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Dean's flow and Dean's instability have always been important concepts in the inertial microfluidics. Curved channels are widely used for applications like mixing and sorting but are limited to Dean's flow only. This work first reports the Dean's instability flow in high aspect ratio channels on the deka-microns level for D e > 162 . A new channel geometry (the tortuous channel), which creates a rolled-up velocity profile, is presented and studied experimentally and numerically along with other three typical channel geometries at Dean's flow condition and Dean's instability condition. The tortuous channel generates a higher De environment at the same Re compared to the other channels and allows easier Dean's instability creation. We further demonstrate the use of multiple vortexes for mixing. The mixing efficiency is considered among different channel patterns and the tortuous channel outperforms the others. This work offers more understanding of the creation of Dean's instability at high aspect ratio channels and the effect of channel geometry on it. Ultimately, it demonstrates the potential for applications like mixing and cell sorting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (PbTiO3)n/(SrTiO3)n (PTO/STO) superlattice system has been shown to exhibit interesting topological phases (e.g., vortices and skyrmions) in addition to normal ferroelectric domain states. Existing studies are mostly focused on the dependence of topological polar distributions and properties of PTO/STO superlattice on its periodicity. Here, we study the strain effect on the topological phase transitions and ferroelectric domain structures employing phase-field simulations. We summarized in an isotropic strain (in-plane misfit strain along the x direction is equal to that along the y direction) periodicity phase diagram displaying the stability regions of different polar topological states, including normal ferroelectric twins, vortices, skyrmions, and mixtures of vortices and twins. We also analyzed the polarization configurations under anisotropic in-plane strains (in-plane misfit strain along the x direction is not equal to that along the y direction) and demonstrated that the strain anisotropy can be used to tune the directions of vortex arrays along either the [100] pc or [010] pc directions or labyrinth vortex arrays. This work offers guidance to manipulating polar structures in the PTO/STO superlattices via strain engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy can be produced by the decomposition of hydrogen and carbon compounds. A numerical analysis method of accuracy and efficiency provides important reference value for optimizing development plans and predicting production performance of hydrogen and carbon compounds. In this work, embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) is used to study the production performance of hydrogen and carbon compounds under non-liner seepage under the threshold pressure gradient and complex fracture systems consist of the hydraulic fractures, secondary fractures, natural fractures. A dual-permeability model of the same case is also constructed as a comparison study to analyze the development of hydrogen and carbon compounds. On this basis, the influence of threshold pressure gradient on production of hydrogen and carbon compounds is quantitatively evaluated in this paper to modify the numerical model and a novel method for the simulation of fractured hydrogen and carbon compounds reservoirs is provided. Through model comparison, the impact of fractures in the reservoir on production can reach 289.1%. A dual-permeability model of the same case is also constructed as a comparison study to analyze the development of the reservoir and the result shows a 7.9% distinction on the cumulative production. It is analyzed that when the threshold pressure gradient is increased from 0.1 MPa/m to 0.6 MPa/m, the output decline of different models ranges from 6% to 15% and a novel method improving model fidelity for the simulation of fracture reservoirs is provided. • A new numerical simulator was presented to study production performance in shale reservoirs. • Both embedded discrete fractures and the threshold pressure gradient were considered into model. • The method provides a new idea and reference for future horizontal well fracturing model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Order–disorder transitions are widely explored in various vortex structures in condensed matter physics, that is, in the type‐II superconductors and Bose–Einstein condensates. In this study, the ordering of the polar vortex phase in [Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3]n/(SrTiO3)n (PZT/STO) superlattices is investigated through phase‐field simulations. With a large tensile substrate strain, an antiorder vortex state (where the rotation direction of the vortex arrays in the neighboring ferroelectric layers are flipped) is discovered for short‐period PZT/STO superlattice. The driving force is the induced in‐plane polarization in the STO layers due to the large tensile epitaxial strain. Increasing the periodicity leads to antiorder to disorder transition, resulting from the high energy of the head‐to‐head/tail‐to‐tail domain structure in the STO layer. On the other hand, when the periodicity is kept constant in short‐period superlattices, the order–disorder–antiorder transition can be engineered by mediating the substrate strain, due to the competition between the induction of out‐of‐plane (due to interfacial depolarization effect) and in‐plane (due to strain) polarization in the STO layer. The 3D ordering of such polar vortices is still a topic of significant current interest and it is envisioned that this study will spur further interest toward the understanding of order–disorder transitions in ferroelectric topological structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basalts from the islands of Mangaia, Tubuai, Rurutu (old stage), and Raivavae (Rairua stage) in the South Pacific, and from St. Helena Island in the South Atlantic, are characterized by extremely radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions (e.g., 206Pb/204Pb > 20.5). These ocean island basalts (OIBs) define the famous HIMU (high μ, where μ = 238U/204Pb) component in the mantle 'zoo', which has traditionally been thought to represent ancient recycled oceanic crust with highly fractionated U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios. However, recent high-precision analyses of minor and trace elements in olivine phenocrysts from HIMU OIBs suggest a peridotitic mantle source rather than pyroxenitic/eclogitic remnants of subducted oceanic crust. To better constrain the lithology of the HIMU source is crucial for further understanding the nature of the HIMU component. Here we utilize stable iron (Fe) isotopes, a novel tool for identifying the mantle source lithology of basalts, to further investigate the lithology of the HIMU source by examining classic HIMU OIBs from the Cook-Austral volcanic chain in the South Pacific. The results show that these OIBs have δ57Fe values varying from 0.09‰ to 0.18‰, which are similar to those of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORBs, δ57Fe = 0.15 ± 0.05‰, 2SD). Quantitative calculations indicate that the fractional-crystallization-corrected δ57Fe corr values (0.06–0.15‰) of these basalts can well be explained by partial melting of garnet peridotite with δ57Fe values ranging from 0.05‰ to 0.09‰. Such low δ57Fe corr values, however, are difficult to be reproduced by partial melting of eclogite with a MORB-like δ57Fe value (δ57Fe = 0.15‰). Our new Fe isotope data, combined with previously reported heavy whole-rock zinc isotopes (δ66Zn = 0.38 ± 0.03‰) as well as high Mn/Fe (100Mn/Fe = 1.5–1.7) and Ca/Al (mostly >15) ratios of olivine phenocrysts in the HIMU OIBs, further confirm that the lithology of the HIMU mantle source is carbonated peridotite. • OIBs from the type localities for the HIMU component show MORB-like δ57Fe values. • The MORB-like Fe isotopic compositions cannot be attributed to magma evolution. • Partial melting of peridotitic HIMU source can explain the observed δ57Fe values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The static and flow behavior of CO 2 -nC 8 in kerogen and quartz nanopores are studied. • Oil viscosity reduction of CO 2 is the dominant EOR mechanism in kerogen nanopores. • CO 2 extracts adsorbed nC 8 and reduces the slip by competitive adsorption on quartz. • Oil viscosity reduction occurs in quartz nanopore after CO 2 adsorption is saturated. CO 2 injection is the feasible method to enhance shale oil recovery and has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Since shale reservoir has omnipresent nanoscale pores, understanding the underlying CO 2 -EOR mechanisms at the nanoscale is of critical importance. In this work, we study the structural and dynamic properties of CO 2 /nC 8 systems in organic kerogen and inorganic quartz nanopores by molecular dynamic simulation and clarify the dominant EOR mechanisms of CO 2 injection in various mineral nanopores. We find a large positive slip velocity occurs when single-phase nC 8 flows in quartz nanopore while it is no-slip boundary condition in kerogen nanopore. The CO 2 -regulated nC 8 in quartz nanopore is the joint effect of slip, competitive adsorption and viscosity reduction. In the first stage, CO 2 extracts the first adsorption layer of nC 8 by competitive adsorption and forms a CO 2 film on the quartz surface. The CO 2 film reduces the slip velocity between nC 8 and quartz surface and weakens the nC 8 flow capacity. After CO 2 adsorption is saturated, the CO 2 mixes with nC 8 in all flow regions and the effective viscosity of nC 8 starts decreasing at this stage. The flow capacity of nC 8 rises dramatically due to the viscosity reduction mechanism of CO 2. In kerogen nanopore, it is no-slip boundary condition and CO 2 mixes with nC 8 in all flow regions directly instead of preferably adsorbed on the surface. Viscosity reduction is the dominant mechanism to affect nC 8 flow behavior and nC 8 flow capacity is enhanced monotonically as CO 2 injection. Our study advances the understanding of the recovery mechanisms of shale oil by CO 2 injection on nanoscale and provides the theoretical foundation for the optimization of CO 2 -EOR in shale oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart materials with a combination of tough solid-like properties, fast self-healing and optical responsiveness are of interests for the development of new soft machines and wearable electronics. In this work, tough physically cross-linked elastomers that show high mechanical strength, intriguing temperature-adaptable self-healing and fluorochromic response properties are designed using aluminum (Al) and fluorescent europium (Eu) ions as cross-linkers. The ionic Al-COOH binding is incorporated to construct the strong polymer network which mainly contributes to the mechanical robustness of the elastomer consisting of two interpenetrated networks. The Eu-iminodiacetate (IDA) coordination is mainly used to build the weaker but more dynamic network which dominate the elasticity, self-healing and luminescence of the elastomer. Moderate Eu3+ and Al3+ contents give these supramolecular elastomers high toughness. The temperature-sensitive Eu-IDA coordination enables tunable self-healing rate and efficiency along with fast Eu-centered "ON/OFF" switchable red emission. The mechanical, self-healing and luminescence properties of these elastomers can be adjusted by tuning the ratio of the two types of metal ions. This elastomer is potentially applicable for biosensors, wearable optoelectronics and anticounterfeiting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nanofluid thermocapillary convection is studied using two-phase mixture model. • Oscillation and evolution characteristics of thermocapillary convection is obtained. • The variation range of temperature oscillation is given. • The non-homogeneous distribution of nanoparticle volume fraction is presented. To analyze the oscillation and evolution characteristics of nanofluid thermocapillary convection instability, a two-phase mixture model was utilized to simulate nanofluid thermocapillary convection in a rectangular cavity and investigate the impact of nanoparticle volume fraction on the oscillatory flow. The results indicate that the two-phase mixture model has a lower critical temperature difference compared to the single-phase model, and the oscillation mode exhibits distinct changes for small nanoparticle volume fractions. At a high Marangoni number, the thermocapillary convection displays periodic oscillatory behavior, with the flow field composed of several dynamic convection vortices. An increase in nanoparticle volume fraction results in a decrease in the critical temperature difference, as well as the amplitude and variation range of temperature oscillation. However, the oscillation period shows an approximate linear increase. Furthermore, there is a non-uniform distribution of nanoparticles at the vicinity of solid wall, especially a significant concentration gradient near the side wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassica napus, commonly known as rapeseed or canola, is a major oil crop contributing over 13% to the stable supply of edible vegetable oil worldwide. Identification and understanding the gene functions in the B. napus genome is crucial for genomic breeding. A group of genes controlling agronomic traits have been successfully cloned through functional genomics studies in B. napus. In this review, we present an overview of the progress made in the functional genomics of B. napus, including the availability of germplasm resources, omics databases and cloned functional genes. Based on the current progress, we also highlight the main challenges and perspectives in this field. The advances in the functional genomics of B. napus contribute to a better understanding of the genetic basis underlying the complex agronomic traits in B. napus and will expedite the breeding of high quality, high resistance and high yield in B. napus varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human behavior recognition (HBR), as a critical link for further intelligent and real-time smart city application design, has attracted much more attention in recent years. Although the related technologies have been developed rapidly and many solid achievements have been already obtained, there is still a lot of space to deeply enhance the related research including the recognition structures, algorithms, and so on, to meet the increasing requirements of Smart City construction. In this article, we first review the conventional HBR structure, and analyze the problems and challenges for future smart city applications. Then a parallel and multi-layer deep recognition architecture (PMDRA) is discussed, which could have more powerful and ubiquitous feature extraction ability because of the hierarchical utilization of the deep learning network. Meanwhile, the quantity adjustment mechanism for DRUs and DLNUs could help for designing the actual architecture according to the requirements of real scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, a comprehensive semi-analytical model was presented to investigate pressure transient behavior for asymmetrically fractured wells in organic compound reservoir of hydrogen and carbon with dual-permeability behavior. Stehfest inversion algorithm can be used to transform it back into time domain to obtain pressure solution. The presented solution was validated well with numerical solutions. Flow characteristics for asymmetrically fractured wells in dual-permeability organic compound reservoir of hydrogen and carbon were divided into five regime. The effects of some important parameters on dimensionless pressure and its derivative curves were analyzed in details, including inter-porosity flow coefficient from matrix to natural fractures λ , storage coefficient ω , fracture asymmetry factor θ and permeability ratio κ. The presented model can be used to predict production performance and do well test analysis in the development of dual-permeability organic compound reservoir of hydrogen and carbon. Highlights • A dual-permeability model for asymmetrically fractured wells is presented. • The Lapalace-transform semi-analytical solution is developed. • The presented solution was validated through using numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of thermal stimulation on shale gas recovery, a novel conceptual model coupling shale gas flow and temperature is proposed. The adsorption process is nonisothermal, and adsorption capacity changes with temperature. The local thermal nonequilibrium can explicitly describe the convective heat exchange between rock and fluids. The fluid flow model takes Knudsen diffusion, slippage effect, and non-Darcy flow into account. The complex geometry of fracture network due to hydraulic fracturing can also be considered. A series of synthetic tests are designed to demonstrate the model performance. The results show that the dynamic characteristics of heat diffusion and pressure spread can be reasonably obtained. Gas recovery decreases with the increase of volumetric heat transfer coefficient, and there exists a threshold value of the effect of volumetric heat transfer coefficient on gas recovery. Gas recovery increases with the gas and rock thermal conductivity and decreases with heat capacity of rock, but the decrease level becomes insignificant when heat capacity of rock is sufficiently high. Increasing the heating temperature and decreasing the production pressure are beneficial to enhance shale gas recovery, but the rate of recovery enhancement tends to decrease for sufficiently high heating temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The formation and temporal evolution of the modulated structure in a lamellar γ-based Ti−45Al−8.5Nb alloy have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with first-principles theory in this work. The results show that the Nb-rich O phase as a constituent of the modulated structure is thermodynamically stable below 650 °C in the α 2 lamellae. The morphology of the O phase variants changes from thin plate-like shape with a low volume fraction at initial annealing to rectangle/square shape with a high volume fraction after a prolonged annealing, and the retransformed α 2 , named as α 2 - ІІ hereafter, emerges at intersections of the variants with two orthogonal habit planes due to their elastic interactions. The partitioning coefficient of Nb between the O phase and α 2 is about 2 at 600 °C. The diffusion coefficient of Nb derived from growth kinetics of the O phase is about (1.3 ± 0.2) × 10−22 m2s−1 in the α 2 lamellae. Significant precipitation hardening effect of the O phase has been revealed for the α 2 lamellae and γ/(α 2 +O) lamellar microstructure, which is supposed to be attributed to refining the α 2 lamellae associated with elastic strain energy from the α 2 →O phase transformation and introducing the interface between the modulated lamella and adjacent γ phase. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A simulation approach using the embedded discrete fracture method (EDFM) is proposed to predict the productions of multistage hydraulic fractured horizontal wells(MHFHWs)in Fuling Shale gas field in China. The approach is divided into four stages: 1) geological structure model; 2) characterize the geometry details of hydraulic and natural fractures with micro-seismic data and embedment of the fractures into structured background grids; 3) adjust the properties of effective fractures as well as other uncertain parameters by history-matching; 4) predict and analyze the performance. The proposed approach is implemented to a real case with three MHFHWs and contributes to determine the next development strategy. Highlights • Microseismic data is used to determine the hydraulic fractures distribution. • Embedded discrete fracture method (EDFM) is applied to simulate the flow in fracture network. • Component subdivision method is applied to analyze the composition of total production. • Impact factors on well performance during shale gas development are investigated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical role of auxin in strawberry fruit set and receptacle enlargement was demonstrated previously. While fertilization is known to trigger auxin biosynthesis, the specific tissue source of fertilization-induced auxin is not well understood. Here, the auxin reporter DR5ver2::GUS was introduced into wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) to reveal auxin distribution in the seed and fruit receptacle pre- and post-fertilization as well as in the root. In addition, the expression of TAR and YUCCA genes coding for enzymes catalysing the two-step auxin biosynthesis pathway was investigated using their respective promoters fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter. Two FveTARs and four FveYUCs were shown to be expressed primarily in the endosperm and embryo inside the achenes as well as in root tips and lateral root primordia. Expression of these reporters in dissected tissues provided more detailed and precise spatial (cell and tissue) and temporal (pre- and post-fertilization) information on where auxin is synthesized and accumulates than previous studies in strawberry. Moreover, we generated CRISPR-mediated knock-out mutants of FveYUC10, the most abundant YUC in seeds; the mutants had a lower free auxin level in young fruit, but displayed no obvious morphological phenotypes. However, overexpression of FveYUC10 resulted in elongated hypocotyls in Arabidopsis caused by elevated auxin level. Overall, the study revealed auxin accumulation in the chalazal seed coat, embryo, receptacle vasculature, root tip, and lateral root primordia and highlighted the endosperm as the main auxin biosynthesis site for fruit set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing ( AS) is a key post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism, yet little information is known about its roles in fruit crops. Here, AS was globally analyzed in the wild strawberry Fragaria vesca genome with RNA-seq data derived from different stages of fruit development. The AS landscape was characterized and compared between the single-molecule, real-time ( SMRT) and Illumina RNA-seq platform. While SMRT has a lower sequencing depth, it identifies more genes undergoing AS (57.67% of detected multiexon genes) when it is compared with Illumina (33.48%), illustrating the efficacy of SMRT in AS identification. We investigated different modes of AS in the context of fruit development; the percentage of intron retention ( IR) is markedly reduced whereas that of alternative acceptor sites ( AA) is significantly increased post-fertilization when compared with pre-fertilization. When all the identified transcripts were combined, a total of 66.43% detected multiexon genes in strawberry undergo AS, some of which lead to a gain or loss of conserved domains in the gene products. The work demonstrates that SMRT sequencing is highly powerful in AS discovery and provides a rich data resource for later functional studies of different isoforms. Further, shifting AS modes may contribute to rapid changes of gene expression during fruit set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new and computationally efficient data-worth analysis and quantification framework keyed to the characterization of target state variables in groundwater systems. We focus on dynamically evolving plumes of dissolved chemicals migrating in randomly heterogeneous aquifers. An accurate prediction of the detailed features of solute plumes requires collecting a substantial amount of data. Otherwise, constraints dictated by the availability of financial resources and ease of access to the aquifer system suggest the importance of assessing the expected value of data before these are actually collected. Data-worth analysis is targeted to the quantification of the impact of new potential measurements on the expected reduction of predictive uncertainty based on a given process model. Integration of the Ensemble Kalman Filter method within a data-worth analysis framework enables us to assess data worth sequentially, which is a key desirable feature for monitoring scheme design in a contaminant transport scenario. However, it is remarkably challenging because of the (typically) high computational cost involved, considering that repeated solutions of the inverse problem are required. As a computationally efficient scheme, we embed in the data-worth analysis framework a modified version of the Probabilistic Collocation Method-based Ensemble Kalman Filter proposed by Zeng et al. (2011) so that we take advantage of the ability to assimilate data sequentially in time through a surrogate model constructed via the polynomial chaos expansion. We illustrate our approach on a set of synthetic scenarios involving solute migrating in a two-dimensional random permeability field. Our results demonstrate the computational efficiency of our approach and its ability to quantify the impact of the design of the monitoring network on the reduction of uncertainty associated with the characterization of a migrating contaminant plume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diffraction pattern of a material contains information not only on the crystal structures of its constituting phases, but also on its mesoscale spatial distributions of phases, grains, and ferroelastic, ferroelectric, and ferromagnetic domains. While diffraction patterns from experiments such as X-ray diffraction are presented in the reciprocal or Fourier space, mesoscale microstructure models such as the phase-field method naturally produce real-space images of spatial distribution of chemical composition, structural, and ferroic domains. Although one could rather readily compute the Fourier amplitudes of chemical and structural domain distributions generated by mesoscale simulations, they only contain information about the length scale and alignment of the real-space chemical and structure domains. Therefore, a direct comparison between diffraction experiments and mesoscale microstructure simulations is not possible. Here, we develop a theoretical approach to directly compute the crystal diffraction patterns of microstructures predicted by phase-field simulations. In particular, we consider five representative examples of microstructure patterns involving purely compositional domains, a single pair of tetragonal twin structures, multiple twin variants in a hexagonal system, ferroelectric polar vortices, and polycrystalline grains. The results are compared with previous experimental observations as well as X-ray diffraction experiments performed in the present study. The theoretical framework allows one to directly connect material microstructures and diffraction patterns predicted from phase-field simulations and the corresponding diffraction patterns from experiments, and thus providing guidance to experimental diffraction characterization and interpretation of microstructures. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac remodelling mainly manifests as excessive myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, which are associated with heart failure. Gentianella acuta (G. acuta) is reportedly effective in cardiac protection; however, the mechanism by which it protects against cardiac remodelling is not fully understood. Here, we discuss the effects and mechanisms of G. acuta in transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced cardiac remodelling in rats. Cardiac function was analysed using echocardiography and electrocardiography. Haematoxylin and eosin, Masson′s trichrome, and wheat germ agglutinin staining were used to observe pathophysiological changes. Additionally, real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to measure protein levels and mRNA levels of genes related to myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis. Immunofluorescence double staining was used to investigate the co-expression of endothelial and interstitial markers. Western blotting was used to estimate the expression and phosphorylation levels of the regulatory proteins involved in autophagy and endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). The results showed that G. acuta alleviated cardiac dysfunction and remodelling. The elevated levels of myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis markers, induced by TAC, decreased significantly after G. acuta intervention. G. acuta decreased the expression of LC3 II and Beclin1, and increased p62 expression. G. acuta upregulated the expression of CD31 and vascular endothelial-cadherin, and prevented the expression of α-smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Furthermore, G. acuta inhibited the PI3K/Akt/FOXO1/3a pathway and activated the Notch signalling. These findings demonstrated that G. acuta has cardioprotective effects, such as alleviating myocardial fibrosis, inhibiting hypertrophy, reducing autophagy, and blocking EndMT by regulating the PI3K/Akt/FOXO1/3a and Notch signalling pathways. [Display omitted] • Gentianella acuta attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction in rats. • Gentianella acuta ameliorates pressure overload-induced heart hypertrophy and fibrosis. • Gentianella acuta improves ventricular remodelling by inhibiting autophagy and EndMT. • Gentianella acuta protects the heart by regulating Notch and PI3K/Akt/FOXO1/3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound has been often used to assist nucleation process in liquid samples, while solid samples were barely taken into account. In this study, direct-contact ultrasound was used to realize the sonocrystallization for solid sample and the influence of ultrasound-assisted nucleation on freeze-drying process was investigated. First, a microscopic observation was performed to exam the effectiveness of direct-contact ultrasound on inducing nucleation for carrot slice at different supercooling degrees. Second, an ultrasonic vibrating plate was used to integrate the contact ultrasound into freeze-drying process and its influence on ice crystals size and sublimation rate was evaluated. The results showed that direct-contact ultrasound is applicable to stimulate nucleation in carrot slice at lower supercooling degree and obtain bigger ice crystals. Compared to the control sample, the sublimation time of the samples under sonocrystallization was significantly reduced, by 21.80%. Therefore, direct-contact ultrasound maybe a promising method to be applied in solid-sample freeze-drying process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve genetic diversity of wheat and produce chromosome translocation lines with chromatin from Agropyron cristatum, this study screened progenies of a wheat line SM2-244 known to carry a reciprocal wheat- A. cristatum 5A. 6P chromosome translocation with increased fertile tiller number and grain number per spike. Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) showed that these progenies contained four new types of translocation chromosomes, labeled as TC-A, TC-L, TC-S and TC-T. The long arm of chromosome 6P originally present in the 5A. 6P translocation was subdivided into three segments between relative arm length points 0-0.32, 0.32-0.69, 0.69-1 on the centromere to telomere axis. Screening with 6P-specific EST markers allocated 24, 30, 20 and 56 EST markers to segments C-6PL-0.32, 6PL-0.32-0.69, 6PL-0.69-1, and 6PS, respectively, and markers specific to individual arms were also identified. This study provides experimental resources and tools for mining of desirable genes on the A. cristatum chromosome 6P that can be exploited in wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to discuss the risk factors of postoperative limb overgrowth after the application of titanium elastic nailing (TEN) in the treatment of pediatric femoral fractures as well as analyze the causes and provide guidance for clinical treatment.Methods: The study included children with femoral fractures who were treated with TEN at our hospital from February 2005 to December 2009. Their age, gender, weight, cause of injury, having head trauma or not, fracture site, fracture type and nail-canal diameter (NCD) ratio were recorded. Student's t-test, chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was used for univariate analysis of the above factors, and then multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the possible risk factors in order to determine which ones are associated with limb overgrowth after the application of TEN to treat children with femoral fractures.Results: Univariate analysis showed that the age, gender, weight, cause of injury, having head trauma or not, and the fracture site did not have a statistically significant association with limb overgrowth (P = 0.741, 0.900, 0.253, 0.739, 0.967 and 0.105, respectively). The fracture type and NCD ratio were significantly associated with limb overgrowth (P = 0.003 and 0.000, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the fracture type (P = 0.021, OR = 2.757) and NCD ratio (P = 0.002, OR = 2.422) were independent risk factors for limb overgrowth.Conclusions: The main factors affecting postoperative limb overgrowth are the fracture type and NCD ratio. In order to avoid limb overgrowth, unstable fractures should be fixed as firmly as possible, and the NCD ratio should be ≥0.8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on genetic algorithm, consider all of the maximum hour, the emergency hour and the fire hour together for the first time, we build and realize optimal model for pipe size combination of water supply network by C++ platform. Proved by examples that compared with traditional single loading case optimization, checked with multiple loading cases after single loading case optimization, the computational efficiency is increased obviously. Especially for expansion and reorganization of the large-scale and complex water supply network, economic benefit is raised obviously too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are intensive studies on technetium oxide 3 recently, its ground-state band structure has never been given and no consensus on its band gap is obtained. We use the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with on-site Coulomb corrections (GGA + U) method to study its band structure and the optical band gap. A series of on-site interaction U and J values are employed in the calculations and the concomitant evolutions of the electronic structure, local magnetic moment of technetium (), the exchange constant and the Néel temperature are investigated. The inter-site exchange constant between antiferromagnetic atoms through medium oxygen is found to increase firstly and then decrease with an increasing U, in agreement with the trend obtained by tight-binding method. The appropriate on-site U and J values are calibrated by comparing the calculated local magnetic moment of with the experimental value. It is found that when U = 2.3 eV, J = 0.3 eV are included for 4d in GGA + U calculations, the local magnetic moment of in orthorhombic 3 is 2.01 μB, the same as the experimental value obtained at 4 K. The calculated band structure shows that the band gap is a direct band gap with a magnitude of 1.61 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an experimental and theoretical study of composition and temperature dependence of α 2 phase decomposition in lamellar γ-Ti−(43∼47)Al−(4∼10)Nb alloys. The α 2 phase decomposes to nano-sized orthorhombic (O) phase in the alloys (the Nb content ≥ 5.5 at.%) at temperatures of 550∼750° C. The transformation temperature decreases with increasing the Al content, but increases with increasing the Nb content. The Nb partitioning coefficient between O and α 2 typically equals to 2, and decreases with increasing the Al content and temperature, confirming that the O phase transformation is controlled by Nb diffusion. The α 2 to ω 0 phase transformation takes place in the alloys (the Nb content ≥ 7 at.%) at 800° C. The blocky ω 0 phase is enriched in Nb and the Nb partitioning coefficient between ω 0 and α 2 is about 1.3, indicating that the ω 0 phase transformation is also related to Nb diffusion. The pseudo-binary phase diagram calculated by first-principles correctly predicts the α 2 to O phase transformation at temperature below 750° C and α 2 to ω 0 phase transformation at temperature above 750° C in the alloys. Since the α 2 phase is unstable thermodynamically at intermediate temperature, such kinds of α 2 to O and ω 0 phase transformations are considered necessarily for design of high Nb-containing γ-TiAl alloys. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casein kinase1 (CK1) plays crucial roles in regulating growth and development via phosphorylating various substrates throughout the eukaryote kingdom. Blue light is crucial for normal growth of both plants and animals, and blue light receptor cryptochrome2 (CRY2) undergoes blue light–dependent phosphorylation and degradation in planta. To study the function of plant CK1s, systematic genetic analysis showed that deficiency of two paralogous Arabidopsis thaliana CK1s, CK1.3 and CK1.4 , caused shortened hypocotyls, especially under blue light, while overexpression of either CK1.3 or CK1.4 resulted in the insensitive response to blue light and delayed flowering under long-day conditions. CK1.3 or CK1.4 act dependently on CRY2, and overexpression of CK1.3 or CK1.4 significantly suppresses the hypersensitive response to blue light by CRY2 overexpression. Biochemical studies showed that CK1.3 and CK1.4 directly phosphorylate CRY2 at Ser-587 and Thr-603 in vitro and negatively regulate CRY2 stability in planta, which are stimulated by blue light, further confirming the crucial roles of CK1.3 and CK1.4 in blue light responses through phosphorylating CRY2. Interestingly, expression of CK1.3 and CK1.4 is stimulated by blue light and feedback regulated by CRY2-mediated signaling. These results provide direct evidence for CRY2 phosphorylation and informative clues on the mechanisms of CRY2-mediated light responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Understanding and predicting ecosystem functioning such as biomass accumulation requires an accurate assessment of large-scale patterns of biomass distribution and partitioning in relation to climatic and soil environments. Methods: We sampled above- and belowground biomass from 26 sites spanning 1500 km in Inner Mongolian grasslands, compared the difference in aboveground, belowground biomass and below-aboveground biomass ratio (AGB, BGB, and B/A, respectively) among meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe types. The relationships between AGB, BGB, B/A and climatic and soil environments were then examined. Results: We found that AGB and BGB differed significantly among three types of grasslands while B/A did not differ. Structural equation model analyses indicated that mean annual precipitation was the strongest positive driver for AGB and BGB. AGB was also positively associated with soil organic carbon, whereas B/A was positively associated with total soil nitrogen. Conclusions: These results indicated that precipitation positively influence plant production in Inner Mongolian grasslands. Contrary to the prediction from the optimal partitioning hypothesis, biomass allocation to belowground increased with soil total nitrogen, suggesting that more productive sites may increase belowground allocation as an adaptive strategy to potentially high fire frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, we investigate the On/Off switching mechanism of AlGaN/GaN Fin-high-electron-mobility transistors (Fin-HEMTs) comprehensively through experiment and simulation. The "tri-gated fin channel" is characterized by a direct gate-metal/semiconductor contact, that is, a Schottky gate instead of a conventional metal-insulator-semiconductor gate stack. The minimum fin width of our Fin-HEMT is 100 nm with a threshold voltage (Vth) of −0.65 V, and a positive Vth shift with a channel width scaling is also obtained in the experiment. Through the 3-D simulation, it can be found that while the channel width is narrow enough, the carrier in the fin channel is dominated by the side-gate laterally instead of the vertical top-gate control. The band diagram also indicates that the conduction band in the fin channel is pulled up more rapidly than the planar HEMT with a negative gate bias. This result can be attributed to channel pinch-off through the depletion region which is created by the Schottky side-gate. Therefore, a narrow fin channel can lead to the "early pinch-off effect" compared with the planar HEMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Activated mTOR was implicated to play a role in the carcinogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the mechanism of activated mTOR/Complex1(mTORC1) signaling pathway in NPC development has not been well established. In this study, we correlated the expression of mTORC1 signal molecules and Cyclin D1 in NPC. We also investigated the effect of blocking mTORC1 signal with rapamycin and mTOR siRNA on Cyclin D1 expression in CNE-2 cells, as well as cell apoptosis and viability. We found a positive association of mTORC1 signal molecules and Cyclin D1 in NPC. Also, we found blockage mTORC1 inhibited Cyclin D1 expression in CNE-2 cells and enhanced cell apoptosis. Our results suggested that mTORC1 signal pathway might be a potential target for NPC therapy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Generalized gradient approximation with on-site Coulomb corrections (GGA+ U ) method is used to investigate the effect of biaxial strain on the Néel temperature of SrTcO 3 . A series of hypothetical strains on SrTcO 3 are considered to simulate its being applied in SrTcO 3 -based devices. It is found that a tensile strain will decrease T N , while a compressive strain less than 6.6% will increase T N . At a compressive strain between 5.5% and 6.7%, a highest T N which is about 26.6% higher than that of the bulk material can be obtained. The higher T N can be experimentally achieved by growing SrTcO 3 on the common substrate STO/LSAT/NGO/LAO. Our work provides a theoretical basis for the application of high- T N SrTcO 3 in small devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Develops a procedure for magnesium-ene cyclization in the presence of an allylic oxyanionic group. Application of the method to a highly stereoselective synthesis of bicyclic terpene matatabiether; Conversion of allyl phenyl thioether to an allylmagnesium compound by reductive magnesiation of allyl phenyl sulfides.

• The optimal plastic content for MSW is 6–9 %. • Stress path influences the optimal plastic content. • The influence patterns of particle size distribution on MSW. • Traditional well-graded criteria are unsuitable for MSW. Plastics within municipal solid waste (MSW) are non-degradable. As MSW continues to degrade, the relative content of plastics rises, and particle gradation may also change. Moreover, throughout the landfilling process, MSW is subjected to various stress conditions, potentially influencing its mechanical properties. This study explored the effects of varying plastic contents, different particle gradations, and distinct stress paths on the mechanical properties of MSW, and consolidated drained triaxial tests of 42 groups of reconstituted MSW specimens were conducted. The results showed that there was an optimal plastic content of 6–9 % for MSW, where the shear strength of MSW was higher than that of MSW with other plastic contents. When the stress path changed from TC45 to TC72, the optimal plastic content of MSW changed from 6 % to 9 %. As the plastic content increased, both the cohesion and internal friction angle of the MSW initially increased, then subsequently decreased. The impact of plastic content on cohesion was more pronounced than on the internal friction angle, especially at larger strains. Under various stress paths, MSW with distinct particle size distributions demonstrated diverse stress–strain behaviors. Traditional criteria for evaluating well-graded conditions in soils are not suitable for MSW. The effect of gradation on the cohesion of MSW is essentially due to the predominant role of fiber content; the relationship between gradation and the internal friction angle in MSW is complex and correlates closely with the content of both coarse and fine particles, as well as fibers. This study serves as an essential reference for predicting deformations in landfills and analyzing the stability of landfill slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY The successful interaction between pollen and stigma is a critical process for plant sexual reproduction, involving a series of intricate molecular and physiological events. After self‐compatible pollination, a significant reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production has been observed in stigmas, which is essential for pollen grain rehydration and subsequent pollen tube growth. Several scavenging enzymes tightly regulate ROS homeostasis. However, the potential role of these ROS‐scavenging enzymes in the pollen‐stigma interaction in Brassica napus remains unclear. Here, we showed that the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX), an enzyme that plays a crucial role in the detoxification of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), was modulated depending on the compatibility of pollination in B. napus. We then identified stigma‐expressed APX1s and generated pentuple mutants of APX1s using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. After compatible pollination, the BnaAPX1 pentuple mutants accumulated higher levels of H2O2 in the stigma, while the overexpression of BnaA09.APX1 resulted in lower levels of H2O2. Furthermore, the knockout of BnaAPX1 delayed the compatible response‐mediated pollen rehydration and germination, which was consistent with the effects of a specific APX inhibitor, ρ‐Aminophenol, on compatible pollination. In contrast, the overexpression of BnaA09.APX1 accelerated pollen rehydration and germination after both compatible and incompatible pollinations. However, delaying and promoting pollen rehydration and germination did not affect the seed set after compatible and incompatible pollination in APX1 pentuple mutants and overexpression lines, respectively. Our results demonstrate the fundamental role of BnaAPX1 in pollen rehydration and germination by regulating ROS homeostasis during the pollen‐stigma interaction in B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a method which connects carboxylic esters with benzyl or allylic groups to form carbon-carbon double bonds, with good selectivity for trans-isomers. Importance of constructive olefination of carbonyl compounds in organic synthesis; Information on the unsymmetric intermolecular coupling between carbonyl compounds and dithioacetals with low-valent titanium.

To increase the specific energy of supercapacitors (SCs), the expanded mesocarbon microbead (EMCMB) is electrochemically activated in 1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in propylene carbonate (TEABF 4 /PC) to construct a high-voltage but symmetric SC. The EMCMB is successfully made from MCMB through the oxidation in a solution containing concentrated H 2 SO 4 , HNO 3 and KMnO 4 followed by a thermo-expansion treatment at 800°C. This carbon with a specific surface area of only 93.2 m2 g−1 shows excellent capacitive performance after the electrochemical activation process in the highly positive or very negative potential regions in 1 M TEABF 4 /PC, especially when an aqueous-based binder, KOH-partially-neutralized polyurethane-polyacrylic acid (denoted as PUPAH 6 K 4) was employed. These electrochemically activated EMCMB-PUPAH 6 K 4 electrodes are able to be charged and discharged reversibly in a wide potential range between −2.6 V and 1.4 V (vs. Ag/AgNO 3). Consequently, a 4V SC consisting of two identical EMCMB-coated electrodes, i.e., symmetric, with good capacitive performances in 1 M TEABF 4 /PC has been successfully demonstrated, showing the great application potential in the advanced high-voltage SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Important progresses have been made in the field of artificial intelligence in recent years, and facial expression recognition (FER), which could greatly facilitate the development of human-computer interaction, has been becoming a significant research hotspot. In this paper, a novel nonnegative tensor factorization method is proposed based on low-rank subspace (NTF−LRS) for FER. Firstly, in order to find the high order correlations underlying multi-dimensional data, a data tensor model is constructed, which could represent different dimensional features ingeniously. And then, the low-rank subspace model is adopted to reconstruct the original tensor model, reduce the redundancy of the learned new tensor, and improve the discriminant abilities of inter-class information. Finally, the reconstructed tensor is decomposed to get factor matrices by nonnegative tensor factorization, where all factor matrices are used to extract subspace features. To verify the effectiveness of our proposal, two well-known facial expression datasets named as "JAFFE" and "CK+" are utilized for evaluation, and the experimental results show that the tensor-based method preserves the original structure of whole samples, which avoids the case of dimension curse because of vectorization. In addition, this method uses Laplacian graph to impose regularization on low-rank subspace model, which keeps the local relationship between sample neighbors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is an important oil crop that supplies a considerable amount of global vegetable oil production. Genetic transformation system is important to gene functional analysis and molecular breeding. Here, an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol using hypocotyl of rapeseed as explants is described. To develop this protocol, we compared several essential factors that would affect the transformation efficiency, such as Agrobacterium strains, selection marker genes, and genotypes of rapeseed. Comparison of different Agrobacterium strains showed that the GV3101 had higher transformation efficiency than that of C58C1 and EHA105. HPTII, NPTII, and RePAT were used as selection marker genes in tissue culture. The results showed that the transformation efficiency was 3.7–4.8%, 2.2–22.5%, and 1.6–5.9% when the hypocotyl of Westar was infected by GV3101 and screened under hygromycin, kanamycin, and basta, respectively. The transformation efficiency of Westar was the highest and ZS11 was the lowest when five different genotypes of rapeseed (Westar, ZS9, ZS11, GY284, and WH3417) were infected by GV3101. Using this protocol, it will take 8–10 weeks to obtain transgenic plants. This protocol has been used to study gene function in several genotypes of rapeseed in our laboratory. These results indicate that it is efficient to obtain transgenic plant of rapeseed using this protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human adipose stromal cells-derived extracellular vesicles (haMSC-EVs) have been shown to alleviate inflammation in acute lung injury (ALI) animal models. However, there are few systemic studies on clinical-grade haMSC-EVs. Our study aimed to investigate the manufacturing, quality control (QC) and preclinical safety of clinical-grade haMSC-EVs. Methods: haMSC-EVs were isolated from the conditioned medium of human adipose MSCs incubated in 2D containers. Purification was performed by PEG precipitation and differential centrifugation. Characterizations were conducted by nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Western blotting, nanoflow cytometry analysis, and the TNF-α inhibition ratio of macrophage [after stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)]. RNA-seq and proteomic analysis with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) were used to inspect the lot-to-lot consistency of the EV products. Repeated toxicity was evaluated in rats after administration using trace liquid endotracheal nebulizers for 28 days, and respiratory toxicity was evaluated 24 h after the first administration. In vivo therapeutic effects were assessed in an LPS-induced ALI/ acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) rat model. Results: The quality criteria have been standardized. In a stability study, haMSC-EVs were found to remain stable after 6 months of storage at − 80°C, 3 months at − 20 °C, and 6 h at room temperature. The microRNA profile and proteome of haMSC-EVs demonstrated suitable lot-to-lot consistency, further suggesting the stability of the production processes. Intratracheally administered 1.5 × 108 particles/rat/day for four weeks elicited no significant toxicity in rats. In LPS-induced ALI/ARDS model rats, intratracheally administered haMSC-EVs alleviated lung injury, possibly by reducing the serum level of inflammatory factors. Conclusion: haMSC-EVs, as an off-shelf drug, have suitable stability and lot-to-lot consistency. Intratracheally administered haMSC-EVs demonstrated excellent safety at the tested dosages in systematic preclinical toxicity studies. Intratracheally administered haMSC-EVs improved the lung function and exerted anti-inflammatory effects on LPS-induced ALI/ARDS model rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Self‐incompatibility plays a vital role in angiosperms, by preventing inbreeding depression and maintaining genetic diversity within populations. Following polyploidization, many angiosperm species transition from self‐incompatibility to self‐compatibility.Here, we investigated the S‐locus in Brassicaceae and identified distinct origins for the sRNA loci, SMI and SMI2 (SCR Methylation Inducer 1 and 2), within the S‐locus. The SMI loci were found to be widespread in Cruciferae, whereas the SMI2 loci were exclusive to Brassica species.Additionally, we discovered four major S‐haplotypes (BnS‐1, BnS‐6, BnS‐7, and BnS‐1300) in rapeseed. Overexpression of BnSMI‐1 in self‐incompatible Brassica napus ('S‐70S1300S6') resulted in a significant increase in DNA methylation in the promoter regions of BnSCR‐6 and BnSCR‐1300, leading to self‐compatibility. Conversely, by overexpressing a point mutation of BnSmi‐1 in the 'S‐70S1300S6' line, we observed lower levels of DNA methylation in BnSCR‐6 and BnSCR‐1300 promoters. Furthermore, the overexpression of BnSMI2‐1300 in the 'SI‐326S7S6' line inhibited the expression of BnSCR‐7 through transcriptional repression of the Smi2 sRNA from the BnS‐1300 haplotype.Our study demonstrates that the self‐compatibility of rapeseed is determined by S‐locus sRNA‐mediated silencing of SCR after polyploidization, which helps to further breed self‐incompatible or self‐compatible rapeseed lines, thereby facilitating the utilization of heterosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drilling infill well has been widely used in many plays to enhance the recovery of shale gas, but the infill well-caused fracture interference is a very important issue that should be taken into consideration. The well interference makes it difficult for the conventional models to make production predictions, fracture characterization, and production data analysis. In this paper, a semianalytical model is proposed for this purpose by discretizing the whole control volume of the parent and infill wells into several linear flow zones. In this way, three important issues can be further handled very naturally, including fracture connection between the parent and infill wells, different SRV properties for zones with different distances to the wellbore, and different production times for adjacent wellbores. The approximate expressions for different flow regimes are used in making production predictions in the time domain, and a flowing material balance method and a simple iteration are used to update the model parameters step by step. The proposed model is shown to be reasonable and accurate for handling multiwell interference problems after comparing with the commercial numerical simulator tNavigator. The synthetical cases show that the fracture parameters, SRV properties, and well infill time have a significant influence on the production performance of both the parent and infill wells. The results show that the production of the parent well will be dramatically enhanced when it is connected with the infill well via high-conductive hydraulic fractures. Longer unconnected fractures and more fracturing stages/clusters for the infill well will result in higher production for the infill well, but a negative effect is observed for the parent well. The permeability of the distant well SRV has a similar influence on the parent and infill wells. The results also show that late time well interference will result in a more significant increase in production rate on the log-log plots for the severe depletion around the parent well. Finally, the proposed model is used to analyze the production data of a field case from Fuling shale in Southwestern China. After analyzing the production data, several parameters can be obtained for both parent and infill wells, including the fracture lengths and conductivities, numbers of connected fractures, and the near and distant well permeabilities of the SRV. This gives a basic and practical technique for production prediction, formation and fracture evaluation, and well connectivity analysis from shale gas wells with fracture connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of water, i.e., connate or hydraulic fracturing water, along with the gaseous hydrocarbons in shale nanopores is largely overlooked by previous studies. In this work, a new unified real gas-transport model has been developed for both organic and inorganic porous media accounting for the nanoconfined water film flow. More specifically, a gas core flows in the center of the organic/inorganic pore surrounded by a water film which can be further divided into an interfacial region (near-wall water) and bulk region (bulk water). We differentiate the varying water viscosity between the two regions and consider disparate slip boundaries; that is, the near-wall water can slip along the hydrophobic organic pore surface while it is negligible in hydrophilic inorganic pores. Incorporating modified boundary conditions into the Navier-Stokes equations, gas transport model through single organic/inorganic pore is derived. The model is also comprehensively scaled up to the porous media scale considering the porosity, tortuosity, and total organic carbon (TOC) contents. Results indicate that the gas flow capacity decreases in moist conditions with mobile or nonmobile water film. A mobile water film, however, compensates its negative effect up to 50% by enhancing gas flow compared with static water molecules. The real gas flow is dominated by the gas slippage and water film mobility which are dependent upon pore-scale parameters such as pore sizes, topology, pressure, and surface wettability. Compared with inorganic pores, gas transport in organic pores is greatly enhanced by the water film flow due to the strong water slip. Moreover, the contribution of water film mobility is remarkable in small pores with large contact angles, especially at high pressures. At moist conditions, the real gas effect enhances gas flow by improving both gas slippage and water film mobility, which is more prominent in smaller pores at high pressures. The presented model and its results will further advance our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the water and gas transport in nanoporous media, and consequently, the hydrocarbon exploration of shale reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the risk factors for, and outcomes of, preoperative asymptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients ≥60 years old following delayed operation for hip fracture. Methods: From March 2017 to December 2018, 90 patients aged ≥60 years with hip fracture who suffered a delay in surgery were recruited to this prospective study following admission to our hospital. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was used to detect preoperative asymptomatic PE and calculated its incidence. Time from injury to admission, baseline characteristics, medical comorbidities, and blood biomarker levels were evaluated as potential risk factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors. Mortality and major bleeding events were recorded and compared between individuals with PE and without. Data were analyzed by t‐test, Mann–Whitney U test, χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The incidence of preoperative asymptomatic PE was 18.9% (17/90 patients). In the univariate analysis, the risk factors for preoperative asymptomatic PE were male sex, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, smoking, plasma D‐dimer level, potassium level, urea level, creatinine level, and cysteine level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of preoperative asymptomatic PE was higher in patients with hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 10.048; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.118–90.333), cerebrovascular accident (OR = 20.135; 95% CI, 1.875–216.164), smoking (OR = 48.741; 95% CI, 4.155–571.788), high plasma D‐dimer levels (OR = 1.200; 95% CI, 1.062–157.300), and high plasma potassium levels (OR = 12.928; 95% CI, 1.062–157.300). All patients were followed up for 21.0 months (range, 2 to 36 months). Mortality within the first year postoperatively was higher in patients with PE (29.41% vs 9.59%, P = 0.046). Conclusions: In view of the high incidence of preoperative asymptomatic PE and the inferior prognosis in individuals with PE, routine CTPA examination for preoperative asymptomatic PE could be useful for patients aged ≥60 years with hip fracture for whom surgery is delayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fine particle migration is a crucial issue in hydraulic fracturing-based production from unconventional reservoirs and can significantly affect the effective conductivity of the packed proppant layers. In this study, to investigate the conveying behavior of fine particles, a Eulerian-Lagrangian method, namely the computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD-DEM), is adopted for 3D simulations. Two types of particles are involved in this process: larger proppant particles and fine particles. Proppant particles form a background skeleton, and a two-phase flow of fine particles and fluid is constrained in the connected pore networks. We adopt a unified CFD-DEM framework to resolve the non-slip boundary condition on the proppant particle surface and track fine particles using a four-way coupling strategy. In particular, a forcing term based on the fictitious domain method is embedded in a regular volume-averaged Navier-Stokes equation to solve the fluid motion. A perfectly packed skeleton of a face-centered cube is designed for subsequent numerical studies. The results show that the fluid and particle flow velocities are higher near the fracture surfaces than inside the interlayers. In addition, it is found that as the fine particle concentration increases, the average horizontal velocity increases, whereas the settling velocity tends to decrease. [Display omitted] • Fine particles tend to form unmovable 'fish-scale' clusters on proppant surface. • Flow velocities are higher near the fracture surfaces than inside the interlayers. • Average horizontal velocity increases with increasing fine particle concentration. • Settling velocity tends to decrease with increasing fine particle concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brassica napus is an important oilseed crop providing high-quality vegetable oils for human consumption and non-food applications. However, the regulation between embryo and seed coat for the synthesis of oil and phenylpropanoid compounds remains largely unclear. Results: Here, we analyzed the transcriptomes in developing seeds at 2-day intervals from 14 days after flowering (DAF) to 64 DAF. The 26 high-resolution time-course transcriptomes are clearly clustered into five distinct groups from stage I to stage V. A total of 2217 genes including 136 transcription factors, are specifically expressed in the seed and show high temporal specificity by being expressed only at certain stages of seed development. Furthermore, we analyzed the co-expression networks during seed development, which mainly included master regulatory transcription factors, lipid, and phenylpropane metabolism genes. The results show that the phenylpropane pathway is prominent during seed development, and the key enzymes in the phenylpropane metabolic pathway, including TT5, BAN, and the transporter TT19, were directly or indirectly related to many key enzymes and transcription factors involved in oil accumulation. We identified candidate genes that may regulate seed oil content based on the co-expression network analysis combined with correlation analysis of the gene expression with seed oil content and seed coat content. Conclusions: Overall, these results reveal the transcriptional regulation between lipid and phenylpropane accumulation during B. napus seed development. The established co-expression networks and predicted key factors provide important resources for future studies to reveal the genetic control of oil accumulation in B. napus seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytokinins (CKs) are phytohormones that promote cell division and differentiation. However, the regulation of CK distribution and homeostasis in Brassica napus is poorly understood. Here, the endogenous CKs were first quantified by LC-ESI-MS/MS in rapeseed tissues and visualized by TCSn::GUS reporter lines. Interestingly, the cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase BnaCKX2 homologs were mainly expressed in reproductive organs. Subsequently, the quadruple mutants of the four BnaCKX2 homologs were generated. Endogenous CKs were increased in the seeds of the BnaCKX2 quadruple mutants, resulting in a significantly reduced seed size. In contrast, overexpression of BnaA9.CKX2 resulted in larger seeds, probably by delaying endosperm cellularization. Furthermore, the transcription factor BnaC6.WRKY10b, but not BnaC6.WRKY10a, positively regulated BnaA9.CKX2 expression by binding directly to its promoter region. Overexpression of BnaC6.WRKY10b rather than BnaC6.WRKY10a resulted in lower concentration of CKs and larger seeds by activating BnaA9.CKX2 expression, indicating that the functional differentiation of BnaWRKY10 homologs might have occurred during B. napus evolution or domestication. Notably, the haploid types of BnaA9.CKX2 were associated with 1000-seed weight in the natural B. napus population. Overall, the study reveals the distribution of CKs in B. napus tissues, and shows that BnaWRKY10-mediated BnaCKX2 expression is essential for seed size regulation, providing promising targets for oil crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of heat treatment on evolution of the phase composition and microhardness of orthorhombic alloy Ti – 22Al – 25Nb based upon a Ti2AlNb phase (O-phase) is studied. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electron back-scatter diffraction are used to study alloy phase composition after different treatments. It is shown that the alloy structure contains β/B2- and O-phases, the proportion of which changes on heat treatment. Microstructure and Vickers microhardness of alloy Ti – 22Al – 25Nb are shown to be interrelated in different states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plant hormones are the intrinsic factors that control plant development. The integration of different phytohormone pathways in a complex network of synergistic, antagonistic and additive interactions has been elucidated in model plants. However, the systemic level of transcriptional responses to hormone crosstalk in Brassica napus is largely unknown. Here, we present an in‐depth temporal‐resolution study of the transcriptomes of the seven hormones in B. napus seedlings. Differentially expressed gene analysis revealed few common target genes that co‐regulated (up‐ and down‐regulated) by seven hormones; instead, different hormones appear to regulate distinct members of protein families. We then constructed the regulatory networks between the seven hormones side by side, which allowed us to identify key genes and transcription factors that regulate the hormone crosstalk in B. napus. Using this dataset, we uncovered a novel crosstalk between gibberellin and cytokinin in which cytokinin homeostasis was mediated by RGA‐related CKXs expression. Moreover, the modulation of gibberellin metabolism by the identified key transcription factors was confirmed in B. napus. Furthermore, all data were available online from http://yanglab.hzau.edu.cn/BnTIR/hormone. Our study reveals an integrated hormone crosstalk network in Brassica napus, which also provides a versatile resource for future hormone studies in plant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post-genome-wide association study era, multi-omics techniques have shown great power and potential for candidate gene mining and functional genomics research. However, due to the lack of effective data integration and multi-omics analysis platforms, such techniques have not still been applied widely in rapeseed, an important oil crop worldwide. Here, we report a rapeseed multi-omics database (BnIR; http://yanglab.hzau.edu.cn/BnIR), which provides datasets of six omics including genomics, transcriptomics, variomics, epigenetics, phenomics, and metabolomics, as well as numerous "variation–gene expression–phenotype" associations by using multiple statistical methods. In addition, a series of multi-omics search and analysis tools are integrated to facilitate the browsing and application of these datasets. BnIR is the most comprehensive multi-omics database for rapeseed so far, and two case studies demonstrated its power to mine candidate genes associated with specific traits and analyze their potential regulatory mechanisms. BnIR (http://yanglab.hzau.edu.cn/BnIR), a multi-omics database for rapeseed, is constructed in this work, which integrates six omics datasets and "variation–gene expression–phenotype" associations. The database is equipped with a range of multi-omics tools for streamlined browsing and analysis. Through several case studies, BnIR's potential in identifying candidate genes associated with specific traits are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Pollen tube (PT) growth towards the micropyle is critical for successful double fertilization. However, the mechanism of micropyle-directed PT growth is still unclear in Brassica napus. In this study, two aspartate proteases, BnaAP36s and BnaAP39s, were identified in B. napus. BnaAP36s and BnaAP39s were localized to the plasma membrane. The homologues of BnaAP36 and BnaAP39 were highly expressed in flower organs, especially in the anther. Sextuple and double mutants of BnaAP36s and BnaAP39s were then generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Compared to WT, the seed-set of cr-bnaap36 and cr-bnaap39 mutants was reduced by 50% and 60%, respectively. The reduction in seed-set was also found when cr-bnaap36 and cr-bnaap39 were used as the female parent in a reciprocal cross assay. Like WT, cr-bnaap36 and cr-bnaap39 pollen were able to germinate and the relative PTs were able to elongate in style. Approximately 36% and 33% of cr-bnaap36 and cr-bnaap39 PTs, respectively, failed to grow towards the micropyle, indicating that BnaAP36s and BnaAP39s are essential for micropyle-directed PT growth. Furthermore, Alexander's staining showed that 10% of cr-bnaap39 pollen grains were aborted, but not cr-bnaap36, suggesting that BnaAP39s may also affect microspore development. These results suggest that BnaAP36s and BnaAP39s play a critical role in the growth of micropyle-directed PTs in B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]