One hundred and thirteen mid-lactation cows fed same diets and supplemented with 20 g/d rumen-protected methionine (RPM) for 8 weeks were used to investigate the individual responses of dairy cows to RPM in terms of lactation performance, amino acids (AA) metabolism, and milk metabolites. Among the cows, 10 cows exhibited positive responses (PR) and 10 cows showed limited responses (LR) in energy-corrected milk yield to RPM were used for further analysis. The lactation performance changed from gradual decline to steady increase in PR cows, while kept downward trend in LR cows following RPM supplementation. In PR cows, the AA metabolism was notably enhanced after RPM supplementation, evidenced by increased mammary blood flow (69.4%, P = 0.05), mammary uptake and clearance rate and uptake-to-output ratio (U:O) of essential AA. The improved AA metabolism could be attributed to the enrichment of pyrimidine (P = 0.06) and pyruvate (P = 0.07) metabolism pathways, which may have stimulated mammary cell proliferation and enhanced AA uptake. Additionally, the upregulation of milk biotin (fold change > 2, variable importance projection > 1), known to support milk yield, likely contributed to the PR observed in PR cows. Conversely, in LR cows, RPM supplementation did not improve AA metabolism, decrease was observed in mammary uptake, mammary clearance rate, and U:O of cysteine, potentially due to cysteine being irreversibly converted from methionine. Moreover, the enrichment of central carbon metabolism in cancer pathway (P = 0.06), which also utilize methionine, along with the lysine degradation pathway (P = 0.04), suggests that methionine in the mammary glands may have been diverted toward non-lactational metabolic processes, resulting in absence of PR in LR cows. Our results indicate that the responses to RPM in dairy cows are individualized, with variation in lactation performance likely driven by differential AA metabolism.

In recent years, autonomous control based on contact inspections in unknown environments is a new hot and difficult point in robotics research. This paper presents a new control law for unmanned aerial manipulator (UAM) to perform contact inspection tasks on vertical surfaces. The selected circular image feature decouples the position and attitude of UAM, so an image-based impedance control is proposed to control the position and track the contact force. The developed controller uses geometric methods to control the attitude. In addition, the designed aerial manipulator decouples the roll and pitch of the UAV from the UAV, which improves the system’s stability. Experiments have been carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of this method.

To address the shortcomings of existing methods for rotorcraft searching, positioning, tracking and landing on a ship at sea, a dual-channel LIDAR searching, positioning, tracking and landing system (DCLSPTLS) is proposed in this paper, which utilises the multi-pulse laser echoes accumulation method and the physical phenomenon that the laser reflectivity of the ship deck in the near-infrared band is four orders of magnitude higher than that of the sea surface. The DCLSPTLS searching and positioning model, tracking model and landing model are established, respectively. The searching and positioning model can provide estimates of the azimuth angle, the distance of the ship relative to the rotorcraft and the ship's course. With the above parameters as inputs, the total tracking time and the direction of the rotorcraft tracking speed can be obtained by using the tracking model. The landing model can calculate the pitch and the roll angles of the ship's deck relative to the rotorcraft by using the least squares method and the laser irradiation coordinates. The simulation shows that the DCLSPTLS can realise the functions of rotorcraft searching, positioning, tracking and landing by using the above parameters. To verify the effectiveness of the DCLSPTLS, a functional test is performed using a rotorcraft and a model ship on a lake. The test results are consistent with the results of the simulation.

This study is performed to figure out how the presence of diabetes affects the infection, progression and prognosis of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the effective therapy that can treat the diabetes-complicated patients with COVID-19. A multicentre study was performed in four hospitals. COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) or hyperglycaemia were compared with those without these conditions and matched by propensity score matching for their clinical progress and outcome. Totally, 2444 confirmed COVID-19 patients were recruited, from whom 336 had DM. Compared to 1344 non-DM patients with age and sex matched, DM-COVID-19 patients had significantly higher rates of intensive care unit entrance (12.43% vs. 6.58%, P = 0.014), kidney failure (9.20% vs. 4.05%, P = 0.027) and mortality (25.00% vs. 18.15%, P < 0.001). Age and sex-stratified comparison revealed increased susceptibility to COVID-19 only from females with DM. For either non-DM or DM group, hyperglycaemia was associated with adverse outcomes, featured by higher rates of severe pneumonia and mortality, in comparison with non-hyperglycaemia. This was accompanied by significantly altered laboratory indicators including lymphocyte and neutrophil percentage, C-reactive protein and urea nitrogen level, all with correlation coefficients >0.35. Both diabetes and hyperglycaemia were independently associated with adverse prognosis of COVID-19, with hazard ratios of 10.41 and 3.58, respectively.

Extensive magmatism in NE China, eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, has produced multi-stage granitic plutons and accompanying W mineralization. The Narenwula complex in the southwestern Great Xing’an Range provides important insights into the petrogenesis, geodynamic processes and relationship with W mineralization. The complex comprises granodiorites, monzogranites and granite porphyry. Mafic microgranular enclaves are common in the granodiorites, and have similar zircon U–Pb ages as their host rocks (258.5–253.9 Ma), whereas the W-bearing granitoids yield emplacement ages of 149.8–148.1 Ma. Permian granodiorites are I-type granites that are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements and light rare earth elements, and depleted in high field strength elements and heavy rare earth elements. Both the mafic microgranular enclaves and granodiorites have nearly identical zircon Hf isotopic compositions. The results suggest that the mafic microgranular enclaves and granodiorites formed by the mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. W-bearing granitoids are highly fractionated A-type granites, enriched in Rb, Th, U and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Sr, P, Ti and Eu. They have higher W concentrations and Rb/Sr ratios, and lower Nb/Ta, Zr/Hf and K/Rb ratios than the W-barren granodiorites. These data and negative ϵHf(t) values (–6.0 to –2.1) suggest that they were derived from the partial melting of ancient lower crust and subsequently underwent extreme fractional crystallization. Based on the regional geology, we propose that the granodiorites were generated in a volcanic arc setting related to the subduction of the Palaeo-Asian Ocean, whereas the W-bearing granitoids and associated deposits formed in a post-orogenic extensional setting controlled by the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean and Palaeo-Pacific Ocean tectonic regimes.

Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in China (JUNA) will take the advantage of the ultra-low background in Jinping underground lab. High current accelerator with an ECR source and detectors were commissioned. JUNA plans to study directly a number of nuclear reactions important to hydrostatic stellar evolution at their relevant stellar energies. At the first period, JUNA aims at the direct measurements of 25Mg(p,γ)26 Al, 19F(p,α) 16 O, 13C(α, n) 16O and 12C(α,γ) 16O near the Gamow window. The current progress of JUNA will be given.

The topological insulator/superconductor heterostructure is one of the most promising platforms to create and manipulate Majorana bound states. Here, we used molecular beam epitaxy to grow high-quality (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 films on Nb surfaces. To promote proper (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 film nucleation in the early growth stage, we developed a two-step growth method. Bi, Sb, and Te clusters were first evaporated at a low temperature of 180 °C, which is below the typical growth temperature and then annealed to form a crystalized passivation layer. Second, a standard (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 film was grown under the normal deposition temperature of 280 °C. We used reflection high-energy electron diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction to further characterize the (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3 film and passivation layer quality. Finally, the top Nb film was laid down by magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The hetero-Nb/epitaxial (Bi0.5Sb0.5)2Te3/Nb stacks were further fabricated into micro-Josephson junctions and showed clear Josephson currents demonstrating an excellent material quality.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters and space group for azilsartan, C25H20N4O5, are reported [a = 9.641(3) Å, b = 11.301(9) Å, c = 20.010(8) Å, α = 90°, β = 90.351(5)°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 2196.735(4) Å3, Z = 4, ρcal = 1.379 g·cm−3, and space group P21/c]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21/c space group. No detectable impurities were observed.

Multiplicative noise removal is a challenging problem in image restoration. In this paper, by applying Box-Cox transformation, we convert the multiplicative noise removal problem into the additive noise removal problem and the block matching three dimensional (BM3D) method is applied to get the final recovered image. Indeed, BM3D is an effective method to remove additive Gaussian white noise in images. A maximum likelihood method is designed to determine the parameter in the Box-Cox transformation. We also present the unbiased inverse transform for the Box-Cox transformation which is important. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results illustrate clearly that the proposed method can remove multiplicative noise very well especially when multiplicative noise is heavy. The proposed method is superior to the existing methods for multiplicative noise removal in the literature.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for alogliptin benzoate, C18H21N5O2·C7H6O2, are reported [a = 28.8260(8) Å, b = 9.9654(4) Å, c = 8.1477(8) Å, α = 90, β = 90, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 2340.57 Å3, Z = 4, ρcal = 1.3097 g cm−3, and space group P212121]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P212121 space group, No detectable impurities were observed.

X-ray powder diffraction data, unit-cell parameters, and space group for deferasirox, C21H15N3O4, are reported [a = 8.821(7) Å, b = 26.798(2) Å, c = 7.540(4) Å, α = 90°, β = 94.655(2)°, γ = 90°, unit-cell volume V = 1776.7(3) Å3, Z = 4, ρcal = 1.396 g cm−3, and space group P21/c]. All measured lines were indexed and are consistent with the P21/c space group. No detectable impurity was observed.

In this paper, the recent studies of laboratory astrophysics with strong magnetic fields in China have been reviewed. On the Shenguang-II laser facility of the National Laboratory on High-Power Lasers and Physics, a laser-driven strong magnetic field up to 200 T has been achieved. The experiment was performed to model the interaction of solar wind with dayside magnetosphere. Also the low beta plasma magnetic reconnection (MR) has been studied. Theoretically, the model has been developed to deal with the atomic structures and processes in strong magnetic field. Also the study of shock wave generation in the magnetized counter-streaming plasmas is introduced.

X-ray powder diffraction data for 5,6-dihydro-3-(4-morpholinyl)-1-[4-(2-oxo-1-piperidinyl)phenyl]-2(1H)-pyridinone, C20H25N3O3, are reported [a = 5.989(2), b = 6.669(3), c = 24.605(5)Å, α = 84.466(7)°, β = 89.859(6)°, γ = 69.074(4)°, unit-cell volume V = 913.11 Å3, Z = 2, and space group P−1]. No detectable impurities were observed.

On April 25, 2015, a massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal at 2:11 pm (Beijing time). The 68-member-strong China International Search & Rescue Team (CISAR) left for Nepal at 6 am, April 26, to help with relief work. The CISAR was the first foreign team to rescue a survivor who was trapped beneath the rubble in the Gongabu area after the earthquake. On May 8, the team fulfilled the search-and-rescue mission and returned to Beijing. During the 2 weeks of rescue work, the team treated more than 3700 victims and cleared approximately 430 buildings. In this rescue mission, 10 experienced medical officers (including nine doctors and a nurse) from the General Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) comprised the medical team of CISAR. In this report, we focus on the medical rescues by CISAR and discuss the characteristics of the medical rescue in Nepal. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:536–538)

The relationship between climate, crop growth and crop yield is complicated. This study aimed to determine the ratio of CO2–C emission to grain yield, the field treatments were initiated in 2003, but the measurements for this analysis were collected during the summer maize-growing seasons of 2011 and 2012 in the North China Plain. The experiment showed that conventional tillage with straw application significantly increased grain yield and the ratio of CO2–C emission to grain yield of summer maize. The mean soil CO2–C emission rate with no tillage was significantly lower than that when conventional tillage was used; however, straw application significantly increased the soil CO2–C emission rate, irrespective of whether tillage was performed or not. This was mainly because straw application changed the soil total porosity and organic carbon content. In conclusion, the results of this study support the hypothesis that the ratio of CO2–C emission to grain yield in the North China Plain can be increased by straw application, whereas no tillage decreases this ratio.

Objective: To study the relationship of Nε-(carboxymethyl)-lysine level (CML) with microstructure changes of white matter (WM), and cognitive impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to discuss the potential mechanism underlying T2DM-associated cognitive impairment. Methods: The study was performed in T2DM patients (n=22) with disease course ≥5 years and age ranging from 65 to 75 years old. A control group consisted of 25 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers. Fractional anisotropy (FA) of several WM regions was analyzed by diffusion tensor imaging scan. Plasma CML levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and cognitive function was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Results: The total Mini-Mental State Examination score in the patient group (25.72±3.13) was significantly lower than the control group (28.16±2.45) (p<0.05). In addition, the total MoCA score in the patient group (22.15±3.56) was significantly lower than the control group 25.63±4.12) (p<0.01). In the patient group, FA values were significantly decreased in the corpus callosum, cingulate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, parietal WM, hippocampus, and temporal lobes relative to corresponding regions of healthy controls (p<0.05). Plasma CML level was negatively correlated with average FA values in the global brain (r=−0.58, p<0.01) and MoCA scores (r=−0.47, p<0.05). Conclusions: In T2DM, WM microstructure changes occur in older patients, and elevations in CML may play a role in the development of cognitive impairment.

Previous studies have reported that the first polar body (PB1) morphology reflects embryo development competence, but the effects of PB1 on porcine embryo development remain unknown. This study aims to determine whether the ability of porcine embryo development is related to oocytes’ PB1 in vitro. The distribution of type II cortical granules (CGs) of porcine matured oocytes in grade B PB1 is significantly greater compared with those in grades A and C PB1 (71.43% versus 52.46% and 50%; P < 0.05). The ratio of porcine parthenogenetic blastocysts and the mean cell number in each blastocyst in the group with grade B PB1 is significantly greater than that with grades A and C PB1 (30.81% vs. 19.02% and 15.15%; P < 0.05) and (36.67 versus 24.67, 28.67; P < 0.05), and no significant differences are found in the embryo cleavage for all groups (79.75%, 84.30%, and 78.18% in grades A, B, and C PB1; P > 0.05). The acetylation level of porcine embryos in the group with grade B PB1 is significantly greater compared with those in the other groups (P < 0.05), and is almost 2.5 times higher than that in grade A. Therefore, porcine oocytes with PB1 in grade B are more competitive in cytoplasmic maturation and further embryo development in vitro.