INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC HUMIDITY ON THE ABRASIVE WEAR OF METALS.

A pin-on-disc apparatus has been used to obtain continuous simultaneous measurements of the wear and friction (sliding force) behaviour of metals on bonded silicon carbide abrasive paper under conditions of controlled humidity. Iron, mild steel, and copper exhibit qualitatively similar wear behaviour; the wear rate decreases progressively with the number of passes over the same track. In contrast, the wear rate of titanium remains constant. Variation in atmospheric humidity has little effect on the wear rates of copper or titanium, although a slight effect was found in mild steel and iron. Refs.

Functionalisation of microfluidic channels with in situ grown carbon nanotubes

We present a new route towards customizing the surface properties of microfluidic channels, by a forest of in situ grown multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT). Local distortions of the electrical field direction are used to control the direction of the carbon nanotube growth. © 2005 Materials Research Society.

MULTIPLE GENOTYPES OF MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA WITHIN A HORSE POPULATION FROM A SMALL REGION IN YUNNAN PROVINCE OF CHINA

mtDNA genotypes of six domestic horses (three adult short horses whose heights are under 1 m and three common domestic horses) from a small region of 15 km(2) in Malipo county of Yunnan province of China were investigated by the technique of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with restriction endonucleases which recognize 6-bp sequences. An average of fragments for an individual was obtained. Unlike other domestic animals, this population of horses exhibits high mtDNA genetic diversity. Each of the six horses has a specific mtDNA genotype showing a pattern of multiple maternal origins, as suggested by fossil and literature records. We think the population of horses is an amazing seed-resource pool of horses and hence deserves to be paid more attention from the view of conservation genetics. However it is also remarkable that we did not find any typical mtDNA genetic markers which would discriminate between short horses and common domestic horses.

Y-chromosome evidence of southern origin of the East Asian - Specific haplogroup O3-M122

The prehistoric peopling of East Asia by modern humans remains controversial with respect to early population migrations. Here, we present a systematic sampling and genetic screening of an East Asian-specific Y-chromosome haplogroup (O3-M122) in 2,332 individuals from diverse East Asian populations. Our results indicate that the O3-M122 lineage is dominant in East Asian populations, with an average frequency of 44.3%. The microsatellite data show that the O3-M122 haplotypes in southern East Asia are more diverse than those in northern East Asia, suggesting a southern origin of the O3-M122 mutation. It was estimated that the early northward migration of the O3-M122 lineages in East Asia occurred similar to 25,000-30,000 years ago, consistent with the fossil records of modern humans in East Asia.

Parameter measurement for heavy-vehicle fuel consumption modelling

A mathematical model is developed to predict the energy consumption of a heavy vehicle. It includes the important factors of heavy-vehicle energy consumption, namely engine and drivetrain performances, losses due to accessories, aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, road gradients, and driver behaviour. Novel low-cost testing methods were developed to determine engine and drivetrain characteristics. A simple drive cycle was used to validate the model. The model is able to predict the fuel use for a 371 tractor-semitrailer vehicle over a 4 km drive cycle within 1 per cent. This paper demonstrates that accurate and reliable vehicle benchmarking and model parameter measurement can be achieved without expensive equipment overheads, e.g. engine and chassis dynamometers.

大蹼铃蟾神经营养肽及其制备方法和其基因

本发明涉及大蹼铃蟾神经营养肽及其制备方法和其基因，属于生物医学领域。其神经营养肽为从中国两栖类动物大蹼铃蟾(Bombina maxima)皮肤分泌物中分离得到的由77个氨基酸组成的一种单链多肽，分子量8044.7，等电点8.4，多肽氨基酸全序列一级结构为：AVITGVCDRDAQCGSGTCCAASAFSRNIRFCVPLGNNGEECHPASHKVPYNGKRLSSLCPCNTGLTCSKSGEKFQCS。制备方法是收集大蹼铃蟾皮肤分泌物，离心去除沉淀、冷冻干燥后，经凝胶过滤、高压液相反相柱层析分离纯化后即得到。编码神经营养肽的基因由404个核苷酸组成，其中编码成熟神经营养肽为第102-332位核苷酸。其基因作为基因工程制备神经营养肽的应用。

Deposition and characterisation of ultralow-stress ZnO thin films for application in FBAR-based gravimetric biosensors

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited at high rates ( > 50 nm min-1) using a unique technique known as high target utilisation sputtering (HiTUS). The films obtained possess good crystallographic orientation, low surface roughness, very low stress and excellent piezoelectric properties. We have utilised the films to develop highly sensitive biosensors based on thickness longitudinal mode (TLM) thin film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs). The FBARs have the fundamental TLM at a frequency near 1.5 GHz and quality factor Q higher than 1,000, which is one of the largest values ever reported for ZnO-based FBARs. Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) solutions with different concentrations were placed on the top of different sets of identical FBARs and their responses to mass-loading from physically adsorbed protein coatings were investigated. These resonators demonstrated a high sensitivity and thus have a great potential as gravimetric sensors for biomedical applications. © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

The need for winter in the switch to flowering.

Vernalization is the process whereby the floral transition is promoted through exposure of plants to long periods of cold temperature or winter. A requirement for vernalization aligns flowering with the seasons to ensure that their reproductive phase occurs in favorable conditions. The mitotic stability of vernalization, suggestive of an epigenetic mechanism, has intrigued researchers for many years. Genetic analysis of the vernalization requirement in Arabidopsis has identified key floral repressor genes, FRI and FLC. The action of these floral repressors is antagonized by vernalization and the activity of a set of genes grouped into the autonomous floral pathway. Analysis of the vernalization pathway has defined a series of epigenetic regulators crucial for "cellular-memory" of the cold signal, whereas the autonomous pathway appears to function in part through posttranscriptional mechanisms. The mechanism of the vernalization requirement, which is now being explored in a range of plant species, should uncover the evolutionary origins of this key agronomic trait.

平顶猴TRIM5α基因变异影响其抗HIV-1功能

目的:解释平顶猴成为唯一能够被HIV-1感染的旧大陆猴以及在被SIV感染时出现较其他旧大陆猴严重临床症状的原因.方法:参考人TRIM5α基因的结构和序列合成引物,以平顶猴DNA 为模板,分别扩增其TRIM5α基因编码序列的所有外显子.利用生物学软件分析获得的编码序列,分析在已经明确与TRIM5α抗病毒功能密切相关的几个位点上是否发生可能影响其功能的突变.结果:在平顶猴基因组上CypA基因融合到TRIM5α基因第八外显子的下游,融合方式与在鹰猴中发现的CypA与TRIM5α的融合方式完全不同.恒河猴TRIM5α基因具有限制HIV-1复制的功能,第332位脯氨酸对其抗病毒功能非常重要,但在平顶猴的TRIM5α上,该氨基酸突变成谷氨酰胺;第335位以后8个氨基酸对恒河猴TRIM5α抗病毒功能也有重要影响,但在平顶猴的TRIM5α上,与其对应的氨基酸片段不仅缺失了两个氨基酸,还有两个氨基酸发生突变,附近区域还有另外两个发生突变.在平顶猴TRIM5α基因的Coiled-Coil结构域插入了13个氨基酸,但没有影响到编码框.结论:在平顶猴的基因组上CypA与TRIM5α的融合以及平顶猴TRIM5α基因抗病毒功能关键位点上的氨基酸突变可能影响其抗病毒功能,是其成为唯一能够被HIV-1感染的旧大陆猴以及在被SIV感染时出现较其他旧大陆猴严重临床症状的重要原因.