Genome-wide association study of seedling nitrogen-use efficiency-associated traits in common wheat(Triticum aestivum L.)

Nitrogen(N)fertilizer application is essential for crop-plant growth and development.Identifying genetic loci associated with N-use efficiency(NUE)could increase wheat yields and reduce environmental pollution caused by overfertilization.We subjected a panel of 389 wheat accessions to N and chlorate(a nitrate analog)treatments to identify quantitative trait loci(QTL)controlling NUE-associated traits at the wheat seedling stage.Genotyping the panel with a 660K single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)array,we identified 397 SNPs associated with N-sensitivity index and chlorate inhibition rate.These SNPs were merged into 49 QTL,of which eight were multi-environment stable QTL and 27 were located near previously reported QTL.A set of 135 candidate genes near the 49 QTL included TaBOX(F-box family protein)and TaERF(ethylene-responsive transcription factor).A Tabox mutant was more sensitive to low-N stress than the wild-type plant.We developed two functional markers for Hap 1,the favorable allele of TaBOX.

Comparison of marine controlled-source electromagnetic data acquisition systems by a reservoir sensitivity index:analyzing the effect of water depths

During the past ten years, a marine controlled source electromagnetic（CSEM） method has been developed rapidly as a technology for hydrocarbon exploration. For shallow water environments, two CSEM data acquisition systems： Seabed Logging（SBL） and towed streamer electromagnetics（TSEM） have been developed in recent years. The purpose is to compare the performance of the SBL and TSEM systems at different water depths. Three different methods for the comparison are presented. The first method is a quick one dimensional sensitivity modelling. As a result, the sensitivity of marine CSEM data increases with water depth for the SBL system. Further, the sensitivity decreases with the increasing water depth for the TSEM system. The two other methods use two dimensional synthetic data from a simple 2-D isotropic model. The second method is a reservoir sensitivity index（RSI） method which has been developed to provide a quick comparison of the two systems. The RSI is calculated as the amplitude of the scattered field dividing by data uncertainty. From the calculations, it is found that with the increasing water depth RSI increases for the SBL system, while it decreases for the TSEM system. The third method uses Occam＇s inversion, and applies an anomaly transverse resistance（ATR） ratio for evaluating the resulting resistivity image. In shallow water environments, the resolution of the CSEM inversion results is good for both the SBL and TSEM systems. In deep water environments, the resolution of the CSEM inversion is better for the SBL system than for the TSEM system. The ATR ratios of the resistivity images show the similar conclusion. The SBL data acquisition system has an advantage in deep water environments. The TSEM system, on the other hand, is preferable for the shallow water environments.

Study on comparison of different methods to calculating sensitivity index of Jensen model

Real coded Accelerating Genetic Algorithm （RAGA）, Chaos Algorithm （CA） were used to solve the sensitivity index of Jensen model which is one of models of crop water production function. After comparing with the outcome of Least Square Regression （LSR）, the result showed that RAGA not only had high accuracy and more effective, but also saved calculating time. The authors provides new effective methods for calculating index of crop water production function.

Total Sensitivity Index Calculation of Tool Requirement Model via Error Propagation Equation

A new and convenient method is presented to calculate the total sensitivity indices defined by variance-based sensitivity analysis. By decomposing the output variance using error propagation equations, this method can transform the ＂double-loop＂ sampling procedure into ＂single-loop＂ one and obviously reduce the computation cost of analysis. In contrast with Sobors and Fourier amplitude sensitivity test （FAST） method, which is limited in non-correlated variables, the new approach is suitable for correlated input variables. An application in semiconductor assembling and test manufacturing （ATM） factory indicates that this approach has a good performance in additive model and simple non-additive model.

Heterogeneity and non-linearity of ecosystem responses to climate change in the Qilian Mountains National Park, China

Ecosystem responses to climate change,particularly in arid environments,is an understudied topic.This study conducted a spatial analysis of ecosystem responses to short-term variability in temperature,precipitation,and solar radiation in the Qilian Mountains National Park,an arid mountainous region in Northwest China.We collected precipitation and temperature data from the National Science and Technology Infrastructure Platform,solar radiation data from the China Meteorological Forcing Dataset,and vegetation cover remote-sensing data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer.We used the vegetation sensitivity index to identify areas sensitive to climate change and to determine which climatic factors were significant in this regard.The findings revealed a high degree of heterogeneity and non-linearity of ecosystem responses to climate change.Four types of heterogeneity were identified:longitude,altitude,ecosystem,and climate disturbance.Furthermore,the characteristics of nonlinear ecosystem responses to climate change included:(1)inconsistency in the controlling climatic factors for the same ecosystems in different geographical settings;(2)the interaction between different climatic factors results in varying weights that affect ecosystem stability and makes them difficult to determine;and(3)the hysteresis effect of vegetation increases the uncertainty of ecosystem responses to climate change.The findings are significant because they highlight the complexity of ecosystem responses to climate change.Furthermore,the identification of areas that are particularly sensitive to climate change and the influencing factors has important implications for predicting and managing the impacts of climate change on ecosystems,which can help protect the stability of ecosystems in the Qilian Mountains National Park.

Nonlinear Mathematical Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Drive Unit

The previous sensitivity analysis researches are not accurate enough and also have the limited reference value, because those mathematical models are relatively simple and the change of the load and the initial displacement changes of the piston are ignored, even experiment verification is not conducted. Therefore, in view of deficiencies above, a nonlinear mathematical model is established in this paper, including dynamic characteristics of servo valve, nonlinear characteristics of pressure-flow, initial displacement of servo cylinder piston and friction nonlinearity. The transfer function block diagram is built for the hydraulic drive unit closed loop position control, as well as the state equations. Through deriving the time-varying coefficient items matrix and time-varying free items matrix of sensitivity equations respectively, the expression of sensitivity equations based on the nonlinear mathematical model are obtained. According to structure parameters of hydraulic drive unit, working parameters, fluid transmission characteristics and measured friction-velocity curves, the simulation analysis of hydraulic drive unit is completed on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform with the displacement step 2 mm, 5 mm and 10 mm, respectively. The simulation results indicate that the developed nonlinear mathematical model is sufficient by comparing the characteristic curves of experimental step response and simulation step response under different constant load. Then, the sensitivity function time-history curves of seventeen parameters are obtained, basing on each state vector time-history curve of step response characteristic. The maximum value of displacement variation percentage and the sum of displacement variation absolute values in the sampling time are both taken as sensitivity indexes. The sensitivity indexes values above are calculated and shown visually in histograms under different working conditions, and change rules are analyzed. Then the sensitivity indexes values of four measurable parameters, such as supply pressure, proportional gain, initial position of servo cylinder piston and load force, are verified experimentally on test platform of hydraulic drive unit, and the experimental research shows that the sensitivity analysis results obtained through simulation are approximate to the test results. This research indicates each parameter sensitivity characteristics of hydraulic drive unit, the performance-affected main parameters and secondary parameters are got under different working conditions, which will provide the theoretical foundation for the control compensation and structure optimization of hydraulic drive unit.

Parameters Sensitivity Characteristics of Highly Integrated Valve-Controlled Cylinder Force Control System

Nowadays, a highly integrated valve?controlled cylinder(HIVC) is applied to drive the joints of legged robots. Although the adoption of HIVC has resulted in high?performance robot control, the hydraulic force system still has problems, such as strong nonlinearity, and time?varying parameters. This makes HIVC force control very diffcult and complex. How to improve the control performance of the HIVC force control system and find the influence rule of the system parameters on the control performance is very significant. Firstly, the mathematical model of HIVC force control system is established. Then the mathematical expression for parameter sensitivity matrix is obtained by applying matrix sensitivity analysis(PSM). Then, aimed at the sinusoidal response under(three factors and three levels) working conditions, the simulation and the experiment are conducted. While the error between the simulation and experiment can’t be avoided. Therefore, combined with the range analysis, the error in the two performance indexes of sinusoidal response under the whole working condition is analyzed. Besides, the sensitivity variation pattern for each system parameter under the whole working condition is figured out. Then the two sensitivity indexes for the three system parameters, which are supply pressure, proportional gain and initial displacement of piston, are proved experimentally. The proposed method significantly reveals the sensitivity characteristics of HIVC force control system, which can make the contribution to improve the control performance.

Study on Environmental Sensitivity of Variety in Rice

According to sensitivity to environment, rice varieties can be classified into a strong environmentally sensitive variety, a weak environmentally sensitive variety and an environmentally insensitive variety. The general method that was used to evaluate the environmental sensitivity (ES) of rice variety was put forward in this paper. ESs of varieties were evaluated as follows:(1) ES of indica-japonica hybird rice was more sensitive than that of japonica rice. (2)The order of ESs of japonica type varieties was medium-maturing late japonica variety > early-maturing late japonica variety > late-maturing medium japonica variety > medium-maturing medium japonica variety. (3)There was a significant difference in ESs among varieties of the same japonica type rice, too. Some problems, such as the principles of rather late-maturing rice planted northward, were also discussed at the end of this paper.

Important population viability analysis parameters for giant pandas(Aliuropoda melanoleuca)

Population viability analysis(PVA)is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dynamics and life-history;however,it has been difficult to collect this information for the giant panda(Aliuropoda melanoleuca),a rare and endangered mammal native to China,confined to some 30 fragmented habitat patches.Since giant pandas are long-lived,mature late,have lower reproductive rates,and show little sexual dimorphism,obtaining data to perform adequate PVA has been difficult.Here,we develop a parameter sensitivity index by modeling the dynamics of six giant panda populations in the Minshan Mountains,in order to determine the parameters most influential to giant panda populations.Our data shows that the giant panda populations are most sensitive to changes in four female parameters:initial breeding age,reproductive rate,mortality rate between age 0 and 1,and mortality rate of adults.The parameter sensitivity index strongly correlated with initial population size,as smaller populations were more sensitive to changes in these four variables.This model suggests that demographic parameters of females have more influence on the results of PVA,indicating that females may play a more important role in giant panda population dynamics than males.Consequently,reintroduction of female individuals to a small giant panda population should be a high priority for conservation efforts.Our findings form a technical basis for the coming program of giant panda reintroduction,and inform which parameters are crucial to successfully and feasibly monitoring wild giant panda populations.

Effect of Frey's procedure on islet cell function in patients with chronic calcific pancreatitis

Background: Frey’s procedure involves both drainage and resection of the pancreas in subjects with chronic calcific pancreatitis(CCP). The procedure may affect the pancreatic endocrine function after surgery. The present study was to evaluate the effect of Frey’s procedure on both beta and alpha cell function in CCP patients.Methods: Thirty CCP patients who underwent Frey’s procedure were included. According to the glycemic status, patients were divided into the diabetes mellitus(DM), prediabetes, and normal glucose tolerance(NGT) groups. Islet cell function was assessed before and 3 months after surgery.Results: At baseline, there was a significant difference in beta cell function among the three groups [NGT group 1.71(1.64–2.07) vs prediabetes group1.50(0.83–1.61) vs DM group 0.33(0.12–0.55), P < 0.0001], but the insulin resistance was not different among them. Post glucose hyperglucagonemia representing alphacell dysfunction during oral glucose tolerance test was present in all of them, but showed no significant difference [NGT group 0.15(0.06–0.31) vs prediabetes group 0.32(0.05–0.70) vs DM group 0.07(0.02–0.18), P = 0.20]. Frey’s procedure did not change beta cell function and insulin resistance. However, alphacell dysfunction deteriorated after surgery [0.10(0.03–0.27) vs 0.33(0.09–0.68), P = 0.004].Conclusions: Although Frey’s procedure does not affect the beta cell function and insulin resistance in CCP patients, the alpha-cell dysfunction deteriorates after surgery.

Land degradation sensitivity assessment and convergence analysis in Korla of Xinjiang, China

Land degradation has a major impact on environmental and socio-economic sustainability. Scientific methods are necessary to monitor the risk of land degradation. In this study, the environmental sensitive area index(ESAI) was utilized to assess land degradation sensitivity and convergence analysis in Korla, a typical oasis city in Xinjiang of China, which is located on the northeast border of the Tarim Basin. A total of 18 indicators depicting soil, climate, vegetation, and management qualities were used to illustrate spatial-temporal patterns of land degradation sensitivity from 1994 to 2018. We investigated the causes of spatial convergence and divergence based on the Ordinary Least Squares(OLS) and Geographically Weighted Regression(GWR) models. The results show that the branch of the Tianshan Mountains and oasis plain had a low sensitivity to land degradation, while the Tarim Basin had a high risk of land degradation. More than two-thirds of the study area can be categorized as "critical" sensitivity classes. The largest percentage(32.6%) of fragile classes was observed for 2006. There was no significant change in insensitive or low-sensitivity areas, which accounted for less than 0.4% of the entire observation period. The ESAI of the four time periods(1994–1998, 1998–2006, 2006–2010, and 2010–2018) formed a series of convergence patterns. The convergence patterns of 1994–1998 and 1998–2006 can be explained by the government's efforts to "Returning Farmland to Forests" and other governance projects. In 2006–2010, the construction of afforested work intensified, but industrial development and human activities affected the convergence pattern. The pattern of convergence in most regions between 2010 and 2018 can be attributed to the government's implementation of a series of key ecological protection projects, which led to a decrease in sensitivity to land degradation. The results of this study altogether suggest that the ESAI convergence analysis is an effective early warning method for land degradation sensitivity.

Effect of Intensity Accents on the Detection of IOI Deviations

The effect of intensity accents on detection of temporal irregularities is investigated in a 3×3 behavior experiment with independent variables of inter-onset-interval （IOI） length and intensity. In a 5-beat isochronous sequence, both the length of the third IOI and the intensity of succeeding beat are manipulated to three different levels separately （IOI length： longer Llo, shorter Lsh, or standard Lst. Intensity： louder Ilo, softer Iso, or standard Ist）. Subjects are required to discriminate the third IOI length with different responses respectively. The discrimination sensitivity index （d′） and response criterion （C） are assessed simultaneously for each stimulus condition. Statistical analysis reveals an asymmetric effect of intensity accents on detection of IOI deviations in an isochronous sequence, i.e. the loud accent mainly reduces the sensitivity for both shorter and standard IOIs, and the soft accent might introduce a disturbance into the temporal perception, especially in the detection of the short IOIs. Importantly, when preceding a louder accent, the short IOIs are significantly difficult to detect than the long ones, as consistent with the compensation hypothesis.

First order sensitivity analysis of magnetorheological fluid damper based on the output damping force

With many features,the magnetorheological fluid( MRF) damper is widely applied in the semiactive vibration control system. And sensitivity analysis is an important method to study the influence weight of various parameters on damping force characteristics. A mathematical model of the output damping force on the MRF damper is established by the mechanism modeling method,a first order output sensitivity equation is deduced and the expression of the first order output sensitivity function is obtained. The first-order sensitivity functions of ten design parameters are solved,and the influence degree of system parameters change on the output force of MRF damper is analyzed by comparing the sensitivity index of the parameters. Two sensitivities of vibration velocity and control current are obtained through experiment to prove the other parameters sensitivity analysis conclusion by analogy verification,which provides guidance for the structure optimization design of MRF damper.

The Spatial Sensitivity Analysis of Evapotranspiration using Penman-Monteith Method at Grid Scale

The need to allocate the existing water in a sustainable manner, even with the projected population growth, has made to assess the consumptive use or evapotranspiration (ET), which determines the irrigation demand. As underscored in the literature, Penman-Monteith method which is a combination of aerodynamic and energy balance method is widely used and accepted as the method of estimation of ET. However, the application of Penman-Monteith relies on many climate parameters such as relative humidity, solar radiation, temperature, and wind speed. Therefore, there exists a need to determine the parameters that are most sensitive and correlated with dependent variable (i.e., ET), to strengthen the knowledge base. However, the sensitivity of ET using Penman-Monteith is oftentimes estimated using meteorological data from climate stations. Such estimation of sensitivity may vary spatially and thus there exists a need to estimate sensitivity of ET spatially. Thus, in this paper, based on One-AT-A-Time (OAT) method, a spatial sensitivity tool that can geographically encompass all the best available climate datasets to produce ET and its sensitivity at different spatial scales is developed. The spatial tool is developed as a Python toolbox in ArcGIS using Python, an open source programming language, and the ArcPy site-package of ArcGIS. The developed spatial tool is demonstrated using the meteorological data from Automated Weather Data Network in Nebraska in 2010. To summarize the outcome of the sensitivity analysis using OAT method, sensitivity indices are developed for each raster cell. The demonstration of the tool shows that, among the considered parameters, the computed ET using Penman-Monteith is highly sensitive to solar radiation followed by temperature for the state of Nebraska, as depicted by the sensitivity index. The computed sensitivity index of wind speed and the relative humidity are not that significant compared to the sensitivity index of solar radiation and temperature.

Characterization of external refractive index sensitivity of a photonic crystal fiber long-period grating

Long-period gratings （LPGs） are fabricated in a photonic crystal fiber （PCF） using the symmetric point- by-point CO2 laser irradiation method to explore the sensitivity characterization of PCF-LPG. Numerical sim- ulation is used to guide the investigation. It is found that the refractive index （RI） sensitivity of PCF-LPG depends on the coupled cladding modes as well as the coupled resonance wavelength （RW） of the LPG. Experimental studies show that the longer the RW, the higher the RI sensitivity for the same cladding mode. At similar RWs, the lower the cladding mode, the higher the RI sensitivity of PCF-LPG.

Probabilistic analysis of tunnel face seismic stability in layered rock masses using Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel

Face stability is an essential issue in tunnel design and construction.Layered rock masses are typical and ubiquitous;uncertainties in rock properties always exist.In view of this,a comprehensive method,which combines the Upper bound Limit analysis of Tunnel face stability,the Polynomial Chaos Kriging,the Monte-Carlo Simulation and Analysis of Covariance method(ULT-PCK-MA),is proposed to investigate the seismic stability of tunnel faces.A two-dimensional analytical model of ULT is developed to evaluate the virtual support force based on the upper bound limit analysis.An efficient probabilistic analysis method PCK-MA based on the adaptive Polynomial Chaos Kriging metamodel is then implemented to investigate the parameter uncertainty effects.Ten input parameters,including geological strength indices,uniaxial compressive strengths and constants for three rock formations,and the horizontal seismic coefficients,are treated as random variables.The effects of these parameter uncertainties on the failure probability and sensitivity indices are discussed.In addition,the effects of weak layer position,the middle layer thickness and quality,the tunnel diameter,the parameters correlation,and the seismic loadings are investigated,respectively.The results show that the layer distributions significantly influence the tunnel face probabilistic stability,particularly when the weak rock is present in the bottom layer.The efficiency of the proposed ULT-PCK-MA is validated,which is expected to facilitate the engineering design and construction.

Association between four adipokines and insulin sensitivity in patients with obesity, type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus,and in the general Chinese population

Background Hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp is the gold standard to evaluate the insulin sensitity, but it is too complicated and expensive to use in clinic.We tried to find an alternative indicator to reflect insulin sensitivity.To evaluate the association between the four adipokines, adiponectin, leptin, resistin and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） with insulin sensitivity, we used a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp to test insulin sensitivity in Chinese patients with obesity and type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus versus controls.Methods In this parallel control study, we tested insulin sensitivity using a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in different groups, then examined levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin and TNF-α in serum, and the relationship between the different adipokines and glucose disposal rate （M value）, as well as insulin sensitivity index （M value/insulin, M/I）,which are the ＂gold standard＂ indices of insulin sensitivity.Results There were significant differences in mean leptin values in the four adipokines from the four different groups （P〈0.001; comparison of the variation between different groups was analyzed by variance analysis）.Compared to controls （using multiple comparison two-way Dunnett t test）, only the leptin level showed significant differences in the four adipokines from the four different groups at the same time （P 〈0.001）.The association analysis between the different adipokines and M or M/I values also showed that only leptin negatively correlated with M （r=-0.64, P 〈0.001） or M/I values （r=-0.56, P〈0.001）; there was no relationship between the other three adipokines and M or M/I values.Conclusion Only leptin was associated with M or M/I values.Therefore, leptin might be one of the predictive factors of the degree of insulin resistance and risk of the accompanying disease.

CaTiO_(3) nano ceramic for NTCR thermistor based sensor application

It is possible to fabricate highly sensitive NTCR(negative temperature coefficient of resistance)thermistor using nano crystalline CaTiO_(3) synthesized by high energy ball milling.Disc shaped green pellets were prepared and effects of sintering on the disc pellets were studied as thermistor by sintering the samples at 1000℃,1100℃and 1200℃.The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),impedance analysis and electrical measurement.The resistivity of the prepared samples varies predictably with temperature:this makes them promising material for temperature sensor.The experimental results prove that nano crystalline CaTiO_(3) ceramic is one kind of thermistor with exponential negative temperature coefficient of resistance in the temperature range of 300-500℃.The samples have the advantages of rapid response,high sensitivity and capability to withstand thermal surges over the temperature range of 300-500℃.Resistance-temperature characteristics are described by thermistor equation with thermistor constant around 4003 K to 10795 K and thermal coefficient of resistanceαaround-1%/℃to-13%/℃.The activation energy is in the range of 0.34-0.93 eV.The observed thermistor parameters are found to be comparable with many of the known thermistor materials.This suggests that the electrical properties can be adjusted to desirable values by controlling the temperature parameter.The influence of fabrication process of disc thermistor and electrical properties are discussed.The study shows the potential of nano crystalline CaTiO_(3) to act as an NTCR material for thermistor applications.

The Complex Dynamics of Hepatitis B Infected Individuals with Optimal Control

This paper proposes various stages of the hepatitis B virus(HBV)besides its transmissibility and nonlinear incidence rate to develop an epidemic model.The authors plan the model,and then prove some basic results for the well-posedness in term of boundedness and positivity.Moreover,the authors find the threshold parameter R0,called the basic/effective reproductive number and carry out local sensitive analysis.Furthermore,the authors examine stability and hence condition for stability in terms of R0.By using sensitivity analysis,the authors formulate a control problem in order to eradicate HBV from the population and proved that the control problem actually exists.The complete characterization of the optimum system was achieved by using the 4th-order Runge-Kutta procedure.

Assessing the impact of transmissibility on a cluster-based COVID-19 model in India

In this paper,we have proposed a nonlinear mathematical model of different classes of individuals for coronavirus(COVID-19).The model incorporates the effect of transmission and treatment on the occurrence of new infections.For the model,the basic reproduction number(R_(0))has been computed.Corresponding to the threshold quantity(R_(0)),the stability of endemic and disease-free equilibrium(DFE)points are determined.For R_(0)>1,if the endemic equilibrium point exists,then it is locally asymptotically stable,whereas the DFE point is globally asymptotically stable for R_(0)<1 which implies the eradication of the disease.The effects of various parameters on the spread of COVID-19 are discussed in the segment of sensitivity analysis.The model is numerically simulated to understand the effect of reproduction number on the transmission dynamics of the disease COVID-19.From the numerical simulations,it is concluded that if the reproduction number for the coronavirus disease is reduced below unity by decreasing the transmission rate and detecting more number of infectives,then the epidemic can be eradicated from the population.