Simple Sequence Repeat Markers in Genetic Divergence and Marker-Assisted Selection of Rice Cultivars: A Review

Sequencing of rice genome has facilitated the understanding of rice evolution and has been utilized extensively for mining of DNA markers to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that are tandemly repeated nucleotide sequence motifs flanked by unique sequences are presently the maker of choice in rice improvement due to their abundance, co-dominant inheritance, high levels of allelic diversity, and simple reproducible assay. The current level of genome coverage by SSR markers in rice is sufficient to employ them for genotype identification and marker-assisted selection in breeding for mapping of genes and quantitative trait loci analysis. This review provides comprehensive information on the mapping and applications of SSR markers in investigation of rice cultivars to study their genetic divergence and marker-assisted selection of important agronomic traits.     

Elitist clonal selection algorithm for optimal choice of free knots in B-spline data fitting

Data fitting with B-splines is a challenging problem in reverse engineering for CAD/CAM, virtual reality, data visualization, and many other fields. It is well-known that the fitting improves greatly if knots are considered as free variables. This leads, however, to a very difficult multimodal and multivariate continuous nonlinear optimization problem, the so-called knot adjustment problem. In this context, the present paper introduces an adapted elitist clonal selection algorithm for automatic knot adjustment of B-spline curves. Given a set of noisy data points, our method determines the number and location of knots automatically in order to obtain an extremely accurate fitting of data. In addition, our method minimizes the number of parameters required for this task. Our approach performs very well and in a fully automatic way even for the cases of underlying functions requiring identical multiple knots, such as functions with discontinuities and cusps. To evaluate its performance, it has been applied to three challenging test functions, and results have been compared with those from other alternative methods based on AIS and genetic algorithms. Our experimental results show that our proposal outperforms previous approaches in terms of accuracy and flexibility. Some other issues such as the parameter tuning, the complexity of the algorithm, and the CPU runtime are also discussed.     

Facial expression recognition of intercepted video sequences based on feature point movement trend and feature block texture variation

Facial Expression Recognition (FER) is an important subject of human–computer interaction and has long been a research area of great interest. Accurate Facial Expression Sequence Interception (FESI) and discriminative expression feature extraction are two enormous challenges for the video-based FER. This paper proposes a framework of FER for the intercepted video sequences by using feature point movement trend and feature block texture variation. Firstly, the feature points are marked by Active Appearance Model (AAM) and the most representative 24 of them are selected. Secondly, facial expression sequence is intercepted from the face video by determining two key frames whose emotional intensities are minimum and maximum, respectively. Thirdly, the trend curve which represents the Euclidean distance variations between any two selected feature points is fitted, and the slopes of specific points on the trend curve are calculated. Finally, combining Slope Set which is composed by the calculated slopes with the proposed Feature Block Texture Difference (FBTD) which refers to the texture variation of facial patch, the final expressional feature are formed and inputted to One-dimensional Convolution Neural Network (1DCNN) for FER. Five experiments are conducted in this research, and three average FER rates 95.2%, 96.5%, and 97% for Beihang University (BHU) facial expression database, MMI facial expression database, and the combination of two databases, respectively, have shown the significant advantages of the proposed method over the existing ones.     

Combination of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and nonlinear methods to analyze the copolymerization of phosphonic acid derivatives

We demonstrate in this study that the combination of modern inline monitoring methods [here: inline nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)] with simulations gains more exact and profound kinetic results than previously used methods like linearization without that combination. The ¹H-NMR spectroscopic data (more than 100 data points) are used to construct the copolymerization diagram. The reactivity ratios are obtained applying the van Herks nonlinear least square method. The examination of the radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with (2-{[2-(ethoxycarbonyl)prop-2-en-1-yl]oxy}ethyl) phosphonic acid (ECPPA) as important adhesive monomer used in dentistry yields reactivity ratios of r_HEMA = 1.83; r_ECPPA = 0.42. The copolymerization diagram reflects nonideal, non-azeotropic copolymerization. The sequence distribution of the obtained by Monte Carlo simulation indicates the generation of statistical copolymers. As an important finding, it is demonstrated that the repeating units responsible for etching and adhesion are arranged over the whole polymer chain, which is necessary to achieve proper functionality. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48256.     

Factors involved in associations between Facebook use and college adjustment: Social competence,perceived usefulness,and use patterns

Although previous research has investigated widespread use of social media, especially Facebook, by youth attending college, the conditions under which these media foster adjustment to college remain unclear. This study tested a model illuminating pathways linking social competence to college adjustment via students’ perceptions about the usefulness of Facebook and ways in which they used the medium. Self-report survey data from 321 college students (M age = 20.09; 58% female; 84% Caucasian) attending a major Midwestern university supported the proposed model, indicating that higher social competence could foster or impede college adjustment, depending upon how it was related to beliefs about the usefulness of different Facebook functions and how these perceptions, in turn, were associated with patterns of Facebook use. Findings underscore the importance of considering connections among personal attributes, perception of media effectiveness, and media behaviors in assessing the implications of social media for users’ psychosocial well-being.     

M1080B无心外圆磨床改进

M1080B无心外圆磨床砂轮及导轮宽度较窄,磨削轴承套圈外圆时,磨削效率低,托板架调整较为繁琐、皮带打滑、磨损较为严重。针对上述问题,提出了相应的解决办法,提高了磨削效率。     

GK1C型内燃机车频繁停车现象探讨与解决方案

运用过程中各类相关因子的变化,会使得机车柴油机配气相位出现一定程度变化,采取某种措施调整或是处理可以解决动力不足的问题。     

A computer aided design method for car form and its application based on shape parameters

In the early design stage, automotive modeling should both meet the requirements of aesthetics and engineering. Therefore, a vehicle CAD (computer aided design) model that can be easily adjusted by feedbacks is necessary. Based on CE-Bézier surface, this paper presents a set of algorithms for parametric segmentation and fairing surface generation in a car model. This model is defined by a simplified automotive template and relevant control points, shape parameters and segmentation parameters, which can be modified to alter the car form efficiently. With this model and the corresponding adjustment method, more than fifty various vehicle models are established in this research according to different parameters. And two methods for calculating similarity index between car models are constructed, which are suitable for brand design trend analysis and modelling design decisionmaking.     

Polymer electrolytes and interfaces in solid-state lithium metal batteries

The polymer electrolyte based solid-state lithium metal batteries are the promising candidate for the high-energy electrochemical energy storage with high safety and stability. Moreover, the intrinsic properties of polymer electrolytes and interface contact between electrolyte and electrodes have played critical roles for determining the comprehensive performances of solid-state lithium metal batteries. In this review, the development of polymer electrolytes with the design strategies by functional units adjustments are firstly discussed. Then the interfaces between polymer electrolyte and cathode/anode, including the interface issues, remedy strategies for stabilizing the interface contact and reducing resistances, and the in-situ polymerization method for enhancing the compatibilities and assembling the batteries with favorable performances, have been introduced. Lastly, the perspectives on developing polymer electrolytes by functional units adjustment, and improving interface contact and stability by effective strategies for solid-state lithium metal batteries have been provided.     

采油树平板闸阀柔性密封圈结构优化设计

为了提高采油树平板闸阀密封圈的密封性能,在泛塞封的基础上,设计一种密封圈本体唇边开有锯齿状凸起的新型柔性密封结构;运用有限元分析方法模拟密封圈的工作状况,分析柔性密封结构特性参数对密封圈密封性能的影响,获得不同柔性密封圈结构参数下密封面间接触应力分布规律,并对新型密封结构进行优化。结果表明:密封面间最大接触应力随唇边锯齿数量、唇边夹角度数的增大而增大,随唇谷夹角度数的增大而减小;新型密封结构选择锯齿数量为3、唇边夹角为20°、唇谷夹角为30°的特性参数时,其最大接触应力比常规Y形密封圈提高了15倍;新型柔性密封结构的密封圈与阀杆、阀盖壁面间接触应力比常规Y形密封圈有显著提高,提高了密封圈的密封性能。