Sticky-free and overhang-free DNA languages

An essential step of any DNA computation is encoding the input data on single or double DNA strands. Due to the biochemical properties of DNA, complementary single strands can bind to one another forming double-stranded DNA. Consequently, data-encoding DNA strands can sometimes interact in undesirable ways when used in computations. It is crucial thus to analyze properties that guard against such phenomena and study sets of sequences that ensure that no unwanted bindings occur during any computation. This paper formalizes and investigates properties of DNA languages that guarantee their robusteness during computations. After defining and investigating several types of DNA languages possessing good encoding properties, such as sticky-free and overhang-free languages, we give algorithms for deciding whether regular DNA languages are invariant under bio-operations. We also give a method for constructing DNA languages that, in addition to being invariant and sticky-free, possess error-detecting properties. Finally, we present the results of running tests that check whether several known gene languages (the set of genes of a given organism) as well as the input DNA languages used in Adlemans DNA computing experiment, have the defined properties.Received: 6 February 2003, Published online: 2 September 2003Research partially supported by Grants R2824A01 and R220259 of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

Dendroclimatic response of Picea jezoensis along an altitudinal gradient in Changbai Mountains

We investigated the effects of climate on Yeddo spruce (Picea jezoensis) radial growth along altitudinal gradients in the subalpine forests of Changbai Mountains using dendroclimatic analyses. Yeddo spruce at its lower and upper distribution limits was more sensitive to the climate. Despite precipitation being generally considered sufficient, we found that precipitation significantly affected Yeddo spruce radial growth. Yeddo spruce at its lower distribution limit was much more affected by precipitation while Yeddo spruce at its upper distribution limit was much more affected by minimum temperature. Yeddo spruce at its medial altitude was affected by sunshine ratio. These results demonstrated that climate affected Yeddo spruce growth differently depending on its altitudinal distributions in the Changbai Mountains. Both temperature and precipitation in the annualization period significantly correlated with Yeddo spruce radial growth. However, warmer signals were not reflected in radial growth trend during the past 20 years because annual total precipitation declined during the same period. It appeared that the climate affected tree rings growth by altering soil moisture availability.

     

Characterizing the catalyst fluidization with field synergy to improve the amine absorption for CO_2 capture

There are great interests to capture the CO_2 to control the greenhouse gas emission. Amine absorption of CO_2 is being taken as an effective way to capture CO_2 in industry. However, the amine absorption of CO_2 is cost-ineffective due to great energy consumption and solution consumption. In order to reduce the capture cost, catalyst fluidization is proposed here to intensify the mass transfer and heat transfer. Catalyst fluidization with field synergy and DFT model is developed by incorporating the effects of catalyst reaction kinetics, drag force and multi-field into the mass transfer, heat transfer, fluid flow and catalyst collision. Experiments with an improved distributor are performed well to validate the model. The reaction kinetics is determined by the DFT simulation and experiment. The mass transfer coefficient in the fluidized reactor is identified as 17% higher than the conventional packed reactor. With the field synergy of catalyst fluidization, the energy consumption for CO_2 desorption is reduced by 9%. Stepwise operation and inclination reactor are used to improve catalyst fluidization process.