Morphological and ultrastructural changes in tobacco BY-2 cells exposed to microcystin-RR

Tobacco BY-2 cells were exposed to microcystin-RR (MC-RR) at two concentrations, 60 mu g mL(-1) and 120 mu g mL(-1), to study the changes in morphology and ultrastructure of cells as a result of the exposure. Exposure to the lower concentration for 5 d led to typical apoptotic morphological changes including condensation of nuclear chromatin, creation of a characteristic 'half moon' structure, and cytoplasm shrinkage and decreased cell volume, as revealed through light microscopy. fluorescence microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Exposure to the higher concentration, on the other hand, led to morphological and ultrastructural changes typical of necrosis, such as rupture of the plasma membrane and the nuclear membrane and a marked swelling of cells. The presence of many vacuoles containing unusual deposits points to the involvement of vacuoles in detoxifying MC-RR. Results of the present study indicate that exposure of tobacco BY-2 cells to MC-RR at a lower concentration (60 mu g mL(-1)) results in apoptosis and that to a higher concentration (120 mu g mL(-1)), in necrosis. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seasonal pattern of reproduction of Hizikia fusiformis (Sargassaceae, Phaeophyta) from Nanao Island, Shantou, China

The maturation pattern of sexual reproduction in Hizikia fusiformis (Harvey) Okamura (Sargassaceae, Phaeaophyta) was examined in 2003 at Yunao Bay, Nanao Island, Shantou, China. Maturation began in mid-April (seawater temperature 19-21 degrees C), reached the peak in mid-May (maturation rate ca. 70%, and seawater temperature 23.5-25 degrees C) and finished in late-June (seawater temperature 27.5-30 degrees C). The Hizikia plants continued to gain the length from the beginning of maturation season to reach a maximum mean length of 34.8 cm in mid-May, after which the mean length was reduced drastically due to the senescence and rupture of the larger plants in size. The major portion of the mature plants belonged to the larger plants between April and May, but to the smaller ones in June. It is suggested that the plant must achieve a critical size before reproductive maturation occurred. There was a positive relationship between the number of receptacles (NR), as well as the reproductive allocation (RA), and the plant size of Hizikia population, with the recorded maximum values of NR and RA being 1220 and 64.3% respectively, for a single plant.

Culture of the terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc flagelliforme (Cyanophyceae), under aquatic conditions

Both colonies and free-living cells of the terrestrial cyanobacterium, Nostoc flagelliforme (Berk. & Curtis) Bornet & Flahault, were cultured under aquatic conditions to develop the techniques for the cultivation and restoration of this endangered resource. The colonial filaments disintegrated with their sheaths ruptured in about 2 days without any desiccating treatments. Periodic desiccation played an important role in preventing the alga from decomposing, with greater delays to sheath rupture with a higher frequency of exposure to air. The bacterial numbers in the culture treated with seven periods of desiccation per day were about 50% less compared with the cultures without the desiccation treatment. When bacteria in the culture were controlled, the colonial filaments did not disintegrate and maintained the integrity of their sheath for about 20 days even without the desiccation treatments, indicating the importance of desiccation for N. flagelliforme to prevent them from being disintegrated by bacteria. On the other hand, when free-living cells obtained from crushed colonial filaments were cultured in liquid medium, they developed into single filaments with sheaths, within which multiple filaments were formed later on as a colony. Such colonial filaments were developed at 15, 25, and 30degreesC at either 20 or 60 mumol photons.m(-2).s(-1); colonies did not develop at 180 mumol photons.m(-2).s(-1), though this light level resulted in the most rapid growth of the cells. Conditions of 60 mumol photons.m(-2).s(-1) and 25degrees C appeared to result in the best colonial development and faster growth of the sheath-held colonies of N. flagelliforme when cultured indoor under aquatic conditions.

Nanoadhesion of a Power-Law Graded Elastic Material

The Dugdale-Barenblatt model is used to analyze the adhesion of graded elastic materials at the nanoscale with Young's modulus E varying with depth z according to a power law E = E-0(z/c(0))(k) (0 < k < 1) while Poisson's ratio v remains a constant, where E-0 is a referenced Young's modulus, k is the gradient exponent and c(0) is a characteristic length describing the variation rate of Young's modulus. We show that, when the size of a rigid punch becomes smaller than a critical length, the adhesive interface between the punch and the graded material detaches due to rupture with uniform stresses, rather than by crack propagation with stress concentration. The critical length can be reduced to the one for isotropic elastic materials only if the gradient exponent k vanishes.

Evolution of Localized Damage Zone in Heterogeneous Media

Evolution of localized damage zone is a key to catastrophic rupture in heterogeneous materials. In the present article, the evolutions of strain fields of rock specimens are investigated experimentally. The observed evolution of fluctuations and autocorrelations of strain fields under uniaxial compression demonstrates that the localization of deformation always appears ahead of catastrophic rupture. In particular, the localization evolves pronouncedly with increasing deformation in the rock experiments. By means of the definition of the zone with high strain rate and likely damage localization, it is found that the size of the localized zone decreases from the sample size at peak load to an eventual value. Actually, the deformation field beyond peak load is bound to suffer bifurcation, namely an elastic unloading part and a continuing but localized damage part will co-exist in series in a specimen. To describe this continuous bifurcation and localization process observed in experiments, a model on continuum mechanics is developed. The model can explain why the decreasing width of localized zone can lead stable deformation to unstable, but it still has not provided the complete equations governing the evolution of the localized zone.

Metallic glass nanofilms

In this paper, we report for the first time the spontaneous formation of Zr-based metallic glass nanofilms by developed dynamic forced-shear-rupture technique of hat-shaped specimens. The obtained nanofilms have about 100 nm thickness and other two geometrical dimensions can reach micrometer scales. Their glassy nature and structural stability were solidly identified. It was found that electrons with the wavelength of less than 0.165 Å could make the metallic glass nanofilms transparent. Furthermore, it is clearly shown that shearbanding instability still afflicts such 100-nm-thick metallic glass nanofilms.

Study on Mechanics Parameters of Unloaded Rock Mass about the Underground Powerhouse of Jin-ping Hydroelectric Station

After the excavation of Jinping underground cavern, a strong expansion appears along the unloading direction of the rock mass, mainly in the type of tensile rupture, accompanied by shear destruction, unloading resulted in significant deterioration of mechanical properties of rock. Based on the in-site investigation of rock mass structure, via analyzing the acoustic testing data, we identify the unloading range of the side walls and the division of rock types, and carry out with the solution of rock mechanical parameters about different unloading zone, providing geological foundation for the supporting design of the following design of the side walls, at the same time, providing reference for the selection of mechanical parameters of other underground excavation engineering with similar geological conditions.

Experimental studies of the dissociative recombination of CD3CDOD+ and CH3CH2OH2+

Aims. We determine branching fractions, cross sections and thermal rate constants for the dissociative recombination of CD3CDOD+ and CH3CH2OH2+ at the low relative kinetic energies encountered in the interstellar medium. Methods. The experiments were carried out by merging an ion and electron beam at the heavy ion storage ring CRYRING, Stockholm, Sweden. Results. Break-up of the CCO structure into three heavy fragments is not found for either of the ions. Instead the CCO structure is retained in 23 +/- 3% of the DR reactions of CD3CDOD+ and 7 +/- 3% in the DR of CH3CH2OH2+, whereas rupture into two heavy fragments occurs in 77 +/- 3% and 93 +/- 3% of the DR events of the respective ions. The measured cross sections were fitted between 1-200 meV yielding the following thermal rate constants and cross-section dependencies on the relative kinetic energy: sigma(E-cm[eV]) = 1.7 +/- 0.3 x 10(-15)(Ecm[eV])(-1.23 +/- 0.02) cm(2) and k(T) = 1.9 +/- 0.4 x 10(-6)(T/300)-0.73 +/- 0.02 cm(3) s(-1) for CH3CH2OH2+ as well as k(T) = 1.1 +/- 0.4 x 10(-6)(T/300)(-0.74 +/- 0.05) cm(3) s(-1) and s(Ecm[eV]) = 9.2 +/- 4 x 10(-16)(Ecm[eV])-1.24 +/- 0.05 cm(2) for CD3CDOD+

A comparative study of non-oxidative pyrolysis and oxidative cracking of cyclohexane to light alkenes

Naphthene is generally considered difficult to convert in traditional pyrolysis, but the ring rupture becomes fairly easy with the presence of oxygen in the gas phase oxidative cracking of the model compound, cyclohexane. About 86.8% conversion of cyclohexane, 43.7% yield of light alkenes, 6.6% yield of benzene and 14.3% yield of CO could be obtained at 750 degreesC, at which temperature the pyrolysis of cyclohexane was negligible, while at 850 degreesC, the total yield of alkenes, benzene and CO was as high as 80% (50%, 12% and 18%, respectively) with 98% conversion of cyclohexane. The gas phase oxidative cracking process could be run in an autothermal way (cyclohexane/O-2 mole ratio of 0.69-0.8 in theory), which would minimize energy consumption and capital costs of the whole process. CO prevailed in the produced CO, and the yield Of CO2 was always below 1%, which means about 90% Of CO2 emission by fuel burning in pyrolysis would be saved. The gas phase oxidative cracking process appears to be an environmentally benign and efficient route for light alkene production with naphthene rich feedstocks. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Dewetting behavior of polystyrene film filled with (C6H5C2H4NH3)(2)PbI4

The dewetting behavior of thin (about 30 nm) polystyrene (PS) films filled with different amount of (C6H5C2H4NH3)(2)PbI4 (PhE-PbI4) on the silicon substrate with a native oxide layer was investigated. For different additive concentrations, PhE-PbI4 showed different spatial distributions in the PS films, which had a strong influence on the film wettability, dewetting dynamics, and mechanism. With 0.5 wt % additive, PhE-PbI4 formed a noncontinuous diffusion layer, which caused a continuous hole nucleation in the film. With about 1 wt % additive, a continuous gradient distribution layer of PhE-PbI4 formed in the film, which inhibited the dewetting.

The competition between the liquid-liquid dewetting and the liquid-solid dewetting

We investigate the dewetting behavior of the bilayer of air/PS/PMMA/silanized Si wafer and find the two competing dewetting pathways in the dewetting process. The upper layer dewets on the lower layer (dewetting pathway 1, the liquid-liquid dewetting) and the two layers rupture on the solid substrate (dewetting pathway 2, the liquid-solid dewetting). To the two competing dewetting pathways, the process of forming holes and the process of hole growth, influence their competing relation. In the process of forming holes, the time of forming holes is a main factor that influences their competing relation. During the process of hole growth, the dewetting velocity is a main factor that influences their competing relation.

Investigation of the dewetting inhibition mechanism of thin polymer films

The mechanism of inhibition of polymer film dewetting is investigated by adding a star comb-like polymer, four-arm P(S-ran-VB-g-PMMA), to PS film and PMMA film on different substrates. It is found that the mechanism of inhibition of polymer film dewetting is kinetic in nature, and is related to the miscibility between the additional compound and the polymer film. On addition to the miscible system [four-arm P(S-ran-VB-g-PMMA) and PMMA], the star comb-like polymers can increase the resistant force of dewetting with hole growth and inhibit the dewetting process of the thin polymer film by enrichment in the rim.

Autophobic Dewetting of a Poly(methyl methacrylate) Thin Film on a Silicon Wafer Treated in Good Solvent Vapor

The wettability of thin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films on a silicon wafer with a native oxide layer exposed to solvent vapors is dependent on the solvent properties. In the nonsolvent vapor, the film spread on the substrate with some protrusions generated on the film surface. In the good solvent vapor, dewetting happened. A new interface formed between the anchored PMMA chains and the swollen upper part of the film. Entropy effects caused the upper movable chains to dewet on the anchored chains. The rim instability depended on the surface tension of solvent (i.e., the finger was generated in acetone vapor (gamma(acetone) = 24 mN/m), not in dioxane vapor (gamma(dioxane) = 33 mN/m)). The spacing (lambda) that grew as an exponential function of film thickness h scaled as similar to h(1.31) whereas the mean size (D) of the resulting droplets grew linearly with h.

NOVEL COMPOSITES OF POLY(L-LACTIDE) AND SURFACE MODIFIED BIOACTIVE SiO2-CaO-P2O5 GEL NANOPARTICLES: MECHANICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES

Bioactive SiO2-CaO-P2O5 gel (BAG) nanoparticles with 40 nm in diameter were synthesized by the sol-gel route and further modified via the ring-opening polymerization of lactide on the surface of particles. Surface modified BAG (mBAG) was introduced in poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) matrix as bioactive filler. The dispersibility of mBAG in PLLA matrix was much higher than that of rough BAG particles. Tensile strength of the mBAG/PLLA composite could be increased to 61.2 MPa at 2 wt% filler content from 53.4 MPa for pure PLLA. The variation of moduli of the BAG/PLLA and mBAG/PLLA composites always showed an enhancement tendency with the increasing content of filler loading. The SEM photographs of the fracture surfaces showed that mBAG could be homogeneously dispersed in the PLLA matrix, and the corrugated deformation could absorb the rupture energy effectively during the breaking of materials. In vitro bioactivity tests showed that both BAG and mBAG particles could endow the composites with ability of the calcium sediment in SBF, but the surface modification of BAG particles could weaken this capability to some extent. Biocompatibility tests showed that both BAG and mBAG particles could facilitate the attachment and proliferation of the marrow cells on the surface of the composite.

Rim instability by solvent-induced dewetting

We study the condition of the occurrence of the rim instability in the solvent-induced dewetting process. Our experimental results show that the film thickness not only greatly influences the occurrence of the rim instability, but also influences the wavelength lambda as characterized by the undulation of the deformed contact line. The molecular weight of polymer does not almost influence the occurrence of the rim instability and the wavelength lambda. The wavelength lambda is proportional to the width of the rim in the rim instability region. The receding contact angle theta of polymer solutions on substrates in the dewetting process is an important factor to influence the rim instability in the solvent-induced dewetting.