Numerical simulation of DNA sample preconcentration in microdevice electrophoresis

A numerical model is presented for the accurate and efficient prediction of preconcentration and transport of DNA during sample introduction and injection in microcapillary electrophoresis. The model incorporates conservation laws for the different buffer ions, salt ions, and DNA sample, coupled through a Gaussian electric field to account for the field modifications that cause electromigration. The accuracy and efficiency required to capture the physics associated with such a complex transient problem are realized by the use of the finite element-flux corrected transport (FE-FCT) algorithm in two dimensions. The model has been employed for the prediction of DNA sample preconcentration and transport during electrophoresis in a double-T injector microdevice. To test its validity, the numerical results have been compared with the corresponding experimental data under similar conditions, and excellent agreement has been found. Finally, detailed results from a simulation of DNA sample preconcentration in electrophoretic microdevices are presented using as parameters the electric field strength and the other species concentrations. The effect of the Tris concentration on sample stacking is also investigated. These results demonstrate the great potential offered by the model for future optimization of such microchip devices with respect to significantly enhanced speed and resolution of sample separation.     

Influence of age-hardening and strain-rate on confined compression and shear behaviour of snow

The problem of assessing mobility performance of tracked or wheeled vehicles over snow is addressed in terms of the capability of the snow to provide flotation and traction capabilities. To obtain input into analyses for energy transfer from the traction element to the supporting snow cover, it is necessary to describe confined compression and shear performances of the snow—recognizing that a large density increase occurs under initial attack of the vehicle traction element. This study provides experimental input and diagrams of energy surfaces describing confined compressive and shear effects related to snow age and initial density.     

Magnetic domain wall creep in the presence of an effective interlayer coupling field

We investigate thermally activated domain wall creep in a system consisting of two ultrathin Co layers with perpendicular anisotropy coupled antiferromagnetically through a 4 nm thick Pt spacer layer. The field driven dynamics of domain walls in the softer Co layer have been measured while keeping the harder Co layer negatively saturated. The effect of the interlayer interaction on the soft layer is interpreted in terms of an effective coupling field, _HJ$H_J$, which results in an asymmetry between the domain wall speeds measured under positive and negative driving fields. We show that creep theory remains valid to describe the observed wall motion when the effective coupling field is included in the creep velocity law as a component of the total field acting on the wall. Using the resultant modified creep expression, we determine a value for the effective coupling field which is consistent with that measured from the shift of the soft layer's minor hysteresis loop. The net antiferromagnetic coupling is attributed to a combination of RKKY and orange-peel coupling.     

Symmetry breaking and restoration in Lifshitz type theories

We consider the one-loop effective potential at zero and finite temperature in scalar field theories with anisotropic space-time scaling. For z=2, there is a symmetry breaking term induced at one loop at zero temperature and we find symmetry restoration through a first-order phase transition at high temperature. For z=3, we considered at first the case with a positive mass term at tree level and found no symmetry breaking effects induced at one loop, and then we study the case with a negative mass term at tree level where we cannot conclude about symmetry restoration effects at high temperature because of the imaginary parts that appear in the effective potential for small values of the scalar field.     

Expansion and relaxation of magnetic mirror domains in a Pt/Co/Pt/Co/Pt multilayer with antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling

We detail measurements of field-driven expansion and zero-field relaxation of magnetic mirror domains in antiferromagnetically coupled perpendicularly magnetized ultrathin Co layers. The zero-field stability of aligned ('mirror') domains in such systems results from non-homogeneous dipolar stray fields which exist in the vicinity of the domain walls. During field-driven domain expansion, we evidence a separation of the domain walls which form the mirror domain boundary. However, the walls realign, thereby reforming a mirror domain, if their final separation is below a critical distance at the end of the field pulse. This critical distance marks the point at which the effective net interaction between the walls changes from attractive to repulsive.     

Covariability and climatic changes of the lower-troposphere temperatures over the Northern Hemisphere

Summary The covariability and the long-term fluctuation of the lowertroposphere temperatures is studied, applying factor analysis on grid point (1000÷500) hPa thickness data for the Northern Hemisphere. About 30 factors were retained and rotated for each season and year, but only about half of them were found to be significant. The grouping of the grid points according to the factor loadings has been mainly influenced by the land and sea distribution. Three teleconnections were found only, one in winter and two in summer. The winter one is a see-saw phenomenon between West Asia and North-West Scandinavia. In summer, the British Isles were found to covary with East Canada and the same is the case for almost all the subtropical deserts. The study of the factor scores revealed that the recent warming of the Earth’s surface in the lower troposphere appears over the continents only.     

Neck propagation in polyethylene

Intrinsic true stress–true strain response was evaluated at room temperature for three linear polyethylene samples deformed in conventional tensile tests. It was observed that high crystallinity is associated with a low rate of strain hardening that results in a sharp neck and a large drop in nominal stress. The maximum and minimum deformation loads are accounted for by Considère's analysis of neck initiation and stabilization, respectively. Following stabilization, neck propagation occurs at a load or nominal stress that is lower than the yield stress. The jump analysis of Ericksen and Hutchinson/Neale predicts steady state neck propagation stresses that are in very good (ca. 10%) agreement with experiment. Although the jump analysis is done in terms of uniaxial stress, the actual value of the propagation stress is established by the triaxial stress state in the neck shoulders. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2081–2091, 2004     

Mesoporous Activated Carbon from Agricultural Byproducts

 Several different activated carbons have been prepared, from olive stones, solvent-extracted olive pulp and peach stones. Both a two-step procedure, carbonization followed by steam activation, and a single-step procedure, carbonization and activation in a single stage, have been applied at temperatures from 770 to 850 °C. The effect of such variables as heating rate during carbonization and activation, final temperature, soaking time and starting material, on the development of pore structure, have been investigated. Porosity and surface area have been evaluated by adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K. Mesoporosity and macroporosity were determined by mercury porosimetry. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed useful information on the surface texture and structure respectively. Two-step physical activation of olive stones, with steam, yielded mesoporous structures. Extended time of activation favoured mesopore development. The parent olive stones showed the most homogeneous surfaces. All the activated carbons prepared were amorphous. Their well-developed porosity and large surface area combined with their chemical composition render the activated carbons from agricultural by-products an attractive product.     

A secretory phospholipase A2-mediated neuroprotection and anti-apoptosis

Background  

Phospholipase A₂ liberates free fatty acids and lysophospholipids upon hydrolysis of phospholipids and these products are often associated with detrimental effects such as inflammation and cerebral ischemia. The neuroprotective effect of neutral phospholipase from snake venom has been investigated.