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This paper presents a design of a compact tri-band bandpass filter simply using a pair of the uniform impedance resonator loaded with an open-circuited stub. By introducing the variable impedance of the open-circuited stub, the proposed design has additional design parameter of the impedance ratio to adjust the resonant modes of the used resonator, so as to more easily achieve the different frequency bands. The resonant frequencies of the oddmode and evenmode of the used resonator are analyzed first in this study. A tri-band filter example is designed at the center frequencies of 1.9, 3.58, and 5.75 GHz, which can be used in 4 G system, 5 G communication system, and wireless local area network, respectively. The designed filter is simulated, fabricated, and then measured. The measurement shows that the insertion loss |S21|, return loss |S11|, and 3 dB fractional bandwidth for the three passbands are less than 0.25/0.37/0.9 dB, larger than 30/15/15 dB, and 17.5/12.2/8.9%, respectively. Moreover, by using the interdigital coupling of the used resonator, four transmission zeros are generated near the passband edges at 1.47, 2.56, 4.05, and 6.48 GHz, realizing high selectivity and high isolation. The measurement is consistent with the simulation, confirming the design concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages are widely distributed in tissues and function in homeostasis. During cancer development, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) dominatingly support disease progression and resistance to therapy by promoting tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and immunosuppression, thereby making TAMs a target for tumor immunotherapy. Here, we started with evidence that TAMs are highly plastic and heterogeneous in phenotype and function in response to microenvironmental cues. We pointed out that efforts to tear off the heterogeneous "camouflage" in TAMs conduce to target de facto protumoral TAMs efficiently. In particular, several fate-mapping models suggest that most tissue-resident macrophages (TRMs) are generated from embryonic progenitors, and new paradigms uncover the ontogeny of TAMs. First, TAMs from embryonic modeling of TRMs and circulating monocytes have distinct transcriptional profiling and function, suggesting that the ontogeny of TAMs is responsible for the functional heterogeneity of TAMs, in addition to microenvironmental cues. Second, metabolic remodeling helps determine the mechanism of phenotypic and functional characteristics in TAMs, including metabolic bias from macrophages' ontogeny in macrophages' functional plasticity under physiological and pathological conditions. Both models aim at dissecting the ontogeny-related metabolic regulation in the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity in TAMs. We argue that gleaning from the single-cell transcriptomics on subclonal TAMs' origins may help understand the classification of TAMs' population in subclonal evolution and their distinct roles in tumor development. We envision that TAM-subclone-specific metabolic reprogramming may round-up with future cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The first organo-catalyzed Michael addition of 2-fluoro-2-arylacetonitriles with activated alkenes. • A broad substrate scope with respect to the Michael acceptor. • The use of water as the reaction solvent. An efficient synthesis of a variety of 2-arylacetonitriles containing a fluorinated stereogenic center through organo-catalyzed Michael addition reaction of 2-fluoro-2-arylacetonitriles has been developed. This protocol uses a cheap organocatalyst (DBU) and has a broad substrate scope: α, β-unsaturated ketones, esters, nitriles and sulfones were all successfully reacted. Importantly, water proved to be a good solvent for this reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the advancement and progression of urbanization, management problems of the wildland–urban interface (WUI) have become increasingly serious. WUI regional governance issues involve many factors including climate, humanities, etc., and have attracted attention and research from all walks of life. Building research plays a vital part in the WUI area. Building location is closely related with the planning and management of the WUI area, and the number of buildings is related to the rescue arrangement. There are two major methods to obtain this building information: one is to obtain them from relevant agencies, which is slow and lacks timeliness, while the other approach is to extract them from high-resolution remote sensing images, which is relatively inexpensive and offers improved timeliness. Inspired by the recent successful application of deep learning, in this paper, we propose a method for extracting building information from high-resolution remote sensing images based on deep learning, which is combined with ensemble learning to extract the building location. Further, we use the idea of image anomaly detection to estimate the number of buildings. After verification on two datasets, we obtain superior semantic segmentation results and achieve better building contour extraction and number estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The effect of ligand coordination on the mechanism and regioselectivity is investigated. • The free energy surfaces differ greatly for the bidentate and tridentate nitrogen ligands. • The electrostatics and orbital interactions are the dominant factors regulating the regioselectivity. The 3d transition metal-catalyzed cyclization of enynes provides a sustainable and useful strategy for the construction of cyclic compounds. Controlling the regioselectivity is a central challenge for the hydrofunctionalization of multiply unsaturated substrates such as 1,6-enynes. Herein, we report a computational mechanistic study of the cobalt-catalyzed hydroboration/cyclization of 1,6-enynes in the presence of three representative ligands including bidentate nitrogen ligand and phosphine ligand as well as tridentate nitrogen-based ligand. A detailed analysis is carried out on the ligand-substrate interactions to understand the effect of ligand coordination on the mechanism and regioselectivity. Our results indicate that although the initial catalyst-substrate complexes adopt the pseudo-trigonal bipyramidal geometries for the two nitrogen-based ligands, there is a remarkable difference in the free energy surfaces. The steric repulsions and hydrogen bonding interactions between the substrate and the ligand play important roles in regulating the competing migration insertion. Energy decomposition analyses are further performed for the subsequent σ-bond metathesis to illustrate the impacts of steric and electronic effects on the regioselectivity and the electrostatics and orbital interactions are disclosed to be the dominant factors. This work provides a deeper understanding of the specific structural and electronic properties of the cobalt complexes and their potential influences on the reactivity and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between cell cycling and apoptosis/ programmed cell death has been perceived as either checkpoint arrests or mitotic aberration where common pathways between mitosis and apoptosis seem suggested. We show here evidence implicating both perceptions of cell cycle involvement. The process was initiated by hydroxyl free radicals (OH[sup *]) generated intracellularly from internalized vanadyl(4). Intranuclear sequestration of vanadyl(4) was verified by nuclear microscopy. Resultant high oxidative reactivity in the nucleus was shown by the redox indicator methylene blue, suggesting direct oxidative damage to genomic DNA. Oxidative stress was further enhanced by depletion of glutathione which is the main cellular reducing agent. Genomic degradation and fragmentation was confirmed by flow cytometric evaluation of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated 3'OH end-labelling (TUNEL) of DNA nicks, and cell cycle DNA profiling demonstrating subG1 (sub-2N) accumulation. With DNA degradation, there was a G2M transient with hyperdiploid right-shifting, consistent with G2 arrest. G2 arrest was subsequently 'released' with abolition of G2M and all other cell cycle phases except for a solitary subG1 (apoptotic) peak. The cytological profile of this 'release' phenomenon was initially marked by the appearance of clusters of mitotic and apoptotic cells. At later stages, the cell population was composed exclusively of nuclear ghosts, apoptotic cells, mitotic cells, and mitotic cells with both chromosomes and apoptotic condensations. Concurrent and conjoint expression of cell death and cell division as the exclusive process of an entire cell population refuted the notion of mutual exclusivity between life and death. Zn[sup 2+], an endonuclease inhibitor, abolished all observed cytological and DNA profile changes. The relationship between cell cycling and apoptosis/ programmed cell death has been perceived as either checkpoint arrests or mitotic aberration... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power required to heat a lanthanum hexiboride cathode for use in scanning electron microscopes (SEM) has been calculated and found to be in close agreement with experimental measurements. The analysis indicates that direct heating of the LaB[sub 6] by the heater current, and efficient heat transfer to the cathode from the heated supports, results in Iow power consumption. The operating temperature of the cathode support material must be carefully designed to avoid poisoning of the LaB6 by excessive metal evaporation and deposition on the cathode. The LaB[sub 6] cathode developed here is well suited to the small heater power supply of the SEM and improves the picture quality over the traditional tungsten filament cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tikhonov regularization for ill‐posed backward nonlinear Maxwell's equations is considered. We present a convergence result with rate for the Tikhonov regularization under piecewise Hs‐type Sobolev regularity assumption on the exact initial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimensionality reduction is one important technique to find out meaningful representations of data by discovering the underlying structures of data. As one widely applied method, by learning parts-based representations, nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) has been widely researched and used to various application fields. Compared with the previous methods, this paper presents a novel semi-supervised NMF learning framework, called progressive transduction NMF (PTNMF), that learns a robustly discriminative representation by introducing a progressive transduction structure. Specifically, a progressive transduction based scheme is employed to gradually update the representations of unlabeled points according to the similarity between the labeled and unlabeled data points. This is helpful to improve the effectiveness of NMF, especially for the case that labeled data is inadequate. The efficiency of the proposed method is discussed both theoretically and empirically. Extensive experiments on several real-world data sets are listed, and the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm obtains better discriminant ability in comparison to the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly novel method of direct synthesis of 2-aryl-3-sulfenylindoles in moderate to good yields was developed via one-pot tandem reaction of readily available α-aminocarbonyl compounds and catalytic amount of benzenamines with RSSR. Unlabelled Image • High total yield up to 94% • Simple condition • Stable raw material and broad [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aggregate friction coefficient changes with accumulating of sliding cycles. • Surface micro-texture distribution influences aggregate micro-tribology behavior. • Micro-texture levels of 32μm & 2μm greatly influence aggregate friction coefficient. • Contact stress among aggregates greatly influence the aggregate wear property. Macro mechanical behavior of open-graded permeable pavement base layer of sponge city is mainly determined by the micro contact interface properties among aggregates. Understanding the micro tribological properties among aggregates interfaces is critical in order to optimize the design of permeable pavement base layer based on its macro performance. A micro tribological experiment was developed to simulate the tribological behavior among aggregates contact interfaces of base layer. Aggregate wear scar surface micro-texture levels and their distribution at each octave spectrum bands were calculated based on the spectral analysis method. The surface micro-texture levels and their distribution at each octave spectrum bands can detect the detailed micro-texture wavelength scales which greatly influence the micro tribology behavior of aggregate. A ball-aggregate finite element model was developed to calculate the contact stress between ball and aggregate, when there were different depths contact pit on the surface of aggregate. The results show that kinetic friction coefficients of fifteen types of commonly used rock aggregates in engineering increase briefly and then maintain steady condition continuously as the accumulating of sliding cycles except for limestone aggregate. High correlation coefficients between kinetic friction coefficients and each octave band micro-texture levels at different wear stages demonstrate that the aggregate surface micro-texture levels of 32 μm & 2 μm wavelengths greatly influence its micro tribology behavior (i.e. kinetic friction coefficients). Significant correlations between aggregate wear volumes and contact stress indicate that the contact stress among aggregates significantly influences the aggregate wear property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hypervalent iodine mediated reactions. • Reactions proceed via radical cyclization mechanism. • Mild and metal-free reaction conditions. An efficient and practical method for the synthesis of substituted chroman-4-ones was developed. The corresponding products can be obtained with moderate to high yields at room temperature. Control experiments suggested that this transformation was likely to proceed via a radical pathway. The preliminary activity test showed that some of the compounds had moderate to high antibacterial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mesenchymal stromal cells-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEVs) have recently attracted considerable attention because of their therapeutic potential in various immune diseases. We previously reported that MSC-sEVs could exert immunomodulatory roles in allergic airway inflammation by regulating group 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2) and dendritic cell (DC) functions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the indirect effects of MSC-sEVs on ILC2s from patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) via DCs. Methods: Here, we isolated sEVs from induced pluripotent stem cells-MSCs using anion-exchange chromatography and mature DCs (mDCs) were treated with MSC-sEVs. sEV-mDCs were co-cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with AR or purified ILC2s. The levels of IL-13 and GATA3 in ILC2s were examined by flow cytometry. Bulk RNA sequence for mDCs and sEV-mDCs was employed to further probe the potential mechanisms, which were then validated in the co-culture systems. Results: sEV-mDCs showed impaired capacity in priming the levels of IL-13 and GATA3 in ILC2s when compared with mDCs. Furthermore, there was higher PGE2 and IL-10 production from sEV-mDCs, and the blockade of them especially the former one reversed the inhibitory effects of sEV-mDCs. Conclusions: We demonstrated that MSC-sEVs were able to dampen the activating effects of mDCs on ILC2s in patients with AR. Mechanismly, the PGE2-EP2/4 axis played an essential role in the immunomodulatory effects of sEV-mDCs on ILC2s. Herein, we provided new insights into the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of MSC-sEVs in allergic airway inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dimensional regulation of titanosilicates from conventional 3D to revolutionary 2D without extra additives is limited by the Ostwald ripening process together with the mismatch of hydrolysis rate between Ti and Si species. Herein, the kinetically controlled and additive‐free strategy is devised to continuously regulate the dimensionality of intergrowth titanosilicate from 3D bulk to 2D nanosheets. The kinetic relative growth rate of orthorhombic MFI to tetragonal MEL (rMFI/rMEL) dominated by temperature control can determine the morphology of intermediates. Crisscross intermediates assembled by MFI branches along a direction and MEL connectors along a/b directions restrain the Ostwald ripening of titanosilicate and further transform into 2D nanosheets (≈2 nm), which show enhanced olefin epoxidation performance due to boosted diffusion ability. This kinetically controlled strategy unlocks green and efficient regulation of titanosilicate dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differential transformer is an important component in the front-end electronics of high-precision capacitive position sensing circuits, which are widely employed in space inertial sensors and electrostatic accelerometers. The position sensing offset, one of the space inertial sensors' most critical error sources in the performance range, is dominated by the differential transformer asymmetry and requires a high-precision evaluation. This paper proposes a method to assess differential transformers' asymmetry and realize a prototype circuit to test a transformer sample. The results show that the asymmetry measurement precision can achieve 0.6 ppm for the transformer with an asymmetry level of about −278.2 ppm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black‐headed penduline tit (Remiz macronyx) is a poorly known bird species mainly distributed in Iran, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. The distribution of black‐headed penduline tit is disjointed and fragmented, and it occurs only along lakes or rivers surrounded by extensive reedbeds. Four subspecies of R. macronyx have been recognized (macronyx, neglectus, nigricans, and ssaposhnikowi). The ssaposhnikowi subspecies was previously known to occur only around lakes in southeastern Kazakhstan. In this study, we reported the first confirmed breeding record of R. m. ssaposhnikowi in the Nalati wetland, Ili, Xinjiang, China, extending the distribution range of the black‐headed penduline tit by 350 km to the east. We also obtained new information about the morphology and breeding behavior of R. m. ssaposhnikowi, which can be useful for the taxonomy of penduline tits, especially in distinguishing black‐headed penduline tits from Eurasian penduline tits (R. pendulinus). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warm-sector torrential rainfall (WSTR) events that occur in the annually first rainy season in south China are characterized by high rainfall intensity and low radar echo centroids. To understand the synoptic characteristics related to these features, 16 WSTR events that occurred in 2013-2017 were examined with another 16 squall line (SL) events occurred during the same period as references. Composite analysis derived from ERA-Interim reanalysis data indicated the importance of the deep layer of warm and moist air for WSTR events. The most significant difference between WSTR and SL events lies in their low-level convergence and lifting; for WSTR events, the low-level convergence and lifting is much shallower with comparable or stronger intensity. The trumpet-shaped topography to the north of the WSTR centers is favorable for the development of such shallow convergences in WSTR events. Results in this study will provide references for future studies to improve the predictability of WSTR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive and accurate measurement of localized pH with improving spatial resolution is highly desirable to the scientific understanding of many processes ranging from clean energy production to biological cellular mechanisms. In this study, we report the observation that the diffusion-limited current (DLC) of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt surface is largely surface poison-resisting to carbon monoxide and thiol, two well-known Pt surface poisons. Building upon this observation, we proposed and tested a technique for amperometrically measuring localized proton concentration with a sub-μm spatial resolution through the utilization of a linear pH dependence of HER DLC on a Pt ultramicroelectrode, hereby referred to as Scanning Amperometric Proton Microscopy (SAPM). By bringing the Pt ultramicroelectrode close to a proton generating/consuming substrate through resonance feedback on an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tuning fork, SAPM can be used to measure and image localized proton concentrations and changes in pH caused by an active catalytic surface during reactions, largely free of concerns about the presence of surface-poisoning species. This was demonstrated through three proof-of-concept cases: methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) on a Pt thin film substrate, active proton-coupled electron transfer by a membrane-tethered protein (cytochrome c oxidase) in biological compatible electrolyte, and SAPM imaging of PtRu islands electrodeposited onto a Pt film substrate during MOR. The development of this surface-poison-resisting scanning probe technique through this study shows the potential of a broadly applicable way to study proton-generating or -consuming reactions for catalytically-active substrates with a sub-μm spatial resolution, including biological processes involving localized pH changes in a variety of salts, buffers or broth-type reaction media at near-neutral pH values. Unlabelled Image • A surface-poisoning-resistant scanning amperometric proton microscopy (SAHP) is developed. • SAHP has a spatial resolution of about 200 nm, is highly sensitive to proton concentration changes and is technically simple yet robust. • SAHP is a powerful technique to investigate/image proton coupled/involved charge transfer processes. • SAHP is broadly applicable to both electrochemical and biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A phylogenomic analysis of the galliform genus Arborophila is presented. • 14 of 15 Arborophila species were analyzed, six were from museum specimens. • Various data types extracted from mapping from low coverage shotgun sequencing. • Their evolution was influenced by geological and climatic events in Southeast Asia. The advent of the phylogenomic era has significantly improved our understanding of the evolutionary history and biogeography of Southeast Asia's diverse avian fauna. However, the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of many Southeast Asian birds remain poorly resolved, especially for those with large geographic ranges, which might have experienced both ancient and recent geological and environmental changes. In this study, we examined the evolutionary history and biogeography of the hill partridges (Galliformes: Phasianidae: Arborophila spp.), currently the second most speciose galliform genus, and thought to have colonized Southeast Asia from Africa. We present a well‐resolved phylogeny of 14 Arborophila species inferred from ultra-conserved elements, exons, and mitochondrial genomes from both fresh and museum samples, which representing almost complete coverage of the genus. Our fossil-calibrated divergence time estimates and biogeographic modeling showed the ancestor of Arborophila arrived in Indochina during the early Miocene, but the initial divergence within Arborophila did not occur until ~10 Ma when global cooling intensified. Subsequent dispersal and diversification within Arborophila were driven by several tectonic and climatic events. In particular, we found evidence of rapid radiation in Indochinese Arborophila during the Pliocene global cooling and extensive dispersal and speciation of Sundaic Arborophila during the Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations. Taken together, these results suggest that the evolutionary history and biogeography of Arborophila were influenced by complex interactions among historical, geological and climatic events in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-osteoarthritic and hypoglycemic effects. However, whether it has antidiabetic osteoporosis effects has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, we established a STZ-induced diabetic rat model; CS (500 mg kg−1 d−1) was orally administrated for eight weeks to study its preventive effects on diabetic osteoporosis. The results showed that eight weeks of CS treatment improved the symptoms of diabetes; the CS-treated group has increased body weight, decreased water or food intake, decreased blood glucose, increased bone-mineral density, repaired bone morphology and decreased femoral osteoclasts and tibia adipocytes numbers. After CS treatment, bone histomorphometric parameters returned to normal, the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) decreased significantly, serum SOD, GPX and CAT activities increased and MDA level increased. In the CS-treated group, the levels of serum ALP, CTX-1, TRACP 5b, osteocalcin and RANKL decreased and the serum RUNX 2 and OPG levels increased. Bone immunohistochemistry results showed that CS can effectively increase the expression of OPG and RUNX2 and reduce the expression of RANKL in diabetic rats. All of these indicate that CS could prevent STZ induced diabetic osteoporosis—mainly through decreasing blood glucose, antioxidative stress, anti-inflammation and regulation of OPG/RANKL expression. CS can therefore effectively prevent bone loss caused by diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional therapies for late‐stage colorectal cancer (CRC) have limited effects because of chemoresistance, recurrence, and metastasis. The "hidden" proteins/peptides encoded by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may be a novel resource bank for therapeutic options for patients with cancer. Here, lncRNA LOC90024 is discovered to encode a small 130‐amino acid protein that interacts with several splicing regulators, such as serine‐ and arginine‐rich splicing factor 3 (SRSF3), to regulate mRNA splicing, and the protein thus is named "Splicing Regulatory Small Protein" (SRSP). SRSP, but not LOC90024 lncRNA itself, promotes CRC tumorigenesis and progression, while silencing of SRSP suppresses CRC tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, SRSP increases the binding of SRSF3 to exon 3 of transcription factor Sp4, resulting in the inclusion of Sp4 exon 3 to induce the formation of the "cancerous" long Sp4 isoform (L‐Sp4 protein) and inhibit the formation of the "noncancerous" short Sp4 isoform (S‐Sp4 peptide), which lacks the transactivation domain. The upregulated SRSP level is positively associated with malignant phenotypes and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Collectively, the findings uncover that a lncRNA‐encoded small protein SRSP induces "cancerous" Sp4 splicing variant formation and may be a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for patients with CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the metal antenna metasurface, the dielectric metasurface has better optical characteristics and smaller ohmic loss in the optical band, which makes it superior. An elliptical cylindrical nanostructured antenna is designed using GaP with excellent transmission characteristics in the visible band. This structure has a transmission efficiency of up to 0.96 in the visible light band. Based on the Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) phase control principle, the metasurface structure composed of the antennas is studied, and its abnormal refraction metasurface and focusing meta-lens are analyzed. It is a highly efficient sub-wavelength structure, and promises great potential for the applications of circular polarization optics, nanolithography, dense storage and biophotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogenous sesquiterpenoids fromnatural sourcesare rare, so unsurprisingly neither the potentially valuable bioactivity nor thebroad structural diversity of nitrogenous sesquiterpenoids has been reviewed before. This report covers the progressduring the decade from 2010 to February 2020 on the isolation, identification, and bioactivity of 391 nitrogen-containing natural sesquiterpenes from terrestrial plant, marine organisms, and microorganisms. This complete and in-depth reviewshouldbe helpful for discovering and developing new drugs of medicinal valuerelated to natural nitrogenous sesquiterpenoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High total yield up to 92%. • Short time required. • Stable raw material and broad. A novel and efficient method for the synthesis of 2- t -amino-2-imino-carbonyl (C) and 2-amino-2-oxocarbonyl (D) compounds has been discovered through a copper-promoted oxidating amidation reactions between α-amino -carbonyl compounds and amines. Promoted by the crucial copper species, perfect selectivity and good to excellent yields could be achieved. This transformation is achieved through C N bond oxidative cleavage and formation a novel C N bond. This reaction system has a broad reaction scope, providing a facile pathway for the α-functionalization of α-amino ketones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepiolite (SEP) is a clay mineral with great potential to stabilize soil heavy metals. A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the optimum use of SEP to immobilize soil Cd and to promote the consumption safety of rice grown in a typical paddy field in Southern China. SEP was applied once or twice over the two-year study at three levels (0.1, 0.5, and 1%, w/w) before rice planting. The results showed that SEP effectively reduced rice grain Cd concentrations by 47–49% in the first year and by 44–50% in the second year due to the residue effect. Application of SEP for two consecutive years reduced the rice grain Cd concentration by up to 75%, achieving a safe level (<0.2 mg kg−1). SEP also reduced Zn concentrations in rice grains (by 6–10%), while the Cd/Zn ratios of rice grains were decreased by 24–72% over the two years, implying it was much safer for consumption. SEP significantly increased the soil pH (0.9–1.8 units) and available phosphorus, and it reduced the soil available Cd (by 20–95%) and Zn concentrations (by 30–99%). In brief, SEP effectively stabilized soil Cd and reduced uptake by rice; the effect was dose-dependent and 0.5% (w/w) was optimum in the present study. The main mechanism of SEP to stabilize soil Cd is the increase in soil pH analogous to liming. This study shows that SEP application can be an efficient way to remediate Cd contaminated rice paddies and fulfill the goal of safe production of rice and thereby reduce the health risks associated with consuming rice. Image 1 • Sepiolite reduced soil Cd availability and translocation in rice plants. • Sepiolite reduced Cd concentration and Cd/Zn ratio in rice grain. • The effect of sepiolite is dose-dependent with 0.5% being the optimal dose. • Sepiolite is effective to remediate Cd contaminated soil and improve rice safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new cucurbitane-typetriterpenoid glycosides, named Xuedanoside F–J (1–5), were obtained from the rhizomes of Hemsleya penxianensis (Xue dan), which belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. These new compounds were elucidated byspectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR, and HR-ESI-MS spectra. Additionally, all the isolates were evaluated for cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (Hela, MCF-7, and A-549) with the IC50 ranging from 2.25 to 49.44 µM in vitro with treatment 48 h and showed low cytotoxicity in human normal liver L-02 cells (IC50 > 50 µM). Compound 5 showed the most significant cytotoxic activity with the IC50 value of 2.25, 4.72, and 5.33 µM in 48 h, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-principles calculations have been performed to investigate CH4 dissociation and C diffusion during the Ni/Fe-catalyzed growth of carbon nanofibers (CNFs). Two bulk models with different Ni to Fe molar ratios (1:1 and 2:1) are constructed, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) simulations are conducted to evaluate their reliability. With the comparison between the calculated and experimental XRD patterns, these models are found to be well suited to reproduce the crystalline structures of Ni/Fe bulk alloys. The calculations indicate the binding of the C1 derivatives to the Ni/Fe closest-packed surfaces is strengthened compared to that on Ni(111), arising from the upshift of the weighted d-band centers of catalyst surfaces. Then, the transition states for the four successive dehydrogenation steps in CH4 dissociation are located using the dimer method. It is found that the energy barriers for the first three steps are rather close on the alloyed Ni/Fe and Ni surfaces, while the activation energy for CH dissociation is substantially lowered with the introduction of Fe. The dissolution of the generated C from the surface into the bulk of the Ni/Fe alloys is thermodynamically favorable, and the diffusion of C through catalyst particles is hindered by the Fe component. With the combination of density functional theory calculations and kinetic analysis, the C concentration in catalyst particles is predicted to increase with the Fe content. Meanwhile, other experimental conditions, such as the composition of carbon-containing gases, feedstock partial pressure, and reaction temperature, are also found to play a key role in determining the C concentration in bulk metal, and hence the microstructures of generated CNFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the elastic properties of the entropy-stabilized oxide (Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn)O using experimental and first principles techniques. Our measurements of the indentation modulus on grains with a wide range of crystallographic orientations of the entropy-stabilized oxide revealed a high degree of elastic isotropy at ambient conditions. First principles calculations predict mild elastic anisotropy for the paramagnetic structure, which decreases when the system is considered to be non-magnetic. When the antiferromagnetic state of CoO, CuO, and NiO is accounted for in the calculations, a slight increase in elastic anisotropy is observed, suggesting a coupling between magnetic ordering and the orientation dependent elastic properties. Furthermore, an examination of the local structure reveals that the isotropy is favored through local ionic distortions of Cu and Zn—due to their tendencies to form tenorite and wurtzite phases. The relationships between the elastic properties of the multicomponent oxide and those of its constituent binary oxides are reviewed. These insights open up new avenues for controlling isotropy for technological applications through tuning composition and structure in the entropy-stabilized oxide or the high-entropy compounds in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine constructing the chemical environment of the central metal is vital in developing efficient single-atom catalysts (SACs). Herein, the atomically dispersed Cu on the N-doped carbon is modulated by introducing Cu-P moiety to Cu-N-C SAC. Through fine-tuning with another heteroatom P, the Cu SAC shows the superior performance of ethylene oxychlorination. The Cu site activity of Cu-NPC is four times higher than the P-free Cu-NC catalyst and 25 times higher than the Ce-promoted CuCl2/Al2O3 catalyst in the long-term test (>200 h). The selectivity of ethylene dichloride can be splendidly kept at ≈99%. Combined experimental and simulation studies provide a theoretical framework for the coordination of Cu, N, and P in the complex active center and its role in effectively catalyzing ethylene oxychlorination. It integrates the oxidation and chlorination reactions with superior catalytic performance and unrivaled ability of corrosive-HCl resistance. The concept of fine constructing with another heteroatom is anticipated to provide with inspiration for rational catalyst design and expand the applications of carbon-based SACs in heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal blood pressure is common in critically ill stroke patients. However, the association between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and mortality of critically ill stroke patients remains unclear. We extracted eligible acute stroke patients from the MIMIC-III database. The patients were divided into three groups: a low MAP group (MAP ≤ 70 mmHg), a normal MAP group (70 mmHg < MAP ≤ 90 mmHg), and a high MAP group (MAP > 90 mmHg). The Cox proportional hazards model and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the association between MAP and mortality. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate whether MAP had different effects on mortality in different subpopulations. A total of 2885 stroke patients were included in this study. The crude 7-day and 28-day mortality was significantly higher in the low MAP group than that in the normal MAP group. By contrast, patients in the high MAP group did not have higher crude 7-day and 28-day mortality than those in the normal MAP group. After multiple adjustments using the Cox regression model, patients with low MAP were consistently associated with higher 7-day and 28-day mortality than those with normal MAP in the following subgroups: age > 60 years, male, those with or without hypertension, those without diabetes, and those without CHD (p < 0.05), but patients with high MAP were not necessarily associated with higher 7-day and 28-day mortality after adjustments (most p > 0.05). Using the restricted cubic splines, an approximately L-shaped relationship was established between MAP and the 7-day and 28-day mortality in acute stroke patients. The findings were robust to multiple sensitivity analyses in stroke patients. In critically ill stroke patients, a low MAP significantly increased the 7-day and 28-day mortality, while a high MAP did not, suggesting that a low MAP is more harmful than a high MAP in critically ill stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct synthesis of 2,1-benzisoxazole and its related N-heterocyclic compounds via a chemoselective reductive heterocyclization route, which involves hydrogenation and subsequent intramolecular cyclodehydration steps, is a viable and attractive approach. However, the efficient transformation of the feedstocks using hydrogen as a hydrogen source at ambient temperature and atmospheric hydrogen pressure remains a great challenge. Herein, we reported a MgO-incorporated porous carbon composite (MgO@C) stabilized subnanometric Pt cluster (Pt/MgO@C) catalyst prepared by annealing a Mg-containing metal–organic framework, Mg-MOF-74, followed by impregnation of a Pt precursor and further reduction treatment strategy. The as-prepared Pt/MgO@C with ultralow Pt loading (0.078 wt%) exhibited superior catalytic performance for synthesizing 2,1-benzisoxazole derivatives by the reductive heterocyclization methodology. Excellent catalytic activity (conversion ≥ 99%), high chemoselectivity (≥92%), good stability (8 cycles), and broad functional group tolerance (10 substrates) were achieved under very mild conditions (1 bar hydrogen pressure at 303 K) over the developed Pt/MgO@C. Control experiments indicated that a proper amount of basic sites, subnanometric Pt clusters, and a close contact between them synergistically contributed to the extraordinary performance of Pt/MgO@C. Density functional theory calculations showed that the high activity and chemoselectivity of Pt/MgO@C stemmed from the active interfacial sites of Pt/MgO@C simultaneously activating the H2 and substrate, where the formed stable hydroxyl groups contributed to the enhancement of activity. The combined experimental and theoretical approach identified the formation of the –NO and –NHOH groups during the hydrogenation process, and the former corresponds to the rate-determining step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively evaluating high-embankment deformation and stability is important for heavy-haul railway safety. An improved extension model with an attribute reduction algorithm was proposed for the comprehensive evaluation method. First, a hierarchical evaluation system for high embankments in heavy-haul railways was established using the attribute reduction algorithm, which includes the principal component analysis, maximum information coefficient, coefficient of variation, and improved Dempster-Shafer evidence theory. Furthermore, the improved extension model was used to evaluate high-embankment performance in heavy-haul railways. In this improved extension model, the combination weighting method, an asymmetric proximity function, and the maximum membership principle effectiveness verification were used. Finally, three high embankments in a Chinese heavy-haul railway were studied. The results illustrate that the main influencing factors for high-embankment performance in a heavy-haul railway are annual rainfall, annual temperature, and 21 other indicators. The performance of the three embankments is level III (ordinary), level II (fine), and level III (ordinary), respectively, indicating that these embankments have generally unfavourable performance. The three embankments' performance matches field measurements, and the proposed method outperforms the Fuzzy-AHP method, cloud model, and gray relational analysis. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed method in assessing the high-embankment performance under heavy axle loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient S-scheme photocatalyst based on 3D flower-like Fe-doped In 2 S 3 /Fe 3 S 4 hetero-microspheres assembled from interconnected nanosheets was synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal reaction, which exhibits the enhanced interfacial electric field and boosted visible-light-driven CO 2 reduction. [Display omitted] S-scheme heterojunctions hold great potential for CO 2 photoreduction into solar fuels, but their activities are severely limited by the low efficiency of interfacial charge transfer. In this work, a facile one-pot solvothermal reaction has been developed to dope Fe into flower-like In 2 S 3 /Fe 3 S 4 hetero-microspheres (Fe-In 2 S 3 /Fe 3 S 4 HMSs), which are demonstrated as an efficient S-scheme photocatalyst for visible-light-driven CO 2 photoreduction. The doping of Fe not only reduces the bandgap of In 2 S 3 and thus extends the optical response to the visible-light region, but also increases the densities of donors and sulfur vacancies, which leads to an elevated Fermi level (E f). The difference of E f between In 2 S 3 and Fe 3 S 4 is enlarged and their band bending at the interface is therefore enhanced, which results in promoted carriers transfer in the S-scheme pathway due to the reinforced interfacial electric field. Moreover, Fe-doped In 2 S 3 reduces the formation energy of the *CO intermediate, which thermodynamically favors the CO evolution at the surface. As a result, the Fe-In 2 S 3 /Fe 3 S 4 HMSs exhibit a significantly boosted CO 2 photoreduction activity in comparison with bare In 2 S 3 and Fe-In 2 S 3 samples. This work demonstrates the great potential of heteroatom-engineered S-scheme photocatalysts for CO 2 photoreduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and operando UV–vis-NIR measurements. • Monitoring dynamic changing Cu active sites in the transient and steady state. • Correlating the Cu oxidation state with performance under the real reaction conditions. • The influence of La promoter studied by in situ XAS. The oxidation state of Cu species in ethylene oxychlorination is strongly correlated with catalytic performance. CuCl 2 and CuCl have been identified as the primary active sites in the reduction and oxidation step, respectively, according to a redox-type mechanism. The distribution of the active sites is governed by the kinetic equilibrium of the reduction, oxidation, and hydrochlorination rates at steady-state. Herein, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and operando ultraviolet–visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (UV–vis-NIR) were utilized to quantify the dynamic changes of the Cu active sites over the La-doped CuCl 2 / γ -Al 2 O 3 in transient and steady-state experiments. A higher CuCl 2 concentration plays a key role in dominating the higher activity, EDC selectivity, and stability. The in situ XAS result evidenced La was considered as a structural additive to increase the reducibility of the active CuCl 2 and modify the catalytic performance instead of directly involving the reduction-oxidation cycle. A deeper understanding of the complex role of the active species and promoter in the CuCl 2 / γ -Al 2 O 3 based-catalysts for ethylene oxychlorination was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: The aim of the present study was to obtain a full view of the changes of urinary complement activation products in the development of diabetic nephropathy and explore their possible significance in the disease process. Materials and methods: A total of 62 patients at different stages of diabetic nephropathy, 20 diabetes patients without nephropathy and 20 healthy persons were enrolled. Urinary complement activation products, including C3a, C5a and C5b‐9, were measured, and their associations with the progression of the disease were analyzed. Results: The urinary complement activation products increased markedly since the proteinuria stage, and were parallel with the progression of diabetic nephropathy. More severe renal tubular damage was observed in patients with higher levels of urinary complement activation products. The urinary complement activation products levels correlated closely with renal tubulointerstitial injury score and relative tubular interstitial volume. Multivariate regression analysis showed that elevated urinary complement activation products were independent risk factors for tubular injury in diabetic nephropathy patients. Conclusions: Urinary complement activation might have a role in renal tubular interstitial injury in patients with diabetic nephropathy, especially in patients at a later stage of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recently, concerns over heavy metal contamination of soil have grown. The application of sulfur has been recommended to enhance crop productivity and increase soil cadmium (Cd) immobilization. In this study, a pool experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of two sulfur sources and multiple treatment levels on rice growth and Cd accumulation. The two sulfur forms were elemental sulfur (S0) and gypsum, both of which were applied at 0, 0.15, and 0.30 g S kg−1 soil, for a total of five treatments. The results showed that both S0 and gypsum significantly increased rice biomass compared to the control (CK), and rice yield was increased 2.8–4.8 folds. The effect size was greater for gypsum than S0. The application of S0 reduced the rice grain Cd concentration from 0.61 mg kg−1 (CK) to 0.41–0.46 mg kg−1, while gypsum reduced the Cd concentration to 0.24–0.43 mg kg−1. The lower gypsum application level achieved the greatest reduction in rice grain Cd accumulation. This study further demonstrated that the application of S0 and gypsum led to a decrease in the labile Cd percentage and an increase in the stable Cd percentage. In bulk soil, iron and manganese oxide-bound Cd increased by 6.4–7.3% and 0.7–2.0% for the S0 and gypsum treatments, respectively. In the rhizosphere, residual Cd increased by >0.6%. Furthermore, this study found that sulfur application reduced Cd transfer from root to shoot, and significantly decreased rice grain Cd accumulation. These findings indicate that sulfur application to paddy soils can promote rice productivity and effectively remediate soil Cd contamination, with a greater effect by gypsum than S0. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • S0 and gypsum increased rice yield and decreased rice grain Cd concentration. • Gypsum treatment was better in crop production increase and Cd remediation than S0. • Sulfur application showed the potential to reduce Cd transfer from root to shoot. • Sulfur decreased the percentage of labile Cd in rhizosphere and bulk soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-component reaction between benzyne, oxazolines and chloroform was developed for the synthesis of trichloromethylated chiral oxazolidines. Benzyne not only serves as an electrophile towards oxazolines but also acts as a base for the deprotonation of chloroform. The dual functions of benzyne enable the trichloromethylation of chiral oxazolines and thus construct chiral N,O-quaternary stereocenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The low-velocity impact response of sandwich beams with aluminum alloy face-sheets and three core configurations (i.e., the positive layered-gradient core, negative layered-gradient core and non-gradient monolithic core) was first investigated by using a drop-weight machine. The impact bending tests were performed on specimens at five impact energy levels – 9.80 J, 22.05 J, 39.19 J, 61.24 J and 88.18 J – by varying the drop height of the weight. Based on experimental results, the corresponding numerical simulations and a multi-objective design optimization were performed. The experimental results show that all sandwich beams fail via the global bending deformation without local crack/fracture under lower initial impact energy, while they fail via larger bending deformation accompanied by obvious core tensile crack at mid-span and core shear at clamped ends with the increased initial impact energy. The resistance of both gradient core sandwich beams to impact flexure loading is weaker than that of non-gradient monolithic core sandwich beams. Simulation results indicate that the ratio of energy absorbed by core decreases with the increased impact energy, while the ratio of energy absorbed by face-sheets increases with the increased impact energy. The boundary condition is demonstrated to have great influence on the force-displacement response for all sandwich beams. Finally, the corresponding Pareto fronts representing a group of best trade-off designs were obtained. Highlights • Low-velocity impact response of graded sandwich beams investigated at various impact energies. • Failure modes, impact resistance and energy absorption capability classified or qualified. • The mechanism of energy dissipation and the influence of the boundary condition determined. • A multi-objective design optimization for sandwich beams conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While metal immobilization had been increasingly reported with biochar soil amendment (BSA), changes in microbial activity and nitrogen (N) transformation in metal contaminated croplands following biochar addition had been insufficiently addressed. In a field experiment, a Pb/Cd contaminated Inceptisol from North China was amended to topsoil with wheat straw biochar at 0 (CK), 20 (C1) and 40 t ha −1 (C2). The changes within two years following BSA were tested in microbial biomass and respiration, and in abundance of N transforming microbial communities and their activities. Corresponding to the results of decreased soil extractable Cd and Pb, significant reductions in q CO 2 were found in rhizosphere and bulk soil only under C2 in the first year. The potential nitrification activity was significantly increased by 20–71%, along with an increase in ammonium (by 7–21%) and nitrate (by 21%–70%) concentration, with BSA compared to CK. Meanwhile, N 2 O production activity was slightly increased (by up to 20%) but N 2 O reduction activity greatly enhanced (by up to 84%), with a higher ratio of nosZ /( nirS  +  nirK) , under C2 in rhizosphere in both wheat seasons. Whereas, such changes were not remarkable in bulk soil. Moreover, microbial communities were less respondent to biochar in the second year following the addition. Therefore, microbial growth and functioning for N transforming and cycling in metal contaminated soils could be largely improved with BSA at 40 t ha −1 . Of course, studies are still deserved to mimic the long term changes with biochar in N cycling of the metal contaminated dry croplands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the short-term in vivo dynamic motion characteristics of the lower lumbar spine (L3–S1) after unilateral pedicle screw fixation (UPSF) or bilateral pedicle screw fixation (BPSF) combined with TLIF for treatment of L4–5 lumbar degenerative disc diseases (DDD). Methods: Twenty-eight patients were recruited (13 UPSF, 15 BPSF). Each patient was CT-scanned to construct 3D models of the L3–S1 vertebrae. The dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) was then used to image the lumbar spine while the patient performed seven functional activities (upright standing, maximum extension, flexion, left–right twist, and left–right bend). The in vivo vertebral positions were reproduced using the 3D vertebral models and DFIS images. The ranges of motion (ROMs) of L3–4, L4–5, and L5–S1 segments were analyzed. Results: At the index L4–5 segment, the primary ROM of left–right twist of the UPSF group (2.11 ± 0.52°) was significantly larger (p = 0.000) than the BPSF group (0.73 ± 0.32°). At the proximal adjacent L3–4 segment, the primary ROMs of left–right twist, and left–right bend of the UPSF group (2.16 ± 0.73°, 2.28 ± 1.03°) were significantly less (p = 0.003, 0.023) than the BPSF group (3.17 ± 0.88, 3.12 ± 1.04°), respectively. However, at distal adjacent L5–S1 segment, no significant difference was found between the two groups during all activities. Conclusions: The ROM in left–right twisting of UPSF group was significantly larger compared with BPSF group at the index level in the short term. The UPSF has less impact on the cranial adjacent level (L3–4) in left–right twisting and bending activities compared to the BPSF. The data implied that the UPSE and BPSF combined with TLIF would result in different biomechanics in the index and cranial adjacent segment biomechanics. Long-term follow-up studies are necessary to compare the clinical outcomes of the two surgeries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous phase reforming (APR) of ethylene glycol was performed at 225 °C and 30 bar in batch and continuous reaction conditions. The effect on the APR performance by functionalizing carbon supports with nitrogen and adding Mn to Pt-based catalysts was investigated. The presence of nitrogen species on the carbon surface and Mn-addition (PtMn) improved the catalytic activity and promoted H 2 production. XPS results suggest that the enhancement of the catalytic activity may be attributed to charge transfer from platinum to the nitrogen groups and Mn. Pt-based catalysts were stable under the studied reaction conditions, while up to 97 % of the manganese leached into the liquid solution during APR. However, the catalytic activity was maintained even with such significant decrease in Mn content, indicating that only a small amount of Mn is necessary to maintain the promotional effect on Pt during APR. [Display omitted] • Electronic interactions between Pt-N and Pt-Mn led to enhanced catalytic activity. • N-doped carbon nanofibers effectively improved H 2 yield in aqueous phase reforming. • Pt-based catalyst promoted with Mn presented higher H 2 yield and selectivity. • Metal-support interactions are key factors in promoting catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High frequency ultrasound imaging was applied on meningeal lymphatic system in mice. • FePt@PLGA nanoparticles were used as the contrast agent for ultrasound imaging. • The flow of meningeal lymphatic system was determined in Glioma-bearing mice model. • The proposed method provides a minimally invasive approach to monitor the qualities of the meningeal lymphatic system in real time for various brain disease animal models. The meningeal lymphatic system drains the cerebrospinal fluid from the subarachnoid space to the cervical lymphatic system, primarily to the deep cervical lymph nodes. Perturbations of the meningeal lymphatic system have been linked to various neurologic disorders. A method to specifically monitor the flow of meningeal lymphatic system in real time is unavailable. In the present study, we adopted the high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) with 1,1′diocatadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI)-loaded microbubble and FePt@PLGA nanoparticle contrast agents to evaluate the flow of the meningeal lymphatic system in 2-month-old mice. Statistical analysis was performed to identify changes of HFUS signals among the microbubbles, FePt@PLGA nanoparticles, and saline control groups. Approximately 15 min from the start of intracerebroventricular injection of contrast agents, their signals were evident at the deep cervical lymph nodes and lasted for at least 60 min. These signals were validated on the basis of the presence of DiI and Fe signals in the deep cervical lymph nodes. Ligation of afferent lymphatic vessels to the deep cervical lymph nodes eliminated the HFUS signals. Moreover, ablation of lymphatic vessels near the confluence of sinuses decreased the HFUS signals in the deep cervical lymph nodes. Glioma-bearing mice that exhibited reduced lymphatic vessel immunostaining signals near the confluence of sinuses had lowered HFUS signals in the deep cervical lymph nodes within 60 min. The proposed method provides a minimally invasive approach to monitor the qualities of the meningeal lymphatic system in real time as well as the progression of the meningeal lymphatic system in various brain disease animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robust superhydrophobic brass mesh was fabricated based on a low-energy surface and a roughness on the nano/micro-meter scale. It was carried out by the forming of hydroxyapatite (HP) coatings on its surface through a constant current electro-deposition process, followed by immersion in fluoroalkylsilane solution. Surface morphology, composition and wetting behavior were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high speed camera, and contact angle goniometer. Under optimal conditions, the resulting brass mesh exhibited superhydrophobicity, excellent anti-corrosion (η = 91.2%), and anti-scaling properties. While the surfactant liquid droplets of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB) with different concentration were dropped on the superhydrophobic surface, maximum droplet rebounding heights and different contact angles (CAs) were observed and measured from side-view imaging. The plots of surfactant-concentration−maximum bounding height/CA were constructed to determine its critical-micelle-concentration (CMC) value. Close CMC results of 1.91 and 2.32 mM based on the determination of maximum rebounding height and CAs were obtained. Compared with its theoretical value of 2.1 mM, the relative errors are 9% and 10%, respectively. This indicated that the novel application based on the maximum rebounding height could be an alternative approach for the CMC determination of other surfactants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Low H 2 dissociation barrier is obtained using N, S-doped Co single atom catalyst (Co-N 3 SN-def1); • Frustrated Lewis pair comprised of Co and pyridinic N sites facilitate the H 2 dissociation; • H transfer via the solvent water is the main diffusion pathway; • Moderate H adsorption strength at pyridinic N site contributes to the low breaking barrier of N-O bond in nitrobenzene. The limitation of isolated metal active sites in single atom catalysts (SAC) hinder their application in hydrogenation reactions, necessitating the creation of additional active site beyond the metal site. This study introduces pyridinic N and S atoms into the N/C sheet, optimally adjusting the local environment of the Co site. This adjustment synergistically enhances H 2 activation, H diffusion, and promotes the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene into aniline. The sterically hindered Co acidic site and N basic site, known as frustrated Lewis pairs, in defect-containing Co-N 3 SN-def1 model cooperatively facilitate the highly efficient cleavage of the H 2 molecule with a barrier of only 0.37 eV. The findings suggest that the pyridinic N site in the Co-N 3 SN-def1 model acts as a reservoir for *H, significantly contributing to the enhanced activity for the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The mechanism unveiled in this study offers valuable insights for designing efficient heterogeneous catalysts for target hydrogenation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microkinetic analysis is used to screen perovskites for methane partial oxidation. • The catalytic activity varies in the order LaMnO 3 > LaFeO 3 > LaCoO 3 ≈ LaCrO 3. • Bulk oxygen vacancy formation energy is identified as a single descriptor. • 667 combinations of A- and B-cations have been screened in terms of stability. • SrRuO 3 , SmRhO 3 , LaIrO 3 , NdRhO 3 , and BaOsO 3 are identified as catalyst candidates. DFT calculations and descriptor-based microkinetic analysis have been performed to screen ABO 3 perovskite catalysts for methane partial oxidation. The scaling relations indicate the adsorption energies of H@O and CH 3 @B have the capability of representing the energetics of methane oxidation, and bulk oxygen vacancy formation energy is identified to be a better single descriptor of the kinetics. The resultant volcano-shaped plot shows the catalytic activity varies in the order LaMnO 3 > LaFeO 3 > LaCoO 3 ≈ LaCrO 3 , which agrees with the experimental findings and thus validates our theoretical predications. By screening 667 combinations of A- and B-cations based on electron neutrality, structural tolerance factors, and experimental verification, 77 ABO 3 have been identified to be stable. Of them, SrRuO 3 , SmRhO 3 , LaIrO 3 , NdRhO 3 , and BaOsO 3 are located at the summit of the volcano, which also exhibit satisfactory CO selectivity and enhanced carbon resistance compared to LaFeO 3 , and may act as the oxygen carrier candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]