Au NPs decorated TiO2 nanotubes array candidate for UV photodetectors

This work reports the Au nanoparticles (NPs) deposited on TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) which were successfully synthesized by a simple two-step anodization method. This fabrication process is notable for a simple and inexpensive method for obtaining pure TiO2 NTs and Au NPs deposited TiO2 NTs. The prepared samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and I-V curve. We found that the size of Au NPs can be controlled by changing the bias voltage during the deposition. The photodetectors of Au NPs/TiO2 devices showed good wavelength selectivity with high photocurrent as compared to pure TiO2 NTs devices. Subsequently, Au NPs deposited on TiO2 NTs at bias voltage of 70 V was potentially used in fabrication of UV photodetector. At this applied voltage, a high density of Au NPs was uniformly deposited on TiO2 NTs. As a result, it enables a high photocurrent and great responsivity in UV region. It is suggested that the Au NPs deposited TiO2 NTs device shows good promise for UV photodetectors with possibility to fine-tune properties in both UV and visible regions and is worthy of further investigation.     

Shallow water source localization using a mobile shor t horizontal array

This paper presents an approach to the challenging is- sue of passive source localization in shallow water using a mobile short horizontal linear array with length less than ten meters. The short array can be conveniently placed on autonomous underwa- ter vehicles and deployed for adaptive spatial sampling. However, the use of such small aperture passive sonar systems makes it difficult to acquire sufficient spatial gain for localizing long-range sources. To meet the requirement, a localization approach that employs matched-field based techniques that enable the short ho- rizontal linear array is used to passively localize acoustic sources in shallow water. Furthermore, the broadband processing and inter-position processing provide robustness against ocean en- vironmental mismatch and enhance the stability of the estimation process. The proposed approach＇s ability to localize acoustic sources in shallow water at different signal-to-noise ratios is examined through the synthetic test cases where the sources are located at the endfire and some other bearing of the mobile short horizontal linear array. The presented results demonstrate that the positional parameters of the estimated source build up over time as the array moves at a low speed along a straight line at a constant depth.     

Assessment of superoxide-mediated release of vascular-inhibitory factor(s) from endothelial cells by using a two-bath system

Summary Release of a vascular-inhibitory factor from endothelial cells (EC), different from endothelium-derived relaxant factor (EDRF), was identified through use of a two-bath system. This two-bath system precluded the effects of oxygen-free radicals that appear when electrical field stimulation (EFS) is directly imposed on detector muscle.     

Scanning tunnelling microscopy of Z-DNA

Scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) has been used to map the surface topography of inorganic materials at the atomic level, and is potentially one of the most powerful techniques for probing biomolecular structure. Recent STM studies of calf thymus DNA and poly(rA).poly(rU) have shown that the helical pitch and periodic alternation of major and minor grooves can be visualized and reliably measured. Here we present the first STM images of poly(dG-me5dC).poly(dG-me5dC) in the Z-form. Both the general appearance of the fibres and measurements of helical parameters are in good agreement with models derived from X-ray diffraction.     

Maternal involvement in the development of cardiovascular phenotype

Over the past 20 years, laboratory studies of genetically defined animal models of human essential hypertension have provided valuable information on the pathophysiology of this disturbance in cardiovascular regulation. Relatively fewer studies have examined the impact of preweaning factors on the developing cardiovascular system of hypertensive animals. In our laboratory studies, we have utilized two inbred genetically hypertensive models: the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rat and its Wistar/Kyoto (WKY) normotensive control strain as well as the Dahl hypertension-sensitive (SS/Jr) and hypertension-resistant (SR/Jr) strains. To manipulate the preweaning maternal environment, we have employed the technique of reciprocal cross-fostering of litters between hypertensive and matched normotensive mothers. Our findings to date point to the maternal environment as a powerful influence on the development of high blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats. In general, hypertensive rats reared by normotensive foster mothers have significant reductions in arterial blood pressure in adulthood. Thus, the progression of hypertinsive disease is not strictly predtermined by genotypic factors. Rather, a genetic predisposition to hypertension interacts with preweaning environmental factors to determine an animal's cardiovascular phenotype in adulthood.     

Cell-specific mitotic defect and dyserythropoiesis associated with erythroid band 3 deficiency

Most eukaryotic cell types use a common program to regulate the process of cell division. During mitosis, successful partitioning of the genetic material depends on spatially coordinated chromosome movement and cell cleavage. Here we characterize a zebrafish mutant, retsina (ret), that exhibits an erythroid-specific defect in cell division with marked dyserythropoiesis similar to human congenital dyserythropoietic anemia. Erythroblasts from ret fish show binuclearity and undergo apoptosis due to a failure in the completion of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Through positional cloning, we show that the ret mutation is in a gene (slc4a1) encoding the anion exchanger 1 (also called band 3 and AE1), an erythroid-specific cytoskeletal protein. We further show an association between deficiency in Slc4a1 and mitotic defects in the mouse. Rescue experiments in ret zebrafish embryos expressing transgenic slc4a1 with a variety of mutations show that the requirement for band 3 in normal erythroid mitosis is mediated through its protein 4.1R-binding domains. Our report establishes an evolutionarily conserved role for band 3 in erythroid-specific cell division and illustrates the concept of cell-specific adaptation for mitosis.