High-dimensionality is one of the major problems which affect the quality of the quantitative structure-activity (property) relationship (QSAR/ QSPR) classification methods in chemometrics. Applying variable selection is essential to improve the performance of the classification task. Variable selection is well-known as an NP-hard optimization problem. Various evolutionary algorithms are dedicated to solving this problem in the literature. Recently, a black hole algorithm was proposed, which has been successfully applied to solve various continuous optimization problems. In this paper, a new time-varying transfer function is proposed to improve the exploration and exploitation capability of the binary black hole algorithm in selecting the most relevant descriptors (variables) in QSAR/ QSPR classification models with high classification accuracy and short computing time. Based on seven benchmark biopharmaceutical datasets, the experimental results reveal the capability of the proposed time-varying transfer function to achieve high classification accuracy with minimizing the number of selected descriptors and reducing the computational time.

African swine fever (ASF) free China has experienced a sudden multi-focal and multi-round of outbreaks during 2018. The subsequent epidemiological survey resulted in a debate including the possibility of a transboundary spread from European Russia to China through wild boar. We contribute to the debate by assessing a potential Trans-Siberian transmission path and its associated ASF arrival dates. Least Cost Paths (LCPs) between Eastern Europe and NE China were plotted. The arrival dates of ASF-infected wild boar have been predicted by cumulative maximum transmission distances per season and cover with their associated minimum time intervals along the LCPs. Our results show high costs for wild boar to cross Xinjiang, NW China and/or Mongolia to reach NE China. Instead, the Paths lead almost straight eastward along the 59.5° Northern latitude through Siberia and would have taken a minimum of 219 or 260 days.

Background: Waardenburg syndrome (WS), a common type of syndromic hearing loss. A large group of patients affected by WS were found no mutations in the above gene panel, indicating that there are still potential genes responsible for WS yet to be detected. Methods: In our previous study, we established a KITD806E/+ pig pedigree with an autosomal dominant inheritance model. This model presented congenital bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss with hypopigmentation, exact the same as human WS. Results: Histological analysis of the KITD806E/+ cochlea showed nearly normal structures of the organ of Corti, stria vascularis and spiral neuron ganglions at E85. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) exhibited the auditory hair cells began to degenerate at E100, and totally gone at P1. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed disorganization of stria vascularis (SV) and intermediate cells in the middle layer of SV had gone. The absence of endocochlear potentials also demonstrated the dysfunction of stria. Conclusions: KITD806E/+ mutation interrupted the development of melanocytes in cochlea, which led to the malformation and dysfunction of SV, resulting in degeneration of hair cells and finally hearing loss. Therefore, KIT was highly supposed to be a newly found gene associated with WS.

The stiffness degradation represents one of the most interesting phenomena used for describing the fatigue behaviour of composites. In this regard, in literature, several works have been presented for modelling the fatigue life by studying the stiffness degradation. A critical aspect of modelling damage fatigue is represented by the difficulties in simulating the whole behaviour of material and then in describing the damage progression in all its stages. In addition, the validation of models requires the measurement of stiffness variations by means of experimental techniques. Above all for real components, the difficulties in defying proper models are accompanied by the difficulties in measuring stiffness degradation due to inapplicability of classic experimental techniques. In this work, the stiffness degradation of quasi-isotropic carbon-fibre-reinforced-polymer obtained by automated fiber placement, has been assessed by means of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis. The amplitude of temperature signal at the mechanical frequency (thermoelastic signal) was considered as an indicator of material degradation and compared to the data provided by an extensometer. The correlation between thermoelastic and mechanical data allowed to build a new experimental model for evaluating and predicting material stiffness degradation by just using thermoelastic data. The proposed approach seems to be very promising for stiffness degradation assessment of real and complex mechanical components subjected to actual loading conditions.

Environmental dating tracers (3H, 3He, 4He, CFC-12, CFC-11, SF6) and the natural response of spring (hydrochemistry, water temperature, and hydrodynamics) were jointly used to asses mixing processes and to characterize groundwater flow in a relatively small carbonate aquifer with complex geology in South Spain. Results evidence a marked karst behavior of some temporary outlets, while some perennial springs show buffer and delayed responses to recharge events. There is also a general geochemical evolution pattern, from higher to lower altitudes, in which mineralization and the relation Mg/Ca rises, evidencing longer water-rock interaction. The large SF6 concentrations in groundwater suggest terrigenic production, while CFC-11 values are affected by sorption or degradation. The groundwater age in the perennial springs deduced from CFC-12 and 3H/3He point out to mean residence times of several decades, although the difference between both methods and the large amount of radiogenic 4He in the samples indicates a contribution of old groundwater (free of 3H and CFC-12). Lumped Parameter Models and Shape-Free Models were created based on 3H, tritiogenic 3He, CFC-12, and radiogenic 4He data in order to interpret the age distribution of the samples. The resulting groundwater-age distributions evidence the existence of two mixing components, with an old fraction ranging between 160 and 220 years. Some dating parameters derived from the mixing models and their correlation to physicochemical parameters permits to explain the hydrogeochemical processes occurring within the system. All these results prove that large time residence times are possible in small alpine systems with a clear karst behavior when the geological setting is complex, and they highlight the importance of applying different approaches, including groundwater dating techniques, to completely understand the groundwater flow regime within this type of media.

Gut microbiota (GM) are important for the health of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, GP), in addition to the utilization of bamboo in their diets. However, it’s not fully understood how diet conversions and environmental factors contribute to the compositions of giant panda GM. Consequently, we evaluated how dietary changes and lifestyle shifts influence the GM of giant pandas using high-throughput sequencing and genome-resolved metagenomics. The gut microbial communities of giant pandas were more similar when their hosts exhibited the same diets or lifestyles. High fiber diets significantly increased the diversity (Shannon index) and decreased the richness (Chao1 index) of gut bacterial communities (p < 0.05). In addition, the abundances of Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Acinetobacter, and Clostridium significantly increased with bamboo consumption (Non-parametric factorial Kruskal-Wallis sum-rank test, LDA>4). Reconstruction of 60 metagenome-assembled-genomes (MAGs) indicated that these bacteria were likely responsible for bamboo digestion via gene complements involved in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin degradation. Further, the biodiversity of GM in wild or reintroduced pandas were higher than those of wild-training pandas, especially fungal communities. The GM structure in reintroduced giant pandas notably converged to that of wild pandas. These results revealed Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Acinetobacter, and Clostridium may contribute to lignocellulose digestion in GP. Captivity generally led to decreased biodiversity of GM in giant pandas. Adaptations to increased environmental threats or stressors may aid the conversion of reintroduced giant panda GM to those like wild pandas. In summary, we indicated that diet and lifestyle could influence GM remarkably in GP.

In Rodriguez et al.1 an analytical expression was deduced to predict the slip ratio in dispersed oil-water flow. Although the quantitative agreement was quite good, the expression systematically underestimated the slip ratio. New experimental data of similar flows were collected in two different experimental facilities in pipes of different materials and diameters (26 mm and 82.8 mm i.d.). Oil-water flow data collected within a range of mixture Reynolds numbers from 1∙105 to 20∙106 in glass, acrylic and steel pipes with oil viscosities varying from 7 to 220 mPa.s were used to deduce a more generic correlation for slip ratio as a function of the mixture Froud number (5 < Fr < 70). The underestimation of the slip ratio was corrected. The new slip-ratio correlation can be used to significantly improve the prediction of volumetric fraction in flow situations where turbulent dispersion of oil in water occurs.

RotaçõesA isotropia de um espaço está relacionada à invariância de suas características geométricas por rotações. Uma ro tação é uma operação que pode ser executada diretamente sobre o sistema físico, tenho assim form a ativa, mas também possui uma versão passiva, que consiste na rotação do sistema de coordenadas, mas mantém o sistema inalterado. Uma rotação na forma ativa consiste na rotação inversa em forma passiva, e vice-versa.Por exemplo, podemos tomar uma rotação passiva no espaço euclidiano bidimensional \(\mathbb{R}^2\), como no caso da fig. \ref{701595}.

TranslaçõesO espaço euclidiano tridimensional \(\mathbb{R}^3\) é homogêneo, o que significa que ele tem as mesmas propriedades geométricas independentemente da posição da origem do sistema de coordenadas. A homogeneidade também significa a invariância da métrica por translações.Podemos analisar a operação de translação de duas formas distintas. A forma ativa consiste em mudar a posição do sistema físico com relação ao observador, ou seja, a distância entre o observador e o sistema, sem mudar a orientação do sistema com relação aos eixos ordenados. A forma passiva consiste em mudar a posição da origem do sistema de coordenadas, sem modificar a orientação dos eixos ordenados em si. Se \(x\in\mathbb{R}^3\) é a posição de uma partícula, uma translação ativa consiste em mudar a posição da partícula para um determinado ponto \(y\in\mathbb{R}^3\), pela operação

From a question I asked online [1], I had deduced that the Laplace transform could be absorbed into the inverse Mellin transform as ^{-1}[\phi] = -^{-1}[\phi^*] and the Mellin transform could be absorbed into the inverse Laplace transform as ^{-1}[\psi] = \Gamma(q)^{-1}[\psi^*] where \phi^* = \Gamma(t)\phi(1-t) and \psi^* = \psi(-e^{-s})e^{-s} the term of ϕ(1 − t) reminded me of the Riemann function equation for ζ(s) which is \zeta(s) = 2^s \pi^{s-1}\sin\left({2}\right) \Gamma(1-s)\zeta(1-s) the question I was then interested in was WHAT OTHER TRANSFORM WHEN APPLIED TO THE INVERSE MELLIN TRANSFORM OF A FUNCTION, WOULD RESULT IN THIS FUNCTIONAL EQUATION, or what is the transform such that ζ(s) is invariant to? The more fundamental quantity in terms of Mellin transforms is Γ(s)ζ(s) which has the integral (Mellin transform) representation: \Gamma(s)\zeta(s) = \int_0^\infty }{e^x-1} \; dx = \left[{e^x-1}\right] we would like to find an integral transform of a function f 𝒬[f] such that [^{-1}[\phi(s)]] = ^{-1}[2^s \pi^{s-1}\sin\left({2}\right)\Gamma(s)\phi(1-s)] such that [^{-1}[\Gamma(s)\zeta(s)]] = ^{-1}[\Gamma(s)\zeta(s)] by virtue of the integral equation 6 we should have something like \left[{e^x-1}\right](s) = {e^s-1} we expect 𝒬 to somewhat resemble a Laplace transform because of the equation ^{-1}[\phi(s)] = ^{-1}[\Gamma(s)\phi(1-s)] Seems that we want something such that [x^{-s}] = \left({2\pi}\right)^{s-1} {\pi} \sin\left({2}(1-s)\right)\Gamma(1-s) the trick seems to be using an inverse Mellin transform on the above to get the relationship Q[x^{-s}] = \int_0^\infty x^{-s}{2 \pi x} \right)}{\pi x}\; dx = q^{-s} 2^s \pi^{s-1} \Gamma(s) \sin\left({2}\right) this is still not quite right as we want to invert the s → 1 − s. It does seem (numerically) for a small region of s values (between 0 and 1?) that [x^{-s}] = \int_0^\infty x^{-s}{2 \pi} \right)}{\pi}\; dx = \left({2\pi}\right)^{s-1} {\pi} \sin\left({2}(1-s)\right)\Gamma(1-s) as required. Hence our transform becomes (note the minus sign) [f] = -\int_0^\infty f(x){2 \pi} \right)}{\pi}\; dx which should (formally) satisfy [^{-1}[\Gamma(s)\zeta(s)] = ^{-1}[\Gamma(s)\zeta(s)] or then ’fixing’ the inverse Mellin transform as given, Γ(s)ζ(s) is some kind of eigen-function of the transform 𝒬... CHECKING THIS FOLLOWS THROUGH Thus $$ [^{-1}[\phi]]=\left[{2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} x^{-s}\phi(s)\;ds \right] $$ $$ [^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} \left[x^{-s}\right]\phi(s)\;ds $$ $$ [^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} \left({2\pi}\right)^{s-1} {\pi} \sin\left({2}(1-s)\right)\Gamma(1-s)\phi(s)\;ds $$ by letting s − 1 → −t we get $$ [^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c'+i\infty} q^{-t} 2^t \pi^{t-1} \sin\left({2}\right)\Gamma(t)\phi(1-t)\;dt = {2\pi i}^{c'+i\infty} q^{-t}\phi^*(t)\;dt = ^{-1}[\phi^*]} $$ where $\phi^*(t) = 2^t \pi^{t-1} \sin\left({2}\right)\Gamma(t)\phi(1-t)$. If we set ϕ(t)=Γ(t)ζ(t) according to the Riemann functional equation we have \zeta(s) = 2^s \pi^{s-1} \sin\left({2}\right) \Gamma(1-s)\zeta(1-s) thus ϕ*(t)=ϕ(t)=Γ(t)ζ(t). CONCLUSION It is formally possible to define such an integral transform. This may be possible and have better convergence for other functional relationships. REFERENCES [1] - https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2501698/a-pair-of-composed-integral-transforms-from-mellin-and-laplace-transforms APPENDIX If we define the forward transform as _1[f(x)](k) = \int_0^\infty {e^{kx}-1} \;dx we find that _1[x^{s-1}](k) = k^{-s} \Gamma(s)\zeta(s), \; s>1, t>0 or equivalently _1[x^{s-1}](k) = k^{-s} 2^s \pi^{s-1}\sin\left({2}\right)\Gamma(s)\Gamma(1-s)\zeta(1-s), \; s>1, t>0 Thus $$ _1[^{-1}[\phi]]=_1\left[{2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} x^{-s}\phi(s)\;ds \right] $$ $$ _1[^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} _1\left[x^{-s}\right]\phi(s)\;ds $$ $$ _1[^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c+i\infty} q^{s-1}\Gamma(1-s)\zeta(1-s)\phi(s)\;ds $$ by letting s − 1 → −t we get $$ _1[^{-1}[\phi]] = {2\pi i}^{c'+i\infty} q^{-t}\Gamma(t)\zeta(t)\phi(1-t)\;dt = {2\pi i}^{c'+i\infty} q^{-t}\phi^*(t)\;dt = ^{-1}[\phi^*]} $$ where ϕ*(t)=Γ(t)ζ(t)ϕ(1 − t). Although this is cool, it’s not quite what we want.

A fast and facile method was employed for the synthesis of magnetic graphene oxide (MGO). The synthesized MGO is characterized by different techniques and used as a solid-phase adsorbent for the extraction of β-sitosterol from rapeseed oil deodorizer distillates (RDOD) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GS-MS) analysis. Several parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, including the amount of adsorbent, extraction time and temperature, desorption solvent, and desorption time, were investigated. The procedure exhibited desirable extraction efficiency within 30 min at 35 ºC. Recoveries higher than 80% were obtained with acetone as eluent and the method was successfully applied to concentrate the β-sitosterol in RDOD CO2-supercritical extract. Compared to C18-silica and graphitic carbon, the composite showed satisfactory results for the extraction of β-sitosterol from oil samples.

The importance of fog for the survival and growth of tropical cloud forests is receiving increasing interest in the context of climate change. Current knowledge on this topic is almost entirely based on studies at the species level, which can hardly reflect the response of the whole ecosystem to climate change. We evaluated community-level responses of trees and epiphytes to seasonal drought in Hainan tropical cloud forest ecosystem. We found that fog induced suppressed photosynthetic water demand and foliar water uptake help these forests escape from drought. We infer that reduction in fog due to future climate change may result in high plant mortality in these ecosystems, and artificially simulating fog may help save tropical cloud forests from vanishing worldwide.

This research was conducted to investigate the structuring effect of sorbitan mono-stearate (SMS) and sorbitan tri-stearate (STS) to fabricate some fatty-based product. For this purpose, various binary mixtures (VBM) of SMS/STS: polyglycerol esters were added to base oils at concentrations of 3, 6 and 9 (wt %). The results showed that saturated fatty acid (SFA), slip melting point and solid fat content increased with an increase in the VBM of SMS and STS (P< 0.05). SMS and STS did not affect peroxide value and the free fatty acids. Rancimat test presents contradictory results. The rheological analysis revealed that G”, G’, G* and tan δ of the base oil were increased to 105 Pa. Consequently, SMS-based structured fats exhibited more consistency than STS-based one. With proper plasticity and low SFA, SMS/STS-based fats can be applicable in the production of some fatty-based products like soft tub margarine, bakery margarine and all-purpose shortening.

To understand the growth response to drought, we performed a proteomics study in the leaf growth zone of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings and functionally characterized the role of starch biosynthesis in the regulation of growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant capacity, using the shrunken2 mutant (sh2), defective in ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Drought induced differential expression of 284 proteins overrepresented for photosynthesis, amino acids, sugar and starch metabolism, and redox-regulation. Changes in protein levels correlated with enzyme activities (increased ATP synthase, cysteine synthase, starch synthase, RuBisCo, peroxiredoxin, glutaredoxin, thioredoxin and decreased triosephosphate isomerase, ferredoxin, cellulose synthase activities, respectively) and metabolite concentrations (increased ATP, cysteine, glycine, serine, starch, proline and decreased cellulose levels). The sh2 mutant had a reduced ability to increase starch levels under drought conditions, causing soluble sugar starvation at the end of the night and impaired leaf growth. Increased RuBisCo activity and pigment concentrations observed in WT in response to drought were lacking in the mutant, which suffered more oxidative damage and recovered more slowly after re-watering. These results demonstrate that starch biosynthesis plays a crucial role in maintaining leaf growth under drought stress and facilitates enhanced carbon acquisition upon recovery.

Objective To compare the safety and efficacy of Veregen® ointment against placebo in the treatment of usual type vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (uVIN). Design A Phase II randomised control trial. Setting A tertiary gynaecological oncology referral center. Population All women diagnosed with primary and recurrence uVIN. Methods Eligible patients were randomised to receive either Veregen® or placebo ointment (applied 3 times daily for 16 weeks), and were followed up at 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 52 weeks. Main outcome measures Outcome measures, recorded at 16 and 32 weeks, were histological (HR) and clinical (CR) response (as measured by ≥30% reduction in the sum of the longest diameter of all lesions when compared to baseline), toxicity and changes in quality of life and pain scores. Results 26 patients were randomised and all 13 patients who received Veregen® showed either complete (n=5) or partial (n=8) CR with a trend towards an improvement in baseline symptoms. In placebo group, 3 patients had complete CR, 2 had partial CR and 6 had stable disease. Patients in the Veregen® group showed a significant improvement in CR as compared to the placebo group (P=0.0026). There was no evidence of difference in HR and toxicity reported in both groups. Conclusion Our study indicates that Veregen application is safe and leads to at least a partial clinical resolution of uVIN lesions and symptoms improvement, thus warranting a phase III multi-centre RCT.

Although cell wall polymers play important roles in the tolerance of plants to abiotic stress, the effects of salinity on cell wall composition and metabolism in grasses remain largely unexplored. Here, we conducted an in-depth study of changes in cell wall composition and phenolic metabolism induced upon salinity in maize seedlings and plants. Cell wall characterization revealed that salt stress modulated the deposition of cellulose, matrix polysaccharides and lignin. The extraction and analysis of arabinoxylans by size-exclusion chromatography, two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and carbohydrate gel electrophoresis showed a reduction of arabinoxylan content in salt-stressed roots, with no changes in xylose/arabinose ratios. Saponification and mild acid hydrolysis followed by RP-HPLC analysis revealed that salt stress also reduced the feruloylation of arabinoxylans. Determination of lignin content and composition by nitrobenzene oxidation and two-dimensional NMR confirmed the increased incorporation of syringyl units in lignin polymer. Our data also revealed the induction of the expression of genes and enzymes enrolled in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis under salinity. The UPLC-MS-based metabolite profiling confirmed the modulation of phenolic profiling by salinity and the accumulation of ferulate and its derivatives 3- and 4-O-feruloyl quinate. In conclusion, we present a model for explaining cell wall remodeling in response to salinity.

Polysaccharidic mucilage is a widespread plant trait with diverse features, often present around plant structures in contact with the environment, providing numerous functions including protection and adhesion. Seed mucilage is released upon imbibition and therefore can play roles in the early seedling stages, but the evolutionary origins of this trait are unclear. Its presence in several flowering plant species suggests that it was present in their last common ancestor whereas the extreme inter-species morphological and chemical natural diversity suggests multiple origins. Here, we summarize the recent advances on molecular mechanisms and ecological functions underlying this inter- and intra-species natural diversity. A master regulatory complex balancing carbon partitioning in seed appears to be conserved among flowering plants with a sequential evolution of its molecular components. At the intra-species level, a high polymorphism was detected for a few genes in relation to the observed morphological diversity. Historically, the ecological functions of seed mucilage were mostly related to germination and seed dissemination but recently some exosystemic functions were uncovered such as soil micro-organism control and plant establishment support. These recent advances enable drawing a clearer picture of the seed mucilage evolution, the underlying molecular mechanisms, and the associated ecological roles.

We analysed 145,000 data availability statements (DASs) submitted by research authors to 176 Wiley journals between 2013 and 2020, from the same dataset we previously used to identify the impact of new policies at journals on trends in the use of DASs. We looked at URLs and DOIs contained within those DASs to identify the most common repositories (and other locations) used by researchers to store and share the new research data they create. We resolved DOIs, and captured destination for DOIs (as well as URLs). We mapped destinations to research disciplines, and ranked them to show data services and repositories most often used by researchers who choose to submit to Wiley journals. We share this information as source data and in dynamic figures here, as inspiration and direction for journal teams and research authors.

Al-Mg/ (Gr+SiCp) composite material test specimens and gears using the liquid based stir casting process. The three particle sizes (10µm, 35µm and 65µm) and two weight fractions (5 and 10) of silicon carbide particle were reinforced in to the Al6061 and 2.8 wt. % of magnesium matrix metal alloy. Graphite was also added before the stirring to increase the wear resistance of the material during turning and hobbing of gear blanks. The fracture toughness was evaluated using Charpy impact test (ASTM E23 standards). The Charpy impact test was carried out for understanding the influence of SiC reinforcement with Al/Mg alloy. The results shows that reinforced aluminium matrix composite material having highest fracture toughness with lower contribution of ceramics SiC and increased in particle size than other composition.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Drug-induced myopathy is one of the frequent forms of muscle disease, and drugs used for hyperlipidemia, especially the statins are a common culprit, and particularly when combined with a fibrate. Clinicians usually measure plasma levels of three enzymes, creatine kinase (CK), aldolase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) for diagnosis of myopathy and determination of its severity. Physical exercise can aggravate statin-associated muscular disease. The question is whether antioxidants like vitamin C (Vit.C) can prevent such myopathy. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH In this experiment a combination of oral atorvastatin (ATV, 80 mg/kg/day, orally) and gemfibrozil (GMF, 1000 mg/kg/day, orally) was used for ten days plus exercise in days 8, 9 and 10 to induce myopathy in rats. To add physical exercise, the forced swimming test was applied in the last three days. Ascorbic acid (50 mg/kg/day, orally) was added to ATV/GMF plus exercise regimen throughout the 10 days in the treatment group. The mean blood levels of CK, aldolase and LDH were measured in addition to swimming tolerance times. KEY RESULTS There was a significantly lower swimming tolerance time (P < 0.05) and higher CK levels (P < 0.01) in rats receiving ATV/GMF/Vit.C plus exercise compared with rats not taking Vit.C. LDH and aldolase didn’t decrease significantly. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS A protective role of vit.C against drug-induced myopathy is suggested by the findings of this study.

Due to the urbanization and human invasion of the natural environments, a great deal of changes have occurred on the food composition and feeding ecology of several animals especially those are sharing humans their habitats in fields, wadis and gardens. The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus populations inhabiting different localities in Saudi Arabia were studied by using stomach contents analysis between February 2015 and October 2019. Precise analysis of 55 stomach contents of hedgehogs showed that the food of The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus is highly diverse and highly influenced with effect of humans on the environment includes cooked rice, insects, plant materials, egg shells, worms, garbage and remains of mammals and birds. Diet composition showed seasonal variations that are apparently associated with changes in the availability of different food items. The present results clearly showed that The Desert Hedgehogs Paraechinus aethiopicus is a generalist animal, capable of adapting to a great variety of dietary compositions in the study sites.

Abstract: In this paper the feeding index (FI), Gastro somatic index (GaSI) and Food Prevalence Index (FPI) of freshwater prawn M. assamense peninsulare were evaluated to assess the quantity and kind of food which this prawn consumes in the Rawasan stream. A total of 401 prawns were collected for an interval of two years form five selected site in Rawasan stream of Garhwal in Central Himalaya, India from August 2013 to July 2015. Collected prawn was in the size range of 20-75 mm in male and 24-65 mm in female in total length during the study period. The stomach contents of 10 collected specimens were examined monthly and observed that 35% of the stomach was full or semi-full and 15% stomach were empty. Highest Gastro somatic value (Mean±SE) was obtained 2.95±0.80 during June in the male and 3.25±0.44 during May in the female. After that, it gradually decreased in both the sex and this repeated in cyclic pattern each year. More or less a similar trend was reported in the feeding index value during the study indicate a significant relationship between feeding intensity and Gastro somatic index. Highest Food Prevalence Index (FPI) was seen in fragment of animals in both sex, which was (88.48) in male and (58.26) in female prawn and lowest FPI value in sand debris 7.9 and 5.7 in male & female prawn respectively. Main food items were fragment of plants & animal, diatoms, algae, and sand. In overall, the results show that this prawn is selectively abstemious

Quantum chemical theoretical computation was performed on gaseous molecular reaction systems to simulate parallel synthesis of energetic primary explosive precursor 4,6-dinitro benzofuroxan (4,6-DNBF) and its isomeric derivatives. Related liquidus polarized continuum model (PCM) and Materials studio (MS/forcite) energies were collected via kinetic rate and thermodynamic equilibrium analyses, enabling comparison of and suggestions as to suitable reaction conditions (reaction temperature, reagent concentration, mixed acid ratio) together with feasible pathways to obtain a high production yield of the research target. In summary, at a low reaction temperature of 278K, 1.0 M 4-nitro benzofuroxan (or 5- , 6- nitro benzofuroxan) could be nitrated using concentrated nitric acid/sulfuric acid at a 1 to 2 volume ratio to efficiently and rapidly produce 4,6-dinitro benzofuroxan (or 5-, 6-dinitro benzofuroxan), in agreement with the experimental results reported in the literature.

The actual rainfall–runoff control effects of a low-impact development (LID) system comprising multiple facilities within a large-scale area need to be monitored and examined, including not only the rainfall volume capture effect but also the rainfall control mode, which is influenced by the confluence relationship. The confluence relationship between an impervious surface and LID facilities can be manifest as a series or parallel system. For individual rainfall events smaller than the designed rainfall, rainfall control operates in event-capture mode for a series system and in partial-capture mode for a parallel system. Although the rainfall volume capture ratios of series and parallel systems might be equivalent, a series system is more suitable for water quality improvement and peak flow reduction. This study considered the Future Science Park of Beijing as a case study site. Monitoring indicated that the rainfall volume capture effect is acceptable because the average runoff coefficient is approximately 0.10; however, rainfall control operates in partial-capture mode. Investigation and analysis showed that runoff is generated by three mechanisms: impermeable road surfaces, infiltration excess, and pipe storage-water emission. When rainfall volume is less than the designed rainfall, the little runoff that occurs is generated mainly by the impermeable road network. The rainwater infiltration capacity of permeable facilities might reach 44 mm. In future, to improve rainfall–runoff control effects, impermeable roads and green belt areas alongside the roads should realize series confluence.