Detection of complex formation between binuclear iron(III)–peroxide adduct and oligonucleotide by electrospray mass spectrometry

Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI–Mass) gave clear evidence for complex formation between an iron(III) complex and a DNA chain, and also between a binuclear iron(III)–peroxide adduct and a DNA chain.     

Internet access to real equipment at computer architecture laboratories using the java/CORBA paradigm

Laboratory courses in Engineering and Computer Science are not always easy to implement using Internet-based distance education. Simulation has its limits, when compared to working with the real thing (like a computer board). The system we present in this paper provides remote access to real equipment used in a Computer Architecture laboratory. It uses CORBA technology to manage real equipment as just another set of CORBA objects whose operations can be invoked remotely by students. Apart from accessibility advantages for students, there are important benefits for academic institutions. Our system allows different configurations that provide different levels of equipment availability, using fewer resources than a conventional laboratory, and reducing costs. This paper describes our system and its functional architecture, and analyzes economic savings for academic institutions.     

Visual Recognition of Static/Dynamic Gesture: Gesture-Driven Editing System

This paper presents the visual recognition of static gesture (SG) or dynamic gesture (DG). Gesture is one of the most natural interface tools for human–computer interaction (HCI) as well as for communication between human beings. In order to implement a human-like interface, gestures could be recognized using only visual information such as the visual mechanism of human beings; SGs and DGs can be processed concurrently as well. This paper aims at recognizing hand gestures obtained from the visual images on a 2D image plane, without any external devices. Gestures are spotted by a task-specific state transition based on natural human articulation. SGs are recognized using image moments of hand posture, while DGs are recognized by analyzing their moving trajectories on the hidden Markov models (HMMs). We have applied our gesture recognition approach to gesture-driven editing systems operating in real time.     

On the intersection of a set of direction cones

A new method is suggested to compute the intersection of a set of direction cones encountered in the problem of passing a convex polyhedron through a window. The time requirement of this method is (O(nm), where n is the number of vertices of the polyhedron and m is the number of vertices of the window. Besides this time improvement, the concept of parallel congruence, which the new method is crucially based on, is discussed.     

A case for granting legal personality to the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea

ABSTRACT

This article proposes that the Dutch Wadden Sea, a tidal wetland, can be protected by recognizing that it can own itself, in keeping with the emerging international trend of granting rights and legal personality to important ecosystems. Under Dutch law, legal personality could be granted to the Wadden Sea in the form of a ‘natureship’ (natuurschap), a legal form that perfectly fits into the Dutch legal system. The legal objective of the Wadden Sea Natureship could be to focus on maintaining the ecosystem in a healthy condition.     

N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan: An Innovation in New Natural Preservative from Shrimp Shell Waste with a Nutritional Value and Health Orientation

This research has been done to modify chitosan into its derivatives, i.e. N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan. The characterization of chitosan and N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan, which includes analysis using FTIR, SEM, and XRD, showed that the a natural preservative N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan had formed. Our data indicated that addition of N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan to samples of chicken meat could be regarded as a solution to increase fiber contents, resilience of food storage, and stability of nutrients (lowering levels of dry substances), lower ash contents, increase protein contents, keep fat contents, as well as increase levels of Nitrogen-Free Extract. Therefore, we conclude that the N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan can be used as a preservative which also orients towards nutritional values and health.     

Gain characteristics of quantum dot fiber amplifier based on asymmetric tapered fiber coupler

We theoretically analyzed the gain characteristics of an integrated semiconductor quantum dot (QD) fiber amplifier (SQDFA) by using a 2 × 2 tapered fiber coupler with a PbS QD-coated layer. The asymmetric structure of the fiber coupler is designed to have a maximum working bandwidth around 1550-nm band and provide a desired optical power ratio of the output signals. By using 600 mW of 980-nm pump, 10 dB gain of a 1550-nm signal is estimated with the gain efficiency of 4.5 dB/cm.     

Q-switched pulse generation in a bidirectionally pumped EDFL utilizing Lu2O3 as saturable absorber

In this paper, we have successfully demonstrated a Q-switched pulse generation utilizing lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) thin film based saturable absorber (SA) in all-fiber erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) cavity with a bidirectional pumping. The Lu2O3 powder is mixed with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solution before we add polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as our host polymer to make the Lu2O3 into a thin film. By inserting the Lu2O3-PVA thin film into a bidirectional pumped EDFL cavity, a stable Q-switched pulse is realized with repetition rate in a range of rose from 43.67 kHz to 57.74 kHz whereas the pulse width decreased from 14.48 µs to 11.20 µs. This result indicates that the Lu2O3 can be implemented as an SA device in an EDFL as it owns a linear absorption of around 3 dB at 1 567 nm.     

Single-walled carbon nanotubes coated D-shaped fiber for aqueous ethanol detection

In this letter, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) coating was used on the D-shaped silica fiber for ethanol sensing in aqueous solution. The performance of this structure as an ethanol sensor was studied here by monitoring output power variation and wavelength shift with changing ethanol concentration. In the concentration range of 5%—50% of ethanol, the SWCNT coated structure showed an improved sensitivity compared to the uncoated sample. The sensitivity is improved from 0.013 5 dB/% to 0.040 9 dB/% with the coating. The SWCNT coated sample also showed a peak wavelength shift of 0.1 nm with the change of ethanol concentration in the same range.