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Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFFs) are used in firefighting and are sources of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the environment through surface runoff and groundwater contamination at defense and transportation sites. Little is known regarding the toxicity and bioaccumulation of newer AFFF formulations containing novel PFAS. To mimic maternal transfer of PFAS, pre-fertilization rainbow trout eggs were exposed to three PFAS using novel methodologies. Batches of unfertilized oocytes were exposed for three hours to 0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 or 10 µg/mL separately to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) or perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in either coelomic fluid or Cortland's solution. After exposure, the gametes were fertilized and rinsed with dechlorinated water. Egg yolk was aspirated from a subset of fertilized eggs for PFAS quantification. Each PFAS was detected in yolks of eggs exposed to the respective PFAS and yolk concentrations were directly proportional to concentrations in aqueous media to which they were exposed. Exposure in coelomic fluid or Cortland's solution resulted in similar concentrations of PFAS in egg yolks. Ratios of PFAS concentrations in oocytes to concentrations in exposure media (OFR) were less than 0.99 when exposed from 0.01 to 10 µg/mL while less than 0.45 when exposed from 0.1 to 10 µg/mL for both media and all three PFAS, demonstrating that the water solubility of the chemicals was relatively great. Pre-fertilization exposure of eggs effectively introduced PFAS into unfertilized egg yolk. This method provided a means of mimicking maternal transfer to evaluate toxicity to developing embryos from an early stage. This method is more rapid and efficient than injection of individual fertilized eggs and avoids trauma from inserting needles into eggs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We report the properties of more than 600 bursts (including cluster-bursts) detected from the repeating fast radio burst (FRB) source FRB 20201124A with the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) during an extremely active episode on UTC September 25-28, 2021, in a series of four papers. The observations were carried out in the band of 1.0 - 1.5 GHz by using the center beam of the L-band 19-beam receiver. We monitored the source in sixteen 1-hour sessions and one 3-hour session spanning 23 days. All the bursts were detected during the first four days. In this first paper of the series, we perform a detailed morphological study of 624 bursts using the 2-dimensional frequency-time ``waterfall'' plots, with a burst (or cluster-burst) defined as an emission episode during which the adjacent emission peaks have a separation shorter than 400 ms. The duration of a burst is therefore always longer than 1 ms, with the longest up to more than 120 ms. The emission spectra of the sub-bursts are typically narrow within the observing band with a characteristic width of $\sim$277 MHz. The center frequency distribution has a dominant peak at about 1091.9 MHz and a secondary weak peak around 1327.9 MHz. Most bursts show a frequency-downward-drifting pattern. Based on the drifting patterns, we classify the bursts into five main categories: downward drifting (263) bursts, upward drifting (3) bursts, complex (203), no drifting (35) bursts, and no evidence for drifting (121) bursts. Subtypes are introduced based on the emission frequency range in the band (low, middle, high and wide) as well as the number of components in one burst (1, 2, or multiple). We measured a varying scintillation bandwidth from about 0.5 MHz at 1.0 GHz to 1.4 MHz at 1.5 GHz with a spectral index of 3.0., Comment: Accepted by Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA)

This study aimed to quantitatively assess the quality of levator ani muscle (LAM) using shear wave elastography (SWE) and to evaluate the association between the elasticity of LAM and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The study population included 32 women with SUI and 34 women with normal pelvic support. The thickness of LAM, bladder neck descent (BND), and urethral funneling (UF) were assessed by transperineal ultrasound. LAM elasticity was measured by SWE at rest and during the maximal Valsalva maneuver. Age, menopause, BND, and UF showed a positive correlation with SUI. There was no significant between-group difference in the elastic modulus values of LAM at rest. The thickness of LAM in women with SUI was greater than that in control group at rest and during the maximal Valsalva maneuver (P 0.001). The elastic modulus values of E

Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. is a perennial herb that has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for centuries. During the summer of 2011, leaf spots were observed on leaves of A. macrocephala in Panan County of Zhejiang Province, China. Approximately 40% of the plants surveyed showed severe symptoms of leaf spot. At the initial stage of the infection, small, light brown spots appeared on the leaves that gradually became semicircular, oval, or irregular-shaped with dark brown or black centers surrounded by brown or light brown margins. The lesions enlarged and coalesced to form large areas of necrosis on leaves until entire leaves died. Eight fungal isolates were obtained from diseased A. macrocephala leaves by a tissue isolation method (1). Isolates were cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates at 25°C in darkness. Colonies on PDA were initially white and became grayish brown over time. Conidiophores were light brown with one or a few regular septa, mostly unbranched. Conidia were obclavate, dark brown, with three to eight transverse and zero to two longitudinal or oblique septa, and on average measured 35.1 (20 to 53) × 9.8 (5.8 to 13.3) μm (n = 20). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified using the primers ITS1F/ITS4 and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. JQ004404). The ITS sequence had 99% identity over 545 bp with Alternaria longipes (Ellis & Everh.) E. W. Mason (GenBank Accession No. AY278835), a fungal pathogen reported to cause leaf spot on Smilax china in China (3). To further identify the fungus, we chose the Alternaria allergen gene (Alt a 1 gene), which aids in identifying species of Alternaria (2). Amplification of the Alt a 1 gene was conducted using primers Alt-for/Alt-rev and sequenced (GenBank Accession No. JQ004405). Sequence comparisons showed there was 97% sequence identity with Alternaria longipes (GenBank Accession No. AY563304). Pathogenicity tests were performed on detached healthy A. macrocephala leaves. Nine leaves were inoculated by placing a PDA plug (0.5 cm2) of mycelia on upper surfaces of the leaves. Another nine leaves treated with sterile PDA plugs served as a control. Leaves were incubated in three petri dishes with a 12-h photoperiod at 25°C and 95% relative humidity. After 7 days, the symptoms described above were observed on all inoculated leaves, whereas no symptoms developed on control leaves. Reisolation of the fungus from symptomatic leaf tissues on PDA confirmed that the causal agent was Alternaria longipes. This pathogenicity test was performed three times. The genus Alternaria is ubiquitous and includes both plant pathogenic and saprophytic species that may cause leaf spot and blight on numerous plants (3,4), but to our knowledge, our research demonstrated this is the first report of leaf spot on A. macrocephalae caused by Alternaria longipes in China. References: (1) O. D. Dhingra and J. B. Sinclair. Basic Plant Pathology Methods. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1995. (2) S. G. Hong et al. Fungal Genet. Biol. 42:119, 2005. (3) Y. Long et al. Plant Pathol. 58:800, 2009. (4) S. X. Zang et al. J. Hebei Normal Univ. Sci. Tech. 19:46, 2005.

Low loss microwave dielectric ceramics Zn0.92Co0.08ZrNb2O8 with wolframite structure were prepared by the solid state method. Sintering characteristics, phase composition and microwave dielectric properties were investigated systematically. X-ray diffraction results showed that all samples exhibited a wolframite structure. Rietveld refinement was used to analyze the crystal structure. Based on the lattice parameters, the bond ionicity, the lattice energy, the bond energy and the coefficient of thermal expansion were calculated to evaluate the structural characteristics. The e r values could be strongly dependent on the bond ionicity of the Nb–O bonds. The Q·j values were main affected by the lattice energy and the bond energy of the Nb–O bonds. As for the τ f values, it could be mainly affected by the coefficient of thermal expansion of Zn/Co–O bonds. At the sintering temperature of 1200 °C, Zn0.92Co0.08ZrNb2O8 ceramics exhibited the excellent microwave properties of e r = 27.10, Q·f = 61,036 GHz (at 8.54 GHz) and τ f = −9.81 ppm/°C. These results demonstrated that Zn0.92Co0.08ZrNb2O8 ceramics could be promising candidate materials for the application of highly selective microwave ceramic resonators and filters.

Efficient online discovering and applying geospatial information resources (GIRs) is critical in Earth Science domain as while for cross-disciplinary applications. However, to achieve it is challenging due to the heterogeneity, complexity and privacy of online GIRs. In this article, GeoSquare, a collaborative online geospatial information sharing and geoprocessing platform, was developed to tackle this problem. Specifically, (1) GIRs registration and multi-view query functions allow users to publish and discover GIRs more effectively. (2) Online geoprocessing and real-time execution status checking help users process data and conduct analysis without pre-installation of cumbersome professional tools on their own machines. (3) A service chain orchestration function enables domain experts to contribute and share their domain knowledge with community members through workflow modeling. (4) User inventory management allows registered users to collect and manage their own GIRs, monitor their execution status, and track their own geoprocessing histories. Besides, to enhance the flexibility and capacity of GeoSquare, distributed storage and cloud computing technologies are employed. To support interactive teaching and training, GeoSquare adopts the rich internet application (RIA) technology to create user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). Results show that GeoSquare can integrate and foster collaboration between dispersed GIRs, computing resources and people. Subsequently, educators and researchers can share and exchange resources in an efficient and harmonious way.

Based on the complex function theory and the homogenization principle, an universal approach of solving the dynamic stress concentration around a circular cavity in two-dimensional (2D) inhomogeneous medium is developed. The Helmholtz equation with variable coefficient is converted to the standard Helmholtz equation by means of the general conformal transformation method (GCTM) analytically. As an example, the inhomogeneous medium with density varying as a function of two spatial coordinates and the constant elastic modulus is studied. The dynamic stress concentration factors (DSCF) are calculated numerically. It shows that medium inhomogeneous parameters and wave numbers have significant influence on the dynamic stress concentration by the circular cavity in two-dimensional inhomogeneous medium.

Based on the coordinate transformation method, the formula of the dynamic inhomogeneous isoparametric finite element method is presented for generating element stiffness, damping and mass matrices. First, the global coordinate form and simplified form of dynamic inhomogeneous finite element are given in this paper. Then, the discrete material parameter distributions under the isoparametric coordinate system are obtained by using the transformation relationship between the global coordinates and the isoparametric coordinates. The simplified form with the discrete material parameter distributions is obtained for generating the element stiffness and mass matrices of the dynamic inhomogeneous isoparametric element. The numerical examples show that the scheme proposed in present paper has high precision.

Summary Aquatic ecological rehabilitation is attracting increasing public and research attention, but without knowledge of the responses of aquatic species to their habitats the success of habitat restoration is uncertain. Thus efficient study of species response to habitat, through which to prioritize the habitat factors influencing aquatic ecosystems, is highly important. However many current models have too high requirement for assemblage information and have great bias in results due to consideration of only the species’ attribute of presence/absence, abundance or biomass, thus hindering the wider utility of these models. This paper, using fish as a case, presents a framework for identification of high-priority habitat factors based on the responses of aquatic species to their habitats, using presence/absence, abundance and biomass data. This framework consists of four newly developed sub-models aiming to determine weightings for the evaluation of species’ contributions to their communities, to quantitatively calculate an integrated habitat suitability index for multi-species based on habitat factors, to assess the suitable probability of habitat factors and to assess the rehabilitation priority of habitat factors. The framework closely links hydrologic, physical and chemical habitat factors to fish assemblage attributes drawn from monitoring datasets on hydrology, water quality and fish assemblages at a total of 144 sites, where 5084 fish were sampled and tested. Breakpoint identification techniques based on curvature in cumulated dominance along with a newly developed weighting calculation model based on theory of mass systems were used to help identify the dominant fish, based on which the presence and abundance of multiple fish were normalized to estimate the integrated habitat suitability index along gradients of various factors, based on their variation with principal habitat factors. Then, the appropriate probability of every principal habitat factor was estimated and graded, and the priority of habitat factors for rehabilitation was determined. Application of the model to Jinan City, a pilot city for the construction of a civilized and ecological city in China, proved effective, revealing that carbonate is the poorest habitat factor and has the highest priority for ecological rehabilitation. This was tested using two methods: alternative priority models and a dataset of all habitat factors in place of only the principal habitat factors. We also found that hydrological factors have higher priority than the water quality factors at the levels of both the whole city and its subordinate eco-regions and therefore that hydrological factors deserve special attention in the future ecosystem rehabilitation. Further, the current habitat state makes nearly half of the habitats in Jinan City undesirable for fish communities, largely due to long-term agricultural practices. Spatially, rivers in the mountainous region south of Jinan city and adjacent to the urban area and rivers in the agricultural region north of the city should be emphasized in future habitat rehabilitation. All of these findings have substantial ramifications for the rehabilitation of aquatic ecosystems in Jinan City as a reference for river ecological remediation in rivers with scarce ecological data worldwide.

Free metal particle is one of the main defects affecting the safe and stable operation of GIS equipment. In order to further analyze the characteristics of partial discharge produced by metal particles, an independent sealed test model which can simulate real defects is designed in this paper. By adjusting applied voltage, particle size and number of particles, PRPD and n-φ pattern of partial discharge caused by particle defects are characterized. Analysis of the causes of formation of features, especially in the light of particle motion patterns, the transfer and neutralization of charges carried by particles at various stages are elaborated, which provides a reference for the follow-up research and field detection work.

With the increasing consumption of traditional energy sources and the destruction of the environment, traditional energy generation cannot meet the development of today’s society. Replaced by renewable clean energy, a large number of new energy access to the power grid, but large numbers of unconstrained access to the grid will seriously cause problems with unqualified voltage quality. In this paper, the reactive power demand Q of the grid is determined based on the difference between the measured voltage value and the voltage target value collected at the grid point exceeds the allowable range. And by calculating the SVG reactive power adjustment margin of each new energy power plant. For the adjustment margins of reactive power compensation equipment in each new energy power plant, reactive power distribution is implemented using strategies such as equal ratio or equal margin or priority allocation.

People who live in a crowded jungle of metropolis are easy getting stressed and extremely need relaxing activities, e.g. gardening. The considerations about limited space, busy day and scarce experience will stop people to take action on gardening. They do need a device to help them taking care of plant, a smart device which is able to remotely control would be popular to the business of interior planting. This demand encouraged many designers to create the modules for interior planting. It also pushes researchers to study how interior planting is able to capture particles, to absorb VOC, to transform CO2, to change temperature and moisture. However, planting module with smart control of indoor air quality is rare until now. So we created an environmental manipulator in which environmental monitoring sensors, planting modules, and remote relays are fused together. This study described the process how we get the optimal design of environmental manipulator under a series of interviews based on Evaluation Grid Method (EGM).

A combined experimental and numerical study has been conducted to compare the characteristics of free jet flames and confined jet flames from a small ceramic tube burner using liquid ethanol as fuel. The visualization results show that the flame shapes between the free jet flame and the confined jet flame have some differences. An obvious liquid–vapor interface has been found for the confined jet. Numerical results of flame lengths and flame temperature show reasonable agreement with the experimental data within the present parameter ranges. At the same liquid ethanol flow rate, the flame length of confine jet is smaller than that of free jet. For the confined jet, the heat loss is smaller; the flame temperature is higher, so the enhanced diffusion results in a shorter length.

Background: Current imaging modalities are inadequate in preoperatively predicting regional lymph node metastasis (RLNM) status in rectal cancer (RC). Here, we designed support vector machine (SVM) model to address this issue by integrating epithelial–mesenchymal-transition (EMT)-related biomarkers along with clinicopathological variables. Methods: Using tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry, the EMT-related biomarkers expression was measured in 193 RC patients. Of which, 74 patients were assigned to the training set to select the robust variables for designing SVM model. The SVM model predictive value was validated in the testing set (119 patients). Results: In training set, eight variables, including six EMT-related biomarkers and two clinicopathological variables, were selected to devise SVM model. In testing set, we identified 63 patients with high risk to RLNM and 56 patients with low risk. The sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy of SVM in predicting RLNM were 68.3%, 81.1% and 72.3%, respectively. Importantly, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SVM model was indeed an independent predictor of RLNM status (odds ratio, 11.536; 95% confidence interval, 4.113–32.361; P

The domestication of emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. dicoccoides, genomes BBAA) was one of the key events during the emergence of agriculture in southwestern Asia, and was a prerequisite for the evolution of durum and common wheat. Single- and multilocus genotypes based on restriction fragment length polymorphism at 131 loci were analyzed to describe the structure of populations of wild and domesticated emmer and to generate a picture of emmer domestication and its subsequent diffusion across Asia, Europe and Africa. Wild emmer consists of two populations, southern and northern, each further subdivided. Domesticated emmer mirrors the geographic subdivision of wild emmer into the northern and southern populations and also shows an additional structure in both regions. Gene flow between wild and domesticated emmer occurred across the entire area of wild emmer distribution. Emmer was likely domesticated in the Diyarbakir region in southeastern Turkey, which was followed by subsequent hybridization and introgression from wild to domesticated emmer in southern Levant. A less likely scenario is that emmer was domesticated independently in the Diyarbakir region and southern Levant, and the Levantine genepool was absorbed into the genepool of domesticated emmer diffusing from southeastern Turkey. Durum wheat is closely related to domesticated emmer in the eastern Mediterranean and likely originated there.

Background/Purpose: Inconsistent data are available on the various types of skin, their prevalence and characterization, particularly regarding Asian skins. This observation prompted to conduct a large study in China to assess the prevalence of oily skin and identify the specific factors related to that type of skin. Methods: The multicentre trial involved 1787 Chinese women in Shenyang, Harbin, Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou, between 18 and 65 years of age. Data on history of acne, the presence of environmental factors and a detailed self-evaluation of the skin were collected using a standardized questionnaire. A clinical evaluation of facial skin oiliness was carried-out by a dermatologist at each centre. Sebum secretion was measured on the forehead using Sebumeter® SM810. Statistical analysis (multiple correspondence analysis) of typology was conducted based on self-evaluation data. Results: According to self-evaluation data, oily skin prevalence in the overall Chinese population of the study was 25.6%. Self-evaluation results were quite consistent with sebum measurements and with clinical assessment by dermatologist. Parameters associated with oily skin were (i) shiny skin and a past history of acne, (ii) irregular menstruation, and (iii) highly reactive or sensitive skin. Moreover, a clear and significant link was noted between oily skin and the ingestion of spicy or sweet food. Lastly, sebum levels were found to be twice as high in Beijing as in the other cities and were correlated to higher oily skin prevalence. Conclusion: The study demonstrated the capacity of women for proper self-evaluation of their skin type. It also suggests a potential link between nutritional factors such as spicy and/or sweet diets and oily skin as well as between sensitive and oily skin in this population.

We determined the potential for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP)-like cells in mice. iPS cells were generated from tail-tip fibroblasts. We used a pellet culture model with the aim of determining the applicability of iPS cell-based therapy to intervertebral disc degeneration (IVD). The cell pellet was cultured in an NP cell basal medium comprising Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with transforming growth factor beta 1, dexamethasone, ascorbate-2-phosphate, and 1% ITS-Premix. The pellet was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and biochemical composition. The differentiation of iPS cells into NP cells was demonstrated by the protein and mRNA expression levels of proteoglycan, collagen II, aggrecan, and CD24. Furthermore, increased hydroxyproline content and dimethylmethylene blue staining demonstrated that the collagen II and glycosaminoglycan content in the NP cells increased with time. We have shown that cultured mouse iPS cells can be induced to differentiate into NP cells. Such proof-of-concept opens up the possibility of producing patient-specific NP cells in a relatively simple and straightforward manner with high efficiency. We are confident that such cells could be immediately useful for the study of IVD disease.

Summary Background Although limited data are available, it is commonly considered that Europeans and Asians have different skin ageing features. Objectives The present studies have been carried out to evaluate the influence of age and sun-exposure on the main clinical signs of Asian skin ageing. Methods One hundred and sixty Chinese and 160 French age-matched women (age range: 20–60 years old) were clinically examined and scored by the same dermatologist. Facial wrinkles (crow's-feet, glabella and perioral wrinkles) and pigmented spots (on face and hands) were assessed in situ and standardized photographs of the face were taken. Lifelong sun-exposure was estimated from answers to a questionnaire. Comparisons were made between 10-year age groups. Results Results show that, for each facial skin area, wrinkle onset is delayed by about 10 years in Chinese women as compared to French women. Facial wrinkling rate over the years is linear in French women and not linear in Chinese women who appear to experience a fast ageing process between age 40 and 50. Pigmented spot intensity is a much more important ageing sign in Chinese women (severe for 30% of women over 40) than in French women (severe for less than 8% of women, irrespective of age). Conclusion These first results underline that main skin ageing features (wrinkles, spots) progress differently in the Chinese and French women we have studied. They require to be confirmed on broad multicentre studies involving larger cohorts.

A homologous series of chiral thioesters, hexyl (2S)-2-[6-(4-alkanoyloxyphenyl)benzoyloxy-2′-naphthyl]thiopropionates, HnPBNTP (n=7–11) was synthesized, and the mesophases and electro-optical properties were studied. All the materials possess a ferroelectric SmC* phase, which was confirmed by the switching current behaviour. It was found that compounds with a shorter alkyl chain length (n=7–9) displayed SmA* and SmC* phases, while, compounds with a longer alkyl chain length (n=10 and 11), displayed the SmC* phase exclusively. Spontaneous polarization and apparent tilt angle were also measured. The maximum P s values are in the range 15–26 nC cm−2, and the maximum θ values are in the range 23°–28°.

Polymorphism for deletions was investigated in 1027 lines of tetraploid and hexaploid wheat and 420 lines of wheat diploid ancestors. A total of 26 deletions originating during the evolution of polyploid wheat were discovered among 155 investigated loci. Wheat chromosomes were divided into a proximal, low-recombination interval containing 69 loci and a distal, high-recombination interval containing 86 loci. A total of 23 deletions involved loci in the distal, high-recombination interval and only 3 involved loci in the proximal, low-recombination interval. The rates of DNA loss differed by several orders of magnitude in the two intervals. The rate of diploidization of polyploid wheat by deletions was estimated and was shown to have proceeded faster in the distal, high-recombination interval than in the proximal, low-recombination interval.

The combustion characteristics and heat release of a direct injection (DI) compression ignition engine fuelled with diesel-dimethyl carbonate blends were investigated on a compression ignition engine. The study showed that the premixed combustion is prolonged and the duration of the diffusive combustion is shortened with increase in the dimethyl carbonate (DMC) addition. For a specific brake mean effective pressure (b.m.e.p.), the maximum cylinder gas pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise and the maximum rate of heat release increase with increase in the DMC addition at medium and high loads, while they exhibit less variation with the DMC addition at small load. Meanwhile, the maximum gas temperature decreases with increase in the DMC addition. The ignition delay increases while the rapid combustion duration and the total combustion duration show less variation with the DMC addition. The brake specific fuel consumption (b.s.f.c.) increases while the diesel equivalent b.s.f.c. decreases and the thermal efficiency increases with increase in the DMC addition. The CO and smoke decrease with increase in the DMC addition, and NOx does not increase with increase in DMC.

A new method has been developed to determine the curing cycles for thick laminates. The method uses numerical simulation together with knowledge of the conventional curing process for thin laminates. Once the process control parameters have been introduced, an iterative procedure is employed to arrive at the optimal heating cycles for thick laminates. Autoclave curing processes have been carried out using conventional cycles for (1 mm) laminates, as well as optimised cycles for thick section (12.5 mm) laminates. The interlaminar shear strengths of thick laminates, processed using the two types of curing cycles have been determined. Results show that there is no difference in the interlaminar shear strengths of laminates produced using the optimised and conventional curing cycles, but the curing times can be greatly reduced for the optimised curing cycle.

The crystal structure of cesium cholate, C(24)H(36)(OH)(3) COOCs has been determined with three-dimensional X-ray diffractometer data. It crystallized in the monoclinic space group P2(1) with unit-cell dimensions a = 11.543(5) A, b = 8.614(3) A, and c = 12.662(5) A, beta(deg) = 107.95(2), V = 1197.7 A(3) and Z = 2. The atomic parameters were refined to a final r = 0.0269 and R(omega) = 0.0280 for 2342 observed reflections. Each Cs(+) is coordinated to 7 oxygen atoms from 5 different cholate anions with Cs-O distances ranging from 2.957(4) A to 3.678(5) A. In this crystal, 5 cholates are coordinated with 1 Cs(+), and 5 Cs(+) are coordinated with 1 cholate anion. Carboxyl and all the 3 ring hydroxyl groups of cholate anion participate in binding to Cs(+) simultaneously, and there is no water molecule coordinated with the Cs(+). The pattern of successive rows arranged with polar (p) and non-polar (n) faces in apposition leads to the formation of a sandwich sheet structure with polar and non-polar channels. The Cs ions lie within the polar interior of the sandwich. The H-bond network is reorganized in forming cesium cholate from cholic acid. All the oxygen atoms in cholate anion are involved in H-bonding reciprocally or with water molecules to form an extensive 3-dimensional network of H-bonds. Compared with cholic acid and other similar type of steroids, the coordination structure and H-bonding of Cs cholate crystal are distinct.

We present an inverse procedure for the detection of a three-dimensional crack in plates and shells using a genetic searching algorithm. The integral strain, which can be measured by optical fibers, is utilized as the input for the inverse procedure. Two parameters, each with three components, are used to describe the location and size of the crack. A shell element model is created with a re-mesh operation in the numerical simulation of the integral strains. The squared difference of the integral strains obtained from a plate with an actual crack and from a plate with a trial crack is defined as the objective function. The best crack parameters are found by minimizing the objective function using a searching technique of the micro genetic algorithm (μGA). We have presented numerical examples to demonstrate the procedures and effectiveness of the method.

An advanced numerical simulation method on fluid dynamics - lattice-Boltzmann (LB) method is employed to simulate the movement of Taylor bubbles in a narrow channel, and to investigate the flow reg ...

The development of molecular markers has contributed to progress in identifying the gene(s) responsible for favorable variations in maize studies. In this study, quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping was conducted using simple sequence repeat markers in an F2 sweet corn population from a cross between parental line 1132 and space flight-induced mutant line 751 to identify the loci contributing to an increase in some yield traits. A primary mutated genomic region was located on chromosome 9. In total, 26 QTL were detected for eight yield-related traits and assembled into three clusters on chromosome 9. The largest QTL cluster at bin 9.02/03, primarily contributing to >10% of the phenotypic variation in ear and cob diameters, was likely due to a major QTL. Desired alleles of these QTL were provided by the mutant line 751. The primary action of the major mutant allele was an additive effect. Another mutant locus, which was induced in bin 9.01, increased cob and ear diameters by dominant genetic action.

Conventional autoclave curing cycles for thermosetting composite laminates are generally derived from trial-and-error experimentation. Cure cycles are readily available for thin composite laminates. However, developing cure cycles for thick section laminates is time consuming and hence, costly. In addition, one cannot be sure that a selected cycle will be optimum if it is based on a conventional method. This paper shows that through numerical simulation and some minimal experimentation, optimized cure cycles can be developed for thick laminates. The heating cycles for thick laminates can be established by an iterative numerical method. Autoclave processing with conventional and optimal curing cycles for 12.5-mm-thick laminates was performed. The mechanical properties of the products were determined and shown to be comparable, with significant time saving realized in using the optimized cycle.

This paper presents results of experimental and analytical investigation on molten alloy drop fragmentation in water pool. Emphasis is directed towards delineating the roles which melt to coolant heat transfer and melt solidification play in the fragmentation process. The strong impact of coolant temperature upon fragmentation process is addressed. A set of 23 drop fragmentation experiments were performed, in which 8 experiments employed a low melting point alloy, cerrobend-70 and 15 experiments using Pb–Bi eutectic alloy as drop fluid. The results show strong impact of coolant temperature on particle size distribution of the fragmented drops. A linear stability analysis of the interface between the two liquid fluids with thin crust growing between them, is performed. A modified dimensionless Aeroelastic number, for Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, is obtained and used as a criteria for fragmentation of molten drops penetrating into another liquid coolant media with lower temperature. The nondimensionalized mean diameter of the fragmented particles is correlated with the Aeroelastic number.

The Fourier transform (FT) and the wavelet transform (WT) methods are used to process the fringe carrier pattern resulting from speckle-shearing inteferometry, in which the carrier frequency is modulated by deformation of a bending plate. Both the amount and the sign of the first derivative of the out-of-plane displacement can be obtained by these two transform techniques in the whole field. Phase distributions of the deflection slope are compared, which shows the wavelet analysis gives a better solution with noise reduction and without deficiency of filter window choice as for that in the Fourier transform. Meanwhile, the phase values in the path along the maximum WT amplitudes give a direct map of the second derivative patterns of the deflection, which presents the same image as that given by the shearing subtraction of the phase patterns from the inverse Fourier transformation but avoids the processing of unwrapping for the phase reconstruction.