Filtration in some tropical intertidal bivalves exposed to mercury and cadmium mixtures

Three species of intertidal filter feeding bivalves (Modiolus carvalhoi, Modiolus sp. and Donax spiculum) exposed to mercury and cadmium filtered significantly less volume of water under individual metal and metal mixture stress. Mercury and cadmium in mixtures interacted additively and more than additively (Synergism) in depressing the filtration rate of the bivalves.

Analysis of document-mining techniques and tools for technology intelligence: Discovering knowledge from technical documents

This research proposes a method for extracting technology intelligence (TI) systematically from a large set of document data. To do this, the internal and external sources in the form of documents, which might be valuable for TI, are first identified. Then the existing techniques and software systems applicable to document analysis are examined. Finally, based on the reviews, a document-mining framework designed for TI is suggested and guidelines for software selection are proposed. The research output is expected to support intelligence operatives in finding suitable techniques and software systems for getting value from document-mining and thus facilitate effective knowledge management. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Modelling and Fragility Analysis of Non-Ductile Reinforced Concrete Buildings in Low-to-Moderate Seismic Zones

Reinforced concrete buildings in low-to-moderate seismic zones are often designed only for gravity loads in accordance with the non-seismic detailing provisions. Deficient detailing of columns and beam-column joints can lead to unpredictable brittle failures even under moderate earthquakes. Therefore, a reliable estimate of structural response is required for the seismic evaluation of these structures. For this purpose, analytical models for both interior and exterior slab-beam-column subassemblages and for a 1/3 scale model frame were implemented into the nonlinear finite element platform OpenSees. Comparison between the analytical results and experimental data available in the literature is carried out using nonlinear pushover analyses and nonlinear time history analysis for the subassemblages and the model frame, respectively. Furthermore, the seismic fragility assessment of reinforced concrete buildings is performed on a set of non-ductile frames using nonlinear time history analyses. The fragility curves, which are developed for various damage states for the maximum interstory drift ratio are characterized in terms of peak ground acceleration and spectral acceleration using a suite of ground motions representative of the seismic hazard in the region.

Analysis of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistor contact metal using Pilling-Bedworth theory and a variable capacitance diode model

It is widely reported that threshold voltage and on-state current of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide bottom-gate thin-film transistors are strongly influenced by the choice of source/drain contact metal. Electrical characterisation of thin-film transistors indicates that the electrical properties depend on the type and thickness of the metal(s) used. Electron transport mechanisms and possibilities for control of the defect state density are discussed. Pilling-Bedworth theory for metal oxidation explains the interaction between contact metal and amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide, which leads to significant trap formation. Charge trapping within these states leads to variable capacitance diode-like behavior and is shown to explain the thin-film transistor operation. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Characterization of light and heavy hydrated magnesium carbonates using thermal analysis

Upon heating, hydrated magnesium carbonates (HMCs) undergo a continuous sequence of decomposition reactions. This study aims to investigate the thermal decomposition of various commercially produced HMCs classified as light and heavy, highlight their differences, and provide an insight into their compositions in accordance with the results obtained from thermal analysis and microstructure studies. An understanding of the chemical compositions and microstructures, and a better knowledge of the reactions that take place during the decomposition of HMCs were achieved through the use of SEM, XRD, and TG/differential thermal analysis (DTA). The quantification of their CO 2 contents was provided by TG and dissolving the samples in HCl acid. Results show that variations exist within the microstructure and decomposition patterns of the two groups of HMCs, which do not exactly fit into the fixed stoichiometry of the known HMCs in the MgO-CO2-H2O system. The occurrence of an exothermic DTA peak was only observed for the heavy HMCs, which was attributed to their high CO2 contents and the relatively delayed decomposition pattern. © 2013 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

Cloning and sequence analysis of Sox genes in a tetraploid cyprinid fish, Tor douronensis

A PCR survey for Sox genes in a young tetraploid fish Tor douronensis (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) was performed to access the evolutionary fates of important functional genes after genome duplication caused by polyploidization event. Totally 13 Sox genes were obtained in Tor douronensis, which represent SoxB, SoxC and SoxE groups. Phylogenetic analysis of Sox genes in Tor douronensis provided evidence for fish-specific genome duplication, and suggested that Sox19 might be a teleost specific Sox gene member. Sequence analysis revealed most of the nucleotide substitutions between duplicated copies of Sox genes caused by tetraploidization event or their orthologues in other species are silent substitutions. It would appear that the sequences are under purifying selective pressure, strongly suggesting that they represent functional genes and supporting selection against all null allele at either of two duplicated loci of Sox4a, Sox9a and Sox9b. Surprising variations of the intron length and similarities of two duplicated copies of Sox9a and Sox9b, suggest that Tor douronensis might be an allotetraploidy.

A novel chemiluminescent immunoassay for microcystin (MC) detection based on gold nanoparticles label and its application to MC analysis in aquatic environmental samples

A novel chemiluminescent immunoassay method based on gold nanoparticles was developed for the detection of microcystins (MCs). The immunoassay included three main steps: indirect competitive immunoreaction, oxidative dissolution of gold nanoparticles, and indirect determination for MCs with Au3+-catalysed luminol chemiluminesent system. The method has a wide working range (0.05-10 mu g L-1, r(2) = 0.9914), the limit of detection was determined to be 0.024 mu g L-1, which is much lower than the World Health Organization's proposed guidelines (1 mu g L-1) for drinking-water. The proposed method was applied to MC analysis in natural water and fish tissue samples, and most results in the proposed method were in agreement with the conventional indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method, which indicated that the new chemiluminescent immunoassay was sensitive, reliable, and suitable for MC analysis in natural water and fish tissue samples.

Analysis and retrofitting design of a single-span R.C. bridge

This paper deals with the case history of a damaged one-span prestressed concrete bridge on a crucial artery near the city of Cagliari (Sardinia), along the sea-side. After being involved in a disastrous flood, attention has arisen on the worrying safety state of the deck, submitted to an intense daily traffic load. Evident signs of this severe condition were the deterioration of the beams concrete and the corrosion, the lack of tension and even the rupture of the prestressing cables. After performing a limited in situ test campaign, consisting of sclerometer, pull out and carbonation depth tests, a first evaluation of the safety of the structure was performed. After collecting the data of dynamic and static load tests as well, a comprehensive analysis have been carried out, also by means of a properly calibrated F.E. model. Finally the retrofitting design is presented, consisting of the reparation and thickening of the concrete cover, providing flexural and shear FRP external reinforcements and an external prestressing system, capable of restoring a satisfactory bearing capacity, according to the current national codes. The intervention has been calibrated by the former F.E. model with respect to transversal effects and influence of local and overall deformation of reinforced elements. © 2012 Taylor & Francis Group.

Analysis on the off-state design and characterization of LIGBTs in partial SOI technology

Classical high voltage devices fabricated on SOI substrates suffer from a backside coupling effect which could result in premature breakdown. This phenomenon becomes more prominent if the structure is an IGBT which features a p-type injector. To suppress the premature breakdown due to crowding of electro-potential lines within a confined SOI/buried oxide structure, the partial SOI (PSOI) technique is being introduced. This paper analyzes the off-state behavior of an n-type Superjunction (SJ) LIGBT fabricated on PSOI substrate. During the initial development stage the SJ LIGBT was found to have very high leakage. This was attributed to the back and side coupling effects. This paper discusses these effects and shows how this problem could be successfully addressed with minimal modifications of device layout. The off-state performance of the SJ LIGBT at different temperatures is assessed and a comparison to an equivalent LDMOSFET is given. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Femtosecond laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of air-methane mixtures

Femtosecond laser pulses are used in order to induce dielectric breakdown in gaseous mixtures, namely in some reactive air-methane mixtures. The light emitted from the laser induced plasma was analyzed while the main emission features are identified and assigned. From the analysis of the emission spectra, a linear relationship was found to hold between the intensity of some spectral features and methane content. Finally, the use of femtosecond laser induced breakdown as a tool for the in situ determination of the composition of gaseous mixtures (e.g., equivalence ratio) is also discussed. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Retroposon analysis of major cetacean lineages: The monophyly of toothed whales and the paraphyly of river dolphins

SINE (short interspersed element) insertion analysis elucidates contentious aspects in the phylogeny of toothed whales and dolphins (Odontoceti), especially river dolphins. Here, we characterize 25 informative SINEs inserted into unique genomic loci during evolution of odontocetes to construct a cladogram. and determine a total of 2.8 kb per taxon of the flanking sequences of these SINE loci to estimate divergence times among lineages. We demonstrate that: (i) Odontocetes are monophyletic; (ii) Ganges River dolphins, beaked whales, and ocean dolphins diverged (in this order) after sperm whales; (iii) three other river dolphin taxa, namely the Amazon, La Plata, and Yangtze river dolphins, form a monophyletic group with Yangtze River dolphins being the most basal; and (iv) the rapid radiation of extant cetacean lineages occurred some 28-33 million years B.P., in strong accord with the fossil record. The combination of SINE and flanking sequence analysis suggests a topology and set of divergence times for odontocete relationships, offering alternative explanations for several long-standing problems in cetacean evolution.

Numerical and theoretical analysis of the crosstalk in linear optical amplifiers

The dynamic characteristics, including the crosstalk and relaxation oscillation, of linear optical amplifiers (LOAs) are investigated by small-signal analysis under an averaging carrier density approximation and compared with the results of numerical simulation. The good agreement between the numerical simulation and the small-signal analysis indicated the averaging carrier density is an appropriate approximation for analyzing LOAs. Theoretical analyzes also show that the dynamic properties of the vertical laser fields dominate the dynamic performance of LOAs. Based on the small-signal analysis, a concise equation for the crosstalk under high bit rate was derived, which can be applied to measure the differential gain of LOAs.

链霉菌S227抗耐药菌活性成分的研究

本论文以从四川峨嵋山森林土壤中分离筛选获得的一株产抗耐药性活性化合物的链霉菌S227为材料，对发酵液中活性物质的分离纯化及抗耐药性活性进行了研究。 建立了抗耐药性活性的定性、定量检测方法。建立的管蝶法活性定量检测的标准回归方程为：D=4.8229Ln(C)+3.6326 R=0.9972 ；纸片法活性定量检测的标准回归方程为：D=5.5Ln(C)-12.794 R=0.999。 根据建立的样品活性的检测方法，测定了发酵液的初始活性。实验证明活性物质的温度、pH稳定性好。 通过活性的定性、定量追踪方法，分别利用等体积的石油醚、乙酸乙酯、正丁醇在不同的pH梯度下萃取，确定了pH3条件下正丁醇能最大程度的萃取活性物质，说明活性物质极性很大。对正丁醇萃取相经过两次硅胶柱层析及薄层层析分离得到具有抗耐药菌活性的纯化样品S227-4。 经过核磁共振氢谱、碳谱数据分析初步确定S227-4为四聚糖，通过糖的水解实验初步确定S227-4由葡萄糖和半乳糖组成。 纸片法活性检测表明S227-4具有抗耐药菌活性。采用MIC测定法对该样品抗耐药活性进行研究。在证明该样品本身不具有抗菌活性的基础上，以临床分离的耐药性金黄色葡萄球菌为指示菌，考察了该样品与抗生素联合使用时对耐药菌抗生素MIC（最小抑菌浓度）值的影响，结果表明在不影响菌体生长的浓度条件下，该样品能明显降低多株耐药菌对多种抗生素的MIC值，不同程度地恢复所测试耐药菌对相应抗生素的敏感性。如S227-4与青霉素钠联用可以使S. aureus 12352的MIC降低8倍，而与红霉素联用可以使S. aureus 12334的MIC降低128倍。 The purification process and the activity of the anti bacterial drug resistance compounds produced by Streptomyces S227 isolated from the forest soil sample of the Mountain E’MEI in Sichuan Province were studied in this thesis. Quantitative and qualitative activity assay methods of the active compounds were established. The regression equation of the tube method was D=4.8229Ln(C)+3.6326, R=0.9972. The regression equation of the paper method was D=5.5Ln(C)-12.794, R=0.999. According to the established activity assay method, the incipient activity of the broth was evaluated. And it was proved that the stability of the active compounds was good. By quantitative and qualitative activity tracing method, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and butanol were used to extract the active compounds at different pH. The result showed that butanol was the most effective agent for active component recovery at pH3. From the butanol extraction a purified sample, S227-4, was isolated by silica gel column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography . S227-4 was proved to be a tetra- saccharide by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. And its monosaccharides include glucose and galactose by hydrolysate analysis. The anti-drug resistant activity of S227-4 was tested in vitro by MICs assay using different drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated clinically. The sample itself showed no anti-microbial activity in growth inhibitory experiment, but when it was used together with different antibiotics, it could remarkably decrease the MICs of different clinically isolated drug-resistant bacterial strains to these antibiotics. For example, when S227-4 was used with penicillin, the MIC of S. aureus 12352 decreased 8 times compared with that when penicillin was used alone. Meanwhile when it was used with erythromycin the MIC of S. aureus 12334 deceased 128 times compared with erythromycin alone.