Radar observation data with high temporal and spatial resolution are used in the data assimilation experiment to improve precipitation forecast of a numerical model. The numerical model considered in this study is Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with double-moment 6-class microphysics scheme (WDM6). We calculated radar equivalent reflectivity factor using higher resolution WRF and compared with radar observations in South Korea. To compare the precipitation forecast characteristics of three-dimensional variational (3D-Var) assimilation of radar data, four experiments are performed based on different precipitation types. Comparisons of the 24-h accumulated rainfall with Automatic Weather Station (AWS) data, Contoured Frequency by Altitude Diagram (CFAD), Time Height Cross Sections (THCS), and vertical hydrometeor profiles are used to evaluate and compare the accuracy. The model simulations are performed with and with-out 3D-VAR radar reflectivity, radial velocity and AWS assimilation for two mesoscale convective cases and two synoptic scale cases. The radar data assimilation experiment improved the location of precipitation area and rainfall intensity compared to the control run. Especially, for the two convective cases, simulating mesoscale convective system was greatly improved.

In the field of tissue engineering, conductive hydrogels have been the most effective biomaterials to mimic the biological and electrical properties of tissues in the human body. The main advantages of conductive hydrogel include not only its physical properties, but also its adequate electrical properties, thus providing electrical signals to cells efficiently. However, when introducing a conductive material into a non-conductive hydrogel, a conflicting relationship between the electrical and mechanical properties may develop. This review examines the strengths and weaknesses of the generation of conductive hydrogels using various conductive materials and introduces the use of these conductive hydrogels in tissue engineering applications.

In urban areas, deep excavation-induced ground deformation may damage adjacent existing structures and is conventionally evaluated by levelling at installed settlement points. However, a small number of measurements cannot represent the total change in ground deformation adjacent to excavation sites. Furthermore, significant local subsidence may occur in places where settlement points have not been installed and only noticed after an accident. For deep excavation sites located in urban areas, paved pedestrian sidewalks are often located adjacent to sites, and construction activity can cause these paving blocks to displace. This study introduces a method to detect paving block displacement adjacent to deep excavation sites using terrestrial photogrammetry. A digital camera creating point cloud data (PCD) and an acquisition method satisfying the frontal and side overlap requirements were demonstrated. To investigate the displacement detection and measurement capabilities by PCD analysis, an experimental program was conducted, including a PCD comparison containing the uplift, settlement, and horizontal paving block displacement and reference data. The cloud-to-cloud distance computation algorithm was adopted for PCD comparison. Paving block displacement was detected for displacements of 5, 7.5, and 10 mm in the uplift, settlement, and horizontal directions; however, the horizontal displacements were less clear. PCD analysis enabled satisfactory measurements between 0.024 and 0.881 mm for the vertical-displacement cases, but a significant error was observed for the horizontal-displacement cases owing to the cloud-comparison algorithm. The measurement blind spot of limited settlement points was overcome by the proposed method that detected and measured paving block displacement adjacent to excavation sites.

Studies on the cutting propagation of plants belonging to the genus Rhododendron are limited to R. mucronulatum and R. yedoense, which are mainly used as ornamental flowering trees, and additional studies on a greater variety of species are required. This study examined the characterisitics of cutting propagation according to treatment with growth regulators indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to generate basic data on the methods of reproducing R. micarnthum Turcz.. The number of roots (r=0.740**), length of root (r=0.844**), and number of leaves (r=0.649**) affected the rooting rate of R. micarnthum Turcz., and the number of roots (r=0.646**), length of roots (r=0.673**), number of leaves (r=0.738**), and chlorophyll content (r=0.710**) affected the survival rate. Further, the rooting and survival rates were highly correlated (r=0.794**). The growth characteristics of underground sections after growth regulator treatment were as follows: the number of formed roots was 7.0 and 7.2, and the length of roots was 6.2 cm and 5.3 cm in 150 mg·L-1 and 250 mg·L-1 NAA treatment groups, respectively. The rooting rate was 60% or above in the growth regulator treatment groups compared to that in the control group. Particularly, the rooting rates of 150 mg·L-1 and 250 mg·L-1 NAA treatment groups were 90% or above, and the latent period before rooting was shorter than other treatment groups at approximately 14 days, which was considered to be effective for root growth. The aboveground growth characteristics after propagating the cuttings showed that groups treated with 150 mg·L-1 and 250 mg·L-1 NAA showed a significantly higher plant length (5.2-5.8 cm), number of leaves (6.2 and 6.9), and leaf-length and leaf-width as compared to other treatment groups. Moreover, the survival rates of 150 mg·L-1 and 250 mg·L-1 NAA treatment groups were 80% or above, and the sound root growth manifested in the tendency of good aboveground growth. Additionally, IBA and NAA were highly correlated to the rooting and survival rates during cutting propagation of R. micarnthum Turcz.. The rooting and survival rates increased with the increase in growth regulator concentration. Particularly, NAA had a higher correlation to the rooting and survival rates than IBA (r=0.7316**, 0.7013**). Thus, R. micarnthum Turcz. could be propagated through cutting. Growth regulator treatment with 150 mg·L-1 and 250 mg·L-1 of NAA was effective for rooting and root growth of cutting, and these treatments were considered appropriate because the effects of aboveground growth were positive.

The genetic diversity of coronavirus (CoV) is high, and its infection in animals has not yet been fully revealed. By RT-PCR detection of partial RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene of CoV, we screened a total of 502 small mammals belonging to 18 species in 12 genera and 4 orders collected in Dali and Nujiang Prefecture of Western Yunnan Province, China. The prevalence of β-CoV in Chevrieri's field mouse (Apodemus chevrieri) and Lancangjiang field mouse (A. ilex) were 3.54% (4/113) and 6.67% (6/90), respectively; the prevalence of α-CoV in White-footed Indochinese rat (Rattus nitidus) and long-tailed red-toothed shrew (Episoriculus leucops) was 75% (3/4) and 5.88% (1/17), respectively. The co-infection rates of β-CoV and α-CoV in Kachin red-backed vole (Eothenomys cachinus), Norway rat (R. norvegicus) were 2.22% (2/90), 3.85% (1/26) respectively. The identity of the partial RdRp genes obtained of 13 strains of β-CoV was 83.42%-99.23% at nucleotide level, and it is worth noting that the two strains from Kachin red-backed vole showed highly homology to BOV-36/IND/2015 from Indian bovine and DcCoV-HKU23 from one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Morocco, the nucleotide similarity between 97.86%-98.33%. Similarly, the identity of the 7 strains of α-CoV among the partial RdRp sequences was 94.00%-99.18% at nucleotide levels. The viral load in different tissues was measured by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The average CoV viral load in small mammalian intestinal tissue was 1.25×106copies/g, differently, the mean CoV viral load in liver, heart, lung, spleen and kidney tissue was from 1.29×103 to 4.02×103copies/g, which revealed that CoV has extensive tropism of intestinal tissue in small mammals (P < 0.0001). This result revealed the genetic diversity, epidemiology, and infective tropism of α-CoV and β-CoV in small mammals from Dali and Nujiang, which deepens the comprehending of the retention and infection of coronavirus in natural hosts.