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Sargassum horneri (Turner) C. Agardh is a genus of brown algae and plays an important role in marine ecosystem. However, the inhabiting area of S. horneri has been decreasing sharply in China. To understand the photoacclimation and photoregulation strategies of S. horneri in responses to temperature and light, S. horneri was cultured under different temperatures [18℃ (LT) and 26℃ (HT)] and light intensities [60 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1 (LL) and 120 μmol(photon) m-2 s-1 (HL)] for 7 d, and then the chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters were measured. The results showed that the maximum electron transfer rate occurred at low temperature and high light (LT-HL) condition. The high temperature was the predominant factor for causing inhibition of PSII, lowering the effective quantum yield of PSII, and reducing the nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). However, high light could improve the photoprotective ability via enhancing the NPQ. On the other hand, a strong linear relationship was observed between NPQ and the electron transport efficiency (α); the increase of NPQ could reduce the α value and avoid damage from high light stress to PSII. Therefore, S. horneri was found to be well adapted to grow under LT-HL conditions.

Oxygen therapy is essential for the treatment of some neonatal critical care conditions but its extrapulmonary effects have not been adequately investigated. We therefore studied the effects of various oxygen concentrations on intestinal epithelial cell function. In order to assess the effects of hyperoxia on the intestinal immunological barrier, we studied two physiological changes in neonatal rats exposed to hyperoxia: the change in intestinal IgA secretory component (SC, an important component of SIgA) and changes in intestinal epithelial cells. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect changes in the intestinal tissue SC of neonatal rats. To detect intestinal epithelial cell growth, cells were counted, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Giemsa staining were used to assess cell survival. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine SC expression. The expression of intestinal SC in neonatal rats under hyperoxic conditions was notably increased compared with rats inhaling room air (P < 0.01). In vitro, 40% O2 was beneficial for cell growth. However, 60% O2 and 90% O2 induced rapid cell death. Also, 40% O2 induced expression of SC by intestinal epithelial cells, whereas 60% O2did not; however, 90% O2 limited the ability of intestinal epithelial cells to express SC. In vivo and in vitro, moderate hyperoxia brought about increases in intestinal SC. This would be expected to bring about an increase in intestinal SIgA. High levels of SC and SIgA would serve to benefit hyperoxia-exposed individuals by helping to maintain optimal conditions in the intestinal tract.

By 2010--2013 years of experience in China A-share listed companies, we found rent-seeking behavior of enterprises has had two major effects: creative production inhibitory effect and relational resources favoritism effect. The former hinders the improvement of enterprise performance, while the latter promote the upgrading of performance. Overall, the former positive effect on corporate performance is more than the latter negative effect on corporate performance. Further decentralization, strengthening social management to enhance the level of public services is fundamentally reducing rent-seeking phenomenon, and improving enterprise performance.

The effect of Ti doping on the mechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitride (a-C[N.sub.x]) films is investigated and the mechanism of mechanical enhancement is discussed. The improved mechanical properties are attributed to the densified microstructure due to the development of fine grain size of TiN and [sp.sup.3] C-N bonds.

A significant subtractive formation process of large-area diamond conical nanostructure arrays is described using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition system with negative biasing of the substrates and the etching effect of energetic ions on the formation of diamond cone arrays with controlled morphology is studied. The cone morphologies under various experimental parameters are studied and they have confirmed and supplemented the as-established cone formation mechanism.

Two types of oriented aluminum nitride (AlN) films are prepared and their field emission (FE) properties and mechanisms are investigated. The excellent FE property of (002) oriented AlN film is attributed to its vertically oriented grains and the broad distribution of defect-related subbands within its band gap as analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) spectra from (002) and (100) oriented AlN films.

Owing to the higher strength-to-weight ratio and elastic modulus as well as more cost-effective, high-strength concrete (HSC) is now becoming increasing popular. However, the huge demand of HSC results in over-exploitation of river sand (RS) and other raw materials, which impairs the environment. Steel slag, a waste by-product of steel-making process, has been reported to be a great substitute for RS. However, up to now, relatively few research studies investigated the post-fire behavior of steel slag fine aggregate (SSFA) HSC. To promote the practical application of SSFA as the RS substitute in HSC, its behavior at ambient and after exposure to elevated temperatures should be studied thoroughly. Thus, 27 HSC mixtures with different SSFA and / or silica fume (SF) volumetric replacement ratios, and different amounts of superplasticizer (SP) were designed and a series of experimental tests were conducted, including slump-flow, wet packing density (WPD), X-ray diffraction, compressive strength and heating tests at target temperatures of 600, 800 and 1000 °C. Results revealed that the physical and chemical characteristics of SSFA could enhance the compressive strength of HSC but impair its flowability, which could be mitigated by adding suitable amount of SF and SP. Besides, adding SSFA and SF may be disadvantageous to the post-fire behavior of HSC owing to the enhanced WPD, whose relative strength index was reduced from 0.185–0.199 to 0.084–0.127 by fully replacing RS with SSFA upon 1000 °C.

A uniform diamond nanocone array is formed by using selective ion sputtering process and their chemical gases sensing properties are studied. The studies have shown that the enhanced gases sensing performances are achieved from the hydrogenated diamond nanocone array due to the carriers tunneling from discrete hole states in the diamond nanocone and the increased surface-to-volume ratio of the conical structure.

Porous silicon (PS) was etched by hydrogen plasma where on the surface a large number of silicon nanocone arrays and nanocrystallines were formed. It is found that the photoluminescence of the H-etched porous silicon is highly enhanced.

The influence of different parameters on the field emission properties of carbon nitride films is studied. Studies suggest that the involvement of nonbonding (lone pair) and lone-pair-induced antibonding (dipole) states is responsible for lowering the work function and hence the electron emission threshold.

High-cycle fatigue tests of Pt–Al bond coated and bare single crystal superalloys were conducted at 700 °C and 800 °C, aiming at investigating the effect of bond coat on the high-cycle fatigue properties of a single crystal superalloy. The impact of bond coat was studied merely on the tensile and creep properties of this superalloy, but was not found on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of this alloy. The experimental results showed that the bond coat was found to be beneficial at 800 °C or under low stresses at 700 °C owing to the fact that cracks were retarded by the fine grains in the IDZ, the P-type rafted γ′ phases in the substrate or the coat/substrate interface, respectively. However, the bond coat was detrimental under high stresses at 700 °C owing to the rapid propagation of the early cracking and the brittle nature of bond coat. Moreover, EBSD results showed the all bond coat cracks mainly initiated at the surface of the coated specimens and started from grains with {123} slip system within bond coat. Fatigue tested samples at 800 °C showed a comparatively higher Schmid factor value than that at 700 °C. Following the fatigue test, TEM tests indicated that in the superalloy close to the bond coat, the dislocation networks formed due to the activity of various slip systems at 700 °C; under 450 MPa at 800 °C in this region, a special a0 superdislocation with two segments of compact core was observed in the rafted γ′ phases.

Fat metabolism is an important and complex biochemical reaction in vivo and is regulated by many factors. Recently, the findings on high expression of fibroblast growth factor-16 (FGF16) in brown adipose tissue have led to an interest in exploring its role in lipogenesis and lipid metabolism. The study cloned the goat’s FGF16 gene 624 bp long, including the complete open reading frame that encodes 207 amino acids. We found that FGF16 expression is highest in goat kidneys and hearts, followed by subcutaneous fat and triceps. Moreover, the expression of FGF16 reached its peak on the 2nd day of adipocyte differentiation (P < 0.01) and then decreased significantly. We used overexpression and interference to study the function of FGF16 gene in goat intramuscular preadipocytes. Silencing of FGF16 decreased adipocytes lipid droplet aggregation and triglyceride synthesis. This is in contrast to the situation where FGF16 is overexpressed. Furthermore, knockdown of FGF16 also caused down-regulated expression of genes associated with adipocyte differentiation including CCAAT enhancer-binding protein beta (P < 0.01), fatty acid-binding protein-2 (P < 0.01) and sterol regulatory element binding protein-1 (P < 0.05), but the preadipocyte factor-1 was up-regulated. At the same time, the genes adipose triglyceride lipase (P < 0.01) and hormone-sensitive lipase (P < 0.05) associated with triglyceride breakdown were highly expressed. Next, we locked the fibroblast growth factor receptor-4 (FGFR4) through the protein interaction network and interfering with FGF16 to significantly reduce FGFR4 expression. It was found that the expression profile of FGFR4 in adipocyte differentiation was highly similar to that of FGF16. Overexpression and interference methods confirmed that FGFR4 and FGF16 have the same promoting function in adipocyte differentiation. Finally, using co-transfection technology, pc-FGF16 and siRNA-FGFR4, siRNA2-FGF16 and siRNA-FGFR4 were combined to treat adipocytes separately. It was found that in the case of overexpression of FGF16, cell lipid secretion and triglyceride synthesis showed a trend of first increase and then decrease with increasing interference concentration. In the case of interference with FGF16, lipid secretion and triglyceride synthesis showed a downward trend with the increase of interference concentration. These findings illustrated that FGF16 mediates adipocyte differentiation via receptor FGFR4 expression and contributed to further study of the functional role of FGF16 in goat fat formation.

The β decay of 75192Re117, which lies near the boundary between the regions of predicted prolate and oblate deformations, has been investigated using the KEK Isotope Separation System (KISS) in RIKEN Nishina Center. This is the first case in which a low-energy beam of rhenium isotope has been successfully extracted from an argon gas-stopping cell using a laser-ionization technique, following production via multi-nucleon transfer between heavy ions. The ground state of 192Re has been assigned Jπ=(0−) based on the observed β feedings and deduced logft values towards the 0+ and 2+ states in 192Os, which is known as a typical γ-soft nucleus. The shape transition from axial symmetry to axial asymmetry in the Re isotopes is discussed from the viewpoint of single-particle structure using the nuclear Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model.

To explore the effects of different gene combinations on the pathogenicity of the rabies virus (RABV), six chimeric RABV mutants, rRC-HL(G), rRC-HL(NG), rRC-HL(PG), rRC-HL(NP), rRC-HL(NM) and rRC-HL(NPG), were constructed using a reverse genetic technique based on an avirulent parental rRC-HL strain and a virulent parental GX074 isolate. These mutants were intracerebrally inoculated into adult mice. The results indicated that 102 ffu and 106 ffu of rRC-HL(G), rRC-HL(NG), rRC-HL(PG) and rRC-HL(NPG) were 100% lethal. In the case of intramuscular viral infection, none of the mice inoculated with 102 ffu of any of the RABV mutants, including GX074, died; at 106 ffu, rRC-HL(G) was lethal in 2/5 cases, rRC-HL(NG) was lethal in 1/5 cases and rRC-HL(PG) was lethal for 2/5 mice. The rRC-HL(NPG) mutant was fatal for 3/5 mice, as was the parental GX074. Furthermore, the LD50 values of the chimeric RABV mutants were measured, with the results showing that the LD50 values of both rRC-HL(NG) and rRC-HL(PG) were lower than that of rRC-HL(G), but higher than that of rRC-HL(NPG). Thus, the action of N + G, or P + G, or N + P + G gene combinations may be more pronounced than that of the G gene alone. Body weight changes and the clinical symptoms of the tested mice were consistent with pathogenicity. These data indicate that the N and P genes are involved in and facilitate the pathogenicity of the RABV G gene. These experiments provide further evidence that multi-gene cooperation is responsible for the virulence of RABV.

The existence of CP-violation in the leptonic sector is one of the most important issues for modern science. Neutrino physics is a key to the solution of this problem. JUNO (under construction) is the near future of neutrino physics. However CP-violation is not a priority for the current scientific program. We estimate the capability of δCP measurement, assuming a combination of the JUNO detector and a superconductive cyclotron as the antineutrino source. This method of measuring CP-violation is an alternative to conventional beam experiments. A significance level of 3σ can be reached for 22% of the δCP range. The accuracy of measurement lies between 8o and 22o. It is shown that the dominant influence on the result is the uncertainty in the mixing angle Θ23.

The neutron-rich dysprosium isotopes 168Dy102 and 169Dy103 have been investigated using the EURICA γ-ray spectrometer, following production via in-flight fission of a high-intensity uranium beam in conjunction with isotope separation through the BigRIPS separator at RIBF in RIKEN Nishina Center. For 168Dy, a previously unreported isomer with a half-life of 0.57(7) μs has been identified at an excitation energy of 1378 keV, and its presence affirmed independently using γ-γ-γ coincidence data taken with Gammasphere via two-proton transfer from an enriched 170Er target performed at Argonne National Laboratory. This isomer is assigned Jπ=Kπ=(4−) based on the measured transition strengths, decay patterns, and the energy systematics for two-quasiparticle states in N=102 isotones. The underlying mechanism of two-quasiparticle excitations in the doubly midshell region is discussed in comparison with the deformed QRPA and multi-quasiparticle calculations. In 169Dy, the B(E2) value for the transition de-exciting the previously unreported Kπ=(1/2−) isomeric state at 166 keV to the Kπ=(5/2−) ground state is approximately two orders of magnitude larger than the E2 strength for the corresponding isomeric-decay transition in the N=103 isotone 173Yb, suggesting the presence of a significant γ-vibrational admixture with a dominant neutron one-quasiparticle component in the isomeric state.

Neutrino-antineutrino conversion is an important new physics process. The observation of this phenomenon could indicate total lepton number violation and potential CPT-violation. Searching for the appearance of electron antineutrinos from solar neutrinos from B8 decay allows us to hunt for this rare process, although it can also be explained by other mechanisms or hypotheses. This analysis examines the capabilities of observing neutrino-antineutrino transition from B8 unoscillated solar neutrinos using different liquid scintillator detector configurations. High energy reactor neutrinos and atmospheric neutrinos are the two dominant background sources. Large volume liquid scintillator detectors with deep underground shielding, placed far away from reactors and with capabilities of pulse shaped discrimination will significantly increase the search sensitivity. It is demonstrated that for the next generation of large liquid scintillator detectors being planned or under construction, the sensitivity to the average probability of neutrino-antineutrino transitions can reach 10−6, which is an order of magnitude better than the current best experimental limits.

A detailed study of the structure of the doubly mid-shell nucleus Dy104166170 has been carried out, following isomeric and β decay. We have measured the yrast band up to the spin-parity Jπ=6+ state, the K=2 γ-vibration band up to the 5+ state, a low-lying negative-parity band based on a 2− state that could be a candidate for the lowest energy octupole vibration state within this nucleus, and a candidate for the Kπ=6+ two quasi-particle isomer. This state was determined to have an excitation energy of 1643.91(23) keV and a half life of 0.99(4) μs, with a reduced hindrance for its decay to the ground-state band an order of magnitude lower than predicted by NpNn systematics. This is interpreted as being due to γ-vibrational mixing from a near degeneracy of the isomer and the 6+ state of the γ band. Furthermore, the parent nucleus 170Tb has been determined to have a half-life of 0.91(−13+18) s with a possible spin-parity of 2−. Keywords: K isomer, Dysprosium, Mid-shell, γ-Ray spectroscopy

The level structure of 172Dy has been investigated for the first time by means of decay spectroscopy following in-flight fission of a 238U beam. A long-lived isomeric state with T1/2=0.71(5) s and Kπ=8− has been identified at 1278 keV, which decays to the ground-state and γ-vibrational bands through hindered electromagnetic transitions, as well as to the daughter nucleus 172Ho via allowed β decays. The robust nature of the Kπ=8− isomer and the ground-state rotational band reveals an axially-symmetric structure for this nucleus. Meanwhile, the γ-vibrational levels have been identified at unusually low excitation energy compared to the neighboring well-deformed nuclei, indicating the significance of the microscopic effect on the non-axial collectivity in this doubly mid-shell region. The underlying mechanism of enhanced γ vibration is discussed in comparison with the deformed Quasiparticle Random-Phase Approximation based on a Skyrme energy-density functional.

This study aimed to identify genetic evaluation models (GEM) to accurately select cattle for milk production when only limited data are available. It is based on a data set from the Pakistani Sahiwal progeny testing programme which includes records from five government herds, each consisting of 100 to 350 animals, with lactation records dating back to 1968. Different types of GEM were compared, namely: (1) multivariate v. repeatability model when using the first three lactations, (2) an animal v. a sire model, (3) different fixed effects models to account for effects such as herd, year and season; and (4) fitting a model with genetic parameters fixed v. estimating the genetic parameters as part of the model fitting process. Two methods were used for the comparison of models. The first method used simulated data based on the Pakistani progeny testing system and compared estimated breeding values with true breeding values. The second method used cross-validation to determine the best model in subsets of actual Australian herd-recorded data. Subsets were chosen to reflect the Pakistani data in terms of herd size and number of herds. Based on the simulation and the cross-validation method, the multivariate animal model using fixed genetic parameters was generally the superior GEM, but problems arise in determining suitable values for fixing the parameters. Using mean square error of prediction, the best fixed effects structure could not be conclusively determined. The simulation method indicated the simplest fixed effects structure to be superior whereas in contrast, the cross-validation method on actual data concluded that the most complex one was the best. In conclusion it is difficult to propose a universally best GEM that can be used in any data set of this size. However, some general recommendations are that it is more appropriate to estimate the genetic parameters when evaluating for selection purposes, the animal model was superior to the sire model and that in the Pakistani situation the repeatability model is more suitable than a multivariate.

Glucose sensors detection is a common method for glucose detection. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are considered to highly sensitive glucose sensors. The sensors show linear range from 0.1 µM to 100 µM, and its detection limit is about 0.1 µM. In addition, its sensing mechanism is discussed in detail. Glucose detection results show that the devices are sensitive to the gate voltage changes caused by the glucose enzymatic reaction. A glucose sensor detection system based on high-performance OECT-based glucose sensors is proposed. It is expected that the OECT devices have potential application on the low-cost and disposable glucose detection.

This study presents the results of the preparation of monometallic catalysts for glycerol electroxidation by simple chemical reduction methods: formic acid for Pt, citrate-assisted NaBH4 for Au and ammonia- assisted NaBH4 for Pd. The metal nanoparticles, within a range of 3-7 nm, anchor successfully, as demonstrated by termogravimmetry and EDS analyses, and spread, as displays by the TEM images, on the carbon support. The XRD patterns display the fcc crystalline facets, except for the case of Pd/C, where peaks associated to the formation of metastable palladium carbide are present. The electrochemical activity for glycerol oxidation was evaluated in a three electrode glass cell by cyclic voltammetry, revealing that Pt/C possesses the lowest onset potential and Au/C the maximum current density. The Pd/C catalysts also present a electrochemical activity (despite the presence of PdC), with an intermediate onset potential between Au and Pt. Regarding the influence of the metal loading, Pt/C displays the best performance for the high metal loaded 60% Pt/C, whereas for Au/C and Pd/C, lowest loaded 20% Au/C and Pd/C. The direct comparison of these three materials in a chronoamperometric measurement (at -0.2 V vs Hg/HgO) reveals that Pt/C is the most effective material at such more useful potentials. Finally, the product distribution reveals that the metal may be a useful tool for a pre-selection of a particular product.

One possible route for glycerol utilisation is through a reforming process in which clean hydrogen can be produced. This study presents the results of an Alkaline Membrane Electroreforming Reactor operated with KOH-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI). Commercial PtRu/C and Pt/C are used as catalysts for the anode and the cathode, respectively. The influence of two important operating variables, the temperature, and the composition of the cathode feed solution is studied. A significant enhancement in the cell performance is observed with the temperature until 90ºC. The highest efficiency for H2 production (comparison with the amount predicted from Faraday’s law) corresponds to a KOH concentration in thecathode feed solution of 2 mol L-1. Logically, higher current densities favours the amount of hydrogenproduced and approaches the experimental values to the theoretical ones. Finally, the analyses of the product distribution show that more oxidized species can be obtained the higher the temperature and the current density, though the main products are C3 organic acids, especially tartronic acid.

White pine blister rust (WPBR), caused by Cronartium ribicola, is a devastating disease in five-needle pines. Genetic resistance is an important component of integrated strategies to control WPBR. The major resistance gene Cr2, discovered by Kinloch etal.(1999), is also effective against British Columbia (BC) isolates of WPBR (Hunt et al. 2004). Pyramiding Cr2 gene with other resistancegenes is being pursued as a strategy in BC white pine breeding. To facilitate this strategy, we have recently identified a few RAPD markerslinked to Cr2 at one side (Liu et al. 2006). The objective of the present study was to identify amplified fragment length polymorphism(AFLP) markers linked to both sides of Cr2 for its more precise apping. Use of the AFLP technique combined with bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and haploid segregation analysis allowed the identification of five AFLP markers. Of these five AFLP markers in the Cr2 linkage, markers EacccMccgat-365, EactgMcccac- 290, and EacagEacag-750 werelinked in coupling and EacagMcccag-160r and EacccMccgat-180r in repulsion. Following cloning and sequencing of the AFLP andRAPD markers, specific PCR primers were designed and used in the amplification of sequence characterized amplified region(SCAR) markers at both sides of Cr2. EacccMccgat- 365 and RAPD marker U570-843 reported previously were converted into SCARmarkers. These two SCARs segregated in a 1:1 (presence:absence) ratio and the scoring cosegregated with their respective AFLP orRAPD marker. The SCAR marker EacccMccgat- 365-scar was positioned at 3.1 Kosambi cM from one side of Cr2 and U570-843-scarlocalized at 1.4 Kosambi cM from other side. Both SCAR markers can be useful in breeding programs with marker-assisted selection procedureto screen for resistance. This study represents the first report of the development of PCR-based sequence-specific markers linkedto blister rust resistance in five-needle pines. These findings may improve the precision of molecular breeding for blister rust resistanceand could be the staging point for isolating the Cr2 gene.