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This paper proposes a dynamic numerical model for the bonded-type ultrasonic motor considering the load transfer in the adhesive interlayer between the piezoceramics and the host structure. The finite element method and an extended shear-lag theory are used to derive the dynamic equation. The effectiveness of this model is validated by comparing the dynamic response of the stator in frequency and time domains between simulation and experimental results, with a maximum relative error of less than 4%. The dynamic load transfer in the adhesive interlayer is analyzed when the stator is excited electrically, and the results show that the interfacial load transfer is concentrated near the bonding edges. The effects of partially bonded piezoceramics on the dynamic characteristics of the motor are investigated, where two partially bonded conditions including edge and inner debonded cases are considered. The results indicate that both the inner and edge debonded conditions could reduce the vibration amplitude of the stator and then reduce the output performance of the motor.

Constructed wetland (CW) is an environment-friendly and low-cost technology for nutrients removal from domestic wastewater. For a well-tuned CW, hydraulic loading rate (HLR) is one of the critical factors, particularly under the challenging circumstance of more frequent heavy rainfall events brought by global warming. In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to explore the influence of different HLRs on the CW's bulk substrate and root-associated microbiota aiming to yield new insight for CW management from a hybrid perspective of environmental microbiology and engineering science. The response of the microbial community and associated nutrients removal performance under different HLR settings were analyzed after a one-year operation. Results showed that the bulk substrate and rhizosphere genera involved in desulfurization and denitrification, such as Ferritrophicum, Sulfurimonas, and Sulfurisoma, were enriched in the higher HLR condition and associated with the higher total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate nitrogen (NO

As microplastic pollution continues to increase, an emerging threat is the potential for microplastics to act as novel substrates and/or carriers for pathogens. This is of particular concern for aquatic product safety given the growing evidence of microplastic ingestion by aquaculture species. However, the potential risks of pathogens associated with microplastics in mariculture remain poorly understood. Here, an in situ incubation experiment involving three typical microplastics including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), and polypropylene (PP) was conducted during the summer–autumn period in a mariculture cage. The identification of potential pathogens based on the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and a custom-made database for pathogenic bacteria involved in aquatic environments, was performed to assess the risks of different microplastics attaching potential pathogens. The enrichment of pathogens was not observed in microplastic-associated communities when compared with free-living and particle-attached communities in surrounding seawater. Despite the lower relative abundance, pathogens showed different preferences for three microplastic substrates, of which PET was the most favored by pathogens, especially potentially pathogenic members of Vibrio, Tenacibaculum, and Escherichia. Moreover, the colonization of these pathogens on microplastics was strongly affected by environmental factors (e.g., temperature, nitrite). Our results provide insights into the ecological risks of microplastics in mariculture industry.

The cosmic black hole accretion density (BHAD) is critical for our understanding of the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes (BHs). However, at high redshifts ($z>3$), X-ray observations report BHADs significantly ($\sim 10$ times) lower than those predicted by cosmological simulations. It is therefore paramount to constrain the high-$z$ BHAD using independent methods other than direct X-ray detections. The recently established relation between star formation rate and BH accretion rate among bulge-dominated galaxies provides such a chance, as it enables an estimate of the BHAD from the star-formation histories (SFHs) of lower-redshift objects. Using the CANDELS Lyman-$\alpha$ Emission At Reionization (CLEAR) survey, we model the SFHs for a sample of 108 bulge-dominated galaxies at $z=$0.7-1.5, and further estimate the BHAD contributed by their high-$z$ progenitors. The predicted BHAD at $z\approx 4$-5 is consistent with the simulation-predicted values, but higher than the X-ray measurements (by $\approx$3-10 times at $z=$4-5). Our result suggests that the current X-ray surveys could be missing many heavily obscured Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at high redshifts. However, this BHAD estimation assumes that the high-$z$ progenitors of our $z=$0.7-1.5 sample remain bulge-dominated where star formation is correlated with BH cold-gas accretion. Alternatively, our prediction could signify a stark decline in the fraction of bulges in high-$z$ galaxies (with an associated drop in BH accretion). JWST and Origins will resolve the discrepancy between our predicted BHAD and the X-ray results by constraining Compton-thick AGN and bulge evolution at high redshifts., Comment: 10 pages and 5 figures; accepted for publication in ApJ

Diatom blooms can significantly affect the succession of microbial communities, yet little is known about the assembly processes and interactions of microbial communities during autumn bloom events. In this study, we investigated the ecological effects of an autumn diatom bloom on prokaryotic communities (PCCs) and microeukaryotic communities (MECs), focusing on their assembly processes and interactions. The PCCs were largely dominated by Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Flavobacteria, while the MECs primarily included Diatomea, Dinoflagellata, and Chlorophyta. The succession of both PCCs and MECs was mainly driven by this diatom bloom and environmental factors, such as nitrate and silicate. Null modeling revealed that homogeneous selection had a more pronounced impact on the structure of PCCs compared with that of MECs. In particular, drift and dispersal limitation cannot be neglected in the assembly processes of MECs. Co-occurrence network analyses showed that Litorimicrobium, Cercozoa, Marine Group I (MGI), Cryptomonadales, Myrionecta, and Micromonas may affect the bloom process. In summary, these results elucidated the complex, robust interactions and obviously distinct assembly mechanisms of PCCs and MECs during a diatom bloom and extend our current comprehension of the ecological mechanisms and microbial interactions involved in an autumn diatom bloom process.

Estimating the dynamics and future sequestration potential of soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS) and total nitrogen stocks (TNS) is useful to determine whether cropping systems can promote sustainable production in terms of improving soil fertility. The Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model and the correlations between SOCS and TNS were used to estimate the future SOCS and TNS of green manure-based wheat production systems on the Loess Plateau of China. The field study was a split-plot design with 4 main treatments (Huai bean, soybean and mung bean grown as green manure in summer, with a fallow treatment as the control) and 4 subtreatments (synthetic N rates of 0, 108, 135 and 162 kg ha−1 applied at wheat sowing). Leguminous green manure (LGM) treatments increased the amount of carbon and nitrogen returned to the field by 67–91% and 74–125%, respectively, compared with the fallow treatment (P

A general purpose dynamic modeling method of linear ultrasonic motors (LUMs) is presented in this paper. The proposed model considers all the LUMs elements, including the stator, the mover and the contact between stator and mover. For the stator, a model in modal space was derived based on finite element method. The mover was analytically modeled with considering the complex contact between the stator and mover. The stator-mover intermittent contact problem was mathematically described by the normal and tangential contact model. Interpenetration-dependent penalty and continuous functions approximating to Coulomb friction were used to tangential contact and normal contact, respectively. A hybrid overall dynamic model was built by assembling all these models and solved at a low computational cost. The model enables us to understand the dynamic behavior of LUMs, including the vibration of stator, the contact process, the output performance of the mover and the interactive coupling between each element. The effectiveness of the developed model was validated in a LUM with V-shaped stator by comparing with available measurement results. Furthermore, this model was combined with the particle swarm algorithm to find the optimal electrical input parameters. It is believed that the proposed modeling method is useful for the performance evaluation and input parameters’ optimization of LUMs.

The gut microbiota is closely related to shrimp growth and health. However, the response patterns of gut bacterial communities to environmental stresses (such as cold) in distinct shrimp strains and their association with host status are still unclear. In this study, stress tolerance and its potential association with the gut microbiota in two white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei strains (ZT and PM) were investigated using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The stable body weight of PM relative to the obvious weight loss of ZT after both were subjected to cold stress (at the adult life stage) suggests that PM possess stronger tolerance to cold stress. Meanwhile, the α-diversity indices of PM gut bacteria were significantly higher than those of ZT, and the bacterial community structure in the PM gut was more stable as well. Furthermore, cold stress led to domination of the bacterial composition in the ZT gut by the families Erysipelotrichaceae, Mycoplasmataceae, and Vibrionaceae, which have potential pathogenic members. On the other hand, the relative abundances of 18 discriminatory families, represented by Rhodobacteraceae (33.8%), in the PM gut were significantly higher than those in the ZT gut, suggesting that distinct gut bacterial assemblages may reflect the stress resistance potential of shrimp. The taxonomic signature of gut microbiota of the cold-resistant strain could be a guidance for isolation of novel probiotics from bacterial groups such as Rhodobacteraceae, which could be potentially applied to reduce the influence of cold stress in white shrimp.

Heat loss occurs in the process of energy conversion, which causes the temperature rise and performance degradation of ultrasonic motor. In this article, a novel theoretical model is developed to investigate the temperature field and output characteristics of a standing wave ultrasonic motor. The roughness of contact surface and the interaction between temperature rise and material parameters of stator are taken into account in the proposed model. The frequency–temperature characteristics of stator are studied, and the changes in the dielectric coefficients of piezoelectric materials with respect to the temperature are determined by experimental data. The accuracy and effectiveness of the developed model are validated by correlative experiment. The results show that the developed model can not only predict the temperature variation of motor in continuous operation but also evaluate the influence of surface roughness and various input parameters on output characteristics of motor. These researches will give useful guidelines for optimizing heat source and enhancing reliability of motor.

Peripheral blood of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), carcinoma embryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) could be used as prognostic indicators for several types of tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory cell ratio and tumor markers for postoperative breast cancer patients. Clinical data concerning 190 breast cancer patients who underwent radical surgery in Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from 2013 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. The effects of NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA153 on the disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with breast cancer were analyzed by χ2 test and Cox regression analyses. There were totally 32 of 190 patients had local or distant metastases within 5 years after surgery. The peripheral blood NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA15-3 areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.8272, 0.667, 0.702, and 0.715, and the optimal cutoff values were 2.65, 1.47, 10.55, and 10.55, respectively. Univariate analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the serum NLR, CEA, CA125, and CA15-3 were related to postoperative 5-year DFS (P.05). In addition, multivariate survival analysis identified the following independent prognostic factors: NLR (P.001), CA125 (P = .045) and ki-67 (P = .020). Preoperative serum inflammatory biomarker of NLR and tumor marker of CA125 have potential prognostic value for breast carcinoma.

Protein engineering has contributed to successes in the field of T cell-based immunotherapy, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. CAR T cell therapy has become a pillar of cancer immunotherapy, demonstrating clinical effectiveness against B cell malignancies by targeting the B cell antigen CD19. Current gene editing techniques have limited safety controls over CAR T cell activity, which presents a hurdle for control of CAR T cells in patients. Alternatively, CAR T cell activity can be controlled by engineering CARs to bind soluble adapter molecules that direct the interaction between the CAR T cell and target cell. The flexibility in this adapter-mediated approach overcomes the rigid specificity of traditional CAR T cells to allow targeting of multiple cell types. Here we describe adapter CAR T technologies and how these methods emphasize the growing role of protein engineering in the design of programmable tools for T cell therapies.

In this paper, a wear model is established for a V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor. The influence of the change in the dynamic friction coefficient and the roughness parameters of the contact surface of the stator/slider on the output performance of the motor is considered in this model. The wear mechanism of the motor and the variation rules of the morphology of the contact surface during the operation of the motor are studied, as well as the relation of the wear height of the driving tip with the preload force and the relation of the preload force with the resonance frequency of the stator. The accuracy of the model is verified by numerical simulation and experimental methods. A test platform for friction and wear experiments is constructed, and the wear characteristics and the output performance of the motor are tested. The obtained results indicated that the model can accurately predict the dynamic changes during the wear process and the service life and output performance of the motor.

This work addressed rapid prediction of the temperature rise for high power linear ultrasonic motor by developing a 2D thermal network model. Firstly, a six terminal equivalent circuit for Langevin transducer considering the piezoelectrics with three losses was proposed to calculate the stator loss. Then the calculated losses are used as inputs to the nodal thermal network model that introduces a thermal circuit for the clamping part and computes the temperature rise for different parts of the motor. Finally, the temperature rise experiment for a high power linear ultrasonic motor with V-shape stator was conducted to validate the presented model.

Three new species of the extinct spider genus †Furcembolus Wunderlich, 2008 from Late Cretaceous Burmese amber are described: Furcembolus chuandiani Jiang & Li spec. nov., F. fengzheni Jiang & Li spec. nov. and F. martensi Jiang & Li spec. nov. All types are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China.

The spider family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 exhibits high diversity at generic level and currently contains 94 genera. In this study, one new genus Tangguoa Yao & Li gen. nov. from southern China is described with the type species T. laibin Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female; Guangxi) and one additional species T. tongguling Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female; Hainan).

With low porosity and low permeability, shale reservoirs cannot be mined economically without large-scale hydraulic fracturing operation. However, abundant fracturing fluid will enter the reservoirs during the process of fracture. Nevertheless, there have not been specific research findings on the imbibition law of Fuling shale gas reservoir in China. In this study, an imbibition experiment was carried out on the shale core of Jiaoshiba block of Fuling shale gas reservoir to learn spontaneous imbibition characteristic of Fuling shale gas reservoir. Based on the experimental results, the imbibition process of Fuling shale gas reservoir fracturing fluid is divided into two stages. During the first stage, i.e., the former 30 hours, imbibition velocity is high, with the cumulative imbibition occupying more than 70% of the total imbibition; during the second stage, i.e., the latter 30 hours, the imbibition velocity substantially drops towards balance. There is a typical power function relationship between the average imbibition velocity and imbibition time, and this function relationship runs throughout the whole imbibition process. Nonetheless, the imbibition process of shale core cannot be described directly by the Handy equation. The imbibition velocity is closely related to clay mineral content and pore structure characteristics of shale core. The higher the clay mineral content, the higher the imbibition velocity. According to the relationship between the average imbibition velocity and imbibition time, we derived the estimation equation of fracture area formed by fractured shale gas well to estimate the fracture scale formed by shale gas well fracturing.

In this letter, we study the PXP Hamiltonian with an external magnetic field that exhibits both quantum scar states and quantum criticality. It is known that this model hosts a series of quantum many-body scar states violating quantum thermalization at zero magnetic field, and it also exhibits an Ising quantum phase transition driven by finite magnetic field. Although the former involves the properties of generic excited states and the latter concerns the low-energy physics, we discover two surprising connections between them, inspired by the observation that both states possess log-volume law entanglement entropies. First, we show that the quantum many-body scar states can be tracked to a set of quantum critical states, whose nature can be understood as pair-wisely occupied Fermi sea states. Second, we show that the partial violation of quantum thermalization diminishes in the quantum critical regime. We envision that these connections can be extended to general situations and readily verified in existing cold atom experimental platforms., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

A compact slider for linear ultrasonic motors (LUMs) to improve the ability of LUMs for precision positioning is proposed in this article. The compact slider can avoid the effect of variable stiffness of the traditional slider on ultra-precision positioning, which consists of two pieces of ceramic with little lubricating oil on the sliding interface. Based on contact theory and lubrication theory, the contact mechanism and the lubricating state between the slider and the support plate are analyzed. Subsequently, a dynamic model for LUMs considering the lubricating state and the ultrasonic vibration condition is obtained. Furthermore, the output speed and output force of the motor are analyzed under the influence of film lubrication. Moreover, some experiments are designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of the compact slider for precision positioning. The results indicate that the compact slider is more effective in inhibiting the fluctuation of the output speed compared to the traditional slider, and it can improve the displacement resolution of LUMs up to 7 nm.

There is a huge potential for nutrient recovery from organic waste materials for soil fertility restoration as well as negative environmental emission mitigation. Previous research has found vermicomposting the optimal choice for converting organic waste into beneficial organic fertilizer while reducing reactive N loss. However, a great deal of the processes of greenhouse gases (GHG) and ammonia volatilization during vermicomposting are not well-documented. A field vermicomposting experiment was conducted by deploying earthworms (Eisenia fetida) with three types of agricultural by-products&mdash, namely, cow manure (VCM), pig manure (VPM), and biochar (VBC)&mdash, and crop (maize) residues compared with traditional composting (COM) without earthworms in the Sichuan Basin, China. Results showed that vermicomposting caused a decrease in electrical conductivity (EC) and total organic carbon (TOC) while increasing total nitrogen (TN). The greatest TN increase was found with VCM. The cumulative NH3 volatilization in COM, VCM, VPM, and VBC during experimental duration was 9.00, 8.02, 15.16, and 8.91 kg N ha&minus, 1, respectively. The cumulative CO2 emissions in COM, VCM, VPM, and VBC were 2369, 2814, 3435, and 2984 (g&middot, C&middot, m&minus, 2), while for CH4, they were 0.36, 0.28, 4.07, and 0.19 (g&middot, 2) and, for N2O, they were 0.12, 0.06, 0.76, and 0.04 (g&middot, N m&minus, 2), respectively. Lower emissions of N2O, CH4, and NH3 were observed in VBC. We concluded that earthworms, as ecological engineers, enhanced reactive nutrients and reduced ammonia volatilization during vermicomposting in our test system. Overall, vermicomposting is proposed as an eco-friendly, sustainable technique that helps to reduce environmental impacts and associated health risks.

A recent experiment [Nature Physics 10, 1 (2019)] has realized a dynamical gauge system with $\mathbb{Z}_2$ gauge symmetry in a double-well potential. In this work we propose a method to generalize this model from a single double well to a one-dimensional chain. We show that although there is no disordered potential in the original model, the phenomenon of many-body localization can occur. The key ingredient is that different symmetry sectors with different local gauge charges play the role of different disorder configurations, which becomes clear after exactly mapping our model to a transverse Ising model in a random longitudinal field. We show that both the ergodic regime and the many-body localized regime exist in this model from four different metrics, which include level statistics, volume law versus area law of entanglement entropy of eigenstates, quench dynamics of entanglement entropy and physical observables., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures

The genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 is reported from Pakistan for the first time. Two new species of the Pholcus nenjukovi species-group are described: Pholcus hamuchal Yao & Li sp. nov. (Gilgit Baltistan, male and female) and Pholcus kalam Yao & Li sp. nov. (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, male and female). Type material is deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS) in Beijing, China.

The genus Belisana Thorell, 1898 is diverse in southern China. In this study, six new species are described and illustrated: Belisana guilin sp. nov. (Guangxi; male, female), Belisana maoer sp. nov. (Sichuan; male, female), Belisana naling sp. nov. (Guangxi; male, female), Belisana xiyuan sp. nov. (Fujian; male, female), Belisana xuanguan sp. nov. (Guangxi; male) and Belisana yuexiu sp. nov. (Guangdong; male). In addition, Belisana is reported from Sichuan for the first time.

Only three species of the genus Belisana Thorell, 1898, were recorded from Tibet, China, before the current study. In this study, four new Belisana species from Tibet are described: Belisana medog sp. nov. (male), Belisana muruo sp. nov. (male, female), Belisana xigaze sp. nov. (male, female), and Belisana zham sp. nov. (male, female). The female of Belisana gyirong Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2006 is reported for the first time.

Understanding how species interaction and assembly processes structure the abundant and rare bacterial biospheres in soils is crucial for predicting how biodiversity influences ecosystem functioning. Here, we profiled the bacterial communities across a salt marsh ecosystem gradient to investigate the co-occurrence patterns across taxa and the relative influence of ecological processes mediating the assembly of the abundant and rare biospheres in soil. Our results revealed abundant taxa to be ubiquitous across all sites, whereas the distributions of the rare taxa were relatively more site specific. The α-diversity indices and β-diversity of rare subcommunities were significantly higher than those of the abundant subcommunities. Besides, both the taxonomic and functional composition of soil bacterial communities differed significantly between the two biospheres. Furthermore, the influence of stochasticity differed in each subcommunity. In particular, stochastic processes were relatively more important in constraining the assembly of rare taxa. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that a few abundant taxa occupy central nodes within the networks, possibly indicating crucial roles as keystone taxa. Collectively, these findings suggest that abundant and rare bacterial biospheres have distinct distributions underpinned by a dynamic interplay of ecological processes and taxon co-occurrence patterns. IMPORTANCE Estuarine salt marshes are highly productive ecosystems subjected to regular disturbances by hydrodynamic exchange. However, little is known about how distinct assembly processes and co-occurrence of taxa influence the structure of the abundant and rare bacterial biospheres in these soil systems. This study aims at unravelling these intricacies by studying a typical estuarine salt marsh located in Hangzhou Bay, China. Our study provides important pieces of evidence on the diverse distribution of rare and abundant bacterial biospheres. We show that a few abundant taxa are central nodes in species co-occurrence, potentially playing important roles as keystone species in the system. In addition, we highlight a dynamic interplay of assembly processes structuring these two subcommunities.

The genus Savarna Huber, 2005 comprises only five species, from southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra. In this study, five new species are described from Thailand: Savarna bannang sp. nov. (Yala), S. chiangmai sp. nov. (Chiangmai), S. huahin sp. nov. (Prachuap Kiri Khan), S. satun sp. nov. (Satun), S. thungsong sp. nov. (Nakhon Srithammarat). All new species are described from males and females. The distribution of S. chiangmai sp. nov. represent the northernmost record of the genus.

NGC 3115 is known as the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus which hosts the nearest ($z\sim0.002$) billion solar mass supermassive black hole ($\sim1.5\times10^9~M_\odot$). Its Bondi radius $r_\mathrm{B}$ ($\sim3\farcs6$) can be readily resolved with Chandra, which offers us an excellent opportunity to investigate the accretion flow onto a supermassive black hole. In this paper, we perform two-dimensional hydrodynamical numerical simulations, tailored for NGC 3115, on the mass flow across the Bondi radius. Our best fittings for the density and temperature agree well with the observations of the hot interstellar medium in the centre of NGC 3115. We find that the flow properties are solely determined by the local galaxy properties in the galaxy centre: (1) stellar winds (including supernova ejecta) supply the mass and energy sources for the accreting gas; (2) similar to the one-dimensional calculations, a stagnation radius $r_\mathrm{st}\sim0.1~r_\mathrm{B}$ is also found in the two-dimensional simulations, which divides the mass flow into an inflow-outflow structure; (3) the radiatively inefficient accretion flow theory applies well inside the stagnation radius, where the gravity is dominated by the supermassive black hole and the gas is supported by rotation; (4) beyond the stagnation radius, the stellar gravity dominates the spherical-like fluid dynamics and causes the transition from a steep density profile outside to a flat density profile inside the Bondi radius., 13 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication by MNRAS

Microplastic (MP) has been identified as an emerging vector that transports hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) across aquatic environments due to its hydrophobic surfaces and small size. However, it is also recognized that environmental factors affect MP’s chemical vector effects and that attached biofilms could play a major role, although the specific mechanisms remain unclear. To explore this issue, an in situ experiment was conducted at Xiangshan Bay of southeastern China, and dynamics of HOCs (i.e., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) and bacterial communities related to the model MP (i.e., PE fibers) were analyzed and compared. Through bacterial characterizations including the 16S rRNA approach, higher summer temperatures (31.4 ± 1.07 °C) were found to promote colonizing bacterial assemblages with larger biomasses, higher activity and more degrading bacteria than winter temperatures (13.3 ± 2.49 °C). Consequently, some sorbed pollutants underwent significant decline in the summer, and this decline was particularly the case for PAHs with low (2–3 rings) and median (4 rings) molecular weights such as phenanthrene (59.4 ± 1.6%), chrysene (70.6 ± 4.2%), fluoranthene (77.1 ± 13.3%) and benz[a]anthracene (71.5 ± 11.0%). In our winter test, however, most pollutants underwent a consistent increase throughout the 8-week exposure period. Moreover, more biorefractory pollutants including PCBs and high molecular weight (5–6 rings) PAHs accumulated regardless of bacterial characteristics. Two putative PAH-degrading bacteria appeared with high relative abundances during the summer test, i.e., family Rhodobacteraceae (18.6 ± 0.5%) and genus Sphingomicrobium (22.4 ± 3.6%), associated with drastic decreases in low (45.2 ± 0.4%) and median (66.0 ± 2.5%) molecular weight PAHs, respectively. Bacterial degradation effects of biofilms on PAHs are also supported by the correlative dynamics of salicylic acid, an important degradation intermediate of PAHs. The results of this study indicate that MP’s HOC vector effects are essentially determined by interactions between attached pollutants and microbial assemblages, which are further related to bacterial activity and pollutant features. Further studies of biofilm effects on MP toxicity and on the metabolic pathways of MP-attached HOCs are required.

Two new species of the spider genus Wanniyala Huber & Benjamin, 2005 are described from Sri Lanka: W. badulla sp. nov. (Uva Province; male and female) and W. batatota sp. nov. (Sabaragamuwa Province; male and female). In addition, new records of W. mudita Huber, 2019 (Western Province; male) and W. viharekele Huber, 2019 (Southern Province; male and female) are provided.

The genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 is composed of 21 species-groups and the P. yichengicus species-group contains 35 species from central and southern China, and Thailand. In this study, two new species of the P. yichengicus species-group are described from southern China: Pholcus jingnan Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guizhou, male and female) and Pholcus longlin Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guangxi, male and female).

The spider genus Khorata Huber, 2005 is a diverse group distributed in the Indo-Malayan Region. In this study, we describe two new species from southern China: Khorata nani sp. nov. (male, female; Guangdong) and Khorata yuhaoi sp. nov. (male, female; Yunnan and Guizhou). In addition, we briefly discuss the potential causes of its diversity.

Three new species of the spider genus Belisana Thorell, 1898 are described based on material collected in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China: Belisana mengla Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female), Belisana menglun Yao & Li sp. nov. (male), and Belisana mengyang Yao & Li sp. nov. (male, female), bringing the total Belisana fauna of Xishuangbanna to 12 species.

Perfluorooctance sulfonate (PFOS) is one of the most studied Per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) due to its relatively high environmental ubiquity and toxicity. This study presented an ultra-sensitive voltammetric sensor for the detection of PFOS in tap water based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a thin coating of gold nanostar (AuNS) and electropolymerized molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). The AuNS coating helps to enhance the voltammetric response of blank signal intensity regarding the Fe2+ oxidation of the selected ferrocenecarboxylic acid (FcCOOH) redox probe; meanwhile, the statistical optimization of the MIP layer offers a higher peak change. Analytical results indicated the sensor could detect PFOS with an LoD and LoQ of 0.015 and 0.041 nM (i.e., 7.5 and 20.5 ppt), respectively. Moreover, it showed comparable analytical performance in tap water with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method (i.e., Method 537.1). Interfering effects of approximately 10% underestimation were observed when samples contained equimolar perfluorobutanoic Acid (PFBA) or perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS). Additionally, common interferents in drinking water sources, such as humic acid and chloride ion, showed minor influence in the voltammetric response in terms of accuracy and reproducibility.

The ability to perform short-term traffic flow forecasting is a crucial component of intelligent transportation systems. However, accurate and reliable traffic flow forecasting is still a significant issue due to the complexity and variability of real traffic systems. To improve the accuracy of short-term traffic flow forecasting, this paper presents a novel hybrid prediction framework based on Support Vector Regression (SVR) that uses a Random Forest (RF) to select the most informative feature subset and an enhanced Genetic Algorithm (GA) with chaotic characteristics to identify the optimal forecasting model parameters. The framework is evaluated with real-world traffic data collected from eight sensors located near the I-605 interstate highway in California. Results show that the proposed RF-CGASVR model achieves better performance than other methods.

Nitrate that originates from agriculture is linked to a series of deleterious environmental consequences that are closely related to human health. Therefore, it is vital to design cropping systems that can produce acceptable crop yields while minimizing the impact of surplus soil nitrate. To develop quantitative estimations, data from 2008 to 2016 were evaluated using multiple regression models. A split-plot field experiment was conducted, with the main treatments of growing Huai bean, soybean and mung bean in summer as leguminous green manure (LGM) while fallow as the control. Four synthetic N rates (0, 108, 135 and 162kgha-1) were applied as sub-treatments at wheat seeding. The N accumulation for LGMs ranged from 61 to 90kgha-1, and that of Huai bean was 46% higher than the average value of soybean and mung bean (P

Piezoelectric transducers are widely used for generating an elliptical motion in vibration-assisted machining and in a piezoelectric actuator. In this study, an analytical model of a V-shaped piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer with a flexible joint is proposed. The analytical model is used to optimize the structure, predict the performance, and design the controller and drive circuit. The longitudinal-bending mode is utilized for generating an elliptical motion at a drive foot. A vibration model of the V-shaped transducer is proposed. The vibration resonance frequency and mode shape are obtained by solving a set of differential equations of the balance force and continuous displacement. The energy method is then used to derive the displacement response based on Hamilton-Lagrange equations. Finally, three prototypes are fabricated to validate the model effectiveness. The resonance frequency, displacement response, and electric response of the analytical model are consistent with the experimental results. The results show that the vibration amplitude in the tangential direction X at the drive foot increases with the increase of the phase difference φ, and the amplitude in the normal direction Y decreases with the decrease of the phase difference φ. As the coupling angle θ increases, the amplitude in the tangential direction X increases and the amplitude in the normal direction Y decreases.

The Zap1 transcription factor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a key regulator in the genomic responses to zinc deficiency. Among the genes regulated by Zap1 during zinc deficiency is the autophagy-related gene ATG41. Here, we report that Atg41 is required for growth in zinc-deficient conditions, but not when zinc is abundant or when other metals are limiting. Consistent with a role for Atg41 in macroautophagy, we show that nutritional zinc deficiency induces autophagy and that mutation of ATG41 diminishes that response. Several experiments indicated that the importance of ATG41 function to growth during zinc deficiency is not because of its role in macroautophagy, but rather is due to one or more autophagy-independent functions. For example, rapamycin treatment fully induced autophagy in zinc-deficient atg41Δ mutants but failed to improve growth. In addition, atg41Δ mutants showed a far more severe growth defect than any of several other autophagy mutants tested, and atg41Δ mutants showed increased Heat Shock Factor 1 activity, an indicator of protein homeostasis stress, while other autophagy mutants did not. An autophagy-independent function for ATG41 in sulfur metabolism during zinc deficiency was suggested by analyzing the transcriptome of atg41Δ mutants during the transition from zinc-replete to -deficient conditions. Analysis of sulfur metabolites confirmed that Atg41 is needed for the normal accumulation of methionine, homocysteine, and cysteine in zinc-deficient cells. Therefore, we conclude that Atg41 plays roles in both macroautophagy and sulfur metabolism during zinc deficiency.

This paper proposed a three-core fiber Bragg grating (FBG) probe for sub-millinewton contact force measurement of a micromanipulator system. The probe comprises a bundle of three single-core FBGs assembled under the effect of capillary self-assembly. Theoretical relationships between Bragg wavelength and force are calculated based on the assumption of material mechanics. The experimental results show that the probe has a good linear relationship for the measurement of the radial two degrees of freedom contact force, and it is suitable for measuring the radial contact force of 0.1-1 mN. The proposed three-core FBG probe has the characteristics of simple structure, low cost, and better forming stability and sensitivity compared with the four-core structure.

The nitrogen (N) content of soil organic matter (OM) fractions is a vital indicator of soil health as it limits crop yield and regulates the loss of N from soil to the environment. We studied the impacts of introducing leguminous green manure (LGM) to replace summer fallow on N distribution in coarse particulate OM (cPOM), fine POM (fPOM), intra-microaggregate POM (iPOM) and mineral associated OM (MAOM). Random forest regression and structural equation modelling were coupled to identify the important OM fractions and reveal how they affect soil organic N pool. The field experiment followed a split-plot design with summer fallow – winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) (FW) (control) and LGM – winter wheat as the main treatments. The latter included Huai bean (Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc) – winter wheat (HW), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) – winter wheat (SW) and mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) – winter wheat (MW). The sub-treatments included applying 0 or 135 kg ha−1 of synthetic N fertilizer to winter wheat. Both LGM and synthetic N had limited effects on the mass ratio of OM fractions. Compared with FW, HW and MW increased the N content of unprotected OM fractions (cPOM + fPOM) by 38–58% and all LGM treatments increased the N content of protected OM fractions (iPOM + MAOM) by 9–16%. The main driving factors for enhancing the soil organic N pool were the N in cPOM and iPOM. The indirect paths through the cPOM mediated by the iPOM in large and small macroaggregates were the key pathways that regulated the soil organic N pool. In conclusion, LGM expands the soil organic N pool mainly by regulating the N content of cPOM and iPOM, suggesting this practice can propel sustainable crop production via enhanced short- and long-term soil N supplying capacity.

Three new species belonging to genera †Burmorchestina Wunderlich, 2008 (2 species) and Orchestina Simon, 1882 (1 species) of the spider family Oonopidae Simon, 1890 are described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber: Burmorchestina bo Jiang and Li sp. nov., B. gong Jiang and Li sp. nov., and Orchestina qiu Jiang and Li sp. nov. In addition, males of Burmorchestina acuminata Wunderlich, 2017, B. biangulata Wunderlich, 2017, B. circular Wunderlich, 2020, B. plana Wunderlich, 2017, B. pulchra Wunderlich, 2008 and B. pulcheroides Wunderlich, 2017 are illustrated.

The growth of leguminous green manure (LGM) in place of bare fallow in summer improved soil fertility but resulted in reduced soil water storage and crop yield in semiarid regions of the Loess Plateau. To balance the contradiction between yield production and soil water consumption in LGM systems, we investigated the effects of replacing fallow with three LGMs on the relative changes in grain yield and water use efficiency of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the plant available water distribution pattern, and the soil desiccation characteristics in the 0−200 cm layer from 2009 to 2018. Additionally, we assessed the correlations between Δ soil water storage, LGM biomass, and annual precipitation with Δ grain yield, and Δ soil water storage with LGM biomass over 10 years. Results showed that the relative changes in wheat yield and water use efficiency in the LGM systems were all negative in a dry year, however, they were all positive and over 5 % when rainfall was adequate. There were strong positive correlations between the annual precipitation with Δ soil water storage (R2 =0.59) and Δ grain yield (R2 =0.67). The minimum annual rainfall for applying the LGM approach was estimated to be 551 mm. Conversely, the slight correlations between the LGM biomass with Δ soil water storage (R2 =0.125*) and Δ grain yield (R2 =0.25**) under the LGM systems were all negative. Compared to the fallow system, for every 71.4 kg ha−1 of LGM aboveground biomass produced, the soil water storage during the fallow period was reduced by 1 mm, and for 1 mm of soil water storage decreased, the wheat yield was reduced by 18.9 kg ha−1 in the LGM systems. Consequently, managing the LGM aboveground biomass within 1926 kg ha−1 or less may be an efficient option to reduce the risks of wheat yield and soil water balance due to replacing fallow with LGMs on the Loess Plateau and in similar dry-land regions.

While urban structures have been delineated at the regional level, few works have explored the impact of urban structures on commuting at this same level. This article studies how urban structures affect commuting from 2000 to 2010. It applies a spatial statistical tool, standard deviation ellipses, to capture spatial patterns of jobs and residential workers for metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Two urban structure indexes are constructed to illustrate different decentralization levels of employment with reference to the distribution of residential workers; one illustrates the spatial decentralization of high job density nodes, while the other shows the spatial decentralization of moderate job density nodes. Commuting times of two modes by private cars and public transit are analyzed along with the number of commuters. The results highlight three findings: (1) MSAs become more compact in terms of employment distribution, (2) more decentralized high-density nodes lead to less total commuting times, and on the other hand, more decentralized moderate job density nodes contribute to longer commuting times, and (3) the decentralization of high job density nodes is associated with less commuting time of private cars, while they have insignificant effect on commuting time of public transit.

Eight new species of the genus Khorata Huber, 2005 are reported from China: Khorata dawei Yao & Li sp. nov. (Yunnan), K. libo Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guizhou), K. luoping Yao & Li sp. nov. (Yunnan), K. matang Yao & Li sp. nov. (Yunnan), K. qian Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guizhou), K. suwei Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guangxi), K. wenshan Yao & Li sp. nov. (Yunnan), K. yangchun Yao & Li sp. nov. (Guangdong). All new species are described from males and females. Type material is deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS) in Beijing, China.