Effects of iron on growth, pigment content, photosystem II efficiency, and siderophores production of Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis wesenbergii

Changes in growth, photosynthetic pigments, and photosystem II (PS II) photochemical efficiency as well as production of siderophores of Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystis wesenbergii were determined in this experiment. Results showed growths of M. aeruginosa and M. wesenbergii, measured by means of optical density at 665 nm, were severely inhibited under an iron-limited condition, whereas they thrived under an iron-replete condition. The contents of chlorophyll-a, carotenoid, phycocyanin, and allophycocyanin under an iron-limited condition were lower than those under an iron-replete condition, and they all reached maximal contents on day 4 under the iron-limited condition. PS II photochemical efficiencies (maximal PS II quantum yield), saturating light levels (I-k ) and maximal electron transport rates (ETRmax) of M. aeruginosa and M. wesenbergii declined sharply under the iron-limited condition. The PS II photochemical efficiency and ETRmax of M. aeruginosa rose , whereas in the strain of M. wesenbergii, they declined gradually under the iron-replete condition. In addition, I-k of M. aeruginosa and M. wesenbergii under the iron-replete condition did not change obviously. Siderophore production of M. aeruginosa was higher than that of M. wesenbergii under the iron-limited condition. It was concluded that M. aeruginosa requires higher iron concentration for physiological and biochemical processes compared with M. wesenbergii, but its tolerance against too high a concentration of iron is weaker than M. wesenbergii.

Correlations strike back (again): The case of associative memory retrieval

It has long been recognised that statistical dependencies in neuronal activity need to be taken into account when decoding stimuli encoded in a neural population. Less studied, though equally pernicious, is the need to take account of dependencies between synaptic weights when decoding patterns previously encoded in an auto-associative memory. We show that activity-dependent learning generically produces such correlations, and failing to take them into account in the dynamics of memory retrieval leads to catastrophically poor recall. We derive optimal network dynamics for recall in the face of synaptic correlations caused by a range of synaptic plasticity rules. These dynamics involve well-studied circuit motifs, such as forms of feedback inhibition and experimentally observed dendritic nonlinearities. We therefore show how addressing the problem of synaptic correlations leads to a novel functional account of key biophysical features of the neural substrate.

APSK coded modulation schemes for nonlinear satellite channels with high power and spectral efficiency

A new class of 16-ary Amplitude Phase Shift Keying (APSK) coded modulations deemed double-ring PSK modulations best suited for (satellite) nonlinear channels is proposed. Constellation parameters optimization has been based on geometric and information-theoretic considerations. Furthermore, pre- and post-compensation techniques to reduce the nonlinearity impact have been examined. Digital timing clock and carrier phase have been derived and analyzed for a Turbo coded version of the same new modulation scheme. Finally, the performance of state-of the art Turbo coded modulation for this new 16-ary digital modulation has been investigated and compared to the known TCM schemes. It is shown that for the same coding scheme, double-ring APSK modulation outperforms classical 16-QAM and 16-PSK over a typical satellite nonlinear channel due to its intrinsic robustness against the High Power Amplifier (HPA) nonlinear characteristics. The new modulation is shown to be power- and spectrally-efficient, with interesting applications to satellite communications. © 2002 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.

Effects of solar ultraviolet radiation on the photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and biomass production of Spirulina platensis

Effects of solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on Spirulina platensis were studied by investigating its photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and biomass production while exposed to full spectrum solar radiation or depleted of UVR for understanding how and to what extent UVR influences its photosynthetic physiology and production. It was found that UVR brought about an extra inhibition of photochemical efficiency by 26%-30%. The greatest inhibition of photochemical efficiency in S. platensis was observed at noontime, and then recovered to some extent in late afternoon no matter which treatment they were exposed to. The contents of chlorophyll a, phycocyanin and carotenoids increased during initial stage of the exposure, but decreased with elongated exposure. UVR decreased the biomass yield by about 6%. It indicated that filtering out UVR of solar radiation would raise the productivity of S. platensis, which is an important factor that should be considered in the production.

Root zone microbial populations, urease activities, and purification efficiency for a constructed wetland

In order to investigate the effects of microorganisms and their urease activities in macrophytic root zones on pollutant removal, four small-scale plots (SSPs) of vertical/reverse-vertical flow wetlands were set up to determine: a) the relationship between the abundance of microorganisms in the root zones and water purification efficiency; and b) the relationship between urease activities in the root zones and pollutant removal in a constructed wetland system. Total numbers of the microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and actinomyces) along with urease activities in the macrophytic root zones were determined. In addition, the relationships between microbial populations and urease activities as well as the wastewater purification efficiencies of total phosphorus (TP), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), biochemical oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD5), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were also analyzed. The results showed that there was a highly significant positive correlation (r = 0.9772, P < 0.01) between the number of bacteria in the root zones and BOD5 removal efficiency and a significant negative correlation (r = -0.9092, P < 0.05) between the number of fungi and the removal efficiency of TKN. Meanwhile, there was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.8830, P < 0.05) between urease activities in the root zones and the removal efficiency of TKN. Thus, during wastewater treatment in a constructed wetland system, microorganism and urease activities in the root zones were very important factors.

Effects of cadmium on chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency, and photosynthetic intensity of Canna indica Linn.

The effects of cadmium (Cd2+) on growth status, chlorophyll (Chl) content, photochemical efficiency, and photosynthetic intensity were studied on Canna indica Linn. Plant specimens that were produced from a constructed wetland and precultivated hydroponically in 20 L of 1/10 Hoagland solution under greenhouse conditions for I week were exposed to cadmium in concentrations of 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6 and 3.2 mg L- Cd2+, respectively. The results show that leaves were injured in the Cd2+ solution by the third day of exposure and the injury became more serious with an increase in the applied heavy metal. Under 3.2 mg L-1 Cd2+ treatment, growth retardation, the decrease of chlorophyll content from 0.70 to 0.43 mg g(-1) FW, and a decrease in Chl a/b ratio from 2.0 to 1.2 were observed. Chl a was more sensitive than Chl b to Cd2+ stress. The decrease was the same with photochemical efficiency. Photosynthetic intensity decreased by 13.3% from 1.5X10(4) mumol m(-2)s(-1) CO2 in control to 1.3x10(4) mumol m(2)s(-1) CO2 in the treatment of 3.2 mg L-1. Because Canna species are used in heavy metal phytoremediation, these results show that C. indica can tolerate 0.4 to 0.8 mg L-1 Cd2+. Therefore, it is a potential species for phytoremediation of cadmium with some limitations only at higher concentrations.

Factors affecting the efficiency of somatic cell nuclear transplantation in the fish embryo

Procedures to improve somatic cell nuclear transplantation in fish were evaluated. We reported effects of nonirradiated recipient eggs, inactivated recipient eggs, different combinations between recipient eggs and donor cells, duration of serum starvation, generation number, and passage number of donor cells on developmental rates of nuclear transplant (NT) embryos. Exposure to 25,000 R of gamma-rays inactivated recipient eggs. Single nucleus of cultured, synchronized somatic cell from gynogenetic bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) was transplanted into nonirradiated or genetically inactivated unfertilized egg of gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). There was no significant difference in developmental rate between nonirradiated and inactivated recipient eggs (27.27% vs. 25.71%, respectively). Chromosome count showed that 70.59% of NT embryos contained 48 chromosomes. It showed that most NT embryos came from donor nuclei of bighead carp, which was supported by microsatellite analysis of NT embryos. But 23.53% of NT embryos contained more than 48 chromosomes. It was presumed that those superfluous chromosomes came from nonirradiated recipient eggs. Besides, 5.88% of NT embryos were chimeras. Eggs of blunt-snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) and gibel carp were better recipient eggs than those of loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) (25% and 18.03% vs. 8.43%). Among different duration of serum starvation, developmental rate of NT embryos from somatic nuclei of three-day serum starvation was the highest, reaching 25.71% compared to 14.14% (control), 20% (five-day), and 21.95% (seven-day). Cultured donor cells of less passage facilitated reprogramming of NT embryos than those of more passage. Recloning might improve the developmental rate of NT embryos from the differentiated donor nuclei. Developmental rate of fourth generation was the highest (54.83%) and the lowest for first generation (14.14%) compared to second generation (38.96%) and third generation (53.01%). (C) 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Efficiency of constructed wetlands in decontamination of water polluted by heavy metals

A twin-shaped constructed wetland (CW) comprising a vertical flow (inflow) chamber with Cyperus alternifolius followed by a reverse-vertical flow (outflow) chamber with Villarsia exaltata was assessed for decontamination of artificial wastewater polluted by heavy metals. After application of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn over 150 days, together with Al and Mn during the final 114 days, no heavy metals with the exception of Mn could be detected in either the drainage zone at the bottom, shared by both chambers, or in the effluent. The inflow chamber was, therefore, seen to be predominantly responsible for the decontamination process of more toxic metal species with final concentrations far below WHO drinking-water standards. About one-third of the applied Cu and Mn was absorbed, predominantly by lateral roots of C. alternifolius. Lower accumulation levels were observed for Zn (5%), Cd (6%), Al (13%). and Pb (14%). Contents of Cd, Cu, Mn, and Zn in soil were highest in top layer, while Al and Pb were evenly distributed through the whole soil column. Metal species accumulating mainly in the top layer can be removed mechanically. A vertical flow CW with C. alternifolius is an effective tool in phytoremediation for treatment of water polluted with heavy metals. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

High efficiency and broad bandwidth grating coupler between nanophotonic waveguide and fibre

A high efficiency and broad bandwidth grating coupler between a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanophotonic waveguide and fibre is designed and fabricated. Coupling efficiencies of 46% and 25% at a wavelength of 1.55 mu m are achieved by simulation and experiment, respectively. An optical 3 dB bandwidth of 45 nm from 1530 nm to 1575 nm is also obtained in experiment. Numerical calculation shows that a tolerance to fabrication error of 10 nm in etch depth is achievable. The measurement results indicate that the alignment error of +/-2 mu m results in less than 1 dB additional coupling loss.

Analysis of coupled microcircular resonators coupled to a bus waveguide with high output efficiency

Coupled microcircular resonators tangentially coupled to a bus waveguide, which is between the resonators, are numerically investigated by the finite-difference time-domain technique. For symmetrically coupled microcircular resonators with refractive index of 3.2, radius of 2 mu m, and width of the bus waveguide of 0.4 mu m, a mode Q factor of the order of 105 is obtained for a mode at the frequency of 243 THz. An output coupling efficiency of as high as 0.99 is calculated for a mode with a Q factor ranging from 10(3) to 10(4). The mode Q factor is 2 orders larger than that of the modes confined in a single circular resonator tangentially coupled to the same bus waveguide. Furthermore, the high Q traveling modes in the coupled microcircular resonators are suitable for optical single processing.

Quantum efficiency of GaAs/AlGaAs thin films with two-dimensional photonic crystals

The optical properties of GaAs/AlGaAs thin films with photonic crystals were investigated by measuring their photoluminescence spectra. The spectral intensities, lifetimes, and quantum efficiencies decreased greatly compared with those in blank material without photonic crystals. The quantum efficiencies in the material were also calculated from spectral intensities and lifetimes and the quantum efficiencies calculated from those two methods agreed with each other to some extent.

High efficiency operation of butt joint line-defect-waveguide microlaser in two-dimensional photonic crystal slab

Butt joint line-defect-waveguide microlasers are demonstrated on photonic crystal slabs with airholes in a triangular lattice. Such microlaser is designed to increase the output power from the waveguide edge directly. The output power is remarkably enhanced to 214 times higher by introducing chirped structure in the output waveguide. The lasing mode operates in the linear dispersion region of the output waveguide so that the absorption loss due to the band-edge effect is reduced. The laser resonance is illustrated theoretically using the finite difference time domain method. A practical high power efficiency of 20% is obtained in this microlaser. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.

High efficiency passively Q-switched mode-locking Nd:GdVO4 laser with LT-In0.25Ga0.75As saturable absorber

The generation of passively Q-switched mode-locking operation with 100% modulation depth has been observed from a diode-pumped Nd GdVO4 laser with a low temperature In0.25Ga0.75As saturable absorber, which was grown by the metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition technique and acted as saturable absorber as well as output coupler. The repetition rate and pulse duration of the mode-locked pulses concentrated in the Q-switch envelop were 455 MHz and 12 ps, respectively. The average output power was 1.8 W and the slope efficiency was 36%. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum efficiency and temperature coefficients of GaInP/GaAs dual-junction solar cell

GaInP/GaAs dual-junction solar cell with a conversion efficiency of 25.2% has been fabricated using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. Quantum efficiencies of the solar cell were measured within a temperature range from 25 to 160A degrees C. The results indicate that the quantum efficiencies of the subcells increase slightly with the increasing temperature. And red-shift phenomena of absorption limit for all subcells are observed by increasing the cell's work temperature, which are consistent with the viewpoint of energy gap narrowing effect. The short-circuit current density temperature coefficients dJ (sc)/dT of GaInP subcell and GaAs subcell are determined to be 8.9 and 7.4 mu A/cm(2)/A degrees C from the quantum efficiency data, respectively. And the open-circuit cell voltage temperature coefficients dV (oc)/dT calculated based on a theoretical equation are -2.4 mV/A degrees C and -2.1 mV/A degrees C for GaInP subcell and GaAs subcell.

Design of plasmonic back structures for efficiency enhancement of thin-film amorphous Si solar cells

Metallic back structures with one-dimensional periodic nanoridges attached to a thin-film amorphous Si (a-Si) solar cell are numerically studied. At the interfaces between a-Si and metal materials, the excitation of surface-plasmon polaritons leads to obvious absorption enhancements in a wide near-IR range for different ridge shapes and periods. The highest enhancement factor of the cell external quantum efficiency is estimated to be 3.32. The optimized structure can achieve an increase of 17.12% in the cell efficiency. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America