124 research outputs found
Wave energy evolution of Yellow river delta induced by climate changes
Nowadays, climate changes are reported by many researches including IPCC, which might bring many\ud
problems in coastal engineering. In the present work, the evolution of extreme wave and wave energy around Yellow\ud
River Delta (YRD) induced by climate changes was analyzed since coastal erosion situation is becoming more and\ud
more seriously as result of reducing of upstream sediment. The Yellow River is very famous in the world because of her\ud
carrying out huge sediment before. However, from 1990 to now, sediment into seas carried by the Yellow River\ud
decreases due to the construction of several dams in the upstream. So many coastal structures are being threatened by\ud
wave and wave induced erosion. Based on the results given in former researches, the possible SLR around YRD in the\ud
past several decades are assumed as 0.2m, 0.5m and 1.0m. Thirdly, evolution of wave energy and wave-induced bottom\ud
shear stress (WIBSS) are studied by numerical simulation under the above three possible SLRs. Wave model SWAN is\ud
adopted to simulate wave. The wave parameters including wave height, wave energy and WIBSS with effects of\ud
possible changes are predicted numerically, which help government or constructers to design coastal protection\ud
engineering. Results by now show that the obvious enhancements of wave energy and WIBSS appear in zones\ud
shallower than 5 water depth contours. More attention should be paid to the security of coastal structures and sediment\ud
transport under climate change in this area
Direct Determination of Electron-Phonon Coupling Matrix Element in a Correlated System
High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements have been
carried out on an optimally doped cuprate Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+{\delta}. The
momentum-dependent linewidth and the dispersion of an A1 optical phonon are
obtained. Based on these data as well as the detailed knowledge of the
electronic structure from angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we develop
a scheme to determine the full structure of electron-phonon coupling for a
specific phonon mode, thus providing a general method for directly resolving
the EPC matrix element in systems with anisotropic electronic structures
The Na+ Channel Inactivation Gate Is a Molecular Complex: A Novel Role of the COOH-terminal Domain
Electrical activity in nerve, skeletal muscle, and heart requires finely tuned activity of voltage-gated Na+ channels that open and then enter a nonconducting inactivated state upon depolarization. Inactivation occurs when the gate, the cytoplasmic loop linking domains III and IV of the α subunit, occludes the open pore. Subtle destabilization of inactivation by mutation is causally associated with diverse human disease. Here we show for the first time that the inactivation gate is a molecular complex consisting of the III-IV loop and the COOH terminus (C-T), which is necessary to stabilize the closed gate and minimize channel reopening. When this interaction is disrupted by mutation, inactivation is destabilized allowing a small, but important, fraction of channels to reopen, conduct inward current, and delay cellular repolarization. Thus, our results demonstrate for the first time that physiologically crucial stabilization of inactivation of the Na+ channel requires complex interactions of intracellular structures and indicate a novel structural role of the C-T domain in this process
Genetic Basis of Virulence Attenuation Revealed by Comparative Genomic Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strain H37Ra versus H37Rv
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains a leading infectious disease despite the availability of chemotherapy and BCG vaccine. The commonly used avirulent M. tuberculosis strain H37Ra was derived from virulent strain H37 in 1935 but the basis of virulence attenuation has remained obscure despite numerous studies. We determined the complete genomic sequence of H37Ra ATCC25177 and compared that with its virulent counterpart H37Rv and a clinical isolate CDC1551. The H37Ra genome is highly similar to that of H37Rv with respect to gene content and order but is 8,445 bp larger as a result of 53 insertions and 21 deletions in H37Ra relative to H37Rv. Variations in repetitive sequences such as IS6110 and PE/PPE/PE-PGRS family genes are responsible for most of the gross genetic changes. A total of 198 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) that are different between H37Ra and H37Rv were identified, yet 119 of them are identical between H37Ra and CDC1551 and 3 are due to H37Rv strain variation, leaving only 76 H37Ra-specific SNVs that affect only 32 genes. The biological impact of missense mutations in protein coding sequences was analyzed in silico while nucleotide variations in potential promoter regions of several important genes were verified by quantitative RT-PCR. Mutations affecting transcription factors and/or global metabolic regulations related to in vitro survival under aging stress, and mutations affecting cell envelope, primary metabolism, in vivo growth as well as variations in the PE/PPE/PE-PGRS family genes, may underlie the basis of virulence attenuation. These findings have implications not only for improved understanding of pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis but also for development of new vaccines and new therapeutic agents
The Complete Genome Sequence of Mycoplasma bovis Strain Hubei-1
Infection by Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) can induce diseases, such as pneumonia and otitis media in young calves and mastitis and arthritis in older animals. Here, we report the finished and annotated genome sequence of M. bovis strain Hubei-1, a strain isolated in 2008 that caused calf pneumonia on a Chinese farm. The genome of M. bovis strain Hubei-1 contains a single circular chromosome of 953,114 bp with a 29.37% GC content. We identified 803 open reading frames (ORFs) that occupy 89.5% of the genome. While 34 ORFs were Hubei-1 specific, 662 ORFs had orthologs in the M. bovis type strain PG45 genome. Genome analysis validated lateral gene transfer between M. bovis and the Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides, while phylogenetic analysis found that the closest M. bovis neighbor is Mycoplasma agalactiae. Glycerol may be the main carbon and energy source of M. bovis, and most of the biosynthesis pathways were incomplete. We report that 47 lipoproteins, 12 extracellular proteins and 18 transmembrane proteins are phase-variable and may help M. bovis escape the immune response. Besides lipoproteins and phase-variable proteins, genomic analysis found two possible pathogenicity islands, which consist of four genes and 11 genes each, and several other virulence factors including hemolysin, lipoate protein ligase, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, extracellular cysteine protease and 5′-nucleotidase
Complete Sequencing and Pan-Genomic Analysis of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus Reveal Its Genetic Basis for Industrial Yogurt Production
Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (Lb. bulgaricus) is an important species of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) used for cheese and yogurt fermentation. The genome of Lb. bulgaricus 2038, an industrial strain mainly used for yogurt production, was completely sequenced and compared against the other two ATCC collection strains of the same subspecies. Specific physiological properties of strain 2038, such as lysine biosynthesis, formate production, aspartate-related carbon-skeleton intermediate metabolism, unique EPS synthesis and efficient DNA restriction/modification systems, are all different from those of the collection strains that might benefit the industrial production of yogurt. Other common features shared by Lb. bulgaricus strains, such as efficient protocooperation with Streptococcus thermophilus and lactate production as well as well-equipped stress tolerance mechanisms may account for it being selected originally for yogurt fermentation industry. Multiple lines of evidence suggested that Lb. bulgaricus 2038 was genetically closer to the common ancestor of the subspecies than the other two sequenced collection strains, probably due to a strict industrial maintenance process for strain 2038 that might have halted its genome decay and sustained a gene network suitable for large scale yogurt production
The Statistical Reasoning Learning Environment: A Comparison of Students’ Statistical Reasoning Ability
© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. The purpose of this study was to study the impact of conformity to statistical reasoning learning environment (SRLE) principles on students’ statistical reasoning in advanced placement statistics courses. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare teachers’ levels of conformity to SRLE principles through a matching process used to mitigate the effects of nonrandom assignment. This matching process resulted in five pairs of similar teachers and schools who differed in self-reported beliefs in the effectiveness and application of SRLE principles. Increases in students’ statistical reasoning were found at varying levels in both high and low conformity classrooms. Improvements among teachers with low conformity to SRLE principles were less varied and consistent with national averages for improvement by college students. Improvements in classes with high conformity to SRLE principles were more varied. Students of two teachers with high levels of conformity to SRLE principles showed large levels of improvement in statistical reasoning in comparison to national results. While the comparison between classrooms conformity to SRLE principles revealed no statistically significant differences in students’ statistical reasoning ability, deeper analysis suggests that beliefs and practices aligned with SRLE principles have potential to increase students’ statistical reasoning at rates above national averages
First application of band target entropy minimization algorithm for the pure component spectral reconstruction of heterogeneous catalytic system of carbonmonoxide and nitrogenoxide reaction over a Pt/gamma-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst using in situ drift spectroscopy
Band target Entropy Minimization (BTEM) was applied for the analysis of the DRIFTS data measured during CO and NO reaction over Pt/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst. Some of the vibrational modes of the species not observable in the experimental spectra were only discernable after BTEM analysis. Unlike other self curve resolution techniques, BTEM used no spectral libraries and no a priori information for the pure component spectral recovery. Although the BTEM algorithm has been used repeatedly and successfully for infrared and Raman studies of homogeneous catalytic systems, this is the first time that it has been applied to DRIFTS data from a heterogeneous catalytic system. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the AIChE Annual Meeting (Salt Lake, UT 11/4-9/2007).</p
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