Sources of the deep water masses in the northern Red Sea

The hydrographic structure of the northern Red Sea indicated that, the surface waters of temperature around 22°C, salinity of 40.1OO%o and dt = 28.1 might sink to depths between 400-500 m by convective overturn, contributing to the formation of the mid-deep Red Sea waters. Below the 500 db depth down to the bottom the water column is stable. The geostrophic circulation clearly indicated an inflow of water from the Red Sea towards NNW, along the main axis of the sea. Arriving at the northern edge of the sea, it sends a branch in the Gulf of Aqaba, turns to the west, and sends another branch to the Gulf of Suez, but its main mass reaches the African coast where it sets southward along this coast. A large cyclonic gyre centered near 27 deg 30'N and 34 deg l0'E is detected at the head of the Red Sea deep waters. The effect of the outflow of the bottom water of the Gulf of Suez on the formation of the deep water of the Red Sea is limited.

Analysis of case histories on deep excavations in marine clay

Two case histories on deep excavation of marine clay are used to study the use of a decision-making tool based on a new deign method called the Mobilized Strength Design (MSD) method which allows the designer to use a simple method of predicting ground displacements during deep excavation. This application can approximately satisfy both safety and serviceability requirements by predicting stresses and displacements under working conditions by introducing the concept of "Mobilizable soil strength". The new method accommodates a number of features which are important to design of underground construction between retaining walls, including different deformation mechanism in different stages of excavation. The influence of wall depth, wall flexibility and stratified ground are the major focus of this paper. These developments should make it possible for a design engineer to take informed decisions on the influence of wall stiffness, or on the need for a jet-grouted base slab, for example, without having to conduct project-specific Finite Element Analysis.

Effect of electric stimulation on heart beat and body muscle in fish

The effect of AC and DC electric stimulations on the heart-rate and the entire body of Heteropneustis fossillis, Tilapia mossambica and Macrobrachium rosenbergii were studied and presented in kymograph tracings. The reaction of spinal cord in Puntius ticto, Heteropneustis fossilis and Tilapia mossambica to D. C. field was observed to find out its role in electric shocks. A test-check of the electrical resistance of a few species was also conducted. The effect of D. C. and A.C. on the body muscle was found to be the same as that in the case of frog. Different degrees of cardiac slowing were observed in AC and DC. Unbalanced galvanotropic movements were also noticed in spinal fishes.

Economic analysis of 22m and 23m deep sea trawlers

The cost-benefit analysis of 23m and 22m trawlers operated from Visakhapatnam base is presented. The study indicated that the deep sea fishing in Indian waters is a profitable venture. The profit over capital investment for a 23m trawler worked out to about 18% whereas the same was about 10% for a 22m trawler. Catch per trawling operation, cost of production, productivity per man year, energy yield etc. establish the economic superiority of 23m vessel.

In vitro construction of a recombinant human embryonic brain-derived neurotrophin-4 gene and pEGFP-N1 vector

BACKGROUND: Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) can promote neuronal growth, development, differentiation, maturation, and survival. NT-4 can also improve recovery and regeneration of injured neurons, but cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, which limits its ac

Single trial learning of external dynamics: What can the brain teach us about learning mechanisms?

Humans have exceptional abilities to learn new skills, manipulate tools and objects, and interact with our environment. In order to be successful at these tasks, our brain has developed learning mechanisms to deal with and compensate for the constantly changing dynamics of the world. If this mechanism or mechanisms can be understood from a computational point of view, then they can also be used to drive the adaptability and learning of robots. In this paper, we will present a new technique for examining changes in the feedforward motor command due to adaptation. This technique can then be utilized for examining motor adaptation in humans and determining a computational algorithm which explains motor learning. © 2007.

Learning the dynamics of the external world: Brain inspired learning for robotic applications

Humans have exceptional abilities to learn new skills, manipulate tools and objects, and interact with our environment. In order to be successful at these tasks, our brain has become exceptionally well adapted to learning to deal not only with the complex dynamics of our own limbs but also with novel dynamics in the external world. While learning of these dynamics includes learning the complex time-varying forces at the end of limbs through the updating of internal models, it must also include learning the appropriate mechanical impedance in order to stabilize both the limb and any objects contacted in the environment. This article reviews the field of human learning by examining recent experimental evidence about adaptation to novel unstable dynamics and explores how this knowledge about the brain and neuro-muscular system can expand the learning capabilities of robotics and prosthetics. © 2006.

Deep RNA sequencing at single base-pair resolution reveals high complexity of the rice transcriptome

Understanding the dynamics of eukaryotic transcriptome is essential for studying the complexity of transcriptional regulation and its impact on phenotype. However, comprehensive studies of transcriptomes at single base resolution are rare, even for modern organisms, and lacking for rice. Here, we present the first transcriptome atlas for eight organs of cultivated rice. Using high-throughput paired-end RNA-seq, we unambiguously detected transcripts expressing at an extremely low level, as well as a substantial number of novel transcripts, exons, and untranslated regions. An analysis of alternative splicing in the rice transcriptome revealed that alternative cis-splicing occurred in similar to 33% of all rice genes. This is far more than previously reported. In addition, we also identified 234 putative chimeric transcripts that seem to be produced by trans-splicing, indicating that transcript fusion events are more common than expected. In-depth analysis revealed a multitude of fusion transcripts that might be by-products of alternative splicing. Validation and chimeric transcript structural analysis provided evidence that some of these transcripts are likely to be functional in the cell. Taken together, our data provide extensive evidence that transcriptional regulation in rice is vastly more complex than previously believed.