unlike in seawater, the aggregation from B. hypnoides in albumen and chicken egg failed to develop into a mature individual. Interestingly, the protoplasm of B. hypnoides could maintain its photosynthetic O2 evolution in albumen and chicken egg, while the time in chicken egg was longer than that in albumen.     

CHEMICAL WEATHERING PROCESSES AND ATMOSPHERIC CO2 CONSUMPTION OF HUANGHE RIVER AND CHANGJIANG RIVER BASINS

Rock weathering plays an important role in studying the long-term carbon cycles and global climatic change. According to the statistics analysis, the Huanghe (Yellow) River water chemistry was mainly controlled by evaporite and carbonate weathering, which were responsible for over 90% of total dissolved ions. As compared with the Huanghe River basin, dissolved load of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River was mainly originated from the carbonate dissolution. The chemical weathering rates were estimated to be 39.29t/(km²·a) and 61.58t/(km²·a) by deducting the HCO ₃ ⁻ derived from atmosphere in the Huanghe River and Changjiang River watersheds, respectively. The CO₂ consumption rates by rock weathering were calculated to be 120.84×10³mol/km² and 452.46×10³mol/km²annually in the two basins, respectively. The total CO₂ consumption of the two basins amounted to 918.51×10⁹mol/a, accounting for 3.83% of the world gross. In contrast to other world watersheds, the stronger evaporite reaction and infirm silicate weathering can explain such feature that CO₂ consumption rates were lower than a global average, suggesting that the sequential weathering may be go on in the two Chinese drainage basins. Foundation item: Under the auspices of Ministry of Science and Technology Project of China (No. G1999043075) Biography: LI Jing-ying (1974-), female, a native of Xinye of Henan Province, Ph.D., associate professor, specialized in environmental geochemistry. E-mail: wxxljy2001@public.qd.sd.cn     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and carbon fluxes across sea-air interface in the Changjiang Estuary and Hangzhou Bay

Partial pressure of CO2 （pCO2） was investigated in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and their adjacent areas during a cruise in August 2004, China. The data show that pCO2 in surface waters of the studied area was higher than that in the atmosphere with only exception of a patch east of Zhoushan Archipelago. The pCO2 varied from 168 to 2 264 μatm, which fell in the low range compared with those of other estuaries in the world. The calculated sea-air CO2 fluxes decreased offshore and varied from -10.0 to 88.1 mmol m^-2 d^-1 in average of 24.4 ± 16.5 mmol m^-2 d^-1. Although the area studied was estimated only 2 × 10^4 km^2, it emitted （5.9 ± 4.0） × 10^3 tons of carbon to the atmosphere every day. The estuaries and their plumes must be further studied for better understanding the role of coastal seas playing in the global oceanic carbon cycle.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of attached Ulvaceae species and free-floating <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enteromorpha</Emphasis> from Qingdao coasts in 2007

Based on the sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1, 5.8 S, and ITS 2, the molecular phylogeny was analyzed on Ulvaceae species collected from Qingdao coasts in summer of 2007, including 15 attached Ulva and Enteromorpha samples from 10 locations and 10 free-floating Enteromorpha samples from seven locations. The result supported the monophyly of all free-floating Enteromorpha samples, implying the unialgal composition of the free-floating Enteromorpha, and the attached Ulvaceae species from Qingdao coasts were grouped into other five clades, suggesting that they were not the biogeographic origin of the free-floating Enteromorpha in that season. Supported by NSFC (40506030); the Innovative Key Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-209); Science & Technology Project of Qingdao City (06-2-2-12-JCH)     

The antitumor effect of bromophenol derivatives <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leathesia nana</Emphasis> extract <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>

To investigate the antitumor effect of bromophenol derivatives in vitro and Leathesia nana extract in vivo, six bromophenol derivatives 6-(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl)-2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxy benzyl methyl ether (1), (+)-3-(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-4-bromo-5,6-dihydroxy-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran (2), 3-bromo-4-(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl)-5-methoxymethyl-pyrocatechol (3), 2,2′,3,3′-tetrabromo-4,4′,5,5′-tetrahydroxy-diphenylmethane (4), bis(2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl) ether (5), 2,2′,3-tribromo-3′,4,4′,5-tetrahydroxy-6′-ethyloxymethyldiphenylmethane (6) were isolated from brown alga Leathesia nana, and their cytotoxicity were tested by MTT assays in human cancer cell lines A549, BGC-823, MCF-7, B16-BL6, HT-1080, A2780, Bel7402 and HCT-8. Their inhibitory activity against protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) with over-expression of c-kit was analyzed also by ELISA. The antitumor activity of ethanolic extraction of Leathesia nana (EELN) was evaluated on S₁₈₀-bearing mice. All compounds showed very potent cytotoxicity against all of the eight cancer cell lines with IC₅₀ below 10 μg/mL. In PTK inhibition study, all bromophenol derivatives showed moderate inhibitory activity and compounds 2, 5 and 6 showed significant bioactivity with the inhibition ratio of 77.5%, 80.1% and 71.4%, respectively. Pharmacological studies reveal that EELN could inhibit the growth of Sarcoma 180 tumor and increase the indices of thymus and spleen to improve the immune system remarkably in vivo. Results indicated that the bromophenol derivatives and EELN can be used as potent antitumor agents for PTK over-expression of c-kit and considered in a new therapeutic strategy for treatment of cancer. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, No. 2007AA09Z410) and Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX2-YW-209)     

The Influences of Mg^2 ,Ca^2 ,and Mg^2 /Ca^2 Ratio in Mixed Seawater on the Emergence Rate of Penaeus Japonicus Postlarva

This paper reports the approprite ranges of Mg^2 ,Ca^2 and their ratio Mg^2 /Ca^2 in mixed seawater for rearing of Penaeus japonicus larvae,The ranges for the above three indices are 1150-1450mg/L,360-440mg/L and 2.8-3.4,respectively,the proper salinity range of mixed seawater is 22.1-33.9 obtained by mixing estuarine water and concentrated seawater.     

Screening of eye-position related genes with DD-RT-PCR and RDA in the hybrids between Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis> and stone flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kareius bicoloratus</Emphasis>

Flatfish or flounder moves one eye to change body proportion into vertebral asymmetry during metamorphosis, during which some become sinistral while others dextral. However, the mechanism behinds the eye-position has not been well understood. In this research, hybrids between Japanese flounder(♀) and stone flounder (♂) show mixed eye-location in both dextral type and sinistral type, and thus become good samples for studying the eye-migration. mRNAs from pro-metamorphosis sinistral and dextral hybrids larvae were screened with classical differential display RT-PCR (DD-RT-PCR) and representational difference analysis of cDNA (cDNA-RDA); 30 and 47 putative fragments were isolated, respectively. The cDNA fragments of creatine kinase and trypsinogen 2 precursor genes isolated by cDNA-RDA exhibited eye-position expression patterns during metamorphosis. However, none of the fragments was proved to be related to flatfishes’ eye-position specifically. Therefore, further studies and more sensitive gene isolated methods are needed to solve the problems. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30600455) and the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, No.2004CB117402)     

Inversion of two-dimensional tidal open boundary conditions of M<Subscript>2</Subscript> constituent in the Bohai and Yellow Seas

Two-dimensional tidal open boundary conditions of the M2 constituent in the Bohai and Yellow Seas(BYS) have been estimated by assimilating T/P altimeter data.During inversion,independent point(IP) strategy was used,in which several IPs on the open boundary is assumed,values at these IPs can be optimized with an adjoint method,and those at other grid points are determined by linearly interpolating the values at IPs.The reasonability and feasibility of the model are tested by ideal twin experiments.In the practical experiment(PE) after assimilation,the cost function may reach 1% or less of its initial value.Mean absolute errors in amplitude and phase can be less than 5 cm and 5°,respectively,and the obtained co-chart can show the character of the M2 constituent in the BYS.The results of the PE indicate that using only two IPs on the open boundary can yield better simulated results.     

Spatial and temporal variations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Synechococcus</Emphasis> and picoeukaryotes in the Taiwan Strait,China

The size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass, and the spatial and temporal variations in abundance of Synechococcus (SYN) and picoeukaryotes (PEUK) were measured in the Taiwan Strait during three cruises (August 1997, February–March 1998, and August 1998). The results show that picophytoplankton and nanophytoplankton dominate the phytoplankton biomass, in average of 38% and 40%, respectively. SYN and PEUK varied over time in abundance and carbon biomass, greater in summer than in winter, in range of (7.70–209.2)×10⁶ and (0.75–15.4)×10⁶ cells/cm² in the abundance, and 1.93–52.3 and 1.57–32.4 μgC/cm² in the carbon biomass, for SYN and PEUK, respectively. The horizontal distributions of both groups were diurnal but heterogeneous in abundance, depending on the groups and layer of depths. Temperature is the key controlling factor for picophytoplankton distribution (especially in winter) in the Strait. Supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40730846; 40521003)     

Microsatellite DNA polymorphisms and the relation with body weight in sea cucumber <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apostichopus japonicus</Emphasis>

The relationship between microsatellite polymorphism and body weight of captive bred Chinese sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus was investigated in two local populations in Dalian. Among ten loci discovered, nine show changes except for AJ07 loci. Seven loci were found highly polymorphic in both populations. For each locus in two populations, the average number of alleles is 6.428 6 and 6.285 7, the average observed heterozygosity at 0.225 7 and 0.245 9, the expected heterozygosity at 0.776 8 and 0.748 8, the polymorphism information content (PIC) at 0.709 2 and 0.674 6, respectively. Further analysis show significant correlation between A. japonicus body weight and occurrence markers AJ02 and AJ04. The findings of the relation may be helpful for molecular breeding, as well as the marker-assisted selection of sea cucumbers. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, No. 2006AA10A411), the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (No.20072139), the Grant of Dalian Fisheries University, the Key Laboratory Foundation of the Educational Department of Liaoning Province (No.2009S024)     

Structure and function of the digestive system of <Emphasis Type="Italic">solen grandis</Emphasis> dunker

Structure and function of the digestive system of a bivalve mollusc, Solen grandis, were studied using light microscopy and histochemical methods. The wall of digestive tube consists of four layers: the mucosal epithelium, connective tissue, muscular and fibrosa or serosa (only in the portion of rectum) from the inner to the outer. The ciliated columnar epithelial cells, dispersed by cup-shaped mucous cells, rest on a thin base membrane. There are abundant blood spaces in connective tissue layer. The digestive diverticula are composed of multi-branched duct and digestive tubules. The digestive tubules are lined with digestive and basophilic secretory cells, and surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle fibers and connective tissues. Activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases, esterase and lipase are detected in the digestive cells, and the epithelia of stomach and intestine, suggesting that these cells are capable of intracellular digesting of food materials and absorbing. Besides, acid phosphatase and esterase activities are present in the posterior portion of esophagus. Phagocytes are abundant in blood spaces and the lumens of stomach and intestine, containing brown granules derived from the engulfed food materials. The present work indicates that phagocytes play important roles in ingestion and digestion of food materials, which is supported as well by the activities of acid phosphatase, esterase and lipase detected in blood spaces.     

Occurrence and diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pichia</Emphasis> spp. in marine environments

A total of 328 yeast strains from seawater, sediments, mud of salterns, the guts of marine fish and marine algae were obtained. The results of routine identification and molecular methods show that five yeast strains obtained in this study belonged to Pichia spp., including Pichia guilliermondii 1uv-small, Pichia ohmeri YF04d, Pichia fermentans YF12b, Pichia burtonii YF11A and Pichia anomala YF07b. Further studies revealed that Pichia anomala YF07b could produce killer toxin against pathogenic yeasts in crabs while Pichia guilliermondii 1uv-small could produce high activity of extracellular inulinase. It is advisable to test if Pichia ohmeri YF04d obtained in this study is related to central-venous-catheter-associated infection.     

Using otolith weight to predict the age of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pennahia macrocephalus</Emphasis> in the mouth of the Beibu Gulf

The relation between otolith weight (OW) and the age of marine fish is studied. A total of 222 individuals of bighead white croaker, Pennahia macrocephalus were sampled seasonally in the mouth of the Beibu Gulf, the South China Sea, in 2007. Since there are no significant differences in sagittal OW between otolith in pairs (P≥0.05), the undamaged left sagittal otolith is used for age determination. The highest correlations among standard length, OW and fish ages are confirmed by linear, exponential and multinomial regression. Results show that sagittal OW overlaps only occasionally among age groups, and to individuals with similar standard length, the older and slower-growing fish has a heavier otolith because of the continued otolith material deposition. There are differences in sagittal OW among different age groups and significant positive linear relationship with age (P<0.05). The age readings can be verified by plotting the sagittal OW versus the standard length for age groups, and the individuals with similar standard length but in different ages can be separated by sagittal OW frequency analysis. Mostly, the predicted ages using the regression between sagittal OW and ages are closed to the observed ages by counting annulus on scale. It indicates that the sagittal OW analysis is a useful technique for validating the accuracy of age determination by annuli counts, especially for individuals of similar size. Furthermore, the technique is applied for Pennahia macrocephalus with discussion in this paper. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30771653) and Bureau of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture     

Microsatellite variation in the oyster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea plicatula</Emphasis> along the coast of China

Genetic diversity and differentiation of the oyster Crassostrea plicatula populations from China’s coast were studied based on seven microsatellite loci. All loci showed high polymorphism for all five C. plicatula populations, with an average number of allele per locus of 19.3–27.9 and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.889–0.952. Significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and deficits of heterozygotes were observed over most populations at each locus, which were fully explained by null alleles. Microsatellite analysis revealed significant subdivision in the C. plicatula populations. According to the neighbor-joining tree constructed on the basis of the D _A distance, the five populations fell into three regional groups, showing a relatively homogeneous genetic structure in geographically close populations. Assignation tests correctly assigned high percentages of individuals to their original populations and groups, and also confirmed the existence of genetic differentiation among C. plicatula populations. The results obtained in this study will facilitate the formulation of appropriate fisheries management programs, stock identification and conservation of biodiversity for the species.     

Inheritance mode of microsatellite loci and their use for kinship analysis in the Pacific oyster （Crassostrea gigas）

Five full-sib families of the Pacific oyster （Crassostrea gigas） larvae were used to study the mode of inheritance at eight microsatellite loci, and the feasibility of these markers for kinship estimate was also examined. All eight microsatellite loci were compatible with Mendelian inheritance. Neither evidence of sex-linked barriers to transmission nor evidence of major barriers to fertilization between gametes from the parents was shown. Three of the eight loci showed the presence of null alleles in four families, demonstrating the need to conduct comprehensive species-specific inheritance studies for microsatellite loci used in population genetic studies. Although the null allele heterozygotes were considered as homozygotes in the calculation of genetic distance, offspring from five full-sib families were unambiguously discriminated in the neighbor-joining dendrogram. This result indicates that the microsatellite markers may be capable of discriminating between related and unrelated oyster larvae in the absence of pedigree information, and is applicable to the investigation of the effective number of parents contributing to the hatchery population of the Pacific oyster.     

Inheritance of 15 microsatellites in the Pacific oyster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crassostrea gigas</Emphasis>: segregation and null allele identification for linkage analysis

Microsatellites were screened in a backcross family of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. Fifteen microsatellite loci were distinguishable and polymorphic with 6 types of allele-combinations. Null alleles were detected in 46.7% of loci, accounting for 11.7% of the total alleles. Four loci did not segregate in Mendelian Ratios. Three linkage groups were identified among 7 of the 15 segregating loci. Fluorescence-based automated capillary electrophoresis (ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer) that used to detect the microsatellite loci, has been proved a fast, precise, and reliable method in microsatellite genotyping. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO.40730845, 39825121)