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Nano-attapulgite (ATP) is a layered silicate mineral with abundant reserves, large specific surface area, and low cost. The unique structure of ATP has attracted wide attention in the field of adsorption. In this study, a preparation technology of ATP grafting basalt fiber (BF) was proposed by chemical grafting method based on the idea of plant root bionics. The optimal preparation process of ATP grafting BF was determined through the tests of asphalt absorption performance, thermal stability performance, and segregation dispersion performance. The mechanism of ATP grafting BF was analyzed by micro-morphology, functional group changes, and elemental composition. Finally, the adsorption performance of ATP grafting BF was investigated on the basis of adsorption kinetics model and molecular dynamics simulation. The study results indicated that ATP-BFHCl had better compatibility and wettability with asphalt. The quasi-second-order kinetic equation could better fit the adsorption process of ATP-BFHCl on asphaltene, which indicated that ATP-BFHCl adsorbed asphaltene with chemisorption or ion exchange. The diffusion coefficient and diffusion activation energy of the saturate and the aromatic were larger, indicating a smaller molecular weight and faster movement, and lightweight components of asphalt are more easily adsorbed on the surface of ATP. The diffusion activation energy of asphaltene is the smallest and the reaction is the easiest to take place, which indicates that it is the first to react during temperature increase. The research results can provide a theoretical basis and technical support for BF surface treatment technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A total of 65 SNPs associated with resistance to tan spot and septoria nodorum blotch were identified in a panel of 180 cultivated emmer accessions through association mapping Tan spot and septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) are foliar diseases caused by the respective fungal pathogens Pyrenophora tritici-repentis and Parastagonospora nodorum that affect global wheat production. To find new sources of resistance, we evaluated a panel of 180 cultivated emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccum) accessions for reactions to four P. tritici-repentis isolates Pti2, 86–124, 331–9 and DW5, two P. nodorum isolate, Sn4 and Sn2000, and four necrotrophic effectors (NEs) produced by the pathogens. About 8–36% of the accessions exhibited resistance to the four P. tritici-repentis isolates, with five accessions demonstrating resistance to all isolates. For SNB, 64% accessions showed resistance to Sn4, 43% to Sn2000 and 36% to both isolates, with Spain (11% accessions) as the most common origin of resistance. To understand the genetic basis of resistance, association mapping was performed using SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers generated by genotype-by-sequencing and the 9 K SNP Infinium array. A total of 46 SNPs were significantly associated with tan spot and 19 SNPs with SNB resistance or susceptibility. Six trait loci on chromosome arms 1BL, 3BL, 4AL (2), 6BL and 7AL conferred resistance to two or more isolates. Known NE sensitivity genes for disease development were undetected except Snn5 for Sn2000, suggesting novel genetic factors are controlling host–pathogen interaction in cultivated emmer. The emmer accessions with the highest levels of resistance to the six pathogen isolates (e.g., CItr 14133–1, PI 94634–1 and PI 377672) could serve as donors for tan spot and SNB resistance in wheat breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delftia has been separated from freshwater, sludge, and soil and has emerged as a novel opportunistic pathogen in the female vagina. However, the genomic characteristics, pathogenicity, and biotechnological properties still need to be comprehensively investigated. In this study, a Delftia strain was isolated from the vaginal discharge of a 43-year-old female with histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasm (CIN III), followed by whole-genome sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis and average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis demonstrated that it belongs to Delftia lacustris, named D. lacustris strain LzhVag01. LzhVag01 was sensitive to β-lactams, macrolides, and tetracyclines but exhibited resistance to lincoamines, nitroimidazoles, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. Its genome is a single, circular chromosome of 6,740,460 bp with an average GC content of 66.59%. Whole-genome analysis identified 16 antibiotic resistance-related genes, which match the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of this strain, and 11 potential virulence genes. These pathogenic factors may contribute to its colonization in the vaginal environment and its adaptation and accelerate the progression of cervical cancer. This study sequenced and characterized the whole-genome of Delftia lacustris isolated from vaginal discharge, which provides investigators and clinicians with valuable insights into this uncommon species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical hydrogenation of acetonitrile based on well-developed proton exchange membrane electrolyzers holds great promise for practical production of ethylamine. However, the local acidic condition of proton exchange membrane results in severe competitive proton reduction reaction and poor selection toward acetonitrile hydrogenation. Herein, we conduct a systematic study to screen various metallic catalysts and discover Pd/C exhibits a 43.8% ethylamine Faradaic efficiency at the current density of 200 mA cm−2 with a specific production rate of 2912.5 mmol g−1 h−1, which is about an order of magnitude higher than the other screened metal catalysts. Operando characterizations indicate the in-situ formed PdHx is the active centers for catalytic reaction and the adsorption strength of the *MeCH2NH2 intermediate dictates the catalytic selectivity. More importantly, the theoretical analysis reveals a classic d-band mediated volcano curve to describe the relation between the electronic structures of catalysts and activity, which could provide valuable insights for designing more effective catalysts for electrochemical hydrogenation reactions and beyond. Proton exchange membrane electrolyzers hold promise for ethylamine synthesis from acetonitrile, yet local acidity fosters proton reduction. Here, authors systematically screen metal catalysts, verifying their effectiveness in such electrolyzers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we introduce a multi-vehicle (or multi-postman) extension of the classical Mixed Rural Postman Problem, which we call the Min–Max Mixed Rural Postmen Cover Problem (MRPCP). The MRPCP is defined on a mixed graph G = (V , E , A) , where V is the vertex set, E denotes the (undirected) edge set and A represents the (directed) arc set. Let F ⊆ E ( H ⊆ A ) be the set of required edges (required arcs). There is a nonnegative weight associated with each edge and arc. The objective is to determine no more than k closed walks to cover all the required edges in F and all the required arcs in H such that the weight of the maximum weight closed walk is minimized. By replacing closed walks with (open) walks in the MRPCP, we obtain the Min–Max Mixed Rural Postmen Walk Cover Problem (MRPWCP). The Min–Max Mixed Chinese Postmen Cover Problem (MCPCP) is a special case of the MRPCP where F = E and H = A . The Min–Max Stacker Crane Cover Problem (SCCP) is another special case of the MRPCP where F = ∅ and H = A For the MRPCP with the input graph satisfying the weakly symmetric condition, i.e., for each arc there exists a parallel edge whose weight is not greater than this arc, we devise a 27 4 -approximation algorithm. This algorithm achieves an approximation ratio of 33 5 for the SCCP with the weakly symmetric condition. Moreover, we obtain the first 5-approximation algorithm (4-approximation algorithm) for the MRPWCP (MCPCP) with the weakly symmetric condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has contributed to the popularity of campus football among college students in recent years. ICT in football has given rise to the video assistant referee (VAR) platform that integrates big data, machine vision, cloud computing and the Internet of Things for decision-making. The popularity of VAR platform means various research areas need to be explored to enhance decision-making efficiency in football matches. Among them, event management is an important research direction that needs to be explored to analyze the series of events by using 3D images and pixels. This paper focuses on the event management system for campus football by analyzing the administration system and suggests a machine vision approach by using an underlying neural network. Images of three different regions, A, B, and C, were used as the experimental objects in this work. This paper analyzes machine vision, a discrete Hopfield neural network, to establish a Hopfield model for recognizing cross-line types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor Say) is a significant pest in cereal crops, causing substantial yield losses worldwide. While host resistance is the most efficient method for pest control, research on genetic characterization of Hessian fly resistance in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) has been limited, and the underlying resistance mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we conducted fine mapping of a crucial Hessian fly resistance locus, known as HvRHF1, using a biparental population. Assisted with genetic markers and robust phenotyping assay, we pinpointed the HvRHF1 gene to an ~ 82 kb region on chromosome 4H. Gene prediction and annotation revealed that the HvRHF1 locus comprises three complete NBS-LRR genes, which are characteristic of disease resistance genes. As a result, our study not only provides valuable resources for resistance in barley and genetic tools for breeding, but also identifies candidate genes that lay the foundation for cloning HvRHF1. This endeavor will significantly contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cereal resistance to Hessian fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, the oxy-fuel combustion of pulverized coal has been extensively developed, leading to the completion of several large industrial pilot oxy-fuel plants worldwide. Various types of oxy-fuel burners have been designed and tested in large-scale pilot plants as key components of oxy-fuel combustion. These burners face major challenges in terms of their flame stability because of their decreasing stream momentum ratio and increasing carbon dioxide concentration. However, it offers flexibility in adjusting the oxygen concentration in each burner stream. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art knowledge on oxy-coal burner design and operation in power plants. First, the combustion characteristics under oxy-fuel conditions are briefly introduced. Subsequently, the principal requirements and fundamental parameters of the oxy-coal burners are discussed. The development process of oxy-fuel burners is also presented. Moreover, a compatible design strategy and scaling-up techniques are described for oxy-coal burners developed by the authors over the past ten years. The performances of oxy-coal burners in three large pilot oxy-fuel plants worldwide are summarized and compared. Finally, concluding remarks are provided and potential research needs are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Ru owns superior catalytic activity toward hydrogen oxidation reaction and cost advantages, the catalyst deactivation under high anodic potential range severely limits its potential to replace the Pt benchmark catalyst. Unveiling the deactivation mechanism of Ru and correspondingly developing protection strategies remain a great challenge. Herein, we develop atomic Pt-functioned Ru nanoparticles with excellent anti-deactivation feature and meanwhile employ advanced operando characterization tools to probe the underlying roles of Pt in the anti-deactivation. Our studies reveal the introduced Pt single atoms effectively prevent Ru from oxidative passivation and consequently preserve the interfacial water network for the critical H* oxidative release during catalysis. Clearly understanding the deactivation nature of Ru and Pt-induced anti-deactivation under atomic levels could provide valuable insights for rationally designing stable Ru-based catalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction and beyond.Despite the high intrinsic activity of Ru for hydrogen oxidation reaction, the surface oxidation-induced deactivation limits the application. Here, the authors report the introduction of Pt atoms could prevent the surface oxidation-related interfacial water network damage, preventing the deactivation of Ru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To improve the pavement roughnesss, optimize the manholes structure and redude the damage of the manholes and pavement around manholes, the mechanical response and fatigue life of the pavement around manholes under impact load are studied. Methods: First, the damage to the pavement around the manholes was invested, and the damage types and ranges (diameters) of pavement damage around the manholes were analyzed. Second, considering the deformation and vibration of the manhole cover, a coupled vibration model of half truck-manhole cover was established to calculate the impact load coefficient. Finally, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model was built, and the mechanical response characteristics and fatigue life of the pavement around manholes under impact load were analyzed. Results: The results show that manhole settlement and pavement cracks constitute the main damage, with pit slot damage and deformation damage of the pavement around the manhole being limited. The radius of pavement damage size is mainly distributed in the range of 0.4–0.8 m, and the maximum radius of damage size is 1.2 m. Under the excitation of pavement damage and manhole settlement, a truck produces a large impact load. Under certain conditions, the maximum impact load coefficient is 1.35. Greater flexural–tensile stress of the pavement around the manhole occurs under impact load. Therefore, fatigue failure can easily occur in the pavement around manholes under repeated truck loads. With the increase of driving speed, pavement damage, manhole settlement and pavement slope change rate, the fatigue life of the pavement is decreased significantly. With the increase of the compaction degree of the pavement and subgrade, the fatigue life of the pavement is increased. Conclusions: During the construction and maintenance of the pavement around manholes, the compaction degree of the subgrade and pavement should be paid close attention, and pavement damage should be treated quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given an undirected graph G = (V , E) , the k-path partition problem is to find a collection of vertex-disjoint paths containing at most k vertices to cover all the vertices of V. The objective is to minimize the number of paths in the collection. For the k-path partition problem with k ≥ 3 , we propose a simple local search algorithm, whose approximation ratio improves on the best-known approximation algorithm in Chen (in: Chen, Li, Zhang (eds) Frontiers of algorithmics, Springer, Cham, 2022) for every k ≥ 4 , especially for k = 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 . In addition, we give examples to show that our algorithm is tight when k is odd. When k is even, we give almost tight examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the concept of the "Smart City" was proposed in 2008, the construction of smart cities has developed rapidly. While embracing smart cities, we are also gradually realizing that creating good cities cannot rely solely on new technologies. The wisdom of cities is profound and should be noted that the essence of a smart city is the intelligentization of urban entities, including the government, enterprises, and citizens. The construction of a smart city must be combined with the needs of the government, enterprises, and citizens. Especially for the iteration of smart city construction, government guidance is the key to the development of smart city construction. Enterprises are active responders and promoters of smart city construction, and users are evaluators of the achievements of smart city construction. Against this backdrop, this salon, based on more than a decade of exploration, has launched discussions around "Smart City: Reflecting on the Gains and Losses of Exploration", inviting experts from different industries such as universities, research institutes, and enterprises to exchange and speculate, discussing the difficulties and challenges faced by smart cities, as well as the development trends of new smart cities in the future. The construction focus of smart cities and how to achieve the vision of "cities make life better" are also discussed, in order to provide ideas for the future development of smart cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common infectious disease of the lower female reproductive tract, which is characterized by the augmentation of anaerobic bacteria. Gardnerella (G.) vaginalis plays a predominant role in BV recurrence relating to its higher virulence potential and biofilm formation ability. With the increased proportion of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalis, controlling resistance to metronidazole and finding more effective drugs became a major concern. In this study, 30 clinical strains were cultured from the vaginal secretions of BV patients, followed by PCR and 16S rDNA sequencing identification. According to the CLSI guidelines for anaerobic drug sensitivity testing, 19 strains were identified as metronidazole-resistant (minimum inhibitory concentration, MIC ≥ 32 μg/mL), of which 4 clinical strains were observed to be strong biofilm producer and the final minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of metronidazole was increased to 512 μg/mL. Sophora flavescens Alkaloids (SFAs), a traditional chinese medicine, could not only inhibit the growth of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalis in planktonic (MIC: 0.3125–1.25 mg/mL), but also eliminate the biofilm formation (MBIC: 0.625–1.25 mg/mL). In the high-magnification scanning electron, it was observed that the morphology of biofilm changed from a thick to flaky shape and was nearly depleted. These results indicate that SFAs could not only inhibit the growth of metronidazole-resistant G. vaginalisin planktonic and biofilm levels, but also destroyed the biofilm morphology and microstructure, which may contribute to the prevention of BV recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) and tan spot, caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogens Parastagonospora nodorum and Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, respectively, often occur together as a leaf spotting disease complex on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Both pathogens produce necrotrophic effectors (NEs) that contribute to the development of disease. Here, genome-wide association analysis of a diverse panel of 264 winter wheat lines revealed novel loci on chromosomes 5A and 5B associated with sensitivity to the NEs SnTox3 and SnTox5 in addition to the known sensitivity genes for NEs Ptr/SnToxA, SnTox1, SnTox3, and SnTox5. Sensitivity loci for SnTox267 and Ptr ToxB were not detected. Evaluation of the panel with five P. nodorum isolates for SNB development indicated the Snn3-SnTox3 and Tsn1-SnToxA interactions played significant roles in disease development along with additional QTL on chromosomes 2A and 2D, which may correspond to the Snn7-SnTox267 interaction. For tan spot, the Tsc1-Ptr ToxC interaction was associated with disease caused by two isolates, and a novel QTL on chromosome 7D was associated with a third isolate. The Tsn1-ToxA interaction was associated with SNB but not tan spot. Therefore some, but not all, of the previously characterized host gene-NE interactions in these pathosystems play significant roles in disease development in winter wheat. Based on these results, breeders should prioritize the selection of resistance alleles at the Tsc1, Tsn1, Snn3, and Snn7 loci as well as the 2A and 7D QTL to obtain good levels of resistance to SNB and tan spot in winter wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Random forest (RF) has become one of the state-of-the-art methods in machine learning owing to its low computational overhead and feasibility, while privacy leakage is a crucial issue of the random forest model. This study applies differential privacy into random forest algorithm to protect privacy. First, a novel differential privacy decision tree building algorithm is built. Moreover, a more reasonable privacy budget allocation strategy is designed, which does not need to further divide the privacy budget in each layer. This strategy is helpful to alleviate the problem of signal-to-noise ratio imbalance. Then we propose a two-phase differential privacy random forest method which takes into account the complementarity of decision trees. In particular, we first train a group of private decision trees, and then update weights for all samples. After that, in the second phase, we train another group of private decision trees which focus on the instances that the preceding trees are intractable. Finally, a range of experiments are conducted on 6 public data sets from the UCI machine learning repository. The results demonstrate that our method is superior to some existing differential privacy RF approaches in terms of the performance of classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the proportion of installed wind power is increasing every year, the dynamic characteristics of the grid-connected system for wind farms are increasingly becoming complex, and the system faces the risk of subsynchronous oscillation (SSO). The uncertainty of wind speed and series compensation degree has significant effects on the SSO of the series-compensated grid-connected system of doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farms. The oscillation risk of the grid-connected wind power systems is highly stochastic and time-varying and is difficult to evaluate accurately and quantitatively. Given the above problems, this paper proposes a risk evaluation method for SSO of the grid-connected system for series-compensated DFIG-based wind farms considering the uncertainty of wind speed and series compensation degree. First, the mechanism and time-varying characteristics of the subsynchronous oscillation of the grid-connected wind power systems are analyzed, and the risk quantification index is accordingly selected. Secondly, according to the oscillation analysis model of the doubly-fed wind farm grid-connected system, the extended Prony and Latin hypercube sampling are used to identify the SSO signal, and the least-squares polynomial method is applied to obtain the indicator model for the corresponding mode. Then, the risk matrix is used to quantify the probability and severity of the occurrence of subsynchronous oscillation risk caused by the uncertainty of the grid-connected wind farm systems. Finally, examples are presented to verify the effectiveness and viability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study two stacker crane cover problems and their variants. Given a mixed graph G = (V , E , A) with vertex set V, edge set E and arc set A, each edge or arc is associated with a nonnegative weight. The min–max stacker crane cover problem (SCCP) aims to find at most k closed walks covering all the arcs in A such that the maximum weight of the closed walks is minimum. The minimum stacker crane cover problem (MSCCP) is to cover all the arcs in A by a minimum number of closed walks of weight at most λ . The min–max stacker crane walk cover problem (SCWCP)/minimum stacker crane walk cover problem (MSCWCP) is a variant of the SCCP/MSCCP with closed walks replaced by (open) walks. For the SCCP with weakly symmetric arc weights, i.e. for every arc there exists a parallel edge of no greater weight, we obtain a 33 5 -approximation algorithm. This improves on the previous 37 5 -approximation algorithm for a restricted case of the SCCP with weakly symmetric arc weights. If the arc weights are weakly symmetric, we devise the first constant-factor approximation algorithms for the SCWCP, the MSCCP and the MSCWCP with ratios 5, 5 and 7 2 , respectively. Finally, we first propose a 4-approximation algorithm for the (general) MSCWCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol (Pro) is well known to regulate the asleep-awake-asleep technique. Increasing indication recommends that Pro also has promising properties such as anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation belongings in several disease models. It has been described that Pro has beneficial properties against renal ischemia/reperfusion (rI/R)-mediated acute lung injury (ALI). Nevertheless, pathogenesis underlying the beneficial action of Pro on the remote ALI mediated by rI/R remains unwell unstated. In this research, we displayed that Pro administration remarkably inhibits rI/R-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokines production. Increased levels of oxidative stress were mainly decreased by Pro. Pro administration ameliorated apoptosis-related caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, the levels of crucial necroptosis-associated protein were reduced by Pro. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) inhibitor attenuated the aforementioned changes of Pro. In conclusion, these results propose that Pro attenuates rI/R-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and necroptosis by up-regulation of SIRT1 in rats. Our findings disclose an original pathogenesis underlying the beneficial effect of Pro against rI/R-mediated ALI and reinforce the knowledge that Pro might be a hopeful beneficial agent for the rI/R-mediated ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the price of fairness in a two-agent single machine scheduling game. In this game, two agents compete to perform their jobs on a common single machine. Both of the two agents want to minimize their own total completion time. One of them has exactly two jobs. All processing times are positive. We show that all Kalai-Smorodinsky fair schedules can be found in linear time, and its price of fairness equals a half. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a Q-switched and three-color operation of Neodymium-doped silica all-fiber laser is realized, in which, a few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides WS2 is pioneered to be used as a saturable absorber (SA). The compact and simple linear cavity contains homemade fiber mirrors by directly depositing a multilayer coating the SiO2/Ta2O5 dielectric films on fiber end-face. In particular, by inserting the WS2-SA into the FP laser cavity, it is found that a stable Q-switching operation was achieved with the higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) of 60.76 dB, and the shortest pulse duration of 990 ns, as well as the maximum repetition rate of 124.4 kHz. Meanwhile, the maximum average output power and maximum pulse energy are close to 8.9 mW and 71.5 nJ, respectively. This is, the first demonstration of compact WS2-based neodymium-doped all-fiber laser operation at 1081.9, 1091.3 and 1100.1 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honeycomb structural composites were fabricated by impregnating aramid paper frame with modified whisker carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polyurethane resin (PU). CNTs were oxidized by using mixed acid and strong oxidant. Vector network analysis was used to measure the reflection loss (RL) of the honeycomb composites and the compressive test of honeycomb composites was carried out with a universal testing machine. For the double-layers honeycomb composites, the method of concentration gradient design can bring double absorption peak resonance benefit, which expand the microwave absorption bandwidth. Therefore, RL achieves the absorption bandwidth (< -10 dB) of 14 GHz covering 4–18 GHz for double-layer honeycomb composites. In addition, an effective model is proposed through the logarithmic law and equivalent circuit theory. The absorption property of the composites is attributed to the quarter-wavelength cancellation interference and multiple scattering, harmonic peaks move to a low-frequency stage with the increase of the CNTs average content. Compared to pristine double-layers honeycomb core, the compression strength and the elastic modulus are enhanced by 64% and 123%, respectively. The composites benefiting from the excellent mechanical and absorption performance have significant potential in stealth technology fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given λ > 0 , an undirected complete graph G = (V , E) with nonnegative edge-weight function obeying the triangle inequality and a depot vertex r ∈ V , a set { C 1 , ... , C k } of cycles is called a λ -boundedr-cycle cover if V ⊆ ⋃ i = 1 k V (C i) and each cycle C i contains r and has a length of at most λ . The Distance Constrained Vehicle Routing Problem with the objective of minimizing the total cost (DVRP-TC) aims to find a λ -bounded r-cycle cover { C 1 , ... , C k } such that the sum of the total length of the cycles and γ k is minimized, where γ is an input indicating the assignment cost of a single cycle. For DVRP-TC on tree metric, we show a 2-approximation algorithm and give an LP relaxation whose integrality gap lies in the interval [2, 5 2 ]. For the unrooted version of DVRP-TC, we devise a 5-approximation algorithm and give an LP relaxation whose integrality gap is between 2 and 25. For unrooted DVRP-TC on tree metric we develop a 3-approximation algorithm. For unrooted DVRP-TC on line metric we obtain an O (n 3) time exact algorithm, where n is the number of vertices. Moreover, we give some examples to demonstrate that our results can also be applied to the path-version of (unrooted) DVRP-TC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hummers method was employed in this study to oxidize fluorinated graphite. In addition, the pre- and post-chemical compositions and microstructure were characterized and analysed to explore the modification mechanism. Oxidized fluorinated graphite (OFG) with lamellar structure and variable oxygen content was obtained by oxidation method. Primarily, the oxidative modification under KMnO4 is that MnO3+ as Lewis acid would catalyse the activation of the carbon-fluorine bond, which then breaks to release a fluorine ion. Secondly, the unsaturated carbon bond would be oxidized, increasing carbon-oxygen bond content and producing some OFG nano fragments. The carbon-fluorine bond is gradually catalysed to react according to its activity as the KMnO4 dosage increases, while the unsaturated carbon bond is oxidized, leaving some isolated carbon-fluorine bonds with weak activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a multiple-depots extension of the classic Hamiltonian path problem where k salesmen are initially located at different depots. To the best of our knowledge, no algorithm for this problem with a constant approximation ratio has been previously proposed, except for some special cases. We present a polynomial algorithm with a tight approximation ratio of max 3 2 , 2 - 1 k for arbitrary k ⩾ 1 , and an algorithm with approximation ratio 5 3 that runs in polynomial time for fixed k. Moreover, we develop a recursive framework to improve the approximation ratio to 3 2 + ϵ . This framework is polynomial for fixed k and ϵ , and may be useful in improving the Christofides-like heuristics for other related multiple salesmen routing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To develop and validate a dual-energy CT (DECT)–based radiomics nomogram from multicenter trials for predicting the histological differentiation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: A total of 178 patients (112 in the training and 66 in the validation cohorts) from eight institutions with histologically proven HNSCCs were included in this retrospective study. Radiomics-signature models were constructed from features extracted from virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) and iodine-based material decomposition images (IMDI), reconstructed from venous-phase DECT images. Clinical factors were also assessed to build a clinical model. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop a nomogram combining the radiomics signature models and clinical model for predicting poorly differentiated HNSCC and moderately well-differentiated HNSCC. The predictive performance of the clinical model, radiomics signature models, and nomogram was compared. The calibration degree of the nomogram was also assessed. Results: The tumor location, VMI-signature, and IMDI-signature were associated with the degree of HNSCC differentiation, and areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were 0.729, 0.890, and 0.833 in the training cohort and 0.627, 0.859, and 0.843 in the validation cohort, respectively. The nomogram incorporating tumor location and two radiomics-signature models yielded the best performance in training (AUC = 0.987) and validation (AUC = 0.968) cohorts with a good calibration degree. Conclusion: The nomogram that integrated the DECT-based radiomics-signature models and tumor location showed good performance in predicting histological differentiation degree of HNSCC, providing a novel combination for predicting HNSCC differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk fibroin (SF) has been intensively studied as a biobased renewable material for biomedical and other applications. However, its relatively low mechanical properties have limited its use in the applications where an improved strength and structural integrity are desired. In this work, a bio-nanocomposite material consisting of SF/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the matrix, TEMPO-oxidized bacterial cellulose nanofiber (TBC) as the reinforcement, and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as an antibacterial agent, was facilely synthesized. SF also functioned as a reducing agent and TBC as an immobilization template during the in-situ synthesis of AgNPs. It was found that TBC and AgNPs were homogeneously dispersed in the nanocomposites after the synthesis, which led to outstanding mechanical properties of the materials. The mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, and water vapor barrier property of the materials could be tailored by adjusting the content of TBC. Moreover, the bio-nanocomposite films exhibited strong UV shielding property, antibacterial activities and low silver leakage. These properties make the SF/PVA/AgNPs/TBC bio-nanocomposites promising materials for active food packaging and seed storage/packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate two min–max k-postmen cover problems. The first is the Min–Max Rural Postmen Cover Problem (RPC), in which we are given an undirected weighted graph and the objective is to find at most k closed walks, covering a required subset of edges, to minimize the weight of the maximum weight closed walk. The other is called the Min–Max Chinese Postmen Cover Problem, in which the goal is to find at most k closed walks, covering all the edges of an undirected weighted graph, to minimize the weight of the maximum weight closed walk. For both problems we propose the first constant-factor approximation algorithms with ratios 10 and 4, respectively. For the Metric RPC, a special case of the RPC with the edge weights obeying the triangle inequality, we obtain an improved 6-approximation algorithm by a matching-based approach. For the Min–Max Rural Postmen Walk Cover Problem (RPWC), a variant of the RPC with the closed walks replaced by (open) walks, we give a 5-approximation algorithm that improves on the previous 7-approximation algorithm. If k is fixed, we devise improved approximation algorithms for the Metric RPC and the RPWC with ratios 4 + ϵ and 3 + ϵ , respectively, where ϵ > 0 is an arbitrary small constant. The latter result improves on the existing (4 + ϵ) -approximation algorithm. Moreover, we develop a (3 + ϵ) -approximation algorithm for a special case of the RPC with fixed k, improving on the previous (4 + ϵ) -approximation algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With ethyl orthosilicate as precursor and trimethylchlorosilane as surface modifier, hydrophobic SiO2 aerogels are prepared through sol–gel process combined with ambient pressure drying process. The influence law of different hydrolysis times on microstructure and physicochemical properties of aerogels when the reaction precursor is in the sol phase is studied. The results show that the hydrolysis time increases from 6 to 36 h, and the prepared aerogels have nanoscale mesoporous structure and hydrophobic properties. With the increase in hydrolysis time, the porosity and specific surface area of the samples increase and then decrease, and the density decreases and then increases, all of which reach their peaks at 18 h. The properties of samples are optimal after being hydrolyzed for 18 h. The prosperity is 96%, specific area is 1539.7706 m2/g, the density is 0.08921 g/cm3, and the contact angle is 148.3°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future vehicular communication systems must provide inter-vehicle communication to ensure driving safety, and broadcasting safety messages to neighboring vehicles is a critical strategy. However, due to high mobility and variable topology, collisions may occur in message broadcasting. Moreover, channel utilization is also a great challenge for protocol design in a large-scale vehicular network. In this paper, we propose a novel frame structure and then design an efficient messages broadcasting MAC protocol, which allows beacon and emergency messages to share the channel and thus saves bandwidth resources. By distinguishing the priority of these two types messages and setting channel resource preemption mechanism, the protocol greatly reduces message collision probability and meets the latency requirements. In addition, we use Markov model and birth-death process to analyze the performance of channel access and emergency latency, respectively. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A total of 19 meta-QTL conferring resistance to tan spot were identified from 104 initial QTL detected in 15 previous QTL mapping studies. Tan spot, caused by the fungal pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), is a major foliar disease worldwide in both bread wheat and durum wheat and can reduce grain yield due to reduction in photosynthetic area of leaves. Developing and growing resistant cultivars is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to mitigate negative effects of the disease. Understanding the genetic basis of tan spot resistance can enhance the development of resistant cultivars. With that goal, over 100 QTL associated with resistance to tan spot induced by a variety of Ptr races and isolates have been identified from previous QTL mapping studies. Meta-QTL analysis can identify redundant QTL among various studies and reveal major QTL for targeting in marker-assisted selection applications. In this study, we performed a meta-QTL analysis of tan spot resistance using the reported QTL from 15 previous QTL mapping studies. An integrated linkage map with a total length of 4080.5 cM containing 47,309 markers was assembled from 21 individual linkage maps and three previously published consensus maps. Nineteen meta-QTL were clustered from 104 initial QTL projected on the integrated map. Three of the 19 meta-QTL located on chromosomes 2A, 3B, and 5A show large genetic effects and confer resistance to multiple races in multiple bread wheat and durum wheat mapping populations. The integration of those race-nonspecific QTL is a promising strategy to provide high and stable resistance to tan spot in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Being carbon-rich and porous, biochar has the potential to improve soil physical properties, so does conventional farming practice. Here, a field trial was conducted to investigate the combined effects of biochar use and farming practice on the physical properties of a salt-affected compact soil for wheat–maize rotation in the Yellow River Delta region. Materials and methods: Salix fragilis L. was used as feedstock to produce biochar in the field via aerobic carbonization at an average temperature of 502 °C, terminated by a water mist spray, for use as a soil amendment at 0, 1, 2, and 4 g kg−1 doses (CK, T1, T2, and T3, respectively). Farming practices included rotary tillage/straw returning for wheat sowing, spring irrigation, no-tillage seeding of maize, and autumn irrigation. Both cutting ring and composite samples of the soil were collected at four stages of wheat–maize rotation (22, 238, 321, and 382 d after the benchmark date of land preparation for wheat sowing) for the determination of soil properties by established methods. Results and discussion: Rotary tillage/straw returning reduced soil bulk density (BD) from 1.48 to 1.27 g cm−3 (CK) and 1.14 g cm−3 (T3) and increased saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) from 0.05 × 10−5 to 0.75 × 10−5 cm s−1 (CK) and 1.25 × 10−5 cm s−1 (T3). This tillage effect on BD and Ks gradually disappeared due to the disturbance from the subsequent farming practice. Biochar use lessened the disturbance. At maize harvest, BD was 1.47 (CK) vs. 1.34 g cm−3 (T3), and Ks was 0.06 × 10−5 (CK) vs. 0.28 × 10−5 cm s−1(T3); in comparison with CK, T3 increased Na+ leaching by 65%, Cl− leaching by 98%, organic carbon content by 40.3%, and water-stable aggregates (0.25–2 mm) by 38%, indicating an improvement in soil properties. Conclusions: Biochar use and rotary tillage improved soil physical properties (BD, Ks) and favored soil aeration, water filtration, and salt leaching, which further helped the accumulation of soil organic carbon, the formation of water-stable aggregates, and the amelioration of salt-affected compact soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Resistance to tan spot in durum wheat involves race-nonspecific QTL and necrotrophic insensitivity gene. Tan spot, caused by the necrotrophic fungus Pyrenophoratritici-repentis, is a major foliar disease on all cultivated wheat crops worldwide. Compared to common wheat, much less work has been done to investigate the genetic basis of tan spot resistance in durum. Here, we conducted disease evaluations, necrotrophic effector (NE) sensitivity assays and a genome-wide association study using a collection of durum accessions. The durum panel segregated for the reaction to disease inoculations and NE infiltrations with eighteen accessions being highly resistant to all races and most of them insensitive to both PtrToxA and PtrToxB. Over 65,000SNP markers were developed from genotyping-by-sequencing for the association mapping. As expected, sensitivity to PtrToxA and PtrToxB was mapped to the chromosome arms 5BL and 2BS, respectively. For the fungal inoculations, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 3B was associated with resistance to all races and likely corresponds to the race-nonspecific resistance QTL previously identified in common wheat. The Tsn1locus was not significantly associated with tan spot caused by the PtrToxA-producing isolates Pti2 and 86-124, but the Tsc2 locus was significantly associated with tan spot caused by the PtrToxB-producing isolate DW5. Another QTL on chromosome arm 1AS was associated with tan spot caused by the PtrToxC-producing isolate Pti2 and likely corresponds to the Tsc1 locus. Additional QTL for specific races was identified on chromosome 1B and 3B. Our work highlights the complexity of genetic resistance to tan spot and further confirms that the Ptr ToxA-Tsn1 interaction plays no significant role in disease development in tetraploid wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A single dominant gene found in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat controls broad-spectrum race-nonspecific resistance to the foliar disease tan spot caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis. Tan spot is an important foliar disease of durum and common wheat caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis. Genetic studies in common wheat have shown that pathogen-produced necrotrophic effectors interact with host genes in an inverse gene-for-gene manner to cause disease, but quantitative trait loci (QTLs) with broad race-nonspecific resistance also exist. Less work has been done to understand the genetics of tan spot interactions in durum wheat. Here, we evaluated a set of Langdon durum—wild emmer (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) disomic chromosome substitution lines for reaction to four P. tritici-repentis isolates representing races 1, 2, 3, and 5 to identify wild emmer chromosomes potentially containing tan spot resistance genes. Chromosome 3B from the wild emmer accession IsraelA rendered the tan spot-susceptible durum cultivar Langdon resistant to all four fungal isolates. Genetic analysis indicated that a single dominant gene, designated Tsr7, governed resistance. Detailed mapping experiments showed that the Tsr7 locus is likely the same as the race-nonspecific QTL previously identified in the hexaploid wheat cultivars BR34 and Penawawa. Four user-friendly SNP-based semi-thermal asymmetric reverse PCR (STARP) markers cosegregated with Tsr7 and should be useful for marker-assisted selection of resistance. In addition to 3B, other wild emmer chromosomes contributed moderate levels of tan spot resistance, and, as has been shown previously for tetraploid wheat, the Tsn1-Ptr ToxA interaction was not associated with susceptibility. This is the first report of a major dominant gene governing resistance to tan spot in tetraploid wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A total of 12 QTL conferring resistance to tan spot induced by a race 2 isolate, 86-124, were identified in three tetraploid wheat mapping populations. Durum is a tetraploid species of wheat and an important food crop. Tan spot, caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Pyrenophora tritici-repentis (Ptr), is a major foliar disease of both tetraploid durum wheat and hexaploid bread wheat. Understanding the Ptr-wheat interaction and identifying major QTL can facilitate the development of resistant cultivars and effectively mitigate the negative effect of this disease. Over 100 QTL have already been discovered in hexaploid bread wheat, whereas few mapping studies have been conducted in durum wheat. Utilizing resistant resources and identifying novel resistant loci in tetraploid wheat will be beneficial for the development of tan spot-resistant durum varieties. In this study, we evaluated four interconnected tetraploid wheat populations for their reactions to the race 2 isolate 86-124, which produces Ptr ToxA. Tsn1, the wheat gene that confers sensitivity to Ptr ToxA, was not associated with tan spot severity in any of the four populations. We found a total of 12 tan spot-resistant QTL among the three mapping populations. The QTL located on chromosomes 3A and 5A were detected in multiple populations and co-localized with race-nonspecific QTL identified in other mapping studies. Together, these QTL can confer high levels of resistance and can be used for the improvement in tan spot resistance in both hexaploid bread and durum wheat breeding. Two QTL on chromosomes 1B and 7A, respectively, were found in one population when inoculated with a ToxA knockout strain 86-124ΔToxA only, indicating that their association with tan spot was induced by other unidentified necrotrophic effectors, but under the absence of Ptr ToxA. In addition to removal of the known dominant susceptibility genes, integrating major race-nonspecific resistance loci like the QTL identified on chromosome 3A and 5A in this study could confer high and stable tan spot resistance in durum wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endometriosis (Ems) is a common gynecological disease with the characteristics of infertility, pelvic pain, and sexual intercourse difficulty. Our present study aimed to investigate the effect of miR-199a-5p on cell mobility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Ems. Ectopic endometrial stromal cells (EcSCs) and control endometrial stromal cells (CSCs) were isolated in our in vitro experiments. The level of miR-199a-5p in EcSCs was found much lower than that in CSCs. Besides, miR-199a-5p mimic suppressed the invasion and migration ability of EcSCs. At the same time, EMT was also found to be suppressed by miR-199a-5p mimic in EcSCs. Our further bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that ZEB1, a marker of EMT, was a direct target of miR-199a-5p. In addition, the combination of pcDNA3.1-ZEB1 weakened the inhibiting effect of miR-199a-5p mimic on the mobility and EMT of EcSCs. What is more, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway was demonstrated to be inactivated by miR-199a-5p mimic. And then, the inducer of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway, IGF-1, abolished the effect of miR-199a-5p mimic on Ems progression. At last, an Ems rat model was established, and we found that miR-199a-5p agomir effectively suppressed the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and EMT in vivo. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway was also inactivated by miR-199a-5p agomir in our Ems rat model. Taken together, we concluded that miR-199a-5p targeted ZEB1 to inhibit the EMT of ovarian ectopic endometrial stromal cells via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway in vitro and in vivo, advancing our understanding of miR-199a-5p as regulators of Ems progression and making contribution to the treatment of Ems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We identified, mapped and introduced novel Aegilops speltoides-derived resistance genes for tan spot and SNB diseases into wheat, enhancing understanding and utilization of host resistance to both diseases in wheat. Tan spot and Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) are two important fungal diseases of wheat. Resistance to these diseases is often observed as the lack of sensitivity to the necrotrophic effectors (NE) produced by the fungal pathogens and thus exhibits a recessive inheritance pattern. In this study, we identified novel genes for resistance to tan spot and SNB on Aegilops speltoides (2n = 2x = 14, genome SS) chromosome 2S. These genes confer dominant resistance in the wheat background, indicating a distinct NE-independent mechanism of resistance. Ae. speltoides chromosome 2S was engineered for resistance gene introgression and molecular mapping by inducing meiotic homoeologous recombination with wheat chromosome 2B. Twenty representative 2B–2S recombinants were evaluated for reaction to tan spot and SNB and were delineated by genomic in situ hybridization and high-throughput wheat 90 K SNP assay. The resistance genes physically mapped to the sub-telomeric region (~ 8 Mb) on the short arm of chromosome 2S and designated TsrAes1 for tan spot resistance and SnbAes1 for SNB resistance. In addition, we developed SNP-derived PCR markers closely linked to TsrAes1/SnbAes1 for marker-assisted selection in wheat breeding. TsrAes1 and SnbAes1 are the first set of NE-independent tan spot, and SNB resistance genes are identified from Ae. speltoides. The 2SS–2BS·2BL recombinants with minimal amounts of Ae. speltoides chromatin containing TsrAes1/SnbAes1 were produced for germplasm development, making the wild species-derived resistance genes usable in wheat breeding. This will strengthen and diversify resistance of wheat to tan spot and SNB and facilitate understanding of resistance to these two diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tan spot, caused by Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, is one of the major wheat diseases in southern Brazil as well as in the wheat production areas of several other countries. The fungal isolates have been classified into eight races according to the production of three fungal necrotrophic effectors. The knowledge about the pathogen population structure is essential for disease control strategies, but such information is lacking in Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine the P. tritici-repentis race structure of Brazilian isolates using, for the first time, biological and molecular techniques. P. tritici-repentis isolates were characterized for their virulence on a set of wheat genotypes, and for the presence of ToxA and ToxB gene. The results from the PCR amplification with the gene specific primers showed that all Brazilian P. tritici-repentis isolates carried ToxA, but no ToxB is present. Race typing on the set of wheat genotypes indicate 65% of the isolates were race 2 while 35% were race 1. This is the first study on the P. tritici-repentis race structure in Brazil and the information will be useful to the local wheat breeders who aim to improve tan spot resistance in wheat cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subunits of one-dimensional (1D) NiCo2−xFexO4 nanotube and two-dimensional (2D) Ni2CoS4 nanosheet are integrated on carbon textile substrates through a hydrothermal method. With a unique structure and efficient usage of active materials, the prepared NiCo2−xFexO4/Ni2CoS4/carbon textile nanocomposites possess a high specific capacitance of 2220 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and 91.8% of capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. The prepared nanocomposites as positive electrode and the biomass carbon as negative electrode are assembled to form an asymmetric supercapacitor, with a maximum energy density of 62.63 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 160.82 W kg−1. The supercapacitor possesses an outstanding cycling stability of 81.6% retention after 10,000 cycles. Tailor-made hollow structure, which could provide sufficient space for the electrode to buffer volume changes due to expansion/contraction of the active material, holds a potential application for high-performance supercapacitors. The superior performance of the hierarchical nanocomposites makes it a promising electrode material for practical application in supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the problem of covering the vertices of an undirected weighted graph with a given number of trees (cycles, paths) to minimize the weight of the maximum weight tree (cycle, path). Improved inapproximability lower bounds are proved and better approximation algorithms are designed for several variants of this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molecular mechanisms of acute lung injury (ALI) are closely associated with nucleotide-binding domains and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) pyrin domains containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, in which alveolar macrophages (AMs) exert an essential function. Our study has been proved that artesunate (AS) inhibits ALI. Nevertheless, the inhibition actions of AS on activation of NLRP3 in renal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR)-mediated ALI remain to be further discussed. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into four groups: sham + NS, sham + AS, RIR + NS, and RIR + AS. RIR-mediated ALI was performed through bilateral renal pedicle occlusion for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h. AS (15 mg/kg) or NS was injected intraperitoneal to rat 1 h before RIR treatment. AMs were rendered hypoxic (0.5%) for 2 h and reoxygenated for 24 h. Lung injury index and histology, and inflammatory cells and cytokine release in the BALF and AMs were examined. The protein and mRNA levels of NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 in the lung and AMs were evaluated via Western blot and real-time RCR. In this research, we indicated that AS preconditioning inhibited RIR-mediated lung damage, vascular permeability, and edema in rats. AS reduced RIR-mediated ALI, as characterized by abatement in the count of inflammatory cells, and the production of inflammatory cytokines in the BALF. AS administration inhibited the number of F4/80-positive cells, the activity of myeloperoxidase, and the fiery cytokines mRNA expression in lung samples of RIR-stimulated rats. Furthermore, AS alleviated the activity of caspase-1 and activation of NLRP3 through depending on reactive oxygen species (ROS). An in vitro finding that AS mitigated hypoxia/reoxygenation-mediated activation of AMs partially supported in vivo study. In a word, these findings demonstrate that AS pretreatment attenuated RIR-mediated ALI potentially through reducing ROS-induced activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the productivity and sustainability responses of corn (Zea mays L.) cultivated in brown soil (FAO: Haplic Luvisol) to long-term fertilization (1983-2011) and climate change in Shandong Province, eastern China. The experimental system comprised a crop rotation of winter wheat and summer corn, with a control (CK) and four fertilization treatments consisting of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), and organic manure (M) in various combinations (N, NP, NPK, NPKM). The average corn grain yields in the four fertilization treatments were 1.3-2.3 times greater than that of the control (CK) (P < 0.001). The sustainable yield index (SYI) ranged from 0.5 to 0.8. The four treatments and CK were ranked, from highest SYI to lowest, as follows: NPKM > NPK > NP > CK > N. Corn grain yields in N, NP, and CK significantly increased over time (P < 0.05), but remained relatively high and stable over time in the NPK and NPKM treatments. Soil organic matter content increased over time, and was highest in the NPKM treatment. Soil pH did not change significantly over time (P > 0.05). Bivariate correlation analyses showed that the corn grain yields in CK and the four treatments were significantly positively correlated with mean temperature difference (max-min) during the growth season (P < 0.05). The correlation coefficients were higher for CK, N, and NP than for NPK and NPKM treatments. Corn productivity was more sensitive to climatic changes under long-term imbalanced nutrient application or no fertilizer application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An advanced large-scale frame of marine sediment microbial fuel cells (MSMFCs) is designed, and their electrochemical performance and driving instruments to work for long term are firstly compared in the lab and sea, respectively. Their open circuit voltages (OCV) reach 0.698 V (the MSMFC-lab, deployed in the lab) and 0.815 V (the MSMFC-sea, deployed in real sea), respectively. The output power of the MSMFC-sea (427 mW) is 1.14 times of the MSMFC-lab (375 mW). The TD (temperature-depth sensor, 6 V) powered by the MSMFC-sea can continuously operate for 17 months. The operation of the MSMFC-sea is not influenced by seawater temperature, keeping a stable output power (120 mW), which is much different from the MSMFC-lab. The TD powered by MSMFC-lab can only operate for 3 months, due to the low temperature in winter. To avoid the disturbance of benthonic animals in the top layer sediment on the seafloor, a special MSMFC-sea structure has been designed to embed its anode in inner depth. The mechanism of the differences between the two kinds of cells is primarily suggested, and it is firstly confirmed that the MSMFCs can be used as the continuous power source of the monitoring instruments on seafloor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: A major gene conferring resistance to bacterial leaf streak was mapped to chromosome 5R in triticale.Abstract: Bacterial leaf streak (BLS), caused by Xanthomonas translucens pv. undulosa (Xtu), is an important disease of wheat and triticale around the world. Although resistance to BLS is limited in wheat, several triticale accessions have high levels of resistance. To characterize the genetic basis of this resistance, we developed triticale mapping populations using a resistant accession (Siskiyou) and two susceptible accessions (UC38 and Villax St. Jose). Bulked segregant analysis in an F2 population derived from the cross of Siskiyou × UC38 led to the identification of a simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker (XSCM138) on chromosome 5R that co-segregated with the resistance gene. The cross of Siskiyou × Villax St. Jose was advanced into an F2:5 recombinant inbred line population and evaluated for BLS reaction. Genetic linkage maps on this population were assembled with markers generated using genotyping-by-sequencing as well as several SSR markers previously identified on 5R. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping revealed a single major QTL on chromosome 5R, underlined by the same SSR marker as in the Siskiyou × UC38 population. The F1 hybrids of the two crosses were highly resistant to BLS, indicating that resistance is largely dominant. This work will facilitate introgression of this rye-derived BLS resistance gene into the wheat genome by molecular marker-mediated chromosome engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artesunate (AS), a semi-synthetic derivative of Artemisia, has been shown to exert a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions. However, the protective functions of AS on renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIR)-stimulated lung inflammation remain unclear. In this research, acute lung injury (ALI) was stimulated by renal ischemia reperfusion injury (RIR). AS (15 mg/kg) was intraperitoneal administrated to rat 1 h before RIR stimulation. Serum and pulmonary NO, MDA, IL-6, MIP-2, and PGE levels, arterial blood gas and biochemistry, lung wet/dry weight ratio and MPO activity, total cell number and protein concentration in BALF, tissue histology, and NF-κB expression were determined. The results indicated that serum and pulmonary NO, MDA, IL-6, MIP-2, and PGE levels, lung wet/dry weight ratio and MPO activity, total cell number, and protein concentration in BALF enhanced after RIR stimulation. These alterations were mitigated by AS. AS attenuated lung wet/dry weight ratio and MPO activity, total cell number, and protein concentration in BALF. AS attenuated RIR-stimulated pulmonary NF-κB phosphorylation. In addition, these previously mentioned actions of AS were antagonized by suppressing HO-1 pathway. However, RIR-stimulated arterial blood gas and biochemistry and lung histopathology were also attenuated by AS. In summary, AS inhibited RIR-stimulated lung inflammation by activating HO-1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of sub-grid scale (SGS) motions leads to severe errors in particle pair dynamics, which represents a great challenge to the large eddy simulation of particle-laden turbulent flow. In order to address this issue, data from direct numerical simulation (DNS) of homogenous isotropic turbulence coupled with Lagrangian particle tracking are used as a benchmark to evaluate the corresponding results of filtered DNS (FDNS). It is found that the filtering process in FDNS will lead to a non-monotonic variation of the particle collision statistics, including radial distribution function, radial relative velocity, and the collision kernel. The peak of radial distribution function shifts to the large-inertia region due to the lack of SGS motions, and the analysis of the local flowstructure characteristic variable at particle position indicates that the most effective interaction scale between particles and fluid eddies is increased in FDNS. Moreover, this scale shifting has an obvious effect on the odd-order moments of the probability density function of radial relative velocity, i.e. the skewness, which exhibits a strong correlation to the variance of radial distribution function in FDNS. As a whole, the radial distribution function, together with radial relative velocity, can compensate the SGS effects for the collision kernel in FDNS when the Stokes number based on the Kolmogorov time scale is greater than 3.0. However, it still leaves considerable errors for Stk<3.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]