Fuzzy Adaptive Shift Schedule of Tractor Subjected to Random Load

In this paper, the low frequency random load of a tractor is presented. Controlled by a theoretical three-parameter shift schedule, the random load would frequently trigger the random shift. Simultaneously, the driving force of the tractor should be consistent prior to and following this shift. Additionally, the higher traction efficiency and improved load utilization rate should be ensured by a choice of a transmission ratio of the tractor power shift transmission. The shift schedule was utilized for the aforementioned problems solution. An innovative method is presented for theoretical shift schedule modification by the fuzzy algorithm, based on the random load standard deviation and the alteration rate of both steady state values of the load and of the throttle position. The simulation results demonstrated that the modified shift schedule could discover the running state of the tractor. By shielding the random shift judgment caused by the random load, the stability of the tractor was ensured. When the shift was required, the schedule could rapidly respond, whereas the tractor driving force did not sustain a sudden alteration. The schedule could also automatically select and maintain the transmission ratio with higher traction efficiency

Isolation and complete genomic characterization of H1N1 subtype swine influenza viruses in southern China through the 2009 pandemic

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The swine influenza (SI) is an infectious disease of swine and human. The novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) that emerged from April 2009 in Mexico spread rapidly and caused a human pandemic globally. To determine whether the tremendous virus had existed in or transmitted to pigs in southern China, eight H1N1 influenza strains were identified from pigs of Guangdong province during 2008-2009.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Based on the homology and phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide sequences of each gene segments, the isolates were confirmed to belong to the classical SI group, with HA, NP and NS most similar to 2009 human-like H1N1 influenza virus lineages. All of the eight strains were low pathogenic influenza viruses, had the same host range, and not sensitive to class of antiviral drugs.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides the evidence that there is no 2009 H1N1-like virus emerged in southern China, but the importance of swine influenza virus surveillance in China should be given a high priority.</p

Enhancement of Canonical Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Activity by HCV Core Protein Promotes Cell Growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells

BACKGROUND: The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein has been implicated as a potential oncogene or a cofactor in HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Overactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling is a major factor in oncogenesis of HCC. However, the pathogenesis of HCV core-associated Wnt/β-catenin activation remains to be further characterized. Therefore, we attempted to determine whether HCV core protein plays an important role in regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in HCC cells. METHODOLOGY: Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity was investigated in core-expressing hepatoma cells. Protein and gene expression were examined by Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, RT-qPCR, and reporter assay. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: HCV core protein significantly enhances Tcf-dependent transcriptional activity induced by Wnt3A in HCC cell lines. Additionally, core protein increases and stabilizes β-catenin levels in hepatoma cell line Huh7 through inactivation of GSK-3β, which contributes to the up-regulation of downstream target genes, such as c-Myc, cyclin D1, WISP2 and CTGF. Also, core protein increases cell proliferation rate and promotes Wnt3A-induced tumor growth in the xenograft tumor model of human HCC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: HCV core protein enhances Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity, hence playing an important role in HCV-associated carcinogenesis

The combination of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone at permitted feed concentrations causes serious physiological effects in young pigs

This study was to investigate the effects of the combination of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) on pigs. Twenty-four weaning piglets were divided into a control group fed a diet free of mycotoxins and a toxin group fed a diet containing 1 mg/kg DON and 250 µg/kg ZON. The results showed that supplementation of DON and ZON in diets had extensive effects on pigs. More specifically, DON and ZON caused levels of total protein, albumin, and globulin in sera to decrease (p < 0.05) by 14.5%, 6.5% and 11.3%, respectively, and at the same time increased (p < 0.05) the serum enzyme activities of γ-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase by 72.0%, 32.6% and 36.6%, respectively. In addition, DON and ZON decreased (p < 0.05) the level of anti-classical swine fever antibody titers by 14.8%. Real-time PCR showed that DON and ZON caused the mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-2, to decrease (p < 0.05) by 36.0%, 29.0% and 35.4%, respectively. Histopathological studies demonstrated that DON and ZON caused abnormalities in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, uterus, and kidney. The concentrations of DON and ZON used in this study are in line with the published critical values permitted by BML. Our study clearly put the standard and adequacy of safety measures for these toxins into question. The authors suggest that with the increasing availability of cellular and molecular technologies, it is time to revisit the safety standards for toxins in feeds so as to make feeds safer, providing consumers with safer products

The large area detector onboard the eXTP mission

The Large Area Detector (LAD) is the high-throughput, spectral-timing instrument onboard the eXTP mission, a flagship mission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China National Space Administration, with a large European participation coordinated by Italy and Spain. The eXTP mission is currently performing its phase B study, with a target launch at the end-2027. The eXTP scientific payload includes four instruments (SFA, PFA, LAD and WFM) offering unprecedented simultaneous wide-band X-ray timing and polarimetry sensitivity. The LAD instrument is based on the design originally proposed for the LOFT mission. It envisages a deployed 3.2 m2 effective area in the 2-30 keV energy range, achieved through the technology of the large-area Silicon Drift Detectors - offering a spectral resolution of up to 200 eV FWHM at 6 keV - and of capillary plate collimators - limiting the field of view to about 1 degree. In this paper we will provide an overview of the LAD instrument design, its current status of development and anticipated performance

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Design and Research on Vehicles Motor Testing System Based on Improvement PID

Motor is the important parts in vehicles. It is the key parts for achieving automation. It is the critical technology to test vehicle motors. We take the PID (Proportion Integration Differentiation) as based fundamental controlling algorithm, and we test motor parameters through LabVIEW for single-chip AT89C52. According to practical working condition, we build circuit electric field boundary, and analyze electric field distribution of hard circuit. In addition, we also design filtering circuit for main interrupt frequency (below 1 kHz), and we improved PID for direct motor speed which is controlled by PWM (pulse-width modulation) to reach speed astatic regulation. At the same time, the system achieves soft start-up

1H-NMR and viscosity studies of hydrogen bonding of Chinese rice wine

The viscosity of Chinese rice wine gradually increases with the maturing process, resulting in a better taste due to longer contact with the tongue. Herein, the structure of water–ethanol was detected by hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and viscosity measurement to define the strength of hydrogen bonding. Through single-factor experiments, it can be seen that most of the flavors have a promoting effect on alcohol–water hydrogen bonding, with the exception of aldehydes. And the factors influencing hydrogen bonding in decreasing order were determined by Plackett–Burman (PB) test. The relationship between hydrogen bonding strength and flavor in Chinese rice wine with 18% (v/v) alcohol concentration was investigated through multiple regression analysis, with an adjusted R2 of 0.925. The results of study provide important insight for the quality control and molecular mechanism of viscosity increasing during Chinese rice wine aging

High-Temperature-Annealed Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes as High-Performance Conductive Agents for LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂ Lithium-Ion Batteries

In this work, the high yield of MWNTs was prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, followed by annealing at 2000–2800 °C, and the effects of high annealing temperature on metal impurities and defects in multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) was explored. Furthermore, the annealed MWNTs were dispersed using a sand mill to make a conductive slurry, and finally the cathode LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 was added to the assembled batteries, and the application of MWNTs (slurry) as conductive agents in LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 (NCM) cathode materials by sand-mill dispersion on the performance of lithium-ion batteries was investigated. The results indicate that high temperature annealing can effectively remove the residual metal impurities from MWNTs and the defects in MWNTs gradually decreases as the temperature rises. In addition, 2 wt% of MWNTs (slurry) in LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 is sufficient to form an electronically conductive network; as a result, the electronic conductivity and the high rates performance of the LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 batteries were greatly improved. The LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 battery with MWNTs slurries annealed at 2200 ℃ as a conductive additive displays the highest initial discharge capacity of 173.16 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 C. In addition, after 100 cycles, a capacity retention of 95.8% at 0.5 C and a discharge capacity of 121.75 mAh·g−1 at 5 C were observed. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes used as conductive agents in LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 (NCM) cathode materials show excellent battery behaviors, which would provide a new insight for the development of high-performance novel conductive agents in lithium-ion batteries