Rapid In-situ Determination of Chromium (VI) in Water Using Modified Diphenylcarbazine with Citrate

Diphenylcarbazine citrate was synthesized and a high-speed color reaction of the new reagent with Cr (VI) was developed and used to determine trace Cr (VI) in electroplating water. In acid medium, diphenylcarbazine citrate reacted with Cr (VI) to form a magenta-colored complex. The molar absorptivity of the complex is 3.32×104 L·mol-1·cm-1 at 540 nm. Beer抯 law is obeyed for Cr (VI) in the range of 0.03~2.00 mg/L. Contents of Cr (VI) in electroplating waste water was determined in-situ and satisfactory results were obtained.

In-situ determination of onset lithium plating for safe Li-ion batteries

Lithium plating in working batteries has attracted wide attention in the exploration of safe energy storage. Establishing an effective and rapid early-warning method is strongly considered but quite challenging since lithium plating behavior is determined by diverse factors. In this contribution, we present a non-destructive electrochemical detection method based on transient state analysis and threeelectrode cell configuration. Through dividing the iR drop value by the current density, the as-obtained impedance quantity(R_(i)) can serve as a descriptor to describe the change of electrochemical reaction impedance on the graphite anode. The onset of lithium plating can be identified from the sharp drop of R_(i). Once the dendritic plated lithium occurs, the extra electrochemical reactions at the lithium interfaces leads to growing active area and reduced surface resistance of the anode. We proposed a protocol to operate the batteries under the limited capacity, which renders the cell with 98.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles without lithium plating. The early-warning method has also been validated in in-situ optical microscopy batteries and practical pouch cells, providing a general but effective method for online lithium plating detection towards safe batteries.

IN-SITU DETERMINATION OF SEDIMENT OXYGEN DEMAND IN CULTIVATION PONDS

This paper presents a method for in situ determining sediment oxygen demand (SOD) in cultivation pond. This method based on sediment surface structure, temperature, and other determining conditions like those in shrimp cultivation environments, overcomes defects of old methods and provides more accurate estimation of SOD’s effect on dissolved oxygen in culture waters. Our experiment shows that the sediment surface structure and temperature had important effect on SOD in culture water. Different SOD values were derived from different parts of oxygen consumption curves of sediment, because the curves were not linear. According to the oxygen consumption curves of sediment and saturated DO in culture water, it was thought more suitable to calculate SOD with dissolved oxygen reduction from 5.0 to 2.0 mg/l. This method to determine the SOD of shrimp ponds yielded satisfactory results.

Sex Determination in Homo sapiens as a Multi-Step Process: Potential for Development of Variants and Sex Differences in Disease Risk

Reproduction via cis-binary mechanisms appears to have evolved fairly early in the evolution of complex organisms, and a system committed to prior to evolution of humans. While the evolution of a chromosomal-specific approach has been a successful strategy for survival of a large variety of species including humans, the fidelity of sex determination leading to 100% cis-binary outcomes is not achieved in many species, with evidence for homosexual or bisexual behaviour evident in more than 1500 species. Thus, such outcomes indicates that sex determination is a multi-step process and not a single event, and as such, could lead to the appearance of variants during the process which developed much earlier than humans. Variants could arise either due to intrinsic variation in the steps of determination, or also be influenced by environmental factors of a biological or psychological nature. In contrast to homosexual variants which do not require interventions such as hormone therapy or surgery, expression of gender dysphoria, is more based in psychology, but also has biological underpinnings and can be influenced by such hormonal interventions and surgery. While the numbers of those with gender dysphoria is small (~0.6% - 1.0% of population), the attention given to this issue raises the possibility of biological and psychological environmental factors impacting the emergence of some of those expressing gender dysphoria. Furthermore, transitioning from male-to-female or female-to-male can have consequences regarding disease risks latter in life, including the appearance of autoimmune diseases. This review will attempt to review some of the evidence regarding sex determination, discuss why the system has potentially not been improved upon during evolution, how a potential role for sex chromosome function on neurodevelopment may be central to variation in humans, and how commitment to the current strategy is likely integrated into other sex-related events such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause to ensure species survival. It will also discuss how variants in sex determination could contribute to sex differences in disease risk and how epigenetic modifications could play a role in such risk. .

Silencing transformer and transformer-2 in Zeugodacus cucurbitae causes defective sex determination with inviability of most pseudomales

transformer is a switch gene for sex determination in many insects, which cooperates with transformer-2 that is expressed in both sexes to regulate female differentiation, particularly in dipterans. Zeugodacus cucurbitae(Coquillett) is a very destructive pest worldwide, however, its sex determination pathway remains largely uncharacterized. Here, we show that the female sex ratio is sharply reduced with knockdown of either transformer or transformer-2 by RNA interference in early embryos of Z. cucurbitae. Most of the males grown from the embryos with transient transformer and transformer-2 suppression mated with wild-type females and produced mixed sex progeny, with one exception that produced only female progeny, and all of the few remaining males failed to mate with wild-type females and produced no progeny. The exceptional male and those males with mating failure were XX pseudomales as determined by the detection of Y chromosome-linked Maleness-on-the-Y, indicating that most XX pseudomales are not viable. The phenotypes of transformer and transformer-2 suggest that they play a key role in regulating sex determination and are required for female sexual development of Z. cucurbitae. Our results will be beneficial to the understanding of sex determination in Z. cucurbitae and can facilitate the development of genetic sexing strains for its biological control.

Relative orbit determination algorithm of space targets with passive observation

Angles-only relative orbit determination for space non-cooperative targets based on passive sensor is subject to weakly observable problem of the relative state between two spacecraft. Previously, the evidence for angles-only observability was found by using cylindrical dynamics, however, the solution of orbit determination is still not provided. This study develops a relative orbit determination algorithm with the cylindrical dynamics based on differential evolution. Firstly, the relative motion dynamics and line-of-sight measurement model for nearcircular orbit are established in cylindrical coordinate system.Secondly, the observability is qualitatively analyzed by using the dynamics and measurement model where the unobservable geometry is found. Then, the angles-only relative orbit determination problem is modeled into an optimal searching frame and an improved differential evolution algorithm is introduced to solve the problem. Finally, the proposed algorithm is verified and tested by a set of numerical simulations in the context of highEarth and low-Earth cases. The results show that initial relative orbit determination(IROD) solution with an appropriate accuracy in a relative short span is achieved, which can be used to initialize the navigation filter.

The Impact of Sleep Determination on Procrastination before Bedtime:The Role of Anxiety

Objective:The importance of good sleep for energy recovery and overall physical and mental health cannot be overstated.However,the increasing competitiveness of society,diversifying lifestyles,and the rapid spread of the internet and electronic devices have significantly impacted people’s sleep patterns,particularly through bedtime procrastination.Therefore,this study aims to investigate the relationship and underlying mechanisms between sleep determination,anxiety,and bedtime procrastination among the Chinese population.Method:The study utilized data from a national survey—the China Residents’Sleep Condition Survey(November 2021,with 6,037 participants).By constructing mediation and moderation models,it analyzed the relationship and mechanisms between sleep determination and bedtime procrastination,highlighting the dual role of anxiety:as a mediator between sleep determination and bedtime procrastination,and as a moderator of their relationship.Results:There was a negative correlation between sleep determination and bedtime procrastination;anxiety was related to an increase in bedtime procrastination behaviors;In the interplay between sleep determination and pre-bedtime procrastination,the regulatory effect of anxiety is found to be more pronounced than its intermediary role,with anxiety significantly diminishing the inverse relationship between sleep determination and procrastination before bedtime.Conclusion:Bedtime procrastination can lead to sleep issues,thus reducing sleep quality.Enhancing sleep determination or alleviating pre-sleep anxiety can help inhibit bedtime procrastination behaviors.Intervening and reducing bedtime procrastination is one of the effective measures to improve sleep quality.

Research Progress on Purification Process, Content Determination and Pharmacological Action of Atractylodin

Atractylodis Rhizoma comes from the dry rhizome of Atractylis lancea or Atractylodes chinensis in the Compositae family,and it is suitable for preventing and treating diseases such as cold,edema,night blindness and rheumatic arthralgia.Atractylodin is the main active component extracted and isolated from Atractylodis Rhizoma.A large number of studies have found that atractylodin has excellent drug activity in improving gastrointestinal emptying,anti-inflammation,inhibiting malignant tumor and reducing blood lipid.In this paper,the purification process and pharmacological activity of Atractylodin were summarized to provide a theoretical basis for basic research,clinical application and further development and utilization of atractylodin.

Determination of Chlorogenic Acid,Geniposide,Total Flavonoids and Total Triterpenes in Wulan-13

[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish a method for the determination of chlorogenic acid,geniposide,total flavonoids and total triterpenes in Wulan-13.[Methods]The contents of chlorogenic acid and geniposide were determined by HPLC,and the contents of total flavonoids and total triterpenes were determined by an ultraviolet spectrophotometer.[Results]There was a good linear relation between the mass of chlorogenic acid reference substance and the peak area in the range of 0.05-0.45μg,and the regression equation was Y=2524.1X+3.1943,(r=0.9998).A good linear relationship was found between the mass of gardenoside reference substance and the peak area in the range of 0.776-6.984μg,and the regression equation was Y=1670.5X+64.804,(r=0.9998).There was also a good linear relation between the mass of rutin reference substance and its absorbance in the range of 0.00808-0.04848 mg,and the regression equation was Y=12.916X+0.014,(r=0.999).The mass of oleanolic acid reference substance had a good linear relation with its absorbance in the range of 0.00418-0.0209 mg,and the regression equation was Y=51.89X-0.0839,(r=0.9991).[Conclusions]The content determination method is simple,reliable and reproducible,and suitable for controlling the contents of chlorogenic acid,geniposide,total flavonoids and total triterpenes in Wulan-13.

Overexpression of Kdm6b induces testicular differentiation in a temperature-dependent sex determination system

In reptiles,such as the red-eared slider turtle(Trachemys scripta elegans),gonadal sex determination is highly dependent on the environmental temperature during embryonic stages.This complex process,which leads to differentiation into either testes or ovaries,is governed by the finely tuned expression of upstream genes,notably the testis-promoting gene Dmrt1 and the ovary-promoting gene Foxl2.Recent studies have identified epigenetic regulation as a crucial factor in testis development,with the H3K27me3 demethylase KDM6B being essential for Dmrt1 expression in T.s.elegans.However,whether KDM6B alone can induce testicular differentiation remains unclear.In this study,we found that overexpression of Kdm6b in T.s.elegans embryos induced the male development pathway,accompanied by a rapid increase in the gonadal expression of Dmrt1 at 31°C,a temperature typically resulting in female development.Notably,this sex reversal could be entirely rescued by Dmrt1 knockdown.These findings demonstrate that Kdm6b is sufficient for commitment to the male pathway,underscoring its role as a critical epigenetic regulator in the sex determination of the red-eared slider turtle.

Determination of Benzoylaconitine Compounds in the Decoctions of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata(Heishun Pieces),Trichosanthis Fructus and Their Combination

[Objectives]This study was conducted to determine the contents of benzoylmesaconine,benzoylaconitine and benzoylhypacoitine in the decoctions of Heishun pieces,Trichosanthis Fructus and their combination.[Methods]Heishun pieces,Trichosanthis Fructus and their combination were extracted for different time periods,and then grouped.HPLC was performed using an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C 18 chromatographic column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5μm)and acetonitrile-0.02 mol/L sodium dihydrogen phosphate as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and a column temperature of 30℃,and the sample volume was 20μL.The detection wavelength was 230 nm.[Results]The total amounts of benzoylmesaconine,benzoylaconitine and benzoylhypacoitine in the single decoction group of Heishun pieces were all significantly different from those in the combined decoction group at corresponding time.[Conclusions]The total content of the benzoylaconitine type increased significantly after the combined decoction of Heishun pieces and Fructus Trichosanthis,which proves the scientificity of"eighteen incompatible medicaments,19 counteraction"in traditional Chinese medicine to some extent.

Frequentist and Bayesian Sample Size Determination for Single-Arm Clinical Trials Based on a Binary Response Variable: A Shiny App to Implement Exact Methods

Sample size determination typically relies on a power analysis based on a frequentist conditional approach. This latter can be seen as a particular case of the two-priors approach, which allows to build four distinct power functions to select the optimal sample size. We revise this approach when the focus is on testing a single binomial proportion. We consider exact methods and introduce a conservative criterion to account for the typical non-monotonic behavior of the power functions, when dealing with discrete data. The main purpose of this paper is to present a Shiny App providing a user-friendly, interactive tool to apply these criteria. The app also provides specific tools to elicit the analysis and the design prior distributions, which are the core of the two-priors approach.

TLC Identification of Yao Medicine Pileostegia tomentellal and Extraction Technology and Content Determination of Umbelliferone

[Objectives]To establish a TLC and content determination method of Pileostegia tomentellal,with umbelliferone as the indicator component.[Methods]TLC identification was performed by silica gel G thin layer plate with n-hexane-ethyl acetate(4:3)as the developing agent,and the plate was examined by UV lamp(365 nm).The umbelliferone content was determined by HPLC:Inertsil ODS-3 C 18 column(4.60 mm×250 mm,5μm);mobile phase acetonitrile-0.2%phosphoric acid gradient elution;detection wavelength 320 nm,flow rate 1.0 mL/min,column temperature 30℃,injection volume 10μL.[Results]The chromatogram of P.tomentellal showed the same color spot in the same position as that of reference medicinal material,and the spot was clear with good specificity.Umbelliferone showed a good linear relationship when the injection volume was 2.63-131.27μg/mL(R^(2)=0.9997).The average recovery of umbelliferone in the low,middle and high adding groups of P.tomentellal was 99.57%and the RSD was 2.15%.[Conclusions]The method can effectively identify Yao medicine P.tomentellal and accurately determine the content of umbelliferone in medicinal materials,which will provide a scientific basis for the development and utilization of medicinal resources of Yao medicine P.tomentellal.

Field Load Test Based SHM System Safety Standard Determination for Rigid Frame Bridge

The deteriorated continuous rigid frame bridge is strengthened by external prestressing. Static loading tests wereconducted before and after the bridge rehabilitation to verify the effectiveness of the rehabilitation process. Thestiffness of the repaired bridge is improved, and the maximum deflection of the load test is reduced from 37.9 to27.6 mm. A bridge health monitoring system is installed after the bridge is reinforced. To achieve an easy assessmentof the bridge’s safety status by directly using transferred data, a real-time safety warning system is createdbased on a five-level safety standard. The threshold for each safety level will be determined by theoretical calculationsand the outcomes of static loading tests. The highest risk threshold will be set at the ultimate limit statevalue. The remaining levels, namely middle risk, low risk, and very low risk, will be determined usingreduction coefficients of 0.95, 0.9, and 0.8, respectively.

Determination of Salvianolic Acid B in Yiqi Huayu Prescription by HPLC

[Objectives]To determine the content of salvianolic acid B in Yiqi Huayu Prescription by HPLC.[Methods]The chromatographic column was ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C 18(4.6 nm×250 nm,5μm);the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid(21:79),the detection wavelength was 286 nm,the column temperature was 30℃,and the flow rate was 1.0 mL/min.A method for determination of salvianolic acid B in Yiqi Huayu Prescription was established.[Results]The linear relationship of salvianolic acid B was good in the range of 0.0214-0.4064 mg/mL.The regression equation was Y=5995.98984 X-0.07332,r=0.9999.The average recovery rate was 98.88%(RSD=1.6%).[Conclusions]The method is reliable,accurate and specific,and can be used for the determination of salvianolic acid B in Yiqi Huayu Prescription.

Maleness-on-the-Y(MoY) orthologue is a key regulator of male sex determination in Zeugodacus cucurbitae(Diptera:Tephritidae)

The initiation of sex differentiation in insects is regulated by primary sex determination signals.In the Medfly Ceratitis capitata and other tephritids,Maleness-on-the-Y(MoY) is the master gene for male sex determination.However,the primary signal in Zeugodacus cucurbitae(Coquillett),a very destructive tephritid pest across the world,remains ambiguous.In this study,we have isolated and characterized the Medfly MoY homolog in Z.cucurbitae,ZcMoY.ZcMOY protein shows high sequence conservation to its homologs in Bactrocera species.ZcMoY transcription begins and peaks at very early embryonic stages and then becomes undetectable except the testes and heads of day 1 male adults.Silencing ZcMoY in early embryos by RNAi causes abnormal external genitalia and interior reproductive organs,giving rise to intersexes and feminization of XY individuals.The expression pattern and knockdown phenotypes of ZcMoY indicate that ZcMoY plays a key role in regulating sex determination of Z.cucurbitae males.Our findings will help the understanding of sex determination in Z.cucurbitae and facilitate the development of genetic sexing strains in its biological control.

Soxllb regulates the migration and fate determination of Müller glia-derived progenitors during retina regeneration in zebrafish

The transcription factor Sox11 plays important roles in retinal neurogenesis during vertebrate eye development.However,its function in retina regeneration remains elusive.Here we report that Sox11 b,a zebrafish Sox11 homolog,regulates the migration and fate determination of Müller glia-derived progenitors(MGPCs)in an adult zebrafish model of mechanical retinal injury.Following a stab injury,the expression of Sox11 b was induced in proliferating MGPCs in the retina.Sox11 b knockdown did not affect MGPC formation at 4 days post-injury,although the nuclear morphology and subsequent radial migration of MGPCs were alte red.At 7 days post-injury,Sox11 b knockdown res ulted in an increased proportion of MGPCs in the inner retina and a decreased propo rtion of MGPCs in the outer nuclear layer,compared with controls.Furthermore,Sox11 b knockdown led to reduced photoreceptor regeneration,while it increased the numbe rs of newborn amacrines and retinal ganglion cells.Finally,quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that Sox11 b regulated the expression of Notch signaling components in the retina,and Notch inhibition partially recapitulated the Sox11 b knockdown phenotype,indicating that Notch signaling functions downstream of Sox11 b.Our findings imply that Sox11 b plays key roles in MGPC migration and fate determination during retina regeneration in zebrafish,which may have critical im plications for future explorations of retinal repair in mammals.

In-situ interfacial passivation and self-adaptability synergistically stabilizing all-solid-state lithium metal batteries

The function of solid electrolytes and the composition of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)are highly significant for inhibiting the growth of Li dendrites.Herein,we report an in-situ interfacial passivation combined with self-adaptability strategy to reinforce Li_(0.33)La_(0.557)TiO_(3)(LLTO)-based solid-state batteries.Specifically,a functional SEI enriched with LiF/Li_(3)PO_(4) is formed by in-situ electrochemical conversion,which is greatly beneficial to improving interface compatibility and enhancing ion transport.While the polarized dielectric BaTiO_(3)-polyamic acid(BTO-PAA,BP)film greatly improves the Li-ion transport kinetics and homogenizes the Li deposition.As expected,the resulting electrolyte offers considerable ionic conductivity at room temperature(4.3 x 10~(-4)S cm^(-1))and appreciable electrochemical decomposition voltage(5.23 V)after electrochemical passivation.For Li-LiFePO_(4) batteries,it shows a high specific capacity of 153 mA h g^(-1)at 0.2C after 100 cycles and a long-term durability of 115 mA h g^(-1)at 1.0 C after 800 cycles.Additionally,a stable Li plating/stripping can be achieved for more than 900 h at 0.5 mA cm^(-2).The stabilization mechanisms are elucidated by ex-situ XRD,ex-situ XPS,and ex-situ FTIR techniques,and the corresponding results reveal that the interfacial passivation combined with polarization effect is an effective strategy for improving the electrochemical performance.The present study provides a deeper insight into the dynamic adjustment of electrode-electrolyte interfacial for solid-state lithium batteries.

Classifier for centrality determination with zero-degree calorimeter at the cooling-storage-ring external-target experiment

The zero-degree calorimeter(ZDC)plays a crucial role toward determining the centrality in the Cooling-Storage-Ring External-target Experiment(CEE)at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou.A boosted decision tree(BDT)multi-classification algorithm was employed to classify the centrality of the collision events based on the raw features from ZDC such as the number of fired channels and deposited energy.The data from simulated^(238)U+^(238)U collisions at 500 MeV∕u,generated by the IQMD event generator and subsequently modeled using the GEANT4 package,were employed to train and test the BDT model.The results showed the high accuracy of the multi-classification model adopted in ZDC for centrality determination,which is robust against variations in different factors of detector geometry and response.This study demon-strates the good performance of CEE-ZDC in determining the centrality in nucleus-nucleus collisions.

Revisiting the determination of Mount Olympus Height(Greece)

The present study deals with the determination of Mount Olympus summit(Mytikas),exploiting modern observations such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems(GNSS)and existing geodetic information.The last official Olympus height determination goes back 102 years by the Swiss surveyor M.Kurz.Since then,only unofficial measurement campaigns have taken place.There is a variety of released heights,which range from 2917 to 2919 meters.In September and October of 2022,we conducted a GNSS campaign,focusing on the area of highest Olympus peaks.Employing precise GNSS measurements(accuracy of 1-3 cm),in conjunction with height information from Greece’s National Triangulation Network(5-10 cm accuracy)and an appropriate,recent geoid model(5-6 cm accuracy),we estimate through the so-called GNSS-levelling,the height of Olympus to 2917.727 m with respect to Greece’s officially accepted mean sea level and 2918.390 m with respect to the global vertical datum.Our estimation of Olympus highest peak shows remarkable consistency at the level of 12.8 cm to that of M.Kurz in 1921.