Morphology and kinetics of the hamster sperm acrosome reaction

The morphology and kinetics of the normal acrosome reaction were examined in vitro using hamster sperm incubated in detoxified sera. The reaction involved either swelling and elevation or crenulation and fragmentation of the acrosomal cap. Swelling and elevation occurred during both normal and degenerative reactions, as reported by others. Crenulation with subsequent fragmentation of the cap was observed during normal reactions. Early crenulation of the acrosome could be induced by cold shock (5 degrees C, 25 minutes), but this did not decrease the incubation time required (at 37 degrees C) for completion of the normal reaction. In appropriate sera, the occurrence of normal and degenerative acrosome reactions in motile sperm was significantly separated in time to study the reactions independently. The duration of the normal reaction, i.e., the time between the first morphological change in the acrosome (initiation)until the actual detachment of the cap (termination) was estimated to be 20 minutes. Saline dilution of these sera delayed initiation of the reaction and increased the duration of the reaction once it had started. Data from cold-shock and serum dilution experiments indicate that the mechanisms which govern the initiation and termination of the normal reaction are independently variable, and further suggest that initiation involves a change in membrane permeability and that termination includes membrane vesiculation.     

Generalized Definite Set Constraints

Set constraints (SC) are logical formulae in which atoms are inclusions between set expressions. Those set expressions are built over a signature , variables and various set operators. On a semantical point of view, the set constraints are interpreted over sets of trees built from and the inclusion symbol is interpreted as the subset relation over those sets. By restricting the syntax of those formulae and/or the set of operators that can occur in set expressions, different classes of set constraints are obtained. Several classes have been proposed and studied for some problems such as satisfiability and entailment. Among those classes, we focus in this article on the class of definite SC's introduced by Heintze and Jaffar, and the class of co-definite SC's studied by Charatonik and Podelski. In spite of their name, those two classes are not dual from each other, neither through inclusion inversion nor through complementation. In this article, we propose an extension for each of those two classes by means of an intentional set construction, so called membership expression. A membership expression is an expression {x| (x)}. The formula (x) is a positive first-order formula built from membership atomst in S in which S is a set expression. We name those two classes respectively generalized definite and generalized co-definite set constraints. One of the main point concerning those so-extended classes is that the two generalized classes turn out to be dual through complementation. First, we prove in this article that generalized definite set constraints is a proper extension of the definite class, as it is more expressive in terms of sets of solutions. But we show also that those extensions preserve some main properties of the definite and co-definite class. Hence for instance, as definite set constraints, generalized definite SC's have a least solution whereas the generalized co-definite SC's have a greatest solution, just as co-definite ones. Furthermore, we devise an algorithm based on tree automata that solves the satisfiability problem for generalized definite set constraints. Due to the dualization, the algorithm solves the satisfiability problem for generalized co-definite set constraints as well. This algorithm proves first that for those generalized classes, the satisfiability problem remains DEXPTIME-complete. It provides also a proof for regularity of the least solution of generalized definite constraints and so, by dualization for the greatest solution for the generalized co-definite SC's.     

Heavy metal removal from water using the metallogelation properties of a new glycolipid biosurfactant

Water pollution by heavy metals is a problem in both western and developing countries. Heavy metal pollution can be associated with human activity, such as wastewaters from processing of ore mining, but also to simple contamination from metal-rich soils. Whichever the case, chemical and physical methods are generally employed to depollute water. Since most chemicals are themselves polluting agents, there is an increasing interest in finding biobased and biodegradable alternative chemicals, both efficient in removing metals and benign to the environment. Biosurfactants are green chemicals produced by fermentation of yeasts and bacteria and with a good environmental score. Among many applications, this class of compounds has been used to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils. Within this framework, we propose a new mechanism of depolluting water using a glucolipid biosurfactant, G-C18:1, composed of glucose (G) and a C18:1 fatty acid (oleic acid). This compound is able to form a metallogel by complexing cations in water, thus trapping heavy metals (Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cr²⁺, and Co²⁺) in the gel phase. This mechanism allows to remove up to 95% for cobalt and 88 ± 10%, 80 ± 3%, and 59 ± 6% for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cr²⁺, respectively. A dedicated structural study shows that this is possible because positively charged species induce gelation of G-C18:1 through a micelle-to-wormlike phase transition, most likely driven by a charge neutralization process. This work shows that wise control of the nanoscale properties of green chemicals can strongly benefit to develop a sustainable future.     

Evaluation of molecular methods used for establishing the interactions and functions of microorganisms in anaerobic bioreactors

Molecular techniques have unveiled the complexity of the microbial consortium in anaerobic bioreactors and revealed the presence of several uncultivated species. This paper presents a review of the panoply of classical and recent molecular approaches and multivariate analyses that have been, or might be used to establish the interactions and functions of these anaerobic microorganisms. Most of the molecular approaches used so far are based on the analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA but recent studies also use quantification of functional gene expressions. There are now several studies that have developed quantitative real-time PCR assays to investigate methanogens. With a view to improving the stability and performance of bioreactors, monitoring with molecular methods is also discussed. Advances in metagenomics and proteomics will lead to the development of promising lab-on chip technologies for cost-effective monitoring.     

Optimization of deposition uniformity for large-aperture National Ignition Facility substrates in a planetary rotation system

Multilayer coatings on large substrates with increasingly complex spectral requirements are essential for a number of optical systems, placing stringent requirements on the error tolerances of individual layers. Each layer must be deposited quite uniformly over the entire substrate surface since any nonuniformity will add to the layer-thickness error level achieved. A deposition system containing a planetary rotation system with stationary uniformity masking is modeled, with refinements of the planetary gearing, source placement, and uniformity mask shape being utilized to achieve an optimal configuration. The impact of improper planetary gearing is demonstrated theoretically, as well as experimentally, providing more comprehensive requirements than simply avoiding repetition of previous paths through the vapor plume, until all possible combinations of gear teeth have been used. Deposition efficiency and the impact of changing vapor plume conditions on the uniformity achieved are used to validate improved source placement. Uniformity measurements performed on a mapping laser photometer demonstrate nonuniformities of less than 0.5% for 0.75 m optics in a 72 in. (1.8 m) coating chamber.     

Fast index assignment algorithm for vector quantisation over noisytransmission channels

Vector quantisation, a widely used technique in low bit rate coding of speech signals, is highly sensitive to errors in the transmitted codeword caused by noise in the transmission channel. The authors describe an efficient index assignment algorithm, based on Hall's solution to the quadratic assignment problem, used to re-order the codebook such that the effect of transmission errors is minimised     

制动工况下圆盘/摩擦衬块接触面间动态压力中心的测量(二)

本文阐明了活塞尾端或内侧,摩擦衬块在制动产生听觉可分辨的噪声方面的影响.采用独特的技术测量常态制动工况下摩擦衬块/圆盘接触面间的动态中心压力(Cop).该新技术采用一个在摩擦衬块内嵌入压力感敏膜.本文还提出了摩擦衬块/卡钳接触区的共面分析,以及它对圆盘/摩擦衬块Cop位置的影响.该分析表明,活塞尾端情况,影响Cop位置,并进一步说明该中心的移动类似于摩擦衬块支架振动与支架反向.本文包含用12个活塞对立卡钳的附加研究,初始Cop位置可以沿摩擦衬块和径向两个方向变化.结果表明,Cop的运动很明确使制动压力增大.