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We present a high-dielectric polymer with a lateral fluorine group, and its dielectric constant exhibits larger than 20 at 1 kHz. This well-soluble polymer can solely stabilize blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs) while reducing the operating voltage by 30% and increasing the Kerr constant by nearly 70.6%. The influence of the polymer's dielectric property on the operating voltage is investigated based on the potential distribution. The theoretical result predicts that the operation voltage can be further reduced by 50% when the dielectric constant of the chiral dopant is the same as the high-dielectric polymer. The potential application of high-dielectric materials for the improvement of BPLC devices is foreseeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Four new compounds along with 57 known compounds were obtained from Zhuyeqing Liquor. [•] The biosynthetic pathways leading to compounds 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were proposed. [•] Anti-inflammatory activity of the isolates was evaluated. [•] All the isolates were unequivocally identified for their source by UPLC/TOF-MS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 5th member of the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation (T3x5) is one of the important targets for terrigenous natural gas exploration in the Xinchang Gasfield in the Western Sichuan Depression, however, the quality of the T3x5 source rocks is poorly studied and the understanding of it is controversial. Studies have been conducted on the development and organic geochemical characteristics of the T3x5 mudstone in the Xinchang Gasfield,and the results indicate that,the T3x5 mudstone in the Xinchang Gasfield display an average thickness of 285.3m, and the thickness of each submember increases from north to south. The average TOC content, hydrocarbon potential (S1+S2) and chloroform bitumen “A” content of T3x5 mudstone are 2.17 %, 2.26mg/g and 0.264‰, respectively, with the organic abundance mainly reaching the standard of medium source rocks.The kerogen type index (TI) is lower than 0 with the mean S13C value of -25.0‰ indicating mainly humic and sapropelic-humic types of organic matters. The average vitrinite reflectance (RO) value is 1. 1 7 %, indicating the stage after the peak of oil generation. The gas generation intensity of T3x5 mudstone is generally in the range of (3-16) X 108m3/km2, which suggests the resource basis for the generation of medium-small gas fields. The total amount of natural gas generated by T3x5 mudstone in the Xinchang Gasfield is relatively low, and the generated gas cannot completely displace the water in the formation, therefore, the fullness of gas in the reservoirs is generally low, which causes the simultaneous production of gas and water and the low gas production in the process of production test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study endeavored to investigate the variability of bacteria and fungi present during the fermentation process of the light-fragranced distilled liquor known as Fen liquor. To accomplish this, we used a combination of clone libraries of 16S rRNA genes, bar-coded pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1), and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Fifteen families of bacteria and six families of fungi were detected. More than 91% of 16S rRNA gene sequences could be assigned to the family Lactobacillaceae, which were then classified to eight different operational taxonomic units (OTUs), based on a 3% cut-off. The most abundant OTU which contributed to 51% of the total 16S rRNA gene sequences was affiliated with Lactobacillus acetotolerans and had a significantly similar variation trend with the chemical constituents detected. Sixty percent of the fungal ITS1 region sequences were affiliated with the family Saccharomycetaceae. The most abundant OTU was very similar to Issatchenkia orientalis, which displayed notable similarities with respect to the change trends in both ethanol and organic acid contents. The sequences of the second most abundant OTU were closest to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an important species in the process of ethanol production. Furthermore, about one fourth of the ITS1 region sequences belonged to the family Saccharomycopsidaceae. Conversely, very few sequences could be grouped together with filamentous fungi. The results of qPCR showed that the content of bacteria was increased while that of fungi was more stable in the fermentation process. It is very important to simultaneously investigate bacterial and fungal variations in food-fermentation processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]