Some results on CDH spaces—I

AbstractA space is CDH is any two countable dense sets can be mapped one onto the other by an autohomeomorphism of the entire space. The CDH nature of separable manifolds and Rκ is examined

Video semantic content analysis framework based on ontology combined MPEG-7

The rapid increase in the available amount of video data is creating a growing demand for efficient methods for understanding and managing it at the semantic level. New multimedia standard, MPEG-7, provides the rich functionalities to enable the generation of audiovisual descriptions and is expressed solely in XML Schema which provides little support for expressing semantic knowledge. In this paper, a video semantic content analysis framework based on ontology combined MPEG-7 is presented. Domain ontology is used to define high level semantic concepts and their relations in the context of the examined domain. MPEG-7 metadata terms of audiovisual descriptions and video content analysis algorithms are expressed in this ontology to enrich video semantic analysis. OWL is used for the ontology description. Rules in Description Logic are defined to describe how low-level features and algorithms for video analysis should be applied according to different perception content. Temporal Description Logic is used to describe the semantic events, and a reasoning algorithm is proposed for events detection. The proposed framework is demonstrated in sports video domain and shows promising results

A modified layer-removal method for residual stress measurement in electrodeposited nickel films

Combining the traditional layer-removal method with a cantilever beam model, a modified layer-removal method is developed and used to measure residual stress in single and multi-layer electrodeposited nickel films with thickness of 2.5 μm. The out-of-plane displacement of the free tip of a cantilever beam is measured by the digital speckle correlation method. The results show that residual stress in a single semimat nickel film is compressive, while in a multi-layer system composed of dark, semimat and holophote nickel, residual stress in the surface layer is tensile. Residual stress decreases gradually with the increase of etching depths of single and multi-layer films. These findings are in qualitative agreement with nanoindentation tests, which confirms the reliability of the modified layer-removal method

Expression of wheat gibberellins 2-oxidase gene induced dwarf or semi-dwarf phenotype in rice

Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of plant hormones that play important roles in diverse aspects during plant growth and development. A series of GA synthesis and metabolism genes have been reported or proved to have essential functions in different plant species, while a small number of GA 2-oxidase genes have been cloned or reported in wheat. Previous studies have provided some important findings on the process of GA biosynthesis and the enzymes involved in its related pathways. These may facilitate understanding of the complicated process underlying GA synthesis and metabolism in wheat. In this study, GA 2-oxidase genes TaGA2ox1-1, TaGA2ox1-2, TaGA2ox1-3, TaGA2ox1-4, TaGA2ox1-5, and TaGA2ox1-6 were identified and further overexpressed in rice plants to investigate their functions in GA biosynthesis and signaling pathway. Results showed overexpression of GA 2-oxidase genes in rice disrupted the GA metabolic pathways and induced catalytic responses and regulated other GA biosynthesis and signaling pathway genes, which further leading to GA signaling disorders and diversity in phenotypic changes in rice plants

Achieving Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Heavy Ions via Successive Electron Replenishment from Ionization of a High-Z Material Coating

A method to achieve stable radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) of heavy ions from laser-irradiated ultrathin foils is proposed, where a high-Z material coating in front is used. The coated high-Z material, acting as a moving electron repository, continuously replenishes the accelerating heavy ion foil with comoving electrons in the light-sail acceleration stage due to its successive ionization under laser fields with Gaussian temporal profile. As a result, the detrimental effects such as foil deformation and electron loss induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor-like and other instabilities in RPA are significantly offset and suppressed so that stable acceleration of heavy ions are maintained. Particle-in-cell simulations show that a monoenergetic Al13+ beam with peak energy 3.8 GeV and particle number 10(10) (charge > 20 nC) can be obtained at intensity 10(22) W/cm(2).NSAF [U1630246]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [11575298, 11575011]; National Key Program of S&T Research and Development [2016YFA0401100]; Science Challenging Project [TZ2016005]; Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [EP/J002550/1, EP/K022415/1]; Thousand Young Talents Program of China; Special Program for Applied Research on Super Computation of the NSFC-Guangdong Joint FundSCI(E)ARTICLE2011

Hopping motion of lattice gases through nonsymmetric potentials under strong bias conditions

The hopping motion of lattice gases through potentials without mirror-reflection symmetry is investigated under various bias conditions. The model of 2 particles on a ring with 4 sites is solved explicitly; the resulting current in a sawtooth potential is discussed. The current of lattice gases in extended systems consisting of periodic repetitions of segments with sawtooth potentials is studied for different concentrations and values of the bias. Rectification effects are observed, similar to the single-particle case. A mean-field approximation for the current in the case of strong bias acting against the highest barriers in the system is made and compared with numerical simulations. The particle-vacancy symmetry of the model is discussed.Comment: 8 pages (incl. 6 eps figures); RevTeX 3.

Hydrophobic and ionic-interactions in bulk and confined water with implications for collapse and folding of proteins

Water and water-mediated interactions determine thermodynamic and kinetics of protein folding, protein aggregation and self-assembly in confined spaces. To obtain insights into the role of water in the context of folding problems, we describe computer simulations of a few related model systems. The dynamics of collapse of eicosane shows that upon expulsion of water the linear hydrocarbon chain adopts an ordered helical hairpin structure with 1.5 turns. The structure of dimer of eicosane molecules has two well ordered helical hairpins that are stacked perpendicular to each other. As a prelude to studying folding in confined spaces we used simulations to understand changes in hydrophobic and ionic interactions in nano droplets. Solvation of hydrophobic and charged species change drastically in nano water droplets. Hydrophobic species are localized at the boundary. The tendency of ions to be at the boundary where water density is low increases as the charge density decreases. Interaction between hydrophobic, polar, and charged residue are also profoundly altered in confined spaces. Using the results of computer simulations and accounting for loss of chain entropy upon confinement we argue and then demonstrate, using simulations in explicit water, that ordered states of generic amphiphilic peptide sequences should be stabilized in cylindrical nanopores

Blocking Effect of an Immuno-Suppressive Agent, Cynarin, on CD28 of T-Cell Receptor

Purpose: Cynarin, a potential immunosuppressant that blocks the interaction between the CD28 of T-cell receptor and CD80 of antigen presenting cells, was found in Echinacea purpurea by a new pharmaceutical screening method: After Flowing Through Immobilized Receptor (AFTIR; Dong et al., J Med Chem, 49:1845-1854, 2006). This Echinacea component is the first small molecule that is able to specifically block "signal 2" of T-cell activation. Methods: In this study, we used the AFTIR method to further confirm that cynarin effectively blocked the binding between CD80 of B-cells and CD28 of T-cells, and provide details of its mechanism of action. Results: The experimental results showed that cynarin blocked about 87% of the CD28-dependent "signal 2" pathway of T-cell activation under the condition of one to one ratio of T-cell and B-cell in vitro. Theoretical structure modeling showed that cynarin binds to the "G-pocket" of CD28 (Evans et al., Nat Immunol, 6:271-279, 2005), and thus interrupts the site of interaction between CD28 and CD80. Conclusions: These results confirm both that AFTIR is a promising method for screening selective active compounds from herbal medicine and that cynarin has great potential as an immuno-suppressive agent

Microwave and terahertz dielectric properties of MgTiO3–CaTiO3 ceramics

The THz dielectric properties of MgTiO3–CaTiO3 ceramics are reported. The ceramics were prepared via a solid-state reaction route and the sintering conditions were optimized to obtain ceramics with high permittivity and low loss in the terahertz frequency domain. The amount of impurities (MgTi2O5) and grain size increased with increasing sintering temperature. The dielectric properties improved with increasing density, and the best terahertz dielectric performance was obtained at 1260 °C, with a permittivity of 17.73 and loss of 3.07×10−3. Ceramics sintered above 1260 °C showed a sharp increase in loss, which is ascribed to an increase in the impurity content