Abstract
The triangular correlation heatmap aiming to visualize the linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern and haplotype block structure of SNPs is ubiquitous component of population-based genetic ...studies. However, current tools suffered from the problem of time and memory consuming. Here, we developed LDBlockShow, an open source software, for visualizing LD and haplotype blocks from variant call format files. It is time and memory saving. In a test dataset with 100 SNPs from 60 000 subjects, it was at least 10.60 times faster and used only 0.03–13.33% of physical memory as compared with other tools. In addition, it could generate figures that simultaneously display additional statistical context (e.g. association P-values) and genomic region annotations. It can also compress the SVG files with a large number of SNPs and support subgroup analysis. This fast and convenient tool will facilitate the visualization of LD and haplotype blocks for geneticists.
In this paper, we consider the trajectory tracking of a marine surface vessel in the presence of output constraints and uncertainties. An asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function is employed to cope with ...the output constraints. To handle the system uncertainties, we apply adaptive neural networks to approximate the unknown model parameters of a vessel. Both full state feedback control and output feedback control are proposed in this paper. The state feedback control law is designed by using the Moore-Penrose pseudoinverse in case that all states are known, and the output feedback control is designed using a high-gain observer. Under the proposed method the controller is able to achieve the constrained output. Meanwhile, the signals of the closed loop system are semiglobally uniformly bounded. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility of the proposed controller.
(Lam.) Aschers flower is traditionally used in China as an important herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disease. The present study isolated one new compound, namely (3
...)-dihydrobonducellin (1), and five known ones,
-hydroxycinnamic acid (2), paprazine (3), thymidine (4), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (5), and dibutyl phthalate (6) from
flowers. These structures were elucidated from spectroscopic data. Among them, compounds 1-4 remarkably suppressed nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC
) values of 19.88 ± 1.81, 39.80 ± 0.85, 19.03 ± 2.35, and 34.63 ± 2.38 μM, respectively. Furthermore, compounds 1 and 3 (20 μM) significantly decreased levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. Additionally, compounds 1 and 3 (20 μM) prominently reduced the phosphorylation protein level of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65. The present findings indicated that compounds 1 and 3 may be new candidates against inflammation
blocking the NF-κB signaling pathway.
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•Higher As groundwater was found near the permanent wetland (PW) than dried wetland (DW).•PW sediments had more autochthonous or aquatic biological organic matter than DW ...sediments.•DOM in PW groundwater was more bioreactive than that in DW groundwater.•Higher dissolved As concentrations were related to higher bioreactivity of organic matter.•Bioreactive organic matter triggered As mobilization via reductive dissolution of Fe oxides.
Organic matter (OM) is widely accepted to be the trigger for arsenic (As) mobilization from sediments into groundwater. Identifications of reactivity and sources of organic matter responsible for driving As liberation remain unresolved. To address these issues, we provide the extensive characterization of OM in shallow groundwater, surface water, and sediments near a permanent wetland and a dried wetland in the Hetao basin with high As groundwater and low As groundwater, respectively, using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Dissolved organic matter (DOM) of shallow groundwater and sediments near the permanent wetland had higher biological index (BIX), and more protein-like components and microbially-derived components relative to that near the dried wetland, showing higher bioreactivity. Fingerprint of water stable isotopes and higher water levels of wetland than shallow groundwater pointed to the recharge of wetland water into shallow groundwater. Laboratory incubations of the sediment with more bioreactive OM obtained near the permanent wetland mobilized more As. Both DOM properties and laboratory incubations indicate that OM with high bioreactivity promoted As mobility mainly by fuelling microbial respiration of Fe oxide reduction. Recharge of wetland water into shallow groundwater introduced bioreactive DOM into shallow aquifer. Groundwater DOM near the permanent wetland was typically sourced from both wetland DOM and sedimentary OM with high bioreactivity. However, sedimentary OM was the major source of groundwater DOM near the dried-wetland. It suggested that downward infiltration of surface-derived OM and perturbations of aquifer sediments by changing groundwater flow regimes increase bioreactivity of groundwater DOM and therefore enhance As mobility.
A major portion of the total primary energy consumed by today’s buildings is used in heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC). Conventional heating and cooling systems are having an impact ...on operational cost, energy requirement and carbon dioxide emission. In this regard, Trombe walls are receiving considerable attention because of their potential ability for addressing the environmental and energy crisis. This paper reviews the most pertinent contents of studies on Trombe walls that have been carried out in the recent 15 years. According to utilizing functions of Trombe walls, they are divided into two major types: a heating-based type and a cooling-based type. In terms of content, we emphasize the introduction of three groups of parameters that be considered when designing Trombe walls: the ‘Trombe wall’ parameters, the ‘building’ parameters and the ‘site’ parameters. Then different evaluation indicators on Trombe walls have been summarized from three points of view: energy, environment and economic. We hope that this review is useful to academic researchers and can provide a reference for architects or related engineering designers in the field of passive design.
C-S bond activation, cleavage and transformations by means of transition metal compounds have recently become more and more important in the petroleum industry and synthetic chemistry. Homogeneous ...transition metal compounds have been investigated in order to provide the fundamental insight into the C-S bond cleavage in problematic organosulfur compounds such as thiophene, benzo- and dibenzothiophene derivatives. Rendering transition-metal mediated reactions with organosulfur compounds catalytic may provide promising routes to deep hydrodesulfurization of petroleum feedstocks, and offer potentially useful synthetic protocols for cross-couplings and biomimetic organic synthesis. During the last few decades increasing work was documented on C-S bond activation and transformations by means of transition metal compounds. This review summarizes the recent advances in C-S bond cleavage
via
the insertion of transition metals into the inert C-S bonds of these problematic organosulfur compounds, and transition-metal mediated C-S bond transformations
via
C-S activation through cross-couplings of thioesters, ketene dithioacetals, sulfonyl chlorides, and other diverse organosulfur compounds.
This review summarizes the recent advances in transition-metal mediated C-S bond activation and transformations.
In this article, we propose a hybrid framework using visual and force sensing for human-robot co-carrying tasks. Visual sensing is utilized to obtain human motion and an observer is designed for ...estimating control input of human, which generates robot's desired motion toward human's intended motion. An adaptive impedance-based control strategy is proposed for trajectory tracking with neural networks used to compensate for uncertainties in robot's dynamics. Motion synchronization is achieved and this approach yields a stable and efficient interaction behavior between human and robot, decreases human control effort and avoids interference to human during the interaction. The proposed framework is validated by a co-carrying task in simulations and experiments.
•Alkali–activated steel slag (AASS) and cement have similar hydration processes and products.•AASS has an earlier and smaller second exothermic peak, and a lower cumulative heat.•AASS has less and ...poorer crystallization of Ca(OH)2, a lower Ca–Si ratio and a similar Al–Si ratio of gels.•AASS has more microcracks, unhydrated particles and Ca(OH)2 crystals in a single sheet.•The compressive strength of AASS pastes is only 30–40% of the strength of cement pastes.
The large quantity of steel slag generated from the iron and steel industry needs to be disposed. Using alkali–activated steel slag as a building material is a good method of comprehensive utilization. In this paper, the properties of steel slag activated by liquid sodium silicate with a silicate modulus of 1.5 as clinker–free cement were investigated. Portland cement with the same water–binder ratio of 0.45 was used as the reference sample. Detailed comparisons including the hydration properties, microstructure characteristics and mechanical strength of the two binders were conducted. The results show that alkali–activated steel slag and cement have similar hydration processes and products. However, the hydration of alkali–activated steel slag has a shorter dormant stage, an earlier and smaller second exothermic peak, a lower cumulative heat, less and poorer crystallization of Ca(OH)2, a lower Ca–Si ratio and a similar Al–Si ratio in gels. Compared to the morphology of cement paste, looser microstructure, unhydrated particles and Ca(OH)2 crystals in a single sheet can be seen in alkali–activated steel slag paste, forming a weak link in the matrix and damaging the strength development. The compressive strengths of alkali–activated steel slag hardened pastes are only 30–40% of the strengths of cement pastes due to poor hydration of former. Therefore, although its efficacy is lower than that of cement, steel slag could replace cement as a building material for certain engineering applications due to its more economic and environmental benefits.
By using water as the hydrogen source, an eco-friendly and practical protocol for the synthesis of Z -vinyl thiocyanates through ultrasound-promoted Brønsted acid ionic liquid-catalyzed ...hydrothiocyanation of activated alkynes under minimal solvent conditions has been developed. This process effectively avoids the use of organic solvents, metal catalysts and harsh reaction conditions. This reaction shows attractive characteristics such as operational simplicity, broad substrate scope with good to excellent yields, ease of scale-up and high energy efficiency and recyclable and reusable catalysts.
This paper studies the trajectory tracking problem of flapping-wing micro aerial vehicles ( FWMAVs ) in the longitudinal plane. First of all, the kinematics and dynamics of the FWMAV are ...established, wherein the aerodynamic force and torque generated by flapping wings and the tail wing are explicitly formulated with respect to the flapping frequency of the wings and the degree of tail wing inclination. To achieve autonomous tracking, an adaptive control scheme is proposed under the hierarchical framework. Specifically, a bounded position controller with hyperbolic tangent functions is designed to produce the desired aerodynamic force, and a pitch command is extracted from the designed position controller. Next, an adaptive attitude controller is designed to track the extracted pitch command, where a radial basis function neural network is introduced to approximate the unknown aerodynamic perturbation torque. Finally, the flapping frequency of the wings and the degree of tail wing inclination are calculated from the designed position and attitude controllers, respectively. In terms of Lyapunovʼ s direct method, it is shown that the tracking errors are bounded and ultimately converge to a small neighborhood around the origin. Simulations are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
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