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The Deflectable double-stator Switched Reluctance Generator (DSRG) has the advantages of simple structure, small volume and multi-dimensional operation. The DSRG and propeller are combined into the application of underwater power generation. With the help of the deflect ability of the generator, the efficiency is improved. Due to the uncertainty of ocean current direction and the structure of switched reluctance generator, the torque ripple is one of the important factors damaging the underwater generator. In order to effectively suppress the influence of torque ripple caused by generator operation, a method of adding pole shoes on the pole side of outer stator is proposed, so as to reduce the torque ripple. The propulsion structure running at different deflection angles is simulated. The torque and speed obtained before and after pole shoe optimization are input into the propeller model. The pressure and speed characteristics of the corresponding blade structure are simulated to verify the effect of optimization and the effectiveness of the power generation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deflection switched reluctance motors (DSRM) are prone to chattering at low speeds, which always affects the output efficiency of the DSRM and the mechanical loss of the motor. Combining the characteristics of a traditional reluctance motor with the strong nonlinear and high coupling of the DSRM, a control system for a DSRM based on a flexible neural network (FNN) is proposed in this paper. Based on the better robustness and fault tolerance of fuzzy PI control, the given speed signal is adjusted and converted into a torque control signal. As a result, the FNN control module possesses the strong self-learning ability and adaptive adjustment ability necessary to obtain the control voltage signal. Through simulations and experiments, it was verified that the control system can run stably on DSRM and shows good dynamic performance and anti-interference ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 CuCl 4 and (C 6 H 18 N 2) 2 Cu 2 Cl 8 are zero-dimensional single crystals synthesized by solvent evaporation. • The crystal structures of (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 CuCl 4 and (C 6 H 18 N 2) 2 Cu 2 Cl 8 were studied. • The effects of A-position regulation on light absorption and thermal stability of sample were studied. Organic-inorganic hybridized perovskite have excellent photovoltaic properties, especially Pb-based organic-inorganic perovskite polycrystalline thin films based on Pb-based organic-inorganic perovskite have achieved high power conversion efficiency, but the polycrystalline materials have a large number of grain boundaries and defects, which are susceptible to the influence of water and oxygen, leading to structural degradation, poor stability, high toxicity and slow degradation, which are not friendly to the environment. Therefore, in this paper, two copper-based organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite single crystals (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 CuCl 4 and (C 6 H 18 N 2) 2 Cu 2 Cl 8 were synthesized by using the method of organic modulation, and were investigated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The samples were analyzed in detail for crystal structure, chemical groups, bond characterization, optical and thermal stability. The results show that (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 CuCl 4 and (C 6 H 18 N 2) 2 Cu 2 Cl 8 single crystals belong to the C2 / c space group of the monoclinic crystal system and the P - 1 space group of the triclinic crystal system, respectively. The optical band gap of (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 CuCl 4 is 2.45 eV, which is stable up to 179 °C, and that of (C 6 H 18 N 2) 2 Cu 2 Cl 8 is 2.47 eV, which is stable up to 163 °C. The thermal stability of the crystals can be regulated by changing the organic cation in the A-site, but the optical band gap of the crystals cannot be regulated significantly. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suberin consisting of the polyaliphatic and polyphenolic domain confers the hydrophobic barrier of wound fruit and vegetables, providing essential protection from excessive water loss, ion outflow and pathogen invasion. The ω-hydroxyacid/fatty alcohol hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (FHT) is required for cross-linking of the polyaliphatic and polyphenolic domain in suberin biosynthesis. The transcription factor AchMYC2 acts as a positive activator in suberin biosynthesis but it is not known how it interacts with AchFHT in kiwifruit. In this study, overexpression of AchFHT in kiwifruit increased accumulation of suberin monomers, such as ferulate and ω-hydroxyacids. Yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assays showed that AchMYC2 activated AchFHT transcript via interacting with the gene promoter. Overexpression of AchMYC2 in kiwifruit resulted in the upregulation of AchFHT , the accumulation of FHT protein and suberin monomers. Further, using yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) assay screened a jasmonate ZIM-domain protein (AchJAZ1, a key repressor of JA signaling pathway) which interacted with AchMYC2. Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment increased expression levels of AchMYC2 and AchFHT , and the content of FHT protein, accompanying by the rapid wound healing process, as indicated by rapid suberin deposition, the reduced weight loss and relative electrolyte leakage. These results indicate that AchMYC2 activates AchFHT transcript to involve in MeJA-mediated suberin biosynthesis in wound healing of kiwifruit. • Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) accelerated suberin deposition in wound healing of kiwifruit. • MeJA stimulated expression levels of AchFHT and AchMYC2 and increased FHT content. • AchMYC2 activated AchFHT transcript by interacting with the gene promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our previous study has demonstrated that the transcription of AchnKCS involved in suberin biosynthesis was up-regulated by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) during the wound suberization of kiwifruit, but the regulatory mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Results: Through subcellular localization analysis in this work, AchnbZIP29 and AchnMYB70 transcription factors were observed to be localized in the nucleus. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assay proved the transcriptional activation of AchnMYB70 and transcriptional suppression of AchnbZIP29 on AchnKCS promoter. Furthermore, the transcription level of AchnMYB70 was enhanced by ABA during wound suberization of kiwifruit, but AchnbZIP29 transcription was reduced by ABA. Conclusions: Therefore, it was believed that ABA enhanced the transcriptional activation of AchnMYB70 on AchnKCS by increasing AchnMYB70 expression. On the contrary, ABA relieved the inhibitory effect of AchnbZIP29 on transcription of AchnKCS by inhibiting AchnbZIP29 expression. These results gave further insight into the molecular regulatory network of ABA in wound suberization of kiwifruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Abscisic acid (ABA) application accelerated wound healing of Chinese yam tubers. • ABA raised the contents of suberin polyphenolics (SPP), lignin and total phenols. • ABA raised gene expressions, contents and activities of enzymes in SPP formation. Water loss, nutrient elution and pathogen attacks caused by mechanical wounding are the primary sources of postharvest loss of fruit and vegetables. Continuously increasing information has unraveled that abscisic acid (ABA) can accelerate wound healing of fruit and vegetables via stimulating suberin polyphenolics (SPP) biosynthesis, whereas the effect of ABA in wound healing of Chinese yam tubers remains unclear. The treatment of ABA and fluridone (FLD, an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis) on postharvest wound healing of yam tubers was investigated in this study. The results showed that ABA treatment facilitated wound healing process of yam tubers, representing by the reduced weight loss and relative electrolyte leakage (REL). ABA enhanced the expression levels of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), as well as the corresponding enzyme contents and activities. Correspondingly, the contents of major monomers such as ferulic acid, caffeic acid and p -coumaric acid also increased. Simultaneously, ABA could improve the expression of peroxidase (POD), the enzyme content and activity, as well as hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) production, which might contribute to the polymerization of SPP and lignin. Inversely, inhibition of ABA production by FLD application displayed an opposite effect to ABA treatment. These results demonstrate that application of ABA stimulated wound healing of Chinese yam tubers via improving the gene expressions of relevant enzymes, their contents and activities, so that maintain high quality of postharvest yam tubers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suberin polyaliphatics (SPA) is an important component of suberin, which plays a pivotal role in controlling water loss and solute fluxes during wound healing of fruit and vegetables. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on wound-induced SPA deposition in Chinese yam tubers. The results exhibited that MeJA treatment accelerated the deposition of SPA and the wound healing process. The gene expressions of β-ketoacyl-CoA synthases (DoKCS2 , DoKCS6), CYP86 subfamily of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (DoCYP86A1 , DoCYP86B1) and Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (DoGPAT5 , DoGPAT7) and their corresponding protein content (i.e. KCS, CYP, GPAT) associated with SPA monomer biosynthesis were notably increased by MeJA application. Meanwhile, MeJA also enhanced gene expressions of ATP-binding cassette transporter subfamily G proteins (DoABCG2 , DoABCG6) and GDSL-type esterase/lipases (DoGELP38 , DoGELP51 , DoGELP96) and increased ABCG content, which might participate in the trafficking and polymerization of SPA monomer. Noteworthily, application of diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DICA), an inhibitor of jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis, showed an opposite effect to MeJA treatment. These results suggest that MeJA could promote SPA deposition by positively regulating relevant gene expression and corresponding protein content, thereby accelerating wound healing of Chinese yam tubers. • Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) could accelerate wound healing of yam tubers. • MeJA reduced weight loss and relative electrolyte leakage of wound yam tubers. • MeJA improved SPA deposition by increasing gene expressions and enzyme contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suberin is a cell-wall biopolymer with aliphatic and aromatic domains that is synthesized in the wound tissues of plants in order to restrict water loss and pathogen infection. ω-hydroxyacid/fatty alcohol hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (FHT) is required for cross-linking of the aliphatic and aromatic domains. ABA is known to play a positive role in suberin biosynthesis but it is not known how it interacts with FHT. In this study, the kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) AchnFHT gene was isolated and was found to be localized in the cytosol. Transient overexpression of AchnFHT in leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana induced massive production of ferulate, ω-hydroxyacids, and primary alcohols, consistent with the in vitro ability of AchnFHT to catalyse acyl-transfer from feruloyl-CoA to ω-hydroxypalmitic acid and 1-tetradecanol. A regulatory function of four TFs (AchnABF2, AchnMYB4, AchnMYB41, and AchnMYB107) on AchnFHT was identified. These TFs localized in the nucleus and directly interacted with the AchnFHT promoter in yeast one-hybrid assays. Dual-luciferase analysis indicated that AchnABF2, AchnMYB41, and AchnMYB107 activated the AchnFHT promoter while AchnMYB4 repressed it. These findings were supported by the results of transient overexpression in N. benthamiana , in which AchnABF2 , AchnMYB41 , and AchnMYB107 induced expression of suberin biosynthesis genes (including FHT) and accumulation of suberin monomers, whilst AchnMYB4 had the opposite effect. Exogenous ABA induced the expression of AchnABF2 , AchnMYB41 , AchnMYB107 , and AchnFHT and induced suberin monomer formation, but it inhibited AchnMYB4 expression. In addition, fluridone (an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis) was found to counter the inductive effects of ABA. Activation of suberin monomer biosynthesis by AchnFHT was therefore controlled in a coordinated way by both repression of AchnMYB4 and promotion of AchnABF2, AchnMYB41, and AchnMYB107. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] 7-substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated for neuroprotective properties. We summarized the preliminary structure activity relationships (SAR). Compound 3i was screened as a hit compound and its antidepressant activity was evaluated by employing the forced swimming test, tail suspension test. Additionally, ADMET profile (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity properties) of the compound 3i was predicted in order to evaluate their lead-like properties and safety. The interaction of compound 3i bound to MAO-A was explored using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Results of biological studies revealed that the compound 3i exhibited almost equal antidepressant activity compared with magnoflorine. Compound 3i is predicted to possess good drug like properties and safety based on ADMET profile predictions. This work provides ideas for the drugs discovery of antidepressant agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Kiwifruit water loss was spatial movement of water from interior tissues to outwards. • Vibration caused excess water loss although there was an undamaged fruit surface. • Vibration accelerated water loss process due to intracellular damage in kiwifruit. Abstract Fruit usually suffers from water loss after transportation and storage, which largely blemishes the quality characteristics including appearance, saleable weight and texture. This study was conducted to interpret the potential relations between fruit water loss and transport vibration. Kiwifruit were subjected to vibration using an electrodynamic shaker followed by storing at 25 °C and 75% RH (relative humidity) in dark for 12 d. Fruit weight loss and water content in the epidermis (EP), outer pericarp (OP), inner pericarp (IP) and core tissues were determined. Shrinkage of EP cells and water movement were evaluated using laser scanning confocal microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. Cell damage was investigated by observing the ultrastructure and electrolyte leakage. The results showed that fruit water loss was accompanied with the spatial movement of water from interior IP, OP and external EP. Vibration damaged the fruit cells with plasmolysis, membrane contracting and increased electrolyte leakage, which accelerated movement of water from the tissues to outward resulting in severe water loss of fruit. However, the electrolyte leakage and water content in the core were little changed in both control and vibrated fruit. Shrinkage of EP cells coupled with fruit shrivel appeared by 4 d of storage after vibration. However, the symptom in control fruit was not observed until 8 d of storage. It could be concluded that the simulated transport vibration caused intracellular damage in fruit tissues, which accelerated the water loss and shriveling process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rapid wound healing would be critical for successful long‐term storage of fruits and vegetables. However, there was no direct evidence for the requirement and efficiency of oxygen in the fruit wound‐healing process. This study was conducted to investigate the role of oxygen in wound‐induced suberization by analyzing melanin, suberin polyphenolics (SPPs) and related enzymes in half‐cut kiwifruits exposed to 100%, 50%, 21% and 0% oxygen. RESULTS: By 3 days after wounding, the wound surface of kiwifruit in high (50 and 100%) oxygen appeared as a continuous layer of melanin and SPPs underneath, which effectively prevent excessive water vapor loss from the fruit halves. In contrast, melanin and SPPs deposition in the wound surface in 0% oxygen was significantly reduced, with high water vapor loss. Rapid decrease of soluble phenolic acids (caffeic, p‐coumaric, ferulic acids) was coupled with the increase of bound ferulic acid (coniferyl diacetate) especially in high oxygen by 9 days after wounding. Meanwhile, high oxygen enhanced peroxidase, catalase, phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase, and polyphenol oxidase activities. CONCLUSION: Oxygen is required for wound‐induced melanin and SPPs formation, and high oxygen is effective in promoting wound suberization in postharvest kiwifruit. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) reduced weight loss of wound yam tubers. • MeJA promoted the biosynthesis and polymerization of suberin polyphenolic monomers. • MeJA activated phenylpropanoid metabolism, peroxidase activity and H 2 O 2 production. Suberin is a cell wall-associated heteropolymer composed of suberin polyaliphatics (SPA) and suberin polyphenolics (SPP), which confers a hydrophobic barrier to plants against dehydration and pathogen invasion. Jasmonic acid (JA) plays a positive role in wound-induced SPP deposition in kiwifruit and potato tubers, but the mechanism underlying the regulation of JA on wound healing of Chinese yam tubers remains unknown. In this study, the biochemical and physiological responses to methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DIECA, an inhibitor of JA biosynthesis) treatments in wound yam tubers were investigated. The results showed that exogenous MeJA promoted the production of endogenous JA with increased gene expressions of lipoxygenase (LOX) and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductase (OPR) in wound tubers. The activities and gene expressions of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H) and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) in wound tubers were pronouncedly enhanced by MeJA, along with increase of SPP monomers, especially, hydroxycinnamic acids (HAs). Meanwhile, MeJA increased the activities and gene expressions of peroxidase (POD), NADPH oxidase (NOX), polyamine oxidase (PAO), and the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), which were likely to be involved in the polymerization of SPP monomers resulting in SPP deposition. Conversely, inhibition of JA biosynthesis by DIECA reversed the positive impact of MeJA on wound healing process. The results indicate that rapid wound healing in Chinese yam tubers could be induced by MeJA via stimulating phenylpropanoid metabolism, POD activity and H 2 O 2 generation involved in SPP deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have analyzed the stability of interactional genetic regulatory networks with reaction-diffusion terms under Dirichlet boundary conditions in this article. Corresponding to interaction between unstable genetic regulatory networks and stable genetic regulatory networks, the model is given, and a stability criterion is proposed through construction of appropriate Lyapunov-Krasovskii functions and linear matrix inequalities (LMI). By means of a numerical simulation, we have proved the effectiveness and correctness of the theorem, and we analyzed the factors that influence the stability for interactional genetic regulatory networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic metal halides (OMHs) have attracted considerable attention in the field of materials science because of their low cost, easy structure adjustment, and excellent optoelectronic properties. In this study, we synthesized a new organic manganese halide single-crystal, viz. (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 MnI 4. The single crystal belongs to the triclinic crystal system with a centrosymmetric P-1 space group. The optical bandgap (2.21 eV) of yellow (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 MnI 4 is close to the narrow bandgap and has a wide excitation range, with an optimal excitation wavelength of 468 nm. Among reported tetrahedrally coordinated manganese-based OMHs luminescent materials, yellow-green fluorescence emission is rare. (C 6 H 9 N 2) 2 MnI 4 also has a high fluorescence quantum efficiency of 67% and a fluorescence lifetime of 44 μs, and can be used to fabricate a light-emitting diode (LED) device with a luminous efficiency of 9.61 lm/W, thus expanding the applications of organic manganese halide materials. • (2-5-py) 2 MnI 4 is a new type of 0-dimensional single crystal synthesized by solvent evaporation method. • Researched the crystal structure, light absorption, and stability of (2-5-py) 2 MnI 4. • The luminous properties of (2-5-py) 2 MnI 4 were studied and white LED devices were further prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-known massively parallel sequencing method is efficient and it can obtain sequence data from multiple individual samples. In order to ensure that sequencing, replication, and oligonucleotide synthesis errors do not result in tags (or barcodes) that are unrecoverable or confused, the tag sequences should be abundant and sufficiently different. Recently, many design methods have been proposed for correcting errors in data using error-correcting codes. The existing tag sets contain small tag sequences, so we used a modified genetic algorithm to improve the lower bound of the tag sets in this study. Compared with previous research, our algorithm is effective for designing sets of DNA tags. Moreover, the GC content determined by existing methods includes an imprecise range. Thus, we improved the GC content determination method to obtain tag sets that control the GC content in a more precise range. Finally, previous studies have only considered perfect self-complementarity. Thus, we considered the crossover between different tags and introduced an improved constraint into the design of tag sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AchLOX3 and AchOPR3 were involved in JA biosynthesis of kiwifruit. • ABA-induced AchABF1-1 was a nucleus-localized transcription factor. • AchABF1-1 activated AchLOX3 and AchOPR3 expression by binding to their promoters. • ABA promoted SPP formation by the induction of JA biosynthesis. Mechanical damage is a central limiting factor in the maintenance of the postharvest fruit quality during harvest, transportation, and processing. In this study, wounded kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis cv. Xuxiang) were respectively treated with abscisic acid (ABA), fluridone (FLD, an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), diethyldithiocarbamic acid (DIECA, an inhibitor of JA biosynthesis), and ABA+DIECA to investigate the potential interaction between ABA and JA in the process of wound healing. The results showed that blocking JA biosynthesis significantly reduced the positive effect of ABA on the accumulation of suberin polyphenolic (SPP). Besides, transiently overexpressed the AchLOX3 and AchOPR3 in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves confirmed that these two genes respectively encoded lipoxygenase and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductase involved in JA biosynthesis. Notably, the positive regulation of transcription factor (TF) AchABF1-1 on AchLOX3 and AchOPR3 was identified. ABA-induced AchABF-1 located in the nucleus and activated the transcriptional expression of AchLOX3 and AchOPR3 through binding to their promoters. These results were further confirmed in the tobacco leaves overexpressing AchABF1-1 in which AchABF1-1 promoted NbLOX and NbOPR expression with the increases of JA content. In addition, exogenous ABA increased endogenous JA content, and enhanced LOX and OPR activities as well as their related gene expression, while FLD reduced these indices. These results suggested that the promotion effect of JA on the SPP accumulation was enhanced through the promotion of JA biosynthesis by ABA-responsive transcription factor AchABF1-1 during the wound healing process of kiwifruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been growing interesting in image encryption based on chaotic maps and wavelet transform. In this paper, a novel scheme for image encryption based on chaotic maps and reversible integer wavelet transform is proposed. Firstly, the cipher key which is related to plain-image is used to generate different parameters and initial values of chaotic maps. Then the plain-image is permuted by the order from chaotic maps, and processed by integer wavelet transform. A part of transform coefficient is diffused by the orbits of chaotic maps. Finally, the cipher image is obtained by inverse integer wavelet transform based on the diffused coefficient. Numerical experimental results and comparing with previous works show that the proposed scheme possesses higher security than previous works, which is suitable for protecting the image information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the existing motion capture (MoCap) data processing methods, manual interventions are always inevitable, most of which are derived from the data tracking process. This paper addresses the problem of tracking non-rigid 3D facial motions from sequences of raw MoCap data in the presence of noise, outliers and long time missing. We present a novel dynamic spatiotemporal framework to automatically solve the problem. First, based on a 3D facial topological structure, a sophisticated non-rigid motion interpreter (SNRMI) is put forward; together with a dynamic searching scheme, it cannot only track the non-missing data to the maximum extent but recover missing data (it can accurately recover more than five adjacent markers under long time (about 5 seconds) missing) accurately. To rule out wrong tracks of the markers labeled in open structures (such as mouth, eyes), a semantic-based heuristic checking method was raised. Second, since the existing methods have not taken the noise propagation problem into account, a forward processing framework is presented to solve the problem. Another contribution is the proposed method could track facial non-rigid motions automatically and forward, and is believed to greatly reduce even eliminate the requirements of human interventions during the facial MoCap data processing. Experimental results proved the effectiveness, robustness and accuracy of our system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel couple images encryption algorithm based on DNA subsequence operation and chaotic system is presented. Different from the traditional DNA encryption methods, our algorithm is not use complex biological operation, but just uses the idea of DNA subsequence operation (such as elongation operation, truncation operation, and deletion operation). And then, do the DNA addition operation under the Chen's Hyper-chaotic map in this image cipher. The simulation experimental results and security analysis show that our algorithm not only has good encryption effect, but also has the ability of resisting exhaustive attack and statistical attack. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent years, the studies of chaos-based image encryption have become an important aspect of the security of image transmission. So far, a large amount of chaotic maps have been used in image encryption with the permutation–diffusion architecture, such as logistic map, cat map, tent map and so on. In this paper, a defect of designing an image cryptosystem based on logistic map is proposed. According to the cryptanalysis of the defect, the initial value of logistic which is used to encrypt plain-image can be deduced by the decreased key space, when the parameter of logistic map is given. Finally, the theoretical analysis and numerical experimental results show that the defect could be used to break the image cryptosystem based on logistic map. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three kinds of metalloquinolate-containing polystyrene were prepared via a polymer reaction and a coordination reaction. 5-Chloromethyl-8-hydroxyquinoline (CHQ) was first prepared through the chloromethylation reaction of 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ) with 1,4-bichloromethoxy-butane as chloromethylation reagent. A polymer reaction, Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction, was carried out between polystyrene (PS) and CHQ in the presence of Lewis catalyst, and HQ was bonded onto the side chains of PS, obtaining 8-hydroxyquinoline-functionalized Polystyrene, HQ-PS. And then, by using one-pot method with two-stage procedures, the coordination reaction of HQ–PS and small molecule HQ with metal ions including Al(III), Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions, was allowed to be carried out, and three polymeric metalloquinolates, AlQ3–PS, ZnQ2–PS and CuQ2–PS, were successfully prepared, respectively. In the chemical structures of these polymeric metalloquinolates, metalloquinolates were chemically attached onto the side chains of PS. HQ–PS and three polymeric metalloquinolates were fully characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR and TGA. The luminescence properties of the three polymeric metalloquinolates were mainly investigated by UV/Vis absorption spectra and fluorescence emission spectra in solutions and in solid film states. When excited by the ray at about 365nm, the three polymeric metalloquinolates have blue-green luminescence, and the main emission peaks in the DMF solutions are located at 490, 482 and 502nm for AlQ3–PS, ZnQ2–PS and CuQ2–PS, respectively. As compared with their emissions in solutions, the emissions in solid film states are red-shifted to some extent, and the main emission peaks are located at 500, 488 and 510nm for AlQ3–PS, ZnQ2–PS and CuQ2–PS, respectively. Besides, these polymeric metalloquinolates have higher thermal stability than PS as polymeric skeleton. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we present a robust pitch estimation algorithm with the combination of wavelet transform (WT) and variance analysis (VA) for noisy speech. The technique uses the discrete wavelet transform to extract the wavelet parameters of the speech in the fundamental frequency band, and then performs VA to generate a variance statistical distribution function of the wavelet parameters. Finally, peak detection is applied to extract the pitch period. The simulation results show that the proposed method can give a superior accuracy relative to some of the existing methods from high to very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels in white noise, pink noise and babble noise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we obtain some sufficient conditions for determining the asymptotic stability of discrete-time non-autonomous delayed Hopfield neural networks by utilizing the Lyapunov functional method. An example is given to show the validity of the results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Precise pupil center detection is an important factor for gaze tracking in video-oculography (VOG) systems. Existing methods perform well to extract the features when the area of pupil in eye image is clear, whereas, interferences, such as eyelashes, corneal reflection etc., will lead to a low success rate. One main reason is the closure of eyelids. In this paper, a systemic 3D transformation algorithm is proposed to accurately ascertain the pupil center, in spite of the complicating factors mentioned above. Experiments show the good performance of our method. And the pupil center could be extracted accurately, even though only 25% of the pupil is visible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: By constructing suitable Lyapunov functionals and combining with matrix inequality technique, a new sufficient condition is presented for the global asymptotic stability of delayed neural networks. The condition contains and improves some of the previous results in the earlier references. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, by utilizing the Lyapunov functional method and combining with the linear matrix inequality approach, we analyze the global asymptotic stability of delayed Hopfield neural networks (HNNs). A new sufficient condition ensuring the global stability of the unique equilibrium point of delayed HNNs is obtained, which is dependent on the size of delays. This condition is less restrictive and conservative than that given in the earlier references. In addition, an example is also provided to illustrate the applicability of the result. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Global exponential stability is considered for a class of discrete-time cellular neural networks with variable delays. By employing a discrete Halanay inequality, a new result is presented ensuring global exponential stability of the unique equilibrium point of the networks. The result extends and improves the earlier publications due to the fact that it removes some restrictions on the delay. An example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the global exponential stability condition provided here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rounding error analysis for the symplectic Lanczos method is given to solve the large-scale sparse Hamiltonian eigenvalue problem. If no breakdown occurs in the method, then it can be shown that the Hamiltonian structure preserving requirement does not destroy the essential feature of the nonsymmetric Lanczos algorithm. The relationship between the loss of J-orthogonality among the symplectic Lanczos vectors and the convergence of the Ritz values in the symmetric Lanczos algorithm is discussed. It is demonstrated that under certain assumptions the computed J-orthogonal Lanczos vectors lose the J-orthogonality when some Ritz values begin to converge. Our analysis closely follows the recent works of Bai and Fabbender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this Letter, by utilizing Lyapunov functional method and Halanay inequalities, we analyze global exponential stability of nonautonomous cellular neural networks with delay. Several new sufficient conditions ensuring global exponential stability of the network are obtained. The results given here extend and improve the earlier publications. An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the obtained results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new sufficient condition has been presented ensuring the global exponential stability of cellular neural networks with time-varying delays by using an approach based on delay differential inequality combining with Young inequality. The results established here extend those earlier given in the literature. Compared with the method of Lyapunov functionals as in most previous studies, our method is simpler and more effective for stability analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper provides a new sufficient condition for the complete stability of the delayed cellular neural networks. This condition imposes constraints on the parameters of the networks and the size of time delay. The linear matrix inequality approach plays an important role in the proof. Our result recovers the known results in the earlier literature as special cases. Finally, we give an example to illustrate the applicability of our main result. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on the Lyapunov–Razumikhin technique as well as linear matrix inequality analysis, two new sufficient conditions are presented for the global asymptotic stability of neural networks with variable delays. The results given here are less conservative than those provided in the earlier references. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Some new sufficient conditions for the global exponential stability and estimations of bound on the rate of exponential convergence of the neural networks with time-varying delays are obtained by means of an approach based on delay differential inequality. The method, which does not make use of any Lyapunov functionals, is simple and valid for the stability analysis of neural networks with time-varying delays. Some previously established results in the literature are shown to be special cases of the presented results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The global asymptotic stability of Hopfield neural networks with transmission delays is considered in this Letter. We present a new sufficient condition for the asymptotic stability. This condition is dependent on the size of delays. The result is less conservative than those established in the earlier references. A numerical example is given to illustrate the applicability of this condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A model of Hopfield neural networks (HNN) with continuously distributed delays is considered. A sufficient condition which guarantees global exponential stability (GES) of an equilibrium point is given based on the method of variation parameter and inequality technique. Compared with the previous methods, our method does not resorting to any Lyapunov functionals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multivariate time series modeling has been essential in sensor-based data mining tasks. However, capturing complex dynamics caused by intra-variable (temporal) and inter-variable (spatial) relationships while simultaneously taking into account evolving data distributions is a non-trivial task, which faces accumulated computational overhead and multiple temporal patterns or distribution modes. Most existing methods focus on the former direction without adaptive task-specific learning ability. To this end, we developed a holistic spatial-temporal meta-learning probabilistic inference framework, entitled ST-MeLaPI, for the efficient and versatile learning of complex dynamics. Specifically, first, a multivariate relationship recognition module is utilized to learn task-specific inter-variable dependencies. Then, a multiview meta-learning and probabilistic inference strategy was designed to learn shared parameters while enabling the fast and flexible learning of task-specific parameters for different batches. At the core are spatial dependency-oriented and temporal pattern-oriented meta-learning approximate probabilistic inference modules, which can quickly adapt to changing environments via stochastic neurons at each timestamp. Finally, a gated aggregation scheme is leveraged to realize appropriate information selection for the generative style prediction. We benchmarked our approach against state-of-the-art methods with real-world data. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our approach over the baselines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EEG signals capture information through multi-channel electrodes and hold promising prospects for human emotion recognition. However, the presence of high levels of noise and the diverse nature of EEG signals pose significant challenges, leading to potential overfitting issues that further complicate the extraction of meaningful information. To address this issue, we propose a Granger causal-based spatial–temporal contrastive learning framework, which significantly enhances the ability to capture EEG signal information by modeling rich spatial–temporal relationships. Specifically, in the spatial dimension, we employ a sampling strategy to select positive sample pairs from individuals watching the same video. Subsequently, a Granger causality test is utilized to enhance graph data and construct potential causality for each channel. Finally, a residual graph convolutional neural network is employed to extract features from EEG signals and compute spatial contrast loss. In the temporal dimension, we first apply a frequency domain noise reduction module for data enhancement on each time series. Then, we introduce the Granger–Former model to capture time domain representation and calculate the time contrast loss. We conduct extensive experiments on two publicly available sentiment recognition datasets (DEAP and SEED), achieving 1.65% improvement of the DEAP dataset and 1.55% improvement of the SEED dataset compared to state-of-the-art unsupervised models. Our method outperforms benchmark methods in terms of prediction accuracy as well as interpretability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-thin wearing course (UTWC) as an asphalt overlay is widely used in pavement maintenance for extending pavement service life. Researchers focused on improving and evaluating its performance, yet few researchers compare the performance of typical UTWCs. Moreover, some traditional asphalt mixture tests are improper for UTWC due to the thicknesses of UTWC, which is thinner than the traditional asphalt overlay. This study further evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of typical UTWCs. A series of tests were conducted to compare the comprehensive performance of three typical UWTC products, including SMA-10, Novachip-B, and GT-10. Moreover, this study improved the rutting test to evaluate its rutting performance more accurately. Rutting specimens of 20 mm thick and 50 mm thick composite specimens (20 mm UTWC + 30 mm Portland cement concrete slabs) were prepared. Two types of PCC slabs were used, including unprocessed PCC slabs and PCC slabs with preset cracks. The test results showed that Novachip-B showed the best water stability and weakest raveling resistance, while GT-10 showed the best fatigue and anti-skid performance. The rutting performance of UTWCs was reduced because of the influence of preset cracks. The rutting depth of GT-10 was only 60–90% of that of others, showing the comprehensive performance of GT-10 was better than that of others. These results provide a significant reference for the research and application of UTWC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR were involved in wound suberinzation of kiwifruit. • AcnMYB4 repressed AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR expression by binding to gene promoter. • ABA induced the AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR expression by inhibition of AchnMYB4. Suberin biosynthesis involves a large number of genes, and many of them are induced by abscisic acid (ABA). However, the regulation of transcription factor (TF) in response to ABA on suberin biosynthetic genes in kiwifruit has been unexplored. In this study, two genes, AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR respectively encoding a fatty acid ω-hydroxylase and fatty acyl-CoA reductase involved in suberin monomer biosynthesis were demonstrated in transient overexpressed tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). Notably, the negative regulation of AchnMYB4 on AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR was identified. AchnMYB4 could repress AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR transcript by directly binding to the gene promoter in yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase assays. These results were further confirmed in transient overexpressed tobacco leaves in that AchnMYB4 significantly down-regulated suberin biosynthetic genes including CYP86A1 , FAR2 and FAR3 , and reduced accumulation of ω-hydroxyacids and primary alcohols. Moreover, exogenous ABA could induce the expression of AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR , and the accumulation of corresponding suberin monomers by inhibition of AchnMYB4 in wound-tissue of kiwifruit. However, fluridone (an inhibitor of ABA biosynthesis) was found to counter the inductive effects of ABA. Taken together, the results suggest that ABA activates AchnCYP86A1 and AchnFAR to promote suberin monomers biosynthesis by inhibiting AchnMYB4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the abnormal samples from a data set and determining their type are two key tasks of anomaly detection. However, the existing anomaly detection algorithms are generally faced with the defects of weak generalization ability and insufficient interpretation, the core reason of which is that they cannot mine specific features for different abnormal types. In this paper, a new anomaly detection algorithm aiming at feature selection for different abnormal types is developed. Inspired by self-supervised learning, we take the stationarity of variance changes of abnormal score similarity as a pretext task and combine it with wrapped search method. Then, the features and the corresponding parameters for different abnormal types can be screened to apply to the downstream task of anomaly integration detection. To verify the efficiency of the new algorithm, we conduct two sets of experiments to compare the new algorithm with 11 classical anomaly detection and 3 clustering anomaly detection algorithms on the data sets WDBC, WPBC and Wilt from DAMI database with the evaluation measures P@n , Adj- P@n , AP, Adj-AP and AUC. The experiment results show that, both in the identification and classification on abnormal samples, all performance measures of the new algorithm are explicitly better than that of the contrastive algorithms. Also, we apply the new algorithm to the Chinese auto insurance market, and find that the results can help managers to identify the main patterns of fraudulent claims and to summarize the feature combinations of fraud behaviors. In general, the new algorithm developed in this paper has the following advantages compared with traditional algorithms: 1) It can directly capture abnormal features and realize effective recognition of abnormal types, which effectively bridge the gap between abnormal judgement and feature screening. 2) Automatic screening of abnormal features can be completed under the condition of self-updating learning optimal strategy. 3) Only a few features are extracted from all features to reveal the abnormal characteristics, which significantly improves the interpretability and generalization ability of the algorithm and its results. In a word, through the novel self-supervised design method, feature screening is skillfully integrated into the anomaly detection task, which may provide a new way for anomaly detection research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most existing trackers based on RGB/grayscale frames may collapse due to the unreliability of conventional sensors in some challenging scenarios (e.g., motion blur and high dynamic range). Event-based cameras as bioinspired sensors encode brightness changes with high temporal resolution and high dynamic range, thereby providing considerable potential for tracking under degraded conditions. Nevertheless, events lack the fine-grained texture cues provided by RGB/grayscale frames. This complementarity encourages us to fuse visual cues from the frame and event domains for robust object tracking under various challenging conditions. In this paper, we propose a novel event feature extractor to capture spatiotemporal features with motion cues from event-based data by boosting interactions and distinguishing alterations between states at different moments. Furthermore, we develop an effective feature integrator to adaptively fuse the strengths of both domains by balancing their contributions. Our proposed module as the plug-in can be easily applied to off-the-shelf frame-based trackers. We extensively validate the effectiveness of eight trackers extended by our approach on three datasets: EED, VisEvent, and our collected frame-event-based dataset FE141. Experimental results also show that event-based data is a powerful cue for tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]