Enhanced calcification ameliorates the negative effects of UV radiation on photosynthesis in the calcifying phytoplankter <Emphasis Type="Italic">Emiliania huxleyi</Emphasis>

The calcifying phytoplankton species,coccolithophores,have their calcified coccoliths around the cells,however,their physio-logical roles are still unknown.Here,we hypothesized that the coccoliths may play a certain role in reducing solar UV radiation(UVR,280-400 nm) and protect the cells from being harmed.Cells of Emiliania huxleyi with different thicknesses of the cocco-liths were obtained by culturing them at different levels of dissolved inorganic carbon and their photophysiological responses to UVR wer...     

Growth kinematics of fractal super snowflakes

Based on the recent research progress in fractal super fibers,the growth kinematics(or pattern kinematics) of(6+1) -circle fractal super fiber with snowflake-like cross section(abbreviated asfractal super snowflake) is explored.The following results are obtained.(1) The fractal super snowflake obeys simply the straight-line growth mode.(2) At a given movement,the growth speed of the snowflake distributes uniformly in space.At a given point in space,the growth speed decreases along with the time.(3) The grow...     

Effect of EGF1 peptides in directing nanoparticles to thrombi

In order to examine the effect of EGF1 peptides in directing nanoparticles to thrombi, the synthesized EGF1 peptide was conjugated to poly (ethyleneglycol)-poly (lactide) (PEG-PLA) nanoparticles (NP) to form EGF1-NP. A lipophilic fluorescent dye, coumarin-6, was incorporated into EGF1-NP so as to detect its loading and release capacity. The binding ability of EGF1-NP with TF-expressing cells was shown to be significantly higher than that of the non-conjugated NP. Following an intravenous administration, fluorescence was distributed along the vessel wall of the thrombosis regions in the model rats injected with coumarin-6-loaded EGF1-NP. The in vitro and in vivo results suggest that EGF1-NP is a promising drug delivery system for targeting cerebral thrombi.     

Effects of typhoon Matsa on ionospheric TEC

The effects of typhoon Matsa on the ionosphere are studied by using GPS-TEC data observed at about 50 GPS stations.It is shown that the ionosphere has been already influenced and TEC tends to increase before the landing of Matsa,and the difference of TEC from its monthly median over the typhoon area is about 5 TECU.With the landing of Matsa,both the magnitude and the area of increased TEC decrease.One day after the landing of Matsa,TEC reaches its minimum and is lower than the monthly median.In comparison o...     

Progress on gecko-inspired micro/nano-adhesion arrays

Gecko’s excellent adhesion ability is thought to derive from van der Waals force generated between the millions of keratinous hairs/setae and the contact surface. Fabricating highly gecko-inspired foot-hair becomes one of the key technologies to realize the three-dimensional-obstacle-free motion of robot. Researchers have fabricated various gecko-like foot-hair arrays which have leaning, large end, and hierarchical structures. Those significant works are summarized and suggestions for future work are proposed in this paper.     

Dynamics of phytoplankton and picoplankton over a tidal cycle in a subtropical lagoon

The influences of a tidal cycle on the distribution of autotrophic plankton were investigated in a hyper-eutrophic lagoon designated as a scenic area. Results showed that the highest concentrations of picoplankton and phytoplankton were found in the middle and inner part of the lagoon, irrespective of the tides. The MDS result also revealed that phytoplankton communities, dominated by Ceratium furca, were similar among stations in the inner bay during both flood tides and ebb tides. The time series sampling results at the inlet-outlet channel revealed that almost the same amounts of phytoplankton and picoplankton were carried through the channel during flood and ebb tides, with no trend in nutrient fluctuations except for phosphate which had a net loss from the lagoon. The results showed that tidal cycles do not effectively flush away phytoplankton and picoplankton from the lagoon, and the blooming of phyto- and picoplankton is inevitable should the situation stay the same. Steps are needed to alleviate the eutrophication condition instead of depending on the natural process such as tidal cycle.     

I-doping of anodized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes using an electrochemical method

In order to obtain TiO2 with high photocatalytic activity, a cathode reduction was used to dope I⁷⁺ and I⁵⁺ into TiO₂ nanotubes of anodized Ti in C₂H₂O₄•2H₂O + NH₄F electrolyte. SEM images show that the anodization method integrated the preparation with the doping process, which for nonmetals-doping is advantageous to maintain the morphological integrity of TiO₂ nanotubes. I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doping enhances the UV response of TiO₂ and result in a red-shift. Under UV/visible irradiation, a I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample (400°C) showed the highest I_ph and photocatalytic efficiency. A part of I^– in the I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample is involved in the UV response, the red-shift and the higher I_ph.     

Perfluorinated compounds in milk,milk powder and yoghurt purchased from markets in China

The exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) through the diet for humans is of great concern. Among the diet, dairy products are in great demand. This paper reports the study on the levels of 9 perfluorinated acids and 2 fluorotelomer acids in milk, milk powder and yoghurt purchased from Chinese markets from 2008 to 2009. The analytes were quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). In milk samples, perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) and perf...     

Preparation of photoanode and its application to flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

A TiO2 slurry was prepared by hydrothermal treating mixture of commercial TiO2 (P25),ethanol and distilled water in an autoclave.A flexible photoanode and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated on an ITO-coated poly (ethylene naphthalate) sheet (ITO/PEN) substrate by a doctor-blade technique.The sample was characterized with SEM,UV-vis,FTIR,and the photoelectric properties of the DSSC were measured.The influence of preparation conditions on the properties of the flexible DSSC was investigated.It is...     

Rupture process of the Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>8.0 earthquake of Sichuan China: the segmentation feature

Moment tensor solution, rupture process and rupture characteristics of the great Wenchuan M8.0 earthquake are studied by using 39 long-period P and SH waveforms with evenly azimuth coverage of stations. Our results reveal that the Wenchuan M8.0 event consisted of 5 sub-events of Mw≥7.3 occurring succesively in time and space. Rupture started with a Mw7.3 introductory strike-slip faulting in the first 12 s, then within 12?40 s, two sub-events with Mw7.6 and Mw7.4 occurred within 80 km northeast from the init...