Body Mass Index and Body Fat Percentage in Assessment of Obesity Prevalence in Saudi Adults

Objective To assess the obesity prevalence in body mass index （BMI） and body fat percentage Saudi adults according to the international standards of （BF%）. Methods Five hundred and thirty healthy Saudi adults aged 18-72 years （mean 36.91＋15.22 years） were enrolled in this study. Their body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impendence analysis with a commercially available body composition analyzer. Standard BMI and BF% values were used to define obesity. Results The prevalence of underweight, normal underweight, overweight and obesity in Saudi adults according to the BMI criteria （〈18.5 kg/mz, 18.5-24.4 kg/m2, 25-29.9 kg/m2, 30 k＆/m2 and above, respectively） was 2.5%, 30.2%, 33.6%, and 33.8%, respectively, whereas the obesity prevalence was 60% （n=31g） in Saudi adults according to the BF% criteria （25% for males and 30% for females）, which was significantly higher than that according to BMI criteria. However, it was 50.6% （n=268） when the BMI cutoff point was 27.5 kg/m2, proposed by WHO for the Asian population. Kappa analysis showed that the obesity prevalence defined by BMI and BF% was higher in females than in males （k=0.530 vs k=0.418, P〈O.O001）. The sensitivity and specificity of BMI （30 kg/m2 and 27.5 kg/m2） were 54.1% and 96.7% and 76.4% and 88.2%, respectively, for obesity. A lower BMI cutoff point （26.60 kg/m2） was proposed in this study, which gave the maximum sensitivity （84.3%） and specificity （85.4%）, with a moderate kappa agreement （k=0.686）. Moreover, the obesity prevalence at this cutoff point （56.4%） was significantly higher than that recommended by WHO. Conclusion The specificity of BMI for obesity is high and its sensitivity is low in both sexes. Its sensitivity can be increased by changing BMI cutoff to a lower value. The choice of BF% reference is of great influence for the assessment of obesity prevalence according to the BMI.

Stable major QTL on chromosomes A07 and A08 increase shelling percentage in peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.)

Peanut is a major oilseed and food legume.Shelling percentage(SP),closely associated with seed yield,is a trait whose improvement is a major goal of peanut breeding.In this study,a mapping population(Xuhua 13×Zhonghua 6)was used to map quantitative trait loci(QTL)controlling SP in four environments.Two stable major QTL for SP were mapped on both SSR-and SNP-based genetic maps.q SPA07.1 on chromosome A07 explained up to 31.7%of phenotypic variation,and q SPA08.2 on chromosome A08 explained up to 10.8%.Favorable alleles of q SPA07.1 and q SPA08.2 were derived from the female and male parents,respectively.Eight recombinant inbred lines(RILs)carrying both favorable alleles showed superiority in SP over the two parents in all environmental trials.A combination of the two favorable alleles using the linked markers was verified to increase SP by~5%in the RIL population and by~3%SP in diverse peanut cultivars.q SPA07.1 and q SPA08.2 were delimited to respectively a 0.73-Mb interval harboring 96 genes and a 3.93-Mb interval harboring 238 genes.Respectively five and eight genes with high expression in pods,including enzymes and transcription factors,were assigned as candidate genes for q SPA07.1 and q SPA08.2.These consistent major QTL provide an opportunity for fine mapping of genes controlling SP,and the linked markers may be useful for genetic improvement of SP in peanut.

Effects of cooling rate on vermicular graphite percentage in a brake drum produced by onestep cored wire injection

In this research, a vermicular graphite cast iron brake drum was produced by cored wire injection in a one-step method. Silica sand and low-density alumina-silicate ceramic were used as molding materials in order to investigate the effect of cooling rate on percentage of vermicular graphite and mechanical properties of the brake drum casting. Several thermocouples were inserted into the casting in the desired positions to measure the temperature change. By means of one-step cored wire injection, the two residual concentrations of Mg and RE were effectively controlled in the ranges of 0.013%-0.017% and 0.019%-0.025%, respectively, which are crucial for the production of vermicular graphite cast iron and the formation of vermicular graphite. In addition, the cooling rate had a significant effect on the vermicular graphite percentage. In the case of the silica mold brake drum casting, there was an obvious difference in the cooling rate with the wall change, leading to a change in vermicular graphite percentage from 70.8% to 90%. In the low-density alumina-silicate ceramic mold casting, no obvious change in temperature was detected by the thermocouples and the percentage of the vermicular graphite was stable at 85%. Therefore, the vermicular graphite cast iron brake drum with a better combination of mechanical properties could be obtained.

Preoperative albumin-bilirubin score and liver resection percentage determine postoperative liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy

BACKGROUND The success of liver resection relies on the ability of the remnant liver to regenerate.Most of the knowledge regarding the pathophysiological basis of liver regeneration comes from rodent studies,and data on humans are scarce.Additionally,there is limited knowledge about the preoperative factors that influence postoperative regeneration.AIM To quantify postoperative remnant liver volume by the latest volumetric software and investigate perioperative factors that affect posthepatectomy liver regenera-tion.METHODS A total of 268 patients who received partial hepatectomy were enrolled.Patients were grouped into right hepatectomy/trisegmentectomy(RH/Tri),left hepa-tectomy(LH),segmentectomy(Seg),and subsegmentectomy/nonanatomical hepatectomy(Sub/Non)groups.The regeneration index(RI)and late rege-neration rate were defined as(postoperative liver volume)/[total functional liver volume(TFLV)]×100 and(RI at 6-months-RI at 3-months)/RI at 6-months,respectively.The lower 25th percentile of RI and the higher 25th percentile of late regeneration rate in each group were defined as“low regeneration”and“delayed regeneration”.“Restoration to the original size”was defined as regeneration of the liver volume by more than 90%of the TFLV at 12 months postsurgery.RESULTS The numbers of patients in the RH/Tri,LH,Seg,and Sub/Non groups were 41,53,99 and 75,respectively.The RI plateaued at 3 months in the LH,Seg,and Sub/Non groups,whereas the RI increased until 12 months in the RH/Tri group.According to our multivariate analysis,the preoperative albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)score was an independent factor for low regeneration at 3 months[odds ratio(OR)95%CI=2.80(1.17-6.69),P=0.02;per 1.0 up]and 12 months[OR=2.27(1.01-5.09),P=0.04;per 1.0 up].Multivariate analysis revealed that only liver resection percentage[OR=1.03(1.00-1.05),P=0.04]was associated with delayed regeneration.Furthermore,multivariate analysis demonstrated that the preoperative ALBI score[OR=2.63(1.00-1.05),P=0.02;per 1.0 up]and liver resection percentage[OR=1.02(1.00-1.05),P=0.04;per 1.0 up]were found to be independent risk factors associated with volume restoration failure.CONCLUSION Liver regeneration posthepatectomy was determined by the resection percentage and preoperative ALBI score.This knowledge helps surgeons decide the timing and type of rehepatectomy for recurrent cases.

Combined preoperative albumin bilirubin score and hepatectomy percentage for evaluate the liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy

Surgical resection is a pivotal therapeutic approach for addressing hepatic space-occupying lesions,with liver volume restoration and hepatic functional recovery being crucial for assessing surgical prognosis.The preoperative albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)score,encompassing serum albumin and bilirubin levels,can be determined via blood analysis,effectively mitigating human error and providing an accurate depiction of liver function.The hepatectomy ratio,which is the proportion of the liver volume removed to the total liver volume,is critical in preserving an adequate liver tissue volume to ensure postoperative hepatic functional compensation,minimize surgical complications,and reduce mortality rates.Incorporating the preoperative ALBI score and hepatectomy ratio aids surgeons in assessing the optimal timing and extent of partial hepatectomy.The introduction of preoperative albumin bilirubin score and hepatectomy percentage is beneficial for the surgeons to evaluate the timing and magnitude of partial liver resection.

A novel nondestructive detection approach for seed cotton lint percentage using deep learning

Background The lint percentage of seed cotton is one of the most important parameters for evaluating seed cotton quality and affects its price.The traditional measuring method of lint percentage is labor-intensive and time-consuming;thus,an efficient and accurate measurement method is needed.In recent years,classification-based deep learning and computer vision have shown promise in solving various classification tasks.Results In this study,we propose a new approach for detecting the lint percentage using MobileNetV2 and transfer learning.The model is deployed on a lint percentage detection instrument,which can rapidly and accurately determine the lint percentage of seed cotton.We evaluated the performance of the proposed approach using a dataset comprising 66924 seed cotton images from different regions of China.The results of the experiments showed that the model with transfer learning achieved an average classification accuracy of 98.43%,with an average precision of 94.97%,an average recall of 95.26%,and an average F1-score of 95.20%.Furthermore,the proposed classification model achieved an average accuracy of 97.22%in calculating the lint percentage,showing no significant difference from the performance of experts(independent-sample t-test,t=0.019,P=0.860).Conclusion This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the MobileNetV2 model and transfer learning in calculating the lint percentage of seed cotton.The proposed approach is a promising alternative to traditional methods,providing a rapid and accurate solution for the industry.

Corrosion and wear properties of in situ(TiB+TiC)/TA15 composites with a high volume percentage of reinforcement

The in situ(TiC+TiB)/TA15 composites with different volume percentages of reinforcement(10%,15%,20%and 25%)were prepared by water-cooled copper crucible vacuum suspension melting technology.The structures and compositions of the TA15 alloy and its composites were analyzed by XRD and EDS,and their electrochemical corrosion behaviors in the 3.5%NaCl solution were studied.Corrosion wear testing was conducted using a reciprocating ball-on-disc wear tester under a 10 N load.Results show that the in situ fibrous TiB phase and the granular TiC phase are uniformly distributed on the composite matrix.The microhardness can reach up to 531 HV as 25vol.%TiC+TiB reinforcement is added.Compared with the TA15 alloy,the volume wear rate decreases from(2.21±0.07)×10^(-4)to(1.75±0.07)×10^(-4)mm^(3)·N^(-1)·m^(-1)by adding 15vol.%TiC+TiB reinforcement,and the wear mechanism is adhesive wear.When the volume percentage of the reinforcement phase reaches 25%,the volume wear rate increases from(1.75±0.07)×10^(-4)to(2.41±0.07)×10^(-4)mm^(3)·N^(-1)·m^(-1),and the wear mechanism changes into abrasive wear.The volume loss resulted by the interaction between corrosion and wear accounts for more than 27%of the total wear volume.The volume loss due to wear-induced corrosion changes from 1.94%to 4.06%with different additions of reinforcement.The volume loss caused by corrosion-induced wear initially increases from 24.08%to 26.90%as the reinforcement increases from 0 to 15%due to the increase of corrosion potential,and then decreases from 26.90%to 25.68%as the reinforcement increases from 15%to 25%due to the peeling of TiC phase.

Map-based cloning of q LP_(A01.1),a favorable allele from the Gossypium tomentosum chromosome segment line

Cotton is an important natural fiber crop worldwide which plays a vital role in our daily life.High yield is a constant goal of cotton breeding,and lint percentage(LP)is one of the important components of cotton fiber yield.A stable QTL controlling LP,qLP_(A01.1),was identified on chromosome A01 from Gossypium hirsutum introgressed lines with G.tomentosum chromosome segments in a previous study.To fine-map qLP_(A01.1),an F2 population with 986individuals was established by crossing G.hirsutum cultivar CCRI35 with the chromosome segment substitution line HT_390.A high-resolution genetic map including 47 loci and spanning 56.98 cM was constructed in the QTL region,and qLP_(A01.1)was ultimately mapped into an interval corresponding to an~80 kb genome region of chromosome A01in the reference genome,which contained six annotated genes.Transcriptome data and sequence analysis revealed that S-acyltransferase protein 24(GoPAT24)might be the target gene of qLP_(A01.1).This result provides the basis for cotton fiber yield improvement via marker-assisted selection(MAS)and further studies on the mechanism of cotton fiber development.

Therapeutic Effectiveness of Leukocyte-and Platelet-rich Fibrin for Diabetic Foot Ulcers:A Retrospective Study

Objective Diabetic foot ulcer(DFU)is one of the most serious complications of diabetes.Leukocyte-and platelet-rich fibrin(L-PRF)is a second-generation autologous platelet-rich plasma.This study aims to investigate the clinical effects of L-PRF in patients with diabetes in real clinical practice.Methods Patients with DFU who received L-PRF treatment and standard of care(SOC)from 2018 to 2019 in Tongji Hospital were enrolled.The clinical information including patient characteristics,wound evaluation(area,severity,infection,blood supply),SOC of DFU,and images of ulcers was retrospectively extracted and analyzed.L-PRF treatment was performed every 7±2 days until the ulcer exhibited complete epithelialization or an overall percent volume reduction(PVR)greater than 80%.Therapeutic effectiveness,including overall PVR and the overall and weekly healing rates,was evaluated.Results Totally,26 patients with DFU were enrolled,and they had an ulcer duration of 47.0(35.0,72.3)days.The severity and infection of ulcers varied,as indicated by the Site,Ischemia,Neuropathy,Bacterial Infection,and Depth(SINBAD)scores of 2–6,Wagner grades of 1–4,and the Perfusion,Extent,Depth,Infection and Sensation(PEDIS)scores of 2–4.The initial ulcer volume before L-PRF treatment was 4.94(1.50,13.83)cm3,and the final ulcer volume was 0.35(0.03,1.76)cm3.The median number of L-PRF doses was 3(2,5).A total of 11 patients achieved complete epithelialization after the fifth week of treatment,and 19 patients achieved at least an 80%volume reduction after the seventh week.The overall wound-healing rate was 1.47(0.63,3.29)cm3/week,and the healing rate was faster in the first 2 weeks than in the remaining weeks.Concurrent treatment did not change the percentage of complete epithelialization or healing rate.Conclusion Adding L-PRF to SOC significantly improved wound healing in patients with DFU independent of the ankle brachial index,SINBAD score,or Wagner grade,indicating that this method is appropriate for DFU treatment under different clinical conditions.

Relationship between Seed Priming Mediated Seedling Vigor and Yield Performance of Spring Wheat

Seed priming is a pre-germinated technique that can enhance seed germination percentage,faster and synchro-nized germination,better seedling growth,and yield under stress conditions.To ascertain the most effective seed priming method that would ensure the potential yield of wheat in Bangladesh,two experiments were carried out from December 2021 to March 2022 at the Department of Agronomy,Bangladesh Agricultural University.Two wheat varieties namely BARI Gom-28 and BWMRI Gom-1 were subjected to a range of priming chemicals in both lab and pot tests.These compounds included the following:control(no priming),hydropriming(distilled water),10000 ppm KNO_(3),15000 ppm KNO_(3),40000 ppm Mannitol,60000 ppm Mannitol,10000 ppm NaCl,20000 ppm NaCl,100 ppm PEG,150 ppm PEG,500 ppm NaOCl,1000 ppm NaOCl,10000 ppm CaCl_(2),20000 ppm CaCl_(2),10000 ppm KCl and 20000 ppm KCl.A complete randomized design(CRD)with three repli-cations was used to set up the experiments.The results showed that BARI Gom-28 and BWMRI Gom-1 responded best to KCl priming in terms of rapid seed germination and strong seedling development.On the other hand,the best priming agents for plant growth and productivity turned out to be CaCl_(2) and KCL.The results of this study support the possibility of using seed priming as a technique to improve wheat plant development and output by raising seed emergence and survival rates.

Experimental Study on the Performance of ORC System Based on Ultra-Low Temperature Heat Sources

This paper discussed the experimental results of the performance of an organic Rankine cycle(ORC)system with an ultra-low temperature heat source.The low boiling point working medium R134a was adopted in the system.The simulated heat source temperature(SHST)in this work was set from 39.51°C to 48.60°C by the simulated heat source module.The influence of load percentage of simulated heat source(LPSHS)between 50%and 70%,the rotary valve opening(RVO)between 20%and 100%,the resistive load between 36Ωand 180Ωor the no-load of the generator,as well as the autumn and winter ambient temperature on the system performance were studied.The results showed that the stability of the system was promoted when the generator had a resistive load.The power generation(PG)and generator speed(GS)of the system in autumn were better than in winter,but the expander pressure ratio(EPR)was lower than in winter.Keep RVO unchanged,the SHST,the mass flow rate(MFR)of the working medium,GS,and the PG of the system increased with the increasing of LPSHS for different generator resistance load values.When the RVO was 60%,LPSHS was 70%,the SHST was 44.15°C and the resistive load was 72Ω,the highest PG reached 15.11 W.Finally,a simulation formula was obtained for LPSHS,resistance load,and PG,and its correlation coefficient was between 0.9818 and 0.9901.The formula can accurately predict the PG.The experimental results showed that the standard deviation between the experimental and simulated values was below 0.0792,and the relative error was within±5%.

High Dimension Multivariate Data Analysis for Small Group Samples of Chemical Volatile Profiles of African Nightshade Species

Quantitative headspace analysis of volatiles emitted by plants or any other living organisms in chemical ecology studies generates large multidimensional data that require extensive mining and refining to extract useful information. More often the number of variables and the quantified volatile compounds exceed the number of observations or samples and hence many traditional statistical analysis methods become inefficient. Here, we employed machine learning algorithm, random forest (RF) in combination with distance-based procedure, similarity percentage (SIMPER) as preprocessing steps to reduce the data dimensionality in the chemical profiles of volatiles from three African nightshade plant species before subjecting the data to non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). In addition, non-parametric methods namely permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) were applied to test hypothesis of differences among the African nightshade species based on the volatiles profiles and ascertain the patterns revealed by NMDS plots. Our results revealed that there were significant differences among the African nightshade species when the data’s dimension was reduced using RF variable importance and SIMPER, as also supported by NMDS plots that showed S. scabrum being separated from S. villosum and S. sarrachoides based on the reduced data variables. The novelty of our work is on the merits of using data reduction techniques to successfully reveal differences in groups which could have otherwise not been the case if the analysis were performed on the entire original data matrix characterized by small samples. The R code used in the analysis has been shared herein for interested researchers to customise it for their own data of similar nature.

Assessing the Relationship between October-November-December Rainfall and Indian Ocean Dipole in Recent Decades over Tanzania Following the 2011 Abrupt Change

The present study explored how the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) influences October-November-December (OND) rainfall over Tanzania in recent decade following the 2011 abrupt change. The study spans 50 years, from 1973 to 2022. Notable abrupt changes were observed in 1976 and 2011, leading us to divide our study into two periods: 1976-2010 and 2011-2022, allowing for a close investigation into the existing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall and their associated large-scale atmospheric circulations. It was found that the relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall strengthened, with the correlation changed from +0.73 during 1976-2010 to +0.81 during 2011-2022. Further investigation revealed that, during 1976-2010, areas that received above- normal rainfall during positive IOD experienced below-normal during 2011- 2022 and vice versa. The same pattern relationship was observed for negative IOD. Spatial analysis demonstrates that the percentage departure of rainfall across the region mirrors the standardized rainfall anomalies. The study highlights that the changing relationship between OND IOD and OND rainfall corresponds to the east-west shift of Walker circulation, as well as the north-south shift of Hadley circulation. Analysis of sea surface temperature (SST) indicates that both positive and negative IOD events strengthened during 2011-2022 compared to 1976-2010. Close monitoring of this relationship across different timescales could be useful for updating OND rainfall seasonal forecasts in Tanzania, serving as a tool for reducing socio-economic impacts.

Breeding of a New Peanut Variety Shanghua No.6 with High Shelling Percentage and Big Fruit

Shanghua No.6, a new peanut variety with high shelling percentage and bigfruit, was bred through sexual hybridization（female parent Pukehua No.2 × male parent Yuanza 9102） by Shangqiu Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences. In the big peanut regional tests in north China in 2011-2012, Shanghua No.6 had the average yield of pod and seed respectively of 4 695.30 kg/hm^2 and 3 514.73 kg/hm^2;in the production test in 2013, its average yield of pod and seed were 4 531.0 5kg/hm^2 and 3 312.15 kg/hm^2. Its crude fat content was 50.46-53.46%, oleic acid content was 50.9-51.7%, and oil oleic acid/linoleic acid value was 1.69-1.76. The variety was high-resistant to brown spot and focal spot, susceptible to black spot,resistant to net blotch and stem rot. Its 100-pod weight was 256.2 g, 100-seed weight 111.2 g, and shelling percentage was 74.75%. The variety was certificated by National Crop Variety Approval Committee in 2014（identification number：2014010）, which was suitable for planting in Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Liaoning,Beijing, north of Huaihe River in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

Optimal Percentage of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in Central Plant Hot Recycling Mixture

For determining the optimal percentage of RAP material in central plant hot recycling, binder was recovered from RAP by means of Abson recovery method, and properties tests of mixed binders consisting of recovered asphalt and fresh asphalt at different ratios were performed. In addition, the performances of mixture with different percentages of RAP such as rutting resistance, anti-cracking, moisture susceptibility and fatigue resistance were tested. The binder test results showed that the high temperature performance was improved with the increase of the percentage of the RAP, while the low temperature performance was declined. When the percentage of the recovered binder was less than 30%, the mixed binder could match the technical standards for fresh asphalt. Tests on the mixtures showed that rutting resistance increased gradually as RAP percentage increased, while thermal anti-cracking at low temperature and fatigue properties declined. The effect of the percentage of RAP on moisture susceptibility was limited. It is indicated that low temperature performance and fatigue properties are important for selecting the optimal percentage of RAP. Based on data obtained from binders and mixtures, it is concluded that the maximum percentage of RAP is approximately 30% without the addition of rejuvenating agent.

Tuning the fill percentage in the hydrothermal synthesis process to increase catalyst performance for ozone decomposition

The performance of Ce-OMS-2 catalysts was improved by tuning the fill percentage in the hydrothermal synthesis process to increase the oxygen vacancy density.The Ce-OMS-2 samples were prepared with different fill percentages by means of a hydrothermal approach(i.e.80%,70%,50%and 30%).Ce-OMS-2 with 80%fill percentage(Ce-OMS-2-80%)showed ozone conversion of 97%,and a lifetime experiment carried out for more than20 days showed that the activity of the catalyst still remained satisfactorily high(91%).For Ce-OMS-2-80%,Mn ions in the framework as well as K ions in the tunnel sites were replaced by Ce^4+,while for the others only Mn ions were replaced.O2-TPD and H2-TPR measurements proved that the Ce-OMS-2-80%catalyst possessed the greatest number of mobile surface oxygen species.XPS and XAFS showed that increasing the fill percentage can reduce the AOS of Mn and augment the amount of oxygen vacancies.The active sites,which accelerate the elimination of O3,can be enriched by increasing the oxygen vacancies.These findings indicate that increasing ozone removal can be achieved by tuning the fill percentage in the hydrothermal synthesis process.

S Phase Cell Percentage Normalized BrdU Incorporation Rate, a New Parameter for Determining S Arrest

In this study, a new parameter, S phase cell percentage （S fraction） normalized BrdU （SFN-BrdU） incorporation rate, was introduced to detect $ arrest. The results showed a positive linear correlation between the BrdU incorporation rate and the S fraction in unperturbed 16HBE cells. Theoretical analysis indicated that only S arrest could result in a decrease in the SFN-BrdU incorporation rate. Additionally, the decrease in SFN-BrdU incorporation rate and the activation of DNA damage checkpoints further demonstrated that S arrest was induced by diethyl sulfate treatment of 16HBE cells. In conclusion, $FN-BrdU incorporation rate can be used to detecting S arrest.

Comparison and Evaluation of Two Analytical Methods for Cation Exchange Capacity and Exchangeable Sodium Percentage of Five Soil Types in Central Sudan

Twenty-six soil samples were collected from five soil profiles at different climatological and ecological regions in central Sudan. Soil profile was dug in each studied area and morphological profile description was carried out for different horizons. All samples were analyzed using two different methods to determine Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). Statistical analysis (T-test) was used in order to investigate the differences between soil samples for the studied locations. Significant differences appeared when compared the two methods for CEC determination at Gedaref area, Wad Medani and Nile flood plain and that appeared in evaluation of ESP at Nile flood plain and Shambat area. The results also revealed that, the developed method used in this study was more practical, simple and reliable for determination of CEC and ESP as the currently used in most soil laboratories. In addition, it will be safer than the other methods in some problematic soils. The adoption of this developed method is advisable because it is less time consuming as it omits the washing step. In contrast, the old method cannot be a good substitute in laboratories which have no possibility to determine sodium by using flame photometer. We conclude that when the developed method is used to determine CEC and ESP time will be saved, that fewer amounts of chemicals will be used and that accurate results will be achieved.

Effect of Window Opening Percentage on the Air Flow Rate of Wind-Driven Natural Ventilation Rooms

According to the investigations of window opening percentage (WOP) of Shanghai in 2011, the WOP varies significantly from season to season and thus affects the air flow rate of natural ventilation rooms. A three-dimensional computional fluid dynamic(CFD) model was applied to simulating the flow fields in a street canyon under different wind speed and WOP. The numerical simulations show that WOP has a significant influence on the static pressure distribution of the downwind building. Therefore, a correction factor k can be used for calculating the flow rate of wind-driven natural ventilation. The results show that k ranges from 0.43 to 0.49 when WOP is 4.44%; when WOP increases to 9.78%, the correction factor k lies in 0.32 and 0.36.

Study on PEG6000 Treatment on Budding Percentage And Germination Rate of Allium Tuberosum Roxb.Seeds

Allium tuberosum Roxb is very popular for its function of stomach-strengthening,spirit-freshening,yang-warming and kidney essencereplenishing,however,its seeds appear to low bud,irregular sapling and other side effects,which result in low yield and poor quality.This paper analyzed effects of PEG6000 concentration on budding percentage in detail.It comes to conclusions that budding percentage of No.1 seed increases from 71% to 92% on the basis of 36 h treatment by 20% PEG6000 and 24 h water-drying,that of No.3 seed ranges from 30.4% to 53.4% on the basis of the same treatment by 10% PEG6000.