Molecular phylogenetic analysis of key Jatropha species inferred from nrDNA ITS and chloroplast (trnL-F and rbcL) sequences

The genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) contains species that are of significant economic and ornamental value. However, Jatropha breeding material is rather limited due to incomplete information regarding phylogenetic relationships among germplasm resources. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA ITS), two chloroplast regions (trnL-F and rbcL), and the combined (ITS+trnL-F+rbcL) dataset among twenty-five specimens representing six key Jatropha species. Phylogenetic relationships of Jatropha were well resolved between subgenus Curcas and subgenus Jatropha, and demonstrated the intermediate position of section Polymorphae among sections of both subgenera. Jatropha curcas and J. integerrima demonstrated a close phylogenetic relationship. The molecular data agreed with the morphological classification that recognized J. multifida and J. podagrica in sec. Peltatae. The distinct intraspecific divergence that occurred in J. curcas could be attributed to restricted gene flow caused by geographical isolation and different ecological conditions. Phylograms produced with trnL-F and rbcL sequence data suggested slow rates of sequence divergence among Jatropha spp., while the ITS gene tree had good resolution suggesting high genetic variation of ITS among Jatropha species

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Metastable Beta Titanium Alloys: Tuning the Beta Phase Stability and Low-Temperature Martensitic Transformation of Metastable Beta Titanium Alloys

This research focuses on the stability of three metastable ? titanium alloys – Ti-10V-1Fe-3Al (Ti-1013), Ti-10V-2Cr-3Al (Ti-102Cr3) and Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al-B (Ti-1023B). In the first stage of the work, new ?+(?+?) heat treatment schemes were designed on the basis of Thermo-Calc® simulations and previous research work and carried out to such an extent that the ? phase stability is tuned to the right level and a sufficient amount of retained ? phase is obtained at room temperature available for further transformation. At the second stage, the effectiveness of the thermal driving force in triggering a martensitic transformation in the retained ? phase was investigated. Both in-situ and ex-situ transformations were studied via DSC and further quenching in self-made cooling baths, respectively. The starting temperatures of low-temperature martensitic transformations were determined for each alloy. It was found that the low-temperature martensitic transformation for the three alloys was of an isothermal character. Through XRD testing, the phases of Ti-1013 before and after low-temperature martensitic transformation were determined; as in the commercial Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al (Ti-1023) alloy, the type of martensite formed in response to quenching from the two-phase region is ?’’ instead of ?’ martensite, due to oversaturation of the martensite. EPMA testing proved the formation of Martensite-Free Zone (MFZ) observed in the case of Ti-102Cr3 when quenched to a temperature just below the starting temperature of the low-temperature martensitic transformation does not relate to the diffusion behavior of alloying elements. Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) was found to be detrimental in this research as the machining process changed the designed microstructure of the three metastable ? titanium alloys. Finally, a proposal is made to produce tailored ?+? titanium metallic composite via SPS.Materials Science and EngineeringMaterials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Influence of track flexibility and spatial coherence of track irregularity on vehicle-slab track interaction: frequency-domain analysis

A straightforward and practical method of frequency-domain analysis is developed for coupled vehicle-track system. The influence of the track flexibility and spatial coherence of irregularities on frequency response of vehicle-track systems are systematically studiedaccounting for train velocity and irregularity wavelength. Calculations show that the track flexibility cannot be ignored to obtain an accurate response of wheels whereas the resonance frequencies of car body motions remain unchanged. The inclusion of track flexibility enables consideration of wave reflections in rail sections between different wheels. The excitations at different wheels due to irregularity have phase lags determined by the train velocity and distances between wheels. This spatial coherence is important to the system response. The influence of contact spring on the system frequency response is examined. It is found that the system response converges at a certain value of the contact stiffness and the track stiffness governs the wheel-rail interaction after then.Mechanics and Physics of Structure

Electrochemistry of zirconium in molten chlorides

In this work, the electrochemical behavior of zirconium was studied on an inert molybdenum electrode at 550 °C in a LiCl-KCl-K2ZrF6 molten salt system, which is considered as an ideal electrolyte for the zirconium electrorefining process. Several transient electrochemical techniques were used such as cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, square wave voltammetry, and open circuit chronopotentiometry. The reduction of Zr (IV) was determined to follow a two-step mechanism of Zr (IV)/Zr (II) and Zr (II)/Zr. The diffusion coefficient of Zr (IV) was investigated with cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry, and the results turned out to be in fair agreement from the both methods, as to be 4.26×10-5 and 4.98×10-5 cm2/s, respectively. The present study aims to provide a theoretical reference for the Zr electrorefining process.(OLD) MSE-

Optimal error estimates of the local discontinuous Galerkin method for surface diffusion of graphs on Cartesian Meshes

In (Xu and Shu in J. Sci. Comput. 40:375–390, 2009), a local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method for the surface diffusion of graphs was developed and a rigorous proof for its energy stability was given. Numerical simulation results showed the optimal order of accuracy. In this subsequent paper, we concentrate on analyzing a priori error estimates of the LDG method for the surface diffusion of graphs. The main achievement is the derivation of the optimal convergence rate k + 1 in the L2 norm in one-dimension as well as in multi-dimensions for Cartesian meshes using a completely discontinuous piecewise polynomial space with degree k ? 1.Delft Institute of Applied MathematicsElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

A ±4-A High-Side Current Sensor With 0.9% Gain Error From −40 °C to 85 °C Using an Analog Temperature Compensation Technique

This paper presents a fully integrated shunt-based current sensor that supports a 25-V input common-mode range while operating from a single 1.5-V supply. It uses a highvoltage beyond-the-rails ADC to directly digitize the voltage across an on-chip shunt resistor. To compensate for the shunt’s large temperature coefficient of resistance (∼0.335%/°C), theADC employs a proportional-to-absolute-temperature voltage reference. This analog compensation scheme obviates the need for the explicit temperature sensor and calibration logic required by digital compensation schemes. The sensor achieves 1.5-μVrms noise over a 2-ms conversion time while drawing only 10.9 μA from a 1.5-V supply. Over a ±4-A range, and after a one-point trim, the sensor exhibits a 0.9% (maximum) gain error from −40 °C to 85 °C and a 0.05% gain error at room temperature.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.Electronic InstrumentationMicroelectronic

“轻”之观念：新芽体系的人本内涵与衍生启示

This paper reviews the development of New-Bud System, analyzes the humanistic connotation of“light-weight”comparing with Japanese architect Shigeru’s similar practices, and interprets New-Bud’s construction concept based on humanism and its “autonomic, evolving, derivative”systematic vitality. The concept and pursuit of“light-weight for construction”will also indicate more pluralistic possibilities and follow-ups for the marginal expansion and transformation of architecture.History & Complexit

A ±4A high-side current sensor with 25V input CM range and 0.9% gain error from -40°C to 85°C using an analog temperature compensation technique

This paper presents a fully integrated ±4A current sensor that supports a 25V input common-mode voltage range (CMVR) while operating from a single 1.5V supply. It consists of an on-chip metal shunt, a beyond-the-rails ADC [1] and a temperature-dependent voltage reference. The beyond-the-rails ADC facilitates high-side current sensing without the need for external resistive dividers or level shifters, thus reducing power consumption and system complexity. To compensate for the shunt's temperature dependence, the ADC employs a proportional-to-absolute-temperature (PTAT) reference voltage. Compared to digital temperature compensation schemes [2,3], this analog scheme eliminates the need for a temperature sensor, a band-gap voltage reference and calibration logic. As a result, the current sensor draws only 10.9μA and is 10x more energy efficient than [2]. Over a ±4A range, and after a one-point trim, the sensor exhibits a 0.9% (max) gain error from -40°C to 85°C and a 0.05% gain error at room temperature. The former is comparable with that of other fully-integrated current sensors [2-4], while the latter represents the state-of-the-art.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.Electronic InstrumentationMicroelectronic

A Bayesian Best-Worst Method-Based Multicriteria Competence Analysis of Crowdsourcing Delivery Personnel

Crowdsourcing delivery is becoming a prevalent tool for tackling delivery problems by building a large labor-intensive service network. In this network, the delivery personnel consist of a large number of people with a complex composition and high level of mobility, creating enormous challenges for the quality of service and the management of a crowdsourcing platform. Hence, we attempt to conduct a competence analysis to determine whether they can provide promised services with high quality, i.e., they are competent for their job. To this end, the competence theory is introduced, and a multicriteria competence analysis (MCCA) approach is developed. To illustrate the MCCA approach, a real-world case study is conducted involving a Chinese takeaway delivery platform, where the Bayesian best-worst method is used to determine the weights of the criteria based on the data collected from managers of the platform company. Also, the competence scores of the personnel involved are collected through surveys and data sources of the company. Given the weights and the competence scores, we use additive value function to identify the overall competence scores of them, which reflects the level of competence for their job. The results show that Skills is the most important competence, while Knowledge is the least important of the four competence dimensions. In subcriteria, four core elements are identified such as punctuality, customer service awareness, responsible, and goods intact. In addition to the importance of criteria, a ranking of a sample of personnel is provided, and almost half of the crowdsourcing delivery personnel's competence is below the average and vary significantly, while the relationship between the competence level and some other variables is also discussed. Moreover, the developed MCCA approach in this paper can be applied to analyze the competence of personnel in many other industries as well.Transport and Logistic