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The elucidation of the interaction mechanism between phospholipids and milk proteins within emulsions is pivotal for comprehending the properties of infant formula fat globules. In this study, multispectral methods and molecular docking were employed to explore the relationship between phosphatidylcholine (PC) and whey protein isolate (WPI). Observations indicate that the binding constant, alongside thermodynamic parameters, diminishes as temperature ascends, hinting at a predominantly static quenching mechanism. Predominantly, van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds constitute the core interactions between WPI and PC. This assertion is further substantiated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which verifies PC's influence on WPI's secondary structure. A detailed assessment of thermodynamic parameters coupled with molecular docking reveals that PC predominantly adheres to specific sites within α‐lactalbumin, β‐lactoglobulin, and bovine serum albumin, propelled by a synergy of hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and van der Waals forces, with binding energies noted at −5.59, −6.71, and −7.85 kcal/mol, respectively. An increment in PC concentration is observed to amplify the emulsification properties of WPI whilst concurrently diminishing the zeta potential. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for applying the PC–WPI interaction mechanism in food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel oxyallyl cation promoted semipinacol rearrangement of indole-type allylic alcohols was disclosed for the stereodivergent synthesis of spiro-indolines. A variety of spiro-indolines were obtained with moderate to good yields. Three contiguous stereocenters, two of which are vicinal quaternary centers, were effectively formed with good diastereoselectivity. It is worth noting that two diastereoisomers of rearranged products can be readily achieved by easily regulating the reaction conditions. This method may provide an applicable approach for the synthesis of natural indole alkaloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two sections of the genus Murraya J. Koenig were generic rather than sectional. Murraya s.s. was comprehensively revised based on the molecular phylogeny and morphological data. In addition, systematic relationship about all species of Murraya s.s. and an identification key of species, morphological description, images of useful distinguishing characters from fields and laboratory, were provided. As a result, eight species of Murraya s.s. belonging formerly to M. sect. Murraya are identified and revised except M. alternans. One new combination, Murraya zollingeri (Tanaka) F. J. Mou is proposed here. The lectotype of three names and the neotype of two names were designated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the association between body composition and subsequent risk of the major gynecologic malignancies. Methods: This is a prospective analysis of participants from the UK Biobank. We measured baseline body composition and confirmed cancer diagnosis through linkage to cancer and death registries. We evaluated hazard ratios (HRs) and confidence interval (CIs) with COX models adjusting for potential confounders. Results: We document 1430 cases of the top three gynecologic malignancies (uterine corpus cancer 847 cases, ovarian cancer 514 cases, and cervical cancer 69 cases) from 245,084 female participants (75,307 were premenopausal and 169,777 were postmenopausal). For premenopausal women, whole body fat‐free mass (WBFFM) was associated with an increased risk of uterine corpus cancer (Adjusted HR per unit increase 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.06). For postmenopausal women, compared with the first quartile, the fourth quartile of WBFFM and whole body fat mass(WBFM) was associated with 2.16 (95% CI 1.49–3.13) times and 1.89 (95% CI 1.31–2.72) times of increased uterine corpus cancer risk, respectively. Regarding the distribution of body fat mass (FM)/fat‐free mass (FFM), FFM distributed in the trunk was associate with increased uterine corpus cancer risk in premenopausal (HR 1.18,95% CI 1.07–1.31) and postmenopausal women (HR 1.13,95% CI 1.09–1.18). Meanwhile, FM/FFM distributed in the limbs present an U‐shaped associations with uterine corpus cancer risk. We did not observe any association between aforementioned body composition indices with ovarian or cervical cancer. Conclusion: FM is associated with an increased risk of uterine corpus cancer in postmenopausal women. Meanwhile, FFM is found to be a risk factor for uterine corpus cancer in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. No association of body composition with ovarian or cervical cancer was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In practical applications, due to the complexity of the system, the process equation of the state space model is difficult to match the actual state transition model. In addition, the unreliability of the sensor will cause the measurement to be accompanied by outliers. In this paper, a novel robust Kalman filter with fading factor is proposed to improve the accuracy of state estimation for the linear system under state transition model mismatch and outliers interference. Firstly, in order to modify the state transition model, this filter introduces a fading factor which is modelled as the inverse gamma distribution to update the state prediction covariance. Then, aiming at the phenomenon that the measurement noise does not follow the Gaussian distribution and has nonzero mean characteristics due to outliers interference, the measurement noise is modelled as the generalized hyperbolic skew Student's t distribution. Finally, the state estimation is realized by using the variational Bayesian. The simulation results show that the estimation accuracy of the proposed filter is higher than that of the Kalman filter and the strong tracking filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low magnetic loss ferrite composites consisting of Ba(CoTi)1.2Fe9.6O19 and BiFeO3 (BFO) ferrite were investigated for permeability, permittivity, and high frequency losses at 10 MHz-1 GHz. The phase fraction of BiFeO3 was quantitatively analyzed by X-ray diffraction measurements. An effective medium approach was employed to predict the effective permeability and permittivity for the ferrite composites, which was found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The experiment demonstrated low magnetic losses (<0.128), modified by BFO phase fraction, while retaining high permeability (~10.86) at 300 MHz. More importantly, the BFO phase resulted in a reduction of magnetic loss by 32%, as BFO phase increased from 2.7 vol.% to 12.6 vol. %. The effect of BFO phase on magnetic and dielectric properties revealed great potential for use in the miniaturization of high efficiency antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor with an indolent course. It is less often reported as a second tumor that occurs after treatment of malignant tumors in pediatric patients. Here, we report a case of IMT following Wilms tumor (WT), and conduct a literature review concerning IMTs and WT to evaluate the diagnostic possibility of IMT as a second tumor. The coexistence of the 2 tumors may cause confusion as to whether they share genetic links or that IMTs may appear as late effects of the treatment of WT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports a new class of quadrature feeding network which integrates an asymmetrical phase shifter to obtain the compact size and wideband property simultaneously. By adjusting the impedance of two loading stubs, this asymmetrical phase shifter can realize 90° phase shift, impedance transformation, and phase slope alignment at the same time. Operation principle and design procedure for this introduced quadrature feeding network are provided with synthesis equations and design curves. By using the shape of Archimedes gradual‐change lines, the area of this circuit layout is fully utilized, and the overall size of the proposed feeding network is only 0.050λg2. Compared with a traditional compact design, this technique can effectively enhance the amplitude balance bandwidth by 1.7 times (from 58% to 101%) and phase balance bandwidth by 5.9 times (from 14% to 83%) as well as keep the circuit size nearly unchanged under the same conditions. To verify the design concept, two prototypes of the quadrature feeding networks are designed, fabricated, and tested. Good agreement between the measured and simulated results is achieved and they well reveal the attractive wideband equal amplitudes and 90° phase balance performance for this proposed new compact quadrature feeding network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) has been widely studied as a biodegradable bio‐based packaging material in the food industry. In this study, different whey protein films were obtained through physical, chemical, enzymatic, and composite modifications. The molecular structure, micro‐morphology, mechanical properties, barrier properties, and other characteristics of the films were evaluated. The results illustrated that the thickness of WPC with composite modification increased and the transmittance decreased, but the mechanical properties and barrier properties were more prominent. The WPC film prepared by physical modification combined with transglutaminase has the best film‐forming effect, the tensile strength (TS) was 5.45 MPa, the elongation at break (EAB) was 25.19%, the WVP was 5.53 g·mm/m2·hr·kPa, and the Oxygen permeability (OP) was 1.83 meq/K, and its microstructure was and uniform. In addition, based on the the results of SDS‐PAGE and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the intermolecular and intramolecular interactions of various modification methods on WPC were studied, thus contributing to analyze the properties of the film. This study provides theoretical basis and technical support for the industrial production of protein‐based films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palaeogeographic locations of ancient continental blocks in the Tibetan Plateau, especially of micro-continental blocks during the Neoproterozoic supercontinent cycle, remain enigmatic. To clarify the petrogenesis of Neoproterozoic granitic gneisses and the early evolution of the Amdo micro-continent, we conducted an integrated study of the petrography, geochronology, and geochemistry of biotite monzonitic gneisses from the Precambrian metamorphic basement. The biotite monzonitic gneiss sample yielded a weighted mean zircon U–Pb age of 820 ± 11 Ma, indicating an early Neoproterozoic magmatic event. All gneiss samples show enrichment in light rare-earth elements and depletion in high-field-strength elements in N-MORB-normalized spider diagrams, which suggests that their precursor magma was generated in a subduction-related active continental margin. In addition, these rocks have mostly positive εHf(t) values (−1.0 to 7.0) and corresponding crustal model ages of 1.3 − 1.8 Ga. Zircon Hf isotopes and whole-rock geochemistry indicate that the gneisses were derived from partial melting of juvenile crust material. Recently published age spectra of detrital zircons from different blocks suggest that the Amdo micro-continent had a closer affinity to the Lhasa terrane than to the Qiangtang terrane prior to and during the break-up of the Rodinian supercontinent. However, the gneisses are geochemically distinct from back-arc magmatic rocks in the Lhasa terrane and similar to coeval Andean-type magmatic rocks in blocks that constituted the northwestern margin of Rodinia (including Madagascar, Seychelles, and Malani). This study therefore provides new constraints on the Neoproterozoic palaeogeographic location and evolution of the Amdo micro-continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An effective membrane-modificatied method was established for exosomes to target axon. • TAxI-exos could effectively alleviate the progression of EAE model than UMSC-exos via targeting axon ability. • UMSC-exos down-regulated the proportion of CD86+ CD206+ active microglia rather than facilitating the phenotypic transition from M1 to M2 through TNF-α pathway regulated cell biological process. • TAxI-exos and UMSC-exos mainly reduced the proportion of Th17 cells compared to Th1 cells in cellular immune regulation. • TAxI peptide endowed UMSC-exos with the ability to regulate the levels of IFN-γ and IL-17. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that causes demyelination, neuronal damage and white matter loss, but there is still no known cure. Exosomes are 30–200 nm-sized double-layered membrane vesicles that can easily cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Exosomes from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells（UMSCs） have been found to treat experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) through the action of anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory, but its clinical translation has been hampered by their inefficacious accumulation in CNS. Therefore, we developed a TAxI-exos, also known as a TAxI-peptide-chimeric UMSC-exos, for CNS-specific accumulation and curative effect in EAE. We used the EAE model in vivo as well as active T cell and BV-2 cell models in vitro to explore the efficacy and mechanisms. Exosomes from UMSCs with TAxI or DiR labels were given to EAE mice in one dosage (150 g) prior to the peak at day 15. The mice were sacrificed on day 30 so that spinal cords, spleens, and blood could be taken for analysis of demyelination, inflammation, microglia, T-cell subset proportions, and inflammatory cytokine expression. In vitro, PBMCs and splenocytes isolated from healthy C57BL/6 mice were activated and incubated with 0.15 mg/mL of UMSC-exos or TAxI-exos for immune mechanism investigations. Activated BV-2 cells were used to investigate the targeting and controlling polarization ability and mechanism of UMSC-exos and TAxI-exos. As expected, TAxI-exos exhibited significantly greater therapeutic action in EAE mice than UMSC-exos due to their improved targeting-ability. The medication reduced T-cell subset proportions and inflammation, reduced active-microglia proportions and promoted M1 to M2 microglial cell polarization through TNF pathway, upregulated IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β, and IDO-1 expression, and downregulated IL-2, IL-6, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. The CNS-targeting properties of TAxI-exos and their capacity to inhibit degenerative processes in EAE mice have considerable potential therapeutic value for MS and other CNS illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient transfer hydrogenolysis of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE) was accomplished over Ni 1.5 Cu 1.5 /Al 2 O 3 using isopropanol as hydrogen source. The characterization results demonstrated that the formation of NiCu alloy and electron transfer between Ni and Cu were responsible for the excellent catalytic performance. Isopropanol displayed better hydrogen-donating ability than other low-carbon alcohols because of its unique dehydrogenation pathway and small steric hindrance. The results of isotopic experiments elucidated that active hydrogen species for the C O bond cleavage originated from isopropanol rather than H 2 , while both isopropanol and H 2 were responsible for hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanol when reaction was conducted with mixed hydrogen sources. A mechanism study illustrated that transfer hydrogenolysis of BPE proceeded through direct cleavage of C O bond followed by phenol hydrogenation, in which the active hydrogen species were in the form of H+ and H−. [Display omitted] • Ni 1.5 Cu 1.5 /Al 2 O 3 shows excellent performance in transfer hydrogenolysis of BPE. • Isopropanol exhibits superior hydrogen-donating ability than other alcohols. • Active hydrogen for C O bond cleavage originates from isopropanol instead of H 2. • The active hydrogen species are in the form of H+ and H−. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of main observation and conclusion: High performance ambipolar organic semiconductors are highly desirable for organic logic circuits. Herein, we demonstrate the integration of sodium sulfonate (SS)‐tethered sidechains into a diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based ambipolar polymer (PDPP3T) can simultaneously improve its hole and electron transport performances either parallel or perpendicular to polymer film. Three SS‐functionalized polymers (PDPP3T‐xSS, x = 0.025, 0.05 and 0.10) were synthesized and studied. It was found that SS functionalization can reinforce interchain π‐π interactions, slightly lower frontier orbital energy levels, produce more rod‐like structures in film, and change chain‐packing from edge‐on to face‐on fashion, but has little influence on thermal properties. More interestingly, organic field‐effect transistors reported hole mobility of 0.27 ± 0.066 cm2·V–1·s–1 and electron mobility of 0.038 ± 0.016 cm2·V–1·s–1 for PDPP3T, while increased 2.4 and 5 folds to 0.64 ± 0.087 and 0.19 ± 0.051 cm2·V–1·s–1 for PDPP3T‐0.025SS, respectively. Moreover, PDPP3T‐xSS devices displayed reduced threshold voltages for both hole and electron transports. Meanwhile, space charge‐limited current method found SS functionalization achieved an order of magnitude increase in electron mobility and slight enhancement in hole mobility transporting perpendicular to polymer film. In‐depth investigations suggest such enhancements may originate from the joint actions of chain‐stacking modulation and ionic doping effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new class of wideband phase shifters with very compact size, large phase shift value, low insertion loss (IL), and low cost are presented and developed. The proposed phase shifter consists of $N$ series and shunt resonators, which can achieve the magnitude and phase shift bandwidth of more than 120% thanks to $N$ transmission poles. Besides the wideband property, the proposed phase shifter is able to achieve a small size of nearly 1/10 guided wavelength ($\lambda _{g}$), which has a size reduction of more than 90% as compared with conventional wideband phase shifters on printed circuit board (PCB). Meanwhile, insertion phases for the both series and shunt resonators are zero at their resonant frequencies; thus, the length of reference line can be also greatly reduced. What is more, a detailed synthesis method with closed-form equations is presented and employed to determine all circuit parameters of the proposed phase shifter with the specified in-band return loss (RL), phase shift value $\Delta \Phi $ , and resonator number $N$. To validate the design concept, three design examples of 90° and 180° phase shifters on $N = 3$ and $N = 5$ are synthesized and tested. Theoretical, simulated, and measured results are in a fairly close agreement. In particular, the proposed phase shifters feature very low IL. The measured maximum in-band IL is only 0.38 dB for $N = 3$ ($\Delta \Phi = 90^{\circ }$) and 0.50 dB for $N = 5$ ($\Delta \Phi = 180^{\circ }$). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myosin X (Myo X) transports cargos to the tips of filopodia for cell adhesion, migration, and neuronal axon guidance. Deleted in Colorectal Cancer (DCC) is one of the Myo X cargos that is essential for Netrin-1-regulated axon pathfinding. The function of Myo X in axon development in vivo and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we provide evidence for the role of Myo X in Netrin-1-DCC-regulated axon development in developing mouse neocortex. The knockout (KO) or knockdown (KD) of Myo X in cortical neurons of embryonic mouse brain impairs axon initiation and contralateral branching/targeting. Similar axon deficits are detected in Netrin-1-KO or DCC-KD cortical neurons. Further proteomic analysis of Myo X binding proteins identifies KIF13B (a kinesin family motor protein). The Myo X interaction with KIF13B is induced by Netrin-1. Netrin-1 promotes anterograde transportation of Myo X into axons in a KIF13B-dependent manner. KIF13B-KD cortical neurons exhibit similar axon deficits. Together, these results reveal Myo X-KIF13B as a critical pathway for Netrin-1- promoted axon initiation and branching/targeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To present the clinicopathological characteristics and outcome of children with bladder and ureteral inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) in our center.Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients with bladder and ureteral IMTs from 2010 to 2018. We recorded patients' demographic data, presentation, hemoglobin level, presence of hydronephrosis, tumor size, treatment, and outcomes.Results: Eight patients with bladder IMTs and 3 with ureteral IMTs were treated at our center during this period. The mean age was 7.1 years. Four patients presented with anemia at diagnosis with the mean hemoglobin level 84.5 g/L. Among patients with bladder IMTs, 5 were male and 3 were female. The most common symptom was lower urinary symptoms in 6 patients, followed by hematuria in 4 patients. 2 patients had complications of hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Among patients with ureteral IMTs, 2 were male and one was female. The most common symptom was abdominal pain, and 3 patients presented with upper urinary tract dilation. All patients underwent surgery. A total of 81.8% were positive for anaplastic lymphoma kinase. Cytokeratin (CK) expression was present in all patients with bladder IMTs, while it was negative in 2 patients with ureteral IMTs. During mean follow-up of 43.4 months, all patients survived event-free.Conclusion: The presence of hydronephrosis and hydroureter is rare in patients with bladder IMTs. Anemia caused by hematuria should be raised the index of suspicion for IMTs. Children with bladder and ureteral IMTs had excellent prognosis. The expression pattern of CK varied between bladder and ureteral IMTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Glial cell activation contributes to the inflammatory response and occurrence of epilepsy. Our preliminary study demonstrated that the long non‐coding RNA, H19, promotes hippocampal glial cell activation during epileptogenesis. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Materials and methods: H19 and let‐7b were overexpressed or silenced using an adeno‐associated viral vector in vivo. Their expression in a kainic acid‐induced epilepsy model was evaluated by real‐time quantitative PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA isolation. A dual‐luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the direct binding of let‐7b to its target genes and H19. Western blot, video camera monitoring and Morris water maze were performed to confirm the role of H19 and let7b on epileptogenesis. Results: H19 was increased in rat hippocampus neurons after status epilepticus, which might be due to epileptic seizure‐induced hypoxia. Increased H19 aggravated the epileptic seizures, memory impairment and mossy fibre sprouting of the epileptic rats. H19 could competitively bind to let‐7b to suppress its expression. Overexpression of let‐7b inhibited hippocampal glial cell activation, inflammatory response and epileptic seizures by targeting Stat3. Moreover, overexpressed H19 reversed the inhibitory effect of let‐7b on glial cell activation. Conclusions: LncRNA H19 could competitively bind to let‐7b to promote hippocampal glial cell activation and epileptic seizures by targeting Stat3 in a rat model of temporal lobe epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interface width effect on the spherical Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the weakly nonlinear regime is studied by numerical simulations. For Legendre perturbation mode Pn with wave number kn and interface half-width L, the commonly adopted empirical linear growth rate formula is found to be sufficient in spherical geometry. At the weakly nonlinear stage, the interface width affects the mode coupling processes. The development of the mode P2n is substantially influenced by the interface width. Moreover, the nonlinear saturation amplitude increases with the interface width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let p ≥ 2 be a prime number and ℤp be the ring of p-adic intergers. Let G be a semigroup generated by infinitely many contractive maps on pℤp. It is shown that if G satisfies the open tiling conditions, then there exists a shift transformation on the limit set of G and the shift transformation is ergodic with respect to the Haar measure on pℤp. As an application, we can generalize p-adic Khinchin's Theorem and p-adic Lochs' Theorem to any infinitely generated semigroup by use of the ergodicity of the shift transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China with large area of land planted with crops are suffering secondary salinization in coastal area for the lack of fresh water and saltwater intrusion to the groundwater. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of biochar (BC) and fulvic acid (FA) on the amelioration of coastal saline soil and their impact on crop yields under maize-barley rotation system. A three year field experiment was conducted in a saline soil on a farm in coastal area of east Jiangsu Province, China. A maize-barley rotation system had been carried out for ten years with local conventional management before the experiment. The saline soil was amended with BC at rates of 0, 7.5 t ha−1 (BC1), 15 t ha−1 (BC2) and 30 t ha−1 (BC3) alone or combined with fulvic acid (1.5 t ha−1) compared with control. Fertilizers were applied under normal planting strategies. The BC was added only once during the four growing seasons, and the FA was applied before each sowing. Soil salinity changed significantly during the three year field experiment. This was mainly due to the great quantity of rain during the period of maize cultivation. Although Na+, Cl− and SO42− in BC and /or FA treatments significantly decreased, the pH value increased up to 9.0 as the CO32− + HCO3−content increased. Total organic carbon (TOC) and phosphorus (TP) responded positively to biochar addition rate. BC applied with appropriate rate at 15 t ha−1 (BC2) in combination with FA showed optimal effects on soil salinity amelioration, soil physics properties regulation, soil nutrition improvement and crop yields increase. The TOC and TP was 5.2 g kg−1 and 507 mg kg−1 in BC2 + FA treatment, which were lower than BC3 and BC3 + FA treatments. However, the highest total grain yield was obtained in the BC2 + FA treatment, and the total yield was increased by 62.9% over the CK. This study emphasizes that using combined organic amendment of BC with FA for profitable and sustainable use of salt-affected soils would be practicable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the semi-parametric error-in-variables (EV) model with missing responses: y i = ξ i β + g (t i) + ϵ i , x i = ξ i + μ i , where ϵ i = σ i e i is heteroscedastic, f (u i) = σ i 2 , y i are the response variables missing at random, the design points (ξ i , t i , u i) are known and non-random, β is an unknown parameter, g (⋅) and f (⋅) are functions defined on closed interval [ 0 , 1 ] , and the ξ i are the potential variables observed with measurement errors μ i , e i are random errors. Under appropriate conditions, we study the strong consistent rates for the estimators of β, g (⋅) and f (⋅) . Finite sample behavior of the estimators is investigated via simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rayleigh–Taylor instability at the weakly nonlinear (WN) stage in spherical geometry is studied by numerical simulation. The mode coupling processes are revealed. The results are consistent with the WN model based on parameter expansion, while higher order effects are found to be non-negligible. For Legendre mode perturbation Pn(cosθ), the nonlinear saturation amplitude (NSA) of the fundamental mode decreases with the mode number n. When n is large, the spherical NSA is lower than the corresponding planar one. However, for large n, the planar NSA can be recovered by applying Fourier transformation to the bubble/spike near the equator and calculating the NSA of the converted trigonometric harmonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibrosis in multiple organs increases with age. Circulating fibrocytes are bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitors that contribute to heart, lung, and kidney fibrosis under the diseased conditions. Whether circulating fibrocytes contribute to aging-related fibrosis is very limited. Methods and results: We measured the proportion and differentiation of circulating fibrocytes (CD45+/CD34+/collagen I+) from elders (n = 12) and adults (n = 12) using flow cytometry. Differentiated fibrocytes in the culture dishes were isolated and microarray was performed. The percentage of circulating fibrocytes in elders (1.95 ± 0.43%) was comparable to that in the adults (1.71 ± 0.38%). Cultured fibrocytes displayed enhanced potential of differentiation in the elder group (67.91 ± 5.88%) vs the adult group (44.03 ± 7.98%). In addition, expression of fibroblast activation markers and cell migratory ability were also increased in differentiated fibrocytes from elders. Microarray analysis revealed that differentiated fibrocytes from elders expressed high level of interleukin-18 (IL-18) receptor 1 (IL-18R1). Furthermore, we found IL-18 was elevated in the plasma of elders and IL-18/IL-18R1 was shown to promote fibrocyte differentiation. Conclusion: Circulating fibrocytes from elders had an enhanced capacity to differentiate into myofibroblasts, and might contribute to age-dependent fibrosis. Age-dependent increment of differentiation at least in part arose from their enhanced expression of IL-18R1. Inhibiting fibrocyte differentiation might be useful as an adjuvant treatment to delay the fibrosis process in aging population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low aromaticity and a large number of oxygen-bridged bonds among the aromatic structural units of lignin make it possible to obtain chemicals directly. A novel Co/C@N catalyst with high activity towards hydrogenolysis of lignin-derived aryl ethers was synthesized according to the pyrolysis process of a predesigned ZIF-67. According to the results of characterization by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N 2 adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Co was reduced by the carbonized organic linker of ZIF-67, and N was doped into the carbon skeleton of the catalyst. The effects of holding time, temperature, and initial H 2 pressure on the catalytic performance of Co/C@N were evaluated in the selective hydrogenolysis of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE). BPE was completely converted and the selectivity of monomer reached to 98.2% under optimized reaction conditions. The C alk -O bond in BPE was first dissociated to form toluene and phenol, and then phenol was rapidly hydrogenated to form cyclohexanol. Furthermore, the Co/C@N catalyst shows high activity for hydroprocessing and selective cleavage of other lignin-derived aryl ethers, including phenylethyl phenyl, diphenyl ether, dibenzyl ether, dinaphthalene ether, guaiacol, anisole and veratrole. Image 1 • A novel Co/C@N catalyst was prepared by one-step pyrolysis of ZIF-67. • Co/C@N catalyst showed high activity in the hydrogenolysis of benzyl phenyl ether. • The selectivity of monomers remained above 92% at temperatures investigated. • C alk- O bond in benzyl phenyl ether was first dissociated during hydrogenolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe 3 GeTe 2 material is the only metallic ferromagnet with a van der Waals layered structure, which has been used as a ferromagnetic electrode in spintronic devices. The tunability of magnetic properties of few-layer Fe 3 GeTe 2 by electrostatic gating is demonstrated in experiments. In this work, we present a theoretical investigation of the electric field effect on the magnetic anisotropy of the Fe 3 GeTe 2 monolayer using the first-principles approach. The calculated magnetic anisotropy energy exhibits strongly oscillating behavior at the electron-doping side, in strong contrast to the hole-doping side. The significant variation of the magnetic anisotropy energy vs electron doping concentration agrees well with experimental results. While the rigid-band approximation works well at the hole-doping side, electron doping induces significant changes in the electronic structure near the Fermi energy. The analysis of the electronic structure shows that the occupation and splitting of the Te(pz)-Fe( d z 2 ) bond states play a critical role in modifying the magnetic anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a new compact triple‐mode filter with wide stopband is proposed on half‐mode substrate integrated waveguide (HMSIW) with loaded slots. The loaded slots not only make the TE201 mode shift toward the TE101 mode, but also introduce an extra resonant mode to achieve a compact triple‐mode filter. In addition, the wide stopband is realized because the TE202 mode keeps nearly unchanged as the TE201 mode decreases to a much lower frequency by virtue of loaded slots. The working principle and design method are given in this context. All these triple resonant modes can be controlled as required. To verify the design concept, a prototype with only 0.23λg2 area is designed and the upper stopband can be extended to 1.87f0 with rejection level of 25 dB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xuebijing injection is a Chinese herb compound to treat sepsis in China, but it contains many different kinds of components, and each component may have different effects in treating sepsis. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of three ingredients of Xuebijing, safflor yellow A (SYA), hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), and anhydrosafflor yellow B (AHSYB), in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced acute lung injury (ALI). LPS (10 mg/kg) was injected intratracheally to induce acute lung injury in mice, which were then treated with SYA, HSYA, and AHSYB. The blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissues were collected to detect degree of lung injury, level of inflammation, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In vitro experiments were performed using HL-60 cells stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Lung injury induced by LPS was alleviated by SYA, HSYA, and AHSYB as demonstrated by the histopathologic test. The three components inhibit LPS-induced elevation of the levels of inflammatory factors and wet-to-dry weight ratio as well as the amount of protein and cells in the BALF. They also induced a remarkably less overlay of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and histone in the immunofluorescence assay and reduced level of MPO-DNA complex in plasma. The in vitro assay showed a similar trend that the three components inhibited PMA-induced NET release in neutrophil-like HL-60 cells. Western blot demonstrated that phosphorylation of c-rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (c-Raf), mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK kinase (MEK), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in the lungs of LPS-challenged mice, and PMA-treated HL-60 cells were all significantly reduced by SYA, HSYA, and AHSYB. Therefore, our data demonstrated that three components of XBJ, including SYA, HSYA, and AHSYB, showed a protective effect against LPS-induced lung injury and NET release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The N and O co-doped PICNs prepared from soybean stalk. • The PICNs showed excellent performance as supercapacitor electrode. • Specific capacitance of 407 F g−1 obtained at 0.5 A g−1 for NNiSSC-140-2-0.45. • The energy density is 36.11 W h kg−1 when the power density is 517.8 W kg−1 for NNiSSC-140-2-0.45. Porous interconnected carbon nanosheets (PICNs) with high electrochemical performance were prepared by doping urea and a co-hydrothermal precursor derived from soybean stalk (SS) and nickel nitrate. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of the as-synthesized PICNs are 2226.29 m2 g−1 and 1.89 nm, and their N and O contents are 5.08% and 9.4%, respectively, which is beneficial for increasing pseudocapacitance. Furthermore, the doping of the metal Ni increases the graphitization degree of the PICNs and promotes the conversion of pyridine-N to graphitized-N. Therefore, the PICNs possess a high specific capacitance of 407 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1, a high capacitance retention of 78.62% even at 20 A g−1, and an outstanding cycling stability (over 93% retention rate after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles). Moreover, an energy density of 36.11 W h kg−1 is achieved at a power density of 517.8 W kg−1 during a two-electrode system test, and a retention rate of 87.5% is obtained after 10,000 cycles. This co-hydrothermal treatment as well as nitrogen-doping approach for preparing porous interconnected carbon from SS not only represents an alternative strategy for carbon-based supercapacitor materials but also provides a new option for the utilization of waste SS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huangshandong deposit, located in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), is the largest Ni–Cu sulfide deposit in the eastern Tianshan and Beishan regions of China. The deposit is hosted in a postorogenic intrusion that comprises diorite, gabbrodiorite, bojite, olivine gabbro, gabbronorite, troctolite, and lherzolite. Here, we report the Permian zircon U–Pb crystallization ages of 278.5 ± 2.1 Ma, 278.1 ± 1.9 Ma, and 279.6 ± 1.9 Ma for the olivine gabbro, bojite, and gabbrodiorite, respectively, as well as geological, petrological, and geochemical data for the various lithofacies of the deposit. As a result of the edge cooling effect, the intrusion cooled rapidly from the outside inwards as follows: crystallizing diorite → gabbrodiorite → gabbro → lherzolite → gabbronorite. In addition, further tectonic activity resulted in the injection of a more primitive magma in place, which crystallized the lherzolite in the bottom and middle transitional zones of the intrusion. The crystallization sequence of the intrusion is generally as follows: olivine → orthopyroxene + labradorite → clinopyroxene + labradorite → amphibole + andesine. At the beginning of mineral crystallization, the metalliferous magma was segregated due to sulfide immiscibility and separated by gravity. With gabbronorite crystallization, the immiscible liquid sank to the base of the magma chamber and crystallized as Cu‐ and Ni‐rich sulfides. Tholeiitic and calc‐alkaline rocks are characterized by relative enrichment in large‐ion lithophile elements and depletion in high‐field‐strength elements, and values of Th/Ta (2.25–5.94), (Nb/La)N (1.88–4.39), and Th/Nb (0.29–0.82) indicate that the mantle source was composed of a dehydrated subducted plate or mantle wedge. In addition, values of Nb/U (2.64–10.68) and Ce/Pb (1.33–3.53) suggest that the magma was contaminated by the continental crust during its ascent along pre‐existing structures in the Carboniferous strata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain a battery-type ceramic electrode material for supercapacitors, we used a metal-organic framework (HKUST-1) as a template to prepare ceramic material Cu 9 S 8 @C. Firstly, we adopted the calcination–vulcanization method to synthesize Cu 9 S 8 @C. Then we deposited it onto a carbon fiber cloth and employed it. Moreover, polypyrrole PPy/Cu 9 S 8 @C-CC nanocomposite electrodes were prepared via electrochemical deposition. By means of high-temperature calcination and vulcanization, the copper atoms of HKUST-1 were successfully transformed into Cu 9 S 8 nanoparticles, and the organic ligand was carbonized into amorphous carbon in Cu 9 S 8 @C. The results showed that the PPy/Cu 9 S 8 @C-CC electrode presented a specific capacitance of 270.72F/g at a scan speed of 10 mV/s in a 1 M KCL aqueous solution. This value was much higher than that of Cu 9 S 8 @C-CC and Cu 9 S 8 -CC electrodes, as confirmed by the results of electrochemical test. At a scan rate of 10 mV/s, the capacitance retention rate for PPy/Cu 9 S 8 @C-CC after 3000 cycles was 80.36%, indicating its superior cycle characteristics. Moreover, PPy/Cu 9 S 8 @C-CC exhibited good frequency response. These results indicate that PPy/Cu 9 S 8 @C is an ideal electrode material for energy storage and conversion applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medicinal values of many natural bioactive components to treat myocardial ischaemia reperfusion (I/R) injury are limited by their poor permeability. Herein, we demonstrate that an original tanshinone IIA derivative (Tan-TPP) could probably be improved myocardial I/R injury suppressant. It was optimised by mitochondria targeting group triphenylphosphine (TPP). Intriguingly, it could accumulate in mitochondria to more efficiently inhibit the activity of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), which is closely related with I/R oxidative injury. Moreover, by inhibiting SDH activity, it could better prevent excess intracellular reactive oxygen species production to reduce oxidative damage, and regulate ATP levels to ensure energy output. Consequently, mitochondria targeting tanshinone IIA derivative Tan-TPP is a new type candidate for the treatment of myocardial I/R injury through an SDH dependent antioxidant mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical study of the dynamics of a nine-module floating aquaculture platform in irregular waves is proposed, to examine the effect of the connector type between net cages and incident wave direction on the hydrodynamic response. A numerical model based on the coupled boundary element method and lumped-mass model was used to simulate the dynamic behavior of the aquaculture platform. Time-domain statistical analysis, and time-frequency analysis based on Hilbert-Huang transform on the motion responses of net cages and the mooring force responses of the platform were then carried out. The results indicate that the mooring system has a decisive influence on the frequency-domain characteristics of surge motion, while the influence of connector can be ignored. The surge motion under flexible hawser connector is less sensitive to wave incident direction, while the wave direction has a greater impact on surge motion under spherical joint connector. The amplitudes of pitch motion under two different connectors decrease significantly under oblique incident waves, compared with perpendicular incident wave condition. The wave incident direction has little effect on the overall mooring force response of the platform. The mooring force responses at different positions show completely different frequency characteristics when the cages are connected by spherical joints. The larger the pitch response of the cage, the smaller the mooring force response of the mooring chain connected to the net cage. There is a positive correlation between the gravity frequency of the mooring force response and the gravity frequency of the pitch response of the net cage. • A numerical model that couples the BEM and lumped-mass model was used to simulate the dynamic behavior of a nine-module aquaculture platform. • The effect of two kinds of connectors between net cages on motion and mooring force responses of the aquaculture platform are analyzed. • The mooring system has a decisive influence on the frequency-domain characteristics of surge motion. • The wave incident direction has a greater impact on the surge response under spherical joint connector. • There is a positive correlation between gravity frequencies of mooring force response and pitch response of net cage connected to the mooring chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poorly assembled or faulty rotors often behave nonlinearly. The accurate extraction of weak nonlinear features is a vital issue. This paper proposes to extract the partial dynamic properties of concern for nonlinear feature based rotor condition monitoring. The realization of this concept relies on a novel tailored data-driven NARX (Nonlinear Auto Regressive with eXogenous input) modelling approach. The tailored NARX model represents part of the system's dynamic properties of concern. The details are first to use the harmonic product spectrum to determine the rotational speed of the inspected rotor system. After that, the least mean squares method is used to extract the harmonic components from the measured vibration signal. The low-order harmonics of concern are then reconstructed for the tailored NARX modelling. Then the Nonlinear Output Frequency Response Functions are evaluated from the tailored NARX model as features for rotor condition monitoring. Finally, the proposed method is validated by simulation and experiment cases. The results show that the obtained features based on the proposed tailored NARX modelling approach are more robust and more accurate than conventional methods when assessing rotor faults. The proposed approach provides a reference for the inspection of the assembly quality of components such as bearings and the on-line health monitoring of rotating machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ni 0.5 Co 1.5 Al −600 display excellent catalytic activity for cleaving C O bond. • Isopropanol as hydrogen source is more conducive to C O bond breaking. • The β-benzylic-H atom in PPE promotes the cleavage of C aliphatic -O bond. • The Ni-to-Co molar ratio affects the surface species of Ni x Co y Al catalyst. The selective hydrogenolysis of C O bonds is critical for the effective valorization of lignin. Herein, we synthesized a series of highly efficient Ni x Co y Al-T catalysts by a coprecipitation-calcination-reduction method and evaluated their catalytic hydrogenolysis performance towards the C O bonds of lignin-derived aryl ether, using isopropanol as the hydrogen donor source. The results revealed that the Ni 0.5 Co 1.5 Al-600 catalyst displayed superior activity and its catalytic performances were strongly influenced by the Ni/Co molar ratios and calcination temperatures. The enhanced dispersion of metal particles and the electron transfer from Ni to Co in Ni 0.5 Co 1.5 Al-600 catalyst facilitated the cleavage of C O bonds in lignin model compounds. Furthermore, the β-benzyl-H atom in 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol (PPE) also contributes to the cleavage of C aliphatic -O bonds. Under optimized reaction conditions (180 ℃, reaction time 2 h), PPE was completely converted over the Ni 0.5 Co 1.5 Al-600 catalyst, and the yield of ethylbenzene and cyclohexanol reached 95.91wt% and 85.73wt%, respectively. These findings demonstrate that the Ni x Co y Al-T catalytic system holds great promise for the production of valuable chemicals from lignin under mild conditions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the diffusion process of water molecules in poly([variant_greek_epsilon]-caprolactone) (PCL) has been investigated using in-situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In our system, the original broad water OH bands in 1D IR spectra can be effectively differentiated into four bands, located at 3641, 3593, 3410, and 3203 cm[sup -1], respectively, using 2D correlation analysis. The bands at 3641 cm[sup -1] (antisymmetric) and 3593 cm[sup -1] (symmetric) are assigned to the OH stretching vibration of water partially hydrogen bonded with hydrophilic carbonyl group (C==O) of PCL, while the other band pair at 3410 cm[sup -1] (antisymmetric) and 3203 cm[sup -1] (symmetric) could be attributed to the stretching vibration of water fully hydrogen bonded with another water molecule. According to the result of the asynchronous correlation, it was concluded that the water molecules at first diffuse into free volume (microvoids) or are molecularly dispersed into the PCL matrix and then form hydrogen bond with the C==O group of the polymer during the process of water diffusion. In addition, the diffusion coefficient was estimated using nonlinear curve fitting of OH band areas in the range of 3800–3000 cm[sup -1]. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among Dr. Rosen's many contributions, structure-property relationships of surfactants, surfactant synergy and the infamous beta parameter, and his work on Gemini surfactants are perhaps best remembered. Synergy of anionic and cationic surfactant mixtures is reviewed by Sabatini et al. (Phaodee & Sabatini, 2021) in relation to minimizing surfactant precipitation, microemulsion formation, and enhanced solubilization. To those of us who work in the field of surfactant science, Professor Milton Rosen is a legendary figure. [Extracted from the article]

Fructus Alpinia zerumbet (FAZ), a dry and ripe fruit of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt. et Smith, is widely used as a spice to treat cardiovascular diseases in clinic as a miao folk medicine in Guizhou Province of China. Essential oil extracted from FAZ (EOFAZ) is the key bioactive ingredients. This study aimed to examine the effects and mechanisms of EOFAZ on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endothelial cell injury, inflammation and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. For the in vitro study, LPS-treated human aortic endothelial cells were used to perform PCR, western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. For the in vivo study, male mouse were divided into four groups, vehicle control group and LPS group received 0.5% Tween-80 in saline; and two EOFAZ groups receive different dose of EOFAZ (90 mg kg −1·day−1, 180 mg kg −1·day−1) respectively. Each group was fed for 7 days by intragastrical administration at daily base. Then, except vehicle control group received saline, mice in other three groups were administered with LPS (1 mg kg −1, dissolved in saline) by intraperitoneal injection. 24 h later, Aorta tissue was collected and frozen immediately in liquid N 2 , stored at −80 °C for western blot analysis. We found that EOFAZ completely prevented LPS-induced HAEC activation and inflammation in vitro and in vivo , as assessed by expression of endothelial adhesion molecules, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. Similarly, EOFAZ significantly blunted LPS-induced endothelial injury, as tested by MTT assay, LDH release and caspase-3 activation. We further demonstrated that TLR4-dependent NF-κB signaling may be involved in the process. EOFAZ protected against LPS-induced endothelial cell injury and inflammation likely via inhibition of TLR4-dependent NF-κB signaling. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One cadmium-bipyridinium compound, (CdCl4)(CH3-4,4′-Hbipy-CH2CH3)2 (1) with the CH3-4,4′-Hbipy-CH2CH3 generated in situ, has been synthesized from a solvothermal reaction and structurally characterized by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound is characterized by an isolated structure and the cadmium atom is coordinated by four chlorine atoms. The CH3-4,4′-Hbipy-CH2CH3+ cation and CdCl42− anion interconnect together through hydrogen-bonding interactions to yield a three-dimensional supramolecular network. Fluorescence spectra exhibit a wide and strong emission in the blue region. Theoretical calculations reveal that this emission can be ascribable to the ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Potential water sources for plant in rocky environment are hard to locate and sample. • They were separated into two water pools based on their hydrological differences. • Tree and shrub on a cliff-face were identified to rely on different water pools. • Linkage between plant water use and the two different water pools was built up. Sources of water used by plants in rock-dominated environments are far less clear than those in relatively homogeneous soils, largely because plants in rocky environments normally expose to more complex substrate conditions and their potential water sources are hard to locate and sample. In the current study, potential water sources for plants growing on cliff-face (a typical kind of rock-dominated environment) were roughly separated into two water pools based on their hydrological differences. A variable pool that is composed of water derived from recent precipitation that has rapid fluctuations in water content due to recharge by precipitation and depletion by transpiration, and a constant pool that is characterized by slower changes in water status because it can only be recharged by precipitation under certain conditions and depleted by transpiration of deep-rooted species. This study was conducted in a typical karst catchment of Northwest Guangxi, Southwest China. Stem water samples for the most common dominant tree species of cliff-faces and rainwater for each rain event were consecutively collected throughout the growing season. A co-occurring shrub species, which was identified to have a shallow root system, was further selected as a reference species. The reliance on different water pools was qualitatively identified based on the deviation of stem water isotope values between current and last sampling times, as well as its relationship to the isotope values of rainfall between these two sampling times. Our results showed that the shrub species continuously relied on water from the variable water pool, which was consistent with its shallow root system. While the dominant tree species shifted from the constant pool during the early wet season to the variable pool during the mid-wet season, then back to the constant pool during the early dry season. Moreover, the divergent reliance on different water pools by the two species was further supported by the species-specific dynamics in the efficiency in water use by various plants (reflected by leaf carbon isotope ratio). Our results provide new insights into the linkages between plant transpiration and hydrologically different water pools, which would be helpful in understanding the hydrological importance of different plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), with their two-dimensional structures and sizable bandgaps, are good candidates for barrier materials in tunneling field-effect junctions (TFEJ) formed from atomic precision vertical stacks of graphene and insulating crystals of a few atomic layers in thickness. We report first-principles study of the electronic properties of the Graphene/WS 2 /Graphene sandwich structure revealing strong interface effects on dielectric properties and predicting a high ON/OFF ratio with an appropriate WS 2 thickness and a suitable range of the gate voltage. Both the band spin-orbit coupling splitting and the dielectric constant of the WS 2 layer depend on its thickness when in contact with the graphene electrodes, indicating strong influence from graphene across the interfaces. The dielectric constant is significantly reduced from the bulk WS 2 value. The effective barrier height varies with WS 2 thickness and can be tuned by a gate voltage. These results are critical for future nanoelectronic device applications. • The electronic properties of graphene/WS 2 /graphene junctions are theoretically investigated using first-principles method. • The tunnel conductance and ON/OFF ratio of the junctions are closely related to WS 2 thickness and the gate fields applied. • The effective barrier height decreases with increasing WS 2 thickness and can be tuned by a gate field. • The graphene/WS 2 interface can greatly reduce the dielectric constant of WS 2 , indicating strong influence from graphene. • The calculated junction conductance as a function of the gate fields shows a reasonable agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An efficient ANN model for prediction on hydrodynamics of fish cage is proposed. • Structural stress and deformation of fish cage in waves are predicted using ANN. • Accuracy of present model is validated against a well-developed numerical model. Generally, the hydrodynamics of a fish cage are investigated using numerical simulation, physical model experiments, and field measurements. However, these traditional research methods are time consuming and low in efficiency. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is built such that the hydrodynamic characteristics of a fish cage in waves can be predicted rapidly. The training data of the ANN model are generated by a well-developed numerical model from our previous studies. The parameters in the hidden layer of the ANN model are determined considering the prediction accuracy of the hydrodynamic results of the fish cage. The ANN model is validated against a well-developed numerical model with satisfactory accuracy. Using the proposed ANN model, the hydrodynamic results of the fish cage including the maximum tension in mooring lines, minimum effective-volume ratio, and maximum stress of the floating collar are predicted for various waves. Overall, the predicted results indicate a trend consistent with that of the previous studies. The present model can potentially forecast disasters for an oncoming typhoon, which is important for the hazard prevention of a fish farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract A series of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-poly(L-lactide) (PEOz-PLA) diblock copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of l -lactide using a monohydroxy terminated PEOz-OH macro-initiator in the presence of stannous octoate as catalyst. The resulting diblock copolymers were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance and gel permeation chromatography. Self-assembled micelles were prepared using the co-solvent evaporation method in water and in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4, 6.5 and 5.0. The resulting micelles exhibit different morphologies, such as spherical micelles and worm-like micelles depending on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. Spherical micelles were exclusively observed for PEOz-PLA copolymers with short PLA blocks, whereas co-existence of worm-like and spherical micelles was observed for copolymers with long PLA blocks. The micelle size increases with decreasing pH due to the electrostatic repulsion between PEOz chains resulting from ionization of the tertiary amide groups along PEOz chains. A hydrophobic anti-tumor drug, paclitaxel, was entrapped in PEOz-PLA micelles. High loading efficiency up to 86.7% was obtained for copolymers with long PLA blocks. Drug release was performed in PBS at different pH values. During the 30-day release period, faster release was obtained for copolymers with shorter PLA blocks than for copolymers with longer PLA blocks, at acidic pH than at pH 7.4. It is thus concluded that pH-responsive PEOz-PLA copolymer micellss could be promising as carrier of anti-tumor drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We study spin-dependent electron transport properties of two dimensional graphene double and triple barrier junctions via first-principles calculations. The double barrier junction consists of two graphene leads, a quantum well of zigzag graphene nanoribbon (ZGNR) in the center, and two vacuum barriers separating the ZGNR from the two leads. Resonant electron tunneling occurs when the energy bands of graphene and ZGNR are well aligned in energy and wavevector. Highly spin-polarized electron transmission arises in such junctions when the two edges of the center ZGNR are in the ferromagnetic configuration. The spin polarization of the electron transmission at the Fermi energy can be tuned by gate voltage. We further investigate the dependence of the electron transmission on the width of the ZGNR, effects on barrier height when replacing vacuum by h -BN, and the consequence of replacing a double barrier by a triple barrier. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wuxing Pt–Pd-rich Cu–Ni sulfide deposit in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, is located to the northeast of the Dunhua–Mishan fracture of the eastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. The mafic–ultramafic complex consist of early-period hornblende–olivine pyroxenite, diopsidite, and hornblende pyroxenite and late-period gabbro and diabase units. An early-period hornblende pyroxenite yielded a zircon U–Pb age of 208.2 ± 2.6 Ma and a late-period diabase yielded a U–Pb age of 205.6 ± 1.1 Ma, with zircon εHf(t) values of +1.24 to +8.13. The early- and late-period lithofacies are relatively enriched in LILE (Rb, Ba, and Sr) and LREE, and variably depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta). The whole-rock and single-mineral analyses of the early-period lithofacies yield (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.7055–0.7083 and εNd(t) ratios of −7.98–+3.10. These geochemical data suggest that the parental magmas of the Wuxing complex are high-Mg subalkaline basaltic in nature and were derived from an enriched mantle source. The magmas chamber formed after the injection of magma into the crust along with crustal contamination, producing early crystalline minerals and ore-bearing magmas. The rupturing of the magma chamber released evolved magmas, which then ascended and generated Pt–Pd-bearing lithofacies and Cu–Ni sulfide orebodies by fractional crystallization, accumulation, and liquation. During the late period, the residual magma invaded the early lithofacies and Cu–Ni orebodies. The fluids exsolved from the gabbroic magmas concentrated the mineralized metal elements and enhanced the precipitation of Pt–Pd-bearing veinlet-disseminated orebodies and Pt–Pd–Cu–Ni orebodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • D4 contained three parts: a hydrophobic motif, a TDP-43 recognition motif and a cell-penetrating peptide. • D4 displayed the strongest ability to induce the degradation of intracellular TDP-43. • D4 could reduce the cytotoxicity induced by overexpression of TDP-43. • D4 could down-regulate the TDP-43 level in TDP-43 overexpressed Drosophila. Abstract TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) is a key target in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment. Here, based on hydrophobic tagging strategy, we designed and synthesized a series of single or double hydrophobic tags conjugated peptides D1-D8. Among them, it was found that D4 displayed strongest ability to induce TDP-43 degradation in cells. D4 could reduce TDP-43 induced cytotoxicity. Besides, D4 could reduce TDP-43 levels in a transgenic drosophila model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Substaintial evidence shows that plant diversity can affect ecosystem functioning. • Data about effects of plant diversity on aquatic ecosystem functions are lacking. • Nutrient removal by submerged macrophytes was not influenced by species richness. • Dissolved oxygen was affected by species richness of submerged macrophytes. • Species richness hardly affected aquatic ecosystem functions in short term. Abstract Biodiversity commonly plays important roles in ecosystem functioning. While many studies have tested effects of species diversity on productivity, carbon and nitrogen cycling and resistance to biological invasion, few have examined how diversity of submerged macrophytes affects the water quality of aquatic ecosystems. We assembled aquatic microcosms with 1, 2, 3 and 4 submerged macrophyte species (Hydrilla verticillata, Ceratophyllum demersum, Myriophyllum verticillatum and Elodea nuttallii), and measured growth of the macrophytes and physical and chemical properties of the water (total nitrogen and phosphorus, transparency, dissolved oxygen content, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand) in the microcosms after 36 days. Species diversity of submerged macrophytes did not significantly affect biomass and the vegetative reproduction of the macrophytes or the water factors such as total nitrogen and phosphorus, chlorophyll a content, chemical and biochemical oxygen demand of the aquatic ecosystems. Exceptionally, the 3-species treatment had higher light transmittance than the monoculture and the 2- and 3-species treatments also ended up with higher dissolved oxygen compared to the 1- or 4-species treatment. However, since only functionally similar submerged macrophyte species were involved in this study, it is still difficult to draw clear conclusions. Therefore, we suggest to include multiple types of submerged macrophytes to test the effect of species richness on vegetation growth and water quality in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pollen grains can be dispersed singly or variously aggregated in groups. Whether the evolution of pollen aggregation is driven by the pollinator remains unexplored. We hypothesize that an extensive pollen aggregation is favored under a scarcity of pollinators.Variation in pollen aggregation by viscin threads in 13 Rhododendron species was measured as it is related to pollen removal in a visit. Visitation rates of functional pollinator groups that vary in their grooming behavior were investigated in each species. Pollen deposited on stigmas in the field was also sampled.Seven Rhododendron species were infrequently pollinated by low‐intensity grooming animals, including birds, butterflies and moths. The other six species were more frequently pollinated by bees with a high intensity of pollen grooming. Bird‐ and Lepidoptera‐pollinated species produced longer pollen‐connecting threads that connected more pollen grains. Phylogenetically independent contrast analysis of the 13 species showed that pollinator visitation frequency was negatively related to amounts of pollen removal per visit but not to stigmatic pollen loads.The finding of interspecific patterns in pollen removal related to pollinator visitation frequency suggests pollinator‐mediated selection on pollen packaging strategies, supporting the hypothesis of floral evolution via pollen export. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Gangdese magmatic belt is oriented E–W and located between the Indus–Yarlung Tsangpo and Bangong–Nujiang suture zones in Tibet. It records the subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust, Indian–Eurasian collision, and uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we present new zircon U–Pb geochronology, Hf isotopic compositions, and whole-rock geochemistry of the granodiorites in the Sumdo area of the Gangdese Belt. Our aim was to identify the petrogenesis of granitoid rcoks and to clarify the early-stage evolution of the Neo-Tethyan Ocean during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. The granodiorites yield zircon U–Pb ages of 193–201 Ma, indicating an Early Jurassic magmatic event. They are metaluminous, with medium- to high-K calc-alkaline geochemistry, and show characteristics of I-type granitoids. They show enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depletion in high-field-strength elements (HFSEs) in primitive-mantle-normalized spider diagrams, indicating that their initial magma was generated in a subduction-related active continental margin. They have negative ε Hf (t) values (−11.3 to −4.1) and crustal model ages (TC DM) of 1.50–1.95 Ga. Hf isotopes and whole-rock geochemistry indicate that the granodiorites were derived from partial melting of ancient lower-crust material mixed with mantle material. Our data, in combination with published geochronological and geochemical data, show that the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic arc magmatism in the Gangdese magmatic belt was formed by the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust beneath the Lhasa Terrane. Highlights • Ca. 201–193 Ma granitoids occur in the Sumdo area of the Gangdese belt, Tibet • The rocks were derived from crustal melting and subsequent crust-mantle magma mixing. • Coeval magmatism in the Gangdese Belt is related to the Neo-Tethyan Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]