Decoding Typical Flight States Based on Neural Signals from the Midbrain Motor Nuclei of Pigeons.

BACKGROUND: Exploring the neural encoding mechanism and decoding of motion state switching during flight can advance our knowledge of avian behavior control and contribute to the development of avian robots. However, limited acquisition equipment and neural signal quality have posed challenges, thus we understand little about the neural mechanisms of avian flight. METHODS: We used chronically implanted micro-electrode arrays to record the local field potentials (LFPs) in the formation reticularis medialis mesencephali (FRM) of pigeons during various motion states in their natural outdoor flight. Subsequently, coherence-based functional connectivity networks under different bands were constructed and the topological features were extracted. Finally, we used a support vector machine model to decode different flight states. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that the gamma band (80-150 Hz) in the FRM exhibits significant power for identifying different states in pigeons. Specifically, the avian brain transmitted flight related information more efficiently during the accelerated take-off or decelerated landing states, compared with the uniform flight and baseline states. Finally, we achieved a best average accuracy of 0.86 using the connectivity features in the 80-150 Hz band and 0.89 using the fused features for state decoding. CONCLUSIONS: Our results open up possibilities for further research into the neural mechanism of avian flight and contribute to the understanding of flight behavior control in birds.

Effect of preparation conditions and washing of activated carbon from paper mill sewage sludge on its adsorptive properties.

Sludge-based activated carbon (SAC) was prepared from paper mill sewage sludge by physical activation with steam for wastewater treatment in this study. The effects of preparation variables, including carbonization temperature, carbonization time, activation temperature and activation time, on iodine number and yield were investigated through orthogonal experiments. The influences of washing by deionized water and acid on the characteristics and adsorption capacities of SAC for phosphate, methylene blue and reactive red 24 were also studied. The results indicated that the optimal preparation conditions were: carbonization temperature of 350 °C, carbonization time of 40 min, activation temperature of 800 °C and activation time of 20 min. The characteristics and adsorption capacities of SAC were obviously different before and after washing, especially by acid. The surface area was improved and adsorption capacities for dyes increased after washing, while adsorption capacity for phosphate decreased. The maximum adsorption capacities provided strong evidence of the potential of SAC as an alternative adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Synthesis, characterization and swelling behavior of superabsorbent wheat straw graft copolymers.

Swelling behavior is an important characteristic for superabsorbents. A wheat straw-based superabsorbent (WS-SAB) was prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid, acrylic amide and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride onto the cellulose of wheat straw, and its swelling and deswelling behavior was investigated. The product had a water absorbency of 133.76 g/g in distilled water and 33.83 g/g in 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy indicated that the monomers were successfully grafted onto the wheat straw. The largest swelling capacity was at pH 6. The effect of ions on the swelling was in the order: Na(+)>K(+)>Mg(2+)>Ca(2+) and Cl(-)>SO(4)(2-). The swelling capacity did not change after several times of water absorption and release.

Microbial treatment of the monosodium glutamate wastewater by Lipomyces starkeyi to produce microbial lipid.

The monosodium glutamate (MSG) wastewater as a medium was treated by Lipomyces starkeyi to produce microbial lipid in the study. The effect of related factors (initial glucose concentration, inoculation concentration, initial culture pH, and cultivation time) on biomass, lipid production and lipid content was discussed, respectively. According to the experiments, the optimal fermentation conditions were determined: addition of 80g/L glucose, 10% inoculation concentration, initial pH about 5.0, incubation time 96h. Under this condition, the biomass production reached up to 4.61g/L, lipid production and lipid content was 1.14g/L and 24.73%, respectively. Simultaneously, protein and COD removal rate was 78.60% and 74.96%, respectively. The main composition of fatty acid in the resultant lipid was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, which showed: oleic acid (C18:1) 35.85%, palmitic acid (C16:0) 19.91%, palmitoleic acid (C16:1) 17.65%, and myristic acid (C14:0) 16.03%.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel super-absorbent based on wheat straw.

In order to develop an eco-friendly polymer, a novel super-absorbent polymer was prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA), acrylic amide (AM) and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (DMDAAC) onto the pretreatment wheat straw (PTWS). The molecular structure of the super-absorbent was confirmed by FTIR. The factors that can influence absorbencies of the super-absorbent resin (SAR) were investigated, such as weight ratio between the monomers, the ratio of PTWS to monomers, the amount of initiator and cross-linker, temperature reaction time and neutralization degree of AA. The SAR has the water absorbency of 133.76 g/g in distilled water and 33.83 g/g in 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution.