Overview of the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia Data Model Intercomparison Project (LBA-DMIP)

A fundamental question connecting terrestrial ecology and global climate change is the sensitivity of key terrestrial biomes to climatic variability and change. The Amazon region is such a key biome: it contains unparalleled biological diversity, a globally significant store of organic carbon, and it is a potent engine driving global cycles of water and energy. The importance of understanding how land surface dynamics of the Amazon region respond to climatic variability and change is widely appreciated, but despite significant recent advances, large gaps in our understanding remain. Understanding of energy and carbon exchange between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere can be improved through direct observations and experiments, as well as through modeling activities. Land surface/ecosystem models have become important tools for extrapolating local observations and understanding to much larger terrestrial regions. They are also valuable tools to test hypothesis on ecosystem functioning. Funded by NASA under the auspices of the LBA (the Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia), the LBA Data Model Intercomparison Project (LBA-DMIP) uses a comprehensive data set from an observational network of flux towers across the Amazon, and an ecosystem modeling community engaged in ongoing studies using a suite of different land surface and terrestrial ecosystem models to understand Amazon forest function. Here an overview of this project is presented accompanied by a description of the measurement sites, data, models and protocol

Value of serum Golgi protein 73 in assisting the diagnosis of moderate or severe liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis B

ObjectiveTo investigate the value of Golgi protein 73 (GP73) in the diagnosis of liver inflammatory activity and fibrosis degree in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. MethodsSerum samples were collected from 678 patients who underwent liver biopsy in 302 Hospital of PLA from December 2013 to May 2017, and the patients were randomly divided into group A with 477 patients and group B with 201 patients. A double-antibody sandwich ELISA kit was used to measure the serum level of GP73 according to instructions. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of two independent samples, the Spearman correlation analysis was used to investigate correlation, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsThe serum level of GP73 increased with increasing liver inflammatory activity and fibrosis degree in both groups; in group A, the serum level of GP73 was significantly correlated with liver inflammatory activity and fibrosis degree (r=0.529 and 0.434, both P＜0.001), and a similar result was obtained in group B (r=0418 and 0.437, both P＜0.001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of serum GP73 to diagnose G≥2 liver inflammation and necrosis and G≥3 inflammation and necrosis were 0.774 (95% confidence interval ［CI］: 0.733-0.811, P＜0.001) and 0.844 (95%CI: 0.808-0.875, P＜0.001) in group A and 0.730 (95%CI: 0.663-0.790, P＜0.001) and 0.716 (95%CI: 0.649-0777, P＜0.001) in group B. With the help of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) combined with serum GP73, 77.4% of the patients in group A and 789% of the patients in group B were found to have G≥2 and/or S≥2 disease. ConclusionSerum GP73 can be used in combination with ALT to identify the CHB patients that need antiviral therapy and thus reduce the dependence on liver biopsy

Microscopic Characterization of Modified Phenol-Formaldehyde Resin Penetration of Bamboo Surfaces and its Effect on Some Properties of Two-Ply Bamboo Bonding Interface

The bonding interface between bamboo elements and adhesives is presumed to be significantly influenced by the degree of adhesive penetration into the porous network of interconnected cells of bamboo surfaces. In the study presented here, the average depth and effective depth of phenol-formaldehyde resin (PF) modified by different contents of lower-molecular weight (LMW) PF on bamboo surface were evaluated, making use of fluorescent microscopy characterization. The shear distribution at the bonding interface was measured by means of electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI), along with tensile strength measurements, to determine the shear strain distribution on a macroscopic scale. This research combined macroscopic mechanical properties with microscopic interfacial mechanical properties, and it was found that PF modified with 10% LMW PF performed better than other modified PF. Moreover, it was assumed that the results of this study would influence the choice of bamboo-specific adhesives under different strain conditions

Digital Image Correlation Measuring Shear Strain Distribution on Wood/Adhesive Interphase Modified by Sealants

In this study, three different sealants (gelatinized starch (GS), gelatinized starch/wood flour mixture (GSWF), and soy-protein adhesive (SPA)) were used to seal the lathe checks in veneers before applying phenol formaldehyde adhesive. The shear strain distribution on the interphase of the lap joint specimens was measured by a digital image correlation technique. The results showed that the average shear strain along the bond line on the interphase was 1.94×10-3 when the specimen had lathe checks. Sealing treatment can thus reduce the average shear strain effectively. Soy-protein adhesive seemed to have the greatest ability to decrease the average shear strain along the bond line, from 1.94×10-3 to 0.94×10-3. In contrast, gelatinized starch appeared to decrease the strain slightly to 1.61×10-3. Average shear strain along the bond line of specimens treated with gelatinized starch/wood flour mixture was 1.00×10-3, which was between the values of the other two sealants. Dry shear strength of samples treated by GS and SPA increased from 7.6 MPa to 9.65 MPa and 8.85 MPa, respectively. The mixture of GSWF decreased the strength to 6.32 MPa. Wet strength of treated samples were smaller than untreated ones

Shear Strength and Microscopic Characterization of a Bamboo Bonding Interface with Phenol Formaldehyde Resins Modified with Larch Thanaka and Urea

The aim of this study was to understand the microscopic characteristics of the bamboo bonding interface with phenol formaldehyde resin modified with larch thanaka and urea (PTUF) and its effect on the shear strength of two-ply bamboo laminated lumber. Bleached and carbonized bamboo strips were used, and two assembly patterns (outer-to-outer and inner-to-inner) were adopted to make two-ply bamboo laminated lumber with PTUF. The microstructure of the bonding interface and the bond-line thickness were investigated using a scanning electron microscope. The average depth and effective depth of PTUF on bamboo surfaces were evaluated by fluorescent microscopy characterization. The shear strength of two-ply bamboo laminated lumber was also examined. The results revealed a shallow depth of penetration of PTUF into the bamboo surface that was distributed primarily in the broken cell cavities formed during preparation, as well as between the cell walls. When the assembly pattern was inner-to-inner, the depth of penetration and bond-line thickness were higher, but the shear strength was lower than that of the outer-to-outer pattern. The carbonized bamboo laminated lumber provided a greater resin penetration and bond-line thickness, but lower shear strength, than the bleached bamboo laminated lumber

A WW Tandem-Mediated Dimerization Mode of SAV1 Essential for Hippo Signaling.

The canonical mammalian Hippo pathway contains a core kinase signaling cascade requiring upstream MST to form a stable complex with SAV1 in order to phosphorylate the downstream LATS/MOB complex. Though SAV1 dimerization is essential for the trans-activation of MST, the molecular mechanism underlying SAV1 dimerization is unclear. Here, we discover that the SAV1 WW tandem containing a short Pro-rich extension immediately following the WW tandem (termed as "WW12ex") forms a highly stable homodimer. The crystal structure of SAV1 WW12ex reveals that the Pro-rich extension of one subunit binds to both WW domains from the other subunit. Thus, SAV1 WW12ex forms a domain-swapped dimer instead of a WW2 homodimerization-mediated dimer. The WW12ex-mediated dimerization of SAV1 is required for the MST/SAV1 complex assembly and MST kinase activation. Finally, we show that several cancer-related SAV1 variants disrupt SAV1 dimer formation, and thus, these mutations may impair the tumor-suppression activity of SAV1

Design and Comparative Study of a Small-Stroke Energy Harvesting Floor Based on a Multi-Layer Piezoelectric Beam Structure

Recently, research on the energy harvesting floor is attracting more and more attention due to its possible application in the smart house, invasion monitoring, internet of things, etc. This paper introduced a design and comparative study of a small-stroke piezoelectric energy harvesting floor based on a multi-layer piezoelectric beam structure. The multi-layer piezoelectric beams are designed based on simply supported beams in an interdigitated manner. Theoretical analysis is explored to find out the beam number and layer number of the structure. Through this design, the input power from the human footsteps was effectively utilized and transformed into electrical power. The designed piezoelectric energy harvesting floor structure was tested by our designed stepping machine, which can simulate the stepping effect of a walking human on the floor with different parameters such as stepping frequency. Comparative studies of the energy harvester are carried out regarding different stepping frequencies, external circuits, and initial beam shapes. The experimental results showed that the maximum output power of a group of four-layer prototypes was 960.9 µW at a stroke of 4 mm and a step frequency of 0.83 Hz, with the beams connected in parallel

Design and Experimental Investigation of a Rotational Piezoelectric Energy Harvester with an Offset Distance from the Rotation Center

Rotational energy harvesting technology has attracted more and more attention recently. This paper presents a piezoelectric rotational energy harvester that can be mounted with an offset distance from the rotation center. The piezoelectric energy harvester is designed to be dynamically excited by the force due to gravity, which causes the piezoelectric cantilever beams in the harvester to vibrate periodically as the harvester rotates. A novel design of the harvester structure with a hollow mass is proposed and analyzed in this paper. Experiments were performed to investigate the design and analysis. A power output of 106~2308 μW can be achieved at the rotating frequencies of 0.79~14 Hz with a piezoelectric cantilever beam in the prototyped energy harvester. Results showed that the prototyped harvester can be mounted on a rotating wheel hub and output sufficient power in a wide frequency range for wireless monitoring sensors

A Power Converter Decoupled from the Resonant Network for Wireless Inductive Coupling Power Transfer

In a traditional inductive coupling power transfer (ICPT) system, the converter and the resonant network are strongly coupled. Since the coupling coefficient and the parameters of the resonant network usually vary, the resonant network easily detunes, and the system efficiency, power source capacity, power control, and soft switching conditions of the ICPT system are considerably affected. This paper presents an ICPT system based on a power converter decoupled from the resonant network. In the proposed system, the primary inductor is disconnected from the resonant network during the energy injection stage. After storing a certain amount of energy, the primary inductor is reconnects with the resonant network. Through this method, the converter can be decoupled from the resonant network, and the resonant network can be tuned under various coupling coefficients. Theoretical analysis was explored first. Simulations and experimental work are carried out to verify the theoretical analysis. The results show that the proposed ICPT system has the virtues of low power source capacity, independent power control, and soft switching operation under different coupling coefficients

Effects of the Type of Lactic Acid Bacteria, Hot-Pressing Temperature, and Moisture Content of Fermented Bamboo Residue on the Properties of Self-bonding Common Particleboards

Self-bonding bamboo particleboards were prepared via hot pressing of bamboo residue fermented by lactic acid bacteria. An orthogonal experiment was designed to investigate the effects of three factors (type of lactic acid bacteria used for fermentation, moisture content (MC) of the fermented residue, and hot-pressing temperature) on the resulting self-bonding particleboards. The bending strength and internal bonding strength of the prepared self-bonding particleboards were tested. Fracture characterization was performed on the cross-section of the prepared self-bonding particleboards after bending breakage. The hot-pressing temperature, moisture content (MC), and type of lactic acid bacteria of the fermented residue had a significant effect on the mechanical strength of self-bonding particleboards, and with increased hot-pressing temperature, the strength of self-bonding particleboards increased. Analysis of the cross-sectional morphology and porosity confirmed the significant effect of hot-pressing temperature on the density distribution of self-bonding particleboards. The self-bonding particleboard produced at the hot-pressing temperature of 180 °C, MC of 30%, and that used Lactobacillus plantarum as a fermentation strain showed the best overall performance and reached Chinese standard requirements for common particleboards