Normalized transfer function for characterizing conversion efficiency and harmonic distortion of all-optical sampling

A novel method for characterizing the nonlinearity of all-optical sampling is proposed based on the normalized transfer function.Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.Furthermore,an all-optical sampling experiment is performed to verify our method.Both simulation and experiment show consistency between our method and the measurements.The method only requires normalization and polynomial fitting of the transfer curve,and enables direct expression of the nonlinearity with the coefficients of the normalized transfer function.     

Plasmonic biosensors and nanoprobes based on gold nanoshells

Gold nanoshells (GNSs), consisting of a dielectric core coated with gold, have gained extensive attention as they show readily tunable optical properties and good biocompatibility. As highly sensitive and label-free optical biosensors with wide applications, GNSs have been investigated in many fields including drug delivery, immunoassay, cancer treatment, biological sensing and imaging. Taking advantage of the adjustability of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and the sensitivity of the surfaceenhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal of GNSs, we have developed diverse applications including plasmonic biosensors and nanoprobes based on GNSs. In this review we introduce plasmonic and electromagnetic properties and fabrication methods of GNSs. We describe research progress in recent years, and highlight several applications of GNSs developed by our group. Finally we provide a brief assessment of future development of GNSs as plasmonic materials that can be integrated with complementary analytical techniques.     

Vegetation effects on mean daily maximum and minimum surface air temperatures over China

Changes in the daily maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) surface air temperatures and the associated temperature extremes have severe consequences on human society and the natural environment. In this study, we assess vegetation effects on mean Tmax and Tmin over China by computing a vegetation feedback parameter using the satellite-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and observed temperatures for the period 1982–2002. In all seasons, vegetation exerts a much stronger forcing on Tmax than on Tmin, and thus has a substantial effect on the diurnal temperature range (DTR) over China. Significant positive feedbacks on Tmax and the DTR occupy many areas of China with the feedback parameters exceeding 1°C (0.1 NDVI)–1, while significant negative effects only appear over the summertime climatic and ecological transition zone of northern China and some other isolated areas. Also, the vegetation feedbacks are found to vary with season. In areas where significant feedbacks occur, vegetation contributes to typically 10%–30% of the total variances in Tmax, Tmin, and the DTR. These findings suggest that vegetation memory offers the potential for improving monthly-to-seasonal forecasting of Tmax and Tmin, and the associated temperature extremes over China. Meanwhile, the limitations and uncertainties of the study should be recognized.     

An organic junction between the vein and membrane of the dragonfly wing

A dragonfly wing consists of membranes and both longitudinal and cross veins. We observed the microstructure cross-section at several locations in the dragonfly wing using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The organic nature of the junction between the vein and the membrane was clearly identifiable. The membrane was divided into two layers, the upper epidermis and the lower epidermis. These layers extend around the sandwich structure vein, and combine with the adjacent membrane at a symmetrical location along the vein. Thus, we defined this as an organic junction between the vein and the membranes. The organic junction is able to form a tight corrugation angle, which dramatically increases both the warping rigidity and the strength of the wing, but not the torsional rigidity. The torsional deformation is primarily controlled by the microstructure of the longitudinal veins, and is based on the relative rotation angle between the epidermal layer and the inner layer of the vein that forms the zigzag section.     

DNA damage,signaling and repair: Protecting genomic integrity and reducing the risk of human disease

DNA is the genetic material that contains the instructions to not only guide the continuation of life but also govern the development, metabolism and functioning of living organisms. DNA damage occurs daily due to various exogenous (environ-     

Multi-threshold second-order phase transition in laser

We present a theory of the multi-threshold second-order phase transition,and experimentally demonstrate the multi-threshold secondorder phase transition phenomenon.With carefully selected parameters,in an external cavity diode laser system,we observe secondorder phase transition with multiple(three or four) thresholds in the measured power-current-temperature three dimensional phase diagram.Such controlled death and revival of second-order phase transition sheds new insight into the nature of ubiquitous secondorder phase transition.Our theory and experiment show that the single threshold second-order phase transition is only a special case of the more general multi-threshold second-order phase transition,which is an even richer phenomenon.     

Accurate localization and excision of genomic islands in four strains of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type=Italic>Pseudomonas fluorescens</Emphasis>

Mobile genomic islands (GIs) can be excised from the chromosome, then form a circular intermediate and be reintegrated into the chromosome by the GI internal integrase. Some mobile GIs can also be transferred into a new receptor cell by transformation, conjugation, or transduction. The action sites of the integrase are usually flanked direct repeats (DRs) of the GIs. Accurate localization of the flanking sequences is a precondition for determining the mobility of the GI. Mobile GIs are generally associated with transfer RNAs (tRNAs). Based on the correlation between flanking sequences and tRNA sequences, the flanking sequences of 11 putative mobile GIs in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, P. aeruginosa PA14, P. fluorescens Pf-5 and P. fluorescens Pf0-1 were identified. Among the 11 GIs, Pf0-1GI-1 is responsible for benzoate degradation. PAO1GI-1, Pf5GI-2, Pf5GI-3, and Pf5GI-4 were confirmed experimentally to be excised from a chromosome to form a circular intermediate. The action sites of the integrases are these GIs direct repeats. Due to distinct DRs, cutting sites for the internal integrase of PAO1GI-1, Pf5GI-2, Pf5GI-3 and Pf5GI-4 were determined outside the T-loop of the tRNA^Gly gene, outside the anticodon loop of the tRNA^Ser gene and tRNA^Lys gene, and at the asymmetric 3′-end of the tRNA^Leu gene, respectively. PAO1GI-1 and other mobile GIs may be transferred into many different strains that belong to different phyla because of the clear flanking sequences. This study describes basic information about the action sites of the integrases, assesses the mobility of GIs, and can help design and transfer mobile GIs to candidate strains.     

Highlights of recent advances in functional coordination polymers made in China

Coordination polymers (or metal-organic frameworks, MOFs), as one of the essences of crystal engineering and coordination chemistry, have attracted considerable atten-tion from chemists,     

Superfluid density of two-dimensional weakly interacting boson system at zero temperature

We compute the superfluid density of a two-dimensional boson system with weak two-body repulsive interactions at zero temperature using one-loop perturbation theory in the weak coupling region. The boson fields are taken to be in continuum form in real space, and the interactions are approximated by a δ function of the distance between the bosons. We find that the one-loop fluctuations slightly decrease the superfluid density of a classical level. The superfluid density is approximated by the condensate density multiplied by the mass of the boson particle.     

Prediction of sites under adaptive evolution in flavin-containing monooxygenases: Selection pattern revisited

Flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO), like cytochrome P450 (CYP), is a monooxygenase that uses the reducing equivalents of NADPH to reduce one atom of molecular oxygen to water, while the other atom is used to oxidize the substrate. Recently, it was shown that some CYP isoforms have been subject to positive selection. However, it is unknown whether the highly conserved phase I detoxification enzyme, FMO, has undergone similar positive Darwinian selection. We used maximum-likelihood models of codon substitution, evolutionary fingerprinting, and cross species comparison to investigate the occurrence of adaptive evolution in FMO sequences. We used recent genomic data from a range of species, including vertebrates and invertebrates. We present the evidence for the occurrence of adaptive evolution in mammalian FMO 3, 4, 5, and fugu FMOs but not in mammalian FMO 1, FMO 2, frog FMOs, other fish FMOs and invertebrate FMOs. The sites under adaptive evolution were significantly associated with the insertion domain in mammalian FMO 5. We identified specific amino acid sites in FMOs 3–5 that are likely targets for selection based on the patterns of parallel amino acid change. The most likely role of adaptive evolution is the repair of mutations that permitted optimal NADP+ binding and improved catalytic efficiency. The occurrence of positive selection during the evolution of phase I detoxification enzymes such as FMOs 3–5 and fugu FMO suggests the occurrence of both high selection pressure acting on species within their unique habitats and significant changes in intensity and direction (forms of xenobiotics and drugs) resulting from changes in microhabitat and food.