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Previous research has recognised the value of translanguaging in Chinese language teaching but has focused primarily on using English as the medium of instruction. However, teachers and students may not share a common language with which to communicate in a multilingual class, which is a significant challenge in Chinese learning and teaching. This study incorporates translanguaging into the pedagogical design by implementing a translanguaging-based task, perceiving Chinese learners as creative agents orchestrating numerous semiotic resources in meaning-making. The participants were a cohort of beginner-level Chinese learners with diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds taking an online Chinese course at a Chinese university. Data sources included the participants’ video-recorded oral presentations and their reflective journals. Drawing on social semiotic theory, analysis of the video recordings shows that the learners moved creatively between modalities (written and spoken, visual and auditory, gesture and drawing) that worked together as an assemblageto make meaning beyond their linguistic capacity while ensuring audience comprehension. The reflective journals, however, reveal ambivalent attitudes: using multilingual resources eased concerns about the audience’s reception of the participants’ meaning-making, but also generated guilt among the participants. Based on these findings, this study argues for the transformative power of translanguaging-based pedagogy and highlights the communicative affordance of semiotic resources including cultural artefacts and knowledge. The pedagogical implications of designing translanguaging-based tasks in the teaching of Chinese and other Asian languages are discussed.

Returnee scholars are regarded as key agents to advance internationalisation in many non-Anglophone countries where internationalisation through the medium of English has raised concerns about the preservation of national language, culture, and identity. This study investigated how eight Chinese returnee scholars used their linguistic repertoires in their professional practice and daily lives and how their language practices interacted with multiple identities. Gathering data from a questionnaire, semi-structured interview, and regular class observations, this study reveals that in research, all participants predominantly used English and many expressed concerns about their Chinese academic writing skills. In teaching and daily lives, most participants embraced bilingualism and were open to translingual practices. The participants’ language practices appeared to be linked to their self-conception as competent English users and English-mediated ideal professional identities. However, their bilingual practices did not correspond to a bicultural identity, indicating a disconnect between language use and cultural belonging. Drawing on the findings, suggestions are offered for institution- and state-level authorities to better facilitate the integration of returnee scholars into their home academic communities and to promote academic multilingualism.

Low refresh rate liquid crystal displays have been proposed to reduce power consumption, which is already the trend. In our early low‐temperature polycrystalline silicon liquid crystal displays, low‐frequency driving caused the screen to flicker. We investigated the flicker mechanism and improvement solutions in this paper. The flicker mechanism is mainly related to thin‐film transistor leakage current, capacitive coupling effect, and cell material property. By adopting some solutions, the flicker of gray level 127 can reach‐60dB in a 20Hz 13.5‐inch 2.8K demo. These results contribute to the development of low‐power consumption displays.

ABSTRACTBackgroundThis study investigates the biological functions of Stathmin1 (STMN1) involving drug resistance and cell proliferation in multiple myeloma (MM) and its related mechanisms.MethodsBone marrow aspirates were collected from 20 MM patients, and the bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) were separated by Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation. Blood samples of 20 patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and 20 healthy donors were collected. Normal plasma cells sorted from the peripheral blood of MGUS patients and healthy subject as controls. Two bortezomib (BTZ)-resistant MM cell lines were established, namely NCI-H929/BTZ and KM3/BTZ cells, and then transfected with lentiviruses packaging sh-STMN1 to knock down STMN1 level in BTZ-resistant cells. Expression of STMN1 was assessed by RT-qPCR and western blotting. CCK-8 assays were performed to assess 50% growth inhibition (IC50) values. Green fluorescent protein in BTZ-resistant cells infected with lentiviruses was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Cell viability, proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis were evaluated through MTT assays, colony formation assays, flow cytometry analyses, and TUNEL staining.ResultsSTMN1 was upregulated in MM cells and bone marrow aspirates of MM patients. Additionally, STMN1 depletion attenuated BTZ resistance in MM cells. Moreover, downregulation of STMN1 limited the malignant phenotypes of BTZ-resistant cells. Mechanistically, the PI3K/Akt signaling was inactivated by STMN1 downregulation in BTZ-resistant cells.ConclusionSTMN1 silencing inhibits cell proliferation and BTZ resistance in MM by inactivating the PI3K/Akt signaling.

A high-efficiency frequency synthesizer operating at 110 GHz with an optimized voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is proposed in this article. The proposed synthesizer adopts a subsampling loop (SSL) to reduce the in-band phase noise under steady-state conditions. A new VCO design method is proposed to solve the low output efficiency problem in high-frequency oscillators. First, the maximum efficiency operation condition for a transistor in an oscillator is analyzed, and the method to construct the peripheral passive network with ideal devices is presented. Second, the requirement of the multiple power outputs for the VCO in a synthesizer and the loss of the passive devices are considered in the optimization process. Finally, quantitative analysis is performed with consideration of the real physical implementation and the parasitic influence of the VCO. Based on the above VCO design method, a 110-GHz frequency synthesizer with low phase noise and high efficiency is designed. The frequency synthesizer is implemented using 65-nm CMOS technology. It consumes only 14 mW of dc power to generate −6 dBm of output power. The experimental phase noise of the frequency synthesizer is t102.01 dBc/Hz at a 10-MHz offset.

Large-scale crop mapping using remote sensing data is of great significance for agricultural production, food security and the sustainable development of human societies. Winter rapeseed is an important oil crop in China that is mainly distributed in the Yangtze River Valley. Traditional winter rapeseed mapping practices are insufficient since they only use the spectral characteristics during the critical phenological period of winter rapeseed, which are usually limited to a small region and cannot meet the needs of large-scale applications. In this study, a novel phenology-based winter rapeseed index (PWRI) was proposed to map winter rapeseed in the Yangtze River Valley. PWRI expands the date window for distinguishing winter rapeseed and winter wheat, and it has good separability throughout the flowering period of winter rapeseed. PWRI also improves the separability of winter rapeseed and winter wheat, which traditionally have been two easily confused winter crops. A PWRI-based method was applied to the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Valley to map winter rapeseed on the Google Earth Engine platform. Time series composited Sentinel-2 data were used to map winter rapeseed with 10 m resolution. The mapping achieved a good result with overall accuracy and kappa coefficients exceeding 92% and 0.85, respectively. The PWRI-based method provides a new solution for high spatial resolution winter rapeseed mapping at a large scale.

This article proposes a Ka-band transceiver with an integrated local oscillator (LO) generator and multiple low dropout regulators (LDOs) to eliminate the strict requirements to the external power supply network. The proposed self-calibrated LDO eliminates the use of a bandgap reference circuit and its large flicker noise contribution in traditional power regulators to achieve ultralow-noise performance. The output of the proposed LDO is self-calibrated with temperature and process variations by autoconfiguring the feedback coefficient through a digital loop to guarantee the stable performance of its loaded high-speed circuits. The stable gain and output power of the transceiver with temperature variation are achieved by on-chip multiple self-compensation schemes, which include a self-sensing LDO for the power amplifier, a constant- $G_{\!m}$ bias circuit for the amplification stages, and the temperature-compensated intermediate-frequency amplifiers (TC IFAs) with proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) gain to further compensate for the gain deviation caused by the second-order effect and large-signal performance difference. Implemented in 65-nm CMOS technology, measurements indicate that the output noise of the proposed LDO is as low as 15 nV/sqrt (Hz) at 10-kHz offset and the integrated power network greatly reduces the noise influence on the LO signal compared with the traditional bandgap-referenced LDO. Furthermore, due to the adoption of the proposed temperature compensation scheme, the small-signal gains of the receiver and transmitter only fluctuate by 1.1 and 1.3 dB from $- 40\,\,^{\circ }\text{C}$ to $85~^{\circ }\text{C}$ , respectively, and the output saturated power of the transmitter varies by 0.7 dBm over the entire temperature range.

AbstractEffective disaster countermeasures of landslide dams hinge on the stability prediction in the emergency and mid-long-term stages. Variable morphological characteristics and multiple geomorphic indices as well as complicated geotechnical parameters pose significant challenges to a quick stability assessment. A particle size distribution (PSD) database was established based on 83 landslide deposits, including damming and non-damming landslides from around the world. Characteristic parameter Kfor quantitatively measuring landslide dam material properties were suggested on the basis of statistical analysis of deposit PSDs. Here we proposed a geotechnical index MMI(morphometry & material index) including dam volume, height and width, as well as characteristic parameter K, grain size d90and lake volume that helps to estimate landslide dam stability. Besides, landslide dams in our inventory were divided into four levels based on their material composition, longevity and spillway form. With this we achieved the stability classification criterion according to the relation between these historical cases stability levels and MMIvalues. This study underlines the need to include geotechnical aspects such as grain size distribution for assessing dam stability, because the impact of material conditions on landslide dam evolution cannot be ignored.

The circadian system of plants is a complex physiological mechanism, a biological process in which plants can adjust themselves according to the day and night cycle. To understand the effects of different photoperiods on the biological clock of tea plants, we analyzed the expression levels of core clock genes (CCA1, PRR9, TOC1, ELF4) and photosynthesis-related genes (Lhcb, RbcS, atpA) under normal light (light/dark = 12 h/12 h, 12L12D) and took the cost function defined by cycle and phase errors as the basic model parameter. In the continuous light environment (24 h light, 24L), the peak activity and cycle of key genes that control the biological clock and photosynthesis were delayed by 1–2 h. Under a skeleton photoperiod (6L6D, 3L3D), the expression profiles of clock genes and photosynthesis-related genes in tea plants were changed and stomatal opening showed a circadian rhythm. These observations suggest that a skeleton photoperiod may have an effect on the circadian rhythm, photosynthetic efficiency and stomatal regulation of tea plants. Our study and model analyzed the components of circadian rhythms under different photoperiodic pathways, and also revealed the underlying mechanisms of circadian regulation of photosynthesis in tea plants.

AbstractVarious machine learning techniques have been implemented to assist in neutron-gamma discrimination with great success compared to traditional methods. Despite this, the fundamental structure of a pulse shape as it relates to machine learning has not yet been explored in detail, and the optimal number of pulse vector features needed for training is still unknown. In this study, support vector machines (SVMs) using linear, radial basis, and exponential kernel functions are fitted on data of two different forms: waveforms that partially cover the original pulses and principal components extracted from those pulses. The described methods correctly classified 98.02% for neutrons and 97.84% for gamma rays. The efficiency of the SVM was improved by extracting principal components from the waveforms. That is, fewer features were needed to discriminate between neutrons and gamma rays without negatively impacting the classification accuracy. This study also shows that utilizing a nonlinear kernel significantly reduces the number of features required to reach high classification accuracy. SVMs that did this could make accurate classifications 97% of the time with data that had fewer than 50 features.

Understanding climatic effects on cropland water use efficiency at different elevations is imperative for managing agricultural water and production in response to ongoing climate change in climate-sensitive areas with complex topography, such as southwestern China. We investigated climatic effects on cropland water use efficiency in southwestern China at each 100-m elevation bin during 2001–2017. The maximum water use efficiency was 1.71 gC kg−1H2O for the 1900–1999 m elevation bin under the growing season temperature and precipitation of 14.58±0.32°C and 965.40±136.45 mm, respectively. The water use efficiency slopes were dominated by the evapotranspiration slopes at elevations below 1999 m but were controlled by the gross primary productivity slopes at elevations above 2000 m. This difference was caused by the substantial responses of evaporation to climate change at lower elevations and the increased climatic sensitivity of gross primary productivity at higher elevations. In comparison to those at other elevations, croplands at lower elevations were more vulnerable to extreme drought because of the dominant role fluctuating evapotranspiration played in water use efficiency. The findings will improve cropland water management in the study area.

The potential of serum extracellular vesicles (EVs) as non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing colorectal cancer (CRC) remains elusive. We employed an in-depth 4D-DIA proteomics and machine learning (ML) pipeline to identify key proteins, PF4 and AACT, for CRC diagnosis in serum EV samples from a discovery cohort of 37 cases. PF4 and AACT outperform traditional biomarkers, CEA and CA19-9, detected by ELISA in 912 individuals. Furthermore, we developed an EV-related random forest (RF) model with the highest diagnostic efficiency, achieving AUC values of 0.960 and 0.963 in the train and test sets, respectively. Notably, this model demonstrated reliable diagnostic performance for early-stage CRC and distinguishing CRC from benign colorectal diseases. Additionally, multi-omics approaches were employed to predict the functions and potential sources of serum EV-derived proteins. Collectively, our study identified the crucial proteomic signatures in serum EVs and established a promising EV-related RF model for CRC diagnosis in the clinic.

Ultra low refresh rate is a great challenge for LTPS products due to the unhomogeneity of the polycrystalline silicon film. Through process refinement and design optimization, we have achieved a 15.6FHD LTPS product with 5Hz, and its flicker meet both Intel and VESA standards, in addition this product can also reach 480Hz We also have measured the power consumption and luminance in different refresh rates which will be showed detail later. And we have also confirmed the image quality and executed reliability tests, all of which indicate that our wide refresh rate technology is ready for mass production.

We have done a lot of work to study the surface noise of the panel due to the strict requirement of active stylus. During the research, we find that the surface noise occurs at the moment the mux circuits switch on, and the magnitude of positive noise is strongly dependent on what the panel display, in other words, the noise may have a strongly dependent on the data signal. Also the behavior of noise is consistent with that of common electrode. Then we established a circuit architecture to simulate the behavior of common electrode and found that the coupling of the data line on the common electrode would cancel each other out over a period of time while the existence of the mux circuits which breaks this balance. And based on this knowledge, we have done a lot of useful exploration and achieved good results.

The effect of processing parameters on meta-dynamic recrystallization (MDRX) and the microstructural characteristics evolution of TiAl alloy with high Nb containing during annealing period were studied through double-pass hot compression tests. The results indicated that the occurrence of MDRX had a strengthening effect to flow behavior of the present alloy, resulting in grain equalization. And the high temperature and large strain were beneficial for the occurrence of MDRX, resulting in the increase of recrystallization grains. For the present alloy, MDRX rate is low, hence, enough annealing time is needed for MDRX during inter-pass annealing. Besides, dislocation density is consumed with the occurrence of MDRX.

In order to improve our design accuracy and narrow the gap between the design and actual value, we have done some investigations on measuring the effective capacitance of gate lines. We have proposed two method: one is integration method, and another is fitting method. The former is more accurate than the latter. And we find the relationship between effective capacitance and total capacitance of gate line can be described well by one‐dimensional RC‐chain circuit derived from Elmore model. Based on this, we can conclude an empirical coefficient which is suitable for our LTPS production line.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Leveraging computer vision (CV) methods to study pen-fed cattle feeding behavior presents several advantages, including monitoring animal health and identifying feed efficient animals. This research employed a region-based convolutional neural network (RCNN) combined with the common objects in context (COCO) dataset for automatic livestock recognition using CV techniques in experimental feedlot pens. Thirty Angus-influenced steers were allocated in one pen with four automated feed intake systems (AFIS; Vytelle SENSE). CV data were recorded during daylight hours using a webcam (Microsoft LifeCam Cinema) with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels at ten frames per second connected to a video surveillance camera software (Contaware, Switzerland). The CV dataset obtained by the cameras, Figure 1, was benchmarked with feeding behavior data obtained from observed annotations (OA) and AFIS. The CV model utilized was a Mask-RCNN with pre-trained weights on the COCO dataset. The Mask RCNN algorithm can identify and locate multiple objects, objects of different scales, and overlapping objects within an image. The COCO dataset is a large and diverse set of annotated images that can be used for training and evaluating object detection models. The fully trained Mask-RCNN model takes each video frame as input and outputs the pixel segmentation of each object detected. For the CV analyses, each animal bounding box was associated with a score threshold, and each pixel within was assigned a probability threshold; both ranging from 0 to 100. The higher the score and probability thresholds are, the fewer the boxes and pixels will be marked as the animal boxing shape, resulting in less feeding detection from the CV system. In contrast, a low score and probability thresholds produce many predictions, including false detections, which might be misleading. Therefore, a dataset analysis was conducted to optimize the best threshold combination. We evaluated the accuracy and precision of the CV model compared with OA and AFIS by analyzing a dataset section of feeding events of one feed bunk using a 0.5 score and 0.5 probability thresholds. We obtained the values for the true positive (TP), false positive (FP), true negative (TN), and false negative (FN) to calculate the accuracy = [TP+TN]/[TP+TN+FP+FN], and precision = [TP]/[TP+FP], Table 1. As a result, the CV model achieved 95.39% and 99.82% accuracy and 93.60% and 99.90% precision when compared with OA and AFIS, respectively. Our findings showcase the promising capabilities of employing the Mask-RCNN algorithm and COCO datasets for detecting beef cattle feeding behavior in feedlot pens. This approach holds significant value for the cattle industry by enabling precise monitoring and analysis of individual animal behavior within feedlot pens, facilitating early detection of behavioral abnormalities.

Precision livestock farming (PLF) is an emerging field that uses technology to optimize livestock production and management. It involves using sensors, cameras, and other data collection devices to gather information on animal behavior, health, and welfare. A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical system that can be used for simulation, testing, and optimization. This tutorial will provide an overview of the procedure for creating a PLF digital twin with cameras and sensors. We will discuss the benefits of PLF, the hardware and software components needed, and the steps involved in creating a digital twin. PLF digital twins have a range of potential applications and benefits, including improved livestock health and welfare, increased productivity, and efficiency, and reduced environmental impact. At the end of the tutorial, we will host a roundtable discussion of the potential applications and benefits of PLF digital twins.

This article details the approach to large-scale production of cyclobutane 2by the continuous-flow [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of maleic anhydride and ethylene, including (1) focused reaction optimization and development of a robust isolation protocol, (2) the approach to equipment design and process safety, and (3) the results of commissioning tests and production runs delivering the target compound at throughputs exceeding 5 kg/day.

A two-stage flow process for cGMP manufacture of a commercially important carbapenem intermediate was developed. Stage 1 featured an intramolecular N–H insertion reaction catalyzed by an immobilized rhodium catalyst. In stage 2, phosphorylation of the resulting keto ester intermediate afforded the target, which was isolated in batch mode. The equipment design and process control strategy leading to validation of the process at the 100 kg scale are discussed.

ABSTRACTBased on web services and the Activiti 5.0 workflow engine, we built a workflow-based web service chain processing flow platform to simplify the operations of complex geospatial information processing applications in the area of high performance geo-computation. The proposed framework includes a web portal and a convenient mode for similar specific applications. We also designed a general service publishing template for high performance commutating (HPC) that can reduce platform differences among different HPC systems and facilitate HPC techniques to improve processing efficiency. Finally, we used a digital elevation model to verify and test the platform. The results indicated that the proposed service chain platform offered convenience and efficiency when processing massive data with HPC.

A new Cu(II) metal-organic framework, [Cu(L)(OBA)·H2O]n(1) [H2OBA = 4,4′-oxybis(benzoic acid), L = 3,5-di(1H-benzimidazol-1-yl)pyridine] was hydrothermally synthesized and characterized through IR spectroscopy, elemental and thermal analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1is a four-connected uni-nodal 2D net with a (44·62) topology which shows an emission centered at λ ∼393 nm upon excitation at λ= 245 nm. Moreover, complex 1possesses high photocatalytic activities for the decomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) under UV light irradiation.

China's continuous and rapid economic growth has led to the reclamation of large sections of the intertidal mud coast in combination with port construction, such as that of the proposed Tongzhou Bay port on the Jiangsu coast. These reclamations threaten the local ecosystem services. An ecotope distribution map was created and a hydrodynamic numerical model of Tongzhou Bay was set up to quantify the impacts of reclamation on the ecosystem. Based on the field data and model results, several abiotic features were classified into 11 ecotopes and visualized in an ecotope map of the Tongzhou Bay ecosystem. Validation with spatial distributions of two threatened shorebird species (bar-tailed godwit and great knot) showed confirmation with the mid-range and low-range littoral zones (inundated from 40% to 100% of a tidal cycle), indicating the importance of the areas with these conditions to these populations. Overlaying the ecotope map with recent and proposed land reclamation schemes revealed a loss of ecotopes, composed of the high-range (42%), mid-range (48%), and low-range (38%) littoral habitats, corresponding to a 44%–45% loss of the most important ecotopes for bar-tailed godwit and great knot (mid-range and low-range littoral zones). These results confirm the applicability of the novel ecotope assessment approach in practice.

Facial emotion recognition is an essential and important aspect of the field of human-machine interaction. Past research on facial emotion recognition focuses on the laboratory environment. However, it faces many challenges in real-world conditions, i.e., illumination changes, large pose variations and partial or full occlusions. Those challenges lead to different face areas with different degrees of sharpness and completeness. Inspired by this fact, we focus on the authenticity of predictions generated by different pairs. For example, if only the mouth areas are available and the emotion classifier predicts happiness, then there is a question of how to judge the authenticity of predictions. This problem can be converted into the contribution of different face areas to different emotions. In this paper, we divide the whole face into six areas: nose areas, mouth areas, eyes areas, nose to mouth areas, nose to eyes areas and mouth to eyes areas. To obtain more convincing results, our experiments are conducted on three different databases: facial expression recognition + ( FER+), real-world affective faces database (RAF-DB) and expression in-the-wild (ExpW) dataset. Through analysis of the classification accuracy, the confusion matrix and the class activation map (CAM), we can establish convincing results. To sum up, the contributions of this paper lie in two areas: 1) We visualize concerned areas of human faces in emotion recognition; 2) We analyze the contribution of different face areas to different emotions in real-world conditions through experimental analysis. Our findings can be combined with findings in psychology to promote the understanding of emotional expressions.

Mapping crop distribution with remote sensing data is of great importance for agricultural production, food security and agricultural sustainability. Winter rape is an important oil crop, which plays an important role in the cooking oil market of China. The Jianghan Plain and Dongting Lake Plain (JPDLP) are major agricultural production areas in China. Essential changes in winter rape distribution have taken place in this area during the 21st century. However, the pattern of these changes remains unknown. In this study, the spatial and temporal dynamics of winter rape from 2000 to 2017 on the JPDLP were analyzed. An artificial neural network (ANN)-based classification method was proposed to map fractional winter rape distribution by fusing moderate resolution imaging spectrometer (MODIS) data and high-resolution imagery. The results are as follows: (1) The total winter rape acreages on the JPDLP dropped significantly, especially on the Jianghan Plain with a decline of about 45% during 2000 and 2017. (2) The winter rape abundance keeps changing with about 20–30% croplands changing their abundance drastically in every two consecutive observation years. (3) The winter rape has obvious regional differentiation for the trend of its change at the county level, and the decreasing trend was observed more strongly in the traditionally dominant agricultural counties.

A novel three-dimensional Cd(II) coordination framework, [Cd(PTA)(BTBP)0.5· H2O]n(1) (BTBP =  4,4′-bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)biphenyl; H2PTA = p-phthalic acid), has been prepared and characterized through IR spectroscopy, elemental and thermal analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex is a 5-connected network with the {45· 66} topology based on Cd-μ2-H2O-Cd chains. It exhibits strong fluorescent emission in the solid state at room temperature. Moreover, complex 1shows high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue under UV irradiation.

As a major component of speech signal processing, speech emotion recognition has become increasingly essential to understanding human communication. Benefitting from deep learning, many researchers have proposed various unsupervised models to extract effective emotional features and supervised models to train emotion recognition systems. In this paper, we utilize semi-supervised ladder networks for speech emotion recognition. The model is trained by minimizing the supervised loss and auxiliary unsupervised cost function. The addition of the unsupervised auxiliary task provides powerful discriminative representations of the input features, and is also regarded as the regularization of the emotional supervised task. We also compare the ladder network with other classical autoencoder structures. The experiments were conducted on the interactive emotional dyadic motion capture (IEMOCAP) database, and the results reveal that the proposed methods achieve superior performance with a small number of labelled data and achieves better performance than other methods.

Emulation of dendrite integration on brain-inspired hardware devices is of great significance for neuromorphic engineering. Here, solution-processed starch-based electrolyte films are fabricated, demonstrating strong proton gating activities. Starch gated oxide dendrite transistors with multigates are fabricated, exhibiting good electrical performances. Most importantly, dendrite modulation, spatiotemporal dendrite integration, and linear/superlinear dendrite algorithm are demonstrated on the proposed dendrite transistor. Furthermore, a low energy consumption of ∼1.2 pJ is obtained for triggering a synaptic response on the dendrite transistor. Accordingly, the signal-to-noise ratio is still as high as ∼2.9, indicating a high sensitivity of ∼4.6 dB. Such artificial dendrite transistors have potential applications in brain-inspired neuromorphic platforms.

We have conducted extensive investigations on abnormal horizontal line of touchscreen. Without changing a‐Si gate driving circuit, we obtained a novel method that could handle this problem. The capacitance of gate driving circuit is discharging during the touch period, in that case abnormal output of gate is produced which makes the horizontal dim line happened. In this paper, we have succeeded in modulating the timing of our gate driver circuit during touch period to address the abnormal horizontal dim lines.

Recently, environment-friendly electronic devices are attracting increasing interest. “Green” artificial synapses with learning abilities are also interesting for neuromorphic platforms. Here, solution-processed chitosan-based polysaccharide electrolyte-gated indium tin oxide (ITO) synaptic transistors are fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate substrate. Good transistor performances against mechanical stress are observed. Short-term synaptic plasticities are mimicked on the proposed ITO synaptic transistor. When applying presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes on gate electrode and drain electrode respectively, spike-timing-dependent plasticity function is mimicked on the synaptic transistor. Transitions from sensory memory to short-term memory (STM) and from STM to long-term memory are also mimicked, demonstrating a “multistore model” brain memory. Furthermore, the flexible ITO synaptic transistor can be dissolved in deionized water easily, indicating potential green neuromorphic platform applications.

Photosynthesis is involved in the essential process of transforming light energy into chemical energy. Although the interaction between photosynthesis and the circadian clock has been confirmed, the mechanism of how light intensity affects photosynthesis through the circadian clock remains unclear. Here, we propose a first computational model for circadian-clock-controlled photosynthesis, which consists of the light-sensitive protein P, the core oscillator, photosynthetic genes, and parameters involved in the process of photosynthesis. The model parameters were determined by minimizing the cost function ( $\boldsymbol{\delta} =\mathbf{8.56}$), which is defined by the errors of expression levels, periods, and phases of the clock genes (CCA1, PRR9, TOC1, ELF4, GI, and RVE8). The model recapitulates the expression pattern of the core oscillator under moderate light intensity (100 µmol m -2s-1). Further simulation validated the dynamic behaviors of the circadian clock and photosynthetic outputs under low (62.5 µmol m-2s-1) and normal (187.5 µmol m-2s-1) intensities. When exposed to low light intensity, the peak times of clock and photosynthetic genes were shifted backward by 1–2 hours, the period was elongated by approximately the same length, and the photosynthetic parameters attained low values and showed delayed peak times, which confirmed our model predictions. Our study reveals a potential mechanism underlying the circadian regulation of photosynthesis by the clock under different light intensities in tomato.

Drawing on an analytic framework developed from ethical research guidelines and the relevant literature, this study analyzes and discusses the ways ethical issues were addressed by authors of 72 relevant journal articles on online self-representation in the field of applied linguistics. The results illustrate how researchers undertook efforts to fulfill ethical responsibilities in Internet-based research. They show how researchers’ self-narrated concerns and contextual conditions have mediated ethics-related research practices as reported in these studies. The results indicate the need for researchers to enhance critical awareness and assessment of potential ethical issues when conducting Internet-based research. Such critical awareness is essential for researchers to initiate and sustain an ongoing dialogue concerning ethics-related research practices in Internet-based applied linguistics research.

The gripper cylinder that provides braced force for Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) might fail due to severe vibration when the TBM excavates in the tunnel. Early fault diagnosis of the gripper cylinder is important for the safety and efficiency of the whole tunneling project. In this paper, an online condition monitoring system based on the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method is established for fault diagnosis of the gripper cylinder while TBM is working. Firstly, the lumped mass parameter model of the gripper cylinder is established considering the influence of the variable stiffness at the rock interface, the equivalent stiffness of the oil, the seals, and the copper guide sleeve. The dynamic performance of the gripper cylinder is investigated to provide basis for its health condition evaluation. Then, the EMD method is applied to identify the characteristic frequencies of the gripper cylinder for fault diagnosis and a field test is used to verify the accuracy of the EMD method for detection of the characteristic frequencies. Furthermore, the contact stiffness at the interface between the barrel and the rod is calculated with Hertz theory and the relationship between the natural frequency and the stiffness varying with the health condition of the cylinder is simulated based on the dynamic model. The simulation shows that the characteristic frequencies decrease with the increasing clearance between the barrel and the rod, thus the defects could be indicated by monitoring the natural frequency. Finally, a health condition management system of the gripper cylinder based on the vibration signal and the EMD method is established, which could ensure the safety of TBM.

Keloids result from abnormal proliferative scar formation with scar tissue expanding beyond the margin of the original wound and are mostly found in individuals of sub-Saharan African descent. The etiology of keloids has not been resolved but previous studies suggest that keloids are a genetically heterogeneous disorder. Although possible candidate genes have been suggested by genome-wide association studies using common variants, by upregulation in keloids or their involvement in syndromes that include keloid formation, rare coding variants that contribute to susceptibility in non-syndromic keloid formation have not been previously identified. Through analysis of whole-genome data we mapped a locus to chromosome 8p23.3-p21.3 with a statistically significant maximum multipoint LOD score of 4.48. This finding was followed up using exome sequencing and led to the identification of a c.1202T>C (p.(Leu401Pro)) variant in the N-acylsphingosine amidohydrolase (ASAH1) gene that co-segregates with the keloid phenotype in a large Yoruba family. ASAH1 is an acid ceramidase known to be involved in tumor formation by controlling the ratio of ceramide and sphingosine. ASAH1 is also involved in cell proliferation and inflammation, and may affect the development of keloids via multiple mechanisms. Functional studies need to clarify the role of the ASAH1 variant in wound healing.

By employing the unique phenological feature of winter wheat extracted from peak before winter (PBW) and the advantages of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) data with high temporal resolution and intermediate spatial resolution, a remote sensing-based model for mapping winter wheat on the North China Plain was built through integration with Landsat images and land-use data. First, a phenological window, PBW was drawn from time-series MODIS data. Next, feature extraction was performed for the PBW to reduce feature dimension and enhance its information. Finally, a regression model was built to model the relationship of the phenological feature and the sample data. The amount of information of the PBW was evaluated and compared with that of the main peak (MP). The relative precision of the mapping reached up to 92% in comparison to the Landsat sample data, and ranged between 87 and 96% in comparison to the statistical data. These results were sufficient to satisfy the accuracy requirements for winter wheat mapping at a large scale. Moreover, the proposed method has the ability to obtain the distribution information for winter wheat in an earlier period than previous studies. This study could throw light on the monitoring of winter wheat in China by using unique phenological feature of winter wheat.

A fully continuous flow synthesis of 2-hydroxypyridine-N-oxide (HOPO), an important peptide coupling reagent used in a variety of pharmaceutical ingredient preparations, was designed, developed, and scaled up. The process involved the catalytic oxidation of 2-hydroxypyridine using hydrogen peroxide, followed by quenching and hydrolysis to obtain HOPO in an aqueous solution. A mixed fixed bed reactor was designed featuring a 3D-printed static mixer to achieve the complete conversion of the raw materials, and a continuous post-treatment process involving acid crystallization was developed to obtain a high-quality solid HOPO product. The continuous reaction process and post-treatment process resulted in >90% isolated yield with no need for additional separation and purification steps, thus avoiding an interruption of the continuous reaction. The scale-up process successfully achieved a production rate of 8 kg/day, making this synthesis method highly suitable for industrial applications.

A generic numerical model using the large eddy simulation (LES) technique is developed to simulate a non-buoyant vertical jet in wave and/or current environments. The experimental data obtained in five different cases, i.e., one case of the jet in a wave only environment, two cases of the jet in a cross-flow only environment and two cases of the jet in a wave and cross-flow coexisting environment, are used to validate the model. The grid sensitivity tests are conducted based on four different grid systems and the results illustrate that the non-uniform grid system C (205×99×126 nodes with the minimum size of 1/10 jet diameter) is sufficiently fine for the modelling. The comparative study shows that the wave-current non-linear interaction should be taken into account at the inflow boundary while modelling the jet in wave and cross-flow coexisting environments. All numerical results agree well with the experimental data, showing that: (1) the jet under the influence of the wave action has a faster centerline velocity decay and a higher turbulence level than that in the stagnant ambience, meanwhile the “twin peaks” phenomenon exists on the cross-sectional velocity profiles, (2) the jet under a cross-flow scenario is deflected along the cross-flow with the node in the downstream, (3) the jet in wave and cross-flow coexisting environments has a flow structure of “effluent clouds”, which enhances the mixing of the jet with surrounding waters.

Bayesian networks (BN) have many advantages over other methods in ecological modeling, and have become an increasingly popular modeling tool. However, BN are flawed in regard to building models based on inadequate existing knowledge. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new method that links BN with structural equation modeling (SEM). In this method, SEM is used to improve the model structure for BN. This method was used to simulate coastal phytoplankton dynamics in the Bohai Bay. We demonstrate that this hybrid approach minimizes the need for expert elicitation, generates more reasonable structures for BN models, and increases the BN model’s accuracy and reliability. These results suggest that the inclusion of SEM for testing and verifying the theoretical structure during the initial construction stage improves the effectiveness of BN models, especially for complex eco-environment systems. The results also demonstrate that in the Bohai Bay, while phytoplankton biomass has the greatest influence on phytoplankton dynamics, the impact of nutrients on phytoplankton dynamics is larger than the influence of the physical environment in summer. Furthermore, although the Redfield ratio indicates that phosphorus should be the primary nutrient limiting factor, our results show that silicate plays the most important role in regulating phytoplankton dynamics in the Bohai Bay.

The nickel pincer complexes [Ni(Cl){N(2-R2PC6H4)(2'-Me2NC6H4)}] (R=Ph, 1?a; R=iPr, 1?b; R=Cy, 1?c) were demonstrated to catalyze cross-coupling of aryl or heteroaryl chlorides with aryllithium compounds under mild reaction conditions. The catalytic activity of 1?awas highest and resulted in biaryl products in 23–96?% yields. A series of aryl chlorides including deactivated ones, such as 1-chloro-4-methoxybenzene, 4-chloro-N,N-dimethylaniline, and 1-chloro-4-methylbenzene, and heteroaryl chlorides, including 2- and 3-chloropyridine, 2-chloro-4-methylquinoline, 2-chlorothiophene, 2-chlorobenzofuran, 2-chlorobenzo[d]oxazole, and 2-chlorobenzo[d]thiazole, were used in this coupling reaction. Nick and pin: The cross-coupling of aryl or heteroaryl chlorides with aryllithium compounds catalyzed by nickel pincer complexes was performed under mild reaction conditions to afford biaryls in 23–96?% yields.

An extended form of Boussinesq-type equations with improved nonlinearity is presented for the water wave propagation and transformation in coastal areas. To improve the nonlinearity of lower order Boussinesq-type equations, without including higher order derivative terms, an extended form of Boussinesq-type equations is derived by a generalized method. The Stokes-type analysis of the extended equations shows that the accuracy of the second order and third order nonlinear characteristics is improved greatly. The numerical test is also carried out to investigate the practical performance of the new equations under different wave conditions. Better agreement with experimental data is found in the regions of strong nonlinear wave-wave interaction and harmonic generation.

For simulating water wave propagation in coastal areas, various Boussinesq-type equations with improved properties in intermediate or deep water have been presented in the past several decades. How to choose proper Boussinesq-type equations has been a practical problem for engineers. In this paper, approaches of improving the characteristics of the equations, i.e. linear dispersion, shoaling gradient and nonlinearity, are reviewed and the advantages and disadvantages of several different Boussinesq-type equations are compared for the applications of these Boussinesq-type equations in coastal engineering with relatively large sea areas. Then for improving the properties of Boussinesq-type equations, a new set of fully nonlinear Boussinseq-type equations with modified representative velocity are derived, which can be used for better linear dispersion and nonlinearity. Based on the method of minimizing the overall error in different ranges of applications, sets of parameters are determined with optimized linear dispersion, linear shoaling and nonlinearity, respectively. Finally, a test example is given for validating the results of this study. Both results show that the equations with optimized parameters display better characteristics than the ones obtained by matching with padé approximation.

An optimal design method for the qusai-static folding and deployment of opposite tape-spring flexure (OTSF) hinges is presented based on the response surface method. The full factorial method is employed to design of experiments, and the qusai-static folding and deployment nonlinear analysis is obtained by ABAQUS/Explicit slover. The surrogate models of the OTSF flexure hinge are derived by the response surface method. Considering lightweight and high stability, the peak moment of quasi-static folding and deployment, and maximum Mises stress in complete folding configuration as well as mass are set as the objectives to get the optimal performances. The modified NSGA-II is used to seek for an optimal design. The relative errors of the objectives between the optimal design and the FE analysis results are less than 3.5%.

Surface albedo is a primary causative variable associated with the process of surface energy exchange. Numerous studies have examined diurnal variation of surface albedo at a regional scale; however, few studies have analyzed the intra-annual variations of surface albedo in concurrence with different land cover types. In this study, we amalgamated surface albedo product data (MCD43) from 2001 to 2008, land-use data (in 2000 and 2008) and land cover data (in 2000); quantitative analyses of surface albedo variation pertaining to diverse land cover types and the effect of the presence/absence of ground snow were undertaken. Results indicate that intra-annual surface albedo values exhibit flat Gaussian or triangular distributions depending upon land cover types. During snow-free periods, satellite observed surface albedo associated with the non-growing season was lower than that associated with the growing season. Satellite observed surface albedo during the presence of ground snow period was 2–4 times higher than that observed during snow-free periods. Surface albedo reference values in typical land cover types have been calculated; notably, grassland, cropland and built-up land were associated with higher surface albedo reference values than barren while ground snow was present. Irrespective of land cover types, the lowest surface albedo reference values were associated with forested areas. Proposed reference values may prove extremely useful in diverse research areas, including ecological modeling, land surface process modeling and radiation energy balance applications.

The reaction of Cu(II) nitrate with sodium 2-chlorobenzoate (NaL1) and (E)-1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethene (dpe) yields a new complex [Cu(L1)2(dpe)(H2O)] (1). When Zn(II) nitrate reacts with sodium 4-chlorobenzoate (NaL2) and 1,2-di(pyridin-4-yl)ethane (dpa), [Zn(L2)2(dpa)]·CH3OH (2) is obtained. Complexes 1and 2have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, and elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. 1shows a 3D CdS network structure with uninodal 4-connected (65.8) topology; complex 2displays a chain structure.

Parameter study for the qusai-static folding and deployment of opposite tape-spring flexure (OTSF) hinges is presented. The full factorial method is employed to design of experiments, and the qusai-static folding and deployment nonlinear analysis is obtained by ABAQUS/Explicit solver. Parametric studies show that both the section radius and the central angle have significant effects to the peak moment of quasi-static folding and deployment of the OTSF hinges. However, the maximum Mises stress in complete folding configuration is more sensitive to the central angle than the section radius.

The airflow velocity over blunt sphere is used to calculate ball-nose vehicle's atmospheric parameters about angle of attack, angle of sideslip and flight speed. A final model satisfying compressible flow is developed, and the expressions for atmospheric parameters is derived from three strategically selected sensors' velocity. The expressions of atmospheric parameters are verified through Fluent stimulation. The result of stimulation demonstrates a good accuracy of angles and flight speed, and the system has a good real-time performance.