The cooling intensity dependent on landscape complexity of green infrastructure in the metropolitan area

The cooling effect of green infrastructure (GI) is becoming a hot topic on mitigating the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Alterations to the green space are a viable solution for reducing land surface temperature (LST), yet few studies provide specific guidance for landscape planning adapted to the different regions. This paper proposed and defined the landscape complexity and the threshold value of cooling effect (TVoE). Results find that: (1) GI provides a better cooling effect in the densely built-up area than the green belt; (2) GI with a simple form, aggregated configuration, and low patch density had a better cooling intensity; (3) In the densely built-up area, TVoE of the forest area is 4.5 ha, while in the green belt, TVoE of the forest and grassland area is 9 ha and 2.25 ha. These conclusions will help the planners to reduce LST effectively, and employ environmentally sustainable planning

The goose genome sequence leads to insights into the evolution of waterfowl and susceptibility to fatty liver

BACKGROUND: Geese were domesticated over 6,000 years ago, making them one of the first domesticated poultry. Geese are capable of rapid growth, disease resistance, and high liver lipid storage capacity, and can be easily fed coarse fodder. Here, we sequence and analyze the whole-genome sequence of an economically important goose breed in China and compare it with that of terrestrial bird species. RESULTS: A draft sequence of the whole-goose genome was obtained by shotgun sequencing, and 16,150 protein-coding genes were predicted. Comparative genomics indicate that significant differences occur between the goose genome and that of other terrestrial bird species, particularly regarding major histocompatibility complex, Myxovirus resistance, Retinoic acid-inducible gene I, and other genes related to disease resistance in geese. In addition, analysis of transcriptome data further reveals a potential molecular mechanism involved in the susceptibility of geese to fatty liver disease and its associated symptoms, including high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and low levels of cholesterol. The results of this study show that deletion of the goose lep gene might be the result of positive selection, thus allowing the liver to adopt energy storage mechanisms for long-distance migration. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report describing the complete goose genome sequence and contributes to genomic resources available for studying aquatic birds. The findings in this study are useful not only for genetic breeding programs, but also for studying lipid metabolism disorders. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13059-015-0652-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Interaction Behaviours between Soliton and Cnoidal Periodic Waves for Nonlocal Complex Modified Korteweg–de Vries Equation

The reverse space-time nonlocal complex modified Kortewewg–de Vries (mKdV) equation is investigated by using the consistent tanh expansion (CTE) method. According to the CTE method, a nonauto-Bäcklund transformation theorem of nonlocal complex mKdV is obtained. The interactions between one kink soliton and other different nonlinear excitations are constructed via the nonauto-Bäcklund transformation theorem. By selecting cnoidal periodic waves, the interaction between one kink soliton and the cnoidal periodic waves is derived. The specific Jacobi function-type solution and graphs of its analysis are provided in this paper

Research on fiber gas sensor system based on scanning light source

An optical-fiber gas sensor system based on narrowband scanning light source is proposed. It can complete the concentration detection of various gases mixed in the environment. As usual, traditional fiber gas sensor system requires multiple light sources for detection when there are several different kinds of gases. By using scanning light source, the cost of industrialization gas detection can be reduced. Using an Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) source as foundmental instrument, combining tunable Fabry-Perot filter driven by saw-tooth wave (STW), narrowband scanning light is generated. As the Fabry-Perot tunable filter is a capacitive device, it can cause the linear distortion of the saw-tooth wave. Parallel resonant circuit solutions are proposed to decrease saw-tooth wave linear distortion, thus the stability of light source scanning work is guaranteed. Experimental results show that the system can detect the gas concentration of different components which are mixed with acetylene and ammonia gas. Experimental results also show low error rate

Transcriptome analysis of the livers of ducklings hatched normally and with assistance

Objective “Hatchability” is an important economic trait in domestic poultry. Studies on poultry hatchability focus mainly on the genetic background, egg quality, and incubation conditions, whereas the molecular mechanisms behind the phenomenon that some ducklings failed to break their eggshells are poorly understood. Methods In this study, the transcriptional differences between the livers of normally hatched and assisted ducklings were systematically analyzed. Results The results showed that the clean reads were de novo assembled into 161,804 and 159,083 unigenes (≥200-bp long) by using Trinity, with an average length of 1,206 bp and 882 bp, respectively. The defined criteria of the absolute value of log2 fold-change ≥1 and false discovery rate≤0.05 were differentially expressed and were significant. As a result, 1,629 unigenes were identified, the assisted ducklings showed 510 significantly upregulated and 1,119 significantly down-regulated unigenes. In general, the metabolic rate in the livers of the assisted ducklings was lower than that in the normal ducklings; however, compared to normal ducklings, glucose-6-phosphatase and ATP synthase subunit alpha 1 associated with energy metabolism were significantly upregulated in the assisted group. The genes involved in immune defense such as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen alpha chain and MHC class II beta chain 1 were downregulated in the assisted ducklings. Conclusion These data provide abundant sequence resources for studying the functional genome of the livers in ducks and other poultry. In addition, our study provided insight into the molecular mechanism by which the phenomenon of weak embryos is regulated

Cloning, expression and bioinformatics analysis of a putative pigeon RIG-I gene

Retinoid acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I) is a major cytoplasmic RNA sensor, playing an essential role in detecting viral RNA and triggering antiviral innate immune responses. The objective of the present study was to characterize the structure and expression of RIG-I gene in pigeon. The pigeon RIG-I (piRIG-I) was cloned from splenic lymphocytes of pigeon using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The cDNA of piRIG-I contains a 147-bp 5'-UTR, a 2787-bp open reading frame and 2962-bp 3'-UTRs. Based on this sequence, the encoded piRIG-I protein is predicted to consist of 928 amino acids and has conserved domains typical of RLRs including two tandem arranged N-terminal caspase recruitment domains (CARDs), a domain with the signature of DExD/H box helicase (helicase domain) and a C-terminal repression domain (RD) similar to finch RIG-I, duck RIG-I, goose RIG-I, human RIG-I and mouse RIG-I. The piRIG-I shows 82.1%, 78.6% and 78.2% amino acid sequence identity with previously described finch RIG-I, duck RIG-I and goose RIG-I, respectively, and 49.7%â 53.8% sequence identity with mammalian homologs. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that the piRIG-I mRNA is scarcely detected in healthy tissues and is strongly expressed in the thymus gland, kidney, spleen and bursa of Fabricius. These findings lay the foundation for further research on the function and mechanism of avian RIG-I in innate immune response related to vaccinations and infectious diseases in the pigeon.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Turing structuring with multiple nanotwins to engineer efficient and stable catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract Low-dimensional nanocrystals with controllable defects or strain modifications are newly emerging active electrocatalysts for hydrogen-energy conversion and utilization; however, a crucial challenge remains in insufficient stability due to spontaneous structural degradation and strain relaxation. Here we report a Turing structuring strategy to activate and stabilize superthin metal nanosheets by incorporating high-density nanotwins. Turing configuration, realized by constrained orientation attachment of nanograins, yields intrinsically stable nanotwin network and straining effects, which synergistically reduce the energy barrier of water dissociation and optimize the hydrogen adsorption free energy for hydrogen evolution reaction. Turing PtNiNb nanocatalyst achieves 23.5 and 3.1 times increase in mass activity and stability index, respectively, compared against commercial 20% Pt/C. The Turing PtNiNb-based anion-exchange-membrane water electrolyser with a low Pt mass loading of 0.05 mg cm−2 demonstrates at least 500 h stability at 1000 mA cm− 2, disclosing the stable catalysis. Besides, this new paradigm can be extended to Ir/Pd/Ag-based nanocatalysts, illustrating the universality of Turing-type catalysts

GPR35‐mediated kynurenic acid sensing contributes to maintenance of gut microbiota homeostasis in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent inflammatory disease related to gut microbiota disorder. Metabolites and their sensors play an important role in the communication between gut microbes and their host. Our previous study revealed that G protein‐coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) is a key guardian of kynurenic acid (KA) and a core element of the defense responses against gut damage. However, the mechanism remains unknown. In this study, a DSS‐induced rat colitis model was established and 16S rRNA sequencing was applied to explore the influence of GPR35‐mediated KA sensing on gut microbiota homeostasis. Our results demonstrated that GPR35‐mediated KA sensing is a necessary component in maintaining gut barrier integrity against DSS‐induced damage. Furthermore, we provide compelling evidence suggesting that GPR35‐mediated KA sensing plays a crucial role in maintaining gut microbiota homeostasis, which contributes to alleviation of DSS‐induced colitis. In addition, five classes (Actinobacteria, Beta‐/Gamma‐proteobacteria, Erysipelotrichi, and Coriobacteriia) and six genera (Corynebacterium, Allobaculum, Parabacteroides, Sutterella, Shigella, and Xenorhabdus) were identified as the marked bacterial taxa that characterized the progression and outcome of colitis and are regulated by GPR35‐mediated KA sensing. Our findings highlight that GPR35‐mediated KA sensing is an essential defense mechanism against disorder of gut microbiota in UC. The results provide insights into the key role of specific metabolites and their monitor in maintaining gut homeostasis

Differential Integrated Crosstalk Noise (ICN) Mitigation in the Pin Field Area of SerDes Channel

The integrated crosstalk noise (ICN) has been widely used as an alternative to the insertion crosstalk ratio (ICR) for channel crosstalk evaluation in the IEEE 802.3ba standard. In this work, the differential ICN mitigation scheme by using idea of orthogonality is implemented in two adjacent differential pairs first. In the full pin map area of SerDes channel, new pin map patterns based on such scheme are prosed and compared with the conventional pan map patterns. The new pin maps mitigate the differential ICN drastically, yet maintain the G:S ratio. A preliminary study is conducted on fan-out trace routing to maintain the benefit from new pin map patterns