DNA immobilization and SAW response in ZnO nanotips grown on LiNbO3 substrates.

DNA immobilization enhancement is demonstrated in a structure consisting of ZnO nanotips on 128 degrees Y-cut LiNbO3. The ZnO nanotips are grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on the top of a SiO2 layer that is deposited and patterned on the LiNbO3 SAW delay path. The effects of ZnO nanotips on the SAW response are investigated. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are used to analyze the ZnO nanotips, which are of single crystalline quality, and they are uniformly aligned with their c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the ZnO nanotips shows strong near bandedge transition with insignificant deep level emission, confirming their good optical property. DNA immobilization enhancement is experimentally validated by radioactive labeling tests and SAW response changes. The ZnO nanotips enhance the DNA immobilization by a factor of 200 compared to ZnO film with flat surface. DNA hybridization with complementary and noncomplementary second strand DNA oligonucleotides is used to study the selective binding of the structure. This device structure possesses the advantages of both traditional SAW sensors and ZnO nanostructures.     

Quality of Service Networking for High Performance Grid Applications

This paper reports on different efforts to provide quality of service (QoS) Networking to Grid applications done in the context of the MB-NG, GRS and DataTAG EU projects. These are leading edge network research projects involving more that 50 researchers in the UK, Europe and North America, concerned with the development and testing of protocols and standards for the next generation of high speed networks. We have implemented and tested the Differentiated Services Architecture (DiffServ) in a multi-domain, 2.5 Gbits/s network (the first such deployment) defining appropriate Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to be used between administrative domains to guarantee end-to-end Quality of Service. We characterised several hardware implementations of DiffServ and concluded on their appropriateness for several network scenarios. Since current and future Grid applications will have to use modified mechanisms of congestion control we have evaluated old and new TCP implementations over a Differentiated Services Networks. These quality of service tests have also included innovative MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) experiments to establish guaranteed bandwidth connections to Grid applications in a fast and efficient way. We have also developed a software based bandwidth broker architecture for Grids based on IETF standards which allows applications to transparently request dynamic and advanced reservations and implemented it in a real experimental network. We finally report on experiences delivering Quality of Service networking to high performance applications like Particle Physics data transfer and High Performance Computation. This includes quantitative results on the performance improvements that QoS brought to real data transfers in the context of High Performance Computing.     

涡旋式压缩机中的蒸气喷射

这篇论文定量分析了在应用于空调及制冷场合时，在涡旋压缩机中应用蒸气喷射技术带来的潜在优势。蒸气喷射将压缩过程划分为两个阶段，减小压缩机功耗和降低蒸发器吸气流量，从而提高其容量。另外比较了两套均采用涡旋压缩机并且同为三冷吨容量的系统(一套使用蒸气喷射技术而另一套则不使用)。建立了一个多级压缩机模型，考虑了过压缩和欠压缩并根据一个单级系统得到了验证。详细的数学模拟模型预测表明，对于空调系统来说COP将提高约6～8％，而压缩机排量将降低16％。对于制冷装置来说，也能获得类似的好处。     

Enviro-Friendly Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Berberis lycium Leaf Extract and Their Antibacterial Efficacy

In the present study,an enviro-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles from Berberis lycium Royle leaf extract and their antibacterial efficacy against five pathogenic bacteria were investigated.This biosynthesis technique is proved to be advantageous over physical and chemical methods as no toxic chemicals are used.The structural and morphological characterization was made by UV-visible spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and transmission electron microscopy.The synthesized nanoparticles were oval,rectangular,and spherical in shape,size ranges from 8 to 100 nm and exhibited an absorption peak at 458 nm.The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles have shown good antibacterial effect toward tested bacteria.It is believed that these biosynthesized silver nanoparticles can play a vital role in nano-based products in future.     

Impulse Pressure Assisted Diffusion Bonding of Low Carbon Steel Using Silver Interlayer

In the present study, impulse pressure assisted diffusion bonding of low carbon steel was carried out using silver interlayer. To study the influence of input process parameters namely bonding temperature (T), maximum pulse pressure (P), and number of pulses (N), experiments of diffusion bonding were conducted according to the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. To reveal the typical bond interface characteristics, selected samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The EDS analysis revealed a diffusion affected zone at the interface due to the diffusion of silver and iron across the interface. Lap joints were developed to measure the shear strength of the diffusion bonds. The optimum level of bonding temperature, maximum pulse pressure and number of pulses (875 °C, 10 MPa and 10 pulses) were identified. The ANOVA results indicated that bonding temperature had the highest statistical effect of 66.37% on shear strength followed by number of pulses and maximum pulse pressure. The fracture surface of the lap joints was also examined by FESEM and X-ray diffraction analysis.     

Smart-MEMS based inertial measurement units: gyro-free approach to improve the grade

Microsystem Technologies - Inertial measurement units (IMU) are essentially a combination of acceleration and rotation rate sensors, generating position and attitude information. For tactical and...     

Inclusion of poultry based food ingredients in the formulation of noodles and their effects on noodle quality characteristics

Incorporating exogenous proteins into food products is a better practice for improving nutritional attributes of food commodities. In the search for a way to improve the product and nutritional quality of noodles, this study was aimed to evaluate the impact of the incorporation of poultry based ingredients egg yolk powder (EYP) and chicken mincemeat (CMM) in noodles at different levels (5, 10 and 15%, w/w). The incorporated noodles were subjected to evaluation of the cooking, texture, colour, sensory and microstructure properties. The results showed that the incorporation of poultry based food ingredient types and amount influence the nutritional content of noodles. Simultaneously, poultry based ingredients incorporated noodles showed the acceptable firmness and colour charatertistics. Scanning electron micrograph of the incorporated noodles showed the gelatinized starch granules enveloped by protein matrix, and also indicating a better structure as compared to the control. The sensory profile of incorporated noodles was showed significant (p?≤?0.05) high overall quality. The result of this study showed that 10% (w/w) EYP and 15% (w/w) CMM incorporated noodles showed a better overall noodles quality attributes (texture, colour, sensory and microstructure). The results also provide ideas about the inclusion of the appropriate levels of poultry based ingredients (EYP and CMM) with a better sensory and nutritional profile. Therefore, this study may be useful in the food industry for the production of poultry based ingredients noodles with enhanced quality characteristics.     

Effects of feeding bentonite clay upon ochratoxin A–induced immunosuppression in broiler chicks

A presence of mycotoxins in feed is one of the most alarming issues in the poultry feed industry. Ochratoxins, produced by several Aspergillus and Penicillium species, are important mycotoxin regarding the health status of poultry birds. Ochratoxins are further classified into to several subtypes (A, B, C, etc) depending on their chemical structures, but ochratoxin A (OTA) is considered the most important and toxic. Bentonite clay, belonging to phyllosilicates and formed from weathering of volcanic ashes, has adsorbent ability for several mycotoxins. The present study was designed to study the effects of bentonite clay upon OTA-induced immunosuppression in broiler chicks. For this, 480 day-old broiler chicks were procured from a local hatchery and then different combinations of OTA (0.15, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg) and bentonite clay (5, 10, and 20 g/kg) were incorporated into their feed. At 13, 30, and 42 days of age, parameters such as antibody responses to sheep red blood cells, in situ lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen (PHA-P), and in situ phagocytic activity (i.e., via carbon clearance) were determined respectively. The results indicated there was a significant reduction of total antibody and immunoglobulin titres, lymphoproliferative responses, and phagocytic potential in OTA-treated birds, suggesting clear immunosuppression by OTA in birds in a dose-dependent manner. These results were also significantly lower in all combination groups (OTA with bentonite clay), suggesting few to no effects of feeding bentonite clay upon OTA- induced alterations in different immune parameters.     

Misinformed About the Affordable Care Act? Leveraging Certainty to Assess the Prevalence of Misperceptions

According to some recent research, Americans hold a great deal of misinformation about important political issues. However, such investigations treat incorrect answers to quiz questions measuring knowledge as evidence of misinformation. This study instead defines misperceptions as incorrect answers that respondents are confident are correct. Two surveys of representative samples of American adults on the Affordable Care Act reveal that most people were uncertain about the provisions in the law. Confidently held incorrect beliefs were far less common than incorrect answers. Misperceptions were most prevalent on aspects of the law on which elites prominently and persistently made incorrect claims. Furthermore, although Americans appear to have learned about the law between 2010 and 2012, misperceptions on many provisions of the law persisted.     

Cooperative caging and transport using autonomous aquatic surface vehicles

We present a study on the cooperative control of two autonomous surface vehicles performing a caging and transport mission on the water surface. The two vehicles, connected to each other by means of a floating flexible rope, are required to capture a floating target from a given location, and transport it to a designated position. We focus on the coordination and control strategy to meet these requirements, and on its implementation on two under-actuated vehicles. We describe a multi-layered control architecture which achieves the goal, followed by simulation studies and field experiments with the two vehicles caging and transporting a floating target on the surface of a lake.