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The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, is a bark beetle native to Asia that has caused significant forest resource losses in North America since its introduction in the early 21st century. In this study, we used the niche assessment R package "ecospat" and the integrated model "biomod2" to compare 19 bioclimatic variables for A. planipennis in its native range (China) and part of its invasive range (the United States). Future data predicted for the 2050s and 2070s were utilized to forecast potential habitat regions for A. planipennis in China and the United States under two representative climate scenarios (SSP126 and SSP585). We revealed low niche overlap between A. planipennis populations in these ranges, with significant differences in bioclimatic variables. This indicates that A. planipennis has adapted to a range of climatic conditions in the United States. In upcoming times, the suitable habitat region for A. planipennis is expected to significantly decrease in the United States but considerably increase in China. Our study provides insights that can be used to prevent further A. planipennis spread, for economic loss assessment of and developing management strategies against A. planipennis, and as a methodological reference for niche analysis of other invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the quantum Fisher information (QFI) of a thermal two-qubit XXZ Heisenberg spin model. Here, we adopt the average QFI with respect to the local orthonormal observable bases (Li and Luo in Phys Rev A 88:014301, 2013). Meanwhile, the QFI is compared with two other quantum correlations (concurrence and trace distance discord). Their dependence on uniform magnetic field, non-uniform magnetic field, and coupling constant is calculated and discussed in details. Their evolution behaviors in terms of various model parameters are compared. The results show that at finite temperature, the concurrence is weaker, while QFI and trace distance discord is stronger. And even if the temperature is higher, QFI's change with the magnetic field is still obvious, while the trace distance discord is almostly the same and indistinguishable under different fields. Particularly, it can be seen that QFI is asymmetric with respect to coupling strength zero based on which we can judge whether the system is ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. In addition, the modification effect of non-uniform field is more evident for the QFI. Finally, their thermal evolution behaviors are discussed, and quantum phase transition points can be rapidly derived from the evolutionary properties under uniform field. Our numerical results are well consistent with theoretical analysis. On the whole, it is demonstrated that the QFI should be a more effective order parameter of the studied spin system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modelling of the edge lithium (Li) transport and heat flux deposition on divertor targets under different poloidal Li injections has been performed on EAST with the three-dimensional (3D) edge transport code EMC3-EIRENE. Four injected positions of Li impurity (including divertor and upstream injections) are investigated to check the Li density distribution and its impacts on the heat flux deposition profiles. The simulation results show that the Li injections near the strike points lead to small spatial amounts of Li ions compared to the upstream injections. The energy dissipation by Li impurity for different poloidal injections has been analysed by varying the upstream electron density. It is found that the increased upstream electron density leads to a slightly enhanced exhausted power of Li impurity for upstream injections while an evidently reduced energy loss for divertor injections. Moreover, the asymmetric distributions of heat flux deposition on target plates are obtained for divertor injections, while the symmetric distributions of heat flux are attained for upstream injections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shared parking can fully utilize idle parking resources and alleviate parking conflicts. However, existing operational strategies suffer from low utilization of parking resources and neglect of parker preferences. This paper focuses on how to solve the problem of matching many-to-one in the shared parking process considering the benefits of parkers and parking lots. Given this, a stable matching mechanism is proposed based on the improved deferred-acceptance algorithm. Meanwhile, we develop a parking space rental and allocation model for multiple parking lots. A series of factors were considered in the model, such as the profits of the parking lot, the potential loss due to refusal of parking requests and rented spaces, and the walking distance to the destination of parkers. Parking requests are assigned to specific parking lots considering the preferences of the parkers, and then the allocation of shared parking spaces is achieved through the proposed matching mechanism. In numerical examples, we compare the proposed allocation method with the other two allocation methods. The results indicate that compared with the other two allocation methods, the proposed matching mechanism could achieve optimal allocation of parking spaces and a stable match between shared parking and parkers, which verifies the superiority of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coupled thermo-hydro-gas-solute modeling is presented to investigate their migrations in layered unsaturated soil under unsteady conditions based on thermal and mass transfer in porous media. The effects of non-convective fluxes of gas and liquid phases are considered in the mass and energy conservation equations. The solutions of the pore non-convective fluxes, the dry gas and water vapor non-convective fluxes are derived. The effects of salt non-convective fluxes, gas phase non-convective fluxes and thermal conductivity of each component on the energy conservation of layered unsaturated soil are considered. A mathematical model for the one-dimensional unsteady-state problem is established with the state equations using Laplace transform and solved using the shooting method to obtain the frequency domain solution which is transformed into the time domain solution. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to verify the accuracy of the proposed theoretical model. The accuracy of the proposed model is also verified by the experimental and numerical results in the literature. The reasonable agreements verified the accuracy of the proposed coupled thermo-hydro-gas-solute model. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effects of the interlayer on the behavior of the thermo-hydro-gas-solute coupling in layered unsaturated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real time allocation of urban dynamic traffic flow can effectively improves urban traffic congestion and travel efficiency. Aiming at the problems of poor road network capacity and high traffic congestion index under the current allocation methods, this paper proposes a real-time allocation method of urban dynamic traffic flow in social governance. Firstly, use wireless sensor networks to collect real-time traffic flow data and perform dimensionality reduction processing on the collected data; Then, based on the data dimension reduction results, the urban dynamic traffic flow is predicted using the generated adversarial network; Finally, use the shortest path algorithm to allocate urban dynamic traffic flow in real time, calculate the shortest driving path of vehicles, and achieve optimal allocation of traffic flow. The experimental results show that the traffic congestion index and the road network capacity of the proposed method in this article are effectively improved. The research results provide a new approach to preventing congestion and improving traffic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the Gravel algorithm and the MLEM algorithm, the neutron energy spectrum unfolding algorithms has been developed by using the SY2001 plastic scintillator detector in its entirety to experimentally measure neutron source characterization of the compact D–D neutron generator. In particular, the degree of optimization of the Mean Relative Error (MRE) is proposed as a determinant of the appropriate termination point for iterations to improve the adaptive nature of the algorithm. The developed neutron energy spectrum unfolding algorithms measure the neutron energy spectra and the neutron angular yields of the compact D–D neutron generator, which are compared with Monte Carlo calculated results. Given the good agreement with the existing results, the developed unfolding algorithms can be used to accurately unfolding neutron energy spectrum, especially, for non-pulsed neutron sources. The measured neutron source characterization results show that the compact D–D neutron generator can produce high yields and quasi-mono-energetic neutrons in the range from 2.2 to 2.8 MeV. The D–D neutron angular yields are anisotropic distributions, particularly, which are relatively higher with neutron emission angles ranging from 40 ∘ to 120 ∘ . This work measure the neutron energy spectra and the neutron angular yields of the compact D–D neutron generator in Lanzhou University, which provide detailed neutron source characterization for using it in neutron physics and neutron application technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide bandgap semiconductors materials (WBGSMs) are of great interest for their applications in transparent electronics and power electronics. Recent studies have shown that BaS is a potential transparent conducting material but the knowledge of it is deficient. Herein, we systemically investigate its electronic structure and evaluate the effects of its intrinsic defects and extrinsic dopants by utilizing the hybrid density functional method. The obtained results show that BaS is an indirect bandgap semiconductor with a bandgap of 3.88 eV. Its electron-effective mass is very small (0.33 m0). We find that the intrinsic n-type conductivity of BaS is connected with the shallow donor defect sulfur vacancy (VS). Regarding extrinsic dopants (group IA atoms), we find that Li and Na are favorable n-type dopants, while K and Rb are p-type dopants. Among these impurities, the Li interstitial (Liint) configuration possesses the lowest formation energy of 0.114 eV. Based on thermodynamic simulations, we find that the electron density can reach 2.39 × 1020 cm−3 in Li-doped BaS at room temperature, which is comparable to those of typical WBGSMs In2O3, BaSnO3, and β-Ga2O3. We expect BaS could replace typical WBGSMs in some applications. Moreover, its component elements Ba and S are non-toxic, cheap, and earth-abundant, making it a very competitive candidate for WBGSMs. Based on these results, we deem BaS a promising candidate for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. This study measured six reproduction traits in a Sichuan white goose population (209 individuals), including fertility, qualified egg rate, plasma concentrations of progesterone (P), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL) and oestrogen (E2). 2. Whole-genome resequencing data from the same goose population (209 individuals) were used in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) utilising a mixed linear model to investigate the genes and genetic markers associated with reproduction traits. The frequency of the selected SNPs and haplotypes were determined using the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method. 3. In total, 42 SNPs significantly associated with these traits were identified. A haplotype block was constructed based on five SNPs that were significantly associated with qualified egg rate, with individuals having the haplotype CCTTAAGGAA having the lowest qualified egg rate. 4. In conclusion, these results provided potential markers for marker-assisted selection to improve goose reproductive performance and a basis for elucidating the genetics of goose reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-layer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are showing promising thermoelectric applications due to their superior stability and electronic transport properties. Unfortunately, the intrinsic high lattice thermal conductivity prevents their further improvement of thermoelectric performance. Motivated by recent experimental synthesis of two-dimensional TMDC heterostructures and superlattices, we propose to minimize the lattice thermal conductivity of single-layer MoS2 and MoSe2 using the lateral superlattice (LS) as building blocks. First-principles calculations with the phonon Boltzmann transport equation reveal a remarkably low lattice thermal conductivity of MoS2-MoSe2 LS due to the enhanced anharmonic phonon scattering as compared to the individual single-layer. We also show that the strong phonon anisotropy of MoS2-MoSe2 LS is primarily ascribed to the out-of-plane quadratic acoustic branch and orientation-dependent anharmonic scattering. Our calculations clearly demonstrate the advantages of LS structure in minimizing the lattice thermal conductivity of single-layer TMDCs and also accelerate their related applications in the field of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal-contaminated sediment may release harmful ions into the water column and seriously affect the growth of aquatic organisms. Biochar is a good adsorbent for water pollutants. In this study, a simulated water ecosystem with copper (Cu)-contaminated sediment was established to study the effects of biochar addition (CK: 0 g/L, T1: 3 g/L, T2: 6 g/L, T3: 12 g/L) on Cu content in water and the growth and accumulation of Cu in a submerged macrophyte, Vallisneria natans. Compared with the CK group, Cu contents in water decreased by 43.65%, 33.86%, and 54.10% in the T1, T2, and T3 groups, respectively. Cu contents in the aboveground part of V. natans decreased by 56.03%, 61.90%, and 52.38% in T1, T2, and T3, respectively, while in the belowground part Cu contents decreased by 17.46%, 11.94%, and 55.90%, respectively. The plant height, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content significantly increased with the increase of biochar addition, showing that biochar promoted the growth of V. natans. This study demonstrated that the addition of biochar in water could significantly reduce the Cu content in water and the accumulation of Cu in V. natans, thus reducing the harm caused by Cu to V. natans. This study provides a method for the remediation and management of Cu-polluted sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental behavior of arsenic (As) in soil is closely related to the composition of the soil microbial community and soil enzyme activity. In this paper, the effects of inorganic selenium (Se(IV), Se(VI)) and organic Se (Se-Cys, Se-Met) on enzyme activity and microbial community composition in As-contaminated soil were studied by a pot experiment under greenhouse conditions. The results showed that the application of inorganic Se and organic Se can significantly affect the activities of urease, catalase, invertase, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolase and dehydrogenase in As-contaminated soil. The total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) microbial content in the soil with organic Se treatments was higher than that in the control group (CK), while the inorganic Se treatments was opposite. Organic Se promoted the growth of microorganisms in the soil, while the inorganic Se treatments was opposite. From the perspective of the distribution and community structure of microorganisms, organic Se treatment enriches the microbial diversity and increases the content of gram-positive bacteria (G+), gram-negative bacteria (G-), and fungi, while the inorganic Se treatment group shows the opposite trend. This study can provide a reference for in-depth exploration of the mechanism of Se and microbial metabolism of As and its application in the treatment of As pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For investigating the response of chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics under single and combined of Cu or Zn stress, Vallisneria natans was selected as the experimental subject. V. natans was cultured 21 days under six concentration levels of Cu or Zn. The results showed that Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo, Y (II) and qP increased, and other indicators were almost unchanged in low- concentration treatment (Cu≤0.4mg/L, Zn≤4.0mg/L, Cu+Zn≤0.2+2.0 mg/L). V. natans could still maintain normal growth within such a range of heavy metal concentration, and it could maintain relatively a high photosynthetic activity. When heavy metal concentration was higher than the above concentration, the photosynthetic activity was inhibited. Fv/Fm, Fv/Fo, Y (II) and qP decreased gradually with the increasing stress concentration and stress time, while Y(NO), Y (NPQ), and qN showed different degrees of increase. The combined stress of Cu and Zn had a synergistic effect on the photosynthetic activity. V. natans can be used for ecological restoration of polluted water with low concentration of Cu and Zn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric (TE) materials and topological insulators (TIs) were recently known to exhibit close connection, which offers new prospects in improving the TE performance. However, currently known TE materials from TIs mostly belong to the early Bi2Te3 family. In order to extend TE materials to other classes of TIs, we use the first-principles combined with Boltzmann transport theory to study the electronic and TE properties of experimental half-Heusler compounds MPtBi (M = Sc, Y, La). We find that all MPtBi are topological semimetals at equilibrium lattices while TIs under a stretched uniaxial strain, which is in agreement with previous works. We further predict that comparable TE performance with Bi2Te3 can be realized in half-Heusler TI LaPtBi by an 8% stretched uniaxial strain. We also reveal that the lattice thermal conductivity of LaPtBi is unprecedented low compared with those of traditional half-Heusler compounds (not TIs). These findings indicate the potential of half-Heusler TIs as TE materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Chicken erythrocytes in blood vessels are the most abundant circulating cells, which participate in the host's immune responses. The transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a vital role in the inflammatory response following viral infections. However, the expression of the NF-κB pathway, and other immune-related genes in chicken erythrocytes infected with low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV H9N2), has not been extensively studied. 2. The following study determined the interaction of LPAIV H9N2 with chicken erythrocytes using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. This was followed by investigating myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88), C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5), the inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B kinase subunit epsilon (IKBKE), NF-κB inhibitor alpha (NFKBIA), NF-κB inhibitor epsilon (NFKBIE), interferon-alpha (IFN-α), colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF3) and tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) by mRNA expression using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) at four different time intervals (0, 2, 6 and 10 h). 3. There was a significant interaction between erythrocytes and LPAIV H9N2 virus. Furthermore, the mRNA expression of the NF-κB pathway and other immune-related genes were significantly up-regulated at 2 h post-infection in infected chicken erythrocytes, except for TRAF6, which were significantly downregulated. While at 0 h post-infection, IFN-α and CSF3 were significantly upregulated, whereas NFKBIA was significantly downregulated. Further expression of MDA5, CCL5 and NFKBIA was upregulated, while TRAF6 was downregulated at 6 h post-infection. In infected erythrocytes, expression of MyD88, CCL5 and IKBKE was upregulated. However, IFN-α and TRAF6 were downregulated at 10 h post-infection. 4. These results give initial evidence that the NF-κB pathway, and other genes related to immunity, in chicken erythrocytes may contribute to LPAIV subtype H9N2 and induce host immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we presented a detailed timing analysis of a prominent outburst of 4U 0115+63 detected by Insight -HXMT in 2017 August. The spin period of the neutron star was determined to be 3.613 98 ± 0.000 02 s at MJD 57978. We measured the period variability and extract the orbital elements of the binary system. The angle of periastron evolved with a rate of |$0.048^\circ \pm 0.003^\circ \rm \, yr^{-1}$|⁠. The light curves are folded to sketch the pulse profiles in different energy ranges. A multipeak structure in 1–10 keV is clearly illustrated. We introduced wavelet analysis into our data analysis procedures to study quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) signals and perform a detailed wavelet analysis in many different energy ranges. Through the wavelet spectra, we report the discovery of a QPO at the frequency of ∼10 mHz. In addition, the X-ray light curves showed multiple QPOs in the period of ∼16–32 and ∼67–200 s. We found that the ∼100 s QPO was significant in most of the observations and energies. There exist positive relations between X-ray luminosity and their Q-factors and S-factors, while the QPO periods have no correlation with X-ray luminosity. In wavelet phase maps, we found that the pulse phase of ∼67–200 s QPO is drifting frequently while that of ∼16–32 s QPO is scarcely drifting. The dissipation of oscillations from high energy to low energy was also observed. These features of QPOs in 4U 0115+63 provide a new challenge to our understanding of their physical origins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we give optimal embedding relations between local Hardy spaces and α-modulation spaces. By a different approach, we extend the main results obtained by Kobayashi, Miyachi and Tomita in [Studia Math., 192 (2009), 79–96]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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By applying nonequilibrium Green's function combined with density functional theory, we investigate the electronic transport properties of carbon-doped p-n nanojunction based on hexagonal boron nitride armchair nanoribbons. The calculated I-V curves show that both the center and edge doping systems present obvious negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior and excellent rectifying effect. At low positive bias, the edge doping systems possess better NDR performance with larger peak-to-valley ratio (∼105), while at negative bias, the obtained peak-to-valley ratio for both of the edge and center doping systems can reach the order of 107. Meanwhile, center doping systems present better rectifying performance than the edge doping ones, and giant rectification ratio up to 106 can be obtained in a wide bias range. These outstanding transport properties are explained by the evolution of the transmission spectra and band structures with applied bias, together with molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian eigenvalues and eigenstates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes one possible thermal analysis method to anticipate and control the inoculation effect during the solidification of CGI melt. Results show that 0.10-0.45 % ferrosilicon inoculation in the sample cup can promote the solidification morphology of the melt to evolve from hypoeutectic to eutectic or even low hypereutectic. With the stepwise more inoculant additions, theminimum eutectic temperature difference for the two stepwise additions decreases. The inoculation saturation value is basically reached in the 0.30 % inoculant sample cup, of which the minimum eutectic temperature increase is 5.3°C compared with that of the original melt. When inoculated, the carbon potential and eutectic inoculation potential of the melt are improved. At 0.45 % inoculant, the melt can solidify in the form of low hypereutectic. In this case, the nodularity rate increases significantly to 34 %, and large particles of graphite nodule appear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxilin is a J-domain-containing defense-related protein involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and acts on many organisms including yeast, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, Arabidopsis thaliana and rice. Auxilin regulates biological processes such as signal transduction, antibacterial defense, and stress resistance. To investigate the function of Auxilin gene in response to plant pathogen infection, the full-length of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Auxilin gene named StAL1 was cloned. Bioinformatics analysis of the gene revealed that StAL1 consists of 4828 bp, including a 4380 bp open reading frame that encodes a protein with 1443 amino acids. StAL1 is highly similar to Auxilin-like protein in potato and other Solanaceae species. Based on the qRT-PCR assays tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that StAL1 constitutively expressed in potato. StAL1 was induced by Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) and up-regulated to varying extents by specific concentrations of exogenous phytohormones, including salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and abscisic acid (ABA). Examination of tissue localization suggested that StAL1 was primarily expressed in specific tissues (the phloem of the stem and leaf vascular systems). Furthermore, transient expression analysis showed the StAL1-GFP fusion protein was localized in the nucleus of Nicotiana benthamiana leaves cells. More importantly, auxilin is involved in plant immune response and disease resistance as an immune receptor binding protein. The results of the study should lay down the foundation for future research on the functional characterization of the Auxilin in potato plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Large phenotypic differences have been observed between Tongcheng and Large White pigs. However, little is known about their genetic basis. This study performed a genome‐wide comparison of CNVs between Tongcheng and Large White pigs using genome sequencing data. By combining the advantages of three different strategies (read depth, paired‐end mapping and split read), we detected in total 18 687 CNVs that covered approximately 3.5% of the pig genome length for Tongcheng and Large White pigs. We identified 1864 breed‐stratified CNVs (top 10%) by performing VST statistics. Functional enrichment analyses for genes located in breed‐stratified CNVs were found to be involved in pigmentation, behavior, immune system and reproductive processes, which coincide with phenotypic differences between the two breeds. Using a systematic analysis of the genome and transcriptome data, we further identified four novel breed‐differential CNVs on the functional genes (disease‐resistant, DCUN1D2 and SPARCL1; lipid metabolism, PLEKHA2 and SLCO1A2). Subsequent PCR validation confirmed their accurate breakpoint positions in 33 Tongcheng pigs and 33 Large White pigs. This study provides essential information on differential CNVs for further research on the genetic basis of phenotypic differences between Tongcheng and Large White pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Egg-laying traits are important economic characteristics in goose production (Anser cygnoides). The gene GnRH, which encodes gonadotropin-releasing hormone, is a strong candidate gene for egg-laying traits in avian species. 2. In this study, a 3520 bp genomic sequence and a 279 bp mRNA sequence for GnRH, which encoded 92 amino acids, were determined. The GnRH DNA sequence contains four exons and three introns, and the DNA and deduced amino acid sequences were highly conserved across mammals (human, macaque, cow, and sheep) and avians (chicken, fulmar and quail). 3. Using a direct sequencing method, 46 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the GnRH genomic sequence that were shared between two Sichuan White goose populations (217 and 208 individuals). Furthermore, 44 haplotypes were constructed using a sliding window approach. Association analysis between the SNPs and haplotypes and egg-laying traits showed that 10 SNPs affected the first egg weight, average egg weight, egg number at 48 weeks and egg number at 64 weeks. 4. These results lay the foundation for further studies of the function of GnRH in geese and provide a theoretical basis for marker-assisted selection of egg-laying traits in the Sichuan white goose population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A system for detection of ethylene (C2H4) at high pressure is developed based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy using a distributed feedback laser near 1620 nm. To eliminate the influence of spectral line overlap under high pressure, a differential absorption (peak-minus-valley) scheme is adopted. The peak and valley wavelengths used for the measurement correspond to 6174.64 and 6174.45 cm–1, respectively. Absorption cross sections of ethylene are measured for the selected peak and valley wavelengths. The measured concentration agrees with the known concentration, and the maximum of the standard deviation is 0.746% for all measurements. In addition, long-term continuous measurements indicated good stability of the system. The sensitivity of the system is ~18 ppm with an optimum averaging time of 110 s. All the experimental results validate the applicability of the system in ethylene trace detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The study objectives were to determine the direct effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) on the proliferation of ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) and the development of follicles in geese (Anser cygnoides) by colorimetry and ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) cell proliferation assays, in which primary GCs were treated with different concentrations of GnRH agonist (alarelin acetate) and an antagonist (cetrorelix acetate). Differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by RNA-sequencing and validated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR) and Western blotting. 2. The EdU assays showed that the proliferation of GCs was affected by the GnRH agonist and antagonist in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of treatment on cell proliferation was statistically significant at the concentrations of 10−5 mol/l alarelin and 1 mg/l cetrorelix acetate. A total of 134 DEGs (76 downregulated and 58 upregulated for alarelin treatment) and 226 DEGs (90 downregulated and 136 upregulated for cetrorelix) were identified by RNA-sequencing analysis, respectively. Enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs were enriched in the GO terms of cell–cell signalling and cell junctions. The pathways that regulate the development of follicles were identified, including the biological progress of cAMP accumulation, ovulation cycle and vasculature that are essential to follicular selection. 3. The results suggested that GnRH might directly regulate GC proliferation via autocrine or paracrine pathways related to cell junctions. In particular, it was confirmed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of the oestrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) gene, a negative transcription factor involved in follicular maturation and ovulation, were affected by GnRH agonist or antagonist in GCs. 4. In conclusion, GnRH might play an important role in follicular development by changing the expression of genes that participate in cAMP accumulation, ovulation cycle and cell junctions in ovarian GCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation into Type II solar radio bursts was carried out to understand the frequency gap between fundamental and harmonic emissions of the radio burst. This investigation focused on Type II solar radio bursts with flares and coronal mass ejections by relating the separation between fundamental and harmonic emissions. We used the Compound Astronomical Low-cost Low-frequency Instrument for Spectroscopy and Transportable Spectrometers (CALLISTO) and a newly designed low-frequency antenna array. This article describes the proposed new instrument in terms of its antenna design, the bandpass testing of the antenna, the new system significance in studying Type II solar radio bursts, and its comparison with other leading radio solar monitoring instruments. Upon setting up the new technology, the radio-frequency interference of the observation site at the University of Malaya was shown to emphasize the suitability of the selected site. This article also shows the preliminary results of the proposed new instrument by reporting the detection of a Type III solar radio burst that was confirmed by CALLISTO. Moreover, it also includes the optimal observation design and strategies for future detections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-aging (PA) treatment, employed shortly or for a long time after solution treatment, has different effects on the age-hardening of Al-Mg-Si automotive sheets. Here, the influence of natural aging and PA on the age-hardening behavior was systematically investigated. The aging response decreased with increasing room temperature (RT) storage time and RT storage time before PA treatment. The clustering activity before paint bake-hardening (BH) had little effect on the average r values of the alloy sheets. The hardness of the NA0 sample (No RT + No PA) was higher than that of NA0PA sample (No RT + PA) during paint BH at 185°C. The difference in hardness decreased significantly with increasing RT storage time. The cluster type formed before paint BH significantly affected the size and distribution of the strengthening precipitates, resulting in a variation in peak aged hardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend the recent study on above-room-temperature half-metallic ferromagnetism in bulk rocksalt CrTe [Y. Liu, S. K. Bose, and J. J. Kudrnovský, Phys. Rev. B 82, 094435 (2010)] to the (001) and (111) surfaces by using the first-principles calculations. We show that the Te-terminated (111) surface is energetically more stable than both the (001) and the Cr-terminated (111) surfaces over the whole effective Cr chemical potential, and the surface stability of the Te-terminated (111) surface of rocksalt CrTe is comparable with that of the Te-terminated (001) surface of experimental zinc-blende CrTe. In addition, both the (001) and (111) surfaces of rocksalt CrTe retain the bulk half-metallicity. The atomic magnetic moments at the (111) surfaces are greatly different from those in the bulk rocksalt CrTe due to the breakdown of Cr-Te bond at the (111) surface, but the differences are very small for the case of the (001) surface due to the existence of Cr-Te bond at the (001) surface. These results indicate that it is feasible to fabricate the half-metallic CrTe thin films with rocksalt structure other than zinc-blende one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the molecular-beam epitaxial growth of zinc-blend-type CrTe thin films on ZnTe, we present a theoretical study on the spin-polarized transport properties of ZnTe/CrTe p-n junction as spin diode and CrTe/ZnTe/CrTe magnetic tunnel junction for (001) and (011) surfaces. Both ZnTe(001)/CrTe(001) and ZnTe(011)/CrTe(011) p-n junctions show excellent spin diode effect, the majority spin current of positive voltage is much larger than that of negative voltage and the minority spin current is absolutely inhibited. The ZnTe(001)/CrTe(001) p-n junction has lower 'turn off' current and higher rectification ratio (about 105) than the ZnTe(011)/CrTe(011) which shows obvious anisotropy. We also find that the tunneling magneto resistance ratio of the CrTe/ZnTe/CrTe magnetic tunnel junction is up to about 4 × 109%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the half-metallicity confirmed experimentally in bulk Heusler alloy Co2VGa, we use the first-principles calculations to extend our previous studies on the Co2VGa (111) surfacial properties to the interfaces of Co2VGa/PbS (111) heterostructures in which four possible interfacial structures are considered between the V- and Ga-terminated (111) surfaces of Co2VGa and S- and Pb-terminated (111) surfaces of PbS. From the atomic density of states, it is shown that the half-metallicity of the bulk system is destroyed at Ga-S and Ga-Pb configurations while V-S and V-Pb configurations exhibit 100% spin polarization and nearly 100% spin polarization, respectively. Furthermore, the structure relaxation and the calculated interfacial adhesion energies indicate that V-S configuration is the most stable structure among them. In addition, we also discuss the changes of the atom magnetic moments at interface and subinterface layers with respect to the corresponding bulk values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the experimental synthesis of bulk MnTe with rocksalt structure, we use the first-principles calculations to explore the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of VTe in four different phases: rocksalt, zinc-blende, wurtzite, and ground-state NiAs. It is found that the ground-state NiAs phase is antiferromagnetic, but both the zinc-blende and wurtzite phases exhibit truly half-metallic ferromagnetism, and the rocksalt phase is a nearly half-metal. Importantly, the rocksalt phase is energetically more stable than the zinc-blende and wurtzite ones. We further reveal that there is an interesting transition from the nearly half-metallicity in bulk rocksalt VTe to the truly half-metallicity at the Te-terminated (111) surface, and the Te-terminated (111) surface is energetically more stable than the V-terminated (111) surface, which makes VTe with rocksalt structure promising candidate for spintronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Second harmonic generation (SHG) and X-ray diffraction rocking curves of high-quality ZnO single crystals implanted by different ions (He, Cu, and Zn) were investigated. Interestingly, it was found that both He- and Zn-implanted samples show a convinced increment in SHG efficiency while the Cu-implanted one does not. X-ray diffraction rocking curves of the samples show satellite structures, and the simulations firmly reveal the formation of quasi-interfaces inside He- and Zn-implanted crystals. These quasi-interfaces lead to SHG improvement in the two samples. Polarization dependence of SHG of the samples on the excitation light also evidences this conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy band structure and optical properties of C-doped and C/H-codoped anatase TiO2 are investigated using the first-principles based on density-functional theory. The obtained results indicate that the structure of C/H-codoping is more stable than that of C-doping. For C-doped anatase TiO2, the band gap narrowing is small, and the high visible-light catalytic ability originates from the isolated C 2p states above the valence-band maximum. With the same carbon doping level, the C/H-codoping produces significant bandgap narrowing, which leads to higher visible-light photocatalytic efficiency than the C-doping does. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two kinds of junctions based on doped graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are designed and studied in this article. One is the N-doped armchair GNR (AGNR) joined directly by B-doped AGNRs, and another is similar, but there is an undoped AGNR between them. The transport properties are calculated using the full self-consistent ab initio nonequilibrium Green's function and density-functional theory methods under external bias. We find that the I-V curves for both junctions have a striking nonlinear feature and show large negative differential resistance properties, not only at the positive bias but also at the negative one. The results also indicate that the diode-like properties are kept and the rectification coefficient is very high within a wide bias region. Our calculations reveal that the formation of these peculiar transport behaviors is due to the great changes of the transmission spectra and the projected self-consistent Hamiltonian eigenvalues with the applied bias voltage. These findings suggest that the doped AGNRs may offer unique opportunities for the future development of nanoscale electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure and electrical transport properties of the cubic perovskite (E21) oxide barium manganese (BaMnO3) and the BaMnO3/BaTiO3 superlattice are investigated by the density-functional theory in this report. The results show that the cubic BaMnO3 exhibits half-metallic properties with an integral magnetic moment of 3.000 μB per unit cell in its metastable state, while the BaTiO3/BaMnO3 superlattice also shows a stable half-metallic ground state with an integral magnetic moment of 12.000 μB per unit cell. In conclusion, we show that the construction of a BaMnO3/BaTiO3 superlattice could stabilize the cubic metastable phase of the BaMnO3 and provide a stable half-metallic material for potential applications in spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have theoretically investigated surface properties of the (001) surface in cubic barium manganese (BaMnO3) by the full-potential linear augmented plane wave methods within the local spin-density approximation. We present and discuss the electronic properties of the (001) surface of cubic BaMnO3 with BaO- and MnO2-terminations. Surface structure, Mulliken effective atomic charges, surface energies and stability, band structure, and partial density of states have been obtained. For the BaO-terminated surface, we find that all layer atoms relax inward (toward the central layer), while for the MnO2-terminated surface all layer atoms relax outward (toward the vacuum). The largest relaxations emerge on the first-layer atoms on the two terminations. The surface rumpling of the BaO-terminated is much larger than that of the MnO2-terminated surface. Based on the results of the calculated surface energies and stability, we obtain that only the BaO-terminated surface can exist in the (001) surface of cubic BaMnO3. From the analysis of their band structure, we can see that the BaO-terminated surface has obvious half-metallic character, compared with the bulk materials and the MnO2-terminated surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies by Gao et al. [Phys. Rev. B 75, 174442 (2007)] indicate zinc-blende CaC, SrC, and BaC exhibit robust sp half-metallic ferromagnetism with Curie temperatures higher than room temperature. Here we further investigate the surface electronic and magnetic properties of CaC by using the first-principles full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method. The (001) surfaces terminated with Ca and C, respectively, and the (110) surface terminated with both Ca and C are considered. We discuss the surface stabilities from the calculated relaxed surface energies. Electronic structure calculations indicate that the half-metallicity is destroyed for both the Ca- and C-terminated (001) surfaces; however, the (110) surface preserves the half-metallic characteristic of the bulk CaC. We further reveal that the atomic magnetic moments of the (001) surfaces are greatly different from the bulk values, but the difference of atomic magnetic moments between the (110) surface and the bulk CaC is very small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, electron-doped La0.8Te0.2MnO3 film has been prepared on SrTiO3 (100) substrate by pulsed laser deposition method, and the photoinduced resistivity change and colossal magnetoresistance effect have been investigated. The results show that the film has a high metal-insulator transition temperature TMI of ∼283 K and the maximum magnetoresistance ratio is ∼24% at 0.7 T. Under laser irradiation, TMI varies from 283 to 243 K and resistivity increases below TMI, while it decreases above TMI. The maximum photoinduced resistivity change in resistivity (LR%) is 134.8%. The photoinduced relaxation character of the film indicates that the relaxation of photoinduced character relates to the excitation of small polarons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method based on the spin density functional theory, we investigate the ferromagnetic properties, the electronic structure, and the formation energy of Ga0.9375M0.0625N (M=vacancy, Ca). The calculations indicate that both cases prefer ferromagnetic ground state. The magnetic moments mainly come from the N atoms surrounding the defect centers, which are different from the conventional diluted magnetic semiconductor. High formation energy for the Ga vacancy suggests that the defect concentration is too low to result in the ferromagnetic GaN. The formation energy for the two substitutional (CaGa,CaN) and two interstitial sites (tetrahedral T, Cai-T and octahedral O, Cai-O) doped configurations indicates that Ca prefers the substitutional Ga in GaN. The defect concentrations for the Ga0.9375Ca0.0625N under thermal equilibrium N-rich and N-realistic growth conditions are also discussed, respectively. The calculations show that defect concentration under N-rich condition can readily reach 7%, while under N-realistic growth condition, the maximum defect concentration is as low as 1.71% when the growth temperature increases to 1100 K (melting point of GaN). These results suggest that it would be a little difficult to achieve ferromagnetic state for Ga0.9375Ca0.0625N using the chemical-equilibrium fabrication method, such as chemical precipitation. Using the same method as that for Cu-doped ZnO [L. H. Ye et al., Phys. Rev. B 73, 033203 (2006)], the transition temperature of Ga0.9375Ca0.0625N may be close to room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the effects of a uniform electric field on homogeneous vapor-liquid nucleation of the extended simple point charge (SPC/E) model water using a grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation approach. Vapor-liquid coexistence of SPC/E water in electric field; Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation of SPC/E water cluster in electric field.

This study experimentally and numerically investigated the effect of pulsatile flow of different frequencies and outflow resistance on wall deformation in a lateral aneurysm. A method for constructing a flexible aneurysm model was developed, and a self-designed piston pump was used to provide the pulsatile flow conditions. A fluid–structure interaction simulation was applied for comparison with and analysis of experimental findings. The maximum wall displacement oscillation increased as the pulsation frequency and outflow resistance increased, especially at the aneurysm dome. There is an obvious circular motion of the vortex center accompanying the periodic inflow fluctuation, and the pressure at the aneurysm dome at peak flow increased as the pulsatile flow frequency and terminal flow resistance increased. These results could explain why abnormal blood flow with high frequency and high outflow resistance is one of the risk factors for aneurysm rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]