Selection and application of a suitable sampling method for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of lab-lab

Milkfish and prawn pond operation in the Philippines is often associated with lab-lab culture. Lab-lab is a biological complex of blue-green algae, diatoms, bacteria and various animals which form a mat at the bottom of nursery ponds or floating patches along the margins of ponds. This complex is considered the most favorable food of milkfish in brackishwater ponds. Variations in the quantity and quality of lab-lab between and within areas of a 1,000 sq. m. pond was determined over 2 culture periods (6 month duration) and the applicability and suitability of stratified random sampling as a method of sampling lab-lab was evaluated.

A body force-based method for prediction of multiple-pure-tone noise: Validation

Emissions, fuel burn, and noise are the main drivers for innovative aircraft design. Embedded propulsion systems, such as for example used in hybrid-wing body aircraft, can offer fuel burn and noise reduction benefits but the impact of inlet flow distortion on the generation and propagation of turbomachinery noise has yet to be assessed. A novel approach is used to quantify the effects of non-uniform flow on the creation and propagation of multiple pure tone (MPT) noise. The ultimate goal is to conduct a parametric study of S-duct inlets to quantify the effects of inlet design parameters on the acoustic signature. The key challenge is that the effects of distortion transfer, noise source generation and propagation through the non-uniform flow field are inherently coupled such that a simultaneous computation of the aerodynamics and acoustics is required to capture the mechanisms at play. The technical approach is based on a body force description of the fan blade row that is able to capture the distortion transfer and the blade-to-blade flow variations that cause the MPT noise while reducing computational cost. A single, 3-D full-wheel CFD simulation, in which the Euler equations are solved to second-order spatial and temporal accuracy, simultaneously computes the MPT noise generation and its propagation in distorted inlet flow. A new method of producing the blade-to-blade variations in the body force field for MPT noise generation has been developed and validated. The numerical dissipation inherent to the solver is quantified and used to correct for non-physical attenuation in the far-field noise spectra. Source generation, acoustic propagation and acoustic energy transfer between modes is examined in detail. The new method is validated on NASA's Source Diagnostic Test fan and inlet, showing good agreement with experimental data for aerodynamic performance, acoustic source generation, and far-field noise spectra. The next steps involve the assessment of MPT noise in serpentine inlet ducts and the development of a reduced order formulation suitable for incorporation into NASA's ANOPP framework. © 2010 by Jeff Defoe, Alex Narkaj & Zoltan Spakovszky.

Genetic Diversity of the Plankton Community and Its Relation to Taxonomic Composition and Environmental Factors in Lake Xiliang

Genetic diversity of the plankton community in Lake Xiliang was depicted by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting. Seventy-seven bands (33 of 16S rDNA and 44 of 18S rDNA) were detected, sixty-two planktonic taxa were identified in six sample stations in November 2007. The most common taxa were Ceratium hirundinella, Bdelloidea, Keratella cochlearis, Polyarthra trigla, and copepod nauplii. Based on environmental factors, taxonomic composition, and PCR-DGGE fingerprinting, unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages clustering and principal components analysis were used to analyze habitat similarities. There was distinct spatial heterogeneity in Lake Xiliang, and the genetic diversity of the plankton community was closely related to taxonomic composition and environmental factors.

Fabrication of photonic crystals on several kinds of semiconductor materials by using focused-ion beam method

In this paper, we introduced the fabrication of photonic crystals on several kinds of semiconductor materials by using focused-ion beam machine, it shows that the method of focused-ion beam can fabricate two-dimensional photonic crystal and photonic crystal device efficiently, and the quality of the fabricated photonic crystal is high. Using the focused-ion beam method, we fabricate photonic crystal wavelength division multiplexer, and its characteristics are analyzed. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nondestructive measurements of stoichiometry in undoped semi-insulating gallium arsenide by x-ray bond method

The influences of microdefects and dislocations on the lattice parameters of undoped semi-insulating GaAs single crystals were analyzed, and a novel nondestructive method for measuring stoichiometry in undoped semi-insulating GaAs was established in this letter. The comparison of this method with coulometric titration indicates that the method of nondestructive measurements is indeed convenient and reliable. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Application of the characteristic CIP method to a shallow water model on the sphere

Semi-implicit algorithms are popularly used to deal with the gravitational term in numerical models. In this paper, we adopt the method of characteristics to compute the solutions for gravity waves on a sphere directly using a semi-Lagrangian advection scheme instead of the semi-implicit method in a shallow water model, to avoid expensive matrix inversions. Adoption of the semi-Lagrangian scheme renders the numerical model always stable for any Courant number, and which saves CPU time. To illustrate the efficiency of the characteristic constrained interpolation profile (CIP) method, some numerical results are shown for idealized test cases on a sphere in the Yin-Yang grid system.

Migration of large-scale subaqueous bedforms measured with seagrasses(Cymudocea nodesa) as tracers

The vertical growth of seagrasses in response to burial by migration of bedforms is combined with dating techniques to provide precise and rapid estimates of the migration speed of subaqueous dunes over seagrass patches. Two methods to estimate the time interval between the passage of successive dunes and the motion of single dunes through seagrass patches are described. The second method is more precise. The application of these methods to vegetated (Cymodocea nodosa) subaqueous dunes in the Alfacs Bay (NW Mediterranean) showed that the dunes traveled at an average speed of $13.0 \pm 0.6 m yr^-1$ and demonstrated that the methods can resolve migration speeds from 0.15 to $980 m yr^-1$ with this particular seagrass species. In areas vegetated with different seagrass species, bedform migration can be estimated over different time scales. The strong coupling between seagrass and sediment dynamics resembles the coupling of vegetation and land dunes.

Method for calculating ecological water storage and ecological water requirement of marsh

As one of the most typical wetlands, marsh plays an important role in hydrological and economic aspects, especially in keeping biological diversity. In this study, the definition and connotation of the ecological water storage of marsh is discussed for the first time, and its distinction and relationship with ecological water requirement are also analyzed. Furthermore, the gist and method of calculating ecological water storage and ecological water requirement have been provided, and Momoge wetland has been given as an example of calculation of the two variables. Ecological water use of marsh can be ascertained according to ecological water storage and ecological water requirement. For reasonably spatial and temporal variation of water storage and rational water resources planning, the suitable quantity of water supply to marsh can be calculated according to the hydrological conditions, ecological demand and actual water resources.

Calculation of the bulk modulus of simple and complex crystals with the chemical bond method

The relation between the lattice energies and the bulk moduli on binary inorganic crystals was studied, and the concept of lattice energy density is introduced. We find that the lattice energy densities are in good linear relation with the bulk moduli in the same type of crystals, the slopes of fitting lines for various types of crystals are related to the valence and coordination number of cations of crystals, and the empirical expression of calculated slope is obtained. From crystal structure, the calculated results are in very good agreement with the experimental values. At the same time, by means of the dielectric theory of the chemical bond and the calculating method of the lattice energy of complex crystals, the estimative method of the bulk modulus of complex crystals was established reasonably, and the calculated results are in very good agreement with the experimental values.

Extraction and separation of thorium and ytterbium with bis (2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid using a hollow fiber membrane extractor

The based membrane extraction of Th4+ and Yb3+ was studied in HBTMPP-heptane using a hollow fibber membrane. The separation method of Th4+ and Yb3+ was proposed by kinetics competition. The separation operation of Th4+ and Yb3+ mixture was carried out by two successive extraction and stripping simultaneously. The concentration ratio of Th4+ to Yb3+ is 16.74 in the stripping solution. The recovery and purity of Th4+ are 71.6% and 95.74% respectively.

A new preparation of zinc sulfide nanoparticles by solid-state method at low temperature

A novel solid-state method of the preparation of zinc sulfide nanoparticles is reported. By solid-state reaction of zinc acetate and thioacetamide at low temperature, zinc sulfide nanoparticles of different sizes were prepared. The temperature of preparation varied from room temperature to 300 degrees C. The particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and photoluminescence spectrum. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the particles exhibited pure zinc-blende crystal structure and that particle size increased with increasing temperature. The TEM micrograph showed that the mean particle size was about 40 nm for the sample heated at 100 degrees C. A blue shift was observed in the photoluminescence emission spectrum. A possible mechanism of the reaction corresponding to our observation is proposed, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two-step-method extraction of endohedral metallofullerenes

A new and efficient extraction method of endohedral metallofullerenes, especially of rare-earth elements encapsulated metallofullerenes, has been reported in this paper. Soxhlet-extraction of raw soot with toluene was used in the first step to wash away most accompanying C-60, C-70. Then pyridine was chosen as solvent to obtain high-temperature and high pressure extract. Two kinds of extract were analysed by DEI-MS and LDI-MS, the results indicate that this two-step method can provide the extract which has the highest fraction of endohedral metallofullerenes. So it will greatly simplify the following separation and purification processes of metallofullerenes.

AN ALGEBRAIC METHOD TO ESTIMATE GENERAL TYPE OF PHASES OF STRUCTURE FACTORS

The algebraic formulas of 1.5 and 2.5 rank are given for four space groups P2(1), Pn, Pna2(1), P2(1)2(1)2(1). It is better that the results of applying them to estimating general type of phases for four correspondent crystal structures. And a method of transforming algebraic formulas from 1.5(2.5) rank is proposed.

THE ALGEBRAIC-METHOD ESTIMATING +/-PI/2 TYPE OF PHASES OF STRUCTURE FACTORS

The algebraic formulas of 1.5 and 2.5 rank which can be applied to estimating +/- pi/2 type of phases for P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group were derived using the method of structure factor algebra. Both types of the formulas are satisfactory for two known crystal structures in estimating their +/- pi/2 type of phases.

An improved PCR method for direct identification of Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) using conchocelis based on a RUBISCO intergenic spacer

An improved method of PCR in which the small segment of conchocelis is amplified directly without DNA extraction was used to amplify a RUBISCO intergenic spacer DNA fragment from nine species of red algal genus Porphyra (Bangiales, Rhodophyta), including Porphyra yezoensis (Jiangsu, China), P. haitanensis (Fujian, China), P. oligospermatangia (Qingdao, China), P. katadai (Qingdao, China), P. tenera (Qingdao, China), P. suborboculata (Fujian, China), P. pseudolinearis (Kogendo, Korea), P. linearis (Devon, England), and P. fallax (Seattle, USA). Standard PCR and the method developed here were both conducted using primers specific for the RUBISCO spacer region, after which the two PCR products were sequenced. The sequencing data of the amplicons obtained using both methods were identical, suggesting that the improved PCR method was functional. These findings indicate that the method developed here may be useful for the rapid identification of species of Porphyra in a germplasm bank. In addition, a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the RUBISCO spacer and partial rbcS sequence, and the results were in concordant with possible alternative phylogenies based on traditional morphological taxonomic characteristics, indicating that the RUBISCO spacer is a useful region for phylogenetic studies.