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Circular domains frequently appear in mathematical modeling in the fields of ecology, biology and chemistry. In this paper, we investigate the equivariant Hopf bifurcation of partial functional differential equations with Neumann boundary condition on a two-dimensional disk. The properties of these bifurcations at equilibriums are analyzed rigorously by studying the equivariant normal forms. Two reaction–diffusion systems with discrete time delays are selected as numerical examples to verify the theoretical results, in which spatially inhomogeneous periodic solutions including standing waves and rotating waves, and spatially homogeneous periodic solutions are found near the bifurcation points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronegative S-filled skutterudite compounds have attracted considerable attention due to scattering of low-frequency phonons (35–50 cm − 1 ), but there are few reports on S-filled double-substituted skutterudite. In this work, a series of S-filled Te-Sn double-substituted skutterudite compounds were synthesized using high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) method. The phase composition, microstructure, and thermoelectric properties of SxCo4Sb 1 1 Te 0. 7 Sn 0. 3 (x = 0 , 0.05, 0.10, 0.20) samples were systematically determined. The results show that the introduction of S increases the substitution limit of Te in the Sb site. Under the combined effect of the sample synthesis pressure and S filling, the nucleation density of the sample grains increases and the grain size decreases. At the same time, there are numerous special microstructures in the samples synthesized in a high-pressure environment. Thermoelectric performance studies show that a small amount of S filling optimizes the Seebeck coefficient of the sample and increases the power factor (PF). With an increase of the amount of S introduced, the thermal conductivity of the samples decreases significantly. Therefore, the maximum zT value of an S 0. 0 5 Co4Sb 1 1 Te 0. 7 Sn 0. 3 sample synthesized at 2.5 GPa pressure is 0.17 at room temperature. The maximum zT value of the sample is 1.26 at 773 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni(OH) 2 and H 4 SiO 4 are the two key intermediates for the synthesis of Ni-phyllosilicate, and the purpose of this work is to reveal which one is more efficient. The silica (D) was extracted from distillers' grains, which was used as the sacrificial template for Ni-phyllosilicate. The formation of Ni(OH) 2 and H 4 SiO 4 was enhanced by NaOH and NH 4 F, respectively, and Ni/D-S (assisted by sodium hydroxide) and Ni/D-A (assisted by ammonium fluoride) were obtained. Although the amount of NaOH and NH 4 F and hydrothermal synthesis procedures were identical, there was a significant difference of their Ni contents. The Ni content of Ni/D-S and Ni/D-A was 17.7 wt% and 2.5 wt%, respectively. As a result, Ni/D-S was more active for CO 2 methanation, whose CH 4 yield reached 61.6% at 450 °C, 0.1 MPa, 60 L g−1·h−1, while the maximum CH 4 yield of Ni/D-A was only 16.4% at 500 °C. However, the formation of Ni-phyllosilicate could also be improved after addition of more NH 4 F, and the increased amount of H 4 SiO 4 led to the high Ni content (33.4 wt%) of Ni/D-A-M (M refers to the addition of more ammonium fluoride) and enhanced catalytic performance for CO 2 methanation. It was concluded that Ni(OH) 2 and H 4 SiO 4 were both important for the synthesis of Ni-phyllosilicate, while Ni(OH) 2 was the more efficient one. [Display omitted] • NaOH was used to accelerate the formation of Ni(OH) 2. • NH 4 F was used to accelerate the formation of H 4 SiO 4. • Ni(OH) 2 or H 4 SiO 4 were both important for the synthesis of Ni-phyllosilicate. • Ni(OH) 2 was the more efficient intermediate compared with H 4 SiO 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Janus nanosheets composed of AuNPs/PdNPs and rGO were prepared by a simple method. • The obtained Janus nanosheets were useful in emulsion stabilization and catalysis. • Largely enhanced hydrogenation and photocatalytic degradation were demonstrated. Interface/emulsion catalysis is an effective approach for many organic and inorganic chemical reactions. Positioning catalysts at the interface is essential for highly efficient interface/emulsion catalysis. The sheet-like Janus nanostructures may have great advantages in stabilizing emulsions and improving reaction efficiency. In this work, by using a simple emulsion reaction and photodeposition, we successfully prepare the Janus nanosheets with opposite sides composed of AuNPs/PdNPs and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) respectively, referred to as AuNP-rGO/PdNP-rGO Janus nanosheets. Due to the distinct hydrophilicities on opposite sides, the prepared Janus nanosheets demonstrate high efficiency in emulsion stabilization and emulsion catalysis. By introducing the prepared PdNP-rGO and AuNP-rGO Janus nanosheets in emulsion reactions, highly efficient hydrogenation of p -nitroanisole and photocatalytic degradation of Nile red are demonstrated. This work provides a simple and cost-effective method to prepare Janus nanosheets and realize highly efficient emulsion reactions, and this strategy can be extended to promote many other interface/emulsion reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposed a new path to synthesize Ni-phyllosilicate through the reaction of nickel hydroxide and silica sol on the surface of Ni-foam to form the monolithic Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst. Ni-phyllosilicate could reprint the morphology of nickel hydroxid and firmly anchor on the framework of Ni-foam, which obtained fine Ni particles of 2.8 nm after reduction in H2 at 650 °C, resulting in high catalytic activity for CO2 methanation. In addition, the Ni-phyllosilicate/Ni-foam catalyst showed high long-term stability in a 100 h-lifetime test owing to the combined effects of surface confinement of Ni-phyllosilicate, firm anchoring between Ni-phyllosilicate and Ni-foam, as well as the high heat transfer property of Ni-foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For computer-aided diagnosis(CAD) to be successful, automatic segmentation needs to be reliable and efficient. Semi-supervised segmentation (SSL) techniques make extensive use of unlabeled data to address the issue of the high acquisition cost of medically labeled data. However, different anatomical regions and boundaries in medical images may exhibit similar gray-level features. The discrimination of similar regions and the geometrical limitations on boundaries are disregarded by current semi-supervised algorithms for segmenting medical images. In this work, we propose a framework for multi-task pixel-level representation learning that is led by certainty pixels. Specifically, we concentrate on the task of segmentation prediction as the primary task and shape-aware level set representation as a collaborative task to enforce local boundary constraints on unlabeled data. We construct dual decoders to obtain predictions and uncertainty maps from different perspectives, which can enhance the capacity to distinguish similar regions. In addition, we introduce certainty pixels to guide the computation of pixel-level contrastive loss to strengthen the correlation between pixels. Finally, experiments on two open datasets demonstrate that our strategy outperforms current approaches. The code will be released at https://github.com/yqimou/SAMT-PCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated malignancies and has a distinct geographical distribution. The high mortality rates of NPC patients with advanced and recurrent disease highlight the urgent need for biomarkers for early diagnosis and effective treatments. In this study, we developed DNA aptamers that specifically bind to EBV positive NPC cells by the Cell-SELEX procedure. We further identified the EphA2 (ephrin type-A receptor 2)/CD98hc (CD98 heavy chain) complex as the potential target of the aptamer EA-3 by combining aptamer-based separation and mass spectrometry analysis. Our results revealed for the first time that EphA2 colocalized with CD98hc at the plasma membrane and EphA2 coimmunoprecipitated with CD98hc, which may serve as a starting point for exploring the potential functions of the complex of EphA2 and CD98hc in NPCs. Here, we demonstrated that aptamers can be useful for the identification of protein complexes on the surface of cancer cells. • We report DNA aptamers that specifically bind to EBV positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma. • EphA2 colocalizes and coimmunoprecipitate with CD98hc. • The DNA aptamer binds with the complex of EphA2 and CD98hc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a challenge to prepare Ni-phyllosilicate catalysts deriving from the reaction of nickel salts and biomass-based silica with high Ni contents. In order to efficiently synthesize nickel phyllosilicate, the acid-treated rice husk without calcination (P-R) was directly used as the raw material. The as-synthesized Ni-phyllosilicate (N/P-R) exhibited high nickel content of 46.7 wt% owing to utilization of the abundant silanol group in the fresh rice husk. On the contrary, the Ni content of Ni-phyllosilicate sample (N/R–S) prepared using the calcinated rice husk-based silica was only 4.8 wt% because of the loss of silanol group during calcination process. As a result, N/P-R displayed much higher catalytic activity for CO 2 methanation than N/R–S. It was found that the silanol group was in favour of forming the important intermediate Si(OH) 4 , and thereby facilitated the formation of nickel phyllosilicate. In addition, the N/P-R catalyst demonstrated superior stability and excellent anti-sintering ability in the long lifetime test. In short, the proposed method in this work could not only efficiently synthesize nickel phyllosilicate with high Ni content, but also reduce energy consumption and operation steps compared to the one prepared using biomass-based silica. [Display omitted] • Ni-phyllosilicate was synthesized using rice husk as the raw material. • The rice husk without calcination possessed abundant silanol groups. • The more abundant silanol groups leaded in higher Ni-phyllosilicate content. • The optimal catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for CO 2 methanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of graphene-S 0.05 Co 4 Sb 11.6 Te 0.4 (C x -S 0.05 Co 4 Sb 11.6 Te 0.4) composite polycrystalline skutterudite materials with graphene stoichiometric ratio of x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20 have been successfully prepared by high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) technology. Graphene is a two-dimensional material with large carrier mobility and large specific surface area. Through microscopic observation, it is found that graphene is attached to the grains in the sample. At the same time, with the increase of graphene content, grain growth is inhibited. Graphene addition reduces the thermal conductivity of skutterudite by increasing grain boundaries and achieves the purpose of optimizing its thermoelectric properties. At the same time, there are numerous lattice defects and distortions introduced in skutterudite synthesized by HPHT technology. Finally, the samples were synthesized under the conditions of 1.5 GPa and 900 K. The lattice thermal conductivity of the graphene composite sample C x -S 0.05 Co 4 Sb 11.6 Te 0.4 with x = 0.10 reaches a minimum of 0.99 at 773 K, and the zT value of this sample is 1.25 at 773 K, which is greater than pure S 0. 05 Co 4 Sb 11.6 Te 0.4 , its zT value is 1.00 at 773 K. Compared with the method of synthesizing skutterudite under normal pressure, the HPHT technology can dramatically reduce the reaction time from several days to less than 30 min, while forming a high-pressure airtight reaction environment, which can effectively prevent the volatilization and oxidation of samples during the reaction process, thus providing a convenient method for synthesizing thermoelectric materials quickly and efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to inhibit the serious damage of pore structure of silica template during the conventional hydrothermal method to prepare Ni-phyllosilicate material, a solvothermal method using double solvent, a small amount of water and a large amount of hydrophobic n-pentane, was proposed to synthesize FDU-12 derived Ni-phyllosilicate in this work. Water can infiltrate the inside channels of FDU-12 owing to more hydrophilic silica hydroxyl groups, and the hydrophobic n-pentane tends to surround the outside of FDU-12. The growth of Ni-phyllosilicate occured only inside channels rather than surface, and the addition of urea could improve its formation at 180 °C in 12 h. As a result, the optimal catalyst retained the pore structure of FDU-12 and obtained fine Ni particle size of 1.5 nm after 750 °C reduction in H2 flow, which exhibited CO2 conversion of 77.0% and CH4 selectivity of 94.7% at 450 °C, 60 L·g−1·h−1. In addition, this catalyst showed high long-term stability in a 100 h-lifetime test with high anti-sintering property derived from Ni-phyllosilicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction between sulfur and iron under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) was studied. Sulfur–iron reaction models under different pressure levels were constructed. The morphology and formation mechanism of the reactants were comprehensively analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy–line scanning, metallographic microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that the pressure of the reaction could significantly affect the diffusion behavior of sulfur and iron during the reaction. With an increase in pressure, the diffusion of iron in the system was inhibited, whereas that of sulfur was enhanced. The pressure distribution gradient at the reaction interface was simulated by finite element calculation. The effect of pressure gradient as the driving force of the reaction on the diffusion behavior of elements was evaluated by thermodynamics combined with experimental results. Based on the experimental results, finite element simulation, and formula derivation, a new standpoint was proposed: the diffusion of substances in the HPHT system was affected by the pressure gradient at the interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium metal has been considered as the most promising anode material due to its distinguished specific capacity of 3860 mAh g–1 and the lowest reduction potential of ‐3.04 V versus the Standard Hydrogen Electrode. However, the practicalization of Li‐metal batteries (LMBs) is still challenged by the dendritic growth of Li during cycling, which is governed by the surface properties of the electrodepositing substrate. Herein, a surface modification with indium oxide on the copper current collector via magnetron sputtering, which can be spontaneously lithiated to form a composite of lithium indium oxide and Li‐In alloy, is proposed. Thus, the growth of Li dendrites is effectively suppressed via regulating the inner Helmholtz plane modified with LiInO2 to foster the desolvation of Li‐ion and induce the nucleation of Li‐metal in two‐dimensions through electro‐crystallization with Li‐In alloy. Using the In2O3 modification, the Li‐metal anode exhibits outstanding cyclic stability, and LMBs with lithium cobalt oxide cathode present excellent capacity retention (above 80% over 600 cycles). Enlightening, the scalable magnetron sputtering method reported here paves a novel way to accelerate the practical application of the Li anode in LMBs to pursue higher energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilingual meta learning has emerged as a promising paradigm for transferring knowledge from source languages to facilitate the learning of low-resource target languages. Loss functions are a type of meta-knowledge that is crucial to the effective training of neural networks. However, the misalignment between the loss functions and the learning paradigms of meta learning degrades the network's performance. To address this challenge, we propose a new method called Task-based Meta PolyLoss (TMPL) for meta learning. By regarding speech recognition tasks as normal samples and applying PolyLoss to the meta loss function, TMPL can be denoted as a linear combination of polynomial functions based on task query loss. Theoretical analysis shows that TMPL improves meta learning by enabling attention adjustment across different tasks, which can be tailored for different datasets. Experiments on three datasets demonstrated that gradient-based meta learning methods achieve superior performance with TMPL. Furthermore, our experiments validate that the task-based loss function effectively mitigates the misalignment issue. • Multilingual meta-learning ignore the misalignment problem between the loss functions and the learning paradigms of meta learning. • Task-based Meta PolyLoss is a more general meta-loss function, which can be denoted as a linear combination of polynomial functions. • Theoretical analysis shows that TMPL adjust attention across different tasks, which can be tailored for different datasets. • Experiments on three datasets show that verify the effectiveness of TMPL, especially in very low-resource setting. • Experiments analysis shows the task-based loss function effectively mitigates the misalignment issue and is more appropriate for meta-learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-resource automatic speech recognition is a challenging task. To resolve this issue, multilingual meta-learning learns a better model initialization from many source languages, allowing for rapid adaption to target languages. However, differences in data scales and learning difficulties vary greatly from one language to another. As a result, the model favors large-scale and simple source languages. Moreover, the shared semantic space of various languages is difficult to learn due to a lack of restrictions on multilingual pre-training. In this paper, we propose a meta adversarial learning approach to address this problem. The meta-learner will be guided to learn language-independent information by using an adversarial auxiliary objective of language identification, which makes the shared semantic space more compact and improves model generalization. Additionally, we optimize adversarial training using Wasserstein distance and temporal normalization, enabling more stable and simple training. Experiment results on IARPA BABEL and OpenSLR show a significant performance improvement. It also outperforms state-of-the-art results by a large margin in all target languages, and especially in few-shot settings. Finally, we demonstrate how our method is superior by using t-SNE visualization. • Multilingual meta-learning ignore the imbalance problem across source languages. • Meta adversarial learning can build a more compact semantic space and improves the generalization capability of the model. • Optimized adversarial learning will be more stable by using Wasserstein distance and temporal normalization. • Experiments on target languages verify the effectiveness of meta adversarial learning, especially in very low-resource setting. • Experiments analysis shows the principle and superiority of meta adversarial learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to achieve green synthesis of MCM-41 and address the sintering problem of Ni-based catalyst supported on silica material, MCM-41 with regular spherical morphology was prepared using sodium silicate extracted from renewable equisetum fluviatile as silicon source, and then a group of nickel phyllosilicates were synthesized via the reaction of MCM-41 sphere and nickel nitrate under hydrothermal condition. Much denser nanosheets corresponding to lamellar nickel phyllosilicate were formed on the surface of MCM-41 sphere with the raise of hydrothermal temperature in the range of 180–220 °C, resulting in the nickel content varying from 17.2 to 41.8 wt%. Fine Ni particles with size smaller than 6 nm could be obtained on the 750oC-reduced catalyst owing to the strong nickel-silica interaction derived from Ni-phyllosilicate. After the addition of V 2 O 5 promoter, Ni particle size was further reduced to around 4.5 nm at high Ni loading above 30 wt%. Vanadium species was in the mixed valence state of V(III), V(IV) and V(V) after reduction, which increased the electron cloud density of Ni0, resulting in high catalytic activity of the VO x -modified Ni-phyllosilicate catalyst for CO 2 methanation. In a 100 h-400oC-lifetime test and 600 °C-steam hydrothermal treatment, the VO x -modified Ni-phyllosilicate catalyst also showed high long-term stability, excellent sintering resistance of metallic nickel particles and high hydrothermal stability due to the strong surface confinement effect of nickel phyllosilicate and promotion of VO x species. In all, this work provided a green synthesis of MCM-41 as well as an efficient Ni/SiO 2 catalyst derived from nickel phyllosilicate for CO 2 methanation. This work provides a green synthesis of MCM-41 as well as an efficient Ni/SiO 2 catalyst derived from nickel phyllosilicate for CO 2 methanation. [Display omitted] • Mesostructured silica nanoparticles with regular spherical morphology were prepared using renewable biomass. • VO x modified nickel phyllosilicate catalyst improved its methanation activity. • Nickel phyllosilicate catalysts were facilely prepared using hydrothermal method. • Nickel phyllosilicate catalysts exhibited high activity and stability for CO 2 methanation. • Nickel phyllosilicate catalysts exhibited highly hydrothermal stability in 100% steam at 600 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: An arginine aminopeptidase from Bacillus axarquiensis SWJSX8 (BAAP) was developed for the first time. The enzyme was purified 16.6‐fold with specificity activity of 267.2 U/mg protein and a total yield of 10.5% and was estimated to be 67.0 KDa by SDS‐PAGE. It exhibited the maximum activity at 55 °C and pH 8.5 and was activated by 15–20% NaCl with 50% improvement. BAAP was a metalloaminopeptidase and showed better preference for Arg‐pNA, Leu‐pNA and Lys‐pNA amongst the substrates tested. The introduction of BAAP improved the hydrolysis degree of pumpkin seed protein hydrolysates (PSPHs) by 5.7–8.2% and significantly increased the contents of small peptides and free amino acids, while decreased the bitter intensity score of the PSPHs hydrolysed by Alcalase 2.4 L. The antioxidant capacity of the PSPHs had also been improved. The newly developed BAAP has great potential to be used in hydrolysing proteins that are rich in arginine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to compare the effect of preparation method on the catalytic performance over Ni/3D-SBA-15 catalyst for CO 2 methanation, one-pot and two-pot synthesis strategies were used in this work. 3D-SBA-15-derived Ni-phyllosilicate catalyst could be obtained via a two-pot hydrothermal synthesis using 3D-SBA-15 and nickel nitrate as precursors at 180 °C. This Ni-phyllosilicate catalyst with a monolithic macromorphology and a microcosmic appearance of 3D-networked framework covered by nanosheets, was also achieved via a one-pot hydrothermal method with elimination of the preparation and pretreatment of 3D-SBA-15. The one-pot-synthesized Ni/S–O catalyst not only showed high catalytic activity due to the small-sized Ni particles, but also exhibited excellent anti-sintering property owing to the strong metal-support interaction derived from Ni-phyllosilicate. Compared with the two-pot synthesis, many advantages were observed for one-pot synthesis including monolithic appearance, high convenience, large Ni-phyllosilicate amount and low cost. [Display omitted] • 3D-SBA-15 was used as the sacrificial template to synthesized nickel phyllosilicate. • One-pot and two-pot synthesis strategies were used to prepare Ni-phyllosilicate. • One-pot synthesis was more facile and efficient than two-pot synthesis. • Ni-phyllosilicate with monolithic appearance and high Ni content was obtained via one-pot synthesis. • One-pot Ni-phyllosilicate exhibited higher catalytic activity for CO 2 methanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, nickel phyllosilicate was prepared through the hydrothermal reaction of rice husk-derived silica (SR) and nickel nitrate. Owing to the loss of surface silanol group on SR during the calcination process, a small amount of Ni-phyllosilicate with Ni content of 10.2 wt% was obtained on N 220 /SR, which was prepared under a very severe hydrothermal condition of 220 °C for 48 h. After the addition of urea, the dense flower-like nanosheets attributing to Ni-phyllosilicate were observed on the surface of N 180 /SR-U-24 with high Ni content of 22.6 wt%, which was prepared under a much milder hydrothermal temperature of 180 °C and a shorter reaction time of 24 h. This was because urea could facilitate the formation of an important intermediate (Ni(OH) 2) and leaching of SiO 2 , resulting in the quick formation of Ni-phyllosilicate. N 180 /SR-U-24 exhibited both good catalytic activity and high long-term stability for CO 2 methanation due to the relatively high Ni content, fine Ni particles and the strong metal-support interaction derived from Ni-phyllosilicate. [Display omitted] • Renewable rice-husk-derived SiO 2 was prepared. • Ni-phyllosilicate was synthesized using two hydrothermal methods with or without urea. • Urea-assisted hydrothermal method was efficient for synthesis of Ni-phyllosilicate. • Urea could facilitate the formation of Ni(OH) 2 and leaching of SiO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The device of reliable non-contact ratiometric optical thermometry technique gradually became a cutting-edge research pot over decades due to its intriguing features of rapid response, high accuracy and simple operation. In which, Boltzmann-based optical thermometry has attracted widespread attention for its exceptional reliability. Here in, we put forward an effective ratiometric optical thermometry based on the highly sensitive and effective Boltzmann-based 2E→4A 2 /4T 2 →4A 2 emission ratio of BaAl 3.9 Sb 2 O 12 :0.1Cr3+. The phosphor shows dual near-infrared luminescence lines at 698 nm and 710 nm (2E→4A 2) and the luminescence band near 750 nm (4T 2 →4A 2). With the temperature elevating from 170 to 470 K, the emission intensity of luminescence lines undergoes continuous enhancement and possess excellent anti-thermal quenching property (3.5-fold at 470 K, compared to 170 K). In contrast, the emission intensity of luminescence band shows a monotonic decline trend. The luminescence intensity ratio shows a good linear relationship in the Arrhenius diagram, and the relative sensitivity reaches 2.08 % K−1 at 170 K, which corroborates the BaAl 3.9 Sb 2 O 12 :0.1Cr3+ has the potential as the optical cryogenic thermometer. In the end, the work provides some insights into the development of novel Cr3+-doped thermometry materials based on the 2E and 4T 2 energy level transitions in intermediate crystal field environments. [Display omitted] • A dual near infrared emission through doping Cr3+ ions was achieved in the BaAl 4 Sb 2 O 12 matrix. • Theoretical and experimental confirm that BaAl 4 Sb 2 O 12 matrix provides an intermediate crystal field environment for Cr3+. • The dual infrared emission origin from two thermally coupled energy level has inverse thermal response emission behaviors. • Ratiometric optical thermometry was obtained and Sa, Sr values can reach 0.22% K-1(300K), 2.08%K-1(170 K), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The relationship between heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) and human ischemic stroke outcome remains unclear, which was investigated in this study. Methods: Acute ischemic stroke patients admitted within 24 h were enrolled. Serum HO‐1 levels at baseline were measured via ELISA. Poor 3‐month functional outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score 3–6. Multivariable‐adjusted binary logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were employed to examine association between serum HO‐1 and functional outcome. HO‐1's additive prognostic utility was assessed by net reclassification index (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results: Of 194 eligible patients, 79 (40.7%) developed poor functional outcomes at 3‐month follow‐up. The highest quartile of serum HO‐1 was independently associated with a lower risk of poor functional outcome (adjusted OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.04–0.45; p = 0.001) compared with the lowest HO‐1 category. The relationship between higher HO‐1 levels and reduced risk of poor functional outcome was linear and dose responsive (p = 0.002 for linearity). Incorporating HO‐1 into the analysis with conventional factors significantly improved reclassification for poor functional outcomes (NRI = 41.2%, p = 0.004; IDI = 5.0%, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Elevated serum HO‐1 levels at baseline were independently associated with improved 3‐month functional outcomes post‐ischemic stroke. Serum HO‐1 measurement may enhance outcome prediction beyond conventional clinical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor charge transfer and separation rate are the major bottlenecks for the activity and stability of BiVO4 photoanode. Here, we introduced oxygen vacancies into MoO3/BiVO4 heterojunction film by post-annealing the film in argon-saturated environment for improving its photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation activity and stability. In comparison with the normal MoO3/BiVO4 film, the MoO3/BiVO4 film with oxygen vacancies is of better PEC water oxidation performance. Specifically, a higher photocurrent density of 4.1 mA/cm2 in 0.1 M Na2SO4 at 1.1 V versus SCE was achieved on the MoO3/BiVO4 film with oxygen vacancies, which is about 200% improved over the normal MoO3/BiVO4 film (1.83 mA cm−2, at 1.1 V versus SCE). In addition, the MoO3/BiVO4 film with oxygen vacancies shows more stable activity and faster kinetics for water oxidation, without significant activity loss for 5 h reaction at 1.23 V versus RHE. The enhanced performance on such a MoO3/BiVO4 film photoanode can be attributed to that the oxygen vacancies accelerate the charge transfer and separation rate between film/electrolyte interface, and thus improve the water oxidation activity and restrain the anodic photocorrosion simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistent luminescence (PersL) materials suitable for high-temperature environments have attracted extensive attention in recent years. Herein, we have reported a novel long-persistent luminescent material of CaYGaO 4 :Bi3+, with a peak wavelength of 430 nm and a duration of more than 40 min at room temperature at the 0.32 mcd/m2 threshold value after UV irradiation. A series of thermoluminescence measurements reveal that the CaYGaO 4 :Bi3+ phosphor has abundant shallow and deep traps with a wide range of distribution. In addition, we utilize the ion substitution strategy of Sr2+ partially replacing Ca2+ ions to increase the shallow trap concentration, so as to improve the performance of PersL at room temperature. More importantly, we investigate the PersL performance of CaYGaO 4 :Bi3+ phosphor at high-temperature environment. As the result demonstrates, when the ambient temperature is in the high-temperature range (450 K–600 K), the phosphor has more obvious brightness. Finally, we take advantage of the phosphor to carry out a demonstration experiment and obtain a set of temperature-related color conversion images, which unequivocally signifies that the phosphor has broad application prospects in anti-counterfeit fields and emergency indicator marks in high-temperature and harsh environments. The CaYGaO 4 :Bi3+ phosphor with abundant shallow and deep traps, which has excellent persistent luminescence performance in the high-temperature environment. [Display omitted] • A blue-emitting persistent luminescence (PersL) through doping Bi3+ ions was achieved in the CaYGaO 4 matrix. • The partial cation substitution strategy was effective and significantly enhanced the persistent luminescence performance. • The improvement of PersL performance at high temperature is due to the accelerated release of trapped electrons. • The CaYGaO 4 :Bi3+ phosphor has broad application prospects in high-temperature and harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new algorithm, called line integral alternating minimization (LIAM), for dual-energy X-ray CT image reconstruction. Instead of obtaining component images by minimizing the discrepancy between the data and the mean estimates, LIAM allows for a tunable discrepancy between the basis material projections and the basis sinograms. A parameter is introduced that controls the size of this discrepancy, and with this parameter the new algorithm can continuously go from a two-step approach to the joint estimation approach. LIAM alternates between iteratively updating the line integrals of the component images and reconstruction of the component images using an image iterative deblurring algorithm. An edge-preserving penalty function can be incorporated in the iterative deblurring step to decrease the roughness in component images. Images from both simulated and experimentally acquired sinograms from a clinical scanner were reconstructed by LIAM while varying the regularization parameters to identify good choices. The results from the dual-energy alternating minimization algorithm applied to the same data were used for comparison. Using a small fraction of the computation time of dual-energy alternating minimization, LIAM achieves better accuracy of the component images in the presence of Poisson noise for simulated data reconstruction and achieves the same level of accuracy for real data reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Advanced carbon with great surface properties and structural features has been regarded as the valuable electrodes materials of high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, the SWCNTs/phthalocyanine polymer composite derived self-nitrogen-doped graphene-like porous carbon (SPCM) are synthesized via a simple solution blending and mechanical stirring. Because of the π-π interaction between metal-free phthalocyanine polymer and SWCNTs at the interface, the phthalocyanine polymer grows along the framework of the SWCNTs, resulting in the phthalocyanine polymer is pyrolyzed to form a graphene -like layered structure. In addition, the phthalocyanine polymer has the intrinsic characteristics of nitrogen-rich, thus the SPCM obtained pyridinic-N, pyrrolic-N, and graphitic-N functional groups derived from self-nitrogen-doping, which contribute to the increased electronic conductivity and surface electrochemically active sites of SPCM. Finally, the SPCM as electrode show an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 228 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and excellent stability (retaining 93% of the capacitance after 2000 cycles). • Composite carbon materials are fabricated via a simple solution blending and mechanical stirring. • The composite exhibits a sheet-like structure similar to graphene because of the π-π interaction. • The composite shows an excellent specific surface area of 592.7 m2 g−1 and outstanding supercapacitor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to Te, Ni is found in abundance in the earth's crust. At the same time, the mechanical properties of Ni atom-substituted skutterudite are significantly improved. In this study, a series of S-filled Ni-substituted skutterudite compounds were synthesized by a high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method in the synthesis pressure range of 1.0–3.0 GPa. The phase composition, microscopic morphology, and electrothermal transmission properties of the S x Co 3.6 Ni 0.4 Sb 12 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20) samples were systematically characterized. Phase composition analysis showed that the introduction of S atoms into the intrinsic pores of skutterudite can improve the solid solution limit of Ni atoms in the Co sites of skutterudite. The filling limit of S increased with the synthetic pressure. Moreover, microscopic morphology analysis revealed that the filling of S atoms inhibited the growth of grains. A large number of lattice fringes in different directions were found in the sample, containing abundant microstructures such as lattice distortions and dislocation defects. Compared with the synthesized samples, S 0.05 Co 3.6 Ni 0.4 Sb 12 synthesized at 1.0 GPa had a maximum room temperature power factor of 7.98 × 10−4 Wm−1K−2. The electrical properties of S 0.05 Co 3.6 Ni 0.4 Sb 12 samples stored for 6 months without any protective measures were tested at room temperature. No obvious changes in performance were observed, which proved that the HPHT method can synthesize stable samples. After several thermal cycles, the electrical properties of the S 0.05 Co 3.6 Ni 0.4 Sb 12 sample was tested for variable temperature, and it was found that the sample still had good stability. How the substitution of S atoms with Ni atoms reduces the lattice thermal conductivity can be explained by fitting the Callaway model. The S 0.05 Co 3.6 Ni 0.4 Sb 12 sample synthesized at 1.0 GPa had a maximum zT value of 0.46 at the test temperature of 773 K, which decreased to 0.43 after multiple thermal cycles at the same temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing aminopeptidase fermentation using cheap substrate is very necessary for industrial production and application of aminopeptidase. The suitability of using raw soybean meal (SBM) as substrate for aminopeptidase production by Bacillus licheniformis SWJS33 in submerged fermentation was first evaluated. SBM alone provided both nitrogen and carbon sources for SWJS33 to produce aminopeptidase. Supplementation of 3 g/L glucose and 15 g/L yeast extract further improved the aminopeptidase yield by 0.63 and 1.3 folds, respectively. Addition of yeast extract altered the metabolic process of SWJS33, including shortening the lag phase, increasing the maximum specific cell growth rate and maximum specific aminopeptidase formation rate, and changing the utilization process of nutrients during the fermentation. What's more, SWJS33 secreted aminopeptidase prior to endoproteases when quick-release nitrogen (e.g. yeast extract) was supplied. High dissolved oxygen was demanded during aminopeptidase fermentation. The aminopeptidase production was successfully up scaled to 20 L fermenter. • SBM alone satisfied the basic nutritional demand for aminopeptidase production. • Supplying glucose/yeast extract (YE) significantly improved the enzyme yield. • Glucose/YE addition altered the metabolic process of SWJS33. • SWJS33 secreted more aminopeptidase prior to endoproteases when YE was supplied. • High dissolved oxygen was demanded during aminopeptidase fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To drive the application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) mapping in ex vivo diagnostic imaging and non-biological material characterization, we have designed a robust and accurate multiplex spectral fitting method using an alternating minimization algorithm to extract individual constituent Raman spectra with very small overall fitting error (as low as 2%). For each mixed Raman signal, constituent spectra and mixture coefficients were estimated jointly based on reference spectra that were measured in the lab. Our method is based on a Poisson model to reflect the photon counting nature of Raman signals and includes the nonlinear noise in the measured data, making our method robust against data containing relatively large random noise. In our method, we minimized a cost function consisting of two terms: (1) the overall fitting error between the measured and modeled spectra and (2) the sum of the individual error between each reference spectrum and its corresponding constituent. This method inherently guarantees that the estimates will approach the global minimum with monotonic convergence. The accuracy of our method was validated by applying it to a SERS spectral fitting problem and comparing our results to those from existing methods. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the capacity of various antioxidants in reducing the formation of acrylamide during cookie processing. Five antioxidants, antioxidants of bamboo leaves (AOB), sodium erythorbate (SE), tea polyphenols (TP), vitamin E (VE), and tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), were individually added into cookie formulas, and acrylamide content was determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Cookie quality indexes, including flavor, brittleness, and water activity, were also evaluated. Results showed that the maximum inhibitory rate of acrylamide by AOB was achieved with addition of 0.2 g/kg AOB. Addition of AOB (0.2 g/kg), TP (0.1 g/kg), VE (0.1 g/kg), SE (0.1 g/kg), and TBHQ (0.2 g/kg) mitigated the formation of acrylamide by 63.9%, 43.0%, 71.2%, 49.6%, and 54.1%, respectively. Sensory evaluation showed that the color, texture, and flavor of cookies processed with either AOB (0.2 g/kg) or VE (0.1 g/kg) had no significant difference compared to control cookies ( P > 0.05). The present study indicated that AOB (0.2 g/kg) and VE (0.1 g/kg) could not only effectively mitigate the formation of acrylamide, but also retain acceptable sensory attributes of cookies. This work shows the potential effectiveness of antioxidants in food processing to decrease acrylamide formation. Practical Application: There is an urgent need for reducing the level of acrylamide produced during food processing. This study found that certain antioxidants (antioxidant of bamboo leaves and vitamin E) could effectively inhibit acrylamide formation in cookie processing without affecting sensory properties. The results suggested that the application of antioxidants could be an effective method to decrease acrylamide formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Strategy for synthesis of novel chiral calixarene oligomers capped AgNPs was set up. • Highly sensing to L -deoxynucleosides by CA[8]P-Ag NPs was achieved. • Reveal the mechanism for sensing of L -deoxynucleosides. • Biochemical sensors developed in recognition and separation of deoxynucleosides. Efficient enantiomeric sensing to deoxynucleosides by a simple method is of great importantance and remains a challenge in biochemical field. In this paper, three chiral calixarene oligomers (CA[n]P, n=4, 6, 8) were synthesized and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–vis spectrophotometry, circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD), X-ray Powder Diff ;raction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), 19F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). After that, the chiral calixarene oligomers capped silver nanoparticles (CA[n]P-Ag NPs, n=4, 6, 8) were prepared and characterized by FT-IR, UV–vis spectrophotometry, CD and dynamic light scattering (DLS). By using the as prepared CA[n]P-Ag NPs (n=4, 6, 8), highly selective and sensitive chiral recognition to deoxynucleosides was realized and demonstrated by UV–vis and CD. The color of the CAP-Ag NPs changes from yellow to red in the presence of β - L -2′-deoxycytidine (L -dC) or β - L -2′-deoxythymidine (L -dT) at a certain time, but not of their corresponding enantiomer β - D -2′-deoxycytidine (D -dC) or β - L -2′-deoxythymidine (D -dT). Moreover, the chiral recognition ability of CA[n]P-Ag NPs (n=4, 6, 8) toward L -deoxynucleosides was found to be in the order of CA[8]P-Ag NPs＞CA[6]P-Ag NPs＞CA[4]P-Ag NPs. This convenient method shows forceful prospect in developing biochemical sensors and has the potential application in enantiomeric recognition and separation of deoxynucleosides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium oxide is a promising thermoelectric material because of its high stability and low cost. We synthesize novel titanium-niobium-oxygen composite ceramics directly from elementary substance Nb and TiO 2 under high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) in this work. Elemental substance Nb will reduce TiO 2 to Magnèli phase titanium oxide at high pressure and high temperature. In this process, elemental substance Nb is oxidized to various niobium oxides. The experimental results show that the composite ceramics have a special 'pore' microstructure, and their thermoelectric and mechanical properties are very prominent among metal oxide thermoelectric materials. After repeated tests, the optimum concentration sample zT value is 0.313 at 973 k, with a Vickers hardness of 7.06. This work provides a novel concept for improving the performance of TiO 2 by reducing it with metal elementary substances other than Ti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of biomass-derived compounds to produce abundant renewable bio-based chemicals has attract intense interest. The catalyzed oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an useful strategy to produce value-added compounds, such as 2, 5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The Co-MnO2 was developed as an efficient catalyst in HMF conversion under mild conditions. Solvents were investigated and play a vital role on the products distribution. The formation of DFF is facilitated in the organic solvent and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is favored to generate in H2O. As a result, a 87% conversion of HMF with 87% selectivity of DFF was detected in isopropanol, while a 95% FDCA selectivity at 93% HMF conversion was measured in H2O. Besides, organic solvents were found to affect the HMF selective oxidation reaction and base additives effect on the promotion of C-H and O–H bones activation in HMF molecule was also discussed. This work provide a tunable oxidation process in the transformation of HMF.The tunable oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylicacid (FDCA) has been successfully performed with Co-MnO2 catalyst.Graphical Abstract: The utilization of biomass-derived compounds to produce abundant renewable bio-based chemicals has attract intense interest. The catalyzed oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an useful strategy to produce value-added compounds, such as 2, 5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). The Co-MnO2 was developed as an efficient catalyst in HMF conversion under mild conditions. Solvents were investigated and play a vital role on the products distribution. The formation of DFF is facilitated in the organic solvent and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is favored to generate in H2O. As a result, a 87% conversion of HMF with 87% selectivity of DFF was detected in isopropanol, while a 95% FDCA selectivity at 93% HMF conversion was measured in H2O. Besides, organic solvents were found to affect the HMF selective oxidation reaction and base additives effect on the promotion of C-H and O–H bones activation in HMF molecule was also discussed. This work provide a tunable oxidation process in the transformation of HMF.The tunable oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and 2,5-furandicarboxylicacid (FDCA) has been successfully performed with Co-MnO2 catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high stability and low cost are considered comparative advantages of the SrTiO 3 chalcogenide oxide thermoelectric material. However, the pure SrTiO 3 material is characterized by low electrical conductivity and high thermal conductivity, which could eventually lead to poor overall thermoelectric performance, and limit its application in the field of high temperature thermoelectricity. The development of composite-based metal materials with SrTiO 3 by using suitable methods is arising as the most promising approach to improve their electrical properties. Along these lines, in this work, xNb: (1-x) SrTiO 3 composite ceramics were successfully synthesized by using the high temperature and high-pressure (HPHT) method. The Nb powder was oxidized into various niobium oxides exhibiting their own thermoelectric properties under HPHT conditions to optimize the thermoelectric properties of the Nb/SrTiO 3 composites. From our analysis, it was demonstrated that with the increase of the Nb powder content, the electrical properties were significantly improved. In addition, the fabricated Nb/SrTiO 3 composite ceramics possessed a special "pore" microstructure, which significantly reduced the thermal conductivity of the material. In this work, the physical phase, microscopic morphology, and thermoelectric properties of the synthesized samples were also systematically tested and analyzed, and the maximum zT value of 0.28@973 K was obtained for the final sample with x = 0.4. The implementation of the HPHT method for the preparation of chalcogenide oxide composite ceramics provides valuable insights for the improvement of their thermoelectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SrTiO 3 (STO) is considered a promising high-temperature N-type thermoelectric material. However, its intrinsic insulating properties and high thermal conductivity limit the dimensionless quality factor (zT) due to its simple crystal structure and the existence of light elements. Along these lines, in this work, the optimization of the thermoelectric properties of STO-based materials was achieved by using the high temperature and high pressure (HPHT) method and adjusting the doping ratios of the La and Nb heavy elements. To enhance the doping effect, oxygen vacancies need to be formed within the sample. For this reason, titanium powder was added to the sample. Due to the confined environment induced by the high pressure, which can be attributed to the application of the HPHT method and the strong oxygen trapping ability of Ti at high temperatures, a reducing environment was attained for the samples, the latter, promoted the formation of oxygen vacancies in the synthesized samples, and semiconducting properties were achieved. The thermoelectric properties and microscopic morphology of the synthesized samples with different doping ratios of La and Nb were also thoroughly investigated. Finally, the maximum zT value obtained for the samples was 0.28@973 K. A fast, simple, and effective method for the preparation of oxygen-deficient packet-crystalline oxide materials was developed in this work, which paves the way for significantly improving their thermoelectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SrTiO 3 (STO)-based perovskite oxide is regarded as a promising high-temperature n-type thermoelectric material. However, its intrinsic high thermal conductivity leads to poor thermoelectric properties. Using entropy engineering, lower thermal conductivity can be obtained. However, the high configuration entropy can also lead to poor carrier mobility, which inhibits electron transport and consequently reduces the electrical conductivity. Along these lines, in this work, an ultra-low thermal conductivity was obtained, which is significantly lower than the majority of the values reported in the literature, and the concept of phononic glass electronic crystal was attained at the same time. The enhanced effective scattering of phonons through the multi-scale defects gives rise to a low thermal conductivity of 1.8 W m−1 K−1 at 973K. Optimization of electrical properties due to in situ reduction at high temperature and pressure，the high-entropy ceramics possess the maximum power factor of 7.03 μW cm−1 K−2 at 973K. The application of high pressure is considered an important approach for the development of new materials with special properties. A new strategy for the composition design and in-situ reduction of oxide thermoelectric materials was provided in this work, which paves the way for the optimization and application of both the electrical and thermal properties of perovskite-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alginate oligosaccharides (AOS) are known for functions in regulating plant growth and stress resistance. This study investigated the damage on rice leaves caused by acid rain (AR) and high temperature (HT) simultaneously, as well as the alleviating effect of AOS on these stresses. The results show that plant biomass and antioxidant enzyme activities (AEAs) after AR treatment reduced more severely under HT conditions than normal-temperature conditions. Both AR and HT triggered the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in rice leaves. The suppressing effects of AR and HT were individual in most cases, except for AEAs. Microscopic analysis showed that pH 2 AR and HT injured leaf epidermis, particularly the bulliform cells, the veins and interveinal regions. Spraying AOS resulted in a slight elevation of biomass, a significant increase in AEAs and a remarkable decline in ROS concentrations under HT conditions with AR. Besides, the chlorophyll a contents of a leaf after pH 2 AR plus AOS treatment under HT conditions remained 66.1% of that after pH 7 treatment under normal-temperature conditions. Moreover, AOS protected the integrity of leaf tissue even after pH 3 treatment. Taken together, the above results suggest that AR and HT inhibited AEAs, led to the accumulation of ROS and damaged rice leaf. However, foliar applying AOS enhanced AEAs, scavenged ROS, and thus alleviated the stress induced by HT and AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydroformylation was conducted to reduce the olefin content in the FCC light gasoline. • Under the catalysis of homogeneous catalyst, the olefins were largely transformed to aldehydes. • The gasoline octane number was also improved. • Four kinds of magnetic catalysts were prepared and applied in the hydroformylation. • The magnetic catalysts with a second SiO 2 layer showed better stability. The hydroformylation process was conducted on FCC light gasoline in which the total olefin content was 45.17% to reduce the olefin content, without losing its octane number. Under the catalysis of the popular Rh(acac)(CO) 2 (acac = acetylacetonate) together with triphenylphosphine (TPP), the olefins, though most were internal and branched, were largely transformed to aldehydes at mild conditions without additional solvents. The gasoline octane number was also improved obviously, which confirmed that hydroformylation is a feasible route to upgrade the gasoline. In consideration of the separating advantage of magnetic particles, four magnetic catalysts, Fe 3 O 4 @Rh, Fe 3 O 4 @Rh@SiO 2 , Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -NH 2 -Rh and Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -NH 2 -Rh@SiO 2 , were prepared and characterized. Their catalytic abilities for hydroformylation of FCC light gasoline were studied based on the optimized reaction conditions with Rh(acac)(CO) 2. The results showed that all the magnetic catalysts had a good performance, but those with a second SiO 2 layer exhibited a better stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics with large strain response and good temperature stability are highly required for actuator applications. However, the search for lead-free ceramics with both enhanced strain and reduced thermal-dependent behavior is a great challenge. In this work, by employing templated grain growth technique and elaborately modulate the phase structure, large unipolar strain of 0.30 %, low strain hysteresis H s ∼ 12 %, along with small strain variation 11.8 % between 20 and 100 °C are achieved in (001) C -oriented (Ba 0.95 Ca 0.05)(Sn 0.04 Ti 0.96)O 3 ceramics, being the optimal level of BaTiO 3 family. It is revealed the ceramics exhibit a coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases. The inherent piezoelectric anisotropy of orthorhombic phase, the reversible a → c domain switch, along with the refined non-180° domain structures contribute to the remarkable electrostrain characteristic. This study proposed a promising strategy to develop high performance piezoelectric materials for actuator applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Providing a novel method to prepare LiFePO 4 cathode. • A mild condition to synthesis low-cost material. • Electrochemical performance was studied for both LiFePO 4 materials. As an important cathode in Li-ion batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4) is widely used in electric vehicle. The production of LiFePO 4 require very high harsh conditions, such as high-temperature and gas protection. In order to decease preparation condition, the LiFePO 4 material was synthesized below 300 °C to reduce energy consumption. The high-regular iron phosphate (FePO 4) was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and room temperature. The results show that the synthesized LiFePO 4 exhibits the stable cyclicity. And the initial capacity reaches 115 mAh·g−1. Though, the ideal and enlightening material provides the high-efficient synthesis method for the low-cost production of LiFePO 4 cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brown rot, aspergillosis and soft rot are the primary diseases of postharvest peach fruit. Our study aimed to investigate the biocontrol effect of Wickerhamomyces anomalus on the primary postharvest diseases of peach fruit and to explore its underlying physiological mechanism. The findings demonstrated that W. anomalus had an obvious inhibitory effect on Monilinia fructicola , Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer. At the same time, W. anomalus can grow stably on the wound and surface of peach fruit at 25 °C and 4 °C and can form biofilm. W. anomalus increased the activity of resistance-related enzymes such as PPO, POD, GLU and the content of secondary metabolites such as total phenols, flavonoids and lignin in peach. Furthermore, the application of W. anomalus led to a reduced MDA level in peach fruit and increased activity of the active oxygen-scavenging enzyme system. This increase involved various antioxidant defense enzymes such as SOD and CAT, as well as ascorbic acid-glutathione (AsA-GSH) enzymes, including APX, GPX, GR, DHAR, and MDHAR. Our findings demonstrate that W. anomalus exerts its biocontrol effect by growing rapidly, competing with pathogens for nutrition and space, and enhancing the disease resistance and antioxidative capabilities of the peach fruit. • W. anomalus could control brown rot, aspergillosis and soft rot decay of peach • W. anomalus can stably colonize the surface and wounds of peach • W. anomalus enhanced the defense enzyme (PPO, POD, GLU) activities of peach • W. anomalus increased flavonoids, phenolic and lignin content of peach • W. anomalus increased the antioxidant defense enzymes and AsA-GSH enzymes in peach [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An impregnated Ni/CeO 2 catalyst with an array structure and a phyllosilicate-based Ni/SiO 2 catalyst prepared by hydrothermal method were designed for CO 2 methanation. The as-synthetized Ni/SiO 2 catalyst exhibits a high Ni content of 25.9 wt%, while its CO 2 conversion at low temperature is far lower than that of Ni/CeO 2 , whose Ni content is only 10.0 wt%. TEM and XRD results show that the Ni/CeO 2 catalyst possesses very tiny Ni particle size of around 1.2 nm, which leads to large H 2 uptake capacity. XPS and Raman analyses indicate that Ni/CeO 2 obtains more oxygen vacancies resulting in promotion of the CO 2 activation. The combined effect of the Ni/CeO 2 catalyst to enhance chemisorption of H 2 and CO 2 leads to high low-temperature activity. [Display omitted] • The catalytic activity of Ni/CeO 2 and Ni/SiO 2 was compared for CO 2 methanation. • The Ni/CeO 2 catalyst possessed smaller Ni particle size and larger H 2 chemisorption capacity. • The Ni/CeO 2 catalyst exhibited more oxygen vacancies and enhanced CO 2 activation property. • Enhanced H 2 and CO 2 activation properties of Ni/CeO 2 led to higher activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis, which is caused by iron‐dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides, is an emerging form of regulated cell death and is considered a potential target for cancer therapy. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying ferroptosis remain unclear. This study defines a distinctive role of ferroptosis. Inhibition of CARM1 can increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to ferroptosis inducers in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, it is found that ACSL4 is methylated by CARM1 at arginine 339 (R339). Furthermore, ACSL4 R339 methylation promotes RNF25 binding to ACSL4, which contributes to the ubiquitylation of ACSL4. The blockade of CARM1 facilitates ferroptosis and effectively enhances ferroptosis‐associated cancer immunotherapy. Overall, this study demonstrates that CARM1 is a critical contributor to ferroptosis resistance and highlights CARM1 as a candidate therapeutic target for improving the effects of ferroptosis‐based antitumor therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MiR-424-5p was found to be a potential regulator in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of various cancer cells. However, the effects and functional mechanism of miR-424-5p in the process of myogenesis are still unclear. Previously, using microRNA (miRNA) sequencing and expression analysis, we discovered that miR-424-5p was expressed differentially in the different skeletal muscle growth periods of Xuhuai goats. We hypothesized that miR-424-5p might play an important role in skeletal muscle myogenesis. Then, we found that the proliferation ability of the mouse myoblast cell (C2C12 myoblast cell line) was significantly augmented, whereas the C2C12 differentiation was repressed after increasing the expression of miR-424-5p. Mechanistically, HSP90AA1 presented a close interrelation with miR-424-5p, which was predicted as a target gene in the progression of skeletal muscle myogenesis, using transcriptome sequencing, dual luciferase reporter gene detection, and qRT-PCR. The silencing of HSP90AA1 obviously increased C2C12 proliferation and diminished differentiation, which is consistent with the ability of miR-424-5p in C2C12. Altogether, our findings indicated the role of miR-424-5p as a novel potential regulator via HSP90AA1 during muscle myogenesis progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC) apoptosis is important in acute kidney injury (AKI). Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays an important role in cell apoptosis, but its potential role in AKI remains unknown. Using co-immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, flow cytometry, and cell transfection, this study aimed to verify whether CaMKII is involved in RTEC apoptosis and to explore the underlying mechanism. We found that CaMKII was involved in RTEC apoptosis. In adriamycin-induced AKI mice, serum creatinine levels, cell apoptosis, CaMKII activity, and nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFAT2) levels increased, whereas nuclear Yes-associated protein (YAP) expression decreased; inhibition of CaMKII activity reversed these changes. Phosphorylated CaMKII could bind to phosphorylated YAP in the cytoplasm and block it from entering the nucleus, thereby failing to inhibit NFAT2-mediated cell apoptosis. Sequestrated phosphorylated YAP in the RTEC cytoplasm was finally degraded by ubiquitination. CaMKII may regulate RTEC apoptosis through YAP/NFAT2 in AKI mice. CaMKII may be a potent molecular target for AKI treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intramuscular fat content is closely related to meat quality traits and has high heritability. miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNA, which are highly conserved in animals and play important regulatory roles in adipogenesis. Therefore, they can be used as molecular markers for meat quality traits. Herein, we used in vitro model of myoblasts adipogenic differentiation to screen differential miRNAs by RNA-seq. A total of 71 differentially miRNAs were filtered, including 31 up-regulated miRNAs and 40 down-regulated miRNAs. Since, we selected 18 miRNAs for RT-qPCR validation, including some miRNAs likely miR-146a-5p, miR-210-3p, miR-199a, miR-224, and miR-214-3p that play important regulatory roles in adipogenesis. In addition, functional enrichment analysis results revealed that members of miRNA target genes were enriched into insulin signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway, which are closely related to adipogenesis. Taken together, these data will contribute to further investigate the function of miRNAs in intramuscular fat deposition. These differentially miRNAs can be developed as biomarkers for animal breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Currently, the effective way to improve energy density of lithium ion batteries may include choosing active materials that could guarantee both high voltage and high capacity. Herein, a pouch cell of 4.8 V was assembled by stacking several layers of (−) SiOC || LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) (+) electrodes. Under wide voltage windows, the stability of the non-aqueous electrolyte is a great challenge. Ethylene carbonate (EC) are commonly used in LIBs, as the electrolyte can hardly withstand the high voltage above 4.5 V, but the sulfone (SL) solvent can keep stable under such condition. Even so, the structural stability of Si-based anode has to been considered in such batteries owing to the well-known volume expansion. The FEC additive was to improve the SEI formation for Si materials, and it was added into the SL-based electrolyte to study the compatibility of full cell for the first time. For pouch cell, the tri-electrode curves were measured during discharge process. And the volume changes and gas composition were recorded by a special equipment with respect to the charge voltage and cycling. Then, a failure mechanism and gas generation of the SiOC||LNMO system in both electrolytes was deduced, and the study of full (pouch) cells can guide the practical application. Highlights • Built a high-energy-density LIB by the combination of SiOC and LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4. • Study the SiOC anode performance in SL/EMC/FEC electrolyte in the first time. • Present a simple device to monitor pouch battery volume changes. • Analysis the volume changes of pouch LIBs in different electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel nitrogen self-doped porous lamellar carbon materials were prepared by pyrolysis method, in which metal-free phthalocyanine used as a carbon source, and nanosized SiO 2 and SWCNTs used as templates at the same time. The mesoporous structure is contributed by the nanosized SiO 2 self-sacrificing template, and the microporous structure is produced by pyrolysis of Pc/SWCNTs. By adjusting the ratio between SWCNTs, nanosized SiO 2 , and phthalocyanine, the microscopic morphology and the electrochemical performance of porous carbon materials can be regulated. Benefit from its superior pore structure and large specific surface area, the nitrogen self-doped porous lamellar carbon materials show excellent electrochemical performance. When the mass ratio of the three was Pc/SWCNTs/SiO 2 = 1:0.05:0.5, the nitrogen self-doped porous lamellar carbon material shows the largest specific capacity of 283.9 F/g at 1 A g−1 as a supercapacitor anode material. And after 5000 cycles, the composite material still maintained a specific capacity of 88.7 %, demonstrating excellent stability. The specific capacity under the two-electrode system of Sample 3 is 260.36 F/g, showing high energy density and power density (36.2 Wh/kg, 1041.2 W/kg). Therefore, this nitrogen self-doped porous lamellar carbon material has potential value as a supercapacitor anode material. [Display omitted] • SiO 2 is added as a self-sacrificing template to prepare porous carbon materials. • The addition of SWCNT makes Pc polymer to form a lamellar structure during pyrolysis. • The carbon material shows specific capacity of 283.9 F/g at 1 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the chaoticity-dependent atomic transport of a spin-orbit (SO) coupled Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) held in an optical superlattice. Considering the phase synchronization between the motional states, we obtain the chaotic perturbed solution and the current density-related chaos parameter regions by using the analytical Melnikov’s chaos criterion. We analytically demonstrate that the area of high-chaoticity region enlarges as the decrease of current density J1. Then we numerically generate the Poincaré sections to pinpoint that the chaos probability is enhanced with the decrease of the current components and the large current component J2 results in the zero chaoticity. The insensitivity of the chaoticity to some ranges of initial conditions and the influence of chemical potential on chaoticity are also investigated. These results reveal a feasible scheme to control the regular and chaotic states by adjusting the parameters and initial condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of its high stability and low cost, titanium oxide is a very promising thermoelectric material. Improvement of its thermoelectric performance is limited by the strong correlations among conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity. It is therefore important to optimize at least two of these three parameters. This paper provides a new idea for the synergistic optimization of the conductivity and thermal conductivity of titanium oxide. Under high temperature and high pressure, the elementary substance Ta can reduce TiO 2 to Magnèli phase titanium oxide (mainly Ti 8 O 15), which greatly increases its conductivity. At the same time, the submicron tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5) generated during the reaction process can effectively reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and total thermal conductivity, and realize the synergistic optimization of the conductivity and thermal conductivity of the material. The titanium-tantalum-oxygen composite thermoelectric ceramics prepared by the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method have good thermoelectric and mechanical properties. The maximum zT value of the material at 973 K is 0.176, and its Vickers hardness is 11.14. • The addition of elementary substance Ta achieves the synergistic optimization of the conductivity and thermal conductivity of the sample. • The synthesis time is short, and the process is convenient and rapid. • A titanium-tantalum-oxygen composite thermoelectric material is obtained, which has good thermoelectric and mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]