Modular Extremely Large-Scale Array Communication:Near-Field Modelling and Performance Analysis

This paper investigates the wireless communication with a novel architecture of antenna arrays,termed modular extremely large-scale array(XLarray),where array elements of an extremely large number/size are regularly mounted on a shared platform with both horizontally and vertically interlaced modules.Each module consists of a moderate/flexible number of array elements with the inter-element distance typically in the order of the signal wavelength,while different modules are separated by the relatively large inter-module distance for convenience of practical deployment.By accurately modelling the signal amplitudes and phases,as well as projected apertures across all modular elements,we analyse the near-field signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)performance for modular XL-array communications.Based on the non-uniform spherical wave(NUSW)modelling,the closed-form SNR expression is derived in terms of key system parameters,such as the overall modular array size,distances of adjacent modules along all dimensions,and the user's three-dimensional(3D)location.In addition,with the number of modules in different dimensions increasing infinitely,the asymptotic SNR scaling laws are revealed.Furthermore,we show that our proposed near-field modelling and performance analysis include the results for existing array architectures/modelling as special cases,e.g.,the collocated XL-array architecture,the uniform plane wave(UPW)based far-field modelling,and the modular extremely large-scale uniform linear array(XL-ULA)of onedimension.Extensive simulation results are presented to validate our findings.

Operation Efficiency and Influencing Factors of Listed Companies of Swine Industry:Empirical Analysis Based on Data of 16 Listed Companies in 2010-2014

Listed companies of the swine industry,as an important form of agricultural industrialized operation,are typical representatives of large-scale production and the level of their operation efficiency exerts a direct influence on the healthy development of the swine industry.Using the DEA-based Malmquist method,this paper made a static and dynamic evaluation of the operation efficiency of 16 listed companies in China's swine industry in 2010-2014. It obtained following results:( i) The overall efficiency of listed companies of China's swine industry remained at high level and the development trend was excellent.( ii) Different types of enterprises had difference in the overall efficiency,pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. In general,pig feed processing companies had the best performance,followed by slaughtering and deep processing companies,and swine breeding companies were the worst.( iii) The total factor productivity characterized by the Malmquist index declined year by year in 2010-2013 and was improved in 2014,mainly due to technological progress.( iv) The total asset turnover ratio,equity concentration,and R & D management level had a significantly positive impact on the operation efficiency of listed companies in the swine industry,while the human capital had a significantly negative impact.

Research on Influence Factors of Pig Farmers' Ecological Farming Behavior: Based on the TPB and SEM

China's extensive development model of pig industry gives rise to serious resource and environment bottleneck restriction,it is urgent to transform the existing development model into ecological farming model. In this process,farmers' behavior will play a key role. On the basis of summarizing development connotation and characteristics of ecological agriculture,using survey data of 323 pig farmers in 6 provinces,based on the Theory of Planned Behavior( TPB) it introduced individual characteristics and external environment constraint variables,and made an empirical analysis on factors influencing intention and behavior of pig farmers' ecological farming using the Structural Equation Model( SEM). Results indicate:( i) ecological farming intention of pig farmers has the largest direct effect on their ecological farming behavior;( ii)ecological farming cognition of pig farmers has significant positive effect on their ecological farming behavior;( iii) external environment has the largest indirect effect on their ecological farming behavior,followed by the overall effect,and external environment has significant positive effect on ecological farming attitude and cognition of pig farmers;( iv) individual characteristics( educational level and income level) of pig farmers influence ecological farming behavior of pig farmers through their ecological farming attitude and intention,but the degree of influence is limited.

Regional Carbon Emission Performance of Pig Production in China according to Malmquist-DEA Approach

As pig production is a main contributor of greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions from livestock sector,the carbon emissions of pig production are attracting increasing attention,especially in the developing countries. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2001 to 2012,this paper measures the provincial carbon emission performance(CEP) of pig production and we use a Malmquist DEA approach to analyze the decomposition which includes desirable and undesirable output. Furthermore,the regional disparity in carbon emission performance of pig production is also analyzed and finally the convergence is tested. The main results are as follows:(i) there are provincial differences in carbon emission performance changing of pig production in China,and the carbon emission performance of pig production in 30 provinces has a downward trend during this period;(ii) among China’s three major economic regions,in terms of carbon emission performance of pig production,they are ranked in descending order as follows: Western China,Central China and Eastern China;(iii) convergence testing shows that there is a convergence trend for carbon emission performance both nationally and for the three regions.

Rational multivalency construction enables bactericidal effect amplification and dynamic biomaterial design

The multivalency of bioligands in living systems brings inspiration for not only the discovery of biological mechanisms but also the design of extracellular matrix(ECM)-mimicking biomaterials.However,designing controllable multivalency construction strategies is still challenging.Herein,we synthesized a series of well-defined multivalent antimicrobial peptide polymers(mAMPs)by clicking ligand molecules onto polymers prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization.The multiple cationic ligands in the mAMPs could enhance the local disturbance of the anionic phospholipid layer of the bacterial membrane through multivalent binding,leading to amplification of the bactericidal effect.In addition to multivalency-enhanced antibacterial activity,mAMPs also enable multivalency-assisted hydrogel fabrication with an ECM-like dynamic structure.The resultant hydrogel with self-healing and injectable properties could be successfully employed as an antibacterial biomaterial scaffold to treat infected skin wounds.The multivalency construction strategy presented in this work provides new ideas for the biomimetic design of highly active and dynamic biomaterials for tissue repair and regeneration.

Strategies for improving crop comprehensive benefits via a decision-making system based on machine learning in the rice‒rape,rice‒wheat and rice‒garlic rotation systems in Southwest China

Rice‒rape,rice‒wheat and rice‒garlic rotations are common cropping systems in Southwest China,and they have played a significant role in ensuring ecological and economic benefits(EB)and addressing the challenges of China’s food security in the region.However,the crop yields in these rotation systems are 1.25‒14.73%lower in this region than the national averages.Intelligent decision-making with machine learning can analyze the key factors for obtaining better benefits,but it has rarely been used to enhance the probability of obtaining such benefits from rotations in Southwest China.Thus,we used a data-intensive approach to construct an intelligent decision‒making system with machine learning to provide strategies for improving the benefits of rice-rape,rice-wheat,and rice-garlic rotations in Southwest China.The results show that raising the yield and partial fertilizer productivity(PFP)by increasing seed input under high fertilizer application provided the optimal benefits with a 10%probability in the rice-garlic system.Obtaining high yields and greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions by increasing the N application and reducing the K application provided suboptimal benefits with an 8%probability in the rice-rape system.Reducing N and P to enhance PFP and yield provided optimal benefits with the lowest probability(8%)in the rice‒wheat system.Based on the predictive analysis of a random forest model,the optimal benefits were obtained with fertilization regimes by reducing N by 25%and increasing P and K by 8 and 74%,respectively,in the rice-garlic system,reducing N and K by 54 and by 36%,respectively,and increasing P by 38%in rice-rape system,and reducing N by 4%and increasing P and K by 65 and 23%in rice-wheat system.These strategies could be further optimized by 17‒34%for different benefits,and all of these measures can improve the effectiveness of the crop rotation systems to varying degrees.Overall,these findings provide insights into optimal agricultural inputs for higher benefits through an intelligent decision-making system with machine learning analysis in the rice-rape,rice‒wheat,and rice-garlic systems.

Study of Wireless Sensor Network Based on Optical Communication:Research Challenges and Current Results

With the rapid developments of commercial demands,a majority of ad­vanced researches have been investigated for the applications of underwa­ter wireless sensor(WSN)networks.Recently optical communication has been considered for underwater wireless sensor network.An experimental set-up for testing optical communication underwater has been provided and designed in present papers to maximize the energy coupled from these displacements to the transduction mechanism that converts the mechanical energy into electrical.The true case has been considered by measuring dif­fuse attenuation coefficients in different seas.One stand out potential opti­cal communication method,Visible Light Communication(VLC)has been talked and several communication methods are compared from many points of view,for example attenuation in salt water.The evaluation of modula­tion techniques for underwater wireless optical communications has been displayed,and further how the data collection and storage with an under­water WSN is introduced.In this paper current researches for an(UWSN)based on optical communication are studied,in particular the potential VLC method and comparisons of VLC with other optical communication approaches.Underwater challenges would be analyzed by comparing a sort of communication methods,applied in underwater.Future work will be de­veloped at last.

Vitamin A injection at birth improves muscle growth in lambs

Vitamin A and its metabolite,retinoic acid(RA)play important roles in regulating skeletal muscle development.This study was conducted to investigate the effects of early intramuscular vitamin A injection on the muscle growth of lambs.A total of 16 newborn lambs were given weekly intramuscular injections of corn oil(control group,n=8)or 7,500 IU vitamin A palmitate(vitamin A group,n=8)from birth to 3 wk of age(4 shots in total).At 3 wk of age and weaning,biceps femoris muscle samples were taken to analyze the effects of vitamin A on the myogenic capacity of skeletal muscle cells.All lambs were slaughtered at 8 months of age.The results suggest that vitamin A treatment accelerated the growth rate of lambs and increased the loin eye area(P<0.05).Consistently,vitamin A increased the diameter of myofibers in longissimus thoracis muscle(P<0.01)and increased the final body weight of lambs(P<0.05).Vitamin A injection did not change the protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin and myostatin signaling(P>0.05).Moreover,vitamin A upregulated the expression of PAX7(P<0.05)and the myogenic marker genes including MYOD and MYOG(P<0.01).The skeletal muscle-derived mononuclear cells from vitamin A-treated lambs showed higher expression of myogenic genes(P<0.05)and formed more myotubes(P<0.01)when myogenic differentiation was induced in vitro.In addition,in vitro analysis showed that RA promoted myogenic differentiation of the skeletal muscle-derived mononuclear cells in the first 3 d(P<0.05)but not at the later stage(P>0.05)as evidenced by myogenic gene expression and fusion index.Taken together,neonatal intramuscular vitamin A injection promotes lamb muscle growth by promoting the myogenic potential of satellite cells.

Exploration of Hanshi Zufei prescription for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology

Objective:Network pharmacology combines drug and disease targets with biological information networks based on the integrity and systematicness of the interactions between drugs and disease targets.This study aims to explore the molecular basis of Hanshi Zufei formula for treatment of COVID-19 based on network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.Methods:Using TCMSP,the chemical constituents and molecular targets of Atractylodis Rhizoma,Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium,Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex,Pogostemonis Herba,Tsaoko Fructus,Ephedrae Herba,Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix,Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens,and Arecae Semen were investigated.The predicted targets of novel coronavirus were screened using the NCBI and Gene Cards databases.To further screen the drug-disease core targets network,the corresponding target proteins were queried using multiple databases(Biogrid,DIP,and HPRD),a protein interaction network graph was constructed,and the network topology was analyzed.The molecular docking studies were also performed between the network’s top 15 compounds and the coronavirus(SARS-Co V-2)3 CL hydrolytic enzyme and angiotensin conversion enzymeⅡ(ACE2).Results:The herb-active ingredient-target network contained nine drugs,86 compounds,and 49 drugdisease targets.Gene ontology(GO)enrichment analysis resulted in 1566 GO items(P<0.05),among which 1438 were biological process items,35 were cell composition items,and 93 were molecular function items.Fourteen signal pathways were obtained by enrichment screening of the KEGG pathway database(P<0.05).The molecular docking results showed that the affinity of the core active compounds with the SARS-CoV-23 CL hydrolase was better than for the other compounds.Conclusion:Several core compounds can regulate multiple signaling pathways by binding with 3 CL hydrolase and ACE2,which might contribute to the treatment of COVID-19.

Influence of reservoir construction on surrounding vegetation cover

Vegetation is a significant factor in the energy and water cycles.Changes in vegetation are affected by the natural environment and human activities.In this study,the Dalong Reservoir on the Ningyuan River in Sanya,Hainan,China,was taken as an example to set one type of buffer zone with the reservoir dam site as the center,and two types of horizontal and vertical buffer zones outwards from both banks of the river,and Landsat 5 remote sensing image data and the vegetation data were applied.A coverage estimation model was used to study the temporal and spatial changes in surface vegetation in three types of buffer zones,and the characteristics of the surface vegetation changes in the preterm,midterm and late-term reservoir construction periods were analyzed.The results showed that,(1)During the years 2000 and 2010,the vegetation coverage first decreased and then increased with time in the scope of the research.During preterm construction(2000-2004),the vegetation coverage in the upstream region decreased while that in the downstream region increased.During midterm construction(2004-2006),the declining rate of vegetation coverage downstream was greater than that upstream,but the influence of reservoir construction on vegetation coverage decreased over time in the late-term construction period(2007-2010);(2)Along the direction of the river length,the vegetation coverage showed a downtrend along with the river flow direction during the whole period(2000-2010),and the influence of reservoir construction on vegetation coverage gradually decreased as the distance from the reservoir increased;(3)Along the direction of the river width,the vegetation coverage in the preterm and midterm construction periods(2000-2006)increased with increasing distance from the riverbanks;(4)The vegetation coverage showed a significant increasing trend with increasing distance from the reservoir.The research results can provide a theoretical reference for reducing the risk of vegetation degradation,strengthening the governance of the ecological environment,and promoting the ecological construction of“landscapes,forests,fields,lakes and grass”.