Mimicking the Ice Recrystallization Activity of Biological Antifreezes. When is a New Polymer “Active”?

Antifreeze proteins and ice‐binding proteins have been discovered in a diverse range of extremophiles and have the ability to modulate the growth and formation of ice crystals. Considering the importance of cryoscience across transport, biomedicine, and climate science, there is significant interest in developing synthetic macromolecular mimics of antifreeze proteins, in particular to reproduce their property of ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI). This activity is a continuum rather than an “on/off” property and there may be multiple molecular mechanisms which give rise to differences in this observable property; the limiting concentrations for ice growth vary by more than a thousand between an antifreeze glycoprotein and poly(vinyl alcohol), for example. The aim of this article is to provide a concise comparison of a range of natural and synthetic materials that are known to have IRI, thus providing a guide to see if a new synthetic mimic is active or not, including emerging materials which are comparatively weak compared to antifreeze proteins, but may have technological importance. The link between activity and the mechanisms involving either ice binding or amphiphilicity is discussed and known materials assigned into classes based on this.     

渤海近岸水体后向散射系数反演模型

水体后向散射系数bb是重要的海洋光学参数,在以悬浮物为主要组分的浑浊二类水体中,其对于水体光学性质起着决定性的作用,该参数的遥感反演对于海洋光学与水色遥感研究具有重要意义.利用2005年渤海近岸水体实测数据集,建立了基于水体遥感反射率光谱数据的后向散射系数bb(λ)经验反演模型(λ=442 nm,488 nm,532 nm,589 nm,676 nm),经实测数据检验,bb(442)和bb(589)反演平均相对误差约为30%;bb(488)和bb(676)反演半均相对误差优于40%;bb(532)反演半均相埘误差约为57%.通过分析模型对于输入误差的敏感性发现,当输入端引入±5%的误差时,模型反演值的误差波动在绝大多数情形下可控制在±10%以内,模型足稳定可靠的.模型适用于渤海近岸浑浊水体,可用丁水体光学参数的时空分布特征分析以及基丁固有光学参数的水色组分遥感反演.     

海底沉积物声特性与海水深度变化关系的研究

海底沉积物声特性的实验室测量结果,相对原位直接测量,将由于测量环境的改变而发生变化。其中海水深度(压强)的改变是影响海底沉积物声传播速度、声传播衰减系数的因素之一。文章以现有海底沉积物纵波传播速度理论为依据,分析了海水深度(压强)影响海底沉积物声传播速度、声传播衰减系数的原因;设计了海底沉积物声特性实验室仿真测量系统,并根据实验数据获得海水深度(压强)影响海底沉积物声传播速度、声传播衰减系数的变化规律。     

Chemical Composition and Potential Practical Application of 15 Red Algal Species from the White Sea Coast (the Arctic Ocean)

Though numerous valuable compounds from red algae already experience high demand in medicine, nutrition, and different branches of industry, these organisms are still recognized as an underexploited resource. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition of 15 Arctic red algal species from the perspective of their practical relevance in medicine and the food industry. We show that several virtually unstudied species may be regarded as promising sources of different valuable metabolites and minerals. Thus, several filamentous ceramialean algae (Ceramium virgatum, Polysiphonia stricta, Savoiea arctica) had total protein content of 20–32% of dry weight, which is comparable to or higher than that of already commercially exploited species (Palmaria palmata, Porphyra sp.). Moreover, ceramialean algae contained high amounts of pigments, macronutrients, and ascorbic acid. Euthora cristata (Gigartinales) accumulated free essential amino acids, taurine, pantothenic acid, and floridoside. Thalli of P. palmata and C. virgatum contained the highest amounts of the nonproteinogenic amino acid β-alanine (9.1 and 3.2 μM g⁻¹ DW, respectively). Several red algae tend to accumulate heavy metals; although this may limit their application in the food industry, it makes them promising candidates for phytoremediation or the use as bioindicators.     

An identification method to estimate surface shortwave fluxes on temperature and thickness observations of sea ice in CHINARE 2006

In this paper, a parameter identification method to determine surface shortwave fluxes using temperature and thickness measurements of sea ice in CHINARE 2006 is presented. Adopting a new standard for the calculation of the thermodynamic properties of seawater named TEOS‐10, the surface shortwave fluxes are calculated by the temperature and thickness observations that were measured at Nella Fjord around Zhongshan Station, Antarctica. New simulations for temperature profiles in a different measurement period are performed by three parameterization schemes including the present method, Zillman and Shine. All numerical results are compared with in situ measurements. Results show that better simulations of the surface shortwave radiations and temperature distributions are possible with the identification method than Zillman and Shine. Therefore this method is valid, and the obtained shortwave radiation function can be applied in sea ice modeling. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rare earth elements determined in Antarctic ice by inductively coupled plasma--time of flight, quadrupole and sector field-mass spectrometry: An inter-comparison study

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a suitable tool for multi-element analysis at low concentration levels. Rare earth element (REE) determinations in standard reference materials and small volumes of molten ice core samples from Antarctica have been performed with an ICP-time of flight-MS (ICP-TOF-MS) system. Recovery rates for REE in e.g. SPS-SW1 amounted to ∼103%, and the relative standard deviations were 3.4% for replicate analysis at REE concentrations in the lower ng L⁻¹ range. Analyses of REE concentrations in Antarctic ice core samples showed that the ICP-TOF-MS technique meets the demands of restricted sample mass. The data obtained are in good agreement with ICP-Quadrupole-MS (ICP-Q-MS) and ICP-Sector Field-MS (ICP-SF-MS) results. The ICP-TOF-MS system determines accurately and precisely REE concentrations exceeding 5 ng L⁻¹ while between 0.5 and 5 ng L⁻¹ accuracy and precision are element dependent.     

Study of interactions of concentrated marine dissolved organic matter with copper and zinc by pseudopolarography

The interaction of dissolved organic matter (DOM) with copper and zinc in a concentrated seawater sample was characterised by pseudopolarography. Measurements performed at increased concentrations of copper(II) ions showed successive saturation of active DOM sites which indicate possible partition of copper between (i) free or labile complexes, (ii) reduced and released within the potential window of the method, and (iii) electroinactive copper complexes. Pseudopolarograms measured at pH 4 indicate a release of copper which was bound to the active sites of DOM that formed non-labile complexes. Variation of the peak position and half-peak width along the scanned deposition potentials and with the increasing concentration of copper bear the information about the complex electrochemical processes at the electrode surface and in the bulk of the solution. Pseudopolarograms of zinc showed a strong dependence of the peak current and the peak position along the scanned deposition potentials on pH values, indicating preferentially complexation of zinc with carboxylic-like active sites of DOM in the measured sample. Pseudopolarography is a valuable method in the trace metal complexation and speciation studies, serving as a fingerprint of the analysed sample.     

基于介质温度数值分布规律的冰盖厚度检测分析方法

针对水文预报领域冰层厚度检测过程中对空气与冰层、冰层与冰下水层的分界点难以判断的难题,提出了一种基于介质温度数值分布规律的冰层厚度检测分析方法.新方法在对空气与冰层、冰层与冰下水层的分界点进行分析判断时采用了聚类分析思想,通过采用改进属性归类规则的K-means算法,对采集到的空气、冰与水不同介质的温度数值分布数据进行分类,并对各自属性的温度梯度分布数据集合进行线性拟合,从各拟合曲线交点可以获得空气与冰层、冰层与冰下水层的分界点,进而计算出冰层厚度数值.采用这一方法对2014.12-2015.3内蒙包头黄河河道冰情采集数据进行分析,证明了新方法的可行性.     

松花江冰下声学试验技术研究

北极区域极具战略意义与商业价值,随着各国的广泛关注,针对北极地区开展的科考科研活动逐渐增多。其中北极海域的相关研究尤为重要,特别是北极水声学,是保障北极军事存在以及正常科考科研活动的重要支撑。课题组于2015年1月在哈尔滨松花江进行了冰下声学试验,主要内容包括冰下信道测试、冰层散射系数测量以及冰下水声通信试验,实现了冰下半波导现象的初步观测、冰层前向散射系数的测量、基于能量检测器的低信噪比扩频通信、基于时反镜判决反馈均衡技术的高速水声通信以及冰下12用户多址水声通信等内容。本文对本次冰下声学试验情况进行介绍,并给出了相应的试验结果及经验总结。