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Unpredicted variability in temperature is associated with frequent extreme low-temperature events. Wheat is a leading crop in fulfilling global food requirements. Climate-driven temperature extremes influence the vegetative and reproductive growth of wheat, followed by a decrease in yield. This review describes how low temperature induces a series of modifications in the morphophysiological, biochemical, and molecular makeup of wheat and how it is perceived. To cope with these modifications, crop plants turn on their cold-tolerance mechanisms, characterized by accumulating soluble carbohydrates, signaling molecules, and cold tolerance gene expressions. The review also discusses the integrated management approaches to enhance the performance of wheat plants against cold stress. In this review, we propose strategies for improving the adaptive capacity of wheat besides alleviating risks of cold anticipated with climate change.

Due to global warming, late-spring coldness affecting wheat (LSCW) is one of the major abiotic adversities affecting wheat production. A combination of field and pot trials were conducted in this study. In the field experiment, 20 wheat varieties from the main wheat-producing areas in China were selected as experimental materials. By exploring the effects of LSCW on the spikelet characteristics and yields of different varieties, the evaluation methods and indexes of wheat varieties' resistance to LSCW were established. Three varieties with strong resistance to LSCW (Yannong19, Guomai9, and Shannong17) and five varieties sensitive to LSCW (Zhengmai895, Xinmai26, Zhengmai366, Zhengmai8329, and Fanmai5) were screened out. The wheat varieties Yannong19 (YN19), with a strong resistance to LSCW, and Xinmai26 (XM26), with LSCW sensitivity, were selected as the test materials for the pot experiment. The ultrastructure changes in the wheat in different low-temperature treatments during the anther differentiation period were observed using an ultra-low-temperature artificial climate incubator set to 4 °C and −4 °C for 4 h (1:00–5:00 a.m.). The average temperature of the field during the low-temperature treatment was 10 °C, which was the control temperature (CK). The results showed that the cell morphology and chloroplast and mitochondrial structures of the functional leaves, young ears, and internodes below the ears were damaged, and the degree of damage was related to the cell location, the extent of low-temperature stress, and the resistance of the varieties. The degree of damage to the wheat cells was found to occur in the following order: young ears > internode belove young ears > functional leaves. The degrees of damage to the wheat cell, chloroplast, and mitochondrial structures increased with the intensification of the low-temperature stress. The damage to the XM26 variety was obviously greater than that inflicted on the YN19 variety. The anatomical mechanism of YN19 cells makes the cell structure more stable during late-spring coldness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global warming, low temperature (LT) disasters in major crops are also becoming more common. LT stress in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the central wheat region in China, caused a massive reduction in wheat yields. A step towards ensuring wheat yield stability and food security, this study investigated the effects of optimizing phosphorus application on the root physiology, dry matter phosphorus accumulation, translocation, and partitioning of wheat under LT stress, using the representative cultivar Yannong 19 as the test material. The treatments included conventional phosphorus application (R1) and twice-split phosphorus application (R2), followed by −4 °C LT treatment and normal temperature (NT) treatment during the anther interval stage. Analysis of the root physiology (enzymatic activities and acid phosphatase, contents of malondialdehyde, soluble sugar, and soluble protein), phosphorus and dry matter accumulation, translocation, partitioning, and agronomic and yield-related components was carried during this research study. The results showed that the wheat root activity was significantly reduced and the antioxidant enzyme activities were increased to mitigate the damage of LT stress. Moreover, LT treatments damaged root function. The root activity and antioxidant properties were significantly lower than those of the NT treatment at the flowering stage. The dry matter and phosphorus accumulations were reduced by 30.6~33.6% and 15.1~21.3% at the flowering and maturity stages, resulting in final yield losses of 10.3~13.0%. In contrast, root activity increased by 16.1~27.2% in the twice-split phosphorus application treatments, and the root antioxidant characteristics were higher. As a result, dry matter and phosphorus accumulation increased after twice-split phosphorus application and their translocation to the grains was more; the final yield increased by 5.5~7.3%. Overall, the twice-split phosphorus application enhanced the physiological function of the root system and promoted the accumulation of nutrients and their transport to the grain, and alleviated the yield loss of wheat caused by LT stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this brief reply I respond to criticisms of my book, The referential mechanism of proper names, from Michael Devitt and Nicolo D'Agruma. I focus on the question of whether the perspectivism advocated in the book explains the empirical results there detailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress during the grain filling is one of most critical factors impacting grain yield in winter wheat. In a two-year field experiment, we studied the effects of 24-Epicastasterone and KH2PO4 on heat-stressed wheat applied during different times. A completely randomized block design was used with three reagents, that is, 24-Epicastasterone, KH2PO4 and H2O and three spraying times, that is, pre-heat, under-heat and post-heat. Two cultivars, that is, Huaimai 33 and Annong 0711 were subjected to a 7 d post-flowering heat stress using plastic tents. Our study suggests that greater grain weight in heat-stressed plants was achieved through sustaining leaf greenness and higher assimilates supplies to grains. When heat-stressed plants sprayed either with 24-Epicastasterone or KH2PO4 could sustain a relatively higher leaf photosynthetic capacity by up-regulating antioxidant enzymes with reduced damage on lipid membranes and leaf chlorophyll. We also found that KH2PO4 was relatively more effective in improving leaf physiology and grain yield of heat-stressed plants than 24-Epicastasterone. Further analysis showed that pre-heat or post-heat was more pronounced in protecting plants from heat injury than spraying the plants under heat stress. Thus, spraying KH2PO4 either prior to or post stress incidence is recommended to protect wheat crops from terminal heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most important wheat-producing areas in China, wheat is prone to heat stress during the grain filling period in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain (3HP), which lowers yields and degrades the grain quality of wheat. To assess the effects of spraying potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) on the physiological traits in flag leaves and grain yield (GY) and quality under heat stress during the filling period, we conducted a two-year field experiment in the winter wheat growing seasons of 2020–2022. In this study, spraying water combined with heat stress (HT), 0.3% KH2PO4 (KDP), and 0.3% KH2PO4 combined with heat stress (PHT) were designed, and spraying water alone was used as a control (CK). The dates for the spraying were the third and eleventh day after anthesis, and a plastic film shed was used to impose heat stress on the wheat plants during the grain filling period. The results showed that spraying KH2PO4 significantly improved the chlorophyll content and net photosynthesis rate (Pn) in flag leaves compared with the non-sprayed treatments. Compared with CK, the Pn in HT decreased by 8.97% after heat stress, while Pn in PHT decreased by 7.44% compared to that of KDP. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase in flag leaves were significantly reduced when the wheat was subjected to heat stress, while malonaldehyde content increased, and the enzyme activities were significantly enhanced when KH2PO4 was sprayed. Heat stress significantly decreased the contribution rate of dry matter accumulation (DM) after anthesis of wheat to grain (CRAA), whereas spraying KH2PO4 significantly increased the CRAA and harvest index. At maturity, the DM in CK was significantly higher than that in HT, KDP was significantly higher than PHT, and KDP had the highest DM. Compared with CK, the GY in KDP significantly increased by 9.85% over the two years, while the GY in HT decreased by 11.44% compared with that of CK, and the GY in PHT decreased by 6.31% compared to that of KDP. Spraying KH2PO4 after anthesis primarily helped GY by maintaining a high thousand grain weight to lessen the negative effects of heat stress on wheat. Moreover, heat stress significantly reduced protein concentration, wet gluten content, dough development time, and hardness index in grains of mature, while spraying KH2PO4 maintained a sufficient grain quality under the conditions of achieving higher yields. Overall, spraying KH2PO4 after anthesis could enhance the heat stress resistance of wheat and maintain the photosynthetic capacity of flag leaves, ensuring the dry matter production and reducing the negative effects on grain yield and quality in the 3HP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems of soaring costs and supply fluctuation in permanent magnet materials, this paper investigates and develops a magnetless wound field synchronous motor (WFSM) drive system for electric vehicle (EV) application. As the crucial drive component for EVs, the proposed WFSM in this paper has a two-stage structure which is described as the exciter and the main motor. The excitation characteristics of the exciter that provide power to the rotor field winding are emphatically analyzed. In addition, the discrete time domain armature current regulator and excitation current regulator are designed and analyzed for the high-performance WFSM drive system. A current coordinated control strategy for the full speed range is proposed to expand the constant power region. The experiment shows that the excitation characteristics and torque capability of the WFSM are consistent with the analysis, and proves that the WFSM is a potential solution for the magnetless motor for EV application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the first study in the literature that adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically explore the scholarship in the young and fast‐growing research field of experimental philosophy. Based on a corpus of 1,248 publications in experimental philosophy from the past two decades retrieved from the PhilPapers website, the study examined the publication trend, the influential experimental philosophers, the impactful works, the popular publication venues, and the major research themes in this subarea of philosophy. It found, first, an overall growing trend in publications in experimental philosophy, encompassing four developmental stages. Second, it found that significant changes in topics of interest have taken place, with some gaining increasing attention, others seemingly going out of fashion, and still others remaining popular constantly. Third, the study identified lists of leading philosophers, frequently cited publications, and popular journals helpful for researchers and newcomers to get a quick start in learning about the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is defined by atherosclerosis, which may result in stenosis or blockage of the arterial cavity, leading to ischemic cardiac diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction (MI). Accumulating evidence indicates that the gut microbiota play a critical role in the initiation and progression of CHD. The gut microbial metabolite trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) is intimately linked to the pathophysiology of CHD. The hepatic flavin‐containing monooxygenases (FMOs) convert trimethylamine (TMA) to TMAO. As a result, it is critical to prevent TMA generation. Stilbenes could reduce cardiovascular disease mortality. Twelve stilbenes with inhibitory activity against TMA‐lyase were compiled and evaluated in this study. Docking results showed Resveratroloside had the highest Vina score, indicating that it was the most active and might be employed as a lead molecule for further structural modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of computer vision, techniques of machine vision and visual inspection have been applied into the inspection of catenary on high-speed railways. Visual inspection systems have been developed and super-high-resolution images are captured to check the status of catenary components. Automatic recognition of defects becomes very important since the number of images is too huge to be manually checked one by one. However, it is not easy for the development of recognition algorithms on catenary components. There are many types of defects to be checked on different kinds of catenary components, but the number of defect images is too small in real world. In this paper, a solution was proposed and implemented. An on-site data acquisition system was designed and developed, and different types of defects were manually made on different catenary components beforehand. Finally, a visual inspection database was successfully constructed, including plenty of different kinds of catenary components, different types of defects, in different inspection conditions. The visual inspection database will be of great use in the development and test of recognition algorithms for catenary.

Poly(4‐thiostyrene), a historically challenging to synthesize polymer, is synthesized herein via a feasible three‐step protocol. Based on the newly developed protection–deprotection strategy, the precursor polymer containing thiomethyl groups is deprotected using Li/naphthalene to yield poly(4‐thiostyrene) after acidification. This newly developed procedure is crucial for preventing crosslinking of the thiol groups and therefore the resulting polymer is soluble in common organic solvents (e.g., chloroform, tetrahydrofuran) and can be stored long‐term, which has been challenging to accomplish over the past 60 years. The successful synthesis is confirmed by various characterization techniques including NMR, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman analysis, which collectively are new and useful data that have generally been unavailable in previous reports. This work provides a robust approach for synthesizing this promising polymer and offers a new route to investigate thiol‐containing polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a two-year field experiment on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) from 2016–2018 to compare the effects of reducing nitrogen application rate in spring under three irrigation methods on grain yield (GY), water and nitrogen use efficiency in the North China Plain (NCP). Across the two years, GY of conventional irrigation (CI), micro-sprinkling irrigation (SI) and drip irrigation (DI) decreased by 6.35%, 9.84% and 6.83%, respectively, in the reduced nitrogen application rate (N45) than the recommended nitrogen application rate (N90). However, micro-irrigation (SI and DI) significantly increased GY relative to CI under the same nitrogen application rate, and no significant difference was observed in GY between SI and DI under N45, while SI obtained the highest GY under N90. The difference among different treatments in GY was mainly due to the variation in grain weight. The seasonal evapotranspiration (ET) in N45 was decreased more significantly than N90, and there was no significantly difference in ET among different irrigation methods under N45, but micro-irrigation significantly decreased the ET relative to CI under N90. Micro-irrigation significantly improved water use efficiency (WUE) compared to CI at the same nitrogen application rate. Under N45, compared with CI, WUE in SI and DI increased by 9.09% and 4.70%, respectively; however, the WUE increased by 15.9% and 7.23%, respectively, under N90. Reducing nitrogen application rate did not have a significant impact on WUE under CI, but it did have a substantial negative impact on SI and DI. Nitrogen accumulation in wheat plants at maturity (NAM) in N45 deceased significantly compared with N90 under the same irrigation method. Compared with CI under the same nitrogen application rate, micro-irrigation treatments significantly increased NAM, while SI was the largest. In comparison to N90, under three irrigation methods, N45 significantly increased nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (NfUE). The highest NfUE was attained in SI, followed by DI, while CI was the lowest. Moreover, N45 significantly decreased soil NO3−-N accumulation (SNC) in three irrigation methods, and micro-irrigation significantly decreased the SNC in deep soil layers compared with CI when nitrogen is applied at the same level. Overall, micro-irrigation with a reduced nitrogen application rate in spring can achieve a relatively higher production of winter wheat while increasing the use efficiency of water and nitrogen and reducing soil NO3−-N leaching into deep soil layers in the NCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaporation duct is a special atmospheric stratification that significantly influences the propagation path of electromagnetic waves at sea, and hence, it is crucial for the stability of the radio communication systems. Affected by physical parameters that are not universal, traditional evaporation duct theoretical models often have limited accuracy and poor generalization ability, e.g., the remote sensing method is limited by the inversion algorithm. The accuracy, generalization ability and scientific interpretability of the existing pure data-driven evaporation duct height prediction models still need to be improved. To address these issues, in this paper, we use the voyage observation data and propose the physically constrained LightGBM evaporation duct height prediction model (LGB-PHY). The proposed model integrates the Babin–Young–Carton (BYC) physical model into a custom loss function. Compared with the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) model, the LGB-PHY based on a 5-day voyage data set of the South China Sea provides significant improvement where the RMSE index is reduced by 68%, while the SCC index is improved by 6.5%. We further carried out a cross-comparison experiment of regional generalization and show that in the sea area with high latitude and strong adaptability of the BYC model, the LGB-PHY model has a stronger regional generalization performance than that of the XGB model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-temperature stress has become an important abiotic factor affecting high and stable wheat production. Therefore, it is necessary to take appropriate measures to enhance low-temperature tolerance in wheat. A pot experiment was carried out using Yannong19 (YN19, a cold-tolerant cultivar) and Xinmai26 (XM26, a cold-sensitive cultivar). We employed traditional phosphorus application (TPA, i.e., R1) and optimized phosphorus application (OPA, i.e., R2) methods. Plants undertook chilling (T1 at 4 °C) and freezing treatment (T2 at −4 °C) as well as ambient temperature (CK at 11 °C) during the anther differentiation period to investigate the effects of OPA and TPA on photosynthetic parameters and the accumulation and distribution of dry matter. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Gs) and transpiration rate (Tr) of flag leaves decreased in low-temperature treatments, whereas intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (Ci) increased. Compared with R1CK, Pn in R1T1 and R1T2 treatments was reduced by 26.8% and 42.2% in YN19 and 34.2% and 54.7% in XM26, respectively. In contrast, it increased by 6.5%, 8.9% and 12.7% in YN19 and 7.7%, 15.6% and 22.6% in XM26 for R2CK, R2T1 and R2T2 treatments, respectively, under OPA compared with TPA at the same temperature treatments. Moreover, low-temperature stress reduced dry matter accumulation at the reproductive growth stage. OPA increased dry matter accumulation of vegetative organs after the flowering stage and promoted the transportation of assimilates to grains. Hence, the grain number per spike (GNPS), 1000-grain weight (TGW) and yield per plant (YPP) increased. The low-temperature treatments of T1 and T2 caused yield losses of 24.1~64.1%, and the yield increased by 8.6~20.5% under OPA treatments among the two wheat cultivars. In brief, OPA enhances low-temperature tolerance in wheat, effectively improves wheat architecture and photosynthesis, increases GNPS and TGW and ultimately lessens yield losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproductive compromise under heat stress is a major obstacle to achieve high grain yield and quality in wheat worldwide. Securing reproductive success is the key solution to sustain wheat productivity by understanding the physiological mechanism and molecular basis in conferring heat tolerance and utilizing the candidate gene resources for breeding. In this study, we examined the performance on both carbon supply source (as leaf photosynthetic rate) and carbon sink intake (as grain yields and quality) in wheat under heat stress varying with timing, duration, and intensity, and we further surveyed physiological processes from source to sink and the associated genetic basis in regulating reproductive thermotolerance; in addition, we summarized the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and genes identified for heat stress tolerance associated with reproductive stages. Discovery of novel genes for thermotolerance is made more efficient via the combination of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics. Gene editing of specific genes for novel varieties governing heat tolerance is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st century presents many challenges to mankind, including climate change, fast growing human population, and serious concerns over food security. Wheat is a leading cereal crop that largely fulfills the global food needs. Low temperature stress accompanied by nutrient-starved soils is badly disrupting the source–sink relationship of wheat, thus causing an acute decline in final yield and deteriorating the grain quality. This review paper aimed to understand how low temperature stress affects wheat source–sink organs (i.e., leaves, roots, and spikes) and how phosphorus application reliefs in alleviating its harmful consequences. Also, we discussed mitigation strategies to enhance wheat capacity to adapt to varying temperature extremes and made rational recommendations based on modern agronomic and breeding approaches. Therefore, this study is likely to establish a solid foundation for improving the tolerance to low temperature stress and to improve its phosphorus utilization efficiency in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late spring coldness (LSC) is critical for wheat growth and development in the Huang-Huai valleys of China. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms for young spikes responding to low temperature (LT) stress during anther connective tissue formation phase (ACFP). To elucidate the molecular mechanisms associated with low temperature, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of wheat cultivars Xinmai26 (XM26: cold-sensitive) and Yannong19 (YN19: cold-tolerant) using RNA-seq data. Over 4000 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified under low temperature conditions (T1: 4°C) and freezing conditions (T2: −4°C) compared with control (CK: 16°C). The number of DEGs associated with two cultivars at two low temperature treatments (T1: 4°C and T2: −4°C) were 834, 1,353, 231, and 1,882 in four comparison groups (Xinmai26-CK vs. Xinmai26-T1, Xinmai26-CK vs. Xinmai26-T2, Yannong19-CK vs. Yannong19-T1, and Yannong19-CK vs. Yannong19-T2), respectively. Furthermore, to validate the accuracy of RNA-seq, 16 DEGs were analyzed using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Several transcriptome changes were observed through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway functional enrichment analysis in plant hormone signal transduction, circadian rhythm-plant, and starch and sucrose metabolism under low temperature. In addition, 126 transcription factors (TFs), including AP2-ERF, bHLH, WRKY, MYB, HSF , and members of the bZIP family, were considered as cold-responsive. It is the first study to investigate DEGs associated with low temperature stress at the transcriptome level in two wheat cultivars with different cold resistance capacities. Most likely, the variations in transcription factors (TFs) regulation, and starch and sucrose metabolism contribute to different cold resistance capacities in the two cultivars. Further, physiological activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA), soluble sugar (SS), and sucrose contents were evaluated to investigate the negative impacts of low temperature in both cultivars. These findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms of plant responses to low temperature and potential candidate genes that required for improving wheat's capacity to withstand low temperature stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Many cyber‐attach schemes and coding models established by algebra tools are build to address the problem of security of cyber‐pysical systems (CPS). As an important field of algebra computing, Boolean Polynomial System Solving (PoSSo) problem plays a very important role in many algebra applications. In this article, we propose an efficient Parallel Boolean Characteristic Set method (PBCS) under the high‐performance computing environment to improve the efficiency of solving Boolean polynomial systems. The PBCS is implemented based on the state‐of‐the‐art Boolean Characteristic Set method (BCS). It adopts a master‐slave parallel pattern, and distributes tasks based on the polynomial sets after initial zero decomposition. We design a strategy of dynamically reallocating tasks to ameliorate load imbalance, which is caused by dynamical zero decomposition of polynomials. Furthermore, we improve its performance by optimizing the parameter settings of PBCS, including the maximum number of polynomial branches that trigger the dynamic allocation policy and the scheduling time. Experimental results with solving several Boolean polynomial systems confirm that PBCS is efficient and scalable, especially for the equations generating from stream ciphers that have block triangular structure. Moreover, the method also has good scalability. It shows a stable speedup as well even extending to the size of thousands of CPU cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation ducts are a particular type of atmospheric stratification that frequently appears on the sea surface. The accurate and timely prediction of the evaporation duct height (EDH) is significant for the practical application of electromagnetic communication equipment. Due to the typical time-series (TS) characteristics of the measured evaporation duct data, we construct an EDH prediction model based on a long short-term memory network (LSTM-EDH model) for the first time. The experimental results show that the LSTM-EDH model’s root-mean-square error (RMSE) is dramatically reduced and can achieve a better fit of the measured EDH compared with the Babin–Young–Carton (BYC), Naval-Postgraduate-School (NPS), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) EDH models. Compared with the XGB model, the generalization ability is also greatly improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the role of initial public offering (IPO) overfunding in the reallocation of resources from the view of trade credit. The results show that, in general, the degree of liquidity supplement from IPO overfunding is positively correlated with the trade credit provision. Trade credit acts as Robin Hood to help the reallocation of direct financing resources. In addition, this effect is more pronounced for companies with strong product-market power, or when economic uncertainty policy is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are cell‐derived extracellular vesicles that hold promise for diagnosis and therapy. The surface characteristics of exosomes dictate their biological fate and are therefore important for various applications, however surface modification strategies are generally either limited in scope or require complex equipment or experimental procedures. Herein, we employ a simple and fast method to control the surface properties of exosomes via polydopamine coating. Specifically, the polydopamine coating allowed for tailorable functionalization via secondary reactions, which opens exciting avenues for the application of exosomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased plant density markedly affects canopy morphophysiological activities and crop productivity. This study aims to model maize canopy final morphology under increased interplant competition by revising a functional–structural plant model, i.e., ADEL-Maize. A 2-year field experiment was conducted at Mengcheng, Anhui Province, China, in 2016 and 2018. A randomized complete block design of five plant densities (PDs), i.e., 4.5, 6, 7.5, 9, and 15 plants m–2, with three replications was applied using a hybrid, i.e., Zhengdan 958. Canopy morphology at different PDs was measured with destructive samplings when maize canopy was fully expanded. The relationship of changes of organ morphology in relation to increased plant density was analyzed based on 2016 data. The ADEL-Maize was first calibrated for the hybrid at 4.5 plants m–2 and then revised by introducing relationships identified from 2016 data, followed by independent validation with 2018 field data. A heatmap visualization was shown to clearly illustrate the effects of increased plant density on final morphology of laminae, sheaths, and internodes. The logarithmic + linear equations were found to fit changes for the organ size versus increased plant density for phytomers excluding ear position or linear equations for the phytomer at ear position based on 2016 field data. The revision was then further tested independently by having achieved satisfactory agreements between the simulations and observations in canopy size under different PDs with 2018 field data. In conclusion, this study has characterized the relationship between canopy morphology and increased interplant competition for use in the ADEL-Maize and realized the simulations of final size of laminae, sheaths, and internodes, as affected by increased plant density, laying a foundation to test an ideotype for maize withstanding high interplant competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation duct is an abnormal refraction atmospheric stratification frequently appearing at sea. Accurately obtaining evaporation duct height (EDH) is significant for the effective application of electromagnetic system equipment. To overcome the limitations of theoretical prediction models, this study proposes a pure data-driven back propagation neural network (BPNN) EDH prediction model (referred to as BPNN model) for the first time, which uses BPNN suitable for the data characteristics of evaporation duct and then conducts two groups of experiments to fully test the proposed BPNN model. The Paulus–Jeske (PJ) model and support vector regression (SVR) model are introduced as the baseline methods in these experiments. The results of the first group of experiments prove that on the EDH prediction in all the experimental areas, the BPNN model has significantly better comprehensive performances than the PJ model and the SVR model. Also, the second group of experiments' results reflects the BPNN model has great generalisation capacity, which makes it suitable for predicting the EDH, and the distributions of EDH have a strong spatial correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid, convenient, and nondestructive method was developed to determine the geographical origin of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae samples using Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy. The chemical image of samples may vary depending on the geographical source. The results showed that the chemical image of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae obtained from different regions showed significantly different characteristics and may be used to identify the origin of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a promising nutritious cereal known for its rich nutrition and diverse physiological activities. In order to further investigate the profiles and physiological activities of phenolic compounds from quinoa, the composition of free and bound phenolic extracts from white, red, and black quinoa were analyzed, as well as their antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antitumor activities. Findings: Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) ranged from 514.03 to 1,409.54 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100g and 177.49 to 407.75 mg rutin equivalent (RE)/100 g, respectively. TPC existed mainly in bound form in red and black quinoa, but free form in white quinoa. Eight individual phenolic acids were detected, with the total acids amount ranging from 86.21 to 188.76 µg/g. Protocatechuic acid was the dominant phenolic acid both in red and black quinoa. Red quinoa showed the highest TPC and TFC, while black quinoa had the highest phenolic acids concentration. Red quinoa also showed the best ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Positive correlations were found among antioxidant activity and phenolic components. Besides, phenolics from red and black quinoa showed better anti‐inflammatory and antitumor activity by down‐regulating the NO production and inhibiting the proliferation of MCF‐7 cells. Conclusions: Quinoa seed is rich in phenolic components, especially the red and black one. Higher phenolic contents in red and black quinoa can be responsible for their superior antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and antitumor activities. With potential health benefits, quinoa phenolics may be used as ingredients for functional food. Significance and novelty: Findings of this study revealed useful information on phenolics and bioactivity of quinoa for its cultivation and breeding with functional oriented purpose. The results could be also applied in health food industry for quinoa material selection and processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hybrid excitation brushless dc generator (HEBLdcG) is comprised of the structure-paralleled permanent magnet machine part and flux modulation machine part (FMMP). The reactive power compensation effect of the HEBLdcG is illustrated and investigated in this paper. It is shown that the operation modes of the FMMP are influenced by both, the field current and armature current. Based on this, the three ranges in terms of the field current are divided. Three typical operation states representatively selected in the three ranges are defined as the power-balance state, compensator state, and short-circuit state, respectively. The short-circuit current can be diminished on account of the reactive power compensation effect. Furthermore, the analysis of the short-circuit characteristics shows that the short-circuit characteristic curve—short-circuit output current versus field current—is not a straight line, due to the saturation of the d-axis flux path of the FMMP. And the HEBLdcG at −8-A field current features the lowest total loss at the short-circuit state. At last, a prototype HEBLdcG is manufactured and the experiments validate the simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporation duct is a special atmospheric stratification that always exists at sea, which has an important influence on electromagnetic wave propagation. Accurate prediction of evaporation duct height is of great significance for radio information system. In the era of big data, machine learning has been widely used in various research work and achieved a series of excellent results. Based on the observation data method, this paper studies the prediction model using Gradient Boosting Regression algorithm (GBR) and proposes the pure data‐driven GBR (PDD_GBR), GBR_Paulus‐Jeske (GBR_PJ), and GBR_Babin‐Young‐Carton (GBR_BYC) evaporation duct prediction models. Simultaneously, traditional Paulus‐Jeske (PJ) model, Babin‐Young‐Carton (BYC) model, and existing SVR_PJ model are introduced into the experiment to make a comparison. The comprehensive performance of PDD_GBR model is optimal among these models with high stability and strong generalization ability, whose prediction accuracy has a great promotion compared with other models. Key Points: We propose the pure data‐driven GBR (PDD_GBR) model of new evaporation duct prediction modelPDD_GBR model is optimal among these models in experimental area, whose prediction accuracy has a greater promotion than other modelsCompared with PJ and SVR_PJ model, RMSE is reduced by 84.6% and 54.1%, respectively, and SCC is increased by 102.3% and 40.3%, respectively [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the commercial and nutritional quality of Chinese steamed bread (CSB), effect of extruded adzuki bean flour (EABF) substitution (10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%) for wheat flour on the quality properties of blended flour and CSB was studied. Results showed that the development time, stability time, and farinograph quality number of blended flours were decreased with EABF addition, although water absorption and softening degree were increased. Pasting properties of them were also degraded with the addition. EABF substitution lowered the lightness and strengthened the hardness of CSB. The sensory evaluation total scores of CSB were both improved with 10% and 20% EABF addition, because slight red color of them was favored by the panelist. Nutritional analysis showed that CSB with 10% and 20% EABF ranked higher protein and essential amino acids content than that of WF‐CSB, especially lysine and threonine. Addition of EABF contributed to the superior α‐glucosidase inhibitory activity of protein isolated from CSBs. α‐Glucosidase inhibition rate of CSB made from EABF (39.88%) was improved nearly five times compared with that of WF. It might be concluded that CSB with addition of 10% and 20% EABF could be used as a nutritional and healthy staple food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]