Vocational education and training for operators of modern enterprises

The idea of how to run an effective and efficient vocational education and training system (EEVETS) with enterprises is given in this paper. It includes curriculum, teaching method, teaching support, quality control and management, etc. The keys to form EEVETS are demand analysis, motivation mechanism, teachers and tutors, quality control and service support. The training system for modern power station operators is briefly given as an example

Effect of density and total weight on flow depth, velocity, and stresses in loess debris flows

Debris flows that involve loess material produce important damage around the world. However, the kinematics of such processes are poorly understood. To better understand these kinematics, we used a flume to measure the kinematics of debris flows with different mixture densities and weights. We used sensors to measure pore fluid pressure and total normal stress. We measured flow patterns, velocities, and depths using a high-speed camera and laser range finder to identify the temporal evolution of the flow behavior and the corresponding peaks. We constructed fitting functions for the relationships between the maximum values of the experimental parameters. The hydrographs of the debris flows could be divided into four phases: increase to a first minor peak, a subsequent smooth increase to a second peak, fluctuation until a third major peak, and a final continuous decrease. The flow depth, velocity, total normal stress, and pore fluid pressure were strongly related to the mixture density and total mixture weight. We defined the corresponding relationships between the flow parameters and mixture kinematics. Linear and exponential relationships described the maximum flow depth and the mixture weight and density, respectively. The flow velocity was linearly related to the weight and density. The pore fluid pressure and total normal stress were linearly related to the weight, but logarithmically related to the density. The regression goodness of fit for all functions was >0.93. Therefore, these functions are accurate and could be used to predict the consequences of loess debris flows. Our results provide an improved understanding of the effects of mixture density and weight on the kinematics of debris flows in loess areas, and can help landscape managers prevent and design improved engineering solutions.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A sufficient maximum principle for backward stochastic systems with mixed delays

In this paper, we study the problem of optimal control of backward stochastic differential equations with three delays (discrete delay, moving-average delay and noisy memory). We establish the sufficient optimality condition for the stochastic system. We introduce two kinds of time-advanced stochastic differential equations as the adjoint equations, which involve the partial derivatives of the function $f$ and its Malliavin derivatives. We also show that these two kinds of adjoint equations are equivalent. Finally, as applications, we discuss a linear-quadratic backward stochastic system and give an explicit optimal control. In particular, the stochastic differential equations with time delay are simulated by means of discretization techniques, and the effect of time delay on the optimal control result is explained

Numerical simulation of fractal interface effect of mining-caused activation of fault

Mining-caused activation of fault is an important research subject in mining science. In the past, the influences of geometrical morphology of fault surface on the activation have not been revealed. In view of the fractal character of fault surface, the self-affine fractal curves and geological-mining models with these kinds of fractal fault surface are constructed in order to numerically simulate the mining-caused activation phenomenon of fractal fault surface, and the law of influence of fractal fault surface on mining subsidence is studied and summarized. Our study shows that the mining-cased activation of fault has remarkable fractal interface effect; the mechanical behavior of mining-caused shearing sliding of fault is correlated with its fractal dimension, and after mining-caused activation fault surface with different fractal dimensions will result in different stress fields and different displacement fields in the nearby rock mass

Contrasting plant ecological benefits endowed by naturally occurring EPSPS resistance mutations under glyphosate selection

Concurrent natural evolution of glyphosate resistance single- and double-point EPSPS mutations in weed species provides an opportunity for the estimation of resistance fitness benefits and prediction of equilibrium resistance frequencies in environments under glyphosate selection. Assessment of glyphosate resistance benefit was conducted for the most commonly identified single Pro-106-Ser and less-frequent double TIPS mutations in the EPSPS gene evolved in the global damaging weed Eleusine indica. Under glyphosate selection at the field dose, plants with the single Pro-106-Ser mutation at homozygous state (P106S-rr) showed reduced survival and compromised vegetative growth and fecundity compared with TIPS plants. Whereas both homozygous (TIPS-RR) and compound heterozygous (TIPS-Rr) plants with the double TIPS resistance mutation displayed similar survival rates when exposed to glyphosate, a significantly higher fecundity in the currency of seed number was observed in TIPS-Rr than TIPS-RR plants. The highest plant fitness benefit was associated with the heterozygous TIPS-Rr mutation, whereas plants with the homozygous Pro-106-Ser and TIPS mutations exhibited, respectively, 31% and 39% of the fitness benefit revealed by the TIPS-Rr plants. Populations are predicted to reach stable allelic and genotypic frequencies after 20 years of glyphosate selection at which the WT allele is lost and the stable genotypic polymorphism is comprised by 2% of heterozygous TIPS-Rr, 52% of homozygous TIPS-RR and 46% of homozygous P106S-rr. The high inbreeding nature of E. indica is responsible for the expected frequency decrease in the fittest TIPS-Rr in favour of the homozygous TIPS-RR and P106S-rr. Mutated alleles associated with the glyphosate resistance EPSPS single EPSPS Pro-106-Ser and double TIPS mutations confer contrasting fitness benefits to E. indica under glyphosate treatment and therefore are expected to exhibit contrasting evolution rates in cropping systems under recurrent glyphosate selection.Fil: Vila Aiub, Martin Miguel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; Argentina. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Han, Heping. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Yu, Qin. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: García, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura; ArgentinaFil: Powles, Stephen B.. University of Western Australia; Australi

A complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the wild two-humped camel (Camelus bactrianus ferus): an evolutionary history of camelidae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The family Camelidae that evolved in North America during the Eocene survived with two distinct tribes, Camelini and Lamini. To investigate the evolutionary relationship between them and to further understand the evolutionary history of this family, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the wild two-humped camel (<it>Camelus bactrianus ferus</it>), the only wild survivor of the Old World camel.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mitochondrial genome sequence (16,680 bp) from <it>C. bactrianus ferus </it>contains 13 protein-coding, two rRNA, and 22 tRNA genes as well as a typical control region; this basic structure is shared by all metazoan mitochondrial genomes. Its protein-coding region exhibits codon usage common to all mammals and possesses the three cryptic stop codons shared by all vertebrates. <it>C. bactrianus ferus </it>together with the rest of mammalian species do not share a triplet nucleotide insertion (GCC) that encodes a proline residue found only in the <it>nd1 </it>gene of the New World camelid <it>Lama pacos</it>. This lineage-specific insertion in the <it>L. pacos </it>mtDNA occurred after the split between the Old and New World camelids suggests that it may have functional implication since a proline insertion in a protein backbone usually alters protein conformation significantly, and <it>nd1 </it>gene has not been seen as polymorphic as the rest of ND family genes among camelids. Our phylogenetic study based on complete mitochondrial genomes excluding the control region suggested that the divergence of the two tribes may occur in the early Miocene; it is much earlier than what was deduced from the fossil record (11 million years). An evolutionary history reconstructed for the family Camelidae based on <it>cytb </it>sequences suggested that the split of bactrian camel and dromedary may have occurred in North America before the tribe Camelini migrated from North America to Asia.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Molecular clock analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from <it>C. bactrianus ferus </it>and <it>L. pacos </it>suggested that the two tribes diverged from their common ancestor about 25 million years ago, much earlier than what was predicted based on fossil records.</p