Plasma biochemical responses of the planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) to prolonged toxic cyanobacterial blooms in natural waters

The planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) are the attractive candidates for bio-control of plankton communities to eliminate odorous populations of cyanobacteria. However, few studies focused on the health of such fishes in natural water body with vigorous toxic blooms. Blood parameters are useful and sensitive for diagnosis of diseases and monitoring of the physiological status of fish exposed to toxicants. To evaluate the impact of toxic cyanobacterial blooms on the planktivorous fish, 12 serum chemistry variables were investigated in silver carp and bighead carp for 9 months, in a large net cage in Meiliang Bay, a hypereutrophic region of Lake Taihu. The results confirmed adverse effects of cyanobacterial blooms on two phytoplanktivorous fish, which mainly characterized with potential toxicogenomic effects and metabolism disorders in liver, and kidney dysfunction. In addition, cholestasis was intensively implied by distinct elevation of all four related biomarkers (ALP, GGT, DBIL, TBIL) in bighead carp. The combination of LDH, AST activities and DBIL, URIC contents for silver carp, and the combination of ALT. ALP activities and TBIL, DBIL. URIC concentrations for bighead carps were found to most strongly indicate toxic effects from cyanobacterial blooms in such fishes by a multivariate discriminant analysis. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Parameters Inversion of Fluid-Saturated Porous Media Based on Neural Networks

The multi-layers feedforward neural network is used for inversion of material constants of fluid-saturated porous media. The direct analysis of fluid-saturated porous media is carried out with the boundary element method. The dynamic displacement responses obtained from direct analysis for prescribed material parameters constitute the sample sets training neural network. By virtue of the effective L-M training algorithm and the Tikhonov regularization method as well as the GCV method for an appropriate selection of regularization parameter, the inverse mapping from dynamic displacement responses to material constants is performed. Numerical examples demonstrate the validity of the neural network method.

Sensitivity Analysis of Dimensionless Parameters for Physical Simulation of Water-Flooding Reservoir

A numerical approach to optimize dimensionless parameters of water-flooding porous media flows is proposed based on the analysis of the sensitivity factor defined as the variation ration of a target function with respect to the variation of dimensionless parameters. A complete set of scaling criteria for water-flooding reservoir of five-spot well pattern case is derived from the 3-D governing equations, involving the gravitational force, the capillary force and the compressibility of water, oil and rock. By using this approach, we have estimated the influences of each dimensionless parameter on experimental results and thus sorted out the dominant ones with larger sensitivity factors ranging from10-4to10-0 .

Forced Dissociation of Selectin-ligand Complexes Using Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Selectin-ligand interactions are crucial to such biological processes as inflammatory cascade or tumor metastasis. How transient formation and dissociation of selectin-ligand bonds in blood flow are coupled to molecular conformation at atomic level, however, has not been well understood. In this study, steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations were used to elucidate the intramolecular and intermolecular conformational evolutions involved in forced dissociation of three selectin-ligand systems: the construct consisting of P-selectin lectin (Lec) and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains (P-LE) interacting with synthesized sulfoglycopeptide or SGP-3, P-LE with sialyl Lewis X (sLeX), and E-LE with sLeX. SMD simulations were based on newly built-up force field parameters including carbohydrate units and sulfated tyrosine(s) using an analogy approach. The simulations demonstrated that the complex dissociation was coupled to the molecular extension. While the intramolecular unraveling in P-LESGP-3 system mainly resulted from the destroy of the two anti-parallel sheets of EGF domain and the breakage of hydrogen-bond cluster at the Lec-EGF interface, the intermolecular dissociation was mainly determined by separation of fucose (FUC) from Ca2+ ion in all three systems. Conformational changes during forced dissociations depended on pulling velocities and forces, as well as on how the force was applied. This work provides an insight into better understanding of conformational changes and adhesive functionality of selectin-ligand interactions under external forces.

Casimir Effect on the Pull-in Parameters of Nanometer Switches

Casimir effect on the critical pull-in gap and pull-in voltage of nanoelectromechanical switches is studied. An approximate analytical expression of the critical pull-in gap with Casimir force is presented by the perturbation theory. The corresponding pull-in parameters are computed numerically, from which one can notice the nonlinear effect of Casimir force on the pull-in parameters. The detachment length has been presented, which increases with increasing thickness of the beam.

Probabilistic Modeling of Rosette Formation

英文摘要: Rosetting, or forming a cell aggregate between a single target nucleated cell and a number of red blood cells (RBCs), is a simple assay for cell adhesion-mediated by specific receptor-ligand interaction. For example, rosette formation between sheep RBC and human lymphocytes has been used to differentiate T cells from B cells. Rosetting assay is commonly used to determine the interaction of Fc gamma-receptors (Fc gamma R) expressed on inflammatory cells and IgG-coated on RBCs. Despite its wide use in measuring cell adhesion, the biophysical parameters of rosette formation have not been well characterized. Here we developed a probabilistic model to describe the distribution of rosette sizes, which is Poissonian. The average rosette size is predicted to be proportional to the apparent two-dimensional binding affinity of the interacting receptor-ligand pair and their site densities. The model has been supported by experiments of rosettes mediated by four molecular interactions: Fc gamma RIII interacting with IgG, T cell receptor and coreceptor CD8 interacting with antigen peptide presented by major histocompatibility molecule, P-selectin interacting with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1), and L-selectin interacting with PSGL-1. The latter two are structurally similar and are different from the former two. Fitting the model to data enabled us to evaluate the apparent effective two-dimensional binding affinity of the interacting molecular pairs: 7.19x10(-5) mu m(4) for Fc gamma RIII-IgG interaction, 4.66x10(-3) mu m(4) for P-selectin-PSGL-1 interaction, and 0.94x10(-3) mu m(4) for L-selectin-PSGL-1 interaction. These results elucidate the biophysical mechanism of rosette formation and enable it to become a semiquantitative assay that relates the rosette size to the effective affinity for receptor-ligand binding.

Physical parameters affecting sonoluminescence: A self-consistent hydrodynamic study

We studied the dependence of thermodynamic variables in a sonoluminescing ~SL! bubble on various physical factors, which include viscosity, thermal conductivity, surface tension, the equation of state of the gas inside the bubble, as well as the compressibility of the surrounding liquid. The numerical solutions show that the existence of shock waves in the SL parameter regime is very sensitive to these factors. Furthermore, we show that even without shock waves, the reflection of continuous compressional waves at the bubble center can produce the high temperature and picosecond time scale light pulse of the SL bubble, which implies that SL may not necessarily be due to shock waves.

Quantifying Cell Binding Kinetics Mediated By Surface-Bound Blood Type B Antigen To Immobilized Antibodies

Cell adhesion is crucial to many biological processes, such as inflammatory responses, tumor metastasis and thrombosis formation. Recently a commercial surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based BIAcore biosensor has been extended to determine cell binding mediated by surface-bound biomolecular interactions. How such cell binding is quantitatively governed by kinetic rates and regulating factors, however, has been poorly understood. Here we developed a novel assay to determine the binding kinetics of surface-bound biomolecular interactions using a commercial BIAcore 3000 biosensor. Human red blood cells (RBCs) presenting blood group B antigen and CM5 chip bearing immobilized anti-B monoclonal antibody (mAb) were used to obtain the time courses of response unit, or sensorgrams, when flowing RBCs over the chip surface. A cellular kinetic model was proposed to correlate the sensorgrams with kinetic rates. Impacts of regulating factors, such as cell concentration, flow duration and rate, antibody-presenting level, as well as pH value and osmotic pressure of suspending medium were tested systematically, which imparted the confidence that the approach can be applied to kinetic measurements of cell adhesion mediated by surface-bound biomolecular interactions. These results provided a new insight into quantifying cell binding using a commercial SPR-based BIAcore biosensor.

Determination Ofinterfacial Mechanical Parameters For An Al/Epoxy/Al2O3 System Byusing Peel Test Simulations

Peel test measurements and simulations of the interfacial mechanical parameters for the Al/Epoxy/Al2O3 system are performed in the present investigation. A series of Al film thicknesses between 20 and 250 microns and three peel angles of 90, 135 and 180 degrees are considered. Two types of epoxy adhesives are adopted to obtain both strong and weak interface adhesions. A finite element model with cohesive zone elements is used to identify the interfacial parameters and simulate the peel test process. By simulating and recording normal stress near the crack tip, the separation strength is obtained. Furthermore, the cohesive energy is identified by comparing the simulated steady-state peel force and the experimental result. It is found from the research that both the cohesive energy and the separation strength can be taken as the intrinsic interfacial parameters which are dependent on the thickness of the adhesive layer and independent of the film thickness and peel angle.

Sensitivity Analysis Of The Dimensionless Parameters In Scaling A Polymer Flooding Reservoir

A set of scaling criteria of a polymer flooding reservoir is derived from the governing equations, which involve gravity and capillary force, compressibility of water, oil, and rock, non-Newtonian behavior of the polymer solution, absorption, dispersion, and diffusion, etc. A numerical approach to quantify the dominance degree of each dimensionless parameter is proposed. With this approach, the sensitivity factor of each dimensionless parameter is evaluated. The results show that in polymer flooding, the order of the sensitivity factor ranges from 10(-5) to 10(0) and the dominant dimensionless parameters are generally the ratio of the oil permeability under the condition of the irreducible water saturation to water permeability under the condition of residual oil saturation, density, and viscosity ratios between water and oil, the reduced initial oleic phase saturation and the shear rate exponent of the polymer solution. It is also revealed that the dominant dimensionless parameters may be different from case to case. The effect of some physical variables, such as oil viscosity, injection rate, and permeability, on the dominance degree of the dimensionless parameters is analyzed and the dominant ones are determined for different cases.

Two-Dimensional Kinetics Of Beta(2)-Integrin And Icam-1 Bindings Between Neutrophils And Melanoma Cells In A Shear Flow

Cell adhesion, mediated by specific receptor-ligand interactions, plays an important role in biological processes such as tumor metastasis and inflammatory cascade. For example, interactions between beta(2)-integrin ( lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 and/or Mac-1) on polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and ICAM-1 on melanoma cells initiate the bindings of melanoma cells to PMNs within the tumor microenvironment in blood flow, which in turn activate PMN-melanoma cell aggregation in a near-wall region of the vascular endothelium, therefore enhancing subsequent extravasation of melanoma cells in the microcirculations. Kinetics of integrin-ligand bindings in a shear flow is the determinant of such a process, which has not been well understood. In the present study, interactions of PMNs with WM9 melanoma cells were investigated to quantify the kinetics of beta(2)-integrin and ICAM-1 bindings using a cone-plate viscometer that generates a linear shear flow combined with a two-color flow cytometry technique. Aggregation fractions exhibited a transition phase where it first increased before 60 s and then decreased with shear durations. Melanoma-PMN aggregation was also found to be inversely correlated with the shear rate. A previously developed probabilistic model was modified to predict the time dependence of aggregation fractions at different shear rates and medium viscosities. Kinetic parameters of beta(2)-integrin and ICAM-1 bindings were obtained by individual or global fittings, which were comparable to respectively published values. These findings provide new quantitative understanding of the biophysical basis of leukocyte-tumor cell interactions mediated by specific receptor-ligand interactions under shear flow conditions.

Tuning The Geometrical Parameters Of Biomimetic Fibrillar Structures To Enhance Adhesion

Fibrillar structures are common features on the feet of many animals, such as geckos, spiders and flies. Theoretical analyses often use periodical array to simulate the assembly, and each fibril is assumed to be of equal load sharing (ELS). On the other hand, studies on a single fibril show that the adhesive interface is flaw insensitive when the size of the fibril is not larger than a critical one. In this paper, the Dugdale Barenblatt model has been used to study the conditions of ELS and how to enhance adhesion by tuning the geometrical parameters in fibrillar structures. Different configurations in an array of fibres are considered, such as line array, square and hexagonal patterns. It is found that in order to satisfy flaw-insensitivity and ELS conditions, the number of fibrils and the pull-off force of the fibrillar interface depend significantly on the fibre separation, the interface interacting energy, the effective range of cohesive interaction and the radius of fibrils. Proper tuning of the geometrical parameters will enhance the pull-off force of the fibrillar structures. This study may suggest possible methods to design strong adhesion devices for engineering applications.

Effects of fundamental structure parameters on dynamic responses of submerged floating tunnel under hydrodynamic loads

This paper investigates the effects of structure parameters on dynamic responses of submerged floating tunnel (SFT) under hydrodynamic loads. The structure parameters includes buoyancy-weight ratio (BWR), stiffness coefficients of the cable systems, tunnel net buoyancy and tunnel length. First, the importance of structural damp in relation to the dynamic responses of SFT is demonstrated and the mechanism of structural damp effect is discussed. Thereafter, the fundamental structure parameters are investigated through the analysis of SFT dynamic responses under hydrodynamic loads. The results indicate that the BWR of SFT is a key structure parameter. When BWR is 1.2, there is a remarkable trend change in the vertical dynamic response of SFT under hydrodynamic loads. The results also indicate that the ratio of the tunnel net buoyancy to the cable stiffness coefficient is not a characteristic factor affecting the dynamic responses of SFT under hydrodynamic loads.

Plume Parameters and Thruster Properties of a Low Power Arcjet

Abstract. A low power arcjet-thruster of 1 kW-class with gas mixture of H2-N2 or pure argon as the propellant is fired at a chamber pressure about 10 Pa. The nozzle temperature is detected with an infrared pyrometer; a plate set perpendicular to the plume axis and connected to a force sensor is used to measure the thrust; a probe with a tapered head is used for measuring the impact pressure in the plume flow; and a double-electrostatic probe system is applied to evaluate the electron temperature. Results indicate that the high nozzle temperature could adversely affect the conversion from enthalpy to kinetic energy. The plume flow deviates evidently from the LTE condition, and the rarefied-gas dynamic effect should be considered under the high temperature and low-pressure condition in analyzing the experimental phenomena.