Search

This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of DYRK1a regulating ferroptosis of cardiomyocytes during myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (MIRI). H9c2 cells treated with oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) were used as MIRI cell models and transfected with sh‐DYRK1a or/and erastin. Cell viability, apoptosis, and DYRK1a mRNA/protein expression were measured accordingly. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), iron, malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) were determined. The expression of ferroptosis‐related proteins (GPX4, SLC7A11, ACSL4, and TFR1) was detected using western blotting. The MIRI rat model was established to explore the possible role of DYRK1a suppression in cell injury and ferroptosis. OGD/R cells showed elevated mRNA and protein expression for DYRK1a. OGD/R cells transfected with sh‐DYRK1a showed elevated cell viability, GSH content, increased GPX4 and SLC7A11 expression, suppressed iron content, MDA, ROS, ACSL4, and TFR1 expression, and reduced apoptosis rate, whereas co‐transfection of sh‐DYRK1a with erastin reversed the attenuation of sh‐DYRK1a on MIRI. The suppressive effect of sh‐DYRK1a on MI/R injury was confirmed in an MIRI rat model. DYRK1a mediates ferroptosis of cardiomyocytes to deteriorate MIRI progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two‐step process, including the premetallization of the SiC ceramic by Ag‐26.7Cu‐4Ti+B4C and the followed brazing with the Al‐based filler alloy, was developed to join 2219 aluminum alloy and the metallized SiC. The influence of metallization temperature and the B4C addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint was analyzed. The reaction products of Ti and B4C were detected in the brazing seam, such as Ti2B, TiC and graphite. With increasing of metallization temperature and B4C addition content, the shear strength of joint first increased and then decreased. The joint shear strength reached 14.0 MPa when SiC metallized with Ag‐26.7Cu‐4Ti+1%B4C at 930°C for 10 min, which showed that appropriate addition of B4C in Ag‐26.7Cu‐4Ti metallization layer could regulate the coefficient of thermal expansion difference between 2219 aluminum alloy and SiC to relieve the residual stress and improve the shear strength of their brazed joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The [4+3] annulation of aza‐o‐quinone methides and pyridinium 1,4‐zwitterionic thiolates has been developed for the one‐step synthesis of functionalized 2,3‐unsaturated 4,1‐benzothiazepines under mild and metal‐free conditions. The produced 4,1‐benzothiazepines can easily be converted into biologically interesting sulfoxides and sulfones via selective oxidization with m‐CPBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become the second most common tumor type that contributes to cancer‐related death worldwide. The study aimed to establish a robust immune‐related gene pair (IRGP) signature for predicting the prognosis of HCC patients. Methods: Two RNA‐seq datasets (The Cancer Genome Atlas Program and International Cancer Genome Consortium) and one microarray dataset (GSE14520) were included in this study. We used a series of immune‐related genes from the ImmPort database to construct gene pairs. Lasso penalized Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to develop the best prognostic signature. We assigned patients into two groups with low immune risk and high immune risk. Then, the prognostic ability of the signature was evaluated by a log‐rank test and a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: After 1000 iterations, the 33‐immune gene pair model obtained the highest frequency. As a result, we chose the 33 immune gene pairs to establish the immune‐related prognostic signature. As we expected, the immune‐related signature accurately predicted the prognosis of HCC patients, and high‐risk groups showed poor prognosis in the training datasets and testing datasets as well as in the validation datasets. Furthermore, the immune‐related gene pair (IRGP) signature also showed higher predictive accuracy than three existing prognostic signatures. Conclusion: Our prognostic signature, which reflects the link between the immune microenvironment and HCC patient outcome, is promising for prognosis prediction in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation, offering an alternative for patients unable to find a matched adult donor. UCB is also a versatile source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (hCD34 + HSPCs) for research into hematologic diseases, in vitro expansion, ex vivo gene therapy, and adoptive immunotherapy. For these studies, there is a need to isolate hCD34 + HSPCs from cryopreserved units, and protocols developed for isolation from fresh cord blood are unsuitable.Study Design: This study describes a modified method for isolating hCD34 + HSPCs from cryopreserved UCB. It uses the Plasmatherm system for thawing, followed by CD34 microbead magnetic-activated cell sorting isolation with a cell separation kit (Whole Blood Columns, Miltenyi Biotec). hCD34 + HSPC phenotypes and functionality were assessed in vitro and hematologic reconstitution determined in vivo in immunodeficient mice.Results: Total nucleated cell recovery after thawing and washing was 44.7 ± 11.7%. Recovery of hCD34 + HSPCs after application of thawed cells to Whole Blood Columns was 77.5 ± 22.6%. When assessed in two independent laboratories, the hCD34+ cell purities were 71.7 ± 10.7% and 87.8 ± 2.4%. Transplantation of the enriched hCD34 + HSPCs into NSG mice revealed the presence of repopulating hematopoietic stem cells (estimated frequency of 0.07%) and multilineage engraftment.Conclusion: This provides a simplified protocol for isolating high-purity human CD34 + HSPCs from banked UCB adaptable to current Good Manufacturing Practice. This protocol reduces the number of steps and associated risks and thus total production costs. Importantly, the isolated CD34 + HSPCs possess in vivo repopulating activity in immunodeficient mice, making them a suitable starting population for ex vivo culture and gene editing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic carbon (OC) plays a pivotal role in earth surface systems. However, current three-dimensional (3D) mapping studies usually focus on a soil depth of 1 m rather than the depth to the bedrock. A top-down method using piecewise depth functions was proposed to fit the OC vertical decline patterns in a subtropical catchment in southern China. The vertical variation in OC was greatly affected by the heterogeneous topsoil due to natural processes and anthropogenic disturbances. Thus, topsoil OC maps were produced and utilized as covariates to indicate the OC decline rates and to benefit the 3D OC simulation. A distribution map of the underground critical zone thickness (UCZT) was applied as a lower boundary for the 3D simulation. Six widely used mapping techniques were performed to predict the spatial distribution of topsoil OC and depth function parameters. The overall cross-validation results showed a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 1.7 g kg–1 and a ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) of 1.82. Given limited boreholes, validation showed that the depth function performed better in the lower part (>1 m) than in the upper part (<1 m). The proposed framework could holistically employ sufficient topsoil samples and limited boreholes and provides a promising solution to simulate the 3D information of subsurface systems. We anticipate that continuous 3D OC maps can be integrated with other critical zone information to elucidate the complex interactions of various processes and to support potential service management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ERBB2 oncogene hypothesis is challenged in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the conflicting evidences of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. HER2 could be a new target as a treatment option for HCC as well as tumor recurrence after surgery. HER2 in HCC biology needs further explorations. Methods: Clinical and mRNA data of HCC patients were obtained from TCGA HCC cohort, GSE89377 and GSE115018. Western Blotting and immunohistochemistry were employed to test expression of HER2, E‐cadherin, and Vimentin. In HepG2, JM1, HER2‐transfected McA cells, and TGF‐β cocultured JM1 cells, HCC biology, including cell survival, proliferation, and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotypes were evaluated. Results: ERBB2 mRNA amplification was found in HCC datasets, and its expression was downregulated in high grade HCC with a worse overall survival. HER2 overexpression was identified in H4IIE, HepG2, JM1 cells, and 82% (14/17) HCC samples, and tumor stage was correlated with expression of HER2, E‐cadherin, and Vimentin (P < 0.05). Trastuzumab with the high concentrations suppressed proliferation of HER2‐positive hepatoma cells (P < 0.05); in the coculture model to induce EMT of JM1 cells, HER2 expression increased with downregulated E‐cadherin and upregulated Vimentin. Trastuzumab intravenous injection inhibited in vivo tumor size and metastases (P < 0.05). Signal analysis revealed that HER2 functioned through upregulation of β‐catenin and inhibition of SMAD3. Conclusion: HER2 expression pattern is linked with tumor stage and overall survival; the transforming function of HER2 is found more relevant through β‐catenin and SMAD3. HER2‐targeted treatment is recommended to suppress the HER2‐mediated tumor growth during postoperative liver regeneration. The ERBB2 oncogene hypothesis is challenged in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the conflicting evidences of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. Our results showed that HER2 expression pattern is linked with tumor stage and overall survival; the transforming function of HER2 is found more relevant through β‐catenin and SMAD3. HER2‐targeted treatment is indicated to suppress the HER2‐mediated tumor growth during postoperative liver regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ajugoideae, the third-largest subfamily of Lamiaceae with 23 genera and about 760 species, is distributed worldwide, but is primarily found in tropical regions. During the past two decades, substantial progress has been made towards discerning phylogenetic relationships and generic boundaries in Ajugoideae, but major questions still remain. This phylogenetic study was conducted using 422 DNA sequences from seven DNA regions (nrITS, ETS, and matK, rbcL, rps16, trnL-trnF, trnH-psbA) representing 50 species from 22 of 23 genera in Ajugoideae, to reconstruct the backbone phylogeny of the subfamily, with emphasis on phylogenetic relationships among Caryopteris, Schnabelia and their closest allies. Key results: (1) Ajugoideae is monophyletic and can be divided into four main clades. (2) Discretitheca and Glossocarya, which have not been included in any previous molecular analysis, are members of Ajugoideae and closely related to Karomia and Rotheca. (3) Expanded Schnabelia is monophyletic, sister to Rubiteucris, and consists of two morphologically distinct clades, recognized here as sect. Cylindricaulis and sect. Schnabelia. (4) Traditionally defined Caryopteris is confirmed to be polyphyletic, with several segregate genera. (5) Recircumscribed Caryopteris was found to be monophyletic, but intrageneric relationships were not fully resolved. Synapomorphies of Caryopteris include boat-shaped nutlets that are winged along the edge, fimbriate anterior corolla lobes, and suprareticulate pollen sculpturing. Caryopteris forrestii var. minor was elevated to species rank based on molecular and morphological evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paired carrier multiple access (PCMA) is one of the most common single-channel mixtures. It is still a great challenge to recover the transmitted bits from non-cooperative received PCMA signals, due to the high complexity of existing singlechannel blind source separation (SCBSS) algorithms. Hence, a double-direction delayed-decision-feedback sequence estimation (DD-DDFSE) algorithm for non-causal high-order channel is proposed to realise the separation of PCMA signals. The proposed algorithm employs the Viterbi algorithm (VA) with low-order channel twice instead of conventional VA with high-order channel once. The symbols estimated by the initial VA are utilised to equalise the causal and non-causal taps of the channel beyond the trellis state in the second VA. The relationship between the decision-feedback error from the initial VA and the performance of the second VA is also derived. Compared with state-of-the-art maximum likelihood sequence estimation algorithms, DD-DDFSE algorithm can not only decrease the computation complexity but also improve the separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One sample per person (OSPP) face recognition is a challenging problem in face recognition community. Lack of samples is the main reason for the failure of most algorithms in OSPP. In this study, the authors propose a new algorithm to generalise intra-class variations of multi-sample subjects to single-sample subjects by deep autoencoder and reconstruct new samples. In the proposed algorithm, a generalised deep autoencoder is first trained with all images in the gallery, then a classspecific deep autoencoder (CDA) is fine-tuned for each single-sample subject with its single sample. Samples of the multisample subject, which is most like the single-sample subject, are input to the corresponding CDA to reconstruct new samples. For classification, minimum L2 distance, principle component analysis, sparse represented-based classifier and softmax regression are used. Experiments on the Extended Yale Face Database B, AR database and CMU PIE database are provided to show the validity of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catalytic [3+3] annulation of cyclopropane 1,1-diesters with in-situ-generated mercaptoacetaldehyde for the synthesis of polyfunctionalized tetrahydrothiopyran derivatives has been developed. A ring-opening/aldol cascade reaction catalysed by Sc(OTf)3 (10 mol-%) gave a series of tetrahydrothiopyranols in good yields. Simple derivatization of the products gave some useful compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A frequency offset estimation (FOE) algorithm based on the maximum-likelihood criterion is proposed for the linear mixture of two 8PSK modulated signals with fixed frame length and frame synchronisation code on the condition that the frame length is known when the signals are coded asynchronously. FOE is calculated by optimising the objective function, which is obtained from cross-correlation computation, given that timing error, amplitude attenuation and phase offset are unknown. The optimised process is accomplished by utilising hierarchical search. Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) of mixed-signal FOE is derived to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm. The estimation performance of the algorithm can come close to the CRB performance with low Es/N0. The proposed algorithm is also applied to the FOE of a mixed signal whose power is asymmetrical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The purpose of this study was to examine endoglin (CD105) expression on microvessel endothelial cells (ECs) in juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) and its relationship with recurrence. Methods Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect CD105 expression in a tissue microarray from 70 patients with JNA. Correlation between CD105 expression on microvessel ECs and clinicopathological features, as well as tumor recurrence, were analyzed. Results Immunohistochemistry revealed CD105 expression on ECs but not in stroma of patients with JNA. Chi-square analysis indicated CD105-based microvessel density (MVD) was correlated with JNA recurrence ( p = .013). Univariate and multivariate analyses determined that MVD was a significant predictor of time to recurrence ( p = .009). The CD105-based MVD was better for predicting disease recurrence (AUROC: 0.673; p = .036) than other clinicopathological features. Conclusions MVD is a useful predictor for poor prognosis of patients with JNA after curative resection. Angiogenesis, which may play an important role in the occurrence and development of JNA, is therefore a potential therapeutic target for JNA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 35: 1719-1725, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently established tribe Gomphostemmateae (Lamiaceae) consists of Gomphostemma, Bostrychanthera and Chelonopsis, but relationships within and between these genera have not been well studied. Only six of the approximately 46 species of Gomphostemmateae have been included in any previous phylogenetic analysis. In the present study, we used DNA sequences of two nuclear regions (ITS, ETS) and five plastid loci (psbA-trnH, rpsl6, trnL intron, trnL-trnF spacer, trnS-trnG) to reconstruct the phylogeny of the East Asian genus Chelonopsis for the first time. The molecular results indicate that the tribe Gomphostemmateae is monophyletic; Bostrychanthera is embedded in Chelonopsis; and Chelonopsis comprises two clades, one encompassing the taxa of Chelonopsis subg. Chelonopsis and the genus Bostrychanthera and the other consisting of Chelonopsis subg. Aequidens. This split is supported by several morphological characters. These results, which are further strengthened by morphological and cytological data, indicate that Bostrychanthera should be transferred to Chelonopsis. In addition, our results show that within C. subg. Aequidens, sect. Aequidens and sect. Microphyllum are monophyletic. Further-more, two major clades are concordant with the Sino-Japanese and Sino-Himalayan distribution patterns.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phylogenetic position of the monotypic genus Wenchengia has long been controversial. It variously has been assigned to a monotypic subfamily Wenchengioideae, treated as a member of subfamily Scutellarioideae, or suggested to be related to Lamioideae or Ajugoideae. The recent rediscovery of Wenchengia alternifolia from its type locality provided an opportunity to infer its phylogenetic position using evidence from two plastid DNA regions (rbcL, ndhF), morphological data, and anatomical and cytological characters. Both the molecular data and a combination of the molecular and the morphological data suggested a close relationship of the genus to a clade consisting of Holmskioldia, Tinnea, and Scutellaria representing Scutellarioideae. This relationship is also supported by a striking similarity in gross morphological, anatomical, and cytological characters between Wenchengia and other genera of Scutellarioideae, suggesting that it should be more appropriate to treat the genus as a member of Scutellarioideae, rather than assigning it to a monotypic subfamily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel neonicotinoid analogs containing an amide moiety were synthesized, characterized, and subsequently evaluated for their insecticidal activity. According to the preliminary bioassay, the compounds 6c, 6e, 6f, 6j, 6n, and 6r exhibited > 50% activity against Nilaparvata lugens at 100 mg/L. Amongst the active compounds, 6f and 6r revealed insecticidal activities similar to that displayed by standard buprofezin. J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chromosome numbers and karyotypes of Brachystemma and Craspedolobium, two monotypic genera endemic to eastern Asia, are reported here for the first time. The somatic chromosome numbers are 2n=40 for Brachystemma calycinum and 2n=22 for Craspedolobium unijugum. A karyotype of 2n=2x=40=28m+12sm was found in B. calycinum and that of 2n=2x=22=12m+10sm in C. unijugum, both of them have a moderately symmetrical karyotype type 2B and small-sized chromosomes. Brachystemma has a unique basic chromosome number in Alsinoideae, which may support its isolated taxonomic position. As do some morphological characters, the basic chromosome number x=11 suggests that Craspedolobium belongs in the Millettioid clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the thermoelectric properties of SrTiO3 doped with lanthanum and dysprosium, ceramic samples were prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction method. The total doping amount was fixed at 20 mol% with different amounts of lanthanum and dysprosium contents. The X-ray diffraction pattern suggests that the main crystal structure is cubic perovskite with a small amount of the second phase of Dy2Ti2O7. Scanning electronic microscope surface morphology images revealed that the ceramic samples consisted of homogeneous grains with an average grain size of 4.1-6.2 lm. The electrical conduction of the samples as a function of temperature had similar behavior to that of metallic conductivity. The Seebeck coefficients were negative, which indicates that electrons were the dominant carriers. As the dysprosium content increased, both the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity decreased; in contrast, the absolute value of the Seebeck coefficient increased. The power factor reached 1318 μW/K²m at 570 K with 12% dysprosium and 8% lanthanum doped in SrTiO3. The lowest thermal conductivity was 2.3W/mK for the sample with 20%dysprosium as a dopant. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) of 0.36 at 1076 K was obtained for SrTiO3 doped with 12% dysprosium and 8% lanthanum, which is a result of the high power factor combined with low thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern temperate genus Pyrola L. is the largest and arguably the most taxonomically complex element in the tribe Pyroleae (Ericaceae). Here we present a molecular phylogenetic study with extensive sampling comprising 26 ingroup and 7 closely related taxa. The results, based on parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (atpB-rbcL, trnS-trnG, trnL-trnF) DNA sequences, add substantially to our understanding of relationships within this diverse group and call for taxonomic changes. Pyrola is confirmed as a monophyletic group with two redefined sections and six series: P. sect. Pyrola (P. ser. Pyrola, ser. Ellipticae and ser. Rugosae) and P. sect. Scotophylla (P. ser. Japonicae, ser. Scotophyllae and ser. Chloranthae). Members of each respective section and series share similar morphological traits and/or geographical distributions. For the potential hybrids P. media and P. faurieana, the maternal donor was identified by their close affinity toP, minor in the chloroplast trees whereas the paternal donor remained unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study on the influence of alkali cooking at high temperature on the morphology, structure, thermal decomposition, and degumming of hemp fibers. The removal of hemicelluloses and lignin was effective when cooking at high temperature which can result to enhancement of thermal stability of cellulose. The sodium hydroxide concentration and cooking temperature were positively correlated with the increase in crystallinity index of hemp fiber.

The Hengduan Mountains of the Sino-Himalayas are rich in endemic species ofApiaceae subfamily Apioideae. To investigate relationships among these species and to ascertain their higher-level phylogenetic placements within the subfamily, we examined 106 accessions (representing 100 species from 52 genera) including the Chinese endemic genera Changium, Cyclorhiza, Noi'opterygium, IVothosmyrnium, and Sinolimprichtia. Sixty-three of these accessions were newly sequenced. Phylogenetic trees were inferred using maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences. The phylogenetic trees were highly consistent and revealed several major clades heretofore unrecognized in the subfamily. Changium and Cyclorhiza fall within the Komarovia clade of previous investigations and Nothosmyrnium allies with tribe Pimpinelleae. Notopierygium and Sinolimprichtia along with many other taxa of Sino-Himalayan distribution comprise a well-supported East Asia clade; Vicatia and Haplosphaera arise within a paraphyletic Notopterygium. Other newly recognized, well-supported major clades include the Chamaesium clade, sister group to all other examined Apioideae except tribe Bupleureae, and the Asian Acronema clade, sister group to tribe Scandiceae. The Chamaesium clade and Bupleureae may represent the earliest diverging lineages of Apioideae in Asia. Sinodielsia allies weakly with Pterocyclus or is a sister group to the clade of tribe Apieae plus Pterocyclus; Sinodielsia is distinct from Meeboldia and Vicatia. Genera whose boundaries are poorly defined and controversial on the basis of morphology (Ligusticum, Peucedanum, Physosperniopsis, Pimpinella, Pleurosperinum, Sinocarum, Tongoloa, Trachyspermum) are not monophyletic in the ITS-based phylogenies. Further study of these Chinese endemics is necessary to produce a comprehensive, modern classification of Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary history of plants in the southeast Tibetan Plateau might be the most complicated around the world because of the area's extremely complex topography and climate induced by strong tectonic activity in recent history. In this research, we implemented a phylogeographical study using chloroplast sequences ( psbA- trnH and trnQ- rps16 intergenic spacer) on Dipentodon, a monotypic or ditypic genus ( D. sinicus and D. longipedicellatus) distributed in southwest China and adjacent areas including Myanmar (Burma), northeast India and northern Vietnam. A total of 257 samples from 16 populations from the southeast Tibetan Plateau ( D. longipedicellatus) and the Yungui Plateau ( D. sinicus) were collected. The results revealed that Dipentodon had 11 haplotypes for the two intergenic spacers, high genetic diversity ( hT = 0.902) and high genetic differentiation ( NST = 0.987 and GST = 0.948).amova analysis showed that the component of among-population within region/species (55.25%) was unexpectedly larger than the among-species/region component (43.69%), which indicates that there is no justification for recognizing two species in Dipentodon. Correlation of pairwise genetic and geographical distances showed that Dipentodon populations in the southeast Tibetan Plateau may have suffered more habitat fragmentation than populations in the Yungui Plateau because of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau than populations in the Yungui Plateau have. Nested clade analysis showed that 11 haplotypes formed two 3-level, three 2-level and seven 1-level clades, with eight clades showing significant geographical association. However, clade 2-1 and 2-2 did not cluster together, although they are distributed in the same region (Yungui Plateau) and belong to the same species ( D. sinicus). This led not only to incongruence between haplotype network and geographical distribution of 2-level clades, but also to paraphyly of D. sinicus to D. longipedicellatus. We concluded that the incongruence and paraphyly may result from incomplete lineage sorting during the rapid and extreme tectonic events of the Tibetan Plateau. The results reported here will no doubt provide new insights into the evolution of biodiversity on the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas, and a historical framework for the conservation of biodiversity in this area, including Dipentodon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus subgen. Rubimons (B. S. Sun) Y. C. Liu et H. Peng, a new subgenus of Miscanthus Anderss. (Poaceae) is established and Miscanthus ( Rubimons) villosus Y. C. Liu et H. Peng, a new species of this subgenus from southwest Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to M. paniculatus (B. S. Sun) S. L. Chen & Renvoize, but differs mainly by its villous panicle axis, long callus hair, lanceolate lower lemma and the consistently longer awn of the upper lemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lectotypes of Paraphlomis albiflora (Hemsl.) Hand.-Mazz. and Paraphlomis gracilis (Hemsl.) Kudô are designated. The name Paraphlomis javanica (Blume) Prain var. angustifolia C. Y. Wu & H. W. Li ex C. L. Xiang, E. D. Liu & H. Peng is validated by a type designation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon nitride ceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at temperatures of 1450°–1600°C for 3–12 min, using α-Si3N4 powders as raw materials and MgSiN2 as sintering additives. Almost full density of the sample was achieved after sintering at 1450°C for 6 min, while there was about 80 wt%α-Si3N4 phase left in the sintered material. α-Si3N4 was completely transformed to β-Si3N4 after sintering at 1500°C for 12 min. The thermal conductivity of sintered materials increased with increasing sintering temperature or holding time. Thermal conductivity of 100 W·(m·K)−1 was achieved after sintering at 1600°C for 12 min. The results imply that SPS is an effective and fast method to fabricate β-Si3N4 ceramics with high thermal conductivity when appropriate additives are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α/β-Si3N4 composites with various α/β phase ratios were prepared by hot pressing at 1600°–1650°C with MgSiN2 as sintering additives. An excellent combination of mechanical properties (Vickers indentation hardness of 23.1 GPa, fracture strength of about 1000MPa, and toughness of 6.3 MPa·m1/2) could be obtained. Compared with conventional Si3N4-based ceramics, this new material has obvious advantages. It is as hard as typical in-situ-reinforced α-Sialon, but much stronger than the latter (700 MPa). It has comparable fracture strength and toughness, but is much harder than β-Si3N4 ceramics (16 GPa). The microstructures and mechanical properties can be tailored by choosing the additive and controlling the heating schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the in-situ stress management in the Wenchuan Fault Scientific Drilling (WFSD)-1 borehole at the Wenchuan Earthquake fault in China. Topics discussed include the use of differential strain analysis (DSA) in the WFSD project, the stability of the Wenchuan fault, and the principal stress ratio measurement in WFSD.

The article discusses a study regarding the fluid-injection-induced seismicity of WFSD-3P borehole of the Wenchuan Eathquake Fault Science Drilling (WFSD). Topics discussed include water injection in the fault zone, induced seismic magnitude in seismic areas, and the relationship between the induced seismic activity and fluid injection pressure frequencies.

The article presents a study to analyze energy transformation and efficiency of Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in China on May 12, 2008 and was measured 8.0 at rector scale. It mentions that the study conducted temperature measurements and fault gouge particle analysis of borehole at the Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Science Drilling Project followed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy tests of fault gouge.

A Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed formal [3 + 3] cycloaddition of cyclopropane dicarboxylates with mercaptoacetaldehyde is developed to produce tetrahydrothiopyranols in good yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites a study in which the structure of the organic compound 5-hydroxy-4-(4-methylbenzoyl)-1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazole, was analyzed. An intramolecular hydrogen bond links the ketone and hydroxyl groups in the compound. Pyrazol-5-one along with its derivative compounds are extensively used as biologically active compounds, metal extractants, as well as dyes. Numerous studies have focused on the tautomeric structures of these compounds. The authors of the study used X-ray technique to analyze the compound's crystal structure.

ABSTRACT This paper develops an effective approach to analyse the asymptotic displacement and stress fields near the singular points in laminated anisotropic composite joints with a fictional contact along the interface. The Ting's theory, extended from the Stroh's formulation for anisotropic elasticity problems, is employed to represent the asymptotic fields near the singular points of the contact problems. The characteristic equations of the contact problems are constructed from the boundary conditions, where the continuity conditions at the frictional interface governed by the Coulomb's law of friction are considered. The order of stress singularities and the asymptotic fields near the singular points are determined by solving the developed non-linear coupled characteristic equations for the general contact problems of friction in anisotropic bimaterials from an iterative procedure. Only real values of root representing the order of stress singularities are found for the general frictional contact problems. In the special case when the frictional contact exists in two half plane composite laminates, stress singularities may appear if the material constants satisfy certain requirements. Explicit solutions for the root of the characteristic equations and the asymptotic fields for the special case can be directly obtained without requiring the iterative procedure. The theoretical and numerical results show that both the friction coefficient within the slip interface and the wedge angle of anisotropic materials have significant effects on the stress singularities for the frictional contact problems. Further investigations are undertaken for several special cases, including studies for isotropic materials that are confirmed by existing theoretical results and experimental data available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, [Cu(NCS)2(C4H6N2)2], each Cu atom is located on an inversion center, in a distorted octa­hedral environment. The equatorial plane is occupied by four N atoms from two 1-methyl­imidazole ligands and two thio­cyanate anions. Thio­cyanate S atoms are weakly coordinated to Cu in the axial positions, linking the copper centers to form extended zigzag chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the mol-ecule of title compound, C(16)H(24)N(2)Si(2), the pyridine rings are nearly planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.002 Å).