Multiplicity of positive solutions for a fourth-order quasilinear singular differential equation

This paper is concerned with the multiplicity of positive solutions of boundary value problem for the fourth-order quasilinear singular differential equation $$(|u''|^{p-2}u'')''=\lambda g(t)f(u),\quad 0<t<1,$$ where $p>1$, $\lambda>0$. We apply the fixed point index theory and the upper and lower solutions method to investigate the multiplicity of positive solutions. We have found a threshold $\lambda^*<+\infty$, such that if $0<\lambda\leq\lambda^*$, then the problem admits at least one positive solution; while if $\lambda \lambda^*$, then the problem has no positive solution. In particular, there exist at least two positive solutions for $0<\lambda<\lambda^*$

Assessment and application of electromagnetic induction method to measure Arctic sea ice thickness

The electromagnetic induction method is widely used to measure sea ice thickness. Based on the electrical properties of sea ice and seawater, the method measures the apparent conductivity, which represents the conductivity of the half-space, and calculates the thickness of the sea ice. During the fourth Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition in summer 2010, an integrated electromagnetic induction system was set up on the icebreaker R/V XUE LONG to measure sea ice thickness along the ship’s tracks to the north of the Chukchi Sea. The conductivities of sea ice, seawater, and brine were measured and a simple forward model was used to explain the effect of changes in those conductivities on the apparent conductivity over a horizontal layered structure. The results of this analysis indicated that when using the electromagnetic induction method to measure sea ice thickness, the conductivity of sea ice could be neglected and the conductivity of seawater could be treated as a constant. The ice distribution results derived from the electromagnetic induction method showed that the typical sea ice thickness was 160 cm and 90 cm during the outbound and the return legs of the voyage, respectively

Experimental Application of Intelligent Robot Technology in Antarctic Scientific Expedition

Intelligent robot technology has great potential for application in polar scientific expedition. During the 24th Chinese Antarctic Expedition in the summer of 2007/08, our ice-snow surface mobile and low-flying robots were successfully employed for the first time in the Antarctic. This paper firstly gives a brief introduction to the intelligent robot technology developed abroad and used in the Antarctic, then focuses on the ice-snow surface mobile and low-flying robots developed by China as well as their field trials in the Antarctic. Moreover, the authors have considered the potential demand for the intelligent robot technology in China's Antarctic scientific expedition, in the hope of providing some reference for the future development of robot technologies

Chinese radioglaciological studies on the Antarctic ice sheet: progress and prospects

Chinese radioglaciological studies on the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) began in 2004/05 when the 21st Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE 21) team arrived at Dome A for the first time and radio echo sounding (RES) was conducted along the inland traverse and in the Dome A region. Subsequently, more field surveys were conducted along the traverse and in the Dome A region using different radar systems targeting different scientific purposes, such as revealing the landscape of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains by detailed grid RES, or locating a deep ice core drilling site by mapping and studying internal structures, bedrock topography and subglacial conditions in the Dome A region. Furthermore, the evolution of the AIS was inferred from the typical mountain glaciation topography beneath Dome A, and the age of the deep ice core at Kunlun Station was estimated through numerical modeling. Recently, the Snow Eagle 601 airplane was acquired and an airborne geophysical system was constructed to survey the AIS in Princess Elizabeth Land during CHINARE 32 (2015/16) and CHINARE 33 (2016/17) in order to fill the large data gap there. In this paper, we review both the recent progress of Chinese radioglaciological science in Antarctica and future proposed work

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] along Latitudinal Gradients and the Relationship with Polyploidy Level

Session for Student

Altitudinal Patterns in Adaptive Evolution of Genome Size and Inter-Genome Hybridization Between Three Elymus Species From the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Genome size variation and hybridization occur frequently within or between plant species under diverse environmental conditions, which enrich species diversification and drive the evolutionary process. Elymus L. is the largest genus in Triticeae with five recognized basic genomes (St, H, P, W, and Y). However, the data on population cytogenetics of Elymus species are sparse, especially whether genome hybridization and chromosomal structure can be affected by altitude are still unknown. In order to explore the relationship between genome sizes, we studied interspecific hybridization and altitude of Elymus species at population genetic and cytological levels. Twenty-seven populations at nine different altitudes (2,800–4,300 m) of three Elymus species, namely, hexaploid E. nutans (StHY, 2n = 6x = 42), tetraploid E. burchan-buddae (StY, 2n = 4x = 28), and E. sibiricus (StH, 2n = 4x = 28), were sampled from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) to estimate whether intraspecific variation could affect the genomic relationships by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and quantify the genome size of Elymus among different altitude ecological groups by flow cytometry. The genome size of E. nutans, E. burchan-buddae, and E. sibiricus varied from 12.38 to 22.33, 8.81 to 18.93, and 11.46 to 20.96 pg/2C with the averages of 19.59, 12.39, and 16.85 pg/2C, respectively. The curve regression analysis revealed a strong correlation between altitude and nuclear DNA content in three Elymus species. In addition, the chromosomes of the St and Y genomes demonstrated higher polymorphism than that of the H genome. Larger genome size variations occurred in the mid-altitude populations (3,900–4,300 m) compared with other-altitude populations, suggesting a notable altitudinal pattern in genome size variation, which shaped genome evolution by altitude. This result supports our former hypothesis that genetic richness center at medium altitude is useful and valuable for species adaptation to highland environmental conditions, germplasm utilization, and conservation

Sea ice thickness measurement in spring season in Bothnian Bay using an electromagnetic induction instrument

As an important component of the cryosphere, sea ice is very sensitive to the climate change. The study of the sea ice physics needs accurate sea ice thickness. This paper presents an electromagnetic-induction (EM) technique which can be used to measure the sea ice thickness distribution efficiently, and the successful application in Bothnian Bay. Based on the electromagnetic field theory and the electrical properties of sea ice and seawater, EM technique can detect the distance between the instrument and the ice/water interface accurately, than the sea ice thickness is obtained. Contrastive analysis of the apparent conductivity data obtained by EM and the value of drill-hole at same positions allows a construction of a transformable formula of the apparent conductivity to sea ice thickness. The verification of the sea ice thickness calculated by this formula indicates that EM technique is able to get reliable sea ice thickness with average relative error of only 12%. The statistic of all ice thickness profiles shows that the level ice distribution in Bothnian Bay was 0.4 - 0.6 m