Effects of concentration and freeze-thaw on the first hydration shell structure of Zn2+ ions

To investigate the effects of salt concentration and freeze-thaw （FT） on the first hydration shell of Zn2+ ions in Zn（NO₃）₂ aqueous solutions, extended X-ray absorption fine structure （EXAFS） spectroscopy was used to examine Zn K-edge EXAFS spectra of Zn（NO₃）₂ aqueous solutions with various concentrations before and after FT treatment. The influences of salt concentration and freeze-thaw on the structural parameters of the first hydration shell of Zn2+ ions, including hydration number, Zn-O distance and thermal disorder, were analyzed. The results show that Zn2+ ions have 3.2―6.8 nearest oxygen neighbors with the Zn-O distance being 0.202―0.207 nm. In highly concen-trated solutions, Zn2+ ions are hydrated with four water molecules in a tetrahedral form. The dilution of Zn（NO₃）₂ aqueous solutions increases the number of water molecules in the first hydration shell of Zn2+ ions to six with their octahedral arrangement. Both the hydration number in the first hydration shell of Zn2+ ions and the degree of thermal disorder increase when the FT treatment is operated in Zn（NO₃）₂ aqueous solutions.     

Effects of La^3＋on microwave dielectric properties of（Pb0.5Ca0.5）（Fe0.5Ta0.5）O3ceramics

This work investigated the microwave dielectric properties of A-site substitution by rare earth La3+in(Pb0.5Ca0.5)(Fe0.5Ta0.5)O3(PCFT) system.A single perovskite phase was obtained only when the doping content was 2%.Suitable La3+ doping improved microwave dielectric performances.Excessive La3+doping caused the formation of secondary phase,which resulted in the decreasing of permittivity εrand quality factor Qfvalues.Especially,when the doping content is 2%-5%,permittivity εrwas above 75 and Qfvalues were 6...     

Synergistic interaction of NaCl and Cd on growth and photosynthetic parameters in soybean genotypes differing in salinity tolerance

The effects of salinity(50 mmol/L NaCl) and Cd(1 μmol/L CdCl2) as sole and combined on growth and photosyn-thetic parameters were studied using two soybean genotypes,Huachun 18 and NGB.The concentrations of Cd2 ,Zn2 ,Ca2 ,Mg2 ,K and Na were also determined in seeds and pods.Huachun 18 suffered a more serious decrease than NGB in net photosynthetic rate(Pn) in the treatments of salinity stress alone and combined stress(NaCl Cd),showing that it is relatively sensitive to salinity.The decrease in Pn caused by salt stress in Huachun 18 was mainly due to the reduced total chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency(the ratio of variable fluorescence to maximal fluorescence,Fv/Fm),whereas the decease in NGB was mainly related to reduced stomatal conductance(Gs).The combined stress of both Na and Cd did not induce further decrease in photosynthesis and fluorescence in the two genotypes relative to salt or Cd stress alone.Greater change in the pod concentrations of Zn2 ,Ca2 ,Mg2 ,K and Na was detected under salt stress for Huachun 18 than for NGB.The results suggested that the interactive effect of NaCl-Cd on growth and nutrient uptake differs between the two soybean genotypes.     

Diversity change of microbial communities responding to zinc and arsenic pollution in a river of northeastern China

Pollution discharge disturbs the natural functions of water systems. The environmental microbial community composition and diversity are sensitive key indicators to the impact of water pollutant on the microbial ecology system over time. It is meaningful to develop a way to identify the microbial diversity related to heavy metal effects in evaluating river pollution. Water and sediment samples were collected from eight sections along the Tiaozi River where wastewater and sewage were discharged from Siping City in northeastern China. The main pollutants contents and microbial communities were analyzed. As the primary metal pollutants, zinc (Zn) and arsenic (As) were recorded at the maximum concentrations of 420 and 5.72 μg/L in the water, and 1704 and 1.92 mg/kg in the sediment, respectively. These pollutants posed a threat to the microbial community diversity as only a few species of bacteria and eukaryotes with strong resistance were detected through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Acinetobacter johnsonii, Clostridium cellulovorans, and Trichococcus pasteurii were the dominant bacteria in the severely polluted areas. The massive reproduction of Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri almost depleted the dissolved oxygen (DO) and resulted in the decline of the aerobic bacteria. It was noted that the pollution reduced the microbial diversity but the L. hoffmeisteri mass increased as the dominant community, which led to the overconsuming of DO and anaerobic stinking water bodies. Water quality, concentrations of heavy metals, and the spatial distribution of microbial populations have obvious consistencies, which mean that the heavy metals in the river pose a serious stress on the microorganisms.     

一类关于半正定规划的多项式原对偶内点算法

1 Introduction Interior-point methods (IPMs) for semidefinite opti-mization (SDO) have been studied intensively,due totheir polynomial complexity and practical efficiency.In the past decade , SDO has become a popular re-search area in mathematical programming when it be-came clear that the algorithm for linear opti mization(LO) can often be extended to the more general SDOcase. Other two factors are also responsible for thisincreasing interest in SDO. Firstly, SDO has a wideapplication…     

An Arabidopsis mutant atcsr-2 exhibits high cadmium stress sensitivity involved in the restriction of H2S emission

The gene AtCSR encodes peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerases (PPIases) that accelerate energetically unfavorable cis/trans isomerization of the peptide bond preceding proline production.In our studies,we found that AtCSR was associated with cadmium (Cd)-sensitive response in Arabidopsis.Our results show that AtCSR expression was triggered by Cd-stress in wild type Arabidopsis.The expression of some genes responsible for Cd2+ transportation into vacuoles was induced,and the expression of the iron-regulated transporter 1 (IRT1) related to Cd2+ absorption from the environment was not induced in wild type with Cd2+ treatment.The expression of Cd-transportation related genes was not in response to Cd-stress,whereas IRT expression increased dramatically in atcsr-2 with Cd2+ treatment.The expression of glutathione 1 (GSH1) was consistent with GSH being much lower in atcsr-2 in comparison with the wild type with Cd2+ treatment.Additionally,malondialdehyde (MDA),hydrogen peroxide,and Cd2+ contents,and activities of some antioxidative enzymes,differed between the wild type and atcsr-2.Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has been confirmed as the third gas-transmitter over recent years.The findings revealed that the expression pattern of H2 S-releasing related genes and that of Cd-induced chelation and transportation genes matched well in the wild type and atcsr-2,and H2S could regulate the expression of the Cd-induced genes and alleviate Cd-triggered toxicity.Finally,one possible suggestion was given:down-regulation of atcsr-2,depending on H2S gas-transmitter not only weakened Cd2+ chelation,but also reduced Cd2+ transportation into vacuoles,as well as enhancing the Cd2+ assimilation,thus rendering atcsr-2 mutant sensitive to Cd-stress.     

High-level soluble expression of the hemA gene from Rhodobacter capsulatus and comparative study of its enzymatic properties

The Rhodobacter capsulatus hemA gene, which encodes 5-aminolevulinic acid synthase (ALAS), was expressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) and the enzymatic properties of the purified recombinant ALAS (RC-ALAS) were studied. Compared with ALASs encoded by hemA genes from Agrobacterium radiobacter (AR-ALAS) and Rhodobacter sphaeroides (RS-ALAS), the specific activity of RC-ALAS reached 198.2 U/mg, which was about 31.2% and 69.5% higher than those of AR-ALAS (151.1 U/mg) and RS-ALAS (116.9 U/mg), respectively. The optimum pH values and temperatures of the three above mentioned enzymes were all pH 7.5 and 37 °C, respectively. Moreover, RC-ALAS was more sensitive to pH, while the other two were sensitive to temperature. The effects of metals, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the three ALASs were also investigated. The results indicate that they had the same effects on the activities of the three ALASs. SDS and metal ions such as Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cu²⁺ strongly inhibited the activities of the ALASs, while Mn²⁺ exerted slight inhibition, and K⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Mg²⁺, or EDTA had no significant effect. The specificity constant of succinyl coenzyme A [(k _cat/K _m)_S-CoA] of RC-ALAS was 1.4989, which was higher than those of AR-ALAS (0.7456) and RS-ALAS (1.1699), showing its high catalytic efficiency. The fed-batch fermentation was conducted using the recombinant strain containing the R. capsulatus hemA gene, and the yield of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) achieved was 8.8 g/L (67 mmol/L) under the appropriate conditions.     

Quantitative estimation of dust fall and smoke particles in Quetta Valley

INTRODUCTION Over the recent decades extensive research on atmospheric particles in urban environments was carried out. Most of the following papers refer to their authors’ contribution to air pollution and the effects on human health (Dzubay and Mamane, 1989; van Borm et al., 1989; 1990; Rojas et al., 1990; Paoletti et al., 1991; 1999; Al-Rajhi et al., 1996; McMurry et al., 1996; Querol et al., 1996; BéruBé et al., 1997; Esteve et al., 1997; Harrison et al., 1997; Zou and Hooper…     

Dependence of electrical and optical properties of IGZO films on oxygen flow

Amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) films were deposited on the corning eagle XG (EXG) glass substrates using magnetron sputtering method. The structure, surface morphology, electrical and optical properties of these films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), semiconductor parameter analyzer and spectrophotometry, respectively. The influence of oxygen flow on the electrical properties of IGZO thin films was studied, showing that increasing oxygen flow changes the resistivity with six orders of magnitude. The contact resistance of ITO/IGZO is 7.35×10⁻² Ω·cm², which suggests that a good ohmic contact exists between In₂O₃: Sn (ITO) and IGZO film.     

EHPred： an SVM-based method for epoxide hydrolases recognition and classification

A two-layer method based on support vector machines （SVMs） has been developed to distinguish epoxide hydrolases （EHs） from other enzymes and to classify its subfamilies using its primary protein sequences. SVM classifiers were built using three different feature vectors extracted from the primary sequence of EHs： the amino acid composition （AAC）, the dipeptide composition （DPC）, and the pseudo-amino acid composition （PAAC）. Validated by 5-fold cross tests, the first layer SVM classifter can differentiate EHs and non-EHs with an accuracy of 94.2% and has a Matthew＇s correlation coefficient （MCC） of 0.84. Using 2-fold cross validation, PAAC-based second layer SVM can further classify EH subfamilies with an overall accuracy of 90.7% and MCC of 0.87 as compared to AAC （80.0%） and DPC （84.9%）. A program called EHPred has also been developed to assist readers to recognize EHs and to classify their subfamilies using primary protein sequences with greater accuracy.     

Sensitized Up—Conversion Luminescence of Ho^3＋ in Nd^3＋—Yb^3＋—Ho^3＋ Co—doped ZrF4—Based Glass

Up-conversion processes for the blue, green and red emissions were found two-photon phenomenon, known as the cooperative phenomenon. This phenomenon was assisted by Nd³⁺ → Yb³⁺ → Ho³⁺ energy transfer. The strong green emission due to the Ho³⁺ : (⁵F₄, ⁵S₂)→ ⁵I₈ transitions was observed in Nd³⁺-Ho³⁺ co-doped ZrF₄-based fluoride glasses under 800 nm excitation. As an attempt to enhance Ho³⁺ up-conversion luminescences in the Nd³⁺ – Ho³⁺ co-doped ZrF₄-based glasses, Yb³⁺ ions were added to the glasses. As a result it was found that, in 800 nm excitation of 60 ZrF₄. 30BaF2. (8-x)LaF₃. lNdF₃. xYbF₃. 1HoF₃ glasses (x=0 to 7), sensitized up-conversion luminescences are observed at around 490 nm (blue), 545 nm (green), and 650 nm (red), which correspond to the Ho³⁺ : ⁵F₃ → ⁵I₈, ( ⁵F₄, ⁵S₂)→⁵I₈ and ⁵F₅→ ⁵I₈ transitions respectively. The intensities of the green and red emissions in a 3 mol % YbF₃-containing glass were about 50 times stronger than those glasses without YbF₃. This is based on sensitization due to Yb³⁺ ions. In particular, the green emission was extremely strong and the Nd³⁺-Yb³⁺-Ho³⁺ co-doped ZrF₄-based glasses have a high possibility of realizing a green up-conversion laser glass. In this paper the up-conversion mechanism in the glasses is discussed in detail.     

Permeation of dimethyl sulfoxide into articular cartilage at subzero temperatures

Osteochondral allografting has been proved to be a useful method to treat diseased or damaged areas of joint surfaces. Operational long-term stocks of grafts which supply a buffer between procurement and utilization would contribute to the commercialization or industrialization of this technology. Vitrification has been thought to be a promising method for successful preservation of articular cartilage (AC), but high concentration cryoprotectants (CPAs) are used which may cause high cellular toxicity. An effective way to reduce CPA toxicity is to increase CPA concentration gradually while the temperature is lowered. Understanding the mechanism of CPA permeation at subzero temperatures is important for designing the cryopreservation protocol. In this research, the permeation of dimethyl sulfoxide (Me₂SO) in ovine AC at subzero temperatures was studied experimentally. Pretreated AC discs were exposed in Me₂SO solutions for different time (0, 5, 15, 30, 50, 80, and 120 min) at three temperature levels (−10, −20, and −30 °C). The Me₂SO concentration within the tissue was determined by ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometry. The diffusion coefficients were estimated to be 0.85×10⁻⁶, 0.48×10⁻⁶, and 0.27×10⁻⁶ cm²/s at −10, −20, and −30 °C, respectively, and the corresponding activation energy was 29.23 kJ/mol. Numerical simulation was performed to compare two Me₂SO addition protocols, and the results demonstrated that the total loading duration could be effectively reduced with the knowledge of permeation kinetics.     

SVM颗粒运动形态及其能量耗散的预测分析

基于离散单元法建立了圆柱形颗粒阻尼器的仿真模型,研究了阻尼器内颗粒在不同激振条件下的运动形态及其能量耗散大小。为了获取两者之间的定量关系,应用基于网格搜索法(GS)的支持向量机(SVM)建立了颗粒运动形态的分类预测模型及其能量损耗的回归预测模型,对颗粒运动形态的分布及其能量损耗的大小进行了预测,并通过仿真进行了验证。结果表明:基于GS方法优化的SVM能够建立一个预测准确度很高、推广泛化能力很强的分类和回归预测模型,该预测模型不仅能够很好地揭示颗粒系统在不同运动形态下的能量耗散的变化规律,而且还能在较大的激振条件范围内确定系统能量耗散最大值及对应的运动形态。     

Use of flow cytometry to investigate the cytokine response pattern in infants with respiratory syncytial virus infection and bronchiolitis

Objective: To investigate the cytokine response pattern (IL-4/IFN-γ) in infants with RSV infections and bronchiolitis during the acute phase. Methods: Four-color flow cytometry was used to measure intracellular IL-4 and IFN-γ expressions in peripheral blood CD3+ and CD8+ lymphocytes from RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants. Serum IL-4 and IFN-γ levels were also determined. Results: RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants showed no statistical differences from not-RSV-infected or pneumonia infants and control in the frequency of IL-4 and IFN-γ expressions in CD3+CD8- lymphocytes, showed no obvious Th1/Th2 imbalance, while IFN-γ was expressed much more frequently in CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes. Systematically, RSV-infected and bronchiolitis infants showed much lower levels of serum IL-4 and IL-4/IFN-γ ratios and much higher serum IFN-γ levels than control. However, there were no statistical differences in the above three indices between RSV-infected and not-RSV infected infants or between bronchiolitis and pneumonia infants, except that bronchiolitis infants had a higher level of serum IFN-γ than pneumonia infants statistically. Conclusions: There is no type-2 cytokine response predominance in the acute phase of RSV infection and bronchiolitis. IL-4 production is suppressed and IFN-γ production upregulated, the latter being most prominent in bronchiolitis infants.     

Extremely high frequency of autoimmune-predisposing alleles in medieval specimens

The precise etiology and reasons for the increase in incidence of autoimmune disorders still remain unclear, and although both genetic and environmental factors have been proven to shape individual predisposition, it is not known which of the factors, if not both, is responsible for the boom observed during the last decades. In order to establish whether a higher frequency of autoimmune-predisposing alleles may explain this increase we took advantage of ancient DNA methodology to establish the genetic predisposition, conferred by cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 （CTLA4） ＋49A/G and human leukocyte antigens （HLA） DQBI^57, in population inhabiting Poland in the Middle Ages. After successful typing of 42 individuals from a 12th-14th＇s century archeological burial site, we found that frequencies of the predisposing alleles in the medieval population were higher than they are at present, suggesting thus that the recently observed incidence increase results most probably from factors of other than genetic nature.     

ISM-CMAP-Combine (ICMC) for hierarchical knowledge scenario in quality engineering education

Quality assurance in engineering education is a multifaceted problem further augmented by the stakeholders of engineering education. Students, parents and employers are rightfully questioning the quality of the curriculum, the instructional delivery, the learning environment, accessibility to learning technologies and equipment, employability as well as the possibilities of lifelong learning and the improvement of knowledge (Karapetrovic 2002 Karapetrovic, S. 2002. Why and how to develop a meaningful quality assurance system in engineering schools. Int. J. Engg. Educ, 18(3): 285–294. [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]). The purpose of the study is, therefore, to identify the parameters that influence the quality of an engineering education system and develop an integrated model of hierarchical structuring and a concept map for pre-identified concept elements through a process of iterative-interactive consensus-driven methodology, as advocated by second-generation system design paradigm for evolving knowledge scenario of concepts related to quality engineering education.     

单壁碳纳米管在阴离子表面活性剂溶液中的分散悬浮和团聚沉降性能研究

纳米颗粒在水中的悬浮和团聚性能是决定它们在环境中迁移行为及潜在健康和环境风险影响范围的关键。表面活性剂不仅在环境中普遍存在,而且是工业制备纳米颗粒稳定悬浮液的主要分散剂。本文以单壁纳米碳管为代表,研究震荡扰动及稀释等模拟环境条件下其在阴离子表面活性剂溶液中的分散悬浮和团聚沉降性能,为评价纳米颗粒排放进入环境后的潜在风险提供依据。创新要点：现有研究认为,纳米颗粒由于能在水中稳定悬浮,其排放到环境中会产生长距离迁移并存在造成大范围污染的可能性和生态健康风险。在本文中,震荡扰动及稀释等模拟环境条件的研究表明,单壁碳纳米管在环境中长距离迁移并造成大范围污染的可能性和风险较小。研究方法：通过比较震荡扰动（模拟环境条件）和超声辅助两种分散悬浮方式及有无添加十二烷基苯磺酸钠（SDBS）阴离子表面活性剂条件下的单壁碳纳米管在水中的悬浮性能（图1）,研究单壁碳纳米管能否在环境中被分散悬浮。通过研究 Na＋,K＋,Ca2＋和 Mg2＋等环境主要阳离子存在时 SDBS 稳定悬浮的单壁碳纳米管悬浮性能及与 SDBS 浓度等的相关性（图6和8）,探明稳定悬浮的单壁碳纳米管能否在环境稀释过程中和环境阳离子存在下保持稳定悬浮。重要结论：在超声辅助下,单壁碳纳米管可以在 SDBS阴离子表面活性剂溶液中稳定分散悬浮,但不能在水中稳定分散悬浮。在无超声辅助、仅通过机械震荡的情况下,单壁碳纳米管无法在水中和 SDBS溶液中稳定分散悬浮。对于已经在 SDBS溶液中稳定悬浮的单壁碳纳米管,它们在 Na＋,K＋,Ca2＋和 Mg2＋等环境主要阳离子存在时也会脱稳形成团聚沉降,且该团聚沉降行为取决于悬浮溶液中 SDBS的浓度。当 SDBS稳定悬浮的单壁碳纳米管在环境中被稀释?     

Physical and chemical characteristics of PM<Subscript>2.5</Subscript> and its toxicity to human bronchial cells BEAS-2B in the winter and summer

With the increasing occurrence of haze during the summer, the physicochemical characteristics and toxicity differences in PM_2.5 in different seasons are of great concern. Hangzhou is located in an area that has a subtropical monsoon climate where the humidity is very high during both the summer and winter. However, there are limited studies on the seasonal differences in PM_2.5 in these weather conditions. In this test, PM_2.5 samples were collected in the winter and summer, the morphology and chemical composition of PM_2.5 were analyzed, the toxicity of PM_2.5 to human bronchial cells BEAS-2B was compared, and the correlation between PM_2.5 toxicity and the chemical composition was discussed. The results showed that during both the winter and summer, the main compounds in the PM_2.5 samples were water-soluble ions, particularly SO₄^2?, NO₃^?, and NH₄⁺, followed by organic components, while heavy metals were present at lower levels. The higher the mass concentration of PM_2.5, the greater its impact on cell viability and ROS levels. However, when the mass concentration of PM_2.5 was similar, the water extraction from the summer samples showed a greater impact on BEAS-2B than that from the winter samples. The cytotoxicity of PM_2.5 was closely associated with heavy metals and organic pollutants but less related to water-soluble ions.     

Applications of water sensitivity in situ remediation at saltwater-freshwater interface

Based on the laboratory experiments with the saltwater and freshwater replacing each other in the level sand column, taking the kaolin, illite, smectite, bivalent hydrargyrum ion (Hg²⁺) and phenol (C₆H₅OH) as examples, this paper studies the applications of water sensitivity in situ remediation in saltwater-freshwater transition zone. In the water sensitivity process, the release and migration of clay minerals can make the hydraulic conductivity (HC) decrease and pollutants remove. A new type of low penetrable or impenetrable purdah can be built by adding clay minerals into the sand media to replace the underground concrete impenetrable wall to prevent seawater intrusion, and a number of the heavy metals and organic pollutants in the sand media can be removed by in situ remediation. The results show that the content of kaolin and illite influences the water sensitivity process slightly, and HC of the sand columns descends from 0.011 cm/s to 0.001 4 cm/s and 0.001 2 cm/s respectively even if the content reaches 12% (weight ratio, sic passim). However, for smectite, HC descends sharply to about 1×10⁻⁸ cm/s when its content reaches 4%, and no water can flow through the sand columns beyond 5%. The particle release and migration processes can remove the Hg²⁺ and C₆H₅OH out of the sand columns efficiently, the removing rate of Hg²⁺ is 31.68% when the freshwater and saltwater are filtered through the sand columns polluted by Hg²⁺, while it is 67.55% when the water sensitivity occurs. With the same method, the removing rates of C₆H₅OH under the fluid flow and water sensitivity are 55.71% and 43.43% respectively. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40572142). HAN Zhiyong, born in 1976, male, Dr, associate Prof.