An Anionic Polymer Incorporating Low Amounts of Hydrophobic Residues Is a Multifunctional Surfactant. Part 1: Emulsifying, Thickening,Moisture-Absorption and Moisture-Retention Abilities of a FattyAcid-Containing Anionic Polysaccharide

We have been studying the function and structure of fatty acid-containing extracellular polysaccharides (FACEPS) produced by bacteria belonging to the genus Rhodococcus. In this study, we examined the relationships between the structure and emulsifying, thickening, moisture-absorption, and moisture-retention capabilities of rhodococcal FACEPS using S-2 EPS produced by R. rhodochrous strain S-2. We prepared chemically deacylated S-2 EPS (DeAcyl S-2 EPS) and palmitoylated DeAcyl S-2 EPS (ReAcyl S-2 EPS), and compared them with native S-2 EPS. All of the properties were attenuated and recovered by deacylation and reacylation of S-2 EPS, respectively. These results suggest that the fatty acid moiety of rhodococcal FACEPS is involved in such functional properties. We also showed that palmitoylation improved the emulsifying, moisture-ab-sorption, and moisture-retention abilities of other acidic polysaccharides that are commercially available. These results suggest that the acidity of the polysaccharide backbone is at least partly responsible for the observed functionality of fatty acid-containing polysaccharides. To our knowledge, this is the first report on multifunctional property of an anionic polymer incorporating low amounts of hydrophobic residues. The present findings could be useful for the creation of new multifunctional surfactants from renewable raw materials for use in various industries, e.g., in cosmetics.

An Anionic Polymer Incorporating Low Amounts of Hydrophobic Residues Is a Multifunctional Surfactant. Part 2: Emulsification, Moisture Absorption, and Moisture Retention of Alkyl Esterified Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid

In the accompanying paper (Part 1), we showed that the fatty acid moiety and the acidity of the polysaccharide-backbone of a fatty acid-containing polysaccharide might be involved in its emul-sification, moisture absorption, and moisture retention abilities. In this study, we synthesized alkyl esterified poly-γ-glutamic acid (PGA) with various chain lengths and degrees of substitution of the alkyl moieties to examine how hydrophobic groups incorporated in the anionic polymer contribute to enhanced emulsification, moisture absorption, and moisture retention. With a low degree of alkylation of PGA, these abilities were drastically improved. To improve the moisture absorption of PGA, alkylation with a short chain length is effective in forming interspaces between PGA chains to trap water molecules. Hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance may also be important to improve the emulsification and moisture retention abilities of PGA alkylates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the relationship between the structure and the multifunctional abilities of an anionic polymer incorporated with a small amount of hydrophobic residue. PGA alkylates, as well as fatty acid-containing polysaccharides, have potential use as multifunctional surfactants throughout various industries.

Studies on the Effects of Polyaspartate Protease Fertilizer Enhancer in the Absorptions of Soil Nutrition and the Enzymatic Activities of Crops

The effects of polyaspartate protease fertilizer enhancer, made from oyster shell proteins, on the absorption of soil nutrition and the enzymatic activities of crops were studied. It has been found that the enhancer contributes 30%, 50% and 50% augmentation of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) absorption respectively and about 20% of nitrate reductase and peroxide enzyme activities of crops. These results show that polyaspartate protease fertilizer enhancer could improve significantly the absorption and utilization efficiencies of soil nutrition and the activities of nitrate reductase and peroxide enzyme of crops, thus elevating the utilization rates of chemical fertilizers to a certain extent.

Active Absorption Wave Maker System for Irregular Waves

The key problem in physical model tests with highly reflective structures is to prevent the multiple reflections between the reflective structures and the wave maker. An active absorption wave maker system is described and the representative frequency method for irregular waves is proposed in this paper. Physical model tests are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The Enhancement of CO2 Chemical Absorption by K2CO3 Aqueous Solution in the Presence of Activated Carbon Particles

The enhancement of chemical absorption of CO2 by K2CO3/H2O absorbents in the presence of activated carbon （AC） particles was investigated. The results show that the gas absorption rates can be enhanced significantly in the presence of AC particles, and the maximum enhancement factor 3.7 was observed at low stirring intensities. The enhancement factor increased rapidly with the solid loading during the initial period of absorption and then be- came mild gradually to a maximum value. Both the liquid-solid contact area and the probability of solid particles residing at the gas-liquid interface decreased with the increase of the particle size, leading to a negative effect on the enhancement of mass transfer. The influence of the particles on gas absorption decreased with the reaction rate. The stirring speed changed the interfacial coverage and mass transfer rate on the liquid side and consequently affected the mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases; the enhancement factor decreased with the stirring intensity. A heterogeneous two-zone model was proposed for predicting the enhancement factor and the calculated results agreed well with the experimental data.

Helium Retention and Desorption Behaviour of Reduced Activation Ferritic/Martenstic Steel

The reduced activation ferritic/martenstic steel CLF-1 prepared by the Southwestern Institute of Physics in China was irradiated by helium ions with an energy of 5 keV at room temperature using an electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） ion irradiation apparatus. After the irradiation, the helium retention and desorption were investigated using a technique of thermal desorption spectroscopy （TDS）. The experiment was conducted with both the normal and welded samples. Blisters were observed after the helium ion irradiation, and the surface density of blisters in the welded samples was lower than that in the non-welded samples. Three desorption peaks were observed in both the non-welded and welded samples. These desorption peaks corresponded to those of blister ruptures and the helium release from the inner bubbles and the defects. The amount of helium retained in the welded samples was approximately the same as that in the non- welded samples, which was much less than other reduced activation materials, such as vanadium alloy and SiC/SiC composites.

On-line Preconcentration of Trace Nickel from Electrolytic Manganese Using Minicolumn Packed Activated Carbon for Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

The online flow injection preconcentration and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry method were used for the determination of trace nickel in electrolytic manganese samples by sorption on a conical minicolumn packed with activated carbon at pH 9.0. The nickel was eluted from the minicolumn with 10%(v/v) nitric acid. An enrichment factor of 190-fold for a sample volume of 10mL was obtained. The detection limit (DL) of nickel with the use of the preconcentration method was 13ng·g -1in the original solid sample. The precision for 10 replicate determinations at 150ng·g -1 nickel concentration was 5.2% relative standard deviation (RSD). The calibration graph was linear with a correlation coefficient of r=0.9996 up to concentration of 660ng·g -1 nickel.

Effects of Organic Selenium on Growth Properties, Selenium Absorption and Utilization, Antioxidant Activity and Immunity in Weaning Piglets

This experiment was conducted to determine the influences of adding organic selenium (Se) on growth properties, Se absorption and utilization, immunity and antioxidant activity in diets of Duroc weaning piglets. This study was performed on 36 (average weight 7.6 kg) weaning piglets. The weaning piglets were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 homogeneous treatments (A, control treatment, no added Se;B, Sodium selenite, 0.3 mg Se/kg feed;C, yeast Se, 0.3 mg Se/kg;D, DL-methionine Se 0.3 mg Se/kg). Every treatment had 3 replicates, every replicate had 3 piglets. The experiment lasted for 35 d, with the first 7 d for adaptation. Feed intake, residual and contaminated feed were recorded every day. Every piglet weight was weighted respectively at beginning and end of experiment. Daily intake, gain weight and feed conversion rates of every replicate were calculated finally. Se concentrations of serum, blood antioxidant and immunity index were analyzed in the 36th d of experiment. The results showed average daily gain of treatment C was significant higher (P 0.05) and D had higher trend than that of treatment A and B (P = 0.06) respectively. And feed and gain ratio of C and D had trends to lower than them of A and B (P = 0.14). However, all the intake of every week and whole period had no significant differences among treatments (P > 0.05). At same time, except for the Immunoglobulin M of treatment D and C was higher than that of treatment A and B significantly (P < 0.05), all the other Se contents of serum, immunity indexes, blood cell parameters and enzymatic activities had no significant differences among treatments (P > 0.05). But they took on some obvious trends. For example, the Se contents and glutathione peroxidase activities increased successively in order of treatment A, B, C and D;the blood urea nitrogen and total bilirubin of treatment A had higher trend than that of other treatments (P = 0.06). All in all, adding to organic Se in basal diets could improve the animal’s healthy levels, growth properties and Se utilization to some extent. Relatively speaking, the DL-methionine Se had more advantages compared to yeast Se.

Relations between the Fractional Variation of the Ionizing Continuum and CⅣBroad Absorption Lines with Different Ionization Levels

This paper explores the correlation between the fractional variation of the ionizing continuum and CⅣbroad absorption lines(BALs)with different ionization levels.Our results reveal anti-correlations between fractional variation of the continuum and fractional equivalency width(EW)variation of the CⅣB ALs without AlⅢB AL/mini-BALs at corresponding velocities,providing evidence for the widespread influence of the ionizing continuum variability on the variation of HiBALs.Conversely,for CⅣBALs accompanied by AlⅢBAL/mini-BALs(LoBAL groups),no significant correction is detected.The absence of such a correlation does not rule out the possibility that variations in these low-ionization lines are caused by ionizing continuum variability,but rather suggests the influence of B AL saturation to some extent.This saturation effect is reflected in the distribution of the fractional EW variation,where the CⅣBAL group accompanied by AlⅢBAL has a smaller standard deviation for the best-fitting Gaussian component than the two BAL groups without AlⅢB AL.However,the distribution of fractional variation of their continuum does not show any significant difference.Besides the saturation influence,another potential explanation for the lack of correlations in the LoBAL groups may be the effects of other variability mechanisms besides the ionization change,such as clouds transiting across the line of sight.

Active Absorption of Perforated Plate Based on Airflow

The theory of active absorption of the perforated plate is proposed in this paper.The perforated plate is used as the material of active absorption and the depth of the cavity behind the perforated plate is changed according to the resonant frequency of the perforated plate.The rigid wall is moved to produce resonance so that the absorption coefficient can reach the maximal level.It is shown from the numerical calculation that when the perforated plate resonates,the moving distance is large at low frequencies,and the absorption coefficient is low under certain conditions.Perforated plate resonance is effective for single frequency of incident sound wave,which is difficult for the wide frequency,so active absorption based on airflow is posed,and the numerical calculation and experiment are carried out.The results denote that this method of active absorption is practical.

Co-variability Between the Broad Absorption Lines and Narrow Absorption Lines

We investigate the relationship between the variability of broad absorption lines(BALs)or narrow absorption lines(NALs)and that of continuum using a data set of two-epoch SDSS spectra containing 134 C IV NAL-BAL pairs.Our analysis reveals an anti-correlation between the fractional equivalent width(EW)variations in NALs(or BALs)and the fractional flux variations of the continuum,with Spearman rank correlation coefficients of r=-0.47(p=1E-08)and r=-0.58(p=1E-13),respectively.In addition,we find a positive correlation between the fractional EW variations in NALs and BALs(r=0.72,p=1E-22),and derive a regression equation ΔEW_(NAL)/<EW_(NAL)>=0.803ΔEW_(BAL)/<EW_(BAL)>+0.008,with an intrinsic scatter of 0.14.These results suggest that the variability in the ionizing continuum may play a significant role in the observed changes in C IV NALs and BALs,supporting the idea of photoionization-driven variability.The co-variability between C IV NALs and BALs may imply that they originate from outflows with similar physical conditions.

Research on the Sound Characteristic in the Active Sound Absorption and Isolation of the Piezoelectric Ceramics

The sound characteristic of the piezoelectric ceramics is posed for the excellent mechanic and electric coupling performance of piezoelectric material.Two pieces of piezoelectric ceramic are used as materials of active absorption and active isolation,two pieces of PVDF with equal distance are placed in the front of the material in order to measure the incidence plane wave and the reflected wave,the voltages are applied on the surface of the material in order to make the reflected wave and transmission wave be zero using the adaptive controlling.At last,emulation is carried out with plane wave,and good absorption and isolation effect is achieved.

Zeolite A enhanced chitosan films with high water absorption ability and antimicrobial activity

Zeolite A/CS xerogel hybrid films were prepared by in-situ crystallization method with uniform structure and good strength.The hybrid films prepared from the precursor films dried at 50℃showed zeolite A was well crystallized.The hybrid films show high water absorption,good elastic strength and Young modulus.The antimicrobial ability of the hybrid films was investigated after Ag^(+)-ion exchanged.The Ag^(+)-exchanged hybrid films with 35%(mass)content of zeolite A showed the highest antimicrobial activity,which could reduce the concentration of the microbial to zero after 7 h.

Observations of Microwave Ultra-Fast Absorption Phenomena Above Solar Active Region

While we process observational data of the Flares 22, two rare phenomena of microwave ultra fast absorption (MUFA) are found for the first time. They occurred at 3 67 GHz and 4 00 GHz in the atmospheric layers above both active regions of NOAA/USAF 4808 and 5060 in the interval 05 h50 m17 s～05 h50 m25 s UT on May 19, 1987 and 07 h38 m50 s～07 h38 m58 s UT on June 29, 1988, respectively. These absorption phenomena were observed with Phoenix Ⅱ Micowave Spectrometer at three frequencies (1 42, 2 84 and 3 67 GHz) and (1 42, 2 84 and 4 00 GHz) at Yunnan observatory. Spike emissions appeared at both 2 84 GHz and 1 42 GHz. The notable observational characteristics of both absorption phenomena are given. A possible absorption mechanism of MUFA is discussed.

Soil Carbon Pool Management Index under Different Straw Retention Regimes

[Objective] To clarify the effects of different straw retention regimes on soil fertility in double cropping paddy field. [Method] The effects of different straw reten- tion regimes on total organic carbon （CToc）, active carbon （CA） and mineralized carbon （CM） were analyzed, and carbon pool active （A）, carbon pool active index （A/）, carbon pool index （CPI） and carbon pool management index （CPMi） for each treat- ment were calculated. [Result] Compared with the unfertilized treatment （CK）, CToc, CA, CM and the available ratio of soil carbon were increased in the treatment of re- turning early season and late season rice straws to field. With the same nutrient application, CToc, CA and the available ratio of soil carbon in the field with straw re- turned to field were higher than that of straw incineration and no straw returning, and the change in soil CA content was more significant. The difference in CPMI be- tween different treatments reached significant or very significant level, and the value was in the order of straw directly returned to field 〉 straw returned to field after in- cineration 〉 no straw returned to field. [Conclusion] This study provided theoretical bases for the increase of soil CA content and soil fertility in double rice fields.

Effects of Different Decolorants on Retention Rate of Total Triterpenes in Fruit and Rattan Stems of Schisandra chinensis(Turcz.) Baill

This study was to investigate the decoloration effects of activated clay, activated carbon, diatomite, Ca group bentonite, kaolin, activated aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide and attapulgite. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopywas adopted to de- tect the absorbanees of the extracts of Schisandra chinensis fruit and rattan stems, the contents of total triterpenoids in S. chinensis fruit and rattan stems were deter- mined, and the decoloration rate and the retention rate of total triterpenoids of S. chi- nensis fruit and rattan stems were calculated. The results indicated that, attapulgite exhibited the best decoloration effect on the extract of S. chinensis fruit, with a de- coloration rate up to 60.47%, activated carbon exhibited a better decoloration effect on the extract of S. chinensis rattan stems, with a decoloration rate up to 69.24%, and they had relatively higher retention rates of total triterpenoids. In the eight de- colorants, attapulgite showed the best decoloration effect on the extract of S. chi- nensis fruit, and activated carbon exhibited the best decoloration effect on the ex- tract of S. chinensisrattan stems.

Influence of hydraulic retention time on efficiencies of high concentration PAC-MF bioreactor treating slightly polluted surface water

In this study,the influence of hydraulic retention time on feasibility,efficiency and membrane foul- ing of slightly polluted surface water treatment by a high concentration PAC-MF bioreactor were investigated. During three months operation,TOC,NH4 + -N,nitrobenzene,and TMP were measured to evaluate the MBR performance. The results show that,when HRT reduces from 3 h to 1 h,removal efficiency of TOC and ammonia-nitrite decrease a little. However,there is little effect of HRT on nitrobenzene. And the optimal hydraulic retention time is 1 h.

Discovery of a variable broad absorption line in the BL Lac object PKS B0138-097

We report the discovery of a broad absorption line （BAL） of - 10^4 km s^-1 in width in the previously known BL Lac object PKS 0138-097, which we tentatively identified as an Mg II BAL. This is the first detection of a BAL, which is sometimes seen in powerful quasars with high accretion rates, in a BL Lac object. The BAL was clearly detected in its spectra spanning two epochs at a high luminosity state taken in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey （SDSS）, while it disappeared in three SDSS spectra taken at a low luminosity state. The BAL and its variability pattern were also found in its historical multi-epoch spectra in the literature, but have been overlooked previously. In its high resolution radio maps, PKS 0138-097 shows a core plus a one- sided parsec-scale jet. The BAL variability can be interpreted as follows： The optical emission is dominated by the core in a high state and by the jet in a low state and the BAL material is located between the core and jet so that the BAL appears only when the core is shining. Our discovery suggests that outflows may also be produced in active galactic nuclei at a low accreting state.

Experimental Study of the Water Absorption Kinetics of the Coconut Shells (Nucifera) of Cameroun

The study is focused on the phenomenon of diffusion of water through the shells of two coconut species (coconut nucifera) of Cameroun. The kinetics absorption of water was studied experimentally by the gravimetric method with discontinuous control of the mass of the samples at the temperature of 23℃. The mature coconut shells were cleaned mechanically, cut in a spherical shape and placed in a drying oven with 105℃ for 4 hours before being plunged in distilled water at 23℃. This study made it possible not only to determine the rate of water absorbed, but also to model the water kinetic absorption of the shells. Of the two models tested (Peleg and Page), the Page model predicted very well the experimental data. The Fick law made it possible to evaluate the effective diffusivity coefficients at the initial and final phases of absorption. The effective diffusivity coefficient was given from the Arrhenius equation.

Discovery of Balmer broad absorption lines in the quasar LBQS 1206+1052

We report the discovery of Balmer broad absorption lines （BALs） in the quasar LBQS 1206＋1052 and present a detailed analysis of the peculiar absorption line spectrum. Besides the Mg II λλ2796, 2803 doublet, BALs are also detected in the He I＊ multiplet at λλ2946, 3189, 3889 A arising from the metastable helium 2 3 S level, and in Hα and Hβ from the excited hydrogen H I＊ n = 2 level, which are rarely seen in quasar spectra. We identify two components in the BAL troughs of v ～ 2000 km s 1 width： One component shows an identical profile in H I＊, He I＊ and Mg II with its centroid blueshifted by v c ≈ 726 km s-1 . The other component is detected in He I＊ and Mg II with v c ≈ 1412 km s-1 . We estimate the column densities of H I＊, He I＊, and Mg II, and compare them with possible level population mechanisms. Our results favor the scenario that the Balmer BALs originate in a partially ionized region with a column density of N H ～ 10 21 10 22 cm-2 for an electron density of n e ～ 10 6 10 8 cm-3 via Lyα resonant scattering pumping. The harsh conditions needed may help to explain the rarity of Balmer absorption line systems in quasar spectra. With an i-band PSF magnitude of 16.50, LBQS 1206＋1052 is the brightest Balmer-BAL quasar ever reported. Its high brightness and unique spectral properties make LBQS 1206＋1052 a promising candidate for followup high-resolution spectroscopy, multi-band observations, and long-term monitoring.