Comparison study on measurement of rail weld joint between inertial reference method and multi-point chord reference method

Purpose – Straightness measurement of rail weld joint is of essential importance to railway maintenance. Dueto the lack of efficient measurement equipment, there has been limited in-depth research on rail weld joint with a5-m wavelength range, leaving a significant knowledge gap in this field.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors used the well-established inertial referencemethod (IR-method), and the state-of-the-art multi-point chord reference method (MCR-method). Two methodshave been applied in different types of rail straightness measurement trollies, respectively. These instrumentswere tested in a high-speed rail section within a certain region of China. The test results were ultimatelyvalidated through using traditional straightedge and feeler gauge methods as reference data to evaluate the railweld joint straightness within the 5-m wavelength range.Findings – The research reveals that IR-method and MCR-method produce reasonably similar measurementresults for wavelengths below 1 m. However, MCR-method outperforms IR-method in terms of accuracy forwavelengths exceeding 3 m. Furthermore, it was observed that IR-method, while operating at a slower speed,carries the risk of derailing and is incapable of detecting rail weld joints and low joints within the track.Originality/value – The research compare two methods’ measurement effects in a longer wavelength rangeand demonstrate the superiority of MCR-method.

Defining the We-map Reference Frames and Providing Mathematical Expressions for Transformation Relations

We-map is an interactive mobile map that can be easily communicated and applied on personal electronic devices,such as personal computers and mobile phones.Therefore,the study of direction systems and coordinate systems is critical,and exploring reference frames is essential in direction and coordinate systems.Despite its significance,existing research on We-map lacks specific solutions for the exploration of reference frames is indispensable for the establishment of accurate direction and coordinate systems.In this paper,we endeavor to address this gap by elucidating the significance of We-map reference frames,defining them with mathematical constraints,summarizing their nature and characteristics,deriving their transformation relationships and representing them through mathematical formulars and equations.Our work contributes to the fundamental theory of We-map and provides valuable systems and support for the mathematical foundation of We-map,map production,and platform development.Ultimately,this research serves to advance the development of We-map.

Pathological and Etiological Aspects of Nephrotic Syndrome at the Niamey General Reference Hospital

Introduction: Studies have been conducted on nephrotic syndrome in Niger. The study aimed to determine the histological and etiological aspects of nephrotic syndrome. Patients and Method: This was a retrospective study from February 1st, 2018 to January 31st, 2024. All patients with nephrotic syndrome who underwent renal biopsy were included. Samples were analyzed at the anatomy-cytology pathology laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine in Dakar (Senegal). The variables studied included clinical, biological, histological and etiological characteristics. Data were analyzed using Excel 2013 and Epi-info 7.2.0 software. Results: The study included 119 patients with nephrotic syndrome. Prevalence of nephrotic syndrome was 11.24%. The male-to-female ratio was 2.25:1. The mean age at diagnosis was between 34.5 ± 18.84 years. Edema was the reason for admission in 40.34% of cases. The nephrotic syndrome was impure in 63.86% of cases. Nine histological lesions were identified. Focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (40.09%), minimal change disease (23.53%), membranous nephropathy (13.45%), diabetic nephropathy (10.92%), membranous proliferative glomerulonephritis (3.36%), acute glomerulonephritis (3.36%), glomerular thrombotic microangiopathy (2.52%), non-IgA mesengial proliferative glomerulonephritis (1.68%) and amyloidosis (0.84%). Nephrotic syndrome was primary in 57.98% of cases. Secondary etiologies were dominated by diabetes (11.76%), followed by hepatitis B virus (9.24%), lupus, lymphoma, malaria, syphilis, cryoglobulinemia, sickle cell disease and HIV. Conclusion: Future studies should investigate the causes of glomerulopathy secondary to chronic tubulointerstitial lesions.

Problems and Development Suggestions of Nature Education in Jiangxi Province

The forest coverage rate of Jiangxi Province ranks second in China.It has rich natural resources,a long history of ancient color culture and rich red culture.In the development of nature education,Jiangxi Province has great potential and advantages.This paper introduces the development conditions of nature education in Jiangxi Province,summarizes the problems existing in the development of nature education in Jiangxi Province from the aspects of the types of nature education and the construction of nature education base,such as simple content and single form,imperfect infrastructure and lack of professionals,and puts forward some suggestions on the development of nature education in Jiangxi Province.

Reference Interval of Thyroidal Function of Women in the Early,Middle and Late Pregnancy in Jingzhou City,Hubei Province

[Objectives]To study the reference value of thyroid function in healthy women of childbearing age during different pregnancies(early,middle and late pregnancy)in Jingzhou City.[Methods]362 healthy women of childbearing age during different pregnancies(early,middle and late pregnancy)were selected as the study group,and 360 non-pregnant women were selected as the control group.Serum thyroid hormone levels in the two groups were detected,and the reference value was expressed as the median(M)and 95%confidence interval(CI).On this basis,the chart of changing trend of thyroid hormone in the early,middle and late pregnancy were plotted.[Results]Compared with the control group,FT3,TT4,TT3,FT4and TSH in the early,middle and late pregnancy were significantly different in the study group(P<0.05).In the study group,there were significant differences in the early,middle and late pregnancy(P<0.05).[Conclusions]This trend chart has certain reference value in the screening,diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases in healthy women of childbearing age during different pregnancies(early,middle and late pregnancy)in Jingzhou City of Hubei Province.

Influencing Factors and Improvement Suggestions for Agricultural Green Development Performance:Empirical Insights from China

Agricultural green development is an essential direction for global sustainable agriculture.The academic literature,however,needs to place greater emphasis on studying the factors influencing agricultural green development performance and how such performance can be improved.A theoretical framework for agricultural green development performance was constructed in this paper using the Super-SBM model,which considers undesirable outputs,to measure the agricultural green development performance of 330 cities at or above the prefecture level in China(excluding Tibet Autonomous Region,Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan of China)from 2007 to2018.Furthermore,the influencing mechanism of agricultural green development performance was then analyzed using a spatial econometric model.The results show that:1)from 2007 to 2018,China’s agricultural green development performance experienced three stages of evolution:‘rise,decline and rise’.2)The regions with high performance agricultural green development are mainly distributed in eastern China,northeastern China,and southern Qinghai Province.3)The agricultural economic level,industrialization process,and labor quality play significant roles in promoting local agricultural green development performance,while such performance is obviously inhibited by the openness level and the government’s environmental regulations.Local agricultural green development performance is significant inhibited by the agricultural economic level and accelerated industrialization process in neighboring cities,while significantly promoted by the agricultural industrial structure in neighboring cities.Some suggestions for improving agricultural green development performance are proposed based on these research results,which can provide scientific references for promoting sustainable agriculture.

Identification of optimal reference genes in golden Syrian hamster with ethanol-and palmitoleic acid-induced acute pancreatitis using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction

Background:Acute pancreatitis(AP)is a severe disorder that leads to high morbidity and mortality.Appropriate reference genes are important for gene analysis in AP.This study sought to study the expression stability of several reference genes in the golden Syrian hamster,a model of AP.Methods:AP was induced in golden Syrian hamster by intraperitoneal injection of ethanol(1.35 g/kg)and palmitoleic acid(2 mg/kg).The expression of candidate genes,including Actb,Gapdh,Eef2,Ywhaz,Rps18,Hprt1,Tubb,Rpl13a,Nono,and B2m,in hamster pancreas at different time points(1,3,6,9,and 24 h)posttreatment was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The expression stability of these genes was calculated using Best Keeper,Comprehensive Delta CT,Norm Finder,and ge Norm algorithms and Ref Finder software.Results:Our results show that the expression of these reference genes fluctuated during AP,of which Ywhaz and Gapdh were the most stable genes,whereas Tubb,Eef2,and Actb were the least stable genes.Furthermore,these genes were used to normalize the expression of TNF-αmessenger ribonucleic acid in inflamed pancreas.Conclusions:In conclusion,Ywhaz and Gapdh were suitable reference genes for gene expression analysis in AP induced in Syrian hamster.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of RT-qPCR Analysis in Developing or Abiotic-Stressed Tissues of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that produces fruits with abundant nutrients and medicinal components.Confirming suitable reference genes for a set of loquat samples before qRT-PCR experiments is essential for the accurate quantification of gene expression.In this study,eight candidate reference genes were selected from our previously published RNA-seq data,and primers for each candidate reference gene were designed and evaluated.The Cq values of the candidate reference genes were calculated by RT-qPCR in 31 different loquat samples,including 12 subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues.Different combinations of stable reference genes were screened according to a comprehensive rank,which was synthesized from the results of four algorithms,including the geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper andΔCt methods.The screened reference genes were verified by normalizing EjLGA1 in each subgroup.The obtained suitable combinations of reference genes for accurate normalization were GAPDH,EF1αand ACT for floral development;GAPDH,UBCE and ACT for fruit setting;EF1α,GAPDH and eIF2B for fruit ripening;ACT,EF1αand UBCE for leaves under heat stress;eIF2B,UBCE and EF1αfor leaves under freezing stress;EF1α,TUA and UBCE for leaves under salt stress;ACT,EF1αand eIF2B for immature pulp under freezing stress;ACT,UBCE and eIF2B for immature seeds under freezing stress;EF1α,eIF2B and UBCE for both immature pulp and seeds under freezing stress;UBCE,TUB and TUA for red-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress;eIF2B,RPS3 and TUB for white-fleshed fruits under coldstorage stress;and eIF2B,UBCE and RPS3 for both red-and white-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress.This study obtained different combinations of stable reference genes for accurate normalization in twelve subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues in loquat.To our knowledge,this is the first report to obtain stable reference genes for normalizing gene expression of abiotic-stressed tissues in E.japonica.The use of the three most stable reference genes could increase the reliability of future quantification experiments.

A 16-bit 18-MSPS flash-assisted SAR ADC with hybrid synchronous and asynchronous control logic

This paper presents a 16-bit,18-MSPS(million samples per second)flash-assisted successive-approximation-register(SAR)analog-to-digital converter(ADC)utilizing hybrid synchronous and asynchronous(HYSAS)timing control logic based on an on-chip delay-locked loop(DLL).The HYSAS scheme can provide a longer settling time for the capacitive digital-to-analog converter(CDAC)than the synchronous and asynchronous SAR ADC.Therefore,the issue of incomplete settling or ringing in the DAC voltage for cases of either on-chip or off-chip reference voltage can be solved to a large extent.In addition,the fore-ground calibration of the CDAC’s mismatch is performed with a finite-impulse-response bandpass filter(FIR-BPF)based least-mean-square(LMS)algorithm in an off-chip FPGA(field programmable gate array).Fabricated in 40-nm CMOS process,the proto-type ADC achieves 94.02-dB spurious-free dynamic range(SFDR),and 75.98-dB signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio(SNDR)for a 2.88-MHz input under 18-MSPS sampling rate.

Development of a Certified Reference Material from Caffeine Solution for Assuring the Quality of Food and Drug Measurements

Caffeine intake by pregnant women, adults and children can be harmful to the health of all particularly fetuses if the intake exceeds the permissible limits. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to measure its concentration accurately using certified reference materials (CRMs). In the literature, no scientific details are published about the certification of caffeine standard solutions, and therefore, the present article covers this gap. A batch of caffeine solution was prepared in concentration of 1000 mg/kg and bottled. Homogeneity and stability of the candidate reference material were assessed by HPLC-UV and the results showed that the material is homogenous and stable enough. Characterization of the caffeine reference material was performed by HPLC-UV, LC-MS/MS and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer in three different days and the characterization uncertainty was estimated in accordance with the requirements of ISO GUM. The certified value (999.86 ± 8.57 mg/kg) was derived as a weighted mean from the gravimetry and the three characterization methods and the certified uncertainty was calculated according to ISO Guide 35. The produced CRM is of strong interest to the food and drug analytical laboratories for the validity and credibility of their caffeine measurement results.

Identification of suitable reference genes for quantitative gene expression analysis in clam Cyclina sinensis under salinity stress and Vibrio infection

The appropriate reference gene is a prerequisite for accurate normalization of gene expression level,and research on suitable reference genes in clam Cyclina sinensis is scarce.To improve the situation,we selected five commonly used housekeeping genes,including β-actin,Elongation factor 1-α(EF1-α),Glyceraldehyde-3-pho sphate dehydrogenase(GAPDH),40S ribosomal protein S18(RPS18),and Tubulin a(TUB-α),then evaluated their expression stability in different adult tissues and under different experimental treatments(salinity stress and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection).Their expression stability was analyzed by three frequently used programs,geNorm,NormFinder,and BestKeeper.This analysis indicated that multiple genes should be used for normalization,and we concluded that the reference gene combination GAPDH-RPS18-β-actin,should be used for qRT-PCR analysis in different tissues of C.sinensis under normal physiological conditions.For the clams under salinity stress and Vibrio infection,EF1-α-GAPDHRPS18 was recommended as the gene combination for qRT-PCR normalization.TUB-αwas generally poorly ranked by all programs,and should not be used in future studies.This study should provide fundamental support for accurate quantitative gene expression analysis of this species.

Certification of a Multicomponent Reference Material from Natural Gas Mixture by Gravimetry and Dual GC-FID/TCD System

Natural gas (NG) is one of the most important sources of energy for industrial and domestic consumption in the present era because it is cheap and free from sulfur impurities. Therefore, accurate and precise measurement of its composition is of fundamental importance for trade reasons. To improve the quality of NG gas measurements, certified reference materials (CRMs) should be used for calibration of measuring equipment in order to ensure the traceability of the measurement results to the SI units. For the traceability purpose, a multicomponent natural gas mixture was prepared gravimetrically as a reference material according to ISO 6142 from pure helium, hydrogen, n-pentane, i-pentane, n-butane, i-butane, propane, ethane, hexane, methane and nitrogen. The preparation was done in two dilution steps in 5 L aluminum cylinders. The calculated mole fractions and associated uncertainties of natural gas components were verified by a dual GC-FID/TCD system in accordance with ISO 6143 calibrated by a series of primary gas mixtures (CRMs) produced by an NMI. The results obtained by gravimetry and by GC measurements have been checked for compatibility as required by ISO 6142 and were found in very good agreement. Details of the preparation and calculation of the mole fractions and uncertainties of all gas components are explained in this article.

Trimmable bandgap reference circuit with exponential curvature compensation

This paper proposes an improved exponential curvature-compensated bandgap reference circuit to exploit the exponential relationship between the current gainβof the bipolar junction transistor(BJT)and the temperature as well as reduce the influence of resistance-temperature dependency.Considering the degraded circuit performance caused by the process deviation,the trimmable module of the temperature coefficient(TC)is introduced to improve the circuit stability.The circuit has the advantages of simple structure,high linear stability,high TC accuracy,and trimmable TC.It consumes an area of 0.09 mm^(2)when fabricated by using the 0.25-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor(CMOS)process.The proposed circuit achieves the simulated power supply rejection(PSR)of about-78.7 dB@1 kHz,the measured TC of~4.7 ppm/℃over a wide temperature range from-55℃to 125℃with the 2.5-V single-supply voltage,and the tested line regulation of 0.10 mV/V.Such a high-performance bandgap reference circuit can be widely applied in high-precision and high-reliability electronic systems.

Analysis of Investigation on Ebian Spotted Cattle and Suggestions

Ebian spotted cattle has the ability to adapt to the local natural ecological environment,and is one of the excellent local cattle breeds in Sichuan.Ebian spotted cattle is a breed of cattle for both service and meat use and formed through long-term natural selection and artificial selection.Because of the weak development and utilization of this breed,the economic benefits of excellent breeds have not been fully brought into play,and farmers'enthusiasm in breeding is poor,so that the number of Ebian spotted cattle has reduced year by year.In order to strengthen the protection,development and utilization of Ebian spotted cattle as a local excellent breed,combined with the third national survey of livestock and poultry genetic resources in 2021,Ebian spotted cattle was investigated,and a comprehensive,scientific and objective analysis of its population numbers was conducted.Besides,reasonable suggestions were put forward.

Introduction and Protection Suggestions of Biodiversity

Through the introduction of the concept,content,conservation significance and species value of biodiversity,the cognition of the research content,analysis methods and research directions of biodiversity was deepened.In view of the problems faced by biodiversity conservation at present,such as the accelerated disappearance of species,the unsound protection regulation system,the irrational spatial pattern of species protection,and the lack of long-term follow-up research,specific improvement suggestions were put forward,and have a positive guiding significance for future biodiversity conservation.

Responses of vegetation yield to precipitation and reference evapotranspiration in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia,China

Drought,which restricts the sustainable development of agriculture,ecological health,and social economy,is affected by a variety of factors.It is widely accepted that a single variable cannot fully reflect the characteristics of drought events.Studying precipitation,reference evapotranspiration(ET_(0)),and vegetation yield can derive information to help conserve water resources in grassland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions.In this study,the interactions of precipitation,ET_(0),and vegetation yield in Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner(DMJB),a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region,China were explored using two-dimensional(2D)and three-dimensional(3D)joint distribution models.Three types of Copula functions were applied to quantitatively analyze the joint distribution probability of different combinations of precipitation,ET_(0),and vegetation yield.For the precipitation–ET_(0)dry–wet type,the 2D joint distribution probability with precipitation≤245.69 mm/a or ET_(0)≥959.20 mm/a in DMJB was approximately 0.60,while the joint distribution probability with precipitation≤245.69 mm/a and ET_(0)≥959.20 mm/a was approximately 0.20.Correspondingly,the joint return period that at least one of the two events(precipitation was dry or ET_(0)was wet)occurred was 2 a,and the co-occurrence return period that both events(precipitation was dry and ET_(0)was wet)occurred was 5 a.Under this condition,the interval between dry and wet events would be short,the water supply and demand were unbalanced,and the water demand of vegetation would not be met.In addition,when precipitation remained stable and ET_(0)increased,the 3D joint distribution probability that vegetation yield would decrease due to water shortage in the precipitation–ET_(0)dry–wet years could reach up to 0.60–0.70.In future work,irrigation activities and water allocation criteria need to be implemented to increase vegetation yield and the safety of water resources in the desert steppe of Inner Mongolia.

Development of a Certified Reference Material from Caffeine Solution for Assuring the Quality of Food and Drug Measurements

Caffeine intake by pregnant women, adults and children can be harmful to the health of all particularly fetuses if the intake exceeds the permissible limits. Therefore, it is of fundamental importance to measure its concentration accurately using certified reference materials (CRMs). In the literature, no scientific details are published about the certification of caffeine standard solutions, and therefore, the present article covers this gap. A batch of caffeine solution was prepared in concentration of 1000 mg/kg and bottled. Homogeneity and stability of the candidate reference material were assessed by HPLC-UV and the results showed that the material is homogenous and stable enough. Characterization of the caffeine reference material was performed by HPLC-UV, LC-MS/MS and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer in three different days and the characterization uncertainty was estimated in accordance with the requirements of ISO GUM. The certified value (999.86 ± 8.57 mg/kg) was derived as a weighted mean from the gravimetry and the three characterization methods and the certified uncertainty was calculated according to ISO Guide 35. The produced CRM is of strong interest to the food and drug analytical laboratories for the validity and credibility of their caffeine measurement results.

Advances and outlook of integrated reservoir-wellbore-pipe network simulation technology

The integrated simulation and optimization technology of reservoir-wellbore-pipe network is developed to reflect the mutual influence and restriction among reservoir engineering,oil production engineering and surface engineering,and to obtain the scheme with minimum conflict and optimal benefit in each step.This technology is based on the concept of global optimization to maximize production and profit,reduce costs and increase benefit.This paper elaborates the current situation of integrated simulation technology of reservoir-wellbore-pipe network both at home and abroad,discusses its correlation with the primary business of Sinopec and its development from three aspects of modeling,cloud platform and intellectualization.Suggestions on its future development are put forward from underlying data,software platform,popularization and application,and cross-border integration to provide means and guidance for the construction of intelligent oil and gas fields.The results show that the integrated simulation of reservoir-wellbore-pipe network can better reflect the optimization requirements of each step,avoid the ineffective operation of field equipment,and effectively improve the efficiency of research and management.Coupling solution,global optimization method and pressure fitting,which can make the simulation results reflect the real situation,are the key technologies for the network.The theoretical technology and main function research of integrated simulation technology have been mature,but the large-scale application and local function improvement of oil and gas fields are yet to be promoted.In the future,the integrated simulation of reservoir-wellbore-pipe network will develop from digitalization to modeling and intellectualization,from local simulation to cloud computing,and from manual intervention to intelligent decision-making.We suggest speeding up the construction of the unified database and model base of the whole underlying platform,strengthening the construction of software integration and integration platform with independent intellectual property rights,speeding up the popularization and application of intelligent oil and gas field demonstration projects,and strengthening the integration of oil and gas industry with artificial intelligence(AI),big data and block chain for its development.

Deciphering the population structure and genetic basis of growth traits from whole-genome resequencing of the leopard coral grouper(Plectropomus leopardus)

The leopard coral grouper(Plectropomus leopardus)is a species of significant economic importance.Although artificial cultivation of P.leopardus has thrived in recent decades,the advancement of selective breeding has been hindered by the lack of comprehensive population genomic data.In this study,we identified over 8.73 million single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)through whole-genome resequencing of 326 individuals spanning six distinct groups.Furthermore,we categorized 226 individuals with high-coverage sequencing depth(≥14×)into eight clusters based on their genetic profiles and phylogenetic relationships.Notably,four of these clusters exhibited pronounced genetic differentiation compared with the other populations.To identify potentially advantageous loci for P.leopardus,we examined genomic regions exhibiting selective sweeps by analyzing the nucleotide diversity(θπ)and fixation index(FST)in these four clusters.Using these high-coverage resequencing data,we successfully constructed the first haplotype reference panel specific to P.leopardus.This achievement holds promise for enabling high-quality,cost-effectiveimputationmethods.Additionally,we combined low-coverage sequencing data with imputation techniques for a genome-wide association study,aiming to identify candidate SNP loci and genes associated with growth traits.A significant concentration of these genes was observed on chromosome 17,which is primarily involved in skeletal muscle and embryonic development and cell proliferation.Notably,our detailed investigation of growth-related SNPs across the eight clusters revealed that cluster 5 harbored the most promising candidate SNPs,showing potential for genetic selective breeding efforts.These findings provide a robust toolkit and valuable insights into the management of germplasm resources and genome-driven breeding initiatives targeting P.leopardus.

Review of Two Years of Surgical Activities of the General Surgery Department of the Reference Health Center of Commune I of Bamako Mali

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the surgical activities carried out in the general surgery department of the Reference Health Center of Commune I of Bamako, to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of the operated patients, to determine the main pathologies encountered and to evaluate qualitatively the result of the treatment. In order to improve performance, and the quality of care, and to identify common pathologies in the surgical department, we undertook a retrospective study on surgical activities from January 2009 to December 2010. At the end of this study, out of 474 men and 187 women (equal sex ratio 2.53);we were able to determine the frequency of surgical pathologies. Farmers, housewives and pupils/students were the most represented with 25.9% respectively;20% and 13.3%. The most frequently observed pathologies were wall hernia (44.8%), prostate adenoma (12%) and acute appendicitis (10.5%). The average length of hospitalization was 3.43 days. Infectious complications affected 25 patients (3.8% of cases) and a death rate of 0.45% (i.e. 3 patients). The average cost of care was 53,500 FCFA. Indeed, the reality of surgical practice in health centers was not the same because of the level of skills of practicing surgeons.