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Background Bone mineral deficits are one of the most common complications in cancer survivors. However, there are no studies evaluating bone mineral density (BMD) and the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis among patients with different types of cancers. Aim The objective was to assess BMD and evaluate the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis among US adults with cancer. Design A cross-section propensity score matching study. Methods We extracted data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database from 2005 to 2018. We compared BMD in participants with and without cancer which was further analyzed according to cancer type. We conducted logistic regression to evaluate adjusted odds ratios of osteopenia and osteoporosis and determine risk factors for their development. Results We found that BMD was significantly higher in participants without cancer than cancer patients. Furthermore, the median BMD of patients with breast cancer or skin cancer (including melanoma) was significantly lower than participants without cancer. People with breast, lung, genitourinary and skin cancers were more likely to incur osteopenia/osteoporosis than those without cancer. Conclusions BMD differs depending upon type in survivors. Individuals with a history of cancer have a poor understanding of osteoporosis and its risk factors. Understanding risk factors in patients with cancers identified in our study may be helpful for preventing osteoporosis and fractures and the development of screening guidelines. more...

To investigate the seroprevalence ofA total of 337 patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, 624 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 384 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus living in Hangzhou City during the period from March 2017 through May 2020 were recruited as the study subjects, while age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers and pregnant women without gestational diabetes mellitus served as controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to detect serum IgG and IgM antibodies againstThe overall seroprevalence of anti-The patients with diabetes mellitus present a higher seroprevalence rate of anti more...

1. The following study provides the first data on the detection and types of

DyF3/Bi2O3 nanowires with orthorhombic DyF3 and triclinic Bi2O3 phases were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The composite nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The obtained composite nanowires have the length of longer than 10 μm and diameter of about 20–100 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the composition of Dy, F, Bi and O in the composite nanowires. The formation process of the DyF3/Bi2O3 nanowires was analyzed based on the morphological and structural evolution of the products from different growth conditions. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement demonstrates good electro-catalytic activity of the composite nanowires towards L-cysteine. Two pairs of CV peaks at +0.08 V, −0.43 V and −0.48 V, −0.78 V, respectively are observed at the DyF3/Bi2O3 nanowires modified glassy carbon electrode. DyF3/Bi2O3 nanowires modified glassy carbon electrode detects L-cysteine linearly over a concentration range from 0.001 to 2 mM with a detection limit of 0.25 μM. Moreover, the results show good selectivity, reproducibility and stability of the DyF3/Bi2O3 nanowires as a promising candidate for L-cysteine determination. more...

Snow cover is an important part of cryosphere and the most seasonally changing land surface cover, which is sensitive to climate change. Previous studies showed that climate warming has already altered the extent and phenology of snow cover, which influences the plant phenology of the forest ecosystem. This research investigates the spatial distribution and temporal trend of snow cover in the forest area of mid and high latitude in the Northern Hemisphere (50°N-90°N,180°W-180°E) based on a satellite-derived snow dataset. Results showed that the spatial distribution of snow cover exhibits a latitudinal gradientin the mid and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The snow cover onset week (SCOW) and snow cover end week (SCEW) shortened significantly at a rate of 0.23 weeks/10 yr. and 0.48 weeks/10 yr., respectively (PPPPP more...

The isomer yield ratios of 184R in the incomplete fusion of the 9Be + 181Ta system were measured at energies around the Coulomb barrier, using online activation followed by offline γ-ray spectroscopy method. The PLATYPUS code that is based on a classical dynamical model is employed to analyze the measurements. By applying a phenomenological approach, model calculation managed to fairly reproduce the order of magnitude of the yield ratios at above barrier energies. Through the study, it is shown that the PLATYPUS code in conjunction with a phenomenological analysis can provide a reasonable explanation of isomer yield ratios resulted from incomplete fusion of weakly bound projectiles. more...

The use of locks has been around for thousands of years throughout history. The developments of locks are closely related to the materials, technologies, tools, and cultures of the subject’s time period, but very few literatures for ancient locks can be found. According to the existing ancient locks left, the flat-springs locks are the most important types that can be traced back to the 2th century BC. The springs are installed in the lock. The elasticity effect between the key and the springs are applied for locking and opening. The flat-springs locks were commonly used after the Eastern Han dynasty around 200 AD. It was no later than the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 AD) that locks which needed specific procedures and methods to open were widely manufactured and used. These kinds of locks are difficult to open within a short period of time even if the correct keys are in place. According to the opening methods and the types of keyholes, ancient Chinese locks can be divided into two categories such as open-keyhole and hidden-keyhole locks. There are diversified types of Chinese locks with ideas, which are full of ancient craftsmanship showing extraordinary technology and superb wisdom. This paper takes the locks of Shanxi Province as an example to give a brief description about the developments of ancient Chinese locks. more...

Ancient machinery, either lost or existing, is an interdisciplinary subject. Except for the investigation of mechanisms, it can include ancient science and technology, history, philology, as well as others related to the subject matter, like astronomy, seismology, measurement, etc. This paper presents a process to apply the reconstruction research of ancient machinery to promote the exhibitions and science education. With the development of reconstruction research of ancient machinery, the study can be transformed to exhibitions through reconstructing physical and simulation models of ancient machines. The science theories of ancient machinery are simplified into the basic education of science. The traditional technologies can be replaced by digital machines, and the related teaching aids are developed further. People making the teaching models by themselves is more useful in thoroughly understanding these ancient machines. Furthermore, two examples following the application process, traditional Chinese locks and Antikythera astronomical device, are presented. more...

Rust (Melampsora apocyni) on Apocynum venetum is the major constraint to the commercial development of this medicinal herb. To determine the factors influencing rust intensity (maximum disease index [DImax]), rust was investigated from 2011 to 2015 in both cultivated and wild A. venetum plants. Partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) was used to analyze the paths and extent of the factors related to pathogen, environment, and host that affect rust intensity. DImax exhibited considerable variations across years and study sites, with variations linked to various factors fostering disease development. PLS-PM explained 80.0 and 70.1% of variations in DImax in cultivated and wild plants, respectively. Precipitation was the key factor determining DImax in both cultivated and wild plants (path coefficient [PC] = 0.313 and 0.544, respectively). In addition, the topsoil water content in cultivated plants and the total vegetation coverage in wild plants were also critical determinants of DImax via their effects on the microclimatic factor (contribution coefficients [CC] = 0.681 and 0.989, respectively; PC = 0.831 and 0.231, respectively). In both cultivated and wild plants, host factors were mainly dominated by A. venetum density (CC = 0.989 and 0.894, respectively), and their effect on DImax via the microclimatic factor (PC = 0.841 and 0.862, respectively) exceeded that via the inoculum factor (PC = 0.705 and 0.130, respectively). However, the indirect effects led to DImax variation, while the dilution effect on host (CC = 0.154) from weed in wild plants led to the indirect effect size in wild plants of 0.200, which was lower than −0.699 in cultivated plants. more...

Background The Child–Pugh (CP) score is used widely to assess liver function and predict postoperative outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, the albumin–bilirubin (ALBI) score has been validated as a predictor of overall survival in these patients. This study aimed to compare the ability of the ALBI and CP scores to predict outcomes in patients with HCC after liver resection with curative intent. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent liver resection with curative intent for HCC between January 2007 and July 2013 were included in this retrospective study. The performance of the ALBI score in predicting postoperative liver failure (PHLF) and long-term survival was compared with that of the CP score. Results A total of 1242 patients were enrolled. Of these, 166 (13·4 per cent) experienced PHLF. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the ALBI score for predicting PHLF was greater than that of the CP score (0·723 versus 0·607; P < 0·001). Similar to findings for CP grade, the incidence and severity of PHLF increased with increasing ALBI grade. The ALBI grade stratified patients into at least two distinct overall survival cohorts (P < 0·001), whereas the CP grade did not. The ALBI grade also classified patients with CP grade A disease into two distinct overall survival cohorts (P < 0·001), and overall survival rates in the group with poorer survival were similar to those in the majority of patients with CP grade B disease. Both CP and ALBI scores had low power in predicting disease-free survival. Conclusion The ALBI grade predicted PHLF and overall survival in patients with HCC undergoing liver resection with curative intent more accurately than the CP grade. more...

Ba-, La-, and Zr-doped CeO2−δ films and undoped CeO2−δ film with (00 l) preferred orientation have been prepared on biaxially textured Ni–W substrates by metal organic decomposition (MOD) method. The influences of valences and ionic radii of dopants on the epitaxial growth of CeO2−δ films and oxygen diffusion in the buffer layer were explored by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The doping cations with different radii cause the change of the lattice parameter of CeO2−δ film and the mismatch between Ni–W substrate and epitaxial film, which modifies the compressive strain resulted from the elastically lattice deformation in the films. Our results show that the compressive strain is beneficial to the c-axial texture formation of CeO2−δ film. In addition, ionic radius has influence on the surface roughness and the out-of-plane texture of the film. Moreover, the oxygen diffusion results from the inherent variation of the thermodynamic factors, in particular the migration energy of oxygen ions. Meanwhile, larger radius of doping cation would lead to the decrease of the migration energies of oxygen ion due to the steric effect. So compared with the Ba- and La-doped CeO2−δ films, the Zr-doped CeO2−δ film shows slight oxygen diffusion. These results are significant to improving the properties of buffer layer for coated conductors. more...

To explore infrared spectrum characteristics of different voltages induced electrical injuries on swine skin by using Fourier transform infrared-microspectroscopy （FTIR-MSP） combined with machine learning algorithms, thus to provide a reference to the identification of electrical skin injuries caused by different voltages.Electrical skin injury model was established on swines. The skin was exposed to 110 V, 220 V and 380 V electric shock for 30 s and then samples were took, with normal skin tissues around the injuries as the control. Combined with the results of continuous section HE staining, the FTIR-MSP spectral data of the corresponding skin tissues were acquired. With the combination of machine learning algorithms such as principal component analysis （PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis （PLS-DA）, different spectral bands were selected （full band 4 000-1 000 cmCompared with simple spectrum analysis, PCA seemed to be better at distinguishing electrical shock groups from the control, but was not able to distinguish different voltages induced groups. PLS-DA based on the 3 600-2 800 cmIt is feasible to identify electrical skin injuries caused by different voltages by using FTIR-MSP technique along with machine learning algorithms.基于机器学习算法研究不同电压所致猪皮肤电流损伤红外光谱特征.通过傅里叶变换红外显微光谱（Fourier transform infrared-microspectroscopy，FTIR-MSP）成像技术结合机器学习算法，对不同电压所致猪皮肤电流损伤红外光谱特征进行分析，旨在为不同电压所致皮肤电流损伤的鉴别提供参考。.建立猪皮肤电流损伤模型，分为110 V、220 V、380 V电击组及对照组，电击组电击30 s后取电击部位皮肤，对照组取对应部位正常皮肤组织。结合连续切片HE染色结果，应用FTIR-MSP成像技术采集对应区域的光谱数据，结合机器学习算法（主成分分析、偏最小二乘法-判别分析），选取不同光谱波段（全波段4 000~1 000 cm相较于单纯谱图分析，主成分分析法能很好地区分电击组和对照组，但难以区分不同电压组。基于3 600~2 800 cm应用FTIR-MSP成像技术结合机器学习算法对不同电压所致猪皮肤电流损伤的鉴别具有可行性。.法医病理学；谱学，傅里叶变换红外；电击伤；机器学习算法；皮肤；猪. more...

Transparent conductive ZnO : Al : Mo films with a molar ratio of Zn : Al : Mo = 99 : 0·99 : 0·01 were deposited on quartz glass substrate by a template-assisted sol-gel process and characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–Vis and luminescent spectrophotometries. The four types of organic template have induced nanowire morphology with varying aspect ratio. Dip coating in one constant positive and reverse direction causes the parallel array of ZnO : Al : Mo nanowires on the quartz glass substrate. Long and parallel arrayed nanowire films show obviously blue shifts and enhanced transmittances in the UV-Vis light range. The PEG-1000 and PEG-2000 have optimal effects among four templates as constant weight content is used. The films show strong ultraviolet, violet and bluish violet emissions. The templates also lead to overall thicker film and more native defect and thereby remarkably enhancing photoluminescence of the films. Long chain organic template can be used to optimize the optical properties of the doped ZnO film. more...

The immersed boundary method is applied to simulate the flow around a guide vane of hydro-turbine. The complex dynamic boundary effect caused by the moving guide vanes is modelled as the forcing term in the Navier-Stokes equation. Numerical simulation of threedimensional transient turbulence is conducted to flow around one moving guide vane of a benchmark hydro-turbine unit in a channel. The dynamical Smagorinsky-Lilly model of large eddy simulation is also used. The evolution process of the dynamic vortex structure is obtained by the interaction between the guide vane and the flow around vane to reveal the physical mechanism of wake oscillation flow around vane. This method serves as a reference for the fine simulation and study of the flow around the multi-stage cascade flow in hydro-turbine. The research on the transient effects of the coupling upstream pipeline system and hydroturbine has theoretical guiding significance. more...

The Unified Classification System has expanded and updated the Vancouver Classification System and applied treatment principles to all periprosthetic fractures. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Unified Classification System for femur fractures after hip arthroplasty. Thirty-eight radiographs were finally evaluated by 6 observers, 3 consultants and 3 trainees. Each observer read the radiographs on 2 separate occasions, independently, at least 2 weeks apart. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement and validity were analyzed, using weighted κ statistics. The mean κ value for interobserver agreement was found to be 0.849 (0.838-0.871) for consultants (almost perfect agreement) and 0.761 (0.707-0.836) for the trainees (substantial agreement). Intraobserver κ values ranged from 0.740 to 0.903, showing substantial to almost perfect agreement. Validity analysis of 23 type B cases revealed 79.710% agreement within B1, B2, and B3 subgroups with a mean κ value of 0.694 (0.670-0.741) (substantial agreement). more...

To evaluate the influence of overweight/obesity on the incidence of hypertension among adults in China.The subjects of this prospective study were 13 739 Chinese adults aged 35-74 years recruited at the baseline surveys of China Multicenter Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asian. Baseline surveys were conducted in 1998 and during 2000-2001, respectively, and the follow-up was conducted during 2007-2008. According to the body mass index, the subjects were divided into four groups: underweight group(18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight group(18.5-23.9 kg/m(2)), overweight group(24.0-27.9 kg/m(2))and obesity group(≥28.0 kg/m(2)). Age-standardized cumulative incidence of hypertension was calculated for each group, respectively. The relative risks(RRs)and 95% confidence intervals(CIs)for the incidence of hypertension of underweight, overweight and obesity groups were estimated by using generalized linear regression model with normal weight group as reference.During 8.1 years of follow-up, 4 271 hypertension cases were detected(2 012 in men and 2 259 in women). Age-standardized cumulative incidence of hypertension for the underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity groups were 20.3%, 30.9%, 43.6% and 50.8% in men, respectively; and 22.9%, 30.4%, 41.1% and 50.8% in women, respectively. Compared with the normal weight group, multivariate-adjusted RR(95% CI)for the incidence of hypertension in underweight, overweight and obesity groups were 0.78(0.64-0.95), 1.22(1.13-1.30)and 1.28(1.16-1.42)in men, respectively; and 0.89(0.77-1.03), 1.16(1.09-1.23)and 1.28(1.18-1.38)in women, respectively. The overweight and obese subjects had higher risk for the incidence of hypertension, with the population attributable risk proportion of 7.4% in men and 8.8% in women, respectively.Overweight or obese people are at an increased risk of developing hypertension, thus prevention and control of overweight/obesity are needed to reduce hypertension incidence among adults in China. more...

The characteristics of air flow, and vehicular exhaust scalar (i.e., pollutant) dispersion and distribution fields in the near-wake region of a scale-model vehicle which was placed alone or behind the preceding one(s) in a closed-circuit wind tunnel facility were experimentally investigated for typical urban driving conditions. The wake structure behind a queue of studied vehicles is mainly dominated by the last one, while the preceding vehicle(s) will lead to a stronger downwash flow in the wake. For the vehicle with rear slant angle (α 30°) which has a two-dimensional wake flow, the vehicular exhaust jet plume will be carried by such a wake flow to form an “n-shaped” scalar distribution region behind the vehicle with a peak scalar region at its center. The preceding vehicle(s) will further enlarge the n-shaped scalar distribution region and push the peak scalar region closer to the ground. It is clearly shown that the two- or three-dimensional flow behind the studied vehicle can provide different shapes of exhaust scalar dispersion and distribution fields in the vehicle wake. more...

Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites were modified by a hydrothermal treatment using phosphoric acid solution, B4C, SiC and Al2O3 powders as infiltration fillers. The influence of the hydrothermal treatment temperature on the phase, microstructure and anti-oxidation property of the as modified composites was investigated. The phase composition and microstructure of the modified composites before and after oxidation were characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques. Results show that the oxidation resistance of the C/C composites is effectively improved after modified by the hydrothermal treatment. The mass loss of the C/C composites modified at different hydrothermal temperatures increases parabolicly with increased oxidation time, while the relationship between hydrothermal temperature and mass loss of the modified C/C composites after oxidation at 700°C for 10 h reveals a linear dependence. The mass loss of the modified C/C composites i... more...

ZnS nanocrystallites have been successfully prepared by a sonochemical process. The reaction kinetics of the process was also investigated. The as prepared ZnS nanocrystallites were characterised by XRD and TEM. Results show that ZnS nanoparticles can be obtained by sonochemical process using ZnCl2 and thiacetamide as raw materials. It is found that the as prepared ZnS nanoparticles are hexagonal phase with spherical or spherical-like morphologies. The grain size decreases with increasing ultrasonic irradiation power. Reaction kinetics shows that the weight content of ZnS nanoparticles increases linearly with reaction time at different temperatures. The synthesis activation energy of ZnS nanoparticles is calculated to be 27·80 kJ mol–1. more...

Carbon/carbon (C/C) composites were modified by a novel hydrothermal process using Al2O3 powers and phosphoric acid as raw materials. The oxidation behaviour of the hydrothermal modified C/C composite at the temperature range of 600–800°C was particularly investigated. The phase compositions and microstructures of the modified C/C composites were characterised by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses. Results show that after hydrothermal modification, the surface of the composites is covered by an Al(PO3)3 particle dotted P2O5 layer, and the layer effectively improves the oxidation resistance of C/C composites. After 10 h oxidation at 700°C, the mass loss of the composites is only 2·31%. In comparison with the non-modified composites, the oxidation activation energy of the hydrothermal modified C/C composites is obviously increased. more...

The three-dimensional flow structures of a queue of studied model vehicles (i.e., one-, two- and three-vehicle cases) were investigated comprehensively in a closed-circuit wind tunnel using particle image velocimetry (PIV) for the typical urban vehicle speeds (i.e., 10, 30 and 50 km/h). In this three-dimensional vehicle wake, a pair of longitudinal vortices is characterized by counter-rotating and moving downstream at relatively low velocity than their surrounding flow. The flow structures of multiple studied model vehicles are dominated by the wake generated from the last studied model vehicle but the preceding studied model vehicle(s) also has/have some minor effects. Cross-sectional turbulence distribution is non-uniform in the far-wake region for all studied cases. The lowest turbulence occurs at the center part of the vehicle wake while high turbulence occurs at its two sides. As such, it may lead to considerable underestimation in turbulence magnitude if the measurement is only taken along the centerline of the vehicle wake. more...

Summary Background Peginterferon-α–based therapy frequently leads to neutropenia. It remains unclear whether neutropenia is associated with bacterial infection in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Aim To evaluate the risk of bacterial infection and neutropenia in patients with CHC treated with peginterferon-α/ribavirin. Methods In all, 207 patients with CHC with (group A, n = 30) and without (group B, n = 177) baseline neutropenia were treated with peginterferon-α/ribavirin. Results Group A had significantly higher rates of moderate ( more...

Experimental investigations of the interaction effect of rear slant angle (i.e., α = 25° and 60°) and heated air exhaust jet condition (i.e., U j and T j ) on flow structures, and pollutant (i.e., scalar) dispersion and concentration fields in the near-wake region of two simplified scale-model vehicles at Reynolds number Re h = 5.8 × 10 4 were performed in a closed-circuit wind tunnel using laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) and the cold wire thermometry. The results show that the behaviors of flow structures and pollutant dispersion in the near-wake region of the studied model vehicles are highly dependent on the interaction effect of U j / U ∞ and α . For the low value of U j / U ∞ (i.e., the driving mode from 30 km h −1 to 70 km h −1 ), the wake structure of the two studied model vehicles is almost similar to the case without introducing the vehicular exhaust jet flow, U j / U ∞ = 0, but the scalar concentration is neither sent straight to the wake region nor trapped by the recirculation zone. For higher value of U j / U ∞ (i.e., the driving mode of 10 km h −1 ), the jet flow perturbation along the central plane of the vehicular exhaust tailpipe causes the disappearance of the lower vortex in the recirculation zone for the studied model vehicle A ( α = 25°) while it causes the stretching of the recirculation zone for the studied model vehicle B ( α = 60°). The contaminant is mainly straight trajectory along its jet exhaust flow axis. Outside the recirculation zone, the flow field becomes symmetrical and its flow structure depends only on the rear slant angle of the studied model vehicle. The scalar concentration field of the studied model vehicle B is characterized by a two-dimensional flow structure whatever the studied driving modes are. The distribution of the mean normalized temperature excess field (i.e., scalar concentration field) conforms to the velocity vector field for both studied model vehicles. For the studied model vehicle A , the scalar concentration is drawn to the edge of the trailing vortex at the vehicular exhaust jet side. This phenomenon causes a significant reduction of the scalar concentration level whatever the studied driving modes are. more...

The role of autotransplantation in end-stage hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is unclear. We aimed to present our 15-case experience and propose selection criteria for autotransplantation. All patients were considered to have unresectable hepatic AE by conventional resection due to critical invasion to retrohepatic vena cava, hepatocaval region along with three hepatic veins, and the tertiary portal and arterial branches. All patients successfully underwent ex vivo extended right hepatectomy and autotransplantation without intraoperative mortality. The median autograft weight was 706 g (380-1000 g); operative time was 15.5 hours (11.5-20.5 hours); and anhepatic time was 283.8 minutes (180-435 min). Postoperative hospital stay was 32.3 days (12-60 days). Postoperative complication Clavien-Dindo grade IIIa or higher occurred in three patients including one death that occurred 12 days after the surgery due to acute liver failure. One patient was lost to follow-up after the sixth month. Thirteen patients were followed for a median of 21.6 months with no relapse. This is the largest reported series of patients with end-stage hepatic AE treated with liver autotransplantation. The technique requires neither organ donor nor postoperative immunosuppressant. The early postoperative mortality was low with acceptable morbidity. Preoperative precise assessment and strict patient selection are of utmost importance. more...

Two weed samples, G52 from Ageratum conyzoides and G87 from Malvastrum coromandelianum, showing leaf curling and vein thickening symptoms were collected in Nanning, Guangxi Province, China. The complete nucleotide sequences of DNA-A-like molecules of G52 and G87 were determined to be 2735 and 2745 nucleotides respectively. Both DNA-A molecules have a genomic organization typical of begomoviruses and share 73.4% sequence identity with each other. Sequence comparisons showed that the DNA-A of G52 and G87 were most closely related to those of Ageratum yellow vein virus (AYVV; 85% sequence identity) and Tobacco leaf curl Yunnanvirus (75.7% sequence identity) respectively. Further sequence comparisons showed that G52 has arisen by recombination among viruses related to AYVV, Papaya leaf curl China virus and an unidentified Begomovirus species. The molecular data suggest that G52 and G87 are two distinct begomoviruses, for which the names Ageratum leaf curl virus for G52 and Malvastrum leaf curl virus for G87 are proposed. The satellite DNAβ molecule was only found to be associated with G87. G87 DNAβ consists of 1354 nucleotides, and shares the highest nucleotide sequence identity (68.9%) with that associated with Sida yellow vein China virus. A defective DNAβ molecule was also found to be associated with G87. more...

There is a need to detect and assess the incidence of Sclerotinia rot disease in celery (Apium graveolens). In this study, we examined the potential of hyperspectral sensing to detect the symptoms of this disease in celery crop. Using a portable spectrometer, sample measurements of diseased and healthy leaves were collected from celery leaves in the field. Both raw and transformed spectral data were used in the development of Partial Least Squares regression models. The cross‐validated results showed that the incidence of disease on celery could be predicted using the raw spectra and the first and second derivative data, with prediction errors ranging from 11.08 to 13.62 percent. The visible and near‐infrared wavelengths (400–1300nm) produced similar detection ability with that of the full range wavelengths (400–2500nm). more...

In this paper, an efficient polishing process is proposed for precision polishing tasks using a new compliant abrasive tool. The polishing process is conducted by a force-controllable five-axes robot. The polishing process comprises many steps using different abrasive grain sizes. For each process step, an optimal set of polishing parameters that can efficiently reduce surface roughness is determined by the Taguchi method. The relation between the surface roughness and the polishing efficiency for each set of optimal parameters can be fitted as an R–E curve. The efficiency of a polishing step decreases with the number of polishing cycles and the surface roughness reduces to an asymptote value. The automatic polishing scheduling is fulfilled by switching to a more efficient choice among these R–E curves until the desired surface roughness is reached. more...

The formation of water rivulets running along an inclined circular cylinder and its effects on the near-wake were experimentally investigated. Water was released from the upper end of the cylinder at a volume flow rate Q. At an incoming wind speed U ∞ = 8 – 15 m / s , two water rivulets were observed near the flow separation points, running along the cylinder inclined at α = 45 ° for 0 ° ⩽ β ⩽ 90 ° , where β is the cylinder yaw angle, and both oscillating circumferentially. The dependence of the rivulet formation on U∞, Q and β is examined in detail. The quasi-periodic vortex street is observed intermittently with and without the presence of the rivulets. The rivulets cause an increase in the normalized dominant frequencies in the near wake and further lead to a significant increase in the drag coefficient, which is consistent with the violent vibration associated with the rain–wind-structure interactions. The effect of the rivulets on the near-wake vortices is investigated. It is found that the vortex strength grows by up to 60% as β increases from 0° to 30°. A mechanism for the rain–wind-induced cable vibration is proposed. more...