Search

LED packaging miniaturization has raised more requirements for LED materials. As a material contacting the LED chip directly, the reliability of LED non-conductive adhesive has also garnered increasing attention. This study optimized the formula for non-conductive adhesives for an imidazole curing system. The optimized composition of the adhesive is 25%wt for the curing agent and 30%wt for the silica. The prepared non-conductive adhesive has a 7-day pot life and 9-month storage stability. The shear strength reached 87 g and 72 g at 25 °C and 160 °C, respectively. The reliability of the LED modules packaged with the non-conductive adhesive was researched. The green and blue light intensity change was 4.7%, 43.7%, respectively, indicating good anti-aging properties. The blue light decay was mainly due to adhesive aging. The non-conductive adhesive effectively prevented "caterpillar" growth. This provides useful and practical guidelines for industry for applications of adhesive in different packages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether farmers should consider the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in agriculture is a hotly debated topic. We aimed to investigate the role of indigenous AMF in reducing nitrogen (N) loss from paddy fields via runoff, leaching, NH3 volatilization, and N2O emission. We conducted a pot experiment employing a mycorrhiza‐defective rice mutant (non‐mycorrhizal) as the control, grown in soil containing indigenous AMF. The corresponding AMF treatment used the progenitor of this mutant with the same soil. The plants were fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium 6 weeks after sowing. The root colonization was 23% in mycorrhizal rice, and no typical AMF structures were observed in the roots of non‐mycorrhizal rice. Our findings indicated that the mycorrhizal system exhibited lower N concentrations of runoff and leachate further compounded by reduced fluxes of N2O and NH3. This led to 14% decrease (mycorrhizal rice 111 kg N ha−1; the non‐mycorrhizal rice: 129 kg N ha−1) in cumulative N loss within 3 days post‐fertilization. While this AMF effect was consistent across the four tested N loss pathways, differences were observed between NH4+‐N and NO3−‐N in the runoff pathway. Notably, our results revealed no evidence of trade‐offs in AMF effect on N loss among the tested pathways. Additionally, mycorrhizal rice had larger shoots and roots than their non‐mycorrhizal counterparts. Our study underscores the potential benefits of indigenous AMF in paddy fields for mitigating water pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligent detection of young peaches is the main technology of fruit-thinning robots, which is crucial for enhancing peach fruit quality and reducing labor costs. This study presents the lightweight YOLO-PEM model based on YOLOv8s to achieve high-precision and automatic detection of young "Okubo" peaches. Firstly, the C2f_P module was devised by partial convolution (PConv), replacing all C2f modules in YOLOv8s to achieve the model's lightweight. Secondly, embedding the efficient multi-scale attention (EMA) module in the lightweight C2f_P_1 module of the backbone network enhanced the feature extraction capability and accuracy for young peaches. Finally, the MPDIoU loss function was utilized to replace the original CIoU loss function, which improved the detection accuracy of the bounding box while speeding up the convergence of the model. The experimental results demonstrate that the YOLO-PEM model achieved an average precision (AP) of 90.86%, F1 score of 86.70%, and model size of 16.1 MB, which was a 1.85% improvement in the AP, 0.85% improvement in the F1 score, and 5.3 MB reduction in the model size compared with YOLOv8s. The AP was 6.26%, 6.01%, 2.05%, 2.12%, and 1.87% higher compared with the other lightweight detection models YOLOv3-tiny, YOLOv4-tiny, YOLOv5s, YOLOv6s, and YOLOv7-tiny, respectively. Furthermore, the FPS of YOLO-PEM was 196.2 f·s-1, which can fulfill the demand for the real-time detection of young peaches. YOLO-PEM effectively detects young peaches in complex orchard environments and can offer a basis for the theoretical design of the vision system of the "Okubo" peach fruit-thinning robot and scientific management of orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic changes in membrane phospholipids affect membrane biophysical properties and cell signaling, thereby influencing numerous biological processes. Nonspecific phospholipase C (NPC) enzymes hydrolyze common phospholipids to release diacylglycerol (DAG), which is converted to phosphatidic acid (PA) and other lipids. In this study, 2 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) tandemly arrayed genes, NPC3 and NPC4, were identified as critical factors modulating auxin-controlled plant growth and tropic responses. Moreover, NPC3 and NPC4 were shown to interact with the auxin efflux transporter PIN-FORMED2 (PIN2). The loss of NPC3 and NPC4 enhanced the endocytosis and vacuolar degradation of PIN2, which disrupted auxin gradients and slowed gravitropic and halotropic responses. Furthermore, auxin-triggered activation of NPC3 and NPC4 is required for the asymmetric PA distribution that controls PIN2 trafficking dynamics and auxin-dependent tropic responses. Collectively, our study reveals an NPC-derived PA signaling pathway in Arabidopsis auxin fluxes that is essential for fine-tuning the balance between root growth and environmental responses. Nonspecific phospholipases NPC3 and NPC4 interact with the transporter PIN-FORMED2 and regulate auxin transport and signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chirality is ubiquitous in the nature. Chiral nanomaterials show wide application prospects owing to their special properties. In this study, chirality was introduced into photocatalysis. Chiral L-cysteine was introduced into photocatalytic materials for preparation of chiral CdS quantum dots (QDs) at room temperature. Then the CdS QDs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible spectra, infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hydrogen production activity was tested within the visible light range. Under visible light irradiation, the hydrogen yields of chiral CdS QDs at 298, 323, 333, 348, 358 K were all higher compared with the nonchiral CdS QDs. The hydrogen yield was maximized to 18.72 mmol/g/h at 333 K, which was significantly higher than that of the nonchiral CdS QDs (10.35 mmol/g/h). The reasons for the higher activity of chiral CdS QDs were that the introduction of the chiral ligand broadened the bandgap of CdS, and the more-negative conduction band strengthened the reducibility of photoelectrons. Moreover, the electron-donating groups that coordinated with the active Cd2+ directionally enhanced the electron density of CdS QDs. Theoretical calculation showed the conduction band electron density of CdS was significantly improved, which is consistent with the above results. For these reasons, the hydrogen production ability of chiral CdS QDs is considerably higher than that of nonchiral CdS QDs. • Chiral induced higher photocatalytic activity. • Greatly enhance the plasma resonance effect of silver nanoparticles. • Synergistic effect between silver nanoparticles and silver phosphate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prebiotics, including fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), stimulate beneficial gut bacteria and may be helpful for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to compare the effects of FOS and GOS, alone or in combination, on AD mice and to identify their underlying mechanisms. Methods: Six-month-old APP/PS1 mice and wild-type mice were orally administered FOS, GOS, FOS + GOS or water by gavage for 6 weeks and then subjected to relative assays, including behavioral tests, biochemical assays and 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: Through behavioral tests, we found that GOS had the best effect on reversing cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice, followed by FOS + GOS, while FOS had no effect. Through biochemical techniques, we found that GOS and FOS + GOS had effects on multiple targets, including diminishing Aβ burden and proinflammatory IL-1β and IL-6 levels, and changing the concentrations of neurotransmitters GABA and 5-HT in the brain. In contrast, FOS had only a slight anti-inflammatory effect. Moreover, through 16S rRNA sequencing, we found that prebiotics changed composition of gut microbiota. Notably, GOS increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus, FOS increased that of Bifidobacterium, and FOS + GOS increased that of both. Furthermore, prebiotics downregulated the expression levels of proteins of the TLR4-Myd88-NF-κB pathway in the colons and cortexes, suggesting the involvement of gut–brain mechanism in alleviating neuroinflammation. Conclusion: Among the three prebiotics, GOS was the optimal one to alleviate cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice and the mechanism was attributed to its multi-target role in alleviating Aβ pathology and neuroinflammation, changing neurotransmitter concentrations, and modulating gut microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel chiral Ag@Ag 3 PO 4 -NaDC composite was synthesized by chiral induction. SEM, XRD, CD spectrum, FTIR, UV–vis and XPS were used to study the physical and chemical properties of the materials, and the photocatalytic oxidation ability was evaluated with methyl orange as the target pollutant. The results show that the introduction of chirality can obviously promote the light absorption ability, broaden the band gap, enhance the oxidation ability, promote the separation of electrons and holes, greatly enhance the plasma resonance effect of silver nanoparticles, and promote the synergistic effect between silver nanoparticles and silver phosphate. Compared with Ag@Ag 3 PO 4 , the catalytic degradation ability of chiral Ag@Ag 3 PO 4 -NaDC is improved by more than 60%. Therefore, the chiral Ag@Ag 3 PO 4 -NaDC composite exhibits excellent photocatalytic performance. In the degradation of methyl orange by Ag@Ag 3 PO 4 -NaDC, a large amount of ·O 2 - and h+ were formed on the surface, which was the main reason for the oxidation ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reported an extremely easy method of optical radiation-assisted thermal excitation to dramatically increase photocatalytic hydrogen generation ability of water splitting with P25 as a model compound. This method compensated for the time waste, high cost and operational complexity of traditional catalytic material modification methods, and largely improved the photocatalytic hydrogen production ability of photocatalytic materials. The hydrogen generation rates at room temperature is 1090 μmol/g/h. At 50 °C, the rate increase to 10670 μmol/g/h. The quantum rates at room temperature and 50 °C are 6.5 and 63.3, respectively. It is clear that appropriate low-temperature heating could largely accelerate the hydrogen generation rate of P25. This work presents the detailed mechanism how this method largely enhances photocatalytic hydrogen generation of P25 as well as the laws. The new method offers some evidences and reference for research on how the photothermic synergistic action facilitates the photocatalytic hydrogen generation of catalytic materials. • Ultra-high photocatalytic activity. • Low-temperature-assisted photocatalysis. • Photothermic synergistic action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various coronaviruses have emerged as a result of cross-species transmission among humans and domestic animals. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV; family Coronaviridae, genus Alphacoronavirus) causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in neonatal piglets. Porcine small intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2 cells) can be used as target cells for PEDV infection. However, the origin of PEDV in pigs, the host range, and cross-species infection of PEDV remain unclear. To determine whether PEDV has the ability to infect human cells in vitro, human small intestinal epithelial cells (FHs 74 Int cells) were inoculated with PEDV LJX and PEDV CV777 strains. The results indicated that PEDV LJX, but not PEDV CV777, could infect FHs 74 Int cells. Furthermore, we observed M gene mRNA transcripts and N protein expression in infected FHs 74 Int cells. A one-step growth curve showed that the highest viral titer of PEDV occurred at 12 h post infection. Viral particles in vacuoles were observed in FHs 74 Int cells at 24 h post infection. The results proved that human small intestinal epithelial cells are susceptible to PEDV infection, suggesting the possibility of cross-species transmission of PEDV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Phased, small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) are important for plant anther development, especially for male sterility. PhasiRNA biogenesis is dependent on genes like RNA polymerase 6 (RDR6), DICER‐LIKE 4 (DCL4), or DCL5 to produce 21‐ or 24 nucleotide (nt) double‐strand small RNAs. Here, we generated mutants of DCL4, DCL5 and RDR6 using CRISPR/Cas9 system and studied their effects on plant reproductive development and phasiRNA production in wheat. We found that RDR6 mutation caused sever consequence throughout plant development starting from seed germination and the dcl4 mutants grew weaker with thorough male sterility, while dcl5 plants developed normally but exhibited male sterility. Correspondingly, DCL4 and DCL5, respectively, specified 21‐ and 24‐nt phasiRNA biogenesis, while RDR6 contributed to both. Also, the three key genes evolved differently in wheat, with TaDCL5‐A/B becoming non‐functioning and TaRDR6‐A being lost after polyploidization. Furthermore, we found that PHAS genes (phasiRNA precursors) identified via phasiRNAs diverged rapidly among sub‐genomes of polyploid wheat. Despite no similarity being found among phasiRNAs of grasses, their targets were enriched for similar biological functions. In light of the important roles of phasiRNA pathways in gametophyte development, genetic dissection of the function of key genes may help generate male sterile lines suitable for hybrid wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable bearing capacity of roadside backfill body (RBB) is the key to control the surrounding rock deformation of gob-side entry retaining (GER) in deep mining. In this paper, slump and uniaxial compressive strength tests were conducted to study the changes of the slump and RBB mechanical properties of RBB fresh mixture under the influence of different percentages of fly ash (FA), river sand, and amounts of steel fiber (SF) admixture. The results show that (1) the slump first increases and then decreases with the increase of the FA proportion, while 20% of FA proportion is the critical point. In addition, SF has little influence on slump. However, when the proportion of FA is 60% and the content of SF is 0.4%, the slump reaches the minimum value of 130 mm. (2) The peak strength and residual strength increase with the increase of the FA proportion, and the strength gain starts to decrease when the FA proportion exceeds 40%. Moreover, SF only has a small effect on the peak strength when the dosage is 0.8%. (3) The post-peak strain difference decreases with the increase of the FA proportion and increases with the increase of the SF content. The addition of SF can make up for the reduced capacity of RBB to post-peak deformation caused by the addition of FA to a certain extent. (4) The addition of fly ash does not change the brittle failure mode of RBB. Furthermore, after the addition of SF, RBB changes from brittle to ductile failure mode. This study can provide experimental and theoretical basis for improving the bearing capacity of RBB and maintaining the stability of GER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the triaxial shear or compressive strength as a single index of the resistance of frozen soils to failure does not always meet frozen soil engineering requirements for the comprehensive evaluation of the resistance. In this study, triaxial compression experiments were carried out on undisturbed ice-rich frozen clay samples with various levels of water content under different confining pressures to study the characteristics of the failure strain energy density of the samples. The results indicate that as the confining pressure increased, the failure strain energy density first increased and then decreased. The failure strain energy density reached a maximum at a critical confining pressure of 2.00 MPa for 13.25–25.76% water content and 1.00 MPa for 26.02–45.82% water content. The failure strain energy density increased as the water content increased at low confining pressures (0.05–0.50 MPa) but then declined slightly at intermediate confining pressures (1.00–2.00 MPa). At a high confined pressure of 3.00 MPa, the failure strain energy density decreased overall as the water content increased. There were similarities and differences between the change characteristics of the compressive strength and the failure strain energy density. The failure strain energy density can be used as a supplementary reference index of the resistance of frozen soils to damage. The variation characteristics of the failure strain energy density of undisturbed frozen clay are essentially consistent with those of remolded frozen sandy soils. However, there are also clear differences between the characteristics of the failure strain energy density of these two types of frozen soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scutellarin, a flavonoid purified from the Chinese herb Erigeron breviscapus, has been reported to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD) by affecting Aβ assembly. Given the low brain uptake rate of scutellarin, we hypothesize that the microbiota-gut-brain axis may be a potential route by which scutellarin prevents AD.Objective: This study aimed to explore the microbiota-gut-brain mechanism by which scutellarin prevented AD.Methods: Scutellarin was administrated to APP/PS1 mouse model of AD for two months, and the behaviors, pathological changes as well as gut microbial changes in APP/PS1 mice were evaluated after scutellarin treatment.Results: This study found that scutellarin improved Aβ pathology, neuroinflammation, and cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice. It elucidated the effects of scutellarin on the diversity and activity of gut microbiota in APP/PS1 mice and these findings promoted us to focus on inflammation-related bacteria and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Cognitive behaviors were significantly associated with inflammatory cytokines and inflammation-related bacteria, suggesting that microbiota-gut-brain axis was involved in this model and that inflammatory pathway played a crucial role in this axis. Moreover, we observed that cAMP-PKA-CREB-HDAC3 pathway downstream of SCFAs was activated in microglia of AD and inactivated by scutellarin. Furthermore, by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we found that the increased association between acetylated histone 3 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) promoter in AD mice was reversed by scutellarin, leading to a decreased level of IL-1β in scutellarin-treated AD mice.Conclusion: Scutellarin reverses neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice via beneficial regulation of gut microbiota and cAMP-PKA-CREB-HDAC3 signaling in microglia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing consumer expectations for the quality and safety of agricultural products, intelligent quality detection and gradation have considerable significance in agricultural production. The surface defect is an important indicator of quality, but is classified mainly using inefficient manual identification for "Yuluxiang" pears. Because of the uncertainty and high difficulty of image acquisition in agriculture, the data imbalance between categories is a common problem. For the resolution of these problems, the class balance (CB) was used to re-weight the sigmoid cross-entropy loss (SGM-CE), softmax cross-entropy loss (SM-CE), focal loss (FL) functions in this study. CB-SGM-CE, CB-SM-CE, and CB-FL were used to construct a GoogLeNet network as a convolutional neural network (CNN) generalized feature extractor, and transfer learning was combined to build detection models, respectively. The results showed that CB-SGM-CE, CB-SM-CE, and CB-FL were better than SGM-CE, SM-CE, and FL, respectively. CB-FL achieved the best detection results (F1 score of 0.993–1.000) in 3 CB loss functions. Then, CB-FL was used to construct VGG 16, AlexNet, SqueezeNet, and MobileNet V2 networks based on transfer learning, respectively. Machine learning (ML) and CNN were used to build classification models in this study. Compared with ML models and the other 4 CNN models, the CB-FL-GoogLeNet model achieved the best detection results (accuracy of 99.78%). A system for surface defect detection was developed. The results showed that the testing accuracy of the CB-FL-GoogLeNet model was 95.28% based on this system. This study realizes the surface defect detection of the "Yuluxiang" pear with an unbalanced dataset, and provides a method for intelligent detection in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the relationship between the distribution and aflatoxin production capacity of Aspergillus species and soil types, 35 soil samples were collected from the main peanut planting areas in Xiangyang, which has 19.7 thousand square kilometers and is located in a special area with different soil types. The soil types of peanut planting areas in Xiangyang are mainly sandy loam and clay loam, and most of the soil is acidic, providing unique nature conditions for this study. The results showed that the Aspergillus sp. population in clay loam (9050 cfu/g) was significantly larger than that in sandy loam (3080 cfu/g). The percentage of atoxigenic Aspergillus strains isolated from sandy loam samples was higher than that from clay loam samples, reaching 58.5%. Meanwhile the proportion of high toxin-producing strains from clay loam (39.7%) was much higher than that from sandy loam (7.3%). Under suitable culture conditions, the average aflatoxin production capacity of Aspergillus isolates from clay loam samples (236.97 μg/L) was higher than that of strains from sandy loam samples (80.01 μg/L). The results inferred that under the same regional climate conditions, the density and aflatoxin production capacity of Aspergillus sp. in clay loam soil were significantly higher than that in sandy loam soil. Therefore, peanuts from these planting areas are at a relatively higher risk of contamination by Aspergillus sp. and aflatoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Photocatalytic water spitting is one way of hydrogen production from energy conservation and emission reduction. However, the activities of most photocatalytic materials need to be enhanced by cocatalysts. In this study, we explored to control the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) ability of cadmium sulfide (CdS) without any cocatalysts by temperature and largely improve its photocatalytic ability. It was experimentally found the activity of CdS without cocatalysts under heating conditions (<100 °C) was much higher than that at room temperature, and increased first and then decreased, with a maximum at 50 °C (169716 umol/h, 68.2 % , λ = 450 nm). Therefore, it is convenient to control the hydrogen production activity of CdS by temperature. The large increment of photocatalytic activity was realized because the temperature complemented the shortcomings of semiconductors in light absorption, and together with light radiation, increased the electron migration rate and density, quantity of surface adsorbed H 3 O+ and number of active sites, prolonged the living of electrons, and reduced the overpotential of water splitting and the reverse reactions. Heating brings the above advantages, but also exacerbates the recombination of electron-hole pairs. Therefore, the activity shows an extreme value along with the temperature rise. This work experimentally proves temperature control is one of the most efficient and simple ways to largely enhance the PHE ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The artificial ground freezing (AGF) method has been widely used in underground engineering construction. As the main load-bearing elements of the AGF method, the strength of frozen walls is expected to play a crucial role in engineering stability. To improve the accuracy of quantitative evaluations of engineering stability, it is necessary to grasp the strength characteristics of frozen rock during service. To achieve this, the red sandstone taken from a frozen shaft project was tested via triaxial compression at different temperatures (−5°C,−10°C,−15°C,−20°C,−25°C, and −30°C). After that, a damage constitutive model with a Weibull distribution was derived to characterize the damage development of the frozen sandstone. Based on the validated model, the variation of damage degree was analyzed. The results show that the crack initiation stress, crack dilation stress, and peak strength all increase with decreasing temperature. The crack damage threshold increases as the frozen sandstone strength increases. The presented damage constitutive model can reflect the damage evolution of frozen sandstone. When the stress exceeds the crack initiation stress, the damage degree begins to increase, and it increases quickly when the stress approaches the peak strength. The model parameters can reflect the influence of negative temperatures on the strength of frozen sandstone. The crack damage threshold could be treated as an essential intrinsic property for predicting the failure process of frozen sandstones. The results can provide an important reference for the design and construction of frozen ground engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WRKY, as one of the largest families of transcription factors (TFs), binds to cis-acting elements of downstream genes to regulate biotic and abiotic stress. However, the role of SlWRKY46 in fungal disease response induced by Botrytis cinerea (B.cinerea) and potential mechanism remains obscure. To ascertain the role of SlWRKY46 in response to B.cinerea , we constructed SlWRKY46 -overexpression plants, which were then inoculated with B.cinerea. SlWRKY46 -overexpression plants were more susceptible to B.cinerea and accompanied by the inhibited activities of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), chitinase (CHI), and β -1,3-glucanase (GLU). Additionally, SlWRKY46 -overexpression plants showed the decreased activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of H 2 O 2 , and the increased content of O 2 •−. Moreover, over-expression of SlWRKY46 suppressed the salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) marker genes, pathogenesis related protein (PR1), and proteinase inhibitors (PI Ⅰ and PI Ⅱ) and consequently aggravated the disease symptoms. Therefore, we speculated that SlWRKY46 played negative regulatory roles in B. cinerea infection probably by inhibiting the activities of antioxidants and disease resistance enzymes, regulating SA and JA signaling pathways and modulating reactive oxygen (ROS) homeostasis. [Display omitted] • Over-expression of SlWRKY46 in tomato plant increases susceptibility to B.cinerea. • SlWRKY46 overexpressor reduced gene expression involved in SA and JA pathways. • Over-expression of SlWRKY46 decreased H 2 O 2 content and increased O 2.•− content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photolysis characteristics of azo dyes are critically important in environmental pollution control, dye-sensitized solar cells, and dyeing-related industries. However, there is still lack of quantitative relationship between the structures of azo dyes and their photolysis characteristics. To address this issue, the photolysis of 22 azo dyes were conducted side by side at three pH (4.0, 6.0, 9.0). The obtained pseudo-first order photodegradation rate constants (k 1) were processed with meta-analysis. Statistically, the hydrazone tautomer had a smaller excitation energy and was easier to undergo photolysis than the azo tautomer. The ortho -substituted sulfonate groups had an obvious protective effect on the photostability of azo dyes. The softness (s), the most positive and negative partial charge on a carbon atom (q C+, q C−) were found to be crucial descriptors in the establishment of QSAR models for the photostability of azo dyes. The QSAR model at pH 9.0 was robust for predicting the photostability of azo dyes under UV irradiation. N 2 -purging experiments and quantum chemical computation verified that the cleavage of azo bond was not a result of direct photolysis but was caused by the attack of photoinduced reactive oxygen species. The results here are helpful for the design of more stable azo dyes or the selection of suitable approaches for the treatment of dye-contaminated water bodies. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous growth of global energy demand, the artificial photosynthetic system of photocatalytic decomposition of hydrogen production has been widely concerned, CdZnS, a photocatalyst based on solid solution, has shown good performance. In order to avoid the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron and hole, metal boride is added as a catalyst to enhance its photocatalytic hydrogen production performance. We prepared CdZnS photocatalyst by hydrothermal method, and synthesized different proportions of NiB/CdZnS catalyst by programmed heating method and calcined it at 773K. Characterized by XRD, XPS, uv–vis diffuse reflection and other methods, CZS solid solution and NiB/CdZnS were synthesized, and the absorption edge of NiB/CZS was redshifted relative to the pure CdZnS. The addition of NiB can effectively inhibit the recombination of electrons and holes to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated charge, and its content has an impact on photocatalytic activity. We found that under visible light irradiation, when the content is 15 wt%, the hydrogen production was the highest. The optimal quantum efficiency was 13.3%, and the hydrogen production reacheed 8137 μmol/g/h, which is 17 times that of pure CdZnS. The addition of NiB greatly improved the photocatalytic performance of CdZnS. • a new NiB/ZnCdS catalysts. • NiB/CdZnS shows 17 times activity of CdZnS. • NiB accelerates the migration rate of photoelectrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Phosphorus (P) loss from paddy fields is a significant issue in sustainable rice production by threatening water environments. We aimed to examine the suitability of mycorrhiza-defective rice (non-mycorrhizal) and its mycorrhizal progenitor to evaluate P loss control via arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. We also aimed to investigate the AM effect on P loss via runoff and leaching. Methods: We grew the two rice lines in microcosms with and without AM fungi, measured P loss via runoff and leaching before and after nitrogen–phosphorus–potassium fertilization, and quantified plant P content and soil P concentration after the final harvest. Results: Mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal rice pair systems in the absence of AM fungi had similar plant, soil, runoff, and leachate P contents (except PO43−). In the presence of AM fungi, the concentrations of all P forms in runoff water and leachate in mycorrhizal rice were lower than those in nonmycorrhizal rice regardless of their solubility in water and availability to plants. The cumulative P loss from mycorrhizal systems was 10% less than that from their nonmycorrhizal counterparts. Conclusions: This mycorrhizal/non-mycorrhizal rice pair is an efficient experimental tool for research on the control of P loss from paddy fields with AM fungi. AM colonization contributes to the sustainability of rice production by decreasing P loss from paddy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, four grain quality-related genes viz. I pinb i , I waxy i , I ppo i and I psy i , which involved in wheat grain hardness, starch quality and dough colour, respectively, were targeted for genome editing. We envision these new wheat germplasms with improved grain quality can be used as donor parents to improve grain quality of elite wheat cultivars through backcross breeding. Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; common wheat; pinb; waxy; ppo; psy EN CRISPR/Cas9 common wheat pinb waxy ppo psy 1684 1686 3 09/13/21 20210901 NES 210901 Common wheat supplies vast amounts of dietary carbohydrate and protein for over 60% of world population. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing for wheat grain quality improvement. [Extracted from the article]

Biomarkers involved in the progression of Barrett's esophagus (BE) have not been extensively studied. We aimed to identify novel molecular markers for the early diagnosis of BE. The expression profiles of GSE100843 including BE segment and normal squamous mucosa samples before and after vitamin D3 supplementation were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the limma package. Principal component analysis was performed using Minitab, and DEGs in the top three principal components were clustered into different gene sets by the mclust package. Pathways and functions enriched by these gene sets were evaluated by deregulation score analysis. Key genes associated with BE were identified by coexpression analysis and a genetic algorithm. Using the xgboost package, an XGBoost classifier specific for BE was further constructed based on the key genes. A total of 2598 DEGs were identified, which were further clustered into nine gene sets. According to the deregulation scores of pathways and functions enriched by these gene sets, nine functional and pathway terms were significantly deregulated in BE. Among the DEGs, CREB3L1, HNF1B, and IL35 were genes with high fitness levels and connectivity degrees, predicting that they were key genes associated with BE. The XGBoost classifier constructed using the key genes was efficient and robust in BE prediction. The accuracies for prediction were 93% and 87% for training and validation datasets, respectively. Key genes may serve as novel biomarkers of BE, and the XGBoost classifier may contribute to the diagnosis of BE in future clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhang, S., 2019. Large-scale ship fault data retrieval algorithm supporting complex query in cloud computing. In: Hoang, A.T. and Aqeel Ashraf, M. (eds.), Research, Monitoring, and Engineering of Coastal, Port, and Marine Systems. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 97, pp. 236–241. In the cloud computing environment, the mass ship fault data retrieval is easy to be interfered by the association rule items, the fuzzy clustering of the data retrieval is not good, the fault diagnosis efficiency of the ship is reduced, and in order to improve the fault diagnosis capability of the ship, The invention provides a mass ship fault data retrieval technology based on complex query support in a cloud computing environment. The distributed storage structure analysis of mass ship fault data is carried out by adopting a vector quantization characteristic coding technology, the spectral characteristic analysis of the mass ship fault data is carried out by adopting a subsection adaptive regression analysis method, the quantitative recursive analysis model is used for extracting the mass ship fault data, the method comprises the following steps of: extracting an association rule feature set reflecting the attribute of a mass ship fault data category, carrying out data classification retrieval on the extracted mass ship fault data feature quantity by using a BP neural network classifier, introducing a machine learning factor to perform convergence control on a support vector machine, And the global stability of the mass ship fault data retrieval is improved. The simulation results show that the accuracy of the data retrieval is high, the error rate is small, and the fault diagnosis ability of the ship is improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear migration in Arabidopsis root hairs is bidirectional and relies on actin filaments. However, how actin filaments regulate the bidirectional movement of nuclei remains unclear. Here, we discovered that nuclei migrate forward and backward according to the developmental stage of the hair cells. In addition, the migration direction of nuclei was not constant but reversed occasionally, accompanied by nuclear shape changes. Confocal microscopic analysis revealed that perinuclear actin bundles were closely related to the migration and shape of hair cell nuclei. Pharmacological studies showed that SMIFH2, an inhibitor of the actin nucleator-formin, inhibited nuclear backward migration probably by impairing the perinuclear actin filaments. These data indicate that nuclear migration in hair cells is likely motivated by the competition of mechanical forces acting on the nucleus. Furthermore, the perinuclear actin filaments are closely related to the migration direction of hair cell nuclei. • Nuclear migration direction in hair cells reverses occasionally. • Actin filaments are closely related to sharp peaks on the nucleus. • SMIFH2 inhibits the backward migration of hair cell nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-dispersed trimetallic Pd-Ru-Bi alloy nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully embedded in the three-dimensional (3D) rGO/MOF-199 by a facile hydrothermal and in situ impregnation-reduction method. Among the mono-, bi- and tri-metal@rGO/MOF-199 electrocatalysts, the trimetallic PdRuBi@rGO/MOF-199 exhibited the highest catalytic activity and durability towards ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) under the alkaline condition, as high as 213.93 mA cm−2, is about 7.23 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C. The outstanding electrocatalysis oxidation performance of the PdRuBi@rGO/MOF-199 is attributed to the unique 3D structures with trimetallic composition and strong synergistic effects of Pd, Ru and Bi nanoalloys that providing plenty of interfaces and achievable reaction active sites. Furthermore, the introduction of GO in MOF-199 matrix conduces to the superior electron transfer and large surface area, which are beneficial to improve the catalytic ability of the catalyst. The study on the new composites offers a conception and applicable way to develop the advanced Pd-based electrocatalysts for high performance direct ethylene glycol fuel cells. • PdRuBi@rGO/MOF-199 catalyst was fabricated by hydrothermal and impregnation method. • The catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and durability for EGOR. • Peak current of the catalyst for EG oxidation is 7.23 times higher than that of Pd/C. • The unique 3D structure and strong synergistic effect improve catalytic durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-stable PVA/PAA nanofibers were fabricated through electrospinning and evaluated for their performance in lead (Pb(II)) and cadmium (Cd(II)) removal from water in a batch experiment. The adsorption mechanism of Pb(II) was explored using the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic analysis. The PVA/PAA nanofibers showed a pH-dependent behavior for heavy metal removal, and its adsorption capacities for Pb(II) and Cd(II) could reach as high as 159 and 102 mg/g, respectively. The calcium ion (Ca(II)) had no effect on Pb(II) removal at pH 5.0 whereas it significantly reduced Cd(II) removal at pH 7.0. The adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) was spontaneous and exothermic in nature with a decrease in randomness. The saturated PVA/PAA nanofibers could be regenerated using acidic solutions for reuse. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis indicated the formation of surface complexes between adsorbed Pb(II) and Cd(II) and carboxyl groups on PVA/PAA nanofibers. Moreover, EXAFS analysis suggested that a Pb(II) cation was chelated with three carboxyl groups on the nanofibers. This molecular-level adsorption structure was successfully implemented into a surface complexation model for the prediction of the macroscopic Pb(II) and Cd(II) adsorption behaviors. The results gained from this study provided complementary information on heavy metal removal by a new generation of adsorbents and improved the fundamental understanding for the removal process. Image 1 • Electrospun PVA/PAA nanofibers were evaluated for Pb(II) and Cd(II) removal. • The adsorption capacity for Pb(II) and Cd(II) was 159 and 102 mg/g, respectively. • The active adsorption sites for Pb(II) on nanofibers were carboxyl groups. • Each Pb(II) atom was complexed with three carboxyl groups on nanofibers. • Surface complexation model successfully predicted Pb(II) and Cd(II) adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Bioactive phytochemicals of Chinese olive were conducted. • Nineteen phenylpropanoids, including three novels, were isolated from Chinese olive. • Some phenylpropanoids showed pronounced anti-neuroinflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. • Chinese olives could be served as a healthy product for neuroinflammatory related diseases. Abstract Chinese olive is served as a famous fruit and traditional herb in China. In this study, the anti-neuroinflammatory and antioxidant phytochemicals of Chinese olive fruits were investigated. Three new phenylpropanoids (2 , 6 , 19), together with sixteen known congeners, have been isolated and identified. A variety of bioactivities related to the traditional healthy benefits of Chinese olive, including anti-neuroinflammatory, antioxidant and antidiabetic, have been evaluated for the identified compounds. The phenylpropanoids could significantly inhibit the production of nitric oxide induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in microglia cells (BV-2). Compounds 2 , 6 , and 19 could dose-dependently reduce the expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediator iNOS and COX-2 expressions induced by LPS in BV-2 cells. Meanwhile, some phenylpropanoids showed remarkable antioxidant and antidiabetic activities. This study suggested that Chinese olive could be served as a healthy product for neuroinflammatory related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new Pd 7 P 3 cocatalyst that significantly enhances H 2 production performance and durability for water splitting under visible light radiation (λ ≥ 450). The 3 wt% Pd 7 P 3 /CdS compared with pure CdS had a 30-fold larger H 2 production amount (302860 vs. 10126 μmol/g) and 39-fold larger average H 2 production rate (41645 vs. 1066 μmol/g/h) after 10 h of visible light radiation. The 3 wt% Pd 7 P 3 /CdS had an apparent quantum yield of 35.1% after 72 h. The lifespan and reuse cycle tests on the 3 wt% Pd 7 P 3 /CdS showed that addition of Pd 7 P 3 into CdS enhanced H 2 production ability and reusability in photocatalytic water splitting. The photoluminescence and photocurrent tests showed the Pd 7 P 3 cocatalyst extracted photoelectrons from the CdS bulk under visible light radiation, then those photoelectrons migrated to the Pd 7 P 3 /CdS interfaces and reacted with the H+ adsorbed on the catalyst surface, producing abundant H 2. Therefore, the addition of Pd 7 P 3 improves the movement of photoelectrons, separation of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, and photoelectron utilization efficiency, thus significantly enhancing the photocatalytic H 2 production ability. • The Pd 7 P 3 cocatalyst intensively extracted photoelectrons from the CdS. • 3 wt% Pd 7 P 3 /CdS had an apparent quantum yield of 35.1%. • Pd 7 P 3 enhanced H 2 production ability and reusability in photocatalytic water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • BiF 3 /BiOBr with higher photodegradation ability was synthesized by a fast and stable microwave-assisted method. • The O 2 − and h+ were the main active species in the oxidation of RhB. • Improvement of photocatalytic activity was owed to high photoelectron-hole separation efficiency. Abstract Novel BiF 3 /BiOBr heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared from a fast and stable microwave-assisted method, and characterized by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of BiF 3 /BiOBr heterojunctions under light irradiation was significantly higher than pure BiOBr or BiF 3 , and was maximized at the Br:F molar ratio of 1:1, as the targeted 20 mg/L Rhodamine B (RhB) solution was completely degraded within 40 min. This was mainly because the unique BiF 3 /BiOBr heterojunction formed during photocatalytic degradation accelerated the photoelectron and hole separation, effectively enhanced the quantum efficiency, and thereby strengthened the photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Increasing grain yields of food cereal crops is a major goal in future sustainable agriculture. We quantitatively analyzed the potential role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in enhancing grain yields of seven cereal crops with exceptional importance for human nutrition across the globe: corn, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet and oat.We conducted a meta‐analysis for three datasets including both English and Chinese language publications: the 'whole' dataset including both laboratory and field studies (168 articles); the 'field' dataset comprising only field studies (97 studies); and the 'field‐inoculation' dataset including only AM fungal inoculation studies conducted in field conditions (70 articles).We found that the AM fungal effect on grain yield was less pronounced in field and noninoculation studies. AM fungal inoculation in field led to a 16% increase (overall effect) based on the 'field‐inoculation' dataset; this effect was variable (77% trials had positive values), crop‐specific, lower for new cultivars released after 1950 and further modulated by soil pH.Although there are neutral and negative effects of AM fungi on grain yields, we emphasize the importance of integrating AM fungi in sustainable agriculture to increase grain yields of cereal crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To perform accurate and synchronous detection of the soluble solid contents (SSC) in fresh jujubes at different stages of maturity, hyperspectral imaging was used to establish robust models. The combined data constituting four maturation stages were used to build the grid-search least squares support vector machine (GS-LS-SVM) model. The determination coefficient (Rp2), the root-mean-square error (RMSEP), and the residual predictive deviation (RPD) of the prediction set for samples of the overall stages were 0.98, 1.10%, and 7.85, respectively. Furthermore, a successive projections algorithm (SPA) was used to extract the characteristic wavelengths of the combined data. An artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm (for the prediction set, Rp2 = 0.98, RMSEP = 1.19%, RPD = 7.25) was used to improve the SPA-LS-SVM model, which was better than the SPA-GS-LS-SVM model (for the prediction set, Rp2 = 0.98, RMSEP = 1.24%, RPD = 6.96). Lastly, visualization of the SSC distribution map was performed based on the SPA-ABC-LS-SVM model, which clearly showed that the SSC gradually increased during maturation. The results indicated that it was realistic to construct a detection model of the multimaturity stage. This research also demonstrated that the combination of hyperspectral imaging and the ABC had good application values in the testing of agricultural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of thermal conversion to convert Chinese patent medicines (CPM) residues into porous carbon-based materials and carbon dots (CDs) has effectively resolved the challenges associated with resource waste and environmental pollution while enhancing the added value of CPM residues. In this study, biochar and N-doped CDs with high quantum yield (QY) were simultaneously prepared from fermentation residues by employing a hydrothermal carbonization method without any chemical reagents. The obtained biochar had remarkable adsorption capacity, with an iodine adsorption value of 693.22 mg g–1. The QY of N-doped CDs could reach to 36.17 % by the mean of self-doping due to the high nitrogen content of the fermentation residues. Considering the structural integrity and permeable porous structure of the two-dimensional leaf-like zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-L), N-doped CDs were encapsulated into ZIF-L to form novel fluorescent composites (N-doped CDs@ZIF-L). Moreover, N-doped CDs@ZIF-L as a novel fluorescent probe could be efficiently quenched in the presence of tetracycline (TC), doxycycline (DOC), and chlortetracycline (CTC) by static quenching and the inner filter effect. Notably, the fluorescent probe exhibited a good linear relationship with the TC, DOC, and CTC at 0–50, 0–50, and 0–45 μM, respectively, with limits of detection of 0.025, 0.033, and 0.027 μM, respectively. This probe could be employed to detect TC antibiotics in honey and milk, suggesting that it had the great potential for applications in environmental monitoring and food safety. [Display omitted] • Biochar and CDs were prepared by hydrothermal method from biomass simultaneously. • The maximum iodine adsorption capacity of the synthesized biochar was 693.22 mg g–1. • The quantum yield of prepared N-doped CDs reached to 36.17 %. • The two-dimensional leaf-like N-doped CDs@ZIF-L could detect the TCs sensitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of thermal conversion to convert Chinese patent medicines (CPM) residues into porous carbon-based materials and carbon dots (CDs) has effectively resolved the challenges associated with resource waste and environmental pollution while enhancing the added value of CPM residues. In this study, biochar and N-doped CDs with high quantum yield (QY) were simultaneously prepared from fermentation residues by employing a hydrothermal carbonization method without any chemical reagents. The obtained biochar had remarkable adsorption capacity, with an iodine adsorption value of 693.22 mg g–1. The QY of N-doped CDs could reach to 36.17 % by the mean of self-doping due to the high nitrogen content of the fermentation residues. Considering the structural integrity and permeable porous structure of the two-dimensional leaf-like zeolitic imidazole framework (ZIF-L), N-doped CDs were encapsulated into ZIF-L to form novel fluorescent composites (N-doped CDs@ZIF-L). Moreover, N-doped CDs@ZIF-L as a novel fluorescent probe could be efficiently quenched in the presence of tetracycline (TC), doxycycline (DOC), and chlortetracycline (CTC) by static quenching and the inner filter effect. Notably, the fluorescent probe exhibited a good linear relationship with the TC, DOC, and CTC at 0–50, 0–50, and 0–45 μM, respectively, with limits of detection of 0.025, 0.033, and 0.027 μM, respectively. This probe could be employed to detect TC antibiotics in honey and milk, suggesting that it had the great potential for applications in environmental monitoring and food safety. [Display omitted] • Biochar and CDs were prepared by hydrothermal method from biomass simultaneously. • The maximum iodine adsorption capacity of the synthesized biochar was 693.22 mg g–1. • The quantum yield of prepared N-doped CDs reached to 36.17 %. • The two-dimensional leaf-like N-doped CDs@ZIF-L could detect the TCs sensitively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: multiplex genome editing; CRISPR/Cas9; common wheat; ribozyme EN multiplex genome editing CRISPR/Cas9 common wheat ribozyme 427 429 3 03/15/21 20210301 NES 210301 Common wheat has a large genome with three subgenomes (A, B and D), making it challenging to create mutations at multiple genomic sites simultaneously. Thus, the tRNA and ribozyme systems are more effective than TRSP, and the ribozyme system appeared to be most robust. Compared with the TRSP system, more plants with over 4 edited sites were identified in the tRNA and ribozyme systems (Figure 1e), and the ribozyme system generated the highest simultaneous editing rates. For I TaNCED1 i , all three vectors exhibited low activity, and the tRNA and ribozyme systems resulted in higher gene editing rates than the TRSP system (Figure 1c). [Extracted from the article]

Abstract RuP 2 nanoparticles and CdS nanorods were prepared by temperature-programmed reduction and a solvothermal route, respectively. Their intrinsic properties were characterized with X-ray powder diffractometry, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. RuP 2 as a co-catalyst significantly enhanced the photocatalytic H 2 evolution performance of CdS in water spitting under visible light radiation (λ ≥ 450). The H 2 evolution amount of the 10 wt% RuP 2 /CdS reached 164,008 μmol/g after 10 h of radiation, which was 6.51 times that of 0.1 wt% Ru/CdS (25,238 μmol/g) and 2.3 times that of 0.1 wt% Pt/CdS (58,359 μmol/g). The mean H 2 evolution rate of 10 wt% RuP 2 /CdS in 10 h is 17,362 μmol/g/h, which is 8.49 times that of 0.1 wt% Ru/CdS (2044 μmol/g/h) and 5.16 times that of 0.1 wt% Pt/CdS (3364 μmol/g/h). The 10 wt% RuP 2 /CdS after 34 h reached an apparent quantum yield of 31%. The 102-h longtime tests showed that the 10 wt% RuP 2 improved the H 2 evolution ability, lifespan and stability of CdS. The activity, photoluminescence and photocurrent experiments indicated the RuP 2 cocatalyst in RuP 2 /CdS under light radiation intensively attracted photo-electrons and transferred them from CdS to RuP 2 , thus greatly promoting the separation of photo-generated charges and producing more photo-electrons to react with the H+ absorbed on RuP 2 nanopartilces, which helped to improve the photocatalytic H 2 evolution performance. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • RuP 2 is utilized as a novel cocatalyst. • RuP 2 with strong electron attraction ability. • Improved migration, utilization, separation efficiency of photo-electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive worms are prone to spreading through Peer-to-Peer networks, and they pose a great threat to the security of the network. In this paper, considering network heterogeneity and the number of hops a search can reach, we propose a novel mathematical model to study the dynamics of the propagation of passive worms. For the proposed model, the basic reproduction number R0 is derived by employing the existence of the positive equilibrium. And the stabilities of the worm-free equilibrium and positive equilibrium are analyzed. Moreover, we verify the rationality of the model established by comparing the stochastic simulation with the numerical simulation. Finally, we examine the effect of the number of hops on the spread of passive worms and discuss the various immunization strategies. We find that if R0>1, the propagation speed of passive worms is accelerated with the increase of hop count d; if R0<1, the number of infected peers decreases rapidly with the increase of the value of d and drops to zero eventually. Results show that the network topology and the number of hops can affect the spread of passive worms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing carbon nanodots (CNDs) from waste traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can take full advantage of the abundant chemical compositions in waste TCM, reduce the quantities required for disposal and the processing costs. In this study, N, S, B doped CNDs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using waste Clematis Chinensis Osbeck , urea, thiourea, and boric acid as carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and boron sources, respectively. N, S, B doped CNDs and red CNDs were encapsulated into molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) to form a ratiometric fluorescence probe (CNDs@MIPs). By optimizing the preparation parameters (reaction temperature, reaction time and mass ratio), the relative quantum yield of N, S, B doped CNDs could be increased from 0.39% to 18.39%. The time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed the elemental distribution of N, S and B and suggested the presence of active ingredients with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in the doped CNDs. The N, S, B doped CNDs could sense furazolidone (FZD) in a linear range of 5–700 mg/L with a detection limit (LOD) of 4.82 mg/L based on the mechanism of static quenching and the inner filter effect. The CNDs@MIPs probe could selectively sense FZD in the range of 5–400 mg/L with a LOD of 1.98 mg/L. In the different food samples, the recoveries of N, S, B doped CNDs and CNDs@MIPs were in the range of 90%–110%, indicating that the fluorescence sensors have excellent applicability for sensing FZD. [Display omitted] • N, S, B doped CNDs were prepared by one pot hydrothermal method from waste CCO. • TOF-SIMS was first used to analyze the active component and 2D mapping of CNDs. • CNDs@MIPs sensed FZD in 5–400 mg/L range rapidly, accurately and reliably. • The recovery was 90–110% in food real samples using ratiometric fluorescence probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Octyl-dimethyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (ODPABA), one of the most commonly used organic UV filters, can undergo considerable transformation in water when entering into the disinfection process. The impacts of bromide on degradation kinetics, formation and speciation of transformation products, regulated disinfection by-products (DBPs) as well as genotoxicity changes during ODPABA chlorination were investigated in this study. Results indicated that the reaction of ODPABA with chlorine followed pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetics. Adding bromide noticeably enhanced the degradation rate of ODPABA, but reduced the impact of chlorine dose. Four halogenated transformation products (Cl-ODPABA, Br-ODPABA, Cl-Br-ODPABA and Br 2 -ODPABA) were detected by LC–MS/MS. Mono-halogenated products were stable during 24-h chlorination, while di-halogenated products constantly increased. The total yields of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) were both low, but predominated by bromine substitution at high levels of bromide. In addition, SOS/umu tests showed that genotoxicity was generated after ODPABA chlorination, which was increased at least 1.5 times in the presence of bromine. Whereas, no significant genotoxicity variation was observed following bromide concentration change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, N, Cl doped carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with triple-fluorescence centers was prepared by one-pot solvothermal method from waste traditional Chinese medicines as the raw material. The obtained N, Cl doped CQDs showed purple, yellow and red fluorescence under the 326, 380 and 578 nm excitation, respectively, of which red fluorescence was induced by the increase of concentrations and sensed rapidly water contents in 30–100% range with a limited of detection (LOD) of 0.65%. The obtained CQDs was applied for sensing Cr (Ⅵ) by triple channels, which exhibited the high selectivity and sensitivity for Cr (Ⅵ) with the LOD of 0.28, 0.87 and 0.90 μM, respectively. And its derivative materials exhibited the good linear range with 10–100 μM and 5–250 μM taking purple fluorescence as the response signal, respectively. The recoveries of N, Cl doped CQDs in tap water and sludge were in 93–110% range, suggesting a feasible avenue for accurate and rapid sensing of Cr (Ⅵ). [Display omitted] • Triple-emission N, Cl doped CQDs was prepared from waste LWC by one pot method. • Fluorescence behaviors of N, Cl doped CQDs were turned by their concentrations. • Red fluorescence of CQDs behaved the response for water content in ethanol. • Multiple emissions from CQDs exhibited excellent behaviors for sensing Cr (Ⅵ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, most research about the recommender system is based on graph theory and algebraic methods, but these methods cannot predict the evolution of the system with time under the recommendation method, and cannot dynamically analyze the long-term utility of the recommendation method. However, these two aspects can be studied by the dynamical method, which essentially investigates the intrinsic evolution mechanism of things, and is widely used to study a variety of actual problems. So, in this paper, network dynamics is used to study the recommendation on the user–movie network, which consists of users and movies, and the movies are watched either by the personal search or through the recommendation. Firstly, dynamical models are established to characterize the personal search and the system recommendation mechanism: the personal search model, the random recommendation model, the preference recommendation model, the degree recommendation model and the hybrid recommendation model. The rationality of the models established is verified by comparing the stochastic simulation with the numerical simulation. Moreover, the validity of the recommendation methods is evaluated by studying the movie degree, which is defined as the number of the movie that has been watched. Finally, we combine the personal search and the recommendation to establish a more general model. The change of the average degree of all the movies is given with the strength of the recommendation. Results show that for each recommendation method, the change of the movie degree is different, and is related to the initial degree of movies, the adjacency matrix A representing the relation between users and movies, the time t . Additionally, we find that in a long time, the degree recommendation is not as good as that in a short time, which fully demonstrates the advantage of the dynamical method. For the whole user–movie system, the preference recommendation is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were supposed to improve phosphorus (P) efficiency in paddy fields. Our aim was to investigate the roles of AMF inoculation in increasing P acquisition efficiency (PAE) by cutting down P loss and in enhancing P use efficiency (PUE) via optimizing shoot P investment. A field experiment with two factors was carried out in northeast of China: six fertilizer levels were provided, inoculation with Glomus mosseae was either conducted or not at each fertilizer level. We investigated P loss during the rice growing season while P uptake and investment, biological and economic yields of rice were estimated at maturity. Then, we calculated recovery efficiency (RE), utilization efficiency (UE) and agronomic efficiency (AE) for PAE and physiological efficiency (PE) and agrophysiological efficiency (APE) for PUE. Both apparent and balanced values of these indicators were calculated. In addition, relationships of balanced PAE—P loss and balanced PUE—P investment were investigated for the two sets of plants. We found that AMF inoculation improved root colonization and the economic yield but decreased the biological yield and seasonal P loss. Inoculation led to more P allocated to panicles but less to stems and leaves, without affecting shoot P uptake. We also found that the apparent RE, UE and AE were smaller in inoculated treatments while greater apparent PE and balanced AE and APE was observed in inoculated treatments. Additionally, P loss of paddy fields decreased exponentially as balanced PAE increased and inoculation reduced P loss, without affecting balanced PAE. For the two sets of plants, balanced PE was negatively correlated with shoot P invested in panicles but positively with shoot P invested in stems. Furthermore, inoculation did not significantly altered the relationship between balanced PE and shoot P invested in panicles and stems. Conclusively, our study highlights the importance of AMF inoculation in improving P efficiency of rice production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fluorescent film based on a cholesteryl derivative of perylene bisimide (PTCDI- co -CholDEA) was fabricated via utilization of an electrostatic spinning technique on a glass plate surface. SEM studies revealed that the film was characterized by fibrous network structure. It is the structure and the chemical composition that make the fluorescence emission of the film sensitive to the variation of local environmental humidity. The sensitivity of the sensing is 0.1497 (× 10 4 a.u. of the intensity)/1% RH, of which RH is the abbreviation of relative humidity. The maximum quenching efficiency of the film is 55.4% when humidity reaches 97% RH. Furthermore, the sensing process is fully reversible, and presence of other commonly found liquids shows little effect to the monitoring process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the fast sensory Rate-All-That-Apply (RATA) method as a contributor to existing quality control (QC) in chocolate production by comparing it with the outcome of dynamic headspace sampling combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (DHS-GC-MS). Seven different chocolates were evaluated by a semi-trained panel using RATA. RATA showed potential as a sensory evaluation tool which could be part of QC programmes in chocolate production as RATA was efficient to perform and captured important sensory deviations, herein addition of excess lecithin and prolonged roasting. However, product deviations caused by long conching were only detected by DHS-GC-MS. A more extreme conching process must occur before it can be perceived by humans. RATA and DHS-GCMS should be used as complementary methods in detecting future important issues in chocolate production. DHS-GC-MS detects product deviation from chemical perspectives while sensory evaluation gives information on quality parameters from a perceivable perspective influencing consumer satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) runoff from paddy fields serves as one of the main sources of water pollution. Our aim was to reduce N runoff from paddy fields by fertilizer management and inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). In northeast China, Shuangcheng city in Heilongjiang province, a field experiment was conducted, using rice provided with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of the local norm of fertilization (including N, phosphorus and potassium), with or without inoculation with Glomus mosseae . The volume, concentrations of total N (TN), dissolved N (DN) and particulate N (PN) of runoff water were measured. We found that the local norm of fertilization led to 18.9 kg/ha of N runoff during rice growing season, with DN accounting for 60%–70%. We also found that reduction in fertilization by 20% cut down TN runoff by 8.2% while AMF inoculation decreased N runoff at each fertilizer level and this effect was inhibited by high fertilization. The combination of inoculation with AMF and 80% of the local norm of fertilization was observed to reduce N runoff by 27.2%. Conclusively, we suggested that the contribution of AMF inoculation combined with decreasing fertilization should get more attention to slow down water eutrophication by reducing N runoff from paddy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UV filters are a kind of emerging contaminant, and their transformation behavior in water treatment processes has aroused great concern. In particular, toxic products might be produced during reaction with disinfectants during the disinfection process. As one of the most widely used UV filters, oxybenzone has received significant attention, because its transformation and toxicity changes during chlorine oxidation are a concern. In our study, the reaction between oxybenzone and chlorine followed pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetics. Three transformation products were detected by LC-MS/MS, and the stability of products followed the order of tri-chloro-methoxyphenoyl > di-chlorinated oxybenzone > mono-chlorinated oxybenzone. Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) including chloroform, trichloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid and chloral hydrate were quickly formed, and increased at a slower rate until their concentrations remained constant. The maximum DBP/oxybenzone molar yields for the four compounds were 12.02%, 6.28%, 0.90% and 0.23%, respectively. SOS/umu genotoxicity test indicated that genotoxicity was highly elevated after chlorination, and genotoxicity showed a significantly positive correlation with the response of tri-chloro-methoxyphenoyl. Our results indicated that more genotoxic transformation products were produced in spite of the elimination of oxybenzone, posing potential threats to drinking water safety. This study shed light on the formation of DBPs and toxicity changes during the chlorination process of oxybenzone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel F-doped BiOCl photocatalyst was synthesized for the first time by a simple hydrothermal method and only water was used as the solvent. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy. In determination of photocatalytic activity, the samples were used into photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. Results show that F-doped BiOCl exhibits stronger photocatalytic activity after doping. The F-doped BiOCl with F/Bi molar ratio of 3:4 shows the highest degradation performance and high stability. The improvement of photocatalytic activity is mainly ascribed to the synergetic effect of fluorination, in which fluorine ions were doped into crystal lattices and adsorbed onto catalyst surfaces. The primary oxidative species in the reaction system is superoxide radical (·O 2 − ). The possible degradation mechanism was also proposed based on the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dechloranes (Decs) have been recently found to occur widely in the environment even in the remote polar regions. However, the understanding of their environmental fate is rather limited. The Tibetan Plateau (TP) may be an important indicator region to study the long-range atmospheric transport and their fates of these emerging contaminants since it has very limited local sources. In the present study, Dechlorane plus (DP), Dechlorane 602 (Dec 602), Dechlorane 603 (Dec 603) and Dechlorane 604 (Dec 604) were analyzed in lichen samples from the southeast TP. The results showed that only DP and Dec 602 were detected, with a detection frequency of 89% and 100%, respectively. The average concentrations (dry weight) of ΣDP and Dec 602 were 318 pg g −1 (20–1132 pg g −1 ) and 167 pg g −1 (27–843 pg g −1 ), respectively. The DP concentration in this study was much higher than those in moss from the remote Ny-Ålesund, Arctic. The concentrations of Dec 602 were found to generally increase with increasing altitude, while DP concentrations seemingly showed an opposite altitudinal trend along the mountain slopes. No stereoselective accumulation or transformation of anti -DP and syn -DP was observed in lichens and the altitudinal behavior of the two isomers was similar. This research documented that Decs are prone to undergo LRAT and cold-trapping by the mountains in the southeast TP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Acetylacetone outperformed H 2 O 2 in degrading algal metabolites under xenon irradiation. • Protein-like constituents were more susceptible to photodegradation by acetylacetone. • The biological toxicity of microcystin-LR was greatly reduced after photooxidation. • The photoactivity of acetylacetone was limited by alkaline pH, not by inorganic ions. Inactivation of cyanobacterial cells and simultaneous control of secondary metabolites is of significant necessity for the treatment of cyanobacteria-laden water. Acetylacetone (AcAc) has been reported a specific algicide to inactivate Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) and an effective light activator to degrade pollutants. This study systematically investigated the photodegradation ability of AcAc under xenon (Xe) irradiation on the secondary metabolites of M. aeruginosa , mainly algal organic matter (AOM), especially toxic microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Results showed that AcAc outperformed H 2 O 2 in destructing the protein-like substances, humic acid-like matters, aromatic proteins and fulvic-like substances of AOM. For MC-LR (250 µg/L), 0.05 mmol/L AcAc attained the same degradation efficiency (87.0%) as 0.1 mmol/L H 2 O 2. The degradation mechanism of Xe/AcAc might involve photo-induced energy/electron transfer and formation of carbon center radicals. Alkaline conditions (pH > 9.0) were detrimental to the photoactivity of AcAc, corresponding to the observed degradation rate constant (k 1 value) of MC-LR drastically decreasing to 0.0013 min−1 as solution pH exceeded 9.0. The PO 4 3− and HCO 3 − ions had obvious inhibition effects, whereas NO 3 − slightly improved k 1 value from 0.0277 min−1 to 0.0321 min−1. The presence of AOM did not significantly inhibit MC-LR degradation in Xe/AcAc system. In addition, the biological toxicity of MC-LR was greatly reduced after photoreaction. These results demonstrated that AcAc was an alternative algicidal agent to effectively inactivate algal cells and simultaneously control the secondary metabolites after cell lysis. Nevertheless, the concentration and irradiation conditions should be further optimized in practical application. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two-dimensional piezoelectric materials to high efficiently produce H 2. • Sheet structure matches piezoelectric effect to form separated charges. • Stable and efficient BN materials. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a graphite-like two-dimensional material with a piezoelectric nanostructure and thus is extensively applied. In this study, piezoelectric catalytic hydrogen production by h-BN was realized at the H 2 yield of 824.281 μmol/g/h. After 5 repeated experiments, the H 2 yield did not drop significantly, indicating 2D h-BN has high piezoelectric catalytic ability and stability. Since h-BN can directly convert mechanical energy into chemical energy, deformation after machinery vibration will induce the formation of surface positive charge q+ and negative charge q-. The negative charge concentrates on the conduction band and binds with hydrogen ion to form hydrogen gas that can escape. It displays the huge potential of two-dimensional piezoelectric materials in relieving energy pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]