Phonon anomalies and structural transition in spin ice Dy2Ti2O7: a simultaneous pressure-dependent and temperature-dependent Raman study

We revisit the assignment of Raman phonons of rare-earth titanates by performing Raman measurements on single crystals of O18 isotope-rich spin ice Dy2Ti2O718 and nonmagnetic Lu2Ti2O718 pyrochlores and compare the results with their O16 counterparts. We show that the low-wavenumber Raman modes below 250 cm-1 are not due to oxygen vibrations. A mode near 200 cm-1, commonly assigned as F2g phonon, which shows highly anomalous temperature dependence, is now assigned to a disorder-induced Raman active mode involving Ti4+ vibrations. Moreover, we address here the origin of the new Raman mode, observed below TC similar to 110 K in Dy2Ti2O7, through a simultaneous pressure-dependent and temperature-dependent Raman study. Our study confirms the new mode to be a phonon mode. We find that dTC/dP = + 5.9 K/GPa. Temperature dependence of other phonons has also been studied at various pressures up to similar to 8 GPa. We find that pressure suppresses the anomalous temperature dependence. The role of the inherent vacant sites present in the pyrochlore structure in the anomalous temperature dependence is also discussed. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ecologia e paleoecologia de foraminíferos do holoceno na Baia de Guanabara, RJ

Este estudo teve como objetivo contribuir com as informações ecológicas e paleoecológicas geradas para a Baía de Guanabara com base na distribuição das assembléias de foraminíferos bentônicos. Para tal foram coletadas 30 amostras de sedimento superficial, ao longo de três perfis distribuídos pela baía e um testemunho (BG28) de 6 m de comprimento retirado próximo a Ilha do Governador. Nas amostras superficiais foram identificados 30 gêneros e 52 espécies das quais as espécies mais constantes foram Amonia tepida e Bolivina translucens que apresentaram a maior constância. Espécies de habitat de plataforma foram identificadas em diversas estações indicando uma boa eficiência no transporte das correntes de fundo para dentro da baía. Das estações superficiais analisadas, 10 localizadas ao redor da Ilha do Governador não continham testas de foraminíferos, possivelmente como resultado da acidificação do sedimento causado pelo derrame de óleo ocorrido em 2000. O índice de confinamento associado às análises de agrupamento e ao DCA indicaram a presença de três setores ambientais influenciadas por COT e granulometria. O primeiro setor entre Copacabana-Itatipú e Aeroporto Santos Dumont Ilha de Boa Viagem foi o ambiente marinho, o segundo setor entre o Aeroporto Santos Dumont - Ilha de Boa Viagem e Ilha do Governador Ilha de Paquetá Litoral de São Gonçalo pode se classificado como um ambiente de estuário inferior ou baía com grande influência marinha e o terceiro setor entre a Ilha do Governador Ilha de Paquetá Litoral de São Gonçalo e fundo da baía como o ambiente mais confinado. No testemunho foram feitas 7 datações indicando uma idade de aproximadamente 5180 40 anos BP. As datações também mostraram que nos últimos anos a taxa de sedimentação aumentou muito podendo estar relacionada com o período de colonização européia. Foram encontradas 18 gêneros e 30 espécies de foraminíferos das quais a espécie mais constante foi a Ammonia tepida seguida pela Buliminella elegantissima. O padrão de distribuição dessas espécies ocorreu com a maior abundância de B. elegantissima nas porções mais inferiores do testemunho e uma abundância maior de A. tepida nas porções mais superiores. Os índices de confinamento junto com as análises de agrupamento e com as curvas de isótopos mostraram que houve poucas oscilações no aporte de água marinha naquela região. As análises dos isótopos de C13 e C14 e O16 e O18 não seguiram um padrão inverso comum em outros estudos, possivelmente influenciado pela proximidade da costa. As análises de agrupamentos indicaram que nos últimos 5180 anos BP a baía não sofreu grandes variações ambientais, ou seja, a região oeste da baía mesmo apresentando alterações ao longo dos anos não foi suficiente para modificar as características de confinamento. As análises nos padrões de distribuição das assembléias de foraminíferos demonstraram ser eficientes ferramentas na caracterização ambiental e paleoambiental da Baía de Guanabara.

中国三种野生稻的遗传变异与保护生物学研究

稻属(OryzaL．)隶属禾本科(Poaceae)之稻族(OryzeaeDUmort.)，广布于全球热带与亚热带地区。目前认为该属约含20个野生种和2个栽培种，中国产4个种。亚洲栽培稻(O. sativaL．)是世界上最重要的粮食作物之一，而在中国则为第一粮食作物。在稻种基因库中，发掘野生稻中丰富的遗传多样性是解决当今人口与粮食矛盾的必由之路。因此，保护野生稻的遗传多样性举世瞩目。针对热带与亚热带地区的环境恶化而导致野生稻居群的大量绝灭与急剧萎缩的状况，制订有效的策略，最大限度地保护野生稻的遗传多样性已迫在眉睫。然而，目前对野生稻种内遗传多样性的知识十分贫乏，缺乏制订保护策略的科学基础。这一问题在中国尤为突出。本文基于1994-1995年对中国三种野生稻濒危状况的调查结果，利用等位酶分析对普通野生稻26个居群，药用野生稻8个居群和疣粒野生稻l7个居群进行了遗传多样性的研究，并重点对目前育种价值最大而濒危程度最高的普通野生稻从五个方面作了进一步的探讨。最后根据遗传多样性的研究结果讨论了它们的濒危原因，并提出了初步的保护策略。主要结果如下： 一．普通野生稻D．rufipogon Griff. 在中国的三种野生稻中，普通野生稻的遗传多样性水平最高(A=1.33，P= 0.227，Ho=0.033和He=_0.068)，遗传分化水平较低(Fst=0,310)。广西与广东的居群较其它地区的居群具有较丰富的遗传变异。因此，华南可能是中国普通野生稻的遗传多样性中心;云南现存的所有三个居群的遗传多样性水平偏低(A=1.10.p=0.148，Ho=0.007和He=0.079)，与该地区栽培稻丰富的遗传多样性形成鲜明对照，普通野生稻居群间的遗传一致度与地理距离无明显相关。 1．通过14个中央居群与5个边缘居群的对比研究表明了边缘居群的遗传结构明显不同于中央居群：其遗传多样性水平与遗传分化均低予中央居群，杂合子比中央居群更为不足。而且，从中央居群到边缘居群，位点的多态性逐渐丧失，遗传多样性水平递减，一些多态位点的等位基因频率逐渐地发生变化。 2. 通过7个受栽培稻基因渗入的居群与5个隔离较好居群的对比研究表明，被渗入居群虽然在形态上表现出复杂的变异式样，但遗传多样性水平并无相应的增高。栽培稻基因流对野生居群遗传结构的影响可能主要是遗传同化，即阻止其居群内与居群间的遗传分化。 3. 通过对2个低纬度居群与2个北缘居群两个生活史阶段的遗传多样性研究表明繁育系统是影响普通野生稻居群遗传结构的因素之一。在低纬度居群中种子阶段的遗传变异高于植株阶段，在高纬度居群中则相反。 4．通过对北缘居群(江西东乡)1980年，1985年和1994年的居群遗传结构的研究，发现该居群的遗传结构逐渐在发生变化，表现为遗传多样性水平不断下降，居群越来越偏移哈迪一温伯格平衡和杂合子变得越来越缺乏。 5．通过对一个典型的普通野生稻居群（元江居群）的居群内遗传结构的研究，表明遗传变异在3个亚居群间分布不均衡，基因型里聚集分布，使得亚居群间有一定的遗传分化。导致其居群遗传结构的亚划分的主要原因可能是有限的基因流(Nm=0.964O16)在三种野生稻中最低，但居群遗传分化却很高(FsT=0.859)。海南的遗传多样性水平与云南差别不大。剧烈的遗传分化不仅发生在海南与云南之间，而且还发生在地区内，甚至在很小地区内的居群阍。对每个地区来说，居群间的遗传一致度与地理距离明显相关，符合“隔离一距离”模型。该物种是克隆植物，遗传变异贫乏但居群遗传分化剧烈是这类植物的特征。 四. 对保护中国野生稻遗传资源的启示 中国的三种野生稻是居群水平上而非物种水平上的的濒危。人类的剧烈干拢和生境遭受破塥是导致它们濒危的主要原因。对普通野生稻和药用野生稻来说，人为的干扰导致了它们现存的居群变小且相互隔离，居群间的基因流受阻，遗传漂变的作用在小群体中显得尤为突出，并与严重的近交相交织，导致遗传多样性大量丧失，居群的遗传结构也进一步改变，从而产生真正遗传学上的濒危，甚至灭绝。对于普通野生稻的大多数居群来说，栽培稻频繁的基因流带来的遗传同化，也会直接或间接地引起濒危甚至消亡。 鉴于普通野生稻有69.0%的遗传多样性存在于居群内，收集种质资源时应在遗传变异丰富的居群中，特别在其遗传多样性中心的居群中取较多数量的个体，还应在不同的地理区域选择2～3个遗传变异丰富、彼此遗传差异大的居群作为代表，捕获存在于居群间的遗传变异。原位保护点的设置应优先考虑以下类型的居群：a．与栽培稻基因流隔离好的居群;b．边缘居群;c．严重受威胁的居群;原位保护区应在其遗传多样性中心设立，选择有数个相邻的较大居群。 鉴于药用野生稻有21.2%的遗传多样性存在于居群内，在收集种质资源时原则上应选择较多的居群，而在每个居群中取较少的个体。海南与大陆居群间的遗传差异较大，故两地的居群都必须收集;药用野生稻的居群通常较小，建议设立原位保护点即可。海南与大陆均须设立保护点，而且在每个地区内应保护尽可能多的居群。对地区间或地区内的居群间进行人工移植，促进基因流，对增强各居群的适应能力会有裨益。 鉴于仅有14.1%的遗传变异存在予疣粒野生稻的居群内，取样的原则是在云南和海南均取尽可能多的居群，而对每个居群取少数个体即可;该种的居群有时较大，其居群内往往有一定的遗传分化，故收集遗传资源时应按亚居群取样;建议在云南与海南各设置2～3个原位保护区，其中可优先考虑我国分布面积最大的云南思茅地区的居群。

Mergers and Acquisitions in Vietnam’s Emerging Market Economy, 1990-2009

This paper is the first major and thorough study on the M&A activities in Vietnam’s emerging market economy, covering almost entirely the M&A history after the launch of Doi Moi. The surge in these activities since mid-2000s by no means incidentally coincides with the jump in FDI and FPI inflows into the nation. M&A industry in Vietnam has its socio-cultural traits that could help explain economic happenings, with anomalies and transitional characteristics, far better than even the most complete set of empirical data. Proceeds from sales of existing assets and firms have mainly flowed into the highly speculative industries of securities, banking, non-bank financials, portfolio investments and real estates. The impacts of M&A on Vietnam’s long-term prosperity are, thus, highly questionable. An observable high degree of volatility in the M&A processes would likely blow outthe high ex ante expectations by many speculators, when ex post realizations finally arrive. The effect of the past M&A evolution in Vietnam has been indecisively positive or negative, with significant presence of rent-seeking and likelihood of causing destructive entrepreneurship. From a socio-economic and cultural view, the degree of positive impacts it may result in for domestic entrepreneurship will perhaps be the single most important indicator.

Corporate Bond Market in the Transition Economy of Vietnam, 1990-2010

Corporate bond appeared early in 1992-1994 in Vietnamese capital markets. However, it is still not popular to both business sector and academic circle. This paper explores different dimensions of Vietnamese corporate bond market using a unique, and perhaps, most complete dataset. State not only intervenes in the bond markets with its powerful budget and policies but also competes directly with enterprises. The dominance of SOEs and large corporations also prevents SMEs from this debt financing vehicle. Whenever a convertible term is available, bondholders are more willing to accept lower fixed income payoff. But they would not likely stick to it. On one hand, prospective bondholders could value the holdings of equity when realized favorably ex ante. On the other hand, the applicable coupon rate for such bond could turn out negative inflationadjusted payoff when tight monetary policy is exercised and the corresponding equity holding turns out valueless, ex post. Given the weak primary market and virtually nonexistent secondary market, the corporate bond market in Vietnam reflects our perception of the relationship-based and rent-seeking behavior in the financial markets. For the corporate bonds to really work, they critically need a higher level of liquidity to become truly tradable financial assets.

Rent-seekers' lost El Dorado: Vietnam's financial turmoil, 2007-2013

In this investigation, we examined 256 cases of financial failure and fraud in Vietnam’s chaotic years from 2007 to 2013. Categorical data analyses suggest that the rent-seeking approach, or resource-based orientation, alone does not help explain the outcome of a business intention while the association between Orientation and Approach is the best-fit predictor. Rampant financial collapse not only increases the cost of funds but also erodes trust in the economy. Entrepreneurship development and creativity capacity building, in light of this, are necessary to improve socio-economic conditions and the environment. In this manuscript, we also introduce intuitive and cognitive factors to predict ex-ante outcome of a financing scheme.

Interplay of the Wzx translocase and the corresponding polymerase and chain length regulator proteins in the translocation and periplasmic assembly of lipopolysaccharide o antigen

Genetic evidence suggests that a family of bacterial and eukaryotic integral membrane proteins (referred to as Wzx and Rft1, respectively) mediates the transbilayer movement of isoprenoid lipid-linked glycans. Recent work in our laboratory has shown that Wzx proteins involved in O-antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) assembly have relaxed specificity for the carbohydrate structure of the O-antigen subunit. Furthermore, the proximal sugar bound to the isoprenoid lipid carrier, undecaprenyl-phosphate (Und-P), is the minimal structure required for translocation. In Escherichia coli K-12, N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is the proximal sugar of the O16 and enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) subunits. Both O16 and ECA systems have their respective translocases, WzxO16 and WzxE, and also corresponding polymerases (WzyO16 and WzyE) and O-antigen chain-length regulators (WzzO16 and WzzE), respectively. In this study, we show that the E. coli wzxE gene can fully complement a wzxO16 translocase deletion mutant only if the majority of the ECA gene cluster is deleted. In addition, we demonstrate that introduction of plasmids expressing either the WzyE polymerase or the WzzE chain-length regulator proteins drastically reduces the O16 LPS-complementing activity of WzxE. We also show that this property is not unique to WzxE, since WzxO16 and WzxO7 can cross-complement translocase defects in the O16 and O7 antigen clusters only in the absence of their corresponding Wzz and Wzy proteins. These genetic data are consistent with the notion that the translocation of O-antigen and ECA subunits across the plasma membrane and the subsequent assembly of periplasmic O-antigen and ECA Und-PP-linked polymers depend on interactions among Wzx, Wzz, and Wzy, which presumably form a multiprotein complex.

Defective O-antigen polymerization in tolA and pal mutants of Escherichia coli in response to extracytoplasmic stress

We have previously shown that the TolA protein is required for the correct surface expression of the Escherichia coli O7 antigen lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In this work, delta tolA and delta pal mutants of E. coli K-12 W3110 were transformed with pMF19 (encoding a rhamnosyltransferase that reconstitutes the expression of O16-specific LPS), pWQ5 (encoding the Klebsiella pneumoniae O1 LPS gene cluster), or pWQ802 (encoding the genes necessary for the synthesis of Salmonella enterica O:54). Both DeltatolA and delta pal mutants exhibited reduced surface expression of O16 LPS as compared to parental W3110, but no significant differences were observed in the expression of K. pneumoniae O1 LPS and S. enterica O:54 LPS. Therefore, TolA and Pal are required for the correct surface expression of O antigens that are assembled in a wzy (polymerase)-dependent manner (like those of E. coli O7 and O16) but not for O antigens assembled by wzy-independent pathways (like K. pneumoniae O1 and S. enterica O:54). Furthermore, we show that the reduced surface expression of O16 LPS in delta tolA and delta pal mutants was associated with a partial defect in O-antigen polymerization and it was corrected by complementation with intact tolA and pal genes, respectively. Using derivatives of W3110 delta tolA and W3110 delta pal containing lacZ reporter fusions to fkpA and degP, we also demonstrate that the RpoE-mediated extracytoplasmic stress response is upregulated in these mutants. Moreover, an altered O16 polymerization was also detected under conditions that stimulate RpoE-mediated extracytoplasmic stress responses in tol+ and pal+ genetic backgrounds. A Wzy derivative with an epitope tag at the C-terminal end of the protein was stable in all the mutants, ruling out stress-mediated proteolysis of Wzy. We conclude that the absence of TolA and Pal elicits a sustained extracytoplasmic stress response that in turn reduces O-antigen polymerization but does not affect the stability of the Wzy O-antigen polymerase.

Wzx proteins involved in biosynthesis of O antigen function in association with the first sugar of the O-specific lipopolysaccharide subunit

One of the most common pathways for the export of O-specific lipopolysaccharide (LPS) across the plasma membrane requires the participation of the Wzx protein. Wzx belongs to a family of integral membrane proteins that share little conservation in their primary amino acid sequence, making it difficult to delineate functional domains. This paper reports the cloning and expression in Escherichia coli K-12 of various Wzx homologues from different bacteria as FLAG epitope-tagged protein fusions. A reconstitution system for O16 LPS synthesis was used to assess the ability of each Wzx protein to complement an E. coli K-12 Deltawzx mutant. The results demonstrate that Wzx proteins from O-antigen systems that use N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine for the initiation of the biosynthesis of the O repeat can fully complement the formation of O16 LPS. Partial complementation was seen with Wzx from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a system that uses N-acetylfucosamine in the initiation reaction. In contrast, there was negligible complementation with the Wzx protein from Salmonella enterica, a system in which galactose is the initiating sugar. These results support a model whereby the first sugar of the O repeat can be recognized by the O-antigen translocation machinery.

Genetic analysis of the O-specific lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis region (rfb) of Escherichia coli K-12 W3110:identification of genes that confer group 6 specificity to Shigella flexneri serotypes Y and 4a

We recently reported a novel genetic locus located in the sbcB-his region of the chromosomal map of Escherichia coli K-12 which directs the expression of group 6-positive phenotype in Shigella flexneri lipopolysaccharide, presumably due to the transfer of O-acetyl groups onto rhamnose residues of the S. flexneri O-specific polysaccharide (Z. Yao, H. Liu, and M. A. Valvano, J. Bacteriol. 174:7500-7508, 1992). In this study, we identified the genetic region encoding group 6 specificity as part of the rfb gene cluster of E. coli K-12 strain W3110 and established the DNA sequence of most of this cluster. The rfbBDACX block of genes, located in the upstream region of the rfb cluster, was found to be strongly conserved in comparison with the corresponding region in Shigella dysenteriae type 1 and Salmonella enterica. Six other genes, four of which were shown to be essential for the expression of group 6 reactivity in S. flexneri serotypes Y and 4a, were identified downstream of rfbX. One of the remaining two genes showed similarities with rfc (O-antigen polymerase) of S. enterica serovar typhimurium, whereas the other, located in the downstream end of the cluster next to gnd (gluconate-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), had an IS5 insertion. Recently, it has been reported that the IS5 insertion mutation (rfb-50) can be complemented, resulting in the formation of O16-specific polysaccharide by E. coli K-12 (D. Liu and P. R. Reeves, Microbiology 140:49-57, 1994). We present immunochemical evidence suggesting that S. flexneri rfb genes also complement the rfb-50 mutation; in the presence of rfb genes of E. coli K-12, S. flexneri isolates express O16-specific polysaccharide which is also acetylated in its rhamnose residues, thereby eliciting group 6 specificity.

Occurrence of chromosome- or plasmid-mediated aerobactin iron transport systems and hemolysin production among clonal groups of human invasive strains of Escherichia coli K1

The incidence of the aerobactin system and the genetic location of aerobactin genes were investigated in Escherichia coli K1 neonatal isolates belonging to different clonal groups. A functional aerobactin system was found in all members of the O7 MP3, O1 MP5, O1 MP9, and O18 MP9 clonal groups examined and also in K1 strains having O6, O16, and O75 lipopolysaccharide types, which are less frequently associated with neonatal infections. In contrast, the aerobactin system was not detected in strains from the O18 MP6 clone. The combined results of plasmid and colony hybridization experiments showed that the aerobactin genes were located on the chromosome in the majority (75%) of the aerobactin-producing K1 isolates, the genetic location of the aerobactin genes was closely correlated with the outer membrane protein profile rather than the O lipopolysaccharide type, the K1 strains harboring a chromosome-mediated aerobactin system did not possess colicin V genes, and five of six K1 isolates possessing a plasmid-borne aerobactin system contained colicin V genes which were located on the same plasmids carrying the aerobactin genes. The comparison of hemolysin production with possession of the aerobactin system in virulent clones of E. coli K1 strains showed that all of the aerobactin-producing strains from the O18 MP9 and O7 MP3 clonal groups did not synthesize hemolysin, whereas 11 of 12 aerobactin-nonproducing O18 MP6 isolates were hemolytic. Of the K1 strains examined, 92.5% possessed either the aerobactin system or the ability to produce hemolysin or both.

The Economic Effects of Improving Investor Rights in Portugal

The Portuguese economy has performed remarkably well since joining the EU in 1986. Output per worker grew at an annual rate of 2.25%. The relative price of investment has declined. Real investment has increased compared to output, in part fuelled by an increase in capital inflows. At the same time, resource allocation seems to have improved as well: firm-level data shows a significant decline in the dispersion of labor productivity and size across firms. This paper argues that improvements in outside investor rights that have taken place since Portugal joined the EU is a prime candidate to explain this set of facts.

Legal Institutions, Sectoral Heterogeneity, and Economic Development

Poor countries have lower PPP–adjusted investment rates and face higher relative prices of investment goods. It has been suggested that this happens either because these countries have a relatively lower TFP in industries producing capital goods, or because they are subject to greater investment distortions. This paper provides a micro–foundation for the cross–country dispersion in investment distortions. We first document that firms producing capital goods face a higher level of idiosyncratic risk than their counterparts producing consumption goods. In a model of capital accumulation where the protection of investors’ rights is incomplete, this difference in risk induces a wedge between the returns on investment in the two sectors. The wedge is bigger, the poorer the investor protection. In turn, this implies that countries endowed with weaker institutions face higher relative prices of investment goods, invest a lower fraction of their income, and end up being poorer. We find that our mechanism may be quantitatively important.

Chemical composition of sediments from DSDP Hole 149

The diagenesis and geochemical evolution of deep-sea sediments are controlled by the interaction between sediments and their associated pore waters. With increasing depth, the pore water of Hole 149 (DSDP) exhibits a strong depletion in Mg and a corresponding enrichment in Ca, while the alkalinity remains relatively constant. Dissolved SiO2 is nearly constant in the upper 100 m of sediment, but is highly enriched in the deepest pore waters. The pore waters exhibit a depletion in K with increasing depth, and O18/O16 pore water ratios also decrease. The sediment section has three zones of sedimentary regimes with increasing depth in the drill hole: an upper 100 m section of detrital clays, a middle section enriched in calc-akalic volcanics which have undergone submarine weathering to a smectite phase, and a lower section of siliceous ooze which still has a diagenetic smectite phase. The quartz-feldspar ratios and O18/O16 composition of the silicate phases are in agreement with these interpretations. The submarine weathering of volcanics to a smectite can account for the observed pore water gradients. Volcanics release Ca and Mg to the pore waters causing the alkalinity values to increase. Smectite is formed, depletes the pore waters in Mg and O18 and causes the alkalinity to decrease. The net reaction allows for the observed relationship between pore water Ca and Mg gradients with little net change in alkalinity. Given the abundance of volcanics in many deep-sea sediments, especially in lower sections which often form near ridge crests, the submarine formation of smectite may be an additional oceanic Mg sink which has not yet been fully considered.