Rapid crack growth in a thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanical loading

A two-dimensional steady-sate analysis of semi-infinite brittlecrack growth at a constant subcritical rate in an unboundedfully-coupled thermoelastic solid under mixed-mode thermomechanicalloading is made. The loading consists of normal and shear tractionsand heat fluxes applied as point sources (line loads in theout-of-plane direction). A related problem is solved exactly in an integral transformspace, and robust asymptotic forms used to reduce the originalproblem to a set of integral equations. The equations are partiallycoupled and exhibit operators of both Cauchy and Abel types,yet can be solved analytically. The temperature change field at a distance from the moving crackedge is then constructed, and its dominant term is found tobe controlled by the imposed heat fluxes. The role of this termis, indeed, enhanced if the heat fluxes serve to render thecrack as a net heat source/sink for the solid, as opposed tobeing a transmitter of heat across its plane. More generally,the influence of the thermoelastic coupling on this field, aswell as other functions, is found to increase with crack speed.     

Synthetic magnetic opals

We present studies of novel nanocomposites of BiNi impregnated into the structure of opals as well as inverse opals. Atomic force microscopy and high resolution elemental analyses show a highly ordered structure and uniform distribution of the BiNi filler in the matrix. These BiNi-based nanocomposites are found to exhibit distinct ferromagnetic-like ordering with transition temperature of about 675 K. As far as we know there exists no report in literature on any BiNi compound which is magnetic.     

Respiratory adaptations to the deep-sea hydrothermal vent environment: the case of Segonzacia mesatlantica, a crab from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Segonzacia mesatlantica (Crustacea; Decapoda; Brachyura) is the only endemic crab species known from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) hydrothermal vents. Known from all explored sites in the Atlantic, its wide distribution makes this species a model to study physiological adaptation, and specifically respiratory strategies. Native haemocyanin (Hc) comprises four non-covalent associations in equilibrium formed by monomers, hexamers, dodecamers and octadecamers made up of approximately 75 kDa polypeptide chains. Four different amino acid chains are observed with a molecular mass ranging from 75,234 to 75,972 Da. Experiments carried-out under pressure suggested that the percentage of monomer increased in the haemolymph under hypoxic condition. We have also observed a shift of the proportion of the two dodecamer series, suggesting a rapid modification of the Hc phenotype between hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions. Native Hc possesses a high oxygen affinity ( P50 = 2.2 Torr at 15 degrees C and pH 7.5), a large Bohr effect (Deltalog P50 / DeltapH approximately -2.7) and a slightly reverse temperature effect (DeltaH = +17.19 kJ mol(-1). The composition of Segonzacia haemolymph is similar to that of other littoral species except for the large enrichment in free copper and zinc. As for other species from hydrothermal vent sites, Segonzacia haemolymph possesses a higher buffer capacity than littoral species. Moreover, species from the hydrothermal vent decapods from Pacific hydrothermal vent that encounter higher CO2 content in their environment have a higher buffer capacity than Atlantic vent species. The results presented are discussed in relation with the physico-chemical characteristics of the hydrothermal vent environment.     

First access to live alvinellas

The deep-sea vent worm Alvinella pompejana is a biological enigma, regarding the adaptative features that allow it to prosper in the harsh environment of hydrothermal chimney walls (East Pacific Rise). Moreover, attempts to maintain this invertebrate alive following recovery (2600?m depth) have so far failed, thus forbidding in vivo laboratory studies. For the first time, it is shown that most of the specimens reach the surface alive, as witnessed by video monitoring of these animals after native pressure conditions have been restored. Furthermore, some individuals may show active behaviour at least 20?h after recovery, under controlled temperature and oxygen level conditions. These promising results open up a new field of investigation, and call for a major breakthrough towards our understanding of A. pompejana's biology, in the near future.     

High Pressure Luminescence Study of KTbP 2 Se 6

Many deep-sea organisms need hydrostatic pressure for their survival. Thus, when retrieved from their natural environment for biological studies that cannot be conducted at the bottom of ocean, they must be returned to high pressure using appropriate pressure vessels. Our studies of organisms living at deep-sea hydrothermal vents lead us to develop such pressure vessels. Here, we present a system of small pressure reactors that were specifically conceived for the study of embryonic development, but may be also used for the study of small organisms, larvae, cells or bacteria. The system consists of two reactors fed by a common pressure line which can be manipulated separately using a set of valves. It is possible to carry out different operations (renewal of water, sampling) without depressurizing the reactors, a feature which proves crucial when carrying out long-term development experiments (over several days). The system has special chambers equipped with sapphire windows that allow the observation of embryos under pressure using a standard optical microscope. Using this system, we studied for the first time the embryonic development of Alvinella pompejana, one of the most intriguing species colonizing the hydrothermal vents.     

Polymerase chain reaction technology as analytical tool in agricultural biotechnology

The agricultural biotechnology industry applies polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology at numerous points in product development. Commodity and food companies as well as third-party diagnostic testing companies also rely on PCR technology for a number of purposes. The primary use of the technology is to verify the presence or absence of genetically modified (GM) material in a product or to quantify the amount of GM material present in a product. This article describes the fundamental elements of PCR analysis and its application to the testing of grains. The document highlights the many areas to which attention must be paid in order to produce reliable test results. These include sample preparation, method validation, choice of appropriate reference materials, and biological and instrumental sources of error. The article also discusses issues related to the analysis of different matrixes and the effect they may have on the accuracy of the PCR analytical results.     

The use of FT-IR as a screening technique for organic residue analysis of archaeological samples

A range of archaeological samples have been examined using FT-IR spectroscopy. These include suspected coprolite samples from the Neolithic site of Catalh?yük in Turkey, pottery samples from the Roman site of Silchester, UK and the Bronze Age site of Gatas, Spain and unidentified black residues on pottery sherds from the Roman sites of Springhead and Cambourne, UK. For coprolite samples the aim of FT-IR analysis is identification. Identification of coprolites in the field is based on their distinct orange colour; however, such visual identifications can often be misleading due to their similarity with deposits such as ochre and clay. For pottery the aim is to screen those samples that might contain high levels of organic residues which would be suitable for GC-MS analysis. The experiments have shown coprolites to have distinctive spectra, containing strong peaks from calcite, phosphate and quartz; the presence of phosphorus may be confirmed by SEM-EDX analysis. Pottery containing organic residues of plant and animal origin has also been shown to generally display strong phosphate peaks. FT-IR has distinguished between organic resin and non-organic compositions for the black residues, with differences also being seen between organic samples that have the same physical appearance. Further analysis by GC-MS has confirmed the identification of the coprolites through the presence of coprostanol and bile acids, and shows that the majority of organic pottery residues are either fatty acids or mono- or di-acylglycerols from foodstuffs, or triterpenoid resin compounds exposed to high temperatures. One suspected resin sample was shown to contain no organic residues, and it is seen that resin samples with similar physical appearances have different chemical compositions. FT-IR is proposed as a quick and cheap method of screening archaeological samples before subjecting them to the more expensive and time-consuming method of GC-MS. This will eliminate inorganic samples such as clays and ochre from GC-MS analysis, and will screen those samples which are most likely to have a high concentration of preserved organic residues.     

Functional neural network analysis in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease using EEG and graph theory

Background  

Although a large body of knowledge about both brain structure and function has been gathered over the last decades, we still have a poor understanding of their exact relationship. Graph theory provides a method to study the relation between network structure and function, and its application to neuroscientific data is an emerging research field. We investigated topological changes in large-scale functional brain networks in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) by means of graph theoretical analysis of resting-state EEG recordings. EEGs of 20 patients with mild to moderate AD, 15 FTLD patients, and 23 non-demented individuals were recorded in an eyes-closed resting-state. The synchronization likelihood (SL), a measure of functional connectivity, was calculated for each sensor pair in 0.5–4 Hz, 4–8 Hz, 8–10 Hz, 10–13 Hz, 13–30 Hz and 30–45 Hz frequency bands. The resulting connectivity matrices were converted to unweighted graphs, whose structure was characterized with several measures: mean clustering coefficient (local connectivity), characteristic path length (global connectivity) and degree correlation (network 'assortativity'). All results were normalized for network size and compared with random control networks.