Spatiotemporal heterogeneity of plankton communities in Lake Donghu, China, as revealed by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and its relation to biotic and abiotic factors

The 16S and 18S rRNA genes of planktonic organisms derived from five stations with nutrient gradients in Lake Donghu, China, were studied by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting, and the relationships between the genetic diversity of the plankton community and biotic/abiotic factors are discussed. The concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), NH4-N and As were found to be significantly related (P < 0.05) to morphological composition of the plankton community. Both chemical and morphological analyses suggested that temporal heterogeneity was comparatively higher than spatial heterogeneity in Lake Donghu. Although the morphological composition was not identical to the DGGE fingerprints in characterizing habitat similarity, the two strongest eutrophic stations (I and II) were always initially grouped into one cluster. Canonical correspondence analysis suggested that the factors strongly correlated with the first two ordination axes were seasonally different. The concentrations of TN and TP and the densities of rotifers and crustaceans were generally the main factors related to the DGGE patterns of the plankton communities. The study suggested that genetic diversity as depicted by metagenomic techniques (such as PCR-DGGE fingerprinting) is a promising tool for ecological study of plankton communities and that such techniques are likely to play an increasingly important role in assessing the environmental conditions of aquatic habitats.

Exogenous carbon acquisition of photosynthesis in Porphyra haitanensis (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) under emersed state

The photosynthetic performances of Porphyra haitanensis thalli were investigated in order to understand its mechanisms for exogenous carbon acquisition during emersion at low tide. The emersed photosynthesis was studied by altering the pH value in the water film on the thalli surface, treating them with carbonic anhydarase inhibitors (acetazolamide and 6-ethoxyzolamide), adjusting the CO2 concentrations in the air, and comparing the theoretical maximum CO2 supply rates within the adherent water film with the observed photosynthetic CO2 uptake rates. It was found that the principal exogenous inorganic carbon source for the photosynthesis of P. haitanensis during emersion was atmospheric CO2. The driving force of CO2 flux across the water film was the CO2 concentration gradient within it. Carbonic anhydrase accelerated both extracellular and intracellular CO2 transport. The emersed photosynthesis of P. haitanensis was limited by the present atmospheric CO2 level, and would be enhanced by atmospheric CO2 rise that would trigger global warming.

Long-term changes of Copepoda community (1957-1996) in a subtropical Chinese lake stocked densely with planktivorous filter-feeding silver and bighead carp

In contrast to the relatively well documented impact of particulate-feeding fish on zooplankton communities, little attention has been devoted to the impact of filter-feeding fish. Filter-feeding silver and bighead carp are the most intensively cultured fish species in Asia and comprise much of the production of Chinese aquaculture. However, little information is known about the impact of either fish on the zooplankton community. Long-term changes in the Copepoda community (1957-1996) were studied at two sampling stations of a subtropical Chinese lake (Lake Donghu) dominated by silver and bighead carp. For both calanoids and cyclopoids, the littoral station (I) was much more resource profitable than the pelagic station (II). There has been a tremendous increase in the annual fish catch over the past 30 years due to the increased stocking with fingerlings of the two carp species. There was a notably higher fish density at Station I than at Station II. Cyclopoid abundance was notably higher at Station I than at Station II during the 1950s to the 1980s, while the reverse became true in the 1990s. This is probably because when fish abundance increased to an extremely high level, the impact of fish predation on the cyclopoids became more important than that of food resources at the littoral station. At both stations, cyclopoid abundance was relatively low in spite of the presence of abundant prey. Similarly, calanoid density did not differ significantly between the two stations in the 1950s and 1960s, but was significantly lower at Station I than at Station II during the 1980s and 1990s. Such changes are attributed to the gradient of fish predation between the stations and an increasing predation pressure by the fish. The increased fish predation also correlated with a shift in summer-dominant calanoids from larger species to smaller ones. In conclusion, the predaceous cyclopoids are affected by fish predation to a much lesser extent than the herbivorous calanoids, and therefore increased predation by filter-feeding fish results in a definite increase in the cyclopoid/calanoid ratio. Predation by filter-feeding fish has been a driving force in shaping the copepod community structure of Lake Donghu during the past decades.

Annealing study of carrier concentration in gradient-doped GaAs/GaAlAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We measured the carrier concentration distribution of gradient-doped GaAs/GqAlAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy before and after annealing at 600 degrees C, using electrochemical capacitance voltage profiling, to investigate the internal variation of transmission-mode GaAs photocathodes arising from the annealing process. The results show that the carrier concentration increased after annealing. As a result, the total band-bending energy in the gradient-doped GaAs emission layer increased by 25.24% after annealing, which improves the pbotoexcited electron movement toward the surface. On the other hand, the annealing process resulted in a worse carrier concentration discrepancy between the GaAs and the GaAlAs, which causes a lower back interface potential barrier, decreasing the amount of high-energy photoelectrons. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America

Electromagnetic-field-induced cohesive force enhancement in a metallic nanowire

We theoretically study the conducting electronic contribution to the cohesive force in a metallic nanowire irradiated under a transversely polarized external electromagnetic field at low temperatures and in the ballistic regime. In the framework of the free-electron model, we have obtained a time-dependent two-level electronic wavefunction by means of a unitary transformation. Using a thermodynamic statistical approach with this wavefunction, we have calculated the cohesive force in the nanowire. We show that the cohesive force can be divided into two components, one of which is independent of the electromagnetic field (static component), which is consistent with the existing results in the literature. The magnitude of the other component is proportional to the electromagnetic field strength. This extra component of the cohesive force is originally from the coherent coupling between the two lateral energy levels of the wire and the electromagnetic field.

Comparison between gradient-doping GaAs photocathode and uniform-doping GaAs photocathode

We compared two reflection-mode negative electron affinity (NEA) GaAs photocathode samples that are grown by molecular beam epitaxy with p-type beryllium doping. One sample is uniform doping, and another is gradient doping. Experimental curves of spectral response sensitivity and quantum efficiency are obtained. The thicknesses of the two cathodes are both 2.6 mu m. The integrated sensitivity of the uniform doping one is 1966 mu A/lm, and that of the gradient-doping one is 2421 mu A/lm. The escape probability and diffusion length are fitted from the spectral response curves. For the uniform-doping sample, the escape probability is 0.45 and the diffusion length is 5 mu m. For the gradient-doping sample, the escape probability is 0.55 and the diffusion length is 5.5 mu m. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Growth of low-density InAs/GaAs quantum dots on a substrate with an intentional temperature gradient by molecular beam epitaxy

InAs was deposited by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on a GaAs substrate with an intentional temperature gradient from centre to edge. Two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) morphology evolution was found along the direction in which the substrate temperature was decreasing. Quantum dots (QDs) with density as low as similar to 8 x 10(6) cm(-2) were formed in some regions. We attribute the morphological evolution to the temperature-dependent desorption of deposited indium and the intermixing between deposited indium and gallium from the buffer.

MnSb/porous silicon hybrid structure prepared by physical vapor deposition

MnSb/porous silicon hybrid structure was prepared by physical vapor deposition technique. The structure and surface morphology of the MnSb films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The magnetic hysteresis loops were obtained by an alternative gradient magnetometer. Based on the measurements, only MnSb phase was found and the surface morphology was rough and island-like. MnSb thin films show ferromagnetism at room temperature. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Atomic-force-microscopy investigation of the formation and evolution of Ge islands on GexSi1-x strained layers

A constant amount of Ge was deposited on strained GexSi1-x layers of approximately the same thickness but with different alloy compositions, ranging from x = 0.06 to x = 0.19. From their atomic-force-microscopy images, we found that both the size and density of Ge islands increased with the Ge composition of the strained layer. By conservation of mass, this implies that these islands must incorporate material from the underlying strained layer. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03529-4].

Analysis of atomic force microscopic results of InAs islands formed by molecular beam epitaxy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of nanometer-sized islands formed by 2 monolayers of InAs by molecular beam epitaxy have been carried out and the scan line of individual islands was extracted from raw AFM data for investigation. It is found that the base widths of nanometer-sized islands obtained by AFM are not reliable due to the finite size and shape of the contacting probe. A simple model is proposed to analyze the deviation of the measured value From the real value of the base width of InAs islands. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Formation and magnetic properties of Fe16N2 films prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Fe-N films containing the Fe16N2 phase were prepared in a high-vacuum system of ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). The composition and structure of the films were analysed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Magnetic properties of the films were measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The phase composition of Fe-N films depend sensitively on the N/Fe atomic arrival ratio and the deposition temperature. An Fe16N2 film was deposited successfully on a GaAs (1 0 0) substrate by IBAD at a N/Fe atomic arrival ratio of 0.12. The gram-saturation magnetic moment of the Fe16N2 film obtained is 237 emu/g at room temperature, the possible cause has been analysed and discussed. Hysteresis loops of Fe16N2 have been measured, the coercive force H-c is about 120 Oe, which is much larger than the value for Fe, this means the Fe16N2 sample exhibits a large uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.