Molecular beam epitaxy growth and photoluminescence of type-II (GaAs1-xSbx/InyGa1-yAs)/GaAs bilayer quantum well

We report a systematical study on the molecular beam epitaxy growth and optical property of (GaAs1-xSbx/In-y Ga1-yAs)/GaAs bilayer quantum well (BQW) structures. It is shown that the growth temperature of the wells and the sequence of layer growth have significant influence on the interface quality and the subsequent photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Under optimized growth conditions, three high-quality (GaAsSb0.29/In0.4GaAs)/GaAs BQWs are successfully fabricated and a room temperature PL at 1314 nm is observed. The transition mechanism in the BQW is also discussed by photoluminescence and photoreflectance measurements. The results confirm experimentally a type-II band alignment of the interface between the GaAsSb and InGaAs layers.

Slow isocharged sequence ions with helium collisions: Projectile core dependence

The collisions of the isocharged sequence ions of q=6 (C6+, N6+, O6+, F6+, Ne6+, Ar6+, and Ca6+), q=7 (F7+, Ne7+, S7+, Ar7+, and Ca7+), q=8 (F8+, Ne8+, Ar8+, and Ca8+), q=9 (F9+, Ne9+, Si9+, S9+, Ar9+, and Ca9+) and q=11 (Si11+, Ar11+, and Ca11+) with helium at the same velocities were investigated. The cross-section ratios of the double-electron transfer (DET) to the single-electron capture (SEC) sigma(DET)/sigma(SEC) and the true double-electron capture (TDC) to the double-electron transfer sigma(TDC)/sigma(DET) were measured. It shows that for different ions in an isocharged sequence, the experimental cross-section ratio sigma(DET)/sigma(SEC) varies by a factor of 3. The results confirm that the projectile core is another dominant factor besides the charge state and the collision velocity in slow (0.35-0.49v(0); v(0) denotes the Bohr velocity) highly charged ions (HCIs) with helium collisions. The experimental cross-section ratio sigma(DET)/sigma(SEC) is compared with the extended classical over-barrier model (ECBM) [A. Barany , Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. B 9, 397 (1985)], the molecular Coulombic barrier model (MCBM) [A. Niehaus, J. Phys. B 19, 2925 (1986)], and the semiempirical scaling laws (SSL) [N. Selberg , Phys. Rev. A 54, 4127 (1996)]. It also shows that the projectile core properties affect the initial capture probabilities as well as the subsequent relaxation of the projectiles. The experimental cross-section ratio sigma(TDC)/sigma(DET) for those lower isocharged sequences is dramatically affected by the projectile core structure, while for those sufficiently highly isocharged sequences, the autoionization always dominates, hence the cross-section ratio sigma(TDC)/sigma(DET) is always small.

Influence of core property on multi-electron process in slow collisions of isocharged sequence ions with neon

Influence of core property on multi-electron process in the collisions of q = 6-9 and 11 isocharged sequence ions with Ne is investigated in the keV/u region The cross-section ratios of double-, triple-, quadruple- and total multi-electron processes to the single electron capture process as well as the partial ratios of different reaction channels to the relevant multi-electron process are measured by using position-sensitive and time-of-flight techniques The experimental data are compared with the theoretical predictions including the extended classical over-barrier model, the molecular Columbic barrier model and the semi-empirical scaling law Results show a core effect on multi-electron process of isocharge ions colliding with Neon, which is consistent with the results of Helium we obtained previously

A novel invariant and sequence comparison for DNA

We consider numerical characterization of DNA primary sequence based on the positions of bases (a, t, c, g) and the pairs of bases X, Y in DNA (X, Y=a, t, c, g). This leads to a representation of DNA by a numerical sequence. Then, we extract a novel invariant (molecular connectivity index) from the derived numerical sequences. The suitable invariant can offer a characterization of DNA primary sequence. Finally, we provide an illustration of its utility by making a comparison between ten DNA sequences belonging to beta-globin gene in different species. The evolutionary relationships of ten species we have revealed in this contribution accord with phylogenetic tree properly.

A rapid solid-phase synthesis to soluble oligothiophene molecular wires

A novel method for the preparation of oligothiophene molecular wires is described via a bi-directional solid-phase synthesis. Using an alternating sequence of bromination and Stille coupling reactions, oligomers were obtained up to the heptamer in excellent yield and purity.

Polydispersity of ethylene sequence length in metallocene ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers. I. Characterized by thermal-fractionation technique

In this article, the polydispersity of the ethylene sequence length (ESL) in ethylene/alpha-olefin copolymers was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the thermal-fractionation technique. The crystal morphology observation by AFM showed that morphology changed gradually with decreasing average ESL from complete lamellae over shorter and more curved lamellae to a granular-like morphology, and the mixed morphology was observed after stepwise crystallization from phase-separated melt. This result indicated that the ethylene sequence with different lengths crystallized into a crystalline phase with a different size and stability at the copolymer systems. The thermal-fractionation technique was used to characterize the polydispersity of ESL. Three of the following statistical terms were introduced to describe the distribution of ESL and the lamellar thickness: the arithmetic mean (L) over bar (n), the weight mean (L) over bar (w), and the broadness index I = (L) over bar (w)/(L) over bar (n). It was concluded that the polydispersity of ESL could be quantitatively characterized by the thermal-fractionation technique. The effects of temperature range, temperature-dependent specific heat capacity C-p of copolymer, and the molecular weight on the results of thermal fractionation were discussed,

MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS AND CRYSTALLINE-STRUCTURE OF ETHYLENE-DIMETHYLAMINOETHYL-METHACRYLATE COPOLYMERS

The relationship between molecular and crystalline structural characteristics of the ethylene -dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate copolymers (EDAM) was investigated and related to melt flow index MI and average gross content of DAM comonomer, in comparison with low density polyethylene (LDPE) produced by the common high-pressure radical polymerization process. Although the average molecular weight and its distribution are influenced predominantly by the polymerization conditions, DAM-content seems not to depend significantly on molecular weight according to the GPC-FT/IR measurement. Comonomer sequence distributions were determined quantitatively with the C-13-NMR spectra entirely assigned by DEPT and H-1-C-13 COSY techniques. The result suggests the alternating copolymerization tendency and surprisingly coincides with the simulation out-puts based on the assumption of continuous complete mixing reactor model, using Mayo-Lewis equation and the same Q-e values as previously reported on different types of copolymers such as EVA and St.DAM (VA;vinylacetate, St;styrene). It was confirmed by WAXD and SAXS analyses that the crystallinity X(c) and the thickness of lamellar crystal l(c) decreased with increasing DAM-content, whereas the a-lattice and b-lattice dimensions enlarged. X(c) and l(c) can definitely be correlated to the heats of fusion and crystallization measured by DSC. The average size of spherulites measured with light scattering photometry tends to be enlarged with decreasing molecular weight (increasing MI) and DAM-content.

SEQUENCE STRUCTURE OF ETHYLENE-VINYL SUBSTITUTED COPOLYMER WITH C-13 NMR .4.

The substituent chemical shift (SCS) has been applied to the assignment of the C-13 NMR spectrum of chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). CPE of different chlorine contents has been employed and their sequence structure discussed. The results show that characteristic of CPE with medium chlorine content is the dichloroethane structure in molecular chain. SCS parameters have been obtained from the C-13 NMR spectra. It was found that the effects of chlorine content and temperature on SCS are negligible, but the substituent parameter S1 reduced by 0.39 ppm when C2Cl4 was added to solvent ODCB.

Molecular determination of oxytetracycline-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes from mariculture environments of China

Aims: To assess the diversity of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes in typical maricultural environments. Methods nand Results: Multidrug-resistant bacteria and resistance genes from a mariculture farm of China were analysed via cultivation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Oxytetracycline (OTC)-resistant bacteria were abundant in both abalone and turbot rearing waters, accounting for 3.7% and 9.9% of the culturable microbes. Multidrug resistance was common, with simultaneous resistance to OTC, chloramphenicol and ampicillin the most common resistance phenotype. 16S rDNA sequence analyses indicate that the typical resistant isolates belonged to marine Vibrio, Pseudoalteromonas or Alteromonas species, with resistance most common in Vibrio splendidus isolates. For OTC resistance, tet(A), tet(B) and tet(M) genes were detected in some multidrug-resistant isolates, with tet(D) being the most common molecular determinant. For chloramphenicol resistance, cat II was common, and floR was also detected, especially in marine Pseudoalteromonas strains. Conclusions: There is the risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria contamination in mariculture environments and marine Vibrio and Pseudoalteromonas species serve as reservoirs of specific antibiotic resistance determinants. Significance and Impact of the Study: This paper and similar findings from Korea and Japan indicate the potential for widespread distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in mariculture environments from the East Asian region of the world.

Molecular cloning and expression of a Relish gene in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

P>NF-kappa B is a B-cell specific transcription factor that plays crucial roles in inflammation, immunity, apoptosis, development and differentiation. In the present study, a novel NF-kappa B-like transcription factor Relish was cloned from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (designated as EsRelish) by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique based on expressed sequence tag (EST). The full-length cDNA of EsRelish was of 5034 bp, consisting of a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 57 bp, a 3' UTR of 1335 bp with two mRNA instability motifs (ATTTA), a polyadenylation signal sequence (AATAAA) and a poly (A) tail, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 3645 bp encoding a polypeptide of 1214 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 134.8 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.26. There were a typical Rel homology domain (RHD), two nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequences (KR), an inhibitor kappa B (I kappa B)-like domain with six ankyrin repeats, a PEST region and a death domain in the deduced amino acid sequence of EsRelish. Conserved domain, higher similarity with other Rel/NF-kappa Bs and phylogenetic analysis suggested that EsRelish was a member of the NF-kappa B family. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR was employed to detect the mRNA transcripts of EsRelish in different tissues and its temporal expression in hemocytes of E. sinensis challenged with Pichia methanolica and Listonella anguillarum. The EsRelish mRNA was found to be constitutively expressed in a wide range of tissues. It could be mainly detected in the hemocytes, gonad and hepatopancreas, and less degree in the gill, muscle and heart. The expression level of EsRelish mRNA in hemocytes was up-regulated from at 3, 6, 9 and 12 h after P. methanolica challenge. In L. anguillarum challenge, it was up-regulated at 9, 12 and 24 h. The results collectively indicated that EsRelish was potentially involved in the immune response against fungus and bacteria.

Molecular cloning, characterization and mRNA expression of peroxiredoxin in Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri

Peroxiredoxin V (PRX V) is known as an atypical 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin that protects the organisms against various oxidative stresses and functions in signal transduction. The cDNA of a PRX V gene (designated as CfPRX) was cloned from scallop Chlamys farreri. The full-length sequence of CfPRX cDNA was of 2,179 bp with a 564 bp open reading frame encoding a peptide of 187 amino acids. Sequence comparison showed that CfPRX shared higher identities with PRX Vs than that with other isoforms of PRX, indicating CfPRX was a member of the PRX V family. Fluorescent real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed the presence of CfPRX transcripts in gill filaments, adductor muscle, heart, gonad, kidney and hemocytes, and the stimulation of Listonella anguillarum significantly (P < 0.01) enhanced the mRNA expression of CfPRX in hemocyte. These results indicated that CfPRX was a constitutive and inducible acute-phase protein which was involved in the immune resistance to L. anguillarum stimulation.

Molecular Cloning and Expression Analysis of a Cytosolic Hsp70 gene from Laminaria japonica (Laminariaceae, Phaeophyta)

In this study, a full-length cytosolic heat shock protein 70 complementary DNA (cDNA) of Laminaria japonica (designated as LJHsp70) was obtained by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) coupled with rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The full length of LJHsp70 cDNA was 2,918 bp, with a 5' untranslated region of 248 bp, a 3' untranslated region of 696 bp, and an open reading frame of 1,974 bp encoding a polypeptide of 657 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 72.03 kDa and an estimated isoelectric point of 4.97. There was highly repeated sequence of CAA in 5' untranslated region of LJHsp70. The result of phylogenetic tree of Hsp70s, the BLAST program, analysis and cytosolic Hsp70-specific motif of LJHsp70 verified that the cloned LJHsp70 belonged to cytosolic Hsp70 family. Three typical Hsp70 signature motifs were detected in LJHsp70 by InterPro analysis. Under different stress conditions, messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of LJHsp70 were quantified by quantitative RT-PCR. To L. japonica sporophytes kept in different temperatures for 1 h, the expression level of LJHsp70 at 30A degrees C was highest and twofold higher than that at 10A degrees C. To L. japonica sporophytes kept at 25A degrees C for different times, the mRNA expression level of LJHsp70 reached a maximum level after 7 h and then dropped progressively. The expression level of LJHsp70 at 0 or 5aEuro degrees salt concentration for 2 h was twofold higher than that at 30aEuro degrees salt concentration for 2 h. The results showed that LJHsp70 may be a kind of potential biomarker used to monitor environment conditions.

First molluscan TNFR homologue in Zhikong scallop: Molecular characterization and expression analysis

Tumor necrosis factor receptors (TNFRs) are a superfamily of proteins characterized by the unique cysteine-rich domain (CRD) and their important roles in diverse physiological and pathological events such as inflammation, apoptosis, autoimmunity and organogenesis. The first member of the molluscan TNFR family, designated as CfTNFR, was identified from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri by expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) approaches. The full-length cDNA of CfTNFR was of 1334 bp, consisting of a 5' UTR of 17 bp, a 3'UTR of 69 by with a poly (A) tail, and an open reading frame (ORE) of 1248 by encoding a polypeptide of 415 amino acids with a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.33 and predicted molecular weight of 47.07 kDa. There were a signal peptide, a CRD, a transmembrane region and a death domain in the deduced amino acid sequence of CfTNFR, suggesting that it was a typical type 1 membrane protein. The high identities (22-40%) of CfTNFR with other TNFR superfamily members indicated that CfTNFR should be a member of TNFR superfamily, and moreover, it should be the first death domain-containing TNFR found in invertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CfTNFR was closely related to TNFR-like proteins from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, Drosophila melanogaster and Ciona intestinalis, and they formed a separate branch apart from vertebrate TNFRs. The spatial expression of CfTNFR transcripts in healthy and bacteria challenged scallops was examined by quantitative real-time PCR. CfTNFR transcripts could be detected in all tested tissues, including haemocytes, gonad, gill, mantle and hepatopancreas, and significantly up-regulated in the tissues of gonad, gill, mantle and hepatopancreas after Listonella anguillarum challenge, indicating that CfTNFR was constitutive and inducible acute-phase protein involved in immune defence. The present results suggested the existence of the TNFR-like molecules and TNF-TNFR system in low invertebrates, and provided new insights into the role of CfTNFR in scallop innate immune responses to invading microorganisms. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sequence analysis of the ITS region and 5.8S rDNA of Porphyra haitanensis

The sequences of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) and 5.8S rDNA of three cultivated strains of Porphyra haitanensis thalli (NB, PT and ST) were amplified, sequenced and analyzed. In addition, the phylogenic relationships of the sequences identified in this study with those of other Porphyra retrieved from GenBank were evaluated. The results are as follows: the sequences of the ITS and 5.8S rDNA were essentially identical among the three strains. The sequences of ITS l were 331 by to 334 bp, while those of the 5.8S rDNA were 158 by and the sequences of ITS2 ranged from 673 by to 681 bp. The sequences of the ITS had a high level of homology (up to 99.5%) with that of P. haitanensis (DQ662228) retrieved from GenBank, but were only approximately 50% homologous with those of other species of Porphyra. The results obtained when a phylogenetic tree was constructed coincided with the results of the homology analysis. These results suggest that the three cultivated strains of P. haitanensis evolved conservatively and that the ITS showed evolutionary consistency. However, the sequences of the ITS and 5.8S rDNA of different Porphyra species showed great variations. Therefore, the relationship of Porphyra interspecies phyletic evolution could be judged, which provides the proof for Porphyra identification study. However, proper classifications of the subspecies and the populations of Porphyra should be determined through the use of other molecular techniques to determine the genetic variability and rational phylogenetic relationships.