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Species of Pseudocercospora are commonly associated with leaf and fruit spots on diverse plant hosts in sub-tropical and tropical regions. Pseudocercospora spp. have mycosphaerella-like sexual morphs, but represent a distinct genus in Mycosphaerellaceae (Mycosphaerellales, Dothideomycetes). The present study adds a further 29 novel species of Pseudocercospora from 413 host species representing 297 host genera occurring in 60 countries and designates four epitypes and one lectotype for established names. This study recognises 329 species names, with an additional 69 phylogenetic lineages remaining unnamed due to difficulty in being able to unambiguously apply existing names to those lineages. To help elucidate the taxonomy of these species, a phylogenetic tree was generated from multi-locus DNA sequence data of the internal transcribed spacers and intervening 5.8S nuclear nrRNA gene (ITS), partial actin (actA), and partial translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), as well as the partial DNA-directed RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) gene sequences. Novel species described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Ps. acaciicola from leaf spots on Acacia sp., Ps. anopter from leaf spots on Anopterus glandulosus, Ps. asplenii from leaf spots on Asplenium dimorphum, Ps. australiensis from leaf spots on Eucalyptus gunnii, Ps. badjensis from leaf spots on Eucalyptus badjensis, Ps. erythrophloeicola from leaf spots on Erythrophleum chlorostachys, Ps. grevilleae from leaf spots on Grevillea sp., Ps. lophostemonigena from leaf spots on Lophostemon confertus, Ps. lophostemonis from leaf spots on Lophostemon lactifluus, Ps. paramacadamiae from leaf spots on Macadamia integrifolia, Ps. persooniae from leaf spots on Persoonia sp., Ps. pultenaeae from leaf spots on Pultenaea daphnoides, Ps. tristaniopsidis from leaf spots on Tristaniopsis collina, Ps. victoriae from leaf spots on Eucalyptus globoidea. Brazil, Ps. musigena from leaf spots on Musa sp. China, Ps. lonicerae-japonicae from leaf spots on Lonicera japonica, Ps. rubigena leaf spots on Rubus sp. France (Réunion), Ps. wingfieldii from leaf spots on Acacia heterophylla. Malaysia, Ps. musarum from leaf spots on Musa sp. Netherlands, Ps. rhododendri from leaf spots on Rhododendron sp. South Africa, Ps. balanitis from leaf spots on Balanites sp., Ps. dovyalidicola from leaf spots on Dovyalis zeyheri, Ps. encephalarticola from leaf spots on Encephalartos sp. South Korea, Ps. grewiana from leaf spots on Grewia biloba, Ps. parakaki from leaf spots on Diospyros kaki, Ps. pseudocydoniae from leaf spots on Chaenomeles lagenaria, Ps. paracydoniae from leaf spots on Chaenomeles speciosa. Thailand, Ps. acerigena from leaf spots on Acer sp., Ps. tectonigena from leaf spots on Tectona grandis. Epitypes are designated for Cercospora bonjeaneae-rectae, Cercospora halleriae, Ps. eucleae, and an epitype as well as a lectotype for Ps. macadamiae. Results obtained in the present study contribute to a better understanding of the host specificity and distribution in Pseudocercospora spp., many of which represent important pathogens of food or fibre crops, or organisms of quarantine concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbital-free density functional theory (DFT) is much more efficient than the orbital-dependent Kohn–Sham DFT due to the avoidance of the auxiliary one-body orbitals. The machine learning approach has been applied to build nuclear orbital-free DFT recently [Wu et al., Phys. Rev. C 105 (2022) L031303] and achieved more precise descriptions for nuclei than existing orbital-free DFTs. Here, improved machine learning nuclear orbital-free density functional is built by including the Thomas–Fermi approach as a basement. Performances of the functional are compared in detail with the ones based on the pure machine learning approach. It is found that with the Thomas–Fermi functional included, the machine-learning-based functional can achieve better performance in directly predicting the kinetic energies and in providing the ground-state properties by the self-consistent procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nondisplaced femoral neck fractures are sometimes misdiagnosed by radiographs, which may deteriorate into displaced fractures. However, few efficient artificial intelligent methods have been reported. We developed an automatic detection method using deep learning networks to pinpoint femoral neck fractures on radiographs to assist physicians in making an accurate diagnosis in the first place. Our proposed accurate automatic detection method, called the direction-aware fracture-detection network (DAFDNet), consists of two steps, namely region-of-interest (ROI) segmentation and fracture detection. The first step removes the noise region and pinpoints the femoral neck region. The fracture-detection step uses a direction-aware deep learning algorithm to mark the exact femoral neck fracture location in the region detected in the first step. A total of 3840 femoral neck parts in anterior–posterior (AP) pelvis radiographs collected from the China Medical University Hospital database were used to test our method. The simulation results showed that DAFDNet outperformed the U-Net and DenseNet methods in terms of the IOU value, Dice value, and Jaccard value. Our proposed DAFDNet demonstrated over 94.8% accuracy in differentiating non-displaced Garden type I and type II femoral neck fracture cases. Our DAFDNet method outperformed the diagnostic accuracy of general practitioners and orthopedic surgeons in accurately locating Garden type I and type II fracture locations. This study can determine the feasibility of applying artificial intelligence in a clinical setting and how the use of deep learning networks assists physicians in improving correct diagnoses compared to the current traditional orthopedic manual assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we develop an innovative method that assists computer-aided diagnosis in the determination process of the exact location of the femoral neck junction in plain radiographs. Our algorithm consists of two phases, i.e., coarse prediction and fine matching, which are implemented by supervised deep learning method and unsupervised clustering, respectively. In coarse prediction, standard masks are first produced by a specialist and trained in our proposed feature propagation network (FPU-Net) with supervised learning on the femoral neck dataset. In fine matching, the standard masks are first classified into different categories using our proposed three parameters with unsupervised learning. The predicted mask from FPU-Net is matched with each category of standard masks by calculating the values of intersection of union (IOU), and finally the predicted mask is substituted by the standard mask with the largest IOU value. A total of 4320 femoral neck parts in anterior–posterior (AP) pelvis radiographs collected from China Medical University Hospital database were used to test our method. Simulation results show that, on the one hand, compared with other segmentation methods, the method proposed in this paper has a larger IOU value and better suppression of noise outside the region of interest; on the other hand, the introduction of unsupervised learning for fine matching can help in the accurate localization segmentation of femoral neck images. Accurate femoral neck segmentation can assist surgeons to diagnose and reduce the misdiagnosis rate and burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a theoretical study of bichromatic weakly non-collinear Airy-type waves propagating with various amplitudes in water of infinite depth. The coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations are invoked to study the behavior of self- and cross-interacting Airy wave packets. We demonstrate that bichromatic pulses possess the main properties of single Airy wave packets—shape invariance and self-acceleration or self-deceleration—when propagating in a dispersive medium. Accounting for nonlinearity leads to a strong dependence of the structure, stability, and propagation velocity of wave pulses on their amplitude. We show that interacting pulses of Airy-type waves can form giant accelerating and decelerating waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Description of waves approaching the coast and estimation of their maximum run-up is one of the most important problems in coastal engineering. Of greatest practical interest are intense incident waves of high steepness and amplitude, which tend to break. Nevertheless, an adequate theoretical description of breaking waves is still a problem in modern wave theory due to the complexity of energy dissipation estimation during wave breaking. We present a simplified theoretical model for the run-up of breaking solitary waves onto the shore using not differential, but basic integral equations of fluid motion. According to our model, the results are in satisfactory agreement with the available laboratory data. The presented results contain an estimate of the maximum speed and characteristic time of the solitary wave run-up. A general analytical formula is proposed for calculating the maximum run-up of solitary waves, depending on the bottom slope and the initial amplitude of the waves. This formula does not contain empirical parameters that need to be adapted based on experiments. The proposed formula demonstrates reasonable capabilities for predicting maximum run-up heights over a wide range of beach slopes and wave conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuant to the 'liberal nationalist' account, citizenship is simultaneously exclusive and inclusive. Its particularistic aspect functions as a fence that keeps non-members out while its universalistic element acts as the glue that binds all members. In theory, any tension between these seemingly competing attributes is reconcilable as they are assigned to distinct spatial domains, the former to citizenship's exterior and the latter interior. Thus, often drawing comparison to an egg, citizenship is said to consist of a hard shell and a soft centre. In this chapter, I rely on a historical review of international migrants' shifting healthcare entitlement in Canada as a lens for contesting this liberal nationalist portrayal of citizenship. I observe that, on its edges, the exclusionary propensity of Canadian citizenship is sometimes reined in by inclusionary norms to enable the entry of even migrants commonly characterised as undesirable because of their suspected dependence on public healthcare. Conversely, in Canadian citizenship's interior, complete realisation of universal healthcare has been thwarted by particularistic welfare controls that query foreign residents' labour market contributions and the genuineness of their humanitarian needs. As such, contrary to the proverbial egg, citizenship is actually not as hard on the outside or as soft on the inside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective prevention of chronic postoperative pain is an important clinical goal, informed by a growing body of studies. Peri-operative regional anaesthesia remains one of the most important tools in the multimodal analgesic toolbox, blocking injury-induced activation and sensitisation of both the peripheral and central nervous system. We review the definition and taxonomy of chronic postoperative pain, its mechanistic basis and the most recent evidence for the preventative potential of multimodal analgesia, with a special focus on regional anaesthesia. While regional anaesthesia targets several important aspects of the mechanistic pathway leading to chronic postoperative pain, evidence for its efficacy is still mixed, possibly owing to the heterogeneity of risk profiles within the surgical patient, but also to variation in techniques and medications reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate white spot lesion (WSL) remineralization and fluoride uptake by the application of fluoride varnishes directly onto artificial WSLs in vitro.Methods: MI varnish containing casein phosphopeptide-amorphous calcium phosphate (CPP-ACP) and 2.26% fluoride and Duraphat varnish containing 2.26% fluoride (no added calcium) were compared with a placebo varnish (no added calcium or fluoride). Two WSLs were prepared in enamel slabs and varnish applied to cover one of the two lesions. Each slab was immersed in artificial saliva for 14 days at 37°C. Mineral content was determined using transverse microradiography and fluoride uptake using electron probe microanalysis. The data were statistically analysed using a linear mixed model.Results: Both MI and Duraphat varnishes significantly remineralized the covered and uncovered WSLs when compared with the placebo varnish (P < 0.001). The WSLs covered with varnish showed greater remineralization than those uncovered. MI varnish produced the highest level of remineralization and significantly greater fluoride uptake (0.44 ± 0.08 wt%) compared with Duraphat (0.24 ± 0.03 wt%) and the placebo varnish (0.06 ± 0.05 wt%).Conclusion: Varnish containing fluoride and CPP-ACP was superior to varnish containing fluoride alone in promoting WSL remineralization and fluoride uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rich phenomena in the FeSe and related compounds have attracted great interests as it provides fertile material to gain further insight into the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. A natural follow-up work was to look into the possibility of superconductivity in MnSe. We demonstrated in this work that high pressure can effectively suppress the complex magnetic characters of MnSe, and induce superconductivity with Tc ~ 5 K at pressure ~12 GPa confirmed by both magnetic and resistive measurements. The highest Tc is ~ 9 K (magnetic result) at ~35 GPa. Our observations suggest the observed superconductivity may closely relate to the pressure-induced structural change. However, the interface between the metallic and insulating boundaries may also play an important role to the pressure induced superconductivity in MnSe. Superconductivity in FeSe attracted great interests to understand the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity. Here, the authors report a pressure induced superconductivity with a highest Tc of ~9 K in MnSe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear energy sink (NES) has proven to be very effective in reducing the vibration response of structures. In this paper, a magnetic bistable nonlinear energy sink (BNES) that composed of a guided moving mass attached with linear springs and permanent magnets is proposed. To assess the seismic control performance of the proposed BNES, a shear frame model equipped with the proposed BNES is compared with the same shear frame model equipped with an optimized cubic NES and with a linear tuned mass damper (TMD) system. The results show that, in the idealized situation, where the mass and stiffness is clearly defined (no uncertainty), the BNES can achieve similar performance as a thoroughly in-tuned TMD system. Moreover, in the detuned condition, due to broadband high internal resonance capability, the proposed BNES can outperform the linear TMD and the cubic NES. The study demonstrates that the proposed BNES can be used as an efficient passive vibration absorber for structural seismic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate extensively the bipolar-switching properties of Al2O3- and HfO2- based resistive-switching memory cells operated at low current down to <1 μA. We show that the switching characteristics differ considerably from those typically reported for larger current range (>15 μA), which we relate as intrinsic to soft-breakdown (SBD) regime. We evidence a larger impact of the used switching-oxide in this current range, due to lower density of oxygen-vacancy (Vo) defects in the SBD regime. In this respect, deep resetting and large memory window may be achieved using the stoichiometric Al2O3 material due to efficient Vo annihilation, although no complete erasure of the conductive-filament (CF) is obtained. We finally emphasize that the conduction may be described by a quantum point-contact (QPC) model down to very low current level where only a few Vo defects compose the QPC constriction. The large switching variability inherent to this latter aspect is mitigated by CF shape tuning through adequate engineering of an Al2O3\HfO2 bilayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the compressive strength of ice under both quasi-static [M. Arakawa and N. Maeno, Mechanical strength of polycrystalline ice under uniaxial compression. Cold Reg. Sci. Tech 26 (1997), pp. 215–229.] and dynamic [X. Wu and V. Prakash, Dynamic compressive behavior of ice at cryogenic temperatures. Cold Reg. Sci. Tech 118 (2015), pp. 1–13.] loadings shows an anomalous temperature effect that the compression strength is insensitive to temperature in a specific temperature range below −100oC, it is still unclear whether the anomalous temperature exists for the tensile strength of ice at cryogenic temperatures. In this paper, the temperature-dependent dynamic tensile strength of ice 1 h under shock loading is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. It is intriguing to see that the dynamic tensile strength of the ice exhibits a similar anomalous temperature effect, i.e. it is almost insensitive to temperature in the range 117 ∼ 163 K, which could be interpreted by the competitive mechanism between shock-induced pulverisation and melting. The evolution of the pentagonal-heptagonal defects and the ductile-to-brittle transformation are also observed with decreasing temperature, leading to the unique dynamic tensile behaviour of ice under shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying a cost-effective process with a simple one-side-heating furnace, two layers of YBa2Cu3Ox (YBCO) bulks were successfully grown in one batch by using NdBa2Cu3Ox (NdBCO) thin-film-seeds deposited on MgO substrates. Due to the large temperature difference between the two layers, the seed-induced growth began at the bottom layer much later than that at the top layer. Remarkably, NdBCO films on the bottom layer samples survived a long time (over 15 h) above the growth temperature and effectively induced the YBCO growth. The significant thermal stability of the films, i.e., the tolerance for a long holding time on the surface of the molten pellet, is supposed to relate to a competition between the dissolution/diffusion of film materials into the liquid and NdBCO grain coarsening/Nd-YBCO crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly significant to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer application in mango orchards and substituting it with organic manure. The field location method was applied to examine the effects of substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure on soil physical and chemical properties, leaf nutrients, fruit yield and quality in a mango orchard, it can provide a foundation for reducing chemical fertilizer application in mango orchards. Results indicated that, compared to conventional fertilization, treatments substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure at different concentrations can reduce the volume weight of different levels of orchard soil and improve soil porosity. The decrease of volume weight and the increase of total porosity in the 0-20cm soil layer were greater than those in the 20-40cm soil layer. Substituting chemical fertilizer with organic manure can improve soil pH and organic matter content in the different soil layers. Although alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen declined compared with conventional fertilization, it did not attain a significant difference. The concentrations of available phosphorus, potassium calcium and magnesium in soils increased compared with the control. All the treatments improved mango yield, however, there was a non-significant effect on single fruit weight. Soluble solid, vitamin C and solidity-acid ratio in fruits all increased, and the titratable acid content decreased compared with the control. Comprehensive comparison indicated that a 30% substitution of organic manure is the most effective treatment to improve soil fertility and fruit quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design of a collimator lens for use with the Lightbrick that uses total internal reflection as well as convex and concave surfaces. The Lightbrick is a light collector for the Natural Light Illumination System. The collimator lens is constructed using freeform surfaces which can be calculated through geometric-optics. Verified by optical simulation, using the collimator lens can achieve 90.3% luminous flux within ±2°, and optical efficiency improves by 48% in the collimator lens output. The collimator lens converges the light distribution of the Lightbrick and enhances the transmission efficiency of the Natural Light Illumination System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of oxygen partial pressure on the thermal stability of Nd-123 superconductor thin films was investigated by means of high temperature in situ microscopy. It was found that the thermal stability of Nd-123 films decreases as the oxygen partial pressure increases. We attribute the thermal stability suppression to the increased growth rate of Nd-422 and a high concentration difference ratio. Under the assumption of quasi-equilibrium, a simplified model for peritectic melting of RE-123 was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the low-temperature (down to 10 K) dc-magnetization data of the La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSM), La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCM), and Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (PCM) systems, we estimated the critical exponents β, γ, and hence δ from the analysis of the modified Arrot plots. The exponent β estimated for the LCM system is less than that predicted by Heisenberg model and resides within the zone predicted by Ising model while for the LSM sample, β is higher than that predicted from the Heisenberg model which is considered to be due to the presence of dipole-dipole interaction arising from the large spin moment in the LSM system. The magnetization data of the PCM system cannot be fitted to the modified Arrot plots, which suggest highly inhomogeneous ground state even under 5 T magnetic field. Both LSM and LCM have almost equal values of γ. Seebeck coefficient data indicate a crossover from higher-temperature n-type to lower-temperature p-type conductivity behavior in both LSM and LCM systems, while the semiconducting PCM system shows p-type conductivity throughout the temperature range (300–80 K). It is noticed that for LSM system TC (Curie temperature) and TMI (metal-insulator transition temperature) are almost equal (∼360 K), whereas for the LCM system there exist a large difference between TC and TMI (TC∼245 K and TMI∼265 K), which may give some idea regarding the critical behavior of the respective samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport properties (resistivity and thermoelectric power) of Pb doped LaNiO3 viz. La1-xPbxNiO3-δ (0.0<=x<=0.1) show metallic behavior over a wide range of temperature (10–550 K). Pb doping (up to 10%) at the La site does not destroy the metallic behavior of LaNiO3. The paramagnetic susceptibility χ decreases with Pb doping. Above 50 K, χ is almost temperature independent and exhibits Pauli like features with a small additional Curie law contribution. The resistivity ρ increases with Pb doping though the thermoelectric power does not change proportionately, indicating that Pb doping does not introduce much disorder in the system. A linear T dependence of ρ observed above 150 K suggests the importance of electron–phonon (el–ph) interactions but at temperature below 150 K, ρ follows a T1.5 dependence. The estimated el–ph interaction constant λ increases (0.80–2.53) with Pb doping (x=0.0–0.1). No saturation of resistivity has been observed even up to 550 K with x<=0.1. The phonon frequency νph∼3444 cm-1 of the undoped sample calculated from the absorption peak of the Fourier transform infrared spectra agrees well with that at ∼3025 cm-1 estimated from the reported heat capacity data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize the commercialized operation, it is preferable that tokamak devices achieve the operating scenarios with steady-state, long-pulse, H-mode and high magnetic confinement plasma current. For enhancing the magnetic confinement capability and improving the poloidal beta βp in quasi-snowflake configuration, under the consideration of the effect on other performance parameters, the method of shifting magnetic axis is employed. According to the calculated method proposed in this paper, the plasma current density distribution is modified to realize the supposed radial movement of the magnetic axis. Then the value of βp, the coordinates of X2 point, the flux expansion of outside and inside strike points (fmout and fmin), poloidal field currents and safety factor q profile are formulated, the relations between these parameters and the horizontal displacement of the magnetic axis are analyzed. Finally, in lower single-null quasi-snowflake configuration, by shifting the magnetic axis from 1.9242 to 1.9412m, βp has an increase of 86.96 %, the confinement capability of the plasma is significantly enhanced, Meanwhile, the position of X2 point is varied from (2.6789 m, −1.6439 m) to (2.2955 m, −1.6039 m), which is closer to X1 point and the plasma. Therefore, fmout is enlarged from 6.646 to 7.706, which has an increase of 15.9%. And fmin has a decrease of 0.62%, which can be neglected. The safety factor at magnetic axis q0 is decreased by 1.75%, from 1.0897 to 1.0701, which is larger than 1 and satisfies the requirement of magnetohydrodynamic stability. In addition, EFIT code is used to verify the feasibility and the accuracy of the optimized results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The properties of hot-dipping A359 aluminum alloys can be improved by strategically placing the S45C steel inserts to locally improve properties such as oxidation and corrosion resistance, but soft A359 aluminum alloy can be easily worn out and thus decreased the S45C steel's reliability. In this study, we have been added 20 wt.%Ni to increases the hardness of the A359 aluminum alloy, then hot dipped the S45C steel into the molten A359-20 wt.%Ni aluminum alloy for 1 min and then heat treated at 400-600 °C. The effect of nickel on the interface characteristic (including kinetic and shear strengths of interface between the S45C steel and aluminum alloy) and the surface glossiness and wear property of the A359-Ni aluminum alloy is also discussed. The experimental results show that the Fe2Al5 intermetallic compound thus the activation energy of the compound formation in the A359-20 wt.%Ni aluminum alloy, and its thickness increased with an increase in heating temperature. Nickel hindered formation of the Fe2Al5 intermetallic compound thus the activation energy of the compound formation in the A359-20 wt.%Ni aluminum alloy (0.413 eV) is larger than A359 aluminum alloy. The nickel could increase the surface glossiness and anti-wear of the hot-dipped coating layer, but they would not deteriorate the interface shear strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bifurcation of two-dimensional gravity–capillary waves into solitary waves when the phase velocity and group velocity are nearly equal is investigated in the presence of constant vorticity. We found that gravity–capillary solitary waves with decaying oscillatory tails exist in deep water in the presence of vorticity. Furthermore we found that the presence of vorticity influences strongly (i) the solitary wave properties and (ii) the growth rate of unstable transverse perturbations. The growth rate and bandwidth instability are given numerically and analytically as a function of the vorticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is an important factor which significantly affects rice growth and development. In order to examine the effect of different temperatures at filling stage on grain protein synthesis and accumulation, present study with three different treatments day-night temperature dynamics was carried out in a randomized complete block design with five replications in Experimental Research Farm, College of Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China. Treatments included Te1: 33/27 °C, Te2: 28/22 °C, Te3: 23/17 °C under 1300X yellow light intensity and 75% humidity respectively. Result showed that Te2 and Te3 enhanced the activity of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) in grain in middle and later phase of filling stage while the soluble protein and crude protein in grain were higher in Te3 and Te2 compared with Te1. Furthermore, there were also some differences in activities of glutamine synthelase (GS), glutamate synthetase (GOGAT) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) under different controlled temperature treatments while we observed that grain protein had significant correlation with the activities of GOT, GS and GDH. In general, we considered Te2 as the optimum conditions for rice at filling stage because it enhanced the grain protein content while having the highest yield. We also suggested that in the rice production, we could take some strategies such as delayed sowing date to appropriately lower the temperature at filling stage so the grain protein content could be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the envelope of two-dimensional gravity- capillary waves propagating at the free surface of a vertically sheared current of constant vorticity is derived. In this paper we extend to gravity-capillary wave trains the results of Thomas et al. (Phys. Fluids, 2012, 127102) and complete the stability analysis and stability diagram of Djordjevic & Redekopp (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 79, 1977, pp. 703-714) in the presence of vorticity. The vorticity effect on the modulational instability of weakly nonlinear gravity-capillary wave packets is investigated. It is shown that the vorticity modifies significantly the modulational instability of gravity-capillary wave trains, namely the growth rate and instability bandwidth. It is found that the rate of growth of modulational instability of short gravity waves influenced by surface tension behaves like pure gravity waves: (i) in infinite depth, the growth rate is reduced in the presence of positive vorticity and amplified in the presence of negative vorticity; (ii) in finite depth, it is reduced when the vorticity is positive and amplified and finally reduced when the vorticity is negative. The combined effect of vorticity and surface tension is to increase the rate of growth of modulational instability of short gravity waves influenced by surface tension, namely when the vorticity is negative. The rate of growth of modulational instability of capillary waves is amplified by negative vorticity and attenuated by positive vorticity. Stability diagrams are plotted and it is shown that they are significantly modified by the introduction of the vorticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lattice design of a cloak for full two-dimensional elasticity is suggested when the background continuum is isotropic with Lamé parameters (λ,μ) satisfying μ ≤ λ. The lattice is polar in the sense that it elastically resists rotations; and is degenerate meaning it admits a stressless collapse mechanism. These characteristics are attained through the use of appropriately distributed restoring torques in conjunction with hinge-like spring-mass contacts. Thus, the lattice is proven to exhibit a rank-3 elasticity tensor lacking the minor symmetries. Accordingly, it rigorously adheres to the forminvariance requirements of the transformation method under the Brun–Guenneau–Movchan gauge. The cloak is numerically tested in statics and in dynamics under pressure and shear incident waves and shows satisfactory performance. Finally, a theoretical generalization extends the design to three dimensions and to arbitrarily anisotropic backgrounds so as to enable cloaking as well as other transformation-based static and dynamic field manipulation techniques in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma etching is a powerful technique for transferring high-resolution lithographic patterns into HgCdTe material with low etch-induced damage, and it is important for fabricating small-pixel-size HgCdTe infrared focal plane array (IRFPA) detectors. P- to n-type conversion is known to occur during plasma etching of vacancy-doped HgCdTe; however, it is usually unwanted and its removal requires extra steps. Etching at cryogenic temperatures can reduce the etch-induced type conversion depth in HgCdTe via the electrical damage mechanism. Laser beam-induced current (LBIC) is a nondestructive photoelectric characterization technique which can provide information regarding the vertical and lateral electrical field distribution, such as defects and p-n junctions. In this work, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching of HgCdTe was implemented at cryogenic temperatures. For an Ar/CH4 (30:1 in SCCM) plasma with ICP input power of 1000 W and RF-coupled DC bias of ∼ 25 V, a HgCdTe sample was dry-etched at 123 K for 5 min using ICP. The sample was then processed to remove a thin layer of the plasma-etched region while maintaining a ladder-like damaged layer by continuously controlling the wet chemical etching time. Combining the ladder etching method and LBIC measurement, the ICP etching-induced electrical damage depth was measured and estimated to be about 20 nm. The results indicate that ICP etching at cryogenic temperatures can significantly suppress plasma etching-induced electrical damage, which is beneficial for defining HgCdTe mesa arrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are asymmetrical single bilayer membranous nanostructures produced by Gram-negative bacteria important for bacterial interaction with the environment. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a keystone pathogen associated with chronic periodontitis, produces OMVs that act as a virulence factor secretion system contributing to its pathogenicity. Despite their biological importance, the mechanisms of OMV biogenesis have not been fully elucidated. The ~14 times more curvature of the OMV membrane than cell outer membrane (OM) indicates that OMV biogenesis requires energy expenditure for significant curvature of the OMV membrane. In P. gingivalis, we propose that this may be achieved by upregulating the production of certain inner or outer leaflet lipids, which causes localized outward curvature of the OM. This results in selection of anionic lipopolysaccharide (A-LPS) and associated C-terminal domain (CTD) -family proteins on the outer surface due to their ability to accommodate the curvature. Deacylation of A-LPS may further enable increased curvature leading to OMV formation. Porphyromonas gingivalis OMVs that are selectively enriched in CTD-family proteins, largely the gingipains, can support bacterial coaggregation, promote biofilm development and act as an intercessor for the transport of non-motile bacteria by motile bacteria. The P. gingivalis OMVs are also believed to contribute to host interaction and colonization, evasion of immune defense mechanisms, and destruction of periodontal tissues. They may be crucial for both micro- and macronutrient capture, especially heme and probably other assimilable compounds for its own benefit and that of the wider biofilm community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrostatic-pressure (up to 0.96 GPa) dependence of Tc in a newly discovered Fe-based superconductor (Tl0.59Cs0.26)Fe1.9Se2 (Tc = 28 K, at ambient pressure) is reported. Static magnetization measurements under pressure indicate that the linear increase in Tc is initially rapid (dTc/dP ∼ 9.9 K · GPa-1) but slows down to dTc/dP ∼ 2.5 K · GPa-1 for P ≧ 0.18 GPa. The Tc of the superconducting phase is 32 K at pressure P = 0.96 GPa. The simple rigid band model or the Bardeen, Cooper, Schrieffer theory may not be sufficient to account for our observations, if one assumes that the lattice parameters would be linearly decreased with pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic-induced dielectric responses of BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films were measured at the X-band microwave frequency ranged from 7 to 12.5 GHz. The measurement was given initially by a high-precision cavity microwave resonator without magnetic field. Both the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity showed its dielectric property as a function of the measuring frequency. The X-band dielectric responses of the BFO thin film were then measured by a controlled magnetic field at room temperature. The data demonstrated up to 2.2% dielectric tunability by using only 3.46 kOe magnetic field at TE107 mode (9.97705 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The high Nb containing TiAl alloy with a nominal composition of Ti-44Al-8Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.1Y was fabricated by a Vacuum Arc Remelting furnace. The microstructure and mechanical properties of specimens located in different sites of the ingot were investigated. Owing to the influence of melting process and electrode fabricating method, the morphologies and phase containing of this near lamellar structure in the top, middle, and bottom parts of ingot were different. The subtle difference in microstructure strongly influenced the room and high-temperature tensile properties in turn. However, the dominant influence factor of the mechanical properties was the defects at the bottom of this large-size ingot, though the bottom had the finest grain size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductivity is a popular branch of dusty plasma research. In this paper, on the basis of considering the influence of charged particles’ (electrons and ions) flow velocity, the conductivity of dusty plasma is derived and studied. Firstly, the charging currents are deduced on considering the influence of flow velocity, and the theoretical results manifest that it increases with the increase of flow velocity. Secondly, both the real and imaginary parts of the conductivity are derived, based on which, the dependence of conductivity on the flow velocity is discussed. In further, it is found that both the real and imaginary parts have a turning point. Finally, a ratio defined as charged particles’ flow velocity to thermal velocity is proposed to analyze the dependence of the conductivity on the velocities. The involved results reveal that both the real and imaginary parts of the conductivity have a turning point in their dependence on the ratio, but the specific ratio value is different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The full‐length complementary DNA of two genes related to vertebrate albinism, the tyrosinase gene tyr and tyrosinase‐related protein 1 gene tyrp1, were cloned and analysed from normal and albino yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco. The open reading frames (ORF) of tyr and tyrp1 encode putative peptides of 533 and 526 amino acids (amino‐acid), both of which possess two conserved copper binding sites. The homologous identities of deduced amino‐acid sequences showed that both Tyr and Tyrp1 of T. fulvidraco share considerable similarity with that of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Both tyr and tyrp1 were expressed in a wide range of adult tissues. Tyr gene had the highest expression level in the brain of both normal and albino T. fulvidraco. Tyrp1 had the highest expression level in the skin of normal groups, and the fin of albino groups. The messenger (m)RNA expressions of tyr and tyrp1 were detectable at different early developmental stages and varied with embryonic and larval growth. Tyr and tyrp1 mRNA have obvious tissue specificity both in normal and albino T. fulvidraco and higher expression levels were detected in the normal group revealing that tyr and tyrp1 may have an important role in pigmentation. These results will provide useful data for understanding the molecular mechanism of melanin formation and the occurrence of albinism in T. fulvidraco. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: What is known: Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays an important role in the development of essential hypertension (EH). Genetic factors remarkably influence circulating ACE2 level. Objective: Because heritability had remarkable effects on circulating ACE2, we designed this study to shed light on whether circulating levels of ACE2, angiotensin‐(1‐7) and angiotensin‐(1‐9) were linked to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in ACE2 gene. Methods: A total of 213 patients with newly diagnosed mild to moderate EH were enrolled in the present study. Four ACE2 tag SNPs (rs2074192, rs4646171, rs4646155 and rs2106809) were genotyped, and major haplotypes consisting of these 4 SNPs were reconstructed for all subjects. Circulating levels of ACE2, angiotensin‐(1‐7) and angiotensin‐(1‐9) were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: In female subjects, linear regression analysis suggested that rare alleles of ACE2 rs2074192 and rs2106809 were associated with reduced circulating angiotensin‐(1‐7) levels (P=.007 and P=.006, respectively). ACE2 haplotype CAGC was associated with elevated circulating angiotensin‐(1‐7) levels (P=.03) whereas TAGT was associated with reduced circulating angiotensin‐(1‐7) levels in females (P<.001). Univariate linear regression analysis revealed that circulating ACE2 levels were positively associated with systolic blood pressure (P=.02), mean arterial pressure (P=.02) and serum creatinine (P<.001) in females whereas circulating ACE2 levels were positively associated with age (P<.001) and serum creatinine (P<.001) in males. What is new and conclusion: ACE2 SNPs and haplotypes are associated with circulating angiotensin‐(1‐7) levels. ACE2 genetic variants may be the determinants of circulating angiotensin‐(1‐7) levels in hypertensive females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• K326 and HD represent major tobacco cultivars in China, which required large N fertiliser input but at different application rates. To understand primary components affecting tobacco N use physiology, we adopted these two varieties as valuable genetic material to assess their growth response to N nutrition. • We established a hydroponic culture system to grow plants supplied with different N regimes. Plant biomass, N, ammonium, nitrate, arginine, GS and NR activity, N transfer and use efficiency as well as root uptake were examined. • Our data revealed the preference of K326 and HD to utilise nitrate or ammonium nitrate but not ammonium alone, with 2 mM N supply probably sufficient and economical to achieve good biomass production at the vegetative stage. Moreover, both varieties were very sensitive to ammonium, perhaps due to lack of or abnormal signalling related to nitrate and/or arginine rather than impairment of N acquisition and initial assimilation; this was supported by measurements of the plant content of N, ammonium and activities of GS and NR. Notably, short-term 15N root influx studies identified differential uptake kinetics of K326 and HD, with distinct affinities and transport rates for ammonium and nitrate. • The data suggest that the growth adaptation of K326 or HD to higher or lower N may be ascribed to different competences for effective N uptake/translocation and assimilation. Thus, our work provides valuable information to prompt deeper investigation of the molecular basis controlling plant N use efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus ( HBV) infection has been documented as a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma ( NHL). However, there are few large cohort studies, and there is no report about the impact of HBV vaccination. We conducted this study to evaluate these issues. We used the nationwide cohort of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for 1997-2013. We compared the incidence and the risk of developing NHL and CD20+ aggressive lymphoma between HBV and non- HBV cohorts. The hazard ratios ( HRs) were computed using Cox proportional hazards models. We matched these two large cohorts to reconfirm the data. We also compared the incidence of NHL between cohorts born before and after the inception of universal HBV vaccination. We found that HBV infection increased the risk for developing NHL and CD20+ aggressive lymphoma, with HRs of 4.14 and 5.52, with a higher incidence of 17.07 and 13.9 per 100 000 person-years, respectively, compared to the non- HBV cohort. The incidence of NHL in the cohort born in the era before universal HBV vaccination was higher with 1.85 per 100 000 person-years compared to 0.74 in the cohort born later aged younger than 20. Our study confirms that HBV confers a greater risk for developing NHL, especially CD20+ aggressive lymphoma. The impact of HBV vaccination is protective against lymphoma development in the teenagers in an endemic area, but longer follow-up is needed for older age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperature calorimetric measurements have been made on a series of binary aluminum alloys containing 1–10 at. % lithium. The heat capacity data are analyzed in terms of an electronic and a lattice contribution. Accordingly, the low level of lithium addition yields appreciable changes in the electronic density-of-states at Fermi level and the characteristic Debye temperature of lattice. These results reflect certain degrees of electron localization between aluminum and lithium atoms, providing a fundamental basis for solid solution strengthening in the lightweight materials with great potential in aerospace applications. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Familial eosinophilia ( FE) is a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder characterized by the presence of lifelong peripheral eosinophilia (>1500/μL). Mapped to chromosome 5q31-q33, the genetic cause of FE is unknown, and prior studies have failed to demonstrate a primary abnormality in the eosinophil lineage. Objective The aim of this study was to identify the cells driving the eosinophilia in FE. Methods Microarray analysis and real-time PCR were used to examine transcriptional differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMC), and in purified cell subsets from affected and unaffected family members belonging to a single large kindred. Cytokine levels in serum and PBMC culture supernatants were assessed by suspension array multiplexed immunoassays. Results Whereas IL-5 m RNA expression was significantly increased in freshly isolated PBMC from affected family members, this was not accompanied by increased m RNA expression of other Th2 cytokines ( IL-4 or IL-13). Serum levels of IL-5 and IL-5 receptor α, but not IgE, were similarly increased in affected family members. Of note, IL-5 m RNA expression was significantly increased in purified CD3+ CD4+, CD14+, CD19+, and ILC2 cells from affected family members, as were IL-5 protein levels in supernatants from both stimulated PBMC and ILC2 cultures. Conclusions These data are consistent with the hypothesis that the eosinophilia in FE is secondary to dysregulation of IL-5 production in PBMC (and their component subsets). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient intersection queries are important for ray tracing. However, building and maintaining the acceleration structures is demanding, especially for fully dynamic scenes. In this paper, we propose a quantized intersection framework based on compact voxels to quantize the intersection as an approximation. With high-resolution voxels, the scene geometry can be well represented, which enables more accurate simulation of global illumination, such as detailed glossy reflections. In terms of memory usage in our graphics processing unit implementation, voxels are binarized and compactly encoded in a few 2D textures. We evaluate the rendering quality at various voxel resolutions. Empirically, high-fidelity rendering can be achieved at the voxel resolution of 1 K3 or above, which produces images very similar to those of ray tracing. Moreover, we demonstrate the feasibility of our framework for various illumination effects with several applications, including first-bounce indirect illumination, glossy refraction, path tracing, direct illumination, and ambient occlusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The occurrence of osteoporosis in tuberculosis, a chronic infection, has rarely been evaluated. In this study, we found significantly higher incidence rates of osteoporosis (Adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 1.82) and osteoporotic fracture (AHR 2.33) in tuberculosis patients than matched cohorts, which suggest that osteoporosis screening should be considered in tuberculosis patients' follow-up program. The aim of this study is to determine the occurrence of incident osteoporosis in patients who completed anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Introduction: Chronic inflammatory disorders are associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. Although TB is an infectious disease characterized by systemic inflammatory responses, the impact of active TB on incident osteoporosis is unclear. We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to investigate the association between history of active TB and incident osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture. Methods: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study, active TB patients and their age- and sex-matched controls were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan during 2000-2012. The occurrence of incident osteoporosis, osteoporotic fractures, and risk factors associated with osteoporosis among TB patients and matched controls were analyzed. Results: We observed incident osteoporosis in 2.2% ( n = 86) of the TB patients and in 1.1% ( n = 162) of the matched controls. The incidence rate of osteoporosis was 4.31 and 1.80 per 1000 person-years, which was significantly higher in TB patients ( p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TB was an independent risk factor for osteoporosis. The other independent factors associated with osteoporosis were older age, female sex, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lower income. Moreover, we demonstrated that the occurrence of osteoporotic fracture was significantly higher in TB patients. Conclusions: Patients with a history of active TB have a higher incidence rate of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamics of a toroidal bubble near a solid wall for a large part of stand-off parameters γ (γ = d/Rmax, d is the distance between the solid wall and the bubble centre at the moment of formation and Rmax is the maximum bubble radius) have been extensively studied, but some mechanics of a toroidal bubble are not completely clear, especially for the small stand-off parameters γ ≤ 0.8. In the present study, on the basis of the finite volume method, the Navier-Stokes equations with invis-cid and incompressible assumption are directly solved using a staggered grid on the fixed grid. The dynamics of the toroidal bubble near the solid for different stand-off parameters (γ = 0.4,0.6,0.8, and 0.97, respectively) are simulated by a front tracking method. Initial conditions of numerical simulation are estimated through the Rayleigh-Plesset equation, based on the maximum size and collapse time of a spark-generated bubble. One of the numerical results is compared with a spark-generated bubble experiment, showing that the results between them are favorable with regard to both the bubble shape history and translational motion of the bubble. The numerical results for the different stand-off parameters, including the change process of the water layer, the development process of the splash flow and radial flow, the splitting phenomenon of the toroidal bubble, and the trend of pressure on the center of the solid wall, are discussed, where some new phenomena are discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet an increasing market demand of conductive ink which is applicable to wide range of substrates, ultraviolet (UV) curing technique combined with nano-silver materials was used to fabricate UV electric conductive ink. Firstly, both silver nano-particles (AgNPs) and silver nano-wires (AgNWs)/poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) composites were synthesized. An ethanol solution-phase approach using hydrazine hydrate as a reducing agent was presented for an easy synthesis of large-scaleAgNPswith an average diameter of 35 nm.AgNWswith diameter of 40 nm and length up to over 10 μm were synthesized by polyol method. InAgNWssynthesis process, the main influencing factors such as the molar ratio of PVP to silver nitrate, the reaction time and PVP of different degree of polymerization were investigated. Finally, nano Ag/PVP composites, polyurethane acrylate, photoinitiator 1173 and solvents were used to fabricate UV electric conductive ink, which had an electrical conductivity on paper as high as 2.1 × 105 S/m. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper deals with two-dimensional and three-dimensional cooperative control of multiple agents formation tracking a set of given closed orbits, where each agent has intrinsic second-order non-linear dynamics and the communication topology among agents is directed. By using our previous curve extension method, the cooperative control system can be regarded as a cascade system composed of the orbit-tracking subsystem and the formation subsystem with the orbit-tracking error as input. A novel solution is established by separatively designing the orbit-tracking control law and the formation control protocol ignoring the perturbation at first and then applying input-to-state stability theory to analyse the asymptotic stability of the cascade system. It is shown that the closed-loop system is asymptotic stability if the directed communication topology contains a directed spanning tree. The effectiveness of the analytical results is verified by numerical simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]