Search

Summary: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes Guillain-Barré syndrome and severe birth defects. ZIKV envelope (E) protein is the major viral protein involved in cell receptor binding and entry and is therefore considered one of the major determinants in ZIKV pathogenesis. Here we report a gene-wide mapping of functional residues of ZIKV E protein using a mutant library, with changes covering every nucleotide position. By comparing the replication fitness of every viral mutant between mosquito and human cells, we identified that mutations affecting glycosylation display the most divergence. By characterizing individual mutants, we show that ablation of glycosylation selectively benefits ZIKV infection of mosquito cells by enhancing cell entry, whereas it either has little impact on ZIKV infection on certain human cells or leads to decreased infection through the entry factor DC-SIGN. In conclusion, we define the roles of individual residues of ZIKV envelope protein, which contribute to ZIKV replication fitness in human and mosquito cells. : Entomology; Genomics; Virology; Protein Structure Aspects Subject Areas: Entomology, Genomics, Virology, Protein Structure Aspects

An improved Gaussian Filter (GF) is designed for nonlinear Dynamic Positioning (DP) ships with cross-correlated colored noises and random measurements loss. For the actual nonlinear Dynamic Position System (DPS), the state noises and measurement noises do not satisfy the assumption of Gaussian white noises and the loss of measurements may occur randomly. Therefore, the following circumstances are considered: the state noises and measurement noises are cross-correlated colored noises at the same and adjacent sampling moments; the measurement loss occurs randomly for the data transmission between the sensor units and the estimator units. In order to get the estimator for nonlinear DP ships with cross-correlated colored noises and random measurements loss, a GF framework based on Bayesian theory is proposed, and then the Cubature Mix Kalman Filter based on spherical-radial method is obtained. In the end, the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has better estimation performance than Unscented Kalman Filter with Measurements Loss and standard Cubature Kalman Filter.

The novel sensing technology airborne passive bistatic radar (PBR) has the problem of being affecting by multipath components in the reference signal. Due to the movement of the receiving platform, different multipath components contain different Doppler frequencies. When the contaminated reference signal is used for space–time adaptive processing (STAP), the power spectrum of the spatial–temporal clutter is broadened. This can cause a series of problems, such as affecting the performance of clutter estimation and suppression, increasing the blind area of target detection, and causing the phenomenon of target self-cancellation. To solve this problem, the authors of this paper propose a novel algorithm based on sparse Bayesian learning (SBL) for direct clutter estimation and multipath clutter suppression. The specific process is as follows. Firstly, the space–time clutter is expressed in the form of covariance matrix vectors. Secondly, the multipath cost is decorrelated in the covariance matrix vectors. Thirdly, the modeling error is reduced by alternating iteration, resulting in a space–time clutter covariance matrix without multipath components. Simulation results showed that this method can effectively estimate and suppress clutter when the reference signal is contaminated.

As an important part of coastal wetlands, tidal flat wetlands provide various significant ecological functions. Due to offshore pollution and unreasonable utilization, tidal flats have been increasingly threatened and degraded. Therefore, it is necessary to protect and restore this important wetland by monitoring its distribution. Considering the multiple sizes of research objects, remote sensing images with high resolutions have unique resolution advantages to support the extraction of tidal flat wetlands for subsequent monitoring. The purpose of this study is to propose and evaluate a tidal flat wetland delineation and classification method from high-resolution images. First, remote sensing features and geographical buffers are used to establish a decision tree for initial classification. Next, a natural shoreline prediction algorithm is designed to refine the range of the tidal flat wetland. Then, a range and standard deviation descriptor is constructed to extract the rock marine shore, a category of tidal flat wetlands. A geographical analysis method is considered to distinguish the other two categories of tidal flat wetlands. Finally, a tidal correction strategy is introduced to regulate the borderline of tidal flat wetlands to conform to the actual situation. The performance of each step was evaluated, and the results of the proposed method were compared with existing available methods. The results show that the overall accuracy of the proposed method mostly exceeded 92% (all higher than 88%). Due to the integration and the performance superiority compared to existing available methods, the proposed method is applicable in practice and has already been applied during the construction project of Hengqin Island in China.

Typhoons and other natural disasters affect the normal operation of power systems thus it is an important goal for strong and intelligent power grid construction to improve the ability of power systems to resist typhoons and other natural disasters. Especially, an effective coordinated and optimized dispatching strategy for a multi-source power system is greatly helpful to cope with the impact of typhoons and other natural disasters on power system operation. Given this background, a typhoon wind circle model considering the temporal and spatial distribution of typhoons is established to obtain the input wind speed of the wind farm at first. Second, based on the initial input wind speed of wind farms, a typical scenario set of wind power output is constructed to reflect its fluctuation and uncertainty. Next, an optimal coordinated dispatching model of a multi-source power system with wind, hydro and thermal power based on the conditional value at risk (CVaR) is established with the target of minimizing the total cost of system dispatching, in which a 72 h pre-dispatching mode is studied to optimize the system operation for 72 h on the day before, on and after the typhoon. Finally, a revised 24-node transmission network system in a coastal area with typhoon is served as a case for demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed model, and the simulation result shows that the proposed model could take the advantages of the coordination and complementarity of multi-sources power system and decrease the total cost of system dispatching and improve the renewable energy consumption level.

The thermal properties of wood-plastic composites (WPCs) and typical heating floor substrates heated by an electrothermal film were studied. Their effects on human feelings and the human autonomic nerve system were also investigated. The temperature changes of the specimens during heating and cooling were analyzed with an infrared thermal imager. People's subjective feelings of touching different materials were analyzed with a semantic differential (SD) technique, and their electrocardiography was recorded with a multi-channel physiological signal acquisition system. The thermal conductivity, temperature variation, tactile impression, and heart rate variability of WPCs and other heating floor substrates were investigated. The WPCs presented a markedly lower thermal conductivity and superior tactile impression compared with ceramic tile, which has a similar density to WPCs. There was a negative correlation between the scores of the warm-cool feeling and the density of the heating floor substrates under room temperature (19 °C ± 1 °C), and a positive correlation when heated (33 °C ± 1 °C). The thermal conductivity and heat storage capacity of WPC were higher than those of solid wood. Electric heating composite floors with a high comfort level and good thermal properties could be manufactured by combining WPCs and solid wood.

Large-scale wind and solar power generations have got rapid development in recent years in China and abroad. They always connect to load centres through high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission or ultra HVDC (UHVDC) transmission lines. Such systems are so large and it is necessary to make appropriate equivalence according to the purpose of different research. At present, the analysis model of this kind of real system is few, and simplified single-machine infinite-bus system or IEEE example system is adopted most of the time, which may affect the accuracy of analysis results. Here, the UHVDC project from a practical renewable energy base to load centres in China is chosen as an example, the actual structure and parameters are used to establish a typical example system for AC/DC hybrid power grid with high-proportion renewable energy. The new-generation synchronous condenser with large capacity and the supporting synchronous generators are all considered. First, the installed power generation, power grid structure, and load configuration of example system are introduced. Then the load flow distribution and transient stability characteristics are analysed by using DIgSILENT PowerFactory software. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed example system is shown by simulation results.

With the rapid development of power system, wind power becomes an important generating way in AC/DC hybrid power grid. Due to the interference between the wind power and the AC network, the risk of DC system continuous commutation failure will be affected. In order to evaluate this effect reasonably, a method for running out of the fault set is presented in this study. Firstly, a distribution factor is proposed to determine the power line transfer after wind power or power line fault, the line with maximum load rate is chosen as the candidate failure lines; Secondly, the η short-circuit ratio and η effective short-circuit ratio indexes of the DC system is evaluated after every fault; they are used to judge whether the cascading fault of AC system induces the transient overvoltage of the converter bus to lead to wind turbines to take off the power grid net. Thus, a cascading fault sequence of the AC system is formed, and a cascading fault set that causes the transient overvoltage of the converter bus is completed. Finally, the simulation results calculated by power system department-bonneville power administration show that when the commutation failure occurs in the DC system, the system runs out immediately, and the validity of the method is verified.

The interaction between renewable energy generation and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system becomes an essential cause of the subsynchronous oscillation (SSO) problem. In this study, the permanent magnet synchronous generator-based wind farm connected to HVDC transmission system is studied. The susceptivity analysis is carried out to find the main influence factors of the SSO problem. Besides, a parameter design method for subsynchronous damping controller is proposed. The configuration and the performance indicator are discussed, and then the optimisation algorithm is developed based on hybrid genetic algorithm and electromagnetic transient simulation. Finally, the proposed design method is validated by simulation in PSCAD/EMTDC.

Two-phase flow instability may occur in nuclear reactor systems, which is often accompanied by periodic fluctuation in fluid flow rate. In this study, bubble rising and coalescence characteristics under inlet flow pulsation condition are analyzed based on the MPS-MAFL method. To begin with, the single bubble rising behavior under flow pulsation condition was simulated. The simulation results show that the bubble shape and rising velocity fluctuate periodically as same as the inlet flow rate. Additionally, the bubble pairs’ coalescence behavior under flow pulsation condition was simulated and compared with static condition results. It is found that the coalescence time of bubble pairs slightly increased under the pulsation condition, and then the bubbles will continue to pulsate with almost the same period as the inlet flow rate after coalescence. In view of these facts, this study could offer theory support and method basis to a better understanding of the two-phase flow configuration under flow pulsation condition.

Marked with flexible interconnection and control, the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) gird has captured much attention of industries and academics. Hybrid dual-infeed or multi-infeed HVDC composed of line-commutated-converter HVDC (LCC-HVDC) and voltage source converter HVDC (VSC-HVDC) will form the main pattern in a further power grid; meanwhile, the new gird pattern will bring new opportunities and challenges to security and stability control in the power system. First, research works on the control strategies and operation performances of LCC-HVDC and VSC-HVDC are stated in this paper; then, a model of wind power integration into a dual-infeed DC transmission system is established in PowerFactory, and case studies are conducted in both steady and transient states. On this basis, a new control strategy for variable-speed constant-frequency wind power generators to promote voltage characteristics of the DC network is designed in this paper, and two additional active power control segments are designed in the traditional control system; thus, DC voltage stability can be improved by fast regulation of active power output due to quick power adjustment of wind power generators; simulations are implemented and the results will lay a foundation for safe and stable operation in the DC transmission system with renewable energy integration.

Recently, Li et al. proposed a novel smart card and dynamic ID-based remote user authentication scheme for multi-server environments. They claimed that their scheme can resist several types of attacks. However, through careful analysis, we find that Li et al.'s scheme is vulnerable to stolen smart card and off-line dictionary attacks, replay attacks, impersonation attacks and server spoofing attacks. By analyzing other similar schemes, we find that a certain type of dynamic ID-based multi-server authentication scheme in which only hash functions are used and whereby no registration center participates in the authentication and session key agreement phase faces difficulties in providing perfectly efficient and secure authentication. To compensate for these shortcomings, we propose a novel dynamic ID-based remote user authentication scheme for multi-server environments based on pairing and self-certified public keys. Security and performance analyses show that the proposed scheme is secure against various attacks and has many excellent features.

Background and objective The mechanisms of small molecule targeting drug resistance and ways to overcome resistance are now both urgent need to improve the clinical efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using different methods to establish the crizotinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer NCI-H2228/Crizotinib cell lines and to clarify the mechanisms of resistance to small molecule targeting drug, thus providing experimental and theoretical bases for further studies to overcome the mechanisms of Crizotinib resistance. Methods The study utilized stepwise increase of drug concentrations and chemical mutagen to induce Crizotinib-resistant NCI-H2228 cells. The drug 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of parental and resistant cells and the population doubling time were determined by MTT assay. The echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) expression was evaluated by RT-PCR and Western blot. Full-length sequencing method was used to compare the EML4-ALK genes in the parent and drug-resistant cells and analyze the mechanisms of drug resistance. Results The method of gradually increasing drug concentration to induce Crizotinib-resistant NCI-H2228 cells was time-consuming because the cell growth recovery was extremely slow. Thus, this method was considered invalid. However, chemical mutagen ENU can effectively induce NCI-H2228 cells resistant to crizotinib in a short time [IC50]= (3.810±1.100) μmol/L, P=0.002,9 vs parental cells]. Furthermore, the gene mutation frequency of EML4-ALK in the resistant cells was significantly higher than that in the parent cells. Conclusion Chemical mutagen-induced cell resistance was easily operated and had effectively shortened the experimental process. Preliminary technical methods and experimental evidence for in-depth study of drug resistance mechanisms and approaches to overcome the targeted drug resistance were also provided.

Current commercial H9 avian influenza vaccines cannot provide satisfactory protective immunity against antigenic variant influenza viruses in ducks. Poly I:C, when used as an adjuvant, improves humoral and cellular immunity in many animals but has not been tested in ducks. In this study, we investigated the protective efficacy of Poly I:C as an adjuvant for an inactivated H9N2 Avian influenza vaccine in ducks. We found that an H9N2 vaccine administered with poly I:C (H9-PIC vaccine) induced a significantly more rapid response with higher anti-influenza antibody titers than those of the vaccine alone (H9 vaccine). Moreover, virus shedding was reduced in ducks immunized with the H9-PIC vaccine after challenge with an H9 subtype antigenic variant viruses. IFN-α, IFN-γ, IL-6 and MHC-II mRNA levels were all elevated in ducks receiving the H9-PIC vaccine. In addition, lower expression level of MHC-I may be a reason for inefficient protective ability against heterologous influenza viruses in H9-PIC vaccination of ducks. In conclusion, poly I:C adjuvant enhanced both humoral and cellular immune responses in ducks induced by immunization of inactivated H9N2 vaccine.

The present paper investigated the process of the slag wool fabrication using high temperature blast furnace (BF) slag modified by coal ash (CA). The liquidus temperature and viscosity of the slag system with different mass ratios of BF slag and CA were measured through an inner cylinder rotation method. The approximate mass ratio used to fabricate the slag wool was therefore determined and slag wool was then successfully prepared with a high-speed air injection method in the laboratory. The effect of mBF/m ratio, slag temperature for injection and air pressure on the preparation of slag wool was systematically investigated. The mechanical and thermal properties were also studied to confirm the long-term working conditions of the slag wool. An industry-scale slag wool production application was established. The energy consumption and the pollutant generation, were analyzed and compared with the traditional production method, which indicated a 70% reduction in energy consumption and a 90% pollution emission decrease.

Dual-phase steel has been employed in the automotive industry as it has the advantages of high strength, satisfying ductility, low yield ratio, and so on. A novel framework for the weld nugget size prediction and control using finite element modeling and experimental research was proposed in this paper. The two-dimensional axisymmetric numerical analysis model was established and the phase transition on thermal expansion coefficient was taken into account. The whole welding process was simulated and discussed using thermal elastic-plastic theory. To validate the predictive methods of developed weld nugget size and confirmation experiments were implemented with the same input parameters in the ranges of process parameters. The simulated weld nugget sizes were in good agreement with the experimental results except for extreme welding conditions. The microstructure of the welding zone was also investigated based on metallographic experiments and temperature field analysis. The welding parameters were adjusted using the model proposed in this paper so as to obtain the nugget size with pull out failure mode.

Multi-object tracking is a crucial problem for autonomous vehicle. Most state-of-the-art approaches adopt the tracking-by-detection strategy, which is a two-step procedure consisting of the detection module and the tracking module. In this paper, we improve both steps. We improve the detection module by incorporating the temporal information, which is beneficial for detecting small objects. For the tracking module, we propose a novel compressed deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) feature based Correlation Filter tracker. By carefully integrating these two modules, the proposed multi-object tracking approach has the ability of re-identification (ReID) once the tracked object gets lost. Extensive experiments were performed on the KITTI and MOT2015 tracking benchmarks. Results indicate that our approach outperforms most state-of-the-art tracking approaches.

The big data security problems during the process of data production,storage,use,transmission,sharing and destruction have been explored.Firstly,the development strategies of big data security worldwide were summarized.Second,from the perspective of the whole life cycle management,the current technical research and the progress of big data security protection were introduced by focusing on its collection,storage,transport,use and open sharing,destruction and management strategy.Finally,some new problems that need to be solved in the future research of big data security were discussed.

Up to now, immunization of disease propagation has attracted great attention in both theoretical and experimental researches. However, vast majority of existing achievements are limited to the simple assumption of single layer networked population, which seems obviously inconsistent with recent development of complex network theory: each node could possess multiple roles in different topology connections. Inspired by this fact, we here propose the immunization strategies on multiplex networks, including multiplex node-based random (targeted) immunization and layer node-based random (targeted) immunization. With the theory of generating function, theoretical analysis is developed to calculate the immunization threshold, which is regarded as the most critical index for the effectiveness of addressed immunization strategies. Interestingly, both types of random immunization strategies show more efficiency in controlling disease spreading on multiplex Erdös-Rényi (ER) random networks; while targeted immunization strategies provide better protection on multiplex scale-free (SF) networks.