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Utilizing neodymium-based butadiene rubber as a baseline, this study examines the effect of eco-friendly aromatic TDAE oil, fillers, and crosslinking reactions on neodymium-based rare-earth butadiene rubber (Nd-BR) crystallization behavior. The findings suggest that TDAE oil hinders crystallization, resulting in decreased crystallization temperatures and heightened activation energies (Ea). The crystallization activation energies for 20 parts per hundreds of rubber (PHR) and 37.5 PHR oil stand at −116.8 kJ/mol and −48.1 kJ/mol, respectively, surpassing the −264.3 kJ/mol of the unadulterated rubber. Fillers act as nucleating agents, hastening crystallization, which in turn elevates crystallization temperatures and diminishes Ea. In samples containing 20 PHR and 37.5 PHR oil, the incorporation of carbon black and silica brought the Ea down to −224.9 kJ/mol and −239.1 kJ/mol, respectively. Crosslinking considerably restricts molecular motion and crystallization potential. In the examined conditions, butadiene rubber containing 37.5 PHR oil displayed no crystallization following crosslinking, albeit crystallization was discernible with filler inclusion. Simultaneously, the crystallinity level sharply declined, manifesting cold crystallization behavior. The crosslinking process elevates Ea, while the equilibrium melting point ( T m 0 ) noticeably diminishes. For instance, the T m 0 of pure Nd-BR is approximately −0.135 °C. When blended with carbon black and silica, the T m 0 values are −3.13 °C and −5.23 °C, respectively. After vulcanization, these values decrease to −21.6 °C and −10.16 °C. Evaluating the isothermal crystallization kinetics of diverse materials via the Avrami equation revealed that both the oil and crosslinking process can bring about a decrease in n values, with the Avrami index n for various samples oscillating between 1.5 and 2.5. Assessing the dynamic mechanical attributes of different specimens reveals that Nd-BR crystallization notably curtails its glass transition, marked by a modulus shift in the transition domain and a decrement in loss factor. The modulus in the rubbery state also witnesses a substantial augmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers usually store their products in palletized storage units (PSUs). PSUs are convenient for storage but sometimes not cost-effective for transportation because they may result in large empty spaces of waste in containers. To improve the utilization of its containers, a manufacturer is willing to remove products from PSUs (a process called depalletizing) and load the individual products, together with other PSUs, into a container. Once a PSU is depalletized, its products must be loaded into the container. No PSU can be depalletized if the total volume of complete PSUs loaded in the container is not maximized. We introduce this problem as the single container mix-loading problem (SCMLP). Then, we develop a two-phase constructive algorithm for the SCMLP that uses a stochastic beam-search-based method developed for loading items into a given set of spaces as the sub-routine. In the first phase, the stochastic beam-search-based method is called upon to load PSUs into the container. In the second phase, a proper set of PSUs is selected, and the stochastic beam-search-based method is used to load all products of the selected PSUs into the remaining spaces in the container. The performance of our algorithm is demonstrated by experiments conducted on a set of instances generated from the historical data of the manufacturer. Besides, we also used the well-known 1500 single container loading problem instances to test the performance of our stochastic beam-search-based method, and the results showed that our approach is highly competitive with state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contextual surface temperature-vegetation index (TVX) models have been widely used for the retrieval of soil moisture (SM) and evapotranspiration (ET). One of the key premises for their application is to determine quantitatively the theoretical boundaries of this contextual TVX space. Usually these theoretical boundaries are determined based on land surface energy balance principle. Although sound in physical mechanism, the complex parameterization involved has hampered its remote sensing (RS) applications. Our recent studies show that ground-based SM observations can be used for a quick and continuous retrieval of these theoretical boundaries. The main disadvantage lies in its reliance on in-situ SM observations. Fortunately the development of microwave RS technology has made it possible to monitor SM at both regional and global scale. Under this background, a practical framework based on the contextual TVX models was proposed in this paper for continuous ET estimation through the combination of microwave-based SM products and MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) products. Daily actual ET over the Southern Great Plains of the United States of America was calculated as the product of net radiation and evaporative fraction (EF). The focus of this framework was to investigate how optical and microwave RS can be combined to achieve a quick and continuous retrieval of EF independently of ground observations. Specifically, EF was retrieved from the contextual TVX models, the theoretical boundaries of which were calibrated at the annual scale based on an optimization scheme. Assuming the seasonal variation of the theoretical dry edge follows a cosine function of solar zenith, the essence of this optimization scheme is to search for the optimal amplitude parameter that maximizes the correlation between microwave-based SM observations and soil moisture index retrieved from the contextual TVX models. Two microwave-based SM products including SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) and SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) were adopted to demonstrate this optimization scheme. The correlation coefficient, root mean square error and bias of EF estimates calibrated by SMAP were 0.700, 0.146 and 0.047, and those achieved by SMOS were 0.663, 0.174 and 0.168, respectively. The optimization scheme has not only made it possible to conduct a continuous monitoring of ET based entirely on RS observations but also achieved the downscaling of microwave satellite SM products. Thus the combination of optical and microwave RS holds great potential for coupled and continuous estimation of SM and ET over large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trigger thumb is a pathologic condition of the digital pulleys and flexor tendons. To find a cutoff value of the cross-sectional area ratio of specific parts of the flexor pollicis longus tendon to diagnosis trigger thumb in the high-frequency ultrasound examination. Methods: We evaluated 271 healthy volunteers and 57 patients with clinical diagnosis of trigger thumb. The cross-sectional area of the metacarpophalangeal joint of flexor pollicis longus tendon (C1) and the cross-sectional area of the midpoint of the first metacarpal of flexor pollicis longus tendon (C2) were analyzed. Results: There is no difference between gender, age and left and right hands in the ratio of C1 to C2 (C1/ C2). The mean of C1/ C2 in the healthy thumb was 0.983 ± 0.103, which was significantly smaller in comparison to the diseased thumb (P < 0.05). Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve, we chose the diagnostic cut-off value for the C1/ C2 to be 1.362 and 1.153 in order to differ a trigger thumb from children and adults. Conclusions: The C1/ C2 of the healthy thumb was relatively stable, with a mean value of 0.983 ± 0.103. The cutoff value of C1/C2 to distinguish healthy thumb from diseased thumb in children and adults were 1.362 and 1.153, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MODIS atmospheric profile products (MOD07_L2 and MYD07_L2) have been widely used for near-surface dew point temperature ( T d ) estimation. However, their accuracy over large scale has seldom been evaluated. In this study, we validated these two products comprehensively against 2153 stations over mainland China. MOD07_L2 was suggested by our study because it achieved higher accuracy in either of two frequently-used methods. To be specific, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) achieved by MOD07_L2 and MYD07_L2 was 5.82 and 7.42 °C, respectively. On this basis, a recent ground-based correction method was modified to further improve their accuracy. Our focus is to investigate whether this ground-based approach is applicable to large-scale remote sensing applications. The results show that this new method showed great potential for T d estimation independently from ground observations. Through the introduction of MODIS land surface products, the RMSE it achieved for MOD07_L2 and MYD07_L2 was 5.23 and 5.59 °C, respectively. Further analysis shows that it was particularly useful in capturing the annual average T d patterns. The R2, RMSE, and bias of annual average daily mean T d estimates were 0.95, 1.84 °C, and 0.53 °C, and those achieved for annual average instantaneous T d estimates were 0.94, 2.09 °C, and 0.75 °C, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various physical characteristics, including ultrasonic waves, active acoustic emissions, vibrations, and thermal imaging, have been used for blade fault detection. In this work, we propose using the sound produced by spinning wind blades to identify faults. To the best of our knowledge, passive acoustic information has not yet been explored for this task. In particular, we develop three networks targeting different scenarios. The main contributions of this work are threefold. First, when normal and aberrant data are available for supervised learning, an attention-convolutional recurrent neural network is designed to show the feasibility of using passive sound information to conduct fault detection. Second, in the absence of abnormal training data, we build a normal-encoder network to learn the distributions of normal data through semisupervised learning, which avoids the requirement of abnormal training data. Third, when multiple devices are used to collect the data, due to different properties of devices, there is a domain mismatch issue. To overcome this, we create an adversarial domain adaptive network to close the gap between the source and target domains. Acoustic signal datasets of actual wind turbine operations are collected to evaluate our fault detection systems. The findings demonstrate that the proposed systems offer high classification accuracy and indicate the feasibility of passive acoustic signal-based wind turbine blade fault detection with one step close to automatic detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differentiation and variation of body color in fish is an important component of biological evolution and phylogenetic research, and is influenced by several factors such as heredity, nutrition, physiological hormones and rearing conditions, with heredity being the most critical factor. An improved comprehension of the genetic regulation in different carp populations will facilitate future applications of precision breeding and pigment cell development-related genes editing. In this study, we used restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (2d-RAD) to determine the distribution characteristics of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in eight common carp strains including six koi strains, i.e., Kohaku (Hb), Taisho (Dz), Showa (Zh), Golden (Hj), Matsukawabake (Sch) and Five-color (Ws), and two genetically improved breeding strains, i.e., FFRC No. 2 strain (Fr) and red FFRC strain (Hfr), and then SNP markers to resolve genetic information on the population structure and skin color formation of these strains. We found that most individuals of eight strains were clearly divided into eight clades. Genetic diversity within Fr, Sch and Ws is relatively high, while it is low within Dz, Hb and Hfr. A comparison between the populations revealed that Hfr and Ws have the highest degree of genetic differences, while Hb and Dz have the lowest. The GWAS analysis for two strategies identified several SNPs that are significantly related to skin color variation and affect melanin synthesis (ephrinb 2 , slc 22 a 23 , herc 2 , ephb 2), carotenoid metabolism (oca 2 , bcmo 1 , bco 2) and circadian rhythm(cipc). To summarize, our study provides some information on the genetic structure and diversity of Japanese koi and Chinese FFRC carp. Furthermore, based on the data obtained on relevant genes related to skin color differentiation and pigmentation, it can provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent integration of dominant traits and precision breeding in carps. • Compared to that of FFRC carp, the genetic diversity of koi carp is relatively lower. • There is a significant population differentiation between FFRC and koi. • GWAS analysis identified genes associated with body color differentiation including ephrinB 2, oca 2 and bcmo 1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface temperature (T s) and vegetation index (VI) triangle method is one of the most famous and widely applied methods for regional evapotranspiration (ET) estimation. However, no robust validation has been performed yet to evaluate its accuracy on a global scale, making its accuracy unclear when compared with other global ET models. The main reason behind it is that most traditional triangle models depend on the T s -VI feature space within a certain spatial domain to parameterize their boundary conditions. The domain dependency makes it impossible to derive universal boundaries for continental or global application. Under this background, this study presented a universal triangle method for ET estimation with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products and routine meteorological observations. The solution for boundary conditions was performed pixel by pixel without the consideration of spatial domain based configuration. Specifically, the dry boundary was solved theoretically based on the surface energy balance equation, and the wet boundary was substituted by wet-bulb temperature estimated from dew point temperature and air temperature. The validation against ground observations collected from 33 flux towers worldwide shows that this universal triangle method achieved evaporative fraction (EF) estimation with the correlation coefficient of 0.65, the mean absolute error of 0.17, the root-mean-square-error of 0.20, and the bias of 0.13. These four metrics of daily ET estimation were 0.83, 0.71 mm/d, 0.90 mm/d, and 0.41 mm/d, respectively. This analysis is the first comprehensive validation of the triangle method on a global scale. The comparison with early work suggests that our universal triangle method on a global scale has reached a comparable accuracy to traditional triangle models at regional scale. However, the universal triangle method has the capacity to monitor ET continuously pixel by pixel without domain dependency. This is just what most traditional triangle methods do not possess. • A universal triangle model was proposed to estimate evaporative faction and evapotranspiration at global scale. • This global model is comparable to regional triangle models in accuracy. • The model has the capacity to monitor evapotranspiration continuously without domain dependency. • This analysis is the first global validation of the triangle model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is difficult to obtain a large number of high‐quality labelled Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image data. In order to solve the classification task of an SAR image with limited data, this paper proposes a dual‐network classification model of pre‐training and fine‐tuning based on contrastive learning and pseudo‐label training strategy. The algorithm firstly obtains the initial weight of the network through unsupervised pre‐training and then takes advantage of the pseudo‐label information to realise the fine tuning of the dual network. It effectively reduces the number of samples required during classification. Compared with the classification network without optimisation strategy, the proposed algorithm achieves higher classification accuracy in the ablation study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selectivity of demersal trawls is poor. To address this, installing selective devices such as sorting grids can lead to separated fishing, reduced bycatch, and improved trawl selectivity. In this study, the hydrodynamic performance of a demersal trawl equipped with a sorting grid was investigated using numerical simulations based on the finite element method. A series of physical model tests of a model trawl based on Tauti's law were conducted in a towing tank to verify the accuracy of the numerical simulation. The hydrodynamic interaction between the sorting grid and demersal trawl was analysed, and its effect on the performance of both the trawl and grid was explored. The results showed that installing a sorting grid could significantly impact the trawl codend. Specifically, the codend section fell downwards in front of the grid installation position. Furthermore, the maximum tension of the codend net increased substantially from 93.77 N (without sorting grid) to 267.66 N. This rise occurred primarily in the bottom and front parts of the grid, particularly at the connection points and near the position of the lacing rope. However, the drag force and headline height of the entire trawl remained unaffected. It was also observed that the actual working angle of the sorting grid was smaller than its installation angle. Based on these findings, it is recommended to set the buoyancy-weight-ratio of the sorting grid to 2, which can effectively improve the hydrodynamic performance of the codend. This study provides a scientific basis for the application of selective devices, which is beneficial for reducing the pressure of fishing operations on ecosystems and promoting the sustainable development of demersal trawl fisheries. • Hydrodynamic performance of a demersal trawl equipped with a sorting grid. • Hydrodynamic interactions between the sorting grid and the demersal trawl. • The codend fell downward and the tension was concentrated after inserting the sorting grid. • Effects of buoyancy-weight-ratio of the sorting grid on the performance of the demersal trawl and the sorting grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PFBSA was detected in > 90% of sampled seawater from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean. • Field-based log K oc of PFBSA was calculated in East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean. • Bioaccumulation potential of PFBSA was examined in collected marine fishes. • This study provides the first data on behaviors of PFBSA in the marine environment. Environmental occurrence of perfluorobutane sulfonamide (PFBSA) has only been recently discovered. The current knowledge regarding the occurrence and environmental behaviors of PFBSA in the marine environment is still relatively limited. In this study, PFBSA and other 37 poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances were analyzed in seawater (n = 43), sediment (n = 43), and marine fish (n = 176) samples collected from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean. PFBSA was detected in > 90% of seawater from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean, with the concentrations of 1.0 − 19 ng/L and < LOD−228 pg/L, respectively. The field-based mean log-transformed sediment-seawater partitioning coefficients of PFBSA were 1.6 ± 0.19 L/kg dw and 1.1 ± 0.19 L/kg dw in East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean, respectively, which are lower than that of perfluorooctanoate and perfluorooctane sulfonate. This indicates its long-range transport potential in global oceans with ocean currents. The mean log-transformed bioaccumulation factor values of PFBSA determined in the multiple species of whole-body marine fishes from East China Sea and Antarctic Ocean were 2.3 L/kg ww and 2.4 L/kg ww, respectively, which are comparable to that of perfluoroheptanoate (2.3 L/kg ww) in marine fishes from East China Sea. We did not observe an obvious biomagnification or biodilution of PFBSA along the marine food chain in East China Sea or Antarctic Ocean. This study provides the first data on the environmental behaviors of PFBSA in the marine environment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Archean Kongling tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) rocks and Neoproterozoic Huangling granodiorite–monzogranite–tonalite complex occupy the core of the Huangling anticline of the northern Yangtze Craton, South China. These Precambrian felsic rocks have provided crucial clues for understanding the earliest crustal growth in South China. This study presents a set of new zircon U–Pb geochronological and Lu–Hf isotopic data, and whole-rock geochemical data for the mafic dykes, predominantly intruding the Kongling TTG package in the northern Huangling anticline. Our data show that the dykes might be geochemically subdivided into Groups 1 and 2. Group 1 is characterized by low Al2O3, Na2O + K2O, Mg#, Th/Ta, and Sm/Yb but high FeOt and TiO2. In contrast, the Group 2 samples are marked by higher Al2O3, Mg#, Th/Ta, and Sm/Yb but lower FeOt and TiO2. The Group 1 dykes are inferred to be of Paleoproterozoic origin. Group 2 has zircon U–Pb ages of ~ 800 Ma but distinct εHf(t) values among the rock samples, ranging from − 0.3 to − 31.5 and indicating the Neoproterozoic lithospheric mantle being heterogeneous. The Paleoproterozoic Group 1 mafic dykes originated from an enriched and dry lithospheric source. The Neoproterozoic Group 2 mafic dykes were generated by an enriched lithosphere that was modified by slab-released fluid. In addition, a tonalite sample from the southern Huangling anticline is dated at ~ 815 Ma, and has the εHf(t) values ranging from − 19.8 to + 6.9. The wide εHf(t) range suggests the mixing between an enriched lithosphere with a less enriched source. Our data, along with the coeval mafic rocks in NW South China, North Laurentia, and South Australia, indicate that the Neoproterozoic mafic dykes and tonalite in the Yangtze interior are most likely the products in the supra-subduction setting along the Rodinia margin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual place recognition is a challenging problem in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) due to a large variability of the scene appearance. A place is usually described by a single-frame image in conventional place recognition algorithms. However, it is unlikely to completely describe the place appearance using a single frame image. Moreover, it is more sensitive to the change of environments. In this article, a novel image-sequence-based framework for place detection and recognition is proposed. Rather than a single frame image, a place is represented by an image sequence in this article. Position invariant robust feature (PIRF) descriptors are extracted from images and processed by the incremental bag-of-words (BoWs) for feature extraction. The robot automatically partitions the sequentially acquired images into different image sequences according to the change of the environmental appearance. Then, the echo state network (ESN) is applied to model each image sequence. The resultant states of the ESN are used as features of the corresponding image sequence for place recognition. The proposed method is evaluated on two public datasets. Experimental comparisons with the FAB-MAP 2.0 and SeqSLAM are conducted. Finally, a real-world experiment on place recognition with a mobile robot is performed to further verify the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) is crucial to understand the water cycle and partitioning of turbulent energy fluxes at the land surface. However, large-scale ET estimation is always difficult to achieve due to the complexity of controlling factors and the heterogeneity of landscapes. A recent model, referred to as the surface flux equilibrium (SFE) model, proposes that evaporative fraction (EF, the ratio of ET to available energy at the surface) can be estimated accurately from near-surface specific humidity and air temperature, which makes it applicable to common weather stations and climate reanalysis datasets. However, previous validation only focused on the evaluation of this model at site and basin scale for ET estimation, making the real performance of the SFE model for EF estimation heretofore unknown. There also exists a gap in the comparison between the SFE model and other existing products in the representation of global ET patterns and variation trend. Against this background, a comprehensive validation was performed in this study to evaluate the accuracy of the SFE model for both EF and ET estimation. The validation against 136 flux towers worldwide shows that the ground-based SFE model achieved EF estimation with a root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of 0.22 and 0.16 at daily and monthly scale, respectively. The corresponding RMSE of ET estimation was 0.94 mm/day and 16.37 mm/month. The application of the SFE model on a global scale was achieved by using two reanalysis products (ERA5-Land and GLDAS-CLSM) as inputs respectively. The results indicate that the SFE model did hold potential to reduce the RMSE of these two products for ET estimation, but the cost was the decrease in correlation coefficient (r). The comparison with five existing global ET products (BESS, GLEAM, AVHRR, MOD16, and SSEBop) shows that the SFE model performed on the basis of ERA5-Land product has achieved moderate accuracy among these products. Judged from r , mean absolute error, RMSE , and bias, its accuracy was ranked as fourth, fourth, second, and second, respectively. However, a further evaluation over different land cover types suggests that the ERA-based SFE model has significant superiority over cropland, relative superiority over forest and savannas, and significant inferiority over shrubland and grassland. This analysis is the first global validation of the SFE model for EF estimation as well as its comparison with existing global ET products. The validation analysis proves that this simple model has generally achieved comparable accuracy to existing complex models in the representation of global ET patterns and variation trend. • Surface flux equilibrium (SFE) model is evaluated and validated on a global scale. • Global ET is mapped by the SFE model based on two reanalysis products. • SFE model is compared with five products in the representation of global ET. • A correction factor varying with land cover is suggested to improve its accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human brains develop across the life span and largely vary in morphology. Adolescent collision-sport athletes undergo repetitive head impacts over years of practices and competitions, and therefore may exhibit a neuroanatomical trajectory different from healthy adolescents in general. However, an unbiased brain atlas targeting these individuals does not exist. Although standardized brain atlases facilitate spatial normalization and voxel-wise analysis at the group level, when the underlying neuroanatomy does not represent the study population, greater biases and errors can be introduced during spatial normalization, confounding subsequent voxel-wise analysis and statistical findings. In this work, targeting early-to-middle adolescent (EMA, ages 13–19) collision-sport athletes, we developed population-specific brain atlases that include templates (T1-weighted and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging) and semantic labels (cortical and white matter parcellations). Compared to standardized adult or age-appropriate templates, our templates better characterized the neuroanatomy of the EMA collision-sport athletes, reduced biases introduced during spatial normalization, and exhibited higher sensitivity in diffusion tensor imaging analysis. In summary, these results suggest the population-specific brain atlases are more appropriate towards reproducible and meaningful statistical results, which better clarify mechanisms of traumatic brain injury and monitor brain health for EMA collision-sport athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the gillnet selectivity for swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus, six mesh sizes (100, 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150 mm) were tested to determine the optimal mesh size for swimming crab. The experiments were conducted in the traditional area for fishing crab in the East China Sea from 25 to 29 July 2018. Four kinds of selectivity curves were used for fitting, and the maximum likelihood method was used to estimate the model parameters. In this experiment, 436 swimming crabs were caught with six different mesh sizes. The carapace length range was 46.2–83.7 mm, and all crabs were caught by entanglement (i.e. body or limb). When the mesh size was larger than 100 mm, the proportion of juvenile crab (carapace length < 60 mm) was less than 20% of the total catch. A linear relationship was observed between the carapace width and height and the carapace length of the crab. Gillnet selectivity for swimming crab was well described by the normal model based on the smallest Akaike information criterion value. The optimal lengths calculated by the normal model were 49.8, 54.8, 59.8, 64.8, 69.8 and 74.8 mm for the six mesh sizes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture (SM) is a critical variable in energy and water partitioning at the interface between the land surface and atmosphere. In this study, we provided a robust method to retrieve soil moisture using optimal remotely sensed soil evaporative efficiency (SEE) information. Specifically, SEE was deduced from the triangle space constituted by remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) and fractional vegetation cover (Fc). Theoretical solutions of the dry and wet boundaries were derived by annual-scale optimization and microwave SM calibration. The two limits of SM were obtained by linear fit function between SEE and microwave-based SM. The proposed method was validated at the Liaoning Province of China in the year 2011 by using MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite images as input. Results indicated that the new method has not only bypassed the complex parametric scheme in the calculation of boundaries within the LST-Fc feature space but also performed superior in the estimation of soil moisture status at all-sky days. Besides, the optimal method has reproduced the spatial and temporal patterns of soil moisture reasonably well, with a root mean square error of 0.07 m3 m−3. Therefore, the proposed method can be regarded as a suitable tool to provide accurate and continuous monitoring of soil moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SEVO 1.1% is a sub-anesthetic dose in the infant rat model. • SEVO 1.1% induces a small increase in brain cell apoptosis. • Co-administering DEX 1 μg/kg neither alters responsiveness nor apoptosis induced by SEVO 1.1%. • Co-administering higher DEX doses (5−25 μg/kg) potentiates apoptosis induced by SEVO 1.1%. : Preclinical studies suggest that exposures of infant animals to general anesthetics cause acute neurotoxicity and affect their neurobehavioral development representing a potential risk to human infants undergoing anesthesia. Alternative or mitigating strategies to counteract such adverse effects are desirable. Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a clinically established sedative with potential neuroprotective properties. DEX ameliorates experimental brain injury as well as neurotoxicity caused by anesthetic doses of sevoflurane (SEVO) or other general anesthetics in infant animals. However, it is unknown whether DEX also is beneficial when given together with lower doses of these drugs. Here we tested the hypothesis that DEX co-administration with a sub-anesthetic dose of SEVO reduces responsiveness to external stimuli while also protecting against SEVO-induced brain cell apoptosis. : Rats were exposed on postnatal day 7 for 6 h to SEVO 1.1, 1.8, or 2.5% and were given intraperitoneal injections of saline or DEX at different doses (1−25 μg/kg) three times during the exposure. Responsiveness to external stimuli, respiratory rates, and blood gases were assessed. Apoptosis was determined in cortical and subcortical brain areas by activated caspase-3 immunohistochemistry. : Rats exposed to SEVO 1.1% alone were sedated but still responsive to external stimuli whereas those exposed to SEVO 1.8% reached complete unresponsiveness. SEVO-induced brain cell apoptosis increased dose-dependently, with SEVO 1.1% causing a small increase in apoptosis above that in controls. Co-administration of DEX at 1 μg/kg did not alter the responsiveness to stimuli nor the apoptosis induced by SEVO 1.1%. In contrast, co-administration of DEX at 5 μg/kg or higher with SEVO 1.1% reduced responsiveness but potentiated apoptosis. : In the neonatal rat model, co-administration of a clinically relevant dose of DEX (1 μg/kg) with a sub-anesthetic dose of SEVO (1.1%) does not affect the neurotoxicity of the anesthetic while co-administration of higher doses of DEX with SEVO 1.1% potentiates it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most remote sensing-based soil moisture (SM) retrieval methods, in-situ SM measurements are commonly used for validation purposes. Few studies have investigated whether such measurements can be used for calibration. In this paper, an observation-driven optimization method was proposed to estimate SM from remote sensing observations. Specifically, the optimization method was developed within the surface temperature-vegetation index (TVX) framework for the definition of objective function and constraints. In-situ SM measurements were used to optimize the theoretical boundaries of the TVX feature space. We demonstrated the applicability of the new method with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) of the United States of America. Results indicate that the accuracy produced using only one site for calibration has reached a level comparable with those produced by traditional methods. Moreover, the method has not only bypassed the complex parameterization of aerodynamic and surface resistance but also achieved continuous monitoring of SM. That is just the capacity that the traditional TVX method does not possess. Therefore, although our optimization method requires the ancillary of in-situ observations, its simplicity proves that it is a useful tool for a quick and continuous monitoring of SM over large heterogeneous areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, great achievements have been made by China in all aspects of water governance. Besides water conservancy projects, a water resources management system with Chinese characteristics has also been completed. In this article, we summarize the achievements of the past 70 years in flood control, soil and water conservation and water supply, and introduce the water governance institutions of China that sustain those achievements. This provides valuable experience and ideas for other countries that are suffering from similar water issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the moving state of armored vehicle, the random rendezvous of rotary scanning optical imaging system and armored vehicle will be in an uncertain state, which makes the target information detected by the system floated and the reliable target signal hardly obtain. In this article, the target detection radiation characteristic distribution of the system and the calculation method of the geometric parameters of optical scanning in the random rendezvous state are obtained. An optical scanning detection calculation method for air‐ground armored targets is presented under space‐time correlation condition. According to the characteristic of rotary scanning optical imaging system caused by the thermal radiation of armored vehicles, a model of infrared radiation characteristic distribution of armored vehicles is established form the relationship between the system and armored targets. Combining with the established air‐ground rotation optical imaging‐scanning model, the contribution of Infrared Radiation to the optical imaging sensor during the movement of armored vehicles in different states and the calculation function of the output signal of the sensor are given respectively. Through calculation and experiment, it is found that the armored targets can be effectively detected within detection zone that the detection height is less than 35 m, the area of the radiation characteristic area is more than 1 m2 and the detection angle is 20 ° : 40°. The moving direction and contour size of the target can be distinguished by the rendezvous angle difference and the response time of the signal response time of the central. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation involving migration of immune cells across the damaged blood–brain barrier (BBB), activation of resident innate microglia and production of inflammatory humoral mediators such as cytokines and chemokines play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Cell-cell signaling involved in the process also includes checkpoint interaction between programmed death receptor (PD1) and programmed death ligands, PDL1 and PDL2. Based on our previous studies showing reduced MCAO infarct volumes in PDL2 deficient mice, we evaluated the ability of anti-PDL2 mAb to treat MCAO in male and female C57BL/6 mice. We found that anti-PDL2 neutralizing antibody treatment of MCAO significantly reduced infarct volumes in male mice but had no protective effects in female mice even at a 5-fold increased dose of anti-PDL2 mAb. The protection in male mice was likely mediated by reduced percentages in the spleen of PDL2+CD19+ B cells, PDL1+CD4+ T cells and CD86+CD11b+ macrophages in concert with reduced expression of PDL1 and TNFα and continued expression of CD206, in the injured ipsilateral brain hemisphere. The lack of a therapeutic benefit of anti-PDL2 on stroke-induced infarct volumes in female mice was reflected by no detectable reduction in expressed PDL2 or PDL1 and an increased frequency of Th1 and Th17 pro-inflammatory T cell subsets in the spleen, an effect not seen in PDL2 mAb treated males. This result potentially limits the utility of anti-PDL2 mAb therapy in stroke to males but underscores the importance of meeting the STAIR requirements for development of new stroke therapies for both sexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mafic dyke swarms and continental flood basalts record crucial information on mantle dynamics, crustal palaeostress, and supercontinent cycle. However, these mafic rocks are relatively difficult to date using zircon U–Pb methods because autogenous magmatic zircons are rare or absent in the rapidly cooled mafic magmas and most zircons extracted from these rocks are likely captured from their wall rocks. One good example of this dilemma is the Precambrian mafic dykes and layered basites in the Aksu–Wushi area, NW Tarim Craton, from which abundant zircon U–Pb data have yielded age spectra similar to those of the detrital zircons from the associated (meta‐)sedimentary rocks. In this paper, we performed the first 40Ar/39Ar dating on separated mineral grains from the mafic dykes (plagioclase and amphibole) and layered basites (plagioclase and pyroxene) in this area. Amphiboles from a mafic dyke cross‐cutting the blueschist‐bearing Aksu Group yielded a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 744.5 ± 2.8 Ma, whereas pyroxenes from a layered basite within the Sugetbrak Formation yielded a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 521.0 ± 2.1 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 744.5 ± 2.8 was interpreted as the crystallization age of the studied mafic dykes and provides a minimum constraint for the third phase of deformation of the blueschist terrane. The mini‐plateau age of 521.0 ± 2.1 Ma was interpreted as a minimum crystallization age for basite of the Sugetbrak Formation. We also conducted geochemical analyses on layered basites of the Sugetbrak Formation from the Xiaoenbrak Formation, and the results indicated that these layered basites shared a uniform geochemical characteristic. Combining geochronological and geochemical analyses, we propose that the basites of the Sugetbrak Formation probably recorded a rifting event on the north‐western margin of the Tarim Craton during Early Cambrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's water stress and its pressure on food security is a widely recognized crisis. A framework is proposed and applied at the provincial level to evaluate China's water security for food production. It is based on a water stress index that accounts for the deficit between water supply and aggregate demand of 23 major field crops over the study period (1961–2015). The water demand is estimated based on method recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The water supply is composed of rainfall and irrigation. Consequently, the water security of both rainfed and irrigated agriculture is evaluated in our research, and the respective contribution of rainfall and irrigation is distinguished. Suggestions regarding adjustment in irrigation investment and planting area are proposed for practical application. The framework also holds great potential to investigate the impact of climate change and the virtual water flow of crops. Plain Language Summary: With 7% of the world's arable land and 6% of its water resources, China has to feed 20% of the world's population. Consequently, China's water stress and its pressure on food security is a widely recognized crisis. A framework is proposed in our research to evaluate China's water security for food production. It is mainly designed to answer the following three questions critical to China's food security but have not been systematically addressed in the literature. How much water is required under China's current agriculture planting structure? What is the respective role of rainfall and irrigation in meeting this requirement? What is the status of water security for China's rainfed and irrigated agriculture? The above three questions are answered based on a water stress index that accounts for the deficit between water supply and aggregate demand of 23 major field crops over the study period (1961–2015). We have also proposed suggestions regarding water security for food production from the framework. For future use, our proposed framework lays the groundwork to investigate the virtual water flow of crops. Climate change signals can also be incorporated into this framework to inform climate‐driven water risk for agriculture. Key Points: A new framework is proposed to evaluate water security for food productionRespective contribution of rainfall and irrigation to water security is distinguishedSpatial patterns of China's water security for food production are investigated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early development is a key process of the life history of fish. However, the relationship between the transcriptome and the dynamic regulation of early development is still uncharacterized in the bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis). In the present study, we performed transcriptome analysis of six development stages in H. nobilis, aiming to understand the dynamic molecular regulation of early development in this fish. Results: A total of 76,573 unigenes were assembled from clean sequence reads, with an average length of 1768 base. Among which, 41,742 (54.54%) unigenes were annotated to public protein databases, and an additional 59,014 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were identified among the unigenes. Furthermore, 30,199 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) (fold change > 4 or < 0.25, and the false discovery rate FDR < 0.01) were observed in comparisons between the adjacent developmental stages, and nine expression patterns (profiles) were simulated using series-cluster analysis across six developmental stages. The unigenes expression level markedly increased after the DS1 stage (early blastula), and the numbers of DETs gradually decreased during subsequent development. The largest transcriptomic change (up- or down-regulated) was detected during the period from DS1 to DS2 (6-somite stage), which was enriched for many biological processes and metabolic pathways related to maternal to zygotic transition (MZT). Distinctly protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were plotted for DETs during the period from DS1 to DS2. The genes (or proteins) from the same pathways were integrated together, and showed with obvious co-regulation patterns. In the series-cluster analysis, a remarkable profile of gene expression (profile_48) was identified that is probably related to the hatching during H. nobilis development, and the strict co-expression of a hatching enzyme gene (hce1) with 33 other annotated genes was identified from this profile. Conclusions: The results indicated that strict dynamic regulation occurs during the early development in H. nobilis, especially in embryogenesis before hatching. This study provides valuable new information and transcriptomic resources related to H. nobilis early development, and for certain events such as MZT and hatching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric field-induced phase transition in perovskite relaxor ferroelectric crystals has been studied using Raman spectroscopy. The findings revealed that by switching the applied electric field, the intensity ratio of the Raman spectra of the electric field-induced phase transition in relaxor ferroelectric potassium tantalate niobate KTa 0.61 Nb 0.39 O 3 (KTN) crystals can be a function of temperature and thermal history, which is explained by the two-stage kinetic model of first-order phase transition in disordered ferroelectrics. Moreover, because of the charge injection by the applied voltage, the non-uniform electric field-induced phase transition in KTN was spatially resolved by Raman mapping. The results of this study will be of use for fundamental scientific studies on the physical mechanisms of the electric field-induced phase transition in perovskite relaxor ferroelectric materials and has practical applications for electromechanical and electro-optic devices and systems. • Electric field-induced phase transition in KTN crystals is studied using Raman Spectroscopy. • Electric field-induced phase transition in KTN crystals as a function of temperature and thermal history. • Non-uniform electric field-induced phase transition in KTN crystal is spatially resolved. • Electric field-temperature phase diagram of KTN is solved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Water loss of the Chari River discharge is evaluated using a statistical approach. • The contribution of climate variability and human activities is distinguished. • Previously the contribution of human activities has been underestimated seriously. Abstract Lake Chad was once the sixth largest lake in the world, with a surface area of about 25,000 km2 in the early 1960s. However, it has shrunk to almost only one-twentieth of its maximum area by now. As the biggest river of the Lake Chad basin, the Chari/Logone River contributes approximately 90% of Lake Chad's water input. Consequently, several previous studies have focused on the Chari/Logone River system to investigate the causes of Lake Chad's shrinkage. However, due to the lack of authoritative irrigation and natural runoff observations, it is usually difficult to explain the relative contribution of human activities and climate variability. In this paper, unlike the hydrological modeling approaches used in previous studies, a conceptual and statistical approach was presented to investigate discharge variations and the causes leading to such variations. Specifically, the runoff change caused by climate variability (Δ Q climate ) was estimated using Budyko analysis, while that caused by human activities (Δ Q human ) was estimated using regression analysis. The accuracy of estimation was evaluated through cross validation and comparison with previous studies. The comparison suggests that due to the lack of natural runoff and irrigation withdrawal observations, the runoff simulation produced by previous hydrological models suffers from large errors. The water loss of the Chari/Logone River discharge is dominated by human activities rather than climate variability. On annual average scale, the total water loss caused by climate variability and anthropogenic activities is 16.76 km3. The relative contribution of Δ Q climate and Δ Q human is 26.83% and 73.17%, respectively. The role of human activities is particularly obvious in recent ten years from 2003 to 2013. Due to the increase of rainfall and irrigation withdrawals, the relative contribution of human activities accounts for more than 80% of the total water loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High solid loading of GG (1:7) reduced 40.8% byproduct from hemicellulose. • Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) reduced xylose conversion rate to 48.2%. • Semi-hydrolysis relieved CCR and restored xylose conversion rate to 85.7%. • Lactic acid yield of hemicellulose achieved to 0.49 g/g from GG hydrolysate. • High glucose induced ptsH and ccpA up-regulated and xylose genes down-regulated. Byproduct (acetate and ethanol) generation and carbon catabolite repression are two critical impediments to lactic acid production from the hemicellulose of lignocellulosic biomass. To reduce byproduct generations, acid pretreatment with high solid loading (solid–liquid ratio 1:7) of garden garbage was conducted. The byproduct yield was only 0.30 g/g during in the subsequent lactic acid fermentation from acid pretreatment liquid and 40.8% lower than that of low solid loading (0.48 g/g). Furthermore, semi-hydrolysis with low enzyme loading (10 FPU/g garden garbage cellulase) was conducted to regulate and reduce glucose concentration in the hydrolysate, thereby relieving carbon catabolite repression. During the lactic acid fermentation process, the xylose conversion rate was restored from 48.2% (glucose-oriented hydrolysis) to 85.7%, eventually achieving a 0.49 g/g lactic acid yield of hemicellulose. Additionally, RNA-seq revealed that semi-hydrolysis with low enzyme loading down-regulated the expression of ptsH and ccpA , thereby relieving carbon catabolite repression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pegmatites in Jiajika have two groups of ages: 213–208 Ma and 199–192 Ma. • The occurrences and deformation of pegmatites are controlled by fracture systems. • The Songpan-Ganze orogenic belt experienced multi-stage magmatic-hydrothermal events. The Songpan-Ganze orogenic belt is a large-scale rare metal metallogenic belt in western China. Several large-scale granitic pegmatite-type lithium deposits are located in the Songpan-Ganze orogenic belt, which include the Jiajika Li deposit, one of the largest pegmatite-type Li deposits in China. The geochronological constraints of pegmatites and granite in Jiajika are still inadequate for revealing the relationships between mineralization and tectonothermal events. In this study, we performed columbite-group minerals (CGM) and cassiterite U–Pb dating on seven different pegmatite veins with different occurrences and deformation styles in the Jiajika deposit. These pegmatites yield CGM U–Pb ages of 213 to 208 Ma and cassiterite U–Pb ages of 199 to 192 Ma, regardless of their occurrences and deformation. Columbite-group minerals exhibit low Ta# (=Ta/(Ta + Nb)) cores and high Ta# rims, which were formed during the magmatic stage and the hydrothermal stage, respectively. The appearance of cassitertite is closely related with greisenization. Therefore, the CGM U–Pb ages, which were obtained from the low Ta# cores of CGM, are interpreted as magmatic crystallization age, while the cassiterite ages reflect another younger stage of magmatic-hydrothermal event. According to field observation, we consider that the occurrences and deformation of pegmatite veins are controlled by the development of various fracture systems formed during the ascent of the granitic pluton. Our results suggest long-lasting multi-stage magmatic-hydrothermal events in the Jiajika region. Geochronological data of other rare metal deposits located in the Songpan-Ganze orogenic belt and the Western Kunlun orogenic belt are comparable with those of the Jiajika Li ore deposit, indicating that the entire Songpan-Ganze rare metal metallogenic belt experienced long-lasting and multiple magmatic and fluid activities. The overlaps of the geochronological results of granites and pegmatites in the Songpan-Ganze rare metal metallogenic belt suggest that regional magmatism is closely related to Li mineralization. The enrichment of Li in the Songpan-Ganze rare metal metallogenic belt is possibly related to its unique geodynamic setting and the long duration of magmatic-hydrothermal activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Junggar Basin is a large superimposed basin with multistage evolution. The Carboniferous volcanic rock in the middle‐lower part of the basin has been an important target of oil and gas exploration. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a set of efficient methods and techniques to find out the distribution of the Carboniferous volcanic rock and the tectonic factors related to the reservoir forming of the volcanic rock. Our research reveals that the density and magnetism of the Carboniferous volcanic rock are obviously higher than those of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks. With a series of frequency domain filters and boundary enhancement techniques, we determine the residual gravitational and magnetic anomalies caused by the Carboniferous volcanic rock. Combined with borehole and seismic data from the studied areas, the horizontal and vertical distributions of the Carboniferous volcanic rock are defined, and the lithologies of different types of volcanic rocks are predicted. Furthermore, the gravitational and magnetic anomalies are used to estimate the basement faults and topography. The regional deep faults and their secondary faults of the basement are outlined, and the model of basement relief is constructed. Finally, the effects of the fracture structure and the basement topography in the process of volcanic activity and hydrocarbon accumulation are fully discussed. These results provide fundamental information for optimal selection of the favorable area of volcanic reservoir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synthesized benzothiazole containing mono-methacrylate monomer BTTMA was incorporated into Bis-GMA/TEGDMA dental resin system with a series of mass concentration from 5 to 30 wt.% as an antibacterial agent. The influence of BTTMA on physicochemical properties of dental resin system, such as double bond conversion (DC), volumetric shrinkage (VS), flexural strength (FS) and modulus (FM), water sorption (WS) and solubility (SL) were investigated. Direct contact testing and agar diffusion testing were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of BTTMA containing dental resin. The results showed that BTTMA could endow dental resin with significant antibacterial activity when its concentration reached a certain amount (20 wt.%), and the antibacterial activity of BTTMA containing dental resin was mainly attributed to the immobilized BTTMA instead of the unreacted leachable BTTMA. BTTMA had no negative effect on physicochemical properties of dental resin, and even some BTTMA containing dental resins had advantages like higher DC, lower VS and WS when compared with control resin. Therefore, BTTMA could be considered as a suitable antibacterial agent in dental material, but much more researches concerned about biocompatibility should be done in future to prove whether it could be applied in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An iodine‐containing mono‐methacrylate 1‐(methacryloxy‐2‐ethoxyamino‐ carbonyl)methyl‐2‐iodine‐benzene (MEMIB) was synthesized as a radiopacified agent and incorporated into Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA resin system with the aim of preparing a radio‐opaque dental resin system. Double bond conversion (DC) was determined by FT‐IR analysis. Volumetric shrinkage (VS) was measured through a variation in density before and after irradiation. Water sorption (WS) and solubility (SL) were obtained until the mass variation of polymer in distilled water was kept stable. Flexural strength (FS) and modulus (FM) were measured using a three‐point bending set up. Bis‐GMA/TEGDMA without MEMIB was used as control. ANOVA analysis revealed that MEMIB could endow dental resin with radiopacity, and radiopacity increased with the increasing of MEMIB concentration. Compared with the control resin, resin with MEMIB also had advantages like higher DC, lower VS, lower WS, and higher FS and FM. All of these implied that MEMIB had the potential to be used as a radiopacified agent and to be applied in dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let be a real number with . We study the representations of a large integer in the form where is an integer and is a friable number with for . We prove that when and , all sufficiently large integers are thus representable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, diverse detection methods have been proposed to achieve highly accurate image segmentation. However, low contrast and background noise interference still pose challenges to defect detection. Existing deep learning-based methods for defect detection mostly learn rich features on the whole image. This can lead to overfitting as the parameters get bigger, and it also loses the spatial connection. In order to solve this problem, we suggest a network based on spatial sub-region feature extraction and mask-aware loss that can detect metal surface defects. In this network framework, we obtain the contextual information of each region through two streams: one branch encodes the spatial sub-region information and reduces the effect of geometric and illumination deformation under u-shape architecture. A skip-connected structure in another stream is designed to learn global information and compensate for boundary features. Next, we propose a mask-aware loss to reduce background noise interference further. Finally, we validate the effectiveness of our method on two challenging datasets, reaching 88.45% and 79.16% on the NEU-Seg and USB-Seg datasets, respectively. Also, our model is only 5.48 MB, and can achieve 172 fps for processing images with 200 × 200 size defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystallization behavior of neodymium-based rare earth polybutadiene rubber (Nd-BR) is studied in the presence of small-molecule treated distillate aromatic extract (TDAE) and high-molecular-weight polybutadiene–isoprene copolymer rubber (BIR). Pronounced inhibitory effects on the crystallization of Nd-BR are exhibited by both materials, as evidenced by reductions in the crystallization temperature (Tc), melting point (Tm), and corresponding enthalpy change. It is found that, at equal concentrations, a greater influence on the crystallization rate is exerted by TDAE oils, whereas nucleation inhibition is more potently affected by BIR. Incomplete crystallization during cooling is exhibited by Nd-BR when the TDAE oil concentration reaches 40 parts per hundreds of rubber (PHR) (31 wt.%), or BIR achieves a 60 wt.% concentration; subsequently, a noticeable cold crystallization phenomenon is observed upon heating. Insights into the isothermal crystallization kinetics are offered by the data, which reveal that the Avrami index n value for Nd-BR predominantly ranges between 2.5 and 3.0. A decrease in the n value is induced by a small amount of TDAE oil, while a noticeable decline in the n value is observed only when the BIR concentration is 60 wt.%. A correlation between the crystallization activation energy, the concentration of TDAE oil and BIR, and the crystallization temperature is established; a negative activation energy is recorded, and a decrease in the crystallization rate is noted when both concentrations are low and the crystallization temperature exceeds −50 °C. In contrast, positive activation energy and an increase in the crystallization rate are observed when the BIR concentration reaches 60%, and the crystallization temperature resides between −50 °C and −70 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Our objective was to evaluate whether renal function, assessed as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), is associated with the number of febrile urinary tract infections (FUTIs) in children diagnosed with neurogenic bladder (NB). Materials and Methods Clinical information of patients diagnosed with NB was prospectively collected between January 2013 and January 2022. Episodes of FUTI were recorded during the follow-up period, and the eGFR was calculated based on the serum cystatin C level. Grading (G1–G5) of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was conducted as described by the eGFR. Results In total, 463 children were included in the final analysis (265 males and 198 females; mean age: 23 months). The median follow-up time was 51 months. A total of 302 children had four or more FUTIs and 161 children had none to three FUTIs. The incidence of developing CKD G3 to G5 gradually increased from the first to third (1.3–2.4%) episodes of FUTI and drastically increased after four episodes (≥ 22.5%), with the incidence recorded to be 100% after eight FUTIs. The odds of CKD G3 to G5 in children with four FUTIs were 17.3 and 43.7 times greater after four and six FUTIs, respectively, than in children with one FUTI. Conclusion This study showed that recurrent FUTIs are common in children with NB and that the risk of rapid progression to CKD G3 to G5 increases substantially after four or more FUTIs episodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents indexes developed from remote sensing observations for continuous soil surface moisture monitoring. The Modified Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (MTVDI) proposed in our earlier work is developed using a time domain solution method rather than the traditional spatial domain solution method, because of limitations arising from a traditional temperature-vegetation index (TVX) method. In the procedure herein proposed, the MTVDI parameterization scheme is transformed from regional scale to pixel scale, and the boundary conditions defining maximum water stress are determined pixel by pixel using the surface energy balance principle. All the parameters required for the retrieval of MTVDI are pixel specific, thereby avoiding the limitations of the traditional spatial domain solution method. Previous studies demonstrate the applicability of the TVX method with data from only a few days of clear sky conditions. In contrast, our proposed MTVDI is demonstrated using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products over the course of a full year, and the soil moisture status over the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region is monitored continuously. Finally, the volumetric surface soil water content ( θ v ) is estimated using a calibration procedure from the MTVDI retrievals. The results show that the accuracy of both MTVDI retrievals and θ v estimates obtained in this work has reached a level comparable with those produced in previous studies. Across all sites, the correlation coefficient ( r ) between the MTVDI and θ v measurements is 0.60. The values of r , mean absolute error ( MAE ) and root mean square error ( RMSE ) for θ v estimates are 0.75, 0.019 m 3 m − 3 and 0.025 m 3 m − 3 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blueschist-bearing Aksu Group and the associated rocks in the Aksu–Wushi area play a crucial role in understanding Neoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Tarim Craton. However, the age and tectonic setting of the Aksu Group, and its relationship with the Qiaoenbrak Formation, remain controversial. Previous studies were mainly focused on the well-known Aksu Group from the Aksu area, but little attention has been paid to the equivalent rocks from the Wushi area. In this paper, we present the first detrital zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb ages for the Aksu Group metasedimentary rocks from the Wushi area, and we also measure U–Pb ages for detrital zircons from the Qiaoenbrak Formation to figure out its affinity to the Aksu Group. Our data show that the protolith of the metasedimentary rocks of the Aksu Group from the Wushi area was deposited between ca. 790 and 761 Ma, which was earlier than that from the Aksu area (>ca. 750 Ma). The Qiaoenbrak Formation was deposited between ca. 780 and 744 Ma, probably contemporaneous with or earlier than the metasedimentary rocks of the Aksu Group. Geochemical data for the metasedimentary rocks of the Aksu Group from the Wushi area suggest that they were deposited in an arc-related setting. Combining the detrital zircon age spectra and geochemistry analyses, we propose that the sedimentary rocks of the Aksu Group and the Qiaoenbrak Formation were probably deposited in a similar tectonic setting related to an active continental margin in the northern margin of the Tarim Craton. The Aksu blueschists and the associated Neoproterozoic arc were probably related to the circum-Rodinia subduction system, rather than assembly of the Rodinia or Gondwana in the interior of the supercontinents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seventeen new 40Ar/39Ar analyses reported for ten Tarim Precambrian basement samples from the Kuluketage area, are applied to reconstruct the regional thermo-tectonic history together with previously published data. Eight samples were taken adjacent to the Xingdi and Xinger faults, major structures in the study area, whereas a further two were sampled at some distance from the faults. 40Ar/39Ar data from the latter record rapid cooling following a Neoproterozoic magmatic/metamorphic event and mild Paleozoic thermal disturbance. Paleozoic 40Ar/39Ar ages from the study area, as well as from the Central Tianshan and eastern Southern Tianshan suggest two strong deformational periods at ∼390 Ma and ∼300 Ma. During the older period, argon isotopic systems were reset/disturbed by high temperature related to arc magmatism resulting from subduction of the South Tianshan paleo-oceanic crust, possibly in combination with reactivation of Precambrian faults. The younger period is characterized by widespread late Carboniferous-early Permian intracontinental deformation, which is related to the final amalgamation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Previously published apatite fission track data attest to a long history of post-collisional cooling, which is attributed to continued propagation of deformation within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread Paleoproterozoic supracrustal rocks in the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) contain important information for the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton (NCC). Here, we report new in situ LA-ICP-MS detrital zircon U-Pb ages, Lu-Hf isotopic data, and whole-rock geochemical data for the Yejishan Group in the Lüliang Complex. The group is a well-preserved volcanic-sedimentary assemblage and can be subdivided into the Qingyangshuwan, Bailongshan, and Chengdaogou formations from bottom up. The Bailongshan Formation consists dominantly of meta-basalts interbedded with several layers of clastic rocks, and the other two formations are composed exclusively of sedimentary rocks. In this study, samples of fourteen clastic rocks and thirteen basalts from the Yejishan Group were collected for measurements based on detailed fieldwork. Detrital zircon U-Pb dating of six clastic samples from the three formations display similar age distributions and give youngest ages between ca. 1870 and 1988 Ma. The youngest age peak of 1870 Ma obtained from the Qingyangshuwan Formation is regarded as the maximum depositional age of the Yejishan Group for the first time. The ca. 1779 Ma mafic dyke intruding into the Yejishan Group constrains the depositional age between 1870 and 1779 Ma. Clastic interlayer in the Bailongshan basalts has a youngest age peak of ca. 1988 Ma, suggesting that the basalts should erupt after 1988 Ma. The time constraint of the Bailongshan basalts in this study disapproves the previous view that the Bailongshan Formation should be removed from the Yejishan Group and assigned to the Lüliang Group. According to the geochemical features, the Yejishan clastic rocks had a chemical immature source mixed of felsic and basaltic magmatic rocks with weak weathering, and suggestive of an active tectonic setting. The basalts show variable LREE enrichment, prominent Nb-Ta, Ti, P anomalies, probably derived from a subcontinental lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subduction-related fluids. Taken together the geochemical and chronological data, we propose that the Yejishan Group were formed in an active continental marginal basin at ca. 1870–1780 Ma. The conclusion is consistent with model of the ca. 1850 Ma collision in the TNCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that remote sensing techniques hold the potential to explore the spatial estimation of air temperature ( T a ) with fine spatial and temporal resolution across the world. However, because of the complex interaction of land-atmosphere system and the contamination of cloud cover, the retrieval of daytime T a exclusively from remote sensing data is still far from straight forward, especially under cloudy sky conditions. In this paper, we presented a simple parameterization scheme of daytime T a under all-weather conditions entirely based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products. To evaluate its applicability, the scheme was demonstrated in two regions with totally different geomorphological and climatic conditions, the east part of the Qaidam Basin (EQB) in China and the Southern Great Plains (SGP) in the United States of America. The instantaneous T a under clear sky conditions ( T a , clear ) was determined as the average of near surface air temperature ( T a S ) retrieved from MOD07_L2 product and land surface temperature ( T s ) retrieved from MOD06_L2 product. Then a regression model between T a , clear and T s was established, and the instantaneous T a under cloudy sky conditions ( T a , cl oudy ) was estimated by applying the regression model to T s retrieved under cloudy sky conditions. The results showed that the averaging parameterization scheme has significantly improved the accuracy of T a , clear retrievals with MAE = 1.95 °C, RMSE = 2.50 °C, and B = 0.02 in the EQB, and MAE = 2.02 °C, RMSE = 2.56 °C, and B = 0.01 in the SGP. The T a , cloudy estimates also showed good agreement with T a observations in both regions with a correlation coefficient ( r ) higher than 0.91. The values of RMSE calculated for the EQB and SGP were 3.42 °C and 2.91 °C, respectively. The accuracy of both T a , clear and T a , cloudy estimates has reached a level comparable with other traditional statistical approaches that adopt ancillary T a measurements as training dataset. Therefore, it is feasible to estimate daytime T a under all-weather conditions entirely based on MODIS products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A light-weight defect classification model is proposed to achieve high-accuracy industrial defect classification under the few-shot setting. • Batch-size independent Group Normalization (GN) is integrated into the pre-trained model for feature normalization and avoiding over-fitting. • A two-stream architecture with a joint loss function is designed to perform defect classification of single images and similarity comparison of a pair of samples simultaneously. • Our method runs in real-time and achieves significantly higher classification accuracy compared with the state-of-the-art defect classifiers. Visual surface defect inspection provides an important tool for product quality assessment in a wide range of industrial applications. In recent years, diverse convolutional neural network (CNN) models have been developed for the high-accuracy image classification of natural objects. However, it remains a challenging task to develop deep-learning-based approaches for surface defect inspection of industrial products. The main challenge is that surface defects of industrial products occur in low probability, therefore it is impractical to build a large image dataset containing different types of defects to train/fine-tune deep CNN models to achieve satisfactory performance when applied to industrial inspection tasks. To overcome the above-mentioned problem, we build a light-weight defect classification model based on the pre-trained SqueezeNet architecture and present three effective techniques to achieve high-accuracy defect classification using very few collected defective training samples. First, we experimentally demonstrate that it is reasonable to freeze shallower convolutional layers and only fine-tune deeper layers in the last convolutional stage when there are not enough training samples. Second, we integrate batch-size independent Group Normalization (GN) into SqueezeNet to compute stable statistics based on a limited number of defective samples for training the classification model. Third, we add an auxiliary task to perform the similarity comparison of two defective samples during the training phase, significantly increasing the size of the training data and generating more distinctive defect-specific representations. The experimental results on the NEU-CLS dataset and USB-FS dataset verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Our method can obtain accurate defect classification results when very few defective training samples are provided, i.e., about 97.69% and 82.92% average classification accuracy on the NEU-CLS and USB-FS datasets, respectively, under the 5-shot setting (5 images per defect category). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 1445-km high-resolution 3D seismic reflection dataset is used to analyze the Permian large igneous province in the subsurface of the Tazhong area in the central Tarim Basin in northwestern China. Constrained by the synthetic seismograms of four wells, the top and base of the igneous rocks were identified in the seismic data. Seven large volcanic craters, each >10 km in area, have been discovered via the application of coherency and amplitude attributes. The thickness and volume of the igneous rocks were obtained by time-depth transformation. In the study area, all of the igneous rocks, with thicknesses from 120 to 1133 m, were formed by eruptions in the Early Permian. These events produced huge erupted volumes (178 km) and multiple closely spaced volcanic edifices (<13 km). These features suggest that the study area may be the part of the eruptive center of the Permian igneous rocks in the Tarim Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A remote sensing-based method is proposed for daily ET mapping and partitioning. • This method is applied to a poorly gauged basin in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. • ET in Qaidam Basin is estimated and partitioned continuously over twenty years. • Its ET features in different landscapes as well as their controls are identified. Accurate estimation and partitioning of terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) is essential for understanding the hydrological cycle and water use efficiency at different scales. Such knowledge is particularly important for sustainable water resources management in arid ecosystems. A daily scale framework for continuous ET mapping and partitioning was proposed in this study based on a universal solution of the traditional T s - V I models. Its essence is to transform the T s - V I feature space from regional to pixel scale on the basis of surface energy balance principle. Consequently, the ET estimation and partitioning was only related to the boundary conditions at pixel scale, regardless of the T s - V I configuration over the spatial domain. We demonstrated the framework with MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) products in Qaidam Basin, a poorly gauged basin with arid ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China. The scheme was performed pixel by pixel using as much of the remote sensing observations as possible, aiming at that it could be applied to other poorly gauged regions. The comparative analysis indicates that our ET estimates agreed well with three readily available ET products and those retrieved from water balance analysis. The advantages of our universal T s - V I model mainly lie in its high spatial resolution and daily continuity, which enables it to capture the spatial details and temporal variations more accurately. The results show that our annual average ET estimation from 2001 to 2020 was around 179.20 mm/year, which was very close to its annual average precipitation. The annual average soil evaporation (E) and plant transpiration (T) was 168.77 and 10.43 mm/year, accounting for 94 % and 6 % of the total ET, respectively. ET in Qaidam Basin decreased generally from southeast to northwest and from surrounding mountains to the interior with significant vertical zonality. Consequently, ET of different landscapes followed the order: woodland > shrubland > alpine vegetation > alpine meadow > bare rock > alpine grassland > salt crust > desert grassland > bare soil > gobi > sandy land. As an arid basin, the spatial distribution of ET in Qaidam Basin was mainly controlled by precipitation. However, with the further decrease of temperature in high mountains, ET started to be controlled by energy availability rather than water availability. Accordingly, the variations of our ET estimates with altitude increased first and then decreased, with a peak value of 287.67 mm observed at altitudes of 4600–4800 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive optical imaging method that has proven useful in various fields such as ophthalmology, dermatology and neuroscience. In ophthalmology, significant progress has been made in retinal layer segmentation and enhancement of OCT images. There are also segmentation algorithms to separate epidermal and dermal layers in OCT-acquired images of human skin. New method We describe simple image processing methods that allow automatic segmentation and enhancement of OCT images of rodent brain. Results We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods for OCT-based microangiography (OMAG) and tissue injury mapping (TIM) of mouse cerebral cortex. The results show significant improvement in image contrast, delineation of tissue injury, allowing visualization of different layers of capillary beds. Comparison with existing methods Previously reported methods for other applications are yet to be used in neuroscience due to the complexity of tissue anatomy, unique physiology and technical challenges. Conclusions OCT is a promising tool that provides high resolution in vivo microvascular and structural images of rodent brain. By automatically segmenting and enhancing OCT images, structural and microvascular changes in mouse cerebral cortex after stroke can be monitored in vivo with high contrast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We previously demonstrated that tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) reduces infarct size after mechanical middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in wild-type (WT) mice and transgenic mice expressing human leukocyte antigen DR2 (DR2-Tg). Clinically, tPA limits ischemic damage by dissolving the clot blocking blood flow through a cerebral artery. To mimic the clinical situation, we developed a new mouse model of thromboembolic stroke, and tested the efficacy of tPA in WT and DR2-Tg mice. New Method Autologous blood is withdrawn into a PE-8 catheter filled with 2 IU α-thrombin. After exposing the catheter briefly to air, the catheter is reintroduced into the external (ECA) and advanced into the internal carotid artery (ICA) to allow for intravascular injection of thrombin at the MCA bifurcation. To validate the model, we tested the effect of tPA on laser-Doppler perfusion (LDP) over the MCA territory and infarct size in WT and DR2-Tg mice. Results The procedure results in a consistent drop in LDP, and leads to a highly reproducible ischemic lesion. When administered at 15 min after thrombosis, tPA restored LDP and resulted in a significant reduction in infarct size at 24 h after thrombosis in both WT and DR2-Tg. Comparison with Existing Methods Our model significantly reduces surgery time, requires a single anesthesia exposure, and produces a consistent and predictable infarction, with low variability and mortality. Conclusion We validated the efficacy of tPA in restoring blood flow and reducing infarct in a new model of endovascular thromboembolic stroke in the mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]