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[Display omitted] • Single-atom Cu was successfully doped into graphene via N doping. • The interaction between single-atom Cu and N -graphene inhibited Cu leaching. • O 2 •− and active chlorine were the main active substances triggered by 1Cu@NG for acetaminophen electrocatalytic degradation. • The degradation efficiency of 1Cu@NG reached 100 % within 90 min at a current of 15 mA. Acetaminophen (APAP), as a pharmaceutical contaminant, can be degrade by electrocatalysis. However, the anode material is the main factor for electrocatalysis. Taking synergistic advantages of metal and graphene catalysts as anode is an effective way to improve the efficiency of electrocatalysis. Combining single metal atoms with graphene to maximize atom utilization efficiency of metal active center remains a challenge. This research fabricates single-atom copper (Cu) and nitrogen (N) atom-codoped graphene (1Cu@NG) as electrocatalytic anode. A series of characterizations disclose that the incorporation of N could be used as an anchor site for single-atom Cu, and the activity and stability of 1Cu@NG are optimized by interfacial interaction between single-atom Cu and N -doped graphene (NG). In 10 mg/L APAP with 1 g/L NaCl, the degradation efficiency of 1Cu@NG is 100 % within 90 min at current of 15 mA and leaching amounts of Cu ion is < 0.05 mg/L. The degradation efficiency of 1Cu@NG after four cycles is 97.13 % in 90 min and still maintain low ion leaching amounts (<0.05 mg/L). The main active substances produced by 1Cu@NG in the electrocatalytic degradation process are O 2 •− and active chlorine. In addition, the possible degradation pathways of APAP are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of wearable electronics highlights the urgence to develop the portable energy harvester with excellent output performance, comfortability, and sustainability. This work designs an electromagnetic walking energy harvester based on water turbine that can be embedded in shoes with good comfortability. Its working principle is that the walking generated pressure energy drives a miniature hydraulic turbine to output electricity. Experimental results show that an average power of 300 and 180 mW can be produced at heel and toe, respectively, when a man of 80 kg walks at a speed of 1.8 m s−1. This power output exceeds the piezoelectric, triboelectric, and electromagnetic walking energy harvesters reported in the past. Additionally, the simpler structure endows it better comfortability as compared with the electrostatic capacitances. Computational fluid dynamics simulations provide a further insight that the efficiency of turbine can reach 13.5% by optimizing parameters of blade number and outlet flow ratio. Finally, user real-time positioning and trajectory recording are successfully demonstrated via a wearable GPS means Global Positioning System module powered by the harvester. Due to the combination of high output performance, simple structure and low discomfort, the water turbine based walking energy harvester will provide a wide application potential in wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advanced oxidation process of perdisulfate (PDS) presents strong oxidation ability for different kinds of industrial wastewater treatments. Graphene is a stable and loss-free PDS catalyst that can be doped using S atoms to improve the catalytic activity of PDS. Thus, sulfur-doped graphene (S@RGO) was prepared and applied to catalyze PDS for bisphenol A (BPA) and complex microbial flora destruction given the threat of both refractory organism and complex microbial flora. The characterization indicated that S doping is beneficial to increase the defect degree of graphene and enhance the catalytic activity. BPA can be degraded rapidly without disturbance of complex microbial flora during the reaction. Fluorescent substances, proteins and polysaccharides in different layers of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and even the tightly-bound extracellular polymeric substances TB-EPS layer closely bound to the microbial flour can be decomposed and result in the breakdown of microbial flora without the protection of EPS. Leaching of LDH and DNA confirmed the destruction of cell membrane for microbial flora breakdown. Dominant microbial floras of Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Nitrospirae, and Acidobacteria were effectively destroyed. The mechanism analysis indicated that not only strong free radicals (SO4−·, ·OH and 1O2) contributed to the disintegration of EPS skeleton and inactivation of microbial flour and electron transference among "S@RGO-PDS-complex microbial flora" is also a critical factor. The synergetic system of S@RGO/PDS showed high application potential as a complicated wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oriental river prawn (Macrobrachium nipponense) is one of the most dominant species in shrimp farming in China, which is a rich source of protein and contributes to a significant impact on the quality of human life. Thus, more complete and accurate annotation of gene models are important for the breeding research of oriental river prawn. Results: A full-length transcriptome of oriental river prawn muscle was obtained using the PacBio Sequel platform. Then, 37.99 Gb of subreads were sequenced, including 584,498 circular consensus sequences, among which 512,216 were full length non-chimeric sequences. After Illumina-based correction of long PacBio reads, 6,599 error-corrected isoforms were identified. Transcriptome structural analysis revealed 2,263 and 2,555 alternative splicing (AS) events and alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites, respectively. In total, 620 novel genes (NGs), 197 putative transcription factors (TFs), and 291 novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified. Conclusions: In summary, this study offers novel insights into the transcriptome complexity and diversity of this prawn species, and provides valuable information for understanding the genomic structure and improving the draft genome annotation of oriental river prawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the possibility of using Tween 80 to disturb the microstructures of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF4) and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF6) was investigated under high pressures. The imidazolioum CH absorptions of pure ionic liquids (ILs) are significantly blue‐shifted under high pressures. However, mild changes in imidazolioum CH stretching frequencies were observed for IL/Tween 80 mixtures. Tween 80 may hinder cations of ILs to form network structures with anions under high pressures via pressure‐enhanced cation‐Tween 80 interactions. Based on the experimental results, Tween 80‐[BMIM]PF6 interactions are more effective in disturbing the local structure of imidazolium CH than Tween 80‐[BMIM]BF4 interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We employ the theory of rarefied gas dynamics and optimal control to investigate the kinetic model of decision-making. The novelty of this paper is that we develop a kinetic model that takes into account both the influence of agents' competence and managers' control on decision-making. After each interaction, in addition to the changes in decision directly caused by communication with other agents, the agents' competence evolves and indirectly influences the degree of decision adjustment through the compromise function. By adding a control term to the model, the behavior of the managers who require the group to establish consensus is also described, and the concrete expression of the control term that minimizes the cost function is obtained by model predictive control. The Boltzmann equation is constructed to characterize the evolution of the density distribution of agents, and the main properties are discussed. The corresponding Fokker–Planck equation is derived by utilizing the asymptotic technique. Lastly, the direct simulation of the Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the evolution of decisions. The results indicate that the agents' competence and managers' control facilitate the consistency of collective decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polynuclear metal clusters continually attract wide interest due to their intriguing structures and potential applications in various scientific fields. Here, four actinide clusters have been synthesized by the utilization of multifunctional ligand ferrocenecarboxylic acid (HFcc) and Th4+/U4+ ions by solvent evaporation or solvothermal synthesis strategies in different solvents. Therein, compounds 1, 2 and 4 feature similar [An6(μ3‐O)4(μ3‐OH)4]12+ cores, which are further coordinated by 12 Fcc− ligands and different solvent molecules. The U6Fe12 cluster of compound 4 is linked by four free HFcc molecules via multiple hydrogen bonding to form a supramolecular cluster [U6(μ3‐O)4(μ3‐OH)4(Fcc)12(H2O)4] ⋅ 4HFcc. The cluster core of compound 3 is a μ3‐O2− bridged [U3(μ3‐O)]10+ unit, which is further coordinated by 10 Fcc− ligands via three kinds of coordination modes. It is worth noting that multifunctional Fcc− ligand not only endows compound 1 a main redox wave at E1/2=0.720 V in CH2Cl2/DMF solution, but also enables it to exhibit aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: This study investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and treatment of appendix neuroendocrine neoplasms in appendectomy specimens of our center. Materials and methods: The clinicopathological data, including age, sex, preoperative clinical manifestation, surgical method, and histopathological examination results of 11 patients with appendix neuroendocrine neoplasms confirmed by surgery and pathology between November 2005 and January 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: In the histopathological examination of 7277 appendectomy specimens, 11 cases (0.2%) had appendix neuroendocrine neoplasms. Among the 11 patients, 8(72.7%) were males, and 3(27.3%) were females, with an average age of 48.1 years. All patients underwent emergency surgery. A total of 9 patients underwent open appendectomy, including 1 patient who underwent second-stage simple right hemicolectomy after an appendectomy, and two who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy. All 11 patients were followed up for a period of 1 to 17 years. All patients survived without any indication of tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Appendiceal neuroendocrine neoplasms are low-grade malignant tumors originating from neuroendocrine cells. They are rarely seen in clinical practice and are often treated based on acute and chronic appendicitis symptoms. These tumors are challenging to diagnose before surgery due to the lack of specificity in clinical manifestations and auxiliary examinations. The diagnosis generally depends on postoperative pathology and immunohistochemistry. Despite the diagnostic challenges, these tumors have a favorable prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluorescent ceramic GdAG:Ce was formed by aqueous tape casting-isostatic pressing process and synthesized by high temperature solid state method. To investigate the effect of introduction of Gd3+ on the crystal structure, the photoluminescence (PL) properties, decay lifetime and the white light-emitting diodes (WLED) applications, non-Gd3+ analogue sample YAG:Ce was prepared as well. In contrast, fluorescent ceramic GdAG:Ce exhibited a relatively smaller XRD peaks, much stronger PL emission intensity and shorter lifetime than that of YAG:Ce. These findings could be beneficial to the improvement of the WLED performance. Moreover, fluorescent ceramic GdAG:Ce was made up of practical with garnet structure, which possessed good thermal stability. As a consequence, an increase of color rendering index (Ra) to 62.3 and decrease of correlated temperature (CCT) to 3208 K was achieved by the WLED device based on fluorescent ceramic GdAG:Ce. The impressive results provided a basis for the fluorescent ceramic used in the field of WLED with high Ra and low CCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millettia Speciosa Champ (M. speciose) is an important medicinal plant applied for multiple disease treatments, however, the polysaccharide composition in M. speciose is rarely investigated. In this study, the structural features and immunomodulatory activities of a polysaccharide (MSCP1) from M. speciose were studied. Results suggested that MSCP1, with a molecular weight of 9.36 × 103 g/mol, consisted of glucose and xylose at a molar ratio of 1.31: 0.01. The glycosidic bond types and linkage manners were successfully elucidated by methylation and multi-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The backbones of MSCP1 were composed of 1,4-linked- α - D -Glc p , 1,4-linked- α - D -Xyl p and 1,4,6-linked- β - D -Glc p. The branch chain T-linked- α - D -Glc p was confirmed to be attached at C-6 of 1,4,6-linked- β - D -Glc p. An in vitro cell assay demonstrated that MSCP1 could prominently enhance the pinocytic activity and up-regulate the release of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines in RAW 264.7 macrophages, implying a potent immunomodulatory activity. Overall, MSCP1 exhibits characteristics that qualify it as a promising candidate for immunologic adjuvant. • A novel polysaccharide MSCP1 was obtained from Millettia Speciosa Champ. • The glycosidic bond types and linkage manners were successfully elucidated. • MSCP1 exhibited a strong immunomodulatory effect in RAW 264.7 cells. • The underlying structure-function relationship was clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the biological preference of chiral drug candidates for molecular target DNA, the synthesis and characterization of a chiral copper(II) complex ( 2 ) of a chiral ligand N , N ′-(pyridin-2-ylmethylene) dehydroabietylamine ( 1 ) was carried out. The interactions of 1 and 2 with salmon sperm DNA were investigated by viscosity measurements, UV, fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques. Absorption spectral, emission spectral and viscosity analysis reveal that 1 and 2 interacted with DNA through intercalation and 2 exhibited a higher DNA binding ability. In the absence/presence of ascorbic acid, 1 and 2 cleaved supercoiled pBR322 DNA by single-strand and 2 displayed stronger DNA cleavage ability. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of 1 and 2 against HeLa, SiHa, HepG-2 and A431 cancer cell lines study show that they exhibited effective cytotoxicity against the tested cell lines, notably, 2 showed a superior cytotoxicity than the widely used drug cisplatin under identical conditions, indicating it has the potential to act as effective anticancer drug. Flow cytometry analysis indicates 2 produced death of HeLa cancer cells through an apoptotic pathway. Cell cycle analysis demonstrates that 2 mainly arrested HeLa cells at the S phase. The study represents the first step towards understanding the mode of the promising chiral rosin-derivative based copper complexes as chemotherapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubbing is one of the most universal and perhaps the oldest of the techniques that have been used in printmaking. A carefully made rubbing provides an accurate and full-scale facsimile of the surface reproduced. However, many rubbing have been destroyed or lacked a good ways to identify them by certain events, while some other contained a large white background, or have become illegible due to erosion. In order to correct interpretation of these images, some image restoration techniques are employed. Image denoising is one of the important fields in the restoration arena. But, a great challenge of image denoising is how to preserve the edges and all fine details of a rubbing image while reducing the noise. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of image denoising techniques relying on Anisotropic Diffusion filter, Wiener filter, TV (Total Variation), NLM (Non-Local Means, NLM), Bilateral filtering. A quantitative measure of comparison is provided by the PSNR, MSE, SNR, UQI and SSIM of the image. Finally, the paper also analyzes its effect of denoising on rubbings with various algorithm and points out the advantages and disadvantages in application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient Pd-catalyzed silylation reaction of benzylic halides with silylboronate is reported. In this reaction, primary and secondary benzylic halides could react well with silylboronates to afford benzylic silanes. This reaction accommodates a broad substrate scope and proceeds smoothly under very mild reaction conditions. The corresponding products could be obtained in moderate to high yields and with stereospecificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium-catalyzed intermolecular alkylation of enamides with α-bromo carbonyls was developed. Under mild reaction conditions, various cyclic and acyclic enamides reacted well with α-bromo carbonyls to afford the corresponding multi-substituted alkene products in good yields. The coupling products could be converted into very useful γ-amino acid, δ-amino alcohol, 1,4-dicarbonyl and γ-lactam derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to quantify effects of dielectric properties (DPs) and densities of a surrounding container and treated food products on heating uniformity in a 6 kW, 27.12 MHz parallel plate radio frequency (RF) system. A computer simulation model was established with finite element-based commercial software, COMSOL Multiphysics®, and experiments with 1.5 kg soybean flour packed in a rectangular polystyrene container were performed to validate the developed model. Surface temperature distributions of soybean flour in three different horizontal layers were obtained with an infrared camera, and temperature–time histories at two representative locations inside the container were monitored with two optical fiber sensors. The uniformity index (UI) was used as a criterion to evaluate the RF heating uniformity within food products. Results showed that the RF heating uniformity in food samples was clearly influenced by DPs and density of the surrounding container. UI was the lowest when the surrounding container dielectric constant was in a comparable range of the sample's, with the loss factor values of surrounding container lying between 0.01–0.1% of the sample's. The optimum RF heating uniformity in food products could be achieved with a smaller density value of the surrounding container. The correlations of DPs and density between surrounding container and food products derived from the validated simulation model could provide valuable information and strategy to improve the RF heating uniformity in low moisture foods for insect or microbial control. Thus, the established strategy can further be used for developing effective industrial-scale RF treatment protocols after optimization of this process by the food industry. Industrial relevance Although the most important characteristic of radio frequency (RF) treatments is fast and volumetric heating generated by dipole rotation and ionic conduction, edge over-heating is still a major problem for foods heated in rectangular containers. The validated model was used to study the effects of dielectric properties and density of sample and surrounding container on sample uniformity index. Simulated results illustrated that the RF heating uniformity could be improved when the dielectric constant and density of surrounding container and sample were in accordance with the established relationships. The established strategy may provide valuable optimized methods to ensure RF heating uniformity in industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb) pollution in soil has attracted public attention because of its serious impacts on human health through food chain. However, the chemical and biological behaviors of exogenous Pb in soil remain unknown, specifically in the passivated soil with phosphate (P)-based materials. By spiking soil with stable enriched isotopes of 206 Pb (> 99%), the exogenous Pb 2 + in soil was simulated in the present study; the distribution, transformation, and bioavailability of exogenous Pb in soil passivated with the P-based compound were quantitatively investigated using an isotopic labeling method coupled with a Tessier approach of sequential extraction procedures. The results showed that exogenous Pb in water-soluble fraction (F1) accounted for 0.58% of the total spiked isotopes, which was slightly higher than that of the intrinsic Pb (0.34%) in soil. Nevertheless, the exogenous Pb percentages in exchangeable fraction (F2), carbonate bound fraction (F3), Fe/Mn oxide fraction (F4), and organic matter bound fraction (F5) were about twice more than those of the intrinsic Pb in the four fractions. But exogenous Pb in residual fraction (F6) was only 45.6%, while intrinsic Pb was 70%. After the soil was passivated with P-based compound consisting of diammonium phosphate, bone meal, and hydroxyapatite, more than 90% of exogenous Pb in F2 could be immobilized, but small Pb percentage in F1 was immobilized. Additionally, Pb species in F2, F3, and F4 might be converted into different forms in F5 and F6, but the immobilized Pb in F5 and F6 was labile because more than 50% of the exogenous Pb in the two fractions was lost after planting. The results demonstrated that the isotopic labeling technique coupled with Tessier approach was a novel method that can evaluate the distribution, transformation, and bioavailability of exogenous Pb in soil. These results are helpful for further immobilization of exogenous Pb in agricultural soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been explored as a new method for postharvest pasteurization and disinfestations, but the non-uniform heating problem needs to be solved. In this study, an experimentally validated simulation model was developed to investigate effects of applying a surrounding polystyrene container on RF heating uniformity improvement in dried soybeans. The computer model was built for soybeans with both low and high moisture contents placed in the rectangular shaped polypropylene and polystyrene containers and heated in a parallel plate RF system. Results showed that the temperature uniformity was greatly improved by placing soybean samples in the polystyrene container other than the polypropylene one. The maximum temperature difference and uniformity index (UI) were reduced. The inner corner radius of 8 cm combined with container thickness of 8 cm could provide the best heating uniformity for soybeans. This newly developed technique can be easily implemented to improve the RF heating uniformity of other low-moisture legumes for industrial applications. Industrial relevance Radio frequency (RF) heating has been explored as a new method for postharvest pasteurization and disinfestations of low-moisture granular legumes, but the non-uniform heating problem needs to be solved before being applied in industry. A validated simulation model was used to demonstrate the better container material and design for ensuring good temperature distributions in practical RF treatments. The optimal parameters from computer simulation may save time and reduce the cost to facilitate the design and scaling-up of the RF treatment protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon–manganese steel A48 (French standards) is used in steam generator pipes of the nuclear power plant where it is subjected to the cyclic thermal load. The Dynamic Strain Aging (DSA) influences the mechanical behavior of the steel in low cycle fatigue (LCF) at favorable temperature and strain rate. The peak stress of A48 steel experiences hardening–softening–hardening (HSH) evolution at 200 °C and 0.4% s −1 strain rate in fatigue loading. In this study, isotropic and kinematic hardening rules with DSA effect have been modified. The HSH evolution of cyclic stress associated with cumulative plastic deformation has also been estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multibeam bathymetric data provide critical information for the modeling of seabed geology and benthic biodiversity. The accuracy of these models depends on the accuracy of the bathymetric data, which contain uncertainties that are stochastic at individual soundings but exhibit a distinct spatial distribution with increasing magnitude from nadir to the outer beams. A restricted spatial randomness method that simulates both the stochastic and spatial characteristics of the data uncertainty performed better than a complete spatial randomness method in analyzing the impact of bathymetric data uncertainty on derived seafloor attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance and function of serum uric acid (UA) levels in patients with cardiovascular disease or stroke are unclear. We sought to evaluate the appropriate UA levels for stroke patients and the association between endogenous UA levels and clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients, particularly regarding the possible interaction between gender and UA levels with respect to AIS prognosis. We examined 303 patients who had an onset of ischemic stroke within 48 h. Of those, 101 patients received thrombolytic treatment. Serum UA (μmol/L) levels were measured the second morning after admission. Patient prognosis was evaluated 90 days after clinical onset by modified Rankin Scale. Patients were divided into four groups according to serum UA quartiles. A binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess clinical relevance in regard to functional outcome and endogenous UA levels. Analysis of subgroups by gender and normal glomerular filtration rate were also been done. Poor functional outcome was associated with older age, history of atrial fibrillation, or higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores. After adjustment for potential confounders, patients with higher UA levels (>380 μmol/L) or lower UA levels (≤250 μmol/L) were 2-3 times more likely to have a poor outcome (OR 2.95, 95 % CI 1.14-7.61; OR 2.78, 95 % CI 1.02-7.58, respectively) compared to the baseline group (UA level 316-380 μmol/L). The same results were observed in thrombolyzed patients. Patients with high and low UA levels were 9-18 times more likely to having poor outcomes compared to the baseline group (UA level: 316-380 μmol/L; OR 18.50, 95 % CI: 2.041-167.67; OR 9.66, 95 % CI 1.42-65.88, respectively). In men, patients with high UA levels were 6 times more likely to have poor outcomes compared to the baseline group (UA level: 279-334 μmol/L; OR 6.10, 95 % CI 1.62-22.93). However, female patients with UA level 271-337 μmol/L were seven times more likely to perform badly compared to the baseline group (UA level >337 μmol/L, OR 7.06, 95 % CI 1.00-49.81). Serum UA levels in an appropriate range were associated with better outcome in patients with AIS but may be harmful when too high or too low. The association of UA levels with AIS prognosis differed in male and female patients, which highlights the necessity of stratifying by gender in investigations of cerebrovascular risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to studying the radial oscillation of solutions of linear differential equations f ″ + A ( z ) f ′ + B ( z ) f = F ( z ) , where A ( z ) , B ( z ) and F ( z ) are transcendental entire functions. With some added conditions on coefficients, we show that there exists some close relation between the Borel directions of solutions and that of F ( z ) , and also obtain some estimates of growth of solutions in the angular domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key issue of static routing algorithms is how to construct an energy efficient routing tree that is utilized during the whole network duration in order to extend network lifetime. In this paper, we have illuminated that, in applications that define network lifetime as the time when the first sensor dies, the optimal routing tree should be the routing tree with minimal maximal load of all sensors and named such trees the Minimal Maximal Load Tree (MMLT). Since the procedure of constructing a routing tree is complex and the number of possible routing trees in a network is very huge, we have proposed a genetic algorithm (GA) based algorithm to obtain approximate Minimal Maximal Load Tree (MMLT). Each individual corresponds to a routing tree, and the fitness function is defined as the maximal load of all sensors in accordance with the routing tree that the individual corresponds to. Thus, approximate MMLT is obtained and network lifetime is extended. Simulation results show that our proposed algorithm notably extends network lifetime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency (RF) treatments have potential as alternatives to chemical fumigation for disinfesting legumes. This study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of RF selective heating of insect larvae in 3 kg soybeans packed in a rectangular plastic container (30 × 22 × 6 cm 3 ) using a 6 kW, 27.12 MHz RF heating system. A finite element based computer simulation program-COMSOL was used to solve the coupled electromagnetic and heat transfer equations for developing a simulation model. Indianmeal moth larvae were selected as the target insect for experimental validation of the simulation results. Simulated and experimental temperatures of insects and soybeans after 6 min RF heating were compared in top, middle, and bottom layers within the container. Both results showed that insect larvae were differentially heated with 5.9–6.6 °C higher than host soybeans when RF heated from 25 to 50 °C. These results revealed that the heating rate of insects was 1.4 times greater than that of soybeans. The validated simulation results demonstrated that placing the insect on the cold spot of each layer, or horizontally, and large insect size may cause less selective heating within the insect bodies. Dielectric properties of insects may also influence the preferential heating patterns. The selective heating of insects in soybeans may provide potential benefits in developing practical RF treatments to ensure reliable control of insect pests without adverse effects on product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the removal efficiency for dissolved wastes within CycloBio (CB) fluidized sand biofilters (FSBs) in recirculating aquaculture systems, we investigated their structural design and optimization using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling tools, an orthogonal test method, and experimental verification. Results showed that the effects of structural parameters on bed expansion from large to small were: cone height, cone diameter and slot width. The best combination was: cone height 60 mm, cone diameter 165 mm, and slot width 1.0 mm. The solid phase was well distributed not only in the radial direction, but also in the axial direction in the optimized CB FSB. The bed expansion (40%–120%) was increased about 13%. Energy savings were 21%–28% at the same bed expansion. When the optimized CB FSB was used to treat synthetic aquaculture wastewater, with three bed expansions and four levels of C/N, total ammonia nitrogen removal rate expressed per unit of expanded bed volume was high, from 629 to 881 g m −3 day −1 . All results indicated that the structure of the optimized CB FSB was more reasonable and that the combination of CFD simulation and the orthogonal test method could be successfully applied to structural optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, methyl salicylate, and methyl jasmonate are important phytohormones and defensive signaling compounds, so it is of great importance to determine their levels rapidly and accurately. The study uses Ulmus pumila leaves infected by Tetraneura akinire Sasaki at different stages as materials; after extraction with 80% methanol and ethyl acetate and purification with primary secondary amine (PSA) and graphitized carbon blacks (GCB), the contents of signal compounds salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, methyl salicylate, and methyl jasmonate were determined by GC-MS. The results showed that the level of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, methyl salicylate, and methyl jasmonate increased remarkably in U. pumila once infected by T. akinire Sasaki, but the maximums of these four compounds occurred at different times. Salicylic acid level reached the highest at the early stage, and jasmonic acid level went to the maximum in the middle stage; by contrast, change of content of methyl salicylate and methyl jasmonate was the quite opposite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, by using Nevanlinna value distribution theory, we consider a certain type of difference equation, which originates with the difference Painlevé I equation, $f(z+1)+f(z-1)=\frac{A(z)}{f(z)}+C(z)$, where $A(z)$, $C(z)$ are small meromorphic functions relative to $f(z)$, and we obtain the existence and the forms of rational solutions. We also discuss the properties of the Borel exceptional value, zeros, poles, and fixed points of finite order transcendental meromorphic solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Leeuwin Current is an anomalous poleward-flowing eastern boundary current that transports warm tropical waters southward and imposes significant ecological influences on the coastal marine ecosystems off Western Australia. In this study, we attempt to map the spatial structure of the sea surface temperature (SST) signature of the Leeuwin Current using MODIS satellite data, which is used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of the Leeuwin Current for the period July 2002 to December 2012. A topographic Position Index (TPI) method is used to map the Leeuwin Current's SST signature from the MODIS SST images. The semi-automatic classification process involves automatically identifying areas occupied by warm SST waters of the Leeuwin Current and manually discarding detached Leeuwin Current features. The TPI mapping results enabled us to quantitatively examine the spatial and temporal variability of the Leeuwin Current's SST signature, including its spatial structure, extent, and cross-shelf migration, as well as its associated surface chlorophyll a characteristics. This study showed that the TPI mapping is able to capture the complex spatial structures of the Leeuwin Current, including its meanders, offshoots and eddies along its path, as reflected in the SST data. Using an eddy-resolving, data-assimilating numerical ocean model, we were able to relate the Leeuwin Current's SST signature with its surface current speed signature, though generally the speed signature is on the offshore side of the SST signature by about 25 to 30 km. Temporal wavelet analyses indicated that the variability of the Leeuwin Current's SST structure is dominated by seasonal cycle. During austral winter, the warm SST signature of the current is close to the shelf break, having greater spatial extent and higher chlorophyll a concentrations. In contrast, during austral summer, the SST signature of the current moves offshore, with reduced spatial extent and chlorophyll a concentrations. The Leeuwin Current also has notable inter-annual variation, to a large extent in response to ENSO variability in the Pacific. In El Niño years the current's SST signature tends to have reduced spatial extent, move further inshore, and increase its chlorophyll a concentrations. The opposite occurs during the La Niña years, especially after the unprecedented 2010–11 La Niña / Ningaloo Niño event when there was a significant reduction of the surface chlorophyll a concentration within the Leeuwin Current's SST signature. The mapping method developed in this study will be also useful in detecting climate driven variability of other ocean boundary current systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate that a seven-qubit entangled state can be used to realize the deterministic quantum state sharing (QSTS) of an arbitrary three-qubit state by performing only the Bell-state measurements and single-qubit measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of supersonic turbulent mixing and combustion adopting a Partially Stirred Reactor (PaSR) sub-grid combustion model is performed for a hydrogen fueled model scramjet combustor. The compressible LES solver, which adopts a skeleton of 27 steps and 9 species hydrogen chemical kinetics model, is used to simulate the flowing and combustion processes based on structured hexahedral grids. The code is implemented in an Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) solver, and validated against experimental data in terms of mean axial velocity and static temperature at different cross-sections, all show good predictions. An analysis of the flow field is carried out to investigate the supersonic turbulent flame structure and combustion mode in the combustor. Mixture fraction is extracted to indicate the reaction progress at different sites, which donates the most likely flame locations when at stoichiometric. Comparison of combustion parameters including OH mass fraction, scalar dissipation rate, flame index and heat release rate spatial distribution reveals that the supersonic combustion has the characteristics of a turbulent diffusion flame, where combustion is held at non-premixed mode controlled by turbulent mixing in the shear layers. A time scale analysis, the Damköhler Number is performed to examine these reactive zones in more detail. The role of auto-ignition in flame stabilization and lift-off is revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineralized collagen fibrils (nHAC) are the main extracellular matrix composites of hard tissues, such as bone and teeth. nHAC formed in vivo contains trace of foreign ions, such as HPO 4 2 − , Cl − , Na + , and Sr 2+ . The role of Sr 2+ on the composition and microstructure of nHAC is still unknown. In this study, we prepared Sr 2+ incorporated nHAC via biomineralization of collagen fibrils. We evaluated the effects of Sr 2+ on mineralization of collagen by using FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM. The FTIR results revealed that HPO 4 2 − , CO 3 2 − , and OH − functional groups were all incorporated into nHAC. The FTIR, XRD, SEM and TEM results revealed that the incorporation of Sr 2+ into nHAC did not influence the organization of apatite crystals and collagen fibrils. The inorganic phase was determined as apatite and the variation of lattice constants of apatite crystals gave evidence that the incorporation of Sr 2+ produced distortions in the apatite crystal structure at PO 4 3 − sites. More CO 3 2 − ions were incorporated in the Sr-doped nHAC. Thus, the incorporation of Sr 2+ into nHAC changed the composition and crystal structure of apatite crystals which grew on the surface of collagen fibrils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A kind of high-freeze-thaw-stability high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) at pH 3.0 was successfully fabricated. • Such HIPEs were stabilized by complexes of heated soy protein isolate (SPI) and chitosan at pH 3.0. • Increasing the chitosan ratio in the complexes facilitated the HIPE formation and stability. • The good freeze-thaw stability was largely associated with the strong steric stabilization of chitosan. • The as-formed HIPEs at pH 3.0 exhibited a promising potential as mayonnaise replacers. The development of cholesterol-free mayonnaise has attracted increasing interest in the food colloid field, due to the potential health concerns as a result of consumption of cholesterol-rich mayonnaise. One effective strategy in this regard is to substitute or partially substitute egg yolk with other organic emulsifiers and stabilizers, without affecting the quality of the product. In the work, we reported an effective strategy to fabricate high freeze-thaw-stability high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), using complexes of a heated soy protein isolate (SPI) and chitosan (CS) at pH 3.0 as the emulsifiers and stabilizers. The SPI/CS complexes, formed even at a very low CS-to-SPI ratio, e.g., 1:10, showed a high capacity to stabilize HIPEs with a high freeze-thaw stability. Increasing the CS-to-SPI ratio in the complexes resulted in a progressive strengthening of gel network in the corresponding HIPEs, together with a gradual improvement of emulsification performance. The gel network of the HIPEs stabilized by the SPI/CS complexes was mainly maintained by the inter-droplet noncovalent interactions involving the CS molecules. The presence of CS also progressively increased the percentage of adsorbed proteins at the interface, and decreased the surface coverage of proteins at the interface. The high freeze-thaw stability of such HIPEs might be unrelated to the ice crystal formation during the freezing, and was more likely associated with the strong steric repulsion contributed to the adsorbed CS molecules between different droplets. The results indicated that the complexation of heated SPI and CS could provide an effective strategy to facilely fabricate outstanding freeze-thaw-stability HI PEs as potential mayonnaise replacers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An image encryption scheme with 2D discrete cosine Stockwell transform and DNA-level modulus diffusion is proposed. • The 2D discrete cosine Stockwell transform performs better in image compression and anti-noise. • The improved global chaotic diffusion algorithm achieves a better diffusion effect. A new image encryption scheme is presented by combining six-dimensional non-degenerate discrete hyper-chaotic system, two-dimensional discrete cosine Stockwell transform with DNA-level modulus diffusion. The significant advantages of this scheme are the large key space, strong anti-noise ability and resistance to common attacks. To resist the powerful chosen plaintext attack, the initial conditions of the chaotic systems are generated with the SHA-512 hash function value of the plaintext image and the external key. The transmission burden is reduced by compressing the original image with the two-dimensional discrete cosine Stockwell transform. Then random DNA encoding is performed on the compressed image to obtain the DNA image. To speed up the encryption, the DNA-level modulus diffusion algorithm is designed to scramble and diffuse pixels at the same time. Finally, the final encrypted image is obtained by re-encrypting the diffused DNA image with the bit-level permutation and the improved global dynamic diffusion. The two high-dimensional chaotic systems introduced in the image encryption scheme greatly increases the key space and then the image encryption scheme can resist the brute-force attack. The presented scheme is sensitive to both plaintext images and secret keys. Simulation results show that the proposed image encryption algorithm is feasible, secure and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach and results of our 2019 paper (Brooke et al., 2019) have been criticised by Dougherty (2022). We examined the sensitivity of a tropical, coarse sand strandplain to changes in relative sea level as expressed through beach-ridge morphology and the elevation of beach berms preserved in the succession of cyclone-generated beach ridges at Cowley Beach, Queensland, Australia. Rather than presenting a new sea-level curve for this region as suggested by Dougherty, our 2019 study of the Cowley Beach strandplain revealed that when compared with the modelled Holocene relative sea-level record and sea-level indicator data for north-eastern Queensland, the strandplain morphology and stratigraphy provide a first-order representation of sea-level position. Importantly, Dougherty (2022) has overlooked the processes involved in the formation of beach ridges at this site and the spatial coverage of our analysis of the strandplain morphology. Both these factors are fundamental to the approach and conclusions of our 2019 paper. We reiterate here that the Cowley Beach strandplain morphology and succession of beach-berm deposits have elevation patterns that match well the broad trend in the regional relative sea-level model for the past 7 ka. We highlight those key beach-ridge formative processes and data limitations neglected in the Dougherty Comment. Finally, we note the challenges and opportunities for further research into the sedimentary records preserved in this distinctive type of tropical strandplain. • First-order changes of sea level can be detected in the Cowley Beach strandplain. • The coarse sandy ridges comprise a berm capped by cyclone-generated surge deposits. • Processes forming these ridges are in marked contrast to temperate strandplains. • There is negligible aeolian deposition contributing to these low-relief ridges. • Uncertainties in ridge elevation, age and GPR data limit sea-level reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ( 3 + 1 ) -dimensional coupled nonlinear Schrödinger system is investigated, which describes the pulses in an optical fiber and transverse effects in a nonlinear optical system. With the aid of symbolic computation and Hirota method, bright one- and two-soliton solutions of the system are derived. On the basis of the soliton solutions, we will graphically discuss the head-on collisions which include the elastic and inelastic collisions between the two bright solitons. After an elastic collision, two colliding solitons keep their shapes, amplitudes and velocities unchanged except for some phase shifts, while inelastically, the intensity of one soliton is enhanced, while the other gets suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, cobalt sulphide/functionalised carbon nanotube (CoS 2 /fCNT) nanocomposites were synthesized via solvothermal method followed by annealing sulphidation. The nanocomposites were composed of fine nanoparticles (2–10 nm) coated along the surfaces of fCNT as well as nanoclusters (30–60 nm) formed by the nanoparticles which intertwined with the fCNT network. The as-synthesized CoS 2 /fCNT nanocomposites exhibited excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material in Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), such as superior specific capacity, enhanced rate capability, outstanding cycling stability and near 100% Coulombic efficiency. CoS 2 /fCNT hybrid nanocomposite electrodes were able to deliver high reversible capacities of 783.4 mAh g −1 and 337.8 mAh g −1 at the current densities of 50 and 1000 mA g −1 , respectively. Furthermore, the electrode sustained an impressive capacity retention of 84.1% after unprecedented 1000 discharge-charge cycles at a high current density of 1000 mAh g −1 The ultra-long cycle stability is much higher than all other reported cobalt sulphide anodes so far. The excellent electrochemical performance of CoS 2 /fCNT nanocomposite is attributed to the synergistic effects of CoS 2 and fCNT. The outstanding stability of the CoS 2 /fCNT nanocomposites makes it a highly promising anode material to instead of the conventional graphite for future generation LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G-Quadruplex nucleic acids or G-quadruplexes (G4s) are four-stranded DNA or RNA secondary structures that are formed in guanine-rich sequences. They are widely distributed in functional regions of the human genome, such as telomeres, ribosomal DNA (rDNA), transcription start sites, promoter regions and untranslated regions of mRNA, suggesting that G-quadruplex structures may play a pivotal role in the control of a variety of cellular processes. G-Quadruplexes are viewed as valid therapeutic targets in human cancer diseases. Small molecules, from naturally occurring to synthetic, are exploited to specifically target G-quadruplexes and have proven to be a new class of anticancer agents. Notably, alkaloids are an important source of G-quadruplex ligands and have significant bioactivities in anticancer therapy. In this review, the authors provide a brief, up-to-date summary of heterocyclic alkaloids and their derivatives targeting G-quadruplexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mathematical model for the rotary dryer that determines the total residence time is developed. Experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale direct contact rotary dryer with the gas flowing concurrently with the solids. The model predictions depicted that the total residence time decreases with increasing the inclination of the rotary drum, the speed of rotation and the radius of rotary drum. The validation of the model was carried out experimentally for maize while varying the inclination of the rotary drum and the speed of rotation. The experimental results were observed to be in good agreement with the model predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to compare the effects of a general dietary intervention and an intervention with low glycaemic load (GL) on glycaemic control, blood lipid metabolism and pregnancy outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus.DesignParticipants were randomly assigned to two groups, receiving either an individualized general dietary intervention (Control group) or an intensive low-GL intervention (Low-GL group) every two weeks, from 24–26 weeks of gestation to delivery.SettingThe Center of Maternal Primary Care in Guangdong General Hospital, China.SubjectsNinety-five women with gestational diabetes mellitus were enrolled from June 2008 to July 2009.ResultsAfter the intervention, both groups significantly decreased their dietary intakes of energy, fat and carbohydrate. The Low-GL group had significantly lower values for GL (122 v. 136) and glycaemic index (50 v. 54) but greater dietary fibre intake (33 v. 29 g/d) than did the Control group (all P<0·01). Significantly greater decreases in fasting plasma glucose (−0·33 v. −0·02 mmol/l, P<0·01) and 2 h postprandial glucose (−2·98 v. −2·51 mmol/l, P<0·01), significantly lower increases in total cholesterol (0·12 v. 0·23 mmol/l) and TAG (0·41 v. 0·56 mmol/l) and a significantly lower decrease in HDL cholesterol (−0·01 v. −0·11 mmol/l) were also observed in the Low-GL group compared with the Control group (all P<0·05). There were no significant differences in body weight gain, birth weight or other maternal–fetal perinatal outcomes between the two groups.ConclusionsThe low-GL targeted dietary intervention outperformed the general dietary intervention in glycaemic control and the improvement of blood lipid levels in women with gestational diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driver’s inattention is the main reason for lane departure accidents in highway traffic. In this paper, the pulse steering torque warnings technique is studied, and the effects of pattern, amplitude and frequency of pulse steering torque warnings on the effectiveness and customers’ acceptance are studied through in-door experiments based on a fixed-based driving simulator. Prototypes of lane departure warning system with twelve parameter settings were developed. Three-ways repeated measures ANOVAS and t -test are used to assess the effects of warning systems. The steering behaviors of 20 drivers during lane departure are analyzed. The experimental results show that both primary and secondary interaction of amplitude, frequency and pattern are not significant. The superimposed square pulse steering torque is more effective than triangular pulse one. There is little difference of drivers’ preference in pulse patterns. Although large amplitude is less accepted by drivers, it improves the correction maneuver greatly. 10 Hz is a preferred frequency, which achieves a compromise between effectiveness and drivers’ acceptance. Thus, the combination of small amplitude, square and mid-frequency is the best compromise for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the compatibility of the biobased polymers poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3- -hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA), as well as the effect of the addition of a reactive epoxy compatibilizer (REC) to the PHBH/PLA blend. The chemical structure, thermal performance, surface morphology and mechanical properties of the blends were measured using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic thermo-mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and impact and tensile testing. PHBH and PLA were partially compatible, and a PHBH/PLA mass ratio of 80:20 was selected for evaluation with an REC. The REC decreased the difference between the glass-transition temperatures of PHBH and PLA, decreased the particle size of the dispersed phase of the PHBH/PLA blend and produced uniform particle distribution. Moreover, the REC improved the elongation at break and impact strength of the PHBH/PLA blend. These results show that the addition of an REC improves the compatibility of PHBH and PLA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal reaction of ZnSO 4 ·7H 2 O and 3-amino-1H-1,2,4-triazole (HATRZ) led to a three-dimensional zinc(II) coordination polymer, Zn 2 (ATRZ) 2 SO 4 ·3H 2 O ( 1 ). Compound 1 has been fully characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that 1 is a pcu -like network metal–organic framework which is constructed by a zinc(II)/ATRZ layer and a rarely reported inorganic sulfate pillar. Moreover, 1 shows characteristic ligand-centered fluorescence property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface temperature fields of large-scale solitary breaking waves are measured using infrared imaging techniques in a laboratory surf and swash zone. The surface velocity fields obtained by cross-correlating the images are decomposed into wave and turbulent motions using two filtering methods in the spatial and temporal domains. The techniques presented here provide new quantitative descriptions for the evolution of the surface thermal structures, kinematics, and turbulence that are induced by unsteady and highly foamy turbulent coastal flows. Novel organized streaks of thermal structures, which exhibit a finger-like shape, are found on the water surface of the crest roller behind the head of the rebounding jet. These thermal streaks evolve with time and become isotropic when returning to the surrounding bulk water temperature. The Froude-scaled maximum flow speed, accelerations, and vorticity are O (1), and the scaled turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is O (− 1); these results are similar to previous findings from numerical results and periodic surf-zone breakers. Significant and concentrated structures of these quantities occur in the moving wave crest during the uprush phase; however, these structures only develop during the late stages of the backwash phase. The TKE increases shoreward from the surf to the swash zones. The ratio of the averaged variance of the turbulent velocity in the wave breaking zone does not agree with the canonical prediction for plane-wake turbulence; however, the ratio is similar to that of boundary-layer turbulence and decreases in the bore region and the swash zone, indicating an increase in the turbulence anisotropy shoreward from the surf to the shallower swash flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the direction of dicationic bolaamphiphiles as SDAs (structure-directing agents), five new cuprous/silver halides(pseudohalides) formulated as {[BMIE][Ag 2 Br 4 ]} n ( 1 ), {[BMIE][Ag 2 I 4 ]} n ( 2 ), {[BMIB][Ag 2 Br 4 ]} n ( 3 ), {(BDMIH)[Cu 4 (SCN) 6 ]} n ( 4 ) and {[BDMIO][Cu 2 (SCN) 4 ]} n ( 5 ) [BMIE·2Br = 1,2-bis(3-methylimidozole-1-yl) ethane dibromide, BMIB·2Br = 1,4-bis(3-methylimidozole-1-yl) butane dibromide, BDMIH·2Br = 1,6-bis(2,3-dimethylimidozole-1-yl)hexane dibromide, BDMIO·2Br = 1,8-bis(2,3-dimethylimidozole-1-yl)octane dibromide] were synthesized by self-assembly strategy in DMF–MeOH system. The X-ray crystallography analysis showed that these compounds were all composed of discrete organic cations and halocluster anions interacted by electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonds. Compound 1 exhibits two-dimensional polypseudorotaxane structure. Compounds 2 – 4 present one-dimensional chain structure, compound 5 has a one-dimensional ladder-like structure. These compounds were characterized by IR, UV–Vis, PXRD and TGA. Their luminescent properties were further investigated in the solid state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency (RF) heating is considered as a potential postharvest technology for disinfesting legumes. However, the non-uniformity in RF heating is still a major problem in developing effective RF heat treatments for pest control and other applications. A computer simulation model was developed with a finite element-based commercial software, COMSOL, to analyse the temperature distributions. Dry soybeans packed in a rectangular plastic container were used to determine the heating uniformity and validate the simulation model using a 27.12 MHz, 6 kW RF system. Both simulated and experimental results showed similar heating patterns in RF treated soybeans, in which corners and edges were more heated and the temperature values were higher in the lower part of the container. The simulation results demonstrated that the RF heating uniformity could be improved using a similar dielectric material around the samples, a smaller top plate area (similar to the sample size), and placing the samples in the middle of the two plate electrodes. The simulation model developed in this study could be applied to improve the RF heating uniformity and to optimise the treatment parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submarine canyons influence oceanographic processes, sediment transport, productivity and benthic biodiversity from the continental shelf to the slope and beyond. However, not all canyons perform the same function. The relative influence of an individual canyon on these processes will, in part, be determined by its form, shape and position on the continental margin. Here we present an analysis of canyon geomorphic metrics using an updated national dataset of 713 submarine canyons surrounding mainland Australia. These metrics (attributes) for each canyon are used to classify them into canyon types across a hierarchy of physical characteristics separately for shelf-incising (n = 95) and slope-confined (blind; n = 618) canyons. We find that the canyon metrics describe a wide variety of canyon form and complexity that is consistent with a population of canyons that has evolved at different rates around the Australian margin since the break-up of Gondwana. The large number of slope-confined canyons is interpreted to reflect dominance of slope mass-wasting processes over erosive turbidity flows from fluvial and shelf sources on an arid continent. The distribution of submarine canyons around the Australian margin is not regular, with clusters occurring in the east, southeast, west and southwest where the margin is steepest. The classification result provides a quantitative framework for describing canyon heterogeneity for application in studies of geological controls on individual canyons, canyon oceanography and canyon biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition-metal-catalyzed isoquinoline synthesis that profits from the strategy of chelation-assisted C−H activation has flourished over the past decade. By virtue of the directed C−H bond cleavage of imines, amines, amidines, oximes, hydroximoyl halides, hydrazones, or azines, diverse isoquinoline derivatives have been accessed from alkynes, conjugated dienes, or diazo compounds under the catalysis of rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, nickel, or manganese. This digest summarizes the annulation reactions via chelation-assisted C−H activation leading to isoquinolines, isoquinolinium salts, or isoquinoline N -oxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to determine the optimum processing conditions that give maximum specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion rate (FCR). Temperature (17–25 °C), salinity (19‰–40‰), and body size (10–500 g) were the factors investigated. Experiments were designed according to the Box–Behnken Design with these three factors. The result shows that the coefficient of determination ( R 2 = 0.9991 for SGR and 0.9817 for FCR) and probability value ( P < 0.0001) show significance for the regression model. In addition, interactions between temperature–salinity, temperature–body size of fish, and temperature–body size of fish on the growth were significant ( P < 0.05), and those of temperature–body size on feed utilization were significant ( P < 0.05). The optimum conditions to obtain the maximum specific surface area of SGR and FCR were temperature 20.88 °C, salinity 24.07‰, and body size 263.81 g, under which the maximal value reached 3.69%day − 1 and 0.869 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]