Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),a family of highly porous materials possessing huge surface areas and feasible chemical tunability,are emerging as critical functional materials to solve the growing challenges associate...Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),a family of highly porous materials possessing huge surface areas and feasible chemical tunability,are emerging as critical functional materials to solve the growing challenges associated with energy-water systems,such as water scarcity issues.In this contribution,the roles of MOFs are highlighted in electrochemical-based water applications(i.e.,reactions,sensing,and separations),where MOF-based functional materials exhibit outstanding performances in detecting/removing pollutants,recovering resources,and harvesting energies from different water sources.Compared with the pristine MOFs,the efficiency and/or selectivity can be further enhanced via rational structural modulation of MOFs(e.g.,partial metal substitution)or integration of MOFs with other functional materials(e.g.,metal clusters and reduced graphene oxide).Several key factors/properties that affect the performances of MOF-based materials are also reviewed,including electronic structures,nanoconfined effects,stability,conductivity,and atomic structures.The advancement in the fundamental understanding of these key factors is expected to shed light on the functioning mechanisms of MOFs(e.g.,charge transfer pathways and vip-host interactions),which will subsequently accelerate the integration of precisely designed MOFs into electrochemical architectures to achieve highly effective water remediation with optimized selectivity and long-term stability.展开更多
The Zhelin Bay is one of the most important bays for large-scale mariculture in Guangdong Province, China. Owing to the increasing human population and the expanding mariculture in the last two decades, the ecological...The Zhelin Bay is one of the most important bays for large-scale mariculture in Guangdong Province, China. Owing to the increasing human population and the expanding mariculture in the last two decades, the ecological environment has greatly changed with frequent harmful algal blooms. A monthly survey of water content, organic matter （TOM）, and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorous in sediment from July 2002 to July 2003 in the bay was conducted. The results showed that the water content was correlated significantly with TOM and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus and can be used as proxy for quick and rough estimate of these factors in the future surveys. TOM was also correlated significantly with various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, indicating that it was one of the key factors affecting the concentrations and distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the investigated waters. Average total Kjeldhal nitrogen （TkN） content was（ 1 113.1 ± 382.5）μg/g and average total phosphorus （TP） content was（567.2± 223.3）μg/g, and both were much higher than those of similar estuaries in China and elsewhere. Average nitrogen and phosphorus tended to be higher inside than outside the bay, higher at aquaculture than non-aquaculture areas, and higher at fish-cage culture than oyster culture areas, suggesting that large-scale mariculture inside the bay played an important role in the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher during the warm season （July--September）, which was due to the increased decomposition and concentration of organic matter resulted from the fast growth and high mortality of the cultured species. Compared with July 2002, TkN and TP contents were much higher in July 2003, in consonance with the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Because exchangeable phosphorus （Ex-P）, iron-bounded phos- phorus （Fe-P） and organic phosphorus （OP） combined accounted for 34.3% of the TP and authigenic phosphorus （Au-P） accounted for 49.2% of the TP, biological phosphorus （BP） that includes Ex-P, Fe-P, OP, and a portion of Au-P, thus accounted for 34.3% to 83.5% of the TP in the Zhelin Bay, which was within the percentage range, but with a high absolute value among the estuaries. Au-P was the most important species of phosphorus and accounted for 49.2% of the TP during the investigation. Since eutrophication in the water column can lead to reduction of pH in sediment and release of phosphorus in Au-P combined with authigenic spodiosite and calcium carbonate, high content of Au-P in the sediment maybe act as a time bomb that can trigger a vicious cycle of eutrophication and large-scale harmful algal bloom in the Zhelin Bay.展开更多
During spawning events, horseshoe crab eggs are released from the female＇s oviducts, and fertilized by one or more males. Eggs are shaped by the female into discrete clutches deposited in nests at depths of 10-20 cm ...During spawning events, horseshoe crab eggs are released from the female＇s oviducts, and fertilized by one or more males. Eggs are shaped by the female into discrete clutches deposited in nests at depths of 10-20 cm on intertidal estuarine beaches. Distinguishing between fxesh eggs and the early developmental stages is obfuscated by the large amount of dense, opaque yolk. The first unambiguous confirmation of development is the formation of the rudimentary prosomatie appendages at the ＂limb bud＂ stage. Several days thereafter, the outer chorion is shed and the developing embryo expands and undergoes a series of molts within the clear inner egg membrane. The trilobite （first iustar） stage thus attained may remain within the beach sedi- ments for several more weeks, until hatching is facilitated by environmental factors such as hydration, agitation, and osmotic shock that accompany the infiltration of seawater into the nests. Trilobites exhibit endogenous eirgatidal swimming rhythms that are entrained by mechanical agitation, suggesting that peaks in larval swimming are timed to coincide with periods of high water and the inundation of the nests. Larval swimming is limited and does not appear to result in long-distance dispersal. The limited dispersal of the larvae has important implications for the population dynamics of relatively isolated populations. The rate of larval development is highly plastic and is influenced by temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and the presence of pollutants. The broad environmental tolerances of horseshoe crab embryos and larvae are important in understanding their current geographic distribution and their evolutionary persistence展开更多
A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with...A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with green alga Chaetomorpha linum, red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae, green plastic artificial plant （stargrass）, and black plastic net, respectively. Increases in wet mass and standard length for the seahorses were significantly higher in the tanks with macroalgae than those without macroalgae. The seahorse survivorships in the two macroalgal treatments were also significantly higher than those of the two treatments without macroalgae. In the treatments with macroalgae, the DO and pH were higher than those without marcoalgae. During the experiment, the color of seahorses was changed to certain extent. In the green background （the treatments with C. linum and stargrass）, 24.1% 28.4% of black seahorses decreased over time; whereas in the black （plastic net） or brown （G. tikvahiae） background treatments, 14.1% 16.3% of yellow seahorses decreased over time, for matching that of the background. Furthermore, the survival rate of seahorse was correlation with DO and pH, and strong correlation with standard length, wet mass and CF. Polyculture with macroalgae, survival rates of seahorse were higher than without macroaglae.展开更多
Adult horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus have long served as models for the study of vision in marine arthropods. Yet, little is known about the ability of early life history stages to detect and respond to visual cue...Adult horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus have long served as models for the study of vision in marine arthropods. Yet, little is known about the ability of early life history stages to detect and respond to visual cues. We examined the visually directed movements of larvae and first stage juveniles to horizons containing dark visual targets of different sizes. The study tested the hypotheses that （1） larval and juvenile crabs can detect and respond to visual targets and （2） the direction of orientation varies with the presence of chemical cues associated with settlement habitats. Orientation of larval and juvenile crabs to rectangles subtending angles from 30--330~ was tested in a circular arena containing water that either lacked estuarine chemical cues （offshore water） or contained odors from aquatic vegetation or known predators. In the absence of chemical odors, larvae oriented toward and juveniles moved away from dark horizons subtending angles 〉 60~. When placed in water containing chemical odors from potential nursery habitats, including the seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme, crabs reversed their direction of orientation relative to their responses in offshore water. Odors from two known predators, the mummichug Fundulus grandis and blue crab Callinectes sapidus, had no affect on the orientation of larvae. Yet, juveniles responded to both odors by moving toward the visual target. Results support the hypothesis that the visual orientation of larval and juvenile horseshoe crabs changes upon exposure to habitat and predator cues and that the direction of the response undergoes an ontogenetic shift following metamorphosis展开更多
Sprites are brief optical emissions occurring above thunderstorms. Features of sprites and their parent thunderstorms and lightning activities have been studied by many researchers. Here, we report a single sprite rec...Sprites are brief optical emissions occurring above thunderstorms. Features of sprites and their parent thunderstorms and lightning activities have been studied by many researchers. Here, we report a single sprite recorded over a mesoscale convective system during its life cycle in Northeast China. The results show that the sprite might have been a dancing one, with a 20 km horizontal displacement from its parent cloud-to-ground flash （CG） and a 38 ms time delay; all the sprite elements occurred during the continuing current process of the parent flash. The peak current of the parent CG was the largest during the almost one-hour time window containing the sprite, and the absolute values of all the negative flashes were smaller than 100 kA during the same time period and did not produce sprite. The sprite did not occur during the time period in which the maximum area of the thunderstorm reached. The occurrence of sprite corresponded well with the decay of the thunderstorm convection, and no significant relationship between the occurrence of sprite and the increase in the 30-35 dBZ and 35-40 dBZ interval was found. The large wind gradient in the 8-12 km region of the thunderstorm may have played an important role in the sprite production.展开更多
This paper reviews recent developments in learning-based adaptive optimal output regulation that aims to solve the problem of adaptive and optimal asymptotic tracking with disturbance rejection.The proposed framework ...This paper reviews recent developments in learning-based adaptive optimal output regulation that aims to solve the problem of adaptive and optimal asymptotic tracking with disturbance rejection.The proposed framework aims to bring together two separate topics—output regulation and adaptive dynamic programming—that have been under extensive investigation due to their broad applications in modern control engineering.Under this framework,one can solve optimal output regulation problems of linear,partially linear,nonlinear,and multi-agent systems in a data-driven manner.We will also review some practical applications based on this framework,such as semi-autonomous vehicles,connected and autonomous vehicles,and nonlinear oscillators.展开更多
Thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system has been regarded as one promising means to alleviate current energy demand because it can directly generate electricity from radiation heat via photons. However, the presently availa...Thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system has been regarded as one promising means to alleviate current energy demand because it can directly generate electricity from radiation heat via photons. However, the presently available TPV systems suffer from low conversion efficiency and low throughput. A viable solution to increase their efficiency is to apply micro/nanoscale radiation principles in the design of different components to utilize the characteristics ~f thermal radiation at small distances and in microstructures. Several critical issues are reviewed, such as photovoltaic effect, quantum efficiency and efficiency of TPV system. Emphasis is given to the development of wavelength-selective emitters and filters and the aspects of micro/nanoscale heat transfer. Recent progress, along with the challenges and opportunities for future development of TPV systems are also outlined.展开更多
Phytoplankton diversity and abundance were determined in ballast water from 26 vessels in the Shanghai Yangshan Deep-Water Port from April 2015 to January 2016. In total, 84 species of phytoplankton were identified, b...Phytoplankton diversity and abundance were determined in ballast water from 26 vessels in the Shanghai Yangshan Deep-Water Port from April 2015 to January 2016. In total, 84 species of phytoplankton were identified, belonging to 43 genera and 5 phyla. Bacillariophyta (75.0%, including 30 genera and 63 species) were the dominant algae in the ballast water. Their density ranged from (5.55±9.62) SD to (1.878±0.872)×10 3 cells/L, with a mean of 410.1 cells/L. Nine potentially harmful phytoplankton taxa were detected: Ceratium furca , Ce . marcroceros , Leptocylindrus danicus , Coscinodiscus radiatus , Co . granii , Prorocentrum micans , Melosira sulcata , Meuniera membranacea and Skeletonema costatum . Our survey and identification results showed that Microcystis aeruginosa , Ankistrodesmus falcatus and Scenedesmus survived in the high-salinity ballast water, even though they are freshwater species. We identified the common features of surviving phytoplankton and impacts on the phytoplankton assemblage of ballast water age and source. Our goal was to understand the adaptative mechanisms of phytoplankton in ballast water, providing statistical and theoretical support for future ballast water research and suggesting a scientific basis of ballast water management and inspection of vessels entering the port.展开更多
The radiative properties of a gold surface with one-dimensional Gaussian random roughness distribution were obtained with the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method and the recursive convolution treatment of th...The radiative properties of a gold surface with one-dimensional Gaussian random roughness distribution were obtained with the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method and the recursive convolution treatment of the Drude Model. The bi-directional reflection distribution function （BRDF） for both TM mode and TE mode were obtained and compared with the highly accurate experimental data from the earlier work. The incident wavelength varies from 1.152 μm to 3.392 μm and incident angle is at 300-70°, respectively. The results show that, the predicted values and experimental results are in good agreement. The highly specular peak in the BRDF is reproduced in the numerical simulations, and the increase of the TM mode BRDF is found to be attributed to the effect of a variation in the optical constant at the incident wavelength period.展开更多
First-principles computation methods play an important role in developing and designing new magnesium alloys.In this article,we present an overview of the first-principles modeling techniques used in recent years to s...First-principles computation methods play an important role in developing and designing new magnesium alloys.In this article,we present an overview of the first-principles modeling techniques used in recent years to simulate ideal models of the structure of strengthening compounds in Mg alloys.For typical Mg compounds,structural stability,mechanical properties,electronic structure and thermodynamic properties have been discussed.Specifically,the elastic anisotropies of these compounds are examined,which is highly correlated with the possibility of inducing micro-cracks.Furthermore,some heterogeneous nucleation interfaces investigated by first-principles method are reviewed.Some of the theoretical results are compared with available experimental observations.We hope to illustrate that the first-principles computation can help to accelerate the design of new Mg-based materials and the development of materials genome initiative.Remaining problems and future directions in this research field are considered.展开更多
A comprehensive dynamic model consisting of 66 reactions and 24 species is developed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of ozone generation by positive pulsed dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） using parallel...A comprehensive dynamic model consisting of 66 reactions and 24 species is developed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of ozone generation by positive pulsed dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） using parallel-plate reactor in air.The electron energy conservation equation is coupled to the electron continuity equation,the heavy species continuity equation,and Poisson＇s equation for a better description.The reliability of the model is experimentally confirmed.The model can be used to predict the temporal and spatial evolution of species,as well as streamer propagation.The simulation results show that electron density increases nearly exponentially in the direction to the anode at the electron avalanche.Streamer propagation velocity is about 5.26×104m/s from anode to cathode in the simulated condition.The primary positive ion,negative ion,and excited species are O_2~＋,O_3^-and O_2（1？g） in pulsed DBD in air,respectively.N_2 O has the largest density among nitrogen oxides.e and N_2~＋densities in the streamer head increase gradually to maximum values with the development of the streamer.Meanwhile,the O_2~＋,O,O_3,N_2（A^3Σ） and N_2 O densities reach maximum values in the vicinity of the anode.展开更多
Smart devices collaborate in increasing the quantity of information hugely. Therefore, traditional archiving couldn’t support this explosion of information. The electronic archive will lead to many advantages such as...Smart devices collaborate in increasing the quantity of information hugely. Therefore, traditional archiving couldn’t support this explosion of information. The electronic archive will lead to many advantages such as faster access, privacy and security, data accessibility, and distribution of authorities between administrative levels. This paper will discuss electronic archiving and whether it is a necessity or an administrative luxury. This research shed some light on three main topics, which are general archiving, distributed database systems, and a case study.展开更多
In recent years, the accuracy of speech recognition (SR) has been one of the most active areas of research. Despite that SR systems are working reasonably well in quiet conditions, they still suffer severe performance...In recent years, the accuracy of speech recognition (SR) has been one of the most active areas of research. Despite that SR systems are working reasonably well in quiet conditions, they still suffer severe performance degradation in noisy conditions or distorted channels. It is necessary to search for more robust feature extraction methods to gain better performance in adverse conditions. This paper investigates the performance of conventional and new hybrid speech feature extraction algorithms of Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficient (MFCC), Linear Prediction Coding Coefficient (LPCC), perceptual linear production (PLP), and RASTA-PLP in noisy conditions through using multivariate Hidden Markov Model (HMM) classifier. The behavior of the proposal system is evaluated using TIDIGIT human voice dataset corpora, recorded from 208 different adult speakers in both training and testing process. The theoretical basis for speech processing and classifier procedures were presented, and the recognition results were obtained based on word recognition rate.展开更多
Invasive species generally possess unique characteristics that allow them to survive the invasion process in order to es- tablish and spread in new habitats. Successful invaders must resist both physical and physiolog...Invasive species generally possess unique characteristics that allow them to survive the invasion process in order to es- tablish and spread in new habitats. Successful invaders must resist both physical and physiological stresses associated with the changing environment. A common littoral barnacle, Chthamalus challengeri Hoek, 1883 （Crustacea, Cirripedia）, which is native to Japan, South Korea and northern China, has become established in the high-littoral zone adjacent to Yangshan Port, Shanghai, China. A comparison of the morphology of Chthamlus species from Zhoushan archipelago with previous description indicates the occur- rence of C. challengeri. The new immigrant becomes a dominant species in certain high-intertidal habitats of the adjacent area to of Yangshan Port. C. challengeri was found in part of sampling sites in Zhoushan in 2010; however, it dispersed to all the eleven sam- piing sites in 2012. Densities of C.challengeri had increased over 10 times in the last 2 years, with the highest mean value reaching 39533 ± 6243 ind. m-2 in the new habitat. The specific ratios of both operculum area （Sa） to base area （SA） and average height of pa- rietal plates （H） to length of base （L） revealed that C. challengeri displays morphological changes to resist stronger currents in the new habitats for invasion.展开更多
The radiative properties of three different materials surfaces with one-dimensional microscale random roughness were obtained with the finite difference time domain method(FDTD) and near-to-far-field transformation.Th...The radiative properties of three different materials surfaces with one-dimensional microscale random roughness were obtained with the finite difference time domain method(FDTD) and near-to-far-field transformation.The surface height conforms to the Gaussian probability density function distribution.Various computational modeling issues that affect the accuracy of the predicted properties were discussed.The results show that,for perfect electric conductor(PEC) surfaces,as the surface roughness increases,the magnitude of the spike reduces and eventually the spike disappears,and also as the ratio of root mean square roughness to the surface correlation distance increases,the retroreflection becomes evident.The predicted values of FDTD solutions are in good agreement with the ray tracing and integral equation solutions.The overall trend of bidirectional reflection distribution function(BRDF) of PEC surfaces and silicon surfaces is the same,but the silicon's is much less than the former's.The BRDF difference from two polarization modes for the gold surfaces is little for smaller wavelength,but it is much larger for the longer wavelength and the FDTD simulation results agree well with the measured data.In terms of PEC surfaces,as the incident angle increases,the reflectivity becomes more specular.展开更多
The objective of this study was to measure the effects of a condensed 90 minute Biofeedback Training (BFT) method on stress response and decision making performance under stress. Forty one novice male participants rec...The objective of this study was to measure the effects of a condensed 90 minute Biofeedback Training (BFT) method on stress response and decision making performance under stress. Forty one novice male participants received either BFT training, which incorporated diaphragmatic breathing with Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), or a control training task. Participants completed pre- and post-training assessments which incorporated a socio evaluative stress induction method followed immediately by performance of a simulation-based decision making under stress scenario. Stress was assessed using real-time physiological measures of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) response and cortisol measures of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis stress response. Perceived stress was measured using the state portion of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and decision making performance was assessed during scenario performance. Results showed that participants in the BFT condition experienced a significant reduction in cortisol from pre-training to post-training, while the control group did not. However, BFT participants did not experience statistically significant reductions in ANS stress response or in perceived stress compared to the control group. Participants in the biofeedback group experienced greater improvements in performance from pre-training to post-training compared to the control group;however, these results only approached statistical significance (p = 0.09). These results suggest that the condensed BFT method has the potential to impart the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the biofeedback-based coping mechanisms;however, it may require additional practice time to allow the technique to be utilized more effectively.展开更多
In order to improve the video transmission performance in Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing （MIMO-OFDM） system, a new scheme, which integrates Multiple Description Coding （MD...In order to improve the video transmission performance in Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing （MIMO-OFDM） system, a new scheme, which integrates Multiple Description Coding （MDC）, Low Density Parity Check （LDPC） coding and hybrid space time coding, is proposed in this letter. In particular, a hybrid space time coding algorithm is combined with LDPC codes to perform Unequal Error Protection （UEP） of MDC encoded video streams. Comparing with the UEP transmission with only LDPC codes, the proposed scheme achieves more than ldB gain in terms of Signal to Noise Ratio （SNR） when the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio （PSNR） of reconstructed video is above 30dB.展开更多
A broadband microstrip patch antenna, loaded E-U-shaped open slot on backward of radiating layer is proposed and experimentally investigated. The antenna employs a foam-filled dielectric substrate, whose dielectric co...A broadband microstrip patch antenna, loaded E-U-shaped open slot on backward of radiating layer is proposed and experimentally investigated. The antenna employs a foam-filled dielectric substrate, whose dielectric constant is within the lower end of the range. The proposed antenna has been designed for electromagnetic analysis including the impedance bandwidth, reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and antenna gain. The open slot is loaded on the back radiated layer, which is perpendicular to the radiating edge of the oblong microstrip patch component, where the symmetric line feed is selected. This new technique used to increase the bandwidth and the gain of antenna through increasing current path by slot location, width and length on backward of radiating Layer. The main structure in this research was a single microstrip patch antenna planar with three layers operating at two resonant frequencies 4.440 GHz and 5.833 GHz. All the simulated results are confirmed by two packages of electromagnetism simulation. An impedance bandwidth (S11 ≤ ?10 dB) up to about 41.03% and 30.61% is achieved by individually optimizing its parameters. The antenna exhibits nearly stable radiation pattern with a maximum gains of 8.789 dBi and 9.966 dBi, which is suitable for Wi-Fi Band, satellite communications, and wireless presented. Whereas the results before this design that we have a proof of publication are 36.17% and 28.43%.展开更多
A new method for the analysis of protein colloidal diameter has been developed using three existing protein concentration quantification techniques, absorption at 280 nm, colloidal gold assay, and DC protein assay. Pr...A new method for the analysis of protein colloidal diameter has been developed using three existing protein concentration quantification techniques, absorption at 280 nm, colloidal gold assay, and DC protein assay. Protein colloids are formed in the process of aggregation and are thought to be intermediates in protein self-assembly and formation of amyloid fiber. Deposition of the protein fibers in tissues leads to numerous human diseases including Alzheimer’s. Lysozyme was incubated at pH 2.0, 55°C, an environment conducive to amyloid fiber formation. The protein colloids present in the supernatant of the samples after centrifugation were studied over a time course of 30 days. The OD 280 assay detects total protein concentration based on absorption of radiation in the near UV. The colloidal gold assay and DC protein assay only measure colloidal sphere surface protein concentration. Due to the surface plasmon resonance, the light absorption spectrum changes when proteins bind to colloidal gold particles. Using the measured protein concentration on the surface of protein colloids along with the total measured protein concentration in the entire protein colloidal spheres, an interior protein concentration for all colloids is obtained. The protein colloidal sphere size can be calculated by using the ratio between the interior protein concentration and total protein concentration. Results indicate that the colloidal gold assay, DC protein assay, and OD 280 assay can be used to quantify the size of the protein colloids. The colloidal gold assay and DC protein assay are both independently effective in analysis of surface protein concentration in protein colloids. The DC protein assay was found to be much quicker in data production as it only requires 15 minutes of incubation time. The DC protein assay was also more reliable than the colloidal gold assay in accuracy and precision of results.展开更多
基金supported by the start-up package and COES Institutional Research Incentive Program at the Florida Institute of Technology.
文摘Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),a family of highly porous materials possessing huge surface areas and feasible chemical tunability,are emerging as critical functional materials to solve the growing challenges associated with energy-water systems,such as water scarcity issues.In this contribution,the roles of MOFs are highlighted in electrochemical-based water applications(i.e.,reactions,sensing,and separations),where MOF-based functional materials exhibit outstanding performances in detecting/removing pollutants,recovering resources,and harvesting energies from different water sources.Compared with the pristine MOFs,the efficiency and/or selectivity can be further enhanced via rational structural modulation of MOFs(e.g.,partial metal substitution)or integration of MOFs with other functional materials(e.g.,metal clusters and reduced graphene oxide).Several key factors/properties that affect the performances of MOF-based materials are also reviewed,including electronic structures,nanoconfined effects,stability,conductivity,and atomic structures.The advancement in the fundamental understanding of these key factors is expected to shed light on the functioning mechanisms of MOFs(e.g.,charge transfer pathways and vip-host interactions),which will subsequently accelerate the integration of precisely designed MOFs into electrochemical architectures to achieve highly effective water remediation with optimized selectivity and long-term stability.
基金The Major Projects of Wenzhou Medical College under contract No XNK06008the Major Marine Technology Projects of Guangdong Province under contract No A200005F02
文摘The Zhelin Bay is one of the most important bays for large-scale mariculture in Guangdong Province, China. Owing to the increasing human population and the expanding mariculture in the last two decades, the ecological environment has greatly changed with frequent harmful algal blooms. A monthly survey of water content, organic matter （TOM）, and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorous in sediment from July 2002 to July 2003 in the bay was conducted. The results showed that the water content was correlated significantly with TOM and various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus and can be used as proxy for quick and rough estimate of these factors in the future surveys. TOM was also correlated significantly with various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus, indicating that it was one of the key factors affecting the concentrations and distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus in the investigated waters. Average total Kjeldhal nitrogen （TkN） content was（ 1 113.1 ± 382.5）μg/g and average total phosphorus （TP） content was（567.2± 223.3）μg/g, and both were much higher than those of similar estuaries in China and elsewhere. Average nitrogen and phosphorus tended to be higher inside than outside the bay, higher at aquaculture than non-aquaculture areas, and higher at fish-cage culture than oyster culture areas, suggesting that large-scale mariculture inside the bay played an important role in the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Various forms of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations were higher during the warm season （July--September）, which was due to the increased decomposition and concentration of organic matter resulted from the fast growth and high mortality of the cultured species. Compared with July 2002, TkN and TP contents were much higher in July 2003, in consonance with the eutrophication of the Zhelin Bay. Because exchangeable phosphorus （Ex-P）, iron-bounded phos- phorus （Fe-P） and organic phosphorus （OP） combined accounted for 34.3% of the TP and authigenic phosphorus （Au-P） accounted for 49.2% of the TP, biological phosphorus （BP） that includes Ex-P, Fe-P, OP, and a portion of Au-P, thus accounted for 34.3% to 83.5% of the TP in the Zhelin Bay, which was within the percentage range, but with a high absolute value among the estuaries. Au-P was the most important species of phosphorus and accounted for 49.2% of the TP during the investigation. Since eutrophication in the water column can lead to reduction of pH in sediment and release of phosphorus in Au-P combined with authigenic spodiosite and calcium carbonate, high content of Au-P in the sediment maybe act as a time bomb that can trigger a vicious cycle of eutrophication and large-scale harmful algal bloom in the Zhelin Bay.
基金supported by a series of awards from New Jersey Sea Grantsupport from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia Districtsupported by National Park Service Grants Nos.CA518099049 and PS 180060016
文摘During spawning events, horseshoe crab eggs are released from the female＇s oviducts, and fertilized by one or more males. Eggs are shaped by the female into discrete clutches deposited in nests at depths of 10-20 cm on intertidal estuarine beaches. Distinguishing between fxesh eggs and the early developmental stages is obfuscated by the large amount of dense, opaque yolk. The first unambiguous confirmation of development is the formation of the rudimentary prosomatie appendages at the ＂limb bud＂ stage. Several days thereafter, the outer chorion is shed and the developing embryo expands and undergoes a series of molts within the clear inner egg membrane. The trilobite （first iustar） stage thus attained may remain within the beach sedi- ments for several more weeks, until hatching is facilitated by environmental factors such as hydration, agitation, and osmotic shock that accompany the infiltration of seawater into the nests. Trilobites exhibit endogenous eirgatidal swimming rhythms that are entrained by mechanical agitation, suggesting that peaks in larval swimming are timed to coincide with periods of high water and the inundation of the nests. Larval swimming is limited and does not appear to result in long-distance dispersal. The limited dispersal of the larvae has important implications for the population dynamics of relatively isolated populations. The rate of larval development is highly plastic and is influenced by temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and the presence of pollutants. The broad environmental tolerances of horseshoe crab embryos and larvae are important in understanding their current geographic distribution and their evolutionary persistence
基金The National Basic Research Program of China under contract No. 2006CB400608Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau under contract Nos 2005A610025 and 2006A610087K C Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University
文摘A two-month study was conducted to test the effects of macroalgae on the growth and survivorship of juvenile lined seahorse （Hippocarapus erectus） in aquaria. Twenty-day old seahorses were cultured in the tanks with green alga Chaetomorpha linum, red alga Gracilaria tikvahiae, green plastic artificial plant （stargrass）, and black plastic net, respectively. Increases in wet mass and standard length for the seahorses were significantly higher in the tanks with macroalgae than those without macroalgae. The seahorse survivorships in the two macroalgal treatments were also significantly higher than those of the two treatments without macroalgae. In the treatments with macroalgae, the DO and pH were higher than those without marcoalgae. During the experiment, the color of seahorses was changed to certain extent. In the green background （the treatments with C. linum and stargrass）, 24.1% 28.4% of black seahorses decreased over time; whereas in the black （plastic net） or brown （G. tikvahiae） background treatments, 14.1% 16.3% of yellow seahorses decreased over time, for matching that of the background. Furthermore, the survival rate of seahorse was correlation with DO and pH, and strong correlation with standard length, wet mass and CF. Polyculture with macroalgae, survival rates of seahorse were higher than without macroaglae.
基金supported by a grant from the National Park Service (PS180060016)supported by a Graduate Teaching Fellowship (GK-12) from the National Science Foundation (Florida Tech INSTEP Program) under grant Nos.DGE 0440529 and 0638702
文摘Adult horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus have long served as models for the study of vision in marine arthropods. Yet, little is known about the ability of early life history stages to detect and respond to visual cues. We examined the visually directed movements of larvae and first stage juveniles to horizons containing dark visual targets of different sizes. The study tested the hypotheses that （1） larval and juvenile crabs can detect and respond to visual targets and （2） the direction of orientation varies with the presence of chemical cues associated with settlement habitats. Orientation of larval and juvenile crabs to rectangles subtending angles from 30--330~ was tested in a circular arena containing water that either lacked estuarine chemical cues （offshore water） or contained odors from aquatic vegetation or known predators. In the absence of chemical odors, larvae oriented toward and juveniles moved away from dark horizons subtending angles 〉 60~. When placed in water containing chemical odors from potential nursery habitats, including the seagrasses Halodule wrightii and Syringodium filiforme, crabs reversed their direction of orientation relative to their responses in offshore water. Odors from two known predators, the mummichug Fundulus grandis and blue crab Callinectes sapidus, had no affect on the orientation of larvae. Yet, juveniles responded to both odors by moving toward the visual target. Results support the hypothesis that the visual orientation of larval and juvenile horseshoe crabs changes upon exposure to habitat and predator cues and that the direction of the response undergoes an ontogenetic shift following metamorphosis
基金supported jointly by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41374153 and 41574141)the High Resolution Earth Observation Funds for Young Scientists(Grant No.GFZX04060103-711)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.2013053)
文摘Sprites are brief optical emissions occurring above thunderstorms. Features of sprites and their parent thunderstorms and lightning activities have been studied by many researchers. Here, we report a single sprite recorded over a mesoscale convective system during its life cycle in Northeast China. The results show that the sprite might have been a dancing one, with a 20 km horizontal displacement from its parent cloud-to-ground flash （CG） and a 38 ms time delay; all the sprite elements occurred during the continuing current process of the parent flash. The peak current of the parent CG was the largest during the almost one-hour time window containing the sprite, and the absolute values of all the negative flashes were smaller than 100 kA during the same time period and did not produce sprite. The sprite did not occur during the time period in which the maximum area of the thunderstorm reached. The occurrence of sprite corresponded well with the decay of the thunderstorm convection, and no significant relationship between the occurrence of sprite and the increase in the 30-35 dBZ and 35-40 dBZ interval was found. The large wind gradient in the 8-12 km region of the thunderstorm may have played an important role in the sprite production.
文摘This paper reviews recent developments in learning-based adaptive optimal output regulation that aims to solve the problem of adaptive and optimal asymptotic tracking with disturbance rejection.The proposed framework aims to bring together two separate topics—output regulation and adaptive dynamic programming—that have been under extensive investigation due to their broad applications in modern control engineering.Under this framework,one can solve optimal output regulation problems of linear,partially linear,nonlinear,and multi-agent systems in a data-driven manner.We will also review some practical applications based on this framework,such as semi-autonomous vehicles,connected and autonomous vehicles,and nonlinear oscillators.
基金Project(2009AA05Z215) supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China
文摘Thermophotovoltaic （TPV） system has been regarded as one promising means to alleviate current energy demand because it can directly generate electricity from radiation heat via photons. However, the presently available TPV systems suffer from low conversion efficiency and low throughput. A viable solution to increase their efficiency is to apply micro/nanoscale radiation principles in the design of different components to utilize the characteristics ~f thermal radiation at small distances and in microstructures. Several critical issues are reviewed, such as photovoltaic effect, quantum efficiency and efficiency of TPV system. Emphasis is given to the development of wavelength-selective emitters and filters and the aspects of micro/nanoscale heat transfer. Recent progress, along with the challenges and opportunities for future development of TPV systems are also outlined.
基金Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai(No.15ZR1420900)the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Research Project(No.17DZ1202905)the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Development Platform Special(No.16DZ2293800)
文摘Phytoplankton diversity and abundance were determined in ballast water from 26 vessels in the Shanghai Yangshan Deep-Water Port from April 2015 to January 2016. In total, 84 species of phytoplankton were identified, belonging to 43 genera and 5 phyla. Bacillariophyta (75.0%, including 30 genera and 63 species) were the dominant algae in the ballast water. Their density ranged from (5.55±9.62) SD to (1.878±0.872)×10 3 cells/L, with a mean of 410.1 cells/L. Nine potentially harmful phytoplankton taxa were detected: Ceratium furca , Ce . marcroceros , Leptocylindrus danicus , Coscinodiscus radiatus , Co . granii , Prorocentrum micans , Melosira sulcata , Meuniera membranacea and Skeletonema costatum . Our survey and identification results showed that Microcystis aeruginosa , Ankistrodesmus falcatus and Scenedesmus survived in the high-salinity ballast water, even though they are freshwater species. We identified the common features of surviving phytoplankton and impacts on the phytoplankton assemblage of ballast water age and source. Our goal was to understand the adaptative mechanisms of phytoplankton in ballast water, providing statistical and theoretical support for future ballast water research and suggesting a scientific basis of ballast water management and inspection of vessels entering the port.
基金Project(N110204015) supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
文摘The radiative properties of a gold surface with one-dimensional Gaussian random roughness distribution were obtained with the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method and the recursive convolution treatment of the Drude Model. The bi-directional reflection distribution function （BRDF） for both TM mode and TE mode were obtained and compared with the highly accurate experimental data from the earlier work. The incident wavelength varies from 1.152 μm to 3.392 μm and incident angle is at 300-70°, respectively. The results show that, the predicted values and experimental results are in good agreement. The highly specular peak in the BRDF is reproduced in the numerical simulations, and the increase of the TM mode BRDF is found to be attributed to the effect of a variation in the optical constant at the incident wavelength period.
基金the National Key Basic Research Program under the Grant No.2012CB932203the Croucher Foundation(No.9500006)+1 种基金Hong Kong Collaborative Research Fund(CRF)Scheme(No.C4028-14G)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51464034)
文摘First-principles computation methods play an important role in developing and designing new magnesium alloys.In this article,we present an overview of the first-principles modeling techniques used in recent years to simulate ideal models of the structure of strengthening compounds in Mg alloys.For typical Mg compounds,structural stability,mechanical properties,electronic structure and thermodynamic properties have been discussed.Specifically,the elastic anisotropies of these compounds are examined,which is highly correlated with the possibility of inducing micro-cracks.Furthermore,some heterogeneous nucleation interfaces investigated by first-principles method are reviewed.Some of the theoretical results are compared with available experimental observations.We hope to illustrate that the first-principles computation can help to accelerate the design of new Mg-based materials and the development of materials genome initiative.Remaining problems and future directions in this research field are considered.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51366012 and 11105067)Jiangxi Province Young Scientists(Jinggang Star)Cultivation Plan of China(No.20133BCB23008)+1 种基金Natural Science Foundation of Jiangxi,China(No.20151BAB206047)Jiangxi Province Higher School Science and Technology Landing Plan of China(No.KJLD-14015)
文摘A comprehensive dynamic model consisting of 66 reactions and 24 species is developed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of ozone generation by positive pulsed dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） using parallel-plate reactor in air.The electron energy conservation equation is coupled to the electron continuity equation,the heavy species continuity equation,and Poisson＇s equation for a better description.The reliability of the model is experimentally confirmed.The model can be used to predict the temporal and spatial evolution of species,as well as streamer propagation.The simulation results show that electron density increases nearly exponentially in the direction to the anode at the electron avalanche.Streamer propagation velocity is about 5.26×104m/s from anode to cathode in the simulated condition.The primary positive ion,negative ion,and excited species are O_2~＋,O_3^-and O_2（1？g） in pulsed DBD in air,respectively.N_2 O has the largest density among nitrogen oxides.e and N_2~＋densities in the streamer head increase gradually to maximum values with the development of the streamer.Meanwhile,the O_2~＋,O,O_3,N_2（A^3Σ） and N_2 O densities reach maximum values in the vicinity of the anode.
文摘Smart devices collaborate in increasing the quantity of information hugely. Therefore, traditional archiving couldn’t support this explosion of information. The electronic archive will lead to many advantages such as faster access, privacy and security, data accessibility, and distribution of authorities between administrative levels. This paper will discuss electronic archiving and whether it is a necessity or an administrative luxury. This research shed some light on three main topics, which are general archiving, distributed database systems, and a case study.
文摘In recent years, the accuracy of speech recognition (SR) has been one of the most active areas of research. Despite that SR systems are working reasonably well in quiet conditions, they still suffer severe performance degradation in noisy conditions or distorted channels. It is necessary to search for more robust feature extraction methods to gain better performance in adverse conditions. This paper investigates the performance of conventional and new hybrid speech feature extraction algorithms of Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficient (MFCC), Linear Prediction Coding Coefficient (LPCC), perceptual linear production (PLP), and RASTA-PLP in noisy conditions through using multivariate Hidden Markov Model (HMM) classifier. The behavior of the proposal system is evaluated using TIDIGIT human voice dataset corpora, recorded from 208 different adult speakers in both training and testing process. The theoretical basis for speech processing and classifier procedures were presented, and the recognition results were obtained based on word recognition rate.
基金supported by China’s National Special Research Fund for Non-Profit Marine Sector (No. 2013418027)Marine Biology Program of Shanghai Leading Academic Disipline (No. J50701)+1 种基金Marine Special Fund of Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (No. 11dz1205000)a Doctoral Research Fund from Shanghai Ocean University (No. A2-0302-14-300084)
文摘Invasive species generally possess unique characteristics that allow them to survive the invasion process in order to es- tablish and spread in new habitats. Successful invaders must resist both physical and physiological stresses associated with the changing environment. A common littoral barnacle, Chthamalus challengeri Hoek, 1883 （Crustacea, Cirripedia）, which is native to Japan, South Korea and northern China, has become established in the high-littoral zone adjacent to Yangshan Port, Shanghai, China. A comparison of the morphology of Chthamlus species from Zhoushan archipelago with previous description indicates the occur- rence of C. challengeri. The new immigrant becomes a dominant species in certain high-intertidal habitats of the adjacent area to of Yangshan Port. C. challengeri was found in part of sampling sites in Zhoushan in 2010; however, it dispersed to all the eleven sam- piing sites in 2012. Densities of C.challengeri had increased over 10 times in the last 2 years, with the highest mean value reaching 39533 ± 6243 ind. m-2 in the new habitat. The specific ratios of both operculum area （Sa） to base area （SA） and average height of pa- rietal plates （H） to length of base （L） revealed that C. challengeri displays morphological changes to resist stronger currents in the new habitats for invasion.
基金Project(2009AA05Z215) supported by the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China
文摘The radiative properties of three different materials surfaces with one-dimensional microscale random roughness were obtained with the finite difference time domain method(FDTD) and near-to-far-field transformation.The surface height conforms to the Gaussian probability density function distribution.Various computational modeling issues that affect the accuracy of the predicted properties were discussed.The results show that,for perfect electric conductor(PEC) surfaces,as the surface roughness increases,the magnitude of the spike reduces and eventually the spike disappears,and also as the ratio of root mean square roughness to the surface correlation distance increases,the retroreflection becomes evident.The predicted values of FDTD solutions are in good agreement with the ray tracing and integral equation solutions.The overall trend of bidirectional reflection distribution function(BRDF) of PEC surfaces and silicon surfaces is the same,but the silicon's is much less than the former's.The BRDF difference from two polarization modes for the gold surfaces is little for smaller wavelength,but it is much larger for the longer wavelength and the FDTD simulation results agree well with the measured data.In terms of PEC surfaces,as the incident angle increases,the reflectivity becomes more specular.
文摘The objective of this study was to measure the effects of a condensed 90 minute Biofeedback Training (BFT) method on stress response and decision making performance under stress. Forty one novice male participants received either BFT training, which incorporated diaphragmatic breathing with Stress Inoculation Training (SIT), or a control training task. Participants completed pre- and post-training assessments which incorporated a socio evaluative stress induction method followed immediately by performance of a simulation-based decision making under stress scenario. Stress was assessed using real-time physiological measures of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) response and cortisol measures of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis stress response. Perceived stress was measured using the state portion of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and decision making performance was assessed during scenario performance. Results showed that participants in the BFT condition experienced a significant reduction in cortisol from pre-training to post-training, while the control group did not. However, BFT participants did not experience statistically significant reductions in ANS stress response or in perceived stress compared to the control group. Participants in the biofeedback group experienced greater improvements in performance from pre-training to post-training compared to the control group;however, these results only approached statistical significance (p = 0.09). These results suggest that the condensed BFT method has the potential to impart the knowledge and skills necessary to implement the biofeedback-based coping mechanisms;however, it may require additional practice time to allow the technique to be utilized more effectively.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60328103).
文摘In order to improve the video transmission performance in Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing （MIMO-OFDM） system, a new scheme, which integrates Multiple Description Coding （MDC）, Low Density Parity Check （LDPC） coding and hybrid space time coding, is proposed in this letter. In particular, a hybrid space time coding algorithm is combined with LDPC codes to perform Unequal Error Protection （UEP） of MDC encoded video streams. Comparing with the UEP transmission with only LDPC codes, the proposed scheme achieves more than ldB gain in terms of Signal to Noise Ratio （SNR） when the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio （PSNR） of reconstructed video is above 30dB.
文摘A broadband microstrip patch antenna, loaded E-U-shaped open slot on backward of radiating layer is proposed and experimentally investigated. The antenna employs a foam-filled dielectric substrate, whose dielectric constant is within the lower end of the range. The proposed antenna has been designed for electromagnetic analysis including the impedance bandwidth, reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, and antenna gain. The open slot is loaded on the back radiated layer, which is perpendicular to the radiating edge of the oblong microstrip patch component, where the symmetric line feed is selected. This new technique used to increase the bandwidth and the gain of antenna through increasing current path by slot location, width and length on backward of radiating Layer. The main structure in this research was a single microstrip patch antenna planar with three layers operating at two resonant frequencies 4.440 GHz and 5.833 GHz. All the simulated results are confirmed by two packages of electromagnetism simulation. An impedance bandwidth (S11 ≤ ?10 dB) up to about 41.03% and 30.61% is achieved by individually optimizing its parameters. The antenna exhibits nearly stable radiation pattern with a maximum gains of 8.789 dBi and 9.966 dBi, which is suitable for Wi-Fi Band, satellite communications, and wireless presented. Whereas the results before this design that we have a proof of publication are 36.17% and 28.43%.
文摘A new method for the analysis of protein colloidal diameter has been developed using three existing protein concentration quantification techniques, absorption at 280 nm, colloidal gold assay, and DC protein assay. Protein colloids are formed in the process of aggregation and are thought to be intermediates in protein self-assembly and formation of amyloid fiber. Deposition of the protein fibers in tissues leads to numerous human diseases including Alzheimer’s. Lysozyme was incubated at pH 2.0, 55°C, an environment conducive to amyloid fiber formation. The protein colloids present in the supernatant of the samples after centrifugation were studied over a time course of 30 days. The OD 280 assay detects total protein concentration based on absorption of radiation in the near UV. The colloidal gold assay and DC protein assay only measure colloidal sphere surface protein concentration. Due to the surface plasmon resonance, the light absorption spectrum changes when proteins bind to colloidal gold particles. Using the measured protein concentration on the surface of protein colloids along with the total measured protein concentration in the entire protein colloidal spheres, an interior protein concentration for all colloids is obtained. The protein colloidal sphere size can be calculated by using the ratio between the interior protein concentration and total protein concentration. Results indicate that the colloidal gold assay, DC protein assay, and OD 280 assay can be used to quantify the size of the protein colloids. The colloidal gold assay and DC protein assay are both independently effective in analysis of surface protein concentration in protein colloids. The DC protein assay was found to be much quicker in data production as it only requires 15 minutes of incubation time. The DC protein assay was also more reliable than the colloidal gold assay in accuracy and precision of results.
