Picea species from humid continental and temperate marine climates perform better in monsoonal areas of middle latitudes of China

Picea spp.are a prominent component of the boreal,montane,and sub-alpine forests in the Northern Hemisphere,and have substantial economic importance due to their high quality fibre.However,performance and wood properties of the genus have not been systematically evaluated in China.This study aimed to examine genetic variations in growth traits,phenology,and wood properties of 17 Picea species,(three from North America,two from Europe,and 12 from China),in response to specific climate factors using a randomized complete block design in a monsoonal,middle latitude area of China.Results show that all growth traits and wood properties significantly varied among species(P <0.00).Of the 17 species examined,P.abies and P.pungens were the tallest with heights of 2.5 and 1.9 m at 9 years old,respectively,90% and 50% greater than the average heights.Branch length,number,and angles of both P.abies and P.pungens were greater than those of the other species.Heights of P.glauca and P.omorika were20-33% greater than the average.Fast-growing species had high quantities of first lateral branches and large top whorl branch lengths.The taller species exhibited greater tracheid lengths and average tracheid lengths to radial central diameter ratios(TL/R_D2),but smaller cell wall thicknesses to tracheid radial lumen diameter ratios(WT/R_D1),which is favorable for pulp production.Correlation analysis revealed that height and ring width had significant positive correlations with latitude but strongly negative correlations with longitude.Height was positively correlated with average annual rainfalls,but negative correlations with average yearly sunshine.Due to the increased average annual sunshine at the China test site relative to the seed source,species such as P.abies,P.pungens,P.glauca,and P.omorika from wet,humid areas performed better than native species.Considering similar temperatures,precipitation may be the main factor affecting growth,which is beneficial for predicting the extent of spruce expansion.These results should encourage further testing and provide reference information for future exotic species studies in this part of China.

3D Microdisplacement Monitoring of Large Aircraft Assembly with Automated In Situ Calibration

Three-dimensional(3D)microdisplacement monitoring plays a crucial role in the assembly of large aircraft.This paper presents a broadly applicable high-precision online 3D microdisplacement monitoring method and system based on proximity sensors as well as a corresponding in situ calibration method,which can be applied under various extreme working conditions encountered in the aircraft assembly process,such as compact and obstructed spaces.A 3D monitoring model is first established to achieve 3D microdisplacement monitoring based only on the one-dimensional distances measured by proximity sensors,which concerns the extrinsic sensor parameters,such as the probe base point(PBP)and the unit displacement vector(UDV).Then,a calibration method is employed to obtain these extrinsic parameters with high precision by combining spatial transformation principles and weighted optimization.Finally,calibration and monitoring experiments performed for a tailplane assembly process are reported.The calibration precision for the PBP is better than±10 lm in the X and Y directions and±2 lm in the Z direction,and the calibration precision for the UDV is better than 0.07°.Moreover,the accuracy of the 3D microdisplacement monitoring system can reach±15 lm.In general,this paper provides new insights into the modeling and calibration of 3D microdisplacement monitoring based on proximity sensors and a precise,efficient,and low-cost technical means for performing related measurements in compact spaces during the aircraft assembly process.

Clinicopathological Significance of E-cadherin and PCNA Expression in Hunman Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to assess E-cadherin (E-cad)and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)expression as well as their clinicopathological significance in hunman non- small cell lung cancers(NSCLCs).Possible molecular mechanisms of differentiation and metastasis of NSCLCs are discussed. METHODS Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence double staining were performed to examine the expression of E-cad and PCNA in 68 primary NSCLCs cases. RESULTS The E-cad expression in squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas showed no significant difference.E-cad expression had a positive correlation with the histological- differentiated grade.A significant difference of E-cad expression was found between metastatic and non-metastatic groups.PCNA expression in squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas showed no significant difference.The PCNA expression had a reverse correlation with the histological-differentiated grade.A significant difference of PCNA expression was found between metastatic and non-metastatic groups.The E-cad and PCNA expression presented a reverse correlation. CONCLUSION E-cad expression is not associated with the histological type of NSCLC,but is associated with differentiation and metastasis of the cancer.Down-regulation of E-cad expression affects the proliferation of cancer cells.Conjoint analysis of E-cad and PCNA expression is a good way to evaluate tumor biological behavior.

Genetic variation of wood tracheid traits and their relationships with growth and wood density in clones of Pinus tabuliformis

To improve wood quality for pulpwood industries, it is important to examine not only wood density but also its components, especially tracheid characteristics.We studied genetic variations in the following tracheid traits by earlywood(EW) and latewood(LW): tracheid length(TL),double wall thickness(WT), radial lumen diameter(R_D1), tangential lumen diameter(T_D1), radial central diameter(R_D2), and tangential central diameter(T_D2).We also studied the relationship with the following growth traits: diameter at breast height(DBH), height(H), crown breadth south-north axis(NSC), crown breadth east–west axis(EWC), ring width(RW), latewood percentage (LWP), and wood density(WD).All sample materials were collected from a 33-year old clonal seed orchard of Pinus tabuliformis Carr.Genetic variation among clones was moderate for all tracheid traits, 9.49–26.03%.Clones significantly affected WT, R_D1, R_D2, T_D1, T_D2, and the two ratios WT/R_D1 and TL/T_D2 in EW but had no effects in LW.Clones significantly affected TL in LW but had no effects in EW.H2/C was higher in LW(0.50) than in EW(0.20) for TL, while H2/Cwas higher in EW(0.27–0.46)for other tracheid traits and the two ratios(TL/T_D2 and WT/R_D1) than in EW(0.06–0.22).WD and TL were significantly positively correlated, but WT and TL were negatively correlated both at individual and clone levels;all tracheid diameters and the four ratio values(EW_WT/R_D1, LW_WT/R_D1, EW_TL/T_D2 and LW_TL/T_D2), were strongly positively correlated with DBH, H,NSC, WEC and RW, and strongly negatively correlated with WD both at individual and clone levels.The most important variables for predicting WD were LW_TL,EW_WT and R_D1 in both EW and LW(r^2= 0.22).Selecting the top 10% of the clones by DBH would improve DBH growth by 12.19%(wood density was reduced by 0.14%) and produced similar responses between EW and LW for all tracheid traits: a reduction of0.94 and 3.69% in tracheid length and increases in tracheid diameters(from 0.36 to 5.24%) and double wall thickness(0.07 and 0.87%).The two ratios WT/R_D1 and TL/T_D2 across tissues(EW and LW) declined 0.59 and 4.56%,respectively.The decreased tracheid length and the ratio between tracheid length and diameter is disadvantageous for pulp production.The unfavorable relationship of tracheid traits with wood density indicate that multiple trait selection using optimal economic weights and optimal breeding strategies are recommended for the current longterm breeding program for P.tabuliformis.

Random Low Patch⁃rank Method for Interpolation of Regularly Missing Traces

Assuming seismic data in a suitable domain is low rank while missing traces or noises increase the rank of the data matrix,the rank⁃reduced methods have been applied successfully for seismic interpolation and denoising.These rank⁃reduced methods mainly include Cadzow reconstruction that uses eigen decomposition of the Hankel matrix in the f⁃x(frequency⁃spatial)domain,and nuclear⁃norm minimization(NNM)based on rigorous optimization theory on matrix completion(MC).In this paper,a low patch⁃rank MC is proposed with a random⁃overlapped texture⁃patch mapping for interpolation of regularly missing traces in a three⁃dimensional(3D)seismic volume.The random overlap plays a simple but important role to make the low⁃rank method effective for aliased data.It shifts the regular column missing of data matrix to random point missing in the mapped matrix,where the missing data increase the rank thus the classic low⁃rank MC theory works.Unlike the Hankel matrix based rank⁃reduced method,the proposed method does not assume a superposition of linear events,but assumes the data have repeated texture patterns.Such data lead to a low⁃rank matrix after the proposed texture⁃patch mapping.Thus the methods can interpolate the waveforms with varying dips in space.A fast low⁃rank factorization method and an orthogonal rank⁃one matrix pursuit method are applied to solve the presented interpolation model.The former avoids the singular value decomposition(SVD)computation and the latter only needs to compute the large singular values during iterations.The two fast algorithms are suitable for large⁃scale data.Simple averaging realizations of several results from different random⁃overlapped texture⁃patch mappings can further increase the reconstructed signal⁃to⁃noise ratio(SNR).Examples on synthetic data and field data are provided to show successful performance of the presented method.

Modeling and analytical calculation of road damage coefficient considering tire pressure and damping of vehicles

The road damage coefficientβis a significant indicator to estimate the degree of the road damage caused by vehicles.The existing calculation method ofβis not convenient for the engineering application.To effectively evaluate the damage degree and facilitate the engineering application,this paper studied the simple and reliable analytical calculation method ofβ.Firstly,a dynamic model of the vehicle–road system was created.The tire pressure and the tire damping were considered in the model.Moreover,the relationship between the tire vertical stiffness and the tire pressure is approximated as a linear function.Secondly,based on the dynamic model,according to the definition ofβ,a concise analytical formula ofβwas derived and verified by numerical simulations.The relative errors of the analytical calculation results are all less than 0.1%.Thirdly,the influences of the tire pressure p,the damping ratioξs of the suspension system,and the damping ratioξt of the wheel system onβwere analyzed.Moreover,based on the analytical formula ofβ,a mathematical model of the optimal damping matching for the suspension system was established and a case study was also given.The research results show that the larger the tire pressure p,the larger the value ofβis.For each p,there is an optimal damping ratioξs.If the tire damping is ignored,it will lead to the design error forξs.Finally,some important conclusions were drawn.The analytical formula ofβand the conclusions can provide valuable references for the analysis of the road damage and the initial design of vehicle suspensions.

On-line batch production of ferrate with an chemical method and its potential application for greywater recycling with Al(Ⅲ) salt

Ferrate(Ⅵ ) salt is an oxidant and coagulant for water and wastewater treatment. It is considered as a possible alternative method in greywater treatment. However, challenges have existed in putting ferrate(Ⅵ ) technology into full-scale practice in water and wastewater treatment due to the instability of ferrate solution and high production cost of solid ferrate products. This study demonstrated a new approach of greywater treatment with on-line batch production of Fe(Ⅵ ) to which Fe(Ⅲ ) salt was oxidized at a weak acidity solution. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Fe(Ⅵ ) on light greywater(total organic carbon(TOC) = 19.5 mg/L) and dark greywater(TOC = 55 mg/L)treatment under different conditions with varying p H and Fe(Ⅵ ) doses. In addition, the combination use of Fe(Ⅵ ) and Al(Ⅲ ) salts was proved to be more efficient than using the Fe(Ⅵ ) salts alone at greywater recycling. The optimum dosage of Fe(Ⅵ )/Al(Ⅲ ) salts was 25/25 mg/L for light greywater, 90/60 mg/L for dark greywater, respectively. The TOC values of both light greywater and dark greywater were reduced to less than 3 mg/L with the dosages.The cost for treating greywater was 0.06–0.2 $/ton at ferrate(Ⅵ ) dosage of 25–90 mg/L and0.008–0.024 $/ton at AlCl_3 dosage of 25–60 mg/L. The full operating cost needs further assessment before the Fe(Ⅵ )/Al(Ⅲ ) technology could be implemented in greywater treatment.

Electrospun chitosan nanofibers for wound healing application

Electrospun nanofibers have been considered as relatively ideal material system for the design and construction of surgical wound dressings in the past few decades.Although there are lots of other biopolymers employed for electrospinning,chitosan is one of the most important biopolymers for the fabrication of electrospun nanofibers,due to its nontoxic,antibacterial,biocompatible as well as biodegradable properties.Electrospun chitosan nanofibers with random or aligned fiber structure can further be cross-linked by physical,chemical and ionic crosslinking methods.The as-crosslinked electrospun chitosan nanofibrous membranes possess enhanced wet stability,improved mechanical property and good biocompatibility,which are necessary for wound healing application.The present work reviews the recent studies on the design and development of electrospun chitosan nanofibers and their applications for wound healing,such as antibacterial materials,hemostatic dressings,angiogenesis and immune regulation.