Search

Rorippa sylvestris (L.) Besser. (yellow fieldcress) is a hyperaccumulator of cadmium (Cd) discovered recently. There are several studies in the topic of Cd tolerance capacity and detoxification mechanism of plants, but the detoxification mechanism of R. sylvestris is not clear. Root tiller seedlings of R. sylvestris were planted in the brown bottles filled with culture solution containing different levels of Cd (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 μmol·L−1, respectively) for 8 days in order to make sure the physiological responses, Cd subcellular distribution and chemical forms under Cd stress. The results showed that the growth increased in lower Cd concentration and declined in higher Cd concentration. Physiological characteristics such as photosynthesis and MDA were not significantly affected compared with the control at Cd concentratetion ≤ 50 μmol·L−1. The content of soluble sugar and free proline increased with the increasing of Cd concentration for the purpose of reducing the Cd toxicity to plant. R. sylvestris had a strong capability of Cd accumulation in different Cd treatments. The concentration of Cd in plant tissues (root, stem, leaf) was in the order of root>stem>leaf. The Cd subcellular distribution in plant tissues of R. sylvestris was in the order of soluble fractions>cell wall>protoplast>mitochondria. Cd was mainly extracted by deionized water and 80% ethanol (60.91–69.76%), followed by sodium chloride (16.14–25.12%), which indicated that R. sylvestris achieved to enhance Cd tolerance capacity and detoxification mechanism through root retention and vacuolar compartmentalization.

We here investigate the secure control of networked control systems developing a new dynamic watermarking (DW) scheme. First, the weaknesses of the conventional DW scheme are revealed, and the tradeoff between the effectiveness of false data injection attack (FDIA) detection and system performance loss is analyzed. Second, we propose a new DW scheme, and its attack detection capability is interrogated using the additive distortion power of a closed-loop system. Furthermore, the FDIA detection effectiveness of the closed-loop system is analyzed using auto/cross-covariance of the signals, where the positive correlation between the FDIA detection effectiveness and the watermarking intensity is measured. Third, the tolerance capacity of FDIA against the closed-loop system is investigated, and theoretical analysis shows that the system performance can be recovered from FDIA using our new DW scheme. Finally, the experimental results from a networked inverted pendulum system demonstrate the validity of our proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine intertidal organisms face extreme environmental fluctuations due to tidal cycles. To investigate the impact of environmental changes (high salinity, sea surface temperature, and anthropogenic pollution) on the health of the coastal area, we selected the dominant intertidal organisms: sponge (Cinachyrella cf. cavernosa) and zoanthid (Zoanthus sansibaricus) as our model system from a rocky beach Anjuna, Goa, India. Sponges and zoanthids were transplanted from their natural habitat (mid-tide pools) to new habitat (upper-tide pools). The study was carried out for 15 days when these pools experienced flushing during the first and last 5 days (high tide was >1.8 m) and no flushing during the middle 5 days (high tide was <1.8 m). The indices of physiological response (such as in budding activity and oscular openings) in the sponge and (chlorophyll estimation and symbiotic zooxanthellae count) in zoanthid were estimated at natural and transplanted habitats. Upper intertidal pools experienced intense temperature (29.9–36.15°C), salinity (35.03–46.7 ppt) and variability in dissolved oxygen (3.2–9.5 mg/l). The transplanted sponge did show the closure of oscula (90.62%) and reduction in buds (40–94.9%), but they could survive beyond 15 days. While transplanted zoanthid showed bleaching and did not survive beyond 72 h due to reduced chlorophyll content (up to 44.21%) and zooxanthellae count (34.54%). Our results depicted the differential tolerance capacity of sessile organisms like sponge and zoanthid to environmental changes, which govern the vertical zonation in the rocky intertidal region. It highlights the role of these sessile invertebrates as early indicators of environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to find the feasibility of prolonging the storage period of the internal phase of the larvae of Apanteles angaleti parasite at 15°C temperature for various periods of time: 0, 72, 113, 126, 140, 182, 184 days to figure out the impact of cooled storage on the efficacy of the produced females post storing period. It has been shown in the results that the periods of growth of both the parasite and the host under 27°C after various storing periods at 15°C varies statistically of growth for both host and parasite not exposed to cooling from the periods' regime. Prolonging the period of storing under 15°C temperature for up to 184 days might affect the percentage of development of both the host and the parasite. Furthermore, it has also been noticed that the sex ratio and the ages of the first generation were affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater docking station requires a conical guiding device with a large tolerance capacity and smaller volume to recover unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Here, this paper innovatively introduces a conical guiding origami mechanism designed by an array and rotation approach based on a rigid origami mechanism. The Jacobian matrix method systematically calculates the degree of freedom (DOF) of the device. The variation function of dihedral angle in the folding process of the origami mechanism is derived, and the kinematics model is established within the Cartesian coordinate system. Based on this model, we established a mathematical model for optimizing the origami mechanism by considering number of units and unit volume as the design variables, subject to minimizing the underwater flow area and length. The sequential quadratic programming algorithm is employed to identify the optimum design variables. Subsequently, based on optimized results, collision simulation is carried out, and a conical guiding device tailored for an underwater docking station is successfully designed. The proposed device can be used as an underwater docking station to recover UUVs for ocean exploration. The proposed device has a large tolerance capacity, minimal shrinkage state cross-sectional area and length, excellent hydrodynamic performance, and a high spatial utilization rate. • A conical guiding origami mechanism is designed by array and rotation based on a rigid origami mechanism. • Establishment of kinematics models for showcasing the folding process. • Parametric optimization of conical guiding origami mechanism using SQP algorithm. • A conical guiding device for underwater docking station is designed and the physical prototype is made by 3D Printing. • The tolerance capacity is increased and the flow area is decreased by spatial folding of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we extend an early agent-based spatial model of the prediction market by taking into account the heterogeneities of agents in their tolerance capacity (tolerance to neighbors with different political identities) and in their exploration capacity (exploration of the political identities of other agents). We then study the effects of these heterogeneities on the behavior of the prediction market, including prediction accuracy, determinants of earnings, and income distribution. First, in terms of prediction accuracy, we find that, compared to the homogeneous case, bringing heterogeneity into the model can generally improve the prediction accuracy, although its statistical significance is limited. In particular, the well-known empirical regularity known as the favorite-longshot bias remains almost unchanged with this extension. Second, through the heterogeneous-agent design, we find that both capacities (personality traits) of agents have a significant positive effect on earnings, and the effect of the exploration capacity is even more dramatic. Third, through their effects on earnings, both capacities also contribute to income inequality, but only to a mild degree with a Gini coefficient of 0.20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]