Parameter and moment bounds for a nonlinear stochastic ecology model

A differential equation model of a marine ecosystem is formulated as a stochastic process. The ecosystem is modeled by considering the random exchange of a chemical nutrient between three components of the ecosystem. The Chapman-Kolmogorov equations and the moment or cumulant generating functions for the process are derived to examine analytically the behavior of the moments of the process. Through the use of differential inequalities, bounds on the exchange rate parameters are derived to reflect component extinction. Bounds on the moments of the process are also obtained.     

New complex transition metal carbides formed on an electron microscope heating stage

Particles shown to be complex carbides of copper. nickel, molybdenum.tungsten. gold, silver and titanium along with carbides of the elements in stainless steel, were formed on an electron microscope heating stage. These particles were observed to form on thin carbon films coating the electron microscope grids of the metals listed above. The d-spacings measured for these particles are essentially the same as those that are observed with a mixture of the complex carbides of general formula M₆C and M₂₃C₆. Electron microprobe analysis was performed on the particles formed in the microscope. and the analysis confirmed the presence of the respective metals within the particles. In general, the various metal carbides were observed to form at different temperatures on different metal grids.     

Super-helix formation induced by cyanine J-aggregates onto random-coil carboxymethyl amylose as template

The J-aggregation of Cyanine-1dye in the presence of carboxymethyl amylose (CMA) is described. The J-aggregation requires a large excess CMA concentration; the J-band maximum appears in the concentration range, [CMA]/[dye] = 10-50, depending on the degree of substitution (DS) of carboxylation, where [CMA] is the concentration of polymer repeat units. An extraordinarily large induced circular dichroism (CD) is observed from J-aggregates of the achiral cyanine dye in association with a random coil CMA, suggesting that the CMA is transformed into a helix. The magnitude of CD intensity increases with increasing DS of CMA and pH up to neutral (where a maximum J-aggregation occurs), while the CMA-bound dye monomer and H-aggregates (occurring at pH > or = 9) exhibit no induced CD. The trend in the CD intensity (of the J-aggregates) is in parallel with the fluorescence intensity of the J-aggregates. This suggests that binding of the J-aggregates onto the template CMA is sterically controlled by the asymmetric environment of glucose residues (of CMA) so that more twisting power is exerted with increasing DS (of CMA), rendering the cyanine dye/CMA complex a more rigid (a high fluorescence intensity) super-helix. This is also revealed by the AFM image of a long strand.     

萃取色层分离测定含铀腐蚀液中6种元素的方法研究——ICP-AES

采用萃取色层分离电感耦合等离子体-原子发射光谱法(ICP-AES)测定含铀腐蚀液中Cr、Te、Sr、Ru、Rh、Ce 6种元素,腐蚀液试样中铀用HNO3转化为硝酸铀酰后,经过CL-TBP萃淋树脂分离,一次性使基体铀与待测元素分离,测定铀化合物样品中6种元素的质量分数.并对影响测定的各种因素进行了较详细的试验研究,确定了测定的最佳条件.方法平均回收率在84.8%-112.6%之间,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=6)优于士10%.     

Packing density of HS(CH2)(n)COOH self-assembled monolayers

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of HS(CH(2))(n)COOH, n = 5, 10, 15 deposited from ethanol solution onto gold are prepared by five approaches, and their packing densities are evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. The five approaches are: (1) direct deposition; (2) acetic-acid-assisted deposition; (3) butyl-amine-assisted deposition; (4) displacement of a preformed HS(CH(2))(n)CH(3) (n = 5, 10, 15) SAMs; and (5) co-deposition with HS(CH(2))(n)CH(3) (n = 5, 10, 15). Packing density metrics are calculated from measurements of SAM and substrate photoemission intensities and their attenuations by two methods. In one case the attenuated photoemissions are expressed as a ratio relative to comparable measurements on an experimental HS(CH(2))(n)CH(3) model system. In the other case a new method is introduced where a calculated attenuation based on theoretical random coil and extended chain models is used as the reference to determine a packing density fraction. Packing densities are also correlated with the S2p(Au-bonded):Au4f peak area ratios and with shifts in the C1s binding energies. SAMs prepared by the direct deposition are a partial multilayer where a second molecular layer is physisorbed onto the SAM and not removable by solvent washing. The addition of acetic acid to the deposition solution disrupts dimer associations of HS(CH(2))(n)COOH in solution and at the surface of the monolayer and yields the most ordered monolayer with the highest density of -COOH groups. The addition of butyl amine results in a labile ammonium carbonate ion pair formation but results in a lower packing density in the SAM. The displacement of the preformed HS(CH(2))(n)CH(3) SAM and the co-deposition of HS(CH(2))(n)CH(3) with HS(CH(2))(n)COOH result in SAMs with little incorporation of the -COOH component.     

Exploration of the relationship between topology and designability of conformations

Protein structures are evolutionarily more conserved than sequences, and sequences with very low sequence identity frequently share the same fold. This leads to the concept of protein designability. Some folds are more designable and lots of sequences can assume that fold. Elucidating the relationship between protein sequence and the three-dimensional (3D) structure that the sequence folds into is an important problem in computational structural biology. Lattice models have been utilized in numerous studies to model protein folds and predict the designability of certain folds. In this study, all possible compact conformations within a set of two-dimensional and 3D lattice spaces are explored. Complementary interaction graphs are then generated for each conformation and are described using a set of graph features. The full HP sequence space for each lattice model is generated and contact energies are calculated by threading each sequence onto all the possible conformations. Unique conformation giving minimum energy is identified for each sequence and the number of sequences folding to each conformation (designability) is obtained. Machine learning algorithms are used to predict the designability of each conformation. We find that the highly designable structures can be distinguished from other non-designable conformations based on certain graphical geometric features of the interactions. This finding confirms the fact that the topology of a conformation is an important determinant of the extent of its designability and suggests that the interactions themselves are important for determining the designability.     

Simulation of a nonlinear stochastic ecology model

A nonlinear ecological system model is formulated as a stochastic process. The formulation traces a chemical nutrient as it undergoes random exchanges between the phytoplankton, the zooplankton, and the euphotic zone of an aquatic ecosystem. The Chapman-Kolmogorov equations are derived, and simulation techniques are used to study both single realizations and the statistical parameters which govern the system.     

Enantioselectivity of structurally modified poly(sodium undecenoyl-L-leucinate) by insertion of Triton X-102 surfactant molecules

The effectiveness of Triton X-102 (TX-102), as a structural modifier of the polymeric surfactant sodium undecanoyl-L-leucinate (L-SUL) was investigated for enhanced enantiomeric recognition of various chiral compounds in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). Increasing concentrations of TX-102 were separately added into the micellar solutions of L-SUL and then polymerized to form poly-L-SUL. The resulting polymers were purified by use of 3500 molecular-weight-cutoff (MWCO) dialysis membranes. Fluorescence and pulsed field gradient-nuclear magnetic resonance (PFG-NMR) techniques were used to elucidate the structural effects of TX-102 on poly-L-SUL. Evaluation of data from fluorescence measurements suggested an increase in polarity with increasing concentration of TX-102. However, the polarity decreased at higher concentrations of TX-102. Evaluation of data from PFG-NMR suggested an increase in hydrodynamic radius upon increasing the concentration of TX-102. The racemates of coumarinic and phenythiohydantoin amino acid derivatives, and pindolol were used as test analytes in MEKC. A notable increase in resolution and capacity factors of the test analytes was observed when the modified poly-L-SUL was used in MEKC measurements. Examination of the data obtained from fluorescence, PFG-NMR, and MEKC suggests a strong correlation between the polarity and the hydrodynamic radii of TX-102 modified micelles and the enantiomeric resolution of the test analytes.