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ABSTRACTBackgroundThis study compared the pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and safety of candidate tocilizumab biosimilar, CT-P47, administered via auto-injector (CT-P47 AI) or pre-filled syringe (CT-P47 PFS), in healthy Asian adults.Research design and methodsIn this phase I, multicenter, open-label study, participants were randomized 1:1 to receive a single 162 mg/0.9 mL dose of CT-P47 via AI or PFS. Primary endpoints were area under the concentration – time curve from time zero to infinity (AUC0–inf) and maximum serum concentration (Cmax). PK equivalence was determined if 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the ratios of geometric least-squares means (gLSMs) were within the predefined 80–125% equivalence margin. Secondary PK parameters, immunogenicity, and safety outcomes were also assessed.ResultsOf 314 participants randomized (155 CT-P47 AI; 159 CT-P47 PFS), 310 received the study drug (153 CT-P47 AI; 157 CT-P47 PFS). Primary and secondary PK results, immunogenicity and safety were similar between groups. Ninety percent CIs for the ratio of gLSMs were within the predefined equivalence margin for AUC0–inf(85.87–102.94) and Cmax(82.98–98.16).ConclusionsPK equivalence between CT-P47 AI and CT-P47 PFS was demonstrated in healthy Asian adults, with comparable immunogenicity and safety between the two devices.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05617183.

We propose a high-density vertical AND-type (V-AND) flash thin-film transistor (TFT) array enabling accurate vector-matrix multiplication (VMM) operations. Compared to the planar AND-type (P-AND) flash TFT array, the V-AND flash TFT array minimizes the parasitic line resistance ( $\times 1$ /87) due to its unique structure and reduced cell-to-cell distance. The trade-off between the voltage drop and the cell density depending on the number of floors of the V-AND flash TFT array is investigated. The V-AND flash TFT array exhibits superior VMM capability compared to the P-AND flash TFT array and improves classification accuracy (~30% higher) in hardware neural networks.

Calcium (Ca2+) deficiency leads to disease symptoms such as blossom-end-rot (BER), resulting in the cessation of apical growth, curling, shoot and flower tip necrosis, and fruit chlorosis in hot peppers (Capsicum annuumL.). Previous reports have stated that an excessive supply of cations like potassium (K+) and magnesium (Mg2+) affects the incidence of BER in plants of the Solanaceae family, such as tomato. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between the contents of three cations and BER symptoms in pepper fruits. We assessed the distribution of three cations (Ca2+, K+, and Mg2+) in three distinct sections (pedicel, proximal half, and distal half) of the pepper fruit in both healthy and BER-defective peppers. We found that the overall amount of Ca2+was not correlated with BER symptoms in pepper fruits. Instead, a high Ca2+/ K+ratio in the pedicel of pepper fruit has a correlative impact on BER symptoms in the chili pepper fruit. Therefore, the manifestation of BER symptoms could be associated with the Ca2+/ K+value and the relative percentage of the calcium-to-potassium ratio in the pedicel of the pepper fruit. Furthermore, we performed a transcriptomic analysis on both BER-resistant and BER-sensitive pepper fruits to gain a more profound understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving BER symptoms in chili peppers. BER-resistant pepper cultivar was shown to deploy defense programs against calcium-deficient stress conditions. We believe that our study provides helpful insights into the importance of the Ca2+/ K+ratio in preventing physiological diseases, such as BER, in chili pepper cultivation.

This article proposes a receding horizon-based information-theoretic source search and estimation strategy for a mobile sensor in an urban environment in which an invisible harmful substance is released into the atmosphere. The mobile sensor estimates the source term including its location and release rate by using sensor observations based on Bayesian inference. The sampling-based sequential Monte Carlo method, particle filter, is employed to estimate the source term state in a highly nonlinear and stochastic system. Infotaxis, the information-theoretic gradient-free search strategy is modified to find the optimal search path that maximizes the reduction of the entropy of the source term distribution. In particular, receding horizon Infotaxis (RHI) is introduced to avoid falling into the local optima and to find more successful information gathering paths in obstacle-rich urban environments. Besides, a random sampling method is introduced to reduce the computational load of the RHI for real-time computation. The random sampling method samples the predicted future measurements based on current estimation of the source term and computes the optimal search path using sampled measurements rather than considering all possible future measurements. To demonstrate the benefit of the proposed approach, comprehensive numerical simulations are performed for various conditions. The proposed algorithm increases the success rate by about 30% and reduces the mean search time by about 40% compared with the existing information-theoretic search strategy.

This paper proposes an object detection algorithm based on a deep neural network which utilizes RGB and infrared (IR) images for human detection with drones. Although there are some public RGB image datasets in aerial view, there is no publicly available dataset in which both RGB and IR images are taken simultaneously with drones. Thus, we collect RGB and IR images at various altitudes on our own. However, the detection performance of the RGB and IR-based algorithm is limited, because there are more available RGB images for training than IR images or RGB and IR images taken simultaneously. To address this data imbalance, we use a generative adversarial neural network model called CycleGAN to generate IR images from RGB images in the public and self-collected dataset. Furthermore, the neural network for object detection is accelerated by neural network quantization and optimization to execute the algorithm faster on an embedded computing board. To shorten the search time and improve the robustness of detection, we employ a formation flight of multiple drones for human detection. The effectiveness of the integrated system of formation flight and onboard human detection algorithm is validated by the real flight experiment to find humans who are in a wide and wild area.

AbstractThe effect of the hypervapotron (HV) fin angle on heat transfer was analyzed through visualization experiments and subcooled flow boiling experiments. An HV channel with a fin angle of 45 deg had a higher onset-of-nucleate-boiling heat flux than the typical HV channel. Additionally, as the heat flux increased, the bubble-sliding effect caused by the tilted fin was visualized, and it was observed that the vapor inside the fin was agglomerated by the sliding flow and driven into the side slot. When the fin angle of the typical HV channel was set as 0 deg, as the tilted angle of the fin increased, the heat transfer and critical heat flux (CHF) were improved owing to the secondary flow generated by the sliding effect. When the fin angle reached 45 deg, the CHF value was improved by 81% compared with the typical HV channel, which was the highest enhancement rate among the evaluated HV channels. However, when the fin angle exceeded 45 deg, the vapors aggregated more rapidly as the sliding velocity induced inside the fin increased. Furthermore, the two-phase pressure drop was analyzed through differential pressure measurements. The 45-deg tilted HV channel had a higher onset-of-significant-void heat flux value than all the other channels (HV, swirl, smooth, flat channels).

Modern vehicles including smart cars have been equipped with many electronic devices such as electronic control units (ECUs), on-board diagnostics (OBD) systems, telematics and infotainment systems, gateways, sensors, etc. Because these devices create, transmit, and store a lot of digital data, modern vehicles are becoming key source of digital evidence in vehicular forensics. In addition, some dedicated mobile apps can capture driving and diagnostic data from a vehicle via a Bluetooth-enabled OBD-II scanner. In this paper, we propose a new process for effective automotive forensics. It collects and analyzes three different types of data left on an Android phone which has been connected to the OBD-II port of a vehicle via Bluetooth communication. The three types of data are OBD-II Android apps' data, Bluetooth HCI snoop log, and the mainlog buffer of the Android logging system. By analyzing them individually and integratedly, we find Bluetooth connection time, vehicle information, MAC address of the OBD-II scanner, vehicle velocity, sharp speeding event, sudden braking event, refueling event, and so on. We also construct a timeline of Bluetooth traffic and driving events through the timeline analysis, which can be used to determine the driver's behaviors in terms of vehicle forensics.

AbstractSystems such as solar thermal systems, chip coolers, beam dumps of neutral beam injectors, and fusion reactor divertors and blankets are subjected to one-side high heat flux. Specifically, high heat flux (10 MW/m2) is applied on the fusion reactor divertor in steady state. The monoblock design in a divertor is limited by the thermal-hydraulic and mechanical stability, which thermal-hydraulic data are required for. The lack of thermal-hydraulic data for the cooling channel causes difficulties for the design of the monoblock and the determination of the thermal-hydraulic condition for the safety and conversion of energy efficiency. To analyze the mechanisms and thermal hydraulics, a high heat flux heating system is recommended for the purpose of testing one-side heated cooling channels. Comparing an e-beam system to a joule heating system, the e-beam system requires higher cost, expertise, sophisticated design, and more power consumption, which delays the development of heat transfer correlations and the mechanisms of fluid motion inside the cooling channel. The production of 10 MW/m2heat flux using the joule heating method is challenging, since it is limited by the temperature of the heater. In this study, the limitation of the joule heating system was overcome by optimizing the material selection for the heater, the configuration of the system, and the bonding method of the components used in the system. High heat flux testing was conducted and the target heat flux of 10 MW/m2was successfully implemented, and it showed good reproducibility of the heating system. The reliability of the newly developed heating system was validated by comparing the results of the experiments with correlation-based simulations. The comparison analysis showed that the experimental results from the new heating system are comparable to the single-phase and two-phase correlation-based simulation results within 5% and 1.5% error, respectively. Further, through the comparison of various correlation-based simulations with the experimental results, we conclude that one-side joule heating results are only describable using a one-side correlation, not using correlations developed from uniform heating systems. To optimize the design of the cooling channel in a one-side heating condition in a faster and easier manner, the newly advanced joule heating system will help contribute to the development of the thermal-hydraulic analysis of the cooling channel.

As a class of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), corticosteroids (CSs) have attracted increasing attention due to their large excretion masses and toxic effects. However, compared to the very well-studied estrogens and androgens, few studies have been made dealing with the removal of CSs at environmentally relevant concentrations using advanced water and wastewater treatment processes. In this study, degradation performances of 26 natural and synthetic CSs in secondary effluent at environmentally relevant concentrations were comparatively investigated during UV/free chlorine (UV/Cl2), UV/monochloramine (UV/NH2Cl) and UV/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) treatments. The 26 CSs could be divided into two groups: UV sensitive CSs, which have two double bonds in ring A (Δ1,4), and UV insensitive CSs, which have only one double bond in ring A (Δ4). The UV sensitive CSs could be effectively removed (removal efficiency >60%) by a UV dose of 100 mJ cm−2while the UV insensitive CSs could be removed (removal efficiency >40%) by a UV dose of 800 mJ cm−2. The removal efficiencies of UV insensitive CSs increased with the increase of UV dose. Most of the CSs were poorly removed by sole Cl2, NH2Cl, or H2O2treatment (removal efficiency <40%). However, the addition of Cl2, NH2Cl, and H2O2promoted the UV degradation of CSs, especially for UV-insensitive CSs. UV photolysis would be the predominant mechanism in the UV/Cl2, UV/NH2Cl, and UV/H2O2processes for removing CSs in water. Besides the UV photolysis, HO radicals also functioned for CS removal. Compared with the insignificant effects of reactive chlorine species (RCS), the reactive nitrogen species (RNS) showed obvious selectivity in CS degradation. This study expanded the UV induced oxidation performances of CSs, which lays a foundation for exploring degradation mechanisms and eliminating the pollution from CSs.

We experimentally demonstrate an all-fiber high-power fiber amplifier with high beam quality and a slope efficiency of 81.8%, using a fiber-Bragg-grating-stabilized laser diode as a narrow spectral linewidth (0.08 nm) seed source. During amplification, the spectral linewidth of the laser output is broadened from 0.08 to 0.24 nm due to nonlinear phenomena. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first experimental observation of the suppression of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), with increased output power. In addition, we investigated the SBS suppression by simultaneously measuring the optical backscattered power, backscattered spectrum, and output spectrum at different values of output power. The beam quality, M^2, was measured to be ∼1.28 at the maximum output power of 2.05 kW, and modal instability was not observed.

Flexible and stretchable electrochromic supercapacitor systems are widely considered as promising multifunctional energy storage devices that eliminate the need for an external power source. Nevertheless, the performance of conventional designs deteriorates significantly as a result of electrode/electrolyte exposure to atmosphere as well as mechanical deformations for the case of flexible systems. In this study, we suggest an all-transparent stretchable electrochromic supercapacitor device with ultrastable performance, which consists of Au/Ag core–shell nanowire-embedded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), bistacked WO3nanotube/PEDOT:PSS, and polyacrylamide (PAAm)-based hydrogel electrolyte. Au/Ag core–shell nanowire-embedded PDMS integrated with PAAm-based hydrogel electrolyte prevents Ag oxidation and dehydration while maintaining ionic and electrical conductivity at high voltage even after 16 days of exposure to ambient conditions and under application of mechanical strains in both tensile and bending conditions. WO3nanotube/PEDOT:PSS bistacked active materials maintain high electrochemical–electrochromic performance even under mechanical deformations. Maximum specific capacitance of 471.0 F g–1was obtained with a 92.9% capacity retention even after 50 000 charge–discharge cycles. In addition, high coloration efficiency of 83.9 cm2C–1was shown to be due to the dual coloration and pseudocapacitor characteristics of the WO3nanotube and PEDOT:PSS thin layer.

Binderless, additiveless Si electrode design is developed where a nanoporous ZnO matrix is coated on a Si microparticle electrode to accommodate extreme Si volume expansion and facilitate stable electrochemical cycling. The conversion reaction of nanoporous ZnO forms an ionically and electrically conductive matrix of metallic Zn embedded in Li2O that surrounds the Si microparticles. Upon lithiation, the porous Li2O/Zn matrix expands with Si, preventing extensive pulverization, while Zn serves as active material to form LixZn to further enhance capacity. Electrodes with a Si mass loading of 1.5 mg/cm2were fabricated, and a high initial capacity of ∼3900 mAh/g was achieved with an excellent reversible capacity of ∼1500 mAh/g (areal capacity ∼1.7 mAh/cm2) beyond 200 cycles. A high first-cycle Coulombic efficiency was obtained owing to the conversion reaction of nanoporous ZnO, which is a notable feature in comparison to conventional Si anodes. Ex situanalyses confirmed that the nanoporous ZnO coating maintained the coalescence of SiMPs throughout extended cycling. Therefore, the Li2O/Zn matrix derived from conversion-reacted nanoporous ZnO acted as an effective buffer to lithiation-induced stresses from volume expansion and served as a binder-like matrix that contributed to the overall electrode capacity and stability.

Herein, a new methodology for solution-processed ZnO fabrication on Ag nanowire network electrode via combustion reaction is reported, where the amount of heat emitted during combustion was minimized by controlling the reaction temperature to avoid damaging the underlying Ag nanowires. The degree of participation of acetylacetones, which are volatile fuels in the combustion reaction, was found to vary with the reaction temperature, as revealed by thermogravimetric and compositional analyses. An optimized processing temperature of 180 °C was chosen to successfully fabricate a combustion-reacted ZnO and Ag nanowire hybrid electrode with a sheet resistance of 30 Ω/sq and transmittance of 87%. A combustion-reacted ZnO on Ag nanowire hybrid structure was demonstrated as an efficient transparent electrode and electron transport layer for the PTB7-Th-based polymer solar cells. The superior electrical conductivity of combustion-reacted ZnO, compared to that of conventional sol–gel ZnO, increased the external quantum efficiency over the entire absorption range, whereas a unique light scattering effect due to the presence of nanopores in the combustion-derived ZnO further enhanced the external quantum efficiency in the 450–550 nm wavelength range. A power conversion efficiency of 8.48% was demonstrated for the PTB7-Th-based polymer solar cell with the use of a combustion-reacted ZnO/Ag NW hybrid transparent electrode.

Transposable elements are major evolutionary forces which can cause new genome structure and species diversification. The role of transposable elements in the expansion of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich-repeat proteins (NLRs), the major disease-resistance gene families, has been unexplored in plants. We report two high-quality de novo genomes (Capsicum baccatumand C. chinense) and an improved reference genome (C. annuum) for peppers. Dynamic genome rearrangements involving translocations among chromosomes 3, 5, and 9 were detected in comparison between C. baccatumand the two other peppers. The amplification of athilaLTR-retrotransposons, members of the gypsysuperfamily, led to genome expansion in C. baccatum. In-depth genome-wide comparison of genes and repeats unveiled that the copy numbers of NLRs were greatly increased by LTR-retrotransposon-mediated retroduplication. Moreover, retroduplicated NLRs are abundant across the angiosperms and, in most cases, are lineage-specific. Our study reveals that retroduplication has played key roles for the massive emergence of NLR genes including functional disease-resistance genes in pepper plants.

Realized and potential threats of water scarcity due in part to global climate change have increased the interest in potable reuse of municipal wastewater. Recalcitrant trace organic compounds (TOrCs), including pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in wastewater are often not efficiently removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. Ozone application has been demonstrated to be a highly efficient oxidation process to attenuate TOrCs. However, operation of ozone oxidation can be challenging in wastewater due to variations in water quality that can impact critical control points through fluctuations in ozone demand/decay. Therefore, this study implemented three explanatory modeling techniques including multiple linear regression (MLR), artificial neutral network (ANN), and PC (principal component)-ANN to predict TOrCs removal by ozone oxidation in a secondary wastewater effluent. All the developed models displayed good agreements between the predicted TOrCs removal and the observed TOrCs removal with the explanatory variables (input variables) of ozone dose, total organic carbon (TOC) concentration, and rate constants of ozone and OH. PC-ANN displayed the highest predictive power in the external validation step (R2= 0.934) successively followed by ANN (R2= 0.914) and MLR (R2= 0.758). Based on the MLR model equation and the result of sensitivity analysis of the ANN model, TOC was found to have negligible effects on the TOrCs removal in a given water quality. Despite the predictive power of the ANN model, possible overfitting remains to be solved since the cross validation coefficient (q2) value calculated by the leave-one-out cross validation was not sufficient to ensure model predictive power. In contrast, the PC-ANN model was found to be robust across the scenarios applied. This study provides a guideline for software sensors to control ozone treatment processes in regards to TOrC oxidation and likely can be adapted to monitor disinfection as well.

In this work, a modified polyol synthesis by adding KBr and by replacing the AgCl with NaCl seed was used to obtain high quality silver nanowires with long aspect ratios with an average length of 13.5 μm in length and 62.5 nm in diameter. The Ag nanowires suspended in methanol solution after removing any unwanted particles using a glass filter system were then deposited on a flexible polycarbonate substrate using an electrostatic spray system. Transmittance of 92.1% at wavelength of 550 nm with sheet resistance of 20 Ω/sq and haze of 4.9% were measured for the electrostatic sprayed Ag nanowire transparent electrode.

The in-line chemical sensing device with novel C-type fiber and photonic crystal fiber was successfully fabricated. We further improved the sensitivity or light coupling efficiency of our in-line chemical sensing device with optimized the Ctype fiber length. The results show that sensitivity and response time of device are significantly enhanced with optimization of cleaving and splicing process. The gas sensing experiments with the optimized conditions are demonstrated for detecting partial pressure of acetylene. We also numerically analyzed the sensitivity of ring-core defect photonic crystal fiber which was used in this experiment, through full-vectorial finite element method.

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination is considered one of the most promising technologies for supplying freshwater to the regions suffering from water scarcity. Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted in attempts to improve SWRO desalination technology, reducing the cost of producing freshwater is still required. In Korea, this effort is already been being carried out by the Seawater Engineering & Architecture of High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (SeaHERO) project. Core Technology 2 (CT2), one of the most important sub-projects out of four CTs under SeaHERO, pursues two main goals: optimization of processes for low energy consumption/high efficiency and localization of core parts/equipments of the SWRO plant. Four unit technologies (UTs) are then incorporated into CT2 and each UT has its own technical target; UT1 focuses on the development of SWRO desalination system integration and optimization technology in terms of energy saving; UT2 and 3 work to develop high performance RO membranes and 16-inch modules with polyamide-type materials and novel (i.e., non-polyamide) materials, respectively; UT4 works to develop a high-pressure/massive-capacity pump and hydrostatic energy recovery device for a high efficiency SWRO plant. Accordingly, the integration of the four UTs of CT2 in the SeaHERO project is expected to contribute to reducing the cost and energy consumption in producing freshwater from seawater using the SWRO process.

Recovery and salt rejection rate, which are directly related to the membrane properties and operating conditions (i.e., feed flow rate, pressure, temperature, and TDS concentration), are two main indicators for evaluating the performance of a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. A simple and rapid test with minimum data is inevitably requested to diagnose membrane performance at a certain operating conditions, because experiments at all operating conditions are inefficient and consumable work in the view of cost as well as man-hour. In this study, permeate flow rate and TDS concentration of three kinds of commercial RO membranes were carefully examined under various operating conditions [i.e., feed pressure (45–65 kgf/cm2) and temperature (5–30°C)]. Based on the experimental data, membrane resistance models including temperature and pressure correction factors were developed for the rapid diagnosis of SWRO membrane performances. As a result, the models developed in this study have good agreements between observed and simulated data. Based on the procedure in this study, the performance of any type of RO membranes can be rapidly examined by simple model parameter inputs. Furthermore, the developed diagnosis tool for performance test of SWRO membranes can be practically applied to build database of membrane performance for designing the SWRO process with minimum data as well as to reduce the cost and effort for data acquisition.

Recovery and salt rejection rate, which are directly related to the membrane properties and operating conditions (i.e., feed flow rate, pressure, temperature, and TDS concentration), are two main indicators for evaluating the performance of a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane process. A simple and rapid test with minimum data is inevitably requested to diagnose membrane performance at a certain operating conditions, because experiments at all operating conditions are inefficient and consumable work in the view of cost as well as man-hour. In this study, permeate flow rate and TDS concentration of three kinds of commercial RO membranes were carefully examined under various operating conditions [i.e., feed pressure (45–65 kgf/cm2) and temperature (5–30°C)]. Based on the experimental data, membrane resistance models including temperature and pressure correction factors were developed for the rapid diagnosis of SWRO membrane performances. As a result, the models developed in this study have good agreements between observed and simulated data. Based on the procedure in this study, the performance of any type of RO membranes can be rapidly examined by simple model parameter inputs. Furthermore, the developed diagnosis tool for performance test of SWRO membranes can be practically applied to build database of membrane performance for designing the SWRO process with minimum data as well as to reduce the cost and effort for data acquisition.

Seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination is considered one of the most promising technologies for supplying freshwater to the regions suffering from water scarcity. Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted in attempts to improve SWRO desalination technology, reducing the cost of producing freshwater is still required. In Korea, this effort is already been being carried out by the Seawater Engineering & Architecture of High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis (SeaHERO) project. Core Technology 2 (CT2), one of the most important sub-projects out of four CTs under SeaHERO, pursues two main goals: optimization of processes for low energy consumption/high efficiency and localization of core parts/equipments of the SWRO plant. Four unit technologies (UTs) are then incorporated into CT2 and each UT has its own technical target; UT1 focuses on the development of SWRO desalination system integration and optimization technology in terms of energy saving; UT2 and 3 work to develop high performance RO membranes and 16-inch modules with polyamide-type materials and novel (i.e., non-polyamide) materials, respectively; UT4 works to develop a high-pressure/massive-capacity pump and hydrostatic energy recovery device for a high efficiency SWRO plant. Accordingly, the integration of the four UTs of CT2 in the SeaHERO project is expected to contribute to reducing the cost and energy consumption in producing freshwater from seawater using the SWRO process.

Abstract: To describe wave propagation in a fluid-solid environment which is usually encountered during marine seismic exploration, we design a time-domain acoustic-elastic coupled modeling algorithm based on the cell-based finite-difference method. The cellbased method has proven to delineate stress-free conditions correctly at the free surface with just changes in the material properties, which indicates that it can also properly deal with subsurface interface boundaries. In the acoustic-elastic coupled modeling, we first compose finite differences individually for the acoustic and elastic media; we then combine the differences using fluid-solid interface boundary conditions. Numerical experiments show that the cell-based coupled modeling algorithm gives solutions compatible with analytic solutions and that it properly describes S- and converted waves as well as P-waves. Applying the cell-based coupled modeling algorithm to a slope model, we confirm that our coupled modeling algorithm describes irregular interfaces properly, although it employs a staircase approximation of them.

•Critical heat flux (CHF) of a rectangular flat channel was investigated.•Sub-cooled flow boiling experiments were conducted under one-side high heat load conditions.•The effect of system parameters on sub-cooled flow boiling CHF was analyzed.•Existing CHF correlations underpredict the enhanced CHF of the flat channel.•A new CHF correlation was developed using Python code with machine learning.

Vitishas two subgenera: Euvitis, which includes commercially important Vitis viniferaand interspecific hybrid cultivars, and Muscadinia. Of note, the market for Muscadiniagrapes remains small, and only Muscadinia rotundifoliais cultivated as a commercial crop. To establish a basis for the study of Muscadiniaspecies, we generated chromosome-level whole-genome sequences of Muscadinia rotundifoliacv. Noble. A total of 393.8 Mb of sequences were assembled from 20 haploid chromosomes, and 26 394 coding genes were identified from the sequences. Comparative analysis with the genome sequence of V. viniferarevealed a smaller size of the M. rotundifoliagenome but highly conserved gene synteny. A genome-wide association study of 12 Muscadiniaberry-related traits was performed among 356 individuals from breeding populations of M. rotundifolia. For the transferability of markers between Euvitisand Muscadinia, we used 2000 core genome rhAmpSeq markers developed to allow marker transferability across Euvitisspecies. A total of 1599 (80%) rhAmpSeq markers returned data in Muscadinia. From the GWAS analyses, we identified a total of 52 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with the 12 berry-related traits. The transferable markers enabled the direct comparison of the QTNs with previously reported results. The whole-genome sequences along with the GWAS results provide a new basis for the extensive study of Muscadiniaspecies.

Multiple forms of GnRH within individual brains may have different functions. However, some vertebrates such as salmonids continue to reproduce even though they have lost or do not express 1 of the 3 forms of GnRH found in most other teleosts. We examined a basal salmonid, lake whitefish, to determine the mechanism by which a reduction in the number of GnRH forms occurs. We identified for the first time 3 distinct GnRHs in a salmonid. One form is novel and is designated whitefish GnRH. The primary structure is pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Met-Asn-Pro-Gly-NH2. HPLC and RIA were used for purification followed by Edman degradation for sequence determination. Mass spectroscopy was used to confirm the sequence and amidation of the peptide. The other 2 forms, salmon GnRH and chicken GnRH-II, are identical to the 2 forms found in salmon, which evolved later than whitefish. Synthetic whitefish GnRH is biologically active, as it increased mRNA expression of growth hormone and the α-subunit for LH and thyroid-stimulating hormone in dispersed fish pituitary cells. Our data support the hypothesis that the ancestral salmonid had a third GnRH form when the genome doubled (tetraploidization), but the third form was lost later in some salmonids due to chromosomal rearrangements. We suggest that the salmon GnRH form compensated for the loss of the third form.

The study of the nuclear pore in vertebrates would benefit from a strategy to directly identify new nucleoporins and interactions between those nucleoporins. We have developed a novel two-step “organelle trap” assay involving affinity selection and in vitro pore assembly. In the first step, soluble proteins derived from Xenopusegg extracts are applied to a column containing a ligand of interest. The bound proteins are then tagged by biotinylation and eluted. In the second step, potential nucleoporins are selected for by virtue of their ability to assemble into annulate lamellae, a cytoplasmic mimic of nuclear pores. The incorporated proteins are then recognized by their biotin tag. Here we use the lectin wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) as ligand; WGA inhibits nuclear transport and has been shown to directly bind three known nucleoporins from Xenopusextract, Nup62, Nup98, and Nup214, all of which containN-acetylglucosamine residues. Under reduced-stringency conditions, three additional proteins bind to WGA–Sepharose and are revealed by the organelle trap assay. We identified all three as partner nucleoporins. Two were discovered to be XenopusNup93 and Nup205. The third is a novel vertebrate nucleoporin, Nup188. This new vertebrate protein, XenopusNup188, exists in a complex with xNup93 and xNup205. The Nup93-Nup188-Nup205 complex does not bind directly to WGA but binds indirectly via theN-acetylglucosamine–modified nucleoporins. A gene encoding human Nup188 was also identified. The discovery of vertebrate Nup188, related to a yeast nucleoporin, and its novel protein–protein interactions illustrates the power of the two-step organelle trap assay and identifies new building blocks for constructing the nuclear pore.

The current work aimed to evaluate the feasibility of including ozone (O3)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), as an intermediate step, in a multistage treatment system for non-biodegradable sulphur-rich leachate from a hazardous industrial solid waste landfill (HISWL), combining chemical and biological oxidation technologies. O3-based AOPs covered perozonation (O3/H2O2), photo-assisted ozonation (O3/UVC), and photo-assisted perozonation (O3/H2O2/UVC). All O3-driven processes were applied to HISWL leachate directly after sulphur compounds removal via catalytic oxidation and chemical precipitation. Moreover, ozonation was also tested after a sequential coagulation step using ferric or aluminium salts (O3/Fe2+or O3/Al3+), and O3/H2O2/UVC system was likewise tried after Fe-mediated coagulation targeting photo-Fenton-assisted ozonation (O3/PF). The best-performing treatment train encompassed: (i) catalytic oxidation with H2O2(stoichiometric amount) under free pH, to convert sulphite and sulphide ions into oxidised sulphur species, including sulphate; (ii) chemical precipitation of sulphate as barite mineral without pH correction; (iii) O3/H2O2process for ca. 2.1-h (natural pH; room temperature; 3.5 kg O3and 1.1 kg H2O2per m3leachate), to degrade refractory organic matter and improve biodegradability; and (iv) biological oxidation to remove the remaining bioavailable organics fraction. This four-stage approach allowed shifting from a highly recalcitrant wastewater to an effluent in full agreement with the regulation for industrial wastewater discharge into the municipal sewer network. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the O3/H2O2process over the dissolved organic matter transformation was corroborated by fluorescence excitation-emission matrix and size exclusion chromatography analysis.

All poxviruses studied encode a type 1B topoisomerase that introduces transient nicks into DNA and thereby relaxes DNA supercoils. Here we present a study of the protein domains of the topoisomerase of the poxvirus molluscum contagiosum (MCV), which allows us to specify DNA contacts made by different domains. Partial proteolysis of the enzyme revealed two stable domains separated by a protease-sensitive linker. A fragment encoding the linker and carboxyl-terminal domain (residues 82-323) was overexpressed in Escherichia coliand purified. MCV topoisomerase (MCV-TOP)(82-323) could relax supercoiled plasmids in vitro,albeit with a slower rate than the wild-type enzyme. MCV-TOP(82-323) was sensitive to sequences in the favored 5′-(T/C)CCTT-3′ recognition site and also flanking DNA, indicating that some of the sequence-specific contacts are made by residues 82-323. Assays of initial binding and covalent catalysis by MCV-TOP(82-323) identified the contacts flanking the 5′-CCCTT-3′ sequence at +10, +9, −2, and −3 to be important. Tests with substrates containing a 5-bridging phosphorothiolate that trap the cleaved complex revealed that correct contacts to the flanking sequences were important in the initial cleavage step. MCV-TOP(82-323) differed from the full-length protein in showing reduced sensitivity to mutations at a position within the 5′-(T/C)CCTT-3′ recognition site, consistent with a model in which the amino-terminal domain contacts this region. These findings provide insight into the division of labor within the MCV-TOP enzyme.

The initial step in the signaling cascade of the growth factor activin involves its binding to the extracellular domain of the activin type II receptor. This receptor domain contains 10 cysteine residues which are engaged in intramolecular disulfide bonds. To elucidate the structural framework of this domain we have characterized its disulfide-bonding pattern using an extracellular fragment of the receptor which binds activin A with high affinity. By combining proteolysis with mass spectroscopy and chemical sequence analysis, the disulfide connectivity was determined to be as follows: C1–C3, C2–C4, C5–C8, C6–C7, and C9–C10. A similar disulfide arrangement occurs in a family of snake toxins for which the three-dimensional structure is known.

Most marine sediments exhibit transverse isotropy (TI) that can have a significant effect on the signal properties of strongly bottom interacting sound. Locally, transverse isotropy has the greatest effect on the fundamental and near fundamental modal overtones. The local shallow water TI modes have reduced amplitude in the sediment relative to the corresponding shallow water modes for an isotropic bottom. Even a small departure from isotropy (2.4%) can have a significant (15%) effect on the phase velocity of bottom interacting modes. Calculations of mode–mode coupling coefficients for a range‐dependent medium indicate that mode coupling is more strongly confined to modal nearest neighbors for a TI medium characterized predominantly by shear wave anisotropy, when compared to the corresponding isotropic medium. As the frequency increases, the strongest coupling occurs between higher overtones and also becomes more strongly peaked around nearest neighbors. The coupled mode theory of Maupin [Geophys. J. 93, 173–185 (1988)] is employed to model the coupling. This theory can treat smooth gradients and sloping layer boundaries for all five of the bottom elastic moduli in a TI medium, the densities, and the range dependence of the water column itself. This coupled mode formulation also properly accounts for the continuity of stress and displacement boundary conditions in an exact way at irregular interfaces. © 1996 Acoustical Society of America.

The primary structure of two forms of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) from tunicate (Chelyosoma productum) have been determined based on mass spectrometric and chemical sequence analyses. The peptides, tunicate GnRH‐I and ‐II, contain features unprecedented in vertebrate GnRH. Tunicate GnRH‐I contains a putative salt bridge between Asp5and Lys8. A GnRH analog containing a lactam bridge between Asp5and Lys8was found to increase release of estradiol compared with that of the native tunicate GnRH‐I and ‐II. Tunicate GnRH‐II contains a cysteine residue and was isolated as a dimeric peptide. These motifs suggest that the conformation plays an important role in receptor activation.

A hollow optical fiber (HOF) has an unique modal distribution of a central evanescent field due to its structure. The HOF consists of a central air hole, a Ge-doped ring core placed at the inmost layer, and silica cladding, which induces the weak evanescent field at the central hole. By the structure with geometric symmetry, it is possible to inject a refractive fluid into the hole and to modify the modal distribution. When a refractive index of the fluid is same with or higher than the core's, guiding of light becomes dominant at the center and the ringshaped field turns into a LP01 mode. During the process, optical force is induced and the net momentum of the fluid is changed. The direction of optical force is opposite to that of light propagation, and the fluid come to be dragged along the central channel in the HOF. In order to further investigate the phenomenon, we have changed the refractive index of the fluid and measured resultant optical force. The direction and strength of the optical force was dependent on the refractive index of the central fluid, which shows ample potential of the HOF as a refractive index sensor.