Molecular Cloning and Functional Characterization of Mannose Receptor in Zebra Fish (Danio rerio) during Infection with Aeromonas sobria

Mannose receptor (MR) is a member of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs), which plays a significant role in immunity responses. Much work on MR has been done in mammals and birds while little in fish. In this report, a MR gene (designated as zfMR) was cloned from zebra fish (Danio rerio), which is an attractive model for the studies of animal diseases. The full-length cDNA of zfMR contains 6248 bp encoding a putative protein of 1428 amino acids. The predicted amino acid sequences showed that zfMR contained a cysteine-rich domain, a single fibronectin type II (FN II) domain, eight C-type lectin-like domains (CTLDs), a transmembrane domain and a short C-terminal cytoplasmic domain, sharing highly conserved structures with MRs from the other species. The MR mRNA could be detected in all examined tissues with highest level in kidney. The temporal expression patterns of MR, IL-1β and TNF-α mRNAs were analyzed in the liver, spleen, kidney and intestine post of infection with Aeromonas sobria. By immunohistochemistry assay, slight enhancement of MR protein was also observed in the spleen and intestine of the infected zebra fish. The established zebra fish-A. sobria infection model will be valuable for elucidating the role of MR in fish immune responses to infection.     

Fatigue properties of hemp and glass fiber composites

The fatigue properties of nonwoven randomly oriented short hemp fiber mat and chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fiber reinforced polyester composites have been studied, mainly in tension–tension mode. Despite having poorer absolute fatigue strength, the hemp fiber composites exhibited less fatigue sensitivity as compared with the CSM glass fiber composites in tension–tension fatigue. This could be correlated with the lower stiffness degradation observed during fatigue of the hemp fiber composites as compared with the glass fiber composites at the same normalized peak stress levels. Also, images recorded during fatigue loading showed that the hemp fiber composites were better at resisting crack formation and growth than the glass fiber composites. These results suggest that hemp fiber composites have the potential to replace glass fiber composites in applications where components are subjected to fatigue loads but the stress levels are of moderate value. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1926–1934, 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Analysing the patterns of spatial contrast discontinuities in natural images for robust edge detection

Pattern Analysis and Applications - The pattern of spatial contrast discontinuities in natural images has been analysed in the present work, and based on it, a new adaptive model of the...     

Studies in isodielectric media Part—I. Standard potentials of the silver—silver chloride electrode in dimethyl formamide + ethylene glycol mixtures at 25°C

Standard potentials (_sE^s) of the silver—silver chloride electrode have been determined at 25°C in some approximately isodielectric media containing ethylene glycol (EG) and 10, 30 and 50% by weight of N-N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) from emf measurements performed on the cell: H₂ (g, 1 atm)/HCl (m). solvent/AgClAg. From these values the activity coefficients (^s_sγ) of HCl at several concentration in each of the mixed solvents and the standard Gibbs energies of transfer (ΔG⁰_t) of HCl from EG to the mixed solvents have been computed. Comparison of the observed ΔG⁰_t (HCl)-composition profile with those for three other related solvent systems studied earlier, reveals that the observed profile results from the opposing effects of the larger proton-accepting and the pronounced anion-desolvating propensities of DMF and its glycolic mixtures compared to pure EG and that the increased stabilization of proton is superseded by the increased desolvation of Cl^? at higher proportions of DMF.     

Enhanced removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution using polypyrrole/Fe3O4 magnetic nanocomposite

Fe(3)O(4) coated polypyrrole (PPy) magnetic nanocomposite was prepared via in situ polymerization of pyrrole monomer for the removal of highly toxic Cr(VI). Structure and morphology of the prepared nanocomposite were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray diffraction pattern, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Electron spin resonance (ESR) studies confirmed that the nanocomposite is magnetic in nature. Up to 100% adsorption was found with 200mg/L Cr(VI) aqueous solution at pH 2. Adsorption of Cr(VI) on the surface of the adsorbent was confirmed by the ATR-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS studies also suggested that ion exchange and reduction on the surface of the nanocomposite may be the possible mechanism for Cr(VI) removal by the PPy/Fe(3)O(4) nanocomposite. Adsorption results showed that Cr(VI) removal efficiency by the nanocomposite decreased with an increase in pH. Adsorption kinetics was best described by the pseudo-second-order rate model. Isotherm data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm model. Thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous in nature. Desorption experiment showed that in spite of the very poor recovery of the adsorbed Cr(VI); the regenerated adsorbent can be reused successfully for two successive adsorption-desorption cycles without appreciable loss of its original capacity.     

Synthesis and characterization of a new photochromic alkylene sulfide derivative

A process has been developed for the synthesis of a new photochromic alkylene sulfide derivative. The process involves the synthesis of an alkylene sulfide with terminal free amino groups and a novel unsymmetrical photochromic diarylperfluorocyclopentene containing an aldehyde group, which coupled together to produce the corresponding Schiff base. The structures of the products were confirmed by a range of spectroscopic techniques.     

Scheduling∕Cost Optimization and Neural Dynamics Model for Construction

A general mathematical formulation is presented for the scheduling of construction projects and is applied to the problem of highway construction scheduling. Repetitive and nonrepetitive tasks, work continuity constraints, multiple-crew strategies, and the effects of varying job conditions on the performance of a crew can be modeled. An optimization formulation is presented for the construction project scheduling problem, with the goal of minimizing the direct construction cost. The nonlinear optimization is then solved by the neural dynamics model developed recently by Adeli and Park. For any given construction duration, the model yields the optimum construction schedule for minimum construction cost automatically. By varying the construction duration, one can solve the cost-duration trade-off problem and obtain the global optimum schedule and the corresponding minimum construction cost. The new construction scheduling model provides the capabilities of both the critical path method (CPM) and linear scheduling method (LSM) approaches. In addition, it provides features desirable for repetitive projects, such as highway construction, and allows schedulers greater flexibility. It is particularly suitable for studying the effects of change order on the construction cost. This research provides the mathematical foundation for development of a new generation of more general, flexible, and accurate construction scheduling systems.     

Analysis of Resistive Open Defects in Drowsy SRAM Cells

New fault behaviors can emerge with the introduction of a drowsy mode to SRAMs. In this work, we show that, in addition to the data-retention faults that can occur during the drowsy mode, open defects in SRAM cells can also result in new fault behaviors when a memory is accessed immediately after wake-up. We first describe these new read-after-drowsy (RAD) fault behaviors and derive their corresponding fault primitives (FPs). Then, we propose a new March test, called March RAD, by inserting drowsy operations to a traditional test algorithm. Finally, the impact of the standby supply voltage on triggering the drowsy faults in SRAM cells is investigated. It is shown that, as the supply voltage is reduced in the drowsy mode to further cut down leakage, open defects with a parasitic resistance as small as 100 K Ω begin to cause faults.     

Modeling of failure mode of laser welds in lap-shear specimens of HSLA steel sheets

Failure mode of laser welds in lap-shear specimens of high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel sheets is investigated in this paper. The experiments for laser welds in lap-shear specimens under quasi-static loading conditions are briefly reviewed first. The experimental results showed that the laser welds failed in a ductile necking/shear failure mode and the ductile failure was initiated at a distance away from the crack tip near the boundary of the base metal and heat affected zone. In order to understand the failure mode of these welds, finite element analyses under plane strain conditions were conducted to identify the effects of the different plastic behaviors of the base metal, heat affected zone, and weld zone as well as the weld geometry on the ductile failure. The results of the reference finite element analysis based on the homogenous material model show that the failure mode is most likely to be a middle surface shear failure mode in the weld. The results of the finite element analysis based on the multi-zone non-homogeneous material models show that the higher effective stress–plastic strain curves of the weld and heat affected zones and the geometry of the weld protrusion result in the necking/shear failure mode in the load carrying sheet. The results of another finite element analysis based on the non-homogeneous material model and the Gurson yield function for porous materials indicate that the consideration of void nucleation and growth is necessary to identify the ductile failure initiation site that matches well with the experimental observations. Finally, the results of this investigation indicate that the failure mode of the welds should be examined carefully and the necking/shear failure mode needs to be considered for development of failure or separation criteria for welds under more complex loading conditions.