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The replacement of rutile by Fe-Ti oxides is a common phenomenon during the retrogression of eclogites. Here, we report an unusual case regarding the replacement of Fe-Ti oxides by rutile during greenschist-facies metamorphic overprinting of veins in amphibolites (retrograded eclogites) from the Dabie ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane, eastern China. The veins mainly consist of plagioclase, Fe-Ti oxides, and quartz, which crystallized from a Ti-rich amphibolite-facies fluid that formed during exhumation of the eclogites. Two types of textures involving the replacement of Fe-Ti oxides by rutile are recognized in the veins: (1) the first type is characterized by the development of rutile coronas (Rt-C) and other silicates (high-Fe epidote, muscovite, and chlorite) around the external boundaries of the Fe-Ti oxide grains, and (2) the second type is characterized by the formation of symplectitic intergrowths of rutile (Rt-S) and magnetite after exsolved hemo-ilmenite (H-Ilm) lamellae in the Fe-Ti oxides. The micro-textures, mineral assemblages, and Zr-in-rutile thermometry indicate that both replacement reactions involved mineral re-equilibration processes in the presence of an infiltrating fluid phase at ~476-515 °C, taking place by an interface-coupled dissolution-precipitation mechanism. Thermodynamic modeling reveals that both replacement reactions occurred during oxidation processes under relatively high-oxygen fugacity (fO2) conditions, approximately 2.5-4.5 logfO2 units higher than the fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) reference buffer. In situ Sr isotopic analyses of epidote (Ep-C) coexisting with the Rt-C suggest that the infiltrating fluid involved in the greenschist-facies replace- ment reactions was externally derived from the surrounding granitic gneisses (the wall rocks of the amphibolites). Compared with the rutile in the UHP eclogites (Rt-E) and amphibolites (Rt-A), the Rt-C is characterized by distinctly lower contents of Nb (<10 ppm) and Ta (<2 ppm) and Nb/Ta ratios (<10) and higher contents of Cr (>340 ppm) and V (>1580 ppm). These results provide a geochemical fingerprint for distinguishing the low-pressure (LP) rutile from relic high-grade phases in retrograded HP-UHP rocks. Our results reveal that rutile can form during LP retrograde stage in UHP rocks by high-fO2 fluid-induced replacement reactions. The unusual replacements of Fe-Ti oxides by rutile-bearing assemblages during retrogression provide important constraints on fluid-mineral reactions and fO2 variations in exhumed UHP slabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion-exchange adsorption may be a promising way to tackle the boron contamination in various waterbodies on condition that an effective boron-specific adsorbent with fast sorption kinetics, high efficiency and capacity, easy regeneration, and low cost is accessible. In this work, a group of novel silica-based adsorbents were synthesized for boron removal, with the objectives of assessing their adsorption behaviors and improving their boron separation performance. The adsorption efficiency was systematically evaluated and optimized under various synthesis and operating conditions, i.e., reactant ratio, chelating temperature, particle loading, contact time, and ion strength. In addition, the adsorption kinetics and isotherm were adequately demonstrated. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model while the adsorption isotherm was described by Langmuir, Freundlich, and Sips models. The silica adsorbent exhibited a high adsorption rate; equilibrium was reached in few minutes, due to its high hydrophilicity and nontortuous structure. A high adsorption capacity was predicted, and a heterogeneous sorption behavior was validated by the isotherm models. Finally, regeneration performance of the adsorbent in both batch experiments and liquid chromatographic (LC) column-based experiments demonstrated that the adsorption capacity was marginally sacrificed (less than 10%) after three cycles of measurements, illustrating promising reusability. These findings may open up new ways to design high-performance boron-specific adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Total joint arthroplasty is associated with significant blood loss and often requires blood transfusion. However, allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) may lead to severe problems, such as immunoreaction and infection. Postoperative autotransfusion, an alternative to ABT, is controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the ability of postoperative autotransfusion to reduce the need for ABT following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA).Methods: Systematic literature searches for randomized controlled trials were performed using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library until February 2016. Relative risks (RRs) and weighted mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using fixed-effect or random-effect models; we also evaluated publication bias and heterogeneity.Results: Seventeen trials with a total of 2314 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RRs of ABT rate between autotransfusion and the regular drainage/no drainage groups for TKA and THA were 0.446 (95% CI = 0.287, 0.693; p < 0.001) and 0.757 (95% CI = 0.599, 0.958; p = 0.020), respectively. In the subgroup analysis performed in TKA patients according to control interventions, the pooled RRs were 0.377 (95% CI = 0.224, 0.634; p < 0.001) (compared with regular drainage) and 0.804 (95% CI = 0.453, 1.426, p = 0.456) (compared with no drainage). In the subgroup analysis performed for THA, the pooled RRs were 0.536 (95% CI = 0.379, 0.757, p < 0.001) (compared with regular drainage) and 1.020 (95% CI = 0.740, 1.405, p = 0.904) (compared with no drainage).Conclusions: Compared to regular drainage, autotransfusion reduces the need for ABT following TKA and THA. This reduction is not present when comparing autotransfusion to no drainage. However, the reliability of the meta-analytic results concerning TKA was limited by significant heterogeneity in methods among the included studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study Megalobrama amblycephala adaption to water hypoxia, the changes in physiological levels, innate immune responses, redox balance of M.amblycephala during hypoxia were investigated in the present study. When M. amblycephala were exposed to different dissolved oxygen (DO) including control (DO: 5.5mg/L) and acute hypoxia (DO: 3.5 and 1.0mg/L, respectively), hemoglobin (Hb),methemoglobin (MetHb), glucose, Na+, succinatedehydrogenase (SDH), lactate, interferon alpha (IFNα), and lysozyme (LYZ), except hepatic glycogen and albumin gradually increased with the decrease of DO level. When M. amblycephala were exposed to different hypoxia time including 0.5 and 6 h (DO: 3.5mg/L), and then reoxygenation for 24 h after 6 h hypoxia, Hb, MetHb, glucose, lactate, and IFNα, except Na+, SDH, hepatic glycogen, albumin, and LYZ increased with the extension of hypoxia time, while the above investigated indexes (except albumin, IFNα, and LYZ) decreased after reoxygenation. On the other hand, the liver SOD, CAT, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and total ROS were all remained at lower levels under hypoxia stress. Finally, Hif-1α protein in the liver, spleen, and gill were increased with the decrease of oxygen concentration and prolongation of hypoxia time. Interestingly, one Hsp70 isoforms mediated by internal ribozyme entry site (IRES) named junior Hsp70 was only detected in liver, spleen and gill. Taken together, these results suggest that hypoxia affects M. amblycephala physiology and reduces liver oxidative stress. Hypoxia-reoxygenation stimulates M. amblycephala immune parameter expressions, while Hsp70 response to hypoxia is tissue-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Methylphenidate (MPH) has been found to be an effective medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there are neither consistent nor sufficient findings on whether psychiatric comorbidities and associated cognitive functions of ADHD are related to treatment response to MPH in ADHD children. Objectives: This study investigated whether psychiatric comorbidities, IQ, and neurocognitive deficits are related to treatment response to MPH in ADHD children. In some ways, it is preferable to have a drug that the effectiveness of which to a disorder is not affected by its associated cognitive functions and psychiatric comorbidities. On the other hand, it is likely that the baseline symptom severity of ADHD is associated with the effectiveness of MPH treatment on the symptoms post treatment. Methods: A total of 149 Chinese boys (aged 6-12 years) with ADHD, combined type, and normal IQ participated in this study. Assessment of ADHD symptom severity was conducted pre and post MPH treatment, while assessment of psychiatric comorbidities, IQ, and neurocognitive deficits was performed in a non-medicated condition. Treatment response was defined as the ADHD symptom severity post MPH treatment. Results: Results indicated that MPH treatment was effective, significantly improving the ADHD condition. Yet, comorbid disorders, IQ, and neurocognitive deficits were not related to MPH treatment response on ADHD symptoms. These findings indicated that the effectiveness of MPH was not affected by psychiatric comorbidities and associated cognitive functions of ADHD. Instead, as expected, it was the baseline symptom severity that was mainly related to the treatment response, ie, the milder the baseline condition, the better the treatment response. Conclusion: The current findings positively endorse the widespread clinical use of MPH for treating ADHD. It improves the behavioral symptoms of ADHD regardless of varying psychiatric comorbidities, IQ, and neurocognitive deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kinetics of the non-enzymatic browning reaction from l-ascorbic acid/l-cysteine model systems was investigated at 125-155°C for 10-120 min by measuring the loss of reactants and monitoring the brown colour development. The result showed that the browning products were produced at the first order reaction kinetics requirement, with the Ea being 114.33 kJ/mol. The mechanism for the browning development was proposed. The correlation coefficient between browning products and uncoloured intermediate products increased with the rising temperature. At temperatures below 110°C, the non-enzymatic browning reaction did not occur at all or the reaction was slow. Browning products could not be produced solely by self-degradation of l-cysteine. The amount of browning products negatively correlated with the l-ascorbic acid concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Newcastle disease (ND) is a devastating worldwide disease of poultry characterized by increased respiration, circulatory disturbances, hemorrhagic enteritis, and nervous signs. Sequence analysis shows several amino acid residue substitutions at neutralizing epitopes on the F and HN proteins of recent Shaanxi strains. Both Cross protection and cross serum neutralization tests revealed that the traditional vaccine strains were unable to provide full protection for the flocks. Methods: To better understand the epidemiology of Newcastle disease outbreak, a portion of the F gene and the full-length HN gene were amplified from Shaanxi isolates by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then conducted sequence and phylogenetic analyzes. In pathogenicity analysis, both high intra-cerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) and mean death time (MDT) tests of chicken embryo were carried out. Furthermore, a cross-protection experiment in which specific-pathogen-free chickens vaccinated with a LaSota vaccine strain were challenged by the recent Shaanxi strain was also performed. Results: Nine Newcastle disease (ND) virus (NDV) isolates which were recovered from ND outbreaks in chicken flocks in China were genotypically and pathotypically characterized. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that all the recent Shaanxi-isolated NDVs have 112R-R-Q-K-R-F117 for the C-terminus of the F2 protein and exhibit high ICPI and MDT of chicken embryos, suggesting that they were all classified as velogenic type of NDVs. Phylogenetic analysis of these isolates showed that they belong to subgenotype VIId that have been implicated in the recent outbreaks in northwestern China. The percentage of amino acid sequence identity of F protein between recent Shaanxi stains and five vaccine strains was in the range of 81.9 %-88.1 %, while the percentage of amino acid sequence identity of HN protein between recent Shaanxi strains and vaccine strains was in the range of 87.4 %-91.2 %. Furthermore, a number of amino acid residue substitutions at neutralizing epitopes on the F and HN proteins of these isolates were observed, which may lead to the change of antibody recognition and neutralization capacity. A cross-protection experiment indicated that specific-pathogen-free chickens vaccinated with a LaSota vaccine strain was not capable of providing full protection for the flocks that were challenged by the recent Shaanxi strain. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings reveal that recent Shannxi NDVstrains exhibit antigenic variations that could be responsible for recent outbreaks of NDVs in northwestern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The present experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of mature peptide eukaryotic expression plasmid of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) in Guangxi Bama Mini-pig on mouse growth effect , in order to provide reference for researching the promoting growth effect of GHRH mature peptide on Guangxi Bama Mini-pig, and efficient preparation and safety use of GHRH gene vaccine. [Method] By using gene recombination technique, the GHRH mature peptide sequence of Guangxi Bama Mini-pig was linked into plasmid pEGFP-N1 to construct recombinant eukaryotic plasmid pEGFP-GHRH. The mouse pretreated with 25% sugar solution was treated with intramuscular injection with dose of 0.5 μg/g plasmid to record their weight. Mean while aiming at mice in injection group of recombinant plasmid, the DNA of their heart, hepar, kidney and muscle in injection site was extracted to detect residue of gene plasmid by using PCR technique. [Result] The results showed that, when recombinant plasmid pEGFP-GHRH was injected into mouse, the ex-GHRH mature peptide sequence was expressed in the muscle, while it was not integrated into mouse genome. Compared injection group of recombinant plasmid with injection group of empty plasmid, there was no significant difference in final weight of mice between the former and the latter (P>0.05). While during 10-25 days after injection, the weight of the former was significantly higher than that of the latter (P>0.05 ). As for relative daily gain rate, during 15 days after injection, the weight of the former was higher than that of the latter. [Conclusion] The recombinant plasmid pEGFP-GHRH of Guangxi Bama Mini-pig can promote growth of mouse for a certain time. Therefore, GHRH has small difference in different species and high conservation in animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we established a mathematical model for national fitness in China. Based on a questionnaire and data of the General Administration of Sport of China and the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the dynamics for three classes of people are expressed by a system of three-dimensional ordinary equations. Model parameters are estimated fromthe data. This study indicated that national fitness put out by the Chinese government is reasonable. By finding the key parameter, the best measure to promote national fitness is put forward. In order to increase the number of people who frequently participate in sport exercise in a short period of time, if only one measure can be chosen, guiding people who never take part in physical exercise will be the bestmeasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity Default Swaps (EDSs) are credit-like instruments that were first introduced in 2003. EDSs are deep out of the money digital put options that pay out a fixed amount (recovery rate) upon the stock price hitting a pre-set low barrier. The premium is paid out as contingent quarterly payments similar to Credit Default Swaps (CDSs). EDSs initially soared in volume as investors used them in capital structure arbitrage strategies involving the simultaneous buying and selling of EDS contracts, as spreads on EDSs were several multiples of CDS spreads. However, the contracts diminished in volume as CDS contracts took over. With the recent financial turmoil in the credit derivatives market, some attention has turned from CDS and their associated structured correlation products such as Nth-to-default basket and synthetic Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) as CDS markets tend to be opaque and difficult to price. In addition, default correlations are not directly observable and recoveries are stochastic, making pricing and modelling difficult. As against this, the underlying stock prices in EDS are directly observable and the correlation is also directly observable. The EDS may therefore return to the credit fold and may be a complement to the CDS market. In this paper, we examine the pricing of CDSs using the CEV process and calibrate the CEV process to actual observed market prices for EDS; we then draw conclusions on the CEV process, the relationship between stock prices and volatility, and the relationship between CDS and EDS prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulties with executive function and impulse control which may improve with age.Aims: To map the brain correlates of executive function in ADHD and determine age-related changes in reaction times and brain volumes.Method: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and control groups were compared on the change task measures of response inhibition (stop signal reaction time, SSRT) and shifting (change response reaction time, CRRT). Voxel-wise magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlations of reaction times and grey matter volume were determined, along with bivariate correlations of reaction times, brain volumes and age.Results: Individuals in the ADHD group had longer SSRTs and CRRTs. Anterior cingulate, striatal and medial temporal volumes highly correlated with SSRT. Striatal and cerebellar volumes strongly correlated with CRRT. Older children had faster reaction times and larger regional brain volumes. In controls, orbitofrontal, medial temporal and cerebellar volumes correlated with CRRT but not SSRT. Neither reaction times nor regional brain volumes were strongly age-dependent.Conclusions: Our evidence supports delayed brain maturation in ADHD and implies that some features of ADHD improve with age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide preliminary prevalence estimates of common DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—4th Edition) disorders in a sample of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents. 541 Chinese adolescents were recruited from Grades 7, 8 and 9 of 28 mainstream high schools in Hong Kong (mean age=13.8 years; SD=1.2). The adolescents and their parents were separately administered the Youth and Parent versions of DISC-IV (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Version 4), respectively. Based upon both symptom and impairment criteria, as required by DSM-IV, the overall prevalence estimate of DSM-IV disorders in our sample of Chinese adolescents was 16.4%. Estimates for such individual disorders/diagnostic groupings as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), and substance use disorders were 6.9, 1.3, 3.9, 6.8, 1.7, and 1.1%, respectively. These rates were largely compatible with those reported in previous studies with perhaps lower rates of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), depressive disorders, CD, and substance use disorders, but a higher rate of ODD. The rate of ADHD was somewhat higher, but this might reflect the current DSM-IV diagnostic practice. The rate of anxiety disorders was not as high as predicted from some previous questionnaire surveys. The application of an impairment criterion had discernible impacts on prevalence estimates, greater on anxiety and substance use disorders, but smaller on depressive and disruptive behavior disorders. There was a lack of gender difference in rates of ODD and CD. While the findings reported here are broadly compatible with those of other studies, there may be cross-cultural differences in rates of some individual disorders, e.g., GAD, depressive disorders, ODD, CD, and substance use disorders, as well as in gender difference regarding rates of ODD and CD. However, exact comparison between studies is confounded by methodological differences in sample characteristics, measures, and case definition. Standardization of methodology in epidemiological surveys should allow more precise identification of any within- or between-culture variations in prevalence estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the test-retest reliability and screening efficiency of DISC Predictive Scales-4.32 (DPS-4.32), short-forms of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV, with Chinese children/youths. The results of the study revealed that both Parent and Youth DPS-4.32 exhibited good-to excellent test-retest reliability. The study concluded that DPS-4.32 is an efficient short-forms of DISC-IV and applicable to the Chinese population.

With a focus on the global tension between water resources and energy, the use of water-fertilizer integration technology in sprinkler irrigation has seen a rise. However, achieving efficient and effective fertilizer application remains a significant challenge. This study delves into the interaction mechanism between droplets and foliage during sprinkler fertigation, as well as discusses the application of water-saving and energy-saving irrigation methods in agriculture to address water crises and propel agricultural modernization. This study highlights two main aspects of this issue, that is, the droplet and foliage impact process, and the droplet and foliage dynamic interaction including foliar interception, leaf absorption, and leaf burning. Major challenges, such as inefficiencies in foliar interception and uncertainties in fertilization, have been identified, calling for further investigation into these areas. Moreover, perspectives to promote fertilization technology are proposed, including research on the dynamic impact of fertigation droplets on foliage, the development of universal models for leaf fertilizer retention, and the determination of critical fertigation concentrations under varying conditions to prevent leaf burning. This comprehensive review aims to provide a theoretical basis for establishing an integrated fertigation system for sprinkler irrigation and foster innovation in water-fertilizer integration technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author stresses the need to identify the group of children and adolescents who are in need of more attention and proper mental health assessment or intervention. He warns about the increased risk of psychopathology among siblings of an affected child with mental disorder and identifies children of parents who had psychopathologies and those referred to the mental health service as vulnerable groups. Emphasis is given on the role of the government in providing mental health service.

The large magma reservoirs underlying world-class porphyry deposits are one of the key factors in their formation, which thus led to the present study focusing on the unmineralized intrusive rocks underlying the porphyry molybdenum-copper orebody of the post-collisional Jiama porphyry-skarn copper-polymetallic deposit in southern Tibet. The Jiama porphyry intrusion comprises intermediate-silica quartz diorite, monzogranite, and granodiorite porphyries, as well a high-silica granite porphyry. The intrusive rocks suite exhibits similar whole-rock Sr-Nd isotopic compositions [εNd(t) = -3.9 to -0.8], suggesting a common, non-radiogenic magma source. Yet, these rocks have distinct geochemical characteristics. The intermediate-silica rocks are relatively enriched in Ba and Sr with minor Eu anomalies, and show adakite-like geochemical characteristics. In contrast, the high-silica granite porphyry is strongly depleted in Ba, Sr, and Eu, and lacks adakite-like geochemical characteristics. We propose that the high-silica granite porphyry represents highly fractionated melt extracted from a silicic mush reservoir (crystallinity of ∼40%-65%), and that the monzogranite and granodiorite porphyries constitute the complementary residual silicic cumulates. High crystallinity facilitates the formation of connected fluid pathways, allowing the efficient removal of volatiles from the remaining silicic melt and a rapid flux of the ore-forming fluids toward the apical parts of the large magma reservoir. Less-evolved mafic melt is believed to have repeatedly intruded the base of the magma reservoir, thereby releasing volatiles and water into the silicic mush systems. The volatiles migrated upward through the fluid channels and accumulated in the apical part of the magma reservoir, subsequently, as a result of the overpressure in the roof zone, ore-forming fluids and successive batches of magma were expelled together, thereby forming the Jiama porphyry-skarn deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent findings indicated a high comorbidity between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as shared genetic influences on them. The latter might contribute at least partly to the former clinical scenario. This study aimed at investigating whether SHANK genes were potential pleiotropic genes to the two said disorders, underlying their genetic overlap.Methods: This study recruited 298 boys with ADHD (including 256 family trios of 1 ADHD boy and his 2 biological parents), 134 boys with ASD, 109 boys with both ADHD and ASD, and 232 typically developing boys as community controls. They were aged between 6 and 11 years old.Results: There was no significant difference in allele frequency of a number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SHANK2/SHANK3 between the three clinical groups (ADHD, ASD, and ADHD + ASD) and between the two control groups (community controls and pseudo-controls), respectively. The three clinical groups and the two control groups were thus, respectively, combined. A comparison between the two aggregated samples identified significant evidence of disease association for three SHANK2 SNPs with both ADHD and ASD, even after multiple testing correction: rs11236616 (OR = 0.762, permuted p = 0.0376), rs7106631 (OR = 0.720, permuted p = 0.0034), and rs9888288 (OR = 0.770, permuted p = 0.0407). Comparisons among individual groups pointed to a similar trend of findings.Conclusion:SHANK2 could be considered a potential pleiotropic gene underlying the genetic overlap between ADHD and ASD. This might contribute partly to their high comorbidity in the afflicted children.

Jet breakup and dispersion from impact sprinkler are mainly influenced by the configurations of nozzle and dispersion device. Based on the structure, different types of nozzles were designed and tested with a pointed tip dispersion device under low pressure conditions. Experiments were performed using High-Speed Photographic technique, and Matlab computation program was established and applied to determine the initial jet breakup length and angle of dispersion from the nozzles. The sprinkler range decreased with the increase in diameter of nozzle, and the largest range of 15.1 m was produced from sprinkler with 6 mm nozzle size under a pressure of 150 kPa. The angle of dispersion decreased with the increase of jet velocity, the spray coverage from sprinkler with 6 mm nozzle size was 1478 mm under 150 kPa, and was not statistically different when the pressure was increased. A new range formula was established for sprinkler with dispersion device through curve fitting of the parameters of initial jet breakup length, angle of dispersion, nozzle size and working pressure. The new formula was reliable for calculating range with a relative error less than 3%. Since the formula is based on the angle of dispersion, it could be useful to estimate uniformity of water distribution in sprinkler irrigated fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water saving is an essential part of sprinkler irrigation owing to the impact of climate change and rising energy costs. This review highlights the technologies that are emerging in sprinkler irrigation to optimize crop production. While there have been notable advances in irrigation, the continued progress has occurred by the combination of current status with the postulation of new ideas such as conversion of high-pressure sprinkler to low-pressure ones, incorporation of smart controllers in sprinkler irrigation systems. To enhance the adoption of these technologies, research on the dispersion device is needed to improve the performance of impact sprinklers to efficiently operate at low-pressure conditions. It is also important to study how water savings estimates based on water use, irrigated area, longevity of saving, and level of wasteful irrigation prior to the retrofit obtained from field trials can be extrapolated to other areas with different conditions. Research in the development of optimized method for irrigation scheduling is necessary. This review emphasizes that the status of technologies should be considered a continuum, building on earlier knowledge and progress, and hopefully leading toward optimized crop production in sprinkler irrigated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to adapt to the trend towards low-energy and to improve the hydraulic performance of the impact sprinkler under a low pressure condition is by means of a fixed water dispersion device. A fixed dispersion device disperses jet flow from the nozzle continuously. The shape of the tip, impact angle (θ), diameter (D), and depth in the jet flow (d) have significant influence on the hydraulic performance. In this study, the hydraulic performance characteristics of impact sprinkler as affected by the fixed water dispersion device were studied under indoor conditions. Radial water distributions from the sprinkler were obtained by experiments for the fixed water dispersion devices. MATLAB was used to transform the radial data into net data, and the uniformities were simulated in a square layout from 1 to 2 times the range (R). The droplet size distributions from the fixed water dispersion devices were measured by a laser precipitation monitor (LPM). Results showed that the range increased with the increase of pressure, and the sprinkler with type C2 produced a rectangular-shaped water distribution pattern, while the range was maintained. A maximum uniformity of 71.56%, 75.56%, 77.23%, 73.32%, 78.88% and 86.67% was found for types A1, B1, C1, A2, B2, and C2, respectively under a pressure of 200 kPa. The uniformity from the sprinkler using type C2 surpassed 80%, while type C1 fell below. Droplet sizes from type C2 was best, and the mean droplet diameter decreased with the increase of pressure. Hence, type C2 can be selected for further optimization of the design features to improve the hydraulic performance of the impact sprinkler under low pressure conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 48-basepair (48-bp) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in exon 3 of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) is implicated in the etiology of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In particular, ADHD in European-ancestry population is associated with an increased prevalence of the 7-repeat (7R) allele of the exon 3 VNTR. However, it is intriguing to note that the 7R allele has been found to be of very low prevalence in the Chinese general population. In a previous case-control study, our research team had found that the 7R allele was similarly absent in Chinese ADHD children in Hong Kong. Instead, there was an increased prevalence of the 2R allele in Chinese ADHD children. Interestingly, in Asian samples, the 2R allele had been found to be an evolutionary derivative of the 7R allele with equivalent biochemical functionality. So, the finding of an association between ADHD and 2R allele in Chinese population does not exactly contradict the original 7R allele finding in European-ancestry population. However, given the potential pitfall of population stratification in the previous case-control design, this current study tested the 2R allele and ADHD association using a methodologically more rigorous family-based approach on 33 Chinese ADHD probands who had favorable clinical responses to stimulant medication (methylphenidate). Haplotype Relative Risk (HRR) analysis and Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT) both showed a significant preferential transmission of the 2R allele from the biological parents to ADHD probands (pone-tailed = 0.038, OR = 2.04; pone-tailed = 0.048, OR = 2.29, respectively). A second hypothesis speculates that it is the deviation, including 7R and 2R alleles, from the conserved ancestral 4R allele which confers risk to ADHD. Thus, a preferential transmission of non-4R alleles, against the 4R allele, from biological parents to their ADHD probands is predicted. Both HRR analysis and TDT confirmed such prediction (pone-tailed = 0.029, OR = 2.07; pone-tailed = 0.032, OR = 2.43, respectively). This study re-confirmed the original finding of a previous study that in Chinese population, the 2R allele of the DRD4 exon 3 VNTR was related to ADHD. This endorses the general thesis that DRD4 exon 3 VNTR polymorphism is related to ADHD, despite that the exact length or number of repeats of the associated alleles varies across ethnicity. This in turn supports the dopamine dysregulation theory of ADHD.