Acoustic Based Crosshole Full Waveform Slowness Inversion in the Time Domain

We develop a new full waveform inversion (FWI) method for slowness with the crosshole data based on the acoustic wave equation in the time domain. The method combines the total variation (TV) regularization with the constrained optimization together which can inverse the slowness effectively. One advantage of slowness inversion is that there is no further approximation in the gradient derivation. Moreover, a new algorithm named the skip method for solving the constrained optimization problem is proposed. The TV regularization has good ability to inverse slowness at its discontinuities while the constrained optimization can keep the inversion converging in the right direction. Numerical computations both for noise free data and noisy data show the robustness and effectiveness of our method and good inversion results are yielded.

Estimation of azimuth and slowness of teleseismic signals recorded by a local seismic network

A new method that is applicable to local seismic networks to estimate the azimuth and slowness of teleseismic signals is introduced in the paper. The method is based on the correlation between the arrival times and station positions. The analyzed results indicate that the azimuth and slowness of teleseismic signals can be accurately estimated by the method. Average errors for azimuth and slowness measurements obtained by this method using data of Xian Digital Telemetry Seismic Network are 2.0?and 0.34 s/(?, respectively. The conclusions drawn from this study indicate that this method may be very useful to interpret teleseismic records of local seismic networks.

On the functions of astrocyte-mediated neuronal slow inward currents

Slow inward currents are known as neuronal excitatory currents mediated by glutamate release and activation of neuronal extra synaptic N-met hyl-D-aspartate receptors with the contribution of astrocytes.These events are significantly slower than the excitatory postsynaptic currents.Parameters of slow inward currents are determined by seve ral factors including the mechanisms of astrocytic activation and glutamate release,as well as the diffusion pathways from the release site towards the extra synaptic recepto rs.Astrocytes are stimulated by neuronal network activity,which in turn excite neurons,forming an astrocyte-neuron feedback loop.Mostly as a consequence of brain edema,astrocytic swelling can also induce slow inward currents under pathological conditions.There is a growing body of evidence on the roles of slow inward currents on a single neuron or local network level.These events often occur in synchro ny on neurons located in the same astrocytic domain.Besides synchronization of neuronal excitability,slow inward currents also set synaptic strength via eliciting timing-dependent synaptic plasticity.In addition,slow inward currents are also subject to non-synaptic plasticity triggered by long-la sting stimulation of the excitatory inputs.Of note,there might be important regionspecific differences in the roles and actions triggering slow inward currents.In greater networks,the pathophysiological roles of slow inward currents can be better understood than physiological ones.Slow inward currents are identified in the pathophysiological background of autism,as slow inward currents drive early hypersynchrony of the neural networks.Slow inward currents are significant contributors to paroxysmal depolarizational shifts/interictal spikes.These events are related to epilepsy,but also found in Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,and stroke,leading to the decline of cognitive functions.Events with features overlapping with slow inward currents(excitatory,N-methyl-Daspartate-receptor mediated currents with astrocytic contribution) as ischemic currents and spreading depolarization also have a well-known pathophysiological role in worsening consequences of stroke,traumatic brain injury,or epilepsy.One might assume that slow inward currents occurring with low frequency under physiological conditions might contribute to synaptic plasticity and memory formation.However,to state this,more experimental evidence from greater neuronal networks or the level of the individual is needed.In this review,I aimed to summarize findings on slow inward currents and to speculate on the potential functions of it.

Identification and fine mapping of qSW2 for leaf slow wilting in soybean

Drought is one of the abiotic stresses limiting the production of soybean(Glycine max).Elucidation of the genetic and molecular basis of the slow-wilting(SW)trait of this crop offers the prospect of its genetic improvement.A panel of 188 accessions and a set of recombinant inbred lines produced from a cross between cultivars Liaodou 14 and Liaodou 21 were used to identify quantitative-trait loci(QTL)associated with SW.Plants were genotyped by Specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing and seedling leaf wilting was assessed under three water-stress treatments.A genome-wide association study identified 26 SW-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs),including three located in a 248-kb linkage-disequilibrium(LD)block on chromosome 2.Linkage mapping revealed a major-effect QTL,qSW2,associated with all three treatments and adjacent to the LD block.Fine mapping in a BC_(2)F_(3) population derived from a backcross between Liaodou 21 and R26 confined qSW2 to a 60-kb interval.Gene expression and sequence variation analysis identified the gene Glyma.02 g218100,encoding an auxin transcription factor,as a candidate gene for qSW2.Our results will contribute significantly to improving drought-resistant soybean cultivars by providing genetic information and resources.

Remnant Paleoproterozoic Subduction or Lithospheric Drip Initiation at the Yilgarn Craton Margin:Constraints from P-wave Tomography

The Paleoproterozoic was a critical time in whether modern-style plate tectonics had become globally dominant(e.g.,Wan et al.,2020).The Capricorn Orogen witnessed the assembly of the Pilbara and Yilgarn Cratons and an exotic microcontinent,the Glenburgh Terrane,to form the West Australia Craton(WAC)through two collisional orogenic events,the 2215–2145 Ma Ophthalmian and 2005–1950 Ma Glenburgh Orogenies(Johnson et al.,2013;Fig.1).Compared to other Proterozoic orogenic belts in Australia,the Capricorn Orogen preserves‘complete'opposing continental margin successions,together with intervening arc fragments associated with oceanic closure and foreland basins associated with collisional loading(Cawood et al.,2009).

Transferable adversarial slow feature extraction network for few-shot quality prediction in coal-to-ethylene glycol process

In the coal-to-ethylene glycol(CTEG)process,precisely estimating quality variables is crucial for process monitoring,optimization,and control.A significant challenge in this regard is relying on offline laboratory analysis to obtain these variables,which often incurs substantial monetary costs and significant time delays.The resulting few-shot learning scenarios present a hurdle to the efficient development of predictive models.To address this issue,our study introduces the transferable adversarial slow feature extraction network(TASF-Net),an innovative approach designed specifically for few-shot quality prediction in the CTEG process.TASF-Net uniquely integrates the slowness principle with a deep Bayesian framework,effectively capturing the nonlinear and inertial characteristics of the CTEG process.Additionally,the model employs a variable attention mechanism to identify quality-related input variables adaptively at each time step.A key strength of TASF-Net lies in its ability to navigate the complex measurement noise,outliers,and system interference typical in CTEG data.Adversarial learning strategy using a min-max game is adopted to improve its robustness and ability to model irregular industrial data accurately and significantly.Furthermore,an incremental refining transfer learning framework is designed to further improve few-shot prediction performance achieved by transferring knowledge from the pretrained model on the source domain to the target domain.The effectiveness and superiority of TASF-Net have been empirically validated using a real-world CTEG dataset.Compared with some state-of-the-art methods,TASF-Net demonstrates exceptional capability in addressing the intricate challenges for few-shot quality prediction in the CTEG process.

Prediction and critical transition mechanism for granite fracture:Insights from critical slowing down theory

Rock fracture warning is one of the significant challenges in rock mechanics.Many true triaxial and synchronous acoustic emission(AE)tests were conducted on granite samples.The investigation focused on the characteristics of AE signals preceding granite fracture,based on the critical slowing down(CSD)theory.The granite undergoes a transition from the stable phase to the fracture phase and exhibits a clear CSD phenomenon,characterized by a pronounced increase in variance and autocorrelation coefficient.The variance mutation points were found to be more identifiable and suitable as the primary criterion for predicting precursor information related to granite fracture,compared to the autocorrelation coefficient.It is noteworthy to emphasize that the CSD factor holds greater potential in elucidating the underlying mechanisms responsible for the critical transition of granite fracture,in comparison to the AE timing parameters.Furthermore,a novel multi-parameter collaborative prediction method for rock fracture was developed by comprehensively analyzing predictive information,including abnormal variation modes and the CSD factor of AE characteristic parameters.This method enhances the understanding and prediction of rock fracture-related geohazards.

Structure-controlled slow dynamics in Al−Mg melts

Molecular dynamics simulation was employed to investigate the dynamical and structural properties of Al−Mg melts with the Al concentration systematically changed.The results show that the viscosity of Al67Mg33 abnormally surpasses that of Al85Mg15 below 550 K,inconsistent with the tendency at high temperatures.The evolution of the icosahedral order population is found to account for this dynamic behavior.Structural analysis shows a preferred bonding between Al and Mg atoms in the nearest neighbor shells,while a repelling tendency between them in the second shells,leading to the prepeak emergence in the partial static structure factors.The formation of icosahedral clusters is constrained in the Al-rich compositions because of the lack of sufficient Mg atoms to stabilize the clusters geometrically.These results demonstrate the structural consequence through the interplay between geometric packing and chemical interaction.These findings are crucial to understanding the structure−dynamic properties in Al−Mg melts.

Effect of the mixing of s-wave and chiral p-wave pairings on electrical shot noise properties of normal metal/superconductor tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the electrical shot noise properties of tunnel junctions between a normal metal and a superconductor with the mixture of singlet s-wave and chiral triplet p-wave pairing due to broken inversion symmetry. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential is changed. It is demonstrated that some characteristics of the electrical shot noise properties of such tunnel junctions may depend sensitively on the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential, and some significant changes may occur in the electrical shot noise properties when the relative amplitude between the two parity components is varied from the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime to the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime. In the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime, the ratio of noise power to electric current is close to 2e both in the in-gap and in the out-gap region. In the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime, the value of this ratio is close to 4e in the inner gap region but may reduce to about 2e in the outer gap region as the relative amplitude of the chiral triplet pairing component is increased. The variations of the differential shot noise with the bias voltage also exhibit some significantly different features in different regimes. Such different features can serve as useful diagnostic tools for the determination of the relative magnitude of the two parity components in the pairing potential.

Preservation of superior rectal artery in laparoscopic colectomy:The best choice for slow transit constipation?

Laparoscopic colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis may be beneficial for patients with slow transit constipation who do not respond to conservative treatment,particularly if the superior rectal artery(SRA)is preserved.Several important concerns have been addressed in this commentary.It is important to first go over the definition of surgical procedure as it is used in this text.Second,the current study lacked a control group that had SRA preservation.Thirdly,it would be best to use a prospective,randomized controlled study.Lastly,a description of the mesenteric defect’s state following a laparoscopic colectomy is necessary.

In Vitro Slow Growth Preservation of Vaccinium uliginosum

As an important wild blueberry resource,Vaccinium uliginosum has attracted more and more attention.At present,the wild resources are under destruction.The conservation of wild Vaccinium uliginosum resources is imminent.However,there are few researches on the protection and preservation of its germplasm resources.In vitro preservation is an important method for germplasm conservation.In this study,one strain of wild Vaccinium uliginosum was used as material.The effects of temperature(25℃,15℃,10℃,or 0℃),media(WPM,1/2WPM or 1/3WPM),medium supplements(sorbitol or mannose),and photoperiod(8,10,12,or 14 h•d^(-1))on the growth,survival rate and rejuvenation rate of the plantlets were studied.The physiological changes of plantlets during preservation were analyzed.Methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism(MSAP)analysis of genomic DNA methylation of plantlets was carried out to explore the genetic stability of the plantlets after preservation.The research results provided a theoretical basis for the germplasm preservation of Vaccinium uliginosum.

Flow field analysis and particle erosion of tunnel-slope systems under coupling between runoff and fast (slow) seepage

The presence of particles on the surface of a tunnel slope renders it susceptible to erosion by waterflow,which is a major cause of soil and water loss.In this study,a nonlinear mathematical model and a mechanical equilibrium model are developed to investigate the distribution offlowfields and particle motion characteristics of tunnel slopes,respectively.The mathematical model offlowfields comprises three parts:a runoff region,a highly permeable soil layer,and a weakly permeable soil layer.The Navier‒Stokes equation controlsfluid motion in the runoff region,while the Brinkman-extended Darcy equation governs fast and slow seepage in the highly and weakly permeable soil layers,respectively.Analytical solutions are derived for the velocity profile and shear stress expression of the modelflowfield under the boundary condition of continuous transition of velocity and stress at thefluid‒solid interface.The shear stress distribution shows that the shear stress at the tunnel-slope surface is the largest,followed by the shear stress of the soil interface,indicating that particles in these two locations are most vulnerable to erosion.A mechanical equilibrium model of sliding and rolling of single particles is established at thefluid‒solid interface,and the safety factor of particle motion(sliding and rolling)is derived.Sensitivity analysis shows that by increasing the runoff depth,slope angle,and soil permeability,the erosion of soil particles will be aggravated on the tunnel-slope surface,but by increasing the particle diameter,particle-specific gravity,and particle stacking angle,the erosion resistance ability of the tunnel-slope surface particles will be enhanced.This study can serve as a reference for the analysis of surface soil and water loss in tunnel-slope systems.

Preliminary Discussion on Research Progress and Prospect of Slow Released Fertilizers

Slow/controlled release fertilizers （SRFs/CRFs） have been paid more at- tentions by the researchersin recent years. In this paper, the application effects and methods, types, current problem and development prospect of SRFs/CRFsboth at home and abroad were reviewed. The production principles and processes of urea- formaldehyde slow release fertilizers were introduced; and It is suggested that the urea-formaldehyde slow release fertilizers show great development to ease energy and environment pressure.

Effect of Slow and Controlled Release Fertilizers on the Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency of Hot Pepper in Qiu-bei

[Objective] The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of slow and controlled release fertilizers（SCRF）on the yield of qiubei hot pepper,its nutrient use efficiency and environment.[Method] Using Qiubei hot pepper（Capsicum frutescens L.）as the experimental material,we studied the fertilization effect and environment-protecting effect of SCRF.[Result] The result showed that SCRF could improve the agronomic characteristics of hot pepper.Compared to singly applied common fertilizers,SCRF increased economic yield by 20.90% and economic benefit by 13 234.35 Yuan/hm2,and the ratio of output to input was improved by 47.93%.In comparison with common straight fertilizers at same NPK proportion and rate,SCRF increased economic yield by 5.26% and economic benefit by 5 554.80 Yuan/hm2,and the ratio of output to input was improved by 9.91%.Under the reduced use of SCRF by 20%,SCRF increased economic yield by 12.38% and economic benefit by 9595.20 Yuan/hm2 compared with singly applied common fertilizers,and the ratio of output to input was improved by 65.95%.SCRF improved nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium use efficiencies by 12.42-17.53,3.35-5.24 and 5.37-14.02 percents respectively.[Conclusion] As the result of much reduced N and P application rates,SCRF would significantly economize fertilizer resources and minimize the pollution caused by the loss of fertilizer nutrients,which is of practical importance for environment protection.

Effects of Slow Release Fertilizer on the Yield and Nutrient Use Efficiency of Carnation and Its Environmental Protection Effect

[Objective] The aim was to study the effects of slow release fertilizer on the yield,economic benefit and nutrient use efficiency of carnation and environmental pollution.[Method] Taking carnation（Dianthus caryophyllus）as research object,the application effect and environmental protection effect of slow release fertilizer on carnation were discussed through field plot test.[Result] The main agronomic characters of carnation improved after the application of slow release fertilizer;compared with Conv-F treatment,the yield of carnation with slow release fertilizer increased by 18.67%-20.83%,and its economic benefit increased by 105 500 yuan/hm2,while the ratio of output to input improved by 74.29%;under the same NPK ratio and nutrient amount,the yield,economic benefit and ratio of output to input of carnation after the application of slow release fertilizer increased by 2.11%,14 800 yuan and 16.2%,respectively;besides,the application of slow release fertilizer improved the nutrient use efficiency of carnation,and N,P and K nutrient use efficiency in Opt-F-0.7% treatment increased by 13.88%,8.57% and 30.14% compared with Conv-F treatment.[Conclusion] Slow release fertilizer could not only reduce the waste of fertilizer resources and improve fertilizer use efficiency but also decrease the pollution caused by nutrient loss,which had important practical significance for protecting ecological environment and promoting the sustainable development of agriculture.

Vacuum assisted high-pressure die casting of AZ91D magnesium alloy at different slow shot speeds

The effects of vacuum assistance on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high-pressure die cast AZ91 D alloy at different slow shot speeds were evaluated. Plate-shaped castings of AZ91 D alloy were carried out on a TOYO BD-350V5 cold chamber die casting machine incorporated with a self-improved TOYO vacuum system. It was found that the vacuum pressure in the die cavity at the beginning of mold filling increases with the increase of slow shot speed, following a cubic polynomial curve, resulting in a decline in the porosity-reduction ability of vacuum assistance with the increase of slow shot speed. The externally solidified crystal（ESC） contents in conventional and vacuum die castings behave similar against the slow shot speed. The tensile properties of vacuum die castings were strongly influenced by the ESC content at relative low slow shot speeds. With the increase of slow shot speed, the influence of the gas porosity level in vacuum die castings would get prominent.

Effect of crack aperture on P-wave velocity and dispersion

We experimentally studied the effect of crack aperture on P-wave velocity, amplitude, anisotropy and dispersion. Experimental models were constructed based on Hudson＇s theory. Six crack models were embedded with equal-radius penny-shaped crack inclusions in each layer. The P-wave velocity and amplitude were measured parallel and perpendicular to the layers of cracks at frequencies of 0.1 MHz to 1 MHz. The experiments show that as the crack aperture increases from 0.l mm to 0.34 mm, the amplitude of the P-waves parallel to the crack layers decreases linearly with increasing frequency and the P-wave velocity dispersion varies from 1.5% to 2.1%, whereas the amplitude of the P-wave perpendicular to the crack layers decreases quadratically with increasing frequency and the velocity dispersion varies from 1.9% to 4.7%. The variation in the velocity dispersion parallel and perpendicular to the cracks intensifies the anisotropy dispersion of the P-waves in the crack models （6.7% to 83%）. The P-wave dispersion strongly depends on the scattering characteristics of the crack apertures.

Thickness Impacts of Vacancy Defects in Epitaxial La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 Thin Films Using Slow Positron Beam

Thickness effects of thin La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 （LSMO） films on （LaAlOa）0.3（Sr2AlTaO6）0.7 substrates were examined by a slow positron beam technique. Doppler-broadening line shape parameter S was measured as a function of thickness and differnt annealing conditions. Results reveal there could be more than one mechanism to induce vacancy-like defects. It was found that strain-induced defects mainly influence the S value of the in situ oxygenambience annealing LSMO thin films and the strain could vanish still faster along with the increase of thickness, and the oxygen-deficient induced defects mainly affect the S value of post-annealing LSMO films.

Effect of multi-step slow shot speed on microstructure of vacuum die cast AZ91D magnesium alloy

Two multi-step （two-step and three-step） slow shot speeds were used in the vacuum die casting process of AZ91D magnesium alloy. The vacuum pressure variation in the die cavity before mold filling was monitored by using a pressure sensor. The microstructures of the produced castings were analyzed with optical microscope and image analysis software. The experimental results demonstrate that, the vacuum pressure in the die cavity at the beginning of mold filling is significantly reduced by using three-step slow shot speed, resulting in a low gas porosity level in the produced castings. At an appropriate multi-step slow shot speed, the dwell time of the liquid metal in the shot sleeve before mold filling can be reduced and the flow of the liquid metal in the shot sleeve at the later stage of the slow shot process can be restrained, which cause a low externally solidified crystal content in the produced castings.

Effects of Calcium Element on Biomass and Effective Constituents Contents in Blumea balsamifera in Slow Growth Period of Winter

The one-year-old seedlings of Blumea balsamifera （L.） DC. were applied with CaCl2.H2O that supplied Ca in slow growth period of winter three times. The heights, ground diameters, leaf lengths, leaf widths and biomasses of B. balsamifera plants were measured. In addition, the relative contents of total flavones in different parts of B. balsamifera were determined by UV spectrophotometry, and the absolute contents of total flavones were calculated. The relative contents of L-borneol in leaves of B. balsamifera were determined by GC, and the absolute contents of L- borneol were calculated. The results showed that calcium element significantly in- creased the biomasses in leaves, stems and roots of B. balsamifera in slow growth period of winter. The leaf biomass of B. balsamifera in the 5 g/L CaCl2-H2O treat- ment group was significantly higher than those in the other three treatment groups. The leaf biomasses of B. balsamifera in the 10 and 15 g/L CaCl2.H2O treatment groups were significantly higher than that in the CK, with 3.03 and 2.65 times, re- spectively. The application of Ca inhibited the accumulation of total flavones relative contents, but significantly increased the total flavones absolute contents in different parts of B. balsamifera. The relative and absolute contents of L-borneol in the 5 g/L CaCl2 .H2O treatment group were 0.22% and 0.22 g, which were increased by 37.50%, 22.22%, 37.50% and 100%, 100%, 450%, respectively compared with those in the 0, 10 and 15 g/L CaCl2.H2O treatment groups. The Ca element could signifi- cantly promote the accumulation of biomasses in leaves, stems and roots, as well as the absolute contents of total flavones and L-borneol in B. balsamifera in slow growth period of winter.