Model Building and Optimization Analysis of MDF Continuous Hot-Pressing Process by Neural Network

We propose a one-layer neural network for solving a class of constrained optimization problems, which is brought forward from the MDF continuous hot-pressing process. The objective function of the optimization problem is the sum of a nonsmooth convex function and a smooth nonconvex pseudoconvex function, and the feasible set consists of two parts, one is a closed convex subset of Rn, and the other is defined by a class of smooth convex functions. By the theories of smoothing techniques, projection, penalty function, and regularization term, the proposed network is modeled by a differential equation, which can be implemented easily. Without any other condition, we prove the global existence of the solutions of the proposed neural network with any initial point in the closed convex subset. We show that any accumulation point of the solutions of the proposed neural network is not only a feasible point, but also an optimal solution of the considered optimization problem though the objective function is not convex. Numerical experiments on the MDF hot-pressing process including the model building and parameter optimization are tested based on the real data set, which indicate the good performance of the proposed neural network in applications

Comparative analysis of tissue expression and methylation reveal the crucial hypoxia genes in hypoxia resistant animals

Tibetan goat and Tibetan sheep are species peculiar to Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau which is the highest plateau in the world, and have high hypoxia resistance to the extremely bad environment. Unlike monogastrics, how the genes change responding to hypoxia in ruminants remains unclear. In the present study, three healthy animals of every breeds, including Tibetan sheep, Tibetan goat, Chuanzhong goat and Small-Tailed Han sheep were selected. The expression of factor inhibiting HIF 1 (FIH-1), hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), HIF-3α and erythropoietin (EPO) in various tissues, including heart, liver, lungs, kidney, muscle and brain, were investigated. EPO was observed highly expressed in all the tissues of Tibetan goats and Tibetan sheep compared with low-altitude animals respectively, implied that higher expression of EPO may give the explanation for the hypoxia resistance of plateau animals. Besides, we also cloned the promoters of FIH-1, HIF-1α, HIF-3α and EPO in goats and sheep, analyzed their core regions and CpG islands. Higher methylation rate was observed in HIF-1α, HIF-3α and EPO, while lower methylation rate hit on FIH-1. These data may be beneficial for revealing the response mechanism to hypoxia of plateau animals.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

Uncovering the Drivers and Regional Variability of Cotton Yield in China

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an economically important crop in China, and responses of cotton yield in different regions to separate and joint changes in natural and anthropogenic factors are the foundation for sustainable development under climate change; however, these remain uncertain. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution and heterogeneity of cotton cultivation in China from 1949 to 2020 and quantified the response of cotton yield variations in air temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, disaster, and crop management factors between 1980 and 2020 by the Pettitt mutation test and GeoDetector. Multi-site meteorological data were obtained from different cotton-growing regions and corresponding cotton yield and phenology data were obtained from provinces. Our findings showed that all 17 Chinese provinces experienced advancements in cotton yield. Relative to 1949–1967, China’s cotton production in 2007–2020 increased by 400% while cotton yield increased by 420%. Increases in factors such as minimum temperature (TES), average temperature (ADT), effective accumulated temperature (EAT), precipitation (PP), daily solar radiation (SSD), non-farm employment opportunities (O), disaster area (D), geographic region (GEO) and agricultural technologies like fertilizer usage (F), genetically modified varieties (Bt), and mechanized farming (M) have contributed to the enhanced cotton yield. The importance of single factors influencing cotton yield of China in descending order was as follows: F > Bt > M > GEO > EAT > O > PP > TES > ADT > SSD > D. However, the effects of different climatic and agriculture technological elements on cotton yield are spatially heterogeneous by region, and the combined effects of those elements are higher than those of single elements. The effects of driving factors vary across regional scales. The most significant interaction effects were observed between chemical fertilizer use and other driving factors. Specifically, the interaction between F and TES has the greatest explanatory influence in Northwest China. Our findings provide a reference for the development of more accurate adaptation strategies and management measures in different regions. We recommend that policymakers prioritize measures such as improving climate-resilient cotton varieties, encouraging technological advancements, and implementing policies that support equitable distribution of cultivation

A Model and Methodology for Probability Assessment of Foreign Objects Crossing through an Aircraft Propeller

Propeller-crossing probability analysis is crucial for evaluating the impact resistance and foreign object exclusion capability of turboprop engines. However, due to the complex structure of the propeller and the uncertainties associated with the impact location as well as the flight attitude of the foreign object, developing a comprehensive model for analyzing the propeller-crossing process remains a significant challenge. This paper presents a novel simulation method that can obtain the probability of a foreign object successfully crossing the propeller using a high-fidelity structure model of the propeller and a comprehensive substituted model of the foreign object. To validate the performance of the proposed method, an analytical model is developed that takes into account the spatial structure constraints of the propeller and the foreign object. The proposed method is applied to calculating the probability of bird ingestion, and the results reveal that the increments in flight speed and aspect ratio of the bird have opposite effects on the propeller-crossing probability, and the values eventually converge to a constant value

Knockdown of LXRα Inhibits Goat Intramuscular Preadipocyte Differentiation

Goat intramuscular fat (IMF) content is mainly determined by the processes of intramuscular preadipocytes adipogenic differentiation and mature adipocyte lipid accumulation. However, the underlying regulators of these biological processes remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the expression of Liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) reaches a peak at early stage and then gradually decreases during goat intramuscular adipogenesis. Knockdown of LXRα mediated by two independent siRNAs significantly inhibits intramuscular adipocytes lipid accumulation and upregulates preadipocytes marker- preadipocyte factor 1 (pref1) expression. Consistently, siRNA treatments robustly decrease mRNA level of adipogenic related genes, including CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (Cebpα), Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparg), Sterol regulatory element binding protein isoform 1c (Srebp1c), Fatty acids binding protein (aP2) and Lipoprotein lipase (Lpl). Next, adenovirus overexpression of LXRα does not affect intramuscular adipocytes adipogenesis manifested by Oil Red O signal measurement and adipogenic specific genes detection. Mechanically, we found that both CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (Cebpβ) and Kruppel like factor 8 (Klf8) are potential targets of LXRα, indicated by having putative binding sites of LXRα at the promoter of these genes and similar expression pattern during adipogenesis comparing to LXRα. Importantly, mRNA levels of Cebpβ and Klf8 are downregulated significantly in goat LXRα knockdown intramuscular adipocyte. These results demonstrate that loss function of LXRα inhibits intramuscular adipogenesis possibly through down-regulation of Cebpβ and Klf8. Our research will provide new insights into mechanical regulation of goat IMF deposition

Primers and relative information of reference and target genes.

<p>Primers and relative information of reference and target genes.</p

Reference genes stability calculated by BestKeeper based on C_T.

<p>Abbreviations: Coeff. of corr. [R]: Pearson coefficient of correlation; Std dev [± C_T]: the standard deviation of the C_T.</p><p>Reference genes stability calculated by BestKeeper based on C_T.</p

Expression profiling of <i>GAPDH</i> and <i>18S</i> in skeletal muscles at different developmental stages.

<p>Gene expression data for both <i>longissimus dorsi</i>(A、C) and <i>biceps femoris</i> muscle (B、D)were normalized to the geometric mean of <i>PPIB&HMBS</i> and are relative to expression at 12 months following the 2^−ΔΔCT method [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0121280#pone.0121280.ref034" target="_blank">34</a>]. Error bars depict SD. Superscript capital letters indicate significant differences (<i>P<0</i>.<i>05</i>).</p