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Toothed metal-plate connector (MPC) is a cost-effective connection method, easy to install with high assembly efficiency for manufacturing engineered timber trusses. In this study, In order to combine the advantages of the MPC with glued laminated bamboo (glubam) structures, a total of 136 MPC glubam joints, divided into 22 groups according to testing parameters, were tested and analyzed. Design strength values of the anchorage strength of metal plate tooth embedded in glubam, the tensile and shear strengths of toothed metal plate in glubam joints were provided in reference of the existing timber code specifications. The results show that the linear interpolation formula provided by the existing design code largely overestimates the anchorage strength of metal plate tooth embedded in glubam for the nonorthogonal loading directions. An angular equation expressed as the loading direction is therefore proposed. The design shear strength of aligning the major axis (tooth slot direction) of the metal plate parallel to the plate longitudinal direction is higher than that of aligning plate major axis perpendicular to the plate longitudinal direction, especially for the combined shear and tension loading. The design tensile and shear strengths of the MPC glubam joints are obviously larger than those of the Class I MPC timber joints given in the Chinese Standard, indicating that the MPC glubam is hopeful to be alternative to replace the MPC timber structures such as roof truss systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium-based liquid metal–elastomer composites have attracted more and more attentions owing to their combination of high flexibility, electrical conductivity, and excellent bio-compatibility. Computational micromechanics analysis will be conducted on their mechanical response, and the impacts of surface tension and Ga2O3 shell are considered in detail. Based on a double-inclusion configuration, a three-level Mori–Tanaka mean field model is developed to predict the overall modulus and then an incremental homogenization formula is established for the predication of non-linear stress–strain relations. The experimental results and unit cell-based FEM modeling are also employed for verifying the analytical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Introduction There are little data on outcomes of COVID-19 patients with the presence of fever compared to the presence of symptoms. Aim We examined the associations between symptomology, presence of fever and outcomes of a COVID-19 cohort. Design and Methods Between 23 January and 30 April 2020, 554 COVID-19 patients were admitted to a tertiary hospital in Singapore. They were allocated into four groups based on symptomology and fever—Group 1: asymptomatic and afebrile, Group 2: symptomatic but afebrile, Group 3: febrile but asymptomatic and Group 4: symptomatic and febrile. The primary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and mortality. The composite end-point included ICU admissions, mortality or any COVID-19 related end-organ involvement. Results There were differences in ferritin (P =0.003), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (P <0.001) and lymphopenia (P =0.033) across all groups, with the most favourable biochemical profile in Group 1, and the least in Group 4. Symptomatic groups (Groups 2 and 4) had higher ICU admissions (1.9% and 6.0%, respectively, P =0.003) than asymptomatic groups (Groups 1 and 3). Composite end-point was highest in Group 4 (24.0%), followed by Group 3 (8.6%), Group 2 (4.8%) and Group 1 (2.4%) (P <0.001). The presence of fever (OR 4.096, 95% CI 1.737–9.656, P =0.001) was associated with the composite end-point after adjusting for age, pulse rate, comorbidities, lymphocyte, ferritin and CRP. Presence of symptoms was not associated with the composite end-point. Discussion/Conclusion In this COVID-19 cohort, presence of fever was a predictor of adverse outcomes. This has implications on the management of febrile but asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the (In0.5Nb0.5)xTi1−xO2 (with x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1) ceramics were prepared by solid-state reaction. To investigate the humidity sensitive properties, capacitance was measured as a function of relative humidity (RH). Our results reveal that the capacitance increases with the increase in RH and doping level. The best humidity sensitivity of 229.22 pF/%RH was achieved in the sample with x = 10. The humidity sensing mechanism was ascribed to the defects of oxygen vacancies and Nb Ti · ions. Besides, the humidity shows remarkable influence on the dielectric properties of the co-doped samples via the surface-layer effect, which leads to a Maxwell–Wagner relaxation near room temperature. This work underscores that the (In + Nb) co-doped samples are sensitive to the environment moisture. The processing conditions should be optimized for superior dielectric behavior in (In + Nb) co-doped TiO2 ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In marine and ocean engineering area, some underwater cylindrical shell structures or vehicles may approach a free surface (water surface) or a rigid wall (seabed). The existence of the free surface or rigid wall makes the surrounding fluid around the structure an acoustic half-space, causing that the vibroacoustic characteristics of the shell may have much difference from those in an infinite fluid field. In this study, the far-field acoustic radiation of a finite cylindrical shell with an arbitrary, time-harmonic surface velocity distribution positioned within an acoustic semi-space is studied. Methods: The Fourier transform method is utilized to express acoustical pressure in the wavenumber domain, and the acoustic boundary effect is considered through the use of the Graf's addition theorem and the image approach. Then, the relationship between acoustical pressure and the normal velocity on the structure surface is established in the wavenumber domain. Finally, the far-field acoustical pressure could be expressed by the stationary phase method approximately. Results: The accuracy of the present approach is verified by contrast with the boundary element method. It could be observed that there are many similarities between the directivity of the far-field acoustical pressure of the cylindrical shell and the acoustical dipole due to the interference of sound waves. For the case of a rigid wall boundary, a similar interference phenomenon also exists. Conclusions: The present method has the advantages of simpleness and fewer calculations; it can be utilized to rapidly predict the far-field acoustical pressure in an acoustic half-space. Besides, after discussing the multiple scattering effects between the acoustic boundary and the shell, a simpler physical model is successfully put forward to resolve the far-field acoustical pressure of an inclined shell within an acoustic semi-space, assuming that the distance between the shell and the acoustical boundary is larger than a certain value (five-time radiuses in the present study). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The underlying mechanism of coexistence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen antibody (anti‐HBs) is still controversial. To identify the host genetic factors related to this unusual clinical phenomenon, a two‐stage study was conducted in the Chinese Han population. In the first stage, we performed a case‐control (1:1) age‐ and gender‐matched study of 101 cases with concurrent HBsAg and anti‐HBs and 102 controls with negative HBsAg and positive anti‐HBs using whole exome sequencing. In the second validation stage, we directly sequence the 16 exons on the OAS3 gene in two dependent cohorts of 48 cases and 200 controls. Although, in the first stage, a genome‐wide association study of 58,563 polymorphism variants in 101 cases and 102 controls found no significant loci (P‐value ≤ .05/58563), and neither locus achieved a conservative genome‐wide significance threshold (P‐value ≤ 5e‐08), gene‐based burden analysis showed that OAS3 gene rare variants were associated with the coexistence of HBsAg and anti‐HBs. (P‐value = 4.127e‐06 ≤ 0.05/6994). A total of 16 rare variants were screened out from 21 cases and 3 controls. In the second validation stage, one case with a stop‐gained rare variant was identified. Fisher’s exact test of all 149 cases and 302 controls showed that the rare coding sequence mutations were more frequent in cases vs controls (P‐value = 7.299e‐09, OR = 17.27, 95% CI [5.01‐58.72]). Protein‐coding rare variations on the OAS3 gene are associated with the coexistence of HBsAg and anti‐HBs in patients with chronic HBV infection in Chinese Han population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Elements are vital in airway mucosal physiology and pathology, but their distribution and levels in the mucosa remain unclear. This study uses the state‐of‐the‐art nuclear microscopy facility to map and quantify multiple elements in the histology sections of nasal mucosa from patients with nasal polyps or inverted papilloma. Our results demonstrate that P and Ca are the most abundant elements in mucosa and their distinct difference between epithelial and subepithelial regions; more importantly, our results reveal decreased amounts of Cu and Zn in the remodeled epithelium as compared to the normal epithelium. These findings suggest that Cu and Zn may be beneficial targets to regulate aberrant epithelial remodeling in airway inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and objectives Voriconazole is a triazole antifungal agent and is extensively metabolized via cytochrome P450 ( CYP450); therefore, special precautions need to be taken when co-administered with a known CYP450 inducer, which may lead to treatment failure. The influence of some CYP450 inducers on the pharmacokinetics of voriconazole has been described in previous studies, but a systematic review was lacking. In this study, we carried out a systematic review to assess the influence of CYP450 inducers on the pharmacokinetic ( PK) parameters of voriconazole. Methods Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov and three Chinese databases ( CNKI, CBM and WanFang) were searched through January 2016. Interventional and observational studies comparing the PK parameters of voriconazole used alone or with CYP450 inducers in healthy volunteers and patients were included. The outcomes included were the area under the plasma concentration-time curve ( AUC), peak plasma concentrations ( Cmax) and trough plasma concentrations ( Cmin). The quality of the included studies was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale ( NOS) and a modified risk of bias tool for pharmacokinetic before-and-after studies. Results and discussion Sixteen studies were included in this review: three randomized controlled trials ( RCTs), five single-arm before-after studies ( SBAs), six cohort studies and two case reports. All studies except case reports had moderate to high quality. Of the 11 inducers reviewed, efavirenz, ritonavir (chronic use), phenytoin, rifampin and rifabutin significantly decreased mean AUC and Cmax of voriconazole; St John's wort significantly decreased only mean AUC; rifampin, rifabutin, phenobarbital and carbamazepine significantly decreased mean Cmin. Etravirine and Ginkgo biloba did not reveal any such influence. The influence of glucocorticoids may depend on its type and dose. What is new and conclusions To conclude, the combination use of high-dose efavirenz, high-dose ritonavir, St John's wort, rifampin, phenobarbital, or carbamazepine with voriconazole is contraindicated as instructed in the drug label. Low-dose efavirenz, low-dose ritonavir, rifabutin and phenytoin may be used together with voriconazole provided TDM and dose adjustment of voriconazole. Moreover, this study shows there is low risk of drug-drug interactions when voriconazole is co-administered with etravirine or G. biloba; however, whether the use of glucocorticoids has a clinically significant effect on voriconazole still requires more evidence. This study also highlights the lack of clinical studies and future high-quality studies assessing the influence of CYP450 inducers on voriconazole. PK parameters and dosing optimization should be designed to provide a more definitive answer regarding the necessity of TDM and the recommendations for dose adjustment of voriconazole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction & Aims Haemophilic arthropathy ( HA) is a major complication in patients with haemophilia ( PWH), but the study of age-specific prevalence and severity of HA is very limited in Asian countries. Materials & Methods This study retrospectively reviewed 146 severe- and moderate-type Taiwanese PWH aged 4-73 years, with roentgenograms of elbows, knees and ankles and calculated Pettersson scores. Results The prevalence of HA, mean number of HAs per patient and mean Pettersson scores of all the joints were 42.8%, 1.3 and 1.9 points in PWH aged 4-10 years; 64.3%, 1.4 and 4.1 points in PWH aged 11-19 years; 97.1%, 2.9 and 15.6 points in PWH aged 20-29 years; 93.1%, 4.4 and 33.1 points in PWH aged 30-39 years; 100%, 5.1 and 46.1 points in PWH aged 40-49 years and 100%, 5 and 49.6 points in PWH aged ≥50 years, respectively. There was a high prevalence of HA for PWH aged ≥20 years. Among PWH aged <20 years, prevalence of HA was low and mild ankle arthropathy was the most common. Besides, in the four age groups aged <40 years, the prevalence of ankle arthropathy was the highest, followed by elbow arthropathy and then knee arthropathy. Conclusions Although severe arthropathy of the six major joints was rare in PWH aged <30 years, it increased rapidly in PWH after 30 years. Analysis of clinical correlates suggested that age, severity of haemophilia, absence of prophylaxis and presence of HCV infection correlated positively with Pettersson scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of carbon-rich products with three-dimensional (3D) grape-bunch structure have been synthesised by the hydrothermal carbonisation of saccharides (glucose, sucrose and starch) with the assistance of hydroxylated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The carbonaceous spheres are regarded as 'grapes'; the hydroxylated MWCNTs were used as connected carbon wires that could be embedded into the 'grapes' via self-assembling of hydrophilic groups to form a 3D-grape-bunch structure. The carbonaceous products are characterised by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the 'grapes' (carbonaceous spheres) have average diameters of 0·1-3 μm (depending on the type of saccharides), which were connected by the hydroxylated MWCNTs to form the 3D-grape-bunch structure. The 3D-grape-bunch structure containing many aromatic and reactive oxygen functional groups has relatively high special surface area, a low disordered/graphitic ratio and potential applications in many fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of dietary supplement of arginine on immunoglobulin, cytokine and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in broilers was investigated. Three hundred one-day-old Arbor Acre mixed-sex broiler chickens were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments with six replicates in each treatment and ten chickens within each replicate. The five treatments viz., the basal diet with 0 (arginine-deficient group), 4.5 (arginine-normal group, control), 9.0, 13.5,and 18.0 g/kg arginine. The feeding experiment period was 42 days. The results of in vivo experiments showed that with increasing levels of dietary arginine, interleukin (IL)-2, NO content and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity in serum as well as iNOS mRNA expression in the ileum and liver of broiler chickens increasedquadratically at the age of 21 d(P<0.05).ln addition, positive effects of arginine tended to be suppressed when addition of arginine in the diet was increased to 18.0 g/kg. The results of in vitro experiment indicated that, IL-2 and iNOS content increased quadratically with increasing addition of arginine (P<0.01), and 80 μg/mL arginine supplement group had the highest value. Dietary arginine improved the levels of IL-2, NO and iNOS expression in a quadratic dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The far-field sound radiation behavior of a circular cylindrical shell submerged at finite depth from the free surface is studied. Based on the Flügge shell theory and the Helmholtz equation, the structure-acoustic coupling equation is established. An image method is applied so that the sound boundary condition of the free surface can be satisfied. Analytical expression of the far-field sound pressure is obtained using the stationary phase method and the Graf's addition theorem. In order to evaluate the effect of the submerged depth on sound radiation, the results of the submerged cylindrical shell at finite depth from the free surface are compared with those of the submerged cylindrical shell in the infinite fluid. The characteristics of the far-field sound pressure with the change of the depth are investigated. It is found that the submerged depth has a significant influence on the far-field sound pressure radiated from the submerged cylindrical shell due to the free surface effects. The work provides more understanding on the sound radiation properties of the submerged circular cylindrical shell without assuming infinite fluid field, which was commonly used in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of fluid viscosity and material parameters of the damping layer on the natural frequency characteristics of a circular cylindrical shell covered with free damping layer immersed in a viscous acoustic medium is studied in the present paper. An equivalent method is applied to the damping layer coated on the surface of the cylindrical shell. Then, the wave equation for viscous flow field derived from the linear equations of continuity, Navier-Stokes and state, the Flügge's thin shell theory for the isotropic, elastic, thin cylindrical shell and the appropriate wave harmonic field expansions in association with the pertinent boundary conditions are employed to get the equations of motion and the characteristic equation in the coupled system. Subsequently, numerical analysis is applied to solve the characteristic equation for the coupled system at various material parameters and viscosity coefficients, the influence of which can be illustrated by the calculation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern telecommunications rely on the transmission and manipulation of optical signals. Optical amplification plays a vital part in this technology, as all components in a real telecommunications system produce some loss. The two main issues with present amplifiers, which rely on erbium ions in a glass matrix, are the difficulty in integration onto a single substrate and the need of high pump power densities to produce gain. Here we show a potential organic optical amplifier material that demonstrates population inversion when pumped from above using low-power visible light. This system is integrated into an organic light-emitting diode demonstrating that electrical pumping can be achieved. This opens the possibility of direct electrically driven optical amplifiers and optical circuits. Our results provide an alternative approach to producing low-cost integrated optics that is compatible with existing silicon photonics and a different route to an effective integrated optics technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlight: this paper focuses on the climate variability in central China since 1300AD, involving: 1. A well-dated, 1.5 year resolution stalagmite δ18O record from Lianhua Cave, central China; 2. Links of the δ18O record with regional dry-wet condition, monsoon intensity, and temperature over eastern China; 3. Correlations among drought events in the Lianhua record, solar irradiation, and ENSO index. We present a highly precisely 230Th/U dated, 1.5 year resolution δ18O record of an aragonite stalagmite (LHD1) collected from Lianhua Cave in Wuling mountain area of central China. The comparison of the δ18O record with the local instrumental record and historical documents exhibits at least 15 drought events in the Wuling mountain and adjacent areas during the Little Ice Age, in which some of them were corresponding to megadrought events in the broad Asian monsoonal region of China. Thus, the stalag- mite δ18O record reveals variations in the summer monsoon precipitation and dry-wet condition in Wuling mountain area. The eastern China temperature varied with the solar activity, showing higher temperature under stronger solar irradiation which produces stronger summer monsoon. During Maunder, Dalton and 1900 sunspot minima, more severe drought events occurred, indicating weakening of the summer monsoon when solar activity decreased on decadal time scales. On interannual time scale, dry conditions in the studying area were prevailing under El Niño condition, which is also supported by the spectrum analysis. Hence, our record illustrates the linkage of Asian summer monsoon precipitation to solar irradiation and ENSO: wetter condition under stronger summer monsoon during warm periods and vice versa; During cold periods, the Walker circulation will shift toward central Pacific under El Niño condition, resulting further weakening of Asian summer monsoon. However, the δ18O of LHD1 record is positively correlated with temperature after ~ 1940 AD which is opposite to the δ18O - temperature relationship in earlier time. This anomaly relationship might be caused by the greenhouse-gas forcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nasal polyposis ( NP) is a Th2-skewed inflammatory disorder, but it is unclear what role regulatory T cells ( T-reg) play in disease pathology. We investigated the expression profiles of T-reg and T-helper-cell-associated genes and their response to glucocorticosteroid ( GC) treatment in Chinese patients with NP. Methods Biopsies were obtained from 29 non-treated NP patients for comparison with inferior turbinates collected from healthy controls. In 13 patients, NP samples were collected both before and after short-term oral GC treatment. Levels of mRNA for T-cell markers were determined by microarray and quantitative PCR. Cellular infiltrates were assessed by histo- and immunohistochemistry. Results FOXP3+ T-reg were increased in GC-naïve NP, and numbers were negatively correlated with eosinophil infiltration. Helios staining was not detected, suggesting that FOXP3+ cells in NP are not thymus-derived T-reg. Compared with controls, mRNA levels corresponding to T-reg genes were significantly increased in NP ( FOXP3, TGFB1, IL10, SMAD3, IL2 RA, and JAK3), but transcription factors associated with Th2 ( GATA3) or Th17 responses ( RORc) were significantly reduced. FOXP3 mRNA levels positively correlated with other T-reg cell markers. Microarray analysis showed that most Th2-related markers (e.g., Eotaxin-1, CCL13, and CCL18) were upregulated in GC-naïve NP vs controls. GC therapy significantly suppressed eosinophilic inflammation in NP, but did not significantly alter the expression levels of T-reg/Th2-associated genes. Conclusions Upregulation of FOXP3+-inducible T-reg cells and downregulation of Th2 and Th17 markers in NP indicate a regulatory response occurring at a site of persistent mucosal inflammation. However, immune regulation fails to control the underlying tissue pathology. Expression of T-reg/Th2 markers after GC treatment was unaltered, suggesting that T-cell-driving NP inflammatory mediators are GC resistant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor on a case involving lymphoid hyperplasia with ulnar nerve compression in a severe haemophilia B patient is presented.

The East Pagoda of Yongzuo Monastery (Twin Pagodas Monastery), built in Taiyuan city during the Chinese Wanli Period (1573–1619 AC) of the Ming Dynasty, has suffered serious movement and damage. A series of maintenance and refurbishment projects, including foundation reinstatement (Phase I), foundation strengthening (Phase II), structural reinforcement and interior/exterior repairs (Phase III), were completed between 1992 and 1997. The dynamic characteristics of the East Pagoda were measured consistently before Phase I, after Phase II, and after Phase III. These measurements were used to obtain the change of the stiffness of each story of the pagoda in order to assess the effects of each of the phases of work on the condition of the pagoda. It has been shown that this vibration-based inspection method offers an easy and useful means to identify the weakness of a structure and assess the effects of strengthening and repairs of a historic building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOM4PS-2.0 is a software package in FORTRAN 90 which implements the polyhedral homotopy continuation method for solving polynomial systems. It updates its original version HOM4PS in three key aspects: (1) new method for finding mixed cells, (2) combining the polyhedral and linear homotopies in one step, (3) new way of dealing with curve jumping. Numerical results show that this revision leads to a spectacular speed-up, ranging up to 1950s, over its original version on all benchmark systems, especially for large ones. It surpasses the existing packages in finding isolated zeros, such as PHCpack (Verschelde in ACM Trans Math Softw 25:251–276, 1999), PHoM (Gunji et al. in Computing 73:57–77, 2004), and Bertini (Bates et al. in Software for numerical algebraic geometry. Available at ), in speed by big margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MixedVol is a C++ software package that computes the mixed volume of n finite subsets of Zn or the support of a system of n polynomials in n variables. The software produces the mixed volume as well as the mixed cells. The mixed cells are crucial for solving polynomial systems by the polyhedral homotopy continuation method. The software leads existing codes for mixed-volume computation in speed by a substantial margin and its memory requirement is very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new rank-revealing method is proposed. For a given matrix and a threshold for near-zero singular values, by employing a globally convergent iterative scheme as well as a deflation technique the method calculates approximate singular values below the threshold one by one and returns the approximate rank of the matrix along with an orthonormal basis for the approximate null space. When a row or column is inserted or deleted, algorithms for updating/downdating the approximate rank and null space are straightforward, stable, and efficient. Numerical results exhibiting the advantages of our code over existing packages based on two-sided orthogonal rank-revealing decompositions are presented. Also presented are applications of the new algorithm in numerical computation of the polynomial GCD as well as identification of nonisolated zeros of polynomial systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freeze-dried and moisture-equilibrated mixtures of TCN1 rice starch (RS), hydrocolloids, and their mixtures exhibited Tgs and sub-Tgs when analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Among mixtures, the compatible mixture, RS and high-methoxyl pectin, exhibited only a single Tg between the Tgs of the 2 components, whereas the incompatible mixture, RS and low-methoxy pectin, showed 2 Tgs of the individual components. RS was partially compatible with guar gum and L- and K-carrageenan. The compatibility of mixtures was further verified by dynamic mechanical analyses and showed results similar to DSC. Thus, Tg can be used as a probe to examine component compatibility of 2 hydrocolloids in a low-moisture system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In [4] a conjecture concerning the connectivity of mixed cells of subdivisions for Minkowski sums of polytopes was formulated. This conjecture was, in fact, originally proposed by Pedersen [3]. It turns out that a positive confirmation of this conjecture can substantially speed up the algorithm for the ``dynamical lifting'' developed in [4]. In the mean time, when the polyhedral method is used for solving polynomial systems by homotopy continuation methods [2], the positiveness of this conjecture also plays an important role in the efficiency of the algorithm. Very unfortunately, we found that this conjecture is inaccurate in general. In Section 1 a counterexample is presented for a general subdivision. In Section 2 another counterexample shows that even restricted to ``regular'' subdivisions induced by liftings, this conjecture still fails to be true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural convection flow of the micropolar fluid in a partially divided rectangular enclosure has been investigated numerically. The enclosure is partially divided by a conductive vertical divider protruding from the floor of the enclosure. The present work simulates the thermal behaviors of the micropolar fluid in the enclosure. The streamlines and the isotherms of the fluid are plotted for both the transient and steady states. Besides, emphasis is placed on the influences of the location and the height of the divider on the flow and the temperature fields. In addition, the effects of the conductivity of the divider, the Rayleigh number of the fluid and the aspect ratio of the enclosure on the heat transfer, and the differences of the heat transfer performance between the Newtonian and the micropolar fluids are also surveyed. The developed governing equations aer solved by the cubic spline collocation scheme. The results indicate that the effects of the location and the height of the divider on the flow field and the temperature field are significant. Furthermore, the heat transfer in the enclosure is strongly effected by vortex viscosity and Rayleigh number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a fully scalable parallel algorithms is presented for solving symmetric tridiagonal eigenvalue problems using the quasi-Laguerre's method. The algorithm is implemented using Parallel Virtual Machine and is tested on a variety of matrices with a load balancing scheme. Test results show that the algorithm has high parallel efficiency. Compared with other existing algorithms, our algorithm seems to be the best for distributed memory parallel architecture.

New development and implementation of a homotopy continuation algorithm for the nonsymmetric eigenvalue problem are presented, along with thorough investigation on the advantages and limitations of our code. Numerical results on substantial varieties of matrices arising in applications indicate excellent efficiency and stability of our algorithm and a drastic improvement over previous implementations.

In this project, we used semiautomatic high-throughput screening system and identified an extract (PUE) prepared from Prinsepia uniflora Batal, a TopGrade Drugs in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing is a potent nuclear factor erythroid-2-related facto (NRF2) activator. NRF2 and its downstream genes play important roles in preventing cell damage caused by oxidative stress. Excessive cellular reactive oxygen species formation, which results in oxidative stress has been associated with heat stress. Therefore, plant extracts that can activate NRF2 activity could have the potential for relieving heat stress on poultry. This year, the goal is to complete the preparation of feed containing PUE and feed it to broilers to test its impact. The results showed that the catalase activity in the serum was significantly improved in the PUE-administered group. Antioxidant genes NQOl, GCLC and SOD2 showed a significant increase in the 1% PUE group, while the inflammatory factors IL6, IL10 and IL1B showed a significant decrease after feeding PUE. Heat shock proteins HSP90 and HSF1 increased significantly in the 1% PUE group; the PUE component fingerprint also has preliminary analysis results. From the results of ultraviolet light spectrum analysis, it can be seen that the 7 components have strong UV absorption, but still need more standards for subsequent qualitative and quantitative tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioavailability and toxicity of selenium are dependent on its chemical forms. Organic selenium has higher bioavailability and lower toxicity than inorganic selenium. This study tried to establish the optimal chromatographic conditions for selenium speciation in eggs using HPLC-ICP/MS instrument. The results showed when provided HPLC a 1.0 mL/min flow rate of ammonium acetate and a PRP-X100 anion exchange column, retention times for SeCys, MeSeCys, SeMet, sodium selenite or sodium selenate were 160, 215, 375, 570, and 710 seconds, respectively. To set up the calibration curve for five selenium species, a concentration ranging from 0.2 to 10 µg/L (0.2, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 µg/L) was prepared. Relative coefficients of the five species were above 0.999, indicating that the calibration curve has a good linear correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross-sectional mesostructure of a stress-annealed Fe-based (Fe73.5Cu1Nb3Si13.5B9) ribbon (SAR) has been investigated by atomic force microscopy. The magnetic anisotropy field was measured via the curves of the giant magnetoimpedence effect in SAR. The stress-induced magnetic anisotropy field (ΔHk) showed a linear correlation with the transverse congregating vector Kv of the agglomerated grains. This indicated that the ΔHk originated from the directional congregation of the agglomerated grains formed in SAR. A model for this directional congregation has been established. The previous diverse viewpoints on the mechanism of stress-induced magnetic anisotropy have been unified in this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are likely to replace antibiotics to reduce poultry infection. This study was to investigate B. subtilis on growth and digestion of broilers. Optimum fetmentation of LRI B. subtilis was used to produce solution products. Solution product and commercial B. subtilis were used. Day-old broilers were divided to five groups including control, 0.1 %, 0.3% liquid products and 0.3% commercial B. subtilis groups. Each group had 48 birds with 4 replicates. Weight gain and feed efficiency were tested at 1, 14 and 35 days of age. Carcass and internal organs were weighted at 35 weeks of age. Gut microfl.ora was analyzed. The results showed weight gain and feed efficiency of B. subtilis 0.1% group were better than those of control group (P < 0.05), while the B. subtilis solution 0.3% and the commercial B. subtilis 0.1% had no significant difference. It is recommended that diets added with 0.1% LRI B. subtilis solution has a significant improvement on the growth of broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N apiergrass is the highest yield of pasture in Taiwan. In response to the pet market demand for alfafa, Bermuda and Timothy grass, it was to evaluate effects of alfafa replaced with granular Napiergrass NPcv. TS5 and TS6 on the performance of companion rabbits. NPcv. TS5 and TS6 were harvested, dried, grinded and granulated for experiment. A total of 50 rabbits with individual cage were randomly assigned to 5 groups and tested for 4 weeks. Five groups included control group and replacement of 20% TS5, 40% TS5, 20% TS6 and 40% TS6 groups. Palatability, growth performance and blood charactetistics were tested. The results showed that there was no significant difference in feed intake, body weight gain and feed efficiency among the groups. There was also no significant difference among different amounts and breeds of added Napiergrass. We concluded that Napiergrass NPcv. TS5 and TS6 can be added to 40% without negative effect on companion rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the health-enhancing benefit of Cordyceps militaris culture (CMC), containing Cordycepin to boost immune capacity and clean free radicals, CMC was added into diet for weaned Alpine kids. A total of80 kids, avg. 87.5 days of age and 15.9 kg BW, were assigned into 4 groups and fed for 8 weeks. Diet for control group included 82% of grain concentrate, 4% of pangolagrass hay, 4% of alfalfa pellet and 10% of soybean hall. Three treatment diets were supplemented 1%, 2%, or 3% of CMC. Results showed diet treatments did not influence the feed intake and diarrhea index of kids. Daily dry matter intakes of control, 1%, 2% and 3% CMC groups reached 0.68, 0.66, 0.63 and 0.63 kg per head (P > 0.05). Daily BW gains were 160, 142, 136 and 140 g, respectively. Kids fed control diet had higher BW gain than those fed 2% CMC diet (P < 0.05). In conclusion, diet supplemented with CMC 1 to 3% to weaned Alphine kids could neither improve growth performances nor reduce the diarrhea occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was to investigate different dietary energy on laying performance and egg quality of enriched cage-feeding hens in hot season. Day-old ISA hens were used. Hens randomly divided into four groups at 24 weeks of age. The control group had 30 birds in 30 battery cages with dietary ME 2,750 kcal/kg. Three treatment groups were enriched caged with ME 2,750, 2,900 and 3,050 kcal/kg, respectively. Each group had 60 birds in three enriched cages; each cage had 20 birds. The results showed that battery caged birds had higher daily feed intake. There Was no siginificant difference in egg laying performance and egg quality among ME contents of enriched cages. ME of 3,050 kcal/kg of enriched cage tended to decrease feed intake and had obvious high egg yolk weight. Enriched cages with 2,900 and 3,050 kcal/kg ME had significant feather damage. In summary, enriched cagefeeding with 2,750 kcal/kg can meet the need for egg laying performance without affecting egg quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global consumption of livestock product is continued increasing. Based on the higher demand of quality and safety of livestock product from consumer, there is a strong trend for anti-biotic free feeding model of livestock. Therefore the innovation of healthy feed additive for livestock animal becomes an important issue of the industry. Health feed additives include probiotics, phytogenics, fungi and micro peptide. In order to elevate the competitive of livestock industry, the aim of this project was to construct a pilot production platform for feed additives. So far the fermentation system and extraction system and the equipments for production and analysis have been set up for the platform. In the future the probiotics and phytogenics produced will be supplied for animal test and also addressed for the connection bridge prior to commercial production. It is expected that the platform could accelerate the commercialization of the research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the study conducted by researchers on the health risk of drinking coffee. It is inferred that the study was carried on to analyze the relationships of drinking coffee and the risks for dying of heart disease, cancer and other diseases. The study reveals no association between coffee drinking and person's risk of dying. It further notes that drinking coffee may be protective on the part of coffee drinkers.