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• The ignition point of fresh pine is higher than that of natural aging pine. • Starink method was used to evaluate the kinetic parameters of pine combustion. • Natural aging degrades the burning performance of pine wood when burned. Given the long-term effects of natural ageing, the wooden structure and combustion performance of ancient buildings have changed. Therefore, studying the combustion characteristics of naturally aged pine (NAP) trees may help provide a basis for the numerical simulation of fires in ancient buildings. In this study, NAP and fresh pine (FP) with a natural ageing duration of approximately 100 years were selected as samples. The morphology, thermal weight loss process, exothermic characteristics, and combustion characteristics of these two types of pine were examined through scanning electron microscopy, synchronous thermal analysis, and cone calorimetry. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters of both the samples were analysed and evaluated. The results indicated that the natural ageing effect resulted in pore enlargement and severe damage to the cell structure of pine wood. Compared with FP, the ignite of NAP decreased by 15.2 °C, and the heat dissipation of NAP during oxidative combustion decreased by 0.26 kJ/g. In addition, the average apparent activation energy of NAP during pyrolysis combustion increased by 22.03 kJ/mol compared with FP, but the overall combustion performance decreased. During the combustion process, NAP tended to form a dense carbonisation layer, resulting in a decrease in the heat release rate, total heat release rate, flue gas release rate, and CO and CO 2 release rate during combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeting the Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) fusion gene is a promising therapeutic strategy for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. With the advent of the first- and second-generation ALK inhibitors, the mortality rate of lung cancer has shown a downward trend, but almost inevitably, patients will eventually develop resistance, which severely limits the clinical application. Hence, developing new ALK inhibitors which can overcome resistance is essential. Here, we synthesized a novel ALK inhibitor 1-[4-[[5-Chloro-4-[[2-[(1-methylethyl)sulfonyl]phenyl]amino]-2-pyrimidinyl]amino]-3-methoxyphenyl]-3-[2-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-2-oxoethyl]-2-imidazolidinone (ZYY-B-2) based on the structure of the second-generation ALK inhibitor ceritinib. ZYY-B-2 exhibited impressive anti-proliferative effect in the EML4-ALK positive H2228 cells and ceritinib-resistant H2228 (H2228/Cer) cells. Meanwhile, ZYY-B-2 inhibited the activation of p-ALK in a concentration-dependent manner, and inactivated its downstream target proteins p-AKT and p-ERK to inhibit cell proliferation. Subsequently, we found that ZYY-B-2 blocked H2228 cells and H2228/Cer cells in G0/G1 phase and induced cells to undergo apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. The ability of its anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis was significantly stronger than the second generation ALK inhibitor ceritinib. In addition, high expression of P-gp was found in H2228/Cer cells compared with H2228 cells. ZYY-B-2 could inhibit the expression of P-gp in a dose-dependent manner to overcome ceritinib resistance, and the suppression effect of ZYY-B-2 on P-gp might be related to its inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In summary, ZYY-B-2, a promising ALK inhibitor, shows potent activity against ceritinib-resistant cells, which provides experimental and theoretical basis for the further development of new ALK inhibitors. • ZYY-B-2, a novel ALK inhibitor, shows excellent activity against ALK-positive H2228 and H2228/Cer cells in vitro. • ZYY-B-2 inhibits ALK and its downstream signaling pathway. • ZYY-B-2 blocks cells in G0/G1 phase and induces cells to undergo apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. • ZYY-B-2 inhibits the expression of P-gp to overcome ceritinib resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reveal the microstructure evolution and the strengthening mechanism, the Ni 36 Co 30 Cr 11 Fe 11 Al 12- x Nb x (x = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 at%) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were designed. Phase composition, phase prediction, tensile properties and strengthening mechanisms were researched in detail. Results show that the alloys consist of face-center cubic (FCC) phases and Laves phases. The regularity of several factors, such as electronegativity difference and d -orbital energy level, predicted that the volume fraction of Laves phase is increased with the increase of Nb/Al ratio. The yield strength and the strain of Ni 36 Co 30 Cr 11 Fe 11 Al 8 Nb 4 HEAs are 670 MPa and 16.5%, respectively. The alloy shows the typical hypoeutectic structure. The effects of solid solution strengthening and the interfacial strengthening were analyzed. When the Nb content> 6 at%, the effect of the interfacial strengthening is stronger compared with solid solution strengthening The FCC-Laves interface shows the higher barrier strength. The micrographs of dislocation structures show that the extensive dislocation pileups appear at the incoherent interface. The incoherent interface may shear easily and attract gliding dislocations due to its low shear strength, which explains the sharply decrease of the ductility. • The hypoeutectic Ni 36 Co 30 Cr 11 Fe 11 Al 12- x Nb x high entropy alloys (HEAs) were prepared by adjusting the element ratio of Al/Nb. • The tensile strength of the alloy was attributed to the interface strengthening and the solid solution strengthening. • The FCC-Laves interface shows the higher barrier strength than the BCC-FCC interface. • The extensive dislocation pileups were observed at FCC-Laves interface. • Ni 36 Co 30 Cr 11 Fe 11 Al 8 Nb 4 HEA showed a combination of ductility and strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new and efficient virtual element scheme for phase field modeling of the dynamic fracture using an explicit time integration scheme. The explicit time integrator divided the whole problem into two parts, namely, mechanical and damage sub-problems. The former is treated as an elastodynamic equation while the latter is treated as a Poisson equation with reaction terms subjected to irreversibility and bounded constraints. To test the performance of the proposed numerical framework, several benchmark problems are validated and the results are in good agreement with the corresponding numerical and experimental study. Moreover, VEM outperforms FEM in view of memory efficiency and choice of element type. • 1st time VEM for phase field modeling of dynamic fracture. • Without artificial parameter for stabilization, proposed VEM is more compact. • VEM outperforms standard FEM in view of memory usage. • Different mesh type and mesh size are tested for proposed scheme. • Results are in good agreement with benchmarks and experimental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of orthokeratology (ortho -k) lenses with aspheric and spherical base curve designs on corneal refractive power (CRP) and peripheral refraction. Children aged 8 to 12 years with myopia between −0.75 D to −4.00 D, astigmatism ≤1.00 D, and corneal astigmatism ≤1.50 D were randomly assigned to the base curve aspheric (BCA) and base curve spherical (BCS) ortho -k lens groups. CRP was assessed for the central 8 mm cornea along horizontal and vertical meridians, and peripheral refraction was measured at 10°, 20°, and 30° along the nasal and temporal retina. Primary measurements included relative corneal refractive power change (RCRPC) and relative peripheral refraction change (RPRC). The 3-month results of the 33 and 29 subjects (right eye only) in the BCA and BCS groups, respectively, were obtained. Nonsignificant differences were found in the baseline data between the two groups (p > 0.05). At the 3-month follow-up visit, the mean RCRPC in the BCA group (2.08 ± 0.65 D) was significantly greater than that in the BCS group (1.32 ± 0.81 D) (F 1,51 = 25.25, p < 0.001). The BCA group (-1.82 ± 0.65 D) exhibited a larger absolute RPRC than the BCS group (-0.98 ± 0.54 D) (F 1,57 = 33.73, p < 0.001). It was found that the BCA ortho -k lens resulted in a more aspheric treatment zone and a more myopic relative peripheral refraction (RPR) along the horizontal meridian. The more myopic RPR was contributed by a more hyperopic central refraction and a more myopic peripheral refraction in the BCA group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate imaging-based tumor delineation is crucial for guiding the radiotherapy treatments of various solid tumors. Currently, several imaging procedures, including diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), intensified computed tomography and positron emission tomography are routinely used for targeted tumor delineation. However, the performance of these imaging procedures has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. In order to address this matter, the present study was conducted in an aim to assess the use of DW-MRI in guiding radiotherapy treatments, by comparing its performance to that of other imaging procedures. Specifically, the exposure dosages to organs at risk, including the lungs, heart and spinal mencord, were evaluated using various radiotherapy regimes. The findings of the present study demonstrated that DW-MRI is a non-invasive and cost-effective imaging procedure that can be used to reduce lung exposure doses, minimizing the risk of radiation pneumonitis. The data further demonstrate the immense potential of the DW-MRI procedure in the precision radiotherapy of lung cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Macro cracks on the weld overlay are caused by the propagation of the ductility dip crack that arises during the welding process. • Improper welding strategy and inappropriate choice of welding material is the root cause of ductility-dip microcrack. • Few actual cases of this type of cracking are discussed in the current research papers. The mechanism and root causes of ductility dip cracking are discussed in detail. In this paper, the cracking failure of the weld overlay of the heat exchanger tube sheet was analyzed. The weld overlay, welded by ErNiCrMo-3, cracked several times within a short period after the heat exchanger was put into operation, resulting in internal leakage from the heat exchanger. The failure causes are investigated by means of macroscopic observation, metallographic analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, and hardness test. The synthetical analysis shows that a sudden drop in ductility of the weld overlay material occurs at the time of microcracking, and a phenomenon similar to grain boundary sliding is observed in the fracture morphology image at high magnification. Therefore, the microcrack on the weld overlay is a kind of ductility dip crack at elevated temperatures. Improper welding strategy and inappropriate choice of welding material is the root cause of ductility-dip microcrack during the welding process. The microcracks on the weld overlay propagate during the operation of the heat exchanger, causing it to leak several times in a short period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • β-NaYF 4 :Yb3+, Tm3+@BiOCl heterostructures were synthesized via hydrothermal method. • Such heterostructures exhibit high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic contaminants. • FRET between β-NaYF 4 :Yb3+, Tm3+ and BiOCl results in enhancing photocatalytic activity. • Excellent universality and reusability demonstrated the composite's practical applicability. Constructing comprehensive performance-enhanced heterostructured composite using the synergistic effect of complementary advantages between heterogeneous materials has always been challenging. In this work, highly stable β-NaYF 4 :Yb3+, Tm3+@BiOCl (NYF@BiOCl) heterostructured upconversion composites were successfully prepared using a two-step hydrothermal method. Compared to NYF/BiOCl mechanical mixtures, NYF@BiOCl with intimate interface show a higher photocatalytic degradation rate of rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solutions, achieving 99.9% in 18 min and 98% in 2 h under simulated sunlight and near-infrared (NIR) light, respectively. The construction of heterostructures has a broad-spectrum response, which improves the utilization of sunlight and achieves efficient photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants. Upconversion luminescence mechanism, spectral overlap, and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) explain the high photocatalytic activity of NYF@BiOCl. Meanwhile, NYF@BiOCl exhibits good universality to efficiently degrade other organic contaminants (methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), bisphenol A (BPA), p-chlorophenol (4-CP)). This study demonstrates the potential of synergistic effects between heterogeneous materials. It Enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the NYF@BiOCl heterostructured composites driven by NIR light, providing a new strategy for energy-efficient and degradation of hazardous organic contaminants to alleviate environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jiang, Y. and Liu, T., 2020. Application of EDA technology in marine communication electronic circuit. In: Li, L. and Huang, X. (eds.), Sustainable Development in Coastal Regions: A Perspective of Environment, Economy, and Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 112, pp. 437-439. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. EDA technology, with its high efficiency and high operability in circuit design, has high applicability in the application of marine communication electronic circuit. With the rapid growth of international cross sea communication demand, the application of electronic technology of marine communication based on EDA technology has brought more broad development space. Based on this, this paper first studies the application characteristics of EDA technology in marine communication electronic circuit, then analyzes the design process of marine communication electronic circuit based on EDA technology, and finally gives the specific application of EDA technology in marine communication electronic circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interactions between bacterial microbiota and mosquitoes play an important role in mosquitoes’ capacity to transmit pathogens. However, microbiota assemblages within mosquitoes and the impact of microbiota in environments on mosquito development and survival remain unclear. This study examined microbiota assemblages and the effects of aquatic environment microbiota on the larval development of the Aedes albopictus mosquito, an important dengue virus vector. Life table studies have found that reducing bacterial load in natural aquatic habitats through water filtering and treatment with antibiotics significantly reduced the larva‐to‐adult emergence rate. This finding was consistent in two types of larval habitats examined—discarded tires and flowerpots, suggesting that bacteria play a crucial role in larval development. Pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was used to determine the diversity of bacterial communities in larval habitats and the resulting numbers of mosquitoes under both laboratory and field conditions. The microbiota profiling identified common shared bacteria among samples from different years; further studies are needed to determine whether these bacteria represent a core microbiota. The highest microbiota diversity was found in aquatic habitats, followed by mosquito larvae, and the lowest in adult mosquitoes. Mosquito larvae ingested their bacterial microbiota and nutrients from aquatic habitats of high microbiota diversity. Taken together, the results support the observation that Ae. albopictus larvae are able to utilize diverse bacteria from aquatic habitats and that live bacteria from aquatic habitats play an important role in larval mosquito development and survival. These findings provide new insights into bacteria's role in mosquito larval ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isorhamnetin, a flavonoid compound extracted from plants’ fruit or leaves, like sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), has many biological functions, including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. The present study is in order to explore the hepatoprotective effect of isorhamnetin on concanavalin A (ConA)-induced acute fulminant hepatitis and the underlying mechanism. Mice were injected with ConA (25 mg/kg) to induce acute fulminant hepatitis, three doses of isorhamnetin (10/30/90 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administrated about 1 h previously. The serum and liver tissues were harvested at 2, 8, and 24 h after ConA injection. The levels of serum liver enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines were significantly reduced in isorhamnetin administration groups. Besides, isorhamnetin improved pathological damage. Furthermore, isorhamnetin affected P38/PPAR-α pathway, and subsequently regulated the expression of apoptosis and autophagy related proteins. The present study investigated that isorhamnetin inhibits apoptosis and autophagy via P38/PPAR-α pathway in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let p be a prime and T a lattice inside a semi-stable representation V. We prove that Kisin modules associated to T by selecting different uniformizers are isomorphic after tensoring a subring in W ⁢ ( R ) {W(R)}. As consequences, we show that several lattices inside the filtered ( φ , N ) {(\varphi,N)} -module of V constructed from Kisin modules are independent on the choice of uniformizers. Finally, we use a similar strategy to show that the Wach module can be recovered from the ( φ , G ^ ) {(\varphi,\hat{G})} -module associated to T when V is crystalline and the base field is unramified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accuracy and error propagation for determining the low specific contact resistance of Ohmic contacts on III-V wide band-gap semiconductors based on the circular transmission line model have been analyzed and the validity of this method is discussed in detail. The accuracy is more susceptible to the factors including data fitting method, electrical measurement technique and contact area correction. By using the equations of the original circular transmission line model to extract the fitting parameters, the calculation accuracy is much improved and the inapplicability of the linear least-square fitting is prevented. To further improve the accuracy, a four-probe current-voltage measurement technique was adopted to reduce the parasitic series resistances and the uncertainty bound, especially for the Ohmic contact with low sheet resistance of the semiconductor. Moreover, we have studied the size effect of contact pads of patterns and demonstrated that contact area correction is necessary for the semiconductor with high sheet resistance. A comprehensive error analysis is also performed to fully understand all the impact factors on this advanced method of specific contact resistance measurement, which is benefit for device performance evaluation and failure analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detections of some long gamma-ray bursts (LGRBs) relevant to mergers of neutron star (NS)-NS or black hole (BH)-NS, as well as some short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) probably produced by collapsars, muddle the boundary of two categories of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). In both cases, a plausible candidate of central engine is a BH surrounded by a hyperaccretion disc with strong outflows, launching relativistic jets driven by Blandford-Znajek mechanism. In the framework of compact binary mergers, we test the applicability of the BH hyperaccretion inflow–outflow model on powering observed GRBs. We find that, for a low outflow ratio, ${\sim } 50\hbox{ per cent}$ , post-merger hyperaccretion processes could power not only all SGRBs but also most of LGRBs. Some LGRBs might originate from merger events in the BH hyperaccretion scenario, at least on the energy requirement. Moreover, kilonovae might be produced by neutron-rich outflows, and their luminosities and time-scales significantly depend on the outflow strengths. GRBs and their associated kilonovae are competitive with each other on the disc mass and total energy budgets. The stronger the outflow, the more similar the characteristics of kilonovae to supernovae (SNe). This kind of 'nova' might be called 'quasi-SN'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquito-borne viral diseases represent a major challenge to human public health. As natural vectors of arboviruses, mosquitoes can be infected by a virus, but they have evolved multiple mechanisms to tolerate constant infection and restrict viral replication via their antiviral immune system. In a state of continuous infection, a mosquito can transmit an arbovirus while obtaining a blood meal from a mammalian host. During infection, the virus is mainly inhibited through a small RNA-mediated interference mechanism. Within mosquitoes, the invaded viruses are recognized based on pathogen-associated molecular patterns, leading to the production of cytokines. These cytokines in turn bind pattern recognition receptors and activate Toll, IMD and other immune signalling pathways to expand the immune response and induce antiviral activity via immune effectors. Interestingly, the gut microbiota and Wolbachia also play a role in mosquito antiviral immunity, which is very similar to acquired immunity. This review describes the advances made in understanding various aspects of mosquito antiviral immune molecular mechanisms in detail and explores some of the unresolved issues related to the mosquito immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic decomposition of hydrous hydrazine (N2H4·H2O) is considered a promising candidate for the fuel-cell field, but sluggish reaction kinetics dramatically impede its practical application. In this study, bimetallic RhNi nanoparticles were successfully anchored on titanium carbides (MXene) by a one-step wet-chemical method to build superior catalysts for the decomposition of hydrous hydrazine (N2H4·H2O), a compound that can be used for chemical hydrogen storage. The synthesized RhNi/MXene catalysts were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, highangle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. As a result of the particles size and a synergistic effect, the Rh0.8Ni0.2/MXene nanocatalyst demonstrated 100% selectivity to H2, excellent stability, and high reaction kinetics with a turnover frequency of 857 h-1 for the decomposition of N2H4·H2O in alkaline solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body mass index(BMI) is a calculation index of general obesity. Waist circumference(WC) is a measure of body-fat distribution and always used to estimate abdominal obesity. An important trait of general obesity and abdominal obesity is their propensity to coexist. Using one single measure of obesity could not estimate persons at risk for GSD precisely. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the predictive values of various combination of measures for obesity(BMI, WC, waist to hip ratio) for new-onset GSD. Methods: We prospectively studied the predictive values of various combination of measures for obesity for new-onset GSD in a cohort of 88,947 participants who were free of prior gallstone disease, demographic characteristics and biochemical parameters were recorded. Results: 4,329 participants were identified to have GSD among 88,947 participants during 713 345 person-years of follow-up. Higher BMI, WC and waist to hip ratio (WHtR) were significantly associated with higher risks of GSD in both genders even after adjustment for potential confounders. In males, the hazard ratio for the highest versus lowest BMI, WC, WHtR were 1.63(1.47~1.79), 1.53(1.40~1.68), 1.44(1.31~1.58), respectively. In females, the hazard ratio for the highest versus lowest BMI, WC, WHtR were 2.11(1.79~2.49), 1.85(1.55~2.22), 1.84(1.55~2.19), respectively. In male group, the combination of BMI+WC improved the predictive ability of the model more clearly than other combinations after adding them to the multivariate model in turn, while for females the best predictive combination was BMI+WHtR. Conclusions: Elevated BMI, WC and WHtR were independent risk factors for new-onset GSD in both sex groups after additional adjustment was made for potential confounders. In males, the combination of BMI+WC seemed to be the most predictable model to evaluate the effect of obesity on new-onset GSD, while the best combination in females was BMI+WHtR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface band bending and composition of Ga-polar n -GaN with different surface treatments were characterized by using angular dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Upward surface band bending of varying degree was observed distinctly upon to the treatment methods. Besides the nitrogen vacancies, we found that surface states of oxygen-containing absorbates (O-H component) also contribute to the surface band bending, which lead the Fermi level pined at a level further closer to the conduction band edge on n -GaN surface. The n -GaN surface with lower surface band bending exhibits better linear electrical properties for Ti/GaN Ohmic contacts. Moreover, the density of positively charged surface states could be derived from the values of surface band bending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia is one of the fungistatic factors in soil that can suppress conidial germination, but the molecular mechanism underlying the suppression is unknown. In this study, the proteomes of fungistatic conidia, fresh conidia and germinated conidia of Arthrobotrys oligospora ATCC24927 were determined and quantified. The protein expression profile of fungistatic conidia was significantly different from those in the other two conditions. 281 proteins were down expressed in fungistatic conidia and characterized by GO annotation. Gene transcription analysis and inhibition of puromycin (a protein translation inhibitor) on conidial germination suggested that down expression of 33 protein translation related proteins might well result in repression of protein synthesis and inhibition of conidial germination. In addition, 16 down-expressed proteins were mapped to the Ras/mitogen-activated protein (Ras/MAP) regulatory networks which regulate conidial DNA synthesis. The conidial DNA synthesis was found to be definitely inhibited under by ammonia, and function studies of two Ras/MAP proteins by using knock-out strains provided partial evidence that Ras/MAP pathway regulate the conidial germination. These results suggested that down-expression of Ras/MAP related proteins might result in inhibition of DNA synthesis and finally result in inhibition conidial germination. This study revealed partial fungistatic mechanism of ammonia against conidial germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable lithium‑oxygen (Li-O 2 ) batteries which deliver a remarkable theoretically specific energy, have been considered as one of the most promising energy storage systems. Replacing the volatile, flammable, leaked liquid electrolytes with the gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) is generally accepted as an effective approach to solving the issues. As one of the most important matrices for polymer electrolyte, polyvinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) has been successfully applied to Li-O 2 battery, benefited from its high solubility, lower crystallinity, good electrochemical and mechanical properties. Here we review the recent progress of Li-O 2 batteries with PVDF-HFP electrolytes, and discuss the challenges and solutions of PVDF-HFP electrolytes for Li-O 2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Na + /Ca 2+ exchanger (NCX) is a membrane antiporter that has been identified in the plasma membrane, the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope and in the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In humans, three genes have been identified, encoding unique NCX proteins. Although extensively studied, the NCX’s sub-cellular localization and mechanisms regulating the activity of different subtypes are still ambiguous. Here we investigated the subcellular localization of the NCX subtype 3 (NCX3) and its impact on the cell cycle. Two phenotypes, switching from one to the other during the cell cycle, were detected. One phenotype was NCX3 in the plasma membrane during S and M phase, and the other was NCX3 in the ER membrane during resting and interphase. Glycosylation of NCX3 at the N45 site was required for targeting the protein to the plasma membrane, and the N45 site functioned as an on-off switch for the translocation of NCX3 to either the plasma membrane or the membrane of the ER. Introduction of an N -glycosylation deficient NCX3 mutant led to an arrest of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. This was accompanied by accumulation of de-glycosylated NCX3 in the cytosol (that is in the ER), where it transported calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) from the cytosol to the ER. These results, obtained in transfected HEK293T and HeLa and confirmed endogenously in SH-SY5Y cells, suggest that cells can use a dynamic Ca 2+ signaling toolkit in which the NCX3 sub-cellular localization changes in synchrony with the cell cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CeO 2 -based mixed potential type gas sensors attached with MMnO 3 (M: Sr, Ca, La and Sm) sensing electrode have been fabricated to detect acetone. All MMnO 3 materials were prepared by a simple sol-gel method. The results indicated that the response of the sensor based on SrMnO 3 sintered at 1000 °C to 20 ppm acetone was the highest compared with sensors using MMnO 3 (M: Ca, La and Sm)-SE, which was −49 mV. The sensor attached with SrMnO 3 -SE could detect even 1 ppm acetone, and the response value (ΔV) was −3 mV, which was an acceptable value. The ΔV of the sensor was linearly changed with the logarithm of acetone concentration in the range of 1–50 ppm and the sensitivity was −36 mV/decade. Most notably, the typical 90% response and recovery times of the sensor attached with SrMnO 3 -SE to 20 ppm acetone were only 2 s and 6 s. Moreover, the sensor manifested good repeatability and stability. Besides, the sensing mechanism of the sensor was explained, and polarization curve was measured to further demonstrate the mixed potential mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates people’s behavioral responses to air pollution information in China. We find that elevated air pollution levels are positively associated with higher online searches for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. A 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 is associated with a 3.6-8.4% increase of mobile queries for anti-PM2.5 masks, and 1.1-4.7% for air filters. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that a haze alert issued when PM2.5 concentration exceeds 250 µg/m3 would double online queries for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters. Online searches are also positively correlated with online sales. One day of severe pollution would induce a cost of 0.2 million USD on online expenditure on anti-PM2.5 masks. Some suggestive evidence shows that people in richer and polluted cities tend to search more for anti-PM2.5 masks and air filters than those in poorer and cleaner cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to realize MoO 3 as an anode material in lithium ion batteries, it is important to understand the atomic level mechanisms of MoO 3 structures evolution during lithiation. A first-principle method is employed to evaluate the volumetric deformation, electronic structure, and Young’s modulus during lithiation based on density function theory. The electrochemical insertion of Li ions into MoO 3 anode materials prompts a volumetric deformation along the perpendicular direction. Moreover, we analyzed the projected density of states during lithiation for MoO 3 . The band gap will vanish at high enough Li concentration, the electron will dope into Mo atoms by Li interaction. In addition, the migration energy barriers of lithium ions along the z-direction are the lowest among other pathways, while a large deformation caused by lithiation remained in the MoO 3 materials. In particular, the Young’s modulus of the MoO 3 anode materials increased during lithiation, but the large mechanical strength can sustain this. Those results may reveal the mechanism of structural transition from the MoO 3 to Li 2 MoO 3 and provide some valuable mechanical understanding of Li x MoO 3 materials in lithium ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fano resonances have been studied intensely in the last decade, since it is an important way to decrease the resonance line width and enhance local electric field. However, achieving a Fano line-shape with both narrow line width and high spectral contrast ratio is still a challenge. In this paper, we theoretically predict the Fano resonance induced by the extinction of normal plane wave in a ring-shaped hexamer cluster at near-infrared wavelength. In order to obtain the narrow Fano line width and high spectral contrast ratio, the relationships between the Fano line-shape and the parameters of the nanostructure are analyzed in detail. The nanostructure is simulated by using commercial software based on finite element method. The simulation results show that when the structural parameters are optimized, the Fano line width can be narrowed down 0.028 eV with a contrast ratio of 86%, and the local electric field enhancement factor at the Fano resonance wavelength can reach to 36. Furthermore, the effective mode volume of the structure is 3.9 × 10 − 23 m 3 which is lower than the available literature. These results indicate many potential applications of the Fano resonance in multiwavelength surface-enhanced Raman scattering and biosensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of fluxes on wettability between the molten Galfan alloy and steel matrix was studied by modified sessile drop method. Five fluxes were selected and numbered as Z1-(ZnCl 2 , NH 4 Cl), Z2-(ZnCl 2 , NaF), Z3-(ZnCl 2 , NaCl, CaCl 2 , SnCl 2 , CeCl 3 ), Z4-(ZnCl 2 , NH 4 Cl, KCl, BiCl 3 ), Z5-(ZnCl 2 , NH 4 Cl, SnCl 2 , KF). Results show that some components in fluxes react with zinc oxide and alumina on the alloy surface, thus reducing the interfacial energy and improving wettability between molten alloy and steel matrix. Initial contact angles between molten alloy and steel matrix decrease from 122.3° to 99.7°, and the interfacial energy (σ sl ) decreases from 0.92σ G  J/m 2 to 0.79σ G  J/m 2 when the flux varies from Z1 to Z5. The wettability of Z5 flux was the best, which shortened the incubation period before the interface reaction due to its rapid decomposition and volatilization. The main chemical factors determining wettability of each flux are Z1-NH 4 Cl, Z2-NaF, Z3-CaCl 2 and SnCl 2 , Z4-NH 4 Cl and BiCl 3 , Z5-KF, SnCl 2 and NH 4 Cl respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fates of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in paddy fields are generally opposite; thus, the inconsistent transformation of Cd and As poses large challenges for their remediation. In this study, the impacts of zero valent iron (ZVI) and/or biochar amendments on Cd and As bioavailability were examined in pot trials with rice. Comparison with the untreated soil, both Cd and As accumulation in different rice tissues decreased significantly in the ZVI-biochar amendments and the Cd and As accumulation in rice decreased with increasing ZVI contents. In particular, the concentrations of Cd (0.15 ± 0.01 mg kg −1 ) and As (0.17 ± 0.01 mg kg −1 ) in rice grains were decreased by 93% and 61% relative to the untreated soil, respectively. A sequential extraction analysis indicated that with increasing Fe ratios in the ZVI-biochar mixtures, bioavailable Cd and As decreased, and the immobilized Cd and As increased. Furthermore, high levels of Fe, Cd, and As were detected in Fe plaque of the ZVI-biochar amendments in comparison with the single biochar or single ZVI amendments. The ZVI-biochar mixture may have a synergistic effect that simultaneously reduces Cd and As bioavailability by increasing the formation of amorphous Fe and Fe plaque for Cd and As immobilization. The single ZVI amendment significantly decreased As bioavailability, while the single biochar amendment significantly reduced the bioavailability of Cd compared with the combined amendments. Hence, using a ZVI-biochar mixture as a soil amendment could be a promising strategy for safely-utilizing Cd and As co-contaminated sites in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A photocatalytic reaction of N‐(2‐vinylphenyl)amides, DABCO⋅(SO2)2 and arenediazonium tetrafluoroborates for the synthesis of 4‐((arylsulfonyl)methyl)‐4H‐benzo[d][1,3]oxazines under mild conditions is reported. This synthetic approach is enabled by merging photoredox catalysis and insertion of sulfur dioxide via a radical process. The specific role of photoredox catalysis in this transformation is supported by mechanistic investigations and theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber optics evanescent field based biosensor is an excellent candidate for label-free detection of cardiac biomarkers which is of great importance in rapid, early, and accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In this paper, we report a compact and sensitive cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) immunosensor based on the phase-shifted microfiber Bragg grating probe which is functionalized. The fine reflective signal induced by the phase shift in modulation significantly improves the spectral resolution, enabling the ability of the sensor in perceiving an ultra-small refractive index change due to the specific capture of the cTn-I antigens. In buffer, a log-linear sensing range from 0.1 to 10 ng/mL and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.03 ng/mL (predicted to be as low as 10.8 pg/mL) are obtained. Furthermore, with good specificity, the sensor can be applied in test of cTn-I in human serum samples. The proposed sensor presents superiorities such as improved integratability and portability, easy fabrication and operation, and intrinsic compatibility to the fiber-optic network, and thus has a promising prospect in “point-of-care” test for cardiac biomarkers and preclinical diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western-blot (WB) is a powerful analytical technique for protein identification in complex biological samples and has been widely used in biological studies for decades. Detection specificity and sensitivity of WB largely relies on quality of the antibodies and performance of the conjugated HRP. However, the application of WB analysis for the detection of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) is hampered by the low abundance of protein PTMs and by the limited availability of antibodies that specifically differentiate various kinds of PTMs from their protein substrates. Therefore, new recognition mechanisms and signal amplification strategies for WB analysis of protein PTMs is in high demand. In this work, we prepared a soluble polymer that detects various azide-tagged PTM proteins in WB analysis using triarylphosphine and HRP modified thermoresponsive polymer. Specific and efficient detection of azide-tagged PTM protein is achieved via the bioorthogonal reaction between azide and triarylphosphine. More importantly, the chemiluminiscent signal in the WB analysis is largely amplified by the temperature induced self-assembly of numerous thermoresponsive polymer chains carrying multiple HRPs. As a result, approximately 100 times more sensitive detection than commercial antibodies is achieved by this method using standard PTM proteins. Though, this new reagent does not directly detect native PTMs in cell, tissue or blood samples, it still has important application potential in protein PTM studies, considering the wide availability of azide-tagging techniques to a variety of PTMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bladder cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia have been two very common diseases among the elderly men, especially with the aging of the population in the world. We have designed a study to investigate the clinical effect of interventional therapy for plasmakinetic resection of the prostate and plasmakinetic resection of the bladder, which is called “BPSC” (The bladder cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia study in Chinese population). The BPSC is not only a specific study, it is made up of many studies. In this article, we introduced the research background, source, name, study framework, study management and further direction of BPSC project. We hope this process will contribute to the growth of the database through sharing data and enriching the evidence of bladder cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia in the Chinese population, thereby finally improving the accessibility of these important findings for doctors, researchers, and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on La(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O and 4,4′-((5-carboxy-1,3-phenylene)bis(oxy))dibenzoic acid (H 3 cpbda), a 3D porous MOFs, [La(cpbda)(H 2 O) 1.5 ] n ( 1 ), was synthesized by hydrothermal method and further characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, power X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, thermal-gravimetric analysis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Owing to its good stabilities and fluorescence property, the sensing experiments on sixteen cations and eleven anions were implemented. Moreover, the further titration processes show 1 can sensitively detect the Fe(III) cation and Cr(VI)-containing anions by quenching responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pilot contamination caused by sharing the non-orthogonal pilots among users is considered to be a bottleneck of the massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems. This paper proposes a pilot scheduling scheme based on the degradation to address this problem. Through computing the degradation of the users, the proposed scheduling assigns the optimal pilot sequence to the user who suffers from the greatest degradation in a greedy way. Moreover, the proposed scheme is further optimized with an extra set of orthogonal pilot sequences, which is called pilot scheduling scheme based on user grouping. Simulation results show that the target cell's achievable sum rate of the proposed scheme is much higher than the random pilot scheduling (RPS) and the smart pilot assignment (SPA) schemes; also, our scheme can reduce the impact of shadowing fading on the target cell's achievable sum rate effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and efficient synthetic protocol for the syntheses of spiro pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazole and spiro 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives via a one pot four-component reaction catalyzed by Dabco-based ionic liquids has been successfully developed. Under the same reaction conditions, when hydrazines were used as amine components to react with isatins, active methylenes and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, the reactions afforded spiro pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles in good to excellent yields (78–96%). While aromatic amines were used as amine components in the same reaction, a completely different product scaffold of spiro 1,4-dihydropyridines was obtained in moderate to good yields (52–93%). This synthetic protocol could be applicable to a wide range of substrates. The desired products are easily separated and purified by simple crystallization. The catalyst could be recycled five times. Plausible reaction mechanisms were proposed according to the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique reactivity and synthetic applications of oxime acetate derivatives with N, O and S substituents at the α-position are disclosed for the first time, which leads to 2-substituted fulleropyrrolidines and mono- and disubstituted 1-fulleropyrrolines via copper-catalyzed redox-neutral N-heteroannulation reactions with C60. This transformation is operationally simple and has a broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. Theoretical calculations at the level of B3LYP/6-31G(d) were performed to elucidate the chemoselectivity of the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the importance of inoculum source for start-up and operation of biogas processes. Three different inocula with different community structure were used to initiate six laboratory continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) processes operated with a grass manure mixture as substrate. The processes were evaluated by chemical and microbiological analysis, by targeting the overall bacterial community and potential cellulose-degrading bacteria. As expected, the results showed a large difference in community structure in the inocula and in process performance during the first hydraulic retention time (HRT). However, the performance and overall microbial community structure became similar in the reactors over time. An inoculum from a high-ammonia process, characterized by low diversity and low degradation efficiency, took the longest time to reach stability and final methane yield. The overall bacterial community was mainly shaped by the operating conditions but, interestingly, potential cellulose-degrading bacteria seemed mainly to originate from the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a one-dimensional system that includes both a commensurate off-diagonal modulation of the hopping amplitude and an incommensurate, slowly varying diagonal on-site modulation. By using asymptotic heuristic arguments, we identify four closed form expressions for the mobility edges. We further study numerically the inverse participation ratio, the density of states and the Lyapunov exponent. The numerical results are in exact agreement with our theoretical predictions. Besides a metal–insulator transition driven by the strength of the slowly varying potential, another four insulator–metal transitions are found in this model as the energy is increased in magnitude from the band center ( E = 0 ) to the mobility edges ( ± E c 2 , ± E c 1 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formation of laterally continuous ultrathin gold films on polymer substrates is a technological challenge. In this work, the vacuum thermal evaporation method is adopted to form continuous Au films in the thickness range of 7-17 nm on polymers of Poly(methyl-methacrylate-glycidly-methacrylate) and SU-8 film surface without using the adhesion or metallic seeding layers. Absorption spectrum, scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope images are used to characterize the Au film thickness, roughness and optical loss. The result shows that molecular-scale structure, surface energy and electronegativity have impacts on the Au film morphology on polymers. Wet chemical etching is used to fabricate 7-nm thick Au stripes embedded in polymer claddings. These long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides demonstrate the favorable morphological configurations and cross-sectional states. Through the end-fire excitation method, propagation losses of 6- wide Au stripes are compared to theoretical values and analyzed from practical film status. The smooth, patternable gold films on polymer provide potential applications to plasmonic waveguides, biosensing, metamaterials and optical antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulation scheme recognition occupies a crucial position in the civil and military application. In this paper, we present boosting algorithm as an ensemble frame to achieve a higher accuracy than a single classifier. To evaluate the effect of boosting algorithm, eight common communication signals are yet to be identified. And five kinds of entropy are extracted as the training vector. And then, AdaBoost algorithm based on decision tree is utilized to confirm the idea of boosting algorithm. The results illustrate AdaBoost is always a superior classifier, while, as a weak estimator, decision tree is barely satisfactory. In addition, the performance of three diverse boosting members is compared by experiments. Gradient boosting has better behavior than AdaBoost, and xgboost creates optimal cost performance especially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neutrino-dominated accretion flows (NDAFs) around rotating stellar-mass black holes (BHs) are plausible candidates for the central engines of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). NDAFs are hyperaccretion disks with accretion rates in the range of around 0.001–10 M ⊙ s − 1 , which have high density and temperature and therefore are extremely optically thick and geometrically slim or even thick. We review the theoretical progresses in studying the properties of NDAFs as well as their applications to the GRB phenomenology. The topics include: the steady radial and vertical structure of NDAFs and the implications for calculating neutrino luminosity and annihilation luminosity, jet power due to neutrino-antineutrino annihilation and Blandford–Znajek mechanism and their dependences on parameters such as BH mass, spin, and accretion rate, time evolution of NDAFs, effect of magnetic fields, applications of NDAF theories to the GRB phenomenology such as lightcurve variability, extended emission, X-ray flares, kilonovae, etc., as well as probing NDAFs using multi-messenger signals such as MeV neutrinos and gravitational waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CYCLING DOF FACTOR 1 (CDF1) and its homologs play an important role in the floral transition by repressing the expression of floral activator genes such as CONSTANS ( CO) and FLOWERING LOCUS T ( FT) in Arabidopsis. The day-length-specific removal of CDF1-dependent repression is a critical mechanism in photoperiodic flowering. However, the mechanism by which CDF1 represses CO and FT transcription remained elusive. Here we demonstrate that Arabidopsis CDF proteins contain non-EAR motif-like conserved domains required for interaction with the TOPLESS (TPL) co-repressor protein. This TPL interaction confers a repressive function on CDF1, as mutations of the N-terminal TPL binding domain largely impair the ability of CDF1 protein to repress its targets. TPL proteins are present on specific regions of the CO and FT promoters where CDF1 binds during the morning. In addition, TPL binding increases when CDF1 expression is elevated, suggesting that TPL is recruited to these promoters in a time-dependent fashion by CDFs. Moreover, reduction of TPL activity induced by expressing a dominant negative version of TPL ( tpl-1) in phloem companion cells results in early flowering and a decreased sensitivity to photoperiod in a manner similar to a cdf loss-of-function mutant. Our results indicate that the mechanism of CDF1 repression is through the formation of a CDF-TPL transcriptional complex, which reduces the expression levels of CO and FT during the morning for seasonal flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvents effects on the microstructure of anode substrates as well as the electrochemical performance of the respective cells are systematically evaluated. The solubility parameters are used to interpret the relationship between the rheological properties of phase inversion slurries and pore formation mechanism of the anode substrates. When N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is chosen as the solvent, a dual-layered anode substrates with hierarchically oriented pores is achieved, while a sponge-like homogeneous anode substrate is obtained using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the solvent, indicating that solvent is a key factor to affect the anode substrate microstructure. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional microstructures of the anode substrates prepared using NMP are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy, respectively. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with different microstructured anode substrates are prepared, and the maximum power density is significantly enhanced from 320.3 to 719.2 mWcm −2 by varying the anode substrate from homogeneous sponge-like microstructure to dual-layered microstructure, revealing that the finger-like macro-voids layer can facilitate H 2 -H 2 O mass diffusion, while the thin sponge-like pores layer can serve as anode functional layer and provide sufficient active reaction sites for H 2 oxidation. This study demonstrates that NMP is a promising solvent to fabricate hierarchically oriented anode for high-performance SOFCs application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) on uranium adsorption has attracted increasing attention recently. MIL-53(Al)-AO, synthesized by introducing amidoxime groups to MIL-53(Al)-NH 2 aimed to adsorb U(VI), was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The sorption capacity of MIL-53(Al)-AO for U(VI) in aqueous solutions has been enhanced to 2.36 times compared with MIL-53(Al)-NH 2 at pH 6.0 under the same conditions according to the experimental results, possibly due to the strong chelation of amidoxime. Effects of contact time, pH, interfering ions, and U(VI) concentration on the sorption of U(VI) for MIL-53(Al)-AO were also investigated. The sorption was strongly dependent on pH and independent of coexist ions. Result of this study shows that the MIL-53(Al)-AO was a kind of potential material to enrich U(VI) from aqueous solutions, and amidoxime could be introduced to MOFs sorbent by transforming the grafted amino groups on MIL-53(Al)-NH 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-component reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, the 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane⋅bis(sulfur dioxide) adduct [DABCO⋅(SO2)2] and hydroxylamines under catalyst-free and additive-free conditions has been developed, providing aryl O-aminosulfonates in good yields. Sulfonamides could also be obtained via a one-pot process through the reaction of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborates, DABCO⋅(SO2)2 and amines in the presence of N-hydroxybenzotriazole. A mechanism involving the insertion of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen atom transfer is proposed and supported by theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce probability thermodynamics and probability quantum fields. By probability we mean that there is an unknown operator, physical or nonphysical, whose eigenvalues obey a certain statistical distribution. Eigenvalue spectra define spectral functions. Various thermodynamic quantities in thermodynamics and effective actions in quantum field theory are all spectral functions. In the scheme, eigenvalues obey a probability distribution, so a probability distribution determines a family of spectral functions in thermodynamics and quantum field theory. This leads to probability thermodynamics and probability quantum fields determined by a probability distribution. In constructing spectral functions, we encounter a problem. The conventional definition of spectral functions applies only to lower bounded spectra. In our scheme, however, there are two types of spectra: lower bounded spectra, corresponding to the probability distribution with nonnegative random variables, and the lower unbounded spectra, corresponding to probability distributions with negative random variables. To take the lower unbounded spectra into account, we generalize the definition of spectral functions by analytical continuation. In some cases, we encounter divergences. We remove the divergence by a renormalization procedure. In virtue of spectral theory in physics, we generalize some concepts in probability theory. For example, the moment-generating function in probability theory does not always exist. We redefine the moment-generating function as the generalized heat kernel introduced in this paper, which makes the concept definable when the definition in probability theory fails. We construct examples corresponding to some probability distributions. Thermodynamic quantities, vacuum amplitudes, one-loop effective actions, and vacuum energies for various probability distributions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel imine-linked magnetic covalent organic polymer, Fe3O4@TAB-TFPT, was synthesized using environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvents as the reaction medium instead of conventional organic solvents. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). Subsequently, the materials were employed as an adsorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of flavonoids, including Kurarinone, Norkurarinone, Xanthohumol, and Isoxanthohumol, prior to their determination by HPLC–MS/MS. The validation results demonstrate good linearity within the concentration range 0.1–1000 ng∙mL−1 (R2 ≥ 0.9963), high enrichment factors ranging from 18.9 to 30.7, and low LODs (0.01–0.05 ng∙mL−1) and LOQs (0.05–0.1 ng∙mL−1). Furthermore, recoveries between 80.60% and 108.40% with relative standard deviations ≤ 8.49% were achieved. The proposed MSPE-HPLC–MS/MS method was successfully applied to the determination of flavonoids in Sophora flavescens Aition sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the capacity of single piles subjected to cyclic axial tension or compression load in the loess area under in situ compaction degree and extruding conditions. Four cyclic tension and compression loading tests, and two conventional tension and compression tests on single piles were carried out at a typical loess site of the Loess Plateau region of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. A series of pretest preparations, including site leveling, steel cage production, pile formation, and soil compaction, are performed. The axial displacement of pile top, pile axial force, and frictional force of the pile side of a single pile measured in the test process were analyzed. The cyclic tension or compression load–displacement curves of the piles in loess, under the in situ compaction degree condition, show the load results in an influence of the movement trend that cannot be ignored. There is no overlap between the compression-unloading curve and tension-unloading curve. This phenomenon indicates that the cyclic loading accelerates the destruction of the pile foundation. Under an extruding condition, the difference between the maximum deformation and the minimum deformation is 2.412 mm, which is 60% of the ultimate deformation of a conventional single pile. The lateral friction of the pile shows multipeak distribution along the pile body, and the attenuation range of lateral friction strength at the pile tip is more than 50% in the failure stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect-associated bacteria can mediate the intersection of insect and plant immunity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of single isolates or communities of gut-associated bacteria of Helicoverpa zea larvae on herbivore-induced defenses in tomato. We first identified bacterial isolates from the regurgitant of field-collected H. zea larvae by using a culture-dependent method and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We identified 11 isolates belonging to the families Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcaceae, Yersiniaceae, Erwiniaceae, and unclassified Enterobacterales. Seven different bacterial isolates, namely Enterobacteriaceae-1, Lactococcus sp., Klebsiella sp. 1, Klebsiella sp. 3, Enterobacterales, Enterobacteriaceae-2, and Pantoea sp., were selected based on their phylogenetic relationships to test their impacts on insect-induced plant defenses. We found that the laboratory population of H. zea larvae inoculated with individual isolates did not induce plant anti-herbivore defenses, whereas larvae inoculated with a bacterial community (combination of the 7 bacterial isolates) triggered increased polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity in tomato, leading to retarded larval development. Additionally, field-collected H. zea larvae with an unaltered bacterial community in their gut stimulated higher plant defenses than the larvae with a reduced gut microbial community. In summary, our findings highlight the importance of the gut microbial community in mediating interactions between herbivores and their host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]