AU

Upon stimulation with agonists, platelets express CD40 ligand (CD40L), a transmembrane protein implicated in the initiation and progression of atherosclerotic disease. We have recently discovered that oxidative stress plays a major role in platelet CD40L expression. In this study, we sought to determine whether vitamin C, a known antioxidant, is able to influence platelet CD40L expression. In vitro experiments were done by stimulating platelets with collagen in the presence or absence of vitamin C (50-100 AM) or vehicle as control. An in vivo study was done in 10 healthy subjects who were randomized to intravenous infusion of placebo or 1 g vitamin C for 45 min in a crossover design. At the end of infusion platelet CD40L and O 2-were measured. The in vitro study demonstrated that vitamin C dose dependently inhibited platelet CD40L expression without affecting agonist-induced platelet aggregation. In subjects treated with placebo no changes of platelet CD40L and O 2-were observed; conversely, vitamin C infusion caused a significant and parallel decrease of platelet O 2-(À70%, P b 0.001) and CD40L (À68%, P b 0.001). Platelet aggregation was not modified by either treatment. This study suggests that water-soluble antioxidants, which scavenge superoxide radicals, may reduce platelet CD40L expression.

Human epidemiological studies have supported the hypothesis that a dairy food-rich diet is associated with lower fat accumulation, although prospective studies and intervention trials are not so conclusive and contradictory data exist in animal models. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects on body weight and fat depots of dairy calcium (12 g/kg diet) in wild-type mice under ad libitum high-fat (43%) and normal-fat (12%) diets and to gain comprehension on the underlying mechanism of dairy calcium effects.

We report on the formation of low-resistance and highly transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) ohmic contacts to p-GaN using a Sn–Ag alloy interlayer. Although the as-deposited Sn–Ag(6 nm)/ITO(200 nm) contacts show non-ohmic behaviors, the scheme becomes ohmic with specific contact resistance of 4.72×10−4 Ω cm2 and produce transmittance of ∼91% at wavelength of 460 nm when annealed at 530 °C. Blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) fabricated with the Sn–Ag/ITO contacts give forward-bias voltage of 3.31 V at injection current of 20 mA. LEDs with the Sn–Ag/ITO contacts show the improvement of the output power by 62% (at 20 mA) compared with LEDs with Ni/Au contacts.

Recently, Au/Ni/p-type GaN ohmic contacts annealed in an air ambient have been widely investigated. However, to obtain a low specific-contact resistance, the annealing window is limited. In this study, to understand the oxidation function of metallic Ni, the Au/Ni/p-type GaN structure was annealed in an air ambient for 10 min at various temperatures. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the metallic Ni was oxidized into NiO and NiO1.3 compositions at annealing temperatures of 500°C and 600°C, respectively. However, metallic Ni still existed on the interface of the Ni/p-type GaN annealed at 400°C. The associated barrier heights of 0.42 eV, 0.21 eV, and 0.31 eV were obtained with p-type GaN for the Ni, NiO, and NiO1.3 contacts, respectively. The hole concentrations of p-type NiO and p-type NiO1.3 were 2.6×1016 cm−3 and 2.0×1018 cm−3, respectively. The lower hole concentration of the p-type NiO would lead to reducing the valence-band bending of the p-type GaN, as well as the barrier height for holes crossing from the p-type NiO to the p-type GaN. The formation of NiO was thus an important issue for lowering the specific-contact resistance of the Au/Ni/p-type GaN ohmic contacts annealed in an air ambient.

El propósito de esta información, es dar a conocer las opciones de procesamiento de más uso en la industria aurífica basándose en las características mineralógicas del material a tratar. Se presenta también en el documento, información relevante sobre los distintos procesos productivos de oro.

The  SARPCCO Constitution outlines  certain principles of cooperation which include: respect for national  sovereignty, equality of the police force/services, non- political  professionalism, non-discrimination  and  flexibility  of working  method, and  mutual  benefit  for  all members. Importantly, it refers  to  the  observance  of human  rights,  mutual  respect  and goodwill.

Pendant plus d’un demi-siècle, la politique étrangère de l’UE envers l’Afrique a évolué dans le contexte des FED successifs et de l’Accord de Cotonou (faisant suite à la Convention de Lomé). En réponse à la demande de l’Union africaine (UA) formulée en 2003, l’UE a créé dans le cadre du 9ème FED un nouvel instrument de financement de la politique étrangère, la Facilité de soutien à la Paix
en Afrique (APF) qui se fonde sur la philosophie de l’établissement d’un « lien entre le développement et la sécurité » étant donné que le développement économique ne peut avoir lieu que dans des conditions de paix et de sécurité.

Avec le 10ème FED, le Plan d’Action APF 2008-2010 a pour objectif général de contribuer au programme de paix et de sécurité en Afrique par le biais d’un soutien ciblé sur le plan régional et continental dans le domaine de la prévention, de la gestion et de la résolution des conflits ainsi que dans celui de la construction de la paix. L’APF traite de la paix et de la sécurité conformément aux
principes sous-jacents de la Stratégie Conjointe Union européenne-Afrique (SCUA)1:
appropriation, partenariat et solidarité. Les objectifs spécifiques de l’APF 2008-2010 correspondent aux trois priorités du partenariat Afrique-UE en matière de paix et de sécurité dans le cadre du premier plan d’action (2008-2010), à savoir :
Ø Apporter un financement aux opérations de soutien à la paix (OSP) menées par l’Afrique ;
Ø Mettre en œuvre l’Architecture africaine de paix et de sécurité (APSA) ;
Ø Promouvoir un dialogue au sujet des défis en matière de paix et de sécurité en Afrique.

Synthetic colours are added to foods to replace natural colour lost during processing, to reduce batch-to-batch variation and to produce products with consumer appeal where no natural colour exists. A study was carried out to Wnd the type and level of synthetic food colours added to various eatables in the urban and rural areas of Lucknow. Inventory of coloured eatables showed that more types and varieties of coloured eatables were prevalent in the urban areas than in the rural areas. Of the total 1199 analyzed samples, 69% coloured eatables revealed the presence of permitted colours while 31% samples contained non-permitted colours. The use of non-permitted colours was found to be more in rural areas than in the urban areas. Also, more of the rural market samples contained permitted colours exceeding the maximum allowed prescribed levels as compared to urban markets. In urban areas, samples of crushed ice which are preferentially consumed by children population, the presence of Sunset Yellow FCF and Tartrazine was found to exceed the permissible limit by 8 and 20 times while in rural areas Sunset Yellow FCF, Tartrazine and Carmoisine exceeded the permissible limit by 23, 16 and 15 times, respectively. Non-permitted colours such as Rhodamine B, Metanil Yellow, Orange II, Malachite Green, Auramine, Quinoline Yellow, Amaranth and Sudan dyes were identiWed in various foodstuVs. The use of these dyes is more common in the rural markets than in the urban markets. Extensive food quality monitoring and surveillance programmes are needed for exposure assessment and to safeguard the health of population at large.

Crude extract from the sponge Cinachyrella apion showed cross-reactivity with the polyclonal antibody IgG anti-CvL (Cliona varians lectin) and also a strong haemagglutinating activity towards human erythrocytes of all ABO groups. Thus, it was submitted to acetone fractionation, IgG anti-deglycosylated CvL Sepharose affinity chromatography, and Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC-AKTA Purifier) gel filtration on a Superose 6 10/300 column to purify a novel lectin. C. apion lectin (CaL) agglutinated all types of human erythrocytes with preference for papainized type A erythrocytes. The haemagglutinating activity is independent of Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ and Mn 2+ ions, and it was strongly inhibited by the disaccharide lactose, up to a minimum concentration of 6.25 mM. CaL molecular mass, determined by FPLC-gel filtration on a Superose 12 10/300 column and SDS gel electrophoresis, was approximately 124 kDa, consisting of eight subunits of 15.5 kDa, assembled by hydrophobic interactions. The lectin was heat-stable between 0 and 60°C and pH-stable. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of CaL was also determined and a blast search on amino acid sequences revealed that the protein showed similarity only with a silicatein. Leishmania chagasi promastigotes were agglutinated by CaL and this activity was abolished by lactose, indicating that lactose receptors could be presented in this parasite stage. These findings are indicative of the potential biotechnological application of CaL as diagnostic of pathogenic protozoa.

This review intends to describe and critically analyze the growing literature dealing with the use of supported gold catalysts in the catalytic deep oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Among the wide family of VOC, attention has been given to the oxidation of saturated (methane, ethane, propane, isobutane, n-hexane) and unsaturated (acetylene, ethylene, propene) aliphatic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylenes, naphthalene), alcohols (methanol, ethanol, n-and iso-propanol), aldehydes (formaldehyde), ketones (acetone), esters (ethylacetate). Moreover, the oxidation of chlorinated VOC (dichloromethane, o-dichlorobenzene, o-chlorobenzene), as well as of nitrogen-(trimethylamine) and sulphur-containing (dimethyldisulfide) compounds has been addressed.

The GlutoPeak consists in high speed mixing of a small amount of wheat flour (<10 g) added with water, and in registering a torque vs. time curve in a very short time (<10 min). Peak torque, peak maximum time, and energy values are calculated from the curve, and used to estimate the aggregation behavior of gluten. The information brought by the GlutoPeak indices is still difficult to interpret correctly, also in relation to the conventional approaches in the field of cereal science. A multivariate approach was used to investigate the correlations existing between the GlutoPeak indices and the conventional rheological parameters. 120 wheat flours-different for protein, dough stability, extensibility, tenacity, and strength, and end-uses e were analyzed using the GlutoPeak and conventional instrumentation. The parameters were subjected to a data exploration step through Principal Component Analysis. Then, multivariate Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) models were developed using the GlutoPeak indices to predict the conventional parameters. The values of the squared correlation coefficients in prediction of an external test set showed that acceptable to good results (0.61 R 2 PRED 0.96) were obtained for the prediction of 18 out of the 26 conventional parameters here considered.

The establishment of the African Union was noteworthy in the way it undermined the authoritarian theory and practice of its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity. The justification was based on the right of peaceful co-existence of member states and-as a consequence-the right of member states to request intervention from the Union in order to restore peace and security. The African Union's Constitutive Act introduced an array of responsibilities, powers, and rules that challenged the premises of Africa's earlier leaders. The Act established how the Union would carry out its business through a network of organs, agencies, government ministries, and NGOs, which this paper examines in some detail. While the organizational structure attempted to balance national and continental concerns, it also revealed an obvious weakness in the power of its three principal parliamentary, administrative and legal bodies. Although AU has made great strides in building an institution committed to human security and development, there is need to sharpen its focus, and bring about more specificity in organizational goals. The dual missions of a movement championing the independence of sovereign African states and simultaneously creating a homeland for all of African descent were, if not contradictory, at least so divergent as to strain the ability of its leaders to ensure a lasting consensus. While the initial vision was a powerful one and attracted a group of true believers, the complexities of a modern global economy have demanded an array of new developmental strategies to meet this challenge. The challenges include but not limited to good governance in Africa, alleviation of poverty and hunger, as well as hindrances to citizen participation, especially women, in civic and state affairs.

Vehicular Ad-hoc Network (VANET) is a boundless and emerging area of research in vehicular communication technology. It is mostly utilized in safety applications and to give ease during driving. VANETs connect the vehicles and the infrastructure to share data securely during traveling on highways(urban), or interlinked roads(rural). In VANETs, all mobile nodes can move unrestrictedly in the network and can communicate with any of the nodes in the network. It is one of the foundational technology used for the safe, efficient, and entertaining transportation system. A notable time is spent by people in communicating through vehicles. To make their trip more secure and less time-consuming smart vehicles based on VANETs have emerged. To leverage the maximum benefit of VANETs, the routing protocols play a vital role. Researchers have developed applications using AODV, DSDV, DSR, and other routing protocols to manage heavy and unruly traffic. In this paper, these protocols are studied and compared based on different attributes such as recovery strategy, type of environment, traffic flow, and so on. Further, the protocols under bio-inspired algorithms were studied.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/74982961/; S. A. Ostroumov (С.А.Остроумов), G. M. Kolesov.
The Aquatic Macrophyte Ceratophyllum demersum Immobilizes Au Nanoparticles after Their Addition to Water. -
Doklady Biological Sciences, 2010, Vol. 431, pp. 124–127.
File in the author’s PC: D:\Публикации мои тексты\2010.DBS.Au\Гидробиология. новые факты. ключевые слова-золото, наноматериалы, водные макрофиты, роголистник.10DBS.Au.Abstract in English.Keywords.doc;
© Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2010. ISSN 00124966;
Original Russian Text © S.A. Ostroumov, G.M. Kolesov, 2010, published in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2010, Vol. 431, No. 4, pp. 566–569.
DOI: 10.1134/S0012496610020158;
Presented by Academician M.A. Fedonkin July 31, 2009;
ABSTRACT: Study of biogenic migration of the chemical elements is an important line of the biosphere research [1–8]. Biogenic migration of the elements in aquatic ecosystems, both freshwater and saltwater ones, is important for water self- purification and water quality formation [9–11]. Data on element accumulation and binding by aquatic organisms, including macrophytes, are necessary for analyzing the organisms’ important role in biogenic migration of the elements in aquatic ecosystems. There were no published data on the gold (Au) content in Ceratophyllum demersum L. and on interaction between Au nanoparticles and aquatic macrophytes. The goal of this work was to study the immobilization of Au nanoparticles added to the water medium of microcosms in the presence of macrophyte C. demersum L. This study was the first to determine the concentration of Au and some other elements in C. demersum phytomass after incubation in microcosms containing Au nanosize particles (NSPs). Results of the experiments: (1) the first data have been obtained that demonstrate that a significant amount of Au NSPs may bind to live phytomass of an aquatic plant, C. demersum. As a result of binding and/or immobilization, the content of Au was greater than the background level by a factor of 430.3; (2) modification of NSPs with a protein (immunoglobulin) had no effect on the NSP immobilization by macrophytes. The results contribute to understanding the role of these organisms in biogenic migration of elements. These data enable us to estimate the participation of phytomass of the studied macrophyte species in element concentration (as exemplified by Au) in an aquatic system.
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Ermakov, V.V. and Tyutikov, S.F., Geokhimicheskaya
ekologiya zhivotnykh (Geochemical Ecology of Animals), Moscow: Nauka, 2008.
7. Korzh, V.D., Geokhimiya elementnogo sostava gidrosfery
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Donchenko, V.K., Ivanova, V.V., and Pitul’ko, V.M.,
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...

The draft Western Cape Community Safety Bill, introduced in the provincial legislature in February 2012, is part of a broader provincial government initiative to tackle issues of safety in the province. The Bill sets out to concretise the powers allocated to provincial governments by the Constitution. Specific provisions reflect the wish to give effect to Section 206(1) of the Constitution in terms of which provinces are to be consulted in the formulation of national policing policy. But the main focus of the Bill is on
provincial policing oversight powers. In line with the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service Act, the Bill aims to formalise the role of the provincial Department of Community Safety as distinct from the provincial secretariat. The Bill provides for inspections to be carried out at police stations by Community Policing Forums (CPF). This aspect of the initiative has the potential to redefine the relationship between CPFs and the police. It is also envisaged that a provincial ombud’s office will be created, in line with provisions of the Constitution, authorising provinces to investigate complaints against police. The Bill is of interest as it provides a model for fuller engagement by provincial governments in policing matters. At the same time the introduction of the draft Bill raises questions about potential political interference that the Bill does not address.

TL1A, a TNF-like ligand, mediates signaling via its cognate receptor DR3, a death receptor whose activation was known to induce both death and survival factors. TL1A, like TNF, is also presumed to circulate as a homotrimeric soluble form. To identify soluble TL1A in the immune system, we have developed a quantitative ELISA by pairing a monoclonal antibody (MAb) with a biotinylated anti-TL1A polyclonal antibody (PAb) as capture and detection antibodies, respectively. The assay had a detection limit of 32 pg/ml. Overnight culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) expressed up to 160 pg/ml of TL1A, and that proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1 and TNF, significantly increased TL1A mRNA and soluble protein up to several folds in contrast to IL-6 and IL-11, which induced neither protein nor mRNA in the cells. IL-1 appeared to be a better stimulator of TL1A than TNF-a, and the induction of soluble TL1A in HUVEC in response to IL-1 was dose and timedependent. We have also purified soluble TL1A from a large volume of IL-1 stimulated HUVEC conditioned medium using an anti-TL1A PAb-coupled affinity column. The protein eluted from the column was further reacted with anti-TL1A MAbs in Western blot: 30-kDa and 32-kDa under non-reducing and reducing conditions, respectively. Taken together, our results indicated that ELISA might be useful in studying soluble TL1A regulation in certain inflammatory conditions. D Signal transduction by DR3, a death domain-containing receptor related to TNFR-1 and CD95. Science 274, 990.

Ostrich pancreatic phospholipase A 2 (OPLA 2 ) was purified from delipidated pancreases. Pure protein was obtained after heat treatment (70 • C), precipitation by ammonium sulphate and ethanol, respectively followed by sequential column chromatography on MonoQ Sepharose and size exclusion HPLC column. Purified OPLA 2 , which is not a glycosylated protein, was found to be monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 13773.93 Da. A specific activity of 840 U/mg for purified OPLA 2 was measured at optimal conditions (pH 8.2 and 37 • C) in the presence of 4 mM NaTDC and 10 mM CaCl 2 using PC as substrate. This enzyme was also found to be able to hydrolyze, at low surface pressure, 1,2-dilauroylsn-glycero-3 phosphocholine (di C 12 -PC) monolayers. Maximal activity was measured at 5-8 mN m −1 . The sequence of the first 22 amino-acid residues at the N-terminal extremity of purified bird PLA 2 was determined by automatic Edman degradation and showed a high sequence homology with known mammal pancreatic secreted phospholipases A 2 .

The process windows are presented for low-temperature Au wire bonding on Au/Ni/Cu bond pads of varying Au-layer thicknesses metallized on an organic FR-4 printed circuit board (PCB). Three different plating techniques were used to deposit the Au layers: electrolytic plating, immersion plating, and immersion plating followed by electrolytic plating. Wide ranges of wire bond force, bond power, and bond-pad temperature were used to identify the combination of these processing parameters that can produce good wire bonds, allowing the construction of process windows. The criterion for successful bonds is no peel off for all 20 wires tested. The wire pull strengths and wire deformation ratios are measured to evaluate the bond quality after a successful wire bond. Elemental and surface characterization techniques were used to evaluate the bond-pad surfaces and are correlated to wire bondability and wire pull strength. Based on the process windows along with the pull strength data, the bond-pad metallization and bonding conditions can be further optimized for improved wire bondability and product yields. The wire bondability of the electrolytic bond pad increased with Au-layer thickness. The bond pad with an Au-layer thickness of 0.7 µm displayed the highest bondability for all bonding conditions used. The bondability of immersion bond pads was comparable to electrolytic bond pads with a similar Au thickness. Although a high temperature was beneficial to wire bondability with a wide process window, it did not improve the bond quality as measured by wire pull strength.

A new physical method is described for the preparation of metal microspheres by ultrasonic cavitation of low-melting point metals (<380 C) immersed in hot silicone oil. The ultrasonic radiation causes dispersion of the molten metals into spheres, which solidify rapidly on cooling. This method is illustrated for the synthesis of Pb and Au-Si eutectic alloy.

High-level panels are institutionalized diplomatic instruments comprising high-profile and respected individuals to address a particular issue. Building on traditional and contemporary institutions in recognizing the Wise or Elderly as diplomats, the African Union Panel of the Wise is one of the five pillars of the African Peace and Security Architecture – and thus peace diplomacy – in terms of Article 11 of the African Union (AU) Protocol establishing the Peace and Security Council. This research analyses the Panel's contribution to African diplomacy by focusing on the Panel's knowledge production; its normative and operational impact; raising awareness and agenda setting; the Panel's innovation in respect of conflict resolution and governance; and the prevention and reduction of conflict in Africa. The research concludes that, despite some contribution to African diplomacy, efforts to prevent and reduce African conflicts have been influenced by the Panel's mandate, processes, and contextual factors. This notwithstanding, the Panel's contribution to an emergent African Peace Diplomacy Architecture is recognised.

(SAPS) is regarded as one of the leading government departments in the use of performance monitoring systems, it does not use performance information in a critical enough manner, particularly given the risk that the introduction of performance measures will lead to perverse incentives. Given that the SAPS is one of the largest police services in the world, the centralised reporting on organisational performance in the annual report is ineffective. It obscures much more than it reveals about what is being achieved by the organisation. Since 2005 the Auditor General of South Africa has been phasing in a 'predetermined objectives' audit that involves checking on the reliability of the performance information presented by the SAPS. Though he has limited capacity to do so, the AG also carries out what are called 'performance audits', that involve deeper and more focused scrutiny of the functioning of government departments. A 2008-09 performance audit on service delivery at police stations and 10111 call centres highlights the type of scrutiny that the SAPS needs to be subjected to if information on its performance is to become more meaningful.

Electron beam lithography (EBL) patterning of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) is a versatile tool for defining molecular structures on the sub-10-nm scale. We demonstrate lithographic resolution to about 5 nm using a cold-development technique. Liftoff of sub-10-nm Au nanoparticles and metal lines proves that cold development completely clears the PMMA residue on the exposed areas. Molecular liftoff is performed to pattern DNA rafts with high fidelity at linewidths of about 100 nm. High-resolution EBL and molecular liftoff can be applied to pattern Creutz-Taube molecules on the scale of a few nanometers for quantum-dot cellular automata.

"" This paper is the first publication that reported the concentrations of a number of rare earth elements in biodetritus. The rare earth elements are a key component of modern hi-technology products and they are a new component in the modern solid wastes and waste waters. This paper is an innovative and significant contribution to the database for modern environmental monitoring.
**
Biodetritus that formed over a 7-month period in microcosms with Viviparus viviparus, Unio pictorum , and Ceratophyllum demersum contained a number of elements. This is the first study to determine concentrations of some elements in biodetritus. Neutron activation analysis showed that the elements’ concentrations decrease in the following order: Ca > Zn > Ba > Br > Ce > Se > Nd > La > U > Hf > Sb > Th > Sm > S > Cs > Au. The data obtained contribute to understanding of the polyfunctional role of aquatic organisms in aquatic ecosystems.
Key words:
Zn, viviparus, unio, U, Th, Sm, Se, Sb, rare, pictorum, Nd, La, Hf, elements, ecosystems, earth, detritus, demersum, Cs, ceratophyllum, Ce, Ca, Br, Ba, Au, aquatic, biogeochemistry,
Title: The role of biodetritus in accumulation of elements in aquatic ecosystems
Author(s): Ostroumov S. A.; Kolesov G. M.
Source: CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS OF ECOLOGY,  Volume: 3,  Issue: 4,  Pages: 369-373,  DOI: 10.1134/S1995425510040016,  Published: AUG 2010; full text free: http://ru.scribd.com/doc/155530269/
abstract:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/75098592/

The reference in a traditional form:
Ostroumov S. A., Kolesov G. M. The role of biodetritus in accumulation of elements in aquatic ecosystems. -  CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS OF ECOLOGY,  3 (4): 369-373.
""

On the basis of glancing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) spectra collected at different incidence angles, it is possible to obtain structural information at different depths. In the case of an ideal crystalline material, the integrated intensity of each crystalline-phase reflection is correlated to the irradiated volume of the phase. In this work, it is shown that quantitative information on the thickness of thin polycrystalline layers can be obtained by means of GIXRD. Experiments have been performed on thin films of gold with different thicknesses, sputtered on glass slides. The film thickness has been carefully evaluated by X-ray reflectivity (XRR) experiments. XRR and GIXRD data are compared, and the consistency of the thickness values of the crystalline gold layer is shown.

Micro and nanostructured optical components are evolved over millions of years in nature and show a wide application range as microlens arrays, diffractive or subwavelength structures in manifold biological systems. In this contribution we discuss the advantages and challenges to transfer the concepts based on the nature models to increase the performance of high-end optical systems in applications such as beam shaping and imaging. Especially we discuss the application of sophisticated statistical microlens arrays and diffractive structures in different fields such as lithography, inspection or for medical instruments. Additionally we focus on anti-reflection coatings which are commonly used to suppress reflection of light from the surface of optical components in the visible range. We report an innovative approach for the fast and cost-efficient fabrication of highly UV transmissive, anti-reflective optical interfaces based on self assembled gold nanoparticles.

Many farmers grow maize but could not afford the cost of acquiring some of the imported threshing machines because of their cost. Such people resort to manual means of threshing which results into low efficiency, high level of wastage and exerting of much labor. This machine was ...

The physico-chemical properties and activity of Ce-Zr mixed oxides, CeO 2 and ZrO 2 in CO oxidation have been studied considering both their usefulness as supports for Au nanoparticles and their contribution to the reaction. A series of Ce 1Àx Zr x O 2 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1) oxides has been prepared by sol-gel like method and tested in CO oxidation. Highly uniform, nanosized, Ce-Zr solid solutions were obtained. The activity of mixed oxides in CO oxidation was found to be dependent on Ce/Zr molar ratio and related to their reducibility and/or oxygen mobility. CeO 2 and Ce 0.75 Zr 0.25 O 2 , characterized by the cubic crystalline phase show the highest activity in CO oxidation. It suggests that the presence of a cubic crystalline phase in Ce-Zr solid solution improves its catalytic activity in CO oxidation. The relation between the physico-chemical properties of the supports and the catalytic performance of Au/Ce 1Àx Zr x O 2 catalysts in CO oxidation reaction has been investigated. Gold was deposited by the direct anionic exchange (DAE) method. The role of the support in the creation of catalytic performance of supported Au nanoparticles in CO oxidation was significant. A direct correlation between activity and catalysts reducibility was observed. Ceria, which is susceptible to the reduction at the lowest temperature, in the presence of highly dispersed Au nanoparticles, appears to be responsible for the activity of the studied catalysts. CeO 2-ZrO 2 mixed oxides are promising supports for Au nanoparticles in CO oxidation whose activity is found to be dependent on Ce/Zr molar ratio.

The dinoflagellate Lepidodinium chlorophorum possesses "green" plastids containing chlorophylls a and b (Chl a + b), unlike most dinoflagellate plastids with Chl a + c plus a carotenoid peridinin (peridinin-containing plastids). In the present study we determined 8 plastidencoded genes from Lepidodinium to investigate the origin of the Chl a + b-containing dinoflagellate plastids. The plastid-encoded gene phylogeny clearly showed that Lepidodinium plastids were derived from a member of Chlorophyta, consistent with pigment composition. We also isolated three different glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) genes from Lepidodinium-one encoding the putative cytosolic "GapC" enzyme and the remaining two showing affinities to the "plastid-targeted GapC" genes. In a GAPDH phylogeny, one of the plastidtargeted GapC-like sequences robustly grouped with those of dinoflagellates bearing peridinin-containing plastids, while the other was nested in a clade of the homologues of haptophytes and dinoflagellate genera Karenia and Karlodinium bearing "haptophyte-derived" plastids. Since neither host nor plastid phylogeny suggested an evolutionary connection between Lepidodinium and Karenia/Karlodinium, a lateral transfer of a plastidtargeted GapC gene most likely took place from a haptophyte or a dinoflagellate with haptophyte-derived plastids to Lepidodinium. The plastidtargeted GapC data can be considered as an evidence for the single origin of plastids in haptophytes, cryptophytes, stramenopiles, and alveolates. However, in the light of Lepidodinium GAPDH data, we need to closely examine whether the monophyly of the plastids in the above lineages inferred from plastid-targeted GapC genes truly reflects that of the host lineages.

In this paper, we firstly present the equivalent circuit model of Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) flip-chip interconnect using Ni-filled ball and Au-coated polymer ball. The models were extracted up to the microwave frequency region over 10 GHz. The extrected model parameters of the Ni-filled ball interconnect are compared to those of the Au-coated polymer ball interconnect with respect to impedance and resonance frequency. The ACF using the Ni-filled ball can be manufactured with reduced manufacturing cost and simplified process, while it still has comparable electrical performance compared to that using the Au-coated polymer ball. So far, the Au-coated ball interconnect has been most widely used. Sparameter measurement and subsequent microwave network analysis were used for the extraction procedure of the impedance parameters.

GaN-core/Au-shell nanowires were fabricated and the effects of thermal annealing on the structural and photoluminescence (PL) properties were investigated. The surfaces of hetero-nanowires became rough due to the thermal annealing which could be attributed to the agglomeration of Au-shell layers into the cluster-like structures. X-ray diffraction indicated that the thermal annealing enhanced the crystallinity of the Au shell. From Gaussian deconvolution studies, we observed that the Au coating added a green band to the PL spectrum, whereas the thermal annealing enhanced the ultraviolet band. We have discussed the possible emission mechanisms.

Bilobalide, a constituent of Ginkgo biloba, has neuroprotective properties. Its mechanism of action is unknown but it was recently found to block GABA A receptors. The goal of this study was to test the potential role of a GABAergic mechanism for the neuroprotective activity of bilobalide. In rat hippocampal slices exposed to NMDA, release of choline indicates breakdown of membrane phospholipids. NMDA-induced choline release was almost completely blocked in the presence of bilobalide (10 μM) and under low-chloride conditions. Bicuculline (100 μM), a competitive antagonist at GABA A receptors, reduced NMDA-induced choline release to a small extent (−23%). GABA (100 μM) partially antagonized the inhibitory action of bilobalide. Exposure of hippocampal slices to NMDA also caused edema formation as measured by increases of tissue water content. NMDA-induced edema formation was suppressed by bilobalide and by low-chloride conditions. Bicuculline exerted partial protection (by 30%) while GABA reduced bilobalide's effect by about one third.