Optical response of high-level bandgap in one-dimensional photonic crystal applying in-plane integration

A new broadband filter, based on the high level bandgap in 1-D photonic crystals (PCs) of the form Si vertical bar air vertical bar Si vertical bar air vertical bar Si vertical bar air vertical bar Si vertical bar air vertical bar Si vertical bar air vertical bar Si is designed by the plane wave expansion method (PWEM) and the transfer matrix method (TMM) and fabricated by lithography. The optical response of this filter to normal-incident and oblique-incident light proves that utilizing the high-level bandgaps of PCs is an efficient method to lower the difficulties of fabricating PCs, increase the etching depth of semiconductor materials, and reduce the coupling loss at the interface between optical fibers and the PC device. (c) 2007 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Evaluation of different culture conditions for high-level soluble expression of human cyclin A(2) with pET vector in BL21 (DE3) and spectroscopic characterization of its inclusion body structure

In this paper, we evaluated various parameters of culture condition affecting high-level soluble expression of human cyclin A, in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and demonstrated that the highest protein yield was obtained using TB(no glycerol) + 0.5% glucose medium at 25 degrees C. By single immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography, we got highly purified human cyclin A(2) with a yield ranged from 20 to 30 mg/L. By amyloid-diagnostic dye ThT binding and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, we observed a significant decrease in alpha-helix content and an increase in beta-sheet structure in cyclin A(2) inclusion body in comparison to its native protein, and confirmed the resemblance of the internal organization of cyclin A(2) inclusion body and amyloid fibrils.

High level expression, purification, and characterization of the shrimp antimicrobial peptide, Ch-penaeidin, in Pichia pastoris

Penaeidins, members of a new family of antimicrobial peptides constitutively produced and stored in the haemocytes of penaeid shrimp, display antimicrobial activity against bacteria, and fungi. Here, a DNA sequence encoding the mature Ch-penaeidin peptide was cloned into the pPIC9K vector and transformed into Pichia pastoris. The transformed cells were screened for multi-copy plasmids using increasing concentrations of G418. Positive colonies carrying chromosomal integrations of the Chp gene were identified by phenotype and PCR. When transformed cells were induced with methanol, SDS-PAGE and Western blotting revealed the production of a similar to6100 Da recombinant CHP (rCHP) expression product. Large scale expression revealed that rCHP was produced at 108 mg/L under optimal conditions in the highest Chp-producing P. pastoris clone. The antimicrobial activities of rCHP were studied by liquid phase analysis, which revealed that rCHP exhibited activities against some Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, but had a relatively low activity against some fungi. Purification of rCHP by cation exchange chromatography and subsequent automated amino acid sequencing revealed the presence of four additional amino acids (YVEF) at the N-terminus that belonged to the cleaved fusion signal peptide; these residues may account for the observed decrease in antifungal activity. Together, these observations indicate that rCHP is an effective antimicrobial peptide that can be successfully produced at high levels in the yeast, and therefore may be a potential antimicrobial candidate for practical use. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Novel Architecture of Vision Chip for Fast Traffic Lane Detection and FPGA Implementation

This paper presents a novel architecture of vision chip for fast traffic lane detection (FTLD). The architecture consists of a 32*32 SIMD processing element (PE) array processor and a dual-core RISC processor. The PE array processor performs low-level pixel-parallel image processing at high speed and outputs image features for high-level image processing without I/O bottleneck. The dual-core processor carries out high-level image processing. A parallel fast lane detection algorithm for this architecture is developed. The FPGA system with a CMOS image sensor is used to implement the architecture. Experiment results show that the system can perform the fast traffic lane detection at 50fps rate. It is much faster than previous works and has good robustness that can operate in various intensity of light. The novel architecture of vision chip is able to meet the demand of real-time lane departure warning system.

Population genetic structure of Carchesium polypinum (Ciliophora : Peritrichia) in four chinese lakes inferred from ISSR fingerprinting: High diversity but low differentiation

Although the peritrichous ciliate Carchesium polypinum is common in freshwater, its population genetic structure is largely unknown. We used inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) fingerprinting to analyze the genetic structure of 48 different isolates of the species from four lakes in Wuhan, central China. Using eight polymorphic primers, 81 discernible DNA fragments were detected, among which 76 (93.83%) were polymorphic, indicating high genetic diversity at the isolate level. Further, Nei's gene diversity (h) and Shannon's Information index (I) between the different isolates both revealed a remarkable genetic diversity, higher than previously indicated by their morphology. At the same time, substantial gene flow was found. So the main factors responsible for the high level of diversity within populations are probably due to conjugation (sexual reproduction) and wide distribution of swarmers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that there was low genetic differentiation among the four populations probably due to common ancestry and flooding events. The cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) suggested that genotypes isolated from the same lake displayed a higher genetic similarity than those from different lakes. Both analyses separated C. polypinum isolates into subgroups according to the geographical locations. However, there is only a weak positive correlation between the genetic distance and geographical distance, suggesting a minor effect of geographical distance on the distribution of genetic diversity between populations of C. polypinum at the local level. In conclusion, our studies clearly demonstrated that a single morphospecies may harbor high levels of genetic diversity, and that the degree of resolution offered by morphology as a marker for measuring distribution patterns of genetically distinct entities is too low.

A programmable SIMD vision chip for real-time vision applications

A programmable vision chip for real-time vision applications is presented. The chip architecture is a combination of a SIMD processing element array and row-parallel processors, which can perform pixel-parallel and row-parallel operations at high speed. It implements the mathematical morphology method to carry out low-level and mid-level image processing and sends out image features for high-level image processing without I/O bottleneck. The chip can perform many algorithms through software control. The simulated maximum frequency of the vision chip is 300 MHz with 16 x 16 pixels resolution. It achieves the rate of 1000 frames per second in real-time vision. A prototype chip with a 16 x 16 PE array is fabricated by the 0.18 mu m standard CMOS process. It has a pixel size of 30 mu m x 40 mu m and 8.72 mW power consumption with a 1.8 V power supply. Experiments including the mathematical morphology method and target tracking application demonstrated that the chip is fully functional and can be applied in real-time vision applications.

Branched polystyrene with abundant pendant vinyl functional groups from asymmetric divinyl monomer

Branched polystyrenes with abundant pendant vinyl functional groups were prepared via radical polymerization of an asymmetric divinyl monomer, which possesses a higher reactive styryl and a lower reactive butenyl. Employing a fast reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) equilibrium, the concentration of active propagation chains remained at a low value and thus crosslinking did not occur until a high level of monomer conversion. The combination of a higher reaction temperature (120 degrees C) and RAFT agent cumyl dithiobenzoate was demonstrated to be optimal for providing both a more highly branched architecture and a higher polymer yield.

A Novel Strategy to Branched Polyacrylonitrile Via One-Pot RAFT Copolymerization of Acrylonitrile and an Asymmetrical Divinyl Monomer

Branched polyacrylonitriles were prepared via the one-pot radical copolymerization of acrylonitirle and an asymmetric divinyl monomer (allyl methacrylate) that possesses both a higher reactive methacrylate and a lower reactive allyl. RAFT technique was used to keep a low-propagation chain concentration via a fast reversible chain transfer euilibration and thus the cross-linking was prevented until a high level of monomer conversions. This novel strategy was demonstrated to engenerate a branched architecture with abundant pendant functional vinyl and nitrile groups, and controlled molecular weight as a behavior of controlled/living radical polymerization characteristics. The effect of the various experimental parameters, including temperature, brancher to monomer molar ratio, and chain transfer agent to initiator molar ratio, on the control Of moleculer dimension (molecular weight and polydispersity indices) and the degree of branching were investigated in detail. Moreover, H-1 NMR and gel permeation chromatography confirm the branched architecture of the resultant polymer. The intrinsic viscosity of the copolymer is also lower than the linear counterpart.

基于CAN总线的分布式数据采集与控制系统

随着电子技术和计算机技术的不断发展，工业生产过程的控制系统正在向着智能化、数字化和网络化的方向发展。传统的集散控制方式和计算机分层控制方式已经开始让位于智能终端与网络结合的总线网络控制方式。当今，在工厂中过程控制环境下的分布式自动化系统变得越来越复杂，尤其系统内部的各设备之间需要快速交换大量的信息，以便实现对被控系统更为精确的控制和提供一些辅助的评价函数。这就意味着要不断增加带宽和提高通信速率以满足网络通信的需要。在现有的多种可利用网络设备中，CAN总线以其清晰的定义、极高的可靠性及其独特的设计，被认为是最能有效地解决这一问题的途径之一。而且市场上基于通信技术的产品中，就实时性考虑，由于CAN总线采用的非表意性的通信方式，因此其结构更为简单，实时性更好。基于此背景，我们以CAN总线作为通信媒介，将分布于各控制现场的传感器、执行器和控制器有序地连接起来，构成了一个基于CAN总线的分布式局域网络控制系统。本文首先介绍了基于CAN总线的分布式数据采集与控制系统的总体结构。然后从硬件方面描述了基于CAN总线的通信协议转换单元、数据采集单元和输出控制单元的功能、硬件配置及各单元功能的具体实现过程，给出了各单元的性能指标。软件方面，以C语言作为平台，开发了基于CAN总线的上位计算机管理与监控软件，实现了对整个网络设备的系统管理和系统控制功能。对于该总线系统，作者运用了PID控制和模糊控制算法实现了对水箱液位的控制，达到了理想的效果。基于CAN总线的控制系统很好地解决了集散控制系统难以解决的难题，模糊控制的应用能很好地把总线控制系统应用到具有非线性、大时滞和难于获得精确模型的控制系统中。

地下水流动数值模拟的并行计算方法研究

Numerical modeling of groundwater is very important for understanding groundwater flow and solving hydrogeological problem. Today, groundwater studies require massive model cells and high calculation accuracy, which are beyond single-CPU computer’s capabilities. With the development of high performance parallel computing technologies, application of parallel computing method on numerical modeling of groundwater flow becomes necessary and important. Using parallel computing can improve the ability to resolve various hydro-geological and environmental problems. In this study, parallel computing method on two main types of modern parallel computer architecture, shared memory parallel systems and distributed shared memory parallel systems, are discussed. OpenMP and MPI (PETSc) are both used to parallelize the most widely used groundwater simulator, MODFLOW. Two parallel solvers, P-PCG and P-MODFLOW, were developed for MODFLOW. The parallelized MODFLOW was used to simulate regional groundwater flow in Beishan, Gansu Province, which is a potential high-level radioactive waste geological disposal area in China. 1. The OpenMP programming paradigm was used to parallelize the PCG (preconditioned conjugate-gradient method) solver, which is one of the main solver for MODFLOW. The parallel PCG solver, P-PCG, is verified using an 8-processor computer. Both the impact of compilers and different model domain sizes were considered in the numerical experiments. The largest test model has 1000 columns, 1000 rows and 1000 layers. Based on the timing results, execution times using the P-PCG solver are typically about 1.40 to 5.31 times faster than those using the serial one. In addition, the simulation results are the exact same as the original PCG solver, because the majority of serial codes were not changed. It is worth noting that this parallelizing approach reduces cost in terms of software maintenance because only a single source PCG solver code needs to be maintained in the MODFLOW source tree. 2. P-MODFLOW, a domain decomposition–based model implemented in a parallel computing environment is developed, which allows efficient simulation of a regional-scale groundwater flow. The basic approach partitions a large model domain into any number of sub-domains. Parallel processors are used to solve the model equations within each sub-domain. The use of domain decomposition method to achieve the MODFLOW program distributed shared memory parallel computing system will process the application of MODFLOW be extended to the fleet of the most popular systems, so that a large-scale simulation could take full advantage of hundreds or even thousands parallel processors. P-MODFLOW has a good parallel performance, with the maximum speedup of 18.32 (14 processors). Super linear speedups have been achieved in the parallel tests, indicating the efficiency and scalability of the code. Parallel program design, load balancing and full use of the PETSc were considered to achieve a highly efficient parallel program. 3. The characterization of regional ground water flow system is very important for high-level radioactive waste geological disposal. The Beishan area, located in northwestern Gansu Province, China, is selected as a potential site for disposal repository. The area includes about 80000 km2 and has complicated hydrogeological conditions, which greatly increase the computational effort of regional ground water flow models. In order to reduce computing time, parallel computing scheme was applied to regional ground water flow modeling. Models with over 10 million cells were used to simulate how the faults and different recharge conditions impact regional ground water flow pattern. The results of this study provide regional ground water flow information for the site characterization of the potential high-level radioactive waste disposal.

A special method to evaluate the strong adhesion between brittle coating and ductile substrate

The evaluation of the interfacial adhesion of coating system has always been a rough task. In this paper, a special testing method of cross-sectional indentation is applied on a model coating system, i.e. electroplated chromium on a steel substrate which is generally regarded as an example of materials pair with strong adhesion. Based on fractography analysis with SEM and interfacial stress simulation with FEM, it is found that interfacial shear stress may induce coating spalling. More interestingly, spalling location is sensitive to substrate pretreatment process. This shows the feasibility of cross-sectional indentation to distinguish interfacial strength at a high level.

Prevalence Of Shear Banding In Compression Of Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 Pillars As Small As 150 Nm In Diameter

Recently, the size dependence of mechanical behaviors, particularly the yield strength and plastic deformation mode, of bulk metallic glasses (BMG) has created a great deal of interest. Contradicting conclusions have been drawn by different research groups, based on various experiments on different BMG systems. Based on in situ compression transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments on Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 (Vit 1) nanopillars, this paper provides strong evidence that shear banding still prevails at specimen length scales as small as 150 nm in diameter. This is supported by in situ and ex situ images of shear bands, and by the carefully recorded displacement bursts under load control its well as load drops under displacement control. Finite element modeling of the stress state within the pillar shows that the unavoidable geometry constraints accompanying such experiments impart a strong effect on the experimental results, including non-uniform stress distributions and high level hydrostatic pressures. The seemingly improved compressive ductility is believed to be due to such geometry constraints. Observations underscore the notion that the mechanical behavior of metallic glasses, including strength and plastic deformation mode, is size independent at least in Vit 1. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short-pulse laser absorption via J x B heating in ultrahigh intensity laser plasma interaction

An analytical fluid model for JxB heating during the normal incidence by a short ultraintense linearly polarized laser on a solid-density plasma is proposed. The steepening of an originally smooth electron density profile as the electrons are pushed inward by the laser is included self-consistently. It is shown that the JxB heating includes two distinct coupling processes depending on the initial laser and plasma conditions: for a moderate intensity (a <= 1), the ponderomotive force of the laser light can drive a large plasma wave at the point n(e)=4 gamma(0)n(c) resonantly. When this plasma wave is damped, the energy is transferred to the plasma. At higher intensity, the electron density is steepened to a high level by the time-independent ponderomotive force, n(e)> 4 gamma(0)n(c), so that no 2 omega resonance will occur, but the longitudinal component of the oscillating ponderomotive field can lead to an absorption mechanism similar to "vacuum heating." (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Comparative molecular cytogenetic studies in the order Carnivora: mapping chromosomal rearrangements onto the phylogenetic tree

We have made a set of chromosome-specific painting probes for the American mink by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. The painting probes were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among human, red fox, dog, cat and eight species of the family Mustelidae, including the European mink, steppe and forest polecats, least weasel, mountain weasel, Japanese sable, striped polecat, and badger. Based on the results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between these species have been established. The integrated map demonstrates a high level of karyotype conservation among mustelid species. Comparative analysis of the conserved chromosomal segments among mustelids and outgroup species revealed 18 putative ancestral autosomal segments that probably represent the ancestral chromosomes, or chromosome arms, in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the family Mustelidae. The proposed 2n = 38 ancestral Mustelidae karyotype appears to have been retained in some modern mustelids, e.g., Martes, Lutra, ktonyx, and Vormela. The derivation of the mustelid karyotypes from the putative ancestral state resulted from centric fusions, fissions, the addition of heterochromatic arms, and occasional pericentric inversions. Our results confirm many of the evolutionary conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the carnivore phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements. Copyright (C) 2002 S. KargerAG, Basel.