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Nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from forest soil are main greenhouse gases (GHGs). The nutrients released during litter decomposition and phosphorus (P) addition in forest soil may directly affect soil GHGs emissions. Cinnamomum camphora plantations are generally cultivated for leaf-harvesting for industrial purpose. Since C. camphora plantations are generally distributed in P-limited area, interactions between leaf-harvesting and P application may impact soil GHG emissions, which however, has rarely been studied. We conducted an in situ study to examine the effects of leaf-harvesting and P addition on soil N2O and CO2 emissions over 14 months using full-factorial complete-randomized design. Litter removal was performed by removing all litter above the soil surface and P was added as nutrient solution. The results showed that N2O emission rates mainly depended on litter removal and its interaction with P treatment. Specifically, litter removal enhanced N2O emissions by 108%, while P addition reduced this enhancement by 39.7%. However, while P addition increased soil CO2 emission rates by 6.7%, neither litter removal nor its interaction with P addition influenced soil CO2 emissions. The results suggested that leaf-harvesting practice potentially enhanced N2O emissions from C. camphora plantation soil, while P management mitigated the enhancement. This study has implications for the management of leaf-harvesting C. camphora plantations concerning soil nutrient conservation and mitigation of forest soil GHG emissions, especially in forestry or agricultural soils in subtropical regions experiencing intensive leaf-harvesting management and fertilization practice.

2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) is recognized as the key aromatic compound in fragrant rice, however, the effect of light quality on rice aroma is not fully understood. In this study, two fragrant rice varieties (Xiangyaxiangzhan and Yuxiangyouzhan) were grown under four light quality treatments (CK: natural light, L1: red light, L2: blue light and L3: combined light). Results depicted that L1, L2 and L3 treatments enhanced the grain yield by 14.24–35.36%, compared to CK whilst L2 and L3 treatments reduced the 2AP content in grains by 17.18–28.68%. Moreover, L1, L2 and L3 treatments enhanced the grain yield owing to improved filled grain percentage and regulation in antioxidant enzyme activities. On the other hand, L2 and L3 reduced the 2AP content in grains by decreasing pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid content and modulating proline and γ-aminobutyric acid content. Overall, this study revealed that light quality substantially affects the grain yield and quality characters of fragrant rice.

Urea electrolysis has received great attention for the energy-relevant applications, and efficient nanostructured catalysts are required to overcome the sluggish urea oxidation kinetics. Herein, we noticed that the valence state of Ni in the hybrid Ni/Co oxide nanorods can be correlated to the catalytic capability for urea oxidation. Crystal lattice hybridization was found in the interface of Ni/Co oxide nanoparticles that assembled as a nanorod bundle structure. The more or the less of Ni2+/Ni3+ generated lower catalytic ability, and Ni/Co oxide with the optimum content of Ni2+/Ni3+ exhibited the highest catalytic ability for urea oxidation because of the efficient synergism, resulting from the formation of high valence state of Ni species and improved kinetics. A low onset potential of 1.29 V was required for the urea oxidation compared with the high onset potential of 1.52 V for water oxidation; high selectivity for urea oxidation was found in the potential below 1.50 V, and as a promising application for urea-assisted water electrolysis about 190 mV less was required to provide 10 mA cm-2 in the two-electrode system, indicating the energy-efficient nature for hydrogen evolution. The study provides some novel insights into the Ni/Co catalyst design and fabrication with efficient catalytic synergism for electrocatalysis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the optimum time for γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) application to improve the yield and quality in fragrant rice. Pot and field experiments were conducted during 2016–17 with two fragrant rice cultivars (for pot experiment), and five fragrant rice cultivars (for field experiment) which were applied with five GABA levels i.e. no GABA application (CK), application of GABA at 250 mg l−1 with 25 ml pot−1 at tillering stage (S1), panicle initiation stage (S2), heading stage (S3), and at tillering, panicle initiation and heading stages (S4) in the pot experiment. Similarly, the same treatments with 100 ml m−2 were applied to all rice cultivars in the field experiment. The S3 treatment significantly increased the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) contents in Meixiangzhan2 (14.76%) and Yuxiangyouzhan (20.19%) in pot experiment, Meixiangzhan2 (27.27%), Yuxiangyouzhan (40.24%), Basmati (43.07%) and Yungengyou14 (13.66%) in field experiment owing to regulations in the contents of proline, Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylic acid (P5C), GABA and the activities of enzymes involved in 2AP formation. The GABA treatments improved yield and modulated the antioxidant enzyme activities. This study provides a reference for the GABA application to improve yield and quality in fragrant rice.

Hydrate generation promotion and kinetic models are key issues in the hydrate utilization technology. The formation kinetics of CO2 hydrates in a graphene oxide (GO) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) compounding accelerator system was studied experimentally, and the influences of different concentrations on the hydrate formation time and gas consumption were revealed. The results show that with the combination of GO and SDS, the formation rate of CO2 hydrates was accelerated, the induction time and generation time were shortened, and the gas consumption increased. The optimal compounding concentration was 0.005% GO and 0.2% SDS. Compared with the observations for pure water and a single 0.005% GO system, the hydrate formation time was shortened by 69.7% and 12.2%, respectively, and the gas consumption increased by 11.24% and 3.2%. A chemical affinity model of CO2 hydrate formation was established for this system. The effects of the GO and SDS compound ratio, temperature and pressure on the chemical affinity model parameters were studied from the model point of view. On using Matlab to program the model and compare it with the experimental results, very good agreement was achieved. Through research, the chemical affinity model can accurately predict the formation of hydrates in complex systems.

The 2‐acetyl‐1‐pyrroline (2AP) is a key aroma compound in fragrant rice. The present study assessed the γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and nitrogen (N) application induced regulations in the biochemical basis of rice aroma formation. Four N levels, that is, 0, 0.87, 1.75, and 2.61 g/pot, and two GABA treatments, that is, 0 mg/L (GABA0) and 250 mg/L (GABA250), were applied to three fragrant rice cultivars, that is, Yuxiangyouzhan, Yungengyou 14, and Basmati‐385. Results showed that GABA250 increased 2AP, Na, Mn, Zn, and Fe contents by 8.44%, 10.95%, 25.70%, 11.14%, and 43.30%, respectively, under N treatments across cultivars. The GABA250 further enhanced the activities of proline dehydrogenase (PDH), ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) (both at 15 days after heading (d AH), and diamine oxidase (DAO) (at maturity) by 20.36%, 11.24%, and 17.71%, respectively. Significant interaction between GABA and N for Mn, Zn, and Fe contents in grains, proline content in leaves, GABA content in leaves at 15 d AH and maturity stage (MS), Δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylic acid (P5C) contents in leaves at 15 d AH, and Δ1‐pyrroline‐5‐carboxylate synthase (P5CS), PDH, and OAT activities in leaves at MS was noted. Moreover, the 2AP contents in grains at MS showed a significant and positive correlation with the proline contents in the leaves at 15d AH. In conclusion, GABA250 enhanced the 2AP, Na, Mn, Zn, and Fe contents, as well as the enzyme activities involved in 2AP biosynthesis. Exogenous GABA and N application improved the 2AP contents and nutrient uptake in fragrant rice.

The influences of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and nitrogen on grain yield, yield-related traits, plant growth, grain–leaf ratio and NSC contents in different fragrant rice genotypes are not fully understood. A pot experiment was conducted with four nitrogen rates, i.e. 0, 0.87, 1.75, and 2.61 g pot−1, two GABA levels, i.e. 0 and 250 mg L−1, and three fragrant rice cultivars, i.e. Yuxiangyouzhan, Yungengyou 14 and Basmati. Results depicted that GABA treatment significantly increased the mean grain yield by 11.84% as a consequence of the increment of grain weight, spikelet per pot, grain weight per leaf area, stem sheath dry weight at HS, panicle dry weight at HS, panicle dry weight at MS and total dry weight at MS. Besides, significant effects of nitrogen and cultivar on yield and yield-related traits and some rice growth parameters were observed. Moreover, significant positive correlation relationships between yield and panicle number per pot, leaf area and dry weight for all the cultivars were observed. GABA application could alleviate the effects of nitrogen on grain yield in fragrant rice. These results suggest that GABA is feasible to increase grain yield and improve rice plant growth for fragrant rice varieties grown under different nitrogen conditions.

Water (W) and nitrogen (N) have pronounced effects on 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) contents and nutrient acquisition in fragrant rice. Field experiments were conducted during the early (March–July) and the late (July–November) seasons of 2013. Two water regimes i.e., W0 (well-watered, soil water potential was 0 kPa) and W1 (soil water potential was −25± 5 kPa) and two nitrogen levels i.e., N0 (0 kg N/ha) and N1 (60 kg N/ha (applied in addition to basal dose) were applied to two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., ‘Nongxiang 18’ and ‘Basmati 385’ at booting stage. All treatments were applied with 90–90-195 kg N–P–K ha−1 as basal fertilizer and at five days after transplanting, more N was added at 30 kg/ha. Results showed that the interactive effects of W and N influenced 2AP content in grains of both aromatic rice cultivars in both seasons. Compared to W1N0, the 2AP contents of ‘Nongxiang 18’ and ‘Basmati 385'were increased by 37.74% and 55.78% as well as 68.35% and 47.10% at W1N1 for early and late season, respectively. Moreover, W1N1 increased total nitrogen contents in leaves and total potassium contents in leaves and stem sheath of both rice cultivars, whereas, grain 2AP contents were significantly related to the total N and N/P ratio in leaves.

The Z-scheme overall solar water splitting is a mimic of natural photosynthesis to convert solar energy into chemical energy. Since the energy levels of most organic semiconductors match well with the hydrogen evolution potential, they have great application prospects as photocathodes in Z-scheme photoelectrochemical systems. However, due to the weak light absorption and difficult carriers separation, the photocurrent density and onset potential of organic photocathodes are still low. To solve these problems, we introduced copper nanosheets array (Cu NSA) framework under the organic layers to increase the surface reaction sites, improve the light absorption and enhance the distribution range of built-in electric field simultaneously. As a result, the photocurrent density and onset potential of poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid (P3HT:PCBM) photocathode were enhanced significantly. The onset potential increased by 50 mV to 0.65 V vs. RHE, and the photocurrent density reached -1 mA cm-2 at 0 V vs. RHE, which was 18 times that of the sample without Cu NSA. The optimized photocathode was connected with titanium dioxide nanorods array photoanode in a tandem manner to realize the spontaneous overall water splitting. Without bias and cocatalyst, the photocurrent density was maintained at 110 μA cm-2 and the solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency was 0.14% in neutral solution. These results provide a feasible method for optimizing the performance of organic photocathode.

The effect of the light quality on 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) during the grain filling period in fragrant rice has rarely been investigated. A pot experiment was carried out with two fragrant rice varieties, Xiangyaxiangzhan and Yuxiangyouzhan, grown under three light treatments, 100% red light (L1), 100% blue light (L2), and compound light (L3), during the grain filling period, and natural light was taken as the control (CK). The yield, quality, and fragrance were investigated. The results showed that light quality treatments significantly decreased the 2AP content in mature grains by 16.67–32.82% but improved the grain yield by 2.70–21.41% compared to CK. The regulation effects of light quality treatments on grain yield and 2AP are linked to yield-related traits, biomass accumulation, antioxidant physiology, and 2AP formation-related physiology. Additionally, light quality treatments decreased the chalky rice percentage and chalkiness, and increased the length-to-width ratio. Overall, light quality treatments during the grain filling period had a positive effect on the grain yield but not on fragrance in fragrant rice.

Mechanical pot-seedling transplanting (PST) is an efficient transplanting method and deep nitrogen fertilization has the advantage of increasing nitrogen use efficiency. However, little information is available about the effect of PST when coupled with mechanized deep nitrogen (N) fertilization on grain yield, nitrogen use efficiency, and antioxidant enzyme activities in rice. A two-year field experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of PST coupled with deep N fertilization in both early seasons (March–July) of 2018 and 2019. All seedlings were transplanted by PST and three treatments were designed as follows. There was a mechanized deep placement of all fertilizer (MAF), broadcasting fertilizer (BF), no fertilizer (N0). MAF significantly increased grain yield by 52.7%. Total nitrogen accumulation (TNA) was enhanced by 27.7%, nitrogen partial factor productivity (NPFP) was enhanced by 51.4%. nitrogen recovery efficiency (NRE) by 123.7%, and nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE) was enhanced by 104.3%, compared with BF treatment. Moreover, MAF significantly improved peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), and notably reduced the malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content for both rice cultivars, compared to BF. Hence, the result shows that mechanical pot-seedling transplanting coupled with nitrogen deep placement is an efficient method with the increase of grain yield and nitrogen use efficiency in rice cultivation in South China.

Atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration increases are a serious problem impacting global climate. Mitigation of agricultural GHG production is crucial as fertilized soils contribute substantially to changes in GHG atmospheric composition. Biochar derived from agricultural or forestry biowaste has been widely used in agriculture and may help mitigate GHG emissions. While different kinds of biochar and their effects on GHG emissions have been studied, feedstock particle size may interact with pyrolysis temperature to impact biochar effects on GHG emissions, but this has not been investigated. Here, feedstock particle size effects on biochar characteristics and soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were studied using Camellia oleifera fruit shell feedstock with three particle size fractions (0.5–2, 2–5, and 5–10 mm) each pyrolyzed at 300, 450, and 600 °C. Results showed that dissolved organic carbon in biochar increased with particle size when pyrolyzed at 300 °C, but decreased with pyrolysis temperature. The 0.5–2 mm shell-derived biochar was associated with the lowest N2O and CO2 emission rates but the highest net nitrogen mineralization rates compared to 2–5 mm and 5–10 mm shell-derived biochar when pyrolyzed at 300 °C. Overall, shell particle size was more important for soil processes at lower pyrolysis temperatures with less variation among particle sizes at higher pyrolysis temperatures. The results indicated that feedstock particle size may interact with pyrolysis temperature and impact mitigation of soil N2O and CO2 emissions.

Greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils contribute substantially to global atmospheric composition. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one important greenhouse gas induces global warming. Nitrification inhibitors (NI) or biochar can be effective soil N2O emission mitigation strategies for agricultural soils. However, due to differences in crop physiological traits or agricultural management, the effectiveness of mitigation strategies varies among agricultural systems. Camellia oleifera is a woody oil plant widely grown and requires intensive N input, which will potentially increase N2O emissions. Thereby, mitigation of N2O emissions from C. oleifera field soil is vital for sustainable C. oleifera development. Besides NI, incorporation of C. oleifera fruit shell-derived biochar into its soil will benefit waste management and simultaneous mitigation of N2O emissions but this has not been investigated. Here, we conducted two studies to examine effects of biochar addition and NI (dicyandiamide, DCD) application on N2O emissions from C. oleifera field soil with different N (urea or NH4NO3) and incubation temperatures. Biochar effects on nitrification rates varied among N treatments. Biochar applied in combination with DCD further reduced nitrification rates (for urea treatment, decreased from 1.1 to 0.3 mg kg−1 day−1). Biochar addition consistently increased soil N2O emissions (for urea treatment, increased from 0.03 to 0.08 ng g−1 h−1) and their temperature sensitivity. DCD application reduced soil N2O emissions with greater reductions with urea application. In future cultivation of intensively managed C. oleifera gardens, NI should be applied to mitigate N2O emissions if biochar is added, especially when urea is used.

The removal of Ni (II), Cu (II), Zn (II), and Co (II) ions from simulated aqueous solutions using calcium silicate powder (CSP), a new by-product derived from the production of alumina from coal ash, has been studied. CSP showed high efficiency for the removal of these metal ions. The maximum adsorptions were 420.17, 680.93, 251.89, and 235.29 mg/g for Ni (II), Cu (II), Zn (II), and Co (II), respectively. Total (100%) removal of Ni (II) was obtained when the initial concentration was 100 mg/L, indicating that CSP was highly effective even at an extremely low concentration. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics have been studied using different models. It has been found that the adsorption isotherms can best be described on the basis of the Langmuir model, with the kinetics of adsorption following a pseudo-second-order reaction process. The calcium ion concentration was examined before and after adsorption to investigate the mechanism of removal of the heavy metal ions. It was found that the removal of heavy metal ions is mainly achieved through ion-exchange, combined with some adsorption.

The effects of tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) and graphite nanoparticles (GN) on phase equilibrium curves, gas consumption, induction time, and ratio of water to hydrate conversion were investigated in this work. Aqueous solutions of the mixture of TBAB and GN with three concentrations of 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1% were tested in a stirred reactor. The graphite nanoparticles with a concentration of 0.08% showed the highest hydrate formation rate, revealing that 0.08% is the optimal concentration for the hydrate formation in this study. Comparing the induction time of the pure TBAB system with that of various concentrations of GN, a decrease by 16.6% of induction time at 0.08% GN concentration was observed, while the value decreased by 31.62% at a GN concentration of 0.1%. The final water to hydrate conversion reached the maximum value of 50.75% at a GN concentration of 0.08%. The concentration effect of graphite nanoparticles on the phase equilibrium curve in the presence of TBAB was also studie...

Low temperature combustion using gasoline-like fuels has the potential to pro-vide high efficiencies and extremely low NOx and soot emissions. In this study, different volume percentages (30%~70%) of iso-octane, toluene, and n-butanol are blended with n-heptane separately. These blends with different composition ratios are tested on a modified single-cylinder research engine. Also, simulations are performed using a homogeneous reactor method to know the fuel-chemical effects on particulate matter emissions. Thirdly, a composition ratio of 70% is se-lected to perform further experiments based on the results from the initial compo-sition ratio experiments with a focus on the particle size distributions. It was found that if the test fuel can provide sufficient ignition delay to allow fuel to premix with air fully, the soot emissions will be low and particle size is small even if the test fuel contains a lot of aromatic compounds.

This article shows a new strategy for the fabrication of nanofluidics based on nanoscale gaps in nanopillar arrays. Silicon nanopillar arrays are prepared in a designed position by combining conventional photolithography with colloidal lithography. The nanogaps between the pillars are used as nanochannels for the connection of two polydimethylsiloxane-based microchannels in microfluidics. The gap between neighbouring nanopillars can be accurately controlled by changing the size of initial colloidal spheres and by an etching process, which further determines the dimensions of the nanochannels. At a low ionic strength, the surface charge-governed ion transportation shows that the nanochannels possess the same electrokinetic properties as typical nanofluidics. Benefiting from the advantage of photolithography, large-area nanochannel arrays can be prepared in a parallel manner. Due to the perm-selectivity of the nanochannels, the nanofluidic chips can be used to preconcentrate low concentration samples. The large-area ordered nanostructures preserve their high-throughput property and large surface-to-volume ratio, which shows their great potential in the development of nanofluidics and their applications, such as in the separation of small molecules, energy conversion, etc.

Catalytic activity improvement by Pd-based catalyst for methanol oxidation is significant to the development of alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. Herein, we demonstrate the performance of methanol oxidation on Pd catalyst could be greatly increased by Y 2 O 3 . The promotion effect is discussed with the help of physical and electrochemical characterization techniques by comparing with a home-made Pd/C catalyst in the identical condition. The presence of Y 2 O 3 in the system is well confirmed by the characteristic peaks indicated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS); and a strong electronic effect between the Pd and Y 2 O 3 is reflected by an evident shift of binding energy to the lower direction as shown in the XPS spectrum. The catalytic activity expressed by current density reveled by cyclic voltammetry is about 145 mA cm −2 , 1.5 times higher than that of the reference catalyst; current retaining ability of 5 times higher than that of the reference catalyst is revealed by Chronoamperometry. Higher catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation is discussed due to the relatively well dispersed Pd particle size, increased electroactive surface area and the synergistic interaction of Pd and Y 2 O 3 . The work demonstrates the hybrid Pd Y 2 O 3 /C as a newly effective catalyst for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells.

Bacteria play determining roles in forest soil environment and contribute to essential functions in the cycling of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Understanding the effects of different fertilizer applications, especially successive fertilization, on soil properties and bacterial community could reveal the impacts of fertilization on forest soil ecology and shed light on the nutrient cycling in forest system. This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of successive mineral N (NH4NO3) and P (NaH2PO4) fertilization at different rates, alone or together, on soil bacterial biomass and communities at 0–5, 5–10, and 10–20 cm. Compared with the control, N fertilization decreased soil pH, but P alone or with N fertilization had negligibly negative impacts on soil pH. Different mineral fertilizer applications, alone or together, showed no significant effects on soil organic matter contents, relative to the control treatment. Bacterial biomass remained stable to different fertilizations but decreased with sampling depths. Sole N or P fertilization, rather than combined fertilizations, significantly changed soil bacterial community structures. Our results demonstrated that mineral N or P fertilization alone significantly affected bacterial community structures rather than biomass in the plantation soils. • Impacts of successive mineral fertilization on soil bacteria were determined. • Mineral fertilization showed negligible impacts on bacterial biomass. • N additions stimulated Chloroflexi relative abundances. • Mineral N or P fertilization significantly altered bacterial community structure.

Nano-polydopamine-graphene oxide-TiO2 (nano-PDA@GO-TiO2) composites were prepared by dopamine modified graphene oxide (GO) and loaded nano-TiO2 on the surface of GO. The structure and morphology of nano-PDA@GO-TiO2 composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) Results demonstrate that the introduction of dopamine to functionalize the GO could self-polymerize polydopamine (PDA) on the surfaces of the GO and endow abundant chemical groups reduce the GO. The interaction between the GO and nano-TiO2 particles could prevent graphene nanosheets from restacking and nano-TiO2 particles from agglomeration. Nano-PDA@GO-TiO2 composite material was used as the nano-filler, and nano-PDA@GO-TiO2 composites waterborne epoxy resin coatings (PGT/WEP) were prepared by dispersing a different content of nano-PDA@GO-TiO2 composites into waterborne epoxy resin with the help of ultrasonic dispersion and mechanical agitation. The physical properties of PGT/WEP coatings, such as hardness, impact resistance, and adhesion, were tested and the electrochemical performance was evaluated. The results show that dispersing 2% nano-PDA@GO-TiO2 composites in waterborne epoxy resin could significantly improve the physical properties and corrosion resistance of waterborne epoxy resin coating when compared with pure waterborne epoxy coating.

Temperature is one of the critical factors affecting rice growth and yield production. This study investigated the effects of rhizosphere temperature at the tillering stage on the growth, physiological parameters and gas exchange attributes of two rice cultivars, i.e., the super rice cultivar Yuxiangyouzhan and the non-super rice cultivar Xiangyaxiangzhan, under hydroponic conditions. Three rhizosphere temperature treatments, i.e., a low-rhizosphere-temperature treatment (LT, nutrient solution at 17.5 ± 1.5 °C), an ambient-temperature treatment (AT, nutrient solution at 27.5 ± 1.5 °C), and a high-rhizosphere-temperature treatment (HT, nutrient solution at 37.5 ± 1.5 °C), were applied in this study. The results showed significant differences in most of the rice growth and physiological and gas exchange parameters as a result of cultivar and rhizosphere temperature as well as their interaction. In addition, the marked reduction in total dry weight was positively correlated with a notable reduction in plant morphological parameters, such as the fresh and dry weight of the leaves and stem sheaths, and changes in gas exchange parameters. Moreover, antioxidant reactions were active in response to high and low rhizosphere temperatures, which varied in different plant tissues. These results suggested that the super and non-super rice were sensitive to high and low rhizosphere temperatures, respectively.

The oncogenic transcription factor forkhead box M (Foxm) is overexpressed in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Targeting the protein interaction with its cognate DNA has been established as an attractive approach to anti-CRC chemotherapy. State-of-the-art molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that the Foxm adopts considerably different conformations to interact with and without its DNA partner; the holo conformation is tightly packed as a typical globulin configuration, whereas the apo form is locally unstructured that exhibits intrinsic disorder in DNA recognition helix, indicating that DNA binding can help the Foxm refolding. With this finding, the MD equilibrium structure of DNA-free Foxm was utilized to perform molecular docking virtual screening against a natural organic compound library. Consequently, six hit compounds were identified as potential small-molecule mediators of Foxm-DNA interaction; their binding affinities (KD) to Foxm DNA-binding domain were then determined to range between 3.8 and 230μM by using isothermal titration calorimetry. These compounds were suggested to recognize and stabilize the apo conformation of Foxm, thus shifting the binding reaction equilibrium of Foxm from DNA-bound to DNA-free states to disrupt the formation of Foxm-DNA adduct.

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) modified epoxy resin with identical mass fraction of filler display varied thermal conductivities in previous reports, leading to the absence of an unified standard to judge the ability of RGO acting as a thermal conductive filler. We have found that the distinction in residual amount of surface functional groups of the RGO is one of the root causes for this phenomenon. In this study, we further explore the influence on thermal conductivity of the resulting composite from the average size and thickness of the adopted RGO. Appropriate morphology of the filler is beneficial for obtaining high thermal performance (2950% higher than that of the pristine organics after adding 20 wt% RGO), and the reasonable explanation is proposed after analyzing the sources of thermal resistance of the as-prepared composites. Moreover, the thermal performance stability of the samples under high temperature is further optimized, lesser functional groups, smaller average size and thinner layer of the RGO sheets bring about higher stability of the thermal performance because the decrease of Kapitza boundary scattering becomes more evidently with the increased temperature. The mechanical performances of the resulting composites maintain a high level, simultaneously. This work contributes to the further practical application of the RGO assisted thermal interface materials in the microelectronic area.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most-frequently diagnosed cancer in men. Cabazitaxel was approved for the treatment of patients with hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen.In this study, bombesin (BN), a ligand reported to specifically target GRP overexpressing prostate tumor, was applied for the construction of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs), and used for the targeted delivery of cabazitaxel (CAB) to prostate cancer.BN-polyethylene glycol-1,2-Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (BN-PEG-DSPE) was synthesized. CAB loaded, BN-PEG-DSPE contained LPNs (BN-CAB-LPNs) were prepared. Their particle size, zeta potential and drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) were evaluated. In vitro cytotoxicity study of BN-CAB-LPNs was tested in LNCaP human prostatic cancer cell line (LNCaP cells). In vivo anti-tumor efficacy of the carriers was evaluated on mice bearing prostate cancer model.The optimum BN-CAB-LPNs formulations had a particle size of 184.9 nm and a 26.5 mV positive surface charge. The growth of LNCaP cells in vitro was obviously inhibited. BN-CAB-LPNs also displayed better anti-tumor activity than the other formulations in vivo.The results demonstrated that BN-CAB-LPNs can sufficiently deliver CAB to the cancer cells and enhance the anti-tumor capacity. Thus, BN-CAB-LPNs can be proved to be a superior nanomedicine which can achieve better therapeutic efficacy of prostate tumor.

The sluggish kinetics of urea electro-oxidation seriously limits its application in hydrogen production and wastewater treatment. Herein, we demonstrated an easy freeze-drying/annealing approach induced phase structure tuning of graphene supported Ni-NiO nanoparticles system for efficiently boosting urea oxidation performance. The annealing temperature was found significant to influence the Ni precursors decomposition, crystal structure formation and catalytic performance for urea oxidation. By increasing the temperature from 350 °C to 550 °C, more metallic Ni was formed in the Ni-NiO system, and because of the efficient Ni-NiO synergistic effect and conductivity improvement, the sample obtained at 450 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity and stability for urea oxidation. Specifically, the current density at 0.5 V was 38.24 mA cm−2, about 5.6 and 30 times of the control sample of graphene supported NiO and Ni respectively. Efficient kinetics and rapid charge transfer-ability were also found for urea oxidation by a series of electro-kinetics analysis. The current work showed an easy way for Ni-based catalyst structure tuning with enhanced kinetics for urea oxidation, which is helpful for the sustainable utilization of urea molecular in electrochemical energy.

The sluggish kinetics of urea elecroooxidation restricts the application of the electrochemical approach in dealing with urea-rich wastewater. Herein, urea-assisted water electrolysis was demonstrated efficiently on the catalyst system of iron oxide promoted nickel/nickel oxide rough nanorods. With the help of a series of physical characterization and electrochemical measurements, the content of iron oxide in the system was found to largely influence the crystal structure, roughness and electrochemically active surface area as well as the electrochemical mechanism. The sample with the Fe/Ni ratio of 0.5:1 showed the best water and urea oxidation catalytic performance because of the largest surface area and rapid charge transfer rate and efficient kinetics in the rate-determining step. As a urea-assisted water electrolysis catalyst, the current density can reach 30 mA cm−2 at 1.45 V, about 20 times higher than that of pure water oxidation; the cell voltage as low as 1.49 V can afford 10 mA cm−2 for urea electrolysis, about 120 mV lower than that of pure water electrolysis in the two-electrode catalytic systems. Considering the low price of Ni and Fe and anti-corrosion ability in the electrolyte, the current work is instructive for the efficient catalyst fabrication and urea-containing wastewater purifying.

Biochar could mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, especially nitrous oxide (N2O). Effects of interactions between different biochar and water content on N2O emissions from rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddy soils have not been thoroughly understood. We evaluated effects of different biochar (derived from Camellia oleifera fruit shell, FS; spent mushroom substrate made of Camellia oleifera fruit shell, MS; rice straw, RS; at the rate of 40 g kg−1) and water contents (70% and 120% water holding capacity, WHC) on N2O emissions from rice paddy soil fertilized with nitrogen (N, 0.2 g kg−1), and examined microbial functional genes associated with N2O emissions to understand the underlining mechanisms. The results showed that RS biochar was higher in pH, available N, dissolved organic N, and decreased more N2O emissions from soils with N and 120% WHC treatment relative to MS and FS biochar (by 363% and 200%, respectively). Although RS biochar potentially increased the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea amoA gene (AOA), changes in functional gene abundance did not concur with decreases in N2O emissions. Instead of changes in microbial communities, the relatively higher pH as well as lower available N and dissolved organic C and N of RS biochar could have contributed to the decrease in N2O emissions compared with MS and FS biochar. Thereby, the in situ application of rice straw via biochar could be considered in the mitigation of N2O emissions from fertilized rice paddy soil instead of biochar derived from ex situ feedstock.

Nitrate reductase is a nitric oxide (NO) induced enzyme in plants, NO acts as a signaling molecule under ZnO NPs-induced stress whereas melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) could improve morpho-physiological attributes of plants under adverse conditions. In present study, seedlings of two rice genotypes differed regarding nitrate reductase activities i.e., transgenic ‘NR’ and wild type ‘WT’ were applied with two melatonin levels i.e., 0, 10 μΜ regarded as M0, M10, respectively and three levels of ZnO NPs i.e., 0, 50, 500 mg L−1 regarded as ZnO NPs0, ZnO NPs50 and ZnO NPs500, respectively. Results revealed that melatonin application substantially increased the dry biomass accumulation of both rice genotypes under all ZnO NPs levels. The root growth, mineral absorption as well as the antioxidant responses were also improved by melatonin application under ZnO NPs stress. The interactive effects of melatonin and genotype on plant growth, antioxidant responses and mineral contents i.e., Zn, Na, Fe and Mn were also found significant under different ZnO NPs stress. Furthermore, total plant dry weight was significantly correlated with the leaf dry weight, root volume, catalase (CAT) activity in leaves, Na accumulation in stem sheath and Fe accumulation in root under both M0 and M10 treatments. Moreover, the comparative transcriptome analysis identified key genes which were responsible for melatonin and NO-induced modulations in plant growth under ZnO NPs stress. Overall, melatonin could improve the morphological growth of the rice plants by modulating root-shoot characteristics, antioxidant activities and mineral uptake in root and shoot of rice.

Fragrant rice is a high-valued quality rice type which is gaining much popularity over the globe due to its better cooking qualities and special aromatic characteristics. Selenium (Se) and silicon (Si) could improve the growth and yield of rice; however, the combine effects of Se and Si (Se-Si treatments) on rice grain quality, aroma and lodging in fragrant rice were rarely investigated. The pot and field experiments were conducted with two fragrant rice cultivars i.e., Xiangyaxiangzhan and Yuxiangyouzhan, grown under three Se levels i.e., 0, 120, and 240 mg kg−1 of soil (for pot experiment) and 0, 300, and 600 kg ha−1 (for field experiment) regarded as LSe, MSe and HSe, respectively and two Si levels i.e., 0 and 60 mg kg−1 of soil (for pot experiment) and 0 and 150 kg ha−1 (for field experiment) regarded as -Si and +Si, respectively. Results depicted that the Se-Si treatments regulated head rice yield, grain yield and yield related traits and the HSe+Si treatment sustainably improved the grain yield and head rice yield by regulating plant growth, antioxidant response and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in fragrant rice. The Se-Si treatments also improved the grain 2AP contents owing to regulation in the proline, pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) contents. Besides, Se-Si treatments also regulated the grain quality attributes and influenced the plant Se contents. Moreover, the Si mitigated Se-induced lodging resulted from changes in the lodging parameters i.e., lodging index, fresh weight per tiller, pushing resistance force, plant height and bending moment. Overall, the Se and Si application improved the grain yield and regulated the dry weight accumulation, antioxidant attributes and quality attributes. Meanwhile, the Si application mitigated the negative effect of Se-induced lodging in fragrant rice.

Two dimensional nanomaterials including graphene, hexagonal boron-nitride, molybdenum disulfide, etc., provide immense potentials for separation applications. However, the tradeoff between selectivity and permeability in choosing 2D nanomaterial-based membrane is inevitable, limiting the progress on separation efficiency for mass industrial applications. To target these issues, versatile strategies such as the rational design of predefined interlayer channels, membrane nanopores, and reasonable functionalization, as well as new mechanisms have been emerged. In this review, we introduce the recent progress on separation mechanisms of 2D nanomaterial-based membranes with different structures (including the interlayer channels type and the membrane nanopores type) and their inner surface functionalization. Moreover, the interface designs are discussed, in terms of employing dynamic liquid-liquid/liquid-gas interfaces, to advance the selectivity and permeability of the membranes. We further discuss the variety of separation applications based on 2D nanomaterial-based membranes. The authors hope this review will inspire the active interest of many scientists in the area of the development and application of membrane science.

The main difficulties in applying technologies based on hydrate formation are the slow hydrate formation rate, low storage capacity, severe formation conditions and environmentally devastating promoters. Nano-sized graphene oxide has special microstructure features such as its functional groups and a large specific surface area, which can lead to high heat and mass transfer efficiency, large gas dissolution, fast nucleation and formation rate. In this work, CO2 hydrate formation with and without graphene oxide nanoparticles was investigated. Herein, the promoting mechanism and effects of graphene oxide concentrations in different initial pressures ranging from 3 to 5 MPa at 279 K on CO2 hydrate formation process were studied experimentally. The experimental results showed that graphene oxide can shorten the induction time by 53&ndash, 74.3% and increase the gas consumption up to 5.1&ndash, 15.9% under different system pressures. Based on the results, the optimum concentration was ascertained as 50 ppm under which condition, the induction time and the reaction time were the shortest while the pressure drop and the gas consumption reached the maximum.

We demonstrate a facile method combining colloidal lithography, selective ion-exchange, and the in situ reduction of Ag ions (Ag+) for the fabrication of multi-segmented barcode nanorods. First, polymer multilayer films were prepared by spin-coating alternating thin films of polystyrene and polyacrylic acid (PAA), and then multi-segmented polymer nanorods were fabricated via reactive ion etching with colloidal masks. Second, Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were incorporated into the PAA segments by an ion exchange and the in situ reduction of the Ag+. The selective incorporation of the Ag NPs permitted the modification of the specific bars of the nanorods. Lastly, the Ag NP/polymer composite nanorods were released from the substrate to form suspensions for further coding applications. By increasing the number of segments and changing the length of each segment in the nanorods, the coding capacity of nanorods was improved. More importantly, this method can easily realize the density tuning of Ag NPs in different segments of a single nanorod by varying the composition of the PAA segments. We believe that numerous other coded materials can also be obtained, which introduces new approaches for fabricating barcoded nanomaterials.

In this article, we report the morphology modulation of gold nanoparticle (NP) arrays by polymer-assisted thermal treatment. Simultaneously, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) UV–vis extinction (absorption plus scattering) of gold NP arrays was monitored and analyzed. First, through horizontal lifting, gold NP monolayers were transferred from a water/hexane interface to glass slides. After thin polymer films were spin-coated on the gold NP monolayers, thermal treatment was carried out, which results in apparent color changes in the obtained samples. The color changes could be attributed to the shift of the surface plasmon band (SPB), along with increasing gold NP size and interparticle distance. We found that different polymers show different effects on the modulation of gold NPs’ morphology, accompanied by different shifts of the SPB. Polymers with relatively lower glass transition temperatures (Tg), such as poly(methyl methacrylate), promoted gold NPs to merge into spheres, while polymers with r...

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging is the currently the gold standard for in-vivo detection of myocardial infarction. However, gadolinium contrast administration is contraindicated in patients with renal insufficiency. We aim to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of this contrast-free MRI technique, native T1 mapping, in detecting recent myocardial infarction versus a reference histological gold standard. Ten pigs underwent CMR at 2 weeks after induced MI. The infarct size and transmural extent of MI was calculated using native T1 maps and LGE images. Histological validation was performed using triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining in the corresponding ex-vivo slices. The infarct size and transmural extent of myocardial infarction assessed by T1 mapping correlated well with that assessed by LGE and TTC images. Using TTC staining as the reference, T1 mapping demonstrated underestimation of infarct size and transmural extent of infarction. Additionally, there was a slight but not significant difference found in the diagnostic performance between the native T1 maps and LGE images for the location of MI. Our study shows that native T1 mapping is feasible alternative method to the LGE technique for the assessment of the size, transmural extent, and location of MI in patients who cannot receive gadolinium contrast.

Introduction Chronic complications of diabetes have become the leading cause of death in elderly patients with diabetes. Carotid atherosclerosis, one of the major complications, was evaluated and the effects of atorvastatin on carotid atherosclerosis in very elderly patients with type 2 diabetes were observed. Materials and Methods Patients were divided into three groups: (i) disease course 10 years, and carotid atherosclerosis was evaluated. The very elderly patients were treated with statins, and the effect was observed. Results Carotid intima‐media thickness values, plaque instability and levels of homocysteine, cystatin, and C‐reactive protein in diabetes patients were significantly higher than those in the healthy control group, whereas levels of C‐peptide and estimated glomerular filtration rate in the patients were significantly lower. In patients with type 2 diabetes for >10 years, intima‐media thickness values and plaque instability were obviously higher than those in patients with type 2 diabetes for

The structure of LX7101, a dual LIM-kinase and ROCK inhibitor for the treatment of ocular hypertension and associated glaucoma, is disclosed. Previously reported LIM kinase inhibitors suffered from poor aqueous stability due to solvolysis of the central urea. Replacement of the urea with a hindered amide resulted in aqueous stable compounds, and addition of solubilizing groups resulted in a set of compounds with good properties for topical dosing in the eye and good efficacy in a mouse model of ocular hypertension. LX7101 was selected as a clinical candidate from this group based on superior efficacy in lowering intraocular pressure and a good safety profile. LX7101 completed IND enabling studies and was tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial in glaucoma patients, where it showed efficacy in lowering intraocular pressure.

This paper presents a facile method to fabricate bioinspired polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanocone arrays via colloidal lithography. The aspect ratio (AR) of the nanocones can be finely modulated ranging from 1 to 6 by regulating the etching time. The samples with the AR value of 6 can present underwater superoleophobicity with the underwater oil contact angle (OCA) of 171.8°. The as-prepared PET nanocone arrays perform anti-bioadhesion behavior, which inhibits the formation of the actin cytoskeleton when it used as the substrate for cell culture. Moreover, the oil wettability is temperature controlled after modifying the PET nanocone arrays with PNIPAAm film, and the oil wettability of the functionalized nanocone arrays can be transformed from the superoleophobic state with OCA about 151° to the oleophilic state with OCA about 25° reversibly. Due to the high-throughput, parallel fabrication and cost-efficiency of this method, it will be favourable for researchers to introduce oleophobic properties to various substrate and device surfaces. Due to the superoleophobicity and simple functionalizing properties, the PET nanocone arrays are very promising surfaces for anti-adhesion, self-cleaning and have potential applications in material, medical, and biological fields.

The optimal fuel for partially premixed combustion (PPC) is considered to be a gasoline boiling range fuel with an octane number around 70. Higher octane number fuels are considered problematic with low load and idle conditions. In previous studies mostly the intake air temperature did not exceed 30 °C. Possibly increasing intake air temperatures could extend the load range. In this study primary reference fuels (PRFs), blends of iso-octane and n-heptane, with octane numbers of 70, 80, and 90 are tested in an adapted commercial diesel engine under partially premixed combustion mode to investigate the potential of these higher octane number fuels in low load and idle conditions. During testing combustion phasing and intake air temperature are varied to investigate the combustion and emission characteristics under low load and idle conditions. The results show that PRF70, 80 and 90 present stable combustion when an intake temperature higher than 60 °C is used at low load and idle conditions. The coefficient of variations of the gross indicated mean effective pressure (COVIMEPgross) is below 3% and 4.5% at low load and idle condition respectively, which is well below the 10% limit. PRF90 has positive ignition dwells regardless of combustion phasing and intake temperature for all the measurements, and the oxygen concentration is sufficient at both low load and idle conditions to ensure near zero soot emissions. The difference in ignition delay between PRF 70 and 80 is smaller than that between PRF80 and 90, and PRF70 and 80 display similar emission behavior.

We report the unidirectional wetting behavior of liquids (water and oil) on Janus silicon cylinder arrays (Si-CAs) under various media (air, water, and oil). The Janus cylinders were prepared by chemical modification of nanocylinders with different molecules on two sides. Through adjusting surface energies of the modified molecules, the as-prepared surfaces could control the wetting behavior of different types of liquids under various media. We discuss the regularity systematically and propose a strategy for preparing anisotropic wetting surfaces under arbitrary media. That is, to find two surface modification molecules with different surface energies, one of the molecules is easy to be wetted by the liquid under the corresponding media, while the other one is difficult. Additionally, by introducing thermal-responsive polymer brushes onto one part of Janus Si-CAs, the surfaces show thermal-responsive anisotropic wetting property under various media. We believe that due to the excellent unidirectional wettability under various media, the Janus surfaces could be applied in water/oil transportation, oil-repellent and self-cleaning coatings, water/oil separation, microfluidics, and so on.

We show morphology-patterned stripes modified by thermal-responsive polymer for smartly guiding flow motion of fluid in chips. With a two-step modification process, we fabricated PNIPAAm-modified Si stripes on silicon slides, which were employed as substrates for fluid manipulation in microchannels. When the system temperature switches between above and below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAAm, the wettability of the substrates also switches between strong anisotropy and weak anisotropy, which resulted in anisotropic (even unidirectional) flow and isotropic flow behavior of liquid in microchannels. The thermal-responsive flow motion of fluid in the chip is influenced by the applied pressure, the thickness of PNIPAAm, and dimension of the microchannels. Moreover, we measured the feasible applied pressure scopes under different structure factors. Because of the excellent reversibility and quick switching speed, the chip could be used as a thermal-responsive microvalve. Through tuning the system temperature and adding the assistant gas, we realized successive "valve" function. We believe that the practical and simple chip could be widely utilized in medical detection, immunodetection, protein analysis, and cell cultures.

In this work, the influences of aromatics on combustion and emission characteristics from a heavy-duty diesel engine under various loads and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) conditions are investigated. Tests were performed on a modified single-cylinder, constant-speed and direct-injection diesel engine. An engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS) was used in the experiments to measure the size distribution of engine-exhaust particle emissions in the range from 5.6 to 560 nm. Two ternary blends of n-heptane, iso-octane with either toluene or benzaldehyde denoted as TRF and CRF, were tested, diesel was also tested as a reference. Test results showed that TRF has the longest ignition delay, thus providing the largest premixed fraction which is beneficial to reduce soot. However, as the load increases, higher incylinder pressure and temperature make all test fuels burn easily, leading to shorter ignition delays and more diffusion combustion. For each test fuel, the particulate number concentration in nucleation mode decreased with the increase of EGR rate, while more particles in accumulation mode were generated. Moreover, compared with TRF and CRF, diesel produces the most mass and number concentrations of particulate matter.