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With rapid growth of the number of genomic sequences, researchers are faced with the task of managing huge clone libraries. A single experiment may involve classifying tens of thousands of bacterial, yeast or phage colonies. While, repetitive manual operation is followed by a lower efficiency and accuracy of colony picking and inoculating, leading to the fail in high throughput. In order to improve the efficiency and accuracy of colony picking process, this paper introduces a prototype, which picks colonies automatically. After analysis of colony picking process, we develop a colony picking control system based on industrial computer and CCD camera. Beyond that, we put forward the design of hardware and software of system. Finally, picking and inoculating colonies, as well as cleaning and heating needles come true.

Adjacent vertebral fractures are common in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) after kyphoplasty. This finite element study was to examine whether short segment pedicle screw fixation (PSF) with kyphoplasty may decrease the fracture risk of the treated and adjacent non-treated vertebrae after kyphoplasty for OVCFs. By simulating cement augmentation with or without short segment pedicle screw fixation (PSF), two tridimensional, anatomically detailed finite element models of the T10-L2 functional spinal junction were developed. The insertion of pedicle screws into the intact vertebra apparently decreased the stress distribution of the treated vertebra in vertical compression and other load situations. The stress distribution in the bone structures of the intact vertebra adjacent to the intact-screwed vertebra was much less than that in the one adjacent to the treated vertebra. The insertion of pedicle screws into the intact vertebra greatly decreased the maximum displacement of the cortical bones and cancellous bones of the vertebrae. Our results indicated that short segment PSF with kyphoplasty may decrease the fracture risk of the treated and adjacent non-treated vertebrae in the management of OVCFs.

TG analysis was used to investigate the thermal decomposition of switchgrass, which is a potential gasification feedstock. 10 mg switchgrass sample with the particles between 0.45 and 0.70 mm was linearly heated to 873 K at heating rates of 10, 20, 30 K/min, respectively, under high-purity nitrogen. The Kissinger method and three isoconversional methods including Friedman, Flynn-wall-Ozawa, Vyazovkin and Lenikeocink methods were used to estimate the apparent activation energy of switchgrass. With the three isoconversional methods, it can be concluded that the activation energy increases with increasing conversion. The four model free methods reveal activation energies in the range of 70-460 kJ/mol. These activation energy values provide the basic data for the thermo-chemical utilization of the switchgrass.