The characteristic traits of maize (Zea mays L.) leaves affect light interception and photosynthesis. Measurement or estimation of individual leaf area has been described using discontinuous equations or bell-shaped functions. However, new maize hybrids show different canopy architecture, such as leaf angle in modern maize which is more upright and ear leaf and adjacent leaves which are longer than older hybrids. The original equations and their parameters, which have been used for older maize hybrids and grown at low plant densities, will not accurately represent modern hybrids. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to develop a new empirical equation that captures vertical leaf distribution. To characterize the vertical leaf profile, we conducted a field experiment in Jilin province, Northeast China from 2015 to 2018. Our new equation for the vertical distribution of leaf profile describes leaf length, width or leaf area as a function of leaf rank, using parameters for the maximum value for leaf length, width or area, the leaf rank at which the maximum value is obtained, and the width of the curve. It thus involves one parameter less than the previously used equations. By analysing the characteristics of this new equation, we identified four key leaf ranks (4, 8, 14 and 20) for which leaf parameter values need to be quantified in order to have a good estimation of leaf length, width and area. Together, the method of leaf area estimation proposed here adds versatility for use in modern maize hybrids and simplifies the field measurements by using the four key leaf ranks to estimate vertical leaf distribution in maize canopy instead of all leaf ranks.

With the progress in science and technology, hazardous chemicals are becoming more essential in chemical products, industrial and agricultural production, and daily life. Hazardous chemicals have poisoning, corrosive, explosive, and combusting natures; once on fire, they can trigger a chain of catastrophic incidences, resulting in casualties, property loss, and environmental pollution and posing hazards to life and property. Using the “8–12” explosion of the Ruihai Logistics warehouse in Tianjin Port (Binhai New District, China), the present study analyzes the characteristics of trauma of the casualties in this accident and the emergency medical rescue strategies. The goals were to improve the ability of emergency rescue in such accidents and to save people’s lives and property to the maximum extent.

In this paper, the generation of relativistic electron mirrors (REMs) and the reflection of an ultra-short laser off this mirrors are discussed, applying two-dimensional particle-in-cell (2D-PIC) simulations. REMs with ultra-high acceleration and expanding velocity can be produced from a solid nanofoil illuminated normally by an ultra-intense femtosecond laser pulse with a sharp rising edge. Chirped attosecond pulse can be produced through the reflection of a counter-propagating probe laser off the accelerating REM. In the electron moving frame, the plasma frequency of the REM keeps decreasing due to its rapidly expanding. The laser frequency, on the contrary, keeps increasing due to the acceleration of REM and the relativistic Doppler shift from the lab frame to the electron moving frame. Within an ultra-short time interval, the two frequencies will be equal in the electron moving frame, which leads the resonance between laser and REM. The reflected radiation near this interval and the corresponding spectra will be amplified due to the resonance. Through adjusting the arriving time of the probe laser, certain part of the reflected field could be selectively amplified or depressed, leading to the selectively adjusting of the corresponding spectra.

Universal masking for healthcare workers and patients in hospitals was adopted to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with compliance rates of 100% and 75.9%, respectively. Zero rates of nosocomial influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus infection were achieved from February to April 2020, which was significantly lower than the corresponding months in 2017–2019.

A higher dietary intake or serum concentration of betaine has been associated with greater lean body mass in middle-aged and older adults. However, it remains unknown whether betaine intake is associated with age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass (SMM). We assessed the association between dietary betaine intake and relative changes in SMM after 3 years in middle-aged adults. A total of 1242 participants aged 41–60 years from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study 2011–2013 and 2014–2017 with body composition measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were included. A face-to-face questionnaire was used to collect general baseline information. After adjustment for potential confounders, multiple linear regression found that energy-adjusted dietary betaine intake was significantly and positively associated with relative changes (i.e. percentage loss or increase) in SMM of legs, limbs and appendicular skeletal mass index (ASMI) over 3 years of follow-up (β 0·322 (se 0·157), 0·309 (se 0·142) and 0·303 (se 0·145), respectively; P < 0·05). The ANCOVA models revealed that participants in the highest betaine tertile had significantly less loss in SMM of limbs and ASMI and more increase in SMM of legs over 3 years of follow-up, compared with those in the bottom betaine tertile (all Ptrend < 0·05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that elevated higher dietary betaine intake may be associated with less loss of SMM of legs, limbs and ASMI in middle-aged adults.

The phase transition behavior of [011]- and [001]-oriented 0.24PIN–0.43PMN–0.33PT single crystals was investigated through dielectric measurement in the process of heating and direct current (DC) bias. The phase transformation sequence in the [011]-oriented crystals is rhombohedral (R) → monoclinic (MB) → orthorhombic (O) → monoclinic (MC) → tetragonal (T) → cubic (C). The phase transition temperatures of R to MB $\left( {{{\rm{T}}_{{\rm{R}} - {{\rm{M}}_{\rm{B}}}}}} \right)$ and MB to O $\left( {{{\rm{T}}_{{{\rm{M}}_{\rm{B}}} - {\rm{O}}}}} \right)$ decrease; meanwhile, the transition temperatures of O to MC $\left( {{{\rm{T}}_{{\rm{O}} - {{\rm{M}}_{\rm{C}}}}}} \right)$ phase, MC to T $\left( {{{\rm{T}}_{{{\rm{M}}_{\rm{C}}} - {\rm{T}}}}} \right)$ phase, and T to C (TT–C) phase increase with the increase of DC bias. The phase transformation sequence in the [001]-oriented crystals is R → T → C. As DC bias increases, the transition temperature TR–T of R to T phase declines and the transition temperature TT–C rises. Intermediate phases MB, O, and MC are only found in the [011]-oriented crystal. The phase transition characteristics of the [011]-oriented crystals are rather more complex than those along [001] direction. The micro–macro domain transition at Tf is related to crystal orientation and DC bias voltage. The phase diagram in terms of temperature and bias voltage is established for [011]- and [001]-oriented 0.24PIN–0.43PMN–0.33PT crystals. The DC bias dependent dielectric properties and phase transition characteristics are also compared with the crystals along [111] direction.

In this paper, a triple-wideband bandpass filter (BPF) with controllable bandwidths based on two multi-mode stub-loaded resonators (MMSLRs) and a triple-mode resonator is presented. The MMSLR is loaded with two identical folded open-ended stubs and a T-shaped stub. Each passband of the tri-band BPF is formed by four resonant modes, which provide sufficient bandwidths to meet various application requirement. By adjusting the lengths of open-ended stubs, three passband bandwidths can be controlled individually. The center frequencies of the triple-wideband BPF are allocated at 2.7, 3.67, and 5.44 GHz, with the 3 dB fractional bandwidths (FBWs) of 20.1, 14.7, and 26.3%. Among the three passbands, the highest one covers the 5 G WiFi band (5.15–5.85 GHz). The measured results of the proposed filter exhibit excellent agreement with simulated results.

Graphoglyptids are biogenic structures commonly found in deep-sea flysch deposits and occasionally detected on the modern deep-sea floor. They extend principally horizontally and take a variety of geometric patterns, whose functional morphology remains an enigma in ichnology and paleoceanography. Based on published materials from 1850 to 2017 (79 ichnotaxa from 28 ichnogenera of graphoglyptids) and systematic observations of one of the largest deep-sea trace fossil collections in the world, this paper proposes that topological analysis is an important ingredient in the taxonomy and functional interpretation of graphoglyptids. Accordingly, graphoglyptids are classified into line, tree, and net forms by their key topological architecture, and are further attributed to 19 topological prototypes by detailed secondary topological features. Line graphoglyptids are single-connected structures with uniform tunnel width, representing primarily the feeding patterns of solitary animals. Tree graphoglyptids, the most diverse architectural group of graphoglyptids, are ascribed to 11 topological prototypes according to the connectivity features of burrow segments and the number and distributional pattern of the branching points. Net graphoglyptids are subdivided into three topological prototypes on the basis of the connectivity features and/or the regularity of the meshes. Multiconnected net forms are considered as a continuous morphological spectrum with different levels of complexity in the net formation. The various connected components in multiconnected tree and net graphoglyptids generally exhibit small and uniform tunnel diameter in a given structure (suggesting a tiny trace maker[s]). The whole structure shows relatively extensive linear or surface coverage and overall good preservation, indicating sustained processes of burrow construction. It is highly probable that certain multiconnected tree and net graphoglyptids represent some emergent patterns from self-organized collective behaviors of conspecific animals. Graphoglyptids thus provide us with a new perspective on the study of solitary and collective behaviors of macrobenthos in the deep-sea environment.

We are concerned with sets of generic points for shift-invariant measures in the countable symbolic space. We measure the sizes of the sets by the Billingsley-Hausdorff dimensions defined by Gibbs measures. It is shown that the dimension of such a set is given by a variational principle involving the convergence exponent of the Gibbs measure and the relative entropy dimension of the Gibbs measure with respect to the invariant measure. This variational principle is different from that of the case of finite symbols, where the convergent exponent is zero and is not involved. An application is given to a class of expanding interval dynamical systems.

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) data have been widely used for air temperature estimation in mountainous regions where station observations are sparse. However, the performance of MODIS LST in high-elevation glacierized areas remains unclear. This study investigates air temperature estimation in glacierized areas based on ground observations at four glaciers across the Tibetan Plateau. Before being used to estimate the air temperature, MODIS LST data are evaluated at two of the glaciers, which indicates that MODIS night-time LST is more reliable than MODIS daytime LST data. Then, linear models based on each of the individual MODIS LST products from two platforms (Terra and Aqua) and two overpasses (night-time and daytime) are built to estimate daily mean, minimum and maximum air temperatures in glacierized areas. Regional glacier surface (RGS) models (mean /-mean-square differences: 3.3, 3.0 and 4.8°C for daily mean, minimum and maximum air temperatures, respectively) show higher accuracy than local non-glacier surface models (mean root-mean-square differences: 4.2, 4.7 and 5.7°C). In addition, the RGS models based on MODIS night-time LST perform better to estimate daily mean, minimum and maximum air temperatures than using temperature lapse rate derived from local stations.

The high rate of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) was one of the key issues of global public health concern. Interferon (IFN)-λ relevant genes were in the antiviral treatment pathway, not only influenced hepatitis C virus (HCV) spontaneous clearance, but also affected the IFN-mediated viral clearance. The aim of this study was to identify the association of interleukin 28B (IL28B), myxovirus resistance A (MxA) gene polymorphisms with HCV spontaneous clearance and therapeutic response in Chinese CHC patients. IL28B and MxA gene genotypes were detected among 231 CHC carriers, 428 subjects with HCV spontaneous clearance and 662 CHC patients with pegylated IFN-α and ribavirin (pegIFN-α/RBV) treatment. Patients with MxA rs2071430 TT genotype were more likely to develop HCV infection chronicity (additive model: odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.48, P = 0.042). IL28B rs1298075 variant genotypes (additive model: OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–0.98, P = 0.040) and MxA rs17000900 variant genotypes (additive model: OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.30–0.99, P = 0.048) were less likely to achieve a sustained virological response. The life table indicated that patients with IL28B rs1298075 AG genotype were slower to achieve a viral load <500 copies/ml (P = 0.018). During the treatment, the downward trend in viral load was different among each IL28B rs1298075 genotype, especially in subgroup with a baseline HCV-RNA >106 copies/ml (all P < 0.05). This study illustrated that the carriage of IL28B rs12980275 AA had a positive effect on treatment response to pegIFN-α/RBV among Chinese CHC patients.

This study aimed to determine the effects of supplementing the diet of adult Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus with phosphatidylcholine (PC) on growth performance, body composition, fatty acid composition and gene expression. Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia fish with an initial body weight of 83·1 (sd 2·9) g were divided into six groups. Each group was hand-fed a semi-purified diet containing 1·7 (control diet), 4·0, 6·5, 11·5, 21·3 or 41·0 g PC/kg diet for 68 d. Supplemental PC improved the feed efficiency rate, which was highest in the 11·5 g PC/kg diet. Weight gain and specific growth rate were unaffected. Dietary PC increased PC content in the liver and decreased crude fat content in the liver, viscera and body. SFA and MUFA increased and PUFA decreased in muscle with increasing dietary PC. Cytoplasmic phospholipase A 2 and secreted phospholipase A 2 mRNA expression were up-regulated in the brain and heart in PC-supplemented fish. PC reduced fatty acid synthase mRNA expression in the liver and visceral tissue but increased expression in muscle. Hormone-sensitive lipase and lipoprotein lipase expression increased in the liver with increasing dietary PC. Growth hormone mRNA expression was reduced in the brain and insulin-like growth factor-1 mRNA expression in liver reduced with PC above 6·5 g/kg. Our results demonstrate that dietary supplementation with PC improves feed efficiency and reduces liver fat in adult Nile tilapia, without increasing weight gain, representing a novel dietary approach to reduce feed requirements and improve the health of Nile tilapia.

In this paper, a dual-wideband bandpass filter (BPF) with independently controllable center frequencies (CFs) and wide stopband suppression is presented using a new quintuple-mode resonator (QMR). By applying the classical odd-/even-mode analysis method, the resonant characteristics of the new QMR have been analyzed. It shows that five modes can be excited, and two of them can be employed to form the lower passband, while the other three modes contribute to the higher passband. For verification, a dual-wideband BPF using the new QMR is designed, fabricated, and tested. Experimental results show that the CFs of the dual-wideband BPF centered at 2.96 GHz and 5.695 GHz with 3 dB fractional bandwidths of 27.7 and 23.4%, respectively. In addition, 20-dB suppression in upper-stopband ranges from 2.23 to 4.04f0, where f0 is the center frequency of the first passband. The measurement results are in good agreement with the prediction results.