Evaluating the reliability of microsatellite genotyping from low-quality DNA templates with a polynomial distribution model

Molecular studies using trace DNA, such as from museum specimens, ancient or forensic samples and samples obtained noninvasively, often have a common problem of low quality of DNA templates. Amplification errors, such as allelic dropout and false allele, may arise during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using such samples. A mathematical model which treats homozygotes and heterozygotes discriminately has been developed to measure sample quality and compute the confidence level of using multipletube approaches. We use plucked hair samples collected from 26 individual Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxel- lana) to test the model. In this case, a confidence level of 99% can be achieved by three positive PCRs. If the sample quality is very poor and requires many PCR replicates, an alternative multiplestep genotyping method is recommended. This model enables researchers to optimize experimental protocols through pilot studies and obtain reliable genetic information using noninvasive sampling method.     

Aero-optical wavefront measurement technique based on BOS and its applications

A collimated light beam will be refracted if it propagates through a flow-field with index-of-refraction variations,and its wavefront will be distorted.If we measure the deflection angle of the light beam,the gradient of the wavefront can be obtained using the Malus law,and the wavefront aberration can be computed with a reconstruction algorithm.Two characteristics of background oriented schlieren(BOS) are conducive to wavefront aberration measurement:BOS can be used to measure the deflection angle of a light beam by measuring the displacement field between the reference image and the experiment image.Moreover,in a BOS system of Schlieren mode,only the ray perpendicular to the background image can be captured with a camera.This is helpful to measure wavefront aberrations that occur after a planar wavefront has passed through the flow-field.Based on these characteristics of BOS of Schlieren mode,a new wavefront measurement technique,which is called the BOS-based wavefront technique(BOS-WT),is proposed in this paper.It works by constructing the relationship between the displacement of the background image and the aero-optical wavefront gradient and uses the Southwell wavefront reconstruction algorithm.A BOS-WT system was assembled,and its temporal resolution was found to be 6 ns,and its temporal-correlation resolution reached 0.2 μs.A BOS-WT can measure the time-correlation transient wavefront quantitatively.It is simple and easy to operate.In this paper,we also present a study of the aero-optical performance of supersonic mixing layer based on our BOS-WT transient wavefronts at an interval of 5 μs.The results showed the wavefront was transient and distorted after it had passed through the mixing layer.Through the analysis of the data at the 5 μs interval,the temporal evolution of wavefront can be obtained.     

Entransy dissipation minimization for optimization of heat exchanger design

In this paper,by taking the water-water balanced counterflow heat exchanger as an example,the entransy dissipation theory is applied to optimizing the design of heat exchangers.Under certain conditions,the optimal duct aspect ratio is determined analytically.When the heat transfer area or the duct volume is fixed,analytical expressions of the optimal mass velocity and the minimal entransy dissipation rate are obtained.These results show that to reduce the irreversible dissipation in heat exchangers,the heat exchange area should be enlarged as much as possible,while the mass velocity should be reduced as low as possible.     

Rapid growth and sterility of growth hormone gene transgenic triploid carp

Triploid carp (100%) with 150 (3n=150) chromosomes were obtained by crossing the females of improved tetraploid hybrids (♀, 4n=200) of red crucian carp (♀)×common carp (♂) with the males of diploid yellow river carp (♂, 2n=100). The crosses yielded transgenic triploid carp (positive triploid fish, 44.2% of the progeny) and non-transgenic triploid carp (negative triploid fish). Histological examination of the gonads of 24-month-old positive triploid fish suggested they were sterile and the fish were not able to produce mature gametes during the breeding season. Morphologically, both the positive and negative triploid fish were similar. They had a spindle-shaped, laterally compressed, steel grey body with two pairs of barbells. Most of the quantifiable traits of the triploid carp were intermediate between those of the two parents. The positive and negative triploid fish were raised in the same pond for 2 years. The mean body weight of the positive triploid fish was 2.3 times higher than the negative triploid fish. The weight of the largest positive triploid fish was 2.91 times higher than that of the largest negative triploid fish. Thus, we produced fast-growing transgenic triploid carp that have a reduced ecological risk because of their inability to mate and produce progeny.     

Premixed jet flame characteristics of syngas using OH planar laser induced fluorescence

Lean premixed flame characteristics of several typical low calorific value (LCV) syngases (basis CO/H2/CH4/CO2/N2),including bituminous coal,wood residue,corn core,and wheat straw gasification syngas,were investigated using OH planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technology.OH radical distributions within the turbulent flame were measured for different turbulence intensities.Flame structures of syngases were analyzed and characterized with respect to burnt and unburnt regions,flame curvature (sharp cusp),local extinction (holes and penetration),OH reaction layer thickness,wrinkling,and other features,with OH-PLIF instantaneous images and statistical analysis.Results show that H2 content,LCV,and turbulence intensity are the most effective factors influencing the OH radical intensity and thickness of OH radical layers.The bituminous coal gasification syngas with relatively higher LCV and H2 content tends to burn out easily.Through changes in thickness of the OH radical layers and signal intensities,the reaction layer can be compressed by intensifying turbulence and thereby the combustion processes of syngas.     

Characteristics of strontium isotopes and their implications in the Qixing Cave of Guizhou,China

The strontium isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr) of samples including soils, bedrock, soil waters, drip waters and their corresponding speleothems in the Qixing Cave (QXC), Guizhou Province, China, were systemically measured and analyzed. The results indicate that there are significant Sr isotopic differences among samples. The mean 87Sr/86Sr ratios in drip water for the samples 1#, 4# and 9# were 0.709568, 0.709139 and 0.708761, respectively, which possibly result from different flow paths, residence times, and other hydrogeological processes in the unsaturated zone overlying QXC. Meanwhile, levels of 40.8%, 57.6% and 72.4% of Sr in drip waters for 1#, 4# and 9#, respectively, were derived from bedrock dissolution, which was calculated by the mixture model of the two end-members (soil and bedrock). There is, however, no positive correlation between the relative proportion from bedrock dissolution (δ13C value is 1.8‰) and drip water δ13CDIC values. The mean drip water δ13CDIC value in 1# is the heaviest (–4.5‰) with the lowest contribution rate of bedrock dissolution, whereas the value in 9# is the lightest (–9.3‰) with the highest contribution rate of bedrock dissolution. The proportion from host rock dissolution in 4# is higher than that in 1# and lower than that in 9#, while its mean drip water δ13CDIC value (–8.6‰) is higher than that of 9# and lower than that for 1#. This suggests that the prior calcite precipitation (PCP) processes in the unsaturated zone overlying the cave are responsible for the δ13CDIC value differences between different drip waters, and not bedrock dissolution. Furthermore, this study also demonstrates that the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of speleothems in the 1# and 4# mainly reflect the variation in the relative proportions from the soil system (soil water) and bedrock dissolution overlying the cave. It is, therefore, feasible to use the strontium isotopic signals of speleothems as an indicator for soil chemical weathering intensity, and consequently as a monsoon proxy in the study area.     

Operational properties and matrix representations of quantum measures

Denoted by M(A), QM(A) and SQM(A) the sets of all measures, quantum measures and subadditive quantum measures on a σ-algebra A, respectively. We observe that these sets are all positive cones in the real vector space F(A) of all real-valued functions on A and prove that M(A) is a face of SQM(A). It is proved that the product of m grade-1 measures is a grade-m measure. By combining a matrix M _μ to a quantum measure μ on the power set A _n of an n-element set X, it is proved that μ ≪ ν (resp. μ ⊥ ν) if and only if M _μ ≪ M _ν (resp. M _μ M _ν =0). Also, it is shown that two nontrivial measures μ and ν are mutually absolutely continuous if and only if μ·ν∈QM(A _n ). Moreover, the matrices corresponding to quantum measures are characterized. Finally, convergence of a sequence of quantum measures on A _n is introduced and discussed; especially, the Vitali-Hahn-Saks theorem for quantum measures is proved.     

A high-resolution environmental change record since 19 cal ka BP in Pumoyum Co,southern Tibet

A 380-cm-long sediment core was acquired from the deep water area of Pumoyum Co, southern Tibet. Twenty-five plant residue samples were selected, and organic carbon stable isotopes were obtained using the AMS ¹⁴C chronological method. The ¹⁴C age and carbon reservoir effect were calibrated with surface sedimentation rate measurements using ²¹⁰Pb dating. Results showed that the core sediment deposited over 19 cal ka BP. Based on a multi-proxy analysis of TOC and IC contents, grain size and pollen assemblage data, the palaeoclimatic evolution of Pumoyum Co was reconstructed since the last glacial. Pumoyum Co was a shallow lake prior to 16.2 cal ka BP; although the glacier around the lake began to melt due to increasing temperatures, climate was still cold and dry. In the interval of 16.2–11.8 cal ka BP, the sedimentary environment fluctuated drastically and frequently. Two cold-events occurred at 14.2 and 11.8 cal ka BP, and these may correspond to the Older Dryas and the Younger Dryas events, respectively. After 11.8 cal ka BP, Pumoyun Co developed into the deep lake as it is now. The lake water temperature was relatively lower at that time because of influx of cold water from glacial meltwater entering the lake. As a result, the multi-proxy indicators showed no sign of warm conditions. Comparisons between the sedimentary record of Pumoyum Co with that of other lakes of the same age in southern Tibet indicate a warmer climate following the last deglaciation influenced the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. These results imply that the southwest Asian monsoon gradually became stronger since the deglaciation during its expansion to the inner plateau. The glacial-supplied water of the lake responded sensitively to cold-events. The entire southern Tibet region was dominantly influenced climatically by the southwest Asian monsoon during the Holocene.     

Sufficient and necessary conditions of separability for bipartite pure states in infinite-dimensional systems

The PHC criterion and the realignment criterion for pure states in infinite-dimensional bipartite quantum systems are given. Furthermore, several equivalent conditions for pure states to be separable are generalized to infinite-dimensional systems.     

Reverberation nulling and echo enhancement at low frequency using waveguide invariance

Based on the fact that the transfer function vector between a source receiver array and the dominant scatterer of boundary reverberation at a range can be obtained from the corresponding reverberations scattered from this range cell, a reverberation nulling concept using time reversal processing has been proposed. However, current reverberation nulling methods have certain limitations when applied into practice, which would null boundary reverberation and target echo simultaneously. As a solution, a passive reverberation nulling and echo enhancement method at low frequency using waveguide invariance is proposed in this paper. In this method, the reverberation subspace for the target range cell is not obtained directly from the return signals scattered by the target range cell but from the return signals scattered by a range cell located before the target using waveguide invariance, so as to suppress the reverberation embodied in the target echo by passive reverberation nulling. Besides, a range-dependent optimal weighting vector rather than conventional projector matrix is deduced to null the reverberation component meanwhile maximizing the target echo, thereby enhancing the echo-to-reverberation ratio furthest. Numerical simulations in typical range-independent shallow water environment demonstrate the efficacy and the improved performance of the proposed method for echo-to-reverberation enhancement.