Sustainability of silicon feedstock for a low-carbon society

We need to ensure the sustainable management of advanced materials, such as purified silicon, that contribute to a low-carbon society. Because a drastic increase in the demand for photovoltaic (PV) systems is tightening the supply of silicon for PV cells, the sustainability of silicon feedstock needs to be explored. For this purpose, a material flow analysis of silicon in Japan from 1996 to 2006 is presented in this paper. Our analysis finds that rapid growth in demand for polycrystalline silicon (pc-silicon) and single crystalline silicon (sc-silicon) has changed the structure of the purified silicon supply. The strong demand for purified silicon for solar cells is responsible for this change. While off-grade silicon obtained as a by-product of electronic-grade silicon (EG-Si) covered the demand for solar sells before 2000, pc-silicon is currently produced independently for solar cells via an energy-intensive process. Analysis of the resource effective-use index (REI), which indicates how effectively purified silicon is used, shows progress in the effective use of pc- and sc-silicon. REI analysis indicates that the effective use of pc-silicon is reaching a maximum, while the effective use of sc-silicon is advancing, with a corresponding increase in price. To ensure a sustainable supply of silicon feedstock, this paper proposes four solutions: (1) production of solar-grade pc-silicon by a less costly and less energy-consuming method; (2) reduction in the amount of crystalline silicon per watt in solar cells; (3) acceleration of the development and deployment of other solar cell types; and (4) reuse and recycling of solar cells in the future.     

喷射浮选处理含油污水的研究

重点对喷射浮选处理含油污水进行了试验研究，结果表明浮选室内射流泵的没水深度对喷射选除油效果有较大的影响，并且只有在气泡量大并充满浮选室及表面相对平静的状态下，才儿得较好效果，为此，我们在浮选室内加入自制的增料，使兼并的气海重新得到分散，消耗了一部分动能，减缓了浮选室的扰动，使除在大提高，从而为研制新型高效的喷射浮选设备提供了一条新途径。     

DIDP通过线粒体-Caspase途径诱导昆明小鼠肝脏损伤的研究

为探究DIDP（Di-iso-decyl phthalate,邻苯二甲酸二异癸酯）对肝脏的影响及其可能的分子机制,以昆明小鼠为研究对象,选用Res（resveratrol,白藜芦醇）为抗氧化剂,分别设置对照组,0.15、1.5、15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组,Res组,150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP+Res组,灌胃染毒9 d后,对小鼠肝脏切片进行HE染色观察,并检测ROS（reactive oxygen,活性氧）、GSH（glutathione,谷胱甘肽）、MDA（malondialdehyde,丙二醛）、Cyt-C（cytochromec,细胞色素C）、Caspase-3和血清中的ALT（alanine aminotransferase,丙氨酸氨基转移酶）含量.结果表明:与对照组相比,15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠血清中ALT含量极显著上升（P < 0.01）;HE染色结果显示,15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠出现肝细胞水肿、肝索紊乱、肝窦以及肝中央静脉扩张等现象;15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠肝脏ROS含量显著上升（P < 0.05）,GSH含量显著下降（P < 0.05）,150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠肝脏MDA含量极显著上升（P < 0.01）;1.5、15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠肝脏中c（Cyt-C）极显著上升（P < 0.01）;15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP组小鼠肝脏中Caspase-3表达量极显著上升（P < 0.01）.DIDP染毒剂量的增加对肝脏的各种损伤程度呈上升趋势,Res可减轻上述DIDP对肝脏造成的各种损伤.研究显示,15、150 mg/（kg·d）DIDP可诱导肝脏组织氧化应激水平上升,进而造成线粒体损伤,导致细胞凋亡,造成肝功能受损,因此,线粒体-Caspase途径可能是DIDP诱导肝脏损伤的潜在机制之一.      

Chorionic villus culture for prenatal diagnosis of chromosome defects: Reduction of the long-term cultivation time

We report in detail two series of chorionic villus cultivation for prenatal chromosomal diagnosis. Chorionic villi were sampled from both first- and second-trimester pregnancies. One hundred cultures were treated with trypsin–EDTA for 2 h and collagenase overnight, (method A) and 100 were treated with trypsin–EDTA for 1 h and collagenase for 2 h (method B). Using short-term enzymatic digestion, the cultivation time was reduced from 14 days to 6 days. Sufficient amounts of metaphases of good quality were present in 93 per cent of primary cultures harvested in situ, whereas enough metaphases of sufficiently good quality were in most cases present only after subcultivation of the cultures using method A. The decrease in cultivation time obtained is probably due to a higher yield of viable cells in monocellular suspension, an increased attachment efficiency, and a more rapid attachment of single cells (within 24 h).     

Programmed cell death induced by modified clay in controlling Prorocentrum donghaiense bloom

Modified clay (MC), an effective material used for the emergency elimination of algal blooms, can rapidly reduce the biomass of harmful algal blooms (HABs) via flocculation. After that, MC can still control bloom population through indirect effects such as oxidative stress, which was initially proposed to be related to programmed cell death (PCD) at molecular level. To further study the MC induced cell death in residual bloom organisms, especially identifying PCD process, we studied the physiological state of the residual Prorocentrum donghaiense. The experimental results showed that flocculation changed the physiological state of the residual cells, as evidenced by growth inhibition and increased reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, this research provides biochemical and ultrastructural evidence showing that MC induces PCD in P. donghaiense. Nuclear changes were observed, and increased caspase-like activity, externalization of phosphatidylserine and DNA fragmentation were detected in MC-treated groups and quantified. And the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was activated in both MC-treated groups. Besides, the features of MC-induced PCD in a unicellular organism were summarized and its concentration dependent manner was proved. All our preliminary results elucidate the mechanism through which MC can further control HABs by inducing PCD and suggest a promising application of PCD in bloom control.     

The effect of oxygen tension on colony formation and cell proliferation of amniotic fluid cellsin vitro

The effects of reduced oxygen concentrations in the gas phase over the culture medium on colony formation and cell proliferation were investigated in high and low cell density primary and secondary cultures of amniotic fluid cells. Using two standard culture methods (25 cm² plastic flasks and Leighton type tubes) a significantly reduced culture time was observed at high cell density for mass cultures by incubation within a low oxygen tension gas phase (2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent O₂) instead of conventional air (18 per cent O₂). At low cell density colony formation was significantly enhanced in cultures grown at reduced oxygen tension. Using gas permeable membranes as support, lowering the oxygen tension from 7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent yielded an increase in plating efficiency of cells from approximately 5 per cent to 25 per cent, whereas plating efficiency was less than 2 per cent for cells grown at ambient 18 per cent O₂. It is suggested that low oxygen tension in the gas phase is an effective means of enhancing clonal growth in amniotic fluid cell cultures, thereby reducing both culture time and risk of culture failure.     

硒酸钠和亚硒酸钠对长春花细胞悬浮生长的影响

研究了硒化合物对长春花(C.roseus)细胞悬浮生长的影响.在pH5.5培养介质中,当Se(Ⅵ)>0.5ppm或Se(Ⅳ)>0.6ppm时,将抑制C.roseus细胞悬浮生长,其致死浓度分别是100ppm Se(Ⅵ)和2.0ppm Se(Ⅳ).C.roseus对硒化合物有效强的富集作用.硒化合物的毒性和培养介质的pH值有关.在本试验条件下,硒酸钠和亚硒酸钠对Hg~(2+)无拮抗作用.     

Detection of both the normal and mutant alleles in single cells of individuals heterozygous for the sickle cell mutation—prelude to preimplantation diagnosis

As a preliminary step to preimplantation diagnosis of sickle cell disease in unfertilized eggs or 8-cell embryos of heterozygous parents, we established quality control for detection of the mutant and normal alleles of the beta-haemoglobin gene using single buccal cells. Efficient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a 680 base pair sequence of the beta-globin gene spanning the site of the sickle cell mutation was obtained for 79 per cent of single heterozygous cells. In 71 per cent of cases, both alleles were detected. With this current efficiency, we predict that a clinical preimplantation diagnosis at the 8-cell embryo stage could be carried out safely and reliably for a couple at risk of transmitting sickle cell disease to their children.     

Erythroid-specific antibodies enhance detection of fetal nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood

Fetal nucleated erythrocytes (NRBC) in maternal blood are a non-invasive source of fetal DNA for prenatal genetic screening. We compared the effectiveness of three monoclonal antibodies for the separation of fetal cells from maternal blood by flow sorting. Mononuclear blood cells from 49 healthy pregnant women were incubated with antibody to CD 71, CD 36, and/or glycophorin A (GPA), employed singly or in combination with each other. These monoclonal antibodies recognize surface antigens on haematopoietic precursor cells. Successful isolation of fetal cells was defined as detection of Y chromosomal sequences in maternal blood from women carrying male fetuses, with absence of Y sequences when female fetuses were carried. Thus, gender prediction accuracy was used as a measure of fetal cell separation. Using anti-CD 71 to isolate fetal cells, gender prediction was 57 per cent correct; with anti-CD 36, it was 88 per cent correct. Anti-GPA, an erythrocyte-specific antigen, used alone or in combination with anti-CD 71 or 36, improved gender prediction to 100 per cent. We conclude that antibody to GPA improves the retrieval of fetal NRBC from maternal blood, permitting genetic analysis by the polymerase chain reaction.     

彗星试验检测酚类化合物对小鼠脾脏细胞DNA损伤的研究

应用彗星试验技术,研究了酚类化合物对小鼠脾脏细胞DNA的损伤作用,试验结果表明,12种酚类化合物对小鼠脾脏细胞均能引起不同程度的DNA损伤,并呈现剂量效应关系.与对照组相比,均有显著性差异(P＜0 05,P＜0 01).试验结果亦表明,其DNA的损伤程度与化学结构有一定的关系.