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BackgroundWith the rapid development of nuclear energy and the wide application of nuclear technology, the radioactivity level of bodies of water has become a highly concerning issue for the public and governments, especially after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.PurposeThis study aims to develop an online γ radioactivitymonitoring system based on 4G Remote Terminal Unit (4G-RTU) to meet the needs of online and emergency monitoring of water radioactivity.MethodsFirst, the γ-ray monitoring device based on sodium iodide detector, 4G-RTU, an integrated power supply waterproof and compression resistant floating device and corresponding software were employed to compose an online monitoring. Second, Qt programming control software was used to realize the remote control of the system, real-time radioactivity monitoring, and data upload. Finally, the original data obtained by the system were used to test the performance indicators, applicability, accuracy, and software functions to verify the practicability of the system.ResultsWithin the coverage of the 4G network, the system realizes remote control of equipment, real-time online monitoring, and data upload throughout the day. The detectable energy range of the system is 30~3 000 keV, and the energy resolution of the system for 137Cs at 662 keV is 7.3% with minimum detectable activity of 0.75 Bq∙L-1. The spectral drift for 208Tl at 2 614 keV is 0.33%, and the linearity of the spectral energy is 0.999 970. The maximum value of energy spectrum stability is 2.28% for 7 h continuous operating, and the minimum value is -2.36%. The operating temperature range of the system is in the range of -5 ℃ to +50 ℃.ConclusionsThe on-line monitoring system meets the application demand and achieves the expected function. It has important popularization value and application prospects in the field of online radioactive monitoring of bodies of water such as oceans, lakes, and rivers.

In view of the urgent need for high-temperature corrosion prevention in high-parameter waste incineration power stations at home and abroad, a refined strategy and plan for high-temperature corrosion protection of flue were devised using the equal life design principle according to the change law of the actual temperature of each flue in the waste boiler and the corrosion rate of the pipeline. For instance, composite induction fusion welding coatings were applied to the mid and lower sections of the first flue’s water-cooled wall; the upper and ceiling portions of the first flue were welded with Inconel625; composite induction fusion welding techniques were used for the second flue’s water-cooled wall; the third flue’s water-cooled wall was treated using induction fusion welding; the high-temperature superheater in the horizontal flue adopted a composite induction fusion welding process; induction fusion welding was the chosen method for the medium and low-temperature superheaters. For the economizer, the use of high-temperature ceramic coatings was recommended. The refined anti-corrosion strategies of the flue according to the principle of equal life design could greatly reduce the one-time investment of the enterprise and bring significant economic benefits.

Simple Summary: Dumeng sheep is a novel, specialized meat sheep breed created through crossbreeding innovation, cross-fixation, and herd expansion, using Dorper sheep as the father and Mongolian sheep as the mother. Given the critical role of early growth and development stages in determining the meat production potential of livestock animals, estimating the genetic parameters of early growth traits is crucial for the genetic advancement of meat sheep populations. This study aimed to investigate the genetic and non-genetic factors that affect the nine early growth traits of Dumeng sheep, as well as to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters associated with these traits. It was found that the growth traits of Dumeng sheep could be improved indirectly by selecting for weaning weight. This study aimed to estimate the genetic and non-genetic factors that affect the nine early growth traits of Dumeng sheep, as well as to estimate the variance components and genetic parameters associated with these traits. A dataset containing detailed information on 17,896 preweaning trait records of 4474 lambs was collected. In addition, 5015 postweaning trait records of 1003 lambs were documented. The effects of recipient dam age, sex, year, season, and herd on the early growth traits were assessed using the general linear model procedure of the statistical analysis system, revealing different levels of significance across different traits. To determine the most suitable model for estimating the genetic parameters, the likelihood ratio (LR) test was employed, fitting six animal models that either excluded or included maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects within the average information restricted maximum likelihood (AIREML) framework using WOMBAT software (Version: 23/11/23). The model incorporating direct additive genetic effects, maternal genetic effects, and maternal permanent environment effects as random effects (model 6) provided the best fit for birth weight (BW) estimation. In contrast, the model combining direct additive genetic effects and maternal permanent environment effects as random effects (model 2) demonstrated a superior fit for estimating the genetic parameters of weaning weight (WW), average daily gain weight from birth to weaning (ADG1), and Kleiber ratio from birth to weaning (KR1). With regard to the genetic parameters of body weight at 6 months of age (6MW), average daily gain weight from weaning to 6 months (ADG2), average daily gain weight from birth to 6 months (ADG3), Kleiber ratio from weaning to 6 months (KR2), and Kleiber ratio from birth to 6 months (KR3), model 1, which incorporates only direct additive genetic effects, was identified as the optimal choice. With the optimal model, the heritability estimates ranged from 0.010 ± 0.033 for 6MW to 0.1837 ± 0.096 for KR3. The bivariate analysis method was employed to estimate the correlation between various traits using the most suitable model. The absolute values of genetic correlation coefficients among the traits spanned a range from 0.1460 to 0.9998, highlighting both weak and strong relationships among the studied traits. Specifically, the estimated genetic correlations between WW and ADG1, ADG3, KR1, and KR3 were 0.9859, 0.9953, 0.9911, and 0.9951, respectively, while the corresponding phenotypic correlations were 0.9752, 0.7836, 0.8262, and 0.5767. These findings identified that WW could serve as an effective selection criterion for enhancing early growth traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of electronic countermeasure (ECM) technology has presented military radar with unprecedented challenges as it remains the primary method of battlefield situational awareness. In this paper, a joint antenna scheduling and power allocation (JASPA) scheme is put forward for multi-target tracking (MTT) in the distributed multiple-input multiple-output (D-MIMO) radar. Aiming at radar resource scheduling in the presence of range deception jamming (RDJ), the false target discriminator is designed based on the Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) in terms of the spoofing range, and the predicted conditional CRLB (PC-CRLB) plays a role in evaluating tracking accuracy. The JASPA scheme integrates the quality of service (QoS) principle to develop an optimization model based on false target discrimination, with the objective of enhancing both the discrimination probability of false targets and the tracking accuracy of real targets concurrently. Since the optimal variables can be separated in constraints, a four-step optimization cycle (FSOC)-based algorithm is developed to solve the multidimensional non-convex problem. Numerical simulation results are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed JASPA scheme in dealing with MTT in the RDJ environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the fabrication of composites involving polyimide (PI) and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) resins with Cu using chemical treatment and sandblasting, followed by plasma cleaning in a vacuum environment charged with Ar. To enhance the bonding strength of Cu to PI and PEEK, vacuum magnetron sputtering was used to deposit an intermediate transition layer of titanium and a plated seed layer of Cu onto the resin. For PI/copper composites, the copper layer's highest bonding strength was achieved through sandblasting and plasma cleaning for 150 s at a bias voltage of 100 V. For PEEK/Cu composites, the optimal bonding strength of the copper layer was observed after 80 s of plasma cleaning. Surface roughness is important in the bonding strength of the copper layer. Additionally, the Ti transition layer strengthens bonding forces between Cu and both PI and PEEK. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed Ti–O bond formation with oxygen in the resins and Ti–C bonds within the carbon, indicating chemical interactions that bolstered Cu adhesion to resins. Adjusting the bias voltage had varying effects on the bonding strength of resin/Cu. For PI/Cu, the bonding force decreased with increasing bias voltage (20–150 V) owing to excessive bias voltage causing surface defects on the plated Cu layer, which reduced the density of the plated Cu layer. Conversely, the PEEK/Cu bonding force initially increased with increasing bias voltage due to enhanced surface bombardment. Beyond an optimal point, the bonding force in PEEK/Cu decreased due to unfavorable effects on layer density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Inner Mongolia white Cashmere goat is a breed of goat formed by long-term breeding that is used for mutton and cashmere and can be divided into the Arbas type, Erlangshan type, and Alashan type. The growth and development traits of livestock are affected by many factors, which can be roughly divided into two categories: genetic factors and non-genetic factors. Non-genetic factors generally include sex, birth month, birth type, birth year, group, and some other environmental factors and their interaction effects. To study their effects on different traits is to analyze the reasons for the differences in livestock production performance and put forward major suggestions so as to provide a theoretical basis and reference for the selection breeding of livestock and improve the economic benefits of livestock breeding. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a collection method used to compare multiple mean values of different groups. This study analyzed the influence of non-genetic factors on the growth, development, and cashmere production performance traits of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats (Erlangshan type) and finally identified the non-genetic factors affecting growth, development, and cashmere production traits of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats (Erlangshan type). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of non-genetic factors on the growth and development performance of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats (Erlanghan type), such as birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), 6-month weight (6 WT), 12-month weight (12 WT), body height (BH), and body length (BL), and wool production performance, such as cashmere fineness (CF), cashmere thickness (CT), and cashmere yield (CY). The research objects were 4654 kids produced by 45 buck goats and 2269 doe goats in the Erlang Mountain Ranch of Beiping Textile Co., Ltd., Inner Mongolia, from 2020 to 2023. Based on the generalized linear model, ANOVA was used to analyze the effects of non-genetic factors, such as birth year (Y), birth month (M), sex (S), birth type (T), birth herd (H), assay flock (F), age at measurement (MA), and the age of doe goats at lambing (DLA), on growth and development traits and cashmere traits. The results show that the birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), 6-month weight (6 WT), 12-month weight (12 WT), body length (BL), body height (BH), chest depth (CD), chest width (CW), chest circumference (CC), cannon circumference (CNC), wool length (WL), and cashmere yield (CY) of buck goats were significantly higher than those of doe goats (p < 0.01), and the fineness of the cashmere produced by doe goats was significantly finer than that produced by buck goats (p < 0.01). The birth weight, weaning weight, and 6-month weight of single kids were significantly higher than those of multiple kids (p < 0.01), but the effect on the 12-month weight was not significant (p > 0.05). The age of doe goats at lambing had significant effects on birth weight, weaning weight, and 6-month weight (p < 0.01). Assay flock and age at measurement had significant effects on cashmere fineness, cashmere thickness, and cashmere yield (p < 0.01). This study will provide a basis for the scientific breeding and management of cashmere goats and lay a foundation for the setting of fixed effects in the genetic evaluation model of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats (Erlangshan type). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]