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The problematic calcareous microfossil Halysis is abundant in the Middle Ordovician Darriwilian Stage of the western edge of the Ordos Basin, North China. The rich and well-preserved specimens of Halysis in this area facilitate detailed studies for its skeletal construction and tube microstructure. Halysis differs from calcified cyanobacteria and calcareous red and green algae in morphology, skeletal construction and microstructure, as well as reproduction mode. Halysis typically consists of multiple juxtaposed parallel tubes arranged in sheets (‘multiple-tube’ type) or is just composed of one tube (‘single-tube’ type). In ‘multiple-tube’ Halysis, tube fission by bifurcation results from the insertion of a microcrystalline wall at the center of a mother tube. This study demonstrates for the first time that the tube walls of Halysis have a laminofibrous (fibronormal) microstructure, composed of fibrous calcite perpendicular to wall surface, and recognizes the ‘single-tube’ type Halysis composed of one tube; in addition, for the first time, this study finds out that ‘multiple-tube’ Halysis develops buddings from the conjunction of two tubes and ‘single-tube’ Halysis shows wide-angle Y-shaped branchings. Based on these findings, this study further compares Halysis with tabulate corals. Halysis appears stratigraphically earlier than Catenipora and Aulopora, and has a smaller tube size. ‘Multiple-tube’ Halysis resembles Catenipora and ‘single-tube’ Halysis resembles Aulopora in skeletal construction and microstructure, and in their tube walls of laminofibrous microstructure composed of fibrous calcite perpendicular to the tube wall surface. Catenipora and Halysis are both characterized by the absence of septal spines. The similarities suggest that Halysis may be the ancestor of Catenipora-like and Aulopora-like tabulate corals.

Eurycomanone is the main active ingredient of Eurycoma longifolia Jack with anti-cancer, anti-malaria, improving male sexual dysfunction and other effects.The poor lipid solubility of eurycomanone is potential reason for its low bioavailability. However, the transmembrane absorption mechanism has not been reported. In this study, the Caco-2 cell monolayer model was used to investigate the influence of different factors on the eurycomanone transmembrane absorption, including time, concentration, temperature, P-glycoprotein inhibitors (verapamil or cyclosporin A) and collateral transport enhancer (sodium desoxycholate or EDTA).The results showed that the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) of eurycomanone was lower than 10-6 cm/s with poor oral absorption. The Papp was not dependent on concentrations or temperatures. The addition of paracellular transport enhancer promoted the absorption of eurycomanone(P < 0.05), whereas p-glycoprotein inhibitors had no effect.Taken together, this study indicated that absorption of eurycomanone may undergo passive transmembrane transport and paracellular transport.

The Einstein's equivalence principle can be tested by using parameterized post-Newtonian parameters, of which the parameter $\gamma$ has been constrained by comparing the arrival times of photons with different energies. It has been constrained by a variety of astronomical transient events, such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), fast radio bursts as well as pulses of pulsars, with the most stringent constraint of $\Delta \gamma \lesssim 10^{-15}$. In this letter, we consider the arrival times of lights with different circular polarization. For a linearly polarized light, it is the combination of two circularly polarized lights. If the arrival time difference between the two circularly polarized lights is too large, their combination may lose the linear polarization. We constrain the value of $\Delta \gamma_{\rm p} < 1.6 \times 10^{-27}$ by the measurement of the polarization of GRB 110721A, which is the most stringent constraint ever achieved.

This is the second installment for the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) Quasar Survey, which includes quasars observed from September 2013 to June 2015. There are 9024 confirmed quasars in DR2 and 10911 in DR3. After cross-match with the SDSS quasar catalogs and NED, 12126 quasars are discovered independently. Among them 2225 quasars were released by SDSS DR12 QSO catalogue in 2014 after we finalised the survey candidates. 1801 sources were identified by SDSS DR14 as QSOs. The remaining 8100 quasars are considered as newly founded, and among them 6887 quasars can be given reliable emission line measurements and the estimated black hole masses. Quasars found in LAMOST are mostly located at low-to-moderate redshifts, with a mean value of 1.5. The highest redshift observed in DR2 and DR3 is 5. We applied emission line measurements to H$\alpha$, H$\beta$, Mg{\sc ii} and C{\sc iv}. We deduced the monochromatic continuum luminosities using photometry data, and estimated the virial black hole masses for the newly discovered quasars. Results are compiled into a quasar catalog, which will be available online., Comment: 41 pages, 13 figures, 2 electronic tables available upon inquiry, accepted by AJ

Momentum BP neural network is used to diagnose the fault of high voltage electric power metering system according to the advantage of strong self-adaptation. First of all, the information of 7 operation parameters of metering system is extracted as input values of the neural network, secondly, we collect samples to train and test BP network and use 4-bit binary number to represent the normal circumstance and 7 main fault types, The results show that the momentum BP network model is effective in the fault diagnosis of high voltage electric power metering system.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of licochalcone A (LA) on the inhibition of cell proliferation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in bladder carcinoma cell lines. Methods : Cell viability was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) assay. Dye-binding method was used to examine the concentration of proteins. Lymphocytes were extracted from mice and after surface staining were subjected to BD fixation and permeabilization for intracellular staining. Flow cytometry was used to measure cellular fluorescence. Results : MTT results revealed a significant decrease in the proliferation of UM-UC-3, J82 and HT-1197 cell lines on treatment with LA. LA also induced reduction in phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in all three carcinoma cell lines. In the mouse model, licochalcone A treatment via intraperitoneal (ip) administration induced a significant decrease in the level of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Comparison of the mouse interferon-α (IFN-α)-treated and LA-treated groups revealed that LA treatment caused enhancement of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity similar to that of IFN-α. Administration of UM-UC-3 cells in C3H/HeN mice resulted in marked reduction in the counts for splenocytes and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ T (regulatory T cells) cell proportion in LA-treated mice compared to untreated control group. Conclusion : Licochalcone A may be of therapeutic importance for the prevention of bladder carcinoma. However, studies are required to ascertain the compound’s usefulness in this regard. Keywords : Licochalcone A, Bladder carcinoma, Splenocytes, Phosphorylation, Cell proliferation, Interferon

This paper presents state-of-the-art modeling of complex hydraulic fracture network evolution in a naturally fractured formation with pre-existing bedding and cross joints, in the Silurian Longmaxi formation, southeast of Sichuan Basin, China. A flow-stress-damage coupling approach has been used in an initial attempt toward how reservoir responds to perforation angle, injection rate, in situ stress, cohesive and frictional strength of natural fractures. A detailed sensitivity study reveals a number of interesting observations resulting from these parameters on the fracturing network evolution in naturally fractured system. When the perforation angle is 60°, it gets to the maximum stimulated reservoir area (SRA). Injection rate as an operator parameter, it strongly impacts the interaction between hydraulic fractures and natural fractures, and associated SRA. In addition, in isotropic in situ stress field, fracturing effectiveness is not the best, complexity of SRA is enhanced when pre-existing fractures are oriented at an angle to the maximum stress. Moreover, the morphology of fracturing network and SRA is closely related to the frictional and cohesive strength of natural fractures. This work strongly links the production technology, geomechanical evaluation and aids in the understanding and optimization of hydraulic fracturing simulations in naturally fractured reservoirs.

This study aims at investigating the flow characteristics of soil–rock mixtures (SRM) with different rock block percentage. A self-developed servo-controlled permeability testing system was developed and used to carry out the permeability testing. Cylindrical SRM specimens (50 mm diameter and 100 mm height) with staggered rock block proportions (20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 % by mass) were produced via compaction tests with different hammer strike counts to roughly insure the same void ratio. From the test results, the non-Darcy flow characteristic of SRMs was first proposed. The relationship between hydraulic gradient and the seepage velocity obeys a power function with good correlation. The increasing trend of the seepage velocity gets much more obvious with increasing hydraulic gradient. With the increase of the rock block percentage, the average permeability coefficient decreases to a minimum at a rock block percentage of 40 %. As the rock block percentage continues to increase above 40 %, the permeability increases again. The critical hydraulic gradient decreases gradually with the increase of rock block percentage. The variation of permeability for SRM specimens is the result of soil matrix properties combined with rock blocks and rock–soil interfaces. The research results can be helpful to predict the subsurface erosion and piping hazards in soil–rock mixture stratum.

The rotation curve (RC) of the Milky Way out to $\sim$ 100 kpc has been constructed using $\sim$ 16,000 primary red clump giants (PRCGs) in the outer disk selected from the LSS-GAC and the SDSS-III/APOGEE survey, combined with $\sim$ 5700 halo K giants (HKGs) selected from the SDSS/SEGUE survey. To derive the RC, the PRCG sample of the warm disc population and the HKG sample of halo stellar population are respectively analyzed using a kinematical model allowing for the asymmetric drift corrections and re-analyzed using the spherical Jeans equation along with measurements of the anisotropic parameter $\beta$ currently available. The typical uncertainties of RC derived from the PRCG and HKG samples are respectively 5-7 km/s and several tens km/s. We determine a circular velocity at the solar position, $V_c (R_0)$ = 240 $\pm$ 6 km/s and an azimuthal peculiar speed of the Sun, $V_{\odot}$ = 12.1 $\pm$ 7.6 km/s, both in good agreement with the previous determinations. The newly constructed RC has a generally flat value of 240 km/s within a Galactocentric distance $r$ of 25 kpc and then decreases steadily to 150 km/s at $r$ $\sim$ 100 kpc. On top of this overall trend, the RC exhibits two prominent localized dips, one at $r$ $\sim$ 11 kpc and another at $r$ $\sim$ 19 kpc. From the newly constructed RC, combined with other constraints, we have built a parametrized mass model for the Galaxy, yielding a virial mass of the Milky Way's dark matter halo of $0.90^{+0.07}_{-0.08} \times 10^{12}$ ${\rm M}_{\odot}$ and a local dark matter density, $\rho_{\rm \odot, dm} = 0.32^{+0.02}_{-0.02}$ GeV cm$^{-3}$., Comment: MNRAS accepted, 18 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables

A sample of the LAMOST spectra of the early type M0-M3 dwarfs is compared with the Kepler observations. It is found that M dwarfs with strong chromospheric emission in $H_{\alpha}$ have large flare activity in general. The rotational periods derived from the Kepler measurements have close correlations with the sizes of the flares, the power-law distribution index and the equivalent widths of the $H_{\alpha}$ emission. A clear trend exists for higher magnetic activities being detected in faster rotating M dwarfs (rotation periods $, Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures

We describe the target selection algorithm for the low latitude disk portion of the LAMOST Pilot Survey, which aims to test systems in preparation for the LAMOST spectroscopic survey. We use the PPMXL (Roeser et al. 2010) astrometric catalog, which provides positions, proper motions, B/R/I magnitudes (mostly) from USNO-B (Monet et al. 2003) and J/H/Ks from The Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS, see Skrutskie et al. 2006) as well. We chose 8 plates along the Galactic plane, in the region $0^\circ

We describe the footprint and input catalog for bright nights in the LAMOST Pilot Survey, which began in October 2011. Targets are selected from two stripes in the north and south Galactic Cap regions, centered at $\alpha$= 29$^\circ$, with 10$^\circ$ width in declination, covering right ascension of 135$^\circ-290^\circ$ and -30$^\circ$ to 30$^\circ$ respectively. We selected spectroscopic targets from a combination of the SDSS and 2MASS point source catalogs. The catalog of stars defining the field centers (as required by the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor at the center of the LAMOST field) consists of all V < 8m stars from the Hipparcos catalog. We employ a statistical selection algorithm that assigns priorities to targets based on their positions in multidimensional color/magnitude space. This scheme overemphasizes rare objects and de-emphasizes more populated regions of magnitude and color phase space, while ensuring a smooth, well-understood selection function. A demonstration of plate design is presented based on the Shack-Hartmann star catalog and an input catalog that was generated by our target selection routines., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

Systematic studies of synthesizing behaviors of sol-gel YBa2Cu3O7−x samples in flowing oxygen atmosphere and their superconductivity have been performed. A set of high temperature ρ-T curves has been obtained for the whole synthesizing process. After four rounds of synthesizing, the resistivity of the sample was around ρ=1.00×10−3Ω · cm at room temperature. The ρ-T curve of the fourth round shows that the orthorhombic to tetragonal phase transformation of the sample occurs around 600 °C, which is lower than that of the YBa2Cu3O7−x sample prepared by conventional solid-state reaction method. Other measurements, such as X-ray diffraction, SEM measurement and low temperature R-T and M-T measurement, were also performed. And the R-T and M-T measurement results suggest that during the synthesizing process, there exist some state at which the sample has better superconductivity than the other states. Moreover, we found screw dislocations presenting on the sample broken surface from the SEM images. This will change the concept that the screw dislocations can only grow on the surface of the YBCO thin films and single crystals.

Adzuki bean (Vigna angularis), an important legume crop, is grown in more than 30 countries of the world. The seed of adzuki bean, as an important source of starch, digestible protein, mineral elements, and vitamins, is widely used foods for at least a billion people. Here, we generated a high-quality draft genome sequence of adzuki bean by whole-genome shotgun sequencing. The assembled contig sequences reached to 450 Mb (83% of the genome) with an N50 of 38 kb, and the total scaffold sequences were 466.7 Mb with an N50 of 1.29 Mb. Of them, 372.9 Mb of scaffold sequences were assigned to the 11 chromosomes of adzuki bean by using a single nucleotide polymorphism genetic map. A total of 34,183 protein-coding genes were predicted. Functional analysis revealed that significant differences in starch and fat content between adzuki bean and soybean were likely due to transcriptional abundance, rather than copy number variations, of the genes related to starch and oil synthesis. We detected strong selection signals in domestication by the population analysis of 50 accessions including 11 wild, 11 semiwild, 17 landraces, and 11 improved varieties. In addition, the semiwild accessions were illuminated to have a closer relationship to the cultigen accessions than the wild type, suggesting that the semiwild adzuki bean might be a preliminary landrace and play some roles in the adzuki bean domestication. The genome sequence of adzuki bean will facilitate the identification of agronomically important genes and accelerate the improvement of adzuki bean.

We present CCD $UBVRI$ photometry of the field of the open cluster NGC 6866. Structural parameters of the cluster are determined utilizing the stellar density profile of the stars in the field. We calculate the probabilities of the stars being a physical member of the cluster using their astrometric data and perform further analyses using only the most probable members. The reddening and metallicity of the cluster were determined by independent methods. The LAMOST spectra and the ultraviolet excess of the F and G type main-sequence stars in the cluster indicate that the metallicity of the cluster is about the solar value. We estimated the reddening $E(B-V)=0.074 \pm 0.050$ mag using the $U-B$ vs $B-V$ two-colour diagram. The distance modula, the distance and the age of NGC 6866 were derived as $\mu = 10.60 \pm 0.10$ mag, $d=1189 \pm 75$ pc and $t = 813 \pm 50$ Myr, respectively, by fitting colour-magnitude diagrams of the cluster with the PARSEC isochrones. The Galactic orbit of NGC 6866 indicates that the cluster is orbiting in a slightly eccentric orbit with $e=0.12$. The mass function slope $x=1.35 \pm 0.08$ was derived by using the most probable members of the cluster., Comment: 14 pages, including 16 figures and 7 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Table 4 in the manuscript will be published electronically

We present a support vector machine classifier to identify the K giant stars from the LAMOST survey directly using their spectral line features. The completeness of the identification is about 75% for tests based on LAMOST stellar parameters. The contamination in the identified K giant sample is lower than 2.5%. Applying the classification method to about 2 million LAMOST spectra observed during the pilot survey and the first year survey, we select 298,036 K giant candidates. The metallicities of the sample are also estimated with uncertainty of $0.13\sim0.29$\,dex based on the equivalent widths of Mg$_{\rm b}$ and iron lines. A Bayesian method is then developed to estimate the posterior probability of the distance for the K giant stars, based on the estimated metallicity and 2MASS photometry. The synthetic isochrone-based distance estimates have been calibrated using 7 globular clusters with a wide range of metallicities. The uncertainty of the estimated distance modulus at $K=11$\,mag, which is the median brightness of the K giant sample, is about 0.6\,mag, corresponding to $\sim30$% in distance. As a scientific verification case, the trailing arm of the Sagittarius stream is clearly identified with the selected K giant sample. Moreover, at about 80\,kpc from the Sun, we use our K giant stars to confirm a detection of stream members near the apo-center of the trailing tail. These rediscoveries of the features of the Sagittarius stream illustrate the potential of the LAMOST survey for detecting substructures in the halo of the Milky Way., 24 pages, 20 figures, submitted to ApJ

The jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.), a member of family Rhamnaceae, is a major dry fruit and a traditional herbal medicine for more than one billion people. Here we present a high-quality sequence for the complex jujube genome, the first genome sequence of Rhamnaceae, using an integrated strategy. The final assembly spans 437.65 Mb (98.6% of the estimated) with 321.45 Mb anchored to the 12 pseudo-chromosomes and contains 32,808 genes. The jujube genome has undergone frequent inter-chromosome fusions and segmental duplications, but no recent whole-genome duplication. Further analyses of the jujube-specific genes and transcriptome data from 15 tissues reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying some specific properties of the jujube. Its high vitamin C content can be attributed to a unique high level expression of genes involved in both biosynthesis and regeneration. Our study provides insights into jujube-specific biology and valuable genomic resources for the improvement of Rhamnaceae plants and other fruit trees., The jujube is a major dry fruit crop in China and is commonly used for medicinal purposes. Here the authors sequence the genome and transcriptome of the most widely cultivated jujube cultivar, Dongzao, and highlight the genetic and molecular basis of agronomically important jujube traits, such as vitamin C content.

We describe the current plans for a spectroscopic survey of millions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy using the Guo Shou Jing Telescope (GSJT, formerly the Large Area Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope - LAMOST). The survey will obtain spectra for 2.5 million stars brighter than $r, Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in RAA

We outline the design of the dark nights portion of the LAMOST Pilot Survey, which began observations in October 2011. In particular, we focus on Milky Way stellar candidates that are targeted for the LEGUE (LAMOST Experiment for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) survey. We discuss the regions of sky in which spectroscopic candidates were selected, and the motivations for selecting each of these sky areas. Some limitations due to the unique design of the telescope are discussed, including the requirement that a bright (V < 8) star be placed at the center of each plate for wavefront sensing and active optics corrections. The target selection categories and scientific goals motivating them are briefly discussed, followed by a detailed overview of how these selection functions were realized. We illustrate the difference between the overall input catalog - Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry - and the final targets selected for LAMOST observation., 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

To compare the efficacy difference between acupoint sticking therapy and the combined therapy of retention-enema and millimeter-wave radiation in the treatment of type III prostatitis syndrome.Seventy-two cases were randomized into an acupoint sticking therapy group (group A, 36 cases) and an enema group (group B, 36 cases). The acupoint sticking therapy with Xiongbai Qianlie powder was applied to Ciliao (BL 32), Zhongji (CV 3), Guanyuan (CV 4), Huiyin (CV 1) and Changqiang (GV 1) in group A. The retention-enema with Ruyi Jinhuang powder plus millimeter-wave radiation at the prostatic region was used in group B. Eight treatments made one session. Totally, 2 sessions of treatment were required. The score of the symptoms of chronic prostatitis (NIH-CPSI) and the efficacy were observed.Of 36 cases in group A, 5 cases were dropped off, 13 cases remarkably effective, 17 cases effective and 1 case failed; the total effective rate was 96.8% (30/31). Of 36 cases in group B, 7 cases were dropped off, 7 cases remarkably effective, 17 cases effective and 5 cases failed; the total effective rate was 82.7% (24/29). The efficacy in group A was much better (P0.05). After the treatment, the score of NIH-CPSI was reduced obviously in either group (both P0.01). The result in group A was much better than group B (P0.05).The acupoint sticking therapy with Xiongbai Qianlie San achieves a good efficacy on type III prostatitis syndrome and its efficacy is superior to the retention-enema plus millimeter-wave radiation therapy.

The weather at Xinglong Observing Station, where the Guo Shou Jing Telescope (GSJT) is located, is strongly affected by the monsoon climate in north-east China. The LAMOST survey strategy is constrained by these weather patterns. In this paper, we present a statistics on observing hours from 2004 to 2007, and the sky brightness, seeing, and sky transparency from 1995 to 2011 at the site. We investigate effects of the site conditions on the survey plan. Operable hours each month shows strong correlation with season: on average there are 8 operable hours per night available in December, but only 1-2 hours in July and August. The seeing and the sky transparency also vary with seasons. Although the seeing is worse in windy winters, and the atmospheric extinction is worse in the spring and summer, the site is adequate for the proposed scientific program of LAMOST survey. With a Monte Carlo simulation using historical data on the site condition, we find that the available observation hours constrain the survey footprint from 22h to 16h in right ascension; the sky brightness allows LAMOST to obtain the limit magnitude of V = 19.5mag with S/N = 10., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in RAA

A total of $\sim640,000$ objects from LAMOST pilot survey have been publicly released. In this work, we present a catalog of DA white dwarfs from the entire pilot survey. We outline a new algorithm for the selection of white dwarfs by fitting S\'ersic profiles to the Balmer H$\beta$, H$\gamma$ and H$\delta$ lines of the spectra, and calculating the equivalent width of the CaII K line. 2964 candidates are selected by constraining the fitting parameters and the equivalent width of CaII K line. All the spectra of candidates are visually inspected. We identify 230 (59 of them are already in Villanova and SDSS WD catalog) DA white dwarfs, 20 of which are DA white dwarfs with non-degenerate companions. In addition, 128 candidates are classified as DA white dwarf/subdwarfs, which means the classifications are ambiguous. The result is consistent with the expected DA white dwarf number estimated based on the LEGUE target selection algorithm., Comment: 44 pages, 18 figures

A support vector machine (SVM) method is applied to select K giant stars directly from the spectral features of LAMOST spectra. The performance of the algorithm is assessed using the MILES library. It shows that the completeness of the K giant stars is 87% with only about 6% dwarf contamination. This allows us to select 18,013 K giant stars at |b|>20° and 38,108 at |b