Intraspecific floral colour variation in three Pedicularis species

Flower constancy describes the phenomenon that pollinators tend to successively visit flowers of a single species during foraging,reducing reproductive interference in natural communities.The extent of flower constancy is largely determined by the floral traits of co-flowering species.Both higher inter-specific and lower intraspecific differences of floral traits should contribute to a higher level of flower constancy.However,previous studies mainly focused on interspecific difference,and the intraspecific variation(consistency)of floral traits received much less attention.We hypothesise that selection may favour lower intraspecific floral trait variation in communities composed of multiple co-flowering congeners.We investigated the floral colour variation of three focal Pedicularis species that share pollinators in 19communities composed of either single or multiple Pedicularis species.Colour was quantified using image-based colour analysis as perceived by pollinators.We found that most of the intrapopulation floral colour variation was below the colour discrimination threshold of bumblebees,implying strongly constrained by the visual selection by pollinators.Contrary to the hypothesis,there is no significant difference in intraspecific floral colour variation between different community contexts.It may be due to the relatively large interspecific floral colour differences of most co-flowering species.The influence of community context on intraspecific variation may be reflected in floral traits other than colours.

Multiple chemical warfare agent simulant decontamination by self-driven microplasma

Low-temperature plasma is a green and high-efficiency technology for chemical warfare agent(CWA)decontamination.However,traditional plasma devices suffer from the problems of highpower composition and large power-supply size,which limit their practical applications.In this paper,a self-driven microplasma decontamination system,induced by a dielectric-dielectric rotary triboelectric nanogenerator(dd-r TENG),was innovatively proposed for the decontamination of CWA simulants.The microplasma was characterized via electrical measurements,optical emission spectra and ozone concentration detection.With an output voltage of-3460 V,the dd-r TENG can successfully excite microplasma in air.Reactive species,such as OH,O(1D),Hαand O3were detected.With input average power of 0.116 W,the decontamination rate of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide reached 100%within 3 min of plasma treatment,while the decontamination rates of malathion and dimethyl methylphosphonate reached(65.92±1.65)%and(60.88±1.92)%after 7 min of plasma treatment,respectively.In addition,the decontamination rates gradually decreased with the increase in the simulant concentrations.Typical products were identified and analyzed.This study demonstrates the broad spectrum and feasibility of the dd-r TENG-microplasma for CWA elimination,which provides significant guidance for their practical applications in the future.

BDS/GPS deformation analysis of a long-span cable-stayed bridge based on colored noise filtering

Combining GPS and BDS technology to monitor the deformation of long-span railway bridges with stricter deformation control requirements is of significance to the safety and control of the bridge and the safety of railway traffic.Previous studies have ignored the influence of coloured noise in the deformation time series.This is not conducive to accurate deformation analysis of long-span railway bridges.Therefore,GPS,BDS and GPS/BDS monitoring data of Ganjiang Bridge located in Ganzhou city,Jiangxi Province,China are adopted in this paper to filter the coloured noise in the deformation time series by principal component analysis(PCA),and the influence of coloured noise on the deformation analysis results of railway bridge is analysed.The experimental results show that the diurnal temperature difference causes the mid-span and the tower of the railway cable-stayed bridge to deform with a period of about one day in the vertical and longitudinal directions,respectively.Ignoring colored noise will make the uncertainty of the deformation parameter estimation overly optimistic.PCA can significantly reduce the coloured noise,and thus reduce the uncertainty of deformation parameter estimation by about 73%.Moreover,the average difference between the daily periodic motion amplitudes of the monitoring points obtained by using GPS and BDS deformation time series is 1.65 mm.The use of GPS/BDS deformation time series is not only helpful to reduce the influence of coloured noise,but also can reduce the difference between amplitude analysis results obtained from GPS and BDS deformation time series.

Preparation of highly efficient antibacterial non-woven by facile plasma-induced graft polymerizing of DADMAC

The development of surface modification technology for temperature sensitive fibers has been a huge challenge.In this work,a novel technique based on cold plasma treatment was developed for the preparation of anti-bacterial polypropylene(PP)fibers.The results showed that plasma treatment introduced a rough surface and polar groups,which acted as the anchor point and initiators for diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride(DADMAC)graft-polymerization.The fabricated PP membranes presented a high bacterial sterilization rate,as well as excellent adhesion force and washing durability.After ultrasonic treatment for 30 min,the physical coating sample had lost anti-bacterial effect,while the plasma grafted sample still showed a sterilization rate of 91.67%.This work provided a clean and novel DADMAC grafting method and it is also applicable for anti-bacterial material fabrication.

Why is the beautyberry so colourful? Evolution,biogeography,and diversification of fruit colours in Callicarpa(Lamiaceae)

Fruit colour is essential to seed dispersal,speciation,and biological diversity in global ecosystems.The relationship between fruit-colour variation and species diversification has long been of interest in evolutionary biology,but remains poorly understood at the genus level.Here,we used Callicarpa,a typical representative of pantropical angiosperm,to analyse whether fruit colours are correlated with biogeographic distribution,dispersal events,and diversification rate.We estimated a time-calibrated phylogeny for Callicarpa and reconstructed ancestral fruit colour.Utilizing phylogenetic methods,we estimated the major dispersal events across the phylogenetic tree and the most likely fruit colours related to each dispersal event,and tested whether the dispersal frequencies and distances of the four fruit colours between major biogeographical areas were equal.We then tested whether fruit colours are correlated with latitude,elevation,and diversification rate.Biogeographical reconstructions showed that Callicarpa originated in the East Asia and Southeast Asia during the Eocene(-35.53 Ma) and diverse species diverged mainly in the Miocene and lasted into the Pleistocene.Large-scale dispersal events were significantly associated with violet-fruited lineages.Furthermore,different fruit colours were markedly correlated with different latitudes and elevations(e.g.,violet fruits were correlated with higher latitudes and elevations;red fruits and black fruits with lower latitudes;white fruits with higher elevations).Notably,violet fruits were statistically associated with highest diversification rates,driving fruit colour variation among different regions globally.Our results contribute to further understanding why fruit colour is so variable at the genus level of angiosperms in different areas around the world.

Bare-throated spurfowl(Pternistis spp.)males across Africa impress females with bright throat colours during courtship

The role of bare body parts in sexual signalling in birds has received relatively little attention.I describe how the bare-throated spurfowl males saturate the colours of their throats to attract females.Of the 23 Afrotropical spurfowl species,the bare-throated subgroup includes Yellow-necked Spurfowl(Pternistis leucosceptus),Rednecked Spurfowl(P.afer),Grey-breasted Spurfowl(P.rufopictus) and Swainson’s Spurfowl(P.swainsonii).The rest of the species include fully feathered throated spurfowls.Throat colour intensity of bare throats was scored using an extensive online digital photographic archive encompassing the four species across the year’s seasons.Each throat(n=836) was assigned to one of four colour-intensity categories to explore the relationship between colour intensities,breeding cycles,and environmental variation.Except for Swainson’s Spurfowl male saturation of throat colours correlated with monthly rainfall,which peaks one or two months before egg laying.Swainson’s Spurfowl peaks during egg laying.Yellow-necked Spurfowl has the largest bare throat.Bare-throated spurfowl males perform an elevated courtship display posture above the female to feature their throat colour.No such displays occur in feather-throated spurfowl.Males with low throat colour saturation harbour more ectoparasites on their bare throats than birds with saturated throats.Male Red-necked Spurfowls have significantly larger bare throats than females.The primary function of bare throats probably assists in thermoregulation,particularly in arid regions.The bare throat may have evolved a secondary role in mating.Yellow-necked,Red-necked,and Greybreasted Spurfowls use their saturated throat colours as ornaments to court females during the breeding season.Unobtrusive female throat colours(unsaturated) may discourage male interlopers and predation during egg laying.Saturation appears to be carotenoid-food based.The different colours among the bare-throated species may serve as prezygotic mechanisms that inhibit cross-breeding and explain why females also have coloured throats.

Enhancing surface adhesion of polytetrafluoroethylene induced by two-step in-situ treatment with radiofrequency capacitively coupled Ar/Ar+CH_(4)+NH_(3) plasma

Although some progress in plasma modification of the polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) surface has been made recently,its adhesion strength still needs to be further improved.In this work,the surface of a PTFE sample was treated with a two-step in-situ method.Firstly,the PTFE surface was treated with capacitively coupled Ar plasma to improve its mechanical interlocking performance;then,Ar+NH_(3)+CH_(4) plasma was used to deposit an a-CNx:H cross-linking layer on the PTFE surface to improve the molecular bonding ability.After treatment,a high specific surface area of 2.20 and a low F/C ratio of 0.32 were achieved on the PTFE surface.Its surface free energy was increased significantly and its maximum adhesion strength reached77.1 N·10 mm^(-1),which is 56% higher than that of the single-step Ar plasma-treated sample and32% higher than that of the single-step Ar+CH_(4)+NH_(3) plasma-treated sample.

Enhanced surface-insulating performance of EP composites by doping plasmafluorinated ZnO nanofiller

The surface flashover of epoxy resin(EP) composites is a pivotal problem in the field of highvoltage insulation.The regulation of the interface between the filler and matrix is an effective means to suppress flashover.In this work,nano ZnO was fluorinated and grafted using lowtemperature plasma technology,and the fluorinated filler was doped into EP to study the DC surface flashover performance of the composite.The results show that plasma fluorination can effectively inhibit the agglomeration by grafting –CFxgroups onto the surface of nano-ZnO particles.The fluorine-containing groups at the interface provide higher charge binding traps and enhance the insulation strength at the interface.At the same time,the interface bond cooperation caused by plasma treatment also promoted the accelerating effect of nano ZnO on charge dissipation.The two effects synergistically improve the surface flashover performance of epoxy composites.When the concentration of fluorinated ZnO filler is 20%,the flashover voltage has the highest increase,which is 31.52% higher than that of pure EP.In addition,fluorinated ZnO can effectively reduce the dielectric constant and dielectric loss of epoxy composites.The interface interaction mechanism was further analyzed using molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory simulation.

Research on degradation mechanism of trichlorobenzene and Hg^(0) by nonthermal plasma catalysis

Aiming at mercury and dioxin in fire coal gas as research objects,nonthermal plasma(NTP)catalytic technology was used to investigate the degradation effect of operating condition parameters on mixed pollutants in mixed flue gas condition,and to explore the synergistic degradation of Hg0and TCB(1,2,3-trichlorobenzene,TCB)under mixed flue gas conditions.The research results showed that the conversion efficiency of mercury and TCB increased with the additional output of voltage,and decreased with the increase of the gas flow rate.Under optimal reaction conditions:voltage=17 k V,frequency=300 Hz,gas flow rate=21 min^(-1),the conversion efficiency of Hg^(0)and TCB reached the highest 91.4%and 84.98%,respectively.In the NTP catalytic system,active free radicals played an important role in the synergistic conversion of mercury and TCB,which have a competitive effect,to make the conversion efficiency of mixed pollutants lower than a single substance.In the mixed flue gas condition,the mixed gas has an inhibitory effect on the synergistic conversion of mercury and TCB.Kinetic modeling of NTP catalytic synergistic reaction was established.Under three conditions of TCB,mercury and TCB,mixed simulated flue gas,the NTP catalytic technology showed a quasi-firstorder kinetic reaction for the degradation of TCB.According to the synergistic effect of NTP and composites,the transformation and degradation of TCB mainly included two processes:TCB and ring opening,and Hg^(0)was finally oxidized to Hg^(2+).

Design of new resonant magnetic perturbation coils on the J-TEXT tokamak

The resonant magnetic perturbation(RMP)system is a powerful auxiliary system on tokamaks.On the J-TEXT tokamak,a set of new in-vessel coils is designed to enhance the amplitude of the RMP.The new coils are designed to be two-turn saddle coils.These two-turn saddle coils have been optimized in terms of their structure,support,and protection components to overcome the limitations of the narrow in-vessel space,resulting in a compact coil module that can be accommodated in the vessel.To verify the feasibility of this design,an electromagnetic simulation is performed to investigate the electrical parameters and the generated field of the coils.A multi-field coupled simulation is performed to investigate the capacity of heat dissipation.As a result of these efforts,the new RMP coils have been successfully installed on the J-TEXT tokamak.It has significantly enhanced the RMP amplitude and been widely applied in experiments.

Ionization wave propagation and cathode sheath formation due to surface dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in pulsed mode

This work deals with the experimental study of a surface dielectric-barrier discharge,as a part of the ongoing interest in the control of plasma induced electro-fluid dynamic effects(e.g.plasma actuators).The discharge is generated using a plasma reactor consisting of a fused silica plate which is sandwiched between two printed circuit boards where the electrodes are developed.The reactor is driven by narrow high voltage square pulses of asymmetric rising(25 ns)and falling(2.5μs)parts,while the discharge evolution is considered in a temporarily and spatially resolved manner over these pulses.That is,conventional electrical and optical emission analyzes are combined with high resolution optical emission spectroscopy and ns-resolved imaging,unveiling main characteristics of the discharge with a special focus on its propagation along the dielectric-barrier surface.The voltage rising part leads to cathode-directed ionization waves,which propagate with a speed up to 105m s~(-1).The voltage falling part leads to cathode sheath formation on the driven electrode.Τhe polarization of the dielectric barrier appears critical for the discharge dynamics.

Non-invasive optical characterization and estimation of Zn porosity in gas tungsten arc welding of Fe–Al joints using CR model and OES measurements

In this study,we employed a non-invasive approach based on the collisional radiative(CR)model and optical emission spectroscopy(OES)measurements for the characterization of gas tungsten arc welding(GTAW)discharge and quantification of Zn-induced porosity during the GTAW process of Fe–Al joints.The OES measurements were recorded as a function of weld current,welding speed,and input waveform.The OES measurements revealed significant line emissions from Zn-I in 460–640 nm and Ar-I in 680–800 nm wavelength ranges in all experimental settings.The OES coupled CR model approach for Zn-I line emission enabled the simultaneous determination of both essential discharge parameters i.e.electron temperature and electron density.Further,these predictions were used to estimate the Zn-induced porosity using OES-actinometry on Zn-I emission lines using Ar as actinometer gas.The OES-actinometry results were in good agreement with porosity data derived from an independent approach,i.e.x-ray radiography images.The current study shows that OES-based techniques can provide an efficient route for real-time monitoring of weld quality and estimate porosity during the GTAW process of dissimilar metal joints.

Long-term corona behaviour and performance enhancing mechanism of SiC/epoxy nanocomposite in SF6 gas environment

Surface coating technology is an effective way to solve the interface insulation problem of DC GIS/GIL basin insulators, but the performance of the coating will change greatly, and the insulation strength will be completely lost, after long-term use in the extreme conditions of corona erosion. In this research, the multi-needle-plate electrode platform was constructed to explore the long-term use performance of Si C-doped nanocomposite exposed to corona discharge in SF6gas. Samples with a high Si C content have advantages in maintaining physical and chemical properties such as elemental composition, erosion depth, surface roughness and mass loss. The nanocomposite doped with 6 wt.% Si C has prominent surface insulation strength after long term exposure to corona, and the others are close to losing, or have completely lost,their insulating properties. Furthermore, the degradation mechanism of physicochemical properties of composite exposed to corona discharge was investigated with the proposed Reax FF MD model of energetic particles from SF6decomposition bombarding the epoxy surface. The reaction process of SF particles and F particles with the cross-linked epoxy resin, and the Si C nanoparticles providing shelter to the surrounding polymer and mitigating their suffering direct bombardment, have been established. The damage propagation depth, mass loss and surface roughness change of nanocomposite material bombarded by SF6decomposition products is reproduced in this simulation. Finally, the deterioration mechanism of insulation properties for the Si C-doped composite was elucidated with DFT analysis. The band gap of the molecule containing S drops directly from the initial 7.785 e V to 1.875 e V, which causes the deterioration of surface electric properties.

Wet flashover voltage improvement of the ceramics with dielectric barrier discharge

Surface modification techniques with plasma are widely investigated to improve the surface insulation capability of polymers under dry conditions,while the relationship between treatment method,surface physical and chemical properties,and wet flashover voltage is still unclear for inorganic ceramics.In this work,the surface insulation properties of ceramics under wet conditions are improved using nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge with polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)as the precursor.The relationships between PDMS concentration and the water contact angle,dry and wet flashover voltages are obtained to acquire the optimal concentration.The surface charge dissipation test and surface physio-chemical property measurement with SEM,AFM,XPS are carried out to further explore the mechanism of surface insulation enhancement.The results show that film deposition with micron thickness and superhydrophobicity occurs at the PDMS concentration of 1.5%.The dry flashover voltage is increased by 14.6%due to the induction of deep traps,while the wet flashover voltage is increased by 66.7%.The gap between dry-wet flashover voltage is decreased by 62.3%compared with the untreated one due to the self-cleaning effect.

Development of an atmospheric fluorocarbon plasma jet generated by pulse modulated microwave discharge

Atmospheric fluorocarbon plasma plays an important role in the surface modification of insulating materials like polymers.The existing fluorocarbon plasma is usually generated by dielectric barrier discharge,which has a low concentration of reactive species and may cause insufficient surface fluorination.This work attempts to develop an atmospheric fluorocarbon plasma jet using a coaxial transmission line resonator by microwave discharge with locally enhanced electric field and high density.The gas temperature is reduced by pulse modulation technology.Three kinds of working gases,pure CF_(4),Ar/CF_(4)and He/CF_(4),are utilized to generate the atmospheric microwave fluorocarbon plasma jet.The discharge images,optical emission spectra,electron densities and gas temperatures are studied experimentally.The results show that the Ar/CF_(4)plasma jet has the best comprehensive performance,such as strong discharge intensity and controllable gas temperature.The electron density of the Ar/CF_4plasma jet has a magnitude of 10~(20)m^(-3),indicating a higher density than that of the frequently used dielectric barrier discharge.With the other conditions unchanged,the gas temperature at the end of the Ar/CF_(4)plasma jet can be reduced from 410.2 to 347.3 K by decreasing the duty cycle of the modulated pulse from 0.5 to 0.1.Thence,the microwave Ar/CF_(4)plasma jet is considered to be a promising fluorocarbon plasma source for surface fluorination of polymers.

3D fluid model analysis on the generation of negative hydrogen ions for negative ion source of NBI

A radio-frequency(RF) inductively coupled negative hydrogen ion source(NHIS) has been adopted in the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor(CFETR) to generate negative hydrogen ions.By incorporating the level-lumping method into a three-dimensional fluid model,the volume production and transportation of H^(-) in the NHIS,which consists of a cylindrical driver region and a rectangular expansion chamber,are investigated self-consistently at a large input power(40 k W) and different pressures(0.3–2.0 Pa).The results indicate that with the increase of pressure,the H^(-) density at the bottom of the expansion region first increases and then decreases.In addition,the effect of the magnetic filter is examined.It is noteworthy that a significant increase in the H^(-) density is observed when the magnetic filter is introduced.As the permanent magnets move towards the driver region,the H^(-) density decreases monotonically and the asymmetry is enhanced.This study contributes to the understanding of H-distribution under various conditions and facilitates the optimization of volume production of negative hydrogen ions in the NHIS.

Complexity of Injective Homomorphisms to Small Tournaments, and of Injective Oriented Colourings

Several possible definitions of local injectivity for a homomorphism of an oriented graph G to an oriented graph H are considered. In each case, we determine the complexity of deciding whether there exists such a homomorphism when G is given and H is a fixed tournament on three or fewer vertices. Each possible definition leads to a locally-injective oriented colouring problem. A dichotomy theorem is proved in each case.

Analysis of Students’ Preferences and Engagement with Mobile Games: A Study of Game Assets and Colour Impact

Mobile games are gaining in popularity among students, although the factors driving engagement remain poorly understood. This study, conducted among 378 students studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Computer and Digital Sciences at the Université Virtuelle de Côte d’Ivoire, explores the influence of game assets and colours on player engagement. Using an online questionnaire, the study identified students’ gaming preferences and their perception of colours. The results show that the key elements most favoured by students are graphics, sound design, the game system, narrative, interactivity and accessibility. What’s more, colour plays a decisive role in their preferences and commitment to educational mobile games.

The Real Origin of Climate Change and the Feasibilities of Its Mitigation

The actual treatise represents a synopsis of six important previous contributions of the author, concerning atmospheric physics and climate change. Since this issue is influenced by politics like no other, and since the greenhouse-doctrine with CO2 as the culprit in climate change is predominant, the respective theory has to be outlined, revealing its flaws and inconsistencies. But beyond that, the author’s own contributions are focused and deeply discussed. The most eminent one concerns the discovery of the absorption of thermal radiation by gases, leading to warming-up, and implying a thermal radiation of gases which depends on their pressure. This delivers the final evidence that trace gases such as CO2 don’t have any influence on the behaviour of the atmosphere, and thus on climate. But the most useful contribution concerns the method which enables to determine the solar absorption coefficient βs of coloured opaque plates. It delivers the foundations for modifying materials with respect to their capability of climate mitigation. Thereby, the main influence is due to the colouring, in particular of roofs which should be painted, preferably light-brown (not white, from aesthetic reasons). It must be clear that such a drive for brightening-up the World would be the only chance of mitigating the climate, whereas the greenhouse doctrine, related to CO2, has to be abandoned. However, a global climate model with forecasts cannot be aspired to since this problem is too complex, and since several climate zones exist.

Molecular Cloning and Expression of Carotenogenic Genes in Yellowish and Mutant Whitish Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) Fruits

ObjectiveThe study aimed to explore the factors regulating carotenoid accumulation in flesh color. MethodA loquat mutation （red-or orange-fleshed plant emerged a bud mutation of white-flesh in trunk） was used as material; HPLC analysis of β-carotene content was conducted. ResultThe β-carotene concentration in the flesh of wild and mutant types was 60.9 and 4.6 μg/g fresh weight, respectively. According to the conserved regions of genes from rose family genome, carotenogenic gene fragments in wild and mutant types were obtained. No nucleotide variation of the carotenogenic gene fragments was observed between wild and mutant genome. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Q-PCR） was compared and one carotenogenic gene, β-ring hydroxylase （HYB） were considerably suppressed in mature mutant loquat fruits compared with that in wild. The other six carotenogenic genes were also expressed but the expression patterns appeared to be not correlated with the amount of β-carotene concentration in wild loquat flesh. ConclusionThe mutant whitish loquat lacks the ability to synthesize β-carotene because of the transcriptional down-regulation of carotenogenic gene HYB.