Direct imaging of the pores and cages of three-dimensional mesoporous materials

Mesostructured composite materials, with features ranging from 20 to 500 A in size, are obtained by the kinetically controlled competitive assembly of organic and inorganic species into nanostructured domains. Short-range order is limited, and long-range order is determined by weak forces such as van der Waals or hydrogen-bonding. Three-dimensional mesoporous materials obtained by removing the organic phase are of particular interest for applications such as catalysis and chemical sensing or separation, for which structural features such as cavity shape, connectivity and ordered bimodal porosity are critical. But atomic-scale structural characterization by the usual diffraction techniques is challenging for these partially ordered materials because of the difficulty in obtaining large (> 10 microm) single crystals, and because large repeat spacings cause diffraction intensities to fall off rapidly with scattering angle so that only limited small-angle data are available. Here we present a general approach for the direct determination of three-dimensional mesoporous structures by electron microscopy. The structure solutions are obtained uniquely without pre-assumed models or parametrization. We report high-resolution details of cage and pore structures of periodically ordered mesoporous materials, which reveal a highly ordered dual micro- and mesoscale pore structure.     

黄河灌区水热通量的观测与分析

为解决农田节水问题,进行了田间水热通量观测和水热耦合循环过程机理分析。观测系统主要包括:常规气象、辐射、涡度相关法观测系统以及土壤水分观测剖面。该系统能够连续和稳定地观测土壤-植物-大气连续体中的水热循环过程,涡度相关法观测数据具有与国际同类观测一致的精度。对2005年山东省位山引黄灌区冬小麦和夏玉米生长期内水热平衡的分析表明:当叶面积指数较大时潜热是农田能量消耗的主要方式;在冬小麦返青至收割期内作物耗水略小于供水,而在玉米生长期内供水远大于作物耗水,灌区供水充分。     

Inversion in the H-2 complex of t-haplotypes in mice

Mouse t-haplotypes demonstrate strong linkage disequilibrium between t-lethal genes and specific H-2 types, presumably a result of recombination suppression between t and normal chromosomes. The observation of free recombination occurring between two complementary t-haplotypes suggested a chromosomal mismatch between t and normal chromosomes. Recent data showing the H-2 complex to be misplaced relative to two other markers, T and tf, in t-haplotypes suggested that chromosomal rearrangement in t-haplotypes might be the basis for their 'mismatch' with the normal chromosome. Here, to analyse the molecular nature of the rearrangement, we have cloned a polymorphic H-2 class I restriction fragment, which had previously been shown to map centromeric to the serologically defined H-2 complex in t-haplotypes. Genetic mapping studies show that this cloned t-DNA is homologous to the H-2 D region of wild-type chromosomes, and that the E alpha Ia gene maps telomeric to this DNA fragment in t-haplotypes, in contrast to its orientation in wild-type chromosomes. These results give molecular evidence for an inversion of H-2 in t-haplotypes, which may be at least partially responsible for recombination suppression and thus for linkage disequilibrium.     

Expression and self-assembly of Heterocapsa circularisquama RNA virus-like particles synthesized in Pichia pastoris

Heterocapsa circularisquama RNA virus(HcRNAV) is the first single-stranded RNA virus to be characterized that infects dinoflagellates.The ability of HcRNAV coat protein(HcRNAV CP) to self-assemble into virus-like particles(VLPs) in vitro suggested that heterologous expression was possible,and that the VLPs might be ideal nanocontainers for the targeted delivery of genes and chemicals.In this paper,we report the expression of a codon-optimized HcRNAV 109 CP gene in Pichia pastoris and the production of self-assembled HcRNAV VLPs using large-scale fermentation.The HcRNAV 109 CP gene was synthesized according to the codon preference of P.pastoris and cloned into a pPICZA vector.The recombinant plasmid pPICZA-CPsyns was transformed into P.pastoris by electroporation.The resulting yeast colonies were screened by PCR and analyzed for protein expression by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.After large-scale fermentation,the yield of HcRNAV CPsyns reached approximately 2.5 g L 1 within 4 d.The HcRNAV VLPs were purified using PEG precipitation followed by cesium chloride density gradient ultracentrifugation,and were subsequently analyzed using UV spectrophotometry and transmission electron microscopy.Fluorescence dye-labeled myoglobin was loaded into the cages of the HcRNAV VLPs and the encapsulation was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy.The results point to the possible utilization in pharmacology or nanotechnology of HcRNAV VLPs produced by P.pastoris fermentation.     

Salt effects on formation of microcrystallites in poly(vinyl alcohol) gels prepared by cast-drying method

The preparation method of poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) gels by a simple cast-drying technique using salt solutions was reported in the present investigation.The effects of the salt concentration on the macro- and microscopic properties were examined in detail,and the relationships between macroscopic properties,such as swelling ratio,mechanical strength,and the network microstaicture were presented.It was found that the swelling ratio of PVA cast gel increased largely by adding a small amount of salt, and de...     

Forecasting for the LCD monitor market

The TFT‐LCD (thin‐film transistor–liquid crystal display) industry is one of the key global industries with products that have high clock speed. In this research, the LCD monitor market is considered for an empirical study on hierarchical forecasting (HF). The proposed HF methodology consists of five steps. First, the three hierarchical levels of the LCD monitor market are identified. Second, several exogenously driven factors that significantly affect the demand for LCD monitors are identified at each level of product hierarchy. Third, the three forecasting techniques—regression analysis, transfer function, and simultaneous equations model—are combined to forecast future demand at each hierarchical level. Fourth, various forecasting approaches and disaggregating proportion methods are adopted to obtain consistent demand forecasts at each hierarchical level. Finally, the forecast errors with different forecasting approaches are assessed in order to determine the best forecasting level and the best forecasting approach. The findings show that the best forecast results can be obtained by using the middle‐out forecasting approach. These results could guide LCD manufacturers and brand owners on ways to forecast future market demands. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.