Gig1, a novel antiviral effector involved in fish interferon response

Vertebrate interferon (IFN) response defenses against viral infection through the induction of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Most ISGs are conserved across vertebrates; however, little is known about the species-specific ISGs. In this study, we reported that grass carp reovirus (GCRV)-induced gene 1 (Gig1), previously screened as a virus-induced gene from UV-inactivated GCRV-infected crucian carp (Carassius auratus) blastulae embryonic (CAB) cells, was a typical fish ISG, which was significantly induced by intracellular poly(I:C) through retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors-triggered IFN signaling pathway. Transient or stable overexpression of Gig1 prevented GCRV replication efficiently in cultured fish cells. Strikingly, Gig1 homologs were found exclusively in fish species forming a novel gene family. These results illustrate that there exists a Gig1 gene family unique to fish species and the founding gene mediates a novel fish IFN antiviral pathway. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Vertebrate interferon (IFN) response defenses against viral infection through the induction of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Most ISGs are conserved across vertebrates; however, little is known about the species-specific ISGs. In this study, we reported that grass carp reovirus (GCRV)-induced gene 1 (Gig1), previously screened as a virus-induced gene from UV-inactivated GCRV-infected crucian carp (Carassius auratus) blastulae embryonic (CAB) cells, was a typical fish ISG, which was significantly induced by intracellular poly(I:C) through retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors-triggered IFN signaling pathway. Transient or stable overexpression of Gig1 prevented GCRV replication efficiently in cultured fish cells. Strikingly, Gig1 homologs were found exclusively in fish species forming a novel gene family. These results illustrate that there exists a Gig1 gene family unique to fish species and the founding gene mediates a novel fish IFN antiviral pathway. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

River, tide and morphology interaction in a macro-tidal estuary with active morphological evolutions

Understanding tidal dynamics in estuaries is essential for tidal predictions and assessments of sediment transport and associated morphological changes. Most studies on river-tide interaction ignored the influences of morphological evolutions under natural conditions such as the seasonal and interannual variations of river discharge. This study analyzes the multiple-timescale tidal dynamics in the Qiantang Estuary, a macro-tidal estuary in China with an extremely active morphological evolution. A large dataset including water levels at representative stations, river discharges and bathymetries since 1980 has been collected. The results of the analysis show that within a spring-neap cycle, the tidal amplification in the upper estuary is stronger during spring tide than during neap tide. This unexpected behavior is due to the high sediment concentration and the unique longitudinal profile of the estuary. On the seasonal and interannual timescales, the low water levels in the upper estuary depend on the local bathymetrical conditions. Tidal ranges in the upper estuary are larger in the high flow season and years, than in the low flow season and years, due to the erosion at high flow, in contrast to estuaries with less active morphological changes. During low flow season and years, the bed is gradually recovered, the low waters are elevated, and the tidal ranges decrease accordingly. A good relationship exists between the tidal ranges and the depth of the upper estuary. In the lower estuary, the flood dominance increases continuously due to embankment. In the upper estuary, the flood dominance is increased during the high flow periods, explaining the fast sediment input and bed recovery in the post high flow periods. A conceptual model of river-tide-morphology interaction of the estuary is proposed, which is also applicable for other shallow systems.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Coastal Engineerin

[[alternative]]The effect of mental training on the performance of basketball free-throw

[[abstract]]本研究旨在探討心智訓練對籃球平常時罰球技能及比賽時罰球技能表 現的影響, 以及降低比賽時狀態性焦慮之關係; 研究對象為五專男子籃球 選手14名, 隨機分派各7 名至實驗組( 心智訓練加上身體練習 )及控制 組( 僅從事身體練習 ); 實驗所得之資料以二因子混合( 一獨立, 一重複 )變異數分析( split-plot )處理. 若二因子之間交互作用達顯著水準時, 則進一步就單純主要效果( simple main-effect )加以考驗. 基於本研究 之研究範圍及限制, 根據實驗結果經由討論而獲得以下四點結論: 一. 身體練習或身體練習加上心智訓練對提昇籃球平常罰球技能表現皆具 有效果. 二. 身體練習加上心智訓練對提昇籃球平常罰球技能表現 上比僅有身體練習更具有效果. 三. 身體練習加上心智訓練對提昇籃球比 賽時罰球命中率上具有效果, 而無心智訓練之身 體練習對提昇比賽時 罰球命中率上並無效果. 四. 身體 練習或身體練習加上心智訓練對降低比賽時狀態性焦慮上並無效果.

[[alternative]]Age,Time & Different leading style:Influences on Children's Episodic Memory

[[abstract]]This study explored children's episodic memory. 43 7-year-olds and 43 5-year-olds took part in a contrived interaction with a "magician".After seeing a magic show,the children were interviewed immediately and assignedrandomly in three conditions:no leading(free recall), leading,and misleading. Older children recall more accurate information than younger children, and both group recall more accurate information after short delay than the long delay.No matter younger or older children, they had ability to provide accurate testi-mony.Leading question facilitated free recall after three days. Leading group were more accurate than no leading and misleading group in the misleading suggestive questions.

An attribute-based model to retrieve storm surge disaster cases

In China, storm surge disasters cause severe damages in coastal regions. One of the most critical tasks is to predict affected regions and their relative damage levels to support decision-making. This study develops a two-stage retrieval model to search the most similar past disaster case to complete prediction. Based on spatial attributes of cases, the top-ranking past cases with a similar location to the target case are selected. Among these past cases, the most similar past case is selected by disaster attribute similarities. Three typical storm surge case studies have been used and implemented into this proposed model, and the results show that all the most affected regions can be predicted. The proposed model simplifies the prediction process and updates results quickly. This study provides valuable information for the government to make real-time response plans.Safety and Security Scienc

Fast-responsive capsule based on two soluble components for self-healing concrete

Due to low activity or long mineralization time, traditional mineral agents for self-healing concrete generally need a long time to achieve a desired repair efficiency. Inspired by epoxy resin AB glue which can consolidate in a short time when mixing the two components together, a novel type of fast-responsive capsules based on two soluble components was designed for self-healing concrete. Component A (sodium carbonate) and component B (calcium acetate) were encapsulated in two different groups of capsules, respectively, coated with three layers consisting of epoxy resin and fine sands to achieve superior waterproof and alkali resistance properties. After rupture of the capsules, the rapid response with respect to core material dissolution and precipitation can be realized in presence of water, by which the cracks below 200 μm can be healed in 3 days. Super absorbent resin (SAP) embedded in the capsules could expand in contact with water, and further improve the self-healing efficiency of the capsules by blocking the crack.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Materials and Environmen

Unprotected Left-Turn Behavior Model Capturing Path Variations at Intersections

Path dispersion (the spatial distribution of vehicular paths) is an important feature of traffic flow inside intersections and differs from traffic flow running along traffic lanes at road segment, especially under conflicting movements. The path dispersion reflects the operational features of traffic flow and is related to driving behaviour, arrival flow patterns, layout design, and the traffic control and management scheme. This study aims to improve the understanding of the overall path dispersion of unprotected left-turns and the opposing through movement. A behavioural simulation model was established to represent the overall path dispersion. Human behaviours regarding vehicle trajectory planning with and without conflicting vehicles were modelled based on optimal control and integrated into the proposed discrete event simulation framework. The descriptive power and accuracy of the proposed simulation model were validated using empirical data. The effects of the spatial size of the intersection, crossing angle, and traffic volume on the path dispersion of the left-turn and through movement were explored based on numerical experiments. The results show that the proposed simulation model can represent the path dispersion of left-turn and opposing through movement well for both the calibrated intersections and newly added intersections without model parameter recalibration with an average error of 8.92%.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Transport and PlanningTransport and Plannin

First-Principles Study on the Elastic Mechanical Properties and Anisotropies of Gold–Copper Intermetallic Compounds

In this study, first-principles calculations were utilized to investigate the lattice constants, elastic constants, and mechanical properties of gold–copper (Au–Cu) intermetallic compounds (IMCs), including AuCu3, AuCu, and Au3Cu. We also verified the direction dependence of the Young’s modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio of the compounds. The calculated lattice parameters agreed with the experimental data, and the single-crystal elastic constants, elastic modulus E, shear modulus G, bulk modulus B, and Poisson’s ratio ν were calculated. For the Young’s and shear moduli, AuCu3 showed the highest anisotropy, followed by AuCu and Au3Cu. The Poisson’s ratios of AuCu3 and Au3Cu crystals were isotropic on (100) and (111) crystal planes and anisotropic on the (110) crystal plane. However, the Poisson’s ratio of the AuCu crystal was anisotropic on (100) and (111) crystal planes and isotropic on the (110) crystal plane.Electronic Components, Technology and Material

Numerical investigation on the Thermal-hydraulic performance of the modified channel supercritical CO₂ printed circuit heat exchanger

Printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHE) are designed to improve heat recovery and energy saving in supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) power cycles. In the current study, a modified channel PCHE is proposed based on the regular straight channel and a zigzag channel. The thermal–hydraulic performance of four different types of PCHE is numerically investigated and the methods are verified by both experimental and numerical results. The numerical results are presented for a Reynolds number based on the inlet conditions between 5 000 and 25 000. From the numerical results, the local pressure loss and local heat transfer coefficients are analyzed and discussed. Subsequently, the global Nusselt number and Fanning friction coefficients are discussed. It is found that the inserted straight section contributes to uniform flow, resulted in significant pressure loss reduction with a slight decrease in heat transfer. The modified channel can reduce the Fanning friction coefficient by 33.1%-84.7% while the global Nusselt number reduction is about 3.6%-30.3%. This leads to a maximum performance evaluation criterion (PEC) enhancement of 45.9%.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Energy TechnologyMarine and Transport Technolog

Creation of an anti-imaging system using binary optics

We present a concealing method in which an anti-point spread function (APSF) is generated using binary optics, which produces a large-scale dark area in the focal region that can hide any object located within it. This result is achieved by generating two identical PSFs of opposite signs, one consisting of positive electromagnetic waves from the zero-phase region of the binary optical element and the other consisting of negative electromagnetic waves from the pi-phase region of the binary optical element.ImPhys/Optic