On the thermal stability of DNA in solution of mixed solvents

The study of the changes in UV absorbance of DNA solutions in water/dioxane and water/ethylene glycol mixture at different concentrations shows that the thermal denaturation of DNA is sensitive to the electrical permittivity of the media and the water content. At relative low concentrations of co-solvent the dominant feature is the electrical permittivity. When water content is lower than a critical value, the electrical permittivity is no longer the determinant of the denaturation temperature but the partial volume fraction of water. The critical water content is about 0.69 partial volume fraction of water.     

四种饮用水对地鼠生长发育的影响及评估

目的评估不同饮用水对地鼠生长发育的影响。方法将104只25日龄地鼠随机以每组雌雄各半分为4组,分别饲喂酸化水和高压水、过滤水和普通水,在饲养过程中分别量取体重、水消耗量,水pH值,胎间隔、成活率、脏器系数和骨髓细胞微核数,并对组间数据结果进行统计学处理。结果 4种饮用水量与体重呈线性正相关;酸化水在抑制细菌方面优于其他饮用水;骨髓细胞微核试验、地鼠脏器系数在各组无显著变化。结论酸化水在抑制细菌生长优于其他饮用水;过滤水适宜地鼠生长繁殖。     

Microwave dielectric study on hydration of moist collagen

Two dielectric relaxation peaks were found in moist collagen by the time domain reflectometry. The low-frequency peak around 100 MHz moves little as the water content is varied. Its relaxation strength depends on the content and vanishes for completely dried collagen. This process is concluded to be due to water molecules strongly bound to the tropocollagen. Amount of the bound water is estimated as 0.12 g water/g collagen. Twenty-one water molecules are bound to one repeat of the triple helix. The existence of stringlike water chains is suggested. If the water content is less than 0.5 g water/g collagen, the high frequency peak locates between those of bound and bulk water. Water among the tropo-collagen is weakly bound to the collagen. In the higher region it does not change much with the content, being close to that of bulk water. The bulk water appears in this region.     

长白山暗针叶林苔藓枯落物层的降雨截留过程

对长白山北坡暗针叶林地面苔藓枯落物层 (苔藓植物和枯落叶交织而成的层状结构 )持水能力、截留降雨过程及动态变化进行了研究。结果表明苔藓枯落物层持水能力很强 ,最大持水量相当于 4 .8mm的降雨量 ,这个结果大于将苔藓与枯落物分开来测定的结果之和 ,说明成层结构能够提高持水能力。在一次降雨过程中对降雨截留过程的观测发现 :持水量刚开始随降雨增加而增加 ,到一定量时 ,降雨再增加 ,持水量反而缓慢下降。对持水动态变化一个月的观测 ,表明苔藓枯落物层水分蒸发较快 ,当长时间无雨时 ,持水量显著下降 ,当降雨再次发生时 ,持水量迅速回升 ,这种动态过程伴随着降雨的发生而不断往复。此外 ,在夜间苔藓枯落物层有吸收空气中水气的特点 ,吸收量受空气湿度的影响     

Evaluation of water footprint and economic water productivities of dairy products of South Africa

Assessment of water footprint sustainability indicators and economic water productivities is regarded as a cornerstone of the world’s sustainability goal and the reduction of the fresh water scarcity risk. These assessments are gaining much prominence because about four billion people face severe water scarcity, globally. Attaining sustainable and economically efficient water use goals requires a thorough assessment of all the existing sectors that use water. This paper examined the water footprint and economic water productivities of dairy products in South Africa for the periods 1996–2005 and 2006–2013 using the water footprint network assessment methodology. We found the total water footprints of all the selected dairy products in South Africa to be higher than the global averages are. During the period of 1996–2005, South African dairy producers utilized more green water in their dairy production. The production of butter and cheese products, whether grated or not grated, powdered or not powdered, blue-veined and cheese of all kinds had the highest total water footprints among all the dairy products in South Africa. Dairy production under a sole grazing system has high water footprints and low economic water productivities, relative to mixed production systems, for the period 2006–2013. With blue water becoming scarcer in South Africa, it is time for dairy livestock producers to shift their production to a system that is highly productive and has low water footprints. The water footprints of most of the dairy products for period 2006–2013 have reduced by varying amounts, relative to 1996–2005, which shows that water users along the dairy industry chains are managing water cautiously. Our findings have revealed dairy products that have high economic water productivities, and suggest that profit maximising and environmentally sustainable dairy producers and water users should integrate both blue water sustainability and economic water productivity indicators in their production decisions.     

基于投入产出方法的甘肃省水足迹及虚拟水贸易研究

随着社会化进程的加快,地处西北内陆的甘肃省正面临日益严峻的水资源短缺危机,社会经济发展受到一定程度的制约,水生态环境也呈现出恶化的趋势。水足迹是近年来提出的衡量人类活动对于水生态系统影响的指标,能够帮助决策者制定水资源管理及保护的政策,从而实现地区水资源的可持续利用。运用单区域投入产出方法计算并分析了甘肃省1997、2002和2007年第一产业、第二产业和第三产业部门的虚拟水强度、水足迹以及虚拟水贸易情况。结果显示:(1)甘肃省第一产业的虚拟水强度最高,但呈现出逐年下降的趋势,水足迹也因此有所下降;(2)虚拟水贸易方面,甘肃省以虚拟水净出口为主,尤其是第一产业,每年虚拟水净出口量约全省总水资源量的10%。建议甘肃省继续巩固已有的节水成果,调整产业结构,大力发展节水型产业和高新技术产业。同时建议适当调整贸易格局,合理控制虚拟水出口,以缓解当地水资源短缺危机,保障地区水安全与生态安全。     

Importance of intracellular water apparent diffusion to the measurement of membrane permeability

The exchange of water across biological membranes is of fundamental significance to both animal and plant physiology. Diffusional membrane permeability (P(d)) for the Xenopus oocyte, an important model system for water channel investigation, is typically calculated from intracellular water pre-exchange lifetime, cell volume, and cell surface area. There is debate, however, whether intracellular water motion affects water lifetime, and thereby P(d). Mathematical modeling of water transport is problematic because the intracellular water diffusion rate constant (D) for cells is usually unknown. The measured permeability may be referred to as the apparent diffusional permeability, P, to acknowledge this potential error. Herein, we show that magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy can be used to measure oocyte water exchange with greater temporal resolution and higher signal-to-noise ratio than other methods. MR imaging can be used to assess both oocyte geometry and intracellular water diffusion for the same single cells. MR imaging is used to confirm the dependence of intracellular water lifetime on intracellular diffusion. A model is presented to relate intracellular lifetime to true membrane diffusional permeability. True water diffusional permeability (2.7 +/- 0.4 microm/s) is shown to be 39 +/- 6% greater than apparent diffusional permeability for 8 oocytes. This discrepancy increases with cell size and permeability (such as after water channel expression) and decreases with increasing intracellular water D.     

非均匀水势下作物根系吸水模型分析

根据土壤-根系统中水分守恒和水势对水分运输作用的原理, 建立了土壤中非均匀水势作物根系吸水模型。在该模型中, 分别对一次函数和指数函数两种不同的非均匀土壤水势的表达形式建立模型, 并对非均匀水势和均匀水势下模型的解析解之间的关系进行了探讨; 利用该模型讨论根系的吸收阻力和木质部传导阻力的比率对根吸水的影响; 运用阻力比率的合理生理范围确定根生长的优化长度。结果表明: 在特定情况下, 非均匀水势下的根系吸水模型可以用于均匀水势, 对Poiseuille公式进行修正后得到的根的优化长度接近实际值。     

The turnover of body water as an indicator of health

Water homeostasis is essential for healthy living. Body water turnover, meaning the replacement of body water that is lost in a given period of time, has been examined in a number of previous studies, and a review of their results has yielded the following findings. Children up to 15 years of age show higher body water turnover than adults, although it is not clear how the aging process influences body water. Among people of similar age, the rate of body water turnover seems to be higher in those who exercise than in those who are sedentary. Therefore we hypothesized that healthy individuals have a higher body water turnover than unhealthy individuals whose metabolic balance, as indicated by water turnover, has broken down, and that a prolonged condition of excessively slow body water turnover may be associated with a lower level of metabolism. If so, body water turnover can be an indicator of human health. However, there is a paucity of information regarding water turnover rates in individuals with various physical characteristics. This study indicates the need for further investigation of body water turnover levels associated with significant changes in physiological condition and metabolic state.     

The vibrational spectrum of water in liquid alkanes.

The water wire hypothesis of hydrogen-ion transport in lipid bilayers has prompted a search for water aggregates in bulk hydrocarbons. The asymmetric stretching vibration of the water dissolved in n-decane and in a number of other alkanes and alkenes has been observed. The water band in the alkanes is very wide and fits to the results of a J-diffusion calculation for the water rotation. This implies that the water is freely rotating between collisions with the solvent and certainly not hydrogen bonded to anything. The existence of water aggregates is thus most unlikely. In contrast, water in an alkene is hydrogen bonded to the solvent molecules (although not to other water molecules) and shows an entirely different spectrum.     

基于生态水文学原理的湖泊最小生态需水量计算

近几十年来,由于人类活动的加剧以及全球气候的变化,湖泊普遍出现了萎缩、水位下降、水量锐减、湖水盐化、水质污染、富营养化、甚至干涸消亡等状况。确保湖泊生态系统必需的最小水量是解决可能出现的湖泊严重水资源和生态系统危机的区域问题之一。从生态水文学原理出发,对湖泊最小生态需水量的概念进行了探讨,并提出了计算最小生态需水量的3种方法:1曲线相关法;2功能法;3最低生态水位法。在最低生态水位法中,其方法有最低年平均水位法和年保证率设定法。一旦湖泊最小生态需水量得以确定,将为水资源管理部门的水资源合理配置和湖泊管理提供综合性、权威性及可操作性决策依据,为退化湖泊生态系统的恢复与重建提供科学基础。     

Growth and sporulation behaviour of Penicillium roquefortii in solid substrate fermentation: effect of the hydric parameters of the medium

Both growth and sporulation increase linearly according to the initial water content of the solid substrate when Penicillium roquefortii is cultivated on buckwheat seeds. This indicates that water is the limiting factor for fungal development since neither carbon nor nitrogen sources were exhausted during these experiments. This feature validates the concept of available water for fungal growth, defined as initial water content of substrate minus its residual water content when vegetative growth stops. An efficient methodology, based on drawing a regression line of mycelium dry weight production as a function of the initial water content of substrate is presented; it allows estimation of both available water and water content of mycelium. Results show that growth stops when the residual water in the substrate is close to 0.52 g H₂O/g initial dry matter, corresponding to a water activity (a_w) close to 0.96, and that the initial water content in mycelium is near 76%. Thus, both a_w and water content of the substrate have to be taken into account during the course of solid-state cultivations.Correspondence to: C. Larroche     

基于投入产出模型的黄河“几字弯”城市群用水特征与节水关键区域

黄河“几字弯”区域是黄河流域的关键节点,是实现中西部崛起的关键区域,也是黄河流域生态环境保护和高质量发展的战略支撑。然而,缺水已经成为制约“几字弯”地区经济社会发展的最大瓶颈。利用投入产出模型,从生产侧的实体水和消费测的虚拟水出发,分析“几字弯”地区18个城市的用水量、结构变化和流入流出特征,结合生产与消费两个方面提出了“几字弯”地区城市群节水的重点区域及产业供水调整的建议。（1）“几字弯”区域虚拟水用量由2007年648.5亿m3增加至2017年778.4 亿m3,增加了20.0%,但实体水用量仅变化了-0.04%,各城市虚拟水增长类型差异较大。（2）18个城市实体水占虚拟水的比例由2007年41.7%下降至2017年34.8%,水资源利用效率逐步提高;实体水的用水大户是农业,虚拟水的用水大户是制造业和农业,服务业实体水和虚拟水用量剧增。（3）区域18个城市虚拟水流入量增长明显,但整体仍呈现出虚拟水净流出的特征。制造业虚拟水流出量均在188.9亿m3以上,流入量均不足108.9亿m3,制造业在区域经济中具有一定的比较优势。（4）巴彦淖尔、中卫、吴忠、石嘴山和白银市是“几字弯”18个城市中重点节水的对象。在这些城市中,农业用水比重较大,产出较低,农业是今后节水的重点。鄂尔多斯、包头、石嘴山、乌海制造业具有比较优势,巴彦淖尔的农业用水系数远远高于18个城市的平均值,需要控制其农业用水。对于鄂尔多斯、包头、石嘴山、乌海、巴彦淖尔5市,需要向当地的优势产业制造业和服务业进行供水倾斜、提高比较优势。     

Influence of water clustering on the dynamics of hydration water at the surface of a lysozyme

Dynamics of hydration water at the surface of a lysozyme molecule is studied by computer simulations at various hydration levels in relation with water clustering and percolation transition. Increase of the translational mobility of water molecules at the surface of a rigid lysozyme molecule upon hydration is governed by the water-water interactions. Lysozyme dynamics strongly affect translational motions of water and this dynamic coupling is maximal at hydration levels, corresponding to the formation of a spanning water network. Anomalous diffusion of hydration water does not depend on hydration level up to monolayer coverage and reflects spatial disorder. Rotational dynamics of water molecules show stretched exponential decay at low hydrations. With increasing hydration, we observe appearance of weakly bound water molecules with bulklike rotational dynamics, whose fraction achieves 20-25% at the percolation threshold.     

Hydrogen-bond dynamics of water in presence of an amphiphile,tetramethylurea: signature of confinement-induced effects

Various experimental and simulation studies have suggested that the presence of amphiphilic molecules in aqueous solutions substantially perturbs the tetrahedral hydrogen-bond (H-bond) network of neat liquid water. Such structural perturbation is expected to impact H-bond lifetime of liquid water. Tetramethylurea (TMU) is an example of an amphiphile because it possesses both hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties. Molecular dynamics simulations of (water+TMU) binary mixtures at various compositions have been performed in order to investigate the microscopic mechanism through which the amphiphiles influence the H-bond dynamics of liquid water at room temperature. Present simulations indicate lengthening of both water–water H-bond lifetime and H-bond structural relaxation time upon addition of TMU in aqueous solution. At the highest TMU mole fraction studied, H-bond lifetime and structural relaxation time are, respectively, ～4 and ～8 times longer than those in neat water. This is comparable with the slowing down of H-bond dynamics for water molecules confined in cyclodextrin cavities. Simulated relaxation profiles are multi-exponential in character at all mixture compositions, and simulated radial distribution functions suggest enhanced water–water and water–TMU interactions upon addition of TMU. No evidence for complete encapsulation of TMU by water H-bond network has been found.     

植物水分传输过程中的调控机制研究进展

农田土壤水分的转化利用与调控是以土壤-植物-大气连续体(SPAC)为基础,以植物为核心,其中水分在植物体内的传输与调控研究一直是国际学术研究的前沿性热点课题。本文概述了植物水分传输的驱动力和传输途径,重点从植物的气孔调节、水容调节、渗透调节、水孔蛋白调节、贮水调节、气穴和栓塞调节等方面综述了植物水分传输过程中的调控机制研究进展。通过对植物存在优化调控水分平衡的潜在能力的研究,不仅可充实SPAC系统水分传输理论,而且有助于明确植物对环境的适应机制和高效用水的潜力及其节水调控的效应,对指导干旱半干旱地区农业生产提供理论依据。     

封丘地区小麦耗水量与水分利用率研究

根据水量平衡方程式计算,雨养麦田5个试验麦季的耗水量分别为435.5、326.0、293.8、277.2和365.9mm,可代表该区过湿、一般和干旱年份的小麦耗水量.研究结果表明,小麦地上部分生物量与其总耗水量的相关关系不显着(r=0.67).在耗水量中,土壤储水的贡献占50%.在降雨少而土壤储水丰足的年份,其贡献高达60%,是小麦水分的重要来源.在充分施肥条件下,5个麦季的水分利用率≥11.25kg·ha^-1·mm^-1,表明适当增加肥料投入可提高农田水分利用率.     

白洋淀最低生态水位研究

由于自然条件的变化、工农业的不合理开发、人口的剧增以及水库和涵闸水利设施的盲目建设等,引发了白洋淀一系列生态环境问题,主要表现为干淀、水污染、生态环境退化、泥沙淤积、湖泊萎缩以及航运中断等。恢复和重建已遭破坏的白洋淀湿地生态系统,并使其至少维持在最低生态水位上是至关重要的问题。在分析白洋淀生态系统功能的基础上,利用水量面积法、最低年平均水位法、年保证率设定法和功能法等4种方法对其最低生态水位进行分析和计算,计算结果分别为7.32 m、7.33m、7.2 8m和7.2 7m。通过合理性分析,认为取它们的平均值即7.30 m作为白洋淀最低生态水位是合理的,符合白洋淀实际情况。     

Water status of isolated Negev desert populations of Acacia raddiana with different mortality levels

Many populations of native Acacia raddiana trees in ephemeral riverbeds in the Negev desert are suffering from high mortality. Road-building techniques that cut off water to trees in downstream populations and the pumping of aquifers for agriculture have been mooted as causes of this mortality. We studied the water relations of nine isolated populations of these trees using a pressure chamber and stable carbon isotopes in order to determine whether current water stress could be the cause of this mortality. High mortality populations had more negative water potentials, lower relative water contents, and lower cell water volumes at full turgor than low mortality populations. Thus, mortality is correlated with current inter-population differences in water stress. However, there was no difference in water potentials between trees upstream and downstream of roads. Furthermore, greater water stress in trees after a dry winter than in the previous summer indicates that these trees are largely drawing on surface floods for water. Thus, road-building practices and aquifer pumping are unlikely causes of current water stress. Hence, water stress is linked to mortality in these trees, although our results indicate that irregular water stress (perhaps in drought years only) is probably the cause of this mortality.     

Interaction of water with egg lecithin in benzene solution

Benzene solutions of purified egg lecithin, with small amounts of water added, have been examined by 60 MHz and 100 MHz NMR spectroscopy, infrared spectrophotometry and phase contrast microscopy. The transverse relaxation times of the water, N-methyl and OH protons are dependent on water concentration. This dependence changes sharply for the water proton at a level of one water molecule per lecithin monohydrate molecule. These results do not fully agree with those reported by other workers. Four mathematical models are examined which could account for the behaviour of the water protons. Models which assume a constant transverse relaxation time for water protons above a level of one water molecule per lecithin molecule cannot predict the behaviour observed. It is sufficient to assume that water protons above this concentration have a single relaxation time which is a linear function of water concentration. The added water associates primarily with the phosphate in the lecithin head group. Above nine water molecules per lecithin monohydrate molecule free water is present in the system.