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Strong ground shaking during the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake, which occurred in the foothills of the Longmen Shan in southwestern China, resulted in widespread coseismic deformation features, such as liquefaction and water ejection. We present a systematic survey of the soil liquefaction and water ejection features caused by this major earthquake. The majority of liquefaction sites occurred along major alluvial fan-building rivers, where the water table was a few meters below the surface. While there is no clear correlation between water fountain height and peak ground acceleration, ~ 58% of liquefaction sites are located 20–35 km from the Beichuan fault. Clusters of sites with anomalously high (> 2 m) water ejections are located near the surface projection of the Range Front blind thrust and its splay faults. The density of anomalously high eruptions within the window surrounding the Range Front blind thrust is 3–6 times greater than outside this region. Our results suggest that geologic structures may play a role in augmenting liquefaction intensity and shaking-related seismic hazards in sedimentary basins. We speculate that the mechanism could be the amplification of shaking by fault zone structures. Alternatively, faults may act as pathways with increased vertical permeability, allowing fluids from deeper confined aquifers to migrate to and enhance liquefaction of the upper soil, as proposed previously by Wang (2007). Liquefaction associated with the Wenchuan earthquake thus demonstrates the importance of considering geologic structures other than the primary earthquake-producing fault in seismic hazard evaluation and earthquake resistance design in areas with similar geologic and hydrological settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a sulfur-oxidizing community was enriched from activated sludge generated in tannery wastewater treatment plants. Bioleaching of tannery sludge containing 0.9–1.2% chromium was investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of the enriched community, the effect of chromium binding forms on bioleaching efficiency, and the dominant microbes contributing to chromium bioleaching. Sludge samples inoculated with the enriched community presented 79.9–96.8% of chromium leaching efficiencies, much higher than those without the enriched community. High bioleaching efficiencies of over 95% were achieved for chromium in reducible fraction, while 60.9–97.9% were observed for chromium in oxidizable and residual fractions. Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans , the predominant bacteria in the enriched community, played an important role in bioleaching, whereas some indigenous heterotrophic species in sludge might have had a supporting role. The results indicated that A. thiooxidans -dominant enriched microbial community had high chromium bioleaching efficiency, and chromium binding forms affected the bioleaching performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model is presented that reveals the mechanism of spontaneous boron doping of graphene and is consistent with the microwave plasma experiment choosing trimethylboron as the doping source (Tang et al. (2012) [19] ). The spontaneous boron doping originates from the synergistic effect of B and other groups (C, H, CH, CH 2 or CH 3 ) decomposing from trimethylboron. This work successfully explains the above experimental phenomenon and proposes a novel and feasible method aiming at B doping of graphene. The mechanism presented here may be also suitable for other two-dimensional carbon-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The pretreatment physics plan review is a standard tool for ensuring treatment quality. Studies have shown that the majority of errors in radiation oncology originate in treatment planning, which underscores the importance of the pretreatment physics plan review. This quality assurance measure is fundamentally important and central to the safety of patients and the quality of care that they receive. However, little is known about its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to analyze reported incidents to quantify the effectiveness of the pretreatment physics plan review with the goal of improving it. Methods: This study analyzed 522 potentially severe or critical near-miss events within an institutional incident learning system collected over a three-year period. Of these 522 events, 356 originated at a workflow point that was prior to the pretreatment physics plan review. The remaining 166 events originated after the pretreatment physics plan review and were not considered in the study. The applicable 356 events were classified into one of the three categories: (1) events detected by the pretreatment physics plan review, (2) events not detected but "potentially detectable" by the physics review, and (3) events "not detectable" by the physics review. Potentially detectable events were further classified by which specific checks performed during the pretreatment physics plan review detected or could have detected the event. For these events, the associated specific check was also evaluated as to the possibility of automating that check given current data structures. For comparison, a similar analysis was carried out on 81 events from the international SAFRON radiation oncology incident learning system. Results: Of the 356 applicable events from the institutional database, 180/356 (51%) were detected or could have been detected by the pretreatment physics plan review. Of these events, 125 actually passed through the physics review; however, only 38% (47/125) were actually detected at the review. Of the 81 events from the SAFRON database, 66/81 (81%) were potentially detectable by the pretreatment physics plan review. From the institutional database, three specific physics checks were particularly effective at detecting events (combined effectiveness of 38%): verifying the isocenter (39/180), verifying DRRs (17/180), and verifying that the plan matched the prescription (12/180). The most effective checks from the SAFRON database were verifying that the plan matched the prescription (13/66) and verifying the field parameters in the record and verify system against those in the plan (23/66). Software-based plan checking systems, if available, would have potential effectiveness of 29% and 64% at detecting events from the institutional and SAFRON databases, respectively. Conclusions: Pretreatment physics plan review is a key safety measure and can detect a high percentage of errors. However, the majority of errors that potentially could have been detected were not detected in this study, indicating the need to improve the pretreatment physics plan review performance. Suggestions for improvement include the automation of specific physics checks performed during the pretreatment physics plan review and the standardization of the review process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using nonequilibrium Green's functions in combination with the density functional theory, the spin transport properties of a single-molecule spintronic device are investigated. The computational results show that when the magnetic configuration of the device is set as parallel, the perfect spin-filtering effect can be observed. Especially, this perfect spin-filtering effect is independent of the number of carbon atoms in the carbon chain. However, when the magnetic configuration is set in antiparallel, the spin-filtering effect displays a strong odd-even oscillatory characteristic, namely, the spin-filtering efficiencies of odd-numbered chain systems have a higher values than even-numbered chain systems. Moreover, the magnetoresistance effect can also be observed in this single-molecule spintronic device. In contrast to the odd-even oscillatory characteristic of the spin-filtering effect in the antiparallel magnetic configuration, high magnetoresistance ratios belong to even-numbered chain systems while low magnetoresistance ratios belong to odd-numbered chain systems. The mechanisms are suggested for these interesting phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen tautomerization, a kind of intramolecular hydrogen-transfer reaction without changing the shape or position of single-molecules, has been successfully implemented in the experiment [Nature chem. 6 (2014) 41]. In this work, we find that the hydrogen tautomerization can play an important role in tuning the spin-filtering effects of a quinone-based spintronic device. Calculations using the first-principles method reveal that when the magnetic configuration of the spintronic device is set as parallel, the hydrogen tautomerization significantly enhances the spin-filtering effect. Namely, the spin-filtering ratio of the device can be increased from about 27% to about 94%. However, when the antiparallel magnetic configuration is applied in the device, the hydrogen tautomerization weakens the spin-filtering effect. Calculation results show that the corresponding spin-filtering ratio can be decreased from about 100% to about 10%. Our results might imply that a single-molecule spin-filter can be stably tuned and does not radically change its outer shape when assembled into nanoelectrical circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on conspiracy theories in digital media has grown considerably in recent years. As a result, the field of research has become more multidisciplinary and diverse. To bridge disciplinary boundaries, identify foci of analysis and research gaps, this study provides an interdisciplinary systematic literature review (2007–2020), analyzing current research on conspiracy theorizing online, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Findings show that the majority of studies lack a definition of conspiracy theories and fail to conceptually delineate conspiracy theories from other forms of deceptive content. We also found that while the field employs a variety of methodological approaches, most studies have focused on individual, "mainstream" social media platforms, "Western" countries, English-language communication, and single conspiracy theories. We use the findings of our review to remedy conceptual and empirical shortcomings and to provide suggestions on how to move forward in research on conspiracy theories online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Filamin A, encoded by the X‐linked gene FLNA, links the cell membrane with the cytoskeleton and acts as a regulator of the actin cytoskeleton. Mutations in FLNA cause a large spectrum of congenital malformations during embryonic development, including Melnick–Needles syndrome (MNS). However, reports of MNS, especially in males, are rare, and the pathogenesis molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Methods: We found a family with two consecutive miscarriages of similar fetuses with multiple malformations. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and tissues, and whole exome sequencing was performed for genetic analysis. Then, we created a C57BL/6 mouse with a point mutation by CRISPR/Cas‐mediated genome engineering. The migration of primary abdominal muscle cell was detected by wound healing assay. Results: The first fetus showed congenital hygroma colli and omphalocele identified by ultrasound at 12 wks; the second fetus showed hygroma colli and thoraco abdominoschisis at 12 wks, with a new hemizygous mutation c.4420G>A in exon 26 of the FLNA gene, which is predicted to cause an amino acid substitution (p.Asp1474Asn). The mother and grandmother were both present in the c.4420G>A heterozygous state, and the mother's healthy brother had wild‐type FLNA. These FLNA‐mutated mice exhibited a broader central gap between the rectus abdominis than the wild type (WT), similar to the midline structure dysplasia of the abdominal wall in the two fetuses. Wound healing assays showed the attenuated migration capacity of abdominal muscle cells in mice with mutated FLNA. Finally, we summarized the cases of MNS with FLNA mutation from the accessible published literature thus far. Conclusion: Our research revealed a mutation site of the FLNA for MNS and explored the mechanism of midline structure dysplasia in the abdominal wall of male patients, which could provide more evidence for the clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling of families with these disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• BjuSPL10c was expressed at a high level in flowers and up-regulated at reproductive stage. • Seven potential interactive proteins (BjuB025567, BjuA041065, BjuB033332, BjuA045694, BjuA027365, BjuA031237 and BjuA005619) were screened from B.juncea yeast library of flower buds at squaring stage. • Six (BjuB025567, BjuA041065, BjuB033332, BjuA045694, BjuA031237 and BjuA005619) of those proteins interacted with BjuSPL10c in vivo. • All of these six genes expressing interactive proteins were down-regulated in flowers. Brassica juncea var. tumida Tsen et Lee (Tumorous stem mustard) is a specific vegetable in China. Its tumorous stem can be consumed as fresh vegetable or produced pickle. In practice, early-bolting happens in around 15%, which inhibits B. juncea industry development. SPL is a plant specific transcription factor, plays important roles in flowering and gibberellins (GA) signaling. qRT-PCR assay found that BjuSPL10c was expressed at a high level in flowers and reproductive stage. To explore interactive proteins, BjuSPL10c was used as bait, finally seven proteins were screened and they are BjuB025567, BjuA041065, BjuB033332, BjuA045694, BjuA027365, BjuA031237 and BjuA005619. Further study confirmed that six of those proteins interacted with BjuSPL10c in vivo. qRT-PCR was conducted to understand mRNA expression levels of these six proteins in different tissues and development stages. The results showed that compared with root, mRNAs for all of these six genes were down-regulated in flowers. For different developmental stages, BjuB025567 and BjuA005619 were up-regulated at vegetative stage, down-regulated at reproductive stage; BjuB033332, BjuA045694 and BjuA031237 were significantly up-regulated at both vegetative and reproductive stages; BjuA041065 was showed "down-up-down" expression pattern. Taking all results together, BjuB025567, BjuA041065, BjuB033332, BjuA045694 and BjuA031237 may participate in flowering time regulation through interacting with BjuSPL10c in B. juncea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topographic evolution of SE Tibet is essential for understanding the growth of this orogenic plateau margin and the mechanism of continental deformation in general. Stable isotopes have been used to construct the paleo-elevation of SE Tibet during the Cenozoic. However, this methodology's reliability for the region is controversial; the results require validation through other independent constraints. The Eocene-Oligocene adakite-like rocks exposed along the Jinshajiang Suture are mostly the production of melts from the lower crust, and thus their geochemical features are used to track ancient crustal thickness and plateau elevation of SE Tibet. The whole-rock [La/Yb] N ratios indicate a thickened SE Tibet. Meanwhile, the paleo-elevation based on the calculated crustal thickness shows that central and southeastern Tibet had reached modern heights by the early Oligocene, corroborating results by stable isotope paleoaltimetry. Synthesizing previous studies and our results, we suppose that the deformation caused by the India-Aisa collision had propagated to and thickened central and southeastern Tibet before the Eocene-Oligocene. The uplifted and low-gradient plateau margin of SE Tibet had already been formed by this time. The lateral extrusion has mainly accommodated the deformation with minor shortening since the late Eocene. • Eocene-Oligocene adakite-like rocks exposed in SE Tibet were derived from melts in the deep crust. • Whole-rock La/Yb ratio-derived Moho depth indicates a thickened SE Tibet during the late Eocene-early Oligocene. • The paleo-elevation of SE Tibet had reached modern heights before the early Oligocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the staple food for Asian countries and with its ability in arsenic accumulation, rice consumption becomes a dominant pathway for As exposure to humans. Here, we collected 108 rice samples from local markets and online sources in 13 major rice-producing regions in China, and determined As contents, speciation and bioaccessibility in the samples. Total As contents were 25–327 μg kg−1 (averaging 120), showing regional differences, with Hunan province being greater than other provinces at 180 vs 110. In rice grains, inorganic As was the dominant species, being 39.9–88.5 (61.1 %), but all being within the Chinese standard at 200 μg kg−1. Based on the modified physiologically-based extraction test (MPEBT), arsenic bioaccessibility in rice samples was 20.1–82.2 (52.3 %) in the gastric phase and 47.2–113 (81.2 %) in the intestinal phase. Strong positive correlation between total As and bioaccessible As suggested bioaccessible As was content-dependent. Based on the intestinal phase, the rice samples from northern region had lower As bioaccessibility than other regions (59.2 vs 83.2 %), and Japonica variety had lower As bioaccessibility than Indica variety (71.1 vs 83.1 %). This study suggests that rice from markets in China is safe, with their As contents and bioaccessibility showing regional and variety differences. [Display omitted] • 108 rice samples were collected in 13 major rice-producing provinces; • Total As in rice grains was 25–327 μg kg−1, with Hunan being greater; • Inorganic As was the dominant species in rice grains at 39.9–88.5 %; • Bioaccessible As was content-dependent based on modified PBET method; • As bioaccessibility was lower in rice from northern region and Japonica variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the weighted elliptic system { − Δ u = ( 1 + | x | 2 ) α 2 v , − Δ v = ( 1 + | x | 2 ) α 2 u p , in R N , and prove Liouville type theorems for the classical positive and nonnegative stable solutions in higher dimension. In particular, there are no positive stable solutions for any N ≤ 12 + 5 α , p > 1 and α > 0 . Our proof is based on a combination of the bootstrap argument, Souplet's inequality and intermediate stability criterion, which is used to obtain sharp results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers, are a class of crystalline porous materials consisting of metal ion nodes held together by multitopic organic ligands. Among MOFs, Cu-BTC is a well-studied benchmark MOF. In practical applications, supported porous and stable MOFs on the surface of nanofibers, which provide a high specific surface area and prevent aggregation of the microstructure, may be very useful. This paper reports a facile strategy for the synthesis of core-shell polyimide/Cu-BTC hierarchical nanofibers by combining electrospinning, step-by-step seeding, and hydrothermal process. The Cu-BTC nanocrystals can be well immobilized onto the surface of polyimide nanofibers. The hierarchical nanofibers exhibited high gas separation and adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-train stability of railway vehicles has becoming a major concern for railway vehicles, which refers to the jackknifing behavior of couplers under large in-train forces. For the train to train rescue scenario, braking induced impacts from couplers can adversely affect the dynamic performance of the coupled train. It is indicated from field tests that in-train forces if combined with large rotational angles of couplers can produce vertical components, which will further lead to the interference of adjacent carbodies and structural damages. In this paper, the dynamic model of the train and coupler system is developed. The model verifications are conducted by comparing the calculated responses with the tested results. The safety indices are formulated on the basis of which the running safety of the coupled train is evaluated. The propelling test in the laboratory is conducted to reproduce the coupler jackknifing behavior. The quasi-static analysis and anti-jackknifing mechanism under compressing in-train forces are analysed. Parametric studies are then conducted to propose some limitations for the application of train to train rescue. It is indicated from numerical and testing results that the decrease of the braking deceleration or a limitation of the free rotational angle of couplers is beneficial to lower the amplitude of braking induced impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using nonequilibrium Green's functions in combination with the density functional theory, we investigate the transport properties of the supramolecular spin valves made of ferrocene and pristine (p-type or n-type) graphene nanoribbons. The results show that ferrocene adsorption on pristine graphene nanoribbons gives rise to perfect magnetoresistive effect. While for ferrocene adsorption on p-type graphene nanoribbons, the perfect magnetoresistive effect disappears but a high-efficiency spin-filtering effect can be observed. More interestingly, the ferrocene adsorption on n-type graphene nanoribbons bring about the disappearance of spin polarization effect, and thus spin-filtering and magnetoresistive effect cannot be observed. Our researches also confirm that the doping type of graphene nanoribbons is a key factor for obtaining a high-performance supramolecular spintronic device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Both CD20 and HLA-DR antigens are highly expressed on a variety of B-cell lymphomas and are therapeutic targets in antibody-based lymphoma therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of a bispecific antibody CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig on B-cell lymphoma. Methods: The gene for bispecific antibody CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig was constructed and expressed in FreeStyle™293-F cells, followed by purification. Their functions were characterized for binding to CD20 and HLA-DR and for cytotoxicity against B-cell lymphoma. Results: The bispecific antibody CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig was engineered using the DNA fragments for the anti-CD20 rituximab and anti-HLA-DR hL243γ1. The CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig bound simultaneously to both CD20 and HLA-DR, induced potent complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against B-cell lymphoma, and elicited homotypic adhesion and actin reorganization. Treatment of a mixture of human whole blood and Raji cells with CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig effectively depleted Raji cells and had a little toxicity against normal B cells. Conclusion: Our data indicated that targeting both CD20 and HLA-DR was an effective way against NHL, suggesting that CD20-HLA-DR DVD-Ig may be a promising therapeutic agent for B-cell lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (PMVEC) proliferation and angiogenesis contribute to the development of hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). MicroRNA-199a-5p (miR-199a-5p) has emerged as a potent regulator of angiogenesis, and its expression levels significantly decrease in the serum of patients with hepatopathy. However, it has not been reported about whether miR-199a-5p might control PMVEC proliferation. Here, we described the miR-199a-5p governing PMVEC proliferation in HPS. Methods: PMVECs were treated with rat serum from common bile duct ligation (CBDL) or sham. MiR-199a-5p mimic or inhibitor was used to change the miR-199a-5p expression. Knockdown of caveolin-1 (Cav-1) was performed using siRNA. NSC-23766 was used to inhibit Rac1 activity. Gene and protein expressions were quantified by qRT-PCR and western blot. Cell proliferation was analyzed by 3H-TdR incorporation and CCK-8 assays. Stress fibers were detected by immunofluorescence. Results: CBDL rat serum induced the down-regulation of miR-199a-5p. Delivery of miR-199a-5p suppressed the CBDL rat serum-induced PMVEC proliferation whereas knockdown of miR-199a-5p promoted PMVEC proliferation. This was accompanied by a decrease and an increase in Cav-1 expression, respectively. Cav-1 siRNA abolished the enhancement of PMVEC proliferation induced by the miR-199a-5p inhibition. Although stress fibers were disrupted in Cav-1 deficient cells, NSC-23766 increased stress fibers and contributed to cell proliferation. Conclusions: CBDL rat serum induced down-regulation of miR-199a-5p in PMVECs, which led to an increase of Cav-1 gene expression. Increased Cav-1 expression, by inhibiting Rac1 activity, led to the formation of stress fibers, which contribute to PMVEC proliferation and thus the pathogenesis of HPS. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chiral inversion has been a concerned issue during the research and development of a chiral drug. In this study, a sensitive chiral liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method was developed for determination of salbutamol enantiomers in human plasma and urine. The chiral inversion mechanism of R-salbutamol was fully investigated for the first time by studying the effects of physicochemical factors, including pH, temperature and time. A fitted model to predict the chiral inversion ratio of R-salbutamol was proposed using a Box–Behnken design. All the samples were separated on an Astec Chirobiotic T column and detected by a tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Lower limit of quantification of 0.100 ng/mL was achieved under the optimized conditions. The method was fully validated and successfully applied to the clinical pharmacokinetic study of R-salbutamol in healthy volunteers. Chiral inversion of R-salbutamol to S-salbutamol has been detected in urine samples. The results indicated that pH and temperature were two dominant factors that caused the chiral inversion of R-salbutamol, which should be taken into consideration during the analysis of chiral drugs. The chiral inversion of R-salbutamol determined in this study was confirmed resulted from the gastric acid in stomach rather than caused by the analysis conditions. Moreover, the calculated results of the fitted model matched very well with the enantioselective pharmacokinetic study of R-salbutamol, and the individual difference of the chiral inversion ratio of R-salbutamol was related to the individual gastric environment. On the basis of the results, this study provides important and concrete information not only for the chiral analysis but also for the metabolism research of chiral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the stochastic stability and bifurcation behavior for a suspended wheelset system in the presence of a Gauss white noise stochastic parametric excitation. First, the global stochastic stability was researched by judging the modality of the singular boundary. Then, the diffusion exponent, drift exponent and character value of the two boundaries were calculated. After getting the maximal Lyapunov exponent, the condition of D-bifurcation was obtained. By analyzing the shape and peaks of the stationary probability density function, the condition of stochastic P-bifurcation was also obtained. Finally, the numerical verification and the comparison between deterministic bifurcation and P-bifurcation were performed. The results show that the random excitation shifts the critical velocity to a lower value, and the stochastic system becomes more sensitive and more unstable. The stochastic parametric excitation can destroy the origin subcritical Hopf bifurcation in the deterministic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) show enormous potential in large-scale energy supply and storage attribute to safety and economy. However, the slow transport dynamics and unstable structural stability of the conventional cathodes hinder the further development of AZIBs. In this work, carbon-coated hydrated vanadium dioxide (HVO@C) was prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method. The introduction of water molecules provides suitable ambient spacing for rapidly accommodating and transporting cations, the coating of carbon further stabilizes the structure of the material and improves the conductivity of the material. The synergistic merits of pre-intercalated water molecules and carbon encapsulation are beneficial for both electron and ion transport kinetics. And the content of water molecules is controlled by regulating V/C ratio. Electrochemical results revealed that the H 1.99 VO@C/Zn batteries yield a good reversible specific capacity (329.0 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1) with superior cycling stability (174.2 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles). This work provides a strategy for developing safe and high-performance energy storage equipment by pre-intercalated defect and carbon encapsulation. • A controllable water molecular intercalation and carbon coating Vanadium dioxide were successfully synthesized. • Pre-intercalated water molecules and carbon encapsulation are beneficial for both electron and ion transport kinetics. • Controlling V/C ratio can control water molecular content. • The interesting H+ and Zn2+ co-intercalation mechanism was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The P2 resonance frequency of metro track is obtained by the wheel circumferential profiles and axle box vertical accelerations, and verified by corresponding metro track FEM. • A vehicle-track coupling model with polygonal wear is established in SIMPACK platform. • Development mechanism of polygonal wear after formation is analyzed by field test and numerical method. • The effect of rail pad stiffness on vertical wheel/rail force is discussed. The polygonal wear is a significant concern in railway engineering, and the mechanism behind it remains elusive. In this study, the polygonal wear on a specific metro line in China is analyzed. The 7th-order and 8th-order wheel polygonal wear are commonly measured on the metro, in which corresponding excitation frequency is located in the 44.3–58.9 Hz interval at the operating speeds of 60–70 km/h. Meanwhile, an obvious natural resonance at 50.7 Hz is found by analyzing the acceleration of axle box, which is verified by the eigen analysis of the corresponding metro track. Moreover, the vehicle-track coupling model with polygonal wheel is established to analyze the vertical wheel/rail forces induced by polygonal wear. The result indicates that the P2 resonance is the main contributor to the high amplitude vertical wheel/rail forces, which is also the main factor for development of polygonal wear after formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the conditions of naturally quasi C-convexity of -f( *, y, u), upper ( -C)-continuity of f, an auxiliary function was constructed and an existence theorem for solutions to generalized strong vector quasi-equilibrium problems (for short, GSVQEPs) was established based on a method of proof other than the traditional ones, without the assumption that the dual of the ordering cone has a weak* compact base. Moreover, a definition of problem sequence convergence was given and the upper semi-continuity of solution set mappings was obtained under some proper conditions. Based on these results, a concept of Hadamard-type well-posedness for GSVQEPs was introduced and the sufficient conditions for that Hadamard well-posedness was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glycosyl thiols are useful building blocks for the construction of compounds of biological and synthetic importance. Herein, we report a practical synthetic approach toward the efficient synthesis of glycosyl thiols via chemo- and regioselective S-deacetylation inspired by native chemical ligation. This strategy allows the large scale synthesis of glycosyl thiols by simple purification steps without column chromatography. In addition, deacetylation reagents (DTT) could also be recovered and regenerated by a simple process. Thiol containing taxol and artemisinin analogues were successfully prepared based on this methodology. Finally, auranofin, a glucose-based oral drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, was synthesized in concise steps and overall high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to fabricate canine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheet through the use of vitamin C, to identify the biological characteristics of the resulting cell sheets, and to reveal the potential mechanism of cell-sheet promotion by vitamin C. This study used vitamin C to induce bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to proliferate. The resulting cells secreted large amounts of collagen, thereby shortening the construction time of the cell-sheet layer. In addition to these aims, we identified biological microcharacteristics of the cell sheet through histological observation, transmission electron microscopy, real-time PCR detection, immunohistochemical detection, and osteogenesis-induction experiments on the cell sheet. We were able to stably and rapidly construct bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheet, effectively harvest it, and transfer the seed cells for tissue engineering. This study indicates that the use of vitamin C for harvesting mesenchymal stem cell sheets from bone marrow may provide an easy and practical approach for bone tissue regeneration. SCANNING 37:42-48, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheel set flange derailment criteria for railway vehicles are derived and the influence of wheel–rail contact parameters is studied. An indirect method for wheel–rail force measurement based on these derailment evaluation criteria is proposed. Laboratory tests for the calibration of strain–force devices on the bearing box are carried out to determine the relationship between the applied force and the measured strain. The simulation package, SIMPACK, is used to develop a passenger car model to generate wheel–rail forces and vibration signals. Different cases are considered in this model to provide an accurate validation of the identified wheel–rail forces. A feasibility test is conducted in the Beijing Loop test line using a passenger car equipped with a set of strain gauges on the wheel set. The comparison of the force time history applied to the instrumented wheel set and that obtained using the indirect method is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By applying nonequilibrium Green’s functions in combination with density-function theory, the spin-dependent transport properties of cross-linked carbon nanotube spintronic devices are investigated. Our calculations show that the perfect spin filtering effect with the almost 100% spin polarization, and the magnetoresistance effect with a magnetoresistance ratio larger than 10 4 % can be observed in the device. The occurrence of the perfect spin-filtering and magnetoresistance effects in the cross-linked carbon nanotube spintronic device provides the possibility for further improving the integration level of carbon nanotube networks. Moreover, the mechanisms for these interesting phenomena are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The electronic transport properties of zigzag 6, 6, 12-graphyne nanoribbons (6, 6, 12-Z GYNRs) are investigated by first-principles calculations. The results show that the two bands around the Fermi level of 4-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR are not flat but cambered, which is different from that of zigzag graphene and α-graphyne nanoribbons, and is also different from that of 5-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR. In non-magnetic states, the current across the 5-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR system is almost forbidden even at rather large bias voltages, while in 4-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR system, the current increases linearly with the increase of bias voltage. In spin-polarized state, fine spin filtering effect is gained in anti-parallel configuration of 5-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR system. Moreover, it is found that magnetoresistance exists in the 5-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR system, but not in the 4-6, 6, 12-ZGYNR system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Joint contractures occur frequently after trauma or immobilization, but few reliable treatments are available. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is often used for various musculoskeletal conditions, but whether it is effective for treating joint contractures and the mechanisms through which it might work for that condition remain unclear. Questions/purposes: Using a rat model, we asked, does ESWT (1) inhibit the progression of knee contracture, (2) ameliorate histopathologic joint changes, and (3) improve serum and myofascial fibrosis-related factors? We also asked, (4) what is the possible mechanism by which ESWT inhibits knee contracture? Methods: Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks old and weighing 300 to 400 g) were randomly separated into two groups: control group (eight rats) and noncontrol group (24) in the first week. Rats in the control group were kept free in cages for 4 weeks, and the right lower limbs of the rats in the noncontrol group were immobilized in plaster for 4 weeks. ROM was then measured for each rat with or without 4 weeks of immobilization. After ROM measurement, rats in the noncontrol group were randomly separated into three groups: immobilization group (eight rats), remobilization group (eight rats), and remobilization with ESWT group (eight rats) at Week 4. Knee contracture was induced in rats by fixing the right knee with a plaster cast as in a previous study. The plaster cast was removed after 4 weeks; knee contracture was established when passive ROM was decreased and dysfunction such as abnormal gait occurred. Subsequently, rats with a remobilized joint contracture were treated with or without ESWT for 15 days (on Days 5, 10, and 15). The therapeutic effect was examined using ROM, joint diameter (as an indication of swelling), histopathologic changes, and the levels of fibrosis-related extracellular matrix component factors (hyaluronic acid, serum procollagen peptide, and laminin). The effect of ESWT on fibrosis protein was also evaluated using immunohistochemistry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and Western blot. The expressions of factors in the TGF-β/SMADs pathway were also determined using Western blot and qPCR. Results: ESWT mitigated immobilization-induced knee contracture in rats by improving ROM (immobilization versus remobilization with ESWT: 53° ± 8° versus 32° ± 8° [95% confidence interval 13° to 30°]; p < 0.001) and joint swelling (immobilization versus remobilization with ESWT: 8 ± 0.8 cm versus 6 ± 0.3 cm [95% CI 0.4 to 2.2 cm]; p = 0.01). Histopathologic features of remission were alleviated after ESWT (immobilization versus remobilization with ESWT: thickness of the knee space: 0.2 ± 0.03 mm versus 0.6 ± 0.01 mm [95% CI -0.49 to -0.33 mm]; p < 0.001. On Masson staining, the positive expression area, which indicates collagen fiber deposition, was 24% ± 5% versus 9% ± 2% ([95% CI 10% to 21%]; p < 0.001). ESWT improved the serum fibrosis factors of hyaluronic acid, procollagen peptide, and laminin (immobilization versus remobilization with ESWT: hyaluronic acid: 412 ± 32 versus 326 ±15 ng/mL [95% CI 29 to 144 ng/mL]; p = 0.003; serum procollagen peptide: 19 ± 1 versus 12 ±1 ng/mL [95% CI 3 to 11 ng/mL]; p < 0.001; laminin: 624 ± 78 versus 468 ±9 ng/mL [95% CI 81 to 231 ng/mL]; p = 0.006) and myofascial factors of α-SMA and Type I collagen associated with immobilization-induced contractures. Conclusion: The findings suggest that ESWT improved joint contracture by inhibiting the TGF-β1/SMADs signaling pathway in rats. Clinical Relevance: This work suggests ESWT may be worth exploring in preliminary research in humans to determine whether it may be a treatment option for patients with nontraumatic knee contractures. If the mechanism of ESWT can be confirmed in humans, ESWT might be a therapy for diseases involved in the TGF-β1/SMADs signaling pathway, such as hypertroic scarring and scleroderma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract During the fermentation of soy sauce, the metabolism of microorganisms and the Maillard reaction produce a wide variety of metabolites that contribute to the unique and rich flavor characteristics of soy sauce, such as amino acids, organic acids and peptides. Amino acid derivatives, a relatively new taste compounds, formed by the reaction of enzymes or non-enzymes from sugars, amino acids, and organic acids released through metabolism by microorganisms during soy sauce fermentation, have begun to gain more and more attention in recent years. This review focused on our existing knowledge of the sources, taste characteristics and synthesis methods of the 6 categories of amino acid derivatives, including Amadori compounds, γ-glutamyl peptides, pyroglutamyl amino acids, N-lactoyl amino acids, N-acetyl amino acids and N-succinyl amino acids. Sixty-four amino acid derivatives were detected in soy sauce, of which 47 were confirmed to have potential contribution to the taste of soy sauce, especially umami and kokumi, and some of them also have the effect of reducing bitterness. Furthermore, some amino acid derivatives, like γ-glutamyl peptides and N-lactoyl amino acids, were found to be synthesized enzymatically in vitro, which laid the foundation for further study on their formation pathways in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: The discovery of Kahne glycosylation forwards a big step in the carbohydrate chemistry. Despite an extensive series of studies, the precise mechanism of this powerful glycosylation is still not fully understood. To address these 30‐year puzzles, the far side of Kahne glycosylation is explored in this study. After a series of control and tracking experiments, a number of important intermediates including glycosyl oxo‐sulfonium ion and sulfenic anhydride (Crich's intermediate) are suggested to be responsible for the complex reaction pathway. It also reveals that in addition to the conventional ionic glycosylation pathway, a novel free radical pathway is very likely to contribute to the various side‐and co‐products. This study provides further understanding of Kahne glycosylation, and it also sheds light on how to improve the efficiency of sulfoxide‐based glycosylation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation integrates an alternative fully-parameterized approximation of nonlinear wheel/rail interaction into a simplified vehicle model, and a two-parameter Hopf bifurcation analysis is conducted to reveal the influence of the wheel/rail contact geometry and secondary suspension parameters for high-speed rail vehicles. The bifurcation diagram is compared among the 6 DOFs bogie model, linear and nonlinear 7 DOFs vehicle model, nonlinear 17 DOFs vehicle model, and 3D full DOFs vehicle model. It shows that the nonlinear 7 DOFs vehicle model can meet the requirement of both carbody hunting and bogie hunting simulations. 6 DOFs bogie model can only be used in bogie hunting bifurcation analysis. Linear vehicle model would bring errors in either critical speed or limit circle magnitude. The divergences in the linear terms of rolling radius and contact angle polynomials are significant enough in field operation to cause a noticeable difference in Hopf bifurcation speed. Attention shall be paid to the shape of equivalent conicity and contact angle curve. The crucial parameters to the Hopf bifurcation include the series stiffness and damping coefficient of the yaw damper and the lateral damper damping. However, the requirement of suspension parameters for stability can conflict in carbody hunting and bogie hunting cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosacea is difficult to treat. Therefore, new alternative modalities are necessary to demonstrate. The present study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of the combined therapy of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) and intense pulsed light (IPL) for rosacea to provide a new treatment option for rosacea. The study was conducted from November 2017 to April 2019 at the Department of Dermatology, The First Hospital of China Medical University. Patients aged 18–65 years and diagnosed clinically as erythematotelangiectatic (ET) or papulopustular (PP) rosacea were enrolled. Three times of ALA-PDT at 10 days interval followed by 3 times of IPL at 3–4 weeks interval were defined as 1 session and applied to the whole face of each patient. ALA-PDT: 5% ALA, red light (fluency dose 60–100 mW/cm2, 20 min); IPL: 560/590/640 nm, double/triple-pulse mode, pulse width 3.0 to 4.5 ms, delay time 30–40 ms, energy fluency 14–17 J/cm2. Ten patients were enrolled in the study. Among them, 4 patients received only 1 session, while 6 patients received 2 sessions. After all treatments, 50% of patients achieved 75–100% improvement, and 30% achieved 50–75% improvement. Forty percent of patients were graded very satisfaction and 30% graded moderate satisfaction. All noninvasive measurements showed no significant differences among all time points (p > 0.05). The side effects were pain, burning sensation, itching, erythema, desquamation, slight edema, slight exudation, and hyperpigmentation. All of which were tolerable and recovered in a few days. The combined therapy of ALA-PDT and IPL showed an effective option for rosacea with a safety profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A continuous wheel/rail force measuring method is investigated. • An indoor prototype is built for verification. • The 14-span discrete wheel/rail force can completely cover the detected wheel surface and reflect the wheel faults. • A calibration device which can move easily on the track was proposed. • The impact signal of wheel flat collected by indoor prototype shows a strong regularity, study on the relationships can provide basis for wheel fault diagnosis. In order to obtain more reliable wheel-rail contact force and improve the accuracy of wheel fault detection, a continuous wheel/rail force measuring method is investigated, and an indoor prototype is built for verification. The wheel/rail force is mainly measured by shear method, and the time of wheel entering and leaving the test area is measured by proximity switch at the same time. Then the measured discrete wheel/rail forces are connected together by computer editing. The calibration coefficients of the shear wheel/rail forces can be obtained by using a special calibration device which can move easily on the rails. The results show that the continuous wheel/rail force reproduced by using 14 measured discrete wheel/rail forces can cover the whole wheel running surface, and also can reflect the wheel surface defects. When the wheel defect such as wheel flat appears, the wheel/rail impact induced by wheel flat has a strong effect on the wheel/rail force. Thus the mapping relationship between the wheel flat and wheel/rail force can be established and be adopted to identify the length and depth of wheel flat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety risk of a high-speed train due to the fluctuation of aerodynamic loads cannot be neglected, especially for transitions in the windbreak walls. In this study, the dynamic response of a high-speed train under cross winds is exploited to identify the aerodynamic loads. Firstly, the full-scale testing of a high-speed passenger train under cross winds is introduced to make insight into the wind-induced safety issues. Significant carbody lateral, roll and yaw motions can be observed in the secondary suspension and wheel-rail interface. Secondly, a new measurement approach of the aerodynamic loads is proposed based on the inertia and suspension loads. The comparison of identified aerodynamic loads shows good coincidence in the time history with that from the field testing. Then, a simplified aerodynamic load function with the damped sinusoid characteristic is applied to the vehicle dynamic simulations. The calculated derailment coefficient and wheel unloading ratio show good coincidence with that of the tested results. The parametric studies show that the overturning and derailment risks are of great relevance to the amplitude and frequency coefficients in the aerodynamic load waveform. Both the overturning and wheel climbing derailment risks are necessary to be evaluated for railway vehicles under transient aerodynamic loads. • The safety risks of the train negotiating transitions in windbreak walls are investigated. • A novel method of measuring the aerodynamic loads of a running train is presented and verified. • A transient wind characteristic model is proposed by the damped sinusoid function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The wheel/rail vertical loads are strongly affected by the aerodynamic loads and track excitations, and will further influence the wheel/rail adhesion forces. With the increasing of train speed, the influence of aerodynamic loads becomes more and more significant. In order to probe into this problem, a simplified train dynamic model with three vehicles is established in which each vehicle system has 14 degrees of freedom. The track irregularity spectrum of a high speed line in China and steady aerodynamic loads are taken as the inputs to the vehicle system. Numerical simulation is carried out by using MATLAB. It is found that the aerodynamic loads obviously affect the wheel/rail contact forces for the high-speed train. Under the same train speed, with the increasing of crosswind velocity, the wheel/rail contact forces for cars at different positions in the train set are reduced gradually. Under the same crosswind velocity, the impact of aerodynamic loads on the different-position vehicle is different. The model of wheel/rail adhesion fuzzy control is built and preliminary analysis is conducted. The strategy of predictive control based on the vehicle system is introduced. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Albumin-bound paclitaxel is a novel formulation of paclitaxel with albumin as its solvent. Compare to the conventional paclitaxel formulation (solvent is polyoxyethylene castor oil and ethanol), its anti -tumor capability is more effective and hematologic toxicity, severe allergic reaction and other side effects are less. In recent years, albumin-bound paclitaxel are widely used on clinical studies of gynecologic oncology. There are three Phase II clinical studies currently reported on ovarian cancer, nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel in platinum-sensitive patients and platinum-resistant patients with ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube canceral and bevacizumab with albumin-bound paclitaxel in patients with recurrent, platinum-resistant primary epithelial ovarian or primary peritoneal carcinoma, which have shown the efficacy and tolerated adverse reactions. The study reported a phase II trial of nab-paclitaxel in the treatment of recurrent or persistent advanced cervix cancer and point out that albumin-bound paclitaxel is a considering drug with little side effects. In short, there is only a few study on albumin-bound paclitaxel in gynecologic oncology until now and we need more further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The evolution of the topography of eastern Tibet reflects the dynamic interaction between processes at Earth's surface and the lower crust. Reconstruction of its spatio-temporal development provides constraints for our understanding of the geodynamics of continental deformation. This study examines the topographic evolution of the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau throughout the Cenozoic using stable isotope paleoaltimetry of pedogenic carbonates preserved in Cenozoic basins extending from the northern to the southern portions of the SE margin of the Tibetan Plateau (Yunnan Province, China). Paleoelevations are calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation of the normally distributed uncertainties in each parameter used to calculate elevations from the isotopic value of pedogenic carbonate. Isotope–elevation relationships are determined from a modern sampling transect along the modern Lancang (Mekong) River and an estimated Eocene Rayleigh fractionation model that was randomly resampled. Calculated elevations indicate the SE margin of Tibet was at its present elevation as early as the late Eocene, with elevations of 3.3 km as far south as the northern third of China's Yunnan Province. This result expands the extent of the Eocene Tibetan Plateau more than 1000 km east of that previously known and precludes surface uplift via lower crustal flow in the area of SW Sichuan and Northern Yunnan as a driver for drainage reorganization and an observed middle to late Miocene pulse of rapid exhumation. Elevation estimates from the southern two thirds of the study area parallel to the Red River Fault suggest approximately 1 km of post late Miocene surface uplift, consistent with estimates from previous studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The transport properties of ZGNR and ZBNNR heterostructure decorated with Cr-ligand are studied. [•] Perfect spin-filtering effect can be realized by increasing the ZBNNR fragment in the ZGNR. [•] Perfect spin-filtering effect is independent of the magnetic configuration of the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Full-time clinician educators are becoming more predominant in China, yet their effect is unknown.Purposes: The purpose of this study was to compare the teaching quality of full-time (FT) faculty with that of part-time (PT) faculty in one Chinese medical school.Methods: In 3 consecutive years, 881 3rd year medical students were enrolled and randomly distributed into two groups, being taught by either a FT faculty member or a PT faculty member. Their teaching quality was evaluated with student performance on a written exam, the standardized patient exam, and student satisfaction.Results: The students in the FT group always scored better on the written exam (1st year = 79.82 ± 9.2 vs. 81.26 ± 8.2,p< .188; 2nd year = 73.10 ± 9.8 vs. 76.51 ± 7.9,p= .001; 3rd year = 75.15 ± 9.0 vs. 79.51 ± 8.7,p< .0001). In the standardized patient exam, the students from FT groups always showed better performance in history taking and physical examination. Students continually gave higher evaluations to FT faculty in questionnaires (1st year = 76.8 ± 6.5 vs. 84.3 ± 2.2; 2nd year = 78.6 ± 3.9 vs. 89.7 ± 4.2; 3rd year = 75.8 ± 3.9 vs. 88.5 ± 3.5, allps < .001).Conclusions: The teaching quality of FT faculty in clinical-skills training is better than PT faculty in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to develop a method that combined nanoparticle-based immunomagnetic separation (IMS) with real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the rapid detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Magnetic nanoparticles were functionalized with monoclonal antibodies that were produced against flagella from V. parahaemolyticus to capture and separate the target cells from raw oysters. After optimization, the immunomagnetic nanoparticles (IMNPs) presented a capture efficiency of 87.3% for 105 colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL of V. parahaemolyticus using 2.5μg of IMNPs within 30min. Although a very low level of non-specific binding was seen among 8 non-V. parahaemolyticus Vibrio spp. and 5 non-Vibrio strains, the IMS–LAMP method identified 133 V. parahaemolyticus strains correctly without the amplification from 54 other strains. The detection limit was about 1.4×102 CFU/mL in pure culture and was unaffected by the presence of 108 CFU/mL of competing microflora. When applied in spiked oysters, the sensitivity was found to be 1.9×103 CFU/g without enrichment. After enrichment for 6–8h, the limit of detectability could be improved to 1.9 to 0.19CFU/g. Hence, the IMS–LAMP assay provided a rapid, simple, and cost-effective method for total V. parahaemolyticus detection. This method will have important implications in the rapid detection of contaminated food in the early stage before distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) is centrally involved in diverse cellular processes, including proliferation and apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate the influence of GSK3β expression on the prognosis of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the effects of GSK3β inhibition in NSCLC cell lines. Methods: Immunohistochemical and western blot assays were used to evaluate the GSK3β expression level in human NSCLC tissues. Lentiviral RNA interference was performed to inhibit the expression of GSK3β in the A549, H292, H1299 and SK-MES-1 cell lines. Cell survival, apoptosis and motility were evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Results: The levels of GSK3β were greater in NSCLC tissues (n = 211) than in control tissues (n = 194) (P<0.001). The 5-year follow-up analysis showed that positive GSK3β expression was indicative of poor prognosis (P = 0.006). Furthermore, knockdown of GSK3β in NSCLC cell lines suppressed cell proliferation, arrested tumor cells in G0/G1 phase, induced apoptosis and reduced cell motility. A xenograft model showed that the deregulation of GSK3β attenuated tumorigenesis, as confirmed by reduced cell proliferation based on Ki-67 and significantly increased apoptotic cell death. The inhibition of GSK3β had inconsistent effects on the expression of β-catenin, depending on the cell type examined. Conclusion: Aberrant expression of GSK3β serves as an independent marker of poor prognosis for NSCLC. The inhibition of GSK3β suppressed tumorigenesis by attenuating cell proliferation, increasing apoptosis and restraining cell motility. These results identify GSK3β as a tumor promoter and a potential therapeutic target in NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Chlorophyll content, one of the most important physiological parameters related to plant photosynthesis, is usually used to predict yield potential. To map the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) underlying the chlorophyll content of rice leaves, a double haploid (DH) population was developed from an indica/japonica (Zhenshan 97/Wuyujing 2) crossing and two backcross populations were established subsequently by backcrossing DH lines with each of their parents. The contents of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were determined by using a spectrophotometer to directly measure the leaf chlorophyll extracts. To determine the leaf chlorophyll retention along with maturation, all measurements were performed on the day of heading and were repeated 30days later. A total of 60 QTLs were resolved for all the traits using these three populations. These QTLs were distributed on 10 rice chromosomes, except chromosomes 5 and 10; the closer the traits, the more clustering of the QTLs residing on common rice chromosomal regions. In general, the majority of QTLs that specify chlorophyll a content also play a role in determining chlorophyll b content. Strangely, chlorophyll content in this study was found mostly to be lacking or to have a negative correlation with yield. In both backcross F1 populations, overdominant (or underdominant) loci were more important than complete or partially dominant loci for main-effect QTLs and epistatic QTLs, thereby supporting previous findings that overdominant effects are the primary genetic basis for depression in inbreeding and heterosis in rice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] A layer of titania semi-spherical shell is assembled onto the titania nano-crystalline film. [•] The shell performs as a concave mirror. [•] Unlike random scattering centers, the unique structure reflects full band incident light back into the photo-anode. [•] Conversion efficiency is enhanced by the semi-spherical shell. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

cis-2,6-Tetrahydropyran is an important structural skeleton of bioactive natural products. A facile synthesis of cis-2,6-disubstituted-3,6-dihydropyrans as cis-2,6-tetrahydropyran precursors has been achieved in high regio- and stereoselectivity with high yields. This reaction involves a palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylation of various 3,4-dihydro-2 H-pyran substrates. Extending this reaction to 1,2-unsaturated carbohydrates allowed the achievement of challenging β-C-glycosylation. Based on this methodology, the total syntheses of (±)-centrolobine and (+)-decytospolides A and B were achieved in concise steps and overall high yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider an elliptic system of the form [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.], [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] in Ω with Neumann boundary conditions, where Ω is a [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] domain in [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.], f and g are nonlinearities having superlinear and subcritical growth at infinity. We prove the existence of nonconstant positive solutions of the system, and estimate the energy functional on a configuration space [InlineEquation not available: see fulltext.] by a different technique, which is an important step in the proof of the solution’s concentrative property. We conclude that the least energy solutions of the system concentrate at the point of boundary, which maximizes the mean curvature of ∂Ω. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Electronic transport in single phthalocyanine-based molecules device are studied. [•] Perfect spin filtering can be realized at a wide bias voltage region. [•] Giant magnetoresistance can be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various aryl bromides or chlorides, including those bearing a free COOH, OH, CONHR, and SO2NHR group, coupled with aryl magnesium or lithium reagents in the presence of 7.5 mol % CoCl2/15 mol % PBu3and substoichiometric Ti(OEt)4(40 mol % to ArM) at room temperature in high yields with high chemo- and regioslectivity. This simple reaction represents the first example of Co/Ti cooperative catalysis which plays a key role in suppressing undesired homocouplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study investigates the human brains′ sensitivity to the valence strength of emotionally positive and negative chinese words. Event-Related Potentials were recorded, in two different experimental sessions, for Highly Positive (HP), Mildly Positive (MP) and neutral (NP) words and for Highly Negative (HN), Mildly Negative (MN) and neutral (NN) words, while subjects were required to count the number of words, irrespective of word meanings. The results showed a significant emotion effect in brain potentials for both HP and MP words, and the emotion effect occurred faster for HP words than MP words: HP words elicited more negative deflections than NP words in N2 (250–350ms) and P3 (350–500ms) amplitudes, while MP words elicited a significant emotion effect in P3, but not in N2, amplitudes. By contrast, HN words elicited larger amplitudes than NN words in N2 but not in P3 amplitudes, whereas MN words produced no significant emotion effect across N2 and P3 components. Moreover, the size of emotion-neutral differences in P3 amplitudes was significantly larger for MP compared to MN words. Thus, the human brain is reactive to both highly and mildly positive words, and this reactivity increased with the positive valence strength of the words. Conversely, the brain is less reactive to the valence of negative relative to positive words. These results suggest that human brains are equipped with increased sensitivity to the valence strength of positive compared to negative words, a type of emotional stimuli that are well known for reduced arousal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper describes the low frequency carbody hunting problem of a high speed passenger car emerged in the process of tests and service operations. It causes a significant deterioration of lateral comfort. First, the vehicle model is established as a multiple rigid body system. Using root locus analysis, the effect of system parameters on the carbody hunting stability has been studied. It shows that carbody hunting instability has something to do with suspension parameters and wheel/rail conditions. To find the causes of this carbody hunting problem, component tests have been carried out. Based on the theoretical hunting stability analysis and component tests, solutions are proposed and then validated in the field test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]