A compartmented soil-glass bead culture system was used to investigate characteristics of iron plaque and arsenic accumulation and speciation in mature rice plants with different capacities of forming iron plaque on their roots. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra and extended X-ray absorption fine structure were utilized to identify the mineralogical characteristics of iron plaque and arsenic sequestration in plaque on the rice roots. Iron plaque was dominated by (oxyhydr)oxides, which were composed of ferrihydrite (81-100%), with a minor amount of goethite (19%) fitted in one of the samples. Sequential extraction and XANES data showed that arsenic in iron plaque was sequestered mainly with amorphous and crystalline iron (oxyhydr)oxides, and that arsenate was the predominant species. There was significant variation in iron plaque formation between genotypes, and the distribution of arsenic in different components of mature rice plants followed the following order: iron plaque > root > straw > husk > grain for all genotypes. Arsenic accumulation in grain differed significantly among genotypes. Inorganic arsenic and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were the main arsenic species in rice grain for six genotypes, and there were large genotypic differences in levels of DMA and inorganic arsenic in grain.

A fraction of the heavily reddened quasars require a reddening curve which is even steeper than that of the Small Magellanic Cloud. In this paper, we thoroughly characterize the anomalously steep reddening law in quasars, via an exceptional example observed in IRAS 14026+4341. By comparing the observed spectrum to the quasar composite spectrum, we derive a reddening curve in the rest-frame wavelength range of 1200Å-10000Å. It is featured with a steep rise at wavelengths shorter than 3000Å, but no significant reddening at longer wavelengths. The absence of dust reddening in optical continuum is confirmed by the normal broad-line Balmer decrement (the Hα/Hβ ratio) in IRAS 14026+4341. The anomalous reddening curve can be satisfactorily reproduced by a dust model containing silicate grains in a power-law size distribution, dn(a)/da ∝ a −1.4 , truncated at a maximum size a max = 70 nm. The unusual size distribution may be caused by the destruction of large "stardust" grains by quasar activities or a different dust formation mechanism (i.e., the in situ formation of dust grains in quasar outflows). It is also possible that the analogies of the dust grains observed toward the Galactic center is responsible for the steep reddening curve. In addition, we find that IRAS 14026+4341 is a weak emission-line quasar (i.e., PHL 1811 analogies) with heavy dust reddening and blueshifted broad absorption lines.

SDSS J163459.82+204936.0 is a local (z = 0.1293) infrared-luminous quasar with L IR = 10 11.91 L ⊙ . We present a detailed multiwavelength study of both the host galaxy and the nucleus. The host galaxy, appearing as an early-type galaxy in the optical images and spectra, demonstrates violent, obscured star formation activities with SFR ≈ 140M ⊙ yr −1 , estimated from either the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission or IR luminosity. The optical to NIR spectra exhibit a blueshifted narrow cuspy component in Hβ, He I λλ5876,10830 and other emission lines consistently with an offset velocity of ≈ 900 km s −1 , as well as additional blueshifting phenomena in high-ionization lines (e.g., a blueshifted broad component of He Iλ10830 and the bulk blueshifting of [O III]λ5007), while there exist blueshifted broad absorption lines (BALs) in Na I D and He Iλλ3889, 10830, indicative of the active galactic nucleus (AGN) outflows producing BALs and emission lines. Constrained mutually by the several BALs in the photoionization simulations with Cloudy, the physical properties of the absorption line outflow are derived as follows: density 10 4 < n H 10 5 cm −3 , ionization parameter 10 −1.3 U 10 −0.7 and column density 10 22.5 N H 10 22.9 cm −2 , which are similar to those derived for the emission line outflows. This similarity suggests a common origin. Taking advantages of both the absorption lines and outflowing emission lines, we find that the outflow gas is located at a distance of ∼ 48 -65 pc from the nucleus, and that the kinetic luminosity of the outflow is 10 44 -10 46 erg s −1 . J1634+2049 has a off-centered galactic ring on the scale of ∼ 30 kpc that is proved to be formed by a recent head-on collision by a nearby galaxy for which we spectroscopically measure the redshift. Thus, this quasar is a valuable object in the transitional phase emerging out of dust enshrouding as depicted by the co-evolution scenario invoking galaxy merger (or violent interaction) and quasar feedback. Its proximity enables our further observational investigations in detail (or tests) of the co-evolution paradigm.

The existence of intermediate-width emission line regions (IELRs) in active galactic nuclei has been discussed for over two decades. A consensus, however, is yet to be arrived at due to the lack of convincing evidence for their detection. We present a detailed analysis of the broadband spectrophotometry of the partially obscured quasar OI 287. The ultraviolet intermediate-width emission lines (IELs) are very prominent, in high contrast to the corresponding broad emission lines (BELs) which are heavily suppressed by dust reddening. Assuming that the IELR is virialized, we estimated its distance to the central black hole to be ∼2.9 pc, similar to the dust sublimation radius of ∼1.3 pc. Photo-ionization calculations suggest that the IELR has a hydrogen density of ∼10 8.8 -10 9.4 cm −3 , within the range of values quoted for the dusty torus near the sublimation radius. Both its inferred location and physical conditions suggest that the IELR originates from the inner surface of the dusty torus. In the spectrum of this quasar, we identified only one narrow absorption-line system associated with the dusty material. With the aid of photo-ionization model calculations, we found that the obscuring material might originate from an outer region of the dusty torus. We speculate that the dusty torus, which is exposed to the central ionizing source, may produce IELs through photo-ionization processes, as well as obscure BELs as a natural "coronagraph." Such a "coronagraph" could be found in a large number of partially obscured quasars and may be a useful tool to study IELRs.

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We report the identification of an unusual absorption-line system in the quasar SDSS J080248.18 + 551328.9 and present a detailed study of the system, incorporating follow-up optical and near-IR spectroscopy. A few tens of absorption lines are detected, including He i*, Fe ii*, and Ni ii*, which arise from metastable or excited levels, as well as resonant lines in Mg i, Mg ii, Fe ii, Mn ii, and Ca ii. All of the isolated absorption lines show the same profile of width Δv ∼ 1500 km s −1 centered at a common redshift as that of the quasar emission lines, such as [O ii], [S ii], and hydrogen Paschen and Balmer series. With narrow Balmer lines, strong optical Fe ii multiplets, and weak [O iii] doublets, its emission-line spectrum is typical for that of a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1). We have derived reliable measurements of the gas-phase column densities of the absorbing ions/levels. Photoionization modeling indicates that the absorber has a density of n H ∼ (1.0-2.5) × 10 5 cm −3 and a column density of N H ∼ (1.0-3.2) × 10 21 cm −2 and is located at R ∼ 100-250 pc from the central supermassive black hole. The location of the absorber, the symmetric profile of the absorption lines, and the coincidence of the absorptionand emission-line centroid jointly suggest that the absorption gas originates from the host galaxy and is plausibly accelerated by stellar processes, such as stellar winds and/or supernova explosions. The implications for the detection of such a peculiar absorption-line system in an NLS1 are discussed in the context of coevolution between supermassive black hole growth and host galaxy buildup.

Summary Although the effect of experimental warming on soil microorganisms has been well documented at surface horizons, less is known about its influence in subsurface horizons. An experiment was therefore carried out in an alpine meadow on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau to examine the responses of microbial communities to experimental warming at five soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50 cm). Plots were passively warmed for 3 years in open‐top chambers and compared with adjacent control plots at ambient temperature. Soil microbial communities were assessed by using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Our results showed clearly that 3 years of experimental warming increased microbial biomass consistently and significantly throughout the upper 50‐cm soil profiles, as indicated by the changes in both microbial biomass carbon (C) and total PLFA contents. The composition of microbial communities was also affected significantly by warming, but its effect depended on soil depth. While warming induced a community shift towards bacteria at the 0–10‐cm depth, it tended to shift microbial communities towards fungi at the other, deeper, layers. These results indicate that warming had strong effects on soil microbial communities, including even those residing in subsurface horizons, which may help us to understand the microbial mediation of the feedback between terrestrial C cycling and climate warming.

The accretion of interstellar medium onto the central super massive black holes is widely accepted as the source of the gigantic energy released by the active galactic nuclei. But few pieces of observational evidence have been confirmed directly demonstrating the existence of the inflows. The absorption line system in the spectra of quasar SDSS J112526.12+002901.3 presents an interesting example, in which the rarely detected hydrogen Balmer and metastable He I absorption lines are found redshifted to the quasar's rest frame along with the low-ionization metal absorption lines Mg II, Fe II, etc. The repeated SDSS spectroscopic observations suggest a transverse velocity smaller than the radial velocity. The motion of the absorbing medium is thus dominated by infall. The He I* lines present a powerful probe to the strength of ionizing flux, while the Balmer lines imply a dense environment. With the help of photoionization simulations, we find the absorbing medium is exposed to the radiation with ionization parameter U ≈ 10 −1.8 , and the density is n(H) ≈ 10 9 cm −3 . Thus the absorbing medium is located ∼ 4 pc away from the central engine. According to the similarity in the distance and physical conditions between the absorbing medium and the torus, we strongly propose the absorption line system as a candidate for the accretion inflow which originates from the inner surface of the torus.