Biomimetic bone-like composites fabricated through an automated alternate soaking process.

Hydroxyapatite-gelatin composites have been proposed as suitable scaffolds for bone and dentin tissue regeneration. There is considerable interest in producing these scaffolds using biomimetic methods due to their low energy costs and potential to create composites similar to the tissues they are intended to replace. Here an existing process used to coat a surface with hydroxyapatite under near physiological conditions, the alternate soaking process, is modified and automated using an inexpensive "off the shelf" robotics kit. The process is initially used to precipitate calcium phosphate coatings. Then, in contrast to previous utilizations of the alternate soaking process, gelatin was added directly to the solutions in order to co-precipitate hydroxyapatite-gelatin composites. Samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and nanoindentation. Calcium phosphate coatings formed by the alternate soaking process exhibited different calcium to phosphate ratios, with correspondingly distinct structural morphologies. The coatings demonstrated an interconnected structure with measurable mechanical properties, even though they were 95% porous. In contrast, hydroxyapatite-gelatin composite coatings over 2mm thick could be formed with little visible porosity. The hydroxyapatite-gelatin composites demonstrate a composition and mechanical properties similar to those of cortical bone.

中国郁金香属(广义)的系统学研究

郁金香属（Tulipa L.）是世界著名的观赏植物，广泛分布于欧洲、亚洲的温带地区以及非洲的西北部，中亚地区是其分布和多样化中心。该属包括老鸦瓣组、长柱组、郁金香组、毛蕊组、扭药组、鸡冠组和无毛组共七个组，40至150种。老鸦瓣组是东亚特有类群。中国共有郁金香属植物16种，主要分布于西北（新疆）以及中东部地区，其中老鸦瓣组有4个种，占该组全部种类的4/5。长期以来，由于对老鸦瓣组的生物学特性及其地理分布缺乏了解，该类群的归属问题一直都是该属系统学研究中争论的焦点之一。因此，本文以分布于我国的郁金香属作为主要研究对象，通过对其形态学、胚囊发育的比较胚胎学以及分子系统学研究，对老鸦瓣组的系统位置以及上述特征在该属分类中的意义进行了探讨。主要结果如下 1)通过对该属18种植物（包括土耳其的3个种）28个形态性状数据的分支分析，表明广义郁金香属并不是一个单系类群。Tulipa sect. Amana与该属其他四个组（sect. Orithyia、sect. Eriostemones、sect. Leiostemones和sect. Tulipanum）在分支树上各成一支，它们与Lloydia属构成一个大支的三个分支。同时，sect. Amana具有与子房近等长的花柱以及2-3（-4）个苞片等与郁金香属不同的形态特征。因此，我们认为sect. Amana应从广义郁金香属中独立出来，恢复其老鸦瓣属Amana Honda作为属的分类地位。 2)发现了一个新种：Amana kuocangshanica D.Y. Tan et D. Y. Hong。该种与A. erythronioides 和A. anhuiensis近缘，区别在于鳞茎皮内侧光滑无毛，下部叶披针形，自基部向上2/3处最宽，果喙长0.64±0.08 cm。 3）对16种植物叶表皮形态观察的结果表明，老鸦瓣属4个种的叶上表皮细胞为矩形或矩圆形、下表皮为菱形或矩形，垂周壁为直线形或波形，上表皮无气孔或气孔密度较小，这些特征与狭义郁金香属的种差异显著。在狭义郁金香属中，叶表皮特征在种间差异明显，可以作为分种及种间亲缘关系探讨的依据，但在组间没有明显的差异。 4）对19种植物的花粉形态观察表明，Amana属的4种为近椭球形、舟形和肾形， 外壁纹饰网状，网脊浅皱波状，与狭义郁金香属的15种具明显不同。在狭义郁金香属中，花粉外壁纹饰虽然在种间存在一定程度的差异，但对组的划分意义不大。 5）从种皮形态及微形态特征看，在所观察的16种植物中，Amana属的种子小，呈半月形，较厚，种柄明显，胚不易见;种皮纹饰为皱波状或不规则，与狭义郁金香属存在显著的差异。狭义郁金香属的12种在种皮纹饰、网眼大小及形状、网脊宽窄等方面均存在明显的差异，但组间无明显差别，说明这些特征在种的划分上具有一定的分类学意义。 6）对16种植物的胚囊发育过程观察表明：共有6种胚囊发育类型，即Fritillaria type、Drusa type、Tulipa iliensis type、Tulipa tetraphylla type、 Adoxa type和Eriostemones type。其中Tulipa iliensis type为所发现的一种新的胚囊发育类型。Tulipa iliensis、T. heterophylla和T. heteropetala3个种具有两种胚囊类型。在郁金香属中，胚囊的发育类型具有一定的系统学意义。 7）通过对21种郁金香以及猪牙花属2种植物基于nrDNA ITS区和cpDNA trnL-F 区的序列分析，发现广义郁金香属并非一单系类群，老鸦瓣属为猪牙花属的姐妹群。在狭义郁金香属中，sect. Orithyia、sect. Tulipanum以及sect. Eriostemones得到了该分子系统学分析的支持，而sect. Leiostemones是否成立及其系统关系问题尚有待于进一步研究。

葛属(豆科)的分类学修订

本论文对葛属（Pueraria DC.）进行了形态学、解剖学及植物地理学研究，重点分析了小叶、托叶、花序及花的形态变异规律。首次发现葛属生长习性和种皮纹饰特征在组的划分上具有重要的分类学意义，支持前人运用托叶着生方式、花序类型及每节簇生花的数目等特征划分组的观点。首次在光学显微镜下对葛属植物14种1变种叶表皮性状做了较为全面、深入的观察，发现葛属叶表皮细胞的形状、垂周壁的式样以及气孔大小有一定分类学意义，为葛属的分类修订提供了新资料。首次应用电子扫描显微镜观察了葛属10种1变种和2个外类群广西土黄芪Nogra guangxiensis C. F. Wei和琼豆Teyleria koordersii (Backer ex Koord.-Schum.) Backer的种皮纹饰特征，发现葛属的种皮纹饰有网纹型、断棱型、复网纹型和锐棱型等4种类型，他们与托叶的着生方式具有一定的关联性。托叶背着的类群为网纹型，其中采自中国和越南不同居群的山野葛Pueraria montana (Lour.) Merr.种皮次级纹饰有差别，这显示山野葛分化比较活跃。托叶基着的三裂叶野葛P. phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth.、大花三裂叶野葛P. phaseoloides (Roxb.) Benth. var. javanica (Benth.) Baker、苦葛P. peduncularis (Graham ex Benth.) Benth.以及云南野葛P. yunnanensis Franch.的种皮纹饰为断棱形，小花野葛P. stricta Kurz种皮纹饰为复网纹型，喜玛拉雅葛藤P. wallichii DC.种皮纹饰为锐棱型。依据种皮纹饰推断，喜玛拉雅葛藤最原始，黄毛葛藤P. calycina Franch.最进化，与形态学特征演化方向相吻合。广西土黄芪种皮纹饰为网纹型，琼豆种皮纹饰为复网纹型，表明它们与葛属亲缘关系较近。这与形态学和分子证据相吻合。本文首次运用广义线形模型（GLM）结合地理信息系统（GIS）对葛属现有地理分布、潜在分布及50年后潜在分布进行了分析。所预测的潜在分布范围与观察到的地理分布范围一致，说明对特化的气候忍耐性是限制葛属物种地理分布的主要因素。温度、降水和海拔高度对葛属地理分布限制作用比较大。未来潜在分布预测显示葛属有向南、北扩散的趋势。 作者在研究了四千余份腊叶标本及野外形态考察的基础上，结合叶表皮及种皮纹饰资料，确认葛属分为3组，共19种3变种。其中，对Sect. Breviramulae Maesen ex Z. F. Le & X. Y. Zhu进行了合格发表，运用形态学、解剖学及种皮纹饰资料恢复了云南野葛种的地位，并为其指定了后选模式，P. pulcherrima (Koord.-Schum.) Merr. ex Koord.-Schum.正确的学名为P. sericans Schum.，对4个名称进行了归并。本文还给出了组和种的检索表、葛属各个种的形态描述、地理分布图及模式标本照片。

The elastic-plastic indentation response of a columnar thermal barrier coating

Thermal barrier coatings with a columnar microstructure are prone to erosion damage by a mechanism of surface cracking upon impact by small foreign particles. In order to explore this erosion mechanism, the elastic indentation and the elastic-plastic indentation responses of a columnar thermal barrier coating to a spherical indenter were determined by the finite element method and by analytical models. It was shown that the indentation response is intermediate between that of a homogeneous half-space and that given by an elastic-plastic mattress model (with the columns behaving as independent non-linear springs). The sensitivity of the indentation behaviour to geometry and to the material parameters was explored: the diameter of the columns, the gap width between columns, the coefficient of Coulomb friction between columns and the layer height of the thermal barrier coating. The calculations revealed that the level of induced tensile stress is sufficient to lead to cracking of the columns at a depth of about the column radius. It was also demonstrated that the underlying soft bond coat can undergo plastic indentation when the coating comprises parallel columns, but this is less likely for the more realistic case of a random arrangement of tapered columns. © 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Inhibition of seafood-borne bacteria in cooked mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) fish meat by lactic acid bacteria

Antagonistic activity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) namely Streptococcus faecalis, Pediococcus cerevisiae and Lactobacillus casei was tested against seafood-borne bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes. Three lactic acid bacteria such as Streptococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus casei and Pediococcus cerevisiae were coated on cooked mackerel meat, individually and in combination against fish-borne bacteria. S. faecalis inhibited C. perfringens in individual coat by 3.7 log units as compared to control, whereas L. casei did not inhibit C. perfringens. P. cerevisiae inhibited S. aureus by 5 log units. L. casei, inhibited L. monocytogenes by 3.3 log units on the third day of storage as compared to control. On the other hand, S. aureus and B. cereus were inhibited on the third and second day by 4.9 log and 5.2 log units respectively. B. cereus, S. aureus, L. monocytogenes were the most sensitive to all three LAB. C. perfringens was the least inhibited among all the seafood-borne bacteria tried. Multiple LAB or LAB strains in combination showed much earlier inhibitory activity on seafood-borne bacteria than single LAB coat.

Experimental formulation of an anti fouling paint with tributyl tin oxide as toxic pigment

Results of the experimental formulation of an antifouling paint incorporating TBTO as toxic pigment are presented in this paper. Of the various resins tested, namely, phenolic, cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), epoxy linseed oil with rosin and limed rosin, the paint composition with limed rosin gave the critical leaching rate of TBTO. Acid alkali test showed dissolution of matrix and visible migration of toxin to the surface. Accelerated corrosion tests had not recorded any signs of corrosion in panels painted with or without barrier coat. Raft exposure studies indicated that the new formulation could resist fouling accumulation on painted panels for 9 months.

Value-adding through coatings

The paper presents the three categories of food coatings that are used, individually or in combination, to produce battered or breaded foods. These are predust, batters and breadcrumbs. Predusts are usually a blend of flours, starches and other functional ingredients such as proteins, vegetable gums and seasonings or flavors; batters are blends of flours, starches, leavening agents and seasonings which, when mixed with water, forms a viscous liquid used to evenly coat a food item; while breadcrumbs are baked or otherwise thermally processed cereal-based ingredients which are applied to a moistened food item prior to cooking.

Gas-phase production of multifunctional composite nanoparticles by photoinduced chemical vapor deposition

As these results indicate, photo-CVD coating is a robust process that allows for the creation of core-shell nanoparticles. In the present work we demonstrated that photo-CVD can effectively coat Fe2O3 particles with silica for purposes of biological applications. TDMA results combined with TEM images indicate that all particles are effectively coated and that particle coating thicknesses can be tuned to desired thickness depending on the application. In addition, the ability to vary coating properties and to coat high concentrations of particles makes this technique of interest for industrial production where uniform properties are needed for large quantities of particles [2]. Copyright © 2010 by ASME.

Study on the reproductive biology of Pinctada fucata (Gould) (Mollusca: Pteriidae)

Annual cycle of gonad development and spawning in pearl oyster, Pinctada ficata (Gould) in Nakhiloo, Northeast Persian Gulf, was investigated over two years from August 1994 to June 1996. Gonadal condition was assessed by staging criteria to describe gametogenic development from histological preparations of randomly collected individuals of all sizes. A bimodal gametogenic pattern with summer and autumn spawning periods was evident throughout the study. Gametogensis commenced in November-December which proceeded by major gonadal maturation during February-April. Summer spawning was observed from April to July with major spawning at the latter end. During spawning peak in July, low level of gametogensis was noticed. Gametogenic activity was picked up again in August-September which proceeded by autumn spawning from September to December. Towards the end of spawning season, incidence of gonadal inactivation increased. Minimum level of gonadal activity was observed in November. Temperature regime appears to have influential role in regulation of gametogenic and spawning processes. Gonadal development and spawning trends were similar in both sexes. P. radiaata was found to be protandrous hermaphrodite which matured as a male at shell height greater than 20 mm. Biseivality was uncommon and the sex ratio was about 1:1. Ultrastructure of gametes were investigated in the Pictada fucata (Gould). "Auxiliary cells" closely accociated with developing oocytes were observed. Each oocyte seems to be associated with only one secretory cell. which is characterized by an abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum at the onset of vitellogenesis. Contact between this cell and a developing oocytes is maintained by a desmosome-like junction which can be observed when the vitelline coat is formed. these "auxiliary or nursing cells" seem to play a tropic role in vitellogenesis, and may be involved in the formation of the vitelline coat of the oocytes. Oocytic degeneration is observed in this species, it is a continuous phenomenon of varing intensity throughout the year. The ultrastructural changes resulting in lysis of the oocyte are described. Mature spermatozoa consist of a broad, cap-shaped acrosomal vesicle, subacrosomal material, a round nucleus, two triplet substructure centrioles surrounded by four spherical mitochondria, and a flagellum anchored to the distal centriole and plasma membrane. Spermatozoa of Plucata closley resemble to those of other investigated Pteriidae. Changes in proximate composition of soft tissue and gonadal cycle of Pinctada fucata was studied. Mobilization and utilization of stored reserves are apparent during gametogenesis and gonadal maturation. Protein reserves are utilized during spermatogenesis while reserved carbohydrates form the main energy donor in oogenesis. The role of lipid as am.: energy reserve is second to that of carbohydrate.

Tests for conceptual design of 6.6 kV class superconducting fault current limiter with YBCO thin film elements

A superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for 6.6 kV and 400 A installed in a cubicle for a distribution network substation was conceptually designed. The SFCL consists of parallel- and series-connected superconducting YBCO elements and a limiting resistor. Before designing the SFCL, some tests were carried out. The width and length of each element used in the tests are 30 mm and 210 mm, respectively. The element consists of YBCO thin film of about 200 nm in thickness on cerium dioxide (CeO2) as a cap-layer on a sapphire substrate by metal-organic deposition with a protective metal coat. In the tests, characteristics of each element, such as over-current, withstand-voltage, and so on, were obtained. From these characteristics, series and parallel connections of the elements, called units, were considered. The characteristics of the units were obtained by tests. From the test results, a single phase prototype SFCL was manufactured and tested. Thus, an SFCL rated at 6.6 kV and 400 A can be designed. © 2009 IEEE.

Ultrastructure of the bloodstream forms of the fish trypanosome Trypanosoma pseudobagri dogiel et achmerov, 1959

The ultrastructure of the bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma pseudobagri from its natural host, yellow catfish (Pseudobagrus fulvidraco), a freshwater fish, is described in the present work. The pellicle, consisting of a unit membrane with a superimposed surface coat, the structure and attachment of the flagellum and the subpellicular microtubules show the usual structural and organizational features. Cell organelles and cytoplasmic inclusions such as kinetoplast, mitochondria, nucleus and vacuoles, which occur in trypanosomidae, are observed and described in detail. The ultrastructure of T. pseudobagri has been compared with that of bloodstream forms of other species and culture forms of fish trypanosomes, and similarities and divergences are discussed. The Golgi-complex and endoplasmic reticulum could not be observed and need further investigation.

微生物对抗菌肽耐受的诱导及耐受机理初步研究

抗菌肽是一类具有强大杀菌能力的肽类分子，同时还具有离子调节、免疫调节、蛋白酶抑制剂和自由基清除等其他生物活性。现已鉴定的抗菌肽超过1,200 种，几乎存在于所有生物种类中。在抗生素耐受严重的今天，抗菌肽极有潜力成为新型的有效抗菌药物，许多抗菌肽已进入临床前研究或临床研究。在本论文中，我们选择了无指盘臭蛙（Odorrana grahami）来源的三种抗菌肽（Brevinin 2E-OG1、Nigrocin-OG4 和Palustrin-OG1），单独或组合使用，以藤黄微球菌（Micrococcus luteus）、枯草芽孢杆菌（Bacillus subtilis）和白假丝酵母菌（Candida albicans）为研究对象，进行微生物对抗菌肽耐受性的实验诱导；并通过检测胞外蛋白酶活性、蛋白质组学等方法对微生物耐受抗菌肽机制进行初步的研究。将微生物培养于含有低浓度抗菌肽（单独使用或组合使用）培养基中，每日转接一次，每十次酌情提高抗菌肽浓度。80 次转接后，除藤黄微球菌未对 Palustrin-OG1 产生耐受外，其余所有的实验菌株均表现出对所用三种抗菌肽的耐受。但是Palustrin-OG1 与Brevinin 2E-OG1 或Nigrocin-OG4 联合使用能在一定程度上降低耐受性。将诱导后细菌于不含抗菌肽条件下培养，转接5 次后，对耐受现象无影响，说明这种耐受是可以稳定遗传的。抗菌肽耐受机制之一是分泌蛋白酶水解胞外抗菌肽，我们通过两种方式检测胞外蛋白酶活性，一种是检测发酵液的酪蛋白水解活性，另一种是检测发酵液处理抗菌肽后对抗菌活性的影响。结果发现枯草芽孢杆菌和藤黄微球菌发酵液存在着蛋白酶活性，推测胞外蛋白酶可能与二者对抗菌肽的耐受有关；而白假丝酵母菌发酵液中未检测到蛋白酶活性。另外，我们还通过蛋白质组学的手段对枯草芽孢杆菌耐受机制进行了初步的研究，鉴定了5 个差异表达的蛋白，表达上调的蛋白有yraA（功能未知）、Tpx （巯基过氧化物酶，Thiol peroxidase）、pdhD（二氢硫辛酰胺脱氢酶，dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase），表达下调的有cotN/TasA（芽孢膜相关蛋白，spore coat-associated protein）和gapA（三磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶，Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 ，GAPDH）。yraA 和Tpx 都由Spx 调控，yraA 可以水解小肽增加自由氨基酸，而自由氨基酸增多时gapA、tasA 表达水平会下降，Spx 是由sigma-M 因子调控的，所以我们推测sigma-M 因子在B. subtiis 对抗菌肽耐受中起到了重要的作用。总之，本研究发现抗菌肽的联合作用会减缓微生物对其耐受的程度，为抗菌肽类药物研发提供了一种新思路；同时对抗菌肽耐受机制的初步研究也为今后的深入研究打下了基础。另外，我们还设计了一种新型的抗菌肽系统命名方法，并构建了昆明动物研究所抗菌肽数据库。

High-Power and High-Efficiency 650nm-Band AlGaInP Visible Laser Diodes Fabricated by Ion Beam Etching

High power and high-slope efficiency 650nm band real-refractive-index ridge waveguide AlGaInP laser diodes with compressive strained MQW active layer are formed by pure Ar ion beam etching process.Symmetric laser mesas with high perpendicularity,which are impossible to obtain by traditional wet etching method due to the use of a 15°-misoriented substrate,are obtained by this dry etching method.Laser diodes with 4μm wide,600μm long and 10%/90% coat are fabricated.The typical threshold current of these devices is 46mA at room temperature,and a stable fundamental-mode operation over 40mW is obtained.Very high slope efficiency of 1.4W/A at 10mW and 1.1W/A at 40mW are realized.

Interface delamination of the thermal barrier coating subjected to local heating

To investigate the possible failure modes of the thermal barrier coating (TBC) used to protect the scramjet combustion chamber, the local heating via laser beam irradiation was utilized to simulate the service condition of high thermal flux and high temperature gradient. Firstly, the experimental method and process were described and the typical fracture morphology of the TBC under test were provided. Then, the theoretical and finite element modeling were carried out to study the temperature, deformation and stresses of the specimen when the top ceramic coat was subjected to local heating, and to demonstrate the mechanism on the failure of the TBC. It is revealed that the interface delamination shall appear and ultimately lead to the failure of the TBC under such thermal loading of local quick heating. According to the outcome of this study, the driving force of the interface delamination is influenced greatly by the key structural parameters and performance matching. Moreover, by utilizing the rules of the effects of these parameters on the fracture driving force, there is some possibility for the designer to optimize the performances of the TBC.