Search

Nymphanthus calcicola S.R. Yi & Gang Yao, sp. nov. (Figs. 1‒2) Diagnosis: Nymphanthus calcicola is most similar to N. bodinieri (H. Lév.) R.W. Bouman in morphology, but differs from the latter by having cylindrical and twisting branchlets (vs. angled and straight branchlets), triangular-subulate stipules (vs. triangular stipules), larger flowers (female flowers that are 6.5–8.0 mm in diameter and male flowers 5.5–6.5 mm in diameter) (vs. female flowers that are ca. 4 mm in diameter and male flowers 4–4.5 mm in diameter), longer pedicles of male flowers (10–20 mm long vs. 3–7 mm long), depressed globose ovary (vs. globose ovary), deeply bifid stigmas (vs. shallowly bifid stigmas), and obscurely grooved fruits (vs. 6-groovded fruits). Type: — CHINA. Chongqing: Pengshui county, Hanjia town, Guankou village, 108°13′″E, 29°19′N, 325 m a.s.l., under the damp forest of limestone hills, 29 February 2020, YSR 8430 (holotype, IBSC; isotypes, KUN, PE). Description: Shrubs, 30–60 cm tall, dioecious, glabrous; stems cylindrical, brownish; branchlets cylindrical, twisting, reddish-brown, 10–30 cm long, swollen at junction with stem. Leaves distichous, 4–8 pairs along each branchlet; leaf blades elliptic to lanceolate, 2.7–5.0 × 1.3–2.0 cm, thick papery to subleathery, margin slightly revolute, apex acuminate to acute, base broadly cuneate to slightly round, adaxially green, abaxially pale; midrib adaxially inconspicuous, abaxially slightly raised; lateral veins 5–7 pairs, adaxially obscurely, adaxially evidently; petioles 0.5–2.2 mm long; Stipules triangular-subulate, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 1.2–1.5 mm wide basely, reddish brown. Inflorescence an axillary fascicle. Male flowers up to 15-clustered, 5.5–6.5 mm in diameter, pedicels slender, glabrous, yellow-green to pale pink, 1.0–2.0 cm long; sepals 4, triangular, 2.5–3.0 × 2.5–3.0 mm, apex acute, margin entire or microwave; disc glands 4, reniform, 1.5–1.8 × 0.8–1.0 mm, margin entire; stamens 4, filaments connate at base, anthers 4, 1-locular, dehisced horizontally. Female flowers usually solitary or rarely 2–5-clustered, 6.5–8.0 mm in diameter, pedicels 1–2 cm long, pink, smooth and glabrous; sepals 6, in 2 series, broadly ovate-triangular, 2.3–2.6 × 2.5–3.0 mm, apex acute, margin entire or microwave; disk glands 6, reniform, 1.2–1.4 × 0.7–0.9 mm, margin entire; ovary depressed globose, glabrous, 1.2–1.5 mm in diameter, 0.8–1.0 high, 3-loculus, ovules 2 per loculus; style 3, free; stigmas deeply bifid nearly to the base, lobes 0.5–0.6 mm, glabrous. Capsule subglobose, 4.0– 4.5 mm in diameter, yellowish-brown, calyx persistent; seeds 6, 2.2–2.5 × 1.2–1.6 mm, reniform-triangular, laterally compressed. Phenology: —Flowering from February to March and fruiting from May to June. Etymology: — Nymphanthus calcicola is named after its habitat, which is characterized by the calcareous substrates in limestone hills. Chinese name: —Hui Yan Ye Xia Zhu (灰岩叶下t) Habitat and distribution: — Nymphanthus calcicola is found only in Ludugou, Guankou village, Hanjia town, Pengshui county, Chongqing, China (Fig. 3). It grows under the damp forest of limestone hills, at the elevation of 275‒350 m. It is considered as Critically Endangered (CR) according to current information and the IUCN Red List criteria (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee, 2019) for it is only found from the type locality of less than 2 km 2 according to the current investigation results. Taxonomic discussion: —Morphologically, the new species has 4 sepals in staminate flowers (Fig. 1G & H), 4 stamens (Fig. 1G & M), connate filaments (Fig. 1M) and horizontally dehisced anthers (Fig. 1M), indicating that it is a member of Nymphanthus. The new species Nymphanthus calcicola resembles N. bodinieri (Fig. 2), a species distributed in Chongqing and Guizhou province, China (Fig. 3). However, Nymphanthus calcicola is a dioecious shrub and has cylindrical and twisting branchlets (Fig. 1B & F), leaf blades that are acuminate or acute at apex and broadly cuneate to slightly round at base (Fig. 1A–F), inconspicuous midrib not raised adaxially (Fig. 1A, B, D & F), triangular-subulate stipules, female flowers that are 6.5–8.0 mm in diameter (Fig. 1I–J) and male flowers 5.5–6.5 mm in diameter (Fig. 1G–H), longer pedicels of male flowers that are 10–20 mm in length (Fig. 1B–C), oblate-spherical ovary (Fig. 1N), stigmas that are deeply bifid near to the base (Fig. 1I & L), and obscurely grooved fruits (Fig. 1K). In contrast, the similar species N. bodinieri (Fig. 2) is a monoecious shrub and has angled and straight branchlets, leaf blades that ate caudate-acuminate at apex and cuneate at base, visible midrib raised adaxially, triangular stipules, smaller female flowers that are ca. 4 mm in diameter and male flowers 4–4.5 mm in diameter, shorter pedicels of male flowers that are not longer than 10 mm, ovary globose, stigmas that are shallowly bifid to less than 1/2 the length of style, and fruits that are 6-groovded (Li & Gilbert 2008)., Published as part of Yao, Gang, Huang, Ya, Chen, Hongyuan & Yi, Sirong, 2022, Nymphanthus calcicola (Phyllanthaceae) - a new species from Southeast Chongqing, China, pp. 84-90 in Phytotaxa 552 (1) on pages 85-88, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.552.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/6673279, {"references":["IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee. (2019) Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (Version 14). Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee, pp. 9 - 16. [http: // www. iucnredlist. org / documents / RedListGuidelines. pdf]","Li, P. T. & Gilbert, M. G. (2008) Phyllanthus. In: Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. Y. (Eds.) Flora of China Vol. 11, Science Press, Beijing and Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, 180 - 190."]}

Distinguished from conventional inductive or resonant method, this paper presents a novel high radiation gain and narrower half-power beamwidth microstrip patch antenna (MPA) array loading with modified-I-shaped(MIS) electromagnetic metamaterials(MTM) to apply in the microwave wireless power transmission(MWPT). The MIS MTM unit cell is simulated in HFSS and the effective parameters of the meta-atom is extracted by homogenization retrieval method. Detailed single MPA numerical computing and modeled simulation is proposed step by step and optimetrics procedure in HFSS is conducted to optimize the design parameters for optimum performance. To better take advantages of the higher directive radiation gain and planer structure, a 6 × 10 × 1 MIS MTM array acting as superstrate is placed above a 2 × 2 MPA array with delicate feeding network and power distribution system. Experiment investigation indicates that the MPA array with superstrate obtained the peak value gain of 17.66 dB compared to original 13.18 dB in the operating frequency of 10 GHz. The half-power beamwidth decreased from 36.775° to 18.645° for the E-plane and reduced to 19.958° from 38.649° for the H-plane respectively. The measured results of the fabricated prototype are consistent with the simulation ones with slight discrepancy. This method offers valuable guidance for designing high efficiency transmitting antenna system in application of MWPT.

High-efficient silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells are ideal bifacial devices. In this application context, Na+ ions induced degradations from encapsulation soda-lime glass are of significance. We conducted accelerated Na+ ions aging experiments at 85 °C, 85% relative humidity without encapsulation to simulate damp heat test in soda-lime glass for SHJ solar cells. It is found that Na+ ions accelerated the formation of metal In and In(OH)3 or InOOH in damp heat condition, which destroyed the capping metal oxide, i.e., tungsten doped indium oxide (IWO). Interestingly, it demonstrates that the device stability is highly dependent on the crystallinity of IWO films. IWO films with large grains are more resistive to Na+ ions erosion, and consequently, account for the enhanced device stability of SHJ solar cells. We believe this work provides a guide for designing more reliable bifacial SHJ solar cells installed in hot climates and coastal areas.

Background Lung cancer is one of the most severe cancers and the majority of patients miss the best timing for surgery when diagnosed, thus having to rely on radiotherapy, chemotherapy or target therapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) upregulation occurs in a large percentage of patients, who can then benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). However, the EGFR mutations they carry will vary the effectiveness of TKI. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) contains genetic information from cancer tissue that can be used as a liquid biopsy by non-invasive sampling. This study aimed to provide a solution for minor allele detection from ctDNA. Methods Our novel method, named multiplex allele-specific blocker PCR (MAB PCR), combines amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS), blocker PCR and fluorescent-labeled probes for better discrimination and higher throughput. MAB PCR was specially designed for low-quality samples such as ctDNA. A sensitive assay based on MAB PCR was developed for enriching and detecting four common EGFR mutations. This assay was optimized and evaluated with manufactured plasmids, and validated with 34 tissue samples and 94 plasma samples. Results The limit of detection of this assay was 102 copies and the detection sensitivity reached 0.1% mutant allele fraction (MAF). The results of clinical sample testing had 100% accordance with sequencing, which proved that this assay was accurate and applicable in clinical settings. Conclusions This assay could accomplish low-cost and rapid detection of 4 common EGFR mutations sensitively and accurately, which has huge potential in clinical usage for guiding medication. Furthermore, this design could be used to detect other mutations.

This paper proposes a novel approach to enhance the aperture efficiency of the transmitting microstrip patch antenna (MPA) by designing a new inclusion of double-cross-shaped metamaterial (DCSM) superstrate applied in microwave wireless power transmission(WPT). Overall WPT model and transmitting antenna selection are briefly introduced and numerical simulation is conducted in HFSS. Homogenization retrieval method based on transmission and reflection coefficients is utilized to calculate the effective parameters of the DCSM unit cell, electric field and surface current distribution are displayed to qualitatively explain the occurrence of negative permittivity and permeability. The Matlab2008a script is also presented to calculate the geometry dimensions of the corresponding conventional patch antenna operating at desired resonant frequency. Simulation results indicate that the gain of the transmitting antenna increases from 7.46 dB to 12.35 dB after loading with the 6 × 3 × 1 array DCSM MTM as the superstrate, the measured gain increases from 7.1 dB to 12.21 dB thus an enhancement of 184% for the transmitting antenna's aperture efficiency is obtained which is of significant value for the whole WPT system. For the last section of our paper, electric field of the transmitting MPA before and after loading with DCSM superstrate are illustrated to gain insight physical mechanism of the gain enhancement.

This paper presents a novel multiple splits octagon-shaped metamaterial which exhibits double left-handed frequency bands roughly from 9.25 GHz to 9.68 GHz and from 15.28 GHz to 15.36 GHz derived from the transmission characteristics by homogenization retrieval method. Two conventional microstrip patch antennas whose resonance frequency bands are located at the first left-handed frequency band and the second one respectively are designed to further investigate the influence by loading the proposed metamaterial as its superstrate. HFSS simulation numerical results indicate that the far field radiation directivity half-power bandwidth(HPBW) of the E-plane and H-plane have reduced by 64%, 63.7% and 59.4%, 59%, and the maximal gain increases from 8.251 dB to 11.024 dB and from 8.5432 dB to 11.9653 dB respectively after loading with the multiple splits octagonal metamaterial superstrate.

To tackle the challenge of surging data rate demand, heterogeneous network (HetNet) composed of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) has been proposed as one promising solution. In addition, the LTE and WLAN Aggregation (LWA) architecture was specified recently, but few existing network selection algorithm takes consideration on the cooperation between RATs. In this paper, we propose new Aggregation based Cell Selection Methods (ACSMs) in order to deal with the cell selection problem for network with LWA architecture. The ACSM calculates the transmission ability of aggregated WLAN into the corresponding eNB's utility function. Simulation results validate that ACSM is effective for user equipment (UE) to select a suitable cellular serving cell to improve the network throughput and quality of user experience as well as the fairness among users.

As a material that exhibits a high refractive index and an excellent chemical stability, Ta2O5 is widely used in the microelectronics and chemical industries. In this study, we analyzed the effect of plasma shock waves on Ta2O5 thin films. The experimental results showed that the damage characteristics of the film include thermal ablation, surface cracks, and peeling off from the substrate owing to the repeated action of the pulse. Coating characterization before and after exposure to laser plasma was performed using UV-Vis spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. With the increase in the light absorbed by the ablated products, the transmittance of the film decreased after damage, and the Raman spectrum and X-ray diffraction pattern of the sample indicated that the film changes from an amorphous to a crystalline structure owing to the action of the high-temperature and high-pressure plasma. The EDS analysis results indicated that the oxygen content in the film decreases because of the damage inflicted to its structure.

Strain-hardening mechanism of high strain line pipe was investigated and discussed in terms of microstructure and grain orientation. It is concluded that X70 high strain line pipe does not fit to the Hollimon formula in the entire deforming process, but the normal X70 line pipe does. At the beginning of plastic deformation, the strain-hardening capacity of X70 high strain line pipe is excellent. It decreases rapidly as the stain increases, then becomes stable after 2.0% total strain. The high strain line pipe is composed of soft phase (polygonal ferrite) and hard phase (bainite). When plastic deformation initiates, the strain-hardening capacity of high strain line pipe is better because of the ferrite deformation firstly ahead of the bainite, due to strain-hardening capacity of the ferrite is much better than that of the bainite. With ferrite deformation decreasing and bainite deformation increasing, the strain-hardening capacity declines until the micro-deformation is homogeneous. Besides, it is obvious that the large angle grain boundaries of more than 15° are in the majority of the microstructure of high strain line pipe without deformation, so the strain-hardening capacity is highest at the beginning of plastic deformation. As strain

Strain-hardening capacity is the most effective way to improve the deformability of line pipe. In this paper, four kinds of new X70 high strain line pipe have been produced by four manufactures respectively. Microstructure, strain-hardening capacity, and characterization of the X70 high strain line pipe have been analyzed. It is concluded that X70 high strain line pipe steel does not fit to the Hollimon formula in the entire deforming process, and a stable strain-hardening exponent is not available. At the beginning of plastic deformation, the strain-hardening capacity of X70 high strain line pipe steel is excellent. It decreases rapidly as the stain increases then becomes stable after 2.0% total strain. The stress ratios of Rt₁.₅/Rt₀.₅, Rt₂.₀/Rt₁.₀ and Rt₅.₀/Rt₁.₀ are proved to characterize the strain-hardening capacity of X70 high strain line pipe steel. When Rt₁.₅/Rt₀.₅≥1.070, Rt₂.₀/Rt₁.₀≥1.025, and Rt₅.₀/Rt₁.₀≥1.050, the average strain over the gauge length of 2 times the outer diameter, centered at the wrinkle on intrados peak, is above 1.3%.

This paper describes a new highly mobile medium range surveillance radar (YLC-6 radar), which is developed by NRIET. The YLC-6 radar utilizes highly mobile technology, full solid-state transmitter, and an advanced MTD processor to enhance the radar survival capability and tactical performance. This new generation mobile medium range low altitude surveillance radar has military and civil applications.

On the basis of gold nanofilm (GNF) electrode and Y junction structure of DNA, a simple and facile single-step DNA sensing protocol with improved sensitivity and lower detection limit was successfully developed. The GNF was pre- pared via rapid electrooxidization of the gold surface followed by the chemical reduction of the produced gold oxide layer. The capture probe DNA (c-DNA) was firstly immobilized onto GNF electrodes via Au—S bonding, for the subsequent forming of Y junction structure with target DNA (t-DNA) and reporter probe DNA (r-DNA) labeled with methylene blue (MB). Harnessing the unique properties of GNF would allow the improved contact of MB with the electrode surface and hence boost the interfacial electron communication. Experimental results of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) showed that the peak current of the prepared biosensor was linear with the target DNA concentration from 1.0×10 -12 to 1.0×10 -9