Transcriptome profiling in rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum tissues during the developmental transition of pre-ruminant to the ruminant in yaks

The development of the four stomachs of yak is closely related to its health and performance, however the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we systematically analyzed mRNAs of four stomachs in five growth time points [0 day, 20 days, 60 days, 15 months and 3 years (adult)] of yaks. Overall, the expression patterns of DEmRNAs were unique at 0 d, similar at 20 d and 60 d, and similar at 15 m and adult in four stomachs. The expression pattern in abomasum was markedly different from that in rumen, reticulum and omasum. Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis demonstrated that multi-model spectra are drastically enriched over time in four stomachs. All the identified mRNAs in rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum were classified into 6, 4, 7, and 5 cluster profiles, respectively. Modules 9, 38, and 41 were the most significant three colored modules. By weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), a total of 5,486 genes were categorized into 10 modules. CCKBR, KCNQ1, FER1L6, and A4GNT were the hub genes of the turquoise module, and PAK6, TRIM29, ADGRF4, TGM1, and TMEM79 were the hub genes of the blue module. Furthermore, functional KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that the turquoise module was involved in gastric acid secretion, sphingolipid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism, etc., and the blue module was enriched in pancreatic secretion, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and starch and sucrose metabolism, etc. Our study aims to lay a molecular basis for the study of the physiological functions of rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum in yaks. It can further elucidate the important roles of these mRNAs in regulation of growth, development and metabolism in yaks, and to provide a theoretical basis for age-appropriate weaning and supplementary feeding in yaks

Managing rail transit peak-hour congestion with a fare-reward scheme

This paper describes a new fare-reward scheme for managing a commuter\u27s departure time choice in a rail transit bottleneck, which aims to incentivize a shift in departure time to the shoulder periods of the peak hours to relieve queuing congestion at transit stations. A framework of the rail transit bottleneck is provided and the user equilibrium with a uniform-fare and the social optimum with service run-dependent fares are determined. A fare-reward scheme (FRS) is then introduced that rewards a commuter with one free trip during shoulder periods after a certain number of paid trips during the peak hours. For a given number of peak-hour commuters and ex-ante uniform fare, the FRS determines the free fare intervals and the reward ratio (the ratio of the free trips to the total number of trips, which is equivalent to the ratio of the number of rewarded commuters to the total number of commuters on each day during the peak hours). The new fare under the FRS is determined so that the transit operator\u27s revenue remains unchanged before and after introducing the FRS. Our study indicates that, depending on the original fare, FRS results in an optimal reward ratio up to 50% and yields a reduction of system total time costs and average equilibrium trip costs by at least 25% and 20%, respectively

Management of full-length complete ureteral avulsion

ABSTRACT Introduction Complete ureteral avulsion is one of the most serious complications of ureteroscopy. The aim of this report was to look for a good solution to full-length complete ureteral avulsion. Case presentation A 40-year-old man underwent ureteroscopic management. Full-length complete avulsion of ureter occurred during ureteroscopy. Pyeloureterostomy plus greater omentum investment outside the avulsed ureter and ureterovesical anastomosis were performed 6 hours after ureteral avulsion. The patient was followed-up during 34 months. Double-J tube was removed at 3 months after operation. Twenty three months after the first operation, the patient developed hydronephrosis because of a new ureter upside stone, then rigid ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy were used successfully. Conclusion Pyeloureterostomy plus greater omentum investment outside the avulsed ureter and ureterovesical anastomosis may be a good choice for full-length complete ureteral avulsion

An optimal design for millimeter-wide facture plugging zone

Lost circulation control in millimeter-wide fractures has been a challenge in well drilling all the time. Low pressure-bearing capacity of a plugging zone will result in excessive consumption of lost circulation materials (LCMs) and extra down time. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted on the plugging of millimeter-wide fractures to evaluate the plugging effects of different types of LCM including rigid granules, elastic particles and fiber. Maximum plugging pressure, total loss volume before sealing and plugging time were taken as the evaluation index of the LCM plugging effect. According to the experimental results, the synergistic plugging mechanisms of different LCM combinations were also analyzed. Experimental results showed that the total loss volume of the plugging zone formed by rigid and elastic particle combination was generally greater than 400 mL, and the maximum plugging pressure of the plugging zone formed by elastic particle and fiber combination was generally less than 6 MPa. In contrast, the plugging zone formed by the combination of the three types of LCMs has the maximum plugging pressure of up to 13 MPa and total loss volume before sealing of 75 mL. In the synergistic plugging process, rigid granules form a frame with high pressure-bearing capacity in the narrower parts of the fractures; elastic particles generate elastic force through elastic deformation to increase the friction between a fracture and a plugging zone to make the plugging zone more stable; fibers filling in the pore space between the particles increase the tightness and integrity of the plugging zone. The experimental results can provide guidance for the optimal design of LCMs used in the field

Modeling and optimizing a fare incentive strategy to manage queuing and crowding in mass transit systems

This paper solves the problem of optimizing a surcharge-reward scheme and analyzes equilibrium properties incorporating commuters’ departure time choice to relieve crowding and queuing congestion in mass transit systems. The surcharge-reward scheme incentivizes commuters to switch departure times from a pre-specified central period to shoulder periods. We formulate a bilevel model to design and optimize the surcharge-reward scheme. The upper-level problem minimizes the total equilibrium costs by determining the refundable surcharges, the rewards, and the corresponding central charging period. The lower-level problem determines the equilibrium of commuters’ departure times with respect to generalized travel costs. Equilibrium properties are analyzed and a sequential iterative solution algorithm is developed. We found that the existence of an optimal solution depends on the scheme design and there exists a lower bound on the surcharge to achieve the system optimum. Numerical studies are conducted on a commuting rail line in Copenhagen. The proposed algorithm converges efficiently, and the fare incentive scheme can simultaneously reduce the individual trip costs, total crowding costs, and total queuing time costs. The performance of the scheme increases with the rewards and surcharges up to a point and beyond which it stays unchanged

Modeling and optimizing a fare incentive strategy to manage queuing and crowding in mass transit systems

This paper solves the problem of optimizing a surcharge-reward scheme and analyzes equilibrium properties incorporating commuters’ departure time choice to relieve crowding and queuing congestion in mass transit systems. The surcharge-reward scheme incentivizes commuters to switch departure times from a pre-specified central period to shoulder periods. We formulate a bilevel model to design and optimize the surcharge-reward scheme. The upper-level problem minimizes the total equilibrium costs by determining the refundable surcharges, the rewards, and the corresponding central charging period. The lower-level problem determines the equilibrium of commuters’ departure times with respect to generalized travel costs. Equilibrium properties are analyzed and a sequential iterative solution algorithm is developed. We found that the existence of an optimal solution depends on the scheme design and there exists a lower bound on the surcharge to achieve the system optimum. Numerical studies are conducted on a commuting rail line in Copenhagen. The proposed algorithm converges efficiently, and the fare incentive scheme can simultaneously reduce the individual trip costs, total crowding costs, and total queuing time costs. The performance of the scheme increases with the rewards and surcharges up to a point and beyond which it stays unchanged