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Gradient Technique (gradient + technique)
Selected AbstractsSeparation of proteins in a multicompartment electrolyzer with chambers defined by a bed of gel beadsELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 4 2003Marina Cretich Abstract Multicompartment electrolyzers (MEs) with isoelectric membranes were introduced in 1989 for purifying proteins in an electric field. At the basis of ME technology there are membranes consisting of cross-linked copolymers of acrylamide and acrylamido monomers bearing protolytic groups. The technology employed for casting the membranes is an extension of the isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradient technique for which specific acrylamido monomers, known with the trade name of Immobiline, have been developed. However, the use of continuous membranes presents several disadvantages. Due to the mechanical characteristics of polyacrylamide, the gel must physically adhere onto a rigid support, which prevents it from collapsing. The support must have a highly porous structure in order to be permeable to proteins. The mechanical fragility of the membranes is one of the main problems that hinders the industrial scale application of ME separators. In order to overcome this problem, we propose to substitute the continuous membranes with a bed of gel beads of identical comonomer composition, obtained by an inverse emulsion polymerization process. [source] Photodegradation leads to increased carbon dioxide losses from terrestrial organic matterGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2010SUSANNA RUTLEDGE Abstract CO2 production in terrestrial ecosystems is generally assumed to be solely biologically driven while the role of abiotic processes has been largely overlooked. In addition to microbial decomposition, photodegradation , the direct breakdown of organic matter (OM) by solar irradiance , has been found to contribute to litter mass loss in dry ecosystems. Previous small-scale studies have shown that litter degradation by irradiance is accompanied by emissions of CO2. However, the contribution of photodegradation to total CO2 losses at ecosystems scales is unknown. This study determined the proportion of the total CO2 losses caused by photodegradation in two ecosystems: a bare peatland in New Zealand and a seasonally dry grassland in California. The direct effect of solar irradiance on CO2 production was examined by comparing daytime CO2 fluxes measured using eddy covariance (EC) systems with simultaneous measurements made using an opaque chamber and the soil CO2 gradient technique, and with night-time EC measurements under the same soil temperature and moisture conditions. In addition, a transparent chamber was used to directly measure CO2 fluxes from OM caused by solar irradiance. Photodegradation contributed 19% of the annual CO2 flux from the peatland and almost 60% of the dry season CO2 flux from the grassland, and up to 62% and 92% of the summer mid-day CO2 fluxes, respectively. Our results suggest that photodegradation may be important in a wide range of ecosystems with exposed OM. Furthermore, the practice of partitioning daytime ecosystem CO2 exchange into its gross components by assuming that total daytime CO2 losses can be approximated using estimates of biological respiration alone may be in error. To obtain robust estimates of global ecosystem,atmosphere carbon transfers, the contribution of photodegradation to OM decomposition must be quantified for other ecosystems and the results incorporated into coupled carbon,climate models. [source] Carbon dioxide balance of a fen ecosystem in northern Finland under elevated UV-B radiationGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2009JAANA K. HAAPALA Abstract The effect of elevated UV-B radiation on CO2 exchange of a natural flark fen was studied in open-field conditions during 2003,2005. The experimental site was located in Sodankylä in northern Finland (67°22,N, 26°38,E, 179 m a.s.l.). Altogether 30 study plots, each 120 cm × 120 cm in size, were randomly distributed between three treatments (n=10): ambient control, UV-A control and UV-B treatment. The UV-B-treated plots were exposed to elevated UV-B radiation level for three growing seasons. The instantaneous net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and dark respiration (RTOT) were measured during the growing season using a closed chamber method. The wintertime CO2 emissions were estimated using a gradient technique by analyzing the CO2 concentration in the snow pack. In addition to the instantaneous CO2 exchange, the seasonal CO2 balances during the growing seasons were modeled using environmental data measured at the site. In general, the instantaneous NEE at light saturation was slightly higher in the UV-B treatment compared with the ambient control, but the gross photosynthesis was unaffected by the exposure. The RTOT was significantly lower under elevated UV-B in the third study year. The modeled seasonal (June,September) CO2 balance varied between the years depending on the ground water level and temperature conditions. During the driest year, the seasonal CO2 balance was negative (net release of CO2) in the ambient control and the UV-B treatment was CO2 neutral. During the third year, the seasonal CO2 uptake was 43±36 g CO2 -C m,2 in the ambient control and 79±45 g CO2 -C m,2 in the UV-B treatment. The results suggest that the long-term exposure to high UV-B radiation levels may slightly increase the CO2 accumulation to fens resulting from a decrease in microbial activity in peat. However, it is unlikely that the predicted development of the level of UV-B radiation would significantly affect the CO2 balance of fen ecosystems in future. [source] A preconditioned conjugate gradient approach to structural reanalysis for general layout modificationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2007Zhengguang Li Abstract This paper presents a preconditioned conjugate gradient approach to structural static reanalysis for general layout modifications. It is suitable for all types of layout modifications, including the general case in which some original members and nodes are deleted and other new members and nodes are added concurrently. The approach is based on the preconditioned conjugate gradient technique. The preconditioner is constructed, and an efficient implementation for applying the preconditioner is presented, which requires the factorization of the stiffness matrix corresponding to the newly added degrees of freedom only. In particular, the approach can adaptively monitor the accuracy of approximate solutions. Numerical examples show that the condition number of the preconditioned matrix is remarkably reduced. Therefore, the fast convergence and accurate results can be achieved by the approach. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Hybrid finite-volume finite-difference scheme for the solution of Boussinesq equationsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 11 2005K. S. Erduran Abstract A hybrid scheme composed of finite-volume and finite-difference methods is introduced for the solution of the Boussinesq equations. While the finite-volume method with a Riemann solver is applied to the conservative part of the equations, the higher-order Boussinesq terms are discretized using the finite-difference scheme. Fourth-order accuracy in space for the finite-volume solution is achieved using the MUSCL-TVD scheme. Within this, four limiters have been tested, of which van-Leer limiter is found to be the most suitable. The Adams,Basforth third-order predictor and Adams,Moulton fourth-order corrector methods are used to obtain fourth-order accuracy in time. A recently introduced surface gradient technique is employed for the treatment of the bottom slope. A new model ,HYWAVE', based on this hybrid solution, has been applied to a number of wave propagation examples, most of which are taken from previous studies. Examples include sinusoidal waves and bi-chromatic wave propagation in deep water, sinusoidal wave propagation in shallow water and sinusoidal wave propagation from deep to shallow water demonstrating the linear shoaling properties of the model. Finally, sinusoidal wave propagation over a bar is simulated. The results are in good agreement with the theoretical expectations and published experimental results. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Human monocyte response to retrieved polymethylmethacrylate particlesJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 3 2002Masatsugu Miyaguchi Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare retrieved polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) particles from failed total hip arthroplasties in terms of size, shape, and the response of human monocytes with commercially available particles. PMMA particles were isolated from peri-implant tissues of five failed cemented total hip arthroplasties using tissue digestion and a sucrose density gradient technique. Prepolymerized cement powder and those from which barium sulfate had been removed were examined for comparison. After exposure of peripheral human monocytes to PMMA particles, tumor necrosis factor-, and interleukin-6 in medium were measured by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Image analysis revealed that retrieved particles were larger (retrieved: 1.24 ,m; prepolymerized cement powder: 0.83 ,m; barium sulfate-free powder: 0.87 ,m) and were more irregular in shape and rougher than commercially available particles. Cytokine release was increased by all PMMA particle species. However, commercially available PMMA particles stimulated the release of necrosis factor-, and interleukin-6 more strongly than did retrieved particles at very high doses. The observed difference in monocyte response might be due to the volume of the challenged particles. Another possible reason for the difference might be alteration of the surface chemistry of particles in situ and the difference in surface morphology between them. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 62: 331,337, 2002 [source] Vergence adaptation and the clinical AC/A ratioOPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 3 2000Mark Rosenfield Summary The accuracy of the gradient technique for measuring the clinical accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratio is dependent upon obtaining veridical heterophoria measurements. However, previous studies have demonstrated that the sustained output of slow fusional vergence, which may take several minutes or even hours to decay, can bias heterophoria assessment. In the clinical setting, it is usual to estimate the AC/A ratio after just a few seconds of dissociation. This study investigated whether the slow fusional vergence response alters this crosslink ratio by comparing values of AC/A measured both before and immediately after a 1-hr period of continuous monocular occlusion. Sustained occlusion produced a significant change in near heterophoria in 10 out of the 21 subjects examined, but no significant change in AC/A was observed in either the adapting or non-adapting subgroups. Accordingly, while the sustained output of slow fusional vergence will influence clinical measurements of heterophoria, its presence does not alter the stimulus AC/A ratio significantly. [source] | |||||||||||||