Chinese Journal of Nature

Major Catastrophes on the Scales of Celestial Objects:Big Bang Origin of the Universe

ZHAO Jun-liang

2011, 33(4): 187-191. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.001

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At present the bigbang cosmology was accepted by most of astronomers to interpret the origin and evolution of the Universe, which was supported by a number of important observational facts, such as cosmic expansion, microwave background radiation and cosmic helium abundance. The bigbang may be regarded as a cosmic catastrophic event on the largest scale, which leads to the formation of various kinds of celestial objects including stars and galaxies and their evolution during the following 13 billion years or longer.

Progress in Biological Effects and Safety Assessment of Nanomaterials

LIU Yuan-fang, CHEN Xin-xin, WANG Hai-fang

2011, 33(4): 192-197. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.002

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The sustainable development of nanotechnology requires the comprehensive understanding on the safety of nanomaterials. Since 2004, researches on the biological effects and safety evaluation of nanomaterials have been developing rapidly and grown to an interdisciplinary field, nanotoxicology. The safety issue of nanotechnology attracts the attentions of the academic, enterprise, government and public. The authors described the urgency and importance of safety evaluation on nanomaterials, and focused on the latest progress related to nano-product, workplace and environment. In addition, a brief discussion on the standardization in nanotechnology, the nano-ethics and the risk management of nanotechnology was presented.

Growth Mechanism, Structural Regulation and Energy-Oriented Functionalization of Carbon-Based Nanotubes

HU Zheng

2011, 33(4): 198-201. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.003

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This article presents a brief introduction about the six-membered-ring-based growth mechanism of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with benzene precursor. The mechanism was successfully applied to the design and synthesis of N- or B-doped CNTs with corresponding heterocyclic precursors. The doped CNTs can act as the unique supports for the convenient construction of Pt-based nanocomposite catalysts with high dispersion, which show superior performance in electrocatalytic reactions of methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction. It is also revealed that doping with either electron-rich N or electron-deficient B could turn CNTs into the novel metal-free catalyst for oxygen reduction with excellent performance. These progresses provide the new idea and method for the design and development of the advanced electrocatalysts to make full use of or even substitute for the precious Pt species, which exhibits the great potential of carbon-based nanotubes in energy material field. The significance of the basic research on scientific innovation was also demonstrated through this study.

Chemistry is the Driving Force of Social Development

ZHOU Gong-du

2011, 33(4): 202-207. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.004

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This article is extracted from author’s book—What is Chemistry. In this article, the contributions of chemistry to social development, environment protection, and daily lives are presented with the aim of improving the understanding of chemistry to the public. The topics involve: human evolvement promoted by firerelated “chemical activities”, the exploit and usage of petroleum, the research and production of glass, environment and chemistry, the chemical modification of artemisinin.

New Advances in Study of Animal Behavior (I): Foraging in Bees

SHANG Yu-chang

2011, 33(4): 208-210. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.005

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Mushroom bodies play a central role in spatial navigation and foraging behavior in bees. The researchers found that the mushroom bodies of foragers were 14.8 percent larger than those of the other groups (one-day bees and nurses). This is a particularly striking finding because the relative volume of other nerve clusters in the honeybee brains remained relatively unchanged. Over the last few years, with the explosion of molecular genetic technology, a much more detailed picture of genes, mRNA abundance in the brain, and foraging in bees were emerged. In a largescale study of 5 500 genes, Charles found that changes in mRNA levels associated with 39 percent of these genes were involved in the transition from hive work to foraging behavior in bees. Octopamine (a neurohormone) was linked to the increased foraging activity in bees. It showed that octopamine modulateed learning and memory in bees, and also affected their visual, olfactory, and gustatory sense. Foraging bees have more octopamine in their brains than nurse bees, and this hormone reaches its highest concentration when a bee switches from nest-bound activities to foraging activities.

Prospect of a New Structure SiC MESFETs Fabricated by Ion-Implantation

WANG Shou-guo, ZHANG Yan

2011, 33(4): 211-215. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.006

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Fluctuation of the Human Cellular and Molecular Network：Viscera Fluctuation

LIU De-lin, SUN Bao-jun, GENG Zhi

2011, 33(4): 216-221. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.007

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Emergence, Development and Usage of Geologic Maps

CHEN Ke-qiang

2011, 33(4): 222-230. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.008

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Smith William(1769—1839), a British land surveyor（British stratigrapher, who laid the earliest foundation of British stratigraphy）, he compiled and published the first geologic map of England and Wales based on the “Principle of fossil correlation” in 1815. In this geologic map, he showed lithostratigraphic units, fossils, and geologic age etc., which established a foundation of modern geologic map. In the past 150 years, this traditional method of geological mapping(named Smith’s method) was used until 1976,when International Stratigraphic Guide was issued by ISSC. The new method, which was developed from the tradition one, consists of the multiple classification of stratigraphic units, ubiquity of diachronism for lithostratigraphic units etc., as well as digital geologic map and digital geological mapping widely being used today. Geologic map has a giant contribution to human social economic construction and culture development.

Advance in Enzymatic DNA Synthesis

XIANG Yi-he

2011, 33(4): 231-238. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.009

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Devoting to the Beauty of Science: Brief Analysis of Marie Curie’s Way to Success

DAI Shi-qiang

2011, 33(4): 239-241. doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2011.04.010

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