Growth and feed utilization in two strains of gibel carp, Carassius auratus gibelio: paternal effects in a gynogenetic fish

Gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio Bloch) is a natural gynogenetic fish which requires sperm of the same or related species to activate egg development. The eggs of one gibel carp were divided into two batches. One batch was 'fertilized' with sperm from gibel carp (strain DD), and the other 'fertilized' with sperm from red common carp (Cyprinus carpio red variety) (strain DR). The juveniles were transferred to the laboratory 36 days post-hatch. Triplicate groups of each strain were fed a formulated diet at either 3% or satiation ration for 8 weeks. At both the restricted and satiation rations, specific growth rate was significantly higher in strain DR than in strain DD. At the 3% ration, there was no significant difference in feeding rate or feed conversion efficiency between the two strains. At the satiation ration, strain DR had a significantly lower feeding rate but higher feed conversion efficiency than strain DD. At the satiation ration, strain DR had a significantly lower intake protein, but higher recovered protein than strain DD. There was no significant difference in faecal protein loss between the two strains. At the 3% ration, strain had no significant effects on intake protein, faecal protein or recovered protein. Neither faecal energy loss nor recovered energy was affected by strain or ration. At both the 3% and satiation ration, final body contents of dry matter and lipid were significantly lower in strain DR than strain DD, while there was no significant difference in protein and energy content between the two strains at either ration level. The results suggested that gibel carp 'fertilized' with sperm of common carp grew faster than those 'fertilized' with sperm of gibel carp through increased feed conversion efficiency and protein retention.

Interface as the origin of ferromagnetism in cobalt doped ZnO film grown on silicon substrate

We have investigated the magnetic properties of Co-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) film deposited on silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering. Co ions have a valence of 2+ and substitute for Zn sites in the lattice. By using a chemical etching method, an extrinsic ferromagnetism was demonstrated. The observed ferromagnetism is neither associated with magnetic precipitates nor with contamination, but originates from the silicon/silicon oxide interface. This interface ferromagnetism is characterized by being temperature independent and by having a parallel magnetic anisotropy. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2989128]

Depth distribution of the strain in the GaN layer with low-temperature AlN interlayer on Si(111) substrate studied by Rutherford backscattering/channeling

The depth distribution of the strain-related tetragonal distortion e(T) in the GaN epilayer with low-temperature AlN interlayer (LT-AlN IL) on Si(111) substrate is investigated by Rutherford backscattering and channeling. The samples with the LT-AlN IL of 8 and 16 nm thickness are studied, which are also compared with the sample without the LT-AlN IL. For the sample with 16-nm-thick LT-AlN IL, it is found that there exists a step-down of e(T) of about 0.1% in the strain distribution. Meanwhile, the angular scan around the normal GaN <0001> axis shows a tilt difference about 0.01degrees between the two parts of GaN separated by the LT-AlN IL, which means that these two GaN layers are partially decoupled by the AlN interlayer. However, for the sample with 8-nm-thick LT-AlN IL, neither step-down of e(T) nor the decoupling phenomenon is found. The 0.01degrees decoupled angle in the sample with 16-nm-thick LT-AlN IL confirms the relaxation of the LT-AlN IL. Thus the step-down of e(T) should result from the compressive strain compensation brought by the relaxed AlN interlayer. It is concluded that the strain compensation effect will occur only when the thickness of the LT-AlN IL is beyond a critical thickness. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.

Experimental study of a pulsed ytterbium-doped fibre laser with fast and slow saturable absorbers in a linear cavity

We present a linear-cavity stretched-pulse fibre laser with mode locking by a nonlinear polarization rotation and by semiconductor saturable-absorber mirrors. A Q-switched mode-locking cw train and a mode-locking pulse train are obtained in the experiment. We investigate the effects of the equivalent fast saturable absorber and the slow saturable absorbers in experiment. It is found that neither the nonlinear polarization evolution effect nor a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is enough to produce the stable cw mode-locking pulses in this experiment. A nonlinear polarization evolution effect controls the cavity loss to literally carve the pulses; semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors provide the self-restarting and maintain the stability of the mode-locking operation.

Nanostructure in the p-layer and its impacts on amorphous silicon solar cells

The open circuit voltage (V-oc) of n-i-p type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells has been examined by means of experimental and numerical modeling. The i- and p-layer limitations on V-oc are separated and the emphasis is to identify the impact of different kinds of p-layers. Hydrogenated protocrystalline, nanocrystalline and microcrystalline silicon p-layers were prepared and characterized using Raman spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), optical transmittance and activation energy of dark-conductivity. The n-i-p a-Si:H solar cells incorporated with these p-layers were comparatively investigated, which demonstrated a wide variation of V-oc from 1.042 V to 0.369 V, under identical i- and n-layer conditions. It is found that the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) p-layer with a certain nanocrystalline volume fraction leads to a higher V-oc. The optimum p-layer material for n-i-p type a-Si:H solar cells is not found at the onset of the transition between the amorphous to mixed phases, nor is it associated with a microcrystalline material with a large grain size and a high volume fraction of crystalline phase. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum-well anisotropic forbidden transitions induced by a common-atom interface potential

A prominent effect of the interface potential (IP) [E. L. Ivchenko and A. Yu. Kaminski, Phys. Rev. B 54, 5852 (1996); O. Krebs and P. Voisin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 1829 (1996)], the optical anisotropy of the forbidden transitions in quantum wells has been observed by reflectance-difference spectroscopy. Predictions by the heavy-light-hole coupling IP models are qualitatively consistent with all the observed features of the forbidden and the allowed transitions. The fact that the predicted value of the relative, transition strength, which depends on neither the IP strength nor the electric field, disagrees with the observed one indicates that coupling involving X and/or L bands may also be important. [S0163-1829(99)04227-7].

Cubic InGaN grown by MOCVD

We report on the growth of high-quality cubic phase InGaN on GaAs by MOCVD. The cubic InGaN layers are grown on cubic GaN buffer layers on GaAs (001) substrates. The surface morphology of the films are mirror-like. The cubic nature of the InGaN films is obtained by Xray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The InGaN layers show strong photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature. Neither emission peak from wurtzite GaN nor yellow luminescence is observed in our films. The highest In content as determined by XRD is about 17% with an PL emission wavelength of 450 nm. The FWHM of the cubic InGaN PL peak are 153 meV and 216 meV for 427 nm and 450 nm emissions, respectively. It is found that the In compositions determined from XRD are not in agreement with those estimated from PL measurements. The reasons for this disagreement are discussed.

AN EFFICIENT ITERATIVE DFT-BASED CHANNEL ESTIMATION FOR MIMO-OFDM SYSTEMS ON MULTIPATH CHANNELS

In this paper, an efficient iterative discrete Fourier transform (DFT) -based channel estimator with good performance for multiple-input and multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems such as IEEE 802.11n which retain some sub-carriers as null sub-carriers (or virtual carriers) is proposed. In order to eliminate the mean-square error (MSE) floor effect existed in conventional DFT-based channel estimators, we proposed a low-complexity method to detect the significant channel impulse response (CIR) taps, which neither need any statistical channel information nor a predetermined threshold value. Analysis and simulation results show that the proposed method has much better performance than conventional DFT-based channel estimators and without MSE floor effect.

Nanostructure in the p-layer and its impacts on amorphous silicon solar cells

The open circuit voltage (V-oc) of n-i-p type hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells has been examined by means of experimental and numerical modeling. The i- and p-layer limitations on V-oc are separated and the emphasis is to identify the impact of different kinds of p-layers. Hydrogenated protocrystalline, nanocrystalline and microcrystalline silicon p-layers were prepared and characterized using Raman spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), optical transmittance and activation energy of dark-conductivity. The n-i-p a-Si:H solar cells incorporated with these p-layers were comparatively investigated, which demonstrated a wide variation of V-oc from 1.042 V to 0.369 V, under identical i- and n-layer conditions. It is found that the nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si:H) p-layer with a certain nanocrystalline volume fraction leads to a higher V-oc. The optimum p-layer material for n-i-p type a-Si:H solar cells is not found at the onset of the transition between the amorphous to mixed phases, nor is it associated with a microcrystalline material with a large grain size and a high volume fraction of crystalline phase. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Expression of syncytin in leukemia and lymphoma cells

Syncytin is a placenta-specific protein and generally believed to play a pivotal role in syncytiotrophoblast morphogenesis. In this study, transcripts of this gene were quantified by real-time RT-PCR and the translated products were measured by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Results showed that syncytin was found to be expressed in all nine leukemia and lymphoma cell lines studied albeit at different levels and in 43 peripheral blood samples of 57 leukemia or lymphoma patients. Neither the transcripts nor the translated syncytin was detected in blood samples of normal individuals. In conclusion, peripheral blood syncytin may serve as a marker for leukemia and lymphoma. ©

贾第虫rDNA的研究

典型的真核生物有四种rRNA（18S、5.8S、28S和5SrRNA）。一般18S、5.8S和28S的基因分别由转录间隔区（ITS）隔开而位于同一个转录单位上构成一个rRNA基因拷贝，多个rRNA基因拷贝串联形成rDNA。rDNA聚集在一起构成核仁组织区（NOR），成为核仁发生的位置。5SrRNA基因除在少数真核生物（如：酵母）中是和18S、28S rRNA基因位于同一个转录单位上外，一般是处在核仁以外的区域。贾第虫一度被认为是现存最原始的真核生物。支持这一观点的一个重要证据之一就是它还不具核仁结构。那么它的rDNA与典型真核生物的相比会有怎样的特点呢？本文在基因组的水平上对贾第虫的rDNA进行了全面调查分析，并对5S rRNA及其相关蛋白进行重点研究，得到如下结果和结论： 1）贾第虫的18S rRNA（1448bp）基因和28S rRNA（2300bp）基因比其他一些真核生物的（一般为1800bp和3400bp）要小的多，甚至比一些原核生物的相应的rRNA基因还要小。不仅如此，其5.8S rRNA基因和28SrRNA基因之间的转录间隔区（ITS2）比典型真核生物的对应区域也要短得多（只有54bp），且GC含量较高。结构预测表明该间隔区不能形成在许多真核生物中所能形成的保守的二级结构。更特别的是，贾第虫基因组中的rRNA基因序列大部分都是不完整的，并且不按照18S-5.8S-28S rRNA基因顺序排列，也没有多个完整拷贝顺序排列的区域。这提示贾第虫rRNA基因可能是以一种不同于典型真核生物的方式聚集的。因此本文认为以上这些特点可能与贾第虫不能形成典型核仁结构有关。 2）本文从贾第虫基因组中鉴定出了5S rRNA基因，并实验验证了其表达及其完整基因序列所编码的5S rRNA具有典型真核生物的T型二级结构，且具有绝大多数保守位点。RT-PCR表明该基因具有转录活性。该结果否定了前人的贾第虫没有5S rRNA的实验结果。并表明贾第虫尽管很原始，但其5S rRNA基因仍然是独立存在的和单独转录的。贾第虫基因组中总共有8个5S rRNA基因拷贝（且其中还有一个拷贝具有15个bp的异常插入）这大大低于一般真核生物的拷贝数。这些5S rRNA基因也不形成串联排列的区域。 我们还在贾第虫中鉴定出在真核生物中唯一与5S rRNA接触的核糖体蛋白L5蛋白并验证了其表达，该序列与其他真核生物的L5蛋白相似性很高，这提示贾第虫在5S rRNA基因转录出核后与L5蛋白结合形成5S RNP的过程可能与典型的真核生物是一致的。此外，我们从贾第虫中鉴定不出符合典型真核生物TFIIIA因子特征的蛋白，这提示贾第虫5S rRNA的转录起始以及转录后出核的机制可能与典型真核生物不同。过去对贾第虫的研究表明高等真核生物里RNA聚合酶III所独有的四个亚基在贾第虫中找不到同源物，而这样不完整的RNA聚合酶III已经可以在贾第虫中完成5S rRNA的转录了，这表明RNA聚合酶III所独有的这些亚基可能是为了完成其他功能而进化出来的。

寇氏隐甲藻(Cryp the codinium cohnii 涡鞭毛虫类)核仁的分裂

对涡鞭毛虫寇氏隐甲藻（Cryp thecodinium cohnii）细胞周期中的核仁进行了电镜连续超薄切片三维重组观察，并进行了Ag-NOR银染的光镜和电镜观察。在整个细胞周期中，寇氏隐甲藻的核仁内都有由核仁染色体发出的染色质索，又由染色质索发出细胞染色质丝进入核仁纤维区中。细胞进入分裂期后，核仁内的染色质索逐渐变粗。在核仁拉长前，核仁内大部分染色质索凝集成为“核仁内染色体”。Ag-NOR染色结果表明，有少量的rDNA也收回到核仁内染色体上，但绝大部分rDNA始终分散地分布在核仁内。核仁染色体象其它染色体一样，也是以一端结合在贯穿细胞核的细胞质管道的壁上，看来也会以同样的方式移到两极。核仁染色体向二极移动，而与核仁染色体相连的rDNA的绝大部分又始终分散地分布在核仁纤维区中，这显然是甲藻核仁拉长并分裂为二的根本原因。核仁内始终存在分散的rDNA也是它们的核仁不瓦解的根本原因。我们观察到，寇氏隐甲藻的染色体不仅连接于细胞质管道壁上，而且还与管道中的微管形成结构上的联系，从而可以认为它们的染色体移动也有微管参与。这点修正了kubai与Ris(1969)的报导。本文根据涡鞭毛虫（甲藻）的核仁在核仁分裂过程中只是拉长和分裂，而并不瓦解和重建的根本原因，探讨了典型有丝分裂过程中核仁的瓦解与重建的起源问题。

PASSIVATION OF COPPER BY LITHIUM IN P-TYPE GAAS

We report the passivation of two deep copper-related acceptor levels in Cu-diffused p-type GaAs by the group-I element lithium. The deep-level-transient-spectroscopy (DLTS) signals of the well-known Cu-related levels with apparent activation energies 0.15 eV and 0.40 eV disappear in Cu-diffused samples when they are diffused with Li, but can be reactivated by annealing. Photoluminescence measurements show a corresponding disappearance and reappearance of the copper-related luminescence at 1.36 eV. Also we observe with DLT'S an energy level at E(V) + 0.32 eV in the Cu-Li-diff-used samples. The level is neither present in the Cu-diffused samples before Li diffusion nor in Cu-Li-diffused samples after annealing. As the level is not observed in starting materials or solely Li-diffused samples we suggest that it is related to a Cu-Li complex.

CO2浓度升高对三种树木叶片化学和舞毒蛾幼虫取食及生长的影响

探讨全球气候变化的生物学和生态学效应是当今生态学中的热点，研究大气CO2浓度升高对植物-昆虫相互作用关系的影响具有重要的理论和实践意义。本文使用开顶式气室（Open-top chamber，OTC）在野外条件下研究了CO2浓度升高对三种树木（小青杨、白桦和蒙古栎）叶片化学成分含量的影响，以及树木叶片品质变化对一种广食性森林昆虫（舞毒蛾）幼虫取食、生长发育和取食偏嗜性的影响。得出如下结果：（1）CO2浓度升高对3个受试树种叶片中的营养成分及次生代谢物含量均有显著影响，总体表现为氮含量降低，而碳氮比、非结构性碳水化合物、总酚和缩合丹宁含量增加。叶片中的化学成分含量可随时间发生显著变化，不同树种、甚至同一树种不同冠层高度的叶片对CO2浓度升高的响应强度也是不同的。叶片的干物质含量和比叶重对CO2浓度升高的响应不显著。（2）室内非选择性取食实验、室内选择性取食实验以及上树取食饲养方式下的多龄期取食实验，均发现高浓度CO2处理组内舞毒蛾幼虫的生长发育受到显著抑制。但对四龄舞毒蛾幼虫所进行的短期生物测定并未发现不同CO2浓度处理下幼虫的生长发育速率、对食物的取食率和转化率等昆虫营养指标存在显著差异。（3）叶片品质的降低是导致舞毒蛾幼虫生长发育受抑制的主要原因。但是总体上，CO2浓度升高导致的叶片品质变化并未显著影响幼虫的取食率和取食量。（4）舞毒蛾幼虫对不同叶片种类表现出清晰的取食选择性，这种选择性在其幼龄期就可表现出来。幼虫对小青杨上层叶片有最显著的偏嗜性，对蒙古栎下层叶片有最明显的拒食性。但是CO2浓度升高导致的叶片品质变化对舞毒蛾幼虫的取食选择性和寄主偏嗜行为并未产生显著影响。（5）检测出高浓度CO2处理组内舞毒蛾幼虫虫粪中含有浓度更高的植物次生代谢物质（总酚和缩合单宁），这很可能是昆虫整体生长发育受抑制的重要原因之一。

Faraday Glasses with a Large Size and High Performance

A kind of Faraday glass with a size of 40 mm x 14 mm and 100-300 mm x 25 mm, respectively, was prepared by the melting and casting process, which had neither a Pt particulate nor a bubble or striation. The measurement results showed that the surface homogeneity of the samples was up to +/- 1 x 10-6, the laser threshold reached 10 J/cm2 (1 omega, 3 ns), and the Verdet constants of the glasses were -0.273 min/Oe/cm at 632.8 nm and -0.076 min/Oe/cm at 1064 nm, respectively.