Echolocation click sounds from wild inshore finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides sunameri) with comparisons to the sonar of riverine N. p. asiaeorientalis

Acoustic signals from wild Neophocaena phocaenoides sunameri were recorded in the waters off Liao-dong-wan Bay located in Bohai Sea, China. Signal analysis shows that N. p. sunameri produced "typical" phocoenid clicks. The peak frequencies f(p), of clicks ranged from. 113 to 131 kHz with an average of 121 +/- 3.78 kHz (n=71). The 3 dB bandwidths Delta f ranged from 10.9 to 25.0 kHz with an average of 17.5 +/- 3.30 kHz. The signal durations At ranged from 56 to 109 mu s with an average 80 +/- 11.49 mu s. The number of cycles N, ranged from 7 to 13 with an average of 9 +/- 1.48. With increasing peak frequency there was a faint tendency of decrease in bandwidth, which implies a nonconstant value of f(p)/Delta f. On occasion there were some click trains with faint click energy presenting below 70 kHz, however, it was possibly introduced by interference effect from multiple pulses structures. The acoustic parameters of the clicks were compared between the investigated population and a riverine population of finless porpoise. (c) 2007 Acoustical Society of America.

Measurement of the inelastic branch of the O-14(alpha, p)F-17 reaction: Implications for explosive burning in novae and x-ray bursters

A measurement of the inelastic component of the key astrophysical resonance in the 14O(α,p)17F reaction for burning and breakout from hot carbon-nitrogen-oxygen (CNO) cycles is reported. The inelastic component is found to be comparable to the ground-state branch and will enhance the 14O(α,p)17F reaction rate. The current results for the reaction rate confirm that the 14O(α,p)17F reaction is unlikely to contribute substantially to burning and breakout from the CNO cycles under novae conditions. The reaction can, however, contribute strongly to the breakout from the hot CNO cycles under the more extreme conditions found in x-ray bursters.

Electrochemiluminescence of tris(2,2 '-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) immobilized in poly(p-styrenesulfonate)-silica-Triton X-100 composite thin-films

The electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(ii) [Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)] immobilized in poly(p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS)-silica-Triton X-100 composite films was investigated. The cooperative action of PSS, sol-gel and Triton X-100 attached Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) to the electrode strongly, and the presence of Triton X-100 prevented drying fractures of the sol-gel films during gelation and even on repeated wet-dry cycles. The modified electrode was used for the ECL detection of oxalate, tripropylamine (TPA) and NADH in a flow injection analysis (FIA) system with a newly designed flow cell. The detection scheme exhibited good stability, short response time and high sensitivity. Detection limits were 0.1, 0.1 and 0.5 mu mol L-1 for oxalate, TPA and NADH, respectively, and the linear concentration range extended from 0.001 to 1 mmol L-1 for the three analytes. Applications of the flow cell in ECL and electrochemical detection, as well as the immobilization of reagents based on the cooperative action, are suggested.

New life cycles of Porphyra katadae var. hemiphylla in culture

Porphyra katadae Miura var. hemiphylla Tseng et T. J. Chang, a species distributed around the Liaodong and Shandong Peninsulas of China, produces gametophytes from late winter to early spring. These are monoecious with male and female reproductive tissues in distinct halves or sectors. Vegetative tissues from sectors expected to differentiate into sexual tissue were cultured in the laboratory. Male and female reproductive organs, as well as conchocelis and blades, were differentiated from these tissues. The male and female reproductive tissues were in patches and mixed on the cultured tissue pieces. This was quite different from the wild-type sectored individuals. The F-1 conchospore germlings also produced monospores, carposporangia, spermatangia and conchocelis. These carposporangia and spermatangia were in patches and were mixed on the F-1 fronds. The results imply that P. katadae var. hemiphylla is possibly sex-differentiated rather than sex-determined. This is the first report of such a dimorphic life history in the genus Porphyra.

Influence of Local Magnetic Fields on P-Doped Si Floating Zone Melting Crystal Growth in Microgravity

A two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical model is presented to study the influence of local magnetic fields on P-doped Si floating zone melting crystal growth in microgravity. The model is developed based on the finite difference method in a boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinate system. Extensive numerical simulations are carried out, and parameters studied include the curved growth interface shape and the magnetic field configurations. Computed results show that the local magnetic field is more effective in reducing the impurity concentration nonuniformity at the growth interface in comparison with the longitudinal magnetic field. Moreover, the curved growth interface causes more serious impurity concentration nonuniformity at the growth interface than the case with a planar growth interface.

Kinetics and Force Dependence of P-selectin/PSGL-1 Interactions Measured by AFM

Leukocytes roll along the endothelium of postcapillary venules in response to inflammatory and thrombotic processes. The rolling under hydrodynamic shear forces is a first step in directing leukocytes out of the blood stream into sites of inflammation and is mediated by the selectins, a family of extended, modular, and calcium-dependent lectin receptors. The interactions between P-, E-or L-selectins and their count.

An Analytical Solution for Three-Dimensional Diffraction of Plane P-Waves by a Hemispherical Alluvial Valley with Saturated Soil Deposits

An analytical solution for the three-dimensional scattering and diffraction of plane P-waves by a hemispherical alluvial valley with saturated soil deposits is developed by employing Fourier-Bessel series expansion technique. Unlike previous studies, in which the saturated soil deposits were simulated with the single-phase elastic theory, in this paper, they are simulated with Biot's dynamic theory for saturated porous media, and the half space is assumed as a single-phase elastic medium. The effects of the dimensionless frequency, the incidence angle of P-wave and the porosity of soil deposits on the surface displacement magnifications of the hemispherical alluvial valley are investigated. Numerical results show that the existence of a saturated hemispherical alluvial valley has much influence on the surface displacement magnifications. It is more reasonable to simulate soil deposits with Biot's dynamic theory when evaluating the displacement responses of a hemispherical alluvial valley with an incidence of P-waves.

应用光阱技术测量P-selectin/PSGL-1键解离的断裂力

选择素(selectin)与配体相互作用在诸如炎症反应、肿瘤转移等生物学过程中具有重要作用;作用力影响受体-配体键解离.本文发展了基于光阱技术的新实验方法,用于考察P-选择素(P-selectin)与P-选择素糖蛋白配体-1(P-selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1, PSGL-1)相互作用的解离过程.采用黏滞力法对光阱刚度系数进行标定,并通过分子在玻璃小球表面的功能化表征,研究力作用下P-selectin/PSGL-1键的解离,得到了在较低加载率(<25 pN/s)下键解离的断裂力分布,发现键的最可几断裂力随加载率而增加.实验结果在较低加载率下补充和验证了已有的结论.

Quantifying the Effects of Contact Duration, Loading Rate, and Approach Velocity on P-Selectin-PSGL-1 Interactions Using AFM

Kinetics and its regulation by extrinsic physical factors govern selectin-ligand interactions that mediate tethering and rolling of circulating cells on the vessel wall under hemodynamic forces. While the force regulation of off-rate for dissociation of selectin-ligand bonds has been extensively studied, much less is known about how transport impacts the on-rate for association of these bonds and their stability. We used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to quantify how the contact duration, loading rate, and approach velocity affected kinetic rates and strength of bonds of P-selectin interacting with P-selectin glycoprotein ligand I (PSGL-1). We found a saturable relationship between the contact time and the rupture force, a biphasic relationship between the adhesion probability and the retraction velocity, a piece-wise linear relationship between the rupture force and the logarithm of the loading rate, and a threshold relationship between the approach velocity and the rupture force. These results provide new insights into how physical factors regulate receptor-ligand interactions.

Simulation of the Load-Unload Response Ratio and Critical Sensitivity in the Lattice Solid Model

The Load-Unload Response Ratio (LURR) method is an intermediate-term earthquake prediction approach that has shown considerable promise. It involves calculating the ratio of a specified energy release measure during loading and unloading where loading and unloading periods are determined from the earth tide induced perturbations in the Coulomb Failure Stress on optimally oriented faults. In the lead-up to large earthquakes, high LURR values are frequently observed a few months or years prior to the event. These signals may have a similar origin to the observed accelerating seismic moment release (AMR) prior to many large earthquakes or may be due to critical sensitivity of the crust when a large earthquake is imminent. As a first step towards studying the underlying physical mechanism for the LURR observations, numerical studies are conducted using the particle based lattice solid model (LSM) to determine whether LURR observations can be reproduced. The model is initialized as a heterogeneous 2-D block made up of random-sized particles bonded by elastic-brittle links. The system is subjected to uniaxial compression from rigid driving plates on the upper and lower edges of the model. Experiments are conducted using both strain and stress control to load the plates. A sinusoidal stress perturbation is added to the gradual compressional loading to simulate loading and unloading cycles and LURR is calculated. The results reproduce signals similar to those observed in earthquake prediction practice with a high LURR value followed by a sudden drop prior to macroscopic failure of the sample. The results suggest that LURR provides a good predictor for catastrophic failure in elastic-brittle systems and motivate further research to study the underlying physical mechanisms and statistical properties of high LURR values. The results provide encouragement for earthquake prediction research and the use of advanced simulation models to probe the physics of earthquakes.

Distinct Element Analysis on Propagation Characteristics of P-Wave in Rock Pillar with Finite length

以节理岩体等效刚度的概念为基础,讨论了离散元刚性块体模型中节理刚度的选取问题。采用面-面接触模型模拟了纵波在一维岩体中的传播,给出了纵波波形；研究了阻尼比、软弱夹层以及节理间是否可拉对波传播规律的影响。

The Heterogeneous Growth of P(3MeTh)--An Ellipsometric Study

Successive thicker P(3MeTh) layers are analysed by ex situ conventional and imaging ellipsometry. Thin films display a smooth surface, are compact and homogeneous while for a growth charge above 20 mC cm(-2) the polymer structure modifies to a still uniform but less dense layer. A two-layer model is used and a mathematical procedure is developed to obtain, simultaneously, from the experimental ellipsometric parameters, Delta and Psi, the thickness and the complex refractive index of P(3MeTh) films grown up to 80 mC cm(-2). Thicker polymer layers are disordered and present a high degree of surface roughness. 

The application of B-P constitutive equations in finite element analysis of high velocity impact

We present in this paper the application of B-P constitutive equations in finite element analysis of high velocity impact. The impact process carries out in so quick time that the heat-conducting can be neglected and meanwhile, the functions of temperature in equations need to be replaced by functions of plastic work. The material constants in the revised equations can be determined by comparison of the one-dimensional calculations with the experiments of Hopkinson bar. It can be seen from the comparison of the calculation with the experiment of a tungsten alloy projectile impacting a three-layer plate that the B-P constitutive equations in that the functions of temperature were replaced by the functions of plastic work can be used to analysis of high velocity impact.

Weak Zone Related Seismic Cycles in Progressive Failure Leading to Collapse in Brittle Crust

Until quite recently our understanding of the basic mechanical process responsible for earthquakes and faulting was not well known. It can be argued that this was partly a consequence of the complex nature of fracture in crust and in part because evidence of brittle phenomena in the natural laboratory of the earth is often obliterated or obscured by other geological processes. While it is well understood that the spatial and temporal complexity of earthquakes and the fault structures emerge from geometrical and material built-in heterogeneities, one important open question is how the shearing becomes localized into a band of intense fractures. Here the authors address these questions through a numerical approach of a tectonic plate by considering rockmass heterogeneity both in microscopic scale and in mesoscopic scale. Numerical simulations of the progressive failure leading to collapse under long-range slow driving forces in the far-field show earthquake-like rupture behavior. $En Echelon$ crack-arrays are reproduced in the numerical simulation. It is demonstrated that the underlying fracturing induced acoustic emissions (or seismic events) display self-organized criticality------from disorder to order. The seismic cycles and the geometric structures of the fracture faces, which are found greatly depending on the material heterogeneity (especially on the macroscopic scale), agree with that observed experimentally in real brittle materials. It is concluded that in order to predict a main shock, one must have extremely detailed knowledge on very minor features of the earth's crust far from the place where the earthquake originated. If correct, the model proposed here seemingly provides an explanation as to why earthquakes to date are not predicted so successfully. The reason is not that the authors do not understand earthquake mechanisms very well but that they still know little about our earth's crust.

Forced extension of P-selectin construct using steered molecular dynamics

P-selectin, a 70-nm-long cellular adhesive molecule, possesses elastic and extensible properties when neutrophils roll over the activated endotheliam of blood vessel in inflammatory reaction. Transient formation and dissociation of P-selectin/ligand bond on applied force of blood flow induces the extension of P-selectin and relevant ligands. Steered molecular dynamics simulations were performed to stretch a single P-selectin construct consisting of a lectin (Lec) domain and an epithelial growth factor (EGF)-like domain, where P-selectin construct was forced to extend in water with pulling velocities of 0.005-0.05 nm/ps and with constant forces of 1000-2500 pN respectively. Resulting force-extension profiles exhibited a dual-peak pattern on various velocities, while both plateaus and shoulders appeared in the extension-time profiles on various forces. The force or extension profiles along stretching pathways were correlated to the conformational changes, suggesting that the structural collapses of P-selectin Lec/EGF domains were mainly attributed to the burst of hydrogen bonds within the major beta sheet of EGF domain and the disruptions of two hydrophobic cores of Lee domain. This work furthers the understanding of forced dissociation of P-selectin/ligand bond.