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As a crucial geological, climatic, and ecological boundary in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (SEMTP), the topographic evolution of Diancang Shan (DCS) remains unclear due to the lack of direct constraints on its paleoelevation. Here, we quantitatively reconstructed changes in annual mean temperature (ANNT) based on palynological data from the terrestrial Dasongping section (∼7.6–1.8 Ma) in the Dali Basin, located at the northeastern margin of DCS in Yunnan, China. Integrating the thermochronological data from the eastern and southern margins of DCS, we have clarified the paleotopographic evolution of DCS during this period: the paleoelevation of DCS likely exceeded 2000 m a.s.l. (above sea level) due to initial normal faulting at ∼7.6 Ma, possibly comparable to the current average elevation (∼2200 m a.s.l.) of the surrounding Dali Basin region. Significant growth occurred between ∼5.0 and ∼3.5 Ma, with at least ∼1000 m uplift gain in the northern segment and up to ∼2000 m in the southern segment of DCS, caused by the intensification of normal faulting activities. Finally, the northern segment of DCS reached the elevation of ∼3500 m a.s.l. after ∼1.8 Ma. Our findings suggest that the quantitative ANNT reconstruction, combined with thermochronological and sedimentary data, can significantly improve constraint on the paleotopographic evolution of DCS.

Cadmium-bearing zinc ferrite (CBZF) is an unavoidable product in zinc smelting industry during the roasting stage for high cadmium-containing zinc concentrate. In this work, the influences of temperature, initial sulfuric acid concentration and partial pressure of sulfur dioxide on cadmium leaching were investigated. The results showed that an increase of temperature, sulfuric acid concentration and partial pressure of sulfur dioxide significantly enhanced the cadmium leaching efficiency. The maximum leaching efficiency of cadmium reached 99.2% at the temperature of 85°C, the initial sulfuric acid concentration of 80 g/L and the partial pressure of sulfur dioxide of 200 kPa. H+ played a key role during the reductive decomposition process of CBZF. The probable reaction mechanisms and the diagrammatic sketch were presented.

Abstract The resonant excitation of electronic transitions with coherent laser sources creates quantum coherent superpositions of the involved electronic states. Most time-resolved studies have focused on gases or isolated subsystems embedded in insulating solids, aiming for applications in quantum information. Here, we focus on the coherent control of orbital wavefunctions in the correlated quantum material Tb2Ti2O7, which forms an interacting spin liquid ground state. We show that resonant excitation with a strong THz pulse creates a coherent superposition of the lowest energy Tb 4f states. The coherence manifests itself as a macroscopic oscillating magnetic dipole, which is detected by ultrafast resonant x-ray diffraction. We envision the coherent control of orbital wavefunctions demonstrated here to become a new tool for the ultrafast manipulation and investigation of quantum materials.

Black carbon (BC) aerosol is considered one of the most important contributors to rapid climate warming as well as snow and sea ice melting in the Arctic, yet the observations of BC aerosols in the Arctic Ocean have been limited due to infrastructural and logistical difficulties. We observed BC mass concentrations (mBC) using light absorption methods on board the icebreaker R/V Araon in the Arctic Ocean (< 80° N and 166° E to 156° W) as well as the North Pacific Ocean in summer and early autumn of 2016–2020. The levels, interannual variations, and pollution episodes of mBC in the Arctic were examined, and the emission sources responsible for the high-BC episodes were analyzed with global chemistry-transport-model simulations. The average mBC in the surface air over the Arctic Ocean (72–80° N) observed by the 2019 cruise exceeded 70 ng m−3, which was substantially higher than that observed by cruises in other years (approximately 10 ng m−3). The much higher mBC observed in 2019 was perhaps due to more frequent wildfires occurring in the Arctic region than in other years. The model suggested that biomass burning contributed most to the observed BC by mass in the western Arctic Ocean and the marginal seas. For these 5 years, we identified 10 high-BC episodes north of 65° N, including one in 2018 that was associated with co-enhancements of CO and CH4 but not CO2 and O3. The model analysis indicated that certain episodes were attributed to BC-containing air masses transported from boreal fire regions to the Arctic Ocean, with some transport occurring near the surface and others in the mid-troposphere. This study provides crucial datasets on BC mass concentrations and the mixing ratios of O3, CH4, CO, and CO2 in the western Arctic Ocean regions, and it highlights the significant impact of boreal fires on the observed Arctic BC during the summer and early autumn months.

Ice microphysics controls cloud electrification in thunderstorms, and the various secondary ice production (SIP) processes are vital in generating high ice concentrations. However, the role of SIP in cold-season thunderstorms is not well understood. In this study, the impacts of SIP on the electrification in a thunderstorm that occurred in late November are investigated using model simulations. The parameterizations of four SIP processes are implemented in the model, including the rime splintering, ice–ice collisional breakup, shattering of freezing drops, and sublimational breakup of ice. In addition, a noninductive charging parameterization and an inductive charging parameterization, as well as a bulk discharging model, are coupled with the spectral bin microphysics scheme. The macroscopic characteristics and the temporal evolution of this thunderstorm are well modeled. The radar reflectivity and flash rate obtained by adding four SIP processes are more consistent with the observations than those without SIP. Among the four SIP processes, the rime splintering has the strongest impact on the storm. The graupel and snow concentrations are enhanced while their sizes are suppressed due to the SIP. The changes in the ice microphysics result in substantial changes in the charge structure. The total charge density changes from an inverted tripole structure to a dipole structure (tripole structure at some locations) after four SIP processes are considered in the model, mainly due to the enhanced collision between graupel and ice. These changes lead to an enhancement of the vertical electric field, especially in the mature stage, which explains the improved modeling of flash rate. The results highlight that cold-season cloud electrification is very sensitive to the SIP processes.

ABSTRACT In low-microbial biomass samples such as bovine milk, contaminants can outnumber endogenous bacteria. Because of this, milk microbiome research suffers from a critical knowledge gap, namely, does non-mastitis bovine milk contain a native microbiome? In this study, we sampled external and internal mammary epithelia and stripped and cisternal milk and used numerous negative controls, including air and sampling controls and extraction and library preparation blanks, to identify the potential sources of contamination. Two algorithms were used to mathematically remove contaminants and track the potential movement of microbes among samples. Results suggest that the majority (i.e., >75%) of sequence data generated from bovine milk and mammary epithelium samples represents contaminating DNA. Contaminants in milk samples were primarily sourced from DNA extraction kits and the internal and external skin of the teat, while teat canal and apex samples were mainly contaminated during the sampling process. After decontamination, the milk microbiome displayed a more dispersed, less diverse, and compositionally distinct bacterial profile compared with epithelial samples. Similar microbial compositions were observed between cisternal and stripped milk samples, as well as between teat apex and canal samples. Staphylococcus and Acinetobacter were the predominant genera detected in milk sample sequences, and bacterial culture showed growth of Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium spp. in 50% (7/14) of stripped milk samples and growth of Staphylococcus spp. in 7% (1/14) of cisternal milk samples. Our study suggests that microbiome data generated from milk samples obtained from clinically healthy bovine udders may be heavily biased by contaminants that enter the sample during sample collection and processing workflows.IMPORTANCEObtaining a non-contaminated sample of bovine milk is challenging due to the nature of the sampling environment and the route by which milk is typically extracted from the mammary gland. Furthermore, the very low bacterial biomass of bovine milk exacerbates the impacts of contaminant sequences in downstream analyses, which can lead to severe biases. Our finding showed that bovine milk contains very low bacterial biomass and each contamination event (including sampling procedure and DNA extraction process) introduces bacteria and/or DNA fragments that easily outnumber the native bacterial cells. This finding has important implications for our ability to draw robust conclusions from milk microbiome data, especially if the data have not been subjected to rigorous decontamination procedures. Based on these findings, we strongly urge researchers to include numerous negative controls into their sampling and sample processing workflows and to utilize several complementary methods for identifying potential contaminants within the resulting sequence data. These measures will improve the accuracy, reliability, reproducibility, and interpretability of milk microbiome data and research.

The differences in maximum Maillard glycation extent of proteins incubated with saccharides of different size/charge might be explained by differences in saccharide reactivity towards each protein modification site. Mixtures of α-lactalbumin-glucose (AG), α-lactalbumin-maltotriose (AMTT) or α-lactalbumin-galacturonic acid (AGalA) were incubated for 10 h, reaching a glycation extent of 42, 19 and 30 %, respectively. Glycated protein samples were enzymatically hydrolyzed followed by UPLC-UV-MS determination and quantification of glycation in individual modification sites. On average, around 80 % of protein glycation was recovered as glycated peptides. For all protein-saccharide mixtures, the N-terminal amino group, K58, K62 and K114 were never glycated, whilst K5 and K122 were always the most glycated sites. The glycated sites R10, K79, K93, K94 and K108 found in AGalA, were absent from AG and AMtt. Differences in glycated/non-glycated sites could not explain the differences in total protein glycation between the various samples.

Grottoes in China are crucial components of immovable cultural heritage. According to the 2020 national survey conducted by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Sichuan-Chongqing region boasts a total of 2,850 grottoes and rock carvings, accounting for approximately half of the national total. Among these, Anyue County, situated in the central part of Sichuan Province, stands out as one of the most concentrated and distinctive areas for grottoes in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. Therefore, conducting a spatial pattern analysis of grottoes holds significant theoretical and practical value for the protection and cultural dissemination of cultural heritage in Anyue County. Building upon the spatial distribution of grottoes in Anyue County, this study integrates multiple geospatial data sources, such as water systems and elevation. By employing methods such as buffer analysis, kernel density analysis, and standard deviation ellipse analysis, it delineates the spatial distribution pattern in Anyue County and preliminarily identifies their Spatial distribution rules. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) Within the administrative boundaries of Anyue County, grottoes exhibit a distribution pattern characterized by "less in the west and more in the east" and "one belt with three cores." (2) Grottoes and rock carvings in Anyue County primarily concentrate within a 1500-meter range on both sides of rivers, with the number decreasing as the distance from the rivers increases. Moreover, there are significantly fewer sites near inward-flowing rivers compared to outward-flowing rivers. (3) Natural factors influence the distribution of grottoes, with the number of grottoes being much lower in higher-altitude areas than in lower-altitude areas.

Surface gravity waves play a critical role in several processes, including mixing, coastal inundation, and surface fluxes. Despite the growing literature on the importance of ocean surface waves, wind–wave processes have traditionally been excluded from Earth system models (ESMs) due to the high computational costs of running spectral wave models. The development of the Next Generation Ocean Model for the DOE’s (Department of Energy) E3SM (Energy Exascale Earth System Model) Project partly focuses on the inclusion of a wave model, WAVEWATCH III (WW3), into E3SM. WW3, which was originally developed for operational wave forecasting, needs to be computationally less expensive before it can be integrated into ESMs. To accomplish this, we take advantage of heterogeneous architectures at DOE leadership computing facilities and the increasing computing power of general-purpose graphics processing units (GPUs). This paper identifies the wave action source terms, W3SRCEMD, as the most computationally intensive module in WW3 and then accelerates them via GPU. Our experiments on two computing platforms, Kodiak (P100 GPU and Intel(R) Xeon(R) central processing unit, CPU, E5-2695 v4) and Summit (V100 GPU and IBM POWER9 CPU) show respective average speedups of 2× and 4× when mapping one Message Passing Interface (MPI) per GPU. An average speedup of 1.4× was achieved using all 42 CPU cores and 6 GPUs on a Summit node (with 7 MPI ranks per GPU). However, the GPU speedup over the 42 CPU cores remains relatively unchanged (∼ 1.3×) even when using 4 MPI ranks per GPU (24 ranks in total) and 3 MPI ranks per GPU (18 ranks in total). This corresponds to a 35 %–40 % decrease in both simulation time and usage of resources. Due to too many local scalars and arrays in the W3SRCEMD subroutine and the huge WW3 memory requirement, GPU performance is currently limited by the data transfer bandwidth between the CPU and the GPU. Ideally, OpenACC routine directives could be used to further improve performance. However, W3SRCEMD would require significant code refactoring to make this possible. We also discuss how the trade-off between the occupancy, register, and latency affects the GPU performance of WW3.

Abstract The amount of energy released by a nuclear recoil ionizing the atoms of the active volume of detection appears “quenched” compared to an electron of the same kinetic energy. This different behavior in ionization between electrons and nuclei is described by the Ionization Quenching Factor (IQF) and it plays a crucial role in direct dark matter searches. For low kinetic energies (below $$50~\textrm{keV}$$ 50 keV ), IQF measurements deviate significantly from common models used for theoretical predictions and simulations. We report measurements of the IQF for proton, an appropriate target for searches of Dark Matter candidates with a mass of approximately $$1~\textrm{GeV}$$ 1 GeV , with kinetic energies in between $$2~\textrm{keV}$$ 2 keV and $$13~\textrm{keV}$$ 13 keV in $$100~\textrm{mbar}$$ 100 mbar of methane. We used the Comimac facility in order to produce the motion of nuclei and electrons of controlled kinetic energy in the active volume, and a NEWS-G SPC to measure the deposited energy. The Comimac electrons are used as a reference to calibrate the detector with 7 energy points. A detailed study of systematic effects led to the final results well fitted by $$\textrm{IQF}~(E_K)= E_K^\alpha ~/~(\beta + E_K^\alpha )$$ IQF ( E K ) = E K α / ( β + E K α ) with $$\alpha = 0.70\pm 0.08$$ α = 0.70 ± 0.08 and $$\beta = 1.32\pm 0.17$$ β = 1.32 ± 0.17 . In agreement with some previous works in other gas mixtures, we measured less ionization energy than predicted from SRIM simulations, the difference reaching $$33\%$$ 33 % at $$2~\textrm{keV}$$ 2 keV .

Birefringence in diamond is an optical phenomenon related to strain and various defects in crystal lattices. Despite extensive investigations being done to characterize and quantify it, there is still controversy about its origin in diamond lattices. Here we report the relationship between the distribution of birefringence patterns observed under cross-polarized light, strain features analyzed by Raman mapping, and the impurity characteristics revealed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) mapping in natural mixed-habit diamonds. It was deduced that the plastic deformation was enhanced with higher tensile residual stress, and nitrogen and VN3H defects were more enriched as a result of the temperature increase during crystallization, at growth bands showing straight birefringence patterns and the relative enrichment of graphite inclusions. These results provided solid data and insights for birefringence-related properties in diamond and correlated the occurrence of birefringence with diamond spectroscopic properties, which promoted the understanding of the formation of birefringence in natural diamonds and would be helpful for the synthesis of high-quality, birefringence-free diamonds.

Objective: A procedure has been proposed for patient-specific QA that, instead of comparing a measurement to the planned dose, compares the dose calculated by an independent system to the dose calculated by the planning system. It is still prudent, however, to check the accuracy of the beam delivery. For this purpose, the DICOM records from the first treatment fraction can be compared to the planned treatment using an in-house developed planning system. Methods: Totally 1,398 patient portals were subjected to the new QA procedure. The dose distribution for each portal was first recalculated on a water phantom by two treatment planning systems and the dose distributions were compared. When agreement was observed, the patient was allowed to start treatment without a measurement. The record from the first day was imported into an in-house planning system which was used to evaluate the delivery for errors and calculate the delivered dose distribution and compare it to the planned dose distribution. Results: A total of 266 portals passed a strict comparison between the clinical and QA dose calculations and directly used for treatment without measurements. For those portals, the comparison of the delivery records to the plan showed that 99% of spot positions deviated less than 0.2 ​mm and 99.7% of spot metersets deviated by less than 0.3%. On the other hand, 64 portals showed spot size deviations greater than the tolerance of ± 15% with some as large as ±25%. For 32 portals in which the record was used to calculate the delivered dose distribution, the Gamma passing rates between the planned and delivered distributions were always above 95% using a 2% dose difference and 2 ​mm distance-to-agreement criteria. Conclusions: The new QA process has been implemented slowly with strict constraints. The amount of beam time required has been reduced while maintaining safety.

Carbon dioxide is considered an inert gas that rarely participates in atmospheric chemical reactions. Nonetheless, we show here that CO2 is involved in some important photo-oxidation reactions in the atmosphere through the formation of carbonate radicals (CO3⚫-). This potentially active intermediate CO3⚫- is routinely overlooked in atmospheric chemistry concerning its effect on sulfate formation. The present work demonstrates that the SO2 uptake coefficient is enhanced by 17 times on mineral dust particles driven by CO3⚫-. Importantly, upon irradiation, mineral dust particles are speculated to produce gas-phase carbonate radical ions when the atmospherically relevant concentration of CO2 presents, thereby potentially promoting external sulfate aerosol formation and oxidative potential in the atmosphere. Employing a suite of laboratory investigations of sulfate formation in the presence of carbonate radicals on the model and authentic dust particles, ground-based field measurements of sulfate and (bi)carbonate ions within ambient PM, together with density functional theory (DFT) calculations for single electron transfer processes in terms of CO3⚫--initiated S(IV) oxidation, a novel role of carbonate radical in atmospheric chemistry is elucidated.

Filter-based offline analysis of atmospheric aerosol hygroscopicity coupled to composition analysis provides information complementary to that obtained from online analysis. However, its application itself and comparison to online analysis have remained limited to date. In this study, daily submicrometer aerosol particles (PM0.95, 50 % cutoff diameter 0.95 µm) were collected onto quartz fiber filters on Okinawa Island, a receptor of East Asian outflow, in the autumn of 2015. The chemical composition of water-soluble matter (WSM) in PM0.95, PM0.95 itself, and their respective hygroscopicities were characterized through the offline use of an aerosol mass spectrometer and a hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer. Thereafter, results were compared with those obtained from online analyses. Sulfate dominated the WSM mass (59 %), followed by water-soluble organic matter (WSOM, 20 %) and ammonium (13 %). WSOM accounted for most (91 %) of the mass of extracted organic matter (EOM) and the atomic O-to-C ratios (O:C) of WSOM and EOM were high (mean ± standard deviation were 0.84 ± 0.08 and 0.78 ± 0.08, respectively), both of which indicate highly aged characteristics of the observed aerosol. The hygroscopic growth curves showed clear hysteresis for most samples. At 85 % relative humidity (RH), the calculated hygroscopicity parameter κ values of the WSM (κWSM), WSOM, EOM, and PM0.95 (κPM0.95) were 0.50 ± 0.03, 0.22 ± 0.12, 0.20 ± 0.11, and 0.47 ± 0.03, respectively. An analysis using the thermodynamic Extended Aerosol Inorganics Model (E-AIM) shows, on average, that inorganic salts and WSOM contributed 88 % and 12 %, respectively, of the κWSM (or κPM0.95). High similarities were found between offline and online analysis for chemical compositions that are related to particle hygroscopicity (the mass fractions and O:C of organics and the degree of neutralization) and also for aerosol hygroscopicity. As possible factors governing the variation in κWSM, the influences of WSOM abundance and the neutralization of inorganic salts were assessed. At high RH (70 %–90 %), the hygroscopicity of WSM and PM0.95 was affected considerably by the presence of organic components; at low RH (20 %–50 %), the degree of neutralization could be important. This study not only characterized aerosol hygroscopicity at the receptor site of East Asian outflow but also shows that offline hygroscopicity analysis is an appropriate method, at least for aerosols of the studied type. The results encourage further applications to other environments and to more in-depth hygroscopicity analysis, in particular for organic fractions.

The demand for indoor localization has increased in fields such as indoor navigation, virtual reality and emergency response. Traditionally, hardware-based indoor positioning methods require a large number of devices to be deployed and require high maintenance costs. Vision-based localization methods offer a low-cost option for this purpose. Visual Localization has two typical pipeline: end-to-end study and traditional pose estimation based on PnP(Perspective-n-point). However, the quality of the retrieved images and 2D-3D correspondences is vital to the precision and recall of the traditional method. In this paper we try to partly overcome the mentioned drawback by eliminate the error retrieval images with multi-features, and we use several retrieved images to collect enough 2D-3D correspondences to improve the robustness against error input. We also filter the outliers during forming the 2D-3D correspondences with RANSAC and Lowe’s ratio test. As a supplement to the various indoor visual localization dataset production, we introduce a pipeline which can generate point clouds and mesh model via our integrated RGB-D cameras.

The impact of persisting herbicide residues on succeeding crops is of great concern to farmers because even the presence of very low concentrations can inhibit growth of crop and cause crop reduction. Furthermore, wastewater irrigation can lead to cadmium accumulation in soils. Thus, the co-occurrence of low amounts of herbicide residues and cadmium within agricultural fields are difficult to avoid. How the combination of these two pollutants affect plant metabolites remains to be elucidated and thus warrants investigation. Maize seeds were planted in soil that had been sprayed with chlorsulfuron and Cd, then we studied the effects of exposure to the herbicide chlorsulfuron (0.001, 0.003, 0.005, 0.008, and 0.010 mg kg-1) and cadmium (as 5.0 mg kg-1 CdCl2) on maize seedlings by utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) after 21 d. Principle component analysis of 1H NMR spectra clearly discriminated between control and treatment groups. Compared with chlorsulfuron-only treatments, treatments using both contaminants showed higher content of phenolic acids, aspartic acid, choline, β-galactose, and α-glucose in the seedlings. Contrary to previous reports, we found larger pools of branched-chain amino acids in seedlings exposed to chlorsulfuron and CdCl2. These findings indicate that CdCl2 did not aggravate the effects of chlorsulfuron on maize seedlings metabolites. CdCl2 elicited significant changes in plant metabolism at a concentration that did not impair plant growth. Moreover, chlorsulfuron did not inhibit branched chain amino acid synthesis.

Secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) affect human health and climate change prediction; however, the factors (e.g., temperature, acidity of pre-existing particles, and oxidants) influencing their formation are not sufficiently resolved. Using a compact chamber, the temperature and acidity dependence of SOA yields and chemical components in SOA from α-pinene ozonolysis were systematically investigated under 278, 288, and 298 K temperatures using neutral ((NH4)2SO4) and acidic (H2SO4+((NH4)2SO4)) seed aerosols. SOA components with m/z less than 400 were analyzed using negative electrospray ionization liquid-chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Based on the slightly negative temperature dependence of the SOA yields, the enthalpies of vaporization under neutral and acidic seed conditions were estimated to be 25 and 44 kJ mol−1, respectively. In addition, SOA yields increased with an increase in the acidity of seed particles (solid/near-solid state) at low SOA mass loadings, when compared with the seed particle amounts. Acidity dependence analysis of the chemical formula, molecular mass, and O:C ratio of the detected compounds indicated the enhanced formation of multiple oligomers in the wide molecular mass range with a wide range of O:C ratios under acidic seed conditions. The peak abundances of some chemical compounds increased with an increase in the acidity of seed particles (e.g., m/z 197, 311, 313, 339, 355, and 383), while decreases in the peak abundances of some chemical compounds were observed (e.g., m/z 171, 185, 215, 343, and 357). The acidity dependence could be explained by acid-catalyzed heterogeneous reactions or acid-catalyzed decomposition of hydroperoxides. In addition, organosulfate (OS) formation was observed under acidic seed conditions. Six out of the 11 detected OSs were potentially formed via the aldehyde + HSO4- pathway.

Ultrafast control of materials draws interest. Here, the authors extend X-ray powder diffraction to the femtosecond timescale to follow the photo-induced semiconductor to metal transition in titanium pentaoxide, observing a phase front that moves at the speed of sound and proposing a little explored mechanism.

Improvements to the signal-to-noise ratio of magnetic resonance detection lead to a strong reduction in measurement time, yet as a sole optimization goal for resonator design, it would be an oversimplification of the problem at hand. Multiple constraints, for example for field homogeneity and sample shape, suggest the use of numerical optimization to obtain resonator designs that deliver the intended improvement. Here we consider the 2D Lenz lens to be a sufficiently broadband flux transforming interposer between the sample and a radiofrequency (RF) circuit and to be a flexible and easily manufacturable device family with which to mediate different design requirements. We report on a method to apply topology optimization to determine the optimal layout of a Lenz lens and demonstrate realizations for both low- (45 MHz) and high-frequency (500 MHz) nuclear magnetic resonance.

Nitrate, sulfate and ammonium (NSA) are the main secondary inorganic aerosols of PM2.5 and play an important role in air pollution. In this study, a 3-year observational experiment was conducted from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017, in Chengdu, southwest China. NSA pollution characteristics, chemical conversion generation, emission reduction control sensitivity and pollutant regional transport characteristics were analyzed. NSA are the most important chemical compositions of particles with aerodynamic equivalent diameter ≤2.5 µm in ambient air (PM2.5), and the contribution of nitrate to the accumulation of PM2.5 concentration is greater than that of sulfate and ammonium. NSA also have obvious characteristics of annual, monthly, seasonal, diurnal and weekly variations. Through observation data and model simulation, it was also found that the existence of an aerosol aqueous environment plays an important role in the formation and existence of NSA. Sensitivity analysis between NSA found that controlling NO3- and SO42- plays an important role in reducing the contribution of NSA to PM2.5, which also implies that the current control of NOx and SO2 is important for improving air pollution. Combined with meteorological conditions and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analysis, local emissions and regional emissions of pollutants are found to have important impacts on Chengdu's atmospheric environment. This research result not only provides an assessment of the current atmospheric emission reduction effect but also provides an important reference for atmospheric pollution control.

Subsidence induced by human activity and urbanization is distributed in an area or along a line. In Shanghai, China, land subsidence is distributed along the belt near a subway line. The subsidence is caused by train vibration as well as regional land subsidence and other engineering activity. In order to figure out the mechanical response of the tunnel surroundings, the PFC2D software based on a discrete element method is introduced to simulate a section of the metro tunnel. The linear contact bond model was employed to reflect the characteristics of clay. Based on the analysis of stress and settlement caused by dynamic cyclic loading, the mechanical response law and subsidence mechanism were investigated. In addition, the influence of frequency on settlement was also analyzed: the greater the frequency, the more particles were rearranged and the larger the settlement. The fraction of sliding contacts was introduced to explain this phenomenon. The results can be used to understand, predict and control land subsidence to protect the geological environment.

As potential substitutes for traditional free-range rearing system, floor-rearing system (FRS) and net-rearing system (NRS) are the current predominant dryland duck rearing systems. However, the influence of these two systems on production performance and duck health is poorly understood. In this study, a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with two rearing systems (FRS and NRS) and three ages (4w, 8w and 13w) was conducted to study the effects of FRS and NRS on production, antioxidant capacity and immune status of Nonghua ducks. The production performance was mainly affected by the effect of rearing systems at 8w. Body weight, average daily gain, eviscerated weight and semi-eviscerated weight were higher in NRS ducks at 8w, but carcass yield at 8w and 13w was decreased (P 0.05), however, in NRS, slightly better antioxidant capacity was seen at 4w, while glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was higher at 13w (P

With the development of social economy, the definition, scope and connotation of architectural heritage have also evolved. However, the architectural heritage is facing the threat of destruction and destruction. The sustainable protection of architectural heritage has become a major strategic need of the country to enhance cultural self-confidence. In the past century, the concept of architectural heritage protection has evolved many times. At present, preventive protection and research protection have become the consensus in the field of architectural heritage protection. The idea of preventive protection is to delay the destruction or extinction of architectural heritage by controlling the main factors that cause the changes in the ontology. Preventive protection is different from emergency protection after the destruction of architectural heritage. It mainly discovers and eliminates hidden dangers through scientific records, periodic inspection, systematic monitoring and routine maintenance. It emphasizes the analysis of damage evolution law through risk assessment and scientific monitoring and takes effective protection measures. Based on the concept of preventive protection and research protection, combining the accumulation of prior art development and protection practices, this paper proposes a four-in-one sustainable preservation method system for architectural heritage. It mainly includes four aspects: architectural heritage value and protection demand cognition, all-round information access technology, architectural heritage monitoring and evaluation, architectural heritage performance improvement and value continuation.

Formation of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (BSOA) and its subsequent evolution can modify the hygroscopicity of the organic aerosol component (OA) in the forest atmosphere, and affect the concentrations of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) there. In this study, size-resolved aerosol hygroscopic growth at 85 % relative humidity and size-resolved aerosol composition were measured using a hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer and an aerosol mass spectrometer, respectively, at a forest site in Wakayama, Japan, in August and September 2015. The hygroscopicity parameter of OA (κorg) presented daily minima in the afternoon hours, and it also showed an increase with the increase in particle dry diameter. The magnitudes of the diurnal variations in κorg for particles with dry diameters of 100 and 300 nm were on average 0.091 and 0.096, respectively, and the difference in κorg between particles with dry diameters of 100 and 300 nm was on average 0.056. The relative contributions of the estimated fresh BSOA and regional OA to total OA could explain 40 % of the observed diurnal variations and size dependence of κorg. The hygroscopicity parameter of fresh BSOA was estimated to range from 0.089 to 0.12 for particles with dry diameters from 100 to 300 nm. Compared with the use of time- and size-resolved κorg, the use of time- and size-averaged κorg leads to under- and over-estimation of the fractional contribution of OA to CCN number concentrations in the range from −5.0 % to 26 %. This indicates that the diurnal variations and size dependence of κorg strongly affect the overall contribution of OA to CCN concentrations. The fractional contribution of fresh BSOA to CCN number concentrations could reach 0.28 during the period of intensive BSOA formation. The aging of the fresh BSOA, if it occurs, increases the estimated contribution of BSOA to CCN number concentrations by 52 %–84 %.

Objective: Environmental factors can influence obesity by epigenetic mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate obesity-related epigenetic changes and the potential for reversal of these changes in the liver of Göttingen minipigs subjected to diet interventions.Methods: High-throughput liquid hybridization capture-based bisulfite sequencing (LHC-BS) was used to quantify the methylation status of gene promotor regions in liver tissue in three groups of male castrated Göttingen minipigs: a standard chow group (SD, N = 7); a group fed high fat/fructose/cholesterol diet (FFC, N = 10) and a group fed high fat/fructose/cholesterol diet during 7 months and reversed to standard diet for 6 months (FFC/SD, N = 12). Expression profiling by qPCR of selected metabolically relevant genes was performed in liver tissue from all pigs.Results: The pigs in the FFC diet group became morbidly obese. The FFC/SD diet did not result in a complete reversal of the body weight to the same weight as in the SD group, but it resulted in reversal of all lipid related metabolic parameters. Here we identified widespread differences in the patterning of cytosine methylation of promoters between the different feeding groups. By combining detection of differentially methylated genes with a rank-based hypergeometric overlap algorithm, we identified 160 genes showing differential methylation in corresponding promoter regions in the FFC diet group when comparing with both the SD and FFC/SD groups. As expected, this differential methylation under FFC diet intervention induced de-regulation of several metabolically-related genes involved in lipid/cholesterol metabolism, inflammatory response and fibrosis generation. Moreover, five genes, of which one is a fibrosis-related gene (MMP9), were still perturbed after diet reversion.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the potential of exploring diet-epigenome interactions for treatment of obesity.

Receiver functions for the central Tien Shan and northern Tarim in central Asia reveal a pronounced depression on the 410 km discontinuity beneath the Permian basalts in Tarim. The depression may be caused by elevated temperature. The striking spatial correlation between the anomaly of the MTZ and the Permian basalts suggests that both may be effects of the same plume. This relation can be reconciled with the possible motion of Tarim on the order of 1000 km by assuming that the mantle layer, which has moved coherently with the plate since the Permian, extends to a depth of 410 km or more. Alternatively, the lithosphere and underlying mantle are decoupled at a depth of ∼ 200 km, but a cumulative effect of the Tarim plate motion since the Permian is less by an order of magnitude. A similar explanation is applicable to the Siberian traps.

Regionalisation provides a way of transferring hydrological information from gauged to ungauged catchments. The past few decades has seen several kinds of regionalisation approaches for catchment classification and runoff predictions. The underlying assumption is that catchments having similar catchment properties are hydrological similar. This requires the appropriate selection of catchment properties, particularly the inclusion of observed hydrological information, to explain the similarity of hydrological behaviour. We selected observable catchments properties and flow duration curves to reflect the hydrological behaviour, and to regionalize rainfall-runoff response for runoff prediction. As a case study, we investigated 15 catchments located in the Yangtze and Yellow River under multiple hydro-climatic conditions. A clustering scheme was developed to separate the catchments into 4 homogeneous regions by employing catchment properties including hydro-climatic attributes, topographic attributes and land cover etc. We utilized daily flow duration curves as the indicator of hydrological response and interpreted hydrological similarity by root mean square errors. The combined analysis of similarity in catchment properties and hydrological response suggested that catchments in the same homogenous region were hydrological similar. A further validation was conducted by establishing a rainfall-runoff coaxial correlation diagram for each catchment. A common coaxial correlation diagram was generated for each homogenous region. The performances of most coaxial correlation diagrams met the national standard. The coaxial correlation diagram can be transferred within the homogeneous region for runoff prediction in ungauged catchments at an hourly time scale.

While many spectral transformation techniques have been applied on spectral mixture analysis (SMA), few study examined their necessity and applicability. This paper focused on exploring the difference between spectrally transformed schemes and untransformed scheme to find out which transformed scheme performed better in SMA. In particular, nine spectrally transformed schemes as well as untransformed scheme were examined in two study areas. Each transformed scheme was tested 100 times using different endmember classes’ spectra under the endmember model of vegetation- high albedo impervious surface area-low albedo impervious surface area-soil (V-ISAh-ISAl-S). Performance of each scheme was assessed based on mean absolute error (MAE). Statistical analysis technique, Paired-Samples T test, was applied to test the significance of mean MAEs’ difference between transformed and untransformed schemes. Results demonstrated that only NSMA could exceed the untransformed scheme in all study areas. Some transformed schemes showed unstable performance since they outperformed the untransformed scheme in one area but weakened the SMA result in another region.

With the rapid development of LBS (Location-based Service), the demand for commercialization of indoor location has been increasing, but its technology is not perfect. Currently, the accuracy of indoor location, the complexity of the algorithm, and the cost of positioning are hard to be simultaneously considered and it is still restricting the determination and application of mainstream positioning technology. Therefore, this paper proposes a method of knowledge-based optimization of indoor location based on low energy Bluetooth. The main steps include: 1) The establishment and application of a priori and posterior knowledge base. 2) Primary selection of signal source. 3) Elimination of positioning gross error. 4) Accumulation of positioning knowledge. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can eliminate the signal source of outliers and improve the accuracy of single point positioning in the simulation data. The proposed scheme is a dynamic knowledge accumulation rather than a single positioning process. The scheme adopts cheap equipment and provides a new idea for the theory and method of indoor positioning. Moreover, the performance of the high accuracy positioning results in the simulation data shows that the scheme has a certain application value in the commercial promotion.

Collapsing gullies are one of the most serious soil erosion problems in the tropical and subtropical areas of southern China. However, few studies have been performed on the relationship of soil Atterberg limits with soil profiles of the collapsing gullies. Soil Atterberg limits, which include plastic limit and liquid limit, have been proposed as indicators for soil vulnerability to degradation. Here, the soil Atterberg limits within different weathering profiles and their relationships with soil physicochemical properties were investigated by characterizing four collapsing gullies in four counties in the hilly granitic region of southern China. The results showed that with the fall of weathering degree, there was a sharp decrease in plastic limit, liquid limit, plasticity index, soil organic matter, cation exchange capacity and free iron oxide. Additionally, there was a gradual increase in liquidity index, a sharp increase in particle density and bulk density followed by a slight decline, a decrease in the finer soil particles, a noticeable decline in the clay contents, and a considerable increase in the gravel and sand contents. The plastic limit varied from 19.43 to 35.93 % in TC, 19.51 to 33.82 % in GX, 19.32 to 35.58 % in AX and 18.91 to 36.56 % in WH, while the liquid limit varied from 30.91 to 62.68 % in TC, 30.89 to 57.70 % in GX, 32.48 to 65.71 % in AX and 30.77 to 62.70 % in WH, respectively. The soil Atterberg limits in the sandy soil layers and detritus layers were lower than those in the surface layers and red soil layers, which results in higher vulnerability of the sandy soil layers and detritus layers to erosion and finally the formation of the collapsing gully. The regression analyses showed that soil Atterberg limits had significant and positive correlation with SOM, clay content, cationic exchange capacity and Fed, significant and negative correlation with sand content and no obvious correlation with other properties. The results of this study revealed that soil Atterberg limits are an informative indicator to reflect the weathering degree of different weathering profiles of the collapsing gullies in the hilly granitic region.

Coastal regions become unprecedentedly vulnerable to coastal hazards that are associated with sea level rise. The purpose of this paper is therefore to simulate prospective urban exposure to changing sea levels. This article first applied the cellular-automaton-based SLEUTH model (Project Gigalopolis, 2016) to calibrate historical urban dynamics in Bay County, Florida (USA) – a region that is greatly threatened by rising sea levels. This paper estimated five urban growth parameters by multiple-calibration procedures that used different Monte Carlo iterations to account for modeling uncertainties. It then employed the calibrated model to predict three scenarios of urban growth up to 2080 – historical trend, urban sprawl, and compact development. We also assessed land use impacts of four policies: no regulations; flood mitigation plans based on the whole study region and on those areas that are prone to experience growth; and the protection of conservational lands. This study lastly overlaid projected urban areas in 2030 and 2080 with 500-year flooding maps that were developed under 0, 0.2, and 0.9 m sea level rise. The calibration results that a substantial number of built-up regions extend from established coastal settlements. The predictions suggest that total flooded area of new urbanized regions in 2080 would be more than 25 times that under the flood mitigation policy, if the urbanization progresses with few policy interventions. The joint model generates new knowledge in the domain between land use modeling and sea level rise. It contributes to coastal spatial planning by helping develop hazard mitigation schemes and can be employed in other international communities that face combined pressure of urban growth and climate change.

From chemistry-based methods to physics-based methods, there are many techniques to construct porous scaffolds for use in tissue engineering. Among them, computer-aided design (CAD) methods combined with additive manufacturing techniques are promising because they allow accurate control of complex scaffold morphology. Inspired by an ancient art, origami, we propose a novel CAD solution for building porous scaffolds with adjustable overall topologies and mechanical properties tuned by the origami-based parameters. Here, we mainly focus on (1) how to obtain a network from an origami structure and how to fabricate it, (2) how to change the network's topology and mechanical properties by tuning the folding angles and plane angles. With the same porosity, it has been demonstrated that the origami-inspired network's stiffness, yield strength, and ultimate compressive strength are much higher than those of other reported networks, which results from the architecture designed by the origami-inspired design concept. This interesting concept can bridge the gap between origami-based networks and load-bearing orthopedic applications with mechanical biomimetic design, but it is not limited to medical applications. Keywords: Porous structures, Lattice structures, Folding mechanism, Force responses, Additive manufacturing

Abstract Using 7.33 fb −1 of e + e − collision data samples collected with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV, we search for the radiative decay D s + → γρ 770 + $$ {D}_s^{+}\to \gamma \rho {(770)}^{+} $$ for the first time. A hint of D s + → γρ 770 + $$ {D}_s^{+}\to \gamma \rho {(770)}^{+} $$ is observed with a statistical significance of 2.5σ. The branching fraction of D s + → γρ 770 + $$ {D}_s^{+}\to \gamma \rho {(770)}^{+} $$ is measured to be (2.2 ± 0.9stat. ± 0.2syst. ) × 10 −4, corresponding to an upper limit of 6.1 × 10 −4 at the 90% confidence level.

Abstract Using e + e − collision data collected by the BESIII detector at BEPCII corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 30 fb −1, we measure Born cross sections and effective form factors for the process e + e − → Ξ 0 Ξ ¯ 0 $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {\Xi}^0{\overline{\Xi}}^0 $$ at forty-five center-of-mass energies between 3.51 and 4.95 GeV. The dressed cross section is fitted, assuming a power-law function plus a charmonium(-like) state, i.e., ψ(3770), ψ(4040), ψ(4160), ψ(4230), ψ(4360), ψ(4415) or ψ(4660). No significant charmonium(-like) state decaying into Ξ 0 Ξ ¯ 0 $$ {\Xi}^0{\overline{\Xi}}^0 $$ is observed. Upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the product of the branching fraction and the electronic partial width are provided for each decay. In addition, ratios of the Born cross sections and the effective form factors for e + e − → Ξ 0 Ξ ¯ 0 $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {\Xi}^0{\overline{\Xi}}^0 $$ and e + e − → Ξ − Ξ ¯ + $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {\Xi}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+} $$ are also presented to test isospin symmetry and the vector meson dominance model.

Abstract The branching fraction of D + → K S 0 π 0 e + ν e $$ {D}^{+}\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e $$ is measured for the first time using 7.93 fb −1 of e + e − annihilation data collected at the center-of-mass energy s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, and is determined to be B D + → K S 0 π 0 e + ν e = 0.881 ± 0.017 stat . ± 0.016 syst . % $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^{+}\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left(0.881\pm {0.017}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.016}_{\textrm{syst}.}\right)\% $$ . Based on an analysis of the D + → K S 0 π 0 e + ν e $$ {D}^{+}\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e $$ decay dynamics, we observe the S-wave and P-wave components with fractions of f S-wave = (6.13 ± 0.27stat. ± 0.30syst. )% and f K ¯ ∗ 892 0 = 93.88 ± 0.27 stat . ± 0.29 syst . % $$ {f}_{{\overline{K}}^{\ast }{(892)}^0}=\left(93.88\pm {0.27}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.29}_{\textrm{syst}.}\right)\% $$ , respectively. From these results, we obtain the branching fractions B D + → K S 0 π 0 S − wave e + ν e = 5.41 ± 0.35 stat . ± 0.37 syst . × 10 − 4 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^{+}\to {\left({K}_S^0{\pi}^0\right)}_{S-\textrm{wave}}{e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left(5.41\pm {0.35}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.37}_{\textrm{syst}.}\right)\times {10}^{-4} $$ and B D + → K ¯ ∗ 892 0 e + ν e = 4.97 ± 0.11 stat . ± 0.12 syst . % $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^{+}\to {\overline{K}}^{\ast }{(892)}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left(4.97\pm {0.11}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.12}_{\textrm{syst}.}\right)\% $$ . In addition, the hadronic form-factor ratios of D + → K ¯ ∗ 892 0 e + ν e $$ {D}^{+}\to {\overline{K}}^{\ast }{(892)}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e $$ at q 2 = 0, assuming a single-pole dominance parameterization, are determined to be r V = V 0 A 1 0 = 1.43 ± 0.07 stat . ± 0.03 syst . $$ {r}_V=\frac{V(0)}{A_1(0)}=1.43\pm {0.07}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.03}_{\textrm{syst}.} $$ and r 2 = A 2 0 A 1 0 = 0.72 ± 0.06 stat . ± 0.02 syst . $$ {r}_2=\frac{A_2(0)}{A_1(0)}=0.72\pm {0.06}_{\textrm{stat}.}\pm {0.02}_{\textrm{syst}.} $$ .

To better understand the effect of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) transported by hydrological processes (rainfall, throughfall, litter leachate, and surface soil water; 0–20 cm) on soil respiration in tropical rainforests, we detected the DOC flux in rainfall, throughfall, litter leachate, and surface soil water (0–20 cm), compared the seasonality of δ13CDOC in each hydrological process, and δ13C in leaves, litter, and surface soil, and analysed the throughfall, litter leachate, and surface soil water (0–20 cm) effect on soil respiration in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, south-west China. Results showed that the surface soil intercepted 94.4 ± 1.2 % of the annual litter leachate DOC flux and is a sink for DOC. The throughfall and litter leachate DOC fluxes amounted to 6.81 and 7.23 % of the net ecosystem exchange respectively, indicating that the DOC flux through hydrological processes is an important component of the carbon budget, and may be an important link between hydrological processes and soil respiration in a tropical rainforest. Even the variability in soil respiration is more dependent on the hydrologically transported water than DOC flux insignificantly, soil temperature, and soil-water content (at 0–20 cm). The difference in δ13C between the soil, soil water (at 0–20 cm), throughfall, and litter leachate indicated that DOC is transformed in the surface soil and decreased the sensitivity indices of soil respiration of DOC flux to water flux, which suggests that soil respiration is more sensitive to the DOC flux in hydrological processes, especially the soil-water DOC flux, than to soil temperature or soil moisture.

Plant roots typically vary along a dominant ecological axis, the root economics spectrum, depicting a tradeoff between resource acquisition and conservation. For absorptive roots, which are mainly responsible for resource acquisition, we hypothesized that root economic strategies differ with increasing root diameter. To test this hypothesis, we used seven plant species (a fern, a conifer, and five angiosperms from south China) for which we separated absorptive roots into two categories: thin roots (thickness of root cortex plus epidermis

With the acceleration of China’s informatization process, our party and government take a substantive stride in advancing development and application of digital technology, which promotes the evolution of e-government and its informatization. Meanwhile, as a service mode based on innovative resources, cloud computing may connect huge pools together to provide a variety of IT services, and has become one relatively mature technical pattern with further studies and massive practical applications. Based on cloud computing technology and national e-government network platform, "National Natural Resources and Geospatial Database (NRGD)" project integrated and transformed natural resources and geospatial information dispersed in various sectors and regions, established logically unified and physically dispersed fundamental database and developed national integrated information database system supporting main e-government applications. Cross-sector e-government applications and services are realized to provide long-term, stable and standardized natural resources and geospatial fundamental information products and services for national egovernment and public users.

The high-frequency and small horizontal scale gravity waves may be reflected and ducted in non-hydrostatic simulations, but usually propagate vertically in hydrostatic models. To examine gravity wave propagation, a preliminary study has been conducted with a global ionosphere–thermosphere model (GITM), which is a non-hydrostatic general circulation model for the upper atmosphere. GITM has been run regionally with a horizontal resolution of 0.2° long × 0.2° lat to resolve the gravity wave with wavelength of 250 km. A cosine wave oscillation with amplitude of 30 m s−1 has been applied to the zonal wind at the low boundary, and both high-frequency and low-frequency waves have been tested. In the high-frequency case, the gravity wave stays below 200 km, which indicates that the wave is reflected or ducted in propagation. The results are consistent with the theoretical analysis from the dispersion relationship when the wavelength is larger than the cutoff wavelength for the non-hydrostatic situation. However, the low-frequency wave propagates to the high altitudes during the whole simulation period, and the amplitude increases with height. This study shows that the non-hydrostatic model successfully reproduces the high-frequency gravity wave dissipation.

Abstract By analyzing e + e − annihilation data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.93 fb −1 collected at a center-of-mass energy of 3.773 GeV with the BESIII detector, the first observation of the semileptonic decays D 0 → K S 0 π − π 0 e + ν e $$ {D}^0\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^{-}{\pi}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e $$ and D + → K S 0 π + π − e + ν e $$ {D}^{+}\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}{e}^{+}{\nu}_e $$ is reported. In the hypothesis that all events correspond to K 1(1270) decays, the branching fractions are measured to be B D 0 → K 1 1270 − → K S 0 π − π 0 e + ν e = 1.69 − 0.46 + 0.53 ± 0.15 × 10 − 4 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^0\to {K}_1{(1270)}^{-}\left(\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^{-}{\pi}^0\right){e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left({1.69}_{-0.46}^{+0.53}\pm 0.15\right)\times {10}^{-4} $$ and B D + → K ¯ 1 1270 0 → K S 0 π + π − e + ν e = 1.47 − 0.40 + 0.45 ± 0.14 × 10 − 4 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^{+}\to {\overline{K}}_1{(1270)}^0\left(\to {K}_S^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}\right){e}^{+}{\nu}^e\right)=\left({1.47}_{-0.40}^{+0.45}\pm 0.14\right)\times {10}^{-4} $$ with statistical significance of 5.4σ and 5.6σ, respectively. When combined with measurements of the K 1(1270) → K + π − π decays, the absolute branching fractions are determined to be B D 0 → K 1 1270 − e + ν e = 1.08 − 0.13 − 0.10 + 0.14 + 0.08 ± 0.21 × 10 − 3 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^0\to {K}_1{(1270)}^{-}{e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left({1.08}_{-0.13-0.10}^{+0.14+0.08}\pm 0.21\right)\times {10}^{-3} $$ and B D + → K ¯ 1 1270 0 e + ν e = 1.70 − 0.23 + 0.26 ± 0.13 ± 0.35 × 10 − 3 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}^{+}\to {\overline{K}}_1{(1270)}^0{e}^{+}{\nu}_e\right)=\left({1.70}_{-0.23}^{+0.26}\pm 0.13\pm 0.35\right)\times {10}^{-3} $$ . The first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively, and the third uncertainties originate from the assumed branching fractions of the K 1(1270) → Kππ decays.

Abstract Using e + e − annihilation data sets corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb −1, collected with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.600 and 4.699 GeV, we report the first measurements of the absolute branching fractions B Λ c + → p K L 0 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0\right) $$ = (1.67 ± 0.06 ± 0.04)%, B Λ c + → p K L 0 π + π − $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}\right) $$ = (1.69 ± 0.10 ± 0.05)%, and B Λ c + → p K L 0 π 0 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0{\pi}^0\right) $$ = (2.02 ± 0.13 ± 0.05)%, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. Combining with the known branching fractions of Λ c + → p K S 0 $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0 $$ , Λ c + → p K S 0 π + π − $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-} $$ , and Λ c + → p K S 0 π 0 $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0{\pi}^0 $$ , we present the first measurements of the K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ - K L 0 $$ {K}_L^0 $$ asymmetries R Λ c + K S , L 0 X = B Λ c + → K S 0 X − B Λ c + → K L 0 X B Λ c + → K S 0 X + B Λ c + → K L 0 X $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},{K}_{S,L}^0X\right)=\frac{\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_S^0X\right)-\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_L^0X\right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_S^0X\right)+\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_L^0X\right)} $$ in charmed baryon decays: R Λ c + p K S , L 0 = − 0.025 ± 0.031 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0\right)=-0.025\pm 0.031 $$ , R Λ c + p K S , L 0 π + π − = − 0.027 ± 0.048 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}\right)=-0.027\pm 0.048 $$ and R Λ c + p K S , L 0 π 0 = − 0.015 ± 0.046 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0{\pi}^0\right)=-0.015\pm 0.046 $$ . No significant asymmetries with statistical significance are observed.

Abstract The processes h c → γP (P = η′, η, π 0) are studied with a sample of (27.12 ± 0.14) × 108 ψ(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decay h c → γη is observed for the first time with the significance of 9.0 σ, and the branching fraction is determined to be (3.77 ± 0.55 ± 0.13 ± 0.26) × 10 −4, while B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (h c → γη′) is measured to be (1.40 ± 0.11 ± 0.04 ± 0.10) × 10 −3, where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second systematic, and the third from the branching fraction of ψ(3686) → π 0 h c . The combination of these results allows for a precise determination of R h c = B h c → γη B h c → γ η ′ , $$ {R}_{h_c}=\frac{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma \eta \right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma {\eta}^{\prime}\right)}, $$ which is calculated to be (27.0 ± 4.4 ± 1.0)%. The results are valuable for gaining a deeper understanding of η − η′ mixing, and its manifestation within quantum chromodynamics. No significant signal is found for the decay h c → γπ 0, and an upper limit is placed on its branching fraction of B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (h c → γπ 0) < 5.0 × 10 −5, at the 90% confidence level.

IntroductionDue to the rarity of mucosal melanomas, few recent studies can be found investigating the success and side effects of therapy for this entity with large numbers of patients. In this retrospective analysis, the efficacy and toxicity of combined intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and carbon ion therapy (C12) of mucosal melanomas were analyzed to contribute to a better understanding of this rare disease.MethodsTwenty-two patients were included from 2013 to 2022 in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Heidelberg University Hospital. 19 patients received bimodal radiotherapy consisting of radiotherapy by IMRT and carbon ion therapy (C12). 3 patients received photon only IMRT. In addition to Overall Survival (OS), local control rate (LCR), locoregional control rate (LRCR) and progression-free survival (PFS), early and late toxicity of treatment was analyzed. Bimodal radiotherapy consisted of IMRT of the primary tumor region and cervical lymph nodes in a single dose of 2 Gy up to the dose of 50.0 Gy in the basic schedule after application of a C12 boost of the primary tumor region up to 24 Gy (RBE) in a single dose of 3 Gy (RBE) up to the total dose of 74.0 Gy (RBE) in 5-6 fractions/week. Photon only radiotherapy comprised IMRT up to total doses of 66-70,4 Gy in 5 fractions/week.ResultsAfter 2 years, overall survival, progression-free survival, local control and locoregional control were 46%, 41%, 77% and 77%, respectively. 4 out of 5 patients with local relapse showed in-field recurrence inside the C12 boost volume. The primary tumor in these patients was always located in the main nasal cavity and/or paranasal sinus. Leading acute toxicity was grade 2 mucositis (12 patients, 55%) followed by grade 1 radiation dermatitis (10 patients, 45%). The cumulative incidence of late grade 3 toxicities was 15%.DiscussionThe combination of IMRT with carbon ion therapy in the treatment of mucosal melanoma provides promising local control rates with mild acute toxicity despite unfavorable patient preselection. The unfavorable overall survival as well as progression-free survival rates indicate that concomitant systemic therapies should be the subject of future research.

Introduction: Brain metastases (BM) are the most common malignancy in the central nervous system (CNS) and observed in approximately 30% of cancer patients. Brainstem metastases (BSM) are challenging because of their location and the associated neurological risks. There are still no general therapeutic recommendations in this setting. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is one of few possible local therapy options but limited due to the tolerance dose of the brainstem. There is still no standard regarding the optimal dose und fractionation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 65 patients with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (fSRT) for 69 BSM. FSRT was delivered at a dose of 30 Gy in six fractions prescribed to the 70 % isodose performed with Cyberknife. Overall survival (OS), local control (LC) and total intracranial brain control (TIBC) were analyzed via Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify prognostic factors. Results: Median follow-up was 27.3 months. One-year TIBC was 35.0 % and one-year LC was 84.1 %. Median OS was 8.9 months. In total, local progression occurred in 7.7 % and in 8.2 % symptomatic radiation-induced contrast enhancements (RICE) were diagnosed. In univariate analysis the Karnofsky performance scale index (KPI) (p = 0,001) was an independent prognostic factor for longer OS. Acute CTCAE grade 3 toxicities occurred in 18.4 %. Conclusion: FSRT for BSM is as an effective and safe treatment approach with high LC rates and reasonable neurological toxicity despite the poor prognosis in this patient cohort is still very poor. Clinical and imaging follow-up is necessary to identify cerebral progression and adverse toxicity including RICE.

For planar structured hyperbolic metamaterial, the shortest wavelength achievable for negative refraction is often limited by dielectric layers, which are usually wide band gap semiconductors that absorb light strongly at wavelength shorter than their absorption edge. Here we proposed that using SiO2 may break such limitation based on effective medium theory. Through calculation and simulation we demonstrated broad angle negative refraction by a planar Ag/SiO2 layered structure at wavelength down to 326 nm. Its imaging and focusing abilities were also presented. The lower limit of wavelength here is defined by the property of silver, whose permittivity turns positive below 324 nm.

Residual useful life plays a core role in the field of the prognostics and health management of systems. For deteriorating systems or devices it can be estimated by establishing a good-fitting stochastic process model and solving corresponding first passage problem with the given failure level. In this paper, providing that the mean and variance function of the degradation process are given or obtained directly from observed data by statistical/empirical techniques, we propose a time-dependent Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process whose mean and variance are equal to the given mean and variance respectively. Based on this diffusion process, when a failure level is considered, the first passage failure distribution can be solved by a Volterra integral equation of second class. Furthermore, with the help of numerical methods, the residual useful life estimation is considered for a real case.

Josephson junctions supply the nonlinear inductance element in superconducting qubits. In the widely used transmon configuration, where the junction is shunted by a large capacitor, the low charging energy minimizes the sensitivity of the qubit to charge noise while maintaining the necessary anharmonicity to qubit states. We report here low-frequency transport measurements on small standalone junctions and identically fabricated capacitively-shunted junctions that show two distinct features normally attributed to small capacitance junctions near zero bias: reduced switching currents and prominent finite resistance associated with phase diffusion in the current–voltage characteristic. Our transport data reveals the existence of phase fluctuations in transmons arising from intrinsic junction capacitance.