Smooth thin film C/diamond membranes with controllable optical band gaps

Mixed phase carbon-diamond films which consist of small grain diamond in an a:C matrix were deposited on polished Si using a radio frequency CH4 Ar plasma CVD deposition process. Ellipsometry, surface profilometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and spectrophotometry were used to analyse these films. Film thicknesses were typically 50-100 nm with a surface roughness of ± 30 A ̊ over centimetre length scans. SEM analysis showed the films were smooth and pinhole free. The Si substrate was etched using backside masking and a directional etch to give taut carbon-diamond membranes on a Si grid. Spectrophotometry was used to analyse the optical properties of these membranes. Band gap control was achieved by varying the dc bias of the deposition process. Band gaps of 1.2 eV to 4.0 eV were achieved in these membranes. A technique for controlling the compressive stress in the films, which can range from 0.02 to 7.5 GPa has been employed. This has allowed the fabrication of thin, low stress, high band gap membranes that are extremely tough and chemically inert. Such carbon-diamond membranes seem promising for applications as windows in analytical instruments. © 1992.

Quantification and reduction of unobserved mortality rates for snow, southern Tanner, and red king crabs (Chionoecetes opilio, C. bairdi, and Paralithodes camtschaticus) after encounters with trawls on the seafloor

Unobserved mortalities of nontarget species are among the most troubling and difficult issues associated with fishing, especially when those species are targeted by other fisheries. Of such concern are mortalities of crab species of the Bering Sea, which are exposed to bottom trawling from groundfish fisheries. Uncertainty in the management of these fisheries has been exacerbated by unknown mortality rates for crabs struck by trawls. In this study, the mortality rates for 3 species of commercially important crabs—red king crab, (Paralithodes camtschaticus), snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) and southern Tanner crab (C. bairdi)—that encounter different components of bottom trawls were estimated through capture of crabs behind the bottom trawl and by evaluation of immediate and delayed mortalities. We used a reflex action mortality predictor to predict delayed mortalities. Estimated mortality rates varied by species and by the part of the trawl gear encountered. Red king crab were more vulnerable than snow or southern Tanner crabs. Crabs were more likely to die after encountering the footrope than the sweeps of the trawl, and higher death rates were noted for the side sections of the footrope than for the center footrope section. Mortality rates were ≤16%, except for red king crab that passed under the trawl wings (32%). Herding devices (sweeps) can expand greatly the area of seafloor from which flatfishes are captured, and they subject crabs in that additional area to lower (4–9%) mortality rates. Raising sweep cables off of the seafloor reduced red king crab mortality rates from 10% to 4%.

稻属C染色体组物种的群体遗传学和物种形成研究

植物近缘物种系统发育和物种形成过程一直以来都是植物进化生物学研究中最基本的问题之一，是人们理解自然界物种多样性产生和变化的前提。近缘物种间通常形态相似，遗传和分子水平的分化很小且常受诸如渐渗杂交、谱系分选、种内重组等微观进化事件的影响，导致植物近缘物种间系统发育和物种形成过程研究极为困难。在过去十多年中，生物技术的革新和理论方法的发展极大地推动了进化生物学研究，促进了人们对一些重要模式生物与其近缘种间的系统发育关系和物种分化过程的认识，如人、果蝇、线虫、拟南芥和玉米等。然而，迄今在植物中，许多重要类群及其近缘种的系统发育和物种形成过程研究仍不多见，包括在具有特殊重要性的栽培作物中，如稻属（Oryza L.）。由于属内包含有重要粮食作物水稻，稻属向来都是禾本科内备受关注的一个类群。本研究中，我们通过多基因序列的方法，探讨了稻属C染色体组三个近缘二倍体物种的系统发育和物种形成过程，主要研究结果如下。 为选择适宜的实验策略和保证序列数据的真实性，我们利用不同聚合酶扩增自交的栽培稻Oryza sativa ssp. japonica和异交的O. longistaminata不同类型的基因片段，采用克隆测序的方法，评估聚合酶链式扩增反应（PCR）中产生的非真实变异的状况。我们使用exTaq、exTaq和Pfu混和酶和PfuUltraTM酶三种不同聚合酶扩增了Adh1、GPA1和Waxy三个基因片段。在检测到的非真实变异中，PCR 错误的类型主要为单碱基变异和不同等位基因间重组，其中以单碱基变异为主，且突变类型以转换占绝大多数。比较不同酶扩增错误的结果表明，高保真PfuUltraTM酶对PCR反应错误有显著的改善，在扩增产物的单克隆中几乎检测不到PCR噪音，错误率仅为0.0001%，而exTaq和混和酶的错误率分别为0.096%和0.073%。从不同物种比较结果来看，exTaq酶和Pfu酶混用时在自交的O. sativa ssp. japonica内对PCR错误也表现明显的改善，但在异交的O. longistaminata中改善效应不太明显。在三个不同基因位点上，PCR扩增错误出现频率随扩增区域增长而变大。在PfuUltraTM酶的扩增产物中发现重组最少，exTaq和混和酶重组较多，且混和酶对重组改善效果不明显。基于不同聚合酶扩增错误对比研究结果，我们认为，由于能保证序列变异的真实性且不遗漏等位基因，核基因的克隆测序较宜于分离杂合个体中不同的等位基因。 基于随机挑取4个叶绿体和10个核基因位点，利用12份Oryza officinalis、8份O. eichingeri和4份O. rhizomatis材料，对稻属C染色体组三个近缘二倍体物种的系统发育关系作了深入分析。利用不同的系统发育分析方法对单基因位点序列和合并序列数据作了分析，结果表明，稻属C染色体组三个近缘种间呈多歧分支。因此，三个二倍体C染色体组物种可能经快速辐射分化形成。在不同核基因和叶绿体基因的系统发育树中各分支枝长均很短，也表明C染色体组的三个物种可能在较短时期内分化出。不同基因间拓扑结构不一致主要受谱系随机分选的影响。此外，C染色体组不同物种间的种间渐渗和不同等位基因重组对系统发育树的冲突也有影响。值得注意的是，C染色体组三个物种的辐射分化不排除由于相邻两次物种形成事件间隔时间太近、目前数据量不够而无法分辨的可能。在本研究中，我们发现，对于系统发育重建困难的类群，利用等位基因构建物种谱系树有助于挖掘不同基因间结果不一致的因素。 基于10个随机选取的核基因序列数据，利用物种水平的取样方式和群体遗传学分析方法，我们研究了稻属C染色体组三个近缘物种O. officinalis、O. eichingeri和O. rhizomatis的核苷酸多态性，并根据多态性水平和式样，推测了三个近缘种分化的历史。结果表明，在C染色体组的三个近缘种中，仅分布于斯里兰卡的O. rhizomatis的核苷酸多态性水平相对最低（θsil = 0.0038），而间断分布于非洲和斯里兰卡的O. eichingeri最高（θsil = 0.0057）。与被子植物其他类群相比，稻属C染色体组三个物种的核苷酸多态性水平显得较低，O. eichingeri的核苷酸多态性仅约为玉米及其近缘野生种的23-46%和拟南芥的35%。C染色体组内三个野生种相对较低的核苷酸多态性水平可能起因于其较小的祖先有效群体。物种形成模型分析表明，O. officinalis和其近缘种从最近共同祖先分化开后可能经历了居群缩减的历史，且自最近共同祖先分开后，三个物种彼此间并无显著的基因交流。基于分子钟粗略估算了C染色体三个物种分化时间，结果表明，三个物种彼此在很短的时期内分开，约0.63-0.68 Myr。同时，O. eichingeri在非洲和斯里兰卡两个地理宗的分异时间约为0.37 Myr，且推测斯里兰卡的O. eichingeri主要由西非经长距离扩散传播到斯里兰卡。