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In order to improve the quality of people 's travel and improve the performance of travel insulation cup, the thermal deformation behavior of 304 stainless steel, the edible grade material of travel insulation cup, was studied by Gleeble-3800 thermal / mechanical simulation machine. The true stress-strain curve of 304 stainless steel was obtained by hot compression test with deformation temperature of 800~1 100 °C and strain rate range of 0,001 ~ 1 s-1. According to the real stress-strain curve, the Arrhenius constitutive model of 304 stainless steel was constructed. The results show that the flow stress of 304 stainless steel increases with the increase of deformation temperature and strain rate. The theoretical stress value predicted by the constitutive model is fitted with the experimental results, and the correlation is 0,995, indicating that the model has high prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, a mechanochemical approach was developed for recover the cobalt and from spent lithium-ion batteries using a high-concentration chloride solution. Effect of parameters on the leaching efficiency of cobalt was studied. 97, 6% of Co was recovered under optimum conditions: rotation speed 500 r/min, S/L ratio: 1:150 g/ml, ball/material ratio 25:1 g/g, milling time 30 min, respectively. The dissolved cobalt was recovered by selective precipitation method to ensure that the recycled Co can be reused for lithium-ion battery production. This research presents a highly efficient and environmentally friendly approach for recovering cobalt from spent LiBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil microbial community diversity of wheat rhizosphere was affected by the amount of nitrogen fertilizer. In addition to bacterial community, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria also play important roles in nitrogen cycle. At present, the microecological mechanism of its response to nitrogen application is still unclear. In this study, the rhizosphere soil microorganisms of winter wheat were used as the research object. The changes of soil bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria communities under five nitrogen rates of 0—N(0), 90—N(6), 180—N(12), 240—N(16), 300—N(20) kg N ha–2 were studied by high-throughput sequencing technology. Under N(12) treatment, the Alpha diversity index of bacteria, AOA and nifH nitrogen-fixing bacteria and the Shannon and Simpson indices of nirK denitrifying bacteria were significantly increased. N(12) treatment significantly increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, but no significant difference was found at the nifH and nirK bacterial phyla levels. Under the high nitrogen treatment of N(16) and N(20), the dominant bacteria of nirK-type denitrifying bacteria increased significantly compared with N(12) treatment, there was no significant difference in microbial community distribution between N(20) and the control group. Therefore, the nitrogen addition under N(12) treatment was most conducive to the absorption and utilization of nitrogen fertilizer by soil microorganisms. The effect of nitrogen addition on microbial community was weaker than that of soil properties and wheat yield, and nitrogen addition was significantly correlated with yield, reaching the highest yield at 300 kg ha–2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a super sub-Nyquist Hadamard single-pixel terahertz (THz) imaging system in which the THz waves are modulated by a digital micromirror device and a laser driver. Spatial coding of the THz radiation is performed using the cake-cutting (CC)-order Hadamard basis. THz images are reconstructed from a series of coding sequences of the measurement intensity. We prove that with the use of super sub-Nyquist sampling, single-pixel THz imaging with 87% fidelity and a signal-to-noise ratio of more than 23 dB can be achieved using 10% of the CC-order Hadamard basis patterns. The total variation regularization algorithm is shown to have higher robustness to noise than the Hadamard transform and thus offers a good technical solution for single-pixel THz imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detection of free precession is very important for analysing the internal structure of neutron stars. So far, because of the interference of the accretion process, no feasible method has been proposed to detect the precession of accreting neutron stars in both theory and observations. Based on the analysis of archive data from Chandra and the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) of the ultra-compact X-ray binary system 4U 1820–30, we find that the energy spectra have a stable sinusoidal bi-directional oscillation period near 1000 s, no matter which state the X-ray binary system is in. After we fit the energy spectra and carry out Fourier decomposition of the fitting parameters, we find that this period is more steadily emitted from the neutron star. We discuss the possible origin of this period and conclude that the period is most likely the free precession period of the neutron star in 4U 1820–30. Its nutation can result in the seesaw-like periodical bi-directional oscillation we find in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To test the effect of Hsa-miR-183-3p on cell aging and disc degeneration in lumbar intervertebral disc. Methods. This study combined clinical research with basic cell experiment, analyzing clinical data from patients with lumbar disc degeneration and traumatic lumbar spine fracture, as well as the differences in baseline data. The degree of lumbar disc injury in patients of different ages was also compared. Differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted via GEO database, and qPCR confirmation was determined by collecting cartilage endplates from two groups. ACAN, Col2A1, p16, p21, and p53 were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot and qPCR in human nucleus pulposus cells. Changes of cell senescence were detected. The binding of Hsa-miR-183-3p to ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Results. Degenerative discs showed elevated expression of hsa-miR-183-3p, which may be upregulated by TNF-α via NF-κB signaling pathway and target ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein regulation. Conclusion. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc can be accelerated by TNF-α. Additionally, Hsa-miR183-3p passed NF-κB signaling pathway is blocked via upregulation of TNF-α to reduce inflammation via targeting ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein. As a result, this negative feedback mechanism may assist in maintaining a low degenerative load and preserving chronic disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To test the effect of Hsa-miR-183-3p on cell aging and disc degeneration in lumbar intervertebral disc. Methods. This study combined clinical research with basic cell experiment, analyzing clinical data from patients with lumbar disc degeneration and traumatic lumbar spine fracture, as well as the differences in baseline data. The degree of lumbar disc injury in patients of different ages was also compared. Differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted via GEO database, and qPCR confirmation was determined by collecting cartilage endplates from two groups. ACAN, Col2A1, p16, p21, and p53 were detected by immunofluorescence, Western blot and qPCR in human nucleus pulposus cells. Changes of cell senescence were detected. The binding of Hsa-miR-183-3p to ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Results. Degenerative discs showed elevated expression of hsa-miR-183-3p, which may be upregulated by TNF-α via NF-κB signaling pathway and target ataxiatelangiectasia mutated protein regulation. Conclusion. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc can be accelerated by TNF-α. Additionally, Hsa-miR- 183-3p passed NF-κB signaling pathway is blocked via upregulation of TNF-α to reduce inflammation via targeting ataxia-telangiectasia mutated protein. As a result, this negative feedback mechanism may assist in maintaining a low degenerative load and preserving chronic disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) features in the accretion-powered X-ray pulsar Cen X-3 observed by Insight-HXMT. For two observations in 2020 when Cen X-3 was in an extremely soft state, the power density spectrum revealed the presence of obvious QPO features at ∼40 mHz with an averaged fractional rms amplitude of ∼9 per cent. We study the mHz QPO frequency and rms amplitude over orbital phases, and find that the QPO frequency is ∼33–39 mHz at the orbital phase of 0.1–0.4, increasing to ∼37–43 mHz in the orbital phase of 0.4–0.8, but has no strong dependence on X-ray intensity. We also carried out an energy-dependent QPO analysis, the rms amplitude of the mHz QPOs have a decreasing trend as the energy increases from 2 to 20 keV. In addition, the QPO time-lag analysis shows that the time-delay is ∼20 ms (a hard lag) in the range of ∼5–10 keV, and becomes negative [time-lag of −(20–70) ms] above ∼10 keV. The different QPO theoretical models are summarized and discussed. In the end, we suggest that these energy-dependent timing features as well as the origin of mHz QPOs in Cen X-3 may be ascribed to an instability when the accretion disc is truncated near the corotation radius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 has higher fracture toughness, better phase stability, thermal insulation performance and calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicates (CMAS) attack resistance than yttria-stabilized zirconia (8 YSZ, 7–8 wt%) at temperatures above 1200 °C. However, the thermal expansion coefficients between Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 coating and bond coating do not match well. A double-ceramic-layer design is applied to alleviate the thermal stress mismatch. The Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 /8 YSZ double-ceramic-layer thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are prepared by atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). During the thermal shock test, Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 /8 YSZ double-ceramic-layer TBCs exhibit a better thermal shock resistance than 8 YSZ and Zr 6 Ta 2 O 17 single-layer TBCs. The thermal shock performance and failure mechanism of TBCs in the thermal shock test are investigated and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed study of the high-mass X-ray binary Vela X-1, using observations performed by Insight-HXMT in 2019 and 2020, concentrating on timing analysis and spectral studies including pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy. The cyclotron line energy is found to be ∼21–27 and 43–50 keV for the fundamental and first harmonic, respectively. We present the evolution of spectral parameters and find that the two line centroid energy ratio E 2/ E 1 evolved from ∼2 before MJD 58900 to ∼1.7 after that. The harmonic cyclotron line energy has no relation to the luminosity but the fundamental line energy shows a positive correlation with X-ray luminosity, suggesting that Vela X-1 is located in the sub-critical accreting regime. In addition, the pulse phase-resolved spectroscopy in Vela X-1 is performed. Both the cyclotron resonant scattering feature and continuum parameters show strong variability over the pulse phase with the ratio of two line energies about 2 near the peak phases and down to ∼1.6 around off-peak phases. Long-term significant variations of the absorption column density and its evolution over the pulse phase may imply the existence of the clumpy wind structure near the neutron star. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have a higher-than-expected risk of cancer remains unknown. We carried out a population-based cohort study including 2.3 million individuals live-born to mothers from Nordic countries during 1987-2013 in Sweden with follow-up through 2016 (up to age 30 years). Individuals with ASD were ascertained through the Swedish National Patient Register. We estimated the relative risk of cancer in relation to ASD by odds ratios (ORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from logistic regression, after detailed adjustment for potential confounders. We also carried out a sibling comparison to address familial confounding and a genetic correlation analysis using the genome-wide association study summary statistics to address confounding due to potential polygenetic pleiotropy between ASD and cancer. We observed an overall increased risk of any cancer among individuals with ASD (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5), compared with individuals without ASD. The association for any cancer was primarily noted for narrowly defined autistic disorder (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.1) and ASD with comorbid birth defects (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-2.9) or both birth defects and intellectual disability (ID; OR 4.8, 95% CI 3.4-6.6). An association was also suggested for ASD with comorbid ID (OR 1.4; 95% CI 0.9-2.1), but was not statistically significant. ASD alone (i.e. without comorbid ID or birth defects) was not associated with an increased risk of any cancer (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.8-1.2). Sibling comparison and genetic correlation analysis showed little evidence for familial confounding or confounding due to polygenetic pleiotropy between ASD and cancer. ASD per se is not associated with an increased risk for cancer in early life. The increased cancer risk among individuals with ASD is likely mainly attributable to co-occurring ID and/or birth defects in ASD. • We observed an increased risk of cancer among individuals with ASD, up to age 30 years, compared with individuals free of ASD. • The increased cancer risk in relation to ASD was mainly due to co-occurring birth defects or ID in ASD. • ASD without comorbid ID or birth defects was not associated with an increased risk of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of strain rate on mechanical properties, microstructural evolution and underlying deformation mechanisms of two kinds of interstitial CrMnFeCoNi high entropy alloys (HEAs), (CrMnFeCoNi) 99.5 C 0.5 and (CrMnFeCoNi) 99.0 C 1.0 , are investigated under quasi-static and dynamic tension. Dynamic loading is carried out via a split Hopkinson tension bar system. The pre- and post-deformation microstructures are characterized with electron back scatter diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Both yield strength and work hardening increase remarkably with increasing strain rate. Plastic deformation in both alloys under quasi-static and dynamic loading are dominated by dislocations, stacking faults, kink bands and deformation twins. Twinning is activated easier under dynamic loading, and twin density decreases with increasing carbon content due to the increased stacking fault energy. The Khan-Liu constitutive model can describe the experimental results for these two interstitial HEAs in a wide strain range. • Both volume fraction and size of the carbides increase with the increase of C content. • The increase of C content and strain rate lead to the increase in σ Y and σ UT. • Twin density decreases with increasing C content due to the increased SF energy. • The Khan-Liu constitutive model is used to describe the deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze-thaw cycle is a type of fatigue loading, and rock stress relaxation under freeze-thaw cycles takes into account the influence of the freeze-thaw cycle damage and deterioration. Rock stress relaxation under freeze-thaw cycles is one of the paramount issues in tunnel and slope stability research. To accurately describe the mechanical behaviour of stress relaxation of rocks under freeze-thaw, the software element is constructed based on the theory of fractional calculus to replace the ideal viscous element in the traditional element model. The freeze-thaw damage degradation of viscosity coefficient is considered. A new three-element model is established to better reflect the nonlinear stress relaxation behavior of rocks under freeze-thaw. The freeze-thaw and stress relaxation of rock are simulated by ABAQUS, the relevant model parameters are determined, and the stress relaxation equation of rock under freeze-thaw cycle is obtained based on numerical simulation results. The research shows that the test results are consistent with the calculated results, indicating that the constitutive equation can better describe the stress relaxation characteristics of rocks under freeze-thaw and provide theoretical basis for surrounding rock support in cold region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle accumulation at liquid-liquid or liquid-gas interfaces can significantly alter capillary behavior and give rise to unusual interfacial phenomena including the asymmetric macroscopic mechanical response of the interface. This study explores the accumulation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified nanoparticles at fluid interfaces and the subsequent mechanical response of nanoparticle-coated droplets during contraction and expansion. Droplet tests involve the simultaneous recording of the droplet shape and the capillary pressure. Complementary single-pore experiments examine the response of particle-coated interfaces as they traverse a pore constriction. Interfaces promote order. The time-dependent nanoparticle accumulation at the interface is diffusion-controlled. The nanoparticle coated droplets can sustain negative capillary pressure before they buckle. Buckling patterns strongly depend on the boundary conditions: non-slip boundary conditions lead to crumples while slip boundary conditions result in just a few depressions. The particle-coated interface exhibits asymmetric behavior in response to particle-level capillary forces: an "oil droplet in a nanofluid bath" withstands a significantly higher capillary pressure difference than a "nanofluid droplet in an oil bath". A first-order equilibrium analysis of interaction forces explains the asymmetric response. Single-constriction experiments show that the formation of particle-coated interfaces has a pronounced effect on fluid displacement in porous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a crucial reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, which converts superoxide radical to H2O2, so it is thought to enhance abiotic stress tolerance by reducing ROS and thus avoiding oxidative damage. In this study, we isolated a salt- and oxidative stress-responsive copper-zinc (Cu/Zn) SOD encoding gene TaSOD5 from wheat. The ectopic overexpression of TaSOD5 in Arabidopsis thaliana increased total SOD and Cu/Zn SOD activities and enhanced tolerance to salt stress. Arabidopsis ectopically expressing TaSOD5 possessed a superior resistance to oxidative stress stimulated by exogenous H2O2. Ectopic overexpression of TaSOD5 elevated the activities of both ROS scavengers and an O2 ·-producer - NADPH oxidase. These findings show that Cu/Zn SOD enhanced salt tolerance via regulating the machinery of redox homeostasis rather than improving SOD activity alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This technical note presents results from a series of undrained load tests performed at model scale on circular embedded footings founded in a two-layered stratigraphy, comprising uniform stiff clay overlying soft clay. The observed foundation stiffness and bearing capacities are compared with available empirical, analytical, and numerical solutions. The dependence of the equivalent linear stiffness at a settlement ratio of 1% (E0.01) and the bearing capacity factor, Nc , on the normalized depth to the soft clay (H/B) and strength ratio of two clay layers (sut/sub) are presented. A simple expression is developed for Nc , which provides a good match to experimental data and is consistent with numerical predictions. It is also shown that the critical H/B ratio, above which the underlying soft layer does not affect the footing response, is significantly smaller for E0.01 than for Nc at any given sut/sub value. This finding has important practical design implications for footings on stiff-over-soft clay deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Although the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still unknown, accumulating evidence has revealed that immune response plays a vital part in the pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the involvement of 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of immunorelated genes, including cytokines [interleukin (IL)‐2, IL‐4, IL‐9, IL‐12A, IL‐22, interferon (IFN‐α) and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1], transcriptional regulatory genes (TBX21, STAT1, STAT3, STAT5B, STAT6, GATA3, FOXP3 and IRF4) and others (IL2RA, IL6R, NFKBIA) in 269 AML in‐patients and 200 healthy controls. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationship between the SNPs and clinical characteristics. Immunorelated SNP genotyping was performed on the Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX platform. All the SNPs in healthy controls were consistent with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. All final P‐values were adjusted by Bonferroni multiple testing. Our results showed that IL‐22 (rs2227491) was significantly associated with the white blood cell (WBC) counts. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5B (STAT‐5B) (rs6503691) showed a close relationship with the recurrent genetic abnormalities in patients with AML. We verified the negatively independent effect of age and risk of cytogenetics on overall survival (OS). More importantly, the GG genotype of IL‐12A (rs6887695) showed a negative impact on AML prognosis independently. Furthermore, the relative expression of IL‐12 was decreased in GG genotype, no matter under a co‐dominant or recessive model. However, no correlation was observed between the SNPs mentioned above and disease susceptibility, risk stratification and survival. Our findings suggest that immunorelated gene polymorphisms are associated with prognosis in AML, which may perform as novel inspection targets for AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the effects of ultrasonic seed treatment and Cu application on grain yield, photosynthesis, grain quality, and Cu contents of aromatic rice. The ultrasonic treated and nontreated seeds of two aromatic rice cultivars, i.e., Nongxiang 18 and Meixiangzhan 2, were sown in Cu-contaminated soil with 1.5 and 3.0 g(Cu) m-2 whereas the soil without Cu application was taken as control (CK). Ultrasonic seed treatment and Cu application increased grain yield by 2.7-33.5% in Nongxiang 18 and by 12.9-20.2% in Meixiangzhan 2 owing to substantial improvements in morphophysiological and yield-related traits. Both ultrasonic seed treatment and Cu application also improved the 2-acetyl- 1-pyrroline contents as a result of increased proline contents and proline dehydrogenase activity. The Cu contents in plant parts were higher in Cu-containing soil than that of CK. Overall, ultrasonic seed treatment and optimum Cu application improved aromatic rice grain yield, dry biomass, aroma, and grain quality of aromatic rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype was first described in 1995 and is now the predominant strain among patients with tuberculosis in many Asian countries. The rapid global spread of the Beijing genotype is receiving increasing attention because it can cause a higher risk of treatment failures. Our objective was to assess the association between the Beijing genotype and unfavourable treatment outcomes of tuberculosis. We searched for eligible studies through PubMed, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data. We included cohort studies that evaluated treatment outcomes and Beijing genotype strains. Participants were individuals with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The association between Beijing genotype and the risk of unfavourable treatment outcomes was assessed using the pooled odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding confidence intervals (CIs). In total, 7489 tuberculosis patients were involved in the analysis. Patients infected with the Beijing genotype were more likely to have unfavourable treatment outcomes, with the OR of 2.04 (95% CI 1.52–2.75). The pooled OR was 2.33 (95% CI 1.71–3.16) for recurrence, 2.36 (95% CI 1.69–3.30) for relapse and 2.62 (95% CI 1.90–3.61) for treatment failure, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed that Beijing genotype was a significant risk factor for unfavourable treatment outcomes in Asians (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.82–2.86) or in drug-susceptible TB patients (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.31–3.39). No significant association was observed among non-Asian populations (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.73–1.86) or patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.48–1.94). Our results suggest that Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype is associated with an increased risk of unfavourable treatment outcomes, including treatment failure and relapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) acts through its receptor fibroblast growth factor inducible 14 (Fn14), and participates in skin inflammation. Both TWEAK and Fn14 are highly expressed in skin lesions of patients with atopic dermatitis. The purpose of this study was to further explore the effect of Fn14 inhibition on experimental atopic dermatitis. Experimental atopic dermatitis was induced in the wild‐type and Fn14 knock‐out BALB/c mice. The effect of TWEAK/Fn14 interaction on keratinocytes was studied in an in‐vitro model of atopic dermatitis. Fn14 deficiency ameliorates skin lesions in the mice model, accompanied by less infiltration of inflammatory cells and lower local levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including TWEAK, TNF‐α and interleukin (IL)‐17. Fn14 deficiency also attenuates the up‐regulation of TNFR1 in skin lesions of atopic dermatitis. Moreover, topical TWEAK exacerbates skin lesion in the wild‐type but not in the Fn14 knock‐out mice. In vitro, TWEAK enhances the expressions of IL‐17, IL‐18 and IFN‐γ in keratinocytes under atopic dermatitis‐like inflammation. These results suggest that Fn14 deficiency protects mice from experimental atopic dermatitis, involving the attenuation of inflammatory responses and keratinocyte apoptosis. In the context of atopic dermatitis‐like inflammation, TWEAK modulates keratinocytes via a TNFR1‐mediated pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I-V characterization of Ta-Ta2O5-MnO2 capacitors was investigated at different temperatures, and Poole–Frenkel (PF) emission saturation was experimentally observed. Under the saturation voltage, the I-V curves at different temperature converged, and the temperature dependency was vanished. Above the saturation voltage, the leakage current was decreasing as the temperature increased. In order to evaluate the effects of saturation voltages (VS) on time-to-failure (TTF) of the capacitors, VS were first determined at +2°C and +25°C, then voltage accelerating tests were conducted at 85°C under 1.6 times of rated voltage. The distribution of VS and TTF of the samples were plotted and compared. It was shown that samples with lower saturation voltage failed earlier in the distribution of time-dependent dielectric breakdown. Comparing conventional methods for evaluating the quality of tantalum capacitors by measuring the leakage current at elevated temperature, the nondestructive measurement of saturation voltage at +2°C and +25°C may provide a novel and practicing approach tool to screening out capacitors with defected Ta2O5 layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulating liquids in transformers experience the transformer operational temperature rather than the ambient temperature that is often used in discharge studies in laboratories. This paper presents the effects of temperature on partial discharge (PD) and streamer characteristics of a synthetic ester liquid under AC stress. A needle-to-plane electrode configuration was employed to perform the PD and streamer measurements. The PD pattern, streamer images, current signals were chosen to explore the PD and streamer characteristics at temperatures of 20, 40, 60 and 80 °C. It was found that both PD and streamer characteristics of the synthetic ester are temperature dependent. As the temperature increased, the magnitude and repetition rate of positive PDs increased slightly, but both the magnitude and repetition rate of negative PDs dropped dramatically. In addition, it was observed that when the temperature increased, the stopping length of positive streamers did not change appreciably while a significant reduction of negative streamer length and area was witnessed. A mechanism based on the electrohydrodynamics (EHD) phenomenon and the space charge theory has been used to explain the different effects of temperature on positive and negative PDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wear resistance of NiCr–Cr 3 C 2 cermet coatings is highly dependent on the feature of carbides. In the present work, NiCr–Cr 3 C 2 coatings were deposited by two typical high-velocity spraying methods including supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying (SAPS) and high velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying. The microstructural evolution of carbides and its effect on the tribological properties of as-sprayed coatings were systematically studied. The results suggested that a large number of carbides dissolved or diffused with molten metal binder and then precipitated as the form of Cr 23 C 6 from supersaturated molten metal binder, leading to the formation of interface transition zone and network carbides. Compared with HVOF-coating, although SAPS-coating had slightly higher porosity and lower hardness, a large number of large-sized network carbides and a high content of interface transition zone resulted in a lower friction coefficient (0.14) and wear rate (0.77 × 10−5 μm/N·s) under heavy load, owning to the high temperature and reducing atmosphere of supersonic plasma jet. The main wear mechanism of SAPS-/HVOF-coating was associated with abrasive and slight adhesive wear, and a small amount of delamination was also observed on the wear tracks of SAPS-coating. The wear debris of both coatings mainly consisted of Cr 2 O 3 and NiCr 2 O 4 accompanied by a small amount of free graphite. Image 1 • Structural evolution of carbides in SAPS-/HVOF-coating was comparatively studied. • Network carbides were helpful to improve the wear resistance of NiCr–Cr 3 C 2 coating. • SAPS-coating with large-sized network carbides showed a better wear resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the merit of transforming fractional differential equations into ordinary differential equations, the Yuan and Agrawal method has gained a lot of research interests over the past decade. In this paper, this method is improved with major emphasis on enhancing the convergence rate. The key procedure is to transform fractional derivative into an improper integral, which is integrated by Gauss-Laguerre quadrature rule. However, the integration converges slowly due to the singularity and slow decay of the integrand. To solve these problems, we reproduce the integrand to circumvent the singularity and slow decay simultaneously. With the reproduced integrand, the convergence rate is estimated to be no slower than O(n-2) with n as the number of quadrature nodes. In addition, we utilize a generalized Gauss-Laguerre rule to further improve the accuracy. Numerical examples are presented to validate the rapid convergence rate of the improved method, without causing additional computational burden compared to the original approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: The aim was to investigate whether abnormal TTTTA and TTTCA repeat expansions in introns of SAMD12,TNRC6A and RAPGEF2 are involved in the pathogenesis of familial cortical myoclonic tremor with epilepsy (FCMTE). Methods: Five families diagnosed with FCMTE were included in the current genetic analysis. Whole‐exome sequencing was performed in selected patients of each family. TTTTA and TTTCA expansions were examined by repeat‐primed polymerase chain reaction. The clinical features of FCMTE were elicited as defined by the common genetic mechanism of 14 patients. Results: Abnormal TTTCA expansion was identified and co‐segregated in all five FCMTE families, four inserted in SAMD12 and one in RAPGEF2. The insertion of expanded TTTCA was not found in 116 control alleles. TTTTA expansion in SAMD12 was detected in 90.9% (10/11) of patients or mutation carriers; TTTTA expansion in RAPGEF2 was not found. The onset age of myoclonic tremor was 27.4 ± 5.9 (19–37) and epilepsy usually presented around age 34. Focal and generalized seizures were witnessed with various origins recorded by electroencephalogram. Cognitive deficits were not common within the first 3 years after epilepsy onset. Emotional instability was reported by most patients. No patients showed any cerebellar deficits. Valproate added with clonazepam is effective in controlling seizures but cannot guarantee a complete remission of tremor. Repeat length showed intergenerational instability and was inversely correlated with age at onset of myoclonic tremor and epilepsy. Conclusions: TTTCA expansion insertion is associated with FCMTE in Chinese families. The homogenous genetic mechanism allowed for a higher precision of FCMTE description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Supplementation of branched-chain VFA with or without rumen protected folic acid was evaluated. • Milk yield, true protein content and yield as well as feed efficiency increased with both supplements. • Ruminal fermentation characteristics, cellulolytic bacteria and enzyme activities were improved. • Serum GHRH, GH, IGF-1 and total protein increased with both supplements. • There was no interaction detected between branched-chain VFA and rumen protected folic acid. Abstract This study evaluated the effects of branched-chain volatile fatty acids (BCVFA) and rumen protected folic acid (RPFA) supplementation on lactation performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestion and blood metabolites in dairy cows. Fifty-six multiparous Chinese Holstein cows (3.2 ± 1.1 of parity, 631 ± 16.4 kg of body weight [BW], 65 ± 2.6 days in milk [DIM] and 30.2 ± 2.1 kg of milk yield per day, mean ± SD) were blocked by lactation number, milk yield per day and DIM and were arranged into one of four groups in a randomized block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Supplemental BCVFA (0 g/d [BCVFA-] or 80 g/d [BCVFA+]) and RPFA (0 mg/d [RPFA-] or 128 mg/d [RPFA+]) were hand-mixed into the top one-third of total mixed ration. Dietary concentrate to forage ratio was 50:50 based on a dry matter (DM) basis. Experimental periods comprised 105 days with 15 d of adaptation followed by 90 d of data collection. DM intake was increased with BCVFA supplementation, but was unaffected by RPFA. The BW changes were similar among treatments. Yields of milk, milk fat and lactose were increased, and milk true protein yield tended to increase with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation. Milk fat percentage was increased with BCVFA supplementation, but was unaffected by RPFA. Percentage of milk true protein was increased, lactose was unaltered and feed conversion ratio was decreased with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation. Ruminal pH and ammonia N concentration were decreased, but total volatile fatty acids concentration was increased with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation. Molar proportion of acetate was increased and propionate was decreased, resulting in an increased ratio of acetate to propionate with BCVFA supplementation. Acetate and propionate molar proportion and the ratio of acetate to propionate were not affected by RPFA. Digestibilities of DM, organic matter, crude protein, non-fiber carbohydrates, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre were increased with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation. Similarly, activities of caboxymethyl-cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase, α-amylase and protease and abundance of R. albus, R. flavefaciens , F. succinogenes , B. fibrisolvens and P. ruminicola were increased. However, R. amylophilus abundance was not affected by BCVFA and increased with RPFA supplementation. Serum concentrations of glucose and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) were unaltered and total protein was increased with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation. Serum acetoacetate (ACAC) and BHBA were increased by BCVFA, but were decreased by RPFA. Supplementation of BCVFA or RPFA increased serum growth hormone releasing hormone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1. These results indicated that lactation performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestion and hormone secretion improved due to the stimulated ruminal bacteria growth and enzyme activity with BCVFA or RPFA supplementation, but no BCVFA × RPFA interaction was detected during the trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combination method of beneficial wrinkle and preform shape is proposed to solve the problem of non-uniform thickness distribution during hydroforming of a variable diameter tubular component. The effect of loading path for the hydroform part and the preform shape are simulated by LS-DYNA. At the same time, the wall thickness deviation of the maximum and minimum of the hydroformed part is considered as the optimal target and the loading path for the preform shape is optimized to obtain the beneficial wrinkles by response surface methodology. Simultaneously, hydroforming experiments were conducted to verify the simulation results. Study shows that the loading path plays an important role in the forming of the beneficial wrinkles, which influence the cracking and the wrinkling defects. Only the loading path is appropriate can the beneficial wrinkles be formed and the wrinkles are flattened in the subsequent calibrating process. Response surface methodology is an effective way to obtain the optimal loading path, and the desired loading path can be achieved by controlling the relationship of the axial feeding and the internal pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Can follicle survival in frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue be quantified in situ using the dye Neutral Red (NR) to stain viable follicles specifically?Summary Answer: A follicle survival rate within ovarian tissue can be calculated using NR followed by histological evaluation and evidence for a consistently high follicle survival in a series of ovarian tissue from 25 Danish girls and women undergoing ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) was obtained.What Is Known Already: Securing follicle survival in cryopreserved ovarian tissue is crucial for proper quality control when centers wish to implement OTC. The only established technique for validation of follicle survival is xenografting of thawed ovarian tissue to immunodeficient mice. However, this functional test is expensive, time consuming, requires animal facilities and only provides a qualitative-not quantitative-measure for follicle survival.Study Design Size, Duration: Quantification of follicle survival in human ovarian tissue donated from 30 girls and women having tissue cryopreserved for fertility preservation from 2000 to 2015 at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology in Copenhagen, Denmark.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Cryopreserved ovarian cortex was donated from 25 girls and young women aged 10-36 years (mean age: 25 years) and the average storage time in liquid nitrogen was 9.1 ± 5.6 years, ranging from 1.6 to 17.9 years. In 12 of the cases, the ovarian tissue was collected from the local hospital and in the other 13 cases the ovarian tissue was transported on ice up to 6 h prior to freezing. Donated fresh ovarian surplus tissue was obtained from five women aged 23-34 years (mean age: 27 years). Ovarian tissues were chopped into small fragments and incubated in culture medium containing 50 mg/ml NR for 3-4 h. Fragments of ovarian tissue containing clearly NR-stained follicles were selected for counting, encapsulated in 4% agar and were processed for histology to calculate a follicular survival rate.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The mean follicle survival rate in the 25 patients after freezing and thawing was 84% ± 11 (mean ±SD), ranging from 50% to 98%. The high follicle survival rate in this clinical series of patients reflects a constant high-quality service performed in our center and confirms the robustness of the slow freezing protocol. No significant association between follicle survival rates and storage time was found using linear regression analysis, suggesting that storage in liquid nitrogen does not affect viability of the tissue. No significant association in follicle survival rates was found between ovarian tissues collected at the local hospital compared to tissues transported on ice prior to freezing, supporting that prolonged cooling does not seem to greatly affect the follicle survival. For the fresh ovarian tissue, the average follicle survival rate was 91% ± 5 (mean ± SD) in five patients, ranging from 81% to 95%.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Even though the NR staining requires active incorporation of the dye, the test is merely a short in situ test that cannot completely replace the functional value of xenografting studies in which the integrity and developmental potential of the ovarian follicles are assessed.Wider Implications Of the Findings: OTC is now being employed around the world but to date it has been difficult for centers to evaluate the effectiveness of their program and perform proper quality control. NR staining combined with histological evaluation is the first quantitative method to provide a survival rate for follicles in frozen-thawed human ovarian tissue and offer a valuable and easily applicable tool to validate the cryopreservation procedure when implementing OTC or as routine quality control for the overall freezing performance within tissue banking facilities.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): The Research Pools of Rigshospitalet, the Danish Cancer Foundation, Dagmar Marshalls Foundation, and the Novo Nordic Foundation are thanked for having funded this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hyperspectral imaging system is proposed as a method to rapidly and nondestructively predict mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) levels in FHB-infected wheat kernels. Standard normal variate transformation and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) were used in spectral preprocessing. The successive projections algorithm (SPA) and random frog algorithm were used to select the optical wavelengths. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) technique and partial least squares discriminant analysis were applied to establish different models for determining DON levels. Based on a comparison of the results, the MSC-SPA-SVM model, with the highest classification accuracy (100.00% for the training test and 97.92% for the testing set), gave the best performance, and a visualization map of the DON content level based on this model was created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents experimental studies of streamer propagation and breakdown in a mineral oil and a synthetic ester liquid under both positive and negative DC voltages. A point-plane electrode configuration with a point tip radius of 10 μm was used. Characteristics of streamer including length, propagation velocity and shape were analysed based on shadowgraph images obtained at a gap distance of 10 mm using a multi-channel ultra-high speed camera. Under positive polarity, the streamers in both liquids propagate in the 2nd mode; the stopping length of the synthetic ester is longer than that of the mineral oil at the same applied voltage level. However there is no obvious streamer propagation (less than 10% of the gap distance) under negative polarity even when the applied voltage approaches to the breakdown voltage; the streamers in both liquids stay in the 1st mode. Breakdown tests at various gaps of 2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm and 30 mm were also investigated. 50% breakdown voltages of the synthetic ester liquid are lower than those of the mineral oil at all the gap distances investigated under both polarities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factor family participates in responses to various kinds of environmental stimuli in plants. However, the roles of NAC protein in cold resistance, especially in the cold resistance of tomatoes, are not completely understood. This study examined the roles of a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) NAC transcription factor (SlNAC35) in resisting chilling using transgenic tomatoes. GUS staining and expression analysis revealed that SlNAC35 expression was induced at 4 °C, thereby suggesting its involvement in plant responses to chilling stress. Moreover, transgenic lines over-expressing SlNAC35 exhibited high chlorophyll content, fresh mass, and low accumulation of reactive oxygen species and membrane damage under chilling stress. These results indicated that SlNAC35 overexpression enhanced the chilling tolerance of transgenic tomatoes. High expressions of cold tolerance markers SlCOR518 and SlCOR413IM1 were observed under chilling stress in transgenic lines. This observation suggested that SlNAC35 overexpression enhanced the chilling tolerance of transgenic lines by involving the c-repeat binding factor-cold stress response (CBF-COR) signaling pathway and by regulating SlCOR expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to isolate and identify yeast strains from the digestive tract of ducks, and evaluate in vitro their potential as probiotics in poultry. The yeast strains were isolated using malt extract agar medium, and identified through morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests as well as sequence homology analyses of 26S rDNA D1/D2 region. A total of 35 yeast strains were isolated from the guts of Cherry Valley meat ducks, including seven strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae). These seven strains of S. cerevisiae were further screened for their use as alternative yeast probiotics strains for poultry feed. The yeast strains were characterized for their cell surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation ability, and resistance to high temperature (30°C, 37°C, and 42°C), low pH (2.0, 3.0, and 4.0), bile salts (0.3% and 0.6%), and nutrition starvation (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 days). The isolates of WHY-2 and WHY-7 had a higher survival percentage at 37°C, pH 2.0, 0.60% poultry bile salts, and 10 days of nutrition starvation, with higher cell surface hydrophobicity and autoaggregation, when compared with the other isolates, suggesting that the isolates WHY-2 and WHY-7, could be used as probiotic candidates. The data obtained in this study could help in selecting probiotic yeast candidates for use in poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ballistic impact experiments are conducted on a CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) using spherical steel projectiles, to investigate the penetration behavior in a wide range of impact velocities (∼ 800 to 2300 m s−1). Penetration processes are captured by high-speed camera. Postmortem samples are characterized via three-dimensional laser scanning, scanning electron microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and microhardness tests. Both depth and diameter of impact crater show a nearly linear increase with increasing impact velocity. Penetration induces increased hardness; hardness is the same near the crater bottom and the sidewall, and the peak hardness (∼ 400 Hv 1.0) is independent of impact velocity. The penetration-induced hardening is caused by multiple deformation defects including dislocations, twins and kink bands (KBs). Quantitative analysis further reveals that KB boundaries have a 5–50° misorientation angle, and their density decreases with increasing misorientation angle. KB boundary density is higher near the crater bottom than near the crater sidewall, while this trend is inverse for twinning boundary density. A finite element method model based on measured static and dynamic mechanical properties reproduces experimental observations and is used for interpreting deformation mechanisms. [Display omitted] • Both crater depth and diameter increase linearly with increasing impact velocity. • More kink bands (KBs), but less twins are observed near crater bottom than near sidewall. • KB boundary density decreases with increasing boundary misorientation from 0 to 50°. • Simulation interprets well the different deformation mechanisms in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the protective function and molecular mechanism of tribuloside in hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis and oxidative damage of human lens epithelial cells. Cells were divided into control group, hydrogen peroxide group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 1 µg/ml group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 3 µg/ml group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 10 µg/ml group, hydrogen peroxide+microRNA-NC group, hydrogen peroxide+microRNA-335-3p group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside+anti-microRNA-335-3p group. Cell counting kit-8 method and flow cytometry were applied for determining cell viability and apoptosis. Malondialdehyde level, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were determined using kits. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used for microRNA-335-3p quantification. Kriippellike factor 6 expression was examined via Western blot. Target regulation relationship of miR-335-3p and Kriippel-like factor 6 was analyzed via dual-luciferase report assay. Contrasted with the control group, cell viability, catalase and superoxide dismutase viabilities, and microRNA-335-3p expression were significantly reduced in hydrogen peroxide group (p<0.05), while apoptosis, malondialdehyde and Kriippel-like factor 6 levels were overtly promoted (p<0.05). Contrasted to hydrogen peroxide group, cell viability, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, and microRNA-335-3p expression in hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 1 µg/ml group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 3 µg/ml group, hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside 10 µg/ml group were obviously enhanced (p<0.05), but cell apoptosis, malondialdehyde level and Kriippel-like factor 6 protein level were suppressed (p<0.05). Relative to hydrogen peroxide+microRNA-NC group, cell viability, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in hydrogen peroxide+microRNA-335-3p group were markedly elevated (p<0.05), whereas apoptosis inhibition, malondialdehyde level reduction and Kriippel-like factor 6 protein down-regulation were induced (p<0.05). Compared with hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside group, cell viability, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in hydrogen peroxide+tribuloside+anti-microRNA-335-3p group were signally inhibited (p<0.05), but apoptosis, malondialdehyde and Kriippel-like factor 6 levels were accelerated (p<0.05). MicroRNA-335-3p directly interacted with Kriippel-like factor 6. Tribuloside could attenuate apoptosis and oxidative damage in hydrogen peroxide-induced cataract model, which was related to microRNA-335-3p/Kriippel-like factor 6 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hot section components of aircraft engines like high pressure turbine (HPT) discs usually operate under complex loadings coupled with multi‐source uncertainties. The effect of these uncertainties on structural response of HPT discs should be accounted for its fatigue life and reliability assessment. In this study, a probabilistic framework for fatigue reliability analysis is established by incorporating FE simulations with Latin hypercube sampling to quantify the influence of material variability and load variations. Particularly, variability in material response is characterized by combining the Chaboche constitutive model with Fatemi‐Socie criterion. Results from fatigue reliability and sensitivity analysis of a HPT disc indicated that dispersions of basic variables ρ ω 1 σ f ′ must be taken into account for its fatigue reliability analysis. Moreover, the proposed framework based on the strength‐damage interference provides more reasonably correlations with its field number of flights rather than the load‐life interference one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As fusion experiment goes to steady state and high-performance data acquisition system been developed, traditional storage solutions cannot cope with the needs of fusion experiment data storage. Distributed file systems such as Lustre are being adopted by more and more facilities. The scaling-out of performance and capacity features addressed the main issue of traditional SAN (Storage Area Network) based storage. However, traditional file system based software solutions are still being used with the distributed file system. They lack modern data manage functions and limiting the performance of parallel storage. J-TEXT Cloud Database (JCDB) is a software stack that uses distributed database to provide fusion experiment data storage and management services. It ships with a storage engine powered by Cassandra database. This storage engine is designed for fusion experiment data and provides great performance. Data is divided into chunks when written and stored in a specially designed distributed database across the cluster. It has a MongoDB powered metadata management system which works seamlessly with the storage engine. JCDB is fully modular, handling different data type and metadata management functions are integrated as plugins. Even the storage engine can be changed. Though J-TEXT not supports long pulse experiments, the design of JCDB is aiming to meet long pulse discharge requirements, bring distributed database technology for future fusion devices such as China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR). JCDB has the benefit of distributed file systems, provides complex metadata manage functions and comes with great performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The applicability of using 2-furfural (2-FAL) and methanol as aging markers for synthetic ester impregnated paper insulation was investigated through laboratory aging experiments at temperatures of 80, 100 and 120 ?C. Methanol in the synthetic ester increased linearly with paper aging until degree of polymerisation (DP) reached 400. During this period concentration of methanol in oil was higher than that of 2-FAL, which proved the concept of using methanol to indicate early paper aging in the synthetic ester. However, the rate of methanol increase against the reduction of DP in the synthetic ester was about three times higher than that seen in mineral oil. This is due to a difference in the partitioning of the marker between oil and paper. Since the synthetic ester is more polar than the mineral oil, it attracted more methanol molecules from the paper, resulting in a higher concentration of methanol in oil for the same reduction of DP. In addition, a reduction in methanol was observed at the later stage of paper aging at 120 ?C. This could be due to either a change in the partitioning between oil and paper, or an esterification reaction which consumes methanol in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study evaluated the effects of branched-chain volatile fatty acids (BCVFA) supplementation on growth performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, hepatic lipid content and gene expression of dairy calves. Forty-eight Chinese Holstein male calves (10 months of age; 345 ± 6.4 kg of body weight [BW]) were assigned randomly to four treatments with 0, 60, 120 and 180 mg BCVFA per kg BW per day for each calf. Supplemental BCVFA was hand-mixed into the top third of the daily ration and fed to calves for 100 days to the experimental treatments. Supplementation of BCVFA in calves ration increased ADG and feed conversion linearly. Dry matter (DM) intake was unaffected, but digestibilitiy of DM, organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre increased linearly with increasing levels of BCFVA supplementation. Similarly, Supplementation of BCVFA linearly decreased ruminal pH and ammonia-N but increased total VFAs. Molar proportion of acetate linearly increased, whereas propionate linearly decreased and the ratio of acetate to propionate increased linearly with increasing BCVFA in rations. Relative mRNA expressions of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor α and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 linearly increased with BCVFA levels. The results suggested that BCVFA supplementation improved ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility and growth of calves with promoted hepatic lipid oxidation. Due to the unsignificant difference between 120 and 180 mg groups for all parameters, the optimum supplementary dose of BCVFA was 120 mg per kg BW per day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous species in the Cryphonectriaceae have been recorded on the Myrtales and many of these are economically important pathogens of Eucalyptus. Some species have also recently been shown to be endophytes of native Myrtaceae and to have undergone host jumps to infect Eucalyptus species established as exotics in plantations. Recent surveys in the GuangDong and HaiNan Provinces of South China reveal the presence of a species of Cryphonectriaceae associated with cankers on trees of Lagerstroemia speciosa (Lythraceae, Myrtales). Fungal structures were observed on the surface of dead bark covering cankers and on branch stubs. Multigene phylogenetic analyses were conducted based on DNA sequence comparisons of the partial LSU gene, ITS region of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene and two regions of the β-tubulin ( BT) gene. The results revealed the presence of a previously undescribed genus and species in the Cryphonectriaceae. The fungus is described here as Chrysomorbus lagerstroemiae gen. et sp. nov. Inoculation tests showed that it is an aggressive pathogen on L. speciosa and that it can also infect Eucalyptus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) levels and rumen-protected pantothenate (RPP) supplementation on ruminal digestion kinetics, fermentation, microbial enzymatic activity, and selected bacterial species relative abundance in beef steers. Eight ruminally cannulated crossbred beef steers, with 15 months of age and 462 ± 9 kg of body weight (BW), were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design by a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Low protein (113.7 g/kg of CP [LP] or high protein (133.9 g/kg of CP [HP]) diets were fed with or without RPP supplementation (0 g [RP-] or 0.48 g per kg dietary dry matter (DM) [RP+]). Steers were fed a total mixed ration containing dietary concentrate to corn silage ratio of 50:50 on a DM basis. There were no RPP × CP interactions for ruminal digestion kinetics, fermentation, microbial enzymatic activity, and selected bacterial species relative abundance, except for Ruminobacter amylophilus . Mean ruminal pH decreased with RPP supplementation, but was unaffected by dietary CP levels. Ruminal total VFA concentration increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPP supplementation. Ruminal acetate percentage was similar among treatments, whereas propionate percentage decreased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPP supplementation. Consequently, the acetate to propionate ratio increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPP supplementation. Ruminal ammonia-N content was unchanged among treatments. Both in situ ruminal DM degradability of corn silage and CP degradability of concentrate increased with RPP supplementation and tended to increase with increasing dietary CP levels, while NDF degradability of corn silage and DM degradability of concentrate increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPP supplementation. Activities of carboxymethyl-cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase, α-amylase and protease, populations of Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Prevotella ruminicola, and urinary excretion of purine derivatives increased with increasing dietary CP levels or RPP supplementation, but populations of Fibrobacter succinogenes and R. amylophilus increased with RPP supplementation, and decreased with increasing dietary CP levels. The results showed that increasing dietary CP levels from 113.7 g to 133.9 g or with 0.48 g RPP supplementation improved ruminal fermentation and microbial protein synthesis by increasing microbial populations and enzymes activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to solar radiation exposure, air flowing inside a thermometer screen may produce a measurement error of 0.8 °C or higher. To improve the air temperature observation accuracy, a temperature error correction method is proposed. The correction method is based on a computational fluid dynamics method and a genetic algorithm method. The computational fluid dynamics method is implemented to analyze and calculate the temperature errors of a screen under various environmental conditions. Then, a temperature error correction equation is obtained by fitting the computational fluid dynamics results using the genetic algorithm method. To verify the performance of the correction equation the screen and an aspirated temperature measurement platform are characterized in the same environment to conduct the intercomparison. The aspirated temperature measurement platform serves as an air temperature reference. The mean temperature error given by measurements is 0.77 °C, and the mean temperature error given by correction equation is 0.79 °C. This correction equation allows the temperature error to be reduced by approximately 97.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, streamer and breakdown phenomena and their mechanisms of an inhibited Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) transformer oil under standard negative lightning impulse voltages were studied. A conventional inhibited mineral oil was also tested as the benchmark. Experiments were carried out in 25 mm and 50 mm point-plane gaps. Streamer and breakdown phenomena of both oils were observed from the streamer inception voltage level up to the voltage level at which fast streamer appears with a velocity of over 10 km/s. The results showed that the GTL oil has a higher breakdown voltage and a higher acceleration voltage compared to the mineral oil. This is due to the fact that the GTL oil has a much lower aromatic content compared to the mineral oil. The streamer investigations showed that the development of fast streamers in both oils is the consequence of transition from dark streamer channels to bright streamer channels. By comparing with the results obtained under positive polarity [1], the differences in the propagation mechanisms between the fast negative streamers and fast positive streamers were explained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Taylor impact experiments are conducted on a typical face-centered cubic single-phase high-entropy alloy (HEA) Al 0.1 CoCrFeNi, to investigate its dynamic severe plastic deformation and gradient structure. Parameters of the Johnson–Cook constitutive model are obtained, and finite element modeling based on this model is consistent with the experimental observations. A bulk gradient structure with deformation gradient is generated directly via the Taylor impact. The deformation mechanisms include the {111}〈112〉 deformation twins and kink bands with the 〈110〉 or 〈112〉 rotation axes, and vary considerably along the impact direction. Subsequent annealing at 800∘C and the impact-induced gradient in the degree of re-crystallization lead to a new bulk gradient structure with gradients in grain size and proportion of the non-recrystallized region, providing a novel approach to developing bulk gradient structured materials. • Obvious deformation gradient in Al 0.1 CoCrFeNi is generated via Taylor impact. • The bulk gradient structure with gradients in grain size is obtained by annealing. • Numerical simulations are established for Taylor impact of Al 0.1 CoCrFeNi. • {111}〈112〉 deformation twins and kink bands with 〈110〉 or 〈112〉 rotation axes are activated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ballistic impact experiments are conducted on a cast Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy using spherical projectiles under a wide range of impact velocities. Penetration processes are captured by high-speed camera. Postmortem target samples are characterized via three-dimensional laser scanning, metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction. Shear bands and twinning dominate the deformation of Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr near the crater, and texture changes due to compression caused by cavity expansion. For instance, a finite element model based on Johnson–Cook constitutive model and Mie–Grüneisen equation of state is established. Four dimensionless quantities related to craters and projectiles are defined. An analytical model based on dynamic cylindrical cavity expansion model is applied considering projectile deformation, and consistent well with experimental and simulated results over the entire incident velocity range. [Display omitted] • Ballistic impact experiments are conducted on cast Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy. • Shear bands and twins dominate deformation of Mg-6Gd-3Y-0.5Zr near the crater. • Finite element model is established and consistent with experimental results. • A cylindrical cavity expansion model is derived considering projectile deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutron stars are observed to undergo small, abrupt rotational speed-up. This phenomenon is known as glitch. In pulsar timing observations, detection of a neutron star glitch is constrained by the time of occurrence of the event relative to entire observing span and observing cadences, time of occurrence of preceding/subsequent glitches relative to observing cadences and the strength of timing noise. Using the Yu et al. data sets, in this paper, we analyse the observational selection in terms of detection probability. We define partial probabilities for the constraints and use the Monte Carlo method with assuming glitches distribute uniformly to solve the complete probability formula for both group case involving 157 pulsars and individual cases for each of the seven pulsars with glitch numbers ≥5. In the simulations, numerical Bayesian inference is used for glitch identification. With the derived detection probability density and observed results, we uncover glitch size probability distribution embedded in the data for both the group and individual cases. We find the most prominent correction occurred for PSR J1341–6220, in which the exponent of the power-law model varies from the observed +0.7+1.4-0.7 to -0.4+1.0-0.4. We suggest observers determine the detection probability for glitch theories, e.g. the self-organized criticality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undesirable vibrations can greatly degrade the accuracy of phase shifting moiré interferometry. Although moiré interferometry is always equipped with a somehow elaborate system to dampen or to eliminate vibration, such as granite slab and air table, it is common to see the phase fluctuation of moiré diagram attributable to the various vibration during the measurement process. The sensitivity of moiré interferometry to vibration is rooted in the fundamental principles of the instrument. Typically, an imaging system collects interference patterns for a sequence of reference phases, and then a computer unwraps the original wave-front phase by analyzing the variations of intensity. Compared with classical interferometry, an experiment by grating rosette moiré interferometry with different principle of image formation is carried out and a corresponding efficient phase calculation method is developed to eliminate or compensate the effects of mechanical vibrations. In the decomposition and reconstitution of phase-shifting fringe patterns using discrete Fourier series, the phase-shifting fundamental coefficients ( a , a and b ) are extracted from 10 samples in one phase shift cycle, with which three images with 120 degree intervals are obtained. Besides, a mathematical model for the phase error is derived by vibration frequency content or spectrum. Combined with traditional phase shifting algorithm, the proposed data post-processing technique can effectively reduce the phase ripple caused by vibrations. The result is supported by numerical simulations in MATLAB software and experiments with grating rosette moiré interferometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported the effect of europium (Eu) on the dielectric properties of CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO). The experimental results show that the doping of Eu on a calcium (Ca) site improves the dielectric loss and decreases the dielectric constant of CCTO. To understand the underlying reasons for the depressed dielectric response of Eu-doped CCTO, scanning electron microscopy, high-temperature dielectric measurement, and complex impedance measurement were carried out. The DC bias was also used in the measurements. The results show that the depressed dielectric responses of Eu-doped CCTO may be related to the lack of the oxygen vacancies in the samples. Furthermore, the absence of the electrode contact response may be another factor responsible for the decreased dielectric constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), features several major advances from the original MERRA reanalysis, including the use, outside of high latitudes, of observations-based precipitation data products to correct the precipitation falling on the land surface in the MERRA-2 system. The method for merging the observed precipitation into MERRA-2 has been refined from that of the (land-only) MERRA-Land reanalysis. This paper describes the method and evaluates the MERRA-2 land surface precipitation. Compared to monthly GPCPv2.2 observations, the corrected MERRA-2 precipitation (M2CORR) is better than the precipitation generated by the atmospheric models within the cycling MERRA-2 and MERRA systems. M2CORR is also better than MERRA-Land precipitation over Africa because in MERRA-2 a merged satellite-gauge precipitation product is used instead of the gauge-only data used for MERRA-Land. Compared to 3-hourly TRMM observations, the M2CORR diurnal cycle has better amplitude but less realistic phasing than MERRA-2 model-generated precipitation. Because correcting the precipitation within the coupled atmosphere-land modeling system allows the MERRA-2 near-surface air temperature and humidity to respond to the improved precipitation forcing, MERRA-2 provides more self-consistent surface meteorological data than were available from MERRA-Land, which is important for applications such as land-only modeling studies. Where precipitation observations of sufficient quality are available for use in the reanalysis, the corrections facilitate the seamless spinup of the land surface initial conditions across the MERRA-2 production streams. At high latitudes, however, the lack of reliable precipitation observations results in undesirable land spinup effects that impact mostly the first published year of each MERRA-2 stream (1980, 1992, 2001, and 2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was done to investigate the influences of supplementary rumen-protected folic acid (RPFA) on ruminal fermentation parameters, microbial enzyme activity, cellulolytic bacteria and urinary excretion of purine derivatives in growing beef steers. Eight ruminally fistulated Jinnan beef steers (398.4 ± 1.9 kg) were used in a repeated 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design. The treatments were: control (without RPFA), low RPFA (LRPFA), medium RPFA (MRPFA) and high RPFA (HRPFA) with 0, 0.6, 1.2 and 1.8 g RPFA per steer per day, respectively. The dietary corn silage to concentrate ratio was 50:50 (dry matter [DM] basis). The dry matter intake was confined to 95% of voluntary intake. Mean ruminal pH was quadratically reduced with altering RPFA supplementation, and was the lowest for MRPFA and HRPFA, highest for the control, and intermediate for the LRPFA. Ruminal total VFA concentration was quadratically increased with increasing RPFA supplementation and was higher in MRPFA than in control. The ratio of acetate to propionate was quadratically increased due to the increased acetate concentration and the unchanged propionate concentration. Ruminal degradabilities of DM and neutral detergent fibre of corn silage, and DM and crude protein of concentrate mix increased quadratically with increasing RPFA supplementation. Ruminal enzyme activity of cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase and α-amylase quadratically increased and was higher in MRPFA than in control. The populations of B. fibrisolvens , R. albus, R . flavefaciens and F. succinogenes quadratically increased with altering the supplementary PRFA. Urinary excretion of purine derivatives quadratically increased with altering RPFA supplementation and was higher in HRPFA and MRPFA than in LRPFA and control. The results indicated that dietary supplements of RPFA improved ruminal fermentation, in situ ruminal degradation and urinary excretion of purine derivatives. It was suggested that the RPFA regulated the activity of rumen microbe or enzymes in a concentration-dependent manner. Under this experimental condition, the appropriate dose of RPFA was at 1.2 g/d for steer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a photoacoustic senor for carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide detection is described which uses a quantum cascade laser. The sensor relies on a 4.43 μm continuous-wave room temperature quantum-cascade laser source and a homemade photoacoustic cell based on a cylindrical acoustic resonator. Primary laboratory tests have been performed for estimation of the achievable detection limits and possible applications for in situ and real time atmosphere measurements. It is demonstrated that the minimum detectable concentration of CO and NO under laboratory conditions is 8 ppbv and 0.45 ppbv, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]