An Improved Method for DNA Extraction from the Faeces of Red Deer

[Objective] To introduce an improved method for DNA extraction from the faeces of red deer. [Method] Based on the traditional method of CTAB lysis, we proposed an improved DNA extraction method according to the characteristics of red deer faeces. [Result] This improved method extracted high-quality fecal DNA from Tianshan red deer and amplified the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. With the muscle and fur DNA of red deer as the control, the sequencing results further con- firmed the reliability of the method. [Conclusion] The method requires no proteinase K in the process of extraction, and the extracted DNA can be used for PCR ampli- fication directly without the purification of DNA purification kit, thus, it is cost-saving.

An Improved Method for Doppler Wind and Thermo dynamic Retrievals

A variational method is developed to retrieve winds in the first step and then thermodynamic fields in the second step from Doppler radar observations. In the first step, wind fields are retrieved at two time levels: the beginning and ending times of the data assimilation period, simultaneously from two successive volume scans by using the weak form constraints provided by the mass continuity and vorticity equations. As the retrieved wind fields are expressed by Legendre polynomial expansions at the beginning and ending times, the time tendency term in the vorticity equation can be conveniently formulated, and the retrieved winds can be compared with the radar observed radial winds in the cost function at the precise time and position of each radar beam. In the second step, the perturbation pressure and temperature fields at the middle time are then derived from the retrieved wind fields and the velocity time tendency by using the weak form constraints provided by the three momentum equations. The merits of the new method are demonstrated by numerical experiments with simulated radar observations and compared with the traditional least squares methods which consider neither the precise observation times and positions nor the velocity time tendency. The new method is also applied to real radar data for a heavy rainfall event during the 2001 Meiyu season in China.

AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR PREPARING 2—ALKOXY—5—FLUORO—3H—4—PYRIMIDONE~△

In this paper, we report an improved method for preparing 2--alkoxy 5 fluoro--3H --4--pyrimidone from 2--chloro--5--fluoro--3H--4--pyrimidone and sodium alkoxide under normal pressure at reflux temperature. Some new compounds were synthesized in higher yield by this method.

IMPROVED METHOD FOR RNA SECONDARY STRUCTURE PREDICTION'

A simple stepwise folding process has been developed to simulate RNA secondary structure formation.Modifications for the energy parameters of various loops were included in the program.Five possible types of pseudoknots including the well known H-type pseudoknot were permitted to occur if reasonable.We have applied this approach to e number of RNA sequences.The prediction accuracies we obtained were higher than those in published papers.

An Improved Method for Correction of Air Temperature Measured Using Different Radiation Shields

The variation of air temperature measurement errors using two different radiation shields （DTR502B Vaisala,Finland,and HYTFZ01,Huayun Tongda Satcom,China） was studied.Datasets were collected in the field at the Daxing weather station in Beijing from June 2011 to May 2012.Most air temperature values obtained with these two commonly used radiation shields were lower than the reference records obtained with the new Fiber Reinforced Polymers （FRP） Stevenson screen.In most cases,the air temperature errors when using the two devices were smaller on overcast and rainy days than on sunny days; and smaller when using the imported rather than the Chinese shield.The measured errors changed sharply at sunrise and sunset,and reached maxima at noon.Their diurnal variation characteristics were,naturally,related to changes in solar radiation.The relationships between the record errors,global radiation,and wind speed were nonlinear.An improved correction method was proposed based on the approach described by Nakamura and Mahrt （2005） （NM05）,in which the impact of the solar zenith angle （SZA） on the temperature error is considered and extreme errors due to changes in SZA can be corrected effectively.Measurement errors were reduced significantly after correction by either method for both shields.The error reduction rate using the improved correction method for the Chinese and imported shields were 3.3％ and 40.4％ higher than those using the NM05 method,respectively.

A spatiotemporal evolution model of a short-circuit arc to a secondary arc based on the improved charge simulation method

The initial shape of the secondary arc considerably influences its subsequent shape.To establish the model for the arcing time of the secondary arc and modify the single-phase reclosing sequence,theoretical and experimental analysis of the evolution process of the short-circuit arc to the secondary arc is critical.In this study,an improved charge simulation method was used to develop the internal-space electric-field model of the short-circuit arc.The intensity of the electric field was used as an independent variable to describe the initial shape of the secondary arc.A secondary arc evolution model was developed based on this model.Moreover,the accuracy of the model was evaluated by comparison with physical experimental results.When the secondary arc current increased,the arcing time and dispersion increased.There is an overall trend of increasing arc length with increasing arcing time.Nevertheless,there is a reduction in arc length during arc ignition due to short circuits between the arc columns.Furthermore,the arcing time decreased in the range of 0°-90°as the angle between the wind direction and the x-axis increased.This work investigated the method by which short-circuit arcs evolve into secondary arcs.The results can be used to develop the secondary arc evolution model and to provide both a technical and theoretical basis for secondary arc suppression.

Dynamic Characteristics of Functionally Graded Timoshenko Beams by Improved Differential Quadrature Method

This study proposes an effective method to enhance the accuracy of the Differential Quadrature Method(DQM)for calculating the dynamic characteristics of functionally graded beams by improving the form of discrete node distribution.Firstly,based on the first-order shear deformation theory,the governing equation of free vibration of a functionally graded beam is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations with respect to beam axial displacement,transverse displacement,and cross-sectional rotation angle by considering the effects of shear deformation and rotational inertia of the beam cross-section.Then,ignoring the shear deformation of the beam section and only considering the effect of the rotational inertia of the section,the governing equation of the beam is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations with respect to beam transverse displacement.Based on the differential quadrature method theory,the eigenvalue problem of ordinary differential equations is transformed into the eigenvalue problem of standard generalized algebraic equations.Finally,the first several natural frequencies of the beam can be calculated.The feasibility and accuracy of the improved DQM are verified using the finite element method(FEM)and combined with the results of relevant literature.

Seasonal variability of the mixed layer depth determined using an improved maximum angle method in the Arctic basins

To investigate the spatiotemporal variations in the mixed layer depth(MLD)in the Arctic basins,a new criterion to determine the MLD,called the improved maximum angle method(IMAM),was developed.A total of 45123 potential density profiles collected using Ice-Tethered Profilers(ITPs)in the Arctic basins during 2005-2021 were used to demonstrate the method’s effectiveness.By comparing the results obtained by the fixed threshold method(FTM),percentage threshold method(PTM),and maximum gradient method(MGM)for profiles in the Canada Basin,Makarov Basin,and Eurasian Basin,we determined that the quality index(1.0 for perfect identification of the MLD)of the IMAM regarding the assessment of the MLD determination method reached 0.94,which is much greater than those of other criteria.Moreover,two types of the density profiles were identified based on the mixed layer development stage.The MLDs of the typical profiles determined using the IMAM were found to have better consistency with the original definition.By utilizing the new mixed layer criterion,the seasonal variations and regional differences in the MLD in the Arctic basins were analyzed.Spatially,the summer and winter MLDs in the Canada Basin were the shallowest(13.55 m in summer,26.76 m in winter)than those in the Makarov(29.51 m in summer,49.08 m in winter)and Eurasian(20.36 m in summer,46.81 m in winter)basins due to the stable stratification in the upper ocean and the subsequent small effects of dynamic and thermodynamic processes(wind-driven stirring and brine rejection)in the Canada Basin.Seasonally,in the three Arctic basins,the average MLD was shallowest(22.77 m)in summer;it deepened through autumn and reached a winter maximum(41.12 m).

Isolation of the Flanking Sequences Adjacent to Transgenic T-DNA in Brassica napus Genome by an Improved Inverse PCR Method

[Objective] The research aimed to isolate flanking sequences adjacent to the transgenic T-DNA in Brassica napus by an improved inverse PCR method.[Method] Using single clone of transgenic FS4 in Brassica napus as the research materials,total DNA was extracted from transgenic Brassica napus by using modified CTAB method.After enzyme digestion and purification,self-joining was made.Two circles of nested PCR and the sequence alignment were carried out.[Result] A fragement with the size of 4.0 kb was amplified ...

An Improved Method Based on Shallow Ice Approximation to Calculate Ice Thickness along Flow-Line and Volume of Mountain Glaciers

To evaluate the water storage and project the future evolution of glaciers, the ice-thickness of glaciers is an essential input. However, direct measurements of ice thickness are labo- rious, not feasible everywhere, and necessarily restricted to a small number of glaciers. In this article, we develop a simple method to estimate the ice-thickness along flow-line of mountain glaciers. Different from the traditional method based on shallow ice approximation （SIA）, which gives a relationship be- tween ice thickness, surface slope, and yield stress of glaciers, the improved method considers and pre- sents a simple way to calibrate the influence of valley wall on ice discharge. The required inputs are the glacier surface topography and outlines. This shows the potential of the method for estimating the ice-thickness distribution and volume of glaciers without using of direct thickness measurements.

Improved method to derive equivalent current systems from global MHD simulations

Derivation of equivalent current systems(ECS)from a global magnetospheric magnetohydrodynamics(MHD)model is very useful in studying magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling,ground induction effects,and space weather forecast.In this study we introduce an improved method to derive the ECS from a global MHD model,which takes account of the obliqueness of the magnetic field lines.By comparing the ECS derived from this improved method and the previous method,we find that the main characteristics of the ECS derived from the two methods are generally consistent with each other,but the eastward-westward component of the geomagnetic perturbation calculated from the ECS derived from the improved method is much stronger than that from the previous method.We then compare the geomagnetic perturbation as a function of the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF)clock angle calculated from the ECS derived from both methods with the observations.The comparison indicates that the improved method can improve the performance of the simulation.Furthermore,it is found that the incomplete counterbalance of the geomagnetic effect produced by the ionospheric poloidal current and field-aligned current(FAC)contributes to most of the eastward-westward component of geomagnetic perturbation.

An improved method of angle measurement with a position sensitive detector

An improved method of angle measurement is proposed based on a parallel plate interferometer. A position detection system is incorporated into a parallel plate interferometer in order to realize large deflection angle measurement. A reflecting mirror is introduced for increasing the measurement resolution. In experiments, a deflection angle of a measured target was measured within ～3° with high accuracy. And as a phase modulating interferometer, it was used to measure a small angular displacement with a repeatability of 5.5 × 10^-8 rad.

An improved method for identifying SUMOylation sites of viral proteins

Dear Editor, In recent years, post-translational modifications （PTMs） by small ubiquitin-related modifiers （SUMOs） have emerged as an important regulatory mechanism for both cellular and viral processes （Ribet and Cossart, 2010）. Identifying the SUMOylation sites of the target protein is important to understand the molecular mechanism under- lying SUMO modification and virus-host interactions, as well as provide new insights into antiviral drug develop- ment （Wimmer and Schreiner, 2015）. Traditional site- directed mutagenesis for identifying viral protein SUMO- ylation sites lacks a specific aim and is laborious （McManus et al., 2016）. Recently, mass spectrometry （MS） has been employed as an accurate and sensitive tool to identify PTM sites, thereby greatly expanding the number of known SUMOylated proteins （Pedrioli et al., 2006）. However, during viral infection, SUMOylation is highly dynamic and SUMOylated viral proteins often have low abundance, which makes studying SUMOylation under natural conditions difficult.

An improved interpolating element-free Galerkin method with a nonsingular weight function for two-dimensional potential problems

In this paper, an improved interpolating moving least-square （IIMLS） method is presented. The shape function of the IIMLS method satisfies the property of the Kronecker 5 function. The weight function used in the IIMLS method is nonsingular. Then the IIMLS method can overcome the difficulties caused by the singularity of the weight function in the IMLS method. The number of unknown coefficients in the trial function of the IIMLS method is less than that of the moving least-square （MLS） approximation. Then by combining the IIMLS method with the Galerkin weak form of the potential problem, the improved interpolating element-free Galerkin （IIEFG） method for two-dimensional potential problems is presented. Compared with the conventional element-free Galerkin （EFG） method, the IIEFG method can directly use the essential boundary conditions. Then the IIEFG method has higher accuracy. For demonstration, three numerical examples are solved using the IIEFG method.

Improved AHP method and its application in lake environmental comprehensive quality evaluation—a case study of Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing, China

The relative importance of each pollution factor in analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method comes from pooling expert opinions in general. Because expert opinions are based on information and judgment criteria, determining their weight may lead to uncertainty.. Therefore, an improved AHP method had been developed. The process of the improved AHP method involved four key procedures. The weights of pollution factors were completely related to the objective monitoring data through the standardization of these procedures. The environmental comprehensive quality of water and sediment of Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing, China had been evaluated. The environmental quality comprehensive indices (EQCI) of the water in 1991-1995 and 1996-2000 were 3.32 and 1.85, respectively, indicating that the water quality improved. The EQCI of the sediment in 1995 and 2000 indicates that the sediment contamination decreased from 1995 to 2000. Such results agreed with the fact that the lake had been under comprehensive control. However, with the classical AHP method, the EQCI of the sediment in the northwestern part of the lake may have indicated that sediment contamination increased from 1995 to 2000. The discrepancy may have resulted from the judgment difference of the experts. The improved AHP method can avoid arbitrariness of subjective judgment and can reflect the real influential factors of environment pollution in different periods or regions.

An improved boundary element-free method (IBEFM) for two-dimensional potential problems

The interpolating moving least-squares （IMLS） method is discussed first in this paper. And the formulae of the IMLS method obtained by Lancaster are revised. Then on the basis of the boundary element-free method （BEFM）, combining the boundary integral equation （BIE） method with the IMLS method, the improved boundary element-free method （IBEFM） for two-dimensional potential problems is presented, and the corresponding formulae of the IBEFM are obtained. In the BEFM, boundary conditions are applied directly, but the shape function in the MLS does not satisfy the property of the Kronecker ~ function. This is a problem of the BEFM, and must be solved theoretically. In the IMLS method, when the shape function satisfies the property of the Kronecker 5 function, then the boundary conditions, in the meshless method based on the IMLS method, can be applied directly. Then the IBEFM, based on the IMLS method, is a direct meshless boundary integral equation method in which the basic unknown quantity is the real solution of the nodal variables, and the boundary conditions can be applied directly and easily, thus it gives a greater computational precision. Some numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the method.

A measurement method for distinguishing the real contact area of rough surfaces of transparent solids using improved Otsu technique

An experimental method of measuring the real contact area of transparent blocks based on the principle of total internal reflection is presented, intending to support the investigation of friction characteristics, heat conduction, and energy dissipation at the contact interface. A laser sheet illuminates the contact interface, and the transmitted laser sheet is projected onto a screen. Then the contact information is acquired from the screen by a camera. An improved Otsu method is proposed to process the data of experimental images. It can compute the threshold of the overall image and filter out all the pixels one by one. Through analyzing the experimental results, we describe the relationship between the real contact area and the positive pressure during a continuous loading process, at different loading rates, with the polymethyl methacrylate（PMMA）material. A hysteresis phenomenon in the relationship between the real contact area and the positive pressure is found and explained.

An improved interpolating element-free Galerkin method for elasticity

Based on the improved interpolating moving least-squares （ⅡMLS） method and the Galerkin weak form, an improved interpolating element-free Galerkin （ⅡEFG） method is presented for two-dimensional elasticity problems in this paper. Compared with the interpolating moving least-squares （IMLS） method presented by Lancaster, the ⅡMLS method uses the nonsingular weight function. The number of unknown coefficients in the trial function of the ⅡMLS method is less than that of the MLS approximation and the shape function of the ⅡMLS method satisfies the property of Kronecker δ function. Thus in the ⅡEFG method, the essential boundary conditions can be applied directly and easily, then the numerical solutions can be obtained with higher precision than those obtained by the interpolating element-free Galerkin （IEFG） method. For the purposes of demonstration, four numerical examples are solved using the ⅡEFG method.

An Improved Splitting Method

In this paper, an improved splitting method, based on the completely square-conservative explicit difference schemes, is established. Not only can the time-direction precision of this method be higher than that of the traditional splitting methods but also can the physical feature of mutual dependence of the fast and the slow stages that are calculated separately and splittingly be kept as well. Moreover, the method owns an universality, it can be generalized to other square-conservative difference schemes, such as the implicit and complete ones and the explicit and instantaneous ones. Good time benefits can be acquired when it is applied in the numerical simulations of the monthly mean currents of the South China Sea.

An improved complex variable element-free Galerkin method for two-dimensional elasticity problems

In this paper, the improved complex variable moving least-squares （ICVMLS） approximation is presented. The ICVMLS approximation has an explicit physics meaning. Compared with the complex variable moving least-squares （CVMLS） approximations presented by Cheng and Ren, the ICVMLS approximation has a great computational precision and efficiency. Based on the element-free Galerkin （EFG） method and the ICVMLS approximation, the improved complex variable element-free Galerkin （ICVEFG） method is presented for two-dimensional elasticity problems, and the corresponding formulae are obtained. Compared with the conventional EFC method, the ICVEFG method has a great computational accuracy and efficiency. For the purpose of demonstration, three selected numerical examples are solved using the ICVEFG method.