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To explore the signal transmission mechanism of the arbuscular mycorrhizal network against root rot of Salvia miltiorrhiza. In this experiment, the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network was established among Salvia miltiorrhiza plants, and a two plant three-compartment culture model was established. The root of the donor Salvia miltiorrhiza was inoculated with the pathogenic fungi Fusarium solani. The changes of hormone signals such as jasmonic acid and salicylic acid and the expression of related defense genes in the recipient Salvia miltiorrhiza plants in different periods were measured, to study the underground disease resistance signal transmission mechanism among medicinal plants. Salvia miltiorrhiza can transmit the signal of resistance to root rot through the jasmonic acid pathway; When plants suffer from disease stress, the content of JA increases significantly, and the increase of JA content will inhibit the content of SA in plants; The gene expression of PR-10 gene in the roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza with arbuscular mycorrhizal network infected by pathogenic fungi was 17.56 times higher than that inoculated only with pathogenic fungi; Changes in hormone content will also cause changes in the expression of related defense genes, such as SnRK2 is inhibited by ABA in the signal transduction pathway, while JA and ABA show antagonistic changes after inoculation of pathogenic fungi in Salvia miltiorrhiza, so JA may positively regulate the expression of SnRK2 gene. Plants can transmit signals through AM hyphal network after being stressed by the pathogen Fusarium solani. In the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network, JA has important significance for the signal transmission of resistance to root rot and disease resistance of Salvia miltiorrhiza, which can make Salvia miltiorrhiza ready for stress resistance and improve the stress resistance of Salvia miltiorrhiza. This experiment is of great significance to further analyze the signal transmission mechanism of the arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphal network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first report on the coating of diamond dicing blades with metallic glass (MG) coating to reduce chipping when used to cut Si, SiC, sapphire, and patterned sapphire substrates (PSS). The low coefficient-of-friction (CoF) of Zr-based MG-coated dicing blades was shown to reduce the number and size of chips, regardless of the target substrate. Overall, SiC, sapphire and PSS were most affected by chipping, due to the fact that higher cutting forces were needed for the higher hardness of SiC, sapphire and PSS. Compared to the bare blade, the MG coating provided the following reductions in chipping area: Si (~ 23%), SiC (~ 36%), sapphire (~ 45%), and PSS (~ 33%). The proposed coating proved particularly effective in reducing chips of larger size (> 41 µm in chipping width), as indicated by an ~ 80% reduction when cutting sapphire. Small variations in kerf angle and depth demonstrate the durability of the coated blades, which would no doubt enhance consistency in dicing performance and extend the blade lifespan. Finite-element modeling revealed significant reductions in tensile stress and elastic–plastic deformation during dicing, thanks to a lower CoF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of GaAs nanowires have been studied in the metastable wurtzite phase via Resonant Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements in diamond anvil cells under hydrostatic conditions between 0 and 23 GPa. The direct band gap E0 and the crystal field split-off gap E0 + Δ of wurtzite GaAs increase with pressure and their values become close to those of zinc-blende GaAs at 5 GPa, while being reported slightly larger at lower pressures. Above 21 GPa, a complete structural transition from the wurtzite to an orthorhombic phase is observed in both Raman and X-ray diffraction experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by Taichi, we proposed rigid-flexible coupling concept and herein developed a highly promising solid polymer electrolyte comprised of poly (ethylene oxide), poly (cyano acrylate), lithium bis(oxalate)borate and robust cellulose nonwoven. Our investigation revealed that this new class solid polymer electrolyte possessed comprehensive properties in high mechanical integrity strength, sufficient ionic conductivity (3 × 10-4 S cm-1) at 60°C and improved dimensional thermostability (up to 160°C). In addition, the lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)/lithium (Li) cell using such solid polymer electrolyte displayed superior rate capacity (up to 6 C) and stable cycle performance at 80°C. Furthermore, the LiFePO4/Li battery could also operate very well even at an elevated temperature of 160°C, thus improving enhanced safety performance of lithium batteries. The use of this solid polymer electrolyte mitigates the safety risk and widens the operation temperature range of lithium batteries. Thus, this fascinating study demonstrates a proof of concept of the use of rigid-flexible coupling solid polymer electrolyte toward practical lithium battery applications with improved reliability and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supercapacitors, as one of alternative energy devices, have been characterized by the rapid rate of charging and discharging, and high power density. But they are now challenged to achieve their potential energy density that is related to specific capacitance. Thus it is extremely important to make such materials with high specific capacitances. In this report, we have gained homogenous Ni(OH)2 on graphene by efficiently using of a facile and effective electrostatic induced stretch growth method. The electrostatic interaction triggers advantageous change in morphology and the ordered stacking of Ni(OH)2 nanosheets on graphene also enhances the crystallization of Ni(OH)2. When the as-prepared Ni(OH)2/graphene composite is applied to supercapacitors, they show superior electrochemical properties including high specific capacitance (1503 F g-1 at 2 mV s-1) and excellent cycling stability up to 6000 cycles even at a high scan rate of 50 mV s-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient electrocatalysts for many heterogeneous catalytic processes in energy conversion and storage systems must possess necessary surface active sites. Here we identify, from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations, that controlling charge density redistribution via the atomic-scale incorporation of heteroatoms is paramount to import surface active sites. We engineer the deterministic nitrogen atoms inserting the bulk material to preferentially expose active sites to turn the inactive material into a sufficient electrocatalyst. The excellent electrocatalytic activity of N-In2O3 nanocrystals leads to higher performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) than the DSCs fabricated with Pt. The successful strategy provides the rational design of transforming abundant materials into high-efficient electrocatalysts. More importantly, the exciting discovery of turning the commonly used transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in DSCs into counter electrode material means that except for decreasing the cost, the device structure and processing techniques of DSCs can be simplified in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying the retention of inorganicNin acidic forest soils in southern China are not well understood. Here, we simultaneously quantified the gross N transformation rates of various subtropical acidic forest soils located in southern China (southern soil) and those of temperate forest soils located in northern China (northern soil). We found that acidic southern soils had significantly higher gross rates ofN mineralization and significantly higher turnover rates but a much greater capacity for retaining inorganicN than northern soils. The rates of autotrophic nitrification and NH3 volatilization in acidic southern soils were significantly lower due to low soil pH. Meanwhile, the relatively higher rates of NO3 - immobilization into organic N in southern soils can counteract the effects of leaching, runoff, and denitrification. Taken together, these processes are responsible for the N enrichment of the humid subtropical forest soils in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional crystalline β-MnO2 usually exhibits poor electrochemical activities due to the narrow tunnels in its rutile-type structure. In this study, we synthesized a novel 2D β-MnO2 network with long-range order assembled by β-MnO2 nanowires and demonstrated that the novel 2D β-MnO2 network exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances. The 2D network is interwoven by crossed uniform β-MnO2 nanowires and the angle between the adjacent nanowires is about 606. Such a novel structure makes efficient contact of β-MnO2 with electrolyte during the electrochemical process, decreases the polarization of the electrode and thus increases the discharge capacity and high-rate capability. The specific capacitance of the obtained 2D β-MnO2 network is 453.0 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex environmental conditions can significantly affect bacterial genome size by unknown mechanisms. The So0157-2 strain of Sorangium cellulosum is an alkaline-adaptive epothilone producer that grows across a wide pH range. Here, we show that the genome of this strain is 14,782,125 base pairs, 1.75-megabases larger than the largest bacterial genome from S. cellulosum reported previously. The total 11,599 coding sequences (CDSs) include massive duplications and horizontally transferred genes, regulated by lots of protein kinases, sigma factors and related transcriptional regulation co-factors, providing the So0157-2 strain abundant resources and flexibility for ecological adaptation. The comparative transcriptomics approach, which detected 90.7% of the total CDSs, not only demonstrates complex expression patterns under varying environmental conditions but also suggests an alkaline-improved pathway of the insertion and duplication, which has been genetically testified, in this strain. These results provide insights into and a paradigm for how environmental conditions can affect bacterial genome expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreaticojejunostomy is the key procedure of pancreaticoduodenectomy. Our study introduced a new pancreaticojejunal (PJ) anastomosis named "papillary-like main pancreatic duct invaginated" pancreaticojejunostomy. Nighty-two patients underwent pancreaticojejunostomy with either conventional duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy or the new "papillary-like main pancreatic duct invaginated" techniques were analyzed retrospectively from January 2010 to September 2012. The incidence of pancreatic fistula was 15.7% (8/51) for the "papillary-like main pancreatic duct invaginated" group and 19.5% (8/41) for the duct-to-mucosa fashion respectively. It is noteworthy that the rate of grade B/C postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) in the "papillary-like main pancreatic duct invaginated" group was significantly lower than that of the duct-to-mucosa group (P = 0.039). There were no differences in the incidence of postoperative morbidity and mortality such as postoperative hemorrhage, delayed gastric emptying or remnant pancreatitis. The "papillary-like main pancreatic duct invaginated" pancreaticojejunostomy could provide a feasible option to pancreatic surgeons for patients with normal soft pancreas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]