Isolation and characterization of a marine magnetotactic spirillum axenic culture QH-2 from an intertidal zone of the China Sea

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are ubiquitous in aquatic habitats. Because of their fastidious requirements for growth conditions, only very few axenic MTB cultures have been obtained worldwide. In this study, we report a novel marine magnetotactic spirillum axenic culture, designated as QH-2, isolated from the China Sea. It was able to grow in semi-solid or liquid chemically defined medium. The cells were amphitrichously flagellated and contained one single magnetosome chain with an average number of 16 magnetosomes per cell. Phosphate and lipid granules were also observed in the cells. Both rock magnetism and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy characterizations indicated that the magnetosomes in QH-2 were single-domain magnetites (Fe3O4). QH-2 cells swam mostly in a straight line at a velocity of 20-50 mu m/s and occasionally changed to a helical motion. Unlike other magnetotactic spirilla. QH-2 cells responded to light illumination. As a consequence of illumination, the cells changed the direction in which they swam from parallel to the magnetic field to antiparallel. This response appears to be similar to the effect of an increase in [O-2]. Analysis of the QH-2 16S rRNA sequence showed that it had greater than 11% sequence divergence from freshwater magnetotactic spirilla. Thus, the marine QH-2 strain seems to be both phylogenetically and magnetotactically distinct from the freshwater Magnetospirillum spp. studied previously. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Molecular cloning, expression and biochemical property analysis of AtKP1, a kinesin gene from Arabidopsis thaliana

Kinesins are common in a variety of eukaryotic cells with diverse functions. A cDNA encoding a member of the Kinesin-14B subfamily is obtained using X-RACE technology and named AtKP1 (for Arabidopsis kinesin protein 1). This cDNA has a maximum open reading frame of 3.3 kb encoding a polypeptide of 1087 aa. Protein domain analysis shows that AtKP1 contains the motor domain and the calponin homology domain in the central and amino-terminal regions, respectively. The carboxyl-terminal region with 202 aa residues is diverse from other known kinesins. Northern blot analysis shows that AtKP1 is widely expressed at a higher level in seedlings than in mature plants. 2808 bp of the AtKP1 promoter region is cloned and fused to GUS. GUS expression driven by the AtKP1 promoter region shows that AtKP1 is mainly expressed in vasculature of young organs and young leaf trichomes, indicating that AtKP1 may participate in the differentiation or development of Arabidopsis thaliana vascular bundles and trichomes. A truncated AtKP1 protein containing the putative motor domain is expressed in E. coli and affinity-purified. In vitro characterizations indicate that the polypeptide has nucleotide-dependent microtubule-binding ability and microtubule-stimulated ATPase activity.

移动机器人激光测距仪性能综述

对当前移动机器人上常用的激光测距仪的性能研究进行了全面的总结。分析了检测SICK、Perceptron、Explorer等常用激光测距仪各方面特性的各种实验结果。根据影响激光测距仪测量性能的方式,把激光测距仪的时变特性、角度偏移、数据传输影响、混合象素现象、色度亮度干扰现象、辐射干扰现象等,分为内因和外因两大类进行了分类讨论。

贵阳市大气总悬浮颗粒物(TSP)的化学特征及其影响因素研究

气溶胶对气候和人类的健康都有重要影响。因此，研究大气总悬浮颗粒物（TSP）的化学组成和物理特性对更深入地了解气溶胶对气候和人类健康的影响具有重要意义。贵阳是中国受燃煤污染比较严重的城市之一，大气中高含量的SO2是其最明显的特征。尽管最近几年空气质量有所改善，但是该区的大气污染问题还比较严重，空气质量仍然不容乐观。我们于2005年1月1日到2005年12月31日在中科院地球化学研究所内全年采集总悬浮颗粒物（TSP）样品，分析测试了其主要无机离子（F-、Cl-、SO42-、NO3-、NH4+、K+、Na+、Ca2+和Mg2+）的化学性质，并结合当地的气象参数（温度，风速，降雨量和相对湿度）系统地研究了TSP及其水溶性无机离子的季节变化特征。本论文的主要结论有： 1. TSP的浓度变化范围为36.91～313.44µg/m3，年均值106.60µg/m3；各离子摩尔浓度的大小顺序为：SO42-> NH4+> Ca2+ > NO3-> K+ > Na+ > Cl- > Mg2+ > F-；SO42- (23.04±12.16µg/m3)和NH4+(3.05±2.23µg/m3)是最主要的离子，分别占总离子摩尔数的37％和30％。TSP及其组分都有明显的季节变化，TSP、Cl-、SO42-、NO3-、NH4+、K+、Na+、Ca2+和Mg2+浓度的冬/夏比值分别为:1.29、5.23、1.35、2.37、1.73、1.22、1.84、1.23和1.02。 2. 温度对TSP及其水溶性无机组分的影响呈现一定的季节变化模式，冬天随温度的升高TSP及其水溶无机组分的浓度也升高，夏天随温度的升高TSP及其水溶性无机组分的浓度降低。但是从全年来看，温度与TSP及其水溶性无机组分之间有弱的负相关性，即随温度的升高，TSP及其水溶性无机组分的浓度有不同程度的下降。相对湿度与TSP及其水溶性无机组分之间存在明显的负相关关系，即随大气相对湿度的增加，TSP及其水溶性无机组分的浓度下降。在相对湿度与TSP及其水溶性无机组分浓度的日变化图中表现为相对湿度的波谷与TSP及其水溶无机组分的浓度的波峰相对应。风速与TSP及其水溶无机组分的浓度之间呈现弱的负相关性。在贵阳，风速对TSP及其水溶无机组分的影响主要表现为扩散作用和稀释作用，由风速导致的尘土再悬浮作用并不明显。雨量对TSP及其水溶性无机组分的影响主要是湿清除作用，具体表现为无雨天TSP及其水溶性无机组分的浓度较雨天高。影响TSP、Ca2+、Mg2+和F-的主要气象参数是相对湿度(RH)和风速，影响SO42-、NO3-、NH4+和Cl-的主要气象参数是温度。 3. 贵阳大气总悬浮颗粒物（TSP）总体偏酸性，TSP水溶液pH值的年均值为6.27±0.41，与总阴离子与总阳离子的当量比Q的年平均值为0.82一致；TSP中高含量的SO42-是贵阳的TSP显酸性的主要原因。 4. NH4+与SO42-和NO3-的相关系数（R）分别为0.85和0.65，NH4+与SO42-的摩尔比值为0.8，说明贵阳TSP中的NH4+主要以(NH4)2SO4的形式存在。Ca2+和Mg2+有较好的相关性（R=0.72）和相似的变化特征，说明二者可能有共同的来源。 5. 2005年贵阳TSP中SO42-/ Ca2+的平均值为13.64，几乎是干净大陆SO42-/ Ca2+的本底值的20倍，说明贵阳的大气污染主要是人为因素所致。NO3-/SO42-的平均值为0.15，说明固定源对贵阳气溶胶的贡献比移动源（通常指交通工具所排放的尾气）对气溶胶的贡献大；

Epoxidation of propylene on NaCl-modified silver catalysts with air as the oxidant

Propylene epoxidation by air was carried out on NaCl-modified silver (NaCl/Ag) catalysts, and the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of NaCl loadings, propylene to oxygen ratio, and the reaction time on the catalytic performance were investigated. It was found that the addition of NaCl to silver significantly increases the propylene oxide (PO) selectivity. The PO yield has a maximum when the NaCl loading is about 10 wt.%. Also 12.4% conversion of propylene and 31.6% selectivity to PO are obtained on the NaCl/Ag (10 wt.%) catalyst at 350 degreesC, space velocity 1.8 x 10(4) h(-1) and C3H6:O-2 = 1:2. XPS and XRD characterizations show that AgCl formed on the silver catalyst was favorable to propylene epoxidation. A compound with highly oxidized Ag ion was also found, which may be effective for the reaction. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct synthesis of highly ordered Fe-SBA-15 mesoporous materials under weak acidic conditions

Iron-substituted SBA-15 (Fe-SBA-15) materials have been synthesized via a simple direct hydrothermal method under weak acidic conditions. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), NZ sorption and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations show that the resultant materials have well-ordered hexagonal meso-structures. The diffused reflectance UV-vis and UV resonance Raman spectroscopy characterizations show that most of the iron ions exist as isolated framework species for calcined materials when the Fe/Si molar ratios are below 0.01 in the gel. The presence of iron species also has significant salt effects that can greatly improve the ordering of the mesoporous structure. Different iron species including isolated framework iron species, extraframework iron clusters and iron oxides are formed selectively by adjusting the pH values of the synthesis solutions and Fe/Si molar ratios. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preparation and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes supported PtRu catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A series of PtRu nanocomposites supported on H2O2-oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized via two chemical reduction methods - one used aqueous formaldehyde (HCHO method) and the other used ethylene glycol (EG method) as the reducing agents. The effects of the solvents (water and ethylene glycol) and the surface composition of the MWCNTs on the deposition and the dispersion of the metal particles were investigated using N-2 adsorption. TEM. ICP-AES. FTIR and TPD. The wetting heats of the MWCNTs in corresponding solvents were also measured. The characterizations suggest that combination of the surface chemistry of the MWCNTs with the solvents decides the deposition and the dispersion of the metal nanoparticles. These nanocomposites were evaluated as proton exchange membrane fuel cell anode catalyts for oxidation of 50 ppm CO contaminated hydrogen and compared with a commercial PtRu/C catalyst. The data reveal superior performances for the nanocomposites prepared by the EG method to those by the HCHO method and even to that for tile Commercial analogue. Structure performance relationship of the nanocomposites was also studied. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autothermal reforming of n-octane on Ru-based catalysts

In an attempt to effectively integrate catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) and steam reforming (SR) reactions on the same catalyst, autothermal reforming (ATR) of n-octane was addressed based on thermodynamic analysis and carried out on a non-pyrophoric catalyst 0.3 wt.% Ru/K2O-CeO2/gamma-Al2O3. The ATR of n-octane was more efficient at the molar ratio Of O-2/C 0.35-0.45 and H2O/C 1.6-2.2 (independent parameters), respectively, and reforming temperature of 750-800 degrees C (dependent parameter). Among the sophisticated reaction network, the main reaction thread was deducted as: long-chain hydrocarbon -> CH4, short-chain hydrocarbon -> CO2, CO and H-2 formation by steam reforming, although the parallel CPO, decomposition and reverse water gas shift reaction took place on the same catalyst. Low temperature and high steam partial pressure had more positive effect on CH4 SR to produce CO2 other than CO. This was verified by the tendency of the outlet reformate to the equilibrium at different operation conditions. Furthermore, the loss of active components and the formation of stable but less active components in the catalyst in the harsh ATR atmosphere firstly make the CO inhibition capability suffer, then eventually aggravated the ATR performance, which was verified by the characterizations of X-ray fluorescence, BET specific surface areas and temperature programmed reduction. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improvement of direct methanol fuel cell performance by modifying catalyst coated membrane structure

A five-layer catalyst coated membrane (CCM) based upon Nation 115 membrane for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) was designed and fabricated by introducing a modified Nafion layer between the membrane and the catalyst layer. The properties of the CCM were determined by SEM, cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, ruinous test and I-V curves. The characterizations show that the modified Nation layers provide increased interface contact area and enhanced interaction between the membrane and the catalyst layer. As a result, higher Pt utilization, lower contact resistance and superior durability of membrane electrode assembly was achieved. A 75% Pt utilization efficiency was obtained by using the novel CCM structure, whereas the conventional structure gave 60% efficiency. All these features greatly contribute to the increase in DMFC performance. The DMFC with new CCM structure presented a maximum power density of 260 MW cm(-2), but the DMFC with conventional structure gave only 200 mW cm(-2) under the same operation condition. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Caracterização do estado sólido e sua influência na qualidade dos medicamentos

Projeto de Pós-Graduação/Dissertação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Farmacêuticas

Investigation of the effect of intrauterine inflammation and infection on fetal brain injury using human and animal models

In recent years, increased focus has been placed on the role of intrauterine infection and inflammation in the pathogenesis of fetal brain injury leading to neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy. At present, the mechanisms by which inflammatory processes during pregnancy cause this effect on the fetus are poorly understood. Our previous work has indicated an association between experimentally-induced intrauterine infection, increased proinflammatory cytokines, and increased white matter injury in the guinea pig fetus. In order to further elucidate the pathways by which inflammation in the maternal system or the fetal membranes leads to fetal impairment, a number of studies investigating aspects of the disease process have been performed. These studies represent a body of work encompassing novel research and results in a number of human and animal studies. Using a guinea pig model of inflammation, increased amniotic fluid proinflammatory cytokines and fetal brain injury were found after a maternal inflammatory response was initiated using endotoxin. In order to more closely monitor the fetal response to chorioamnionitis, a model using the chronically catheterized fetal ovine was carried out. This study demonstrated the adverse effects on fetal white matter after intrauterine exposure to bacterial inoculation, though the physiological parameters of the fetus were relatively stable throughout the experimental protocol, even when challenged with intermittent hypoxic episodes. The placenta is an important mediator between mother and fetus during gestation, though its role in the inflammatory process is largely undefined. Studies on the placental role in the inflammatory process were undertaken, and the limited ability of proinflammatory cytokines and endotoxin to cross the placenta are detailed herein. Neurodevelopmental disorders can be monitored in animal models in order to determine effective disease models for characterization of injury and use in therapeutic strategies. Our characterizations of postnatal behaviour in the guinea pig model using motility monitoring and spatial memory testing have shown small but significant differences in pups exposed to inflammatory processes in utero. The data presented herein contributes a breadth of knowledge to the ongoing elucidation of the pathways by which fetal brain injury occurs. Determining the pathway of damage will lead to discovery of diagnostic criteria, while determining the vulnerabilities of the developing fetus is essential in formulating therapeutic options.

Hall conditions for edge-weighted bipartite graphs

A weighted variant of Hall's condition for the existence of matchings is shown to be equivalent to the existence of a matching in a lexicographic product. This is used to introduce characterizations of those bipartite graphs whose edges may be replicated so as to yield semiregular multigraphs or, equivalently, semiregular edge-weightings. Such bipartite graphs will be called semiregularizable. Some infinite families of semiregularizable trees are described and all semiregularizable trees on at most 11 vertices are listed. Matrix analogues of some of the results are mentioned and are shown to imply some of the known characterizations of regularizable graphs.

Geometry in preduals of spaces of 2-homogeneous polynomials on Hilbert spaces

Let H be a (real or complex) Hilbert space. Using spectral theory and properties of the Schatten–Von Neumann operators, we prove that every symmetric tensor of unit norm in HoH is an infinite absolute convex combination of points of the form xox with x in the unit sphere of the Hilbert space. We use this to obtain explicit characterizations of the smooth points of the unit ball of HoH .

Structure of spectra of linear operators in Banach spaces

Descriptive characterizations of the point, the continuous, and the residual spectra of operators in Banach spaces are put forward. In particular, necessary and sufficient conditions for three disjoint subsets of the complex plane to be the point spectrum, the continuous spectrum, and the residual spectrum of a linear continuous operator in a separable Banach space are obtained.

Green synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles in a room-temperature ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide

Nanoparticles of ZnO with the wurtzite structure have been successfully synthesized via a microwave through the decomposition of zinc acetate dihydrate in an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, as a solvent. Fundamental characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were conducted for the ZnO nanostructures.