A miniature short stroke tubular linear actuator and its control

Miniature actuators are the critical components in the robotic applications with high intelligence, high mobility and small scales. Among various types of actuators, linear actuators show advantages in many aspects. A miniature short stroke PM tubular linear actuator for the micro robotic applications is presented in this paper. The actuator is deliberately designed based on the optimal force capability and a proper sensorless control scheme is developed for the driving of the actuator. Experiment both on the prototype of the actuator and the drive system show the validity of the design

Ensiling Characteristics and Ruminal Degradation of Italian Ryegrass with or without Wilting and Added Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes

The previous experiment (Yu zhu et al.,1999) has shown that the efficacy of added enzymes varied greatly according to the DM content of the material crop. The silage DM did not alter the effects of enzymes on the in vitro digestion of NDF (Yu zhu et al.,1999, Yu zhu et al.,2000). The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of wilting and enzymes on fermentation quality, chemical composition and in situ digestion of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) silage

Characteristics of molecular changes in lespedeza plants after seeds been flown on satellite

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Down-regulation of miR-27a might inhibit proliferation and drug resistance of gastric cancer cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aims</p> <p>Here we aimed to firstly investigate the role of miR-27a in proliferation and multidrug resistance of gastric cancer cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The role of miR-27a in gastric cancer cells was detected using MTT assay, soft agar assay, flow cytometry assay, nude mice assay, real-time PCR, western blot and reporter gene assay, etc.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Down-regulation of miR-27a could inhibit porliferation of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Down-regulation of miR-27a could also confer sensitivity of drugs on gastric cancer cells, and might increase accumulation and decrease releasing amount of adriamycin in gastric cancer cells. Down-regulation of miR-27a could significantly decrease the expression of P-glycoprotein and the transcriptional activity of cyclin D1, and up-regulate the expression of p21.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>MiR-27a might play important roles in porliferation and drug resistance of gastric cancer. MiR-27a might be considered as a useful target for cancer therapy.</p

A simple proof of Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds

We will simplify earlier proofs of Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds given by Shioya-Yamaguchi and Morgan-Tian. Among other things, we use Perelman's critical point theory (e.g., multiple conic singularity theory and his fibration theory) for Alexandrov spaces to construct the desired local Seifert fibration structure on collapsed 3-manifolds. The verification of Perelman's collapsing theorem is the last step of Perelman's proof of Thurston's Geometrization Conjecture on the classification of 3-manifolds. Our proof of Perelman's collapsing theorem is almost self-contained, accessible to non-experts and advanced graduate students. Perelman's collapsing theorem for 3-manifolds can be viewed as an extension of implicit function theoremComment: v1: 9 Figures. In this version, we improve the exposition of our arguments in the earlier arXiv version. v2: added one more grap

Mining threats in high‐level biodiversity conservation policies

Amid a global infrastructure boom, there is increasing recognition of the ecological impacts of the extraction and consumption of construction minerals, mainly processed as concrete, including significant and expanding threats to global biodiversity. We investigated how high‐level national and international biodiversity conservation policies address mining threats, with a special focus on construction minerals. We conducted a review and quantified the degree to which threats from mining these minerals are addressed in biodiversity goals and targets under the 2011–2020 and post‐2020 biodiversity strategies, national biodiversity strategies and action plans, and the assessments of the Intergovernmental Science–Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Mining appeared rarely in national targets but more frequently in national strategies. Yet, in most countries, it was superficially addressed. Coverage of aggregates mining was greater than coverage of limestone mining. We outline 8 key components, tailored for a wide range of actors, to effectively mainstream biodiversity conservation into the extractive, infrastructure, and construction sectors. Actions include improving reporting and monitoring systems, enhancing the evidence base around mining impacts on biodiversity, and modifying the behavior of financial agents and businesses. Implementing these measures could pave the way for a more sustainable approach to construction mineral use and safeguard biodiversity

A Comprehensive Study of the Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity and Chargeability of Tris(carbohydrazide)zinc Perchlorate

Abstract: Most primary explosives are non-conductors, easily accumulate charge when contacting with and separating from other materials, and are sensitive to electrostatic discharge (ESD). In order to reduce the number of accidents caused by ESD initiation of primary explosives, studies on their electrostatic hazards are necessary. This work presents comprehensive experimental results of electrostatic discharge sensitivity and chargeability of tris(carbohydrazide)zinc perchlorate (ZnCP) under different conditions. The influences of the testing conditions, of devices, particle size, ambient temperature and relative humidity on the electrostatic discharge sensitivity and chargeability have been investigated in detail, and the quantitative regression equations obtained

A pilot study for channel catfish whole genome sequencing and de novo assembly

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies have drastically increased throughput and significantly reduced sequencing costs. However, the average read lengths in next-generation sequencing technologies are short as compared with that of traditional Sanger sequencing. The short sequence reads pose great challenges for <it>de novo </it>sequence assembly. As a pilot project for whole genome sequencing of the catfish genome, here we attempt to determine the proper sequence coverage, the proper software for assembly, and various parameters used for the assembly of a BAC physical map contig spanning approximately a million of base pairs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A combination of low sequence coverage of 454 and Illumina sequencing appeared to provide effective assembly as reflected by a high N50 value. Using 454 sequencing alone, a sequencing depth of 18 X was sufficient to obtain the good quality assembly, whereas a 70 X Illumina appeared to be sufficient for a good quality assembly. Additional sequencing coverage after 18 X of 454 or after 70 X of Illumina sequencing does not provide significant improvement of the assembly. Considering the cost of sequencing, a 2 X 454 sequencing, when coupled to 70 X Illumina sequencing, provided an assembly of reasonably good quality. With several software tested, Newbler with a seed length of 16 and ABySS with a K-value of 60 appear to be appropriate for the assembly of 454 reads alone and Illumina paired-end reads alone, respectively. Using both 454 and Illumina paired-end reads, a hybrid assembly strategy using Newbler for initial 454 sequence assembly, Velvet for initial Illumina sequence assembly, followed by a second step assembly using MIRA provided the best assembly of the physical map contig, resulting in 193 contigs with a N50 value of 13,123 bp.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A hybrid sequencing strategy using low sequencing depth of 454 and high sequencing depth of Illumina provided the good quality assembly with high N50 value and relatively low cost. A combination of Newbler, Velvet, and MIRA can be used to assemble the 454 sequence reads and the Illumina reads effectively. The assembled sequence can serve as a resource for comparative genome analysis. Additional long reads using the third generation sequencing platforms are needed to sequence through repetitive genome regions that should further enhance the sequence assembly.</p

Identification of Pns6, a putative movement protein of RRSV, as a silencing suppressor

RNA silencing is a potent antiviral response in plants. As a counterdefense, most plant and some animal viruses encode RNA silencing suppressors. In this study, we showed that Pns6, a putative movement protein of Rice ragged stunt virus (RRSV), exhibited silencing suppressor activity in coinfiltration assays with the reporter green fluorescent protein (GFP) in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana line 16c. Pns6 of RRSV suppressed local silencing induced by sense RNA but had no effect on that induced by dsRNA. Deletion of a region involved in RNA binding abolished the silencing suppressor activity of Pns6. Further, expression of Pns6 enhanced Potato virus × pathogenicity in N. benthamiana. Collectively, these results suggested that RRSV Pns6 functions as a virus suppressor of RNA silencing that targets an upstream step of the dsRNA formation in the RNA silencing pathway. This is the first silencing suppressor to be identified from the genus Oryzavirus