Microstructure evolution in grey cast iron during directional solidification

The solidification characteristics and microstructure evolution in grey cast iron were investigated through Jmat-Pro simulations and quenching performed during directional solidification. The phase transition sequence of grey cast iron was determined as L → L + γ → L +γ + G → γ + G → P (α + Fe₃C) + α + G. The graphite can be formed in three ways:directly nucleated from liquid through the eutectic reaction (L → γ + G), independently precipitated from the oversaturated γ phase (γ → γ + G), and produced via the eutectoid transformation (γ → G + α). The area fraction and length of graphite as well as the primary dendrite spacing decrease with increasing cooling rate. Type-A graphite is formed at a low cooling rate, whereas a high cooling rate results in the precipitation of type-D graphite. After analyzing the graphite precipitation in the as-cast and transition regions separately solidified with and without inoculation, we concluded that, induced by the inoculant addition, the location of graphite precipitation changes from mainly the γ interdendritic region to the entire γ matrix. It suggests that inoculation mainly acts on graphite precipitation in the γ matrix, not in the liquid or at the solid-liquid front.     

Cloning, sequencing and polymorphism analyzing of the exon 4 of the kappa-casein gene in yak

According to the nucleotide sequence of cattle kappa- casein gene, a pair of primers was synthesized to amplify the sequences of the exon 4 and partial intron 4 of this gene in yak. The restriction fragment length polymor¬phisms were identified by the digestions of the PCR product with Hind 111 or Pst I in both populations of cattle and yak, 'but the frequency of the allele and the genotype were significantly different between the two animal populations.     

Different Curing Systems on Mechanical Properties of Ultra-High Performance Concrete with Coarse Aggregate

High durability and high tensile strength makes ultra-high performance concrete( UHPC) an ideal material for bridges,while its early shrinkage in the construction of cast-in-situ mass concrete leads structure crack-easily,which restricts the application of UHPC in deck system. Whether reasonable amount of coarse aggregate can influence the strength of UHPC and improve the shrinkage performance or reduce the cost is still in doubt. Besides,in order to improve its constructability and workability, whether autoclaved curing system of UHPC can be changed remains to be further researched. In response to these circumstances, a systematic experimental study on the strength of UHPC mixed with coarse aggregate in different ratios has been presented in this paper. The three curing systems,namely standard curing,180-200 ℃/1. 1 MPa autoclaved curing,and hot water curing were tested to reveal the relationship between UHPC's properties and curing systems,and the UHPC ' s microstructure was also preliminarily studied by scanning electron microscope( SEM). The experimental research can draw the following conclusions. Under the condition of the same mix ratio, autoclaved curing guarantees the highest compressive strength,followed by hot water curing and standard curing. The compressive strength of concrete increases with the temperature in the range of 25 to 90 ℃ hot water curing,and high temperature in precuring period can speed up the strength development of UHPC,but the sequence of precuring period does not obviously affect the results. In 90 ℃ hot water and autoclaved curing,the strength is over 150 MPa,and it has little relation with gravel ratio. While the value increases first and then decreases in a lower temperature curing with the increasing of gravel amount,even only about 80 MPa at room temperature. The strength increases moderately along with the increase of the curing age by standard curing,especially in the initial stage.     

Selective impairment in recognizing the familiarity of self faces in schizophrenia

The concept of self is a fundamental characteristic of the human mind,and the alteration of self is thought to be a core deficit of schizophrenia.Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia are deficient in self-face recognition.Because self faces are not only self-related but also highly familiar,it is unclear whether such deficit arises from the breakdown of the self-awareness or the failure of recognizing the familiarity of self faces.Here we directly tested these two alternatives by instructing patients with schizophrenia to recognize the identity of a morphed face created by blending face features between any of two identities from the self face,a familiar face,and a novel face.We found that there was no association between the recognition of the self and the recognition of the familiarity,suggesting these two component processes are independent in schizophrenia.Further,patients with schizophrenia were significantly worse in recognizing the familiarity of faces than normal participants,whereas no difference in the sense of self was found between the two groups.Taken together,our finding suggests that it is the sense of familiarity,not the sense of self,that is selectively impaired in self-face recognition in schizophrenia.Thus,our study challenges the hypothesis that the deficit in self-face recognition in schizophrenia reflects the breakdown of self-awareness.     

Electric-stimulus rate encoding algorithm of Mandarin tonal information in cochlear implant

The modern multi-channel cochlear implants usually extract and encode the temporal envelope cues. This kind of algorithms can hardly satisfy the users who speak tonal languages, such as Mandarin. Many studies have tried to enhance the recognition ability of Mandarin through encoding tonal information and made suggestions to frequency-modulate the fixed pulse-rate carrier with the extracted tonal information based on the rate-pitch theory in electric hearing. However, how to encode and deliver the tonal information such as F0 by changing electric-stimulus rate has not got further study in clinical electric-stimulus mode. The present paper focuses on this matter by piecewise calculating the appreciable electric-stimulus rates. Then an electric-stimulus encoding algorithm of Mandarin tone is brought forward and testified through acoustic simulations. Such conclusion can be drawn that this algorithm of electric-stimulus rate could convey tonal information well and help to enhance the Mandarin speech recognition ability.     

ON CRAFT OF SILK “KNITTING” CORDS OF WARRING STATES PERIOD IN JIANGLING

Seven pieces of silk braids excavated from Chu Tomb No.1 at M ashan in Jiangling are thoughtto belong to the knitting fabric.Their structures are double-stitched type,with a lining silk on theback side to fix the knitted threads;besides the traverse linking structure,there are alsomulti-structures by single jersey combined with traverse linking,the excavators declared.The au-thor of this paper believes that those cords can be classified as some intermediary between theknitwear and the needlework.They have the structure similar to certain kinds of knitting,crochetand embroidery,and can be duplicated through two different methods.The differences and similar-ities between these cords and the traditional hand-knitting or embroidery,as well as their originsare discussed.Photographs of the relic and the duplication are presented.     

Symmetrical directional cloning: An efficient method to prepare hairpin RNA interference constructs

RNA interference (RNAi) is a loss-of-function approach by which double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) initiates degradation of homologous mRNAs in a sequence specific manner. The dsRNA molecules can be produced in vitro or in vivo, and can be introduced to cells in a number of ways. Here we report a more efficient method for the cloning of inverted repeat DNA fragments into expression vectors that can be transcribed into effective dsRNA molecules in vivo or in vitro. This method, named Symmetrical Directional Cloning (SDC), takes the advantage of compatible non-palindromic restriction enezyme sites, which allow one to directionally clone a single PCR product in both the sense and antisense orientations together into a vector. SDC allows for the directional cloning of inverted repeats using a single PCR product; it requires only one cut site on each side of the loop. Hence this method is more cost effective and less time-consuming. At least 21 commercially available restriction endonucleases can be used as cloning sites for the SDC method. The efficacy of dsRNA expression vectors prepared by SDC has been demonstrated by targeting a negative regulator of the signaling pathway mediating the response of cells to phytohormone, gibberellins (GA), in the aleurone cells.     

The Quantitative Instability of Non-linearity System and the Particularity of Information

The present paper tries to discuss the quantity instability in the non-linearity dynamics equations without the limit of the stability in the dynamics equations. The result shows that the quantity instability of non-linearity can be deducted to the turning transformation in the curvature space. “The dynamics of varying acceleration” is not the issue of inertia system in science of the time. The particularity as information cannot limit the quantity instability with the quantity stability in inertia system. The particular information does have the significant meaning related to the turning transformation in evolution, in which each problem of non-linearity or matter evolution can go out of the inertia system by means of “kill three birds with one stone”.     

Fatigue Performance of Fabrics of Stent-Grafts Supported with Z-Stents vs. Ringed Stents

Stent-grafts were commercialized rapidly and gained a broad clinical acceptance over the past two decades. However,relatively more recent recognition of particular stent-graft design shortcomings have been identified which need to be addressed. It appears that various stent-graft designs may be more or less resistant to metal fatigue and /or fabric abrasions which can lead to type III and type IV endoleaks over the long term. Therefore,it is necessary to investigate the fatigue performance of the most common stentgraft designs: Z-stents and ringed stents,in a long-term in vitro fatigue simulation environment. This paper aimed to analyze nondestructively( gross observations) and destructively( fabric characteristics,mechanical and chemical properties) in order to put forward suggestions to improve the fabric and stent characteristics that may prevent type III and IV endoleaks. The fabric supported with ringed stent-grafts remained nearly completely intact after 168h. However, the fabric supported with Z-stents demonstrated significant damage. Fabric characteristics and tensile strength of the fibers did not present a significant difference between the control and fatigue simulated specimens. The crystallinity declined for both specimens. The fatigue performance of fabrics supported with ringed stents appears to be superior to that supported with Z-stents. The potential for a dynamic and destructive interaction between the apices of Z-stents which can lead to fraying and /or tearing of the graft fabric must be addressed in future designs.     

A Statistical Method for Analysis of Technical Data of a Badminton Match Based on 2-D Seriate Images

The use of computer vision technology to collect and analyze statistics during badminton matches or training sessions can be expected to provide valuable information to help coaches to determine which tactics should be used by a player in a given game or to improve the player＇s tactical training. A method based on 2-D seriate images by which statistical data of a badminton match can be obtained is presented. Image capture and analysis were performed synchronously using a multithreading technique. The regions of movement in the images were detected using a temporal difference method, and the trajectories of the movement regions were analyzed using sedate images. The shuttlecock trajectory was extracted from all detected trajectories using various characteristic parameters. The stroke type was determined by comparing the shuttlecock trajectory data with a set of stroke definition data. The algorithm was tested at a training center, and the results were compared with baseline data obtained by expert visual inspection using four video samples, which included approximately 10 000 frames. The shuttlecock trajectory and stroke type were detected correctly in almost 100% of the analyzed video sequences. The average speed of the automated analysis was approximately 40 frames/s, indicating that the method can be used for real-time analysis during a badminton match. The system is convenient for use by a sports coach.     

Identification of protein superfamily from structurebased sequence motif

The structure-based sequence motif of the distant proteins in evolution, protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTP) Ⅰ and Ⅱ superfamilies, as an example, has been defined by the structural comparison, structure-based sequence alignment and analyses on substitution patterns of residues in common sequence conserved regions. And the phosphatases Ⅰ and Ⅱ can be correctly identified together by the structure-based PTP sequence motif from SWISS-PROT and TrEBML databases. The results show that the correct rates of identification are over 98%. This is the first time to identify PTP Ⅰ and Ⅱ together by this motif.     

A study on solid density primary standard

The accuracy of solid density primary standard is decided mainly by the accuracy of the diameter measurement of silicon sphere. With traditional five-interferogram algorithm to unwrap phase for diameter measurement, the phase steps should be equal to π/2 exactly, but this is almost impossible to achieve in nanometer positioning technique. In order to overcome this defect, we have derived an improved five-interferogram algorithm, which not only keeps the high accuracy of traditional five-interferogram algorithm, but also does not require absolute equal step to unwrap phase. Instead, the improved five-interferogram algorithm only needs measuring phase shifting. Based on the improved algorithm, we have developed a novel interferometer with special etalon, and the cavity length of this etalon can be changed by pressure from vertical direction to realize phase shifting. The accuracy of this interferometer is better than 3 nm and can be improved in future research.     

Interaction of hepatitis B virus with tumor suppressor gene p53: its significance and biological function

The mechanism of the interaction of hepatitis B virus (HBV) with tumor suppressor p53 and its role in the hepatocar-cinogenesis have been studied by PCR-directed sequencing, gel shift assays and in situ ultraviolet cross-linking assay. The biological function of the interaction of HBV with p53 gene was investigated by co-transfection of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase ( CAT) reporter gene. p53 and HBV DNA. and quantitative PCR. Among the 16 primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) samples. 13 were HBV-DNA positive. 10 HBxAg positive and 9 p53 protein positive. The p53 gene point mutation was found in 5 samples, one of which had a G to T substitution located at codon 249. After analyzing the HBV genome by a computer program, a p53 response element binding sequence was found in HBV genome at upstream of enhancer I. from 1047 to 1059 nucleotides. This sequence could specifically bind to p53 protein, increase p53 protein accumulation in the PHC cells and stimulate the transactivating activity of p53 and HBV replication . The results also revealed that HBxAg could combine with p53 protein to form a complex in the cells and enhance CAT expression. Immunocytochemical staining showed that p53 protein complex was located in the cytoplasm and the process of p53 entry to nuclei was. in part, blocked. From our results, we conclude that the mutation of p53 gene at codon 249 is infrequent in HBV-associated PHC. the DNA-protein binding between HBV and p53. and the protein-protein binding between HBxAg and p53 might lead to the reduction or inactivation of p53 protein, which in turn resulting in HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis.     

Study on the specific interaction between angiogenin and aptamer by atomic force microscopy （AFM）

The specific interaction between angiogenin and aptamer has been investigated by using AFM. The specificity of the interaction is revealed by comparing the binding probability of aptamer to other elements in a series of control experiments. The results have shown that there is specific interaction force between angiogenin and aptamer. Moreover, the single molecular pull-off force between angiogenin and aptamer has also been determined using the Poisson statistical method to be 133.7±11.7 pN. These findings obtained are helpful to the better revelation of recognition mechanism between angiogenin and aptamer, which provided basis for further understanding the inhibition of the aptamer to angiogenic activity.     

Improvement of the Mirror Extending in Empirical Mode Decomposition Method and the Technology for Eliminating Frequency Mixing

The mirror extending approach proposed by Zhao and Huang ^[9] in EMD method is improved in this paper.Mirror extending manner of data is kept unchanged,but the apprioach for determining envelopes is changed.When the end of data is obviously not extremum,the envelope is determined by the first inner extremum and the image value in the mirror,ignoring the value on the end.This improvement eliminates the frequency compression near the end and decreas the error.Meanwhile,tridiagonal equations are used and the calculation speed is much increased.The temporal process curve is more important in reflecting the real physical process and comparable with other phenomena,Frequency mixing in IMFs makes it impossible,A high frequency reconstruction (HFR) approach is proposed to eliminate common frequency mixing and reconstruct an IMF with all high frequency portions.By this approach,the IMFs without frequency mixing are obtained to express significative processes.The high frequency information restored in high frequency IMF can be extracted by general spectrum method,After obtainning IMFs by EMD method,some of the theoretical and technological issues still exist when using the IMFs.The consistency of IMFs with real physical process is discussed in detail.By virtue of the approach proposed in this paper,the EMD method can be widely used in various fields.     

Cloning, sequencing and expression analysis of cDNA encoding a constitutive heat shock protein 70 （HSC70） in Fenneropenaeus chinensis

The cDNA encoding hsc70 of Chinese shrimp Fenneropenaeus chinensis was cloned from hepatopancreas by RT-PCR based on its EST sequence. The full length cDNA of 2090 bp contained an open reading frame of 1956 nucleotides and partial 5‘- and 3‘-untranslated region(5‘- and 3‘-UTR). PCR amplification and sequencing analysis showed the existence of introns in the region of 1--547 bp, but they did not exist in the region of 548--2090 bp of hsc70 cDNA. When the deduced 652 amino acid sequence of HSC70 was compared with the members of HSP70 family from other organisms, the results showed 85.9% similarity with HSC71 from Oncorhynchus mykiss and HSC70 from Homo sapiens. It also exhibited 85.8% similarity with HSP70 from Mus musculu and 85.4% with HSC70 from Manduca sexta. Expression analysis showed that hsc70 mRNA was espressed constitutively in hepatopancreas, muscle, eyestalks, haemocytes, heart, ovary, intestine and gills in Fenneropenaeus chinensis. No difference could be detected on hsc70 mRNA level in muscle between heat-shocked and control animals.