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• Highly dispersed VO x with controlled structures were synthesized via ALD. • Only isolated monomeric VO x was formed for A-1VAl. • The polymerization extent was increased with increasing the ALD cycles from 3 to 8. • The isolated VO x is more active and more stable than the polymeric VO x for CO 2 -ODEB. • The bridging V O Al bond is the key active site for CO 2 -ODEB. Supported vanadium oxides are widely used as active catalysts for a number of oxidation and oxidative dehydrogenation reactions, and the understanding the structure-function relationship is of great importance for developing more efficient vanadium oxide catalysts. In this work, atomic layer deposition (ALD) was utilized to disperse sub-monolayer VO x over a commercial γ-Al 2 O 3 support. Characterization results indicate that highly dispersed VO x species with different structures were obtained by simply changing the number of ALD cycles. The vanadium oxides synthesized by performing 1 cycle of ALD were exclusively isolated monomeric VO x. With increasing the number of ALD cycles from 3 to 8, the polymeric VO x spices were formed, and the polymerization extent or domain size of VO x was increased. On the contrary, crystalline V 2 O 5 besides polymeric VO x was found if the number of ALD cycles was extended to 12. Catalytic performances of ALD VO x /γ-Al 2 O 3 were evaluated for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with CO 2 (CO 2 -ODEB), and the isolated monomeric VO x species were found to be more active and more stable than the polymeric VO x species and crystalline V 2 O 5. By correlating the specific activity and the structural characteristics of ALD VO x /γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts, the V O Al bonds were concluded as the key active sites for CO 2 -ODEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amphiphilic diblock copolymers self-assemble into a variety of micellar structures with diverse shapes in selective solvents. Here, we study the concentration and temperature dependence of the packing structure of spherical micelles of a polyisoprene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PI-b-P2VP) diblock copolymer in toluene using synchrotron radiation small angle X-ray scattering (SR-SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Randomly packed spherical micelles are detected in dilute solutions, while in concentrated solutions, face-centered cubic (FCC), body-centered cubic (BCC) mixed crystal structures, and pure BCC crystal structures are observed with an increase in concentration. In situ SAXS experiments on the FCC/BCC mixed crystal structures reveal a novel FCC/BCC → BCC → Disorder → BCC phase behavior during the thermal annealing process. These results demonstrated that the BCC phase is apparently more stable than the FCC phase in the current sphere-packing system and FCC/BCC is a metastable state. The incompatibility of the PI and P2VP blocks decreases at a higher temperature and renders the variation of domain spacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simple yet highly efficient strategy is reported to boost the OIRD sensitivity. • PDA film is introduced to the glass surface for microarray chip construction. • PDA serves as an interference layer to enhance the light-matter interaction. • Up to 2 orders of magnitude sensitivity enhancement is demonstrated. Oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OIRD) is a promising optical technique for detection of protein microarray chip with the compelling features of being label-free, real-time, high-throughput and nondestructive, but its sensitivity requires essential improvement for practical applications. In this work we report a simple yet highly efficient strategy to boost the sensitivity of OIRD by rationally engineering the biochip architecture via introducing a polymer film (polydopamine, PDA) to the glass surface. With anti-Zearalenone (ZEN) monoclonal antibody as a model target, up to 2 orders of magnitude sensitivity enhancement was demonstrated on this engineered chip compared to conventional silanized glass chip. Experimental investigation indicates that the OIRD sensitivity is positively correlated to the polymer thickness until reaching the maximal sensitivity at 90.2 nm thickness; a detection limit of as low as 5.0 ng mL−1 is achieved on this optimal chip. Theoretical calculation unveils that the polymer film serves as an interference layer to enhance the light-matter interaction for improved sensitivity, and the OIRD sensitivity possesses a periodic dependence on the film thickness. This work reports for the first time an interference-based versatile strategy to boost OIRD sensitivity and reveals the underlying mechanism, and thus paves a new way toward sensitive and label-free OIRD detection of protein microarrays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of various ferroelectric parameters, such as the doping density, the permittivity, and the thickness, on ferroelectric diodes based on the proposed self-consistent numerical model. Our calculations clarify the dependence of the band diagrams, the charge density distributions, and the I-V curves on these important ferroelectric parameters in metal/ferroelectrics/metal structures. The calculated results reveal that the ON/OFF ratio of the ferroelectric diodes decreases with the increase of the doping density, the permittivity, and the thickness in the ferroelectric film, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on phase separation model and breadth-first traversal algorithm, the spin-related electron transport property of La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 under hydrostatical pressure and magnetic field was systematically simulated. We find that the external hydrostatical pressure has a more important influence on the residual resistivity, high temperature resistivity coefficient, activation energy, and electron scattering of La0.825Sr0.175MnO3 than the external magnetic field. However, the Curie temperature and the magnon scattering are more sensitive to the external magnetic field than to the external hydrostatical pressure in La0.825Sr0.175MnO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoelectric effects in LiNbO3 (LNO) single crystal have been systematically studied with the two kinds of LNO wafers of tilt of 10° and untilted at the ambient temperature. The ultrafast response photoelectric effect of 120 ps rise time was observed in 10° tilted LNO single crystal with a 266 nm laser pulse of 25 ps duration. The photocurrent responsivity of untilted LNO with an interdigitated electrode of 10 μm finger width and 10 μm interspacing is 17.1 mA/W under the irradiation of 300 nm wavelength UV light at 10 V bias. The noise current under sunlight is only 73 pA at 10 V bias. The experimental results suggest that the LNO single crystal is one of the promising materials for photodetectors working in UV region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The refrigeration processes in the InP/AlInAs triple-well semiconductor system with various structures are analyzed theoretically based on the model of optothermionic refrigeration. Thermal energy extraction in the triple-well system is calculated to be as much as 26 W/cm2 theoretically with properly designed well widths and doping densities. Furthermore, the temperature drop distributions for hot semiconductor devices are obtained self-consistently with various parameters including cross-sectional area, generation heat, environment temperature, and refrigeration heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooling processes in the system of AlxIn1-xAs/InP/AlxIn1-xAs are analyzed with a self-consistent calculation based on the model of optothermionic refrigeration. The refrigeration heat as several W/cm2 is obtained theoretically with the optimal parameters of the aluminum atom fraction x and the doping density for the system. Due to the small Auger coefficient and the lower carriers’ density in the InP well, the Auger dissipation heat in the present system is smaller than that in the system of AlGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs. Furthermore, the applied bias range for obtaining high cooling heat in the present system is calculated to be larger than that in the system of GaAs. For obtaining larger cooling heat, a double-well system of AlxIn1-xAs/InP/AlxIn1-xAs/InP/AlxIn1-xAs is designed, in which the maximum cooling heat is predicted as about 50% higher than that in a single-well system of AlxIn1-xAs/InP/AlxIn1-xAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural design of high-performing catalysts for boosting refractory organic pollutants degradation remains a great challenge. Herein, a natural wood-derived catalyst comprising of wood carbon and Fe/Co sites was proposed as the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator to enhance ciprofloxacin (CIP) pollutant degradation. The bimetallic Fe/Co sites were highly dispersed and stabilized on carbon surface. The carbon-based catalyst achieved 100% removal rate for CIP within 4 min. After four consecutive cycles, the removal rate still reached 92.8%, displaying separable and reusable ability of this catalyst. The carbon-based catalyst could also exhibit excellent degradation performance under a wide pH range of 2.0–8.0. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation revealed that Fe/Co sites at wood carbon had the high adsorption energy and induced interfacial electron transfer for enhanced breakage of O–O bond. The sulfate radical (SO 4 •−), hydroxyl radical (•OH) and singlet oxygen (1O 2) were main reactive oxygen species and their relative contribution was calculated to be 13.51%, 17.54% and 68.95%, respectively. The formed by-products and intermediates had almost no toxicity. This work proposes a new structural design of wood carbon-based system for enhancing antibiotic pollutant in aqueous environment, which facilitates the development of wastewater treatment technology. [Display omitted] • The wood carbon was proposed as the structural unit of the heterogeneous catalyst. • The Fe/Co sites were highly dispersed and stabilized at wood carbon. • The carbon-based catalyst achieved 100% removal rate for ciprofloxacin in 4 min. • The Fe/Co sites at wood carbon remarkably boosted interfacial charge transfer. • The formed by-products and intermediates had almost no toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nano-sized Lu2Ti2O7 powders have been prepared successfully using TiO2 and Lu2O3 oxides as precursors based on a modified molten salt technique. The results of XRD and SEM analysis show that two-step calcinations retards the grain growth and accelerates the phase transformation of Lu2Ti2O7 more effectively in comparison with single-step calcinations. The spherical Lu2Ti2O7 powders with a particle size of 50nm are achieved by heating the precursors up to 1100°C followed by holding at 800°C for 30min. Based on the above observations, a possible particle growth mechanism of two-step calcinations under molten salt conditions is also given in this paper, in which it is suggested that a high temperature (T1) can increase nucleation rate and contribute to Lu2Ti2O7 phase transformation while at the same time, the growth process is limited at the lower temperature (T2 ) of the second calcinations step. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Optically transparent SrTi[sub 1-x]Sb[sub x]O[sub 3] (=0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20) thin films with transmittances higher than 85% in the visible region have been grown on SrTiO[sub 3] substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. Unless overdoped, the films possess a single-crystal phase and impurity conduction. The temperature dependence of the resistivities shows a metal–semiconductor transition for the film with x=0.05, and semiconducting behaviors for the films with x=0.10 and 0.15. The overdoped film with x=0.20 is an insulator. Sb concentration has a dominant effect on the electrical properties of the films, and the Anderson localization is probably the mechanism. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate that the Sb impurity atoms provide donor electrons to form impurity states within the band gap, which is responsible for the electrical localized impurity. The wide band gap and the low density of states in the conduction band result in the transparency of the films. The disorder increases with Sb concentration, which is the main origin of the evolution of the electrical properties. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical modulation of the magnetoresistance (MR) from -70% to 80% under a small magnetic field of 200 Oe near room temperature is found in multi-p-n heterostructures of SrTiO3-δ/La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrTiO3-δ/La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/Si we fabricated. The mechanism causing the modulation of MR by applied bias is proposed as the interface competition effect in the multilayer heterojunctions. Our results of the present structure are expected to meet the high desire for the application of large electronic modulation of MR near room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drift-diffusion mechanism, the interband Zener tunneling theory, and the trap assisted tunneling model are combined to reveal the transport properties in a multicorrelated system of the p-La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/n-SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3 junction with various temperatures. The good agreement between the calculated and measured I-V curves reveal that the drift-diffusion mechanism dominates the transport process with forward bias, and the interband Zener tunneling plays an important role for the carrier transport with high reverse bias. In the low reverse bias, the I-V characteristic of oxide device is mainly attributed to the trap assisted tunneling process caused by the oxygen vacancy induced states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perovskite-type superlattices consisting of La0.9Sr0.1MnO3, LaAlO3, and SrTiO3 were fabricated on (001) SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3 substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy. The three-component superlattice exhibited desirable low-field magnetoresistance effects. At a given current bias of 10 μA, positive magnetoresistance ratio was enhanced from 2% to 15% and 22% with increasing temperatures from 15 to 300 and 325 K at 300 Oe, at which a maximum value occurred from the external magnetic field dependence of magnetoresistance. The nature of the enhanced magnetoresistance is discussed in connection to the interfacial effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unusual and rather large transient lateral photovoltage (LPV) has been observed in La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3 and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/Si heterojunctions under the nonuniform irradiation of pulsed laser. The irreversible LPVs on both sides of a p-n junction challenge the well established model for LPV in conventional semiconductor p-n junctions, which can be well explained by the Dember effect. Much larger LPV is observed in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/Si than that in La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3. Similar results measured from both substrates of SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3 and Si also support such a Dember effect. Much larger LPVs in heterojunctions than those in simple samples (SrNb0.01Ti0.99O3 or Si) suggest a potential application of Dember effect in heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the phase separation scenario, by simulating the resistivity of La0.33Pr0.34Ca0.33MnO3 film with the known coexisting-phase sizes, the authors have obtained the theoretical ferromagnetic (FM) cluster sizes of La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 film, showing around 0.6 μm near Tc. Subsequently the insulator-metal transition occurs when the cluster grows up to 0.7 μm, and the abrupt drop in resistivity occurs when the size is around 0.9 μm. Furthermore, the FM cluster sizes grow with the magnetic field. The obtained results indicate that the model and method can be used to predict the critical size of the clusters at the phase transition for the mixed-phase materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even with advanced inverse intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique, the optimization of treatment plans remains a time-consuming task and the outcome is highly influenced by the experience of the planner and time pressure. Automated treatment planning is a current hot topic and new frontier in radiotherapy, which is expected to minimize the above problems. The quality and efficacy of the IMRT plans generated by the Auto-Planning module of the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system (TPS) were evaluated by comparing with traditional manual plans (MPs) for left breast cancer. Dose distributions of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs), treatment parameters including monitor units and number of control points, the planning time, and the quality assurance (QA) results were statistically compared for two types of treatment plans by Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test followed by Bonferroni correction with a corrected significance threshold of 0.2%. Dose homogeneity of the PTV was better with automated plans (APs) (p < 0.001), but automatically generated plans showed inferior dose conformity (p < 0.001), when similar target coverage was obtained between the two planning methods. The low-dose distributions of left lung and heart were dramatically improved by Auto-Planning approach, which has the potential to reduce the risk of secondary cancer, and the V 5 , V 10 and V 15 were respectively decreased by 15.9%, 14.7% and 8.8% for left lung and 43.1%, 39.2%, and 24.9% for heart, compared with the corresponding values for the human-driven plans (all p < 0.001). AP had a significantly lower mean dose for all OARs compared with MP (all p < 0.001). Meanwhile, the D 1 of contralateral breast was reduced by 1.86 Gy using Auto-Planning engine (p < 0.001). Additionally, significant difference was found for the average planning time (p < 0.001) which was reduced to just 10.10 min by using the Auto-Planning module. IMRT quality assurance was implemented by MartiXX detector, and both types of plans were practically acceptable on delivery and had no statistically significant differences. Moreover, the radiation oncologist preferred APs for all cases in terms of sparing of OARs. Overall, the evaluated automated planning algorithm is a good option for treating left breast cancer, which generates high quality treatment plans quickly and effectively. Auto-Planning method has wide clinical applicability since it is in favour of sharing knowledge and standardization of treatment plans. • The low dose areas of left lung and heart for AP are dramatically improved. • The mean doses of all OARs for automated plans are decreased. • The planning time is significantly reduced by Auto-Planning approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study conduted usingion beam assisted pulsed laser deposition for the growth of the preferential (001) orientation cerium dioxide (CeO2) films on biaxially textured nickel (Ni) substrates. Measurement of the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns for the CeO2 films and target; Derivation of the in-plane lattice constants; Information on CeO2.

• A modeling method based on the image-patch tensor is proposed. • The original 2D image data is transformed into a 3D tensor data. • The sparsity of the target and is utilized to detect small targets. • The proposed method can estimate the foreground image and the background image. Infrared small target detection under complex background has been applied to many fields and is still a challenging problem. In this paper, a small target detection method base on an image-patch tensor (IPT) model is proposed. Firstly, considering the structural relationship between pixels, the original single-frame image is constructed as a new image-patch tensor. Secondly, based on the correlation of the background image patch and the sparsity of the target image patch, the small target detection problem can be transformed into an optimization problem of separating the low-rank part and the sparse part of the tensor. Finally, after simple post filtering, the target is separated adaptively. Experimental results show that the proposed method can detect the small target precisely and can keep a higher signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). What's more, compared with other methods, the proposed method shows better detection performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Designing and fabricating high efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst based on non-precious and earth-abundant elements are essential for future renewable energy production. In present work, we report a facile strategy to construct 3D ordered nickel-based OER catalyst. Firstly, nickel nanocones array (NNA) is electrodeposited on commercial Ni foam (NF) from an ammoniacal Ni (II) electrolyte, then an amorphous nickel and iron based bimetallic hydroxide layer is fabricated on the NNA/NF via an ultrafast approach from an Fe3+ contained solution at 100 °C. The derived composite material (Ni Fe OH@NNA/NF) exhibits high electrocatalytic activity toward OER as well as good durability. Moreover, it demonstrates that this is a general approach to fabricate other Ni-based bimetallic hydroxide (Ni-M-OH, M = Ni, Co, Mn, or Cu) layers on NNA/NF with good OER performance. This work provides an attractive method for the design and fabrication of 3D ordered nickel-based electrocatalyst for OER. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Nickel nanocones array is electrodeposited on nickel foam. • Amorphous bimetallic hydroxide layer is fabricated on nickel nanocones array. • This derived electrode exhibits high electrocatalytic activity for the OER. • Both intrinsic catalytic activity and surface area are improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Si-Al composite coating was prepared on γ-TiAl alloy by a two-step method. • SiO 2 coating was electrodeposited on pack aluminizing coating. • Porous SiO 2 coating turns to be compact after oxidation. • The Si- and Al-enriched oxide scale provides good oxidation resistance. Abstract A novel Si-Al composite coating was prepared on γ-TiAl alloy by a two-step method. Firstly, an aluminizing coating was fabricated on γ-TiAl alloy via pack cementation technique. Then a SiO 2 coating was prepared on this aluminizing coating via cathodic electrodeposition. The high temperature oxidation resistance of this composite coating was evaluated under 1000 °C. During the oxidation process, this Si-Al composite coating can react with TiAl and prevent the inward diffusion of oxygen from air to the film/alloy interface, resulting in the remarkable decreased oxidation rate of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Infusion of 5-HT 1B receptor antagonist GR55562 into hippocampal CA1 did not affect spatial memory acquisition. • Infusion of GR55562 into hippocampal CA1 enhanced spatial memory consolidation. • Infusion of GR55562 into hippocampal CA1 increased, but the 5-HT 1B receptor agonist CP93129 reduced, the spine density on the distal apical dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons and Kalirin-7 expression. • Infusion of GR55562 into hippocampal CA1 increased, but CP93129 reduced, the expression of GluA2/3 subunits of AMPA receptors. Abstract Serotonin 5-HT1B receptors (5-HT1BRs) are distributed in hippocampal CA1 and play a pivotal role in cognitive function. Activation of 5-HT1BRs regulates synaptic plasticity at the excitatory synapses in the hippocampus. However, the role and its underlying mechanism of 5-HT1BR activation-mediated glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in spatial memory are not fully understood. In this study, spatial memory of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was assessed in a Morris water maze after bilateral dorsal hippocampal CA1 infusion of the 5-HT1BR antagonist GR55562 (25 μg/μL) or agonist CP93129 (25 μg/μL). GR55562 did not affect the spatial memory acquisition but significantly increased the target quadrant preference during the memory consolidation probe performed 14 d after the training session, while CP93129 impaired the memory consolidation process. Moreover, GR55562 significantly increased, while CP93129 significantly decreased, the density of dendritic spines on the distal apical dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, western blot experiments indicated that GR55562 significantly increased, but CP93129 significantly reduced, the expression of Kalirin-7 (Kal-7), PSD95, and GluA2/3 subunits of AMPA receptors. Our results suggest that Kal-7 and Kal-7-mediatedalteration of AMPA receptor subtype expression may play crucial roles in the impact of hippocampal CA1 5-HT1BR activation on spatial memory consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of starch for tree growth, methodological challenges in starch analysis slow down the research on its ecological importance. In this study, a rapid monitoring method was developed for measuring starch content in Pinus taeda L. seedlings after cold treatments. A linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the effects of cold treatments, seedling tissue types and their interaction on starch content. Mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) spectra were surveyed, and the results were analyzed using partial least squares regression to determine the starch content. The determination coefficient for calibration and residual predictive deviation were compared between MIR and NIR models to assess the variability of the established models. The results showed that the effects of cold treatments, seedling tissue types and their interaction on starch content were significant. Compared to MIR spectra, NIR spectra is more suitable to estimate starch content in the seedlings. Using NIR spectra, roots provided the most accurate estimates of starch content. The presented guidelines regarding data accuracy as a function of MIR/NIR spectra of samples represent an important methodological reference for starch quantification, which will improve the understanding of the fundamental role of starch in seedlings against environmental forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Photocatalysis, which harnesses light to degrade pollutants, has been considered as the most green and low-cost approach for environmental remediation. In this work, a novel wood-based photocatalyst was prepared by a simple one-pot way. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectra, respectively. Results showed that the synthesized bismuth molybdate nano-eggshells were evenly grown on the surface of wood substrate. Additionally, its morphologies were strongly dependent on the initial pH of precursor solution and the presence of wood substrate. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated based on the decomposition of rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. The sample prepared at pH 6 showed superior performance for the photodegradation of rhodamine B, in comparison to the pure bismuth molybdate powders and the samples prepared at other pH value. The stability, photocatalytic mechanism and the reasons for improving photocatalytic activity were also discussed. This study offers exciting opportunities to achieve the industrialization of photocatalytic wood products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reflect vibration more comprehensively and to satisfy the machining demand for high-order frequencies, we presented a three-dimensional free vibration analysis of gears with variable thickness using the Chebyshev–Ritz method based on three-dimensional elasticity theory. We derived the eigenvalue equations. We divided the gear model into three annular parts along the locations of the step variations, and the admissible function was a Ritz series that consisted of a Chebyshev polynomial multiplying boundary function. The convergence study demonstrated the high accuracy of the present method. We used a hammering method for a modal experiment to test two annular plates and one gear’s eigenfrequencies in a completely free condition. We also applied the finite element method to solve the eigenfrequencies. Through a comparative analysis of the frequencies obtained by these three methods, we found that the results achieved by the Chebyshev–Ritz method were close to those obtained from the experiment and finite element method. The relative errors of four sets of data were greater than 4%, and the errors of the other 48 sets were less than 4%. Thus, it was feasible to use the Chebyshev–Ritz method to solve the eigenfrequencies of gears with variable thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sevoflurane is widely used in lung cancer surgery. It is well known that volatile anesthetics have a lung-protective effect in lung cancer surgery. However, the association between the inhibition of cancer cells and miRNAs interference remains unknown. Whether sevoflurane can affect some miRNAs in A549 cells has not been reported. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 3% sevoflurane on A549 cells and assess whether it regulates A549 cells by interfering with miRNA. Methods: In three percent sevoflurane-pretreated A549 cells, treated for a duration of 30 minutes, the apoptosis rate of A549 cells was evaluated using a flow cytometer. The expression of 6 types of miRNAs associated with non-small cell lung cancer was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: An obvious apoptosis-promoting effect was found in A549 cells, which had been treated with 3% sevoflurane. The expression of several miRNAs that regulate apoptosis was significantly changed compared with the control group. Conclusion: Three percent sevoflurane can significantly increase the apoptosis rate of A549 cells, which may reduce the spread of cancer cells caused by operation. Sevoflurane disturbed the expression of the miRNAs that regulate apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drynaria roosii (Nakaike) is a traditional Chinese medicinal fern, known as 'GuSuiBu'. The effective components, naringin and neoeriocitrin, share a highly similar chemical structure and medicinal function. Our HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) results showed that the accumulation of naringin/neoeriocitrin depended on specific tissues or ages. However, little was known about the expression patterns of naringin/neoeriocitrin-related genes involved in their regulatory pathways. Due to a lack of basic genetic information, we applied a combination of single molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing and second-generation sequencing (SGS) to generate the complete and full-length transcriptome of D. roosii. According to the SGS data, the differentially expressed gene (DEG)-based heat map analysis revealed that naringin/neoeriocitrin-related gene expression exhibited obvious tissue- and time-specific transcriptomic differences. Using the systems biology method of modular organization analysis, we clustered 16,472 DEGs into 17 gene modules and studied the relationships between modules and tissue/time point samples, as well as modules and naringin/neoeriocitrin contents. We found that naringin/neoeriocitrin- related DEGs distributed in nine distinct modules, and DEGs in these modules showed significantly different patterns of transcript abundance to be linked to specific tissues or ages. Moreover, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) results further identified that PAL, 4CL and C4H, and C3H and HCT acted as the major hub genes involved in naringin and neoeriocitrin synthesis, respectively, and exhibited high co-expression with MYB- and basic helix-leucine-helix (bHLH)-regulated genes. In this work, modular organization and co-expression networks elucidated the tissue and time specificity of the gene expression pattern, as well as hub genes associated with naringin/neoeriocitrin synthesis in D. roosii. Simultaneously, the comprehensive transcriptome data set provided important genetic information for further research on D. roosii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we have been concerned with locating and tracking vehicles in aerial videos. Vehicles in aerial videos usually have small sizes due to use of cameras from a remote distance. However, most of the current methods use a fixed bounding box region as the input of tracking. For the purpose of target locating and tracking in our system, detecting the contour of the target is utilized and can help with improving the accuracy of target tracking, because a shape-adaptive template segmented by object contour contains the most useful information and the least background for object tracking. In this paper, we propose a new start-up of tracking by clicking on the target, and implement the whole tracking process by modifying and combining a contour detection network and a fully convolutional Siamese tracking network. The experimental results show that our algorithm has significantly improved tracking accuracy compared to the state-of-the-art regarding vehicle images in both OTB100 and DARPA datasets. We propose utilizing our method in real time tracking and guidance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: PEST-containing nuclear protein (PCNP), a novel nuclear protein, is involved in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis. However, the precise mechanism of action of PCNP in the process of tumor growth has not yet been fully elucidated.Methods: ShRNA knockdown and overexpression of PCNP were performed in human neuroblastoma cells. Tumorigenic and metastatic effects of PCNP were examined by tumor growth, migration, and invasion assays in vitro, as well as xenograft tumor assay in vivo.Results: PCNP over-expression decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human neuroblastoma cells and down-regulation of PCNP showed reverse effects. PCNP over-expression increased protein expressions of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-8, cleaved caspase-9, and cleaved poly adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase, as well as ratios of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein/Bcl-2 and Bcl-2-associated death promoter/B-cell lymphoma-extra large in human neuroblastoma cells, however PCNP knockdown exhibited reverse trends. PCNP over-expression increased phosphorylations of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2, p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, as well as decreased phosphorylations of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), nevertheless PCNP knockdown exhibited opposite effects. Furthermore, PCNP over-expression significantly reduced the growth of human neuroblastoma xenograft tumors by down-regulating angiogenesis, whereas PCNP knockdown markedly promoted the growth of human neuroblastoma xenograft tumors through up-regulation of angiogenesis.Conclusions: PCNP mediates the proliferation, migration, and invasion of human neuroblastoma cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, implying that PCNP is a therapeutic target for patients with neuroblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surrounding rock control is a big challenge in roadway with high stress in deep underground engineering. To address this issue, Zhaolou coal mine – a typical kilometer deep well is taken as engineering background to monitor and analyze the original support scheme. The analysis shows that the following main reasons lead to the support failure in roadway with high stress in deep underground coal mine. Roadway deformation is large and lasts longer with a large extent of damage; all anchor bolts are in severely damaged surrounding rock zone without reliable adhesive basis; and U-shaped steel arch unevenly contacts with surrounding rock without sufficient bearing capacity. With summary of support failure mechanisms on-site, a concept of “high-strength and integrity support” is put forward; a support system with square steel confined concrete (SQCC) is developed; and a full scale in-door comparative test is conducted on its core component – SQCC arch and also on the conventional U29 arch. The research shows the bent and damaged legs of U29 arch result in dramatic reduction of bearing capacity of arch. However, the SQCC arch with similar steel content has a bearing capacity of 2.15 times of that of U29 arch and still has a higher post bearing capacity even after the arch is deformed dramatically. Quantitative evaluation index is established such as vault displacement control rate and bolt strength utilization rate; comparative analysis is made on surrounding rock control mechanism and the mechanical properties of support components under the influence from the four factors – arch strength, geostress, lateral pressure coefficient and surrounding rock mechanical parameters; and good control effect on surrounding rock of SQCC support is verified. Comparative tests are conducted on site. The monitoring results show the roadway surrounding rock deformation on the test section of SQCC support is only 21.2% of that on test section of U29 arch support; and no yield and damage occurs on the test section of SQCC support. Therefore, the SQCC support system is proved to be effective on surrounding rock control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared small target detection under complex background and low signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) condition is of great significance to the development on precision guidance and infrared surveillance. In order to detect targets precisely and extract targets from intricate clutters effectively, a detection method based on zero-crossing saliency (ZCS) map is proposed. The original map is first decomposed into different first-order directional derivative (FODD) maps by using FODD filters. Then the ZCS map is obtained by fusing all directional zero-crossing points. At last, an adaptive threshold is adopted to segment targets from the ZCS map. Experimental results on a series of images show that our method is effective and robust for detection under complex backgrounds. Moreover, compared with other five state-of-the-art methods, our method achieves better performance in terms of detection rate, SCR gain and background suppression factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient synthetic route to highly substituted pyrrolidone derivatives has been developed from an easily available alkynyl carboxamide and 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid (PTSA). In the reaction, PTSA is not only used as acid catalyst but also as a reactant to provide a source for OTs group. A mechanism is proposed to involve the protonation of the alcohol substrate/cyclopropylcarbinol-homoallylic rearrangement/ intramolecular N-nucleophilic cyclization reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The wood carbon-derived heterogeneous catalyst was proposed innovatively. • The wood carbon induced the generation of urchin-like Cu 2 O/CuO heterojunction. • The bionic wood carbon-based system exhibited the high removal rate of over 90.0%. • The synergy of wood carbon and heterojunction enhanced activity and stability. The controllable and large-scale synthesis of Fenton-like catalysts advances the development of industrial wastewater treatments, but a great challenge is remained due to its low catalytic activity at a wide pH range and poor cyclic utilization. Herein, the urchin-like Cu 2 O/CuO heterojunction on a multi-channeled wood carbon was rationally designed as a heterogeneous catalyst for enhancing degradation of aromatic organic pollutants. The results showed that the wood carbon-based catalysts could make pollutants to be degraded efficiently in the pH range of 5.0–12.0. The high-performing wood carbon-based materials exhibited the high removal rate of over 90.0% even after 5-cycles. Benefited from the induction effect of wood carbon, the Cu 2 O/CuO heterojunction with bionic structure was anchored accurately and selectively. The as-prepared Cu 2 O/CuO@wood carbon exhibited efficient water transport capacity because of high specific surface area and rich channels. The Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox circulation and defective carbon synergistically boosted the generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and singlet oxygen (1O 2), which were primarily involved into the degradation process. The density functional theory calculations further unveiled that the Cu 2 O/CuO heterojunction could possess large adsorption energy for H 2 O 2 and induced increased number of electron transfer for enhancing breakage of O O bonds. This research opens up a new avenue for the biomimetic synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts for industrial wastewater treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-step sintering method was employed to fabricate BiFeO 3 ceramics and the influences of sintering conditions on the structural, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties were investigated. It was found that high-density and pure-phase BiFeO 3 ceramics could be successfully achieved through the two-step sintering method by optimizing the sintering conditions. Furthermore, ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity were also improved by the two-step sintering method. The pure-phase BiFeO 3 ceramics obtained at T 1 =850 °C and T 2 =750 °C exhibited high resistivity (1.57×10 6 Ω.m), large remanent polarization ( P r =0.80μC/cm 2 ) and strong piezoelectric activity ( d 33 =42pC/N). All these results indicated that the two-step sintering method was an effective way to improve the properties of the BiFeO 3 ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector based on perovskite (LaAlO3)0.3-(SrAl0.5Ta0.5O3)0.7 (LSAT) single crystal has been fabricated. The Deep Ultra Violet (DUV)/Ultra Violet (UV) (200 versus 290 nm) ratio is more than three orders of magnitude under the applied bias voltage 200 V. Under illumination at 200 nm, the responsivity of this ultraviolet photodetector reaches 4 mA/W at 200 V bias. The corresponding quantum efficiency and detectivity are 2.76% and 1x1011 cm.Hz0.5/W, respectively. The ultrafast response with a rise time of 563 ps and full width half maximum (FWHM) of 1.085 ns is obtained. The high sensitivity, ultrafast response speed, and good signal-to-noise ratio demonstrate that the LSAT photodetector could be a promising candidate as the solar-blind ultraviolet photodetector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new improved investment casting technology (IC) has been presented and compared with the existing IC technology such as lost foam casting (LFC). The effect of thermophysical property and coating thickness on casting solidification temperature field, microstructure and hardness has been investigated. The results show that the solidification rate decreases inversely with the coating thickness when the coating contains silica sol, zircon powder, mullite powder and defoaming agent. In contrast, the solid cooling rate increases as the coating thickness increases. However, the solidification rate and solid cooling rate of the casting produced by the existing IC and the improved IC are very similar when the coating thickness is 5 mm, so the microstructure and hardness of a container corner fitting produced by the improved IC and the existing IC are similar. The linear regression equation for the grain size (d) and cooling rate (v) of the castings is d= -0.41v+206.1. The linear regression equation for the content of pearlite (w) and solid cooling rate (t) is w=1.79t + 6.71. The new improved IC can greatly simplify the process and decrease the cost of production compared with the existing IC. Contrasting with LFC, container corner fittings produced by the new improved IC have fewer defects and better properties. It was also found that the desired microstructure and properties can be obtained by changing the thermophysical property and thickness of the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sm 2 YbTaO 7 and Sm 2 YTaO 7 ceramics were synthesized by solid reaction method at 1600 °C for 10 h. Crystal phases have been identified by X-ray diffraction, and their thermal conductivities and thermal expansion coefficients were measured using a laser flash method and the pushing-rod technology, respectively. Results indicate that Sm 2 YbTaO7 and Sm 2 YTaO 7 exhibit a typical defect fluorite-type crystal structure. Compared to Sm 2 YTaO 7 , Sm 2 YbTaO 7 has lower thermal conductivity due to the higher atomic weight difference between the substituted and substituting atoms. The thermal expansion coefficient of Sm 2 YbTaO 7 is greater than that of Sm 2 YTaO 7 due to its elongated average interionic distance. Their thermal conductivities are much lower than that of YSZ, and their thermal expansion coefficients are very close to that of YSZ. The synthesized ceramics also exhibit excellent phase stability in the temperature range from ambient to 1200 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying lignin content is critical for analyzing the inherent constitution, performance, and application of lignocellulosic materials. However, the traditional methods (wet chemical methods) for the determination of lignin content have several limitations such as labor intensive, time-consuming preparations, and the use of toxic reagents. To address these shortcomings, based on 140 groups of poplar samples, a strategy of 1064 nm FT-Raman spectroscopy combined with several algorithms was proposed in our study. Before modeling, smoothing algorithm (Savitzky-Golay), baseline correction algorithm (adaptive iteratively reweighted penalized least squares), and deconvolution algorithm (Gaussian and Lorentzian) were applied to extract the Raman information. Also, several peaks including 1095, 1378, and 2895 cm−1 were selected as the candidates of internal standard peak for normalizing the lignin-related peaks. Subsequently, lignin content predictive models were established based on data extracted from FT-Raman spectra combined with regression algorithms, including principal components regression (PCR), partial least square regression (PLSR), ridge regression (RR), lasso regression (LR), and elastic net regressions (ENR). Consequently, credible models were obtained based on data normalized by peak of 2895 cm−1 combined with RR, LR, and ENR algorithms (Pearson's R > 0.88, RMSE < 0.62, MAE < 0.46, and MAPE < 1.92%). Thus, the lignin quantitative models based on Raman spectroscopy developed here can be used to predict the lignin content in poplar clones accurately and efficiently. [Display omitted] • Predicting models of poplar lignin content were build based on FT-Raman spectroscopy. • Normalized spectra based on peak at 2895 cm−1 and RR, LR, and ENR algorithms are preferred. • Additional groups of sample and 10-fold cross validation ensure models stability and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance switching phenomena were studied by varying temperature in SrTiO3 single crystal. The resistance hysteresis loops appear at a certain temperature ranging from 340K to 520 K. With the assistance of 375 nm ultraviolet continuous laser, the sample resistance is greatly reduced, leading to a stable effect than that in dark. These resistance switching phenomena only exist in samples with enough oxygen vacancies, which is confirmed by spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements, demonstrating an important role played by oxygen vacancies. At temperatures above 340K, positively charged oxygen vacancies become mobile triggered by external electric field, and the resistance switching effect emerges. Our theoretical results based on drift-diffusion model reveal that the built-in field caused by oxygen vacancies can be altered under external electric field. Therefore, two resistance states are produced under the cooperative effect of built-in field and external field. However, the increasing mobility of oxygen vacancies caused by higher temperature promotes internal electric field to reach equilibrium states quickly, and suppresses the hysteresis loops above 420 K [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the fracture hydraulic aperture and its relation to the mechanical aperture and normal stress is urgently needed in engineering construction and analytical research at the engineering field scale. A new method based on the in situ borehole camera measurement and borehole water-pressure test is proposed for the calculation of the fracture hydraulic aperture. This method comprises six steps. The first step is to obtain the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of the test section from borehole water-pressure tests. The second step is a tentative calculation to obtain the qualitative relation between the reduction coefficient and the mechanical aperture obtained from borehole camera measurements. The third step is to choose the preliminary reduction coefficient for obtaining the initial hydraulic aperture. The remaining three steps are to optimize, using the genetic algorithm, the hydraulic apertures of fractures with high uncertainty. The method is then applied to a fractured granite engineering area whose purpose is the construction of an underground water-sealed storage cavern for liquefied petroleum gas. The probability distribution characteristics of the hydraulic aperture, the relationship between the hydraulic aperture and the mechanical aperture, the hydraulic aperture and the normal stress, and the differences between altered fractures and fresh fractures are all analyzed. Based on the effects of the engineering applications, the method is proved to be feasible and reliable. More importantly, the results of the hydraulic aperture obtained in this paper are different from those results elicited from laboratory tests, and the reasons are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression, a severe psychiatric disorder, has been studied for decades, but the underlying mechanisms still remain largely unknown. Depression is closely associated with alterations in dendritic spine morphology and spine density. Therefore, understanding dendritic spines is vital for uncovering the mechanisms underlying depression. Several chronic stress models, including chronic restraint stress (CRS), chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and chronic social defeat stress (CSDS), have been used to recapitulate depression-like behaviors in rodents and study the underlying mechanisms. In comparison with CRS, CUMS overcomes the stress habituation and has been widely used to model depression-like behaviors. CSDS is one of the most frequently used models for depression, but it is limited to the study of male mice. Generally, chronic stress causes dendritic atrophy and spine loss in the neurons of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Meanwhile, neurons of the amygdala and nucleus accumbens exhibit an increase in spine density. These alterations induced by chronic stress are often accompanied by depression-like behaviors. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This review summarizes our current understanding of the chronic stress-induced remodeling of dendritic spines in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens and also discusses the putative underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the porous Mo skeleton was fabricated through deposition of semi-molten Mo particles by flame spraying. The Mo-Cu composites with different Cu contents up to 68% were produced by infiltrating molten copper into porous Mo skeleton in vacuum. The microstructures of both the as-sprayed porous Mo skeletons and the as-infiltrated Mo-Cu composites were characterized. The physical and mechanical properties of Mo-Cu composite materials with different Mo constituents were investigated. The results indicate that the excellent connecting pore structure feature of sprayed Mo skeleton is beneficial to the copper infiltration and the resultant Mo-Cu composite materials exhibit high density and microhardness. Moreover, there exists a hardness gradient at the interface region between the large Mo particle and Cu matrix. The results showed that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and thermal conductivity (TC) of Mo-Cu composites increase with the copper content of the composites and the temperature. The TC data of the composites are close to the results calculated by the finite differential method by taking account of the interface structure. Moreover, the observed CTEs are in good agreement with the theoretical values calculated based on Kerner's model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/insulator/SrNb0.007Ti0.993O3 multilayer and La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrNb0.007Ti0.993O3/In2O3:SnO2(ITO)/La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrNb0.007Ti0.993O3 multilayer structures were designed to enhance the photovoltage. The photovoltages of these two structures under an illumination of 308 nm laser are 410 and 600 mV, respectively. The latter is 20 times larger than that (30 mV) observed in La0.9Sr0.1MnO3/SrNb0.007Ti0.993O3 single junction. The origin of such significant enhancement of photovoltage is discussed in this letter. These results suggest that the photoelectric property of perovskite oxides could be much improved by artificial structure designing. The enhanced photovoltaic effects have potential applications in the ultraviolet photodetection and solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article designed a water model in axially rotating cylinder and built up an experimental platform. The equipment was put into a refrigerator, and as time went by, the temperature of environment changed regularly and the same is the rotating water. Based on this, different temperatures in different positions and the change of temperature were measured. Besides, comparing with the general water, heat conduction equation was obtained, and the reason of such phenomenon was analyzed. Simulating based on practical condition, the results by theoretic analysis were good matched with experiment. At last, it gave some reference values both on theoretical and experimental aspect for industry application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroelectric random access memory is still challenging in the feature of combination of room temperature stability, non-destructive readout and high intensity storage. As a non-contact and non-destructive information readout method, surface potential has never been paid enough attention because of the unavoidable decay of the surface potential contrast between oppositely polarized domains. That is mainly due to the recombination of the surface movable charges around the domain walls. Here, by introducing a laser beam into the combination of piezoresponse force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy, we demonstrate that the surface potential contrast of BiFeO3 films can be recovered under light illumination. The recovering mechanism is understood based on the redistribution of the photo-induced charges driven by the internal electric field. Furthermore, we have created a 12-cell memory pattern based on BiFeO3 films to show the feasibility of such photo-assisted non-volatile and non-destructive readout of the ferroelectric memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In hope of understanding the origin of the 3d-transition elements doping effect on the phase stability and magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic shape memory Heusler alloy Ni-Mn-Sn, the Ni-Z-Mn-Sn system with Z=Ni, Cu, Co, Fe, Mn and Cr is investigated using first-principles calculations. The calculated results show that the energetically favorable magnetic order of the L21 structure is antiferromagnetic for Z=Ni and Cu, and ferromagnetic for the Z=Co, Fe, Mn and Cr. However, for L10 structure, the antiferromagnetic state has an energetical preference for each alloy. Accordingly, a magnetic transition accompanies with the martensite phase transformation and a large change in the magnetic moment can be observed in the alloys with the L21 under the ferromagnetic state, which is mainly dependent on the coupling behaviors of the doped atoms. The weak ferromagnetic coupling between the Ni/Cu and Mn, the strong ferromagnetic coupling between Co/Fe and Mn and the antiferromagnetic coupling between Mn/Cr and Mn play an important role on the magnetic order of L21 structures. Furthermore, the Bethe-Slater model is employed to gain a further understanding and regulation of the coupling behaviors of different doping elements, which is very sensitive to the interatomic distance. These calculated results may help in gaining an insight into the doping behavior of these transition metals and provide some theoretical aid to the material design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The martensitic phase transformation temperatures in the Ni–Mn–Sn Heusler alloys increase with the number of valence electrons per atom; however, when Mn atoms are substituted by Fe, Co or Cu atoms, the systems show anomalous behaviors. In addition, large magnetization changes are observed in these alloys. To understand the unusual properties, the phase transitions in Ni–Mn(Z)–Sn (Z = 3d transition metals) are studied using first-principles calculations. It is found that the changes in the magnetic configuration are responsible for the unusual properties observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sangri Group volcanic rocks are distributed along the southern margin of the Lhasa Terrane on the northern side of the Indus-Yarlung Zangbo suture zone. This Group consists of the Mamuxia and Bima formations and has long been considered to be Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous in age. In this paper, we report for the first time zircon LA-ICPMS U-Pb ages, whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, as well as Sr-Nd isotope data of the Bima Formation volcanic rocks in the Sangri County, Tibet. Two samples collected from the Bima Formation volcanic rocks yield zircon U-Pb ages of 195±3Ma and 189±3Ma, respectively. These data suggest that the Bima Formation volcanic rocks formed during the Early Jurassic rather than the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous as previously reported. The volcanic rocks of the Bima Formation are dominantly composed of basalt and andesite that are enriched in LILEs and LREEs, but depleted in HFSEs, showing typical characteristics of arc volcanic rocks. They also show positive εNd (t) (+4.09 to +7.02) values and low initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7032 to 0.7050) ratios, similar to the MORB of the Indus-Yarlung Zangbo ophiolites, indicating that the Bima Formation volcanic rocks were derived from a depleted mantle wedge. The magmas subsequently experienced juvenile crust contamination and fractional crystallization during ascent. Geochemical features of magmas of the Bima Formation volcanic rocks are interpreted to be generated by the northward subduction of Neo-Tethys beneath the southern Lhasa Terrane as early as ~195Ma. Coeval with a large volume of Late Triassic-Early Jurassic felsic intrusions within the Gangdese arc, the Gangdese magmatic arc is interpreted to be initiated at a juvenile continental margin during the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic, although a possible intra-oceanic arc setting cannot be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A fast and accurate method for predicting lignin content of poplar is proposed. • Features extracted from Raman spectra were used for model input variables. • Random forest, LightGBM, CatBoost, and XGboost can accurately predict lignin content. • XGBoost algorithm offered the highest prediction accuracy with test R2 above 0.94. Based on features extracted from Raman spectra, regularization algorithms, SVR, DT, RF, LightGBM, CatBoost, and XGBoost were used to develop prediction models for lignin content in poplar. Firstly, Raman features extracted from FT-Raman spectra after data processing were used as input of models and determined lignin contents were output. Secondly, grid-search combined with cross-validation was used to adjust the hyper-parameters of models. Finally, the predictive models were built by aforementioned algorithms. The results indicated regularization algorithms, SVR, DT held test R2 were >0.80 which means the predictive values from model still deviate from measured ones. Meanwhile, RF, LightGBM, CatBoost, and XGBoost were better than above algorithms, and their test R2 were >0.91 which suggesting the predictive values was nearly close to measured ones. Therefore, fast and accurate methods for predicting lignin content were obtained and will be useful for screening suitable lignocellulosic resource with expected lignin content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]