In this paper the authors describe the design, prototyping and evaluation of SIMpliLife, a framework for mobile phones with the aim of making people＇s life easier, providing day-to-day services such as payment, ticke...In this paper the authors describe the design, prototyping and evaluation of SIMpliLife, a framework for mobile phones with the aim of making people＇s life easier, providing day-to-day services such as payment, ticketing and information retrieval by means of NFC （Near Field Communication） technology. It was developed via the collaboration between two research labs of Sapienza University of Rome： the RFID （Radio Frequency Identification） Lab and the Usability and Accessibility Lab （LUA）, both belonging to CATTID （Centre for Applications of Teleservices and of Technologies for Innovation in Digital world） research centre. Technically, SIMpliLife is a SIM-based platform for NFC mobile phones that interfaces several applications able to manage the abovementioned services. The high-level User Interface has been developed by means of Smart Card Web Server （SCWS） technology, thus providing enhanced user experience if compared to traditional SIM-based implementations based on SIM Toolkit.展开更多
The ratoon crop occupies approximately 40% of the total area of sugarcane crop in tropical India. The main reason for the lower average cane productivity is the yield decline in ratoon crops (40 - 50 t/ha) despite the...The ratoon crop occupies approximately 40% of the total area of sugarcane crop in tropical India. The main reason for the lower average cane productivity is the yield decline in ratoon crops (40 - 50 t/ha) despite the release of the high yielding varieties and advanced cane production technology. The physiological factors associated with ratooning performance and the variation in growth and yield were studied in 11 sugarcane varieties in two cycles of one plant and two ratoon crops each. The first ratoon and second ratoon crop showed 17.0% and 28.1% reduction in tiller production and 15.5% and 15.7% reduction in NMC, respectively, over plant crop. The differences in growth parameters between the plant and ratoon crops at the formative phase were lesser than that of grand growth and maturity phases. Varieties Co 86032, Co 97008, Co 95020 Co 99004 and Co 2000-10 showed better physiological efficiency in terms of plant height, shoot population, leaf size, TDMP, partitioning efficiency, chlorophyll content and nitrate reductase activity and significantly higher yield components such as NMC, SCW, cane length, internodal length as well as cane yield compared to other varieties. The higher reduction in ratoon yield in Co 99008, Co 94012, Co 8021 and Co 97009 (>35.00% reduction) was due to higher reduction in tiller production associated with stunted plant growth and root system, reducetion in individual leaf size and LAI, TDMP, total chlorophyll content, NMC, internodal length and SCW. The results obtained indicated that the plant height, TDMP, stem partitioning, leaf size, total chlorophyll content, SCW, cane length and cane girth were highly associated with yield of first and second ratoon crops than that of plant crop. Therefore the difference in the association between physiological parameters with yield of plant and ratoon crops therefore decides the ratooning potential of the crop.展开更多
We elaborate a quadratic nonlinear theory of plural interactions of growing space charge wave （SCW） harmonics during the development of the two-stream instability in helical relativistic electron beams. It is found ...We elaborate a quadratic nonlinear theory of plural interactions of growing space charge wave （SCW） harmonics during the development of the two-stream instability in helical relativistic electron beams. It is found that in helical two-stream electron beams the growth rate of the two-stream instability increases with the beam entrance angle. An SCW with the broad frequency spectrum, in which higher harmonics have higher amplitudes, forms when the frequency of the first SCW harmonic is much less than the critical frequency of the two-stream instability. For helical electron beams the spectrum expands with the increase of the beam entrance angle. Moreover, we obtain that utilizing helical electron beams in multiharmonic two-stream superheterodyne free-electron lasers leads to the improvement of their amplification characteristics, the frequency spectrum broadening in multiharmonic signal generation mode, and the reduction of the overall system dimensions.展开更多
The Canadian Generation-IV supercritical water reactor (SCWR) requires peak cladding surface temperature of 800℃ for a core outlet temperature of 625℃. Materials selection for high temperature fuel cladding is becom...The Canadian Generation-IV supercritical water reactor (SCWR) requires peak cladding surface temperature of 800℃ for a core outlet temperature of 625℃. Materials selection for high temperature fuel cladding is becoming one of the major challenging tasks. Austenitic stainless steels with excellent corrosion resistance are often susceptible to stress corrosion cracking upon SCW exposure. Low-Cr steels such as P91 exhibit good high-temperature mechanical properties, but the lack of sufficient Cr content makes this group of alloys corrode too fast. One possible solution is to use coatings or surface modification techniques to improve the surface resistance to corrosion. In this study, we investigated the effect of surface modification on commercial 316L stainless steel. Surface modification by mechanical deformation has marked improvement in corrosion resistance during SCW exposure. Possible mechanisms for such improvement are discussed.展开更多
This article reviews the advances in severe convection research and operation in China during the past several decades.The favorable synoptic situations for severe convective weather(SCW),the major organization modes ...This article reviews the advances in severe convection research and operation in China during the past several decades.The favorable synoptic situations for severe convective weather(SCW),the major organization modes of severe convective storms(SCSs),the favorable environmental conditions and characteristics of weather radar echoes and satellite images of SCW and SCSs,and the forecasting and nowcasting techniques of SCW,are emphasized.As a whole,Chinese scientists have achieved a profound understanding of the synoptic patterns,organization,and evolution characteristics of SCW from radar and satellite observations,and the mechanisms of different types of convective weather in China.Specifically,in-depth understanding of the multiple types of convection triggers,along with the environmental conditions,structures and organization modes,and maintenance mechanisms of supercell storms and squall lines,has been obtained.The organization modes and climatological distributions of mesoscale convective systems and different types of SCW,and the multiscale characteristics and formation mechanisms of large hail,tornadoes,downbursts,and damaging convective wind gusts based on radar,satellite,and lightning observations,as well as the related features from damage surveys,are elucidated.In terms of operational applications,different types of identification and mesoanalysis techniques,and various forecasting and nowcasting techniques using methods such as the"ingredients-based"and deep learning algorithms,have been developed.As a result,the performance of operational SCW forecasts in China has been significantly improved.展开更多
The secondary cell wall in mature cotton fibers contains over 90%cellulose with low quantities of xylan and lignin.However,little is known regarding the regulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis in cotton fibers....The secondary cell wall in mature cotton fibers contains over 90%cellulose with low quantities of xylan and lignin.However,little is known regarding the regulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis in cotton fibers.In this study,we characterized an R2R3-MYB transcription factor,Gh MYB7,in cotton.Gh MYB7 is expressed at a high level in developing fibers and encodes a MYB protein that is targeted to the cell nucleus and has transcriptional activation activity.Ectopic expression of Gh MYB7 in Arabidopsis resulted in small,curled,dark green leaves and also led to shorter inflorescence stems.A cross-sectional assay of basal stems revealed that cell wall thickness of vessels and interfascicular fibers was higher in transgenic lines overexpressing Gh MYB7 than in the wild type.Constitutive expression of Gh MYB7 in Arabidopsis activated the expression of a suite of secondary cell wall biosynthesis-related genes(including some secondary cell wall-associated transcription factors),leading to the ectopic deposition of cellulose and lignin.The ectopic deposition of secondary cell walls may have been initiated before the cessation of cell expansion.Moreover,Gh MYB7 was capable of binding to the promoter regions of At SND1 and At Ces A4,suggesting that Gh MYB7 may function upstream of NAC transcription factors.Collectively,these findings suggest that Gh MYB7 is a potential transcriptional activator,which may participate in regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis of cotton fibers.展开更多
Primary and secondary growth of the tree stem are responsible for corresponding increases in trunk height and diameter.However,our molecular understanding of the biological processes that underlie these two types of g...Primary and secondary growth of the tree stem are responsible for corresponding increases in trunk height and diameter.However,our molecular understanding of the biological processes that underlie these two types of growth is incomplete.In this study,we used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptome sequencing to reveal the transcriptional landscapes of primary and secondary growth tissues in the Populus stem.Comparison between the cell atlas and differentiation trajectory of primary and secondary growth revealed different regulatory networks involved in cell differentiation from cambium to xylem precursors and phloem precursors.These regulatory networks may be controlled by auxin accumulation and distribution.Analysis of cell differentiation trajectories suggested that vessel and fiber development followed a sequential pattern of progressive transcriptional regulation.This research provides new insights into the processes of cell identity and differentiation that occur throughout primary and secondary growth of tree stems,increasing our understanding of the cellular differentiation dynamics that occur during stemgrowth in trees.展开更多
Located in the Asian monsoon region, China frequently experiences severe convective weather(SCW), such as short-duration heavy rainfall(SDHR), thunderstorm high winds, hails, and occasional tornadoes. Progress in SCW ...Located in the Asian monsoon region, China frequently experiences severe convective weather(SCW), such as short-duration heavy rainfall(SDHR), thunderstorm high winds, hails, and occasional tornadoes. Progress in SCW forecasting in China is closely related to the construction and development of meteorological observation networks,especially weather radar and meteorological satellite networks. In the late 1950 s, some county-level meteorological bureaus began to conduct empirical hail forecasting based on observations of clouds and surface meteorological variables. It took over half a century to develop a modern comprehensive operational monitoring and warning system for SCW forecast nationwide since the setup of the first weather radar in 1959. The operational SCW forecasting, including real-time monitoring, warnings valid for tens of minutes, watches valid for several hours, and outlooks covering lead times of up to three days, was established in 2009. Operational monitoring and forecasting of thunderstorms,SDHR, thunderstorm high winds, and hails have been carried out. The performance of operational SCW forecasting will be continually improved in the future with the development of convection-resolving numerical models(CRNMs), the upgrade of weather radar networks, the launch of new-generation meteorological satellites, better understanding of meso-γ and microscale SCW systems, and further application of artificial intelligence technology and CRNM predictions.展开更多
Cotton fiber is a highly elongated and thickened single cell that produces large quantities of cellulose,which is synthesized and assembled into cell wall microfibrils by the cellulose synthase complex(CSC).In this st...Cotton fiber is a highly elongated and thickened single cell that produces large quantities of cellulose,which is synthesized and assembled into cell wall microfibrils by the cellulose synthase complex(CSC).In this study,we report that in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum)fibers harvested during secondary cell wall(SCW)synthesis,GhCesA 4,7,and 8 assembled into heteromers in a previously uncharacterized 36-mer-like cellulose synthase supercomplex(CSS).This super CSC was observed in samples prepared using cotton fiber cells harvested during the SCW synthesis period but not from cotton stem tissue or any samples obtained from Arabidopsis.Knock-out of any of GhCesA 4,7,and 8 resulted in the disappearance of the CSS and the production of fiber cells with no SCW thickening.Cotton fiber CSS showed significantly higher enzyme activity than samples prepared from knock-out cotton lines.We found that the microfibrils from the SCW of wild-type cotton fibers may contain 72 glucan chains in a bundle,unlike other plant materials studied.GhCesA4,7,and 8 restored both the dwarf and reduced vascular bundle phenotypes of their orthologous Arabidopsis mutants,potentially by reforming the CSC hexamers.Genetic complementation was not observed when non-orthologous CesA genes were used,indicating that each of the three subunits is indispensable for CSC formation and for full cellulose synthase function.Characterization of cotton CSS will increase our understanding of the regulation of SCW biosynthesis.展开更多
文摘In this paper the authors describe the design, prototyping and evaluation of SIMpliLife, a framework for mobile phones with the aim of making people＇s life easier, providing day-to-day services such as payment, ticketing and information retrieval by means of NFC （Near Field Communication） technology. It was developed via the collaboration between two research labs of Sapienza University of Rome： the RFID （Radio Frequency Identification） Lab and the Usability and Accessibility Lab （LUA）, both belonging to CATTID （Centre for Applications of Teleservices and of Technologies for Innovation in Digital world） research centre. Technically, SIMpliLife is a SIM-based platform for NFC mobile phones that interfaces several applications able to manage the abovementioned services. The high-level User Interface has been developed by means of Smart Card Web Server （SCWS） technology, thus providing enhanced user experience if compared to traditional SIM-based implementations based on SIM Toolkit.
文摘The ratoon crop occupies approximately 40% of the total area of sugarcane crop in tropical India. The main reason for the lower average cane productivity is the yield decline in ratoon crops (40 - 50 t/ha) despite the release of the high yielding varieties and advanced cane production technology. The physiological factors associated with ratooning performance and the variation in growth and yield were studied in 11 sugarcane varieties in two cycles of one plant and two ratoon crops each. The first ratoon and second ratoon crop showed 17.0% and 28.1% reduction in tiller production and 15.5% and 15.7% reduction in NMC, respectively, over plant crop. The differences in growth parameters between the plant and ratoon crops at the formative phase were lesser than that of grand growth and maturity phases. Varieties Co 86032, Co 97008, Co 95020 Co 99004 and Co 2000-10 showed better physiological efficiency in terms of plant height, shoot population, leaf size, TDMP, partitioning efficiency, chlorophyll content and nitrate reductase activity and significantly higher yield components such as NMC, SCW, cane length, internodal length as well as cane yield compared to other varieties. The higher reduction in ratoon yield in Co 99008, Co 94012, Co 8021 and Co 97009 (>35.00% reduction) was due to higher reduction in tiller production associated with stunted plant growth and root system, reducetion in individual leaf size and LAI, TDMP, total chlorophyll content, NMC, internodal length and SCW. The results obtained indicated that the plant height, TDMP, stem partitioning, leaf size, total chlorophyll content, SCW, cane length and cane girth were highly associated with yield of first and second ratoon crops than that of plant crop. Therefore the difference in the association between physiological parameters with yield of plant and ratoon crops therefore decides the ratooning potential of the crop.
基金Supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine under Grant No 0117U002253
文摘We elaborate a quadratic nonlinear theory of plural interactions of growing space charge wave （SCW） harmonics during the development of the two-stream instability in helical relativistic electron beams. It is found that in helical two-stream electron beams the growth rate of the two-stream instability increases with the beam entrance angle. An SCW with the broad frequency spectrum, in which higher harmonics have higher amplitudes, forms when the frequency of the first SCW harmonic is much less than the critical frequency of the two-stream instability. For helical electron beams the spectrum expands with the increase of the beam entrance angle. Moreover, we obtain that utilizing helical electron beams in multiharmonic two-stream superheterodyne free-electron lasers leads to the improvement of their amplification characteristics, the frequency spectrum broadening in multiharmonic signal generation mode, and the reduction of the overall system dimensions.
基金The authors would like to thank financial support from PERD and from NSERC/NRCan/AECL Generation IV Technologies Program.
文摘The Canadian Generation-IV supercritical water reactor (SCWR) requires peak cladding surface temperature of 800℃ for a core outlet temperature of 625℃. Materials selection for high temperature fuel cladding is becoming one of the major challenging tasks. Austenitic stainless steels with excellent corrosion resistance are often susceptible to stress corrosion cracking upon SCW exposure. Low-Cr steels such as P91 exhibit good high-temperature mechanical properties, but the lack of sufficient Cr content makes this group of alloys corrode too fast. One possible solution is to use coatings or surface modification techniques to improve the surface resistance to corrosion. In this study, we investigated the effect of surface modification on commercial 316L stainless steel. Surface modification by mechanical deformation has marked improvement in corrosion resistance during SCW exposure. Possible mechanisms for such improvement are discussed.
基金Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFC1507504 and 2017YFC1502000)National Natural Science Foundation of China(41775044 and 41375051)Strategic Research Projects on Medium-and Long-term Development of Chinese Engineering Science and Technology(2019-ZCQ-06)。
文摘This article reviews the advances in severe convection research and operation in China during the past several decades.The favorable synoptic situations for severe convective weather(SCW),the major organization modes of severe convective storms(SCSs),the favorable environmental conditions and characteristics of weather radar echoes and satellite images of SCW and SCSs,and the forecasting and nowcasting techniques of SCW,are emphasized.As a whole,Chinese scientists have achieved a profound understanding of the synoptic patterns,organization,and evolution characteristics of SCW from radar and satellite observations,and the mechanisms of different types of convective weather in China.Specifically,in-depth understanding of the multiple types of convection triggers,along with the environmental conditions,structures and organization modes,and maintenance mechanisms of supercell storms and squall lines,has been obtained.The organization modes and climatological distributions of mesoscale convective systems and different types of SCW,and the multiscale characteristics and formation mechanisms of large hail,tornadoes,downbursts,and damaging convective wind gusts based on radar,satellite,and lightning observations,as well as the related features from damage surveys,are elucidated.In terms of operational applications,different types of identification and mesoanalysis techniques,and various forecasting and nowcasting techniques using methods such as the"ingredients-based"and deep learning algorithms,have been developed.As a result,the performance of operational SCW forecasts in China has been significantly improved.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371234)the project from the Ministry of Agriculture of China for transgenic research (2014ZX08009-27B)
文摘The secondary cell wall in mature cotton fibers contains over 90%cellulose with low quantities of xylan and lignin.However,little is known regarding the regulation of secondary cell wall biosynthesis in cotton fibers.In this study,we characterized an R2R3-MYB transcription factor,Gh MYB7,in cotton.Gh MYB7 is expressed at a high level in developing fibers and encodes a MYB protein that is targeted to the cell nucleus and has transcriptional activation activity.Ectopic expression of Gh MYB7 in Arabidopsis resulted in small,curled,dark green leaves and also led to shorter inflorescence stems.A cross-sectional assay of basal stems revealed that cell wall thickness of vessels and interfascicular fibers was higher in transgenic lines overexpressing Gh MYB7 than in the wild type.Constitutive expression of Gh MYB7 in Arabidopsis activated the expression of a suite of secondary cell wall biosynthesis-related genes(including some secondary cell wall-associated transcription factors),leading to the ectopic deposition of cellulose and lignin.The ectopic deposition of secondary cell walls may have been initiated before the cessation of cell expansion.Moreover,Gh MYB7 was capable of binding to the promoter regions of At SND1 and At Ces A4,suggesting that Gh MYB7 may function upstream of NAC transcription factors.Collectively,these findings suggest that Gh MYB7 is a potential transcriptional activator,which may participate in regulating secondary cell wall biosynthesis of cotton fibers.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32130072)the Chinese Academy of Sciences’Strategic Priority Research Program(XDB27020104)the National Key Research and Development Program(2021YFD2200204).
文摘Primary and secondary growth of the tree stem are responsible for corresponding increases in trunk height and diameter.However,our molecular understanding of the biological processes that underlie these two types of growth is incomplete.In this study,we used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptome sequencing to reveal the transcriptional landscapes of primary and secondary growth tissues in the Populus stem.Comparison between the cell atlas and differentiation trajectory of primary and secondary growth revealed different regulatory networks involved in cell differentiation from cambium to xylem precursors and phloem precursors.These regulatory networks may be controlled by auxin accumulation and distribution.Analysis of cell differentiation trajectories suggested that vessel and fiber development followed a sequential pattern of progressive transcriptional regulation.This research provides new insights into the processes of cell identity and differentiation that occur throughout primary and secondary growth of tree stems,increasing our understanding of the cellular differentiation dynamics that occur during stemgrowth in trees.
基金Sponsored by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFC1502003 and 2018YFC1507504)National Natural Science Foundation of China(41675045 and 41375051)Strategic Research Projects on Medium-and Long-Term Development of Chinese Engineering Science and Technology(2019-ZCQ-06)。
文摘Located in the Asian monsoon region, China frequently experiences severe convective weather(SCW), such as short-duration heavy rainfall(SDHR), thunderstorm high winds, hails, and occasional tornadoes. Progress in SCW forecasting in China is closely related to the construction and development of meteorological observation networks,especially weather radar and meteorological satellite networks. In the late 1950 s, some county-level meteorological bureaus began to conduct empirical hail forecasting based on observations of clouds and surface meteorological variables. It took over half a century to develop a modern comprehensive operational monitoring and warning system for SCW forecast nationwide since the setup of the first weather radar in 1959. The operational SCW forecasting, including real-time monitoring, warnings valid for tens of minutes, watches valid for several hours, and outlooks covering lead times of up to three days, was established in 2009. Operational monitoring and forecasting of thunderstorms,SDHR, thunderstorm high winds, and hails have been carried out. The performance of operational SCW forecasting will be continually improved in the future with the development of convection-resolving numerical models(CRNMs), the upgrade of weather radar networks, the launch of new-generation meteorological satellites, better understanding of meso-γ and microscale SCW systems, and further application of artificial intelligence technology and CRNM predictions.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31690090,31690091,31830057,32070207)the Foundation of Hubei Hongshan Laboratory(2021hszd014).
文摘Cotton fiber is a highly elongated and thickened single cell that produces large quantities of cellulose,which is synthesized and assembled into cell wall microfibrils by the cellulose synthase complex(CSC).In this study,we report that in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum)fibers harvested during secondary cell wall(SCW)synthesis,GhCesA 4,7,and 8 assembled into heteromers in a previously uncharacterized 36-mer-like cellulose synthase supercomplex(CSS).This super CSC was observed in samples prepared using cotton fiber cells harvested during the SCW synthesis period but not from cotton stem tissue or any samples obtained from Arabidopsis.Knock-out of any of GhCesA 4,7,and 8 resulted in the disappearance of the CSS and the production of fiber cells with no SCW thickening.Cotton fiber CSS showed significantly higher enzyme activity than samples prepared from knock-out cotton lines.We found that the microfibrils from the SCW of wild-type cotton fibers may contain 72 glucan chains in a bundle,unlike other plant materials studied.GhCesA4,7,and 8 restored both the dwarf and reduced vascular bundle phenotypes of their orthologous Arabidopsis mutants,potentially by reforming the CSC hexamers.Genetic complementation was not observed when non-orthologous CesA genes were used,indicating that each of the three subunits is indispensable for CSC formation and for full cellulose synthase function.Characterization of cotton CSS will increase our understanding of the regulation of SCW biosynthesis.
