Continuous Sequence Research Articles

Load Forecasting Based on LVMD-DBFCM Load Curve Clustering and the CNN-IVIA-BLSTM Model

Power load forecasting plays an important role in power systems, and the accuracy of load forecasting is of vital importance to power system planning as well as economic efficiency. Power load data are nonsmooth, nonlinear time-series and “noisy” data. Traditional load forecasting has low accuracy and curves not fitting the load variation. It is not well predicted by a single forecasting model. In this paper, we propose a novel model based on the combination of data mining and deep learning to improve the prediction accuracy. First, data preprocessing is performed. Second, identification and correction of anomalous data, normalization of continuous sequences, and one-hot encoding of discrete sequences are performed. The load data are decomposed and denoised using the double decomposition modal (LVMD) strategy, the load curves are clustered using the double weighted fuzzy C-means (DBFCM) algorithm, and the typical curves obtained are used as load patterns. In addition, data feature analysis is performed. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is used to extract data features. A bidirectional long short-term memory (BLSTM) network is used for prediction, in which the number of hidden layer neurons, the number of training epochs, the learning rate, the regularization coefficient, and other relevant parameters in the BLSTM network are optimized using the influenza virus immunity optimization algorithm (IVIA). Finally, the historical data of City H from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018, are used for load forecasting. The experimental results show that the novel model based on LVMD-DBFCM load c1urve clustering combined with CNN-IVIA-BLSTM proposed in this paper has an error of only 2% for electric load forecasting.

Study on the new dental material of Palaeotragus from the Late Miocene of Linxia Basin (Gansu, China)

ABSTRACT Palaeotragus is a common genus of the Giraffidae that was widely distributed in the Neogene strata of Eurasia. Early studies usually placed small giraffids in the Palaeotragus clade, leading to considerable controversy over the validity and systematic classification of this genus. Palaeotragus microdon and Palaeotragus cf. coelophrys are two representative species of Palaeotragus in China, their dental specimens are mainly distinguished by size, causing problems in their actual identification. In this study, several mandibles of a small giraffid found in Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, China (MN 10–13), are studied and identified as Palaeotragus cf. coelophrys. Based on a detailed comparison, the size and morphological variability of the Chinese Palaeotragus dental material are discussed, as well as the validity of the two species and the validity of other Eurasian Palaeotragus. This study reveals that the Chinese Palaeotragus has a continuous sequence of size variability and premolar features, which is insufficient to separate the mandible of the two species. In addition, the type species P. rouenii can be clearly distinguished from the Chinese Palaeotragus by the relatively long lower premolar row, possibly due to the difference in feeding habits. The holotype of P. coelophrys is closely related to Chinese Palaeotragus, while the P. coelophrys mandible from Maragheh (MMTT37 2517) should belong to different species.

Designing a bioadjuvant candidate vaccine targeting infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) using viral VP2 fusion and chicken IL-2 antigenic epitope: A bioinformatics approach

Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) is a common and contagious viral infection that significantly affects the poultry industry. This severely suppresses the immune system in chickens, thereby threating their health and well-being. Vaccination is the most effective strategy for preventing and controlling this infectious agent. The development of VP2-based DNA vaccines combined with biological adjuvants has recently received considerable attention due to their effectiveness in eliciting both humoral and cellular immune responses. In this study, we applied bioinformatics tools to design a fused bioadjuvant candidate vaccine from the full-length sequence of the VP2 protein of IBDV isolated in Iran using the antigenic epitope of chicken IL-2 (chiIL-2). Furthermore, to improve the antigenic epitope presentation and to maintain the three-dimensional structure of the chimeric gene construct, the P2A linker (L) was used to fuse the two fragments.Our in-silico analysis for the design of a candidate vaccine indicates that a continuous sequence of amino acid residues ranging from 105 to 129 in chiIL-2 is proposed as a B cell epitope by epitope prediction servers. The final 3D structure of the VP2-L-chiIL-2105-129 was subjected to physicochemical property determination, molecular dynamic simulation, and antigenic site determination. The results of these analyses led to the development of a stable candidate vaccine that is non-allergenic and has the potential for antigenic surface display potential and adjuvant activity. Finally, it is necessary to investigate the immune response induced by our proposed vaccine in avian hosts. Notably, increasing the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines can be achieved by combining antigenic proteins with molecular adjuvants using the principle of rational vaccine design.

From modeling dose-response relationships to improved performance of decision-tree classifiers for predictive toxicology of nanomaterials

The development and application of predictive models towards toxicity of engineered nanomaterials is still far from being satisfactory. One promising contribution to confront this challenge is to effectively augment the performance of machine learning classifiers by progressing the approach towards balancing experimental toxicity data. We propose an improved balancing methodology by fitting the in-vitro toxicological dose-response datasets of engineered nanomaterials to three, four, and five, free parameter dose-response models. The four-free parameter model displays the best fit (in terms of adjusted R2) for most of the examined data. The fitted curve yields, in each case, a continuous sequence of data points, which extends the restricted experimental data and generates additional fitted data points for the minority class, leading to the formation of balanced data for predicting the nanoparticle’s toxicology by decision tree classifiers. The ability to best predict the experimental toxicity data, by applying the decision tree model, was tested by forming three versions of the same experimental data: the imbalanced raw experimental data, the balanced data by applying the common Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique, and by using the approach of Balanced Fitted Dose-Response method, introduced in the present study. We demonstrate that our approach provides improved performance of decision trees in predicting nanoparticles’ toxicity, a method that pertains also to chemical toxicity, central in health and environmental research.

Dynamic work trajectories and their interplay with family over the life course.

This review examines major bodies of literature, interrelated but usually considered separately, focused on work trajectories and their intersections with family dynamics through the life course. It begins with a consideration of the life course paradigm, which draws attention to the temporal dimensions of human lives, and recently developed analytic techniques that are well-suited to empirical investigation of life course transitions and trajectories over time. The review proceeds to examine empirical research on work career mobility (including both inter- and intra-generational mobility) measured as either trajectories of continuous outcomes or sequences of categorical outcomes, and their long-term consequences for socioeconomic attainment. Work-family trajectories are then addressed, focusing on the impacts of family on work, notably expressed in the motherhood wage penalty, and how family structure and processes affect long-term labor market outcomes. Research documents considerable heterogeneity in work-family dynamics over the life course across social groups with unequal resources. The review concludes with an assessment of the interplay of work and family trajectories studied longitudinally and makes recommendations for future research. It is argued that while extant studies of the work-family interface are compatible with, and sometimes deliberately reflect, a life course perspective, these bodies of research would benefit from more fully incorporating the life course principles of "agency" and "time and place".

Tradeoffs when interseeding cover crops into corn across the Chesapeake Bay watershed

CONTEXTIn annual cropping systems at high latitudes, an early onset of winter limits the establishment of cover crops in fall and ultimately the ecosystem services they provide such as nitrogen (N) leaching reduction. Interseeding cover crops into a standing cash crop can improve establishment before winter, but its practice is limited in both scope and scale. OBJECTIVETo identify tradeoffs and establish regional patterns of interseeding success in the environmentally sensitive Chesapeake Bay Watershed of North America, we used the agroecosystem model Cycles to compare in silico systems in which cover crops were either interseeded into a standing crop of corn (Zea mays L.) or conventionally seeded after corn harvest. METHODSIn each of the 153 counties contained in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, a representative field was simulated and either seeded with ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), a blend of legumes, or a mix of legumes and ryegrass in a continuous corn sequence. The simulated corn yield, cover crop biomass production, N leaching reduction, and total N losses were compared between the cover crop scenarios and a monoculture corn control. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSSimulations showed that conventionally seeded cover crops did not affect corn yields of the following year. However, when interseeded, the drag on corn yield in the same year averaged 6% per Mg of fall cover crop biomass. The corn yield reduction notwithstanding, interseeding reduced N leaching by 10% for legumes, 25% for the mix, and 50% for solo ryegrass compared to the no cover-crop control. There are other tradeoffs, such as an offset of N fertilizer inputs from N2 fixation when using legumes despite the less effective nutrient capture. Regardless of the cover crop type, interseeding up to latitude 41° N tends to be competitive with the cash crop, but north of that threshold (or west into higher elevations) the mitigation of N leaching when interseeding seems to outweigh agronomic costs. SIGNIFICANCEThis study provides useful insight into watershed-scale agronomic and environmental processes without the constraints of establishing large-scale networks of field trials. Given these analyses, future field research in areas suitable for interseeding can focus on establishing legume cover crops in high-yielding fields with low residual mineral N, grass cover crops in manured or low-yielding fields with residual mineral N, and a mixture of both when N supply is uncertain and preventive management is needed.

Identification of cavotricuspid isthmus conduction block, pitfall of differential pacing maneuver

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Differential pacing (DP) maneuver was generally used to assess bidirectional block of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) after catheter ablation. Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify limitation of DP maneuver and suggest continuous sequence (CS) maneuver as a complement of differential pacing. Methods Patients who were diagnosed to typical atrial flutter and underwent catheter ablation were enrolled. CTI conduction block was evaluated by two maneuver, DP and CS maneuver. We tried to identify CTI conduction block for each patient with both maneuvers. With CS maneuver, CTI conduction block was assessed with the recorded sequence of diagnostic catheter. Results Sixty two patients were investigated. Two maneuvers were performed in all patients. There were 8 cases (8/62, 12.9%) of discrepancy between the result of CS and DP maneuver. One of discrepancy cases, CTI conduction block was identified with CS maneuver, but insufficient conduction block with DP maneuver. The rest of discrepancy (11.2%) cases were the opposite. Conclusion DP could not guarantee bidirectional block of CTI because of anatomical complexity and catheter instability. CS maneuver found incomplete block over 10% of conventional maneuver. CS maneuver is simple and can be complement to overcome limitation of DP maneuver.

Magnetostratigraphy of Early Oligocene-Middle Miocene Deposits in the Xunhua Basin on the Tibet Plateau, China, and Their Paleoclimate Significance

The growth history of the Tibetan Plateau provides a valuable natural laboratory to understand tectonic processes of the India–Asia collision and their impact on and interactions with Asian and global climate change. However, both Tibetan Plateau growth and Asian paleoenvironments are generally poorly documented in pre-Pliocene times and reflect limited temporal coverage for different parts of the plateau. In this paper, the 238 m thick Cenozoic sediments in the Hongzhuang section of the Xunhua Basin were tested and analyzed via paleomagnetic and environmental magnetic methods. The formation age was determined, and the evolution history of the regional climate environment was analyzed. The magnetostratigraphy study shows that the sediments record a continuous sequence of geomagnetic polarity changes from C5ACn to C10r, which spans an interval of approximately 30~14.3 Ma from the early Oligocene to the middle Miocene. The magnetic susceptibility of the Hongzhuang section is basically similar to the deep-sea oxygen isotope fluctuation, indicating that the monsoon climate change indicated by the magnetic susceptibility is affected by global temperature. It is worth noting that at ~27 Ma and ~15 Ma, there is a negative correlation between magnetic susceptibility and deep-sea oxygen isotope, and magnetic susceptibility lags behind the increase in deep-sea oxygen isotope. Combined with the change in the sedimentary rate curve, we explain the asynchrony between the magnetic susceptibility and the deep-sea oxygen isotope around ~27 Ma and ~15 Ma. As the uplift of the plateau leads to the enhancement of the East Asian summer monsoon, the soil formation in the region is strengthened, resulting in an increase in magnetic susceptibility. At the same time, the rapid uplift of the plateau caused the erosion of the surrounding mountains to strengthen, and the input of near-source materials may promote the increase in magnetic susceptibility.

One-parameter Darboux-deformed Fibonacci numbers

One-parameter Darboux deformations are established for the simple ordinary differential equation (ODE) satisfied by the continuous generalizations of the Fibonacci sequence recently discussed by Faraoni and Atieh [Symmetry 13, 200 (2021)], who promoted a formal analogy with the Friedmann equation in the FLRW homogeneous cosmology. The method allows the introduction of deformations of the continuous Fibonacci sequences, hence of Darboux-deformed Fibonacci (noninteger) numbers. Considering the same ODE as a parametric oscillator equation, the Ermakov–Lewis invariants for these sequences are also discussed.

Mechanism Analysis of the Strong Coastal Current Zone and Abrupt Strong–Current Phenomena in Spring and Summer in the Yangjiang Sea Area of Western Guangdong in the Northwest of the South China Sea

Residual current analysis of multiple stations’ periodic observational data for sea currents, and multiple voyages, multiple seasons from 2018 to 2022, revealed the existence of a strong southwest current zone, 20–30 m underwater and within the coastal current area of Yangjiang, western Guangdong, in the northwest region of the South China Sea. The velocity of the residual currents in the strong–current zone was 38.2–100.3 cm/s. Observational data for wind, sea currents, salinity and tide from multiple coastal stations in the spring (from March 2019 to May 2019) and summer (from June 2019 to August 2019) of 2019 demonstrated the existence of abrupt strong currents in the coastal current sea area of Yangjiang, western Guangdong. Analyses of continuous sequence hydro meteorological data for the Yangjiang area indicated that wind stress was the main factor determining the direction of sea currents; increases in the near-shore water level produce a westward geostrophic current and a wind current in the shallow sea area; their joint effect was the key factor determining the velocity of the coastal current in this sea area. In spring and summer, when Pearl River runoff into the sea reaches a peak, and under the action of the northeast wind, the water level on the west coast of Guangdong rose. This created a barotropic pressure–gradient force from the shore to the outer sea, generating a southwestward geostrophic current in the same direction as the wind-driven current. The joint action of the wind-driven and geostrophic currents then generated a sudden southwestward coastal current.

PO-05-224 IDENTIFICATION OF CAVOTRICUSPID ISTHMUS CONDUCTION BLOCK – PITFALL OF DIFFERENTIAL PACING MANEUVER.

Differential pacing (DP) maneuver was generally used to assess bidirectional block of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) after catheter ablation. Nevertheless, in some cases, DP maneuver could be inaccurate in identification of bidirectional CTI block. The purpose of the study is to identify limitation of DP maneuver and suggest continuous sequence (CS) maneuver as a complement of differential pacing maneuver. Patients who were diagnosed to typical atrial flutter and underwent catheter ablation were enrolled. CTI conduction block was evaluated by two maneuvers, DP and CS maneuver. We tried to identify CTI conduction block for each patient with both maneuvers. Differential pacing maneuver was conducted according to conventional protocol. With CS maneuver, CTI conduction block was assessed with the recorded sequence of diagnostic catheter. Sixty two patients were investigated. Two maneuvers were performed in all patients. There were 8 cases (8/62, 12.9%) of discrepancy between the result of CS and DP maneuver. One of discrepancy cases, CTI conduction block was identified with CS maneuver, but insufficient conduction block with DP maneuver. The rest of discrepancy (11.2%) cases were the opposite. DP could not guarantee bidirectional block of CTI because of anatomical complexity and catheter instability. CS maneuver found incomplete block over 10% of conventional maneuver. CS maneuver is simple and can be complement to overcome limitation of DP maneuver.

Holocene relative sea-level changes in northwest Ireland: An empirical test for glacial isostatic adjustment models

The late-Quaternary relative sea-level (RSL) history of Ireland is complex, positioned at the margins of the former British-Irish Ice Sheet, and subject to the influence of ice unloading and forebulge collapse. Geophysical models of post-glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) provide estimates of the pattern of RSL change since deglaciation which may be tested and validated with empirical data from proxy records. For the region of northwest Ireland, there is a paucity of high-quality RSL data and, therefore, equivocal evidence to support the GIA models that predict a mid to Late-Holocene RSL highstand of between +0.5 and +2 m above present. This study aims to investigate this model-data discrepancy by reconstructing RSL change from a near continuous salt-marsh sequence at Bracky Bridge, Donegal, spanning the last ca. 2500 years. We develop a transfer function model to reconstruct the vertical position of sea level using a regional diatom training set to quantify the indicative meaning and predict the palaeomarsh elevation of the core samples. A chronology is provided by a combination of 14C and 210Pb data, with sample specific ages derived from an age-depth model using a Bayesian framework. Our reconstruction shows ca. 2 m of relative sea-level rise in the past 2500 years. This is not compatible with some previously published sea-level index points from the region, which we re-interpret as freshwater/terrestrial limiting data. These results do not provide any evidence to support a Mid-Holocene RSL highstand above present sea level. Whilst none of the available GIA models replicate the timing and magnitude of the Late-Holocene RSL rise in our reconstruction, those which incorporate a thick and extensive British-Irish Sea Ice Sheet provide the best fit.

Evolution of the magmatic-hydrothermal system at Lastarria volcano (Northern Chile) between 2006 and 2019: Insights from fluid geochemistry

One of the major problems in the volcanic surveillance is how data from several techniques can be correlated and used to discriminate between possible precursors of volcanic eruptions and changes related to non-eruptive processes. Gas chemical surveys and measurements of SO2 emission rates performed in the past (2006–2019) at Lastarria volcano in Northern Chile have revealed a persistent increment of magmatic sourced gas emissions since late November 2012, following a 13 years period of intense ground uplift. In this work, we provide new insights into the gas-chemical evolution of Lastarria’s fumarolic discharges obtained from direct sampling (2006–2019) and SO2 emission rates using UV camera and DOAS instruments (2018–2019) and link these to pre-existing information on ground deformation (1998–2016) in order to determine the origin of observed degassing and ground deformation processes. We revise the four mechanisms originally proposed as alternatives by Lopez et al. (Geosphere, 2018, 14 (3), 983–1007) to explain the changes observed in the fluid geochemistry and ground deformation between 2009 and 2012, in order to explain major changes in gas-geochemistry over an extended period between 1998 and 2019. We hypothesize that a continuous sequence of processes explains the evolution in the fluid geochemistry of fumarolic discharges. Two mechanisms are responsible of the changes in the gas composition during the studied period, corresponding to a 1) deep magma chamber (7–15 km depth) pressurized by volatile exsolution (1998–2020), which is responsible of the large-scale deformation; followed by 2) a crystallization-induced degassing (2001–2020) and pressurization of the hydrothermal system (2003-early November 2012), where the former process induced the changes in the gas composition from hydrothermal-dominated to magmatic-dominated, whereas the last produced the small-scale deformation at Lastarria volcano. The changes in the gas composition since late November 2012, which were strongly dominated by magmatic volatiles, produced two consecutive processes: 1) acidification (late November 2012–2020) and 2) depletion (2019–2020) of the hydrothermal system. In this work we have shown that a long-term surveillance of the chemistry of fluid discharges provides valuable insights into underlying magmatic/volcanic processes, and consequently, for forecasting future eruptions.

The evolution of Australian island geographies and the emergence and persistence of Indigenous maritime cultures

Australia was first peopled by maritime voyagers who intentionally crossed from Indonesia using watercraft 65,000 years ago. Despite this, the Holocene archaeological record suggests that many Australian islands were abandoned for several thousand years after separation from the mainland, and only visited again in the last few thousand years. The implication is that coastal peoples reintroduced watercraft into their maritime repertoire only in the recent past. Since first-peopling, sea levels have fluctuated over 120 m, transforming the coastlines and offshore island geographies. In this study, we assess Australia's offshore islands over the range of past sea levels, to discover that most of the Australian coastline has far more islands now than at any time in the human past. Australia's island-rich coastlines emerged with the high sea levels of the late Holocene. The existing island geographies of the Pilbara, the Great Barrier Reef, the Bass Strait and the Rottnest Shelf have no Pleistocene equivalents, meaning coastal peoples encountered new maritime opportunities as modern sea level was established (c. 7 ka). We present regional time series, and detailed paleogeographical maps of these changes, produced by a fully reproducible GIS method. We contextualise this in a review of Australian island archaeology, and demonstrate that key exceptions to this geographical trend are the Kimberley and the Torres Strait – which have evidence for earlier and longer continuous island sequences. These exceptions provided the opportunity for regional persistence of Pleistocene seafaring.

Stagewise collapse of biotic communities and its relations to oxygen depletion along the north margin of Nanpanjiang Basin during the Permian–Triassic transition

The process of marine ecosystem collapse during the Permian–Triassic mass extinction may have varied in different paleogeographic settings and the intensity of oxygen depletion changed with different water depths. It remains largely unknown about the detailed biotic community collapse and its relation to paleo-redox condition in the deep-water basin. At the Kejiao section in the Nanpanjiang Basin of South China, the continuous sedimentation sequences and complete fossil records from the Changhsingian of Permian to the lowest Triassic provide a unique opportunity to study the progressive biotic crisis associated with oxygen deficiency in a deep-water setting. Here, we document high-resolution records of both the biodiversity dataset of different taxa and the redox data from the Kejiao section to achieve a new understanding of ecosystem deterioration associated with changes of redox conditions. The redox evolution revealed by changes in pyrite framboid size and morphology shows a change trend from lower dysoxic to oxygenated, and then to dysoxic interrupted by oxygenated and anoxic conditions in the late Changhsingian, and ending with euxinic conditions in the earliest Triassic. 60 species in 41 genera from radiolarians, bivalves, brachiopods and cephalopods were identified in the section and their occurrences show two pulses of extinction. The first pulse corresponds to the reduction in species richness of planktonic radiolarians and nektonic cephalopods, and the second pulse is documented by the wipe out of benthic brachiopods and remnant nektonic cephalopods and the decline in the species richness of benthic bivalves. This indicates the collapse of plankton and most nekton communities is ahead of the counterpart of benthos in the deepwater setting, supporting what observed in other sections in South China. The plankton and nekton communities inhabited water columns and the benthic community dwelled in the bottom water. Thus, the stagewise collapse of communities might be contributed by the expansion/migration, in particular, the downward expansion of Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) documented by the information from pyrite framboids and the sedimentation.

Data-Driven Indoor Positioning Correction for Infrastructure-Enabled Autonomous Driving Systems: A Lifelong Framework

Infrastructure-enabled autonomous driving systems have been increasingly applied in confined environments. Automated valet parking (AVP) in smart parking garages is one of the notable applications that require high-precision indoor positioning services. However, the performances of the existing wireless indoor positioning techniques, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ultra-wideband (UWB), tend to decline substantially as the working time increases and the building environment varies. In this paper, we propose a lifelong framework using crowdsourced data of fully instrumented autonomous vehicles(e.g. vehicles equipping with LiDAR), to maintain the availability and precision of indoor positioning systems. We establish a map-aided deep learning positioning correction model based on continuous data sequences, which utilizes convolution and long short-term memory (LSTM) modules to extract the spatial and temporal features of positioning errors. A local grid map generator is designed and embedded into the correction model to learn the influencing factors of errors from the building environment and facility. A deep-learning-based anomaly detector is designed to keep the lifelong stability of our framework. Based on the proposed method, we develop a lifelong UWB positioning correction system and apply it for the path tracking of AVP in a real underground parking garage. The test results show that the system can maintain positioning correction precision in the environment of varying sensor errors and reduce the positioning error by 60% and the tracking error by 40%. The study showcases an innovative infrastructure-enabled application that can accelerate the widespread use of autonomous driving systems.

Preparation and Characterization of Cu(NO3)2 Modified Activated Carbon Adsorbents and Influencing Factors of H2S Adsorption

Background: With the constant development and growth of the world’s economy, the demand for energy continues to rise. However, rising oil prices, increasing carbon emissions, and energy shortages will limit economic development and affect living standards. Therefore, further exploitation and utilization of natural gas are of great significance for the sustainable development of national economies and the improvement of civil life. Objective: Natural gas contains acidic gas, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and can lead to physical safety issues, environmental pollution, equipment corrosion, and catalyst poisoning. Therefore, a desulfurization process, which has practical significance, must be carried out to reduce the H2S content to less than 20 mg•m−3. Methods: Currently, the main desulfurization processes involve dry and wet desulfurization methods. The wet desulfurization methods include physical, chemical, and physico-chemical solvent methods, which have a large processing capacity and involve a continuous operation sequence applied to the purification of natural gas containing a high sulfur content. The dry desulfurization methods, which use a solid as the desulfurizer, have high precision, easy operation, and low energy consumption. This method has been widely applied to advanced treatment. : Activated carbon, which has a large surface area, large pore volume, and complex porous structure, is widely used as an adsorbent for desulfurization. When compared with other adsorbents, activated carbon has several advantages, such as a high adsorption capacity and low cost. The H2S removal performance of the adsorbent can be significantly improved after modification. In this study, using a low concentration of H2S and nitrogen to simulate raw fuel gas, cupric nitrate-modified activated carbon was used as the main adsorbent for desulfurization. The effect of the preparation conditions on the H2S removal performance was studied, and the adsorbents were characterized using a series of methods. Results: In this study, a low concentration of H2S and nitrogen were used to simulate raw fuel gas, and cupric nitrate-modified activated carbon was used as an adsorbent. The results from structural analysis indicated a significant change in the surface structure of AC by introducing Cu(NO3)2. Cu(NO3)2 promoted the transformation of micropores into mesopores or macropores and active substances into the pores of AC for desulfurization. The effects of the preparation conditions on the H2S removal performance were studied using a fixed-bed adsorption column. The best preparation conditions for the Cu(NO3)2 modified activated carbon adsorbent involved: a Cu(NO3)2 impregnation concentration of 5%, impregnation time of 24 h, calcination temperature of 300 °C, and calcination time of 2 h. The H2S saturation capacity and desulfurization rate reached 55.4 mg·g−1 and 98.92%, respectively. The H2S saturation capacity was improved by 38.2 mg·g−1 compared with unmodified activated carbon. Conclusion: In this study, a low concentration of H2S and nitrogen were used to simulate raw fuel gas, and cupric nitrate-modified activated carbon was used as an adsorbent. The experimental results showed that the H2S removal performance of the adsorbent was significantly improved using Cu(NO3)2 impregnated activated carbon.

A Hybrid Coupled Model for Groundwater-Level Simulation and Prediction: A Case Study of Yancheng City in Eastern China

The over-exploitation of groundwater has led to a significant drop in groundwater levels, which may lead to a series of geological disasters and ecological environmental problems such as ground subsidence and ground cracks. Therefore, through studying the dynamic change characteristics of groundwater, we can grasp the dynamic changes in groundwater level over time and invert the hydrogeological parameters, which provides an important basis for the management of groundwater resources. In this study, the confined aquifer III groundwater between 2005 and 2014 in Yancheng City was selected as the research object, and the Back Propagation (BP) neural network, Spatial-temporal Auto Regressive and Moving Average (STARMA) model, and BP-STARMA model were used to predict the spatial and temporal evolution trends of groundwater. In order to compare the prediction effectiveness of the BP-STARMA model, the fitting and prediction accuracies of the three models were measured from the perspectives of time and space. The results of the Relative Squared Error (RSE), Normal Mean Squared Error (NMSE), Root-Mean-Squared Error (RMSE), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) were used to assess the robustness of the BP-STARMA model. The results showed that the fitting of the RMSE of BP-STARMA model was reduced by 39.92%, 38.35%, 30.25%, 31.55%, and 13.57% compared with the STARMA model, and by 22.2%, 8.7%, 15.9%, 28.5%, and 4.42% compared with the BP neural network model, respectively. Collectively, this shows that the BP-STARMA model has a better spatiotemporal prediction of groundwater level than the STARMA and BP neural network models, is more applicable to spatially continuous time-discrete spatiotemporal sequences, and is more applicable to spatiotemporal sequences that respond to natural geographic phenomena.

Evolutional transition of HBV genome during the persistent infection determined by single-molecule real-time sequencing.

Although HBV infection is a serious health issue worldwide, the landscape of HBV genome dynamics in the host has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to determine the continuous genome sequence of each HBV clone using a single-molecule real-time sequencing platform, and clarify the dynamics of structural abnormalities during persistent HBV infection without antiviral therapy. Twenty-five serum specimens were collected from 10 untreated HBV-infected patients. Continuous whole-genome sequencing of each clone was performed using a PacBio Sequel sequencer; the relationship between genomic variations and clinical information was analyzed. The diversity and phylogeny of the viral clones with structural variations were also analyzed. The whole-genome sequences of 797,352 HBV clones were determined. The deletion was the most common structural abnormality and concentrated in the preS/S and C regions. Hepatitis B e antibody (anti-HBe)-negative samples or samples with high alanine aminotransferase levels have significantly diverse deletions than anti-HBe-positive samples or samples with low alanine aminotransferase levels. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that various defective and full-length clones evolve independently and form diverse viral populations. Single-molecule real-time long-read sequencing revealed the dynamics of genomic quasispecies during the natural course of chronic HBV infections. Defective viral clones are prone to emerge under the condition of active hepatitis, and several types of defective variants can evolve independently of the viral clones with the full-length genome.

DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein of Helicobacter pylori as a potential immunodominant antigen for infection detection.

Application of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) for Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori, HP) has gained much interest in recent years. Comparing with for treatment, IgY may be more advantageous when used for H.pylori detection. Nine strains of H.pylori with different genetic backgrounds were inactivated and used to immunize hens, respectively, for the preparation of polyclonal anti-H.pylori immunoglobulin Y (anti-HP IgY). The proteins of H.pylori with reactivity to anti-HP IgY were detected by Western Blot. The five protein bands that can be well recognized by anti-HP IgY of each group, and were prevalent in all nine strains were excised from SDS-PAGE gel, digested and identified by Nano-HPLC-MS/MS analysis. The potential of these identified proteins as antigen detection targets was then assessed by sequence analysis. Anti-HP IgY derived from each group of specific strain immunized hens can recognize self-strain and non-self-strain antigens well. Five immunodominant antigens were identified as chaperonin GroEL, flagellin A, urease subunit alpha, peroxiredoxin and DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein. Sequences analysis showed that both peroxiredoxin and DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein were present in all 1000 strains of H.pylori queried, and the amino acid sequences were highly conserved. The highest sequence consistency between the DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein of H.pylori and non-Helicobacter organisms was 52.59%, and the consistent sites were scattered and there was no continuous long fragment consensus sequence. DNA starvation/stationary phase protection protein was identified as an immunodominant antigen of H.pylori and sequence analysis indicated that it could serve as a potential antigen target for the diagnosis of H.pylori infection.