Investigating carbon materials for use as the electron emission source in a parallel electron-beam lithography system

A microelectronic parallel electron-beam lithography system using an array of field emitting microguns is currently being developed. This paper investigates the suitability of various carbon based materials for the electron source in this device, namely tetrahedrally bonded amorphous carbon (ta-C), nanoclustered carbon and carbon nanotubes. Ta-C was most easily integrated into a gated field emitter structure and various methods, such as plasma and heavy ion irradiation, were used to induce emission sites in the ta-C. However, the creation of such emission sites at desired locations appeared to be difficult/random in nature and thus the material was unsuitable for this application. In contrast, nanoclustered carbon material readily field emits with a high site density but the by-products from the deposition process create integration issues when using the material in a microelectronic gated structure. Carbon nanotubes are currently the most promising candidate for use as the emission source. We have developed a high yield and clean (amorphous carbon by-product free) PECVD process to deposit single free standing nanotubes at desired locations with exceptional uniformity in terms of nanotube height and diameter. Field emission from an array of nanotubes was also obtained. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V.

Reproductive potential of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the western Indian Ocean

The reproductive biology of Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the western Indian Ocean was investigated from samples collected in 2009 and 2010. In our study, 1012 female Yellowfin Tuna were sampled: 320 fish on board a purse seiner and 692 fish at a Seychelles cannery. We assessed the main biological parameters that describe reproductive potential: maturity, spawning seasonality, fish condition, and fecundity. The length at which 50% of the female Yellowfin Tuna population matures (L50) was estimated at 75 cm in fork length (FL) when the maturity threshold was established at the cortical alveolar stage of oocyte development. To enable comparison with previous studies, L50 also was estimated with maturity set at the vitellogenic stage of oocyte development; this assessment resulted in a higher value of L50 at 102 cm FL. The main spawning season, during which asynchrony in reproductive timing among sizes was observed, was November–February and a second peak occurred in June. Smaller females (<100 cm FL) had shorter spawning periods (December to February) than those (November to February and June) of large individuals, and signs of skip-spawning periods were observed among small females. The Yellowfin Tuna followed a “capital-income” breeder strategy during ovarian development, by mobilizing accumulated energy while using incoming energy from feeding. The mean batch fecundity for females 79–147 cm FL was estimated at 3.1 million oocytes, and the mean relative batch fecundity was 74.4 oocytes per gram of gonad-free weight. Our results, obtained with techniques defined more precisely than techniques used in previous studies in this region, provide an improved understanding of the reproductive cycle of Yellowfin Tuna in the western Indian Ocean.

Recruitment and spawning-stock biomass distribution of bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) in Chesapeake Bay

Recruitment of bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli) in Chesapeake is related to variability in hydrological conditions and to abundance and spatial distribution of spawning stock biomass (SSB). Midwater-trawl surveys conducted for six years, over the entire 320-km length of the bay, provided information on anchovy SSB, annual spatial patterns of recruitment, and their relationships to variability in the estuarine environment. SSB of anchovy varied sixfold in 1995–2000; it alone explained little variability in young-of-the-year (YOY) recruitment level in October, which varied ninefold. Recruitments were low in 1995 and 1996 (47 and 31 Z 109) but higher in 1997–2000 (100 to 265 Z 109). During the recruitment process the YOY population migrated upbay before a subsequent fall-winter downbay migration. The extent of the downbay migration by maturing recruits was greatest in years of high freshwater input to the bay. Mean dissolved oxygen (DO) was more important than freshwater input in controlling distribution of SSB and shifts in SSB location between April– May (prespawning) and June–August (spawning) periods. Recruitments of bay anchovy were higher when mean DO was lowest in the downbay region during the spawning season. It is hypothesized that anchovy recruitment level is inversely related to mean DO concentration because low DO is associated with high plankton productivity in Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, low DO conditions may confine most bay anchovy spawners to the downbay region, where production of larvae and juveniles is enhanced. A modified Ricker stock-recruitment model indicated density-compensatory recruitment with respect to SSB and demonstrated the importance of spring-summer DO levels and spatial distribution of SSB as controllers of bay anchovy recruitment.

Demographic assessment of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in Chesapeake Bay using extractable lipofuscins as age markers

The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) plays an important economic and ecological role in estuaries and coastal habitats from the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast of North America, but demographic assessments are limited by length-based methods. We applied an alternative aging method using biochemical measures of metabolic byproducts (lipofuscins) sequestered in the neural tissue of eyestalks to examine population age structure. From Chesapeake Bay, subsamples of animals collected from the 1998–99 (n=769) and 1999–2000 (n=367) winter dredge surveys were collected and lipofuscin was measured. Modal analysis of the lipofuscin index provided separation into three modes, whereas carapace-width data collected among the same individuals showed two broad modes. Lipofuscin modal analysis indicated that most adults (carapace width >120 mm) were <2 years old. The results indicate that use of extractable lipofuscin can provide a more accurate and better resolved estimation of demographic structure of blue crab populations in the field than size alone.

Age and size composition, growth rate, reproductive biology, and habitats of the West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and their relevance to the management of this species

Samples of the commercially and recreationally important West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) were obtained from the lower west coast of Australia by a variety of methods. Fish <300 mm TL were caught over flat, hard substrata and low-lying limestone reefs, whereas larger fish were caught over larger limestone and coral reef formations. Maximum total lengths, weights, and ages were 981 mm, 15.3 kg, and 39 years, respectively, for females and 1120 mm, 23.2 kg, and 41 years, respectively, for males. The von Bertalanffy growth curves for females and males were significantly different. The values for L∞, k, and t0 in the von Bertalanffy growth equations were 929 mm, 0.111/year, and –0.141 years, respectively, for females, and 1025 mm, 0.111/year, and –0.052 years, respectively, for males. Preliminary estimates of total mortality indicated that G. hebraicum is now subjected to a level of fishing pressure that must be of concern to fishery managers. Glaucosoma hebraicum, which spawns between November and April and predominantly between December and March, breeds at a wide range of depths and is a multiple spawner. The L50’s for females and males at first maturity, i.e. 301 and 320 mm, respectively, were attained by about the end of the third year of life and are well below the minimum legal length (MLL) of 500 mm. Because females and males did not reach the MLL until the end of their seventh and sixth years of life, respectively, they would have had, on average, the opportunity of spawning during four and three spawning seasons, respectively, before they reached the MLL. However, because G. hebraicum caught in water depths >40 m typically die upon release, a MLL is of limited use for conserving this species. Alternative approaches, such as restricting fishing activity in highly fished areas, reducing daily bag limits for recreational fishermen, introducing quotas or revising specific details of certain commercial hand-line licences (or doing both) are more likely to provide effective conservation measures.

水稻小G蛋白Arf GTPase激活蛋白OsAGAP功能研究

　　锌指蛋白在植物生长发育中具有重要功能，它们可以识别并结合特定的DNA序列进行转录调控，还能够参与蛋白之间相互作用的调节。我们根据锌指蛋白等转录因子特征结构域的序列特点，从来自10 K水稻芯片的EST数据库中筛选出编码58个EST序列。通过对器官表达特异性的比较分析，从中选出七个只在单一器官表达的基因，并对这七个基因的功能进行研究。对其转基因水稻的表型分析发现，C1基因调节水稻的株高和穗的发育;LIM 家族的F9影响小花的形态，主要体现在雌蕊与雄蕊的发育;锌指蛋白S34调控叶倾角的变化;F14基因编码一个核定位的TFIIIA类锌指蛋白，具体功能尚不清楚;锌指蛋白F35转基因水稻主根缩短，侧根数目显著减少。它编码一个推测的ArfGAP (Arf GTPase activating protein)，据此我们将其命名为OsAGAP，并对其进行深入研究。 　　OsAGAP的cDNA全长为1328bp，编码的蛋白由320个氨基酸组成，含有两个保守结构域：锌指结构域和C2 结构域。其中锌指结构域属于CX2CX16CX2C类，即ArfGAP domain的特征结构。GTP酶活性测定试验表明，OsAGAP蛋白能够激活水稻Arf的GTP酶活性，另外，OsAGAP还能够恢复酵母ArfGAP缺失突变体的表型。说明OsAGAP编码的蛋白是水稻中的一个ArfGAP。 　　OsAGAP在水稻各器官中均有表达，但强弱有所不同。RNA原位杂交结果显示，它在茎尖分生组织与侧生原基及侧根部位表达强烈;它在根尖主要分布于中央维管组织、分生区、皮层细胞，最有趣的是恰好与生长素在根尖极性运输路径相吻合。在亚细胞水平，OsAGAP广泛分布于细胞膜、细胞质、细胞核。 　　OsAGAP超表达水稻主根、不定根长度缩短，侧根数目显著减少表现出类似于生长素极性运输突变体的表型。其主根伸长对TIBA的抑制作用不敏感，这暗示OsAGAP超表达水稻的生长素极性运输被破坏;另外，其对各种生长素的作用敏感性也发生变化，对IAA、2,4-D的不敏感，而对NAA的反应与野生型一致，根据各类生长素进出细胞机制不同，可以推测超表达水稻的输入能力存在缺陷。极性运输实验结果表明，超表达水稻极性运输能力被破坏;对生长素输入能力的测定进一步表明，超表达水稻根载体的介导的生长素输入能力显著下降。另外，NAA处理能够恢复超表达水稻中侧根发育受抑的表型缺陷。由此可见，OsAGAP在水稻中超表达破坏了生长素极性运输的输入能力。 　　FM1-43是一类特异标记囊泡运输的荧光染料。经其染色标记后，OsAGAP超表达水稻细胞内囊泡成片聚集，形成“BFA区间”，表现出囊泡运输被破坏的典型特征。透射电镜观察发现，超表达水稻细胞内有大量的小液泡，其中积累了电子密度很高的颗粒物质。由此推测，可能由于细胞的囊泡运输被破坏，导致胞内的代谢物质不能被正常运送或分泌，而在液泡中暂时贮存以维持细胞环境的稳定。 　　在酵母和动物细胞中的研究表明， ArfGAP是调控囊泡运输的一个重要因子，然而目前还没有关于ArfGAP在植物细胞中生理作用的报道。我们的结果说明，OsAGAP作为的一个ArfGAP，它通过调控水稻中的囊泡运输，而影响了生长素的极性运输，具体表现在对生长素输入能力的调控。由此，我们推测ArfGAP可能在生长素的极性运输中也起着重要的调控作用。 　　但OsAGAP在拟南芥中却通过调控植株生长素的水平，而影响了转基因拟南芥根的发育。每种生物都有多个ArfGAP，它们之间的分工存在联系，但各不相同。OsAGAP是拟南芥的外源基因，它在拟南芥中可能以不同于水稻的机制起作用。

火烧、施肥、刈割及其交互作用对草原土壤净氮矿化的影响

我国北方温带草原地处干旱半干旱区，是欧亚大陆草原生物区系的重要组成部分，也是我国重要的畜牧业生产基地。土壤氮素作为陆地植物生长和生态系统初级生产力的主要限制因子之一，了解其矿化和可利用性对各种人为干扰因素的响应，有助于我们充分认识草地退化机理，维持草场生产力并进一步促进畜牧业的可持续发展，为草地恢复、重建和维护提供理论依据。本实验在中国科学院内蒙古草原生态系统定位研究站的多年围封退化样地，分别实施了火烧、施肥、刈割及其交互作用的人为干扰处理，利用原状土野外培养的方法，在两年时间中，研究不同的人为干扰因素（火烧、施肥、刈割及其交互处理）对土壤净氮矿化作用的影响。 火烧显著影响草原的氮循环过程，季节和年际的气候变化参与调节氮循环对火烧处理的响应。多年围封后的初次人工火烧处理显著降低了第一个生长季（2006 年生长季）和其后冬季的土壤净氮矿化速率，但是，火烧处理仅在冬季对土壤无机氮含量产生显著降低作用；2007 年生长季，火烧处理对土壤净氮矿化速率和土壤无机氮含量没有显著作用，但是在个别月份，不同的火烧频率对土壤净氮矿化速率和无机氮含量的影响表现出差异。2006 年生长季，未火烧样地和火烧样地净氮矿化积累量分别为3.07±0.26 g N m-2 和2.18±0.21 g N m-2；冬季，未火烧样地和火烧样地净氮矿化积累量分别为1.18±0.25 g N m-2 和0.51±0.08 g N m-2；2007 年生长季，未火烧样地（BC）、每年火烧样地（B1）和两年一烧样地（B2）净氮矿化积累量分别为1.32±0.21 g N m-2、0.54±0.30 g N m-2 和 0.77±0.24 g N m-2。较为湿润的2006 年生长季的净氮矿化积累量显著高于较为干旱的2007 年生长季，冬季也存在相当丰富的净氮矿化积累量。我们推论，长时间围封后的单次火烧处理对土壤净氮矿化作用的影响可能是短效的，但是年际间气候变化对土壤净氮矿化作用影响显著。 施肥显著提高了土壤的无机氮含量，并且与施肥梯度呈显著正相关关系。施肥对土壤无机氮含量的影响具有累加效应，第一次施肥和第二次施肥后的首次取样，+N5.25 、+N17.5 、+N28.0 三个施肥梯度的样地土壤无机氮含量比未施肥样地分别高出56%、219%、1054%和514%、891%、1811%。施肥处理在2006 年和2007 年对土壤净氮矿化作用都没有显著影响，仅在2007 年的个别月份有一定效果。以上结果说明，无机氮肥的添加可以明显提高土壤中无机氮的含量，满足植物生长的需求，但对于土壤氮转化过程的影响可能还要受其它环境和生物因子的制约。 刈割对土壤无机氮含量和净硝化速率没有显著作用，对土壤净氮矿化速率仅在个别月份表现显著效果。2007 年生长季，未刈割样地和刈割样地净氮矿化积累量分别为1.32±0.21 g N m-2 和1.08±0.35 g N m-2，不存在显著差异。我们推论，长期围封后的单次刈割处理在短期内对生长季的土壤氮动态仅有微弱影响，并且这种效果还可能受水分因素的制约。 火烧、施肥、刈割的交互处理在2007 年生长季对土壤无机氮含量产生显著作用，但是，对土壤净氮矿化速率和净硝化速率没有显著效果，然而，在不同的取样时间，火烧、施肥、刈割的交互处理对土壤无机氮含量、净氮矿化速率和净硝化速率的影响存在显著差异，说明火烧、施肥、刈割的交互处理对土壤无机氮和净氮矿化作用的影响可能受各种环境因子的制约，尤其是在水分相对缺乏的半干旱内蒙古草原，非生物因子和生物因子可能共同影响着土壤中的氮平衡。 本研究初步分析了长期围封后火烧、施肥、刈割及其交互处理对土壤净氮矿化的影响，初步探究了人为干扰和环境气候变化对土壤可利用性氮的调节作用，为科学地进行禁牧、割草、人工养份添加等草原管理提供了数据支持。

Demonstration of 2.488Gb/s simultaneous all-optical wavelength conversion and tone reading/replacing in an integrated-SOA/DFB laser

A technique is demonstrated that allows for the wavelength conversion of data with both simultaneous monitoring and replacing of a wavelength identifying pilot tone. The technique should be upgradable to data rates of 10Gb/s and higher.