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There are few existing omnipotent sensors that handle a complex surface inspection task in an accurate and effective way. The prevailing solution is integrating multiple sensors and taking advantage of their strengths. One key task is the extrinsic parameter calibration (global calibration) of the multiple sensors before measurement. This paper proposes a method of optimal extrinsic calibration for a structured light sensor (SLS) and conoscopic holography sensor (CHS). In adopting this method, a common planar calibration board is placed with different poses in front of the multisensory system, and the extrinsic calibration problem is solved through a three-dimensional reconstruction of the calibration board and using geometric constraints of the views from the SLS and CHS. This calibration method, which uses only the plane calibration board, is simple. Physical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is robust and accurate in the calibration of multiple inhomogeneous optical sensors for the measurement of a complex surface.

Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites have received considerable attention for one of the most promising materials in thermal-structural applications owing to their low density, excellent mechanical strength at high temperature, and superior thermal shock resistance. However, C/C composites are susceptible to destructive oxidation in atmospheric environment at high temperature. Matrix modification by adding ultra-high-temperature ceramics (UHTCs) into carbon substrate has been proved to be a favorable route to achieve the improved ablation resistance of C/C composites. In this work, the main fabrication approaches of UHTCs-modified C/C composites were summarized, including chemical vapor infiltration/deposition, precursor infiltration and pyrolysis, reactive melt infiltration, and slurry infiltration, and the advantages and drawbacks of each process were also briefly analyzed. In addition, anti-ablation properties of UHTCs-modified C/C composites under different ablation tests with different shape specimens were introduced. Finally, some likely future challenges and research directions in the development and application of these materials were presented.

The nonlinear differential equation option pricing formula is invaluable in financial derivatives investment risk assessment. This article applies the theory of nonlinear differential equations to deal with financial risks in commodity and currency markets. Through this condition, we obtain the fair price process of contingent rights under the classic Black-Scholes model and the price process of the optimal growth investment strategy. The results show that the risk measurement under stable distribution is suitable for investors to manage risk.

MiRNA-126 (miR-126) has been shown to be involved in various malignancies as well as other biological processes. However, currently, its role in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is not well understood. The present study is focused on the mechanisms that underlie the effect of miR-126 on cell survival and death (apoptosis and autophagy) in ESCC cells. MiR-126 expression was found to be enhanced in ESCC cells and tissues. Downregulation of miR-126 suppressed cell survival, and TUNEL staining indicated that miR-126 inhibition promoted ESCC cell death. In addition, the production of LC3B and p62 proteins, two autophagy signals, was reduced following miR-126 inhibition. A dual luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that the STAT3 3’-UTR is a direct target of miR-126. Furthermore, STAT3 knock-down rescued the effects on autophagy and apoptosis caused by miR-126 inhibition in ESCC cells. The results of this study may provide some insight into the molecular and biological mechanisms underlying ESCC generation and contribute to the development of novel therapeutic approaches for ESCC.

A randomized, open-label, parallel-controlled study was conducted to compare the efficacy of two kind of three-drug Regimens containing olanzapine/dexamethasone for the prevention of CINV induced by hyperemetic chemotherapy. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the complete response rates of nausea and vomiting between the two groups. However, the anxiety, depression and sleep quality of the patients in the olanzapine group were improved. It was concluded that the three-drug antiemetic regimen of "olanzapine +palonosetron+fosaprepitant" could effectively prevent CINV caused by hyperemetic chemotherapy, and its effect was similar to that of the antiemetic regimen containing dexamethasone. In addition, the anxiety, depression and sleep disorders of patients in the olanzapine group were all improved to different degrees.Our study has provided a theoretical basis for the clinical application of the three-drug regimen of "dexamethasone removal".

Besides the complex nature of colonoscopy frames with intrinsic frame formation artefacts such as light reflections and the diversity of polyp types/shapes, the publicly available polyp segmentation training datasets are limited, small and imbalanced. In this case, the automated polyp segmentation using a deep neural network remains an open challenge due to the overfitting of training on small datasets. We proposed a simple yet effective polyp segmentation pipeline that couples the segmentation (FCN) and classification (CNN) tasks. We find the effectiveness of interactive weight transfer between dense and coarse vision tasks that mitigates the overfitting in learning. And It motivates us to design a new training scheme within our segmentation pipeline. Our method is evaluated on CVC-EndoSceneStill and Kvasir-SEG datasets. It achieves 4.34% and 5.70% Polyp-IoU improvements compared to the state-of-the-art methods on the EndoSceneStill and Kvasir-SEG datasets, respectively., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, submit version

Two novel, Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (strains 2129T and 2119) were isolated from the faeces of Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, PR China. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the strains showed highest similarity values to Actinomyces timonensis DSM 23838T (92.9 and 92.8 %, respectively), and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and genomic sequences indicated that strains 2129T and 2119 represent a new lineage. Strains 2129T and 2119 could ferment d-adonitol and d-xylose, but were unable to utilize d-mannose and d-melibiose nor produce esterase (C4) and proline arylamidase. The G+C contents of the two strains were both 69.0 mol%. Their genomes exhibited less than 40.4 % relatedness in DNA-DNA hybridization tests (below 70 % as the recommended threshold for new species) with all available genomes of the genus Actinomyces in the NCBI database. The major fatty acids of the two strains were C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0, and the major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, glycolipid, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidyl inositol mannoside and phosphoglycolipid. Based on the results of genotypic, phenotypic and biochemical analyses, it is proposed that the two unidentified bacteria be classified as representing a novel species, Actinomyces lilanjuaniae sp. nov. The type strain is 2129T (=CGMCC 4.7483T=DSM 106426T).

Wildlife is a reservoir of emerging infectious diseases of humans and domestic animals. Marmota himalayana mainly resides 2800–4000 m above sea level in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and is the primary animal reservoir of plague pathogen Yersinia pestis. Recently we isolated a new species, Escherichia marmotae from the faeces of M. himalayana. In this study we characterised E. marmotae by genomic analysis and in vitro virulence testing to determine its potential as a human pathogen. We sequenced the genomes of the seven E. marmotae strains and found that they contained a plasmid that carried a Shigella-like type III secretion system (T3SS) and their effectors, and shared the same O antigen gene cluster as Shigella dysenterae 8 and E. coli O38. We also showed that E. marmotae was invasive to HEp-2 cells although it was much less invasive than Shigella. Thus E. marmotae is likely to be an invasive pathogen. However, E. marmotae has a truncated IpaA invasin, and lacks the environmental response regulator VirF and the IcsA-actin based intracellular motility, rendering it far less invasive in comparison to Shigella. E. marmotae also carried a diverse set of virulence factors in addition to the T3SS, including an IS1414 encoded enterotoxin gene astA with 37 copies, E. coli virulence genes lifA/efa, cif, and epeA, and the sfp gene cluster, Yersinia T3SS effector yopJ, one Type II secretion system and two Type VI secretion systems. Therefore, E. marmotae is a potential invasive pathogen.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a significant impact on human health. The aim of this study was to explore the role of long non-coding RNA DLX6-AS1 in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Methods: The expression of DLX6-AS1 in NSCLC tumor tissues and cell lines was examined by qRT-PCR. The effects of DLX6-AS1 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, and transwell assays, respectively. Bioinformatics analyses, luciferase reporter assays, and RNA pull-down assays were employed to examine the mechanism by which DLX6-AS1 exerted its oncogenesis effects in NSCLC. The anti-tumor effect of silencing DLX6-AS1 in vivo was also evaluated. Results: DLX6-AS1 was over-expressed in NSCLC tumor tissues and cell lines and its level of expression was found to be associated with tumor size and advanced clinical stage in patients with NSCLC. Downregulation of DLX6-AS1 inhibited cell proliferation, cell clone formation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. DLX6-AS1 was found to interact with miR-27b-3p/GSPT1. DLX6-AS1 expression was negatively correlated with miR-27b-3p expression, but positively correlated with GSPT1 expression in NSCLC samples. DLX6-AS1 knockdown also effectively suppressed tumor growth in an in vivo xenograft model. Conclusion: DLX6-AS1 regulated NSCLC progression by targeting the miR-27b-3p/GSPT1 axis, which may provide novel insights for NSCLC prognosis and therapy.

BACKGROUND Patients with aortic dissection during pregnancy and postpartum period exhibit a high mortality. At present, a complete overview of aortic dissection during pregnancy and postpartum period is lacking. ​Methods: This systematic review included 80 reports published from 2000 to 2020, comprising a total study population of 103 patients with aortic dissection. ​Results: We found that Stanford Type A aortic dissection was more common in prepartum cases, especially in the third trimester, while postpartum cases of aortic dissection were more common in Stanford Type B. The most common risk factor was connective tissue disease, with no other known risk factors. The mode of delivery had no significant effect on the type of postpartum aortic dissection. Reduced maternal and fetal mortality was observed when patients with Stanford Type A aortic dissection occurring after 28 gestational weeks underwent cesarean section followed by aortic replacement. Patients with Stanford Type B aortic dissection were treated mainly with medication and/or endovascular repair. ​Conclusion: Contemporary management of patients during pregnancy and within 12 weeks postpartum requires multidisciplinary cooperation and includes serial, noninvasive imaging, biomarker testing, and genetic risk profiling for aortopathy. Early diagnosis and accurate treatment are essential to reduce maternal and fetal mortality.

In the green pepper harvesting robot, the color of green pepper is similar to that of leaves, which makes it difficult to recognize the green pepper target. In order to solve this problem, a green pepper recognition method based on least-squares support vector machine optimized by the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO-LSSVM) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the green pepper images are segmented by K-Means method under the Lab color space, and the segmentation images of the target and background are obtained. The processed green pepper image was divided into training and testing samples. Then, the shape and texture features of green pepper targets are extracted separately from the training sample using the hu invariant moment and Tamura texture feature. Meanwhile, in order to reduce the complexity of data calculations and improve the efficiency, the extracted feature vectors are normalized. The feature vector is used as the input eigenvector of the least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM). The particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to obtain the optimal regularization parameter and the kernel function width. In order to maintain the particle activity, the mutation strategy is introduced to improve the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The experimental results show that the recognition rate of IPSO-LSSVM is higher than that of other methods, and the recognition accuracy is 89.04%. It could meet the requirements of green pepper identification.

The level of teaching management in colleges and universities affects the quality of teaching management in colleges and universities, teaching quality in colleges and universities, and further affects the quality of personnel training in colleges and universities. At present, Southwest Petroleum University is strengthening the management of teaching and improving its management level. There are many factors affecting the teaching management level and quality of Southwest Petroleum University. As one of the main carriers of teaching management of Southwest Petroleum University, students have important theoretical and practical significance in improving the management level by evaluating the teaching management satisfaction and finding out the existing problems and solutions. This study first summarizes the problems existing in the daily teaching management, teaching guarantee management and teaching quality management of Southwest Petroleum University. Secondly, it analyses the causes of the problems. Finally, it puts forward the corresponding solutions to the problems and causes.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, non-spore-forming, short rod-shaped strain (VUL4_3T) was isolated from rectal swabs of Old World vultures (Aegypius monachus) from the Tibet–Qinghai Plateau, China. Based on the results of biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison, strain VUL4_3T was determined to be a member of the genus Actinomyces that is closely related to the type strains of Actinomyces liubingyangii (97.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and Actinomyces marimammalium (96.5 %). Optimal growth occurred at 37 °C, pH 6–7 and with 1 % (w/v) NaCl. The typical major cellular fatty acids of strain VUL4_3T were C18 : 1ω9c, C16 : 0 and C18 : 0. The VUL4_3T genome contained 2 207 832 bp with an average G+C content of 51.9 mol%. DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain VUL4_3T and the above two species of the genus Actinomyces showed less than 32 % DNA–DNA relatedness, supporting a novel species status of strain VUL4_3T. Based on the phenotypic data and phylogenetic inference, the novel species Actinomyces tangfeifanii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is VUL4_3T (=CGMCC 4.7369T=DSM 103436T).

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers with rapid disease progression. Further elucidation of its underlying molecular mechanisms and novel biomarkers for early detection is necessary. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that are released by multiple cell types acting as message carriers during intercellular communication and are promising biomarker candidates. However, the role of pancreatic cancer cell-derived exosomes in cancer progression and the application of these vesicles as novel diagnostic biomarkers have not been fully studied. In this study, we found that PC-1.0 (a highly malignant pancreatic cell line) cell-derived exosomes could be taken up by and enhance PC-1 (a moderately malignant pancreatic cell line) cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities. We identified ZIP4 as the most upregulated exosomal protein in PC-1.0 cells from our proteomic analysis. In vitro and in vivo (a subcutaneous BALB/c nude mouse model) studies showed that exosomal ZIP4 can significantly promote pancreatic cancer growth. Using clinical blood samples, we compared the diagnostic values of serum exosomal ZIP4 levels between malignant pancreatic cancer patients (n = 24) and benign pancreatic disease patients (n = 32, AUC = .89), and between biliary disease patients (n = 32, AUC = .8112) and healthy controls (n = 46, AUC = .8931). In conclusion, exosomal ZIP4 promotes cancer growth and is a novel diagnostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Two strains (pika_113T and pika_114) of a previously undescribed Actinomyces -like bacterium were recovered from the intestinal contents of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, China. Results from biochemical characterization indicated that the two strains were phenotypically homogeneous and distinct from other previously described species of the genus Actinomyces . Based on the comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences and genome analysis, the bacteria were determined to be a hitherto unknown subline within the genus Actinomyces , being most closely related to type strains of Actinomyces denticolens and Actinomyces timonensis with a respective 97.2 and 97.1 % similarity in their 16S rRNA gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that pika_113T was well separated from any other recognized species of the genus Actinomyces and within the cluster with A. denticolens and A. timonensis. The genome of strain pika_113T displayed less than 42 % relatedness in DNA–DNA hybridization with all the available genomes of existing species of the genus Actinomyces in the NCBI database. Collectively, based on the phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analyses results, we propose the novel isolates as representatives of Actinomyces gaoshouyii sp. nov. The type strain of Actinomyces gaoshouyii is pika_113T (=CGMCC 4.7372T=DSM 104049T), with a genomic DNA G+C content of 71 mol%.

The present study aimed to evaluate hemodynamics and right ventricular function in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) using transthoracic echocardiography and to compare these results with measurements obtained using right-sided heart catheterization (RHC). A total of 75 patients with PH were examined using echocardiography and RHC. Patients were divided into the following two groups according to their difference between SPAPecho and SPAPRHC measurement: The overestimated group and underestimated group. The overestimated group included the subgroups groupover-A (difference

Background Trichinella spiralis is a kind of intestinal nematode that can strongly modulate the host immune system. However, the effects of T. spiralis infection on the intestinal flora are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the effect of T. spiralis infection on the intestinal flora. Methods The intestinal contents of T. spiralis infected mice were examined through high-throughput sequencing (Illumina) of the V3–V4 hypervariable region in bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The sequences were analyzed using the QIIME software package and other bioinformatics methods. Results Altogether 2,899,062 sequences were generated from the samples collected from different intestinal regions at various infection time points; the 44,843 Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTUs) analysis showed that T. spiralis infection would decrease the diversity of intestinal flora in the infected mice relative to that in the uninfected ones, especially in the large intestine and feces. Further analysis indicated that, the genera Oscillospira from the phylum Firmicutes showed a higher abundance in the helminth-infected small and larger intestines; the genera Bacteroides from the phyla Bacteroides, the genera Lactobacillus from the phyla Firmicutes, the genera Escherichia from the phyla Proteobacteria, and the genera Akkermansia from the phyla Verrucomicrobia displayed increased abundances in the T. spiralis positive fecal samples compared with those in the negative samples. Conclusions T. spiralis infection decreases the diversity of the intestinal flora in the infected mouse. However, it remains unclear about the association between the changes in intestinal flora caused by T. spiralis infection and the parasite pathogenesis, which should be further examined.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, with a 5-year survival rate of only 1–4%. Integrin-mediated cell adhesion is critical for the initiation, progression, and metastasis of cancer. In this study we investigated the role of integrin b4 (ITGB4) and its phosphorylation at tyrosine Y1510 (p-ITGB4-Y1510) in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer. We analyzed the expression of ITGB4 and p-ITGB4-Y1510 in pancreatic cancer tissue and cell lines using immunohistochemistry, Western blot, or semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR. ITGB4 and p-ITGB4-Y1510 were highly expressed in pancreatic cancer (n = 176) compared with normal pancreatic tissue (n = 171). High p-ITGB4-Y1510 expression correlated with local invasion and distant metastasis of pancreatic cancer, and high ITGB4 was significantly associated with poor survival of patients. Inhibition of ITGB4 by siRNA significantly reduced migration and invasion of PC-1.0 and ASPC-1 cells. Overexpression of the mutant ITGB4-Y1510A (a mutation of tyrosine to alanine at 1510 position) in PC-1.0 and ASPC-1 cells not only blocked the ITGB4 phosphorylation at Y1510 but also suppressed the expression of ITGB4 (p < 0.05 vs. wild-type ITGB4). The transfection of PC-1.0 and ASPC-1 cells with ITGB4-Y1510A significantly decreased the level of p-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)1 (T292) and p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 but did not affect the level of p-MEK1 (T386) and p-MEK2 (T394). Overall, our study showed that ITGB4 and its phosphorylated form promote cell migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer and that p-ITGB4-Y1510 regulates the downstream MEK1-ERK1/2 signaling cascades. Targeting ITGB4 or its phosphorylation at Y1510 may be a novel therapeutic option for pancreatic cancer.

The problems of finding best facility locations require complete and accurate road networks with the corresponding population data in a specific area. However the data obtained from road network databases usually do not fit in this usage. In this paper the authors propose a procedure of converting the road network database to a road graph which could be used for localization problems. Several challenging problems exist in the transformation process which are commonly met also in other data bases. The procedure of dealing with those challenges are proposed. The data come from the National road data base in Sweden. The graph derived is cleaned, and reduced to a suitable level for localization problems. The residential points are also processed in ordered to match the graph. The reduction of the graph is done maintaining the accuracy of distance measures in the network.

Aiming at the complex structure of the space information networks (SIN) and the dynamic change of network topology, in order to design an efficient routing strategy, this paper establishes a SIN management architecture based on Software-defined Networking (SDN). A routing algorithm flow of the spatial information network based on a snapshot sequence is designed. For different spatial tasks with different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, the concept of integrated link weight is proposed. The Warshall&ndash, Floyd algorithm is used to design the optimal routing strategy. A Task-oriented Bandwidth Resource Allocation (TBA) algorithm is proposed for multiple spatial tasks in the same link. Simulation results show that the algorithm can effectively guarantee the priority transmission of important tasks and avoid the unnecessary waste of bandwidth resources.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type of cancer with a poor prognosis, short survival rate and high mortality. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the aggressive growth of pancreatic cancer is of importance. An increasing number of studies suggest that numerous microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are associated with the tumorigenesis, progression and prognosis of tumors. In a recent study by the present authors, it was revealed that the expression of miR-221 was significantly downregulated in highly aggressive pancreatic cancer cells compared with weakly aggressive pancreatic cancer cells. In addition, miR-221 has been suggested as a novel tumor-associated miRNA, as it is involved in apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and autophagy of tumor cells. However, the function of miR-221 in pancreatic cancer remains yet to be investigated. In the present study, it was revealed that transfection with miR-221 mimic was able to significantly induce apoptosis and autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells compared with the negative control. The protein deacetylase histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) has emerged to be an important component in the cellular management of protein aggregates. Studies suggest that HDAC6 serves a function in the clearance of aggresomes, thereby implying a functional association between HDAC6 and autophagy. In the present study, it was revealed that transfection with miR-221 mimic was able to suppress the protein expression of HDAC6 in pancreatic cancer cells compared with the negative control. Immunofluorescence data suggested that the inhibition of HDAC6 was able to induce autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells. Additionally, the results of the present study suggest that the downregulation of miR-221 expression may serve an oncogenic function in the apoptosis and autophagy of pancreatic cancer cells by inducing the expression of HDAC6.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant tumors. Invasion and metastasis can occur in the early stage of pancreatic cancer, contributing to the poor prognosis. Accordingly, in this study, we evaluated the molecular mechanisms underlying invasion and metastasis. Using mass spectrometry, we found that Integrin alpha 6 (ITGA6) was more highly expressed in a highly invasive pancreatic cancer cell line (PC-1.0) than in a less invasive cell line (PC-1). Through in vitro and in vivo experiments, we observed significant decreases in invasion and metastasis in pancreatic cancer cells after inhibiting ITGA6. Based on data in TCGA, high ITGA6 expression significantly predicted poor prognosis. By using Co-IP combined mass spectrometry, we found that ribosomal protein SA (RPSA), which was also highly expressed in PC-1.0, interacted with ITGA6. Similar to ITGA6, high RPSA expression promoted invasion and metastasis and indicated poor prognosis. Interestingly, although ITGA6 and RPSA interacted, they did not mutually regulate each other. ITGA6 and RPSA affected invasion and metastasis via the PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways, respectively. Inhibiting ITGA6 significantly reduced the expression of p-AKT, while inhibiting RPSA led to the downregulation of p-ERK1/2. Compared with the inhibition of ITGA6 or RPSA alone, the downregulation of both ITGA6 and RPSA weakened invasion and metastasis to a greater extent and led to the simultaneous downregulation of p-AKT and p-ERK1/2. Our research indicates that the development of drugs targeting both ITGA6 and RPSA may be an effective strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, This study aimed to determine the ability of tricuspid annular displacement measured by 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to predict right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients. Here, we present a new method for assessing RV function that also employs STE and is based on measurement of tricuspid annular displacement. A total of 225 patients were divided into 2 groups according to the pulmonary artery systolic blood pressure (PASP), estimated by echocardiographic measurement of tricuspid regurgitation: group I (PASP ≥50 mm Hg) and group II (36 mm Hg ≤ PASP

Solutions to combinatorial optimization problems frequently rely on heuristics to minimize an intractable objective function. The optimum is sought iteratively and pre-setting the number of iterations dominates in operations research applications, which implies that the quality of the solution cannot be ascertained. Deterministic bounds offer a mean of ascertaining the quality, but such bounds are available for only a limited number of heuristics and the length of the corresponding interval may be difficult to control in an application. A small, almost dormant, branch of the literature suggests using statistical principles to derive statistical bounds for the optimum. We discuss alternative approaches to derive statistical bounds. We also assess their performance by testing them on 40 test $$p$$p-median problems on facility location, taken from Beasley's OR-library, for which the optimum is known. We consider three popular heuristics for solving such location problems; simulated annealing, vertex substitution, and Lagrangian relaxation where only the last offers deterministic bounds. Moreover, we illustrate statistical bounds in the location of 71 regional delivery points of the Swedish Post. We find statistical bounds reliable and much more efficient than deterministic bounds provided that the heuristic solutions are sampled close to the optimum. Statistical bounds are also found computationally affordable.

Combinatorial optimization problems such as locating facilities frequently rely on heuristics to minimize the objective function. The optimum is often sought iteratively; a criterion is therefore necessary to be able to decide when the procedure attains such an optimum. Pre-setting the number of iterations is dominant in OR applications, however, the fact that the quality of the solution cannot be ascertained by pre-setting the number of iterations makes it less preferable. A small and, almost dormant, branch of the literature suggests usage of statistical principles to estimate the minimum and its bounds as a tool to decide upon the stopping criteria and also to evaluate the quality of the solution. In the current work we have examined the functioning of statistical bounds obtained from four different estimators using simulated annealing. P-median test problems taken from Beasley's OR-library were used for the sake of testing. Our findings show that the Weibull estimator and 2nd order Jackknife estimators are preferable and the requirement of sample size to be about 10. It should be noted that reliable statistical bounds are found to depend critically on a sample of heuristic solutions of high quality; we have therefore provided a simple statistic for checking the quality. The work finally concludes with an illustration of applying statistical bounds to the problem of locating 70 post distribution centers in a region in Sweden.

Two strains (VUL4_1T and VUL4_2) of Gram-staining-positive, catalase-negative, non-spore-forming short rods were isolated from rectal swabs of Old World vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) in the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, China. Analysis of morphological characteristics and biochemical tests indicated that the two strains closely resembled each other but were distinct from other species of the genus Actinomyces previously described. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison and genome analysis, strains were determined to be members of the genus Actinomyces , closely related to the type strains of Actinomyces marimammalium (96.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity), Actinomyces hongkongensis (92.4 %), Actinomyces hordeovulneris (92.3 %) and Actinomyces nasicola (92.2 %), respectively. Optimal growth conditions were 37 °C, pH 6–7, with 1 % (w/v) NaCl. Strain VUL4_1T contained C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0 as the major cellular fatty acids and diphosphatidylglycerol as the major component of the polar lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of VUL4_1T was 54.9 mol%. Strain VUL4_1T showed less than 70 % DNA–DNA relatedness with other species of the genus Actinomyces , further supporting strain VUL4_1T as a representative of a novel species. Based on the phenotypic data and phylogenetic inference, a novel species, Actinomyces liubingyangii sp. nov., is proposed with VUL4_1T (=CGMCC 4.7370T=DSM 104050T) as the type strain.

Two strains of Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming short rods (VUL7T and VUL8) were isolated from rectal swabs of Old World vultures, namely Gyps himalayensis, in Tibet-Qinghai Plateau, China. Optimal growth occurred at 37 °C, pH 6–7, with 1 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences classified the two strains to the genus Actinomyces , with highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (95 %) to type strains of Actinomyces haliotis , Actinomyces radicidentis and Actinomyces urogenitalis . The major cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1ω9c and C16 : 0. MK-10(H4) was the major respiratory quinone. The genomic DNA G+C content of the isolate was 54.4 mol%. DNA–DNA hybridization values with the most closely related species of the genus Actinomyces was 24.6 %. The two strains can be differentiated from the most closely related species such as A. haliotis , A. radicidentis, A. graevenitzii and A. urogenitalis by a list of carbohydrate fermentations and enzyme activities. On the basis of physiological, biochemical and phylogenetic analysis, strains VUL7T and VUL8 represent novel species of the genus Actinomyces , for which the name Actinomyces vulturis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is VUL7T (=CGMCC 4.7366T=DSM 103437T).

Aiming at the problem of apple branch obstacle localization in fruit picking process of harvesting robot manipulator, in order to obtain three-dimensional information of the apple branch obstacle, the binocular stereo vision localization method of apple branch obstacle is proposed. Firstly, branch skeleton is extracted by morphological thinning method and then the feature skeleton is obtained after removing the false branch and recovering the occluded branch. After that, the endpoints and bifurcation points regarded as match feature points are extracted from skeleton, and the stereo matching algorithm based on features is adopted. Then, the depth information of branch obstacle is obtained on the basis of triangulation theory. Finally, the experiment results for apple tree branches localization show that the error lies in ±6.2 mm. Moreover, the error is merely ±1.5 mm when the distance between the object and the binocular camera is 1000 mm, which meets with localization accuracy requirements of apple harvesting robot visual system.

The nanomaterial of graphene oxide grafting poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (GO-g-PNIPAAm) was synthesized and PVDF/GO-g-PNIPAAm blended membranes were fabricated by wet phase inversion. In this work, a hydrophilic nanomaterial GO-g-PNIPAAm with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) grafted on GO, was synthesized by the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The resulting nanomaterial was confirmed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectrum, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The synthesized GO-g-PNIPAAm was incorporated with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) via phase inversion, and investigated for its temperature sensitivity, porosity, contact angle, scanning electron microscopy, and permeate properties. The water contact angle measurements confirmed that GO-g-PNIPAAm nanomaterial-endowed PVDF membranes with better hydrophilicity and thermo-responsive properties compared with those of the pristine PVDF membranes. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption experiments suggested that excellent antifouling properties of membranes were acquired after adding GO-g-PNIPAAm. The modified membranes showed good performance when the doping amount of GO-g-PNIPAAm was 0.2 wt %.

To finance transportation infrastructure and to address social and environmental negative externalities of road transports, several countries have recently introduced or consider a distance based tax on trucks. In competitive retail and transportation markets, such tax can be expected to lower the demand and thereby reduce CO2 emissions of road transports. However, as we show in this paper, such tax might also slow down the transition towards e-tailing. Considering that previous research indicates that a consumer switching from brick-and-mortar shopping to e-tailing reduces her CO2 emissions substantially, the direction and magnitude of the environmental net effect of the tax is unclear. In this paper, we assess the net effect in a Swedish regional retail market where the tax not yet is in place. We predict the net effect on CO2 emissions to be positive, but off-set by about 50% because of a slower transition to e-tailing.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly metastatic and chemo-resistant disease. Secreted proteins involved in cell-cell interactions play an important role in changing the tumor microenvironment. Previous studies generally focus on the secretome of cancer cell line from serum-free media, due to the serious interference of fetal bovine serum (FBS). However, serum-starvation may alter expression patterns of secreted proteins. Hence, efforts to decrease the interference of serum in proteomic analysis of serum-containing media have been hampered to quantitatively measure the tumor secretion levels. Recently, the metabolic labeling, protein equalization, protein fractionation and filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) strategy (MLEFF) has been successfully used to avoid the disturbance of serum on secretome analysis. Here, this efficient method was applied for comparative secretome analysis of two hamster pancreatic cancer cells with differentially metastatic potentials, enabling the observation of 161 differentially expressed proteins, including 106 proteins that had been previously reported and detected in plasma. By integrated analysis of our data and publicly available bioinformatics resources, we found that a combination panel consisting of CDH3, PLAU, and LFNG might improve the prognosis of overall pancreatic cancer survival. These secreted proteins may serve as a potential therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer metastasis.

Two bacterial strains were isolated from faecal samples of Tibetan antelopes. The isolates were Gram-stain-positive, catalase-negative, coccus-shaped organisms that were tentatively identified as representing a novel streptococcal species based on their morphological features, biochemical test results and phylogenomic findings. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies confirmed that the organisms were members of the genus Streptococcus , but they did not correspond to any recognized species of the genus. The nearest phylogenetic relative of the unknown coccus was Streptococcus ursoris NUM 1615T (93.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). Analysis of groEL and rpoB gene sequences of the novel isolates showed interspecies divergence of 27.0 and 22.2 %, respectively, from the type strain of its closest 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic relative, S. ursoris. The complete genome of strain TA 26T has been sequenced. Digital DNA–DNA hybridization studies between strain TA 26T and other species of the genus Streptococcus deposited in the GenBank database showed less than 70 % DNA–DNA relatedness, supporting a novel species status of the strain. On the basis of their genotypic and phenotypic differences from recognized Streptococcus species, the two isolates represent a novel species of the genus Streptococcus , for which the nameStreptococcus pantholopis sp. nov. (type strain TA 26T=CGMCC 1.15667T=DSM 102135T) is proposed.

As an important national strategy infrastructure, the Space Information Network (SIN) is a powerful platform for future information support. In this paper, we design and implement a user-centered, dynamic, interactive visualization system (SINDVis), and aim to assist multi-class users to understand, build, develop, maintain, and manage the SIN. We introduce the concept and architecture of SIN, summarize the key technologies of dynamic visualization and visual analysis, and analyze the basic characteristics of three types of users. Combining the content above, we design the architecture of SINDVis from an input module, a core-processing module, an output module, and a user body. We also describe eight basic functions of the entity domain view (GeoView) and topology domain view (TopolView). Meanwhile, we analyze the implementation methods of the GeoView and TopolView, including an improved Force-Directed Algorithm (FDA) layout, Fusion of Animation and Timeline (FAT) visualization, and Panning and Zooming (P&amp, Z) interactions. We analyze the experiment platforms and running environments of the GeoView and TopolView and realize the main contents of both views with a typical SIN. The results also verify the validity and feasibility of the theories and methods proposed. Finally, we discuss and analyze experimental results and the advantages and disadvantages of the SINDVis and look forward to future work. With the development of visualization and visual analysis technology, both application-driven and user-interaction features are gradually highlighted. We introduce the visualization technology into the field of SIN in order to provide new ideas for the basic theory and key technology research of SIN.