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The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray emitter established by observations with ground-based gamma-ray detectors. Here we report the long-term monitoring of M87 from 2021 to 2024 with the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO). M87 has been detected by LHAASO with a statistical significance ∼ 9 σ . The observed energy spectrum extends to 20 TeV, with a possible hardening at ∼20 TeV and then a clear softening at higher energies. Assuming that the intrinsic spectrum is described by a single power law up to 20 TeV, a tight upper bound on the extragalactic background light intensity is obtained. A strong VHE flare lasting 8 days, with a rise time of ${\tau }_{r}^{\mathrm{rise}}=1.05\pm 0.49$ days and decay time of ${\tau }_{d}^{\mathrm{decay}}=2.17\pm 0.58$ days, was found in early 2022. A possible GeV flare is seen also in Fermi Large Area Telescope data during the VHE flare period. The variability time as short as 1 day seen in the LHAASO data suggests a compact emission region with a size of ∼3 × 10 ^15 δ cm ( δ being the Doppler factor of the emitting region), corresponding to a few Schwarzschild radii of the central supermassive black hole in M87. The continuous monitoring of the source reveals a duty cycle of ∼1% for VHE flares with a flux above 10 ^−11 erg cm ^−2 s ^−1 .

The first source catalog of the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) reported the detection of a very high energy gamma-ray source, 1LHAASO J1219+2915. This Letter presents a further detailed study of the spectral and temporal behavior of this pointlike source. The best-fit position of the TeV source (R.A. = 185.°05 ± 0.°04, decl. = 29.°25 ± 0.°03) is compatible with NGC 4278 within ∼0.°03. Variation analysis shows an indication of variability on a timescale of a few months in the TeV band, which is consistent with low-frequency observations. Based on these observations, we report the detection of TeV γ -ray emissions from this low-luminosity active galactic nucleus. The observation by LHAASO's Water Cherenkov Detector Array during the active period has a significance level of 8.8 σ with a best-fit photon spectral index Γ = 2.56 ± 0.14 and a flux f _1–10 TeV = (7.0 ± 1.1 _sta ± 0.35 _syst ) × 10 ^−13 photons cm ^−2 s ^−1 , or approximately 5% of the Crab Nebula. The discovery of VHE gamma-ray emission from NGC 4278 indicates that compact, weak radio jets can efficiently accelerate particles and emit TeV photons.

To develop a more reactive pozzolan for supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), the co-calcination of kaolinite and limestone was investigated for its contribution to hydration of blended cement. Kaolinite (with ~50 wt% quartz impurity) was calcined at 700 °C, and a mixture of kaolinite and limestone was calcined at 800 °C. These activated SCMs were added to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), replacing ca. 30 wt% of the OPC. The compressive strength of these blended cement paste samples was measured after 28 and 90 days, while the hydration products and microstructural development in these blended cement pastes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that adding free lime to OPC, together with metakaolin, led to enhanced compressive strength. The compressive strength of this new blended cement paste reached 113% and 112% of the compressed strength of pure OPC paste after 28 and 90 days of hydration, respectively. Furthermore, this study showed that the improvement was due to the increased consumption of Portlandite (CH), the formation of calcium aluminosilicate hydrate (CASH), and the reduction of porosity in the sample containing free lime and metakaolin.

The interaction between antiferromagnetic magnons and electrons sits at the heart of many strongly correlated systems, however, investigation has been hampered by a lack of clear-cut examples. Here, Yu et al directly observe a kink in the dispersion, a result of renormalization due to the electron-antiferromagnetic magnon interaction.

To improve the prediction accuracy of the surrogate model and reduce the calculation cost for hydraulic optimization design of centrifugal pump impeller, an inverse design and optimization method based on adaptive proper orthogonal decomposition (APOD) hybrid model was proposed. Initial samples were designed by perturbing blade control parameters of the original model. The samples were classified using the K-means clustering algorithm, and the adaptive samples were selected according to the category of the objective sample. The snapshot set is composed of blade shape parameters and the CFD flow field data in impeller, which is decomposed into a linear combination of orthogonal bases by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method to predict the objective parameters. According to the objective load distribution, the low specific speed centrifugal pump was inversely designed by using the APOD model, and its initial blade was obtained. And then, the flow field corresponding to disturbed blade shape was predicted using the APOD method, so as to evaluate the gradient of the objective function to design variables. Finally, the initial blade was optimized by the gradient descent method. The results show that the APOD hybrid model method can be employed to accomplish the blade inverse design and the flow field prediction in the optimization design of centrifugal impeller, which significantly reduces the numerical calculation cost and improves the accuracy of the flow field prediction.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has greatly challenged all public social services, particularly home-based community care services (HBCCS). Aberdeen Kai-fong Association (AKA) is a non-government organization (NGO) in Hong Kong that systematically manages the challenges to HBCCS. This paper presents a practical example of the implementation and evaluation of the risk management process for HBCCS.MethodsMixed-method design was used to evaluate the implementation of the risk management process in encountering the challenges from existing and potential problems to maintain and enhance HBCCS in four major areas amidst the pandemic. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey and three qualitative focus group interviews were conducted by AKA from 30 December 2021 to 12 March 2022 to collect staff feedback on the institutional risk management process in four areas.Results109 HBCCS staff members (69% aged 40 years or above; 80% female) completed the questionnaire survey. For resource arrangement and staff training, over 90% of the participants agreed (including strongly agreed) that they had sufficient and reliable personal protective equipment and clear infection control guideline and effective training. Over 80% agreed they had safe working space and effective manpower allocation. However, only 75% agreed they had received emotional support from the organization. Over 90% agreed that the basic services were maintained for service continuation and enhancement, the service users and their families trusted the organization, and the provided services were adjusted according to users' needs. 88% agreed that the organization had obtained support from the neighborhood. For communication among stakeholders, over 80% agreed they had open discussions with the senior management team, and the senior management team was willing to listen. Twenty-six staff members joined the three focus group interviews. The qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results. Staff appreciated the organisation's work to enhance staff safety and continue advancing services during this difficult period. Regular in-service training, updated information and guidelines to staff, and proactive phone calls to service users, especially the elderly, were suggested to enhance the quality of services.ConclusionsThe paper could help NGOs and others encountering management challenges in community social services in diverse settings amidst the pandemic and beyond.

The management and interpretation of cultural heritage is an important international conservation issue. The construction of long-term sustainable international exchange information will help to present and promote the interpretation of intention for the cultural heritage. The Arches system platform of this study presents the concept of the life cycle of cultural heritage, and establishes the thesauri and metadata in the management and maintenance stage of Taiwan's monuments, which can mapping to the entity of relevant ontology, covering the contents required by previous visits and related needs interviews, while the detailed description part is still filled with the entity of description; the presentation platform is no longer limited to the vertical or horizontal query of the existing national database and can integrate categories, keywords, maps and other ways to present related knowledge, and expand to the system according to a physical thing, actor, activity and other entities, so as to enhance the functionality of user search. We should make long-term planning to establish complete metadata and ontology model of the tangible and intangible life cycle, provide the development direction of the national cultural heritage database and provide the basic work of international data exchange in the future.

Abstract Reservoir computing (RC) is a recently introduced bio-inspired computational framework capable of excellent performances in the temporal data processing, owing to its derivation from the recurrent neural network (RNN). It is well-known for the fast and effective training scheme, as well as the ease of the hardware implementation, but also the problematic sensitivity of its performance to the optimizable architecture parameters. In this article, a particular time-delayed RC with a single clamped–clamped silicon beam resonator that exhibits a classical Duffing nonlinearity is presented and its optimization problem is studied. Specifically, we numerically analyze the nonlinear response of the resonator and find a quasi-linear bifurcation point shift of the driving voltage with the driving frequency sweeping, which is called Bifurcation Point Frequency Modulation (BPFM). Furthermore, we first proposed that this method can be used to find the optimal driving frequency of RC with a Duffing mechanical resonator for a given task, and then put forward a comprehensive optimization process. The high performance of RC presented on four typical tasks proves the feasibility of this optimization method. Finally, we envision the potential application of the method based on the BPFM in our future work to implement the RC with other mechanical oscillators.

Abstract Capacitive charge transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface is a biocompatible mechanism for the stimulation of neurons. Although quantum dots showed their potential for photostimulation device architectures, dominant photoelectrochemical charge transfer combined with heavy-metal content in such architectures hinders their safe use. In this study, we demonstrate heavy-metal-free quantum dot-based nano-heterojunction devices that generate capacitive photoresponse. For that, we formed a novel form of nano-heterojunctions using type-II InP/ZnO/ZnS core/shell/shell quantum dot as the donor and a fullerene derivative of PCBM as the electron acceptor. The reduced electron–hole wavefunction overlap of 0.52 due to type-II band alignment of the quantum dot and the passivation of the trap states indicated by the high photoluminescence quantum yield of 70% led to the domination of photoinduced capacitive charge transfer at an optimum donor–acceptor ratio. This study paves the way toward safe and efficient nanoengineered quantum dot-based next-generation photostimulation devices.

Nowadays, 3D navigation systems and intelligent services are costly to use, and the accuracy of intelligent navigation does not meet the needs of tourists, and the practicality is not strong. Based on the current situation of the construction of the smart scenic navigation system and the actual needs of tourists, this study determines the main principles and methods of the tour guide system and intelligent services. Taking a certain scenic spot as the specific research object, the A* algorithm is used to solve the path. By optimizing the online gracing service of the arc gis server network, the appropriate data interpolation method is used to improve the accuracy of the elevation data of the scenic spot, and the characteristics of the three-dimensional symbol system are combined. The 3D symbol design system is optimized, and a high-precision 3D navigation map model is established. Finally, the corresponding 3D tour guide system and scenic area intelligent service are designed based on this, and the principle and application flow of the intelligent scenic area navigation system construction are summarized. The three-dimensional map model and its navigation system designed by this research institute reduce the risk of tourists during the tour, improve the quality and efficiency of the tour, and provide a practical service optimization solution for the smart scenic three-dimensional navigation system. The construction and use cost of the high-precision three-dimensional navigation system in the scenic spot is reduced.

In this paper, the fluid characteristics of pitching sloshing under microgravity condition are investigated. A numerical method by solving the Navier-Stokes equations to study three-dimensional (3-D) nonlinear liquid sloshing is developed with OpenFOAM, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool. The computational method is validated against existing experimental data in rectangular tank under ordinary gravitational field. However under low gravity conditions, the sloshing liquid shows seemingly chaotic behavior and a considerable volume of liquid attaches on the sidewall due to the effect of surface tension, which is verified in simulation experiment. Besides, the nonlinear liquid behaviors in hemi-spherically bottom tank are firstly studied in this paper. It is found that the wave evolution becomes divergent with the decrease of gravitational acceleration. The natural frequency reaches a constant magnitude quickly with the increase of liquid height and then increases again until the filling level exceeds 70%. Meanwhile, the liquid dynamics of forced pitching sloshing under resonant and off-resonant condition are demonstrated respectively. The numerical techniques for 3-D simulation are hopeful to provide valuable guidance for efficient liquid management in space.

In the past decade, a series of breakthrough discoveries in new exotic polar topological states have been witnessed, e.g., vortex, skyrmion, and meron. These tantalizing findings open a new avenue toward a plethora of emerging physical phenomena and offer opportunities for a wide range of future configurable electronic devices, which might eventually lead to an exciting area, the so-called “topotronics.” Although this field has seen a rapid progress, especially in revealing various novel topological states, the associated emerging phenomena and functionalities as well as application potentials yet remain largely unexplored, which might become fruitful areas in the upcoming years and thus deserve more attention. In this perspective, we give a brief overview on the recent advances in the field of exotic polar topological states, highlighting the emerging phenomena and efforts to control these functional topological objects. Finally, we present a concluding summary with some suggestions for future directions.

Continuum manipulators are widely used in minimally invasive surgical robot systems (MISRS) because of their flexibility and compliance, while their modelling and control are relatively difficult and complex. This paper proposes an improved hysteresis model of a notched continuum manipulator based on the classical Bouc–Wen model, which can reduce errors and increase the accuracy of the kinematic-mechanics coupled model. Then parameters are identified by the mean of genetic algorithm (GA). Hysteresis phenomenon of the mentioned manipulator is actually caused by many factors such as the hysteresis property of Hyperelastic Nitinol Alloy (HNA), the elastic deformation of tendon and the friction between the tendon and the tube. The results of both static and dynamic experiments show that the introduced hysteresis model can eliminate the positional difference between forward and reverse bending processes, and thus improve the forecast precision of deformation during motion. This model can also be used to compensate modelling errors caused by hysteresis of other similar systems.

Abstract RASopathies are a group of heterogeneous conditions caused by germline mutations in RAS/MAPK signalling pathway genes. With next-generation sequencing (NGS), sequencing capacity is no longer a limitation to molecular diagnosis. Instead, the rising number of variants of unknown significance (VUSs) poses challenges to clinical interpretation and genetic counselling. We investigated the potential of an integrated pipeline combining NGS and the functional assessment of variants for the diagnosis of RASopathies. We included 63 Chinese patients with RASopathies that had previously tested negative for PTPN11 and HRAS mutations. In these patients, we performed a genetic analysis of genes associated with RASopathies using a multigene NGS panel and Sanger sequencing. For the VUSs, we evaluated evidence from genetic, bioinformatic and functional data. Twenty disease-causing mutations were identified in the 63 patients, providing a primary diagnostic yield of 31.7%. Four VUSs were identified in five patients. The functional assessment supported the pathogenicity of the RAF1 and RIT1 VUSs, while the significance of two VUSs in A2ML1 remained unclear. In summary, functional analysis improved the diagnostic yield from 31.7% to 36.5%. Although technically demanding and time-consuming, a functional genetic diagnostic analysis can ease the clinical translation of these findings to aid bedside interpretation.

The understanding of the reemergence of pressure induced superconductivity in alkali-metal intercalated FeSe is hampered by sample complexities. Here, Sun et al. report the electronic properties of (Li1–xFe x )OHFe1–ySe single crystal not only in the reemerged superconducting state but also in the normal state.

Abstract While pyrochlore iridate thin films are theoretically predicted to possess a variety of emergent topological properties, experimental verification of these predictions can be obstructed by the challenge in thin film growth. Here we report on the pulsed laser deposition and characterization of thin films of a representative pyrochlore compound Bi2Ir2O7. The films were epitaxially grown on yttria-stabilized zirconia substrates and have lattice constants that are a few percent larger than that of the bulk single crystals. The film composition shows a strong dependence on the oxygen partial pressure. Density-functional-theory calculations indicate the existence of BiIr antisite defects, qualitatively consistent with the high Bi: Ir ratio found in the films. Both Ir and Bi have oxidation states that are lower than their nominal values, suggesting the existence of oxygen deficiency. The iridate thin films show a variety of intriguing transport characteristics, including multiple charge carriers, logarithmic dependence of resistance on temperature, antilocalization corrections to conductance due to spin-orbit interactions, and linear positive magnetoresistance.

ICOMOS Florence Declaration in 2014, encourages an in-depth reflection on human values through cultural heritage and landscapes, which emphasizes the importance of historical heritage sites, in order to achieve the application of cultural heritage records through the public participation, sharing new technology platform and facilitation tools for knowledge diffusion, for instance. Nikos adopted digitized intangible cultural heritage within i-Treasures project to create a novel digital platform in 2016. Nowadays, the display platform developed based on geographic information system has been gradually accepted and widely used to distribute cultural heritage information, aiming to combine geography, time, events, issues, trends with the interactive maps to show the context of data changes from the consideration of planarity; for example, Burnaby City in Canada has cooperated with the Columbia University to create a navigation platform for guidance of tangible cultural heritage based on story maps in order to provide public recognition function. In this study, Qiong-Lin Settlement in Kinmen Area was taken as an example to illustrate the developing process of an overall planning framework for reappearing the glory of historic settlements of cultural heritage sites with digital technology, which included tangible and intangible cultural heritage preservation and transmission planning, community participation and digital navigation programs. The digital technology with the GIS-based digital platform can provide more diverse and interesting information while using an intuitive, graphical user story mapping interface. So that tangible cultural heritage can be effectively understood, interpreted and preserved with the value-added methods, and also intangible cultural heritage can be continuously transmitted to establish a complete system of cultural heritage preservation. The main contents include several navigation technologies, such as 3D laser scanning, UAV images, photogrammetry, panorama, audio/video, geographic information systems etc.

Eolian dust transport and deposition are important geophysical processes which influence global bio-geochemical cycles. Currently, reliable deposition data are scarce in central and east Asia. Located at the boundary of central and east Asia, Xinjiang Province of northwestern China has long played a strategic role in cultural and economic trade between Asia and Europe. In this paper, we investigated the spatial distribution and temporal variation in dust deposition and ambient PM10 (particulate matter in aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm) concentration from 2000 to 2013 in Xinjiang Province. This variation was assessed using environmental monitoring records from 14 stations in the province. Over the 14 years, annual average dust deposition across stations in the province ranged from 255.7 to 421.4 t km−2. Annual dust deposition was greater in southern Xinjiang (663.6 t km−2) than northern (147.8 t km−2) and eastern Xinjiang (194.9 t km−2). Annual average PM10 concentration across stations in the province varied from 100 to 196 µg m−3 and was 70, 115 and 239 µg m−3 in northern, eastern and southern Xinjiang, respectively. The highest annual dust deposition (1394.1 t km−2) and ambient PM10 concentration (352 µg m−3) were observed in Hotan, which is located in southern Xinjiang and at the southern boundary of the Taklamakan Desert. Dust deposition was more intense during the spring and summer than other seasons. PM10 was the main air pollutant that significantly influenced regional air quality. Annual average dust deposition increased logarithmically with ambient PM10 concentration (R2 ≥ 0.81). While the annual average dust storm frequency remained unchanged from 2000 to 2013, there was a positive relationship between dust storm days and dust deposition and PM10 concentration across stations. This study suggests that sand storms are a major factor affecting the temporal variability and spatial distribution of dust deposition in northwest China.

This study investigated the effects of feeds naturally contaminated with mycotoxins on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, carcass traits, and splenic heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) mRNA expression levels in broiler chickens. The efficacy of yeast cell wall (YCW) adsorbent in preventing mycotoxicosis was also evaluated. Three hundred 1-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 3 treatments in completely randomized design for 42 d. Each treatment group had 5 replicate pens with 20 birds. The treatments were as follows: i) basal diet (control), ii) naturally contaminated diet (NCD), and iii) NCD+0.2% YCW adsorbent (NCDD). The NCD decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p

Understanding the nature of competing phases is a key to understanding the superconducting mechanism of unconventional superconductors. Here, the authors demonstrate a three-dimensional charge ordering state which competes with superconductivity in epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-x thin films grown on La0.7Ca0.3MnO3substrates.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are potent greenhouse gases that are both produced and consumed in soil. Production and consumption of these gases are driven by different processes, making it difficult to infer their controls when measuring only net fluxes. We used the trace gas pool dilution technique to simultaneously measure gross fluxes of N2O and CH4 throughout the growing season in a cornfield in northern California, USA. Net N2O fluxes ranged 0–4.5 mg N m−2 d−1 with the N2O yield averaging 0.68 ± 0.02. Gross N2O production was best predicted by net nitrogen (N) mineralization, soil moisture, and soil temperature (R2 = 0.60, n = 39, p< 0.001). Gross N2O reduction was correlated with the combination of gross N2O production rates, net N mineralization rates, and CO2 emissions (R2 = 0.74, n = 39, p< 0.001). Overall, net CH4 fluxes averaged −0.03 ± 0.02 mg C m−2 d−1. The methanogenic fraction of carbon mineralization ranged from 0 to 0.27 % and explained 40 % of the variability in gross CH4 production rates (n = 37, p< 0.001). Gross CH4 oxidation exhibited a strong positive relationship with gross CH4 production rates (R2 = 0.67, n = 37, p< 0.001), which reached as high as 5.4 mg C m−2 d−1. Our study is the first to demonstrate the simultaneous in situ measurement of gross N2O and CH4 fluxes, and results highlight that net soil–atmosphere fluxes can mask significant gross production and consumption of these trace gases.

A hybrid fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and radio-over-fiber (RoF) transport system is proposed to transmit one wired signal and two wireless signals simultaneously through an optical lightwave. By properly utilizing the polarization characteristic of a phase-remodulated and polarization-remodulated optical lightwave, the first- and second-order sidebands of the lightwave can be colorlessly separated for optical double- and quadruple-frequency RoF transmissions. Experimental results prove that the independent FTTH and two-band RoF signals can be simultaneously generated and separated by relatively low-frequency radio-frequency devices, optical modulators, and polarization beam splitters. The transmission performances are proven by proper bit error rate (BER) performance and clear eye and constellation diagrams. The interference among the transmitted wired signal and double- and quadruple-frequency RoF signals is acceptable. In this case, the wavelength of the optical carrier can be flexibly assigned, and the frequency of the transmitted wireless signals can be easily adjusted without affecting the functionality of the developed optical fiber transport system. The presented architecture can be flexibly employed to support various types of FTTH and microwave and millimeter-wave over fiber transmissions.

A new hetero trinuclear manganese(III)-iron(II) complex, [Mn(salen)(H2O)]2[Fe(CN)6], in which salen is the dianionic form of N,N’-bis(5-methylsalicylidene)-1,2-diaminoethane, has been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, and single crystal X-ray crystallographic determination. The crystal of the complex is monoclinic: space group P21/c, a = 10.768(2), b = 14.248(3), c = 15.222(3) Å, β = 95.394(2)º, V = 2325.0(8) Å3, Z = 2, R1 = 0.0754, wR2 = 0.2366. The bis-Schiff base ligand coordinates to the Mn atom through phenolate O and imine N atoms. Each Mn atom in the complex is in octahedral coordination, with the equatorial donor atoms come from the Schiff base ligand, and with the axial donor atoms come from a water O atom and a cyanide N atom. The effects of the complex on the antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans were studied. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v29i3.8

Historical building conservation raises two important issues which are documentation and refurbishing. For the recording and documentation, we already have developed 3d laser scanner and such photogrammetry technology those represent a freeze object of virtual reality by digital documentation. On the other hand, the refurbished engineering of historic building is a challenge for conservation heritage which are not only reconstructing the damage part but also restoring tangible cultural heritage. 3D digital cultural heritage models has become a topic of great interest in recent years. One reason for this is the more widespread use of laser scanning and photogrammetry for recording cultural heritage sites. These technologies have made it possible to efficiently and accurately record complex structures remotely that would not have been possible with previous survey methods. In addition to these developments, digital information systems are evolving for the presentation, analysis and archival of heritage documentation.

The integration of preservation of heritage and the digital technology is an important international trend in the 21st century. The digital technology not only is able to record and preserve detailed documents and information of heritage completely, but also brings the value-added features effectively. In this study, 3D laser scanning is used to perform the digitalized archives for the interior and exterior body work of the building which contains integration of 3D scanner technology, mobile scanning collaboration and multisystem reverse modeling and integration technology. The 3D model is built by combining with multi-media presentations and reversed modeling in real scale to perform the simulation of virtual reality (VR). With interactive teaching and presentation of augmented reality to perform the interaction technology to extend the continuously update in traditional architecture information. With the upgrade of the technology and value-added in digitalization, the cultural asset value can be experienced through 3D virtual reality which makes the information presentation from the traditional reading in the past toward user operation with sensory experience and keep exploring the possibilities and development of cultural asset preservation by using digital technology makes the presentation and learning of cultural asset information toward diversification.

Six years after the devastating Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, new landslides, debris flows, and flash floods still occur frequently in the earthquake-stricken regions. This shows that the geological hazards that occur after a major earthquake in a mountainous environment can be a long-term threat. However, post-earthquake reconstruction and relocation of local residents often neglect this evolving threat, and its interaction with existing and rebuilt houses has not been well studied. Here we show that the evolving mountain environment, including the changed geographic distribution of new landslides and the continuously uplifting riverbed, creates emerging risks for existing and rebuilt houses. We use spatial analysis of landslide debris and the location of houses from high-resolution images and field survey in the study area and find that new landslides and the houses rebuilt after the Wenchuan earthquake have a similar trend of moving to lower elevations, gentler slopes, and closer to rivers. This study confirms that the persistent downward movement of landslide debris has rapidly filled up riverbeds over the past 6 years. The elevated riverbeds make the study area extremely susceptible to flash floods, creating further risks to newly rebuilt houses that are closer to the river. We highlight the often neglected dynamic process that involves changes in the natural environment and man-made constructions and their interaction. This dynamic process requires long-term monitoring and adaptive management of mountainous regions after major earthquakes that can fully consider the sophisticated evolving risks caused by the changing environment, exposure, and vulnerability in the region.

Introduction: Hand ischemia following vascular access surgery is an uncommon complication. A clinical dilemma exists between prioritizing the preservation of vascular access and the need for surgical intervention to rescue the ischemic hand. Report: An 80 year old man who had hand ischemia following creation of a polytetrafluoroethylene arteriovenous graft with clinical evidence of ischemic pain of the left hand and Doppler ultrasound evidence of diastolic flow reversal is described. Far infrared therapy (FIR) was applied over the distal part of the affected limb, and the symptoms and signs of ischemia improved remarkably. Follow up ultrasonography also revealed the disappearance of diastolic flow reversal. Discussion: FIR therapy is a promising and non-invasive therapeutic modality to treat vascular access related hand ischemia by decreasing vascular resistance and improving hand perfusion Keywords: Arteriovenous graft, Dialysis access associated steal syndrome, Far infrared therapy, Hand ischemia, Hemodialysis, Steal syndrome

In this work, alloys of Nd(Fe1-xCox)10.5M1.5 (M=Mo and V) were prepared via arc melting and heat treatment. The nitrides of these alloys were synthesized using a gas-solid state reaction method. The influence of Co substitution for Fe in NdFe10.5Mo1.5 and NdFe10.5V1.5 alloys and their nitrides were investigated. It was found that the lattice parameters a, c, and unit cell volume V decrease with increasing Co content x for Nd(Fe1-xCox)10.5Mo1.5. As compared to their parent alloys, the lattice parameters and unit cells volume increase after nitrogenation, which gives rise to higher Curie temperature, magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy field for nitrides. A small amount of Co substitution for Fe (x≤0.3) can enhance the magnetic properties including Curie temperature, saturation magnetization and magnetocrystalline anisotropy field of the alloys and their nitrides, while higher concentration of Co (x>0.3) will deteriorates these magnetic properties, especially for the nitrides, due to the modification of the band structure by Co atom. As a result, Nd(Fe1-xCox)10.5Mo1.5Ny and Nd(Fe1-xCox)10.5V1.5Ny with x≤0.2 become promising candidates for permanent magnet applications. A coercivity of 4.6 kOe and maximum energy product BHmax of 20 MGOe were achieved for NdFe9.45Co1.05Mo1.5Nx.

It remains challenging to preserve entanglement between distant solid-state qubits with high-fidelity, such as nitrogen vacancy centers (NVCs). We propose a Floquet engineering strategy to protect the maximal entanglement between two weakly interacting NVCs separated in long spatial distance by locally applying periodic strong driving on the NVCs. It is found that entanglement of the Floquet states of the NVCs resonantly reaches its maximum during the whole driving period at certain values of the driving parameters. Our analysis reveals that it is the occurrence of the avoided level crossing in the Floquet quasienergy spectrum which results in such entanglement resonance. The dissipation effect on the generated entanglement has also been analyzed. Our results may be of both theoretical and experimental interests in exploring the long-lasting entanglement between weakly interacting spins to long distances in realistic environments.

Two cultivars of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) differing in their drought tolerance (KTC86211 and ND7532) were subjected to a progressive soil water stress and recovery at four developmental stages. Dehydrins with molecular masses of 45 and 37 kDa were constitutively accumulated during all stages in both genotypes. The 28 kDa dehydrin accumulated exclusively at seedling stage in both genotypes. The 49 and 40 kDa dehydrins accumulated at both tillering and jointing stages but showed a genotype-specific pattern. The content of most dehydrins increased with decreased soil moisture and then decreased during recovery. These results suggest that accumulation pattern of dehydrins during water stress was related to the genotype and developmental stage.

FAD2A and FAD2B are homoeologous genes from A and B genomes in cultivated peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) encoding fatty acid desaturates which convert oleate to linoleate. To study the genetics of oleate and breed high oleate peanut cultivars, a simple allele specific-PCR (AS-PCR) protocol for the accurate genotyping of FAD2A/FAD2B was developed to discriminate the wild and mutant allele of both genes (FAD2A 448 G > A and FAD2B 441_442insA). The results may serve to develop a feasible procedure for producing highly desired high oleate peanut cultivars through hybridization.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with thiazolidinedione (TZD) on growth performance and meat quality of finishing pigs. In Experiment 1, 80 castrated finishing pigs (Large White×Landrace, BW = 54.34 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 treatments with 5 replicates of 8 pigs each. The experimental pigs in the 2 groups were respectively fed with a diet with or without a TZD supplementation (15 mg/kg). In Experiment 2, 80 castrated finishing pigs (Large White×Landrace, BW = 71.46 kg) were divided into 2 treatments as designed in Experiment 1, moreover, carcass evaluations were performed. The results from Experiment 1 showed that TZD supplementation could significantly decreased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) (p0.05). In Experiment 2, the ADG was significantly increased by TZD supplementation during 14 to 28 d and 0 to 28 d (p

Four Luxi beef cattle (400±10 kg) fitted with ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulas were used in a 4×4 Latin square to assess the effects of soybean small peptide (SSP) infusion on rumen fermentation, diet digestion and flow of nutrient in the gastrointestinal tract. The ruminal infusion of SSP was 0 (control), 100, 200 and 300 g/d. Ruminal SSP infusion linearly (p

In the past decade, Mn rich Ni-Mn based alloys have attained considerable attention due to their abundant physics and potential application as multifunctional materials. In this paper, polycrystalline Ni50Mn38−xPdxSn12 (x = 0, 2, 4, 6) Heusler alloys have been prepared, and the martensitic phase transformation (MPT) together with the shape memory effect and the magnetocaloric effect has been investigated. The experimental result indicates that the MPT evidently shifts to a lower temperature with increase of Pd substitution for Mn atoms, which can be attributed to the weakness of the hybridization between the Ni atom and excess Mn on the Sn site rather than the electron concentration. The physics properties study focused on the sample of Ni50Mn34Pd4Sn12 shows a good two-way shape memory behavior, and the maximum value of strain Δ L/L reaches about 0.13% during the MPT. The small of both entropy change Δ ST and magnetostrain can be ascribed to the inconspicuous influence of magnetic field induced MPT.

During the 12 May 2008, Wenchuan earthquake in China, more than 15 000 landslides were triggered by the earthquake. Among these landslides, there were 112 large landslides generated with a plane area greater than 50 000 m2. These large landslides were markedly distributed closely along the surface rupture zone in a narrow belt and were mainly located on the hanging wall side. More than 85% of the large landslides are presented within the range of 10 km from the rupture. Statistical analysis shows that more than 50% of large landslides occurred in the hard rock and second-hard rock, like migmatized metamorphic rock and carbonate rock, which crop out in the south part of the damaged area with higher elevation and steeper landform in comparison with the northeast part of the damaged area. All large landslides occurred in the region with seismic intensity ≥ X except a few of landslides in the Qingchuan region with seismic intensity IX. Spatially, the large landslides can be centred into four segments, namely the Yingxiu, the Gaochuan, the Beichuan and the Qingchuan segments, from southwest to northeast along the surface rupture. This is in good accordance with coseismic displacements. With the change of fault type from reverse-dominated slip to dextral slip from southwest to northeast, the largest distance between the triggered large landslides and the rupture decreases from 15 km to 5 km. The critical acceleration ac for four typical large landslides in these four different segments were estimated by the Newmark model in this paper. Our results demonstrate that, given the same strength values and slope angles, the characteristics of slope mass are important for slope stability and deeper landslides are less stable than shallower landslides. Comprehensive analysis reveals that the large catastrophic landslides could be specifically tied to a particular geological setting where fault type and geometry change abruptly. This feature may dominate the occurrence of large landslides. The results will be useful for improving reliable assessments of earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility, especially for large landslides which may result in serious damages.

The present experiment was conducted to determine the digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME) content, and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy in growing pigs fed diets containing one of ten cottonseed meals (CSM) collected from different provinces of China and to develop in vitro prediction equations for DE and ME content from chemical composition of the CSM samples. Twelve growing barrows with an initial body weight of 35.2±1.7 kg were allotted to two 6×6 Latin square designs, with six barrows and six periods and six diets for each. A corn-dehulled soybean meal diet was used as the basal diet, and the other ten diets were formulated with corn, dehulled soybean meal and 19.20% CSM. The DE, ME and ATTD of gross energy among different CSM sources varied largely and ranged from 1,856 to 2,730 kcal/kg dry matter (DM), 1,778 to 2,534 kcal/kg DM, and 42.08 to 60.47%, respectively. Several chemical parameters were identified to predict the DE and ME values of CSM, and the accuracy of prediction models were also tested. The best fit equations were: DE, kcal/kg DM = 670.14+31.12 CP+659.15 EE with R2 = 0.82, RSD = 172.02, p

Severe tropical storms play an important role in triggering phytoplankton blooms, but the extent to which such storms influence biogenic carbon flux from the euphotic zone is unclear. In 2008, typhoon Fengwong provided a unique opportunity to study the in situ biological responses including phytoplankton blooms and particulate organic carbon fluxes associated with a severe storm in the southern East China Sea (SECS). After passage of the typhoon, the sea surface temperature (SST) in the SECS was markedly cooler (∼25 to 26 °C) than before typhoon passage (∼28 to 29 °C). The POC flux 5 days after passage of the typhoon was 265 ± 14 mg C m−2 d−1, which was ∼1.7-fold that (140–180 mg C m−2 d−1) recorded during a period (June–August, 2007) when no typhoons occurred. A somewhat smaller but nevertheless significant increase in POC flux (224–225 mg C m−2 d−1) was detected following typhoon Sinlaku which occurred approximately 1 month after typhoon Fengwong, indicating that typhoon events can increase biogenic carbon flux efficiency in the SECS. Remarkably, phytoplankton uptake accounted for only about 5% of the nitrate injected into the euphotic zone by typhoon Fengwong. It is likely that phytoplankton population growth was constrained by a combination of light limitation and grazing pressure. Modeled estimates of new/export production were remarkably consistent with the average of new and export production following typhoon Fengwong. The same model suggested that during non-typhoon conditions approximately half of the export of organic carbon occurs via convective mixing of dissolved organic carbon, a conclusion consistent with earlier work at comparable latitudes in the open ocean.

Empirical models of Total Electron Content (TEC) based on functional fitting over Taiwan (120° E, 24° N) have been constructed using data of the Global Positioning System (GPS) from 1998 to 2007 during geomagnetically quiet condition (Dst>−30 nT). The models provide TEC as functions of local time (LT), day of year (DOY) and the solar activity (F), which are represented by 1–162 days mean of F10.7 and EUV. Other models based on median values have been also constructed and compared with the models based on the functional fitting. Under same values of F parameter, the models based on the functional fitting show better accuracy than those based on the median values in all cases. The functional fitting model using daily EUV is the most accurate with 9.2 TECu of root mean square error (RMS) than the 15-days running median with 10.4 TECu RMS and the model of International Reference Ionosphere 2007 (IRI2007) with 14.7 TECu RMS. IRI2007 overestimates TEC when the solar activity is low, and underestimates TEC when the solar activity is high. Though average of 81 days centered running mean of F10.7 and daily F10.7 is often used as indicator of EUV, our result suggests that average of F10.7 mean from 1 to 54 day prior and current day is better than the average of 81 days centered running mean for reproduction of TEC. This paper is for the first time comparing the median based model with the functional fitting model. Results indicate the functional fitting model yielding a better performance than the median based one. Meanwhile we find that the EUV radiation is essential to derive an optimal TEC.

This paper deals with the applications of intersecting flows for the improvement of water environments in water reservoirs. First, the present authors' research results are summarised for flow characteristics in intersecting channels placed in horizontal or vertical positions. All physical phenomena involved are identified and their mechanisms are explained. Subsequently, appropriate methods are obtained for solving the problems of stratified water and eutrophication in water reservoirs. A novel drainage system is developed and a particle ejection experiment for sediment flushing is investigated utilising a reservoir model with glass beads replacing sands. Flow visualisation and measurements are used in each experiment. The study has concluded that intersecting flows are suitable for solving water environment problems in water reservoirs.

The uncertainty relations, pioneered by Werner Heisenberg nearly 90 years ago, set a fundamental limitation on the joint measurability of complementary observables. This limitation has long been a subject of debate, which has been reignited recently due to new proposed forms of measurement uncertainty relations. The present work is associated with a new error trade-off relation for compatible observables approximating two incompatible observables, in keeping with the spirit of Heisenberg’s original ideas of 1927. We report the first direct test and confirmation of the tight bounds prescribed by such an error trade-off relation, based on an experimental realisation of optimal joint measurements of complementary observables using a single ultracold ${}^{40}{{\rm{Ca}}}^{+}$ ion trapped in a harmonic potential. Our work provides a prototypical determination of ultimate joint measurement error bounds with potential applications in quantum information science for high-precision measurement and information security.

We characterize spall damage in shock-recovered ultrapure Al with metallography and x-ray tomography. The measured damage profiles in ultrapure Al induced by planar impact at different shock strengths, can be described with a Gaussian function, and showed dependence on shock strengths. Optical metallography is reasonably accurate for damage profile measurements, and agrees within 10–25% with x-ray tomography. Full tomography analysis showed that void size distributions followed a power law with an exponent of γ = 1.5 ± 2.0, which is likely due to void nucleation and growth, and the exponent is considerably smaller than the predictions from percolation models.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether High Resolution Ultrasound (US) along with Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) can provide the surgeon with adequate preoperative information for masses in the submandibular triangle. Subjects and methods: Eighty-two consecutive patients with suspected masses of the submandibular triangle had US with guided FNAC (49 patients) and final histological correlation (47 patients). Results: Compared to final histology, US had a sensitivity of 97%, specificity 83%, positive predictive value 91% and a negative predictive value of 95% while FNAC had sensitivity of 100%, specificity 90%, positive predictive value 94% and negative predictive value of 100%. Conclusion: US combined with a FNAC is an ideal initial investigation for evaluating masses in submandibular area. It is quick, inexpensive, easily available, and provides the surgeon with relevant information preoperatively obviating the need for further expensive imaging.

We previously reported a compound heterozygote [T(-39)C/T(-93)G] in the human lipoprotein lipase (LPL) gene promoter in one out of 19 patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) and reduced post-heparin plasma LPL levels. The T(-39)C substitution resulted in 85% decrease in LPL promoter activity. Further screening of Caucasian patients with FCHL, coronary artery disease (CAD), and of unselected Caucasian subjects revealed four additional LPL promoter variants. Among the same 19 FCHL patients with reduced LPL levels, we found one heterozygote for a G(-53)C substitution. Among 115 CAD patients, we found five heterozygotes and one homozygote for the T(-93)G substitution and one heterozygote for a CC insertion between +13 and +19 of the 5' untranslated region. In a group of 183 unselected subjects, three heterozygotes with the T(-93)G substitution were found. The G(-53)C substitution led to approximately 70-75% decrease in promoter activity as assayed by transient transfections of THP-1 (macrophage-like) and C2C12 (myotube-like) cells. The T(-93)G substitution resulted in reduction of promoter activity by approximately 40-50%. The CC insertion between +13 and +19 caused a decrease in promoter activity by 20% in THP-1 and 50% in C2C12. Substitutions at -79 and -95, which had no effect on promoter function, were also discovered in the population samples studied. The finding of two promoter mutations (-39 and -53) among 19 FCHL patients with diminished LPL, but not among the other groups of subjects, suggests a potential role of regulatory mutations of the LPL gene in the development of dyslipidemia in FCHL.