Reconstruction of pristine morphology,flow, nutrient conditions and submerged vegetation of lowland river spree (Germany) from palaeomeanders

The European Water Framework Directive requires the definition of reference conditions for each type of surface waters as a base to establish a classification system in which deviations from this high quality status must be determined. In order to reconstruct pristine conditions in the lower river Spree we investigated palaeomeanders using palaeohydrological and palaeolimnological methods. The settlement history of this region suggests low anthropogenic impact for all periods before ～700 cal AD. Three palaeomeanders representing the conditions of the late Sub‐boreal/early Sub‐atlantic were investigated. River width and depth at bankfull stage were reconstructed using cross‐sections of the meanders. Based on these data and experiments on the recent river, a parametric model was developed to calculate the bankfull palaeodischarge. Reconstructions show narrower and shallower channels for the undisturbed lower Spree (～20 m mean width and 0.8 m mean depth at bankfull stage) as compared to recent conditions (35 m and 1.6 m, respectively). Flow velocities and discharge at bankfull stage have been smaller in reconstructed sub‐fossil channels (0.5 m s^?1 and 8 m³ s^?1 in the pristine lower Spree as compared to 0.9 m s^?1 and 52 m³ s^?1 in the recent lower Spree) and flow variability was higher. The increase in bankfull discharge was mainly attributed to deforestation and drainage of the catchment as well as channelization, bank protection and river regulation measures. The organic silt at the base of the sediment cores contained well‐preserved fossil diatom assemblages. Diatom‐inferred total phosphorus (DI‐TP) concentrations of 59–73 µg L^?1 (median 62 µg L^?1) indicate eutrophic to hypertrophic conditions and suggest naturally slightly lower nutrient levels than today. These past nutrient conditions, morphology and large numbers of macrofossil remains indicate optimum growth conditions for submerged macrophytes growth. The combination of palaeohydrological and palaeolimnological parameters proved to be a useful approach for the determination of pristine conditions in a lowland river. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Imaging of Metal Impurities in Silicon by Luminescence Spectroscopy and Synchrotron Techniques

Metals are detrimental to silicon solar cells in two ways: (i) they typically introduce defect levels in the bandgap, leading to enhanced carrier recombination and thus to lower voltage in solar cells; and (ii) they may, in the form of precipitates, contribute to the formation of shunts and reverse breakdown sites. This paper provides a review on techniques to access the spatial distribution of recombination sites for multicrystalline silicon. Methods to detect metal precipitates as well as, in the case of iron, dissolved point defects are presented. These methods are applied to clarify the distribution of iron after high-temperature processes and the identification of breakdown sites.     

下一代低VCEsat双极晶体管

近年来,中功率双极晶体管在饱和电阻及功率选择范围方面的重大改进,极大地拓宽了此类器件的应用领域.恩智浦最新推出的SMD封装型中功率晶体管BISS 4充分展示了双极晶体管的技术优势,它在为开关应用带来大功率低损耗解决方案的同时,也创造了新的应用领域.     

Molecular‐Level Switching of Polymer/Nanocrystal Non‐Covalent Interactions and Application in Hybrid Solar Cells

Hybrid composites obtained upon blending conjugated polymers and colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are regarded as attractive photo­active materials for optoelectronic applications. Here it is demonstrated that tailoring nanocrystal surface chemistry permits to control non‐covalent and electronic interactions between organic and inorganic components. The pending moieties of organic ligands at the nanocrystal surface are shown to not merely confer colloidal stability while hindering charge separation and transport, but drastically impact morphology of hybrid composites during formation from blend solutions. The relevance of this approach to photovoltaic applications is demonstrated for composites based on poly(3‐hexylthiophene) and lead sulfide nanocrystals, considered as inadequate until this report, which enable the fabrication of hybrid solar cells displaying a power conversion efficiency that reaches 3%. By investigating (quasi)steady‐state and time‐resolved photo‐induced processes in the nanocomposites and their constituents, it is ascertained that electron transfer occurs at the hybrid interface yielding long‐lived separated charge carriers, whereas interfacial hole transfer appears hindered. Here a reliable alternative aiming to gain control over macroscopic optoelectronic properties of polymer/nanocrystal composites by mediating their non‐covalent interactions via ligands' pending moieties is provided, thus opening new possibilities towards efficient solution‐processed hybrid solar cells.     

Antinutritional and/or toxic factors in soybean (Glycine max (L) Merril) seeds: comparison of different cultivars adapted to the southern region of Brazil

Soybean (Glycine max (L) Merril) seeds are known to contain different proteins displaying antinutritional and/or toxic effects, such as soybean agglutinin (an N‐acetylgalactosamine‐specific lectin), proteinase inhibitors (Kunitz‐ and Bowman–Birk‐type trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitors) and urease (seed and tissue isoforms). Two other toxic proteins were previously isolated from soybeans, soyatoxin (21 kDa) and soybean toxin (18.4 kDa), which are immunologically related to canatoxin, a toxic protein from Canavalia ensiformis (jackbean) seeds. In this work we have screened crude extracts from seeds of six different soybean cultivars, which together represent most of the crop harvested in the southern region of Brazil, for the presence of urease, trypsin inhibitory and haemagglutination activities, intraperitoneal toxicity in mice and immunoreactivity against anti‐canatoxin antibodies. Significant differences were found in the contents of proteinase inhibitors, lectin, urease activity and lethality in mice. The relevance of these findings to the agronomic qualities and to the choice of soybean cultivars to be used as food or feed is discussed. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

The Consequences of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Deletion on Tumorigenesis and Metastasis in a Mouse Model of Breast Cancer

Epoxides and diols of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are bioactive and can influence processes such as tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Studies with inhibitors of the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) in animals overexpressing cytochrome P450 enzymes or following the systemic administration of specific epoxides revealed a markedly increased incidence of tumor metastases. To determine whether PUFA epoxides increased metastases in a model of spontaneous breast cancer, sEH^-/- mice were crossed onto the polyoma middle T oncogene (PyMT) background. We found that the deletion of the sEH accelerated the growth of primary tumors and increased both the tumor macrophage count and angiogenesis. There were small differences in the epoxide/diol content of tumors, particularly in epoxyoctadecamonoenic acid versus dihydroxyoctadecenoic acid, and marked changes in the expression of proteins linked with cell proliferation and metabolism. However, there was no consequence of sEH inhibition on the formation of metastases in the lymph node or lung. Taken together, our results confirm previous reports of increased tumor growth in animals lacking sEH but fail to substantiate reports of enhanced lymph node or pulmonary metastases.     

Chromium distribution in multicrystalline silicon: comparison of simulations and experiments

We studied the precipitation of chromium in multicrystalline silicon during the crystallization process and temperature treatments typical for solar cell processing. A model which was already successfully used for simulating heterogeneous precipitation of iron is transferred to chromium, allowing two‐dimensional simulations of dissolved chromium and precipitate density. The observed accordance with spatially resolved measurements demonstrates the similarity of chromium to iron precipitation and the ability of our model to predict the dissolved chromium concentration in multicrystalline silicon. After the crystallization process, a high impact of chromium on the carrier lifetime of wafers originating from an ingot intentionally contaminated with 20 ppma chromium in the melt was observed. The concentration of dissolved chromium was significantly reduced by phosphorus diffusion gettering or oxidation at 815°C. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the Use of the sGC Stimulator BAY-747, as a Potential Treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe and progressive muscle wasting disorder, affecting one in 3500 to 5000 boys worldwide. The NO-sGC-cGMP pathway plays an important role in skeletal muscle function, primarily by improving blood flow and oxygen supply to the muscles during exercise. In fact, PDE5 inhibitors have previously been investigated as a potential therapy for DMD, however, a large-scale Phase III clinical trial did not meet its primary endpoint. Since the efficacy of PDE5i is dependent on sufficient endogenous NO production, which might be impaired in DMD, we investigated if NO-independent sGC stimulators, could have therapeutic benefits in a mouse model of DMD. Male mdx/mTR^G2 mice aged six weeks were given food supplemented with the sGC stimulator, BAY-747 (150 mg/kg of food) or food alone (untreated) ad libitum for 16 weeks. Untreated C57BL6/J mice were used as wild type (WT) controls. Assessments of the four-limb hang, grip strength, running wheel and serum creatine kinase (CK) levels showed that mdx/mTR^G2 mice had significantly reduced skeletal muscle function and severe muscle damage compared to WT mice. Treatment with BAY-747 improved grip strength and running speed, and these mice also had reduced CK levels compared to untreated mdx/mTR^G2 mice. We also observed increased inflammation and fibrosis in the skeletal muscle of mdx/mTR^G2 mice compared to WT. While gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and some pro-fibrotic markers in the skeletal muscle was reduced following BAY-747 treatment, there was no reduction in infiltration of myeloid immune cells nor collagen deposition. In conclusion, treatment with BAY-747 significantly improves several functional and pathological parameters of the skeletal muscle in mdx/mTR^G2 mice. However, the effect size was moderate and therefore, more studies are needed to fully understand the potential treatment benefit of sGC stimulators in DMD.