Effects of tree size and organ age on variations in carbon,nitrogen,and phosphorus stoichiometry in Pinus koraiensis

Carbon(C),nitrogen(N),and phosphorus(P)are of fundamental importance for growth and nutrient dynamics within plant organs and deserve more attention at regional to global scales.However,our knowledge of how these nutrients vary with tree size,organ age,or root order at the individual level remains limited.We determined C,N,and P contents and their stoichiometric ratios(i.e.,nutrient traits)in needles,branches,and fine roots at different organ ages(0-3-year-old needles and branches)and root orders(1st-4th order roots)from 64 Pinus koraiensis of varying size(Diameter at breast height ranged from 0.3 to 100 cm)in northeast China.Soil factors were also measured.The results show that nutrient traits were regulated by tree size,organ age,or root order rather than soil factors.At a whole-plant level,nutrient traits decreased in needles and fine roots but increased in branches with tree size.At the organ level,age or root order had a negative effect on C,N,and P and a positive effect on stoichiometric ratios.Our results demonstrate that nutrient variations are closely related to organ-specific functions and ecophysiological processes at an individual level.It is suggested that the nutrient acquisition strategy by younger trees and organ fractions with higher nutrient content is for survival.Conversely,nutrient storage strategy in older trees and organ fractions are mainly for steady growth.Our results clarified the nutrient utilization strategies during tree and organ ontogeny and suggest that tree size and organ age or root order should be simultaneously considered to understand the complexities of nutrient variations.

Photocatalytic seawater splitting by 2D heterostructure of ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/WO_(3) decorated with plasmonic Au for hydrogen evolution under visible light

Photocatalytic H_(2) evolution from seawater splitting presents a promising approach to tackle the fossil energy crisis and mitigate carbon emission due to the abundant source of seawater and sunlight on the earth.However,the development of efficient photocatalysts for seawater splitting remains a formidable challenge.Herein,a 2D/2D ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/WO_(3)(ZIS/WO_(3))heterojunction nanostructure is fabricated to efficiently separate the photoinduced carriers by steering electron transfer from the conduction band minimum of WO_(3) to the valence band maximum of ZIS via constructing internal electric field.Subsequently,plasmonic Au nanoparticles(NPs)as a novel photosensitizer and a reduction cocatalyst are anchored on ZIS/WO_(3) surface to further enhance the optical absorption of ZIS/WO_(3) heterojunction and accelerate the catalytic conversion.The obtained Au/ZIS/WO_(3) photocatalyst exhibits an outstanding H_(2) evolution rate of 2610.6 or 3566.3μmol g^(-1)h~(-1)from seawater splitting under visible or full-spectrum light irradiation,respectively.These rates represent an impressive increase of approximately 7.3-and 6,6-fold compared to those of ZIS under the illumination of the same light source.The unique 2D/2D structure,internal electric field,and plasmonic metal modification together boost the photocatalytic H_(2) evolution rate of Au/ZIS/WO_(3),making it even comparable to H_(2) evolution from pure water splitting.The present work sheds light on the development of efficient photocatalysts for seawater splitting.

DRGs下的腹腔镜结直肠癌NOSES手术改进

目的:探讨在(疾病)诊断相关分类(diagnosis related groups,DRGs)形势下,腹腔镜结直肠癌经自然腔道取标本(NOSES)手术方式改进及其可行性。方法:回顾性分析安阳市肿瘤医院2019年2月至2021年2月实施DRGs的42例改进后的腹腔镜结直肠癌NOSES术,并与同期进行常规腹腔镜结直肠癌手术的238例患者在费用、治疗结果、并发症等方面相比较。结果:NOSES改进组42例患者DRGs控费成功率为95.2%(40/42),与常规腹腔镜组在DRGs费用及近期并发症发生率方面无显著性差异(P>0.05)。结论:腹腔镜结直肠癌NOSES改进手术可以达到DRGs费用标准,手术安全可靠,应用双7号丝线代替部分直线切割闭合器是可行的。

Local inhibition of GABA affects precedence effect in the inferior colliculus

The precedence effect is a prerequisite for faithful sound localization in a complex auditory environment, and is a physiological phenomenon in which the auditory system selectively suppresses the directional information from echoes. Here we investigated how neurons in the inferior colliculus respond to the paired sounds that produce precedence-effect illusions, and whether their firing behavior can be modulated through inhibition with gamma-aminobutyric acid （GABA）. We recorded extracellularly from 36 neurons in rat inferior colliculus under three conditions： no injection, injection with saline, and injection with gamma-aminobutyric acid. The paired sounds that produced precedence effects were two identical 4-ms noise bursts, which were delivered contralaterally or ipsilaterally to the recording site. The normalized neural responses were measured as a function of different inter-stimulus delays and half-maximal interstimulus delays were acquired. Neuronal responses to the lagging sounds were weak when the inter-stimulus delay was short, but increased gradually as the delay was lengthened. Saline injection produced no changes in neural responses, but after local gamma-arninobutyric acid application, responses to the lagging stimulus were suppressed. Application of gamma-aminobutyric acid affected the normalized response to lagging sounds, independently of whether they or the paired sounds were contralateral or ipsilateral to the recording site. These observations suggest that local inhibition by gamma-aminobutyric acid in the rat inferior colliculus shapes the neural responses to lagging sounds, and modulates the precedence effect.

Characterization of mechanical properties of aluminum cast alloy at elevated temperature

The tensile response, the low cycle fatigue （LCF） resistance, and the creep behavior of an aluminum （A1） cast alloy are studied at ambient and elevated temperatures. A non-contact real-time optical extensometer based on the digital image correlation （DIC） is developed to achieve strain measurements without damage to the specimen. The optical extensometer is validated and used to monitor dynamic strains during the mechanical experiments. Results show that Young＇s modulus of the cast alloy decreases with the increasing temperature, and the percentage elongation to fracture at 100 ℃ is the lowest over the temperature range evaluated from 25 ℃ to 300 ℃. In the LCF test, the fatigue strength coefficient decreases, whereas the fatigue strength exponent increases with the rising temperature. The fatigue ductility at 100 ℃. As expected, the resistance to and changes from 200 ℃ to 300 ℃. coefficient and exponent reach maximum values creep decreases with the increasing temperature

Using trace elements of magnetite to constrain the origin of the Pingchuan hydrothermal low-Ti magnetite deposit in the Panxi area, SW China

The Pingchuan iron deposit, located in the Yanyuan region of Sichuan Province, SW China, has an ore reserve of 40 Mt with ~60 wt% Fe. Its genesis is still poorly understood. The Pingchuan iron deposit has a paragenetic sequence of an early Fe-oxide–Pyrite stage(Ⅰ) and a late Fe-oxide–pyrrhotite stage(Ⅱ). Stage Ⅰ magnetite grains are generally fragmented, euhedral–subhedral, largesized crystals accompanying with slightly postdated pyrite.Stage Ⅱ magnetite grains are mostly unfragmented, anhedral, relatively small-sized grains that co-exist with pyrrhotite. Combined with micro-textural features and previously-obtained geochronological data, we consider that these two stages of iron mineralization in the Pingchuan deposit correspond to the Permian ELIP magmatism and Cenozoic fault activity event. Both the Stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ magnetites are characterized with overall lower contents of trace elements(including Cr, Ti, V, and Ni) than the ELIP magmatic magnetite, which suggests a hydrothermal origin for them. ‘‘Skarn-like'' enrichment in Sn, Mn, and Zn in the Stage Ⅰ magnetite grains indicate significant material contributions from carbonate wall-rocks due to water–rock interaction in ore-forming processes. Stage Ⅱ magnetite grains contain higher Mn concentrations than Stage Ⅰ magnetite grains, which possibly implies more contribution from carbonate rocks. In multiple-element diagrams, the Stage Ⅰ magnetite shows systematic similarities to Kiruna-type magnetite rather than those from other types of deposits. Combined with geological features and previous studies on oxygen isotopes, we conclude that hydrothermal fluids have played a key role in the generation of the Pingchuan low-Ti iron deposit.

Removal of carbonyl sulfide from CO_2 stream using AgNO_3-modified NaZSM-5

Removal of carbonyl sulfide(COS) from CO2 stream is significant for the production and utilization of food grade CO2. This study investigates the adsorption performance of Ag/NaZSM-5 as adsorbent prepared by incipient wetness impregnation for the removal of COS from a CO2 stream in a fixed-bed adsorption apparatus. Effects of various conditions on the preparation of adsorbent, adsorption and desorption were intensively examined. The results revealed that COS can be removed to below 1×10-9from a CO2stream(1000 ppm COS/CO2) using Ag/NaZSM-5(10 wt% AgNO3) with an adsorption capacity of 12.86 mg·g-1. The adsorbent can be fully regenerated using hot air at 450 C. The adsorption ability remained stable even after eight cycles of regeneration.

Simulation and projection of climate change using CMIP6 Muti-models in the Belt and Road Region

Climate condition over a region is mostly determined by the changes in precipitation,temperature and evaporation as the key climate variables.The countries belong to the Belt and Road region are subjected to face strong changes in future climate.In this paper,we used five global climate models from the latest Sixth Phase of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project(CMIP6)to evaluate future climate changes under seven combined scenarios of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and the Representative Concentration Pathways(SSP1-1.9,SSP1-2.6,SSP2-4.5,SSP3-7.0,SSP4-3.4,SSP4-6.0 and SSP5-8.5)across the Belt and Road region.This study focuses on undertaking a climate change assessment in terms of future changes in precipitation,air temperature and actual evaporation for the three distinct periods as near-term period(2021−2040),mid-term period(2041−2060)and long-term period(2081−2100).To discern spatial structure,Köppen−Geiger Climate Classification method has been used in this study.In relative terms,the results indicate an evidence of increasing tendency in all the studied variables,where significant changes are anticipated mostly in the long-term period.In addition to,though it is projected to increase under all the SSP-RCP scenarios,greater increases will be happened under higher emission scenarios(SSP5-8.5 and SSP3-7.0).For temperature,robust increases in annual mean temperature is found to be 5.2°C under SSP3-7.0,and highest 7.0°C under SSP5-8.5 scenario relative to present day.The northern part especially Cold and Polar region will be even more warmer(+6.1°C)in the long-term(2081−2100)period under SSP5-8.5.Similarly,at the end of the twenty-first century,annual mean precipitation is inclined to increase largely with a rate of 2.1%and 2.8%per decade under SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 respectively.Spatial distribution demonstrates that the largest precipitation increases are to be pronounced in the Polar and Arid regions.Precipitation is projected to increase with response to increasing warming most of the regions.Finally,the actual evaporation is projected to increase significantly with rate of 20.3%under SSP3-7.0 and greatest 27.0%for SSP5-8.5 by the end of the century.It is important to note that the changes in evaporation respond to global mean temperature rise consistently in terms of similar spatial pattern for all the scenarios where stronger increase found in the Cold and Polar regions.The increase in precipitation is overruled by enhanced evaporation over the region.However,this study reveals that the CMIP6 models can simulate temperature better than precipitation over the Belt and Road region.Findings of this study could be the reliable basis for initiating policies against further climate induced impacts in the regional scale.

Negative regulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor on free calcium ion levels following facial nerve injury

Previous studies have demonstrated that muscarinic, and nicotinic receptors increase free Ca2＋ levels in the facial nerve nucleus via various channels following facial nerve injury. However, intracellular Ca2＋ overload can trigger either necrotic or apoptotic cell death. Gamma-aminobutyric acid （GABA）, an important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, exists in the facial nerve nucleus. It is assumed that GABA negatively regulates free Ca2＋ levels in the facial nerve nucleus. The present study investigated GABA type A （GABAA） receptor expression in the facial nerve nucleus in a rat model of facial nerve injury using immunohistochemistry and laser confocal microscopy, as well as the regulatory effects of GABAA receptor on nicotinic receptor response following facial nerve injury. Subunits α1, α3, α5, β1, β2, δ, and γ3 of GABAA receptors were expressed in the facial nerve nucleus following facial nerve injury. In addition, GABAA receptor expression significantly inhibited the increase in nicotinic receptor-mediated free Ca2＋ levels in the facial nerve nucleus following facial nerve injury in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results suggest that GABAA receptors exhibit negative effects on nicotinic receptor responses following facial nerve injury.

Muscarinic receptor-mediated calcium changes in a rat model of facial nerve nucleus injury

The muscarinic receptor modulates intracellular free calcium ion levels in the facial nerve nucleus via different channels. In the present study, muscarinic receptor-mediated free calcium ions levels were detected by confocal laser microscopy in the facial nerve nucleus following facial nerve injury in rats. There was no significant difference in muscarinic receptor expression at the affected facial nerve nucleus compared with expression prior to injury, but muscarinic receptor-mediated free calcium ion levels increased in the affected side following facial nerve injury （P 〈 0.01）. At day 30 after facial nerve injury, 50 pmol/L muscarinic-mediated free calcium ion levels were significantly inhibited at the affected facial nerve nucleus in calcium-free artificial cerebrospinal fluid, and the change range was 82% of artificial cerebrospinal fluid （P 〈 0.05）. These results suggest that increased free calcium ion concentrations are achieved by intracellular calcium ion release, and that the transmembrane flow of calcium ions is also involved in this process.

Nicotine alpha 4 beta 2 receptor-mediated free calcium in an animal model of facial nucleus injury

Previous studies have demonstrated that the cholinergic system, via nicotinic receptors, regulates intracellular free calcium levels in the facial nucleus under normal physiological conditions. However, the regulation of nicotinic receptors on free calcium levels following facial nerve injury remains unclear. In the present study, an animal model of facial nerve injury was established, and changes in nicotinic receptor expression following facial nerve injury in rats were detected using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Nicotinic receptor-mediated changes of free calcium levels following facial nucleus injury were determined by laser confocal microscopy. Results showed no significant difference in nicotinic receptor expression between the normal group and the affected facial nerve nucleus. The nicotinic receptor a4132 subtype increased free calcium levels following facial nerve injury by promoting calcium transmembrane influx, and L-type voltage-gated calcium channel-mediated influx of calcium ions played an important role in promoting calcium transmembrane influx. The nicotinic receptor-mediated increase of free calcium levels following facial nerve injury provides an important mechanism for the repair of facial nerve injury.

Effect of Working Experience on Air Traffic Controller Eye Movement

Eye movement is an important indicator of information-seeking behavior and provides insight into cognitive strategies which are vital for decision-making.Various measures based on eye movements have been proposed to capture humans’ability to process information in a complex environment.The effectiveness of these measures has not yet been fully explored in the field of air traffic management.This paper presents a comparative study on eye-movement measures in air traffic controllers with different levels of working experience.Two commonly investigated oculomotor behaviors,fixation and saccades,together with gaze entropy,are examined.By comparing the statistical properties of the relevant metrics,it is shown that working experience has a notable effect on eye-movement patterns.Both fixation and saccades differ between qualified and novice controllers,with the former type of controller employing more efficient searching strategies.These findings are useful in enhancing the quality of controller training and contributing to an understanding of the information-seeking mechanisms humans use when executing complex tasks.

A Simple Deep Learning Network for Classification of 3D Mobile LiDAR Point Clouds

Automatic and accurate classification is a fundamental problem to the analysis and modeling of LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging)data.Recently,convolutional neural network(ConvNet or CNN)has achieved remarkable performance in image recognition and computer vision.While significant efforts have also been made to develop various deep networks for satellite image scene classification,it still needs to further investigate suitable deep learning network frameworks for 3D dense mobile laser scanning(MLS)data.In this paper,we present a simple deep CNN for multiple object classification based on multi-scale context representation.For the pointwise classification,we first extracted the neighboring points within spatial context and transformed them into a three-channel image for each point.Then,the classification task can be treated as the image recognition using CNN.The proposed CNN architecture adopted common convolution,maximum pooling and rectified linear unit(ReLU)layers,which combined multiple deeper network layers.After being trained and tested on approximately seven million labeled MLS points,the deep CNN model can classify accurately into nine classes.Comparing with the widely used ResNet algorithm,this model performs better precision and recall rates,and less processing time,which indicated the significant potential of deep-learning-based methods in MLS data classification.

Robot Interaction Force Estimation Using an Adaptive Sliding Mode Observer

In constrained motion control of a robot,the interaction force is an important variable,which directly describes the state of interaction.It is required in a number of algorithms for interaction control.Desirably,the interaction force has to be measured by force sensors.However,there are inherent limitations with force sensors,such as the cost,sensing noise,limited bandwidth,and the difficulty of physical location at the required place,which is dynamic.In the present paper,the interaction force is estimated by using high order sliding mode observers.An adaptive version of a high order sliding mode observer is developed to robustly reconstruct the interaction force.Experimental results are given to show the effectiveness of the developed algorithms.

一种用于治疗膀胱癌且并发症较少的改良回肠导管术

背景与目的根治性膀胱切除术和尿流改道术仍然是肌层浸润性或高危或复发非肌层浸润性膀胱癌患者的标准外科治疗方法。尽管这种方法显著延长了患者的生存期,但仍存在与尿流改道相关的术后并发症。本研究旨在通过与传统回肠导管尿流改道术相比较,评价改良回肠导管术减少早期及晚期造口及输尿管回肠吻合术相关并发症的疗效。方法回顾分析2000年1月1日至2016年6月30日在中山大学肿瘤防治中心接受膀胱癌根治术及回肠导管尿流改道术的膀胱癌患者的临床资料,患者分别采用了传统或改良的回肠导管术。采用t检验和卡方检验,比较传统与改良回肠导管术组患者的临床病理学特征。采用多变量logistic回归分析和多变量Cox回归分析,确定两组发生造口和输尿管回肠吻合相关并发症的概率。结果接受改良与传统回肠导管术的患者分别为145例与100例。两组的临床病理学特征具有可比性。改良回肠导管术组与传统回肠导管术组相比,造口相关并发症发生率显著降低(0.7%vs.17.0%,P<0.001)。改良回肠导管术组未发现晚期造口相关并发症,但传统回肠导管术组有13(13.0%)例患者出现并发症。改良回肠导管术组与传统回肠导管术组相比,输尿管回肠吻合相关并发症发生率显著降低(4.8%vs.15.0%,P=0.001)。在多变量分析中,与传统回肠导管术组相比,改良回肠导管术组更不容易出现造口[比值比(odds ratio,OR)=0.024,95%置信区间(confidence interval,CI):0.003–0.235;P=0.001]或输尿管回肠吻合术相关并发症(OR=0.141,95%CI:0.042–0.476;P=0.002)。结论改良的回肠导管尿流改道可有效减少与造口及输尿管回肠吻合术相关的早期及晚期并发症。需要前瞻性随机临床试验来证实我们的结果。

Visual Avoidance of Collision with Randomly Moving Obstacles through Approximate Reinforcement Learning

In this research work,a hierarchical controller has been designed for an autonomous navigation robot to avoid unexpected moving obstacles where the state and action spaces are continuous.The proposed scheme consists of two parts:1)a controller with a high-level approximate reinforcement learning(ARL)technique for choosing an optimal trajectory in autonomous navigation;and 2)a low-level,appearance-based visual servoing(ABVS)controller which controls and execute the motion of the robot.A novel approach for path planning and visual servoing has been proposed by the combined system framework.The characteristics of the on-board camera which is equipped on the robot is naturally suitable for conducting the reinforcement learning algorithm.Regarding the ARL controller,the computational overhead is quite low thanks to the fact that a knowledge of obstacle motion is not necessary.The developed scheme has been implemented and validated in a simulation system of obstacle avoidance.It is noted that findings of the proposed method are successfully verified by obtaining an optimal robotic plan motion strategy.

Investigation and Analysis on Constitution and Syndrome Types of High- Normal Blood Pressure People in Hebei Area in the Year of 2017

Purpose: To investigate the distribution of population and syndrome patterns in high-normal blood pressure people in Hebei area. Methods: A total of 453 people who met the inclusion criteria were investigated using a high-normal blood pressure human mass survey questionnaire. Results: of the 453 constitution types of high-normal blood pressure patients in Hebei area, 184 were the constitution of yin-yang harmony, accounting for 40.62% of the total;73 were the constitution of yang asthenia, accounting for 16.11% of the total;59 were the constitution of damp-heat, accounting for 13.02% of the total;52 were the constitution of qi asthenia, accounting for 11.48% of the total;8 were the allergic constitution, accounting for 1.77% of the total. In addition, of their syndrome types, the syndrome of liver-fire hyperactivity were accounting for 30.24%;the syndrome of excessive phlegm-dampness were accounting for 26.71%;the syndrome of yin-deficiency and yang-predominance were accounting for 23.18%;the syndrome of deficiency of both yin and yang were accounting for 19.87%. Conclusion: Among the high-normal blood pressure people in Hebei area, the proportion of the constitution of yin-yang harmony is the highest, followed by the constitution of yang asthenia, the constitution of damp-heat, and the constitution of qi asthenia, with the lowest percentage being the allergic constitution. In addition, when it comes to the syndrome of them, the proportion of the syndrome of liver-fire hyperactivity is the highest, followed by the syndrome of yin-deficiency and yang-predominance, and the lowest is the syndrome of deficiency of both yin and yang.

On Etymology of the Appellation“Da man-er”(大嫚儿)in Qingdao Dialect

The appellation to call a girl in Qingdao dialect is“da man‐er”(大嫚儿),which is supposed to derive from German word“Damen”phonetically,according to:(1)remarkable similarities in meaning,pronunciation,and consistencies in commendatory or derogatory senses;(2)different preferences for people in different ages;and(3)the insertability of modifiers(adjectives or nouns)for“xiao man‐er”(小嫚儿)and the non‐insertability for“da man‐er”(大嫚儿).Therefore,nearly 100 years during the changing processes,“da man‐er”(大嫚儿)has a series of derivations commonly referring to the appellations of“girl”,such as“man‐er”(嫚儿),“man gu zi”(嫚姑子),“xiao man‐er”(小嫚儿)and even the formation of“xiao(小)+adj/n+man‐er”(嫚儿).

A General Class of Convexification Transformation for the Noninferior Frontier of a Multiobjective Program

A general class of convexification transformations is proposed to convexify the noninferior frontier of a multiobjective program. We prove that under certain assumptions the noninferior frontier could be convexified completely or partly after transformation and then weighting method can be applied to identify the noninferior solutions. Numerical experiments are given to vindicate our results.

Quality evaluation of glutenite reservoirs of intergranular-secondary dissolution pore type using a quantitative method

Glutenite(coarse-grained clastic)reservoirs of intergranularesecondary dissolution pore type are dominated by residual intergranular pores and secondary dissolution pores,and characterized by low porosity,low permeability,strong heterogeneity,and highly variable physical properties.It is difficult to conduct a quantitative quality assessment of these reservoirs while their primary control factors remain unclear.In this paper,experimental core data and drilling,logging and seismic data are used to assess the effect of sedimentary facies on reservoir quality.Favorable sedimentary facies zones are identified by analyzing the characteristics of glutenite reservoirs,which includes investigating rock components and their effects on reservoir quality.Argillaceous matrix content and rigid particle content are identified as the primary control factors for these reservoirs.Logging curves sensitive to reservoir quality are selected and examined to continuously characterize the physical parameters of the reservoirs.It establishes a calculation model of reservoir assessment parameters through multivariate regression and determines the quantitative assessment parameter Fr.The quality of the glutenite reservoirs is defined using conventional logging curves.This study also predicts the plane distribution of high-quality reservoirs through geostatistical inversion of the reservoir assessment parameters based on conventional wave impedance inversion,thus providing insight and guidance for quantitative assessment and quality prediction of glutenite reservoirs of the intergranular-secondary dissolution pore type.The application of this method to well deployment based on qualitative evaluation of the glutenite reservoirs in oilfields yielded favorable results.