Key Structure Research Articles

Inspecting sector-specific capital structure determinants: The case of Malaysian Shariah firms

This study is set to inspect sector-specific capital structure determinants for publicly listed Malaysian Shariah-tagged firms. For this purpose, a 17-year data sample set comprising 343 Shariah firms in Bursa Malaysia’s main market is constructed. The seven key determinants, namely fixed assets, non-debt tax shield, current assets, growth, return on equity, size, and earnings per share, are measured as capital structure determinants in relation to the debt-equity ratio. Deploying a Dynamic Panel Data Model via an efficient econometric assessor, i.e., Generalized Method of Moments, the investigation exposes that current and fixed assets are observed as the key significant sector-specific capital structure determinants for Malaysian Shariah-tagged firms. Also, the positive and significant lagged dependent variables of each studied sector indicate the presence of a targeted capital structure and Speed of Adjustment (SOA). The occurrence of SOA explains variations in the debt-equity choices of Malaysian Shariah firms at the sector level. The significant tangibility and liquidity in most sectors and the significant lagged dependent variables across all sectors directly suggest the significance of the dynamic theory of Trade-Off. As a whole, it is observed that the sector-level capital structure framing practices of Shariah-tagged firms are not similar. This study aims to investigate the optimal debt-equity mix for listed Malaysian Shariah-complaint enterprises operating in diverse sectors. The observed outcomes are the baseline for policymakers to formulate a better financing model that supports Malaysian Shariah firms to maintain a dynamic or targeted capital structure at all times.

Nation-Building in Kazakhstan: Ethno-Confessional Contexts

The scientific article is devoted to current issues - the study of the development of nation-building and the unique model of interethnic and interfaith relations in Kazakhstan.Aim. To propose a periodization of the main stages of transformational and socio-political processes of nation-building in the Republic of Kazakhstan, at each of which the corresponding regulatory legal acts of their legitimization were adopted.Tasks. To analyze the periods of development of nation-building, changes in the sphere of interethnic relations in the republic over the years of independence, in accordance with the constitutional reform approved in a popular referendum on June 5, 2022. Conduct a political analysis of the transformation into the socio-political practice of the fundamental principle of the Basic Law of the country — “public harmony” and in general in the regulation of interethnic relations.Methods. To substantiate the results of the study, a variety of scientific methods were used, reflecting the peculiarities of the development of national development. Taking into account the specifics of ethno-political and integration processes in the social and regional context, determining their nature, comparative analysis, prolegomens, communication platforms and social networks were used. The methods of crowdsourcing, forsyth, road map are widely used.Results. The management of ethno-professional processes is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of the functioning of the State and the tasks of society. The competent definition of problem areas allows for the development of preventive measures and the avoidance of both inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic tensions and the minimization of negative impact on the development of State and religious relations. The proposed recommendations will improve the mechanisms and tools of ethno-political management in State national policy, consolidate the model of social harmony and national unity in political documents and legislative practice.Conclusions. The effective Kazakh model of ethno-confessional harmony is based on two main components: popular representation as a reflection of the political integration of Kazakhstanis and coverage of the entire spectrum of legal ethnicities and confessions in socio-political processes. The creation and activities of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, during the years of independence, as a key socio-political structure in national politics, acts as an instrument of direct democracy and is, in fact, a people’s representation.

BioSTD: A New Tensor Multi-View Framework via Combining Tensor Decomposition and Strong Complementarity Constraint for Analyzing Cancer Omics Data.

Advances in omics technology have enriched the understanding of the biological mechanisms of diseases, which has provided a new approach for cancer research. Multi-omics data contain different levels of cancer information, and comprehensive analysis of them has attracted wide attention. However, limited by the dimensionality of matrix models, traditional methods cannot fully use the key high-dimensional global structure of multi-omics data. Moreover, besides global information, local features within each omics are also critical. It is necessary to consider the potential local information together with the high-dimensional global information, ensuring that the shared and complementary features of the omics data are comprehensively observed. In view of the above, this article proposes a new tensor integrative framework called the strong complementarity tensor decomposition model (BioSTD) for cancer multi-omics data. It is used to identify cancer subtype specific genes and cluster subtype samples. Different from the matrix framework, BioSTD utilizes multi-view tensors to coordinate each omics to maximize high-dimensional spatial relationships, which jointly considers the different characteristics of different omics data. Meanwhile, we propose the concept of strong complementarity constraint applicable to omics data and introduce it into BioSTD. Strong complementarity is used to explore the potential local information, which can enhance the separability of different subtypes, allowing consistency and complementarity in the omics data to be fully represented. Experimental results on real cancer datasets show that our model outperforms other advanced models, which confirms its validity.

Effect of yolk spheres as a key histological structure on the morphology, character, and oral sensation of boiled egg yolk gel.

This study explored the effect of yolk sphere on gel state and taste differences between whole boiled egg yolk (WBEY) and stirred boiled egg yolks (SBEYs). Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicated that the WBEY was formed via the accumulation of yolk spheres, whereas the SBEY was a gel with a tight and ordered microstructure. The stirring disrupted the yolk sphere structure, leading to a homogeneous distribution of proteins and lipids in SBEYs, and a cross-linked network in gel was established with higher hardness and springiness. In the oral sensation simulation, WBEY had a higher saliva adsorption capacity and frictional force to oral soft tissue during swallowing than SBEY. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of the gel structure and taste of egg yolk, and provides a theoretical basis for the research on the formation of the gritty taste of egg yolks.

Study on Capture Efficiency of Particle Trap and Performance Improvement Method for DC GIL/GIS

Whether the metal particles in DC GIL/GIS can be effectively captured by particle traps affects its safety and stability operation. In this paper, a test platform simulation of the real structure is set up to study the influence law of the particle trap on the capture rate. The effect of the key structure parameters and shielding balls on the capture rate of the up-lift particle trap is studied, and a surface coating strategy on the particle trap is proposed to improve the trapping efficiency of the trap. The results show that increasing the length and height of the trap can improve the capture efficiency of the particle, while a too-large or too-small grid is not conducive to trap capture. With the initial lifting position of the particle away from the particle trap, the capture rate decreases. The cone-shaped structure is conducive to the particles moving toward the trap direction and the hollow structure had the trapping efficiency of the particles. The research observations also indicate that the shielding balls with cone-shaped outside and hollow inside can improve the capture rate of the particle trap by 37.2% on average. Furthermore, it is found that the surface coating of the particle trap can isolate the charge transfer when moving particles arrive, which can increase the capture rate of the particle trap by 17.2% on average. Accordingly, typical trajectories of particles captured and escaped are analyzed and discussed. This work provides a significant idea to design the particle traps and the controlling strategies of DC GIL/GIS particle pollution.

Functional architecture of dopamine neurons driving fear extinction learning

The ability to extinguish fear responses to stimuli that no longer predict danger is critical for adaptive behavior and increases the likelihood of survival. During fear extinction, dopamine (DA) neurons signal the absence of the expected aversive outcome, and this extinction prediction error (EPE) signal is crucial for initiating and driving extinction learning. However, the neural circuits underlying the EPE signal have remained elusive. Here, we investigate the input-output circuitry of EPE-encoding DA neurons in male mice. By employing projection-specific fiber photometry and optogenetics, we demonstrate that these neurons project to a restricted subregion of the nucleus accumbens. Comprehensive anatomical analyses, as well as projection-specific chemogenetic manipulations combined with recordings of DA biosensors, further uncover the dorsal raphe as one key input structure critical for generating the EPE signal. Together, our results reveal for the first time the functional architecture of EPE-encoding DA neurons crucial for driving fear extinction learning.

Lightweight zero-knowledge authentication scheme for IoT embedded devices

Authentication technology has been employed in a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, such as electronic medical services, smart homes, and the Internet of Vehicles, to protect data privacy and device accessibility. However, current zero-knowledge authentication schemes for resource-limited embedded devices face challenges in computation, communication, and storage costs. In order to solve this problem, we propose a lightweight zero-knowledge authentication scheme for IoT-embedded devices (LZIA). In the proposed scheme, the identity information is associated with a unique identifier, and the device identities are allocated using hash commitment in the registration phase. Then, a lightweight registration method is proposed to reduce the computation and storage costs. In the secret key management phase, the direct communication between the embedded device and the authentication server (AS) for device key management is built. By combining device identity information and the Chebyshev polynomial chaotic map, we simplify the device’s secret key structure and propose a secret key generation equation, an update equation, and a secret key management method to reduce computation and storage costs. In the authentication phase, we replace traditional cryptographic operations with Chebyshev polynomial operations and consolidate all intermediate data into a polynomial for unified authentication. We then optimize the device’s proof generation and proof verification equations and propose a lightweight authentication protocol to effectively reduce the number of interactions and computational costs. Experimental results demonstrate that LZIA, whether in simulation or actual hardware environments, can reduce computation, communication, and storage costs while guaranteeing security. LZIA surpasses EEAS, LAKA, and SRAM in terms of both security and performance.

Pre-mandibular pharyngeal pouches in early non-teleost fish embryos.

The vertebrate pharynx is a key embryonic structure with crucial importance for the metameric organization of the head and face. The pharynx is primarily built upon progressive formation of paired pharyngeal pouches that typically develop in post-oral (mandibular, hyoid and branchial) domains. However, in the early embryos of non-teleost fishes, we have previously identified pharyngeal pouch-like outpocketings also in the pre-oral domain of the cranial endoderm. This pre-oral gut (POG) forms by early pouching of the primitive gut cavity, followed by the sequential formation of typical (post-oral) pharyngeal pouches. Here, we tested the pharyngeal nature of the POG by analysing expression patterns of selected core pharyngeal regulatory network genes in bichir and sturgeon embryos. Our comparison revealed generally shared expression patterns, including Shh, Pax9, Tbx1, Eya1, Six1, Ripply3 or Fgf8, between early POG and post-oral pharyngeal pouches. POG thus shares pharyngeal pouch-like morphogenesis and a gene expression profile with pharyngeal pouches and can be regarded as a pre-mandibular pharyngeal pouch. We further suggest that pre-mandibular pharyngeal pouches represent a plesiomorphic vertebrate trait inherited from our ancestor's pharyngeal metameric organization, which is incorporated in the early formation of the pre-chordal plate of vertebrate embryos.

Reliable population code for subjective economic value from heterogeneous neuronal signals in primate orbitofrontal cortex

Behavior-related neuronal signals often vary between neurons, which might reflect the unreliability of individual neurons or a truly heterogeneous code. This notion may also apply to economic ("value-based") choices and the underlying reward signals. Reward value is subjective and can be described by a nonlinearly weighted magnitude (utility) and probability. Defining subjective values relies on the continuity axiom, whose testing involves structured variations of a wide range of reward magnitudes and probabilities. Axiom compliance demonstrates understanding of the stimuli and the meaningful character of choices. Using these tests, we investigated the encoding of subjective economic value by neurons in a key economic-decision structure of the monkey brain, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). We found that individual neurons carry heterogeneous neuronal value signals that largely fail to match the animal's choices. However, neuronal population signals matched the animal's choices well, suggesting accurate subjective economic value encoding by a heterogeneous population of unreliable neurons.

Characteristics of overlying strata and mechanisms of arch beam failure in shallowly buried thick bedrock coal seams: A case study in western China

AbstractThe Yangjiacun coal mine, located in western China, exhibits distinctive characteristics, such as its shallow depth, thick bedrock, thin loose layer, and unique roof strata breaking movement. In this research, a comprehensive analysis of previous exploration data, subsequent mechanical testing, key stratum theory, natural equilibrium arch theory, and simulation tests and numerical simulations has been conducted to investigate the failure behavior of the overlying rock strata in the Yangjiacun Coal Mine. Specifically, the load‐bearing capacity of the key stratum structure in the bedrock and the morphological properties of the arch‐beam structure have been thoroughly examined. A mechanical model of the roof rock arch‐beam structure has been established, and an analytical formula for the limit size and stability criterion of the arch‐beam structure has been derived. The mining‐induced rock arch‐beam structure plays a crucial role in transferring the load of the upper strata to the surrounding goaf, thereby preventing subsidence and deformation of the overlying strata. However, the arch‐beam structure periodically experiences instability during the advancement of the working face, gradually progressing towards the upper layer until the main key stratum is breached and the arch‐beam structure collapses. Based on the characteristics of weathered rock and the arch‐beam failure model in the Yangjiacun Coal Mine, quantitative backfilling mining methods have been proposed to either compensate for the mining void created by coal extraction or limit the size of exposed key strata through strip mining, ensuring the stability of the R6 key stratum. This study represents a significant contribution to understanding the intricate failure behavior of overlying rock strata in coal mines and provides a valuable framework for the responsible and efficient extraction of coal resources in similar environments.

The Influence of Ocean Processes on Fine-Scale Changes in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass Boundary Area Structure Based on Acoustic Observations

The boundary of Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) is a key ocean frontal structure influencing the regional ecosystem. Complex oceanic processes such as tidal currents, upwelling, and internal waves influence fine-scale hydrological structures, comprehensively resulting in a significantly highly productive area for plankton and fisheries. However, detailed research requires inaccessible high-resolution data. To investigate the fine-scale and high-frequency effects of oceanic processes on the local hydrological and ecological environment, we conducted comprehensive cruise acoustic observations and intensive station surveys of the hydrological environment around the YSCWM boundary in summer 2021 and 2022, and found that: (1) fine-scale hydrological structures across the YSCWM boundary were directly captured through this specific intensive station observation design; (2) clear zooplankton diel vertical migration (DVM) phenomena match well with the thermocline variation, showing that acoustics are effective indicators that reflect the water mass layering structure in summer in the YS; and (3) the shear excited by internal waves during propagation and flood tides enhances the upward and downward mixing of the water mass near the thermocline, thus thickening and weakening the layer, an effect that will be more pronounced when both are present at the same time, with ebb tide having the opposite effect. Topographically influenced tidal upwelling also causes significant vertical fluctuations in isotherms. This represents a new way of studying the fine-scale hydrodynamic–hydrologic–ecological aspects of key regions through acoustic remote sensing.

Gestational intermittent hypoxia increases FosB-immunoreactive perikaryas in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of adult male (but not female) rats.

Sleep-disordered breathing is a respiratory disorder commonly experienced by pregnant women. The recurrent hypoxaemic events associated with sleep-disordered breathing have deleterious consequences for the mother and fetus. Adult male (but not female) rats born to dams subjected to gestational intermittent hypoxia (GIH) have a higher resting blood pressure than control animals and show behavioural/neurodevelopmental disorders. The origin of this persistent, sex-specific effect of GIH in offspring is unknown, but disruption of the neuroendocrine stress pathways is a key mechanism by which gestational stress increases disease risk in progeny. Using FosB immunolabelling as a chronic marker of neuronal activation, we determined whether GIH augments basal expression of FosB in the perikaryas of cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), a key structure in the regulation of the stress response and blood pressure. From gestational day 10, female rats were subjected to GIH for 8h/day (light phase) until the day before delivery (gestational day 21); GIH consisted of 2min hypoxic bouts (10.5% O2 ) alternating with normoxia. Control rats were exposed to intermittent normoxia over the same period (GNX). At adulthood (10-15weeks), the brains of male and female rats were harvested for FosB immunohistochemistry. In males, GIH augmented PVN FosB labelling density by 30%. Conversely, PVN FosB density in GIH females was 28% lower than that of GNX females. We conclude that GIH has persistent and sex-specific impacts on the development of stress pathways, thereby offering a plausible mechanism by which GIH can disturb neural development and blood pressure homeostasis in adulthood. NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this study? In pregnant women, sleep apnoea increases the risk of disease for the offspring at various life stages. Given that gestational stress disrupts the programming of the stress pathways, we determined whether exposing female rats to gestational intermittent hypoxia (GIH) activates hypothalamic neurons regulating the stress response in adult rats. What is the main finding and its importance? Using FosB immunolabelling as a marker of marker of neuronal activation, we showed that GIH augmented basal activation of the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in males, but not females. Disruption of the stress pathways is a new hypothesis to explain the persistent and sex-specific impacts of GIH on offspring health.

Mechanistic studies: Comparative investigation of nickel(0)-catalyzed selective decarbonylative cross-coupling of cyclic anhydrides with alkyl bromides or aryl triflates

The mechanisms of the nickel-catalyzed decarbonylative cross-coupling of cyclic anhydrides with alkyl bromides, and the nickel-catalyzed non-decarbonylative cross-coupling of cyclic anhydrides with aryl triflates are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that the decarbonylative reaction has a radical-involved mechanism with cyclic anhydrides being activated first by the nickel catalyst. The Ni center undergoes a valence change of Ni(0)-Ni(II)-Ni(III)-Ni(I)-Ni(II)-Ni(0). While the non-decarbonylative reaction has a double oxidative addition mechanism with aryl triflates being activated first by the nickel catalyst. The Ni center undergoes a valence change of Ni(0)-Ni(II)-Ni(I)-Ni(III)-Ni(I)-Ni(0). The reasons that affect the selective decarbonylation of the coupling products of cyclic anhydrides are explained from the perspective of substrate activation priority and key intermediate geometric structure. These theoretical insights may shed light on the understanding and development of transition-metal-catalyzed selective decarbonylative CO bond activation reactions.

The Kinetics of Transtentorial Brain Herniation: Kernohan-Woltman Notch Phenomenon Revisited.

To critically review recent literature in understanding the pathological consequences of transtentorial brain herniation resulting from unilateral expanding supratentorial mass lesions. Modern neuroimaging assists in understanding the consequences of transtentorial brain herniation with the development of the Kernohan-Woltman notch phenomenon. MRI studies in post-operative patients undergoing craniotomy and removal of expanding unilateral hemispheric mass lesions (usually an extradural or subdural hematoma) have shown striking findings in the contralateral crus cerebri suggestive of damage as a result of impact against the free margin of the opposite tentorium as suggested by Kernohan and Woltman nearly a century back in autopsy studies. MR changes include T1 hypointensity, T2 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) hyperintensity, DW1 hyperintensity with restriction of diffusion, presence of hypointensity in GRE sequences and evidence of axonal damage in the corticospinal tracts in the cerebral peduncle in diffusion tensor imaging and MR tractography. The pathological basis of such changes may be variable or a combination of several pathological processes, which may all be related to the impact/compression of the contralateral crus with the tentorial margin. These include contusion, compression, demyelination, and perhaps most importantly microvascular damage including microbleeds. The role of uncal herniation is debatable. It appears that as a result of massive lateral shift in the supratentorial compartment, there is a transient forceful impact of the opposite cerebral peduncle against the rigid tentorial border to induce one or more of the abovementioned phenomena to explain the imaging findings. The limitation of these studies is that most of them have been done in the post-operative periods and surgical manipulations can surely alter anatomical relationships between intracranial structures. The exact sequence of events happening intracranially in the face of rapidly expanding supratentorial mass lesions is largely unknown. Even with rapid progress in neuroimaging, documentation of such changes during life are difficult, principally for logistic reasons. Consequently, the very truth of the much taught about phenomenon of uncal herniation and the resultant Kernohan-Woltman notch phenomenon and the false localizing sign of unilateral motor weakness and contralateral pupillary dilation have been questioned. Animal experimentation and autopsy studies have not contributed much in our understanding of the actual process happening intracranially in such an emergent situation. The midbrain undoubtedly is the key structure bearing the brunt of the effect of brain shift which is more lateral than downward in cases with unilateral expanding lesions. Structural changes in the cerebral peduncles have now been visualized with modern neuroimaging. These alterations may result from the interplay of one or more factors which include compression, contusion, demyelination, and perhaps most importantly microvascular ischemia and hemorrhage resulting from a forceful yet transient impact of the cerebral peduncle with the tough tentorial margin. The last mentioned hypothesis would be in conformity with Kernohan and Woltman's concept of elastic deformation of the midbrain. In the present article an attempt is made to provide a historical account of the changing concepts in relation to brain herniation as systematically and chronologically as possible, and then, critically review recent neuroimaging observations with a view to hypothesize on the sequence of events during transtentorial brain herniation.

State‐owned enterprises and entrusted lending: Economic growth and business cycles in China

AbstractA key economic structure in China is the co‐existence of state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) being bank‐favored firms as well as policy tools, and more productive private firms who can borrow from SOEs through entrusted lending. We explore macroeconomic implications of such a structure in China. Our findings suggest SOEs dampen output volatility at the cost of productivity volatility. In contrast, the healthy development of entrusted lending dampens variations of both output and productivity by reallocating credits between firms. Focusing on the recent growth slowdown in China, we further show conducive effects of entrusted lending on economic growth by mitigating capital misallocation.

Structural evolution of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene gel film stretching at different temperatures with reservation of shish crystals

Shish crystal is the key structure to achieve low-dimensional ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) products with high performance. UHMWPE gel film containing shish crystals was prepared by precise temperature control in the gel molding, and its structural evolution in the stretching flow field at different temperatures was investigated by in-situ wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD)/small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that shish crystals accelerated the structural evolution in both room and high temperature stretching, promoting more highly oriented crystals along the stretching direction. In room temperature stretching, the lamellae were deflected vertically to the stretching direction and gradually accumulated leading to a stabilization of the crystallinity index and the degree of orientation of the crystals along the stretching direction. However, in high temperature stretching, this intermediate orientation was broken and the transition to shish-kebab crystals continued, leading to a sharp increase in the crystallinity index and the degree of orientation of the crystals along the stretching direction.

The inter-molecular hydrogen bonds modulated reversible ACQ-AIE conversion and dual-states sensing applications of shikimic acid derived hydrogen bond dimers

Smart molecules with adjustable and reversible ACQ-AIE transformation which could be used as luminescence sensors both in solvent and solid-state are rarely reported. Planar luminophores with strong inter-molecular hydrogen bonds and a rotor might exhibit reversible ACQ-AIE conversion by modulating the inter-molecular hydrogen bonds. As a proof of concept, herein, two smart hydrogen bond dimers (Qufu-1 and Qufu-2) with reversible ACQ-AIE transformation were derived from the renewable bio-feedstock shikimic acid. Qufu-1 and Qufu-2 possessing a novel 4-oxo-3,4-dihydrobenzofuro[2,3-d]pyrimidine key structure and both exhibit crystallization induced ACQ (CIACQ) and precipitation induced AIE (PIAIE) in solid-state. Single crystal analysis indicates that the large planar configuration formed in the dimers of Qufu-1 and Qufu-2 due to the inter-molecular hydrogen bonds, which would result in the strong π-π stacking and ACQ in crystal. The AIE state could be facile realized by breaking the inter-molecular hydrogen bonds and changing the aggregation state from crystal to precipitation. Moreover, ACQ to AIE transformation could also accomplish for Qufu-1 and Qufu-2 in solution by modulating the inter-molecular hydrogen bonds with acid. In addition, three-level structures latent fingerprint identification in real environment and fluorescent sensing of hazardous biogenic amines in food samples were performed with Qufu-1.

Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions.

Cryoconite, the dark sediment on the surface of glaciers, often aggregates into oval or irregular granules serving as biogeochemical factories. They reduce a glacier's albedo, act as biodiversity hotspots by supporting aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, constitute one of the organic matter (OM) sources on glaciers, and are a feeder for micrometazoans. Although cryoconite granules have multiple roles on glaciers, their formation is poorly understood. Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous and abundant engineers of cryoconite hole ecosystems. This study tested whether cyanobacteria may be responsible for cryoconite granulation as a sole biotic element. Incubation of Greenlandic, Svalbard, and Scandinavian cyanobacteria in different nutrient availabilities and substrata for growth (distilled water alone and water with quartz powder, furnaced cryoconite without OM, or powdered rocks from glacial catchment) revealed that cyanobacteria bind mineral particles into granules. The structures formed in the experiment resembled those commonly observed in natural cryoconite holes: they contained numerous cyanobacterial filaments protruding from aggregated mineral particles. Moreover, all examined strains were confirmed to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which suggests that cryoconite granulation is most likely due to EPS secretion by gliding cyanobacteria. In the presence of water as the only substrate for growth, cyanobacteria formed mostly carpet-like mats. Our data empirically prove that EPS-producing oscillatorialean cyanobacteria isolated from the diverse community of cryoconite microorganisms can form granules from mineral substrate and that the presence of the mineral substrate increases the probability of the formation of these important and complex biogeochemical microstructures on glaciers.

Deep Learning Segmentation of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert on 3T MRI.

The nucleus basalis of Meynert is a key subcortical structure that is important in arousal and cognition and has been explored as a deep brain stimulation target but is difficult to study due to its small size, variability among patients, and lack of contrast on 3T MR imaging. Thus, our goal was to establish and evaluate a deep learning network for automatic, accurate, and patient-specific segmentations with 3T MR imaging. Patient-specific segmentations can be produced manually; however, the nucleus basalis of Meynert is difficult to accurately segment on 3T MR imaging, with 7T being preferred. Thus, paired 3T and 7T MR imaging data sets of 21 healthy subjects were obtained. A test data set of 6 subjects was completely withheld. The nucleus was expertly segmented on 7T, providing accurate labels for the paired 3T MR imaging. An external data set of 14 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy was used to test the model on brains with neurologic disorders. A 3D-Unet convolutional neural network was constructed, and a 5-fold cross-validation was performed. The novel segmentation model demonstrated significantly improved Dice coefficients over the standard probabilistic atlas for both healthy subjects (mean, 0.68 [SD, 0.10] versus 0.45 [SD, 0.11], P = .002, t test) and patients (0.64 [SD, 0.10] versus 0.37 [SD, 0.22], P < .001). Additionally, the model demonstrated significantly decreased centroid distance in patients (1.18 [SD, 0.43] mm, 3.09 [SD, 2.56] mm, P = .007). We developed the first model, to our knowledge, for automatic and accurate patient-specific segmentation of the nucleus basalis of Meynert. This model may enable further study into the nucleus, impacting new treatments such as deep brain stimulation.

Design and Test of a Low-Loss Soybean Header Based on Synchronous Profiling

A synchronous-profiling, low-position-cutting, flexible-reel-belt-conveyor, low-loss soybean header was designed to address the problems of a lack of soybean harvesting machines supporting soybean-corn strip intercropping, the few existing soybean headers, and the high loss rate of soybean headers. By establishing a dynamic model of the synchronous-profiling cutting device, the key structure and operation parameters that affect the performance of synchronous profiling were determined, while the key parameters of the flexible-reel-belt conveyor device were determined by theoretical analysis. Based on ADAMS rigid-flexible coupling, simulation analysis was conducted on the working process of the synchronous-profiling cutting device, verifying that the profiling cutting device can effectively control the height of the cutter off the ground with undulating ground and that the cutting device can accurately and quickly respond to ground excitation, meeting the requirements of synchronous-profiling, low-position cutting. Field tests showed that the loss rate and stubble height of the soybean headers are 1.34% and 70.36 mm, respectively, which are 55% and 22.7% lower than the existing reel-type rigid soybean headers, meeting the actual production requirements. This study can provide a reference for the structural design of soybean harvesting headers and the reduction of header losses.