Real-time virtual reference service based on applicable artificial intelligence technologies:The début of the robot Xiaotu at Tsinghua University Library

The adoption of applicable artificial intelligence technologies to library real-time virtual reference services is an innovative experimentation in one of the key areas of library services. Based on the open source software Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity(A.L.I.C.E.) and a combined application of several other relevant supporting technologies for facilitating the use of the current existing library resources, Tsinghua University Library has recently developed a real-time smart talking robot, named Xiaotu,for the enhancement of its various service functions, such as reference services, book searching, Baidu Baike searching, self-directed learning, etc. The operation of Xiaotu is programmed into Renren website(a social networking website), which adds significantly an innovative feature to the modus operandi of the real-time virtual reference service at Tsinghua University Library.

Evaluation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis in Manila Clam Ruditapes philippinarum Under Hypoxic Stress

Quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR)has been widely used for gene expression analysis,and selection of reference genes is a key point to obtain accurate results.To find out optimal reference genes for qRT-PCR in Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum in response to hypoxia,different tissues were used and compared to evaluate the stability of candidate reference genes under low oxygen stress(DO 0.5mgL^(−1) and DO 2.0mgL^(−1))and normal condition(DO 7.5mgL^(−1)).Seven candidate reference genes were selected to evaluate the stability of their expression levels.The reference genes were evaluated by Delta Ct,BestKeeper,NormFinder and geNorm,and then screened by RefFinder calculation.Under hypoxic stress of 0.5mgL^(−1),the most suitable reference gene for gill and hepatopancreas was RPL31,and the optimal reference genes for axe foot and adductor muscle were TUB and HIS,respectively.For hypoxic stress of 2.0mgL^(−1),the most stable reference gene for gill and hepatopancreas was RPL31,and the optimal reference genes for axe foot and adductor muscle were RPS23 and EF1A,respectively.At the normal condition,HIS and EF1A were identified as the optimal internal reference genes in gill and hepatopancreas respectively,and GFRP2 was the best internal reference gene for axe foot and adductor muscle.The present findings will provide important basis for the selection of reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis of gene expression level in bivalves under hypoxic stress,which might be helpful for the analysis of other molluscs too.

Constructing a Virtual Large Reference Plate with High-precision for Calibrating Cameras with Large FOV

It is well known that the accuracy of camera calibration is constrained by the size of the reference plate,it is difficult to fabricate large reference plates with high precision.Therefore,it is non-trivial to calibrate a camera with large field of view(FOV).In this paper,a method is proposed to construct a virtual large reference plate with high precision.Firstly,a high precision datum plane is constructed with a laser interferometer and one-dimensional air guideway,and then the reference plate is positioned at different locations and orientations in the FOV of the camera.The feature points of reference plate are projected to the datum plane to obtain a virtual large reference plate with high-precision.The camera is moved to several positions to get different virtual reference plates,and the camera is calibrated with the virtual reference plates.The experimental results show that the mean re-projection error of the camera calibrated with the proposed method is 0.062 pixels.The length of a scale bar with standard length of 959.778mm was measured with a vision system composed of two calibrated cameras,and the length measurement error is 0.389mm.

Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of gene expression during early development processes of the tongue sole(Cynoglossus semilaevis)

Differential expression of genes is crucial to growth and development of fish. To select the appropriate genes for gene normalization during Cynoglossus semilaevis early developmental process, eight candidate reference genes （ACTB, B2M, EF1A, GADPH, RPL7, TUBA, UBCE and 18S） were tested for their adequacy by using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the expression of all the examined genes exhibited tissue dependent variations in the mature C. semilaevis. EFIA was listed as the most stable reference among the 14 tissues by RefFinder. Furthermore, the recommended comprehensive ranking of the stability determined by RefFinder showed that 18S was the most stable gene during the early developmental stages （from oosphere to 90 days old） in this study. However, when divided the Ct value data of the above mentioned early developmental stages into two separate periods （embryo and post-hatching periods）, TUBA and 18S represented the most stable references of these two developmental periods, respectively. Consequently, the reference gene should be carefully and accurately chosen even for studies of the same species at various developmental processes. The relevant data may help in selecting appropriate reference genes for mRNA expression analysis, and is of great value in the studies of fish growth and development.

Selection of Reference Genes for Gene Expression Analysis in Nilaparvata lugens with Different Levels of Virulence on Rice by Quantitative Real-Time PCR

The brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens Stal （Homoptera： Delphacidae） can cause hopperburn by feeding on rice and also can transmit the grassy stunt disease. Resistant rice varieties have been developed, but several N. lugens strains can recover their virulence to these resistant rice varieties. In the present study, reference genes with stable expression levels in N. lugens populations showed different levels of virulence to susceptible and resistant rice varieties. The expression of six candidate reference genes in N. lugens feeding on susceptible and resistant rice varieties was analyzed. These genes were evaluated for their potential use in the analysis of differential gene expression. Polymerase chain reaction data was generated from N. lugens, including two different treatments （resistant or susceptible rice） and three virulent N. lugens populations. Three software programs （BestKeeper, Normfinder and geNorm） were used to assess the candidate reference genes. Both geNorm and Normfinder identified the genes 18S, E-ACT, E-TUB and a-TUB as the most stable reference genes. BestKeeper identified ETIF1 as the optimal reference gene with the least overall variation, whereas 18S and a-TUB were the second and third most stably expressed genes, respectively. Therefore, we concluded that the genes 18S and a-TUB were the most suitable reference genes in N. lugens. These results will facilitate future transcript profiling studies on N. lugens populations that show variation in virulence levels on different rice varieties.

Reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis and quantitative expression of P5CS in Agropyron mongolicum under drought stress

Reference genes, stably expressing in different tissues and cells, are commonly used as the references in expression analysis. Selecting the optimum reference gene is crucial to the success of experiments. In this study, the expression stabilities of nine common reference genes, including ACT2, 18 S r RNA, APRT, EF-1α, RNA POL II, TUBα, TUBβ, GAPDH and TLF of Agropyron mongolicum, were studied under drought condition. Among them, 18 S r RNA was found to be the most optimum reference gene under drought stress by the analyzing of ge Norm and Norm Finder software. Quantitative expression levels of P5 CS using 18 S r RNA as the reference gene, and proline contents under drought stress in A. mongolicum were further operated, and we found the expression level of P5 CS gene and proline content had a significantly positive relationship（R^2=0.7763, P〈0.05）. This study established and validated 18 S r RNA as the reference genes in A. mongolicum under drought stress, providing a powerful tool for the quantitative expression analysis of drought genes in A. mongolicum.

Selection of Reference Genes in Saccharopolyspora Spinosa for Real-Time PCR

Reverse transcription quantitative PCR （RT-qPCR） combined with the published genome information of Saccharopolyspora spinosa can allow sophisticated studies about S. spinosa, including Studying the regulation of spinosyn biosynthesis, finding new target genes for engineering, and discovering and exploiting other macrolide secondary metabolites. Studies have demonstrated that appropriate internal control is needed to normalize target genes at transcription levels. However, many studies have shown that no single reference gene is universal for all strains under all experimental conditions. Thus, eight candidate reference genes of three different S. spinosa strains in two different cultures were studied to find suitable reference gene（sl. The number of amplification cycles of these candidate genes was calculated by BestKeeper, NormFinder and geNorm. The results indicated that the most suitable reference genes for normalization during the fermentation of S. spinosa were 16S rRNA and rbL13.

RT-qPCR normalization of reference genes in different lifehistory stages of Gracilaria vermiculophylla(Rhodophyta)

The quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)is a powerful and sensitive method to measure expression of targeted gene but it highly relies on the use of suitable reference genes for data normalization.We evaluated the expressions of 8 housekeeping genes:18S ribosomal rDNA(18S rDNA),28S ribosomal r DNA(28S rDNA),rubisco large subunit(rbc-L),β-actin(ACT),glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH),elongation factor 1(EF1),β-tubulin(Tub B),and P-phycoerythrin B(PEB),to select the suitable reference genes for different life-history stages(tetrasporophyte,carposporophyte,and male/female gametophyte)of Gracilaria vermiculophylla by absolute quantitative method.Softwares geNorm and BestKeeper were used to verify the results acquired from copy number analysis.Results show that the expression of identified reference genes varied in comparing groups composed of different type of life stages.It is suggested that 18S rDNA and TubB could be used for highly complex samples composed of mixed ploidy and phases.18S rDNA and 28S rDNA were also preferred for using among the matured isomorphic samples.But for samples with different maturities,TubB and ACT were recommended for tetrasporophytes and gametophytes respectively.

A survey of real-time rendering on Web3D application

Background In recent years, with the rapid development of mobile Internet and Web3D technologies, a large number of web-based online 3D visualization applications have emerged. Web3D applications, including Web3D online tourism, Web3D online architecture, Web3D online education environment, Web3D online medical care, and Web3D online shopping are examples of these applications that leverage 3D rendering on the web. These applications have pushed the boundaries of traditional web applications that use text, sound, image, video, and 2D animation as their main communication media, and resorted to 3D virtual scenes as the main interaction object, enabling a user experience that delivers a strong sense of immersion. This paper approached the emerging Web3D applications that generate stronger impacts on people's lives through “real-time rendering technology”, which is the core technology of Web3D. This paper discusses all the major 3D graphics APIs of Web3D and the well-known Web3D engines at home and abroad and classify the real-time rendering frameworks of Web3D applications into different categories. Results Finally, this study analyzed the specific demand posed by different fields to Web3D applications by referring to the representative Web3D applications in each particular field. Conclusions Our survey results show that Web3D applications based on real-time rendering have in-depth sectors of society and even family, which is a trend that has influence on every line of industry.

Real-time virtual sonography visualization and its clinical application in biliopancreatic disease

AIM:To evaluate the usefulness of real-time virtual sonography(RVS)in biliary and pancreatic diseases.METHODS:This study included 15 patients with biliary and pancreatic diseases.RVS can be used to observe an ultrasound image in real time by merging the ultrasound image with a multiplanar reconstruction computed tomography(CT)image,using pre-scanned CT volume data.The ultrasound used was EUB-8500with a convex probe EUP-C514.The RVS images were evaluated based on 3 levels,namely,excellent,good and poor,by the displacement in position.RESULTS:By combining the objectivity of CT with free scanning using RVS,it was possible to easily interpret the relationship between lesions and the surrounding organs as well as the position of vascular structures.The resulting evaluation levels of the RVS images were12 excellent(pancreatic cancer,bile duct cancer,cholecystolithiasis and cholangiocellular carcinoma)and 3 good(pancreatic cancer and gallbladder cancer).Compared with conventional B-mode ultrasonography and CT,RVS images achieved a rate of 80%superior visualization and 20%better visualization.CONCLUSION:RVS has potential usefulness in objective visualization and diagnosis in the field of biliary and pancreatic diseases.

Optimizing Real-Time Performance of 3D Virtual Mining Environment with MultiGen Creator

System optimization plays a crucial role in developing VR system after 3D modeling, affecting the system's Immersion and Interaction performance enormously. In this article, several key techniques of optimizing a virtual mining system were discussed: optimizing 3D models to keep the polygon number in VR system within target hardware's processing ability; optimizing texture database to save texture memory with perfect visual effect; optimizing database hierarchy structure to accelerate model retrieval; and optimizing LOD hierarchy structure to speed up rendering.

A State-of-the-Art Survey on Real-Time Issues in Embedded Systems Virtualization

Virtualization has gained great acceptance in the server and cloud computing arena. In recent years, it has also been widely applied to real-time embedded systems with stringent timing constraints. We present a comprehensive survey on real-time issues in virtualization for embedded systems, covering popular virtualization systems including KVM, Xen, L4 and others.

Development of Virtual Reference Station in Kinematic Schemes of Geodetic GPS Network Using the Method of Maximum Informative Zone

The factual data on error of positioning in VRS GPS networks have been analyzed, where the mobile receiver is provided with VRS. The method of highly informative zone is suggested for removal of initial vagueness in selection of reference stations for purposes of development of VRS on the basis of minimum GPS network, composed of three reference stations. The recommendations on use of suggested method are given.

Non-reference virtual view quality evaluation of MVD

The quality of virtual view based on multi-view video （MVD） plus depth format is often evaluated by PSNR or subjectively judged. However, due to synthesizing arbitrary view images, the virtual view images mostly have no reference images and are only assessed using non-reference. Virtual view images synthesized by depth estimation reference software （DERS） and view synthesis reference software （VSRS） often accompanied with blockiness and other distortions on the edge. In addition, matching level for the depth map and the corresponding texture maps of left and right views also affects the quality of the virtual view. This paper compares the edge similarity of the depth and the corresponding texture maps which generate the intermediate virtual view and combined with the virtual view＇s blockiness which causing blur to evaluate the quality of the virtual view. Experiment results show that the proposed method can reflect the quality of the virtual view better.

Selection of Reference Genes in Transcription Analysis of Gene Expression of the Mandarin Fish, Siniperca chuasti

At present, transcription analysis of gene expression commonly uses housekeeping genes as control for normalization. In this study, the expression levels of three housekeeping genes including GAPDH, β-actin, and 18S rRNA in six tissues and five developmental stages of the Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi were assayed with quantitative real-time PCR （qPCR）. Differences in expression levels were analyzed using geNorm program. The results demonstrate that β-actin is the most stable gene at developmental stages and GAPDH is the most stable in different tissues. While 18S rRNA expression during development is differentially regulated, which indicates it is suitable as an internal control for gene expression normalization at the developmental level. Overall, the data suggest that the two most stable housekeeping genes are enough to accurately calibrate gene expression in S. chuatsi. The significance of this study provided convincing references and methodology for housekeeping gene selection and normalization in gene expression analysis with regular PCR or qPCR.

Application of Real-time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR in Plant

Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR （RQ-PCR） is a detection method by adding fluorescent dye or fluorescent probe into the PCR reaction system, using fluorescent signal accumulation to monitor amplification reactions of PCR reaction process, and finally the unknown template can be quantitatively analyzed through the standard curve. So the detection level of PCR has improved from the qualitative to the quantitative. In order to provide a theoretical reference for further application, the principle, classification, advantages and disadvantages of RQ-PCR were intro- duced, and its application and progress in plants in recent years were reviewed.

A study of novel real-time power balance strategy with virtual asynchronous machine control for regional integrated electric-thermal energy systems

The development of regional integrated electric-thermal energy systems(RIETES) is considered a promising direction for modern energy supply systems. These systems provide a significant potential to enhance the comprehensive utilization and efficient management of energy resources. Therein, the real-time power balance between supply and demand has emerged as one pressing concern for system stability operation. However, current methods focus more on minute-level and hour-level power optimal scheduling methods applied in RIETES. To achieve real-time power balance, this paper proposes one virtual asynchronous machine(VAM) control using heat with large inertia and electricity with fast response speed. First, the coupling timescale model is developed that considers the dynamic response time scales of both electric and thermal energy systems. Second, a real-time power balance strategy based on VAM control can be adopted to the load power variation and enhance the dynamic frequency response. Then, an adaptive inertia control method based on temperature variation is proposed, and the unified expression is further established. In addition, the small-signal stability of the proposed control strategy is validated. Finally, the effectiveness of this control strategy is confirmed through MATLAB/Simulink and HIL(Hardware-in-the-Loop) experiments.

Selection of reference genes for qRT-PCR analysis of gene expression in sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus during aestivation

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （qRT-PCR） is a technique that is widely used for gene expression analysis, and its accuracy depends on the expression stability of the internal reference genes used as normalization factors. However, many applications of qRT-PCR used housekeeping genes as internal controls without validation. In this study, the expression stability of eight candidate reference genes in three tissues （intestine, respiratory tree, and muscle） of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus was assessed during normal growth and aestivation using the geNorm, NormFinder, delta CT, and RefFinder algorithms. The results indicate that the reference genes exhibited significantly different expression patterns among the three tissues during aestivation. In general, the β-tubulin （TUBB） gene was relatively stable in the intestine and respiratory tree tissues. The optimal reference gene combination for intestine was 40S ribosomal protein S18 （RPSI 8）, TUBB, and NADH dehydrogenase （NADH）; for respiratory tree, it was β-actin （ACTB）, TUBB, and succinate dehydrogenase cytochrome B small subunit （SDHC）; and for muscle it was α-tubulin （TUBA） and NADH dehydrogenase [ubiquinone] 1α subcomplex subunit 13 （NDUFA13）. These combinations of internal control genes should be considered for use in further studies of gene expression in A.japonicus during aestivation.

Reference Gene Selection for Normalization of PCR Analysis in Chicken Embryo Fibroblast Infected with H5N1 AIV

Chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) are among the most commonly used cells for the study of interactions between chicken hosts and H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV).In this study,the expression of eleven housekeeping genes typically used for the normalization of quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) analysis in mammals were compared in CEFs infected with H5N1 AIV to determine the most reliable reference genes in this system.CEFs cultured from 10-day-old SPF chicken embryos were infected with 100 TCID50 of H5N1 AIV and harvested at 3,12,24 and 30 hours post-infection.The expression levels of the eleven reference genes in infected and uninfected CEFs were determined by real-time PCR.Based on expression stability and expression levels,our data suggest that the ribosomal protein L4 (RPL4) and tyrosine 3-monooxygenase tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta polypeptide (YWHAZ) are the best reference genes to use in the study of host cell response to H5N1 AIV infection.However,for the study of replication levels of H5N1 AIV in CEFs,the β-actin gene (ACTB) and the ribosomal protein L4 (RPL4) gene are the best references.

Elements and Experiments of Shenzhen Continuous Operating Reference Stations (SZCORS) System

Real-time kinematic GPS precise positioning has been playing an increasing role in both surveying and navigation. Based on the city’s fibre LAN network, Shenzhen Continuous Operating Reference Stations (SZCORS) system has been established and consists of GPS reference stations, system control center, user’s data center, and real-time datacom network. The SZCORS system provides users the real-time centimeter positioning or post-processing millimeter positioning. This paper makes discussion on the structure of SZCORS system. Some experiments have been made to test the usablity, and then the data has been analyzed.