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Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a food and oil crop whose growth and yield are influenced by root and nodule development. In the present study, GmNMHC5 was found to promote the formation of nodules in overexpressing mutants. In contrast, the number of nodules in Gmnmhc5 edited with CRISPR/Cas9 decreased sharply. In 35S:GmNMHC5 mutants, expression levels of genes involved in nodulation were significantly up-regulated. Both in vitro and in vivo biochemical analyses showed that GmNMHC5 directly interacted with GmGAI (a DELLA protein), and the content of gibberellin 3 (GA3) in overexpressing mutants was lower than that in the wild type. These results revealed that GmNMHC5 participates in the classical GA signaling pathway, and may regulate the content of GA3 to match the optimal concentration required for nodule formation, thereby promoting nodulation by directly interacting with GmGAI. A model illustrating the mechanism by which GmNMHC5 promotes soybean nodulation is presented.

The intrinsic carbon defects including pentagons, vacancies and sp3-hybridized carbon have recently been proposed as efficient reactive sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Nevertheless, it is still a great challenge to controllably introduce the intrinsic defects into carbon materials. Herein, a universal defect-engineering method via vaporized salt is reported to modify the N-doped carbon surface with abundant sp3-hybridized carbon defects. At an elevated temperature, the vaporized sodium chloride is found to selectively modulate the surface structure of carbon material. The obtained carbon-based electrocatalyst delivers an outstanding electrocatalytic ORR property with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.85 V vs. RHE and an excellent performance in zinc air battery (ZAB) test. The analysis of components and structures of surface elements via XANES and XPS reveals that the increasing sp3-hybridized carbon defects, induced by the vaporized-salt modification, are responsible for the enhancement of ORR performance. The theoretical calculations further suggest the sp3 component hybridizes with original sp2 carbon, forming efficient sp2/sp3 hybridized carbon sites towards ORR. Additionally, other halide salts are proved to have the similar effect on promoting ORR activity and this method can expand to other carbon-based materials, suggesting its universality and significance in synthesis of defect-rich carbon-based materials.

Developing an efficient catalyst for hydrogen (H2) generation from hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) to significantly improve the activity for the hydrogen generation from AB is important for its practical application. Herein, we report a novel hybrid nanostructure composed of uniformly dispersed Co@Co2P core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in N-doped carbon nanotube polyhedron (Co@Co2P/N–CNP) through a carbonization-phosphidation strategy derived from ZIF-67. Benefiting from the electronic effect of P doping, high dispersibility and strong interfacial interaction between Co@Co2P and N-CNTs, the Co@Co2P/N–CNP catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic performance towards the hydrolysis of AB for hydrogen generation, affording a high TOF value of 18.4 mol H2 mol metal−1 min−1 at the first cycle. This work provides a promising lead for the design of efficient heterogeneous catalysts towards convenient H2 generation from hydrogen-rich substrates in the close future.

Nitrogen fixation in legumes requires the development of specialized organs called root nodules. Here we characterized the high-confidence transcriptome and genome-wide patterns of H3K4me3 marks in soybean roots and mature nodules symbiotic with Sinorhizobium fredii. Changes in H3K4me3 levels were positively associated with the transcription levels of functional genes in the nodules. The up-regulation of H3K4me3 levels was not only present in leghaemoglobin and nodulin-related genes, but also in genes involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolic pathways. In addition, genes regulating the transmembrane transport of metal ions, phosphates, sulphates, peptides, and sugars were differentially modified. On the contrary, a loss of H3K4me3 marks was found in several key transcription factor genes and was correlated with the down-regulation of the defense-related network in nodules, which could contribute to nodule maintenance. All these findings demonstrate massive reprogramming of gene expressions via alterations in H3K4me3 levels in the genes in mature soybean nodules.

Heavy metal, organic dyes, and bacterial contamination in water endanger human/animals' health, and therefore, the detection, adsorption, and capturing of contaminants are essential for environmental safety. Ligand-rich membranes are promising for sensors, adsorption, and bacterial decontamination. Herein, tannin (TA)-reinforced 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) crosslinked polycaprolactone (PCL) based nanofibrous membrane (PCL-TA-APTES) was fabricated via electrospinning. PCL-TA-APTES nanofibers possess superior thermal, mechanical, structural, chemical, and aqueous stability properties than the un-crosslinked membrane. It changed its color from yellowish to black in response to Fe

The method for detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is considered as a promising cancer liquid biopsy technique. However, due to the rarity and heterogeneity, it is still a challenging task to capture CTC with high purity and viability from blood for the following enumeration and molecular analysis. Herein, we fabricated a hydrogel-chitosan nanofiber substrate to effectively capture the target cancer cells, assisted by the poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) (pCBMA) hydrogel and the anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (anti-EpCAM) antibody. The pCBMA hydrogel layer was fabricated by free radical polymerization to provide an antifouling surface, which could help to reduce the non-specific capture of blood cells to improve the capture purity of CTC. Then, chitosan nanofibers were introduced onto the hydrogel layer to provide a nanostructured surface to improve the capture efficiency. Finally, the capture yield of artificial blood samples on the anti-EpCAM modified hydrogel-nanofiber substrate was up to 79.9%, revealing the potential application of the hydrogel-nanofiber substrate on efficient and sensitive capture of rare circulating tumor cells.

The recent development in plasmon-enhanced electrochemical hydrogen production provides an alternative approach to address the bottleneck of low hydrogen production efficiency in the conventional photocatalysis. To achieve high-efficiency plasmonic catalysis, the development of catalytically active Schottky heterostructure is essential. Herein, we propose a 3D bicontinuous nanoporous plasmonic heterostructure for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by growing HER-active monolayer MoS2 on the internal surfaces of plasmonic 3D nanoporous gold (MoS2@NPG). The catalytically active plasmonic heterostructure with a large specific surface area and high electric conductivity exhibits superior photoelectrochemical activities towards electrochemical hydrogen production at both low onset potential of −70 mV vs RHE and the Tafel slope of 38 mV dec−1 under visible light illumination. The outstanding HER performance can be attributed to the efficient transfer of plasmon-generated hot electrons from NPG to monolayer MoS2 as well as the effective electron–hole separation by the Schottky barriers at MoS2/NPG interfaces.

The accuracies of the two-stream discrete-ordinate-method (DOM) and Eddington approximation schemes are systematically compared using the BCC_RAD radiative transfer scheme used in a general circulation model (GCM). It is found that the two-stream DOM produces more accurate results for the upward radiative flux, downward radiative flux and heating rate under clear-sky conditions in an offline radiation model, whereas the Eddington approximation is more accurate under all-sky conditions. An experiment using satellite data as the approximation of cloud properties confirms the superiority of the Eddington approximation under cloudy-sky conditions. Experiments using the GCM of the Beijing Climate Center (BCC_AGCM2.0.1) show that, compared to the two-stream DOM, the Eddington approximation can enhance the fraction of low cloud, and this increased cloud fraction can affect the differences in radiative fluxes between these schemes. This study suggests that the more suitable approach in GCMs is to use the Eddington approximation.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation enhanced chemical and electrochemical reactions represent a promising pathway for solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, plasmonic catalysts usually suffer from low collection efficiency of hot charge carries generated by LSPR excitation due to short lifetime of hot carriers and fast electron-hole recombination. Schottky barriers between plasmonic catalysts and semiconducting supports have been utilized to prevent the electron-hole recombination. However, the interfacial barriers also hinder low-energy hot charge collection and thus affect solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency. Here we report that bicontinuous nanoporous gold as a Schottky barriers-free direct plasmonic catalyst can significantly enhance electro-oxidation of alcohol molecules. A high energetic hole yield of 0.486% is achieved, which is 4 times higher than that of discrete plasmonic AuAg nanoparticles. The direct plasmonic catalyst offers the highest methanol oxidation current density of 531 µA cm−2 among all known Au catalysts. This work provides compelling evidence that higher hot carrier collection efficiency can be achieved from direct plasmonic electrocatalysis without the assistance of Schottky junctions and has important implications in developing high efficiency plasmonic catalysts for photo-enhanced electrochemical reactions.

Three-dimensional porous materials with bicontinuous open porosity represent a new class of functional materials for various applications. Top-down dealloying has been demonstrated to be one of the most effective ways to fabricate 3D porous materials. Vapor phase dealloying, which makes use of the saturated vapor pressure difference between the constituent components in an alloy for selectively removing a less stable element or phase, is a promising versatile method for fabricating porous materials from active metals to inorganic elements. Here, using nickel-zinc and germanium-zinc alloys as the prototypes of single-phase and two-phase precursors, respectively, we report the fabrication of 3D bicontinuous porous Ni and Ge by vapor phase dealloying on the basis of selective element or selective phase evaporations. We also show the incorporation of vapor phase dealloying with chemical vapor deposition for the one-pot growth of 3D nanoporous graphene and the functional applications of vapor phase dealloyed porous Ge as Li ion battery electrodes. This study shines lights on the versatility of vapor phase dealloying for the fabrication of bicontinuous porous materials for a wide range of functional applications.

Background: There are concerns that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risk of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize the existing evidence on associations between the use of NSAIDs and adverse outcomes among patients with COVID-19. Methods: Systematic search of WHO COVID-19 Database, Medline, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database for all articles published from January 1, 2020, to August 10, 2021, as well as a supplementary search of Google Scholar. We included comparative observational studies and randomized controlled trials that enrolled patients with COVID-19 who took NSAIDs before or after diagnosis of COVID-19. Data extraction and quality assessment of methodology of included studies were completed by two reviewers independently. We conducted a meta-anlysis on the main outcomes, as well as selected subgroup analyses stratified by the type of NSAID. Fingings: Fifteen non-randomized studies evaluating 24700 adult COVID-19 patients were identified. The use of NSAIDs in patients with COVID-19, compared with no use of NSAIDs, was not significantly associated with an elevated mortality (odds ratio [OR]=0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.87 to 1.02), or an increased probability of ICU admission (OR=1.35, 95% CI: 0.73 to 2.49), requiring mechanical ventilation (OR=1.23, 95% CI: 0.71 to 2.13), or administration of supplemental oxygen (OR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.08). The subgroup analyses revealed that the use of ibuprofen (OR=1.22, 95% CI: 0.32 to 4.60), etoricoxib (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.02 to 6.49) or celecoxib (zero deaths in both groups) were not associated with an increased risk of death in COVID-19 patients, compared with not using any NSAID. Interpretation: Fever is one of the main clinical symptoms of COVID-19. According to our findings, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can be used to treat fever in COVID-19 patients safely. Funding: None to declare. Declaration of Interest: None to declare.

Background: The efficacy and safety of using potential drugs such as remdesivir, glucocorticoid, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in treating children and adolescents with COVID-19 is unclear. Methods: We searched seven databases, three preprint platform, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google from December 1, 2019, to March 2, 2021, to collect evidence of remdesivir, glucocorticoid, and IVIG which were used in children and adolescents with COVID-19. Findings: A total of six cohort studies and one case series study were included in this systematic review. In terms of remdesivir, the meta-analysis of single-arm cohort studies have shown that, after the treatment, 37·1% (95%CI, 0·0% to 74·5%) experienced adverse events, 5·9% (95%CI, 1·5% to 10·2%) died, 37.2% (95%CI, 0% to 76·0%) needed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). As for glucocorticoids, the results of the meta-analysis showed that the fixed-effect summary odds ratio (OR) for the association with mortality was 2·79 (95%CI, 0·13 to 60·87), and the mechanical ventilation rate was 3·12 (95%CI, 0·80 to 12·08) for glucocorticoids compared with the control group. In terms of IVIG, the two included cohort studies showed that for MIS-C patients with more severe clinical symptoms, IVIG combined with methylprednisolone could achieve better clinical efficacy than IVIG alone. Interpretation: Overall, the current evidence in the included studies is insignificant and of low quality, which does not adequately demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of using remdesivir, glucocorticoids, and IVIG in treating children and adolescents with COVID-19 or MIS-C. Funding Information: This work was supported by grants from the National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders (Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China) (grant number NCRCCHD-2020-EP-01); Special Fund for Key Research and Development Projects in Gansu Province in 2020; the Fourth Batch of “Special Project of Science and Technology for Emergency Response to COVID-19” of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau; special funding for prevention and control of emergency of COVID-19 from Key Laboratory of Evidence-Based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province (grant number No. GSEBMKT-2020YJ01); The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2020-sp14). Declaration of Interests: None.

Accessible chromatin regions (ACRs) are tightly associated with gene expressions in the genome. Conserved non-coding cis-regulatory elements, such as transcription factor binding motifs, are usually found in ACRs, indicating an essential regulatory role of ACRs in the plant genome architecture. However, there have been few studies on soybean ACRs, especially those focusing on specific tissues. Hence, in this study, with the convenient ATAC-seq, we identified the ACRs in six soybean tissues, including root, leaf bud, flower, flower bud, developing seed, and pod. In total, the ACRs occupied about 3.3% of the entire soybean genome. By integrating the results from RNA-seq and transcription factor (TF) ChIP-seq, ACRs were found to be tightly associated with gene expressions and TF binding capacities in soybean. Together, these data provide a comprehensive understanding of the genomic features of ACRs in soybean. As a collection of essential genomic resources, these processed data are made available at datahub.wildsoydb.org.

Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) at ambient conditions is a highly attractive route for ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, the NRR suffers from low NH3 yield and Faradaic efficiency (FE) due to the lack of effective electrocatalyst. Here Ag-doped Cu nanosheets grown on carbon paper (Ag-CuNS/CP) have been synthesized and utilized as efficient electrocatalysts for NRR. The doping of Ag leads to the formation of electron-deficient Cu atoms in Ag-CuNS/CP, which can suppress hydrogen evolution reaction and enhance N2 adsorption in neutral media, leading to enhanced NRR activity. In 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte, the Ag-CuNS/CP catalyst exhibits a high FE of 20.9% and a NH3 yield rate of 61.5 µg h-1 mg-1cat. at -0.4 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. This study offers a simple but effective approach to design highly active and selective NRR electrocatalysts for NH3 synthesis.

Background There are concerns that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase the risk of adverse outcomes among patients with coronavirus COVID-19. This study aimed to synthesize the evidence on associations between the use of NSAIDs and adverse outcomes. Methods A systematic search of WHO COVID-19 Database, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database for all articles published from January 1, 2020, to November 7, 2021, as well as a supplementary search of Google Scholar. We included all comparative studies that enrolled patients who took NSAIDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data extraction and quality assessment of methodology of included studies were completed by two reviewers independently. We conducted a meta-analysis on the main adverse outcomes, as well as selected subgroup analyses stratified by the type of NSAID and population (both positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or not). Findings Forty comparative studies evaluating 4,867,795 adult cases were identified. Twenty-eight (70%) of the included studies enrolled patients positive to SARS-CoV-2 tests. The use of NSAIDs did not reduce mortality outcomes among people with COVID-19 (number of studies [N] = 29, odds ratio [OR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75 to 1.14, I2 = 89%). Results suggested that the use of NSAIDs was not significantly associated with higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with or without COVID-19 (N = 10, OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.07, I2 = 78%; N = 8, aOR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.09, I2 = 26%), or an increased probability of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (N = 12, OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.75, I2 = 82% ; N = 4, aOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.65 to 1.22, I2 = 60%), requiring mechanical ventilation (N = 11, OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.54, I2 = 63%; N = 5, aOR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.24, I2 = 66%), or administration of supplemental oxygen (N = 5, OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.52 to 1.24, I2 = 63%; N = 2, aOR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.89 to 1.12, I2 = 0%). The subgroup analysis revealed that, compared with patients not using any NSAIDs, the use of ibuprofen (N = 5, OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.50 to 2.39; N = 4, aOR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.16) and COX-2 inhibitor (N = 4, OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.11; N = 2, aOR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.45 to 1.18) were not associated with an increased risk of death. Interpretation Data suggests that NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, aspirin and COX-2 inhibitor, can be used safely among patients positive to SARS-CoV-2. However, for some of the analyses the number of studies were limited and the quality of evidence was overall low, therefore more research is needed to corroborate these findings. Funding There was no funding source for this study.

The cobs of sweet corn, also known as vegetable corn, are a nutritionally rich agricultural by-product. Sweet corncob polysaccharide (SCP-80-I) is a bioactive macromolecule extracted from the sweet corncob. Previous studies have shown that SCP-80-I has beneficial biological activities, including anti-oxidative and hypoglycemic properties. Previously, we showed that SCP-80-I had hypoglycemic effects, but the overall molecular changes associated with SCP-80-I have not yet been clarified in vivo. In this study, we investigated the hypoglycemic effects of SCP-80-I in diabetic rats with insulin resistance and analyzed the hypoglycemic mechanisms of SCP-80-I using tandem mass tag (TMT) -labeled quantitative proteomics. Using gene onotology (GO) annotations and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the biological process, cell composition, and molecular function terms associated with the differentially expressed proteins were identified, as were the associated signaling pathways. In total, 4780 proteins exhibited a fold-change greater than 1.5. Six differentially expressed proteins related to the development and treatment of diabetes were selected, encoded by the genes Pik3r5, Ndufb3, Pygl, Cbl, Prkcd, and Stat1. SCP-80-I induced hypoglycemia mainly through the PI3K-Akt and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. SCP-80-I also ameliorated diabetes by regulating the expression of the Pik3r5, Ndufb3, Pygl, Cbl, Prkcd, and Stat1 genes. This study provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of diabetes and the development of hypoglycemic drugs. Our results suggested that SCP-80-I plays a beneficial role in reducing blood glucose in diabetic mice, which helps to clarify the molecular mechanisms by which sweet corncob polysaccharide reduces blood glucose.

Purpose To explore the surgical effects of endoscopic facial nerve decompression in Bell's palsy. Materials and methods This retrospective study included 15 patients with Bell's palsy. All had grade VI (House-Brackmann grading system) complete unilateral facial paralysis before surgery and a >95% reduction in amplitude on electroneurography testing compared to the unaffected side. Their MRI results indicated perineural edema in the geniculate ganglion area. Endoscopic decompression surgery was performed soon after they presented at our hospital. The time between onset of facial paralysis and surgery ranged from 25 to 93 days. All patients had no relevant surgical history or ear diseases. Results At 1-year follow-up, 13 of the 15 (87%) patients had recovered to normal or near-normal facial function (House-Brackmann grade I-II), and all patients had reached House-Brackmann grade III or lower facial function. No obvious air-bone gap or sensorineural hearing loss occurred after surgery, and there were no severe complications or synkinesis. Conclusions Endoscopic transcanal facial nerve decompression provides a less traumatic and improved exposure of the geniculate ganglion, and may also help prevent permanent severe facial sequela. Results of intraoperative facial nerve stimulation may be related to the length of time required for recovery. The optimal time of surgery after onset of paralysis needs to be investigated further, to identify a post-drug surgical therapy which may be more acceptable for patients. Patients' response to conservative treatments should be assessed as soon as possible so as not to delay surgery.

Sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) affects flood control, navigation, power generation and the ecological environment. We present a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of sedimentation in the TGR from 2003 to 2018. The data set includes field measurements (runoff and sediment) at hydrological stations and estimation for areas where measured data are not available. Based on the data set, the amount of sedimentation in the TGR was calculated with the Sediment Budget Model (SBM) and Section Topography Method (STM). Finally, the variation in sediment Trapping Efficiency (TE) in the TGR was assessed. The results indicate that sediment from smaller tributaries in the TGR region, which has been ignored in most previous studies, constituted approximately 10.8% of the total incoming sediment. The total sedimentation in the TGR was 205478 × 104 t in 2003–2018, and the contribution rates of sediment load flowing into the TGR, the water depth in front of the dam, and runoff discharge flowing into the TGR were 94.4%, 24.5% and −18.9% respectively. The average annual TE was 78.5% in 2003–2018, and it was closely related to the ratio of reservoir storage capacity to flow discharge in the flood season and to sediment concentration in the non-flood season. The results in this paper not only play an important role in the optimal operation of the TGR but also have important reference value for other large reservoirs worldwide.

Ammonia borane (AB) has been identified as one of the most promising candidates for chemical hydrogen storage. However, the practical application of AB for hydrogen production is hindered by the need of efficient and inexpensive catalysts. For the first time, we report that the incorporation of Mo into Cu@Co core-shell structure can significantly improve the catalytic efficiency of hydrogen generation from the hydrolysis of AB. The Cu0.81@Mo0.09Co0.10 core-shell catalyst displays high catalytic activity towards the hydrolysis dehydrogenation of AB with a turnover frequency (TOF) value of 49.6 molH2 molcat−1 min−1, which is higher than most of Cu-based catalysts ever reported, and even comparable to those of noble-metal based catalysts. The excellent catalytic performance is attributed to the multi-elements co-deposition effect and electrons transfer effect of Cu, Mo and Co in the tri-metallic core-shell NPs.

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a highly attractive route for the synthesis of ammonia. However, the efficiency of the electrocatalytic NRR remains low because of the lack of effective catalyst. Here we use density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the effect of alloying Cu with Mn on NRR performance, showing that the incorporation of Mn into Cu structure can greatly improve the NRR performance. Based on the DFT results, we employ a dealloying method to prepare nanoporous CuMn (np-CuMn) alloy as the electrocatalyst for NRR. Thanks to the synergy between Cu and Mn and the nanoporous structure, the as-prepared np-CuMn alloy exhibits a high ammonia yield rate of 28.9 μg h−1 cm−2 with a Faradaic efficiency of 9.83% at −0.3 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode under ambient conditions. Both values are higher than those obtained for most of the reported noble metal catalysts under similar conditions. Our findings offer an opportunity to design high performance NRR catalyst for ammonia synthesis.

Efficient, durable and low-cost electrocatalysts that accelerate sluggish oxygen reduction reaction kinetics are urgently needed for the energy conversion techniques, such as metal-air batteries and fuel cells. In this work, we develop a molten-salt-assisted thermal emitting approach to transform the cheap and easily obtainable bulk ferric (III) oxide powder into a highly efficient Fe single atom catalyst for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. Benefiting from the strong polarity force of ionized cations and anions, the molten salt effectively facilitates breakage of chemical bonding in bulk Fe2O3 and volatilization of Fe species far below the melting point of Fe2O3 (1841 K), lowering the consumption of energy and time needed in the synthetic procedure. The vaporized Fe species are subsequently anchored onto the surface of nitrogen-doped porous carbon, evolving the single-atom “Fe-N4-O2” site catalyst. The obtained catalyst presents an excellent oxygen reduction reaction performance with half-wave potential of 0.896 V vs RHE in alkaline media, comparable to the most efficient non-precious metal catalysts and outperforming the benchmark system Pt/C. Furthermore, this method is demonstrated to be valid for synthesis of non-noble-metal single atom catalysts (metal = Co, Mn, Cu, Ni) by changing different metal oxides precursors.

China׳s island and reef coasts are mainly distributed along the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. These areas have favorable deep-water conditions and great development potential. The Zhoushan Archipelago is a typical island and reef coast. In the midst of the islands, there are many tidal channels with high water depth and high current velocity. Daishan Island is located on the northern part of the Zhoushan Archipelago. The sea north of Daishan Island can be characterized as having great water depth (generally between 10 and 20 m), high current velocity (the maximum measured value is about 2 m/s), and hyperconcentrated suspended sediment (annual average concentration under normal weather conditions is about 0.6 kg/m 3 ). Sediment transport is influenced by the co-action of waves and currents. Land reclamation can ease the contradiction between the desire for development and the land resource shortage on island and reef coasts. Land reclamation generally starts from deposition-promoting projects on island and reef coasts with hyperconcentration of suspended sediment with the aim of reducing the reclamation cost. Based on the morphodynamic characteristics of the sea area near north of Daishan Island, a two-dimensional mathematical model was developed to analyze the co-action of current and waves and the model was verified for spring as well as neap tides in 2007 and 2012. The simulated values of tidal stages, tidal current velocities, tidal current directions, and suspended sediment concentration at 15 stations in 2007 and 9 stations in 2012 were in good agreement with the in-situ measured values. Furthermore, the simulated magnitude and pattern of erosion and sedimentation agreed well with the observations. This model was used to evaluate the effects of a proposed siltation scheme on the hydrodynamic environment and morphological change of the study area. The results of this study can inform the protection, development, and utilization of shoal-channels on island and reef coasts, as well provide a scientific basis for comprehensive maritime protection and development.

X-ray grating interferometry can provide substantially increased contrast over traditional attenuation-based techniques in biomedical applications, and therefore novel and complementary information. Recently, special attention has been paid to quantitative phase retrieval in X-ray grating interferometry, which is mandatory to perform phase tomography, to achieve material identification, etc. An innovative approach, dubbed “Reverse Projection” (RP), has been developed for quantitative phase retrieval. The RP method abandons grating scanning completely, and is thus advantageous in terms of higher efficiency and reduced radiation damage. Therefore, it is expected that this novel method would find its potential in preclinical and clinical implementations. Strictly speaking, the reverse projection method is applicable for objects exhibiting only absorption and refraction. In this contribution, we discuss the phase retrieval with the reverse projection method for general objects with absorption, refraction and scattering simultaneously. Especially, we investigate the influence of the object's scattering on the retrieved refraction signal. Both theoretical analysis and numerical experiments are performed. The results show that the retrieved refraction signal is the product of object's refraction and scattering signals for small values. In the case of a strong scattering, the reverse projection method cannot provide reliable phase retrieval. Those presented results will guide the use of the reverse projection method for future practical applications, and help to explain some possible artifacts in the retrieved images and/or reconstructed slices.

The impact of the total effects due to anthropogenic aerosols from global, East Asian, and non-East Asian sources on East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) system is studied using an aerosol-climate online model BCC_AGCM2.0.1_CUACE/Aero. The results show that the summer mean net all-sky shortwave fluxes averaged over East Asian monsoon region (EAMR) at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and surface reduce by 4.8 and 5.0 W m − 2 , respectively, due to the increases of global aerosol emissions in 2000 relative to 1850. Changes in radiations and their resulting changes in heat and water transport and cloud fraction contribute together to the surface cooling over EAMR in summer. The increases in global anthropogenic aerosols lead to a decrease of 2.1 K in summer mean surface temperature and an increase of 0.4 hPa in summer mean surface pressure averaged over EAMR, respectively. It is shown that the changes in surface temperature and pressure are significantly larger over land than ocean, thus decreasing the contrast of land-sea surface temperature and pressure. This results in the marked anomalies of north and northeast winds over eastern and southern China and the surrounding oceans in summer, thereby weakening the EASM. The summer mean precipitation averaged over the EAMR reduces by 12%. The changes in non-East Asian aerosol emissions play a more important role in inducing the changes of local temperature and pressure, and thus significantly exacerbate the weakness of the EASM circulation due to local aerosol changes. The weakening of circulation due to both is comparable, and even the effect of non-local aerosols is larger in individual regions. The changes of local and non-local aerosols contribute comparably to the reductions in precipitation over oceans, whereas cause opposite changes over eastern China. Our results highlight the importance of aerosol changes outside East Asia in the impact of the changes of anthropogenic aerosols on EASM.

Inspired by recent experimental results, we report on a revised noise model of dark-field imaging using a grating interferometer. The accurate knowledge of the noise of the dark-field image is essential for noise reduction and image quality improvement. A revised noise model is theoretically derived in terms of the standard deviation of the dark-field image. While a low visibility assumption was made in previous models, the revised noise model makes no assumption on the visibility. It is​ shown by synchrotron radiation experimental results that, with a high visibility, the revised noise model agreed quantitatively with experimentally measured values, while previous models overestimated the noise present in the dark-field image significantly. Therefore, the revised model provides an accurate description of the noise behavior of grating-based dark-field imaging, and can be of use for energy-resolved dark-field imaging and potential dose optimizations.

An atmospheric general circulation model BCC_AGCM2.0 and observation data from ARIS were used to calculate the effective radiative forcing (ERF) due to increased methane concentration since pre-industrial times and its impacts on climate. The ERF of methane from 1750 to 2011 was 0.46 W m−2 by taking it as a well-mixed greenhouse gas, and the inhomogeneity of methane increased its ERF by about 0.02 W m−2. The change of methane concentration since pre-industrial led to an increase of 0.31 °C in global mean surface air temperature and 0.02 mm d−1 in global mean precipitation. The warming was prominent over the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (with a maximum increase exceeding 1.4 °C). The precipitation notably increased (maximum increase of 1.8 mm d−1) over the ocean between 10°N and 20°N and significantly decreased (maximum decrease >–0.6 mm d−1) between 10°S and 10°N. These changes caused a northward movement of precipitation cell in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Cloud cover significantly increased (by approximately 4%) in the high latitudes in both hemispheres, and sharply decreased (by approximately 3%) in tropical areas.

The Pearl River Delta is a composite delta with one of the densest channel networks in the world. To analyze the internal erosion/deposition characteristics of the net channel area, this paper studies the upstream evolution characteristics using Digital Elevation Model data from local channel sections. We attempt to establish the relationship between the changes in low water level and erosion rate by using the accumulated data for the main stream and hydrological stations over the past 50 years, including the distributions of flow and sediment at the top of the net channel area and the erosion/deposition data of a typical channel section. In fact, the net channel area has been in a forced-erosion state (Artificial sand excavation) for a long time, forcing the flow and sediment distributions at Makou and Sanshui stations to adjust from 1993 to the present. Although the incoming sedimentation is far less than the net erosion, and there are similarities and differences in the sources of the incoming flow and sediment from the main stream, the internal characteristics of the upper and lower reaches of the delta have not changed substantially; they have always been stable, slow deposition channels. The forced undercutting is concentrated within width-depth ratios of approximately 50–250, which still meets the evolution characteristics of the natural channel. Artificial sand excavation during the 1980s tended to enhance the characteristics. However, the sudden increase in the undercutting rate has forced chaotic changes in the low water level since 1990, and the sediment transport rate decreased sharply. The phenomena of salt tides retrogression and retrogressive erosion generally happen, the water level evolution in the net channel area is chaotic, and continuous undercutting is still occurring.

Wearable technology, as well as continuous monitoring of the human physiological activities and behavior, allows the physiological and biochemical indicators in daily life. The wearable sensor gives a strategy for observing the boundaries of continuous physiological and sports during preparing and serious games. Hence, this work has proposed a far off Remote Health Monitoring (RHM) interconnect design dependent on the Internet of things. This is, in progression, make development in wellbeing observing and tolerant gear and Internet abilities of the distant of significant plausible checking images, and referral Empower. These arrangements are described by advanced radio correspondence and low force utilization and require a keener physiological sensor. With the development of wireless communication, you need to connect the deployment physiological sensor in the patient's environment and wear a wireless body area network. These parameters, performance can be used to detect the position of a particular pattern of motion that is designed to optimize, on the screen, the potential cause of injury in a specific sports training program for, it is more efficient. Wireless personal and local area network technology has been added to the normal IoT connectivity solutions are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Internet of Things (IoT) is a broad concept that includes the people around us of the wireless connection equipment.

Herein, we developed an inexpensive titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofiber substrate for efficient and selective capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from mimic patients’ samples. The TiO2 nanofiber substrates were fabricated by electrospinning in combination with the calcination process. The surface of nanofiber substrates was modified with the anti-adhesion molecule, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the nucleolin aptamer AS1411, wherein, aptamer AS1411 specifically binds to the nucleolin protein overexpressed on the membrane surface of cancer cells. The formed TiO2 nanofiber substrates exhibited high efficacy and specificity to capture nucleolin positive cells through synergistic topographic interactions. Using the rare number of cell capture experiments, the capture efficiency of up to 75 % was achieved on the surface of the nanofiber substrate for rare number target cells spiked in the white blood cells (WBCs) from 1 mL whole blood samples. In conclusion, this study highlighted the potential of the TiO2-BSA-biotin-AS1411 nanofiber substrate as a highly efficient platform to realize the selective and specific capture of rare CTCs in the clinical settings.