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Yak (Bos grunniens) is a unique livestock animal originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. In the current study, we investigated the maternal genetic diversity, differentiation and phylogeny of wild yak population and four domestic yak breeds (Qinghai-Gaoyuan, Huanhu, Xueduo, and Yushu) in Qinghai, China by analyzing 166 mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene sequence variations. The results showed that the five yak breeds/populations had high genetic diversity (Hd = 0.501 ± 0.088–0.770 ± 0.053) and each yak breed/population owned unique haplotypes. Estimates of FST values showed a moderate genetic differentiation between wild yak and Huanhu yak (FST = 0.0577) as well as that between Huanhu yak and Yushu yak breeds (FST = 0.0520), but a weak genetic differentiation was observed between the other yak breeds/populations (–0.0209 < FST < 0.0372). Additionally, the clustering analysis based on RST values showed that Xueduo yak and Huanhu yak were clustered into one group, and each of the other three yak breeds/populations was separated into one group, respectively. Overall, the clustering relationship between wild yak and Yushu yak was closer. Maternal phylogenetic analysis showed that wild yak and four domestic yak breeds/populations in Qinghai represented in three maternal lineages (Mt-I, Mt-II, and Mt-III), indicating three maternal origins in yak. Our study would provide valuable information for the conservation and utilization of wild yak and Qinghai domestic yak breeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss applications of the study of the new and barely explored class of changing-look (CL) narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies and comment on their detection with the space mission SVOM (Space Variable Objects Monitor). We highlight the case of NGC 1566, which is outstanding in many respects, for instance as one of the nearest known CL AGN undergoing exceptional outbursts. Its NLS1 nature is discussed, and we take it as a nearby prototype for systems that could be discovered and studied in the near future, including with SVOM. Finally, we briefly examine the broader implications and applications of CL events in NLS1 galaxies and show that such systems, once discovered in larger numbers, will greatly advance our understanding of the physics of the environment of rapidly growing supermassive black holes. This White Paper is part of a sequence of publications which explore aspects of our understanding of (CL) NLS1 galaxy physics with future missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human adenoviruses (HAdVs) are prevalent worldwide and are a common cause of respiratory tract infection in people of all ages. However, little is known about HAdV infection among children with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). The present study retrospectively analysed the molecular typing and epidemiological characteristics of HAdV‐positive samples from children with SARI from January 2017 to December 2021 in Huzhou. The results showed that 89 (8·27%) of 1078 SARI paediatric patients were positive for HAdVs. Children <5 years of age accounted for 87·64% of the positive cases. The peak seasons for HAdV infection were the first quarter and the fourth quarter. In addition, HAdV‐B and HAdV‐C were circulating among paediatric patients with SARI, of which the B3 genotype (n = 30, 51·72%) was the most prevalent and was detected every year, indicating that B3 is the main epidemic strain in the Huzhou area, followed by C1 (n = 9, 15·52%), C2 (n = 7, 12·07%) and B7 (n = 5, 8·62%). These findings provide a benchmark for future epidemiology and prevention strategies for HAdVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A k‐semiframe of type gu is a k‐GDD of type gu(X,G,ℬ), in which the collection of blocks ℬ can be written as a disjoint union ℬ=P∪Q, where P is partitioned into parallel classes of X and Q is partitioned into holey parallel classes, each holey parallel class being a partition of X\G for some G∈G. In this paper, we will introduce a new concept of t‐perfect semiframe and use it to prove the existence of a 3‐semiframe of type gu with even group size. This completes the proof of the existence of 3‐semiframes with uniform group size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, cold model experiments were carried out to investigate the cavity depth. It was found that the existing model prediction deviated from the experimental results at higher gas flow rate. The normalized linear relationship was obtained between the dimensionless characteristic cavity depth (n0/H) and a combined dimensionless parameter of the Froude number (Fr) and the ratio of nozzle diameter to jet height (de/H). Further, the linear law of the slope and the intercept of normalized fitting line with the nozzle diameter were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isothermal constant strain rate compression experiments were conducted on 34CrNi3MoV steel using a thermal simulation experimental machine to study its thermal deformation behavior, with deformation temperatures ranging from 800 - 1 200 °C and strain rates ranging from 0,01 - 10 s-1, and the corresponding stress-strain curves were obtained for 60 % compression. According to the results, through regression analysis of the 1stOpt software, parameter values of three constitutive models were obtained, and then the precision of prediction was compared by different models of flow stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the thermal light correlated interference using a He-Ne laser beam with intensities modulated by mathematical functions. Three mathematical functions are adopted: a power function f [I(x)] = I n(x); an exponential function f [I(x)] = exp[ pI(x)]; and an inverse trigonometric function f [I(x)] = tan-1[qI(x)]. Our results show that these correlation methods influence the contrast of correlated interference fringes, but not the periods of the fringes, which just depend on the relation of correlated spatial coordinates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to measure temperature changes inside steel blooms during steel production, so reliable numerical simulations are important for process optimization. In this work, thermocouples were located within a production reheating furnace and embedded inside a 72LX steel bloom. The temperature distributions within the bloom and the furnace as the bloom passed through the furnace were measured. These data were used to establish a two-dimensional model, and the heat transfer coefficients during the production process were obtained by inverse calculation. During bloom heating, we found a large difference between the upper and lower furnace temperatures in the third heating stage. The simulated values of the temperature field were in good agreement with the measured values, which indicates that the temperature field model for the production process was effectively established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To measure skin autofluorescence in youth (<18 y.o.) and adults (≥18 y.o.) and to assess its relationship with type 1 diabetes, chronic complications and smoking. Methods: In a cross‐sectional study (n = 383) skin autofluorescence was measured in 269 people with type 1 diabetes (67 with vascular complications) and 114 people without diabetes, covering eight decades of age. Associations of skin autofluorescence with demographics and traditional risk factors were assessed. Results: Skin autofluorescence increased with age in people with diabetes: for those with complications it increased by a mean ± se of 0.029 ± 0.003 arbitrary units per year (r = 0.76) and, for those without complications, it increased by 0.028 ± 0.002 arbitrary units (r = 0.77). These increases were higher than for people without diabetes, whose skin autofluorescence increased by 0.022 ± 0.002 arbitrary units (r = 0.78) per year (p = 0.004). Mean ±se age‐adjusted skin autofluorescence was higher in people with diabetes complications vs people without diabetes complications (1.85 ± 0.04 vs 1.66 ± 0.02 arbitrary units) and people without diabetes (1.48 ± 0.03 arbitrary units; all P < 0.0001). Age‐adjusted skin autofluorescence was higher in current smokers and recent ex‐smokers vs non‐smokers and longer‐term ex‐smokers (1.86 ± 0.06 vs 1.63 ± 0.02 arbitrary units; P = 0.0005). Skin autofluorescence area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve was 0.89 (95% CI 0.85–0.94) for retinopathy and 0.56 (95% CI 0.47–0.65) for nephropathy. Conclusions: Skin autofluorescence increases with age, but faster in people with diabetes, particularly in those with complications and in smokers, consistent with accelerated aging. Skin autofluorescence may facilitate complication screening and prediction. Longitudinal studies are merited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to simulate the solidification process of a large blank (280 mm × 325 mm) under different technological conditions. The influence of casting speed and superheat on solidification process of bloom was analyzed. It was found that as the casting speed increases, the solidification position of the bloom moved backward by 3,68 m, and the time required for complete solidification increased by 1 min; When the superheat gradually increased, the position of complete solidification of 10B21 steel bloom moved by about 1,5 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the spatio-temporal separation of electron and phonon thermal transports in nanostructured magnetic L10 FePt films at the nanometer length scale and the time domain of tens of picosecond, when heated with a pulsed laser. We demonstrate that lattice dynamics measured using the picosecond time-resolved laser pump/X-ray probe method on the FePt (002) and Ag (002) Bragg reflections from different layers provided the information of nanoscale thermal transport between the layers. We also describe how the electron and phonon thermal transports in nanostructured magnetic thin films were separated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to understand the physical interaction between top-blown oxygen jet and liquid bath in basic oxygen steelmaking furnaces (BOF). In this study, cold model experiments were carried out to investigate the cavity depth, diameter and the instability at the gas-liquid interface. Images of the cavities were captured by a high-speed video camera to study cavity performances. A modified judging equation of the gas-liquid interface instability was developed by the critical jet flow and the critical jet height at a determined jet diameter. The critical parameters were in good agreement with experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the composition detection results of steel inclusions, it is found that the steel-heaping reason of cold heading wire is caused by the slag entrapment in steelmaking process. In view of the above reasons, by controlling the fluctuation of liquid level of tundish, controlling the fluctuation of continuous casting speed, optimizing the thickness of covering slag and tundish cover powder, the phenomenon of steel-heaping in the rolling process can be effectively reduced when producing Q195 and other cold heading steel. It is of great significance to guide process improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a non-destructive technique, Acoustic emission (AE) can be employed to detect the damage inside the material passively and then locate the damage source. However, fatigue loading poses challenges to AE signal acquisition and processing. In this paper, AE monitoring is performed on glass fiber/epoxy composite laminates under fatigue loads. Due to the intrinsic noise, wavelet packet decomposition is used for noise elimination. Results show that the noise components in original AE signals can be effectively eliminated by the wavelet analysis. Based on the difference of the arrival times, the line positioning method is shown to locate AE sources appearing in the laminates successfully. The peak frequency characteristic of each AE signal is utilized for damage mode classification. The fracture of the laminate is governed by delamination and fiber/breakage, followed by fiber/matrix interface debonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of the rare "Changing-look" (CL) phenomenon in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is still under debate. We present Swift/XRT and UVOT follow-up observations of UGC 3223, a newly discovered repeat CL-AGN with type transitions of S1.5 → S2 → S1.8 occurring in a period of about 30 yr. By comparing the values previously reported in the ROSAT All-sky Survey and in the second Swift-XRT Point Source catalog, we clearly find that the X-ray flux tightly follows the optical spectral transition, in which a spectral type closer to a Seyfert 1 type is associated with a higher X-ray flux. An invariable X-ray spectral shape is, however, found in the CL phenomenon of the object. An extremely low Eddington ratio of ∼2 × 10−4 can be obtained from the X-ray luminosity for its Seyfert 2 state, which suggests the disk-wind broad-line region model best explains the CL phenomenon. A variation of the total UV emission is not revealed when compared to the previous Galaxy Evolution Explorer NUV observation, since the UVOT images indicate that ∼90% UV emission comes from intensive star formation in the host galaxy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We established a multi-centre online registry for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) in China, and compared Chinese patients with those from other countries. Methods: Data were from 87 rheumatology centres in 27 provinces. All 2986 patients had pSS according to the 2002 American-European Consensus Group or the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism. All centres used the same methods. Data on demographics, clinical parameters, laboratory results, disease activity and treatments were examined. Results: The female:male ratio was 22.9:1, and the mean age at onset was 46.31 years. A total of 332 (11.1%) patients had thyroid disease, including hyperthyroidism (1.2%), hypothyroidism (6.0%) and subacute thyroiditis (3.9%). Dry eye had a prevalence of 68.59% in Chinese patients, 93.7–96% in European patients and 97.3% in American patients. Dry mouth had a prevalence of 86.5% in Chinese patients, 93.2–96% in European patients and 97.9% in American patients. Fewer Chinese than European patients had arthritis (6.9% vs. 15–19.3%). ANA positivity was 90.7% in Chinese, 81.3% in European and 77.6% in American patients. Anti-SSA antibody positivity was 84.6% in Chinese, 71% in European and 68.2% in American patients. The most commonly used drugs in Chinese patients were hydroxychloroquine (n = 1818; 67.5%), glucocorticoids (n = 1720; 63.9%) and total glucosides of paeony (n = 1120; 41.7%). Conclusions: This study provided information on the phenotypes of Chinese patients with pSS, and identified several differences with patients from other geographical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: There is a wealth of data concerning the health behaviours of Indigenous Australians, but the health behaviours of Indigenous Australians with diabetes are not systematically documented. At the clinical level, understanding a person's health behaviours can help identify and address barriers to diabetes care and promote good clinical outcomes. Methods: We used a novel survey tool to systematically collect health behaviour data on Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol consumption, Physical activity and Emotional well‐being (SNAPE) from Indigenous Australians with Type 2 diabetes in a remote primary care setting in Alice Springs. Results: At least one of the five surveys in the SNAPE tool was completed by 210 participants: 30% male, mean age 52.6 years (range 22.9 – 87.4). Fifty per cent of men and 23% of women were current smokers (P < 0.001). None of the participants reported an adequate intake of vegetables. Only 9.6% reported an adequate fruit intake. Some 49% of men and 32% of women consumed alcohol in the past year (P = 0.022), and 46% of drinkers were considered high‐risk or likely‐dependent drinkers. On average, participants walked 10 min or more at a time 6.0 days a week and spent 4.8 h sitting on a weekday. Mean adapted Patient Health Questionnaire 9 score was 4.61, with 34% of participants having mild depressive symptoms and 11% having moderate‐severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our SNAPE survey tool results present a high‐risk, disadvantaged Indigenous population with Type 2 diabetes. More resources will be needed to sustainably implement interventions with the goal of improving health behaviours and subsequent long‐term health. What's new?: Health behaviours of Indigenous Australians with diabetes are not recorded methodically.We systematically documented the self‐reported health behaviours of Indigenous Australians with Type 2 diabetes using a novel survey tool [Smoking, Nutrition, Alcohol consumption, Physical Activity, Emotional well‐being (SNAPE)].In a remote setting, we found low fruit and vegetable intake, and high rates of depressive symptoms, smoking among men and risky alcohol consumption among drinkers.We recommend systematic health behaviour monitoring of Indigenous Australians with diabetes using SNAPE or similar survey tools in appropriate clinical settings to support targeted interventions to improve health behaviours associated with diabetes and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the role of the dimer structure of light-harvesting complex II (LH2) in excitation transfer from the LH2 [without a reaction center (RC)] to the LH1 (surrounding the RC) or from the LH2 to another LH2. The excited and unexcited states of a bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) are modeled by a quasispin. In the framework of quantum open system theory, we represent the excitation transfer as the total leakage of the LH2 system and then calculate the transfer efficiency and average transfer time. For different initial states with various quantum superposition properties, we study how the dimerization of the B850 BChl ring can enhance the transfer efficiency and shorten the average transfer time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-heating effect in 1.3 μm p-doped InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) has been investigated using a self-consistent theoretical model. Good agreement is obtained between theoretical analysis and experimental results under pulsed operation. The results show that in p-doped QD VCSELs, the output power is significantly influenced by self-heating. About 60% of output power is limited by self-heating in a device with oxide aperture of 5×6 μm2. This value reduces to 55% and 48%, respectively, as the oxide aperture increases to 7×8 and 15×15 μm2. The temperature increase in the active region and injection efficiency of the QDs are calculated and discussed based on the different oxide aperture areas and duty cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threshold characteristic and output power of 1.3 μm quantum dot (QD) vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) with dots-under-a-well and dots-in-a-well InAs/GaAs QD structures are investigated by using rate equation model and output power model. The influence of VCSEL and QD structures on the modal gain of VCSEL is analyzed. Threshold current density, quantum efficiency, and characteristic temperature are simulated for different QD structures. The dependence of output power of 1.3 μm QD VCSEL on the QD structure, threshold current, quantum efficiency, and oxide-aperture size is investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driver fatigue is an important cause of traffic safety accidents in road transport. The detection and warning of the driver fatigue state can ensure the driving safety and create a safe and harmonious traffic environment. Based on the digital information processing technology, this paper detects the driver fatigue state during the road transport process from the two aspects of truck driver's behaviour characteristics and the vehicle behaviour characteristics. The research results show that after the driver's video information is processed by digital information processing, the facial image information and eye state of the driver are extract, to determine whether the driver is fatigued and issue a fatigue safety warning according to the established rules; the detection of the vehicle behavioural characteristics shows that the motion state of the driving vehicle when the driver is fatigued becomes unstable. The digital information processing technology proposed in this paper improves the accuracy, stability and environmental adaptability of driver fatigue detection. This study shall play a great role in promoting the practical use of safe driving in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large area of rainfed maize (Zea mays L.) is planned to be replaced by maize under drip irrigation with plastic mulching (MDI) in Heilongjiang, northeast China, through a "water-saving and grain-increasing action" project. However, knowledge is lacking on the water requirements of maize under MDI. On the basis of a locally developed crop coefficient for a site, the spatial and temporal variations in crop water requirement (ETc) and net irrigation requirement (Nir) of maize under MDI in Heilongjiang were evaluated. The average ETc and Nir of maize under MDI in the period from 1960 to 2017 for 29 meteorological stations were 279 to 388 mm and 73 to 198 mm, respectively, which are approximately 10% and 15% lower than the ETc and Nir under conventional surface irrigation (NSI). The differences in ETc and Nir between the two irrigation technologies are significant in the southwestern region, which demonstrates that the intensive planning of MDI in the southwest is justified. The gross irrigation requirement of maize under MDI in an excessive drought year is estimated as 437 million m3 for the project, which is 137 million m3 less than the irrigation requirement using NSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: IPW (imprinted gene in the Prader‐Willi syndrome region), a long non‐coding RNA, is a paternally expressed gene in the PWS/AS imprinted domain on human chromosome 15 and mouse chromosome 7. Disruption of the PWS/AS region is associated with three neurogenic disorders in humans. In this study, we identified the bovine homolog of the IPW gene; multiple transcripts obtained by RT‐PCR and RACE showed a complex and tissue‐specific expression pattern of IPW in the brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, spleen and skeletal muscle. An informative single nucleotide polymorphism (rs133341090) in the long exon H was identified by sequencing the genomic DNA, and mono‐allelic expression of IPW was confirmed by sequencing the cDNAs of heterozygous individuals, indicating that IPW may be imprinted in cattle. The protein‐coding potential of IPW transcripts was assessed using coding potential calculator (cpc) software, which showed a negative score. In addition, sequencing analysis also indicated multiple small open reading frames in the bovine IPW transcript, but none of the ATGs was consistent with Kozak consensus. Taken together, the IPW transcripts are most likely long non‐coding RNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies delamination behaviors of carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates under different loading rates using acoustic emission (AE) that shows large advantage for dynamic monitoring of instantaneous defects by analyzing characteristic signal parameters. Generally, rate-dependent damage behaviors of composites poses challenges to AE signal analysis and failure mode identification during a short time. In order to study dynamic mixed-mode delamination behaviors, the single-leg three-point bending tests for carbon fiber/epoxy composite laminates with initial intralaminar and interlaminar truncation sizes under different loading rates are performed. Effects of the loading rate and layup pattern on the delamination behaviors of composites are studied by analyzing the AE responses including the amplitude and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modified alkali lignin (AL) was synthesized by introducing β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) into AL with epichlorohydrin (EPI) copolymerization, which resulted in incorporating β-CD with AL by ether linkage. As a dispersant, β-CD copolymerized AL (β-CD-AL) was added into coal water slurry and its efficiency was evaluated. The effects of β-CD content on the performance of β-CD-AL were investigated via analyzing dispersity, zeta potential, and adsorption capacity. The results illustrated that β-CD-AL behaved better dispersion owing to the high slurry concentration at fixed apparent viscosity, which was mainly attributed to the synergistic effects of electrostatic repulsive force and steric hindrance. Steric hindrance originated from the side chain of β-CD gives better stability and less adsorption amount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate forecast of runoff from rainfall events is important to evaluate water management and agricultural area source pollution. A widely used runoff prediction model, the USDA-NRCS Curve Number (NRCS CN) model, has limited accuracy in predicting runoff because of the assumed Ia-S relationship. To revise the NRCS CN model, a modified Ia-S relationship consisting of Id = λdS and equations describing the antecedent runoff condition (ARC) effect was developed in this study. The potential initial abstraction (Id) in the equation Id = λdS is the maximum initial abstraction, and the ARC effect on runoff is conceptualized through the day-by-day transfer of antecedent daily rainfall. The revised NRCS CN model and the NRCS CN models with λ = 0.2, λ = 0.05, and varied λ were assessed with rainfall and runoff data observed from different crop covers and drainage areas. The most accurate runoff was predicted by the revised NRCS CN model, and the NRCS CN models with varied λ and λ = 0.05 predicted runoff more accurately than the NRCS CN model with λ = 0.2. Compared with the NRCS CN model with λ = 0.2, the NRCS CN model with λ = 0.05 increased the NSE value by more than 6% under the different crop covers and by 3% to 4% under the different drainage areas, the NRCS CN model with varied λ increased the NSE value by more than 8% under the different crop covers and by 4% to 6% under the different drainage areas, and the revised NRCS CN model increased the NSE value by 25% under the different crop covers and by more than 12% under the different drainage areas. The parameters λd and k of the revised NRCS CN model contributed to 11% and 3% of the variance in runoff, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper studies the hygrothermal aging effect on the damage behaviors of adhesive composite joints by acoustic emission (AE) technique. Tensile tests and AE tests are launched for both non-aging and aging specimens under regular and hygrothermal environments, respectively. The clustering analysis, the time-domain analysis and the frequency-domain analysis are combined to identify various damage modes and to study the hygrothermal aging effect of single-lap joint (SLJ). First, the clustering analysis is performed to study the damage mode correlation using four AE characteristic parameters including the time of duration, the peak amplitude, the RA value (the rise time divided by the peak amplitude) and the frequency centroid of gravity. Then, the time-domain analysis is conducted to investigate the hygrothermal effect of the single-lap joint (SLJ). Finally, the frequency spectrum analysis is carried out to study the frequency range for the shear failure of adhesive layer. In addition, the dominant damage mode of SLJ is identified using the wavelet-based decomposition of the ultimate AE signals with the largest energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and pH are key chemical properties for evaluating soil fertility and quality. This study involved the integration of four soil sensors, visible near‐infrared (vis–NIR) spectrometer, mid‐infrared (mid‐IR) spectrometer, portable X‐ray fluorescence (PXRF) analyser and laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), to achieve rapid measurement of these soil properties. A genetic algorithm and partial least‐squares regression (GA–PLSR) were used to select characteristic bands to reduce data redundancy. We then calibrated models from three aspects: models using partial least‐squares regression (PLSR) based on single sensor data, models using PLSR based on fused sensor data, involving data combined from the four sensors into a new dataset to create a data fusion (DF) model, and models with Bayesian model averaging (BMA) based on prediction results of fused sensor data, involving prediction results combined from the four sensors into a new dataset to form the BMA model. The results showed the following. (i) For the single sensor, the predictive performance decreased as follows: mid‐IR > vis–NIR > LIBS > PXRF. (ii) Compared with the single sensor approach, the DF approach slightly improved or even reduced prediction accuracy and caused a large amount of redundancy. We suggest that this approach is not able to improve predictive ability. (iii) The BMA approach achieved the best prediction for the six soil properties. Our findings suggest that model averaging of vis–NIR, mid‐IR and LIBS could be a reliable and stable approach for the fast measurement of soil properties. Highlights: We used four proximal soil sensors to evaluate six key properties for evaluating soil fertility and quality.GA–PLSR was used to select characteristic bands.We compared predictions of six soil properties from single sensor, DF and BMA approaches.BMA predictions were more accurate than predictions from single and fused sensor data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a due date assignment scheduling problem with precedence constraints and controllable processing times in uncertain environment is investigated, in which the basic processing time of each job is assumed to be the symmetric trapezoidal fuzzy number, and the linear resource consumption function is used. The objective is to minimize the crisp possibilistic mean (or expected) value of a cost function that includes the costs of earliness, tardiness, makespan and resource consumption jointly by scheduling the jobs under precedence constraints and determining the due date and the resource allocation amount satisfying resource constraints for each job. First, the problem is shown to be NP-hard. Furthermore, an optimal algorithm with polynomial time for the special case of this problem is put forward. Moreover, an efficient 2-approximation algorithm is presented based on solving the relaxation of the problem. Finally, the numerical experiment is given, whose results show that our method is promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an electron spin resonance study of NiFe[sub2]O[sub4] nanosolids compacted under high pressure. Experimental procedures; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Discusses a study on the effect of power on the electrical and interface properties of silicon dioxide films produced by direct plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition, using nitrous oxide and silane with high helium dilution. Introduction to plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition; Experimental details; Results and discussion.

Deals with a study which investigated the properties of resonant transmission in triple-barrier/double-quantum-well heterostructures. Background to the study; Calculations of the tunneling transmission probability; Results and discussion.

Proposes an approach developed to analyze the transport characteristics of resonant tunneling structures. Factors determining the resonant tunneling current; Effects to be considered for SiGe/silicon double barrier resonant tunneling structures; Comparisons between calculations and experiments.

We present four radio-loud narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies with extreme emission-line shifts, indicating radial outflow velocities of the ionized gas of up to 2450 km s-1, above the escape velocity of the host galaxies. The forbidden lines show strong broadening, up to 2270 kms-1. An ionization stratification (higher line shift at higher ionization potential) implies that we see a large-scale outflow rather than single, localized jet--cloud interactions. Similarly, the paucity of zero-velocity [OIII] λ5007 emitting gas implies the absence of a second narrow-line region (NLR) component at rest, and therefore a large part of the high- ionization NLR is affected by the outflow. Given the radio loudness of these NLS1 galaxies, the observations are consistent with a pole on view onto their central engines, so that the effects of polar outflows are maximized. In addition, a very efficient driving mechanism is required to reach the high observed velocities. We explore implications from recent hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction between fast winds or jets with the large-scale NLR. Overall, the best agreement with observations (and especially the high outflow speeds of the [NeV] emitting gas) can be reached if the NLS1 galaxies are relatively young sources with lifetimes not much exceeding 1 Myr. These systems represent sites of strong feedback at NLR scales at work, well below redshift one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel indole derivatives were synthesized as potent inhibitors for the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase. Among those, compound 10b demonstrated the highest growth inhibition rate of 66.7% against the VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase at 10 μM which indicates that indole-benzothiazole might be the favorable structure. The binding mode of compound 10b with VEGFR-2 tyrosine kinase was evaluated by molecular docking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that strains in cubic GaN films grown on GaAs were measured by a triple-axis x-ray diffraction method. Residual strains in the as-grown epitaxial films; Dependence of the relief of strains in the GaN films on the growth conditions.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem disorder which can affect the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Although GI symptoms can manifest in 50% of patients with SLE, these have barely been reviewed due to difficulty in identifying different causes. This study aims to clarify clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of the four major SLE-related GI system complications: protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO), hepatic involvement and pancreatitis. It is a systematic review using MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and the major search terms were SLE, PLE, IPO, hepatitis and pancreatitis. A total of 125 articles were chosen for our study. SLE-related PLE was characterized by edema and hypoalbuminemia, with Technetium 99m labeled human albumin scintigraphy (99mTc HAS) and alpha-1-antitrypsin fecal clearance test commonly used as diagnostic test. The most common site of protein leakage was the small intestine and the least common site was the stomach. More than half of SLE-related IPO patients had ureterohydronephrosi and sometimes they manifested as interstitial cystitis and hepatobiliary dilatation. Lupus hepatitis and SLE accompanied by autoimmune hepatitis (SLE-AIH overlap) shared similar clinical manifestations but had different autoantibodies and histopathological features and positive anti-ribosome P antibody highly indicated the diagnosis of lupus hepatitis. Lupus pancreatitis was usually accompanied by high SLE activity with a relatively high mortality rate. Early diagnosis and timely intervention were crucial and administration of corticosteroids and immunosuppressants was effective for most of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of incorporating plant protein blend in juvenile turbot ( Scophthalmus maximus L.) diet on free amino acid ( AA) concentration and the expression of genes related to peptide and AA transporters, key enzymes of AA metabolism and AA response ( AAR) pathway. Fish were fed diets with fish meal ( FM), or 400 g/kg FM replacement by plant protein blend for 9 weeks. Compared with the FM diet, PP40 diet did not affect plasma essential amino acid ( EAA) concentration or AA metabolic enzymes gene in intestine, while it significantly upregulated all the detected peptide and neutral AA transporters gene. Results in muscle indicated that PP40 diet led to a great reduction of EAA concentrations and mRNA abundance of two kinds of AA transporters ( SNAT2 and b0,+ AT), while it greatly increased the gene expression of L-type and T-type AA transporters ( LAT2 and TAT1) and the enzymes of AA catabolism ( BCKDH-E2) and anabolism (asparagine synthetase). In addition, the expression of genes related to AAR pathway were all greatly stimulated by PP40 diet in muscle. Our results provide a molecular explanation for the change of tissues AA concentrations caused by plant protein in turbot, which maybe applicable for general carnivorous fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful development of tight reservoirs has proved to be a challenge. Achieving reasonable displacement in a tight reservoir is even more challenging. At present, the primary method of tight reservoir development is horizontal well fracturing. However, this method, which uses the elastic energy of a formation to extract the oil contained in it, generally achieves a final recovery of less than 10%. For more efficient development of a tight reservoir, measures should be taken to compensate for the formation energy to enhance oil recovery (EOR). Successful application of air-foam flooding in tight reservoirs would be valuable, but this topic remains relatively unexplored. In this study, experiments regarding the use of air foam in tight cores were conducted. The main objective of this study was to investigate the performance of air-foam flooding in a tight oil reservoir. The study included both single-core and dual-core air-foam flooding experiments, and the effects of air-foam flooding under different conditions were investigated. This paper addresses the optimum gas-to-liquid ratio and size of the alternating foam–liquid slug. In general, the feasibility of air-foam flooding in tight reservoirs is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One generally considers the conducting filament in ZnO-based valence change memristors (VCMs) as an aggregation of oxygen vacancies. Recently, the transmission electron microscopy observation showed the filament is composed of a Zn-dominated ZnOx. In this study, careful analysis of the temperature dependence of the ON state resistance demonstrates that the formation/rupture of a Zn filament is responsible for the resistive switching in ZnO VCMs. Cu/ZnO/Pt memristive devices can be operated in both VCM and ECM (electrochemical metallization memristor) modes by forming different metal filaments including Cu, Zn and a coexistence of these two filaments. The device operation can be reversibly switched between ECM and VCM modes. The dual mode operation capability of Cu/ZnO/Pt provides a wide choice of select devices for constructing memristive crossbar architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The single ZnO layer and a sandwich Al 2 O 3 /ZnO/Al 2 O 3 structure were prepared via atomic layer deposition, and the single ZnO layer showed a feature of ohmic conduction only. When we added that together with top and bottom alumina buffers, a non-polar resistive switching (RS) behavior was accomplished, allowing investigation of its electric endurance and retention characteristics. Analysis of the conduction mechanism at both high and low resistance states using auxiliary mathematic tools resulted in the proposed model of conducting filaments formed in the insulating Al 2 O 3 buffers. The effect of stopping voltage V end on the resistance window at high resistance state is studied and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a study of fault-tolerant control (FTC) for wireless networked control systems (WNCSs) in industrial automatic processes. The WNCSs is composed of many subsystems, which operate with different sampling cycles. In order to meet the real-time requirements and ensure a deterministic data transmission, the time division multiple access (TDMA) mechanism is adopted in WNCSs. The data in WNCSs are transmitted following a TDMA-based scheduler. According to the periodicity, WNCSs integrated with the scheduler is first formulated as discrete linear time periodic systems (LTPSs). Afterwards, a fault estimation method for LTPSs is developed under a H ∞ performance specification with a regional pole constraint. With the achieved state observer and fault estimator, an FTC strategy for LTPSs is explored. Finally, the proposed methods are verified on a physical experimental WiNC platform. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously shown that Sema4D expressed on the platelet plasma membrane can be cleaved by the metalloprotease ADAM17, producing a 120-kDa exodomain fragment that retains biological activity and remnant fragments of 24–28 kDa that remain associated with the platelet membrane. This process is modulated by calmodulin. Here we investigated the potential role of protein kinase A (PKA) in these events. Using a pharmacological approach, we now show that inhibition of PKA by H89 is sufficient to induce Sema4D exodomain shedding, while activation of PKA inhibits agonist-initiated shedding. Studies on the regulatory mechanism show that the shedding induced by PKA inhibition is mediated by ADAM17, but, unlike agonist-induced shedding, does not involve the dissociation of calmodulin from the Sema4D cytoplasmic domain. In attempt to identify the cleavage sites for shedding, we found that ADAM17 mediates variable cleavages in the juxtamembrane region. Therefore, our data reveal a potential regulatory mechanism for the shedding of Sema4D in platelets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We present a microelectromechanical system, in which a silicon beam is attached to a comb-drive actuator, which is used to tune the tension in the silicon beam and thus its resonance frequency. By measuring the resonance frequencies of the system, we show that the comb-drive actuator and the silicon beam behave as two strongly coupled resonators. Interestingly, the effective coupling rate (~1.5 MHz) is tunable with the comb-drive actuator (+10%) as well as with a side-gate (-10%) placed close to the silicon beam. In contrast, the effective spring constant of the system is insensitive to either of them and changes only by ±0.5%. Finally, we show that the comb-drive actuator can be used to switch between different coupling rates with a frequency of at least 10 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to propose the modeling of nanostructured memristor, and the circuit of amplitude modulator was designed and analyzed with memristor. The simulation results show that the nanostructured memristor can be utilized to implement the desired amplitude modulated signal.Design/methodology/approach The modeling of nanostructured memristor is proposed in this paper, and the circuit of amplitude modulator was designed and analyzed with memristor, amplifiers and BPF device. For measuring the modulated signal, the emulator circuit of memristor is designed. The simulation results show that the nanostructured memristor can be utilized to implement the desired amplitude modulated signal.Findings The innovations of this work are as follows: the AM modulator circuit using memristor has been proposed, analyzed and simulated. The emulator of memristor is given.Originality/value The innovations of this work are as follows: the AM modulator circuit using memristor has been proposed, analyzed and simulated. The emulator of memristor is given, and the results of this work demonstrate that the nonlinearity of the memristor can be used to generate the desired amplitude modulation free of harmonic sidebands, because of distortion of the modulating signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical nonuniqueness problem exists due to uncertainty in the finite element (FE) calibration field. Namely, multiple models with different intrinsic parameters may all fit the observed data well, thus the selected single 'best' model probably is not the truly best model to reflect the structural intrinsic property. A probability-based method using a population of FE models, not the single 'best' method, is proposed to deal with the nonuniqueness problem. In this method, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) technique is first performed to sample the key structural parameters representing the main sources of uncertainty. Then a FE model population is generated using the samples, and the posterior probability of each model is evaluated by calculating the correlation between the simulation results and measurements through the Bayesian theorem. Finally, all the FE models from the stochastic sampling with their posterior probabilities are used for structural identification (St-Id) and performance evaluation. The advantage of the proposed method is that it not only identifies the magnitudes of structural parameters, but also generates their probability distributions for subsequent probability-based reliability analysis and risk evaluation. The feature provided by the stochastic sampling and statistical techniques makes the proposed method suitable for dealing with uncertainty. The example of the Phase I IASC-ASCE benchmark structure investigated demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method for probability-based structural health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five different Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains ( SH8, SH108, SH58, AH5 and GD10) isolated from the hepatopancreas of moribund shrimp in farms of mainland China were identified and capable of inducing massive mortality of Penaeus ( Litopenaeus) vannamei. The immersion challenge results with five isolates indicated variance of virulence, while only GD10 caused massive sloughing of tubule epithelial cells which was recognized as the most significant symptom of AHPND. Differences in immune responses were detected of P. vannamei during 48 h post-infection (p.i.) by injection or immersion challenge with V. parahaemolyticus ( SH8, SH108 and GD10) isolates. When injected SH8 and SH108 isolates, the expression of lysozyme ( LSZ) showing statistically significant upregulation at 16 and 48 h p.i. and that of Toll-like receptors ( TLR) showed statistically significant upregulation at 48 h p.i. When immersion challenge with the GD10 isolate, TLR were upregulated after 8 h p.i. challenge with 104 cfu mL−1; however, LSZ was downregulated when challenged with 103 cfu mL−1. The results suggested that LSZ and TLR serve as crucial molecular markers of innate immunity in shrimp against V. parahaemolyticus infection. LSZ is a vital marker for acute bacterial infection, while TLR serves as a crucial marker for chronic infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) is a ciliate parasite that infects many species of freshwater fishes worldwide and causes heavy economic losses in aquaculture. Currently, parasiticides for controlling this parasite are limited, and few pond-practical chemical therapies exist. Hence, the search for new parasiticides is urgently needed. One challenge confronting the screening of potential parasiticides is the difficulty in raising enough parasite for efficacy testing as Ich is an obligate parasite. This study used species of Tetrahymena, Ich-related and cultivable ciliate protozoa, to evaluate two in vitro methods to test parasiticides. Plate counting and MTS assays (CellTiter 96® AQueous Non-Radioactive Cell Proliferation Assay) were used to compare lethal concentrations or median lethal concentrations ( LC50) of copper sulphate, formalin and malachite green between T. thermophila and Ich theronts or between T. thermophila and Ich tomonts. The parasiticides that killed T. thermophila have been demonstrated to kill theronts or tomonts. These in vitro methods using T. thermophila can be used to screen novel parasiticides against Ich. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gudgeons (subfamily Gobioninae) are a group of cyprinid fishes primarily distributed in East Asia. However, studies on their origins and divergence are scarce. Here the whole mitochondrial genome sequences of 27 gudgeon species (including one newly determined), 22 other cyprinid species, and two non-cyprinids as outgroups are applied to infer the evolution of the gudgeons. Based on Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses, the gudgeons were determined to be a monophyletic group which can be further subdivided into four monophyletic clades with strong supports. The divergence times of the gudgeons were estimated using a relaxed molecular clock method; the results indicate that these fishes originated in the early Paleocene (approx. 63.5 Mya) and that the basal Hemibarbus group diverged from the other gudgeon fishes (approx. 58.3 Mya). As an independent group the Coreius began to diverge from the remaining two groups (approx. 54.6 Mya); the most derived two groups diverged from each other (approx. 53.6 Mya). The divergences of the four gudgeon groups were within a relatively short time frame (approx. 58-53 Mya). Based on the reconstruction of evolutionary trends of gudgeon habitat, evidence is provided that supports the origin and differentiation of this fauna as being associated with some special paleo-environmental events occurring from the early Paleocene to the Pliocene. The study represents comprehensive molecular dating and character evolution analyses of the gudgeons, and providing a valuable framework for future research in the evolution of the Gobioninae fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of a ThCr2Si2-type superconductor YFe2Ge2 (Tc ≈ 1.8 K) in the normal state. The resolved low-energy band structure mainly consists of several flat Fe bands, while the renormalization factors of different bands range from 1.1 to 2.8. Around the Fermi level, these bands contribute to a high density of states, which may account for the unusually high Sommerfeld coefficient Y. Besides, a 30 meV kink is observed, which is probably induced by electron-phonon interactions. Our results indicate that YFe2Ge2 is a moderately correlated compound, while electron-phonon coupling should be taken into account to better understand its properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]