Multi-layer perceptron-based data-driven multiscale modelling of granular materials with a novel Frobenius norm-based internal variable

One objective of developing machine learning(ML)-based material models is to integrate them with well-established numerical methods to solve boundary value problems(BVPs).In the family of ML models,recurrent neural networks(RNNs)have been extensively applied to capture history-dependent constitutive responses of granular materials,but these multiple-step-based neural networks are neither sufficiently efficient nor aligned with the standard finite element method(FEM).Single-step-based neural networks like the multi-layer perceptron(MLP)are an alternative to bypass the above issues but have to introduce some internal variables to encode complex loading histories.In this work,one novel Frobenius norm-based internal variable,together with the Fourier layer and residual architectureenhanced MLP model,is crafted to replicate the history-dependent constitutive features of representative volume element(RVE)for granular materials.The obtained ML models are then seamlessly embedded into the FEM to solve the BVP of a biaxial compression case and a rigid strip footing case.The obtained solutions are comparable to results from the FEM-DEM multiscale modelling but achieve significantly improved efficiency.The results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed internal variable in enabling MLP to capture highly nonlinear constitutive responses of granular materials.

Multi‑omics integration identifies regulatory factors underlying bovine subclinical mastitis

Background Mastitis caused by multiple factors remains one of the most common and costly disease of the dairy industry.Multi-omics approaches enable the comprehensive investigation of the complex interactions between mul-tiple layers of information to provide a more holistic view of disease pathogenesis.Therefore,this study investigated the genomic and epigenomic signatures and the possible regulatory mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis by integrating RNA sequencing data(mRNA and lncRNA),small RNA sequencing data(miRNA)and DNA methylation sequencing data of milk somatic cells from 10 healthy cows and 20 cows with naturally occurring subclinical mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus chromogenes.Results Functional investigation of the data sets through gene set analysis uncovered 3458 biological process GO terms and 170 KEGG pathways with altered activities during subclinical mastitis,provided further insights into subclin-ical mastitis and revealed the involvement of multi-omics signatures in the altered immune responses and impaired mammary gland productivity during subclinical mastitis.The abundant genomic and epigenomic signatures with sig-nificant alterations related to subclinical mastitis were observed,including 30,846,2552,1276 and 57 differential methylation haplotype blocks(dMHBs),differentially expressed genes(DEGs),lncRNAs(DELs)and miRNAs(DEMs),respectively.Next,5 factors presenting the principal variation of differential multi-omics signatures were identified.The important roles of Factor 1(DEG,DEM and DEL)and Factor 2(dMHB and DEM),in the regulation of immune defense and impaired mammary gland functions during subclinical mastitis were revealed.Each of the omics within Factors 1 and 2 explained about 20%of the source of variation in subclinical mastitis.Also,networks of impor-tant functional gene sets with the involvement of multi-omics signatures were demonstrated,which contributed to a comprehensive view of the possible regulatory mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis.Furthermore,multi-omics integration enabled the association of the epigenomic regulatory factors(dMHBs,DELs and DEMs)of altered genes in important pathways,such as‘Staphylococcus aureus infection pathway’and‘natural killer cell mediated cyto-toxicity pathway’,etc.,which provides further insights into mastitis regulatory mechanisms.Moreover,few multi-omics signatures(14 dMHBs,25 DEGs,18 DELs and 5 DEMs)were identified as candidate discriminant signatures with capac-ity of distinguishing subclinical mastitis cows from healthy cows.Conclusion The integration of genomic and epigenomic data by multi-omics approaches in this study provided a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying subclinical mastitis and identified multi-omics candidate discriminant signatures for subclinical mastitis,which may ultimately lead to the development of more effective mastitis control and management strategies.

Development of a single transcript CRISPR/Cas9 toolkit for efficient genome editing in autotetraploid alfalfa

Alfalfa(Medicago sativa.L.)is a globally significant autotetraploid legume forage crop.However,despite its importance,establishing efficient gene editing systems for cultivated alfalfa remains a formidable challenge.In this study,we pioneered the development of a highly effective ultrasonic-assisted leaf disc transformation system for Gongnong 1 alfalfa,a variety widely cultivated in Northeast China.Subsequently,we created a single transcript CRISPR/Cas9(CRISPR_2.0)toolkit,incorporating multiplex gRNAs,designed for gene editing in Gongnong 1.Both Cas9 and gRNA scaffolds were under the control of the Arabidopsis ubiquitin-10 promoter,a widely employed polymeraseⅡconstitutive promoter known for strong transgene expression in dicots.To assess the toolkit’s efficiency,we targeted PALM1,a gene associated with a recognizable multifoliate phenotype.Utilizing the CRISPR_2.0 toolkit,we directed PALM1 editing at two sites in the wild-type Gongnong 1.Results indicated a 35.1%occurrence of editing events all in target 2 alleles,while no mutations were detected at target 1 in the transgenic-positive lines.To explore more efficient sgRNAs,we developed a rapid,reliable screening system based on Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation,incorporating the visible reporter MtLAP1.This screening system demonstrated that most purple visible hairy roots underwent gene editing.Notably,sgRNA3,with an 83.0%editing efficiency,was selected using the visible hairy root system.As anticipated,tetra-allelic homozygous palm1 mutations exhibited a clear multifoliate phenotype.These palm1 lines demonstrated an average crude protein yield increase of 21.5%compared to trifoliolate alfalfa.Our findings highlight the modified CRISPR_2.0 system as a highly efficient and robust gene editing tool for autotetraploid alfalfa.

Methylome and transcriptome data integration reveals potential roles of DNA methylation and candidate biomarkers of cow Streptococcus uberis subclinical mastitis

Background:Mastitis caused by different pathogens including Streptococcus uberis(S.uberis)is responsible for huge economic losses to the dairy industry.In order to investigate the potential genetic and epigenetic regulatory mecha‑nisms of subclinical mastitis due to S.uberis,the DNA methylome(whole genome DNA methylation sequencing)and transcriptome(RNA sequencing)of milk somatic cells from cows with naturally occurring S.uberis subclinical mastitis and healthy control cows(n=3/group)were studied.Results:Globally,the DNA methylation levels of CpG sites were low in the promoters and first exons but high in inner exons and introns.The DNA methylation levels at the promoter,first exon and first intron regions were nega‑tively correlated with the expression level of genes at a whole‑genome‑wide scale.In general,DNA methylation level was lower in S.uberis‑positive group(SUG)than in the control group(CTG).A total of 174,342 differentially methylated cytosines(DMCs)(FDR<0.05)were identified between SUG and CTG,including 132,237,7412 and 34,693 DMCs in the context of CpG,CHG and CHH(H=A or T or C),respectively.Besides,101,612 methylation haplotype blocks(MHBs)were identified,including 451 MHBs that were significantly different(dMHB)between the two groups.A total of 2130 differentially expressed(DE)genes(1378 with up‑regulated and 752 with down‑regulated expression)were found in SUG.Integration of methylome and transcriptome data with MethGET program revealed 1623 genes with signifi‑cant changes in their methylation levels and/or gene expression changes(MetGDE genes,MethGET P‑value<0.001).Functional enrichment of genes harboring≥15 DMCs,DE genes and MetGDE genes suggest significant involvement of DNA methylation changes in the regulation of the host immune response to S.uberis infection,especially cytokine activities.Furthermore,discriminant correlation analysis with DIABLO method identified 26 candidate biomarkers,including 6 DE genes,15 CpG‑DMCs and 5 dMHBs that discriminated between SUG and CTG.Conclusion:The integration of methylome and transcriptome of milk somatic cells suggests the possible involve‑ment of DNA methylation changes in the regulation of the host immune response to subclinical mastitis due to S.uberis.The presented genetic and epigenetic biomarkers could contribute to the design of management strategies of subclinical mastitis and breeding for mastitis resistance.

A spin-based magnetic scanning microscope for in-situ strain tuning of soft matter

We present a magnetic scanning microscope equipped with a nitrogen-vacancy(NV) center scanning probe that has the ability to mechanically tune the strain of soft matter in-situ. The construction of the microscope and a continuous straintuning sample holder are discussed. An optically detected magnetic resonance protocol utilized in the imaging is described.In order to show the reliability of this microscope, the strain conduction is estimated with finite element simulation, and xray diffraction is required for calibration when freestanding crystal films are under consideration. A magnetic imaging result is displayed to demonstrate the nano-scale imaging capability. The microscope presented in this work is helpful in studying strain-coupled magnetic physics such as magnetic phase transition under strain and strain-tuned cycloidal orientation tilting.

Advances in glucocorticoid-mediated stroke-associated immunosuppression

Acute ischemic stroke is often accompa-nied by complications such as infection.After acute isch-emic stroke,immunosuppression can occur as a mech-anism to prevent an excessive inflammatory response. Glucocorticoid,an important product of the hypothalam-ic-pituitary-adrenal axis,plays a crucial role in inducing immunosuppression in the early stage of acute cerebral infarction. Glucocorticoid not only affects the secretion of inflammatory cytokines but also influences the function of immune cells,ultimately leading to an increased risk of infection.

Deep Learning Predicts Stress–Strain Relations of Granular Materials Based on Triaxial Testing Data

This study presents an AI-based constitutive modelling framework wherein the prediction model directly learns from triaxial testing data by combining discrete element modelling(DEM)and deep learning.A constitutive learning strategy is proposed based on the generally accepted frame-indifference assumption in constructing material constitutive models.The low-dimensional principal stress-strain sequence pairs,measured from discrete element modelling of triaxial testing,are used to train recurrent neural networks,and then the predicted principal stress sequence is augmented to other high-dimensional or general stress tensor via coordinate transformation.Through detailed hyperparameter investigations,it is found that long short-term memory(LSTM)and gated recurrent unit(GRU)networks have similar prediction performance in constitutive modelling problems,and both satisfactorily predict the stress responses of granular materials subjected to a given unseen strain path.Furthermore,the unique merits and ongoing challenges of data-driven constitutive models for granular materials are discussed.

Overexpression of PvWOX3a in switchgrass promotes stem development and increases plant height

Switchgrass(Panicum virgatum L.)is an important perennial,noninvasive,tall ornamental grass that adds color and texture to gardens and landscapes.Moreover,switchgrass has been considered a forage and bioenergy crop because of its vigorous growth,low-input requirements,and broad geography.Here,we identified PvWOX3a from switchgrass,which encodes a WUSCHEL-related homeobox transcription factor.Transgenic overexpression of PvWOX3a in switchgrass increased stem length,internode diameter,and leaf blade length and width,all of which contributed to a 95%average increase in dry weight biomass compared with control plants.Yeast one-hybrid and transient dual-luciferase assays showed that PvWOX3a can repress the expression of gibberellin 2-oxidase and cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase through apparently direct interaction with their promoter sequences.These results suggested that overexpression of PvWOX3a could increase gibberellin and cytokinin levels in transgenic switchgrass plants,which promotes cell division,elongation,and vascular bundle development.We also overexpressed PvWOX3a in a transgenic miR156-overexpressing switchgrass line that characteristically exhibited more tillers,thinner internodes,and narrower leaf blades.Double transgenic switchgrass plants displayed significant increases in internode length and diameter,leaf blade width,and plant height but retained a tiller number comparable to that of plants expressing miR156 alone.Ultimately,the double transgenic switchgrass plants produced 174%more dry-weight biomass and 162%more solubilized sugars on average than control plants.These findings indicated that PvWOX3a is a viable potential genetic target for engineering improved shoot architecture and biomass yield of horticulture,fodder,and biofuel crops.

Electrical properties of dry polycrystalline olivine mixed with various chromite contents: Implications for the high conductivity anomalies in subduction zones

Chromite,a crucial high-conductivity mineral phase of peridotite in ophiolite suites,has a significant effect on the electrical structure of subduction zones.The electrical conductivities of sintered polycrystalline olivine containing various volume percents of chromite(0,4,7,10,13,16,18,21,23,100 vol.%)were measured using a complex impedance spectroscopic technique in the frequency range of 10^(−1)-10^(6) Hz under the conditions of 1.0-3.0 GPa and 873-1223 K.The relationship between the conductivities of the chromite-bearing olivine aggregates and temperatures conformed to the Arrhenius equation.The positive effect of pressure on the conductivities of the olivine-chromite systems was much weaker than that of temperature.The chromite content had an important effect on the conductivities of the olivine-chromite systems,and the bulk conductivities increased with increasing volume fraction of chromite to a certain extent.The inclusion of 16 vol.%chromites dramatically enhanced the bulk conductivity,implying that the percolation threshold of interconnectivity of chromite in the olivine-chromite systems is-16 vol.%.The fitted activation enthalpies for pure polycrystalline olivine,polycrystalline olivine with isolated chromite,polycrystalline olivine with interconnected chromites,and pure polycrystalline chromite were 1.25,0.78-0.87,0.48-0.54,and 0.47 eV,respectively.Based on the chemical compositions and activation enthalpies,small polaron conduction was proposed to be the dominant conduction mechanism for polycrystalline olivine with various chromite contents.Furthermore,the conductivities of polycrystalline olivine with interconnected chromite(10-1.5-100.5 S/m)provides a reasonable explanation for the high conductivity anomalies in subduction-related tectonic environments.

Ⅲ–Ⅴ compound materials and lasers on silicon

Silicon-based photonic integration has attracted the interest of semiconductor scientists because it has high luminous efficiency and electron mobility.Breakthroughs have been made in silicon-based integrated lasers over the past few decades.Here we review three main methods of integration ofⅢ–Ⅴ materials on Si,namely direct growth,bonding,and selectivearea hetero-epitaxy.TheⅢ–Ⅴmaterials we introduced mainly include materials such as GaAs and InP.The lasers are mainly lasers of related communication bands.We also introduced the advantages and challenges of the three methods.

Low fabrication cost wavelength tunable WG-FP hybrid-cavity laser working over 1.7μm

A wide wavelength tuning range and single-mode hybrid cavity laser consists of a square Whispering-Gallery(WG)microcavity and a Fabry–Pérot(FP)was introduced and demonstrated.A wavelength tuning range over 12.5 nm from 1760.87 to 1773.39 nm which was single-mode emitting was obtained with the side-mode suppression ratio over 30 dB.The hybrid cavity laser does not need grating etching and special epitaxial structure,which reduces the fabrication difficulty and cost,and shows the potential for gas sensing with absorption lines in this range.

Strigolactones positively regulate abscisic acid-dependent heat and cold tolerance in tomato

Strigolactones are carotenoid-derived phytohormones that impact plant growth and development in diverse ways.However,the roles of strigolactones in the responses to temperature stresses are largely unknown.Here,we demonstrated that strigolactone biosynthesis is induced in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum)by heat and cold stresses.Compromised strigolactone biosynthesis or signaling negatively affected heat and cold tolerance,while application of the synthetic strigolactone analog GR245DS enhanced heat and cold tolerance.Strigolactone-mediated heat and cold tolerance was associated with the induction of abscisic acid(ABA),heat shock protein 70(HSP70)accumulation,C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR 1(CBF1)transcription,and antioxidant enzyme activity.Importantly,a deficiency in ABA biosynthesis compromised the GR245DS effects on heat and cold stresses and abolished the GR245DS-induced transcription of HSP70,CBF1,and antioxidant-related genes.These results support that strigolactones positively regulate tomato heat and cold tolerance and that they do so at least partially by the induction of CBFs and HSPs and the antioxidant response in an ABA-dependent manner.

中国蚱属一新种记述(直翅目:蚱科:蚱亚科)

记述蚱属1新种:苍山蚱Tetrix cangshanensis sp.nov.,提供了新种的形态特征照片图。苍山蚱Tetrix cangshanensis sp.nov.与拟二斑蚱T.parabipunctata Zheng&Ou,2004和二斑蚱T.bipunctata(Linnaeus,1758)相似,但以直的颜面隆起,较高的触角着生位置和直的前胸背板前缘区别于后二者,同时以较短的后翅区别于拟二斑蚱;还以较狭的颜面隆起纵沟,向内收缩的沟前区侧隆线和波曲的中足股节下缘区别于二斑蚱。

Extracting Chinese Explanatory Expressions with Discrete and Neural CRFs

Recent work on opinion mining typically focuses on subtasks such as aspect mining or polarity classification, ignoring the detailed explanatory evidences that account for one certain user opinion. In this paper, we study the extraction of explanatory expressions, by modeling the problem based on conditional random field (CRF). We compare the effectiveness of both discrete and neural features, and further integrate them.We evaluate the models on two datasets from two different domains which have been annotated with ground-truth explanatory expression.Results show that the neural CRF model performs better than the discrete CRF. After a combination of the discrete and neural features, our final CRF mode achieves the top-performing results.

Carbon dots confined nanosheets assembled NiCO_(2)S_(4)@CDs cross-stacked architecture for enhanced sodium ion storage

Na^(+)batteries(SIBs)have been emerging as the most promising candidate for the next generation of secondary batteries.However,the development of high-performance and cost-effective anode materials is urgently needed for the large-scale applications of SIBs.In this study,carbon dots confined bimetallic sulfide(NiCO_(2)S_(4))architecture(NiCO_(2)S_(4)@CDs)was proposed and synthesized from assembling nanosheets into cross-stacked superstructure and the subsequent confinement of carbon dots.This novel decussated structure assembly from nanosheets is greatly beneficial to the structure stability of electrode material during the successive charge/discharge processes.Besides,the CDs based carbon conductive network can enhance the electrical conductivity for facilitating the easy transport of electron/Na^(+).Benefitting from these advantages,NiCO_(2)S_(4)@CDs exhibits high-rate performance and an ultralong cycling life in SIBs.Specifically,the specific capacity of NiCO_(2)S_(4)@CDs can reach the discharge specific capacity as high as 568.9 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g,which can also maintain 302.7 m Ah/g after 750 cycles at 5.0 A/g.Additionally,ex-situ characterization techniques such as ex-situ XRD and ex-situ XPS were employed to further explore the sodium storage mechanism of the NiCO_(2)S_(4)@CDs anode.

Carbon dots-based fluorescence sensor for two-photon imaging of pH in diabetic mice

Herein,a reversible pH fluorescent sensor was developed using caffeic acid as the precursor by one-step solvothermal synthesis method.The carbon dots-based sensor(CA-CDs)exhibited pH-dependent increase in fluorescence intensity and showed linear relationship in the range of pH 6.60 and 8.00.Notably,the fluorescence sensor has a reversible response to pH change.Finally,the CA-CDs has been successfully applied for two-photon imaging of the pH in liver and kidney of diabetic mice.Imaging results showed that the pH value in kidney of diabetic mice was lower than that of the normal mice,while the pH value in liver of diabetic mice was almost the same as that of the normal mice.The present study provides a simple analytical method for pH detection suitable for in vivo.

高温高浓发酵工业啤酒酵母菌种的构建

高温高浓发酵技术作为一项新兴的啤酒生产技术,它为啤酒生产带来诸多利益的同时,也存在着发酵结束后酵母絮凝性下降、高级醇生成量过高等系列问题。为提高高温高浓发酵条件下酿酒酵母的絮凝性同时降低高级醇的合成能力,首先构建了以酿酒酵母BAT2基因为整合位点过表达FLO5基因的菌株,重组菌株S6-BF的絮凝性达到67.67%,比出发菌株S6提高了29%,而高级醇生成量仅降低5.9%;进一步构建以BAT2基因为整合位点再次过表达FLO5基因的菌株,与出发菌株S6相比,重组菌株S6-BF2的絮凝性提高了63%,达到85.44%,高级醇生成量下降至159.58 mg/L,降低了9.0%;通过弱化线粒体支链氨基酸转氨酶(BAT1)的表达,高级醇的生成量得到进一步的降低,达到142.13 mg/L,比原始菌株S6降低了18.4%,同时重组菌株S6-BF2B1的絮凝性没有受到影响;风味物质的测定结果表明啤酒中醇酯比例较为合理。研究结果对工业啤酒酵母发酵后的沉降分离和提高啤酒风味品质有着重要的意义。

Are foreign monks better at chanting? The effect of ‘airborne’ SDICs on anti-corruption

The independence of supervision agency is of great importance for anti-corruption.After the leadership transition of the provincial Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2006,Secretaries of Discipline Inspection Commission(SDICs)were suddenly dispatched from the centre or transferred from another province in China(‘airborne’SDICs)to enhance their independence in inspecting corruption cases.To investigate the effect of this policy reform,we collect data of SDICs and anti-corruption in 31 provinces from 2003 to 2014,and evaluate this policy using the difference-in-differences econometrics method.We find that there is no significant effect of these‘airborne’SDICs whether from the centre or another province on anti-corruption.This result is robust to different measurements of anti-corruption and subsamples.We argue that the dispatch of external SDICs is not enough to ensure the independence of supervision agency,because local discipline inspection commissions(DICs)are still subject to local Chinese Communist Party committees in terms of personnel,funds and property.This paper has important policy implications for the current anti-corruption campaign in China.

Quantum wells micro-ring resonator laser emitting at 1746 nm for gas sensing

Gas sensing for measurement of gas components, concentrations, and other parameters plays an important role in many fields. In this Letter, a micro-ring resonator laser used for gas sensing is experimentally demonstrated. The multi-quantumwells micro-ring laser based on whispering-gallery modes with an annular resonator and an output waveguide was fabricated. A single-mode laser with a wavelength of 1746.4 nm was fabricated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge,experimentally. The output power of 1.65 m W under 40 m A injection current was obtained with a side-mode suppression ratio over 33 d B.

Novel 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives containing a hydrazide moiety:Design, synthesis and bioactive evaluation against phytopathogenic fungi in vitro and in vivo

A series of novel 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives bearing a hydrazide moiety were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their antifungal activities against Rhizoctonia solani (Rs), Fusarium graminearum (Fg), Botrytis cinerea (Bc) and Colletotrichum capsici (Cc). The in vitro antifungal bioassays indicated that most of title compounds displayed good selectivity and specificity aganist Rs relative to Fg, Bc and Cc. Strikingly, the title compound N'-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(5-phenyl-6-thioxo-1,3,5-thiadiazinan-3-yl)acethydrazide (5b) obviously inhibited the Rs growth in vitro with the EC50 value of 0.24μg/mL, which is approximately 2-folds more effective than the commercialized fungicide carbendazim (0.55 μg/mL). The in vivo anti-Rs effects of title compound 5b were further evaluated on rice leaves with control efficacies of 98.58% at 200 μg/mL and 61.27% at 100 μg/mL. The above researches provide a significant reference for the further structural optimization of 1,3,5-thiadiazine-2-thione derivatives bearing a hydrazide moiety as potential fungicides.