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Excitons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide are endowed with intrinsic valley-orbit coupling between their center-of-mass motion and valley pseudospin. When trapped in a confinement potential, e.g., generated by strain field, we find that intralayer excitons are valley and orbital angular momentum (OAM) entangled. By tuning trap profile and external magnetic field, one can engineer the exciton states at ground state, and realize a series of valley-OAM entangled states. We further show that the OAM of excitons can be transferred to emitted photons, and these novel exciton states can naturally serve as polarization-OAM locked single photon emitters, which under certain circumstance become polarization-OAM entangled, highly tunable by strain trap and magnetic field. Our proposal demonstrates a novel scheme to generate polarization-OAM locked/entangled photons at nanoscale with high degree of integrability and tunability, pointing to exciting opportunities for quantum information applications., Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures

An accurate identification of poisonous mushrooms and the confirmation of the toxins involved are both of great importance in the treatment of mushroom poisoning incidents. In recent years, cases of mushroom poisoning by Inosperma spp. have been repeatedly reported from tropical Asia. It is urgent to know the real species diversity of Inosperma in this region. In the present study, we proposed two new Inosperma species from tropical Asia, namely I. muscarium and I. hainanense. They were described based on morphology and multilocus phylogeny. Detailed descriptions, color photographs and the discussion with other closely related species of the two new taxa were provided. In addition, a comprehensive muscarine determination of these two new species using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach has been performed. Results showed that these two species were muscarine positive, with a content of 16.03 ± 1.23 g/kg in I. muscarium and a content of 11.87 ± 3.02 g/kg in I. hainanense, much higher than the known species I. virosum. Recovery of muscarine ranged from 93.45% to 97.25%, and the average recovery is 95.56%.

In the past two decades, the concept of microbial resources evolved from the conserved strains in culture collection centers and microbial genome data in databases to functional microbial consortia, strains with superior phenotypes, novel biochemical and signaling systems, highly efficient enzymes, secondary metabolites, and unique genetic traits. Natural and engineered water environments provide diverse ecological niches for microorganisms to evolve and thrive, serving as treasure troves of microbial resources. Compared with that of chemical and energy resources from water, mining of microbial resources is severely underexplored. In this review, we first summarize various approaches (e.g., cultivation, functional metagenomics, and single-cell genomics) that have been employed to mine microbial resources from water, and then discuss their distinctive advantages and limitations. Lastly, we explore future directions on the mining of microbial resources from water. Nanyang Technological University National Research Foundation (NRF) This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, under its NERC-NRF Joint Grant Call (Award no. NRF-NERC-SEAP-2020-02). This research is also supported by the Accelerating Creativity and Excellence (ACE) grant (Award no. NTUACE2021-01), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Background Previous studies have revealed that ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) may play an important role in the regulation of emotional behavior. However, it is not known what effect VLO damage will have on emotion regulation. Results Data showed that damage of VLO increased the anxiety-like behavior in open field test and elevated plus maze, and decreased the depressive behavior in forced swimming test and learned helplessness test. Besides, the impulsive aggressive behaviors were also increased while the attack latency decreased after VLO lesion. What’s more, damage of VLO decreased depressive behaviors induced by chronic unpredicted mild stress in rats. Conclusions These results suggest that the integrity of VLO plays an important role in emotional regulation, and the damage of VLO may inhibit the development of depression-like behavior.

To expound the relationship between bioleaching behaviors and mineralogical properties of pristine pyrite samples, chemical compositions, semiconductive properties, surface morphologies, and chemical species of synsedimentary pyrite (SSP) and mesothermal pyrite (MTP) were compared, accompanying with bioleaching behaviors analysis by three thermophiles. Mineralogical characterizations showed that both pyrites belonged to p-type semiconductors with an S/Fe ratio higher than 2, and the arsenic content in MTP was as high as 0.6%. The fractured surface of SSP had more kinks and steps, and higher concentrations of S2- and oxides, as compared with that of MTP. Bioleaching results indicated that SSP was leached faster than MTP. The more kinked and stepped structures and the larger contents of S2- and oxides on pyrite surfaces were the dominant reasons for the faster bioleaching kinetics of SSP. The high arsenic content in MTP limiting the cell growth was another cause for its slower leaching.

Mallocybe is a newly elevated genus of the ectomycorrhizal mushroom family, Inocybaceae, based on Inocybe subg. Mallocybe. Although new species in this genus have constantly been discovered worldwide during the past decades, species native to China is poorly documented. Moreover, as a characteristic feature, members of this genus often have phaseoliform basidiospores and short catenated cheilocystidia. Therefore, this study describes three new Chinese Mallocybe species with elongated cheilocystidia through morphological and molecular analyses. Of the identified species, while M. pallidipes was collected from Populus in northeastern China, M. aurantiodisca was discovered in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests dominated by Castanopsis in the Zhejiang Province, and M. longsicystis was discovered under fagaceous forests in tropical and subtropical China. From the multi-gene phylogenetic analysis, four major clades were also elucidated in the genus, of which three new species were grouped with three North American species in a full support clade. Finally, we discussed the systematic position of the new species and the genus's infrageneric phylogeny.

As a result of molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological studies, two new species of the genus Pseudosperma, namely P. fulvidiscum and P. singulare were discovered in Wuzhishan Nature Reserve of Hainan Province of China. The two new species are distinct from other known Pseudosperma species in the phylogenetic polygram inferred from a combined nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), the nuclear ribosomal large subunit (nrLSU), and the nuclear second-largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) sequence data. Muscarine contents of the two new species were detected using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) approach. In addition, a new combination was proposed based on phylogenetic evidences.

Currently, mushroom poisoning still poses a huge problem to humans' health and life globally. Poisoning incidents caused by

Moir\'e exciton features tunable Dirac dispersion and spatially dependent optical selection rules. With the long lifetime due to its interlayer nature, it is promising to realize a Bose-Einstein condensation of moir\'e excitons. Here we study the properties of moir\'e exciton condensate within the mean-field theory, with special focus on exciton-exciton interaction effect on the nonlinear Bloch band and Bloch waves of exciton condensate in moir\'e potential. We find the nonlinear dispersion of the moir\'e exciton condensate exhibits complex loop structure induced by exciton-exciton interaction. A nonlinear Dirac cone emerges at $\boldsymbol{\Gamma}$ point of the Bloch band, with a three-fold degenerate nonlinear Dirac point. Each degenerate Bloch wave at nonlinear Dirac point spontaneously breaks $C3$ rotational symmetry of the moir\'e potential, and themselves differ by $C3$ rotations. Since they reside in the light cone, these nontrivial Bloch band structure and broken-symmetry Bloch waves can be experimentally detected by examining light emission from those states. Symmetry breaking of Bloch states implies unusual optical selection rules compared with single exciton case: moir\'e exciton condensate at $\boldsymbol{\Gamma}$ point emits light with all three components of polarization instead of only left or right circular polarization. We further propose that, by applying in-plane electric field on one layer to drive an initially optically dark exciton condensate towards light cone, the light polarization of final states as well as their dependence on field direction serves as the smoking gun for experimental observation., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. Comments are welcome

Waxy sorghum has greater economic value than wild sorghum in relation to their use in food processing and the brewing industry. Thus, the authentication of the waxy sorghum species is an important issue. Herein, a rapid and sensitive Authentication Amplification Refractory Mutation System-PCR (aARMS-PCR) method was employed to identify sorghum species via its ability to resolve single-nucleotide in genes. As a proof of concept, we chose a species of waxy sorghum containing the wxc mutation which is abundantly used in liquor brewing. The aARMS-PCR can distinguish non-wxc sorghum from wxc sorghum to guarantee identification of specific waxy sorghum species. It allowed to detect as low as 1% non-wxc sorghum in sorghum mixtures, which ar one of the most sensitive tools for food authentication. Due to its ability for resolving genes with single-nucleotide resolution and high sensitivity, aARMS-PCR may have wider applicability in monitoring food adulteration, offering a rapid food authenticity verification in the control of adulteration.

Although cyanogen ion (CN-) plays important role in industry which also bring acute environmental pollution. More serious, trace CN- enters the human body can cause serious consequences and even death. Therefore, it is of great significance to detect trace CN- with high sensitivity. Herein, a novel aggregation-induced emission (AIE) probe C-BH was synthesized based on coumarin matrix. Probe C-BH showed high selectivity and sensitivity toward CN- by dual channel response due to the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). The low detection limit was calculated to be 0.05 µM. Moreover, probe C-BH was successfully used for imaging CN- in living cells and zebrafish due to its low toxicity and excellent optical properties.

Four unsaturated fatty acid derivatives including three new pantheric acids (1–3), together with three known polyketides (5–7), were isolated from a culture broth of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. SCAU150. Their complete structures were determined by NMR and HRESIMS data analyses. The antifungal activity of the isolated compounds above was evaluated and 2 was found to show moderated activity toward the phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium solani bio-80814 with an inhibition zone diameter of 6 mm under 5 µg/disc.

Extensive efforts have been devoted to utilize cellulose fibers as reinforcement for poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) to prepare fully biodegradable composites with enhanced mechanical properties, but unfortunately the improvement of strength is always at the sacrifice of toughness. In the current work, we have developed an efficient way to prepare poly(e-caprolactone)/functionalized cellulose nanofibers (PCL/f-NFC) nanocomposite, which is both strong and ductile. Large scale f-NFC was produced from microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) in one step through the synergy of mechanical and chemical actions derived from ball milling. The f-NFC with nanosized scale and tailored hydrophobicity is compatible with PCL, which leads to strong interfacial interaction between f-NFC and PCL and good dispersion of f-NFC in PCL. The tensile strength of this bionanocomposite undergoes a remarkable enhancement nearly 100% and elongation-at-break increases by 68% with extremely low f-NFC content as 0.1 wt%. Since both surface property and fiber size affect the performance of composites, original MFC, functionalized MFC (f-MFC) and cellulose nanofibers (NFC) without hydrophobic modification are also incorporated into PCL to make a systematic comparative study to identify the dominating factor influencing the performance. The overall results suggest that surface modification plays a dominant role at low fiber content, while nano-sized scale is much more beneficial at high fiber content. Most importantly, the synergistic effect of surface modification and nano-sized scale leads to significantly improved tensile properties across a wide range of fiber content.

Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus (SCF) was a Traditional Chinese Medicine for protecting liver. However, underlying therapeutic mechanisms of these bioactive lignans from SCF similar hepatoprotective effects against drug-induced liver injury (DILI) by acetaminophen (APAP) are still unclear. This study aims to discover the potential regulation mechanisms of Schisandrol A in the treatment of DILI by APAP. The integrated UPLC-Q-TOF/MS, pharmacodynamic study, histopathological combination with network pharmacology and molecular docking technology were used to explore the potential mechanisms. The results showed that Schisandrol A reduced the level of AST, ALT, MDA, PNP, TNF-α and IL-1β, increased the levels of the GSH against acute liver failure. Additionally, Schisandrol A could improve the morphological characteristics of DILI by APAP in mice with liver tissue. Molecular docking results had showed that Schisandrol A with high scores when docking with COX-2, ALOX5, CYP2E1, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, EGFR SRC, Nrf2, MAPK14 and MAPK8. The study demonstrated that Schisandrol A could play critical roles in DILI by APAP via regulating TNF signaling pathway, inhibiting oxidative stress, inflammation and inhibiting the activities of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which contributed to searching for leading compounds and the development of new drugs for DILI by APAP.

Viable pathogenic bacteria cause serious human diseases via systemic infections and food poisoning. Herein, we constructed a light-up RNA aptamer signaling-CRISPR-Cas13a assay enabling mix-and-read detection of viable pathogenic bacteria. Directly targeting pathogen RNAs via CRISPR-Cas13a allows precisely discriminating viable bacteria from dead bacteria. We introduced a light-up RNA aptamer, Broccoli, serving as the substate of activated CRISPR-Cas13a to monitor the presence of pathogen RNAs, eliminating the need to use chemically labeled RNA substrate. Sequentially, the assay allows a reverse transcription-free, nucleic acid amplification-free, and label-free quantification of RNA targets and viable pathogenic bacteria. It could detect as low as 10 CFU of Bacillus cereus and precisely quantify viable bacteria with a content ranging from 0% to 100% in 105 CFU total bacteria. The quantification of viable bacteria allows more accurately estimating the ability of B. cereus to spoil food. The RNA assay promises its use in point-of-use detection of viable pathogens and biosafety control.

In this study, a novel carbon dots (CDs) was prepared by using citric acid and 1,2-diaminobenzene as raw materials via hydrothermal reaction. The obtained CDs showed a fluorescence turn-off response to divalent copper ion (Cu2+) with high selectively and sensitively which can be observed by the naked eye. The distribution of CDs is spherical with an average diameter about 2.89 nm, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (TEM) which could easily pass through the cell membrane and can be successfully located in mitochondria. In addition, the CDs was successfully applied to imaging Cu2+ in HeLa cells and zebrafish owing to its excellent optical performance and low toxicity.

Background: Alcohol use disorder was linked to corruption, abuse of power, and bureaucratic inefficiency in mainland China

In the field of polymer/graphene nanocomposites, massive production and commercial availability of graphene are essential. Exfoliation of graphite to obtain graphene is one of the most promising ways to large-scale production at extremely low cost. In this work we illustrate a facile strategy for mass production of few-layered (≤ 10) graphene (FLG) via the newly explored ball milling. The achieved FLG concentration was determined by UV/Vis spectroscopy. The formation of FLG was proved by measuring the flake thickness by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Further Raman spectral studies indicated that the crystal structure of exfoliated flakes was preserved satisfactorily during this shear-force dominating process. To increase the maximum concentration obtainable, it’s critical to make a good parameter assessment. N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) was used as a dispersing medium and the effect of milling parameters was systematically and quantitatively investigated, thus providing a criterion to optimize the milling process. We established the optimal values for solvent volume and initial weight of graphite. As for milling time, the production of FLG was enhanced with continuous milling according to the power law, but not linearly with increasing milling time. Moreover, the possible mechanism involved in milling process was also explored. Our work provides a simple method for graphite exfoliation and has great potential for improving thermal and electrical conductivity of polymer composites in the fields of engineering.

The distribution of functional filler is known to have significant influence on various functionalities, yet, not been systematically investigated. Herein, we use a blends system based on PA12/PA6 containing SiC and low-temperature expandable graphite (LTEG) to study it. The effect of filler distribution in such blends on various functionalities including: thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding ability, has been systematically studied. Further study on altering filler distribution with polished PA6-LTEG and PA6-LTEG in different sizes reveals that, polished particle surface results in reduced electrical and thermal conductivity; and smaller particle size leads to enhanced electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and EMI shielding ability. Finally, theoretical approach on thermal conductivity demonstrates that the system illustrates very effective contribution in thermal conductivity from large PA6-LTEG “filler” comparing to much smaller traditional fillers. Such study could provide a guideline for the processing of functional polymer composites.

Replacing conventional solvents by ionic liquids is a promising route to greener nuclear fuel cycles. Here, we report a unique multi-functional task-specific ionic liquid (TSIL) for the extraction and separation of trace thorium (Th). The phosphoramidate substituted butyl groups to imidazolium ionic liquid (PN-TSIL) shows superior extraction ability and selectivity (distribution rations of Th ~ 8302 and separation factor of Th to uranium (U) ~ 793 at 2 mol/L HNO3). For industial application purpose, an extraction chromatographic resin perpared by PN-TSIL (called PN-TSIL Resin) was made to develop a rapid, highly specific separation technique for simulative 229Th/233U separation process. Moreover, combination of spectroscopic investigations, quantum-mechanical calculations and thermodynamic parameters mearsurment, an unprecedented resolution picture of extraction process was delineated. The extraction ability and selectivity of thorium could be explained by the multiple binding sites though hybrid interactions (coordination and hydrogen bond) between thorium and PN-TSIL, leading to an entropy-driven extraction process. The understanding of solvent extraction mechanism in molecular scale will inspire new ways for TSIL design for nuclear fuel cycles.

Ammonium dibutyl dithiophosphate (ADD) is one of the most important flotation reagents in sulfide mineral processing, causing severe environmental pollution. In this study, natural pyrrhotite (NP)-activated peroxydisulfate (PDS) was applied to treat ADD, which can alleviate mine tailing problems and reduce the cost of treating mine wastewater. PDS can be efficiently activated by NP for ADD degradation, achieving complete ADD removal with 0.35 g/L NP and 1.0 mM PDS. The PDS activation not only occurred in solution but on the NP surface. Dissolved Fe2+, dissolved Fe3+, surface-bound Fe2+, and surface-bound Fe3+ had been undergoing interconversion as the degradation reaction proceed. The generated sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals synergistically remove ADD in the NP/PDS system over a wide pH range. The excess O2 might cause the transformation of S O 4 ∙ - to S O 3 ∙ - in the NP/PDS/ADD system. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculation and the identification of intermediates, a pathway of ADD degradation in the NP/PDS system is proposed.

Development of recyclable and self-repairing phase-change materials, which enable renewable energy storage and sustainable development, is critical for the efficient utilisation of solar energy. Hence, we herein fabricated form-stable, reversible cross-linked polyurethane phase-change materials composites (DPCM-x) with excellent recyclability, outstanding self-healing ability (93.1%) and superior photo-thermal conversion efficiency (87.9%). Furan-modified polydopamine particles (f-PDAPs), which serve as cross-linkers and photo-thermal fillers, were incorporated into maleimide-terminated polyurethane phase-change materials via a Diels–Alder (DA) reaction. Sunlight irradiation experiments revealed that f-PDAPs addition significantly improved the storage efficiency and photo-thermal conversion of DPCM-x thanks to the superior solar-to-thermal energy conversion performance of the f-PDAPs. Additionally, the existence of both reversible DA networks and f-PDAPs ensured that DPCM-x composites had excellent near-infrared- (NIR-) induced self-healing abilities, thermal-induced recyclable properties and solid-state plasticity. Meanwhile, the recovered DPCM-x composites could largely maintain their original mechanical properties (90.1%) and thermal energy storage capacity. Such cross-linked polyurethane PCM composites exhibited excellent self-healing properties under NIR irradiation. Due to their outstanding recyclability, interesting energy storage ability and form stability, they have enormous potential for applications in the fields of solar-to-thermal energy conversion and storage.

Rho GDP-dissociation inhibitor α (RhoGDIα) is a known negative regulator of the Rho family that shuts off GDP/GTP cycling and cytoplasm/membrane translocation to regulate cell migration. However, to our knowledge, no reports are available that focus on how the RhoGDIα-Rho GTPases complex is activated by laminar flow through exploring the activation of RhoGDIα itself. Here, we constructed a new biosensor using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology to measure the spatio-temporal activation of RhoGDIα in its binding with Rho GTPases in living HeLa cells. Using this biosensor, we find that the dissociation of the RhoGDIα-Rho GTPases complex is increased by shear stress, and its dissociation rate varies with subcellular location. Moreover, this process is mediated by membrane fluidity, cytoskeleton and Src activity, which indicates that the regulation of RhoGDIα activation under shear stress application represents a relatively separate pathway from the shear stress-induced Rho pathway., Shuai Shao, Xiaoling Liao et al. present a new FRET biosensor for measuring the spatio-temporal activation of RhoGDIα upon binding Rho GTPases. They find that dissociation of the RhoGDIα-Rho GTPase complex is increased by shear stress and varies with subcellular location.

Natural pyrrhotite (NP) shows promising future in activating persulfate (PS) due to its easy availability at a low cost and easy separation. This study discussed the degradation of O-isopropyl-N-ethyl thionocarbamate (IPETC) in NP/PS system. NP-PS system showed the best IPETC mineralization at the initial pH of 6.0 (62.84%). The kinetics study suggested that the IPETC degradation followed the pseudo-first-order equation in the NP-PS system. NP-PS system worked better in bottled water (96.46%) and tap water (85.14%) than river water (31.28%). Combined with Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and computational calculation, the degradation products, including acetone, formic acid isopropyl ester and ethylamine, were identified and the degradation pathway of IPETC in NP-PS system was proposed. The S, O and N atoms in IPETC are easier to be attacked by. SO4 −Ethylamine and reduced S ions coordinately worked to recycle Fe2+ in NP/PS/IPETC system.

The thermal conductivity of expanded graphite (EG)/polymer composites is investigated in terms of polymer chain structures. The EG/polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) composite with a backbone of benzene rings shows the continuous highest thermal conductivity and the fastest rate of enhanced ratio at the same content. Then it is followed by EG/syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) composites with side groups of regularly arranged benzene rings. The last are the EG/amorphous polystyrene (aPS) composites with side groups of randomly arranged benzene rings. Our results show that the chain structures of polymer matrices have a great influence on the interaction and crystallization of EG/polymer composites, which leads to the different thermal behavior. More precisely, the strong π–π interaction between EG and polymer, the nucleation of crystal at the interface of EG/polymer and the relatively rich EG content in the amorphous phase are benefits to the enhancement of thermal conductivity. These factors are proved to be extremely important for the design of high thermally conductive composites in the fields of science and engineering.

In recent decades, great efforts have been devoted to prepare materials with enhanced thermal conductivity due to the growing interest in thermal conductive materials. Herein, we illustrate a facile strategy to improve the thermal conductivity of polyvinylidene fluoride/expanded graphite (PVDF/EG) composites by pre-treatment of EG via ball milling. Before incorporating EG into PVDF via conventional melt processing, EG powders were treated by shear-force-dominated ball milling. In this way, the loose and porous vermicular structure of EG could be effectively destroyed and exfoliated to graphite nanosheets (GNSs). As a result, the PVDF/GNSs composites show improved thermal conductivity owing to their larger specific surface area. With the filler content fixed at 15 wt%, the thermal conductivity of treated PVDF/GNSs composites can reach 1.29 W m−1 K−1, 42.5% higher than that of PVDF/EG (0.90 W m−1 K−1). Moreover, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding property and tensile strength of PVDF/CNSs composites are also remarkably improved. Our work proves to be a simple and easily industrialized method for EG treatment which has great potential for improving the thermal conductivity of polymer composites in lighting devices and electromagnetic shielding applications.

The bioleaching of two different genetic types of chalcopyrite by the moderate thermophile Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans was investigated by leaching behaviors elucidation and their comparative mineralogical assessment. The leaching experiment showed that the skarn-type chalcopyrite (STC) revealed a much faster leaching rate with 33.34% copper extracted finally, while only 23.53% copper was bioleached for the porphyry-type chalcopyrite (PTC). The mineralogical properties were analyzed by XRD, SEM, XPS, and Fermi energy calculation. XRD indicated that the unit cell volume of STC was a little larger than that of PTC. SEM indicated that the surface of STC had more steps and ridges. XPS spectra showed that Cu(I) was the dominant species of copper on the surfaces of the two chalcopyrite samples, and STC had much more copper with lower Cu 2p3/2 binding energy. Additionally, the Fermi energy of STC was much higher than that of PTC. These mineralogical differences were in good agreement with the bioleaching behaviors of chalcopyrite. This study will provide some new information for evaluating the oxidation kinetics of chalcopyrite.

The preparation of graphene oxide (GO) sheets with specified size was developed by simply controlling the time of ultrasonication to the large-size GO (LGO) sheets. The LGO sheets were synthesized by choosing large parent graphite, mild oxidation condition and a two-step centrifugation. The different-sized GO samples prepared under different ultrasonication times, are characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. It is found that the size of the GO sheets, which has a Gaussian distribution, decreases from 231 to 17 μm2 as the ultrasonication time increases. Moreover, the ultrasonication not only can exfoliate and break GO sheets, but also increase the oxidation degree of GO sheets, especially when the GO sheets have a weak oxidation degree. It is reasonable to believe that the size of GO sheets is closely correlated to the C–O content, which enables the size of GO sheets to be controlled. Our work demonstrates that ultrasonication is an important method to control the size and the oxidation degree of GO sheets, to a certain extent.

Arsenic is a critical environmental pollutant associated with acid mine drainage. Arsenopyrite is one of the major arsenic sulfide minerals whose weathering lead to the contamination of arsenic. In this study, the leaching behaviors of arsenopyrite by two mixed cultures of iron-oxidizing and sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms ( Ferroplasma thermophilum and Acidithiobacillus caldus , Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Acidithiobacillus caldus ) were investigated, accompanying with community structure analysis of free microorganisms. The ratio of F. thermophilum to A. caldus of 1/1 showed a more favorable effect on the arsenic leaching than other ratios, and F. thermophilum played a dominant role in the solution all the leaching time. While adding A. caldus in the S. thermosulfidooxidans bioleaching system, the dissolution of arsenopyrite was suppressed. Notably, when the ratio of S. thermosulfidooxidans to A. caldus was 2/1, the arsenic extraction was accelerated at the early stage, but later it slowed down. The reason was because A. caldus was the predominant species at the later stage which made the redox potential decrease faster. XRD demonstrated that the proper addition of A. caldus could eliminate the sulfur passivation and promote the leaching in a degree. These studies are helpful to evaluate the environmental impact of arsenic.

Background Smoking during pregnancy is related to many adverse outcomes on infants. Smoking during pregnancy can cause abortion, premature birth, stillbirth, increased sudden infant death risk, and low birthweight. The aim of this study was to probe the differences in smoking among pregnant women with diverse characteristics. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 2345 pregnant women aged 18 years and older were surveyed in person by investigators from June 1, to Aug 31, 2015, from 16 hospitals in five provinces of Mainland China (Chongqing, Chengdu, Zunyi, Liaocheng, and Tianjin). The information included demographic and economic characteristics, smoking status (pregnant women, husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, father, mother, colleague, friend, relative). We excluded women with serious complications and cognitive disorders. All participants gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University (record number 2015008). Findings 2345 pregnant women were included for this study, including 1755 (75%) women with first pregnancy. The mean age of the participants was 28·12 years (SD 4·13). 90 [4%] of the 2345 pregnant women smoked (for 74% of those it was their first pregnancy and for 26% their second pregnancy). 67 (74%) of the 90 smokers were aged 26–35 years, 74 (82%) had higher education level (senior college and university or above), 69 (77%) were from urban regions, and 46 (51%) were smoking during the third trimester of pregnancy. Among the 2345 participants, 939 (40%) had a husband who smoked, 719 (31%) a father-in-law who smoked, 42 (2%) a mother-in-law who smoked, 700 (30%) a father who smoked, 18 (1%) a mother who smoked, 736 (31%) at least one close colleague who smoked, 732 (31%) had at least a friend who smoked, and 625 (27%) had at least a relative who smoked. Compared with pregnant women of basic education level, those of higher education level (senior college and university or above) were positively associated with the risk of smoking (OR 4·98, 95% CI 1·94–12·80). Compared with pregnant women living in rural areas, pregnant women living in urban areas were inversely associated with the risk of smoking (0·55, 0·33–0·94). Compared with pregnant women whose mother-in-law did not smoke, those whose mother-in-law smoked were positively associated with the risk of smoking (4·61, 1·86–11·44). Interpretation Tailored intervention programmes to reduce smoking in pregnant women should focus on women of higher education level, living in rural areas, and women whose mother-in-law smoke. Funding This project was supported by the Medjaden Academy & Research Foundation for Young Scientists (MJR20150047). This study was also funded by Summer Social Practice Project of School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University.

The Yuanba Gas Field is the second largest natural gas reservoir in the Sichuan Basin, SW China. The vast majority of natural gas reserve is embedded in the Changhsingian platform marginal reef complexes. Integration of facies analysis, well-seismic calibration, well logs, seismic profiles, and RMS attribute allows reconstruction of the reef complex structure, and five growth cycles of overlapping accretionary reefs are recognized. The carbonate platform margin reef complex comprises reef core, fore reef and back reef facies associations. The retrograding–prograding growth pattern and northwesterly migrating trends of overlapping accretionary reefs were likely controlled by short-term sea-level changes superimposed by local currents prevailing in the eastern Palaeotethyan Ocean. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Biotransformation of deoxyandrographolide (1) by Alternaria alternata AS 3.4578 gave five derivatives identified by spectral methods including 2D NMR as the known dehydroandrographolide (2) and 9beta-hydroxy-dehydroandrographolide (3) and the new compounds 9beta-hydroxy-deoxyandrographolide (4), 3alpha,17,19-trihydroxy-8,13-ent-labdadien-15,16-olide (5) and 3-oxo-9beta-hydroxy-deoxyandrographolide (6).

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was applied to the determination of gamabufotalin, telocinobufagin, bufotalin, cinobufotalin, bufalin, cinobufagin and resibufogenin in three traditional Chinese medicinal preparations containing ChanSu. The compounds were separated on a YMC-C18 column (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 um) with a gradient of acetonitrile and 0.3% aqueous acetic acid ( v / v) at a flow rate of 0.8 mL min−1 and detected at 296 nm. Complete separation was obtained within 35 min for the seven bufadienolides. The calibration curves showed good linearity (r2 > 0.999) within the test range. The recovery was 95.5% - 105.9%. The assay could simultaneously determine seven major bufadienolides of the three Chinese medicinal preparations of ChanSu in 35 min. The results obtained suggested that the developed HPLC assay could be comprehensively utilized for the quality control of the three traditional Chinese medicinal preparations of ChanSu used in the clinic.