Positive effects of continuous low nitrate levels on growth and photosynthesis of Alexandrium tamarense (Gonyaulacales, Dinophyceae)

The growth and photosynthesis of Alexandrium tamarense (Lebour) Balech in different nutrient conditions were investigated. Low nitrate level (0.0882 mmol/L) resulted in the highest average growth rate from day 0 to day 10 (4.58 x 10(2) cells mL(-1) d(-1)), but the lowest cell yield (5420 cells mL(-1)) in three nitrate level cultures. High nitrate-grown cells showed lower levels of chlorophyll a-specific and cell-specific light-saturated photosynthetic rate (P-m(chl a) and P-m(cell)), dark respiration rate (R-d(chl a) and R-d(cell)) and chlorophyll a-specific apparent photosynthetic efficiency (alpha(chl a)) than was seen for low nitrate-grown cells; whereas the cells became light saturated at higher irradiance at low nitrate condition. When cultures at low nitrate were supplemented with nitrate at 0.7938 mmol/L in late exponential growth phase, or with nitrate at 0.7938 mmol/L and phosphate at 0.072 mmol/L in stationary growth phase, the cell yield was drastically enhanced, a 7-9 times increase compared with non-supplemented control culture, achieving 43 540 cells mL(-1) and 52 300 cells mL(-1), respectively; however, supplementation with nitrate in the stationary growth phase or with nitrate and phosphate in the late exponential growth phase increased the cell yield by no more than 2 times. The results suggested that continuous low level of nitrate with sufficient supply of phosphate may facilitate the growth of A. tamarense.

Effects of CO2 concentrations on the freshwater microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus obliquus (Chlorophyta)

In order to investigate the possible impacts of increased atmospheric CO2 levels on algal growth and photosynthesis, the influence of CO2 concentration was tested on three planktonic algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and Scenedesmus obliquus). Increased CO2 concentration enhanced significantly the growth rate of all three species. Specific growth rates reached maximal values at 30, 100, and 60 muM CO2 in C. reinhardtii, C pyrenoidosa, and S. obliquus, respectively. Such significant enhancement of growth rate with enriched CO2 was also confirmed at different levels of inorganic N and P, being more profound at limiting levels of N in C pyrenoidosa and P in S. obliquus. The maximal rates of net photosynthesis, photosynthetic efficiency and light-saturating point increased significantly (p<0.05) in high-CO2-grown cells. Elevation of the CO2 levels in cultures enhanced the photoinhibition of C. reinhardtii, but reduced that of C pyrenoidosa and S. obliquus when exposed to high photon flux density. The photo-inhibited cells recovered to some extent (from 71% to 99%) when placed under dim light or in darkness, with better recovery in high-CO2-grown C. pyrenoidosa and S. obliquus. Although pH and pCO(2) effects cannot be distinguished from this study, it can be concluded that increased CO2 concentrations with decreased pH could affect the growth rate and photosynthetic physiology of C. reinhardtii, C. pyrenoidosa, and S. obliquus.

Effects of desiccation and CO2 concentrations on emersed photosynthesis in Porphyra haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta), a species farmed in China

The effects on photosynthesis of CO, and desiccation in Porphyra haitanensis were investigated to establish the effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on this alga during emersion at low tides. With enhanced desiccation, net photosynthesis, dark respiration, photosynthetic efficiency, apparent carboxylating efficiency and light saturation point decreased, while the light compensation point and CO2 compensation point increased. Emersed net photosynthesis was not saturated by the present atmospheric CO2 level (about 350 ml m(-3)). and doubling the CO2 concentration (700 ml m(-3)) increased photosynthesis by between 31% and 89% at moderate levels of desiccation. The relative enhancement of emersed net photosynthesis at 700 ml m(-3) CO2 was greater at higher temperatures and higher levels of desiccation. The photosynthetic production of Porphyra haitanensis may benefit from increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration during emersion.

Effects of CO2 enrichment on the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (Cyanophyceae): Physiological responses and relationships with the availability of dissolved inorganic carbon

Microcystis aeruginosa Kutz. 7820 was cultured at 350 and 700 muL.L-1 CO2 to assess the impacts of doubled atmospheric CO2 concentration on this bloom-forming cyanobacterium. Doubling Of CO2 concentration in the airflow enhanced its growth by 52%-77%, with pH values decreased and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) increased in the medium. Photosynthetic efficiencies and dark respiratory rates expressed per unit chl a tended to increase with the doubling of CO2. However, saturating irradiances for photosynthesis and light-saturated photosynthetic rates normalized to cell number tended to decrease with the increase of DIC in the medium. Doubling of CO2 concentration in the airflow had less effect on DIC-saturated photosynthetic rates and apparent photosynthetic affinities for DIC. In the exponential phase, CO2 and HCO3- levels in the medium were higher than those required to saturate photosynthesis. Cultures with surface aeration were DIC limited in the stationary phase. The rate of CO2 dissolution into the liquid increased proportionally when CO2 in air was raised from 350 to 700 muL.L-1, thus increasing the availability of DIC in the medium and enhancing the rate of photosynthesis. Doubled CO2 could enhance CO2 dissolution, lower pH values, and influence the ionization fractions of various DIC species even when the photosynthesis was not DIC limited. Consequently, HCO3- concentrations in cultures were significantly higher than in controls, and the photosynthetic energy cost for the operation of CO2 concentrating mechanism might decrease.

Influence of CO2, light and watering on growth of Nostoc flagelliforme mats

The terrestrial blue-green alga (cyanobacterium), Nostoc flagelliforme, was cultured in air at various levels of CO2, light and watering to see their effects on its growth. The alga showed the highest relative growth rate at the conditions of high CO2 (1500 ppm), high light regime (219-414 mu mol m(-2)s(-1)) and twice daily watering, but the lowest rate at the conditions of low light (58-114 mu mol m(-2)s(-1)) and daily twice watering. Increased watering had little effect on growth rate at 350 ppm CO2, but increased by about 70% at 1500ppm CO2 under high light conditions. It was concluded that enriched CO2 could enhance the growth of N. flagelliforme when sufficient light and water was supplied.

Light dependency of the photosynthetic recovery of Nostoc flagelliforme

PS II photochemical efficiency (F-v/F-m) of Nostoc flagelliforme was examined after rewetting in order to investigate the light-dependency of its photosynthetic recovery. F-v/F-m was not detected in the dark, but was immediately recognized in the light. Different levels of light irradiation (4, 40 and 400 mu mol photon m(2) s(-1)) displayed different effects on the recovery process of photosynthesis. The intermediate level led to the best recovery of photochemical efficiency; the low light required longer and the high light inhibited the extent of the recovered efficiency. It was concluded that the photosynthetic recovery of N. flagelliforme is both light-dependent and influenced by photon flux density.

UV-sensitive P compounds: Release mechanism, seasonal fluctuation and inhibitory effects on alkaline phosphatase activity in a shallow Chinese freshwater lake (Donghu Lake)

Filtrable phosphorus compounds in a shallow Chinese freshwater lake (Donghu Lake) were fractionated by Sephadex G-25 gel-filtration chromatography. Some portions of those compounds released soluble reactive phosphorus upon irradiation with low dose ultraviolet light. Catalase and a hydroxyl radical scavenger (mannitol) markedly prevented photosensitive phosphorus release. The observed effects may be explained by the action of oxidizing reagents such as hydroxyl radicals, produced in photochemical reactions between UV irradiation and humic substances in the water. There was a strong seasonality in UV-sensitive P (UVSP) release. Michaels constants (K-m) of total alkaline phosphatase in the lake water showed a direct positive relation to UVSP. Plot of K-m against the UVSP/phosphomonoester ratio reveals a strong relationship between the two variables. These results suggest that in some situations UVSP may be a competitive inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase activity in the lake. The competitive inhibition of fractionated UVSP on alkaline phosphatase reagent (Sigma) apparently supports this hypothesis.

Effects of the morphology of ZnO/Ag interface on the surface-plasmon-enhanced emission of ZnO films

The effects of the surface morphology of Ag on the surface-plasmon-enhanced emission of ZnO films have been studied for a ZnO/Ag/Si system by photoluminescence spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that the enhancement of ZnO ultraviolet emission is dependent on the deposition conditions of the Ag interlayers. By examining the dependence of the enhancement ratio of surface-plasmon-mediated emission on the characteristic parameters of Ag surface morphology, we found that the surface plasmon coupling to light is determined by both the Ag particle size and density.

Effects of crystalline quality on the ultraviolet emission and electrical properties of the ZnO films deposited by magnetron sputtering

The ZnO films were deposited on c-plane sapphire, Si (0 0 1) and MgAl2O4 (1 1 1) substrates in pure Ar ambient at different substrate temperatures ranging from 400 to 750 degrees C by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Hall measurements were used to evaluate the growth temperature and the substrate effects on the properties of ZnO films. The results show that the crystalline quality of the ZnO films improves with increasing the temperature up to 600 degrees C, the crystallinity of the films is degraded as the growth temperature increasing further, and the ZnO film with the best crystalline quality is obtained on sapphire at 600 degrees C. The intensity of the photoluminescence and the electrical properties strongly depend on the crystalline quality of the ZnO films. The ZnO films with the better crystallinity have the stronger ultraviolet emission, the higher mobility and the lower residual carrier concentration. The effects of crystallinity on light emission and electrical properties, and the possible origin of the n-type conductivity of the undoped ZnO films are also discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

AMPS modeling of light J-V characteristics of a-Si based solar cells

AMPS (Analysis of microelectronic and photonic structures) mode,which was developed by Pennsylvania State University, has been used to module the light J-V characteristics of a-Si solar cells with a structure of TCO/p-a-SiC:H/i-a-Si:H/n-a-Si:H/ metal. The effects of valence band offset and contact barriers at p/i and TOC/p, n/metal interfaces on the light J-V characteristics have been examined. The modeling has qualitatively categorized and explained the non-ideal J-V behaviors (rollover, crossover, Voc shift,and rollunder) observed in a-Si based solar cells.

Effects of Ag on electrical properties of Ag/Ni/p-GaN ohmic contact

Properties of the Ag/Ni/p-GaN structure at different temperatures are studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and high resolution x-ray diffraction. The effect of Ag in ohmic contact on the crystalline quality is investigated and the optimized value of annealing temperature is reported. The lowest specific contact resistance of 2.5 x 10(-4) Omega cm(2) is obtained at annealing temperature of 550 degrees C.

Interference effects in differential reflectance spectra of the GaAs epilayers grown on Si substrate

We report the observation of oscillating features in differential reflectance spectra from the GaAs epilayer grown on Si substrate in the energy range both below and above the fundamental band gap. It is demonstrated that the oscillating features are due to the difference in the interference between two neighboring areas of the sample. The interference arises from two light beams reflected from different interfaces of the sample. The calculated spectra in the nonabsorption region are in good agreement with measured data. It is shown that the interference effect can be used as a sensitive method to characterize the inhomogeneity of the semiconductor heterostructures. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)08723-4].

The effects of electric field on the electronic structure of a semiconductor quantum dot

The effect of electric field on the electronic structure of a spherical quantum dot is studied in the framework of the effective-mass envelope-function theory. The dependence of the energy of electron states and hole states on the applied electric field and on the quantum dot size is investigated; the mixing of heavy holes and light holes is taken into account. The selection rule for the optical transition between the conduction band and valence band states is obtained. The exciton binding energies are calculated as functions of the quantum dot radius and the strength of the electric field. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.

Plasma induced damage in GaN-based light emitting diodes - art. no. 68410X

The effects of plasma induced damage in different conditions of ICP and PECVD processes on LEDs were presented. For ICP mesa etch, in an effort to confirm the effects of dry etch damage on the optical properties of p-type GaN, a photoluminescence (PL) measurement was investigated with different rf chuck power. It was founded the PL intensity of the peak decreased with increasing DC bias and the intensity of sample etched at a higher DC bias of -400V is less by two orders of magnitude than that of the as-grown sample. Meanwhile, In the IN curve for the etched samples with different DC biases, the reverse leakage current of higher DC bias sample was obviously degraded than the lower one. In addition, plasma induced damage was also inevitable during the deposition of etch masks and surface passivation films by PECVD. The PL intensity of samples deposited with different powers sharply decreased when the power was excessive. The PL spectra of samples deposited under the fixed condition with the different processing time were measured, indicating the intensity of sample deposited with a lower power did not obviously vary after a long time deposition. A two-layer film was made in order to improve the compactness of sparse dielectric film deposited with a lower power.

Pool boiling heat transfer of ultra-light copper foam with open cells

High speed visualizations and thermal performance studies of pool boiling heat transfer on copper foam covers were performed at atmospheric pressure, with the heating surface area of 12.0 mm by 12.0 mm, using acetone as the working fluid. The foam covers have ppi (pores per inch) from 30 to 90, cover thickness from 2.0 to 5.0 mm, and porosity of 0.88 and 0.95. The surface superheats are from -20 to 190 K, and the heat fluxes reach 140 W/cm(2). The 30 and 60 ppi foam covers show the periodic single bubble generation and departure pattern at low surface superheats. With continuous increases in surface superheats, they show the periodic bubble coalescence and/or re-coalescence pattern. Cage bubbles were observed to be those with liquid filled inside and vented to the pool liquid. For the 90 ppi foam covers, the bubble coalescence takes place at low surface superheats. At moderate or large surface superheats, vapor fragments continuously escape to the pool liquid. Boiling curves of copper foams show three distinct regions. Region I and II are those of natural convection heat transfer, and nucleate boiling heat transfer for all the foam covers. Region III is that of either a resistance to vapor release for the 30 and 60 ppi foam covers, or a capillary-assist liquid flow towards foam cells for the 90 ppi foam covers. The value of ppi has an important effect on the thermal performance. Boiling curves are crossed between the high and low ppi foam covers. Low ppi foams have better thermal performance at low surface superheats, but high ppi foams have better one at moderate or large surface superheats and extend the operation range of surface superheats. The effects of other factors such as pool liquid temperature, foam cover thickness on the thermal performance are also discussed.