The dielectric permittivity at radio frequencies and the bruggeman probe: novel techniques for the on-line determination of biomass concentrations in plant cell cultures

A novel technique is described for the measurement of the volume fraction of biomass in a suspension by the simultaneous measurement of the conductivity of a suspension containing cells and of the medium in which the cells are suspended. The presence of non-conducting particulate matter in a suspension will cause the conductivity of a suspension to be decreased relative to that of the medium in which the particles are suspended. A simple equation (the Bruggeman equation) describes the relationship between the volume fraction of non-conducting particulate matter and the decrease in conductivity. The accuracy of this method for the determination of the biomass concentration of plant cells (Festuca arundinacea) in culture was shown. The method was successfully applied to the on-line determination of biomass concentrations during the growth of F. arundinacea cultures, and gave good agreement with biomass levels as determined from measurements of the radio-frequency dielectric permittivity of such cultures.     

Long term lily scale bulblet storage: effects of temperature and storage in polyethylene bags

Collections of lily genotypes are usually maintained by yearly planting, harvesting and storage of the bulbs. To facilitate this maintenance, a storage method has been developed for a collection of lily genotypes, including Asiatic hybrids, Oriental hybrids, Lilium longiflorum and L. henryi. Scale bulblets were stored either dry, sealed air-tight in polyethylene bags, or in moist vermiculite in open polyethylene bags for a period of 2 yr. The decrease in mass, sprouting proportion and ion leakage or sprouting proportion alone were determined for treatments carried out at -2°C, °C and 17°C. Sealing scale bulblets in polyethylene bags at -2°C resulted in the smallest decrease in mass, the least ion leakage and the highest sprouting proportion after 2 yr of storage.     

Dielectric analysis of mitochondria isolated from rat liver II. Intact mitochondria as simulated by a double-shell model

The dielectric dispersion of isolated intact mitochondria in suspension has been measured between 10 kHz and 500 MHz. In isotonic KCI media at 4°C, the mitochondria maintained their characteristic ‘double membrane’ structure as examined by electron microscopy, and the observed dispersion curves were successfully simulated in terms of a superposition of two sub-dispersions having different characteristic frequencies and different permittivity magnitudes. Taking these observations into account we analyzed the dispersion data on the basis of a ‘double-shell’ model in which two concentric shells are meant to represent the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes. The analyses by a computerized curve-fitting method revealed that: (i) electric capacities for the outer and the inner membrane are 1.7 and 0.5 μF/cm², respectively, (ii) relative permittivity for the inner compartment (or the equivalent homogeneous matrical space) = 50–60, (iii) outer compartment-to-external conductivity ratio = 0.4–0.6, and (iv) inner compartment-to-external conductivity ratio = 0.14. The implications of these parameter values are discussed with due attention paid to the limitations inherent in our ‘double-shell’ model approach.     

Passive electrical properties of Halobacterium species

The electrical conductivity of suspensions of two species of Halobacterium was measured at low A. C. frequency. The results obtained fromHalobacterium halobium suspensions show that the bacteria act as non-conducting particles. In contrast, the cells of a Halobacterium obtained from the Dead Sea (Halobacterium marismortui) had an apparently high conductivity which can be explained partly in terms of the cell-membrane being pierced by pores through which ions can move freely and partly in terms of highly concentrated cell ions, all of which are mobile.     

EMG gait data from indwelling electrodes is attenuated over time and changes independent of any experimental effect

The effect of time on the validity of electromyography (EMG) signals from indwelling fine-wire electrodes has not been explored. This is important because experiments using intramuscular electrodes are often long and biochemical and mechanical factors, may impair measurement accuracy over time. Measures over extended periods might therefore be erroneous. Twelve healthy participants (age = 33 ± 8 years) walked for 50 min at a controlled speed. Fine-wire electrodes were inserted into tibialis anterior and a surface EMG sensor attached near the fine-wire insertion site. EMG signals progressively and significantly decreased with time with the fine-wire electrode, but not the surface electrode. For the fine-wire electrode, after 25 min mean amplitude had reduced by 11% (p < 0.001) and after 50 min by 16% (p < 0.001), and peak amplitude reduced 22% at 20 min (p = 0.006) and 37% at 50 min (p < 0.001). Reduced amplitude with indwelling EMG without concurrent changes in surface EMG signal suggests an important inconsistency in data from fine-wire EMG electrodes. Changes in EMG signal will occur over time independent of the experimental condition and this questions their use in experiments of more than 30 min. These results should impact on experimental study design. They also invite reinterpretation of prior literature and sensor innovation to improve measurement performance.     

Influence of most reactive inorganic cation in the optical and biological activities of L-Lysine monohydrochloride crystal

Slow evaporation method was used to grow the pure and K⁺ ion doped L-Lysine monohydrochloride (L-LMHCL) crystals which has optical and antibiotic applications. The space group, structure and slight shifting of peaks are confirmed using single crystal XRD and the powder XRD. The FTIR analysis also shows that the K⁺ doped L-LMHCL has a slight shifting in the spectrum which indicates the functional group of L-LMHCL and the interaction between the K⁺ ions. The existence of K⁺ ion in the doped crystal is assured by the presence of potassium in the EDAX spectrum. The wide optical band gap was found for pure and K⁺ doped crystal using UV spectra and these are utilized in optoelectronic and nonlinear applications. The Kurtz Perry technique specified the NLO property of grown crystals. The dielectric property crystals was studied by varying the temperature. As a result, the highest dielectric constant is observed in doped crystal. An antibacterial activity against certain bacteria like E-coli, pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus are provided by mm range for the grown crystals.     

Automatic methods for characterization of sexual dimorphism of adult femora: distal femur

Quantifying sex differences in femoral size and shape has extensive applications in forensics and prosthesis design. By applying strong statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA), certain three-dimensional (3D) morphological variations of adult femora can be quantified over various femoral sizes. Coupling this statistical approach with a novel feature generation and extraction technique, localization of statistically significant (p < 0.05) features are automatically defined and measured. Also, predefined anatomical landmarks and surgical axes have been calculated automatically. In all methods, femoral scale is controlled as a possible parameter of shape. By extensively comparing measurements across 92 male and 74 female femora, the dimorphic characteristics of the distal femur are shown. These differences have not been accounted for in many prosthetic systems and consequently these systems have limited sizing accuracy.     

髋骨闭孔沟的临床解剖学测量

目的：对闭孔沟进行解剖学观察和测量,为相关应用提供临床解剖学依据和丰富人类学数据。方法：选取结构完整、解剖标志清晰的髋骨108例,其中男性髋骨59例（左侧36例,右侧23例）,女性髋骨49例（其中左侧20例,右侧29例）,对闭孔沟进行观察并测量其长度和闭孔沟中点宽度。结果：试验测得男性左、右侧闭孔沟长度分别为31．4±3．4mm、32．1±2．4min,女性左、右侧闭孔沟长度分别为19．4±2．2mm、20．8±2．7mm;统计学分析显示同性别左、右侧差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）,男、女性之间差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。男性左、右侧闭孔沟中点宽度分别为9．7±1．6mm、10．7±1．5mm,女性左、右侧闭孔沟中点宽度分别为12．1±1．7mm、11．6±2．0mm;同性别左、右侧及男、女间差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论：男、女性闭孔沟测量数据可为闭孔处疾病的诊断和治疗提供应用解剖学的考虑依据并丰富人类学数据。     

植物木质部压力探针测定技术与方法

木质部压力探针技术是目前直接测定植物木质部导管负压的唯一手段。在结构上,木质部压力探针测定系统由精密操作装置、压力探针系统和信号采集—传输一显示系统三大部分组成。其测定原理是将毛细管探针刺入木质部导管,通过传导介质将木质部导管负压传至压力传感器,压力传感器感应压力并将压力信号输出。本文从玻璃毛细管探针的制作、去气泡水的制备以及压力探针的校准、安装、测定等方面详细介绍了木质部压力探针的使用方法和注意事项。     

Does the Spanish version of the SWLS measure the same in Spain and Peru?

AimSatisfaction with life is a measure of protection in older adults. There lies the importance of providing quality instruments. The aim of the study was to evaluate the invariance of the life satisfaction scale (SWLS) in two samples of older adults in Spain and Peru.MethodThe participants were 857 older adults in Spain (mean age = 68.23 years, SD = 5.93) and 336 older adults in Peru (average age = 72.42, SD = 7.07). All multi-group confirmatory factor analyzes were estimated in Mplus 8.0.ResultsThe results indicate the presence of a strict invariance of the one-dimensional structure of the SWLS in samples of older adults in Spain and Peru, which allows for meaningful comparisons of latent means and covariances. Comparison of latent means showed small differences in the construct between the cultural groups.ConclusionsThe SWLS is a valid instrument for intercultural comparisons between Spanish and Peruvian population. The measurement invariance assessment contributes to a better understanding of life satisfaction in populations from different cultural contexts.