ALBERT

Description: The Koktokay No. 1 pegmatite in northwestern China is a highly fractionated Li-Cs-Ta (LCT) - type granitic pegmatite. As main Nb - Ta oxides in this pegmatite, columbite-group minerals (CGMs) not only display variations in Nb/Ta and Fe/Mn, but also are typified by noticeable Zr, Hf, and U contents. Here, we report on the chemical evolution and late-stage re-equilibration of CGMs in the processes of crystallization and evolution of this pegmatite. Columbite-group minerals record large variations in Ta/(Nb + Ta) values (0.06–0.98) and moderate variations in Mn/(Fe + Mn) values (0.58–0.99), which could be a result of fractional crystallization of pegmatite magma. The concentrations of ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , and UO 2 in CGMs from the contact zone inwards to zone II of this pegmatite are uniformly less than 0.35 wt.%. However, primary tantalite-(Mn) with Ta/(Nb + Ta) and Mn/(Fe + Mn) values of 0.63–0.98 and 0.86–0.99, respectively, show relatively high contents of ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , and UO 2 , up to 1.68, 0.73, and 1.25 wt.%, respectively. The contents of ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , and UO 2 are positively correlated with variations in Ta/(Nb + Ta) values within different grains and single grains of primary tantalite-(Mn). Crystal-chemical considerations suggest that Zr, Hf, and U are possibly present in the tantalite-(Mn) structure due to the substitution 3(Zr,Hf,U) 4+ = 2(Nb,Ta) 5+ + (Fe,Mn) 2+ . In some areas within the primary tantalite-(Mn) crystals in zone III, specific tantalite-(Mn) has been identified with sharp but irregular contacts with the host tantalite. Such tantalite-(Mn) is chemically depleted in Zr, Hf, and U, but contains many small inclusions of zircon, the MnZrTa 2 O 8 phase, uraninite, and U-rich member of the microlite group of minerals. In a similar way, the primary Zr-Hf-U-bearing tantalite-(Mn) experienced late-stage local re-equilibration, giving rise to the formation of secondary Zr-Hf-U-depleted tantalite-(Mn) and other Zr- or U-rich mineral inclusions in an open fluid-mediated system. The behaviors of Zr, Hf, and U in CGMs in the Koktokay No. 1 pegmatite are indicative of Zr, Hf, and U enrichment during fractional crystallization of a highly fractionated pegmatite magma on one hand and imply late-stage activities of fluids on the other. Considerable enrichment of U and Hf in CGMs indicates that this type of mineral may act as a target for in situ LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotope measurements, which may provide key information for understanding the source of the magma and the evolution mechanism of the Nb-Ta mineralization.

Description: By employing a micrometer precision mechanical transfer technique, we embed individual InSb nanowires into a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. We investigate the characteristics of a double quantum dot formed in an InSb nanowire interacting with a single mode microwave field. The charge stability diagram can be obtained from the amplitude and phase response of the resonator independently from the dc transport measurement. As the charge transits between dot-dot, or dot-lead, the change of resonator transmission is compared and the charge-cavity coupling strength is extracted to be in the magnitude of several MHz.

Description: As a phenotypically plastic cellular population, macrophages change their physiology in response to environmental signals. Emerging evidence suggests that macrophages are capable of tightly coordinating their metabolic programs to adjust their immunological and bioenergetic functional properties, as needed. Upon mitogenic stimulation, quiescent macrophages enter the cell cycle, increasing their bioenergetic...

Description: The chemical industry is of paramount importance to the world economy and this industrial sector represents a substantial income source for developing countries. However, the chemical plants producing inside an industrial district pose a great threat to the surrounding atmospheric environment and human health. Therefore, designing an appropriate and available air quality monitoring network (AQMN) is essential for assessing the effectiveness of deployed pollution-controlling strategies and facilities. As monitoring facilities located at inappropriate sites would affect data validity, a two-stage data-driven approach constituted of a spatio-temporal technique (i.e. Bayesian maximum entropy) and a multi-objective optimization model (i.e. maximum concentration detection capability and maximum dosage detection capability) is proposed in this paper. The approach aims at optimizing the design of an AQMN formed by gas sensor modules. Owing to the lack of long-term measurement data, our developed atmospheric dispersion simulation system was employed to generate simulated data for the above method. Finally, an illustrative case study was implemented to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, and results imply that this work is able to design an appropriate AQMN with acceptable accuracy and efficiency.

Description: Low-Cost and Durable Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 March 2017; doi:10.1038/srep44035

Description: In order to evaluate the effects of different fluids, we measured the P and S wave speeds through a series of synthetic epoxy-bonded carbonate composites with porosities from 21.9 to 31.5 per cent and saturated with air, with kerosene and with brine. These observed speeds were converted to the saturated bulk and shear moduli and compared to predictions made using Biot and Gassmann formulations. The observed bulk moduli agreed with those calculated for both kerosene and brine saturation as did the high frequency shear modulus under kerosene saturation. The observed shear modulus under water saturation, however, was significantly lower than the prediction. After excluding the currently known mechanisms of shear weakening, we suspect this disparity may be due to variations in the wetting of the epoxy that coats the pores surfaces. The kerosene completely wets this surface while the brine is only weakly hydrophilic with a wetting angle of 73.6°. At the molecular scale, this means that Stoke's no-slip boundary condition may not always apply as has been more recently demonstrated by many researchers in other disciplines such as microfluidic engineering but the implications for wave propagation in liquid-saturated rocks have not been considered.

Description: Author(s): H. Y. Yuan and X. R. Wang We report a counterintuitive finding that notches in an otherwise homogeneous magnetic nanowire can boost current-induced domain wall (DW) propagation. DW motion in notch-modulated wires can be classified into three phases: (1) A DW is pinned around a notch when the current density is below the depi… [Phys. Rev. B 92, 054419] Published Mon Aug 10, 2015

Description: Cellular Ca 2+ homeostasis is tightly regulated and is pivotal to life. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP 3 Rs) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs) are the major ion channels that regulate Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores. Although these channels have been extensively investigated in multicellular organisms, an appreciation of their evolution and the biology of orthologs in unicellular organisms is largely lacking. Extensive phylogenetic analyses reveal that the IP 3 R gene superfamily is ancient and diverged into two subfamilies, IP 3 R-A and IP 3 R-B/RyR, at the dawn of Opisthokonta. IP 3 R-B/RyR further diversified into IP 3 R-B and RyR at the stem of Filozoa. Subsequent evolution and speciation of Holozoa is associated with duplication of IP 3 R-A and RyR genes, and loss of IP 3 R-B in the vertebrate lineages. To gain insight into the properties of IP 3 R important for the challenges of multicellularity, the IP 3 R-A and IP 3 R-B family orthologs were cloned from Capsaspora owczarzaki, a close unicellular relative to Metazoa (designated as CO.IP 3 R-A and CO.IP 3 R-B). Both proteins were targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum. However, CO.IP 3 R-A, but strikingly not CO.IP 3 R-B, bound IP 3 , exhibited robust Ca 2+ release activity and associated with mammalian IP 3 Rs. These data indicate strongly that CO.IP 3 R-A as an exemplar of ancestral IP 3 R-A orthologs forms bona fide IP 3 -gated channels. Notably, however, CO.IP 3 R-A appears not to be regulated by Ca 2+ , ATP or Protein kinase A-phosphorylation. Collectively, our findings explore the origin, conservation, and diversification of IP 3 R gene families and provide insight into the functionality of ancestral IP 3 Rs and the added specialization of these proteins in Metazoa.

Description: BDD anodes were selected for quinoline mineralization and influence of operating parameters, such as current density, initial quinoline concentration, supporting electrolyte, and initial pH was investigated. Based on the consideration of quinoline removal efficiency and average current efficiency, at initial quinoline concentration of 50 mg L−1 and pH of 7, the optimal condition was confirmed as current density of 75 mA cm−2, electrolysis time of 1.5 h, and Na2SO4 concentration of 0.05 mol L−1 by orthogonal test. At different electrolysis time, its effluent characteristics were focused on. The biodegradability (the ratio between BOD5 and COD) was enhanced from initial 0.02 to 0.57 at 90 min. The specific oxygen uptake rate was used to assess effluent toxicity, and the value gradually reduced with decreasing effluent organic concentration with mean value of 5.51, 4.19, and 2.20 mgO2 g−1MLSS at electrolysis time of 15, 30, and 45 min, respectively. Compared with control sample (prepared with glucose), the effluent of quinoline mineralization showed obvious inhibition effect on microorganisms at electrolysis time of 15 min, and then it was significantly faded at 30 min and 45 min.

Description: Small differences in the sensitivity of stomatal conductance to light intensity on leaf surfaces may lead to large differences in total canopy transpiration ( E C ) with increasing canopy leaf area ( L ). Typically, the increase of L would more than compensate for the decrease of transpiration per unit of leaf area ( E L ), resulting in concurrent increase of E C . However, highly shade-intolerant species, such as Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr., may be so sensitive to increased shading that such compensation is not complete. We hypothesized that in such a stand, windfall-induced spatial variation at a decameter scale would result in greatly reduced E L in patches of high L leading to lower E C than low competition patches of sparse canopy. We further hypothesized that quicker extraction of soil moisture in patches of lower competition will result in earlier onset of drought symptoms in these patches. Thus, patches of low L will transition from light to soil moisture as the factor dominating E L . This process should progressively homogenize E C in the stand even as the variation of soil moisture is increasing. We tested the hypotheses utilizing sap flux of nine trees, and associated environmental and stand variables. The results were consistent with only some of the expectations. Under non-limiting soil moisture, E L was very sensitive to the spatial variation of L , decreasing sharply with increasing L and associated decrease of mean light intensity on leaf surfaces. Thus, under the conditions of ample soil moisture maximum E C decreased with increasing patch-scale L . Annual E C and biomass production also decreased with L , albeit more weakly. Furthermore, variation of E C among patches decreased as average stand soil moisture declined between rain events. However, contrary to expectation, high L plots which transpired less showed a greater E L sensitivity to decreasing stand-scale soil moisture, suggesting a different mechanism than simple control by decreasing soil moisture. We offer potential explanations to the observed phenomenon. Our results demonstrate that spatial variation of L at decameter scale, even within relatively homogeneous, single-species, even-aged stands, can produce large variation of transpiration, soil moisture and biomass production and should be considered in 1-D soil–plant–atmosphere models.