Comparative sperm ultrastructure of three species in Siniperca (Teleostei: Perciformes: Sinipercidae)

Siniperca chuatsi, Siniperca kneri, and Siniperca scherzeri are three of the most economically important sinipercid species. The ultrastructure and morphology of the mature spermatozoa of them are examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sperm consists of an acrosome-less head, a short midpiece and a long flagellum. Ultrastructurally, it has a homogeneously electron-dense nucleus in a granular pattern with nuclear lucent and a nuclear fossa excluding the centriolar complex. One to four mitochondria with lamellar cristae encircle the basal body of the flagellum in the midpiece. The cytoplasm surrounding the centrioles and the cylindric cytoplasmic channel contains glycogen granules and vesicles. Comprising the conventional 9 + 2 axoneme, vesicles and lateral fins, the sperm flagellum is inserted laterally on the nucleus, therefore the spermatozoon is asymmetrical. All of the spermatozoa of the three species are of the primitive or ect-aquasperm form and conform to the teleostean type II spermatozoa instead of the previously supposed type I. Variations in the shape of the heads, angles between the two centrioles, location of the cytoplasmic vesicles, mitochondrial number and structural characteristics of the lateral fins are notable among the three species. S. chuatsi is a sister-group of the other two species and is the most differentiated. The present study provides fresh insights to the comparative spermatology of Siniperca fishes and will be useful to the existing knowledge of the sinipercid fishes in systematic characters, biodiversity conservation and reproduction.     

Pre-spermiogenic initiation of flagellar growth and correlative ultrastructural observations on nuage,nuclear and mitochondrial developmental morphology in the zebrafish Danio rerio

The microstructural and ultrastructural changes of germ cells during spermatogenesis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) were examined using light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Generally the process of spermatogenesis in zebrafish is similar to that of other teleosts, however, here we describe some peculiar features of zebrafish spermatogenic cells which have a limited report in this species. (1) The basic events of spermiogenesis are asynchronous, location of flagellum finished in initial stage, while chromatin condensation sharply occurred in intermediate stage and elimination of excess cytoplasm mainly taken place in final stages. (2) Surprisingly, the cilia or initial flagellae are created in spermatocytes, approach toward the nucleus of early stage spermatids, and then the centrioles depress into nuclear fossa and change their orientation to each other from right angle to obtuse angle about 125°. (3) During spermatogenesis, the chromatin compaction performs in a distinctive pattern, condensed heterogeneously from granular into chromatin clumps with central electron-lucent areas, round or long, which diminished to small nuclear vacuoles in spermatozoa. This finding demonstrates the origin of nuclear vacuoles in zebrafish spermatozoa for the first time. (4) Nuages are observed in both spermatogonia and spermatocytes. They are connected with the mitochondria and nuclear membrane, and are even located in the perinuclear spaces of spermatogonia nuclei. (5) Mitochondrial morphology and distribution shows diversity in different germ cells. The condensed mitochondria appear in pachytene spermatocytes, and mitochondria including membrane conglomerate exist in both spermatocytes and spermatids. This study was undertaken in order to disclose specific spermatogenic cells features in zebrafish that could be helpful for understanding the correlative function in this model species.     

Spermatozoon of the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus (Rotifera,Monogononta): Advances in morphological and ultrastructural studies

The morphological and ultrastructural features of the spermatozoon in Brachionus calyciflorus are described using light, fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mature spermatozoon, which appears to be thread-like, is composed of a slightly expanded anterior of cell body region and a flagellum region without acrosome. The cell body region and flagellum region are respectively 16–27 μm and 20–33 μm in length (n = 60). The spermatozoon is characterized by a mass of dense tubular materials, which occupy most of the cell. Some mitochondria are distributed around the nuclear region in the anterior of the cell body region, while in the posterior portion of cell body, the chromatin often contains a single lobated nucleus arranged at the center of cell. The flagellum contains the classic axoneme (9 × 2 + 2) and possesses lateral undulating membrane. Mature B. calyciflorus males have no germ cell stages earlier than the spermatids in the testis. TEM examination reveals rigid rods as well as predominant typical spermatozoon in the testis. Observations, based on successive photographs and videos, enabled a first-time recording of the unique inverted movement of the spermatozoon, which indicated that the movement of the spermatozoon is driven by the flagellum. Our study also provides further supplementary insights into the phylogenetic systematics of the Rotifera.     

Sensitivity of nuclear-quadrupole double-resonance detection of half-integer spin nuclei

The sensitivity of the Slusher and Hahn’s nuclear quadrupole double resonance technique is calculated in general for an arbitrary nuclear spin S of the quadrupole nuclei and for an arbitrary asymmetry parameter η of the electric field gradient tensor. The nuclear spin S = 5/2 (¹⁷O, ²⁵Mg, …) is treated in details. The influence of the cross-relaxation rate between the quadrupole nuclei and the abundant spin system on the sensitivity of double resonance is discussed. The results of the theoretical analysis are applied in the analysis of the ¹H–¹⁷O nuclear quadrupole double resonance spectra in p-toluenesulfonamide and 2-nitrobenzoic acid. The 17O nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies from a sulfonamide group are determined for the first time. The proton–oxygen cross-relaxation rates and the proton local frequency in zero external magnetic field are experimentally determined from the nuclear quadrupole double resonance spectra.     

Morphological characterization of the antennal sensilla of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with reference to their probable functions

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most significant economic pests of citrus worldwide. This insect vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening), the most severe disease limiting citrus production worldwide. We examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of male and female D. citri using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined the putative functions of the identified sensilla using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The filiform antennae of D. citri were of the conventional type comprised of a basal scape, pedicel and a long, thread-like flagellum, which is composed of eight flagellomeres. Eleven morphologically unique sensillar types were found and described on the antennae of male and female D. citri. Of those identified, the two apical setae, multiporous types I and II sensilla trichoidea, and the antennal rhinaria were porous and may be involved in perception of host- and mate-related volatile chemicals. However, the aporous types I, II and III sensilla trichoidea may have mechanosensory functions and the chaetica sensilla, cavity sensilla and unidentified uniporous sensilla may be involved in proprioception, thermo-hygroreception and cold detection, respectively. The shape, external morphology and array of sensilla on the antennae of male and female D. citri were similar. The only major difference observed was in the morphology of the short apical setae, whose tips were recessed inward in females but not so in males. The results are discussed in relation to plausible roles of the identified sensilla in mate and host location by this species.     

Characteristics of high energy interactions I. High energy gamma-ray spectra near the top of the atmosphere

An emulsion chamber was used to study the characteristics of high energy nuclear interactions from the production spectra ofγ-rays. The emulsion chamber, which comprised of two parts, namely the detector and the graphite producer unit, was exposed to cosmic rays for about 7 hr at an atmospheric depth of 10 g cm⁻² at Hyderabad (geomagnetic latitude 7·6°N). 720 electromagnetic cascades due toγ-rays were recorded in the detector. These cascades were classified into three groups; (a)γ-rays from nuclear interactions in the detector (b)γ-rays from nuclear interactions in the producer unit and (c)γ-rays of atmospheric origin. The energies of the cascades were determined using photometric method. The spectra ofγ-rays from groups (a) and (c) were determined and compared with similar spectra obtained at greater atmospheric depths. The spectra were found to obey a power law. The spectrum ofγ-rays of atmospheric origin was found to steepen at high energies,E _r>2200 GeV.     

Isospin properties of () reactions for the formation of deeply-bound antikaonic nuclei

The formation of deeply-bound antikaonic nuclear states in nuclear (K⁻,N) reactions is investigated theoretically within a distorted-wave impulse approximation (DWIA), considering the isospin properties of the Fermi-averaged elementary amplitudes. We calculate the formation cross sections of the deeply-bound states by the (K⁻,N) reactions on the nuclear targets, ¹²C and ²⁸Si, at incident K⁻ lab momentum p_K⁻=1.0 GeV/c and θ_lab=0°, introducing a complex effective nucleon number N_eff for unstable bound states in the DWIA. The results show that the deeply-bound states can be populated dominantly by the (K⁻,n) reaction via the total isoscalar ΔT=0 transition owing to the isospin nature of the amplitudes, and that the cross sections described by ReN_eff and ArgN_eff enable to deduce the structure of the nuclear states; the calculated inclusive nucleon spectra for a deep -nucleus potential do not show distinct peak structure in the bound region. The few-body and states formed in (K⁻,N) reactions on s-shell nuclear targets, ³He, ³H and ⁴He, are also discussed.     

Ion detection from beta decay and two-body decay experiments with laser-cooled atoms

Localized and cold samples of atoms produced with laser cooling and trapping techniques are a powerful tool for nuclear β-decay experiments. Recently we have concentrated on measurements of the momentum of the daughter ion produced, which leads to a variety of new observables. Angular distributions of the recoils with respect to the nuclear spin in β ⁺ decay are sensitive to non-standard model interactions. Measurements of the momentum of monoenergetic recoils from either electron capture or isomer γ decay would make it possible to search for particles with masses of 10s of keV.      

Nuclear Spin Alignment and Alignment Correlation Terms in Mass A = 8 System

The pure nuclear spin alignments of ⁸Li and ⁸B were produced from the nuclear spin polarization applying the β-NMR method. The alignment correlation terms in the β-ray angular distribution were observed to test the G parity conservation in the nuclear β decay.     

Nuclear Algebraic Geometry and SO(10)

In this contribution nuclear representations of the Dirac ring, developed over many years, are shown to be a particular case of a theorem in algebraic geometry which at the same time associates them with a Hodge decomposition of a Kaehler manifold. This yields a shape that in some cases is independent of any appeal to a symmetry group. However, because the nuclear representations are in the infinitesimal ring of SO(4) and the internal space of each representation is in a Kaehler (even Calabi-Yau) manifold K; the group SO(10) = SO(4) × K can give additional information. This paper develops the very fruitful symbiosis between algebra and irreducible representations of SO(10) and covers some aspects of string theory.     

Chiral approach to nuclear matter: role of two-pion exchange with virtual delta-isobar excitation

We extend a recent three-loop calculation of nuclear matter by including the effects from two-pion exchange with single and double virtual Δ(1232)-isobar excitation. Regularization dependent short-range contributions from pion-loops are encoded in a few NN-contact coupling constants. The empirical saturation point of isospin-symmetric nuclear matter, , ρ₀=0.16 fm⁻³, can be well reproduced by adjusting the strength of a two-body term linear in density (and tuning an emerging three-body term quadratic in density). The nuclear matter compressibility comes out as K=304 MeV. The real single-particle potential U(p,k_f0) is substantially improved by the inclusion of the chiral πNΔ-dynamics: it grows now monotonically with the nucleon momentum p. The effective nucleon mass at the Fermi surface takes on a realistic value of M^*(k_f0)=0.88M. As a consequence of these features, the critical temperature of the liquid-gas phase transition gets lowered to the value T_c15 MeV. In this work we continue the complex-valued single-particle potential U(p,k_f)+iW(p,k_f) into the region above the Fermi surface p>k_f. The effects of 2π-exchange with virtual Δ-excitation on the nuclear energy density functional are also investigated. The effective nucleon mass associated with the kinetic energy density is . Furthermore, we find that the isospin properties of nuclear matter get significantly improved by including the chiral πNΔ-dynamics. Instead of bending downward above ρ₀ as in previous calculations, the energy per particle of pure neutron matter and the asymmetry energy A(k_f) now grow monotonically with density. In the density regime ρ=2ρ_n<0.2 fm⁻³ relevant for conventional nuclear physics our results agree well with sophisticated many-body calculations and (semi)-empirical values.     

Resonance propagation in heavy-ion scattering

The formalism developed earlier by us for the propagation of a resonance in the nuclear medium in proton-nucleus collisions has been modified to the case of vector boson production in heavy-ion collisions. The formalism includes coherently the contribution to the observed di-lepton production from the decay of a vector boson inside as well as outside the nuclear medium. The medium modification of the boson is incorporated through an energy dependent optical potential. The calculated invariant ρ mass distributions are presented for the ρ-meson production using optical potentials estimated within the VDM and the resonance model. The shift in the invariant mass distribution is found to be small. To achieve the mass shift (of about 200 MeV towards lower mass) as indicated in the high energy heavy-ion collision experiments, an unusually strong optical potential of about −120 MeV is required. We also observe that, for not so heavy nuclear systems and/or for fast moving resonances, the shape, magnitude and peak position of the invariant mass distribution is substantially different if the contributions from the resonance decay inside and outside are summed-up at the amplitude level (coherently) or at the cross section level (incoherently).     

Improved (1s)<Superscript>2</Superscript> variational model for helium

The ground-state energy of neutral helium is estimated variationally with a trial wavefunction of the form ϕ≈e ^−γ(rA/a _o)ⁿe^−γ(rB/a _o)ⁿ. This model represents a modification of traditional textbook examinations of this problem via inclusion of the power “n” as a second nonlinear variational parameter in addition to the usual effective nuclear charge γ and leads to an upper-limit on the ground state energy of −2.86107 E _h (E _h =1 hartree) in comparison with the traditional (n=1) result of −2.84766 E _h . This result represents a reduction of the percentage overestimate from the true ground-state energy (−2.90373 E _h ) of from 1.93 to 1.47. In comparison with the maximum accuracy obtainable from an uncorrelated trial wavefunction, −2.86168 E _h , the present trial wavefunction reduces the percentage overestimate from 0.49 (n=1) to 0.021. The optimum values of (n, γ) are determined to be ≈(0.897, 1.825).     

Structure and ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albitarse Fabricius 1804 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Crabronidae)

The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albitarse is described here for the first time within this genus. Testes and seminal vesicles were dissected and processed for transmission electron microscopy. In the testicular follicles, the spermatids are arranged in a maximum number of 32 for each cyst. The spermatozoa are slender and they measure approximately 150 μm in length. The head is about 17 μm long and is formed by the acrosome and the nucleus. The flagellum consists in an axoneme, two mitochondrial derivatives, two accessory bodies and, at the nucleus–flagellum transition, a symmetric centriolar adjunct. The axoneme presents the typical 9 + 9 + 2 microtubule pattern. In the terminal region, the central microtubules and nine doublets finish first, followed by the accessory microtubules. Both mitochondrial derivatives begin together and are inserted in the base of the centriolar adjunct. Along the middle region, the larger derivative has almost twice the area of the smaller one and includes a discrete paracrystalline region. At the tip, the smaller derivative ends before the larger one and both before the axoneme. The characters derived from the ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of T. albitarse show synapomorphies shared with the Apoidea and present characters that are probably apomorphic for the Crabroninae subfamily.     

Summation of Parquet diagrams as an ab initio method in nuclear structure calculations

In this work we discuss the summation of the Parquet class of diagrams within Green’s function theory as a possible framework for ab initio nuclear structure calculations. The theory is presented and some numerical details are discussed, in particular the approximations employed. We apply the Parquet method to a simple model, and compare our results with those from an exact solution. The main conclusion is that even at the level of approximation presented here, the results shows good agreement with other comparable ab initio approaches.     

制备工艺对Zn1-xMgxO薄膜结构及光学性能的影响

采用脉冲激光沉积（PLD）方法在单晶Si（100）衬底上沿c轴方向生长单晶Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜,通过X射线衍射（XRD）、原子力显微镜（AFM）、扫描电镜（SEM）和荧光光谱（PL）研究了膜厚、Mg含量、退火温度及氧气氛等制备工艺对Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜的结构、形貌和光学性质的影响.实验结果表明,Mg含量x≤0.15时, Zn_{关键词： 1-x}Mg_xO薄膜')" href="#">Zn_1-xMg_xO薄膜 制备工艺 结构 光学性质     

Comparison of XYZ Model Fitting Functions for 111Cd in In3La

The XYZ model describes the interaction between nuclear probes and an electric field gradient that fluctuates among three orthogonal directions. The model presents a means to calculate the perturbation function that represents spectra obtained using perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy. Three analytic approximations of the perturbation function have been developed previously, and they are evaluated in the present paper in the context of Cd jumping among In-lattice sites in In₃La.     

Hyperfine Fields of Sr and Y in Ferromagnetic Hosts, and Magnetic Moment of 93Y

Recent studies of hyperfine fields B _HF of Sr and Y in Fe are briefly reviewed. The B _HF value of Y in Ni is given by NMRON of ^91mYNi. The nuclear magnetic moment of the ground state of ⁹³Y is extracted from the β-ray detected NMRON of ⁹³YFe.     

ZnO纳米线场效应管的制备及I-V特性研究

采用静电探针和原子力探针技术,将化学气相沉积工艺制备的,长度为30—200 μm,直径80—750 nm的单根半导体ZnO纳米线搭接在Au,Zn,Al不同功函的金属隔离沟道两端,构建出了最基本的ZnO纳米线绝缘栅场效应管. 研究了沟道类型、纳米线直径、退火温度和外加栅压对ZnO纳米线场效应管I-V特性的影响. 利用半导体与金属材料的肖特基接触、欧姆接触的产生机理及电子输运理论,对结果进行了分析和讨论. 关键词： ZnO纳米线 场效应管 I-V特性')" href="#">I-V特性