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Trichoderma reesei is a powerful fungal cell factory for the production of cellulolytic enzymes due to its outstanding protein secretion capacity. Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) plays an integral role in protein secretion that responds to secretion pressure and removes misfolded proteins. However, the role of ERAD in fungal growth and endogenous protein secretion, particularly cellulase secretion, remains poorly understood in T. reesei. Here, we investigated the ability of T. reesei to grow under different stresses and to secrete cellulases by disrupting three major genes (hrd1, hrd3 and der1) involved in the critical parts of the ERAD pathway. Under the ER stress induced by high concentrations of DTT, knockout of hrd1, hrd3 and der1 resulted in severely impaired growth, and the mutants Δhrd1 and Δhrd3 exhibited high sensitivity to the cell wall-disturbing agents, CFW and CR. In addition, the absence of either hrd3 or der1 led to the decreased heat tolerance of this fungus. These mutants showed significant differences in the secretion of cellulases compared to the parental strain QM9414. During fermentation, the secretion of endoglucanase in the mutants was essentially consistent with that of the parental strain, while cellobiohydrolase and β-glucosidase were declined. It was further discovered that the transcription levels of the endoglucanase-encoding genes (eg1 and eg2) and the cellobiohydrolase-encoding gene (cbh1) were not remarkedly changed. However, the β-glucosidase-encoding gene (bgl1) was significantly downregulated in the ERAD-deficient mutants, which was presumably due to the activation of a proposed feedback mechanism, repression under secretion stress (RESS). Taken together, our results indicate that a defective ERAD pathway negatively affects fungal growth and cellulase secretion, which provides a novel insight into the cellulase secretion mechanism in T. reesei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiAl-based alloy is an excellent high-temperature structural material, but poor hot workability has been the bottleneck hindering its development. In this study, we take into account the hot workability and mechanical properties of Ti-48Al alloy through microstructure adjustment. Powder metallurgy Ti-48Al alloy prepared by vacuum sintering is used as the raw material, which has a near-γ microstructure composed of equiaxed grains. Although the composition is simple, the alloy achieves high mechanical properties after forging with 75 % deformation. Controlling the forging temperature to 1300 °C can make the microstructure transform into a duplex structure composed of γ/α2 lamellar colonies and γ equiaxed grains. As-forged alloy has an ultimate tensile strength of 650 ± 17 MPa and a yield strength of 644 ± 16 MPa at room temperature. It still maintains high strength at high temperature, with ultimate tensile strength of 684 ± 19 MPa at 500 °C, 700 ± 19 MPa at 700 °C, and 320 ± 10 MPa at 900 °C. In addition, the alloy has good ductility with elongation of 58.2% due to dynamic recrystallization at 900 °C. • Mechanical property is significantly improved by forging with simple composition. • The alloy has ultrafine equiaxed grain of 2.45 µm and lamellar spacing of 20–50 nm. • Duplex microstructure without remnant lamellae forms in PM Ti-48Al alloy. • Ti-48Al alloy exhibits great plasticity of 58.2 % at 900 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short communication presents a synergistical reinforced Ti–48Al alloy with multiple Ti–Al intermetallic compounds which was prepared with irregular pre-alloyed powders by vacuum sintering at low temperature (1250°C). With simple composition, this alloy has tensile and yield strength of 593 ± 8 MPa and 435 ± 5 MPa at room temperature, and more than 510 MPa and 490 MPa at 700°C, reached the level of Ti–Al alloys with complex composition. • Ti–48Al alloy is synergistically reinforced by multiple intermetallic compounds. • Nano-sized and submicron-sized intermediate phases form and refine grain growth. • Low sintering temperature avoids the decomposition of formed intermetallic phases. • Mechanical properties significantly improve while alloy composition is simplified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelets are increasingly being recognized for promoting tumor growth and metastasis. Many cells derived from solid tumors have the ability to aggregate platelets, and this ability correlates with their metastatic potential. Over the past half century, our understanding of tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) has grown beyond the simple concept that tumor cell-containing microthrombi mechanically embolize the microvasculature. Tumor cell-activated platelets secrete a multitude of factors that reciprocally act on tumor cells, as well as other cells within the tumor microenvironment; thus, affecting both parenychma and tumor-associated stroma. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of tumor cell–platelet interactions and their influence on the tumor microenvironment, including how these interactions impact neoplastic epithelial cells, endothelial cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, immune cells, and early metastatic niches. In addition, we review the current knowledge of platelet–cancer cell interactions within hematological malignancies and speculate on how platelets may influence the leukemic microenvironment. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Tumor Microenvironment Regulation of Cancer Cell Survival, Metastasis, Inflammation, and Immune Surveillance edited by Peter Ruvolo and Gregg L. Semenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor sinterability of powder metallurgy TiAl-based alloy is an important factor that restricts its industrial production. In this paper, we improve the sinterability of Ti-48Al alloy by adding Co element. In such case, the relative density of Ti–48Al based alloy sintered at 1250 ℃ increases from 82.6% to 96% with an increase of Co content from 0 to 1.5 at%. The densification improvement is caused by liquid TiAl 2 Co phase, which is formed at 1230 ℃. Then, uniform and fine near-γ microstructure is obtained, and the grain size increases with the increasing of Co content. More than 70% of grains in the Ti-48Al-0.5Co alloy are smaller than 2 µm. Overall, Ti-48Al-0.5Co alloy has better comprehensive performance, with compressive strength of 2533 MPa, yield strength of 683 MPa and fracture strain of 29.5%. [Display omitted] • High-density Ti-48Al alloy with Co addition is prepared using irregular powder. • Liquid TiAl 2 Co phase is formed to promote densification sintering. • Sintering temperature of Co-added TiAl alloy is reduced by 50 ℃. • More than 70% of grains in the Ti-48Al-0.5Co alloy are smaller than 2 µm. • Ti-48Al-0.5Co has superior compressive and yield strengths of 2533 MPa and 683 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breaking point: An effective reductive cleavage of inert aryl CO bonds with an inexpensive iron catalyst has been developed. During this process, the reduction of the arene rings was not observed. This catalytic system also enabled the selective cleavage of the β‐O‐4 linkage of lignin model compounds under an atmosphere of hydrogen, thus offering an opportunity for the depolymerization of lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sollbruchstelle: Die reduktive Spaltung inerter arylischer C ‐ O ‐ Bindungen mit einem günstigen Eisen ‐ Katalysator wurde entwickelt. Eine Reduktion des Arens wird bei dieser Reaktion nicht beobachtet. Das Katalysatorsystem konnte zudem für die selektive Spaltung der β ‐ O ‐ 4 ‐ Verknüpfung von Lignin ‐ Modellverbindungen unter einer Wasserstoffatmosphäre verwendet werden und bietet somit eine Möglichkeit zur Depolymerisation von Lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple method was developed for selective para-cyanation of alkoxy- and benzyloxy-substituted benzenes with 0.5 equivalents of potassium ferricyanide, 0.8 equivalants of copper(II) nitrate and 0.5 equivalents of iodine in acetonitrile. Among various phenyl carbon-hydrogen bonds, those at the para-position with regard to the alkoxy or benzyloxy groups were selectively cyanated in 20% to 87% yields (23 examples). The present method uses commercially available reagents, and can be performed on a ten gram-scale. Interestingly, methoxybenzene was cyanated in 32% yield in the absence of potassium ferricyanide, which suggests that the nitrile group of a part of the product is possibly from the solvent acetonitrile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Non-toxic K4[Fe(CN)6] was demonstrated to be effective as a green cyanating agent for the cyanation of alkyl halides using PPh3/Pd(OAc)2 as a catalyst system. The presented method allowed a series of benzyl chlorides to be smoothly cyanated in up to 88% yield. In order to avoid or suppress the deactivation of the catalyst, the reaction was required to be performed in a stringent inert ambiance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Myocardial dysfunction caused by sepsis (SIMD) leads to high mortality in critically ill patients. We investigated the function and mechanism of long non-coding RNA MAPKAPK5-AS1 (lncRNA MAPKAPK-AS1) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation response in vivo and in vitro. Method: Male SD rats were utilized for in vivo experiments. Rat cardiomyocytes (H9C2) were employed for in vitro experiments. Western blotting was employed to measure protein expression, and RT-PCR was performed to measure mRNA expression of inflammation factors. TUNEL and flow cytometry were carried out to evulate cell apoptosis. Result: The results showed that the expression of MAPKAPK5-AS1 was increased, while the expression of miR-124-3p was decreased in the inflammatory damage induced by LPS in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of MAPKAPK5-AS1 reduced LPS-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation response, while overexpression of miR-124-3p weakened the effects of MAPKAPK5-AS1 knockdown on LPS-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation response. Moreover, miR-124-3p was identified as a downstream miRNA of MAPKAPK5-AS1, and E2F3 was a target of miR-214-3p. MAPKAPK5-AS1 knockdown increased the expression of miR-124-3p, while miR-124-3p overexpression reduced the expression of MAPKAPK5-AS1. In addition, miR-124-3p was found to downregulate E2F3 expression in H9C2 cells. Conclusion: MAPKAPK5-AS1/miR-124-3p/E2F3 axis regulates LPS-related H9C2 cell apoptosis and inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xinjiang brown cattle are highly resistant to disease and tolerant of roughage feeding. The identification of genes regulating mastitis resistance in Xinjiang brown cattle is a novel means of genetic improvement. In this study, the blood levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and TGF-β in Xinjiang brown cattle with high and low somatic cell counts (SCCs) were investigated, showing that cytokine levels were higher in cattle with high SCCs. The peripheral blood transcriptomic profiles of healthy and mastitis-affected cattle were constructed by RNA-seq. Differential expression analysis identified 1632 differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs), 1757 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs), and 23 differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs), which were found to be enriched in key pathways such as PI3K/Akt, focal adhesion, and ECM-receptor interactions. Finally, ceRNA interaction networks were constructed using the differentially expressed genes and ceRNAs. It was found that keynote genes or mRNAs were also enriched in pathways such as PI3K-Akt, cholinergic synapses, cell adhesion molecules, ion binding, cytokine receptor activity, and peptide receptor activity, suggesting that the key genes and ncRNAs in the network may play an important role in the regulation of bovine mastitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myocardial dysfunction caused by sepsis (SIMD) leads to high mortality in critically ill patients. We investigated the function and mechanism of long non-coding RNA MAPKAPK5-AS1 (lncRNA MAPKAPK-AS1) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation response in vivo and in vitro. Method: Male SD rats were utilized for in vivo experiments. Rat cardiomyocytes (H9C2) were employed for in vitro experiments. Western blotting was employed to measure protein expression, and RT-PCR was performed to measure mRNA expression of inflammation factors. TUNEL and flow cytometry were carried out to evulate cell apoptosis. Result: The results showed that the expression of MAPKAPK5-AS1 was increased, while the expression of miR-124-3p was decreased in the inflammatory damage induced by LPS in vivo and in vitro. Knockdown of MAPKAPK5-AS1 reduced LPS-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation response, while overexpression of miR-124-3p weakened the effects of MAPKAPK5-AS1 knockdown on LPS-induced cell apoptosis and inflammation response. Moreover, miR-124-3p was identified as a downstream miRNA of MAPKAPK5-AS1, and E2F3 was a target of miR-214-3p. MAPKAPK5-AS1 knockdown increased the expression of miR-124-3p, while miR-124-3p overexpression reduced the expression of MAPKAPK5-AS1. In addition, miR-124-3p was found to downregulate E2F3 expression in H9C2 cells. Conclusion: MAPKAPK5-AS1/miR-124-3p/E2F3 axis regulates LPS-related H9C2 cell apoptosis and inflammatory response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective reductive cleavage of inert aryl C-O bonds that employs iron(III) acetylacetonate as the catalyst precursor and LiAlH4 as the reducing agent is developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide range of alkoxy- and benzyloxy-substituted benzenes is used for the reaction which can be performed on a 10g-scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Body conformation traits are closely related to economically important characteristics and should be considered in cattle breeding programs. A variety of body conformation traits recorded by classifiers can complicate the analysis process. Factor analysis can reduce the number of variables by combining two or more variables into a single factor, which has biological significance. The results of this study could be used by breeders to define conformation indexes and implement genetic assessments for conformation traits in dual-purpose breeds. In this study, we estimated the genetic parameters for 6 composite traits and 27 body conformation traits of 1016 dual-purpose Simmental cattle reared in northwestern China from 2010 to 2019 using a linear animal mixed model. To integrate these traits, a variety of methods were used as follows: (1) genetic parameters estimates for composite and individual body conformation traits based on the pedigree relationship matrix (A) and combined genomic-pedigree relationship matrix (H); (2) factor analysis to explore the relationships among body conformation traits; and (3) genetic parameters of factor scores estimated using A and H, and the correlations of EBVs of the factor scores and EBVs of the composite traits. Heritability estimates of the composite traits using A and H were low to medium (0.07–0.47). The 24 common latent factors explained 96.13% of the total variance. Among factors with eigenvalues ≥ 1, F1 was mainly related to body frame, muscularity, and rump; F2 was related to feet and legs; F3, F4, F5, and F6 were related to teat placement, teat size, udder size, and udder conformation; and F7 was related to body frame. Single-trait analysis of factor scores yielded heritability estimates that were low to moderate (0.008–0.43 based on A and 0.04–0.43 based on H). Spearman and Pearson correlations, derived from the best linear unbiased prediction analysis of composite traits and factor scores, showed a similar pattern. Thus, incorporating factor analysis into the morphological evaluation to simplify the assessment of body conformation traits may improve the genetics of dual-purpose Simmental cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu Fe alloys with high iron content (Fe > 10 wt%) are a class of promising copper alloys with high strength and high conductivity. However, the strength and conductivity trade-off dilemma is a longstanding problem in the high iron content Cu Fe alloys owing to macro-segregation of iron particles and incomplete precipitation of solid solution iron atoms in the traditional casting process. We adopted a comprehensive strategy of designing the ultra-fine dual structures with fine copper grains and micro-nano iron particles, and adding phosphorus element to induce solid solution iron atoms precipitation to break through the above bottleneck. In this study, Cu 20Fe alloys with 0.05–1.0 wt% P were prepared through powder metallurgy process. The results showed that the addition of P promoted the precipitation of soluble Fe atoms, reduced oxygen content, and activated sintering. Ultimately, the strength and conductivity of cost-effective Cu 20Fe alloys were significantly improved. The annealed Cu 20Fe 0.1P alloys possess unprecedented comprehensive properties with 608 MPa tensile strength and 65.2% IACS electrical conductivity, which were 7.8% and 19.8% higher than the Cu 20Fe alloys, respectively. The annealed Cu 20Fe 1.0P alloys achieved 59.7% IACS electrical conductivity, increased by 10% compared to Cu 20Fe alloys. The results broke the conventional understanding that increasing P content deteriorated material properties. The influence of P on the microstructure and properties of powder metallurgy Cu 20Fe alloys was investigated in detail. These findings provide new insight into overcoming the dilemma of the inverted relationship between the strength and conductivity of copper alloys. • Simultaneous enhancement of the mechanical and electrical properties of Cu 20Fe alloys by introducing phosphorus. • The Cu 20Fe 0.1P alloys possess unprecedented comprehensive properties and property-costs. • The influence of P on the microstructure and properties of powder metallurgy Cu 20Fe alloys was investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Na-doped carbon dots (Na-CDs) was synthesized from β-CD and sodium acetate. • Na-CDs was stable in a wide pH range of 3–12. • Na-CDs served selective probe for fluorescence turn-off detection of Hg2+. • Na-CDs responded to Hg2+ rapidly within 10 min by ACQ mechanism. • Na-CDs displayed low detection limit of 34.22 nmol/L for Hg2+. Na-doped carbon dots (Na-CDs) was synthesized by hydrothermal method from β-cyclodextrin and sodium acetate. The Na-CDs was stable at pH 3–12 and after storage for a long time. The Na-CDs served fluorescence sensor for highly selective detection of Hg2+ in aqueous medium with a detection limit of 34.22 nM. The sensing mechanism was based on the aggregation caused fluorescence quenching. The Na-CDs displayed high selectivity and sensitivity towards Hg2+, which supplied a new idea for constructing CDs-based stable fluorescent probes and a novel platform for selective Hg2+ detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the microstructural evolution, precipitation behavior and mechanical properties of 2195 Al-Li alloys prepared by powder metallurgy (PM) combined with hot extrusion were investigated systematically. The results show that the deformation of PM 2195 Al-Li alloys during hot extrusion is dominated by the coupling of dynamic recovery with continuous dynamic recrystallization. The homogeneously distributed needle-like T 1 phase is precipitated in the matrix after T6 treatment. The T6-treated sample exhibits a perfect combination of strength and ductility, that is, ultimate tensile strength of 662 MPa, yield strength of 617 MPa and uniform elongation of 6.6 %. The strengthening of heat-treated alloys originates from densification, work hardening, grain refinement and precipitation strengthening. It is noted that the precipitation strengthening of T 1 phase is the dominant mechanism. Therefore, this work should suggest a strategy for developing novel Al-Li alloys with excellent mechanical properties. • The 2195 Al-Li alloys were successfully prepared by powder metallurgy and hot extrusion. • The tensile strength, yield strength and elongation of the 2195 Al-Li alloy were 662 MPa, 617 MPa and 6.6 %, respectively. • Mechanical properties of the alloy were enhanced by densification, work hardening, grain refinement and precipitation. • The precipitation strengthening of T 1 phase is the dominant mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-use/cover change (LUCC) has severely disturbed the terrestrial carbon balance in subtropical East Asia and Southeast Asia (SEASA). High-precision, long-term historical land cover (LC) data, and LC spatiotemporal patterns and transitions, exhibit high levels of uncertainty. This study constructed base and potential map containing 18 LC categories by integrating multisource high-resolution remote sensing datasets in 2014; then collected official reports, FAOSTAT, and long-term historical datasets, and used the correction coefficient method to obtain the area time series of forest, cropland, and urban at the provincial scale from 1700 to 2018; Finally, the fraction map of 18 LCs in SEASA at 1 km resolution during 1700–2018 was reconstructed based on a pixel level area calibration method, and the spatiotemporal patterns and transitions of LUCC were analyzed. Over the past 300 years, SEASA forest area decreased by 145.22 million ha, most rapidly from 1950 to 1980 (sevenfold that of the preceding 250 years). The loss of tropical forest, mainly in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand, accounting for >80% of this decline. Subtropical forest areas increased significantly in China. Cropland and urban areas increased greatly, by 86.55 and 7.97 million ha, respectively, with the largest increases in China, Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, and Indonesia. Other natural land types closely related to human activity declined more, becoming cropland and urban areas, with greater variability. Conversion of forest to other LC types accounted for >70% of the total LC transition from 1700 to 2018. The main sources of cropland were forest (mainly in Thailand, central Myanmar, and southern Vietnam) and other nonforest natural land. Urban growth was mainly via encroachment on forest and other natural land. This study elucidates the spatiotemporal evolution of LUCC in SEASA from 1700 to 2018, and provides historical spatiotemporal data for large-scale bamboo forests, along with high-precision LUCC data for studying terrestrial ecosystem responses to climate change in the SEASA. • Long-term LC data reconstructed by integrating multiple source data in SEASA at 1 km. • Spatiotemporal evolution of LUCC was elucidated in SEASA from 1700 to 2018. • Forest area decreased by 145.22 million ha, mainly in Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand. • Cropland and urban increased greatly, by 86.55 and 7.97 million ha, respectively. • LC transitions dominated by conversion of forest to other LC types (>70% of total). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared a reduced-graphene-oxide/Cu (rGO/Cu) composite coating to suppress the total secondary electron yield by two-step electrodeposition. We found that driven by the applied electric field, copper ions can enter the interior of graphene oxide (GO) film and nucleate, while the surface is still GO. The rGO/Cu composite coating was obtained by heat treatment with a combination of hydrogen and argon. After heat treatment, XPS analysis shows that the oxygen content of rGO on the surface of the composite coating is reduced from 31.29 at.% to 11.00 at.%, and the carbon content is 85.25 at.%. Raman analysis shows that rGO is still mainly sp2 hybrid structure. The deposited copper particles sintered in the composite coating and formed Cu-O-C chemical bond. The maximum secondary electron yield (δ max) is 1.10, which is close to the δ max of rGO coating (1.09). Compared with the rGO coating, the presence of copper in the rGO/Cu composite coating slightly increases the TEY, but significantly improves the bonding strength between the coating and the substrate at high temperatures. [Display omitted] • A new method for preparing rGO/Cu composite coatings was proposed. • Copper ions enter into the GO layer and nucleate under the applied electric field. • Stable rGO/Cu coating at variable temperature was obtained on OFCU surface. • The rGO /Cu composite coating has excellent low secondary electron yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N,S co-doped carbon dots (N/S-CDs) was synthesized from β-cyclodextrin (carbon source) and Reactive Black 5 (nitrogen and sulfur source). N/S-CDs exhibited high selectivity for Fe2+ and Al3+ by fluorescence enhancement and visualization, good anti-interference performance and low detection limits of 6.99 nmol/L for Fe2+ and 5.5 nmol/L for Al3+, rapid response to Al3+ by AIEE. [Display omitted] • N,S co-doped carbon dots (N/S-CDs) was synthesized. • N/S-CDs had good salt resistance and was stable in a wide pH range of 3–12. • N/S-CDs served selective probe for fluorescence turn-on and colorimetric detection of Fe2+ and Al3+. • N/S-CDs responded to Al3+ rapidly within 3 min by AIEE mechanism. • N/S-CDs displayed low detection limits of 6.99 nmol/L for Fe2+ and 5.5 nmol/L for Al3+. N,S co-doped carbon dots (N/S-CDs) was synthesized by using β-cyclodextrin as carbon source and Reactive Black 5 as nitrogen and sulfur source. The structure of the N/S-CDs was characterized and its performance for detection of Fe2+ and Al3+ was evaluated. Experimental results demonstrated that the N/S-CDs had good stability in 10 mmol/L brine and in a wide pH range of 3–12. The N/S-CDs exhibited high selectivity for detection of Fe2+ and Al3+ by dual-modal fluorescence enhancement and visualization with the naked eye over a wide pH range. The N/S-CDs displayed good anti-interference performance and low detection limits of 6.99 nmol/L for Fe2+ and 5.5 nmol/L for Al3+. The N/S-CDs responded to Al3+ rapidly within 3 min. Measurements on particle size, zeta potential, and UV–vis and FT-IR spectra suggested that Fe2+ enhanced fluorescence of the N/S-CDs by chelating while Al3+ promoted aggregation through combination with the N/S-CDs which responded to Al3+ by aggregation-induced enhancement of emission (AIEE) mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • rGO coatings have excellent low secondary electron yield. • There is no need to add electrolyte for electrophoretic deposition of graphene oxide. • The oxygen content in the coating decreased significantly after thermal reduction. • Electrophoretic deposition has a simpler equipment and an easier operation. We proposed a new carbon coating to inhibit secondary electron emission. Graphene oxide(GO) coatings were prepared on the surface of oxygen-free copper by DC electrophoretic deposition, and reduced graphene oxide(rGO) coatings were obtained by hydrogen thermal reduction. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that the oxygen content of the coating reduced from 26.37 at.% to 9.89 at.% after thermal reduction, The XPS and Raman analysis shows that rGO still maintained the sp2 hybrid structure. The inhibitory effect of rGO coatings on secondary electron emission was tested. It was found that the maximum total secondary electron yield (δ max) of the oxygen-free copper surface reduced from 1.38 to 1.09 after the preparation of rGO coating. The total secondary electron yield did not decrease further with the film thickness increasing when the rGO coating reached a certain thickness. Our research provides a new perspective on the preparation of carbon coatings to reduce the secondary electron yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous improvement of both the strength and electrical conductivity of Cu–Fe alloys (CFAs) through the conventional casting method is an extremely challenging task. In this study, an attempt was made to overcome this issue via preparing CFAs with ultrafine alloy powders embedded with nano Fe particles. Ultrafine CFA powders with various Fe contents ranging from 5 to 50 wt.% were synthesized by a novel rapid solidification route, namely, gas–water combined atomization (GWA) process. The alloy powders prepared via GWA were then processed by pressureless sintering, hot rolling, annealing, and cold rolling. The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity of CFAs were comprehensively investigated. The average size of Cu grain and Fe particles in all sintered CFAs was smaller than 3 and 2 μm, respectively. The grains of sintered CFAs were obviously refined by the Fe particles, and the addition of Fe inhibited the formation of Cu twins. After rolling, the Fe particles elongated and became fibrous along the rolling direction. The degree of formation of fibrous Fe enhanced with the increase of Fe content. Cold-rolled CFAs with 5–50 wt% Fe exhibited the tensile strength of 560–1250 MPa and conductivity of 33–65% IACS, indicating that CFAs in this study achieved superior mechanical and electrical properties. The microstructure evolution and strengthening mechanisms of CFAs were described. These findings can provide new insights into the powder metallurgy manufacturing of high-performance CFAs. • Ultrafine CFA powders were prepared by gas-water combined atomization. • The average size of Fe particles and grains of sintered CFAs was 2–3 μm. • Cold-rolled CFAs achieved superior mechanical and electrical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Xinjiang Brown cattle had 9.88% Kazakh cattle and 90.12% Swiss Brown cattle inheritance. • Kazakh cattle contribute to the environmental adaptation in Xinjiang Brown cattle. • Swiss Brown cattle contribute to the production performance in Xinjiang Brown cattle. Xinjiang Brown cattle is characterized by wide environmental adaptation from its female parent (Kazakh cattle) and good production performance from its male parent (Swiss Brown cattle). However, the genetic basis underlying these characteristics has not been explored. Here we compared 50 genomes of Xinjiang Brown cattle to the genomes of other eight breeds worldwide to analyze patterns of genetic variation in the Xinjiang Brown cattle. We found canonical genomic characteristics of cross breed with the lowest linkage disequilibrium and the highest effective population size. At the global level, Xinjiang Brown cattle had 9.88% Kazakh cattle and 90.12% Swiss Brown cattle inheritance. Our local ancestry inference revealed the segments with the excess of Kazakh cattle blood enriched in genes or pathways involved in digestion, absorption, metabolism and disease. More importantly, we also observed the completely fixed haplotypes inherited from Swiss Brown cattle harboring genes (LCORL , GHR , MEF2D , PCSK1 and MSRB3), KEGG pathways, cattle QTLs or human NHGRI GWAS catalog related to body measurement and growth traits. Our findings will not only help understand the process of cross breeding but can provide basic materials for further QTL mapping and improvement of important traits in Xinjiang Brown cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder metallurgy Cu-30Fe alloy was prepared by mechanical alloying, pressureless sintering, and rolling processes. The alloy microstructure and physical properties affected by rolling were studied. The Fe particles were small and uniformly distributed in the Cu matrix. The average Fe particle size in the sintered state was 1 µm, and particles had subspherical or irregular shapes. The Fe particles became elongated, tadpole-shaped, and spindle-shaped as a result of rolling. At the same time, the Cu grains were elongated and refined, while the Cu grains near the Fe particles were finer as a result of the coordinated deformation of the soft Cu and hard Fe phases. After annealing at 400 °C, the cold-rolled Cu-30Fe alloy had 620 MPa tensile strength, 10% elongation, and 50% IACS electrical conductivity, achieving a good combination of mechanical and functional properties. The coordinated deformation behavior and grain refinement mechanisms of both Cu and Fe phases due to rolling were described, along with the microstructure and physical properties evolution. • Cu-30Fe alloys with Fe particles were fabricated by powder metallurgy and rolling. • Grain refinement mechanisms of Cu and Fe phases due to rolling were described. • Microstructure and physical properties of Cu-30Fe alloys were studied. • Cu-30Fe has 620 MPa tensile strength, 10% elongation, 50%IACS electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Simple Cu(NO3)2·3H2O was demonstrated to be of ability to catalyze the conversion of arylboronic acids to aryl iodides at room temperature. Compared with the previous copper-catalyzed method, the present procedure avoids the use of the ligand, the oxidant as well as the heating condition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]