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Time-based prospective memory (TBPM) refers to the ability of an individual to successfully execute an expected plan in the future at a certain time point or after a definite period of time. This study investigated the potential developmental mechanism of school-age children's TBPM ability from the perspective of time monitoring. Experiment 1 used a between-subjects design of three ages (7, 9, 11) × two TBPM types (time point, time period) to investigate the trends and characteristics of two types of TBPM in children aged 7–11 years old. Experiment 2 used a between-subjects design of three ages (7, 9, 11) × two monitoring conditions (free monitoring, fixed monitoring) to investigate differences in two types of TBPM and monitoring behavior among school-age children under different monitoring conditions. These results showed that the age effect of TBPM was affected by the type of prospective memory (PM) and that time-point PM performance was significantly better than time-period PM performance among school-age children. These findings indicate that clear and definite external cues are helpful for school-age children in performing TBPM tasks. Moreover, there were significant differences found in the TBPM performance of school-age children under different time monitoring conditions. The performance of older children was significantly better than that of younger children. This indicates that older children can better allocate their attentional resources and use time monitoring strategies to improve their performance in PM tasks. Accordingly, this study showed that the TBPM ability of 7- to 11-year-old children is in continuous development and that the time monitoring behavior in the TBPM task is affected by task type and monitoring conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective memory (PM) refers to remembering to perform intended actions in the future. Although there is ample evidence supporting the benefits of feedback for memory, it is unclear whether these benefits can be extended to the field of PM. Therefore, 2 experiments were conducted to investigate the role of feedback in PM. Experiment 1 compared PM performance in 3 feedback conditions (no feedback, ongoing task feedback, PM feedback). Experiment 2 further examined the effects of feedback valence (positive feedback or negative feedback) on PM performance under different task loads (task variability). Results suggested that providing feedback improved PM performance. The fluctuation of costs to PM during different feedback phases reflected the dynamically strategic monitoring for PM, especially in the PM feedback condition. Additionally, a significant PM performance difference between positive feedback and negative feedback in the invariable condition was observed. More importantly, only under the variable condition did the fluctuation of costs to PM task with positive feedback increase from the baseline phase to the second feedback phase. This finding indicated positive feedback promoted PM performance accompanied by more cognitive resources needed for strategic monitoring, and negative feedback boosted PM performance, relying on spontaneous retrieval independent of cognitive resources. Altogether, feedback boosted PM, and this benefit varies depending on the type of feedback and task variability. These results reflected a flexible change in PM processes and supported the dynamic multiprocess view of PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective memory (PM) is vital for children to live independently. Theoretical and empirical evidence has shown that executive function (EF) plays an important role in children's PM. However, there is no EF training for the PM of school-age children. Therefore, a 4-week EF training programme was conducted in this study to investigate the transfer effects of training on event-based PM in 8- to 12-year-old children. Children were randomly assigned to the EF training or control groups. The results revealed that EF training was more effective in enhancing children's PM performance; in particular, there was a transfer effect of EF. Further findings suggested that this transfer effect was observed only in older children, which supported the magnification account that those with strong EF abilities profit most. Moreover, the benefits of training were predicted by inhibition and switching ability. Altogether, EF training has the potential to improve children's PM, especially for children with better EF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high Ba–Sr rocks can provide significant clues about the evolution of the continent lithosphere, but their petrogenesis remains controversial. Identifying the Late Cretaceous high Ba–Sr granodiorites in the SE Lhasa Block could potentially provide valuable insights into the continent evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Zircon U–Pb ages suggest that the granodiorites were emplaced at 87.32 ± 0.43 Ma. Geochemically, the high Ba–Sr granodiorites are characterized by elevated K2O + Na2O contents (8.18–8.73 wt%) and K2O/Na2O ratios (0.99–1.25, mostly > 1), and belong to high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic series. The Yonglaga granodiorites show notably high Sr (653–783 ppm) and Ba (1346–1531 ppm) contents, plus high Sr/Y (30.92–38.18) and (La/Yb)N (27.7–34.7) ratios, but low Y (20.0–22.8 ppm) and Yb (1.92–2.19 ppm) contents with absence of negative Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.83–0.88), all similar to typical high Ba–Sr granitoids. The variable zircon εHf(t) values of − 4.58 to + 12.97, elevated initial 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios of 0.707254 to 0.707322 and low εNd(t) values of − 2.8 to − 3.6 with decoupling from the Hf system suggest that a metasomatized mantle source included significant recycled ancient materials. The occurrence of such high Ba–Sr intrusions indicates previous contributions of metasomatized mantle-derived juvenile material to the continents, which imply the growth of continental crust during the Late Cretaceous in the SE Lhasa. Together with regional data, we infer that the underplated mafic magma provides a significant amount of heat, which leads to partial melting of the juvenile crust. The melting of the metasomatized mantle could produce a juvenile mafic lower crust, from which the high Ba–Sr granitoids were derived from reworking of previous mafic crust during the Late Cretaceous (ca. 100–80 Ma) in the SE Lhasa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Serum exosomal has-miR-1273 g-3p, has-miR-4793-3p and has-miR-619-5p can be used as new diagnostic biomarkers for GC. • Serum exosomal hsa-miR-1273 g-3p / hsa-miR-4793-3p targets MELK and hsa-miR-619-5p targets NCAPG2 were identified as novel mechanisms involved in the development of GC. It provides new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of GC by exo -miRNAs. To explore the differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) in serum exosomes between gastric cancer (GC) patients and healthy people to provide new targets for GC diagnosis and treatment. DEMs in serum exosomes were screened by microarray analysis and verified by RT-qPCR. The target genes of DEMs were predicted using Targetscan and miRTarBase databases and then overlapped with the DEGs of STAD in TCGA database to obtain the common target genes. Biological function and pathway enrichment were analyzed using enrichr database, and a PPI network was constructed using STRING database. The potential target genes of DEMs were identified using the MCODE and cytoHubba plug-ins of Cytoscape software. Survival analysis were conducted using KMP and TCGA databases. The DEMs -target genes-pathways network was established using Cytoscape software. A Cox proportional hazards regression model formed by optimal target genes was used to access the reliability of this prediction process. Three serum exosomal microRNAs (exo -miRNAs, has-miR-1273 g-3p, has-miR-4793-3p, has-miR-619-5p) were identified to be highly expressed in GC patients and performed excellent diagnostic ability. A total of 179 common target genes related to GC were predicted. They were mainly involved in 79 GO functional annotations and 6 KEGG pathways. The prognostic model formed by eight optimal target genes (TIMELESS, DNA2, MELK, CHAF1B, DBF4, PAICS, CHEK1 and NCAPG2), which were low-risk genes of GC, also performed perfect prognostic ability. Serum exosomal has-miR-1273 g-3p, has-miR-4793-3p and has-miR-619-5p can be used as new diagnostic biomarkers for GC. Among them, serum exosomal hsa-miR-1273 g-3p / hsa-miR-4793-3p targets MELK and hsa-miR-619-5p targets NCAPG2 were identified as novel mechanisms involved in the development of GC. It provides new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of GC by exo -miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grade and morphological character of kimberlite-hosted diamonds were compared to crystallization temperature (T) and oxygen fugacity (fO2) estimated from groundmass spinels in six kimberlite pipes in the North China Craton (NCC). Crystallization temperatures calculated at an assumed pressure of 1 GPa are in the range of 1037–1395 °C, with a mean of 1182 °C. At these temperatures, the estimated fO2 varies from 1.2 to 3.1 log units below the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) buffer. Generally, individual kimberlite pipe shows a small variation of the T (50–100 °C) and fO2 (0.4–0.6 log units), whereas different kimberlite pipes present great changes of T and fO2 which can be up to 300 °C and 2 units respectively. The fO2 of kimberlite magma shows a strong negative correlation with the diamond grade of kimberlite, suggesting that the fO2 plays an important role in diamond resorption, whereas the T shows no relationship with the diamond grade, indicating the T plays no role in diamond resorption. The conditions of kimberlite crystallization (fO2) can be a useful parameter in evaluating diamond survival in diamond exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fractionation of hornblende is a common phenomenon in arc magmas, and gives rise to a number of notable geochemical characteristics. However, it is often cryptic, with limited direct petrographic evidence for the fractionation, or even presence of amphibole in volcanic suites. Newly identified hornblendites in the SE Tibet represent direct evidence for hornblende fractionation in the Gangdese arc. The hornblendites have age ranges from 95.3 ± 0.2 to 92.6 ± 0.2 Ma, recording magmatic activities over a ca. 2 Myr interval. Textural relationships indicate that hornblendites form by peritectic reactions between an evolving melt and earlier-formed clinopyroxenites. Relict clinopyroxenes and primitive pargasite record melt evolution from high Sr/Y basaltic andesite to dacite, during cooling from ∼1050 °C to ∼850 °C in the mid to lower crust. The clinopyroxene precursors interacted with water-rich high SiO 2 fluids/melts at ca. 800 °C. Zircons have high δ18O values (up to 7.62‰) and positive ε Hf (t) values (up to +13.0), but bulk rock data show high 87Sr/86Sr ratios (up to 0.7093) and negative ε Nd (t) values (ca. −3.2). This decoupled signature implies the primary magmatic source was metasomatized by 5–10% recycled subducted sediments. Magmas have a high oxygen fugacity (ΔNNO can up to +2.40) through a combination of metasomatism during subduction, and subsequent melt-mush interaction that is recorded by zoned hornblendes. Metasomatism, widespread and long-term fractionation of amphibole ± garnet ± clinopyroxene, and high oxygen fugacity, are all positive indicators for the fertility of arc magmas with respect to porphyry copper formation. This study demonstrates that late-stage melt-mush interaction can contribute to peritectic hornblendite formation and facilitate magma fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rolling significantly affects metabolite profile and bacterial community structure of Keemun black tea. • Pyrogallol-type catechins are oxidized asynchronously before catechol-type catechins during black tea processing. • The nonvolatile metabolite profile determines the bacterial community during processing of black tea. • New change pattern is discovered for the flavonoid glycosides during the processing of Keemun black tea. The detailed dynamics of small molecular nonvolatile chemical and bacterial diversities, as well as their relationship are still unclear in the manufacturing process of Keemun black tea (KMBT). Herein, mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics, Feature-based Molecular Networking (FBMN) and bacterial DNA amplicon sequencing were used to investigate the dense temporal samples of the manufacturing process. For the first time, we reveal that the pyrogallol-type catechins are oxidized asynchronously before catechol-type catechins during the black tea processing. Rolling is the key procedure for forming the small molecular nonvolatile metabolite profile (SMNMetProf), increasing the metabolite richness, and then shaping the bacterial community structure in the KMBT manufacturing process, which decreases both molecular weight and molecular polarity of the small molecular nonvolatile metabolites. The SMNMetProf of black tea is formed by the endogenous enzymatic oxidation of tea leaves, rather than bacterial fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic suites are widespread and generally volumetrically small but provide key information on magmatic mantle-crust interactions. Limited work has addressed the multi-stage formation of relatively high-volume high-K to shoshonitic rocks. A newly identified, Late-Cretaceous to Early-Cenozoic high-volume high-K to shoshonitic association (ca. 28,000 km3) is described, from the southeastern Himalayan–Tibetan orogen. The mafic intrusions are shoshonitic (K2O contents, ~ 3.3 wt.%), have high-Mg contents (~ 5.1 wt.%) with high-Mg# (57), LREE and LILEs with low Ba/Th, Ba/La, Sm/La (< 0.3), Nb/Yb and 208Pb/206Pb ratios but high Hf/Sm (> 0.70), Th/Yb, Th/La (> 0.2) and La/Sm, and lack an Eu anomaly. Their mafic minerals are hydrous, dominated by magnesio-hornblende (Mg#, ~ 0.69–0.73) and Mg- and K-biotite (MgO, 7.27–9.26 wt.%; K2O, 9.65–10.1 wt.%). Such characteristics strongly suggest derivation from the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), metasomatized by sediment-derived melts/fluids. The associated felsic intrusions have high SiO2, alkali content (Na2O + K2O contents up to 10.0 wt.%) and incompatible elements (e.g., K, Rb), with ferropargasite-hastingsite and ferrobiotite-siderophyllite as the mafic phases. These characteristics point to derivation from the continental crust enriched by fluids, likely those released from the contemporaneous mafic magmas crystallising at depth. In contrast to low-volume potassic magmatism from post-collision and earliest arc-rift settings, these high-volume high-K and shoshonitic intrusions define a mantle-to-upper crust pathway at an active continental margin. Alongside geophysical data, these observations are consistent with the contemporary subduction history, arising from subduction of the Neo-Tethyan ocean slab to initial collision of India-Asia, from steepening subduction to slab rollback and breakoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Current approaches for oral health care rely on procedures that are unaffordable to impoverished populations, whereas aerosolized droplets in the dental clinic and poor oral hygiene may contribute to spread of several infectious diseases including COVID‐19, requiring new solutions for dental biofilm/plaque treatment at home. Plant cells have been used to produce monoclonal antibodies or antimicrobial peptides for topical applications to decrease colonization of pathogenic microbes on dental surface. Therefore, we investigated an affordable method for dental biofilm disruption by expressing lipase, dextranase or mutanase in plant cells via the chloroplast genome. Antibiotic resistance gene used to engineer foreign genes into the chloroplast genome were subsequently removed using direct repeats flanking the aadA gene and enzymes were successfully expressed in marker‐free lettuce transplastomic lines. Equivalent enzyme units of plant‐derived lipase performed better than purified commercial enzymes against biofilms, specifically targeting fungal hyphae formation. Combination of lipase with dextranase and mutanase suppressed biofilm development by degrading the biofilm matrix, with concomitant reduction of bacterial and fungal accumulation. In chewing gum tablets formulated with freeze‐dried plant cells, expressed protein was stable up to 3 years at ambient temperature and was efficiently released in a time‐dependent manner using a mechanical chewing simulator device. Development of edible plant cells expressing enzymes eliminates the need for purification and cold‐chain transportation, providing a potential translatable therapeutic approach. Biofilm disruption through plant enzymes and chewing gum‐based delivery offers an effective and affordable dental biofilm control at home particularly for populations with minimal oral care access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The linear complementarity problem arising from a free boundary problem can be equivalently reformulated as a fixed-point equation. We present a modified modulus-based multigrid method to solve this fixed-point equation. This modified method is a full approximation scheme using the modulus-based splitting iteration method as the smoother and avoids the transformation between the auxiliary and the original functions which was necessary in the existing modulus-based multigrid method. We predict its asymptotic convergence factor by applying local Fourier analysis to the corresponding two-grid case. Numerical results show that the W-cycle possesses an h -independent convergence rate and a linear elapsed CPU time, and the convergence rate of the V-cycle can be improved by increasing the smoothing steps. Compared with the existing modulus-based multigrid method, the modified method is more straightforward and is a standard full approximation scheme, which makes it more convenient and efficient in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochar plays an important role in improving soil quality and carbon (C) sequestration. However, the effects of different biochar application rates on soil organic C content and its fractions in the Loess Plateau of northwest China are still unclear. In this work, six biochar treatments were studied, with application rates of 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 t·ha−1 (CK, T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively). Soil total organic C (TOC), readily oxidizable C (ROC), water-soluble organic C (WSOC), microbial biomass C (MBC), light fraction organic C (LFOC), heavy fraction organic C (HFOC) and the Carbon pool management index (CPMI) in the 0–30 cm layer were analyzed after 3 years of wheat field trials. The content of soil TOC and its fractions decreased with soil depth but was significantly (p <.05) increased by biochar. TOC, ROC and HFOC showed significant (p <.05) positive correlations with the rate of biochar application, with the highest content of these components in T5. MBC, WSOC and LFOC first increased and then decreased with the increasing rate of biochar application. MBC and WSOC of T3 and LFOC of T4 were the highest of all treatments. When compared with CK, the CPMI of all biochar treatments was >100% in the order of T5 > T4 > T3 > T2 > T1. This study provides scientific support for large-scale biochar application on the Loess Plateau to significantly improve soil quality via increasing the soil organic C fractions and enhancing the inert soil C pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational studies revealed that dirhodium tetrakis(1,2,2‐triarylcyclopropanecarboxylate) (Rh2(TPCP)4) catalysts adopt distinctive high symmetry orientations, which are dependent on the nature of the aryl substitution pattern. The parent catalyst, Rh2(TPCP)4, and those with a p‐substituent at the C1 aryl, such as Rh2(p‐BrTPCP)4 and Rh2(p‐PhTPCP)4, adopt a C2‐symmetric structure. Rh2(3,5‐di(p‐tBuC6H4)TPCP)4, 3,5‐disubstituted at the C1 aryl, adopts a D2‐symmetric structure, whereas catalysts with an o‐substituent at the C1 aryl, such as Rh2(o‐Cl‐5‐BrTPCP)4, adopt a C4‐symmetric structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical vortex and vector field are two important types of structured optical fields. Due to their wide applications and unique features in many scientific realms, the generation, manipulation, and measurement of such fields have attracted significant interest and become very important topics. However, most ways to generate vector fields have a trade-off among flexibility, efficiency, stability, and simplicity. Meanwhile, an easy and direct way to measure the topological charges, especially for a high order optical vortex, is still a challenge. Here we design and manufacture a prism: a polarization interferometric prism (PIP) as a single-element interferometer, which can conveniently convert an optical vortex to vector fields with high efficiency and be utilized to precisely measure the topological charge (both absolute value and sign) of an arbitrary optical vortex, even with a high order. Experimentally, we generate a variety of vector fields with global fidelity ranging from 0.963 to 0.993 and measure the topological charge of an optical vortex by counting the number of petals uniformly distributed over a ring on the output intensity patterns. As a versatile tool to generate, manipulate, and detect the spin-orbital state of single photons, PIP can also work in the single-photon regime for quantum information processing. In the experiment, the PIP is utilized as a spin–orbit controlled-Not gate on the generated 28 two-qubit states, achieving the state fidelities ranging from 0.966 to 0.995 and demonstrating the feasibility of the PIP for single photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, three wavelet basis functions, i.e., Mexican-hat, Morlet, and Wave, were used to analyze the atmospheric turbulence data obtained from an eddy covariance system in order to determine the effect of six meteorological elements including three-dimensional wind speed, temperature, and CO2 and H2O concentrations on the time scale of coherent structures. First, we used the degree of correlation between original and reconstructed waveforms to test the three wavelets 'performance when determining the time scale of coherent structures. The Wave wavelet' s reconstructed coherent structure signal best matched the original signal; thus, it was used to further analyze the time scale, number, and time cover of the meteorological elements. We found similar results for all elements, though there was some internal variation, suggesting that coherent structures are not inherently dependent on these elements. Our results provide a basis for proper coherent structure detection in atmospheric turbulence and improve the understanding of similarities and differences between coherent structure characteristics of different meteorological elements, which is helpful for further research into atmospheric turbulence and boundary layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Database is a key workload in data analysis, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, and other fields, and it is the key to improving the overall performance of the system. The query execution efficiency of traditional database systems is low, and the CPU usually needs to process transaction loads first, so that data query becomes a bottleneck that restricts the performance and efficiency of the entire system. In order to improve the system's ability of supporting large-scale data and high-intensity instantaneous concurrent access, a CPU + FPGA heterogeneous architecture is proposed to accelerate database queries. The accelerator is integrated into the CPU by using coherent acceleration processor interfaces. The way of customizing multi-engine configurable query logic in FPGA accelerates database query. The commonly used SQL query statement SELECT is focused on, and the advantages of the system in terms of latency and simplified software stack are analyzed in detail. Finally, the Inspur F37X acceleration card and Inspur server were used to verify the function and performance of the acceleration model. The test results show that, compared with the latest CPU-based query method, the proposal increase the overall processing speed by 3 to 9 times. The accelerated structure of structural computing can be applied in the design of database hardware specialization in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specifically, Western blot images in Figure 3B, HTB-47 and CRL-1932, have been duplicated with the same images from Figure 2, U-2 OS, in Wang Z, Ren S, Ren J. Phosphotyrosine picked threonine kinase stimulates proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo. I Archives of Medical Science i . 2022;18(3):777-785. doi:10.5114/aoms/115135 and Figure 2, HTB-47 and CRL-1932, in Liu X D, Yao D W, Xin F. TTK contributes to tumor growth and metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by inducing cell proliferation and invasion. [Extracted from the article]

The RH vacuum refining technology is a vitally powerful method of producing clean steel. The inner diameter of traditional circular snorkel is very difficult to be increased owing to the metallurgical refractory thickness around the snorkels and the limitation of the area under the vacuum chamber, limiting the increase in refining efficiency. In order to improve the refining efficiency of the RH reactor, a new designed RH degasser with an optimized arched snorkel is established. This design replaces the traditional two circular snorkels structure with the two arched snorkels and greatly enhances the cross-sectional area of snorkel. In this study, the flow characteristics of this new type RH were studied and analyzed by establishing a 1 : 5.5 physical model of RH with arched snorkels. Results show that the circulation flow rate of RH with arched snorkels can increase by 100% ∼ 180% and the mixing time approximately decreases by 35% compared with RH with circular snorkels under actual production conditions. The circulation flow rate of RH with arched snorkels continues to increase obviously when gas flow rate exceeds the saturated value of RH with circular snorkels. The RH with arched snorkels can increase the refining efficiency significantly and has important application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to explore the nutritional value of sea buckthorn by-products and the antibacterial effects of their extracts on Escherichia coli. The experiment employed the sodium nitrite-aluminum nitrate method to determine flavonoid content, while alcohol extraction and water extraction methods were used to extract active substances from sea buckthorn by-products. The antibacterial effects of sea buckthorn by-product extracts on Escherichia coli were investigated by the filter paper method, perforation method, and broth dilution method. The results showed that the dry matter (DM) content of sea buckthorn by-products was 97.98%, ash content was 3.41%, crude protein (CP) content was 12.87%, and crude fat (EE) content was 22.48%. With the increase of sea buckthorn by-product addition, gas production showed a decreasing trend. Among alcohol extraction and water extraction methods, the constant broth dilution method exhibited the best antibacterial effect. In the alcohol extraction method, the filter paper method showed good antibacterial effect with an inhibition zone of 14.6 mm. In the water extraction method, the filter paper method did not exhibit a significant inhibition zone, and the perforation method was not significant in both alcohol extraction and water extraction methods. The study suggests that sea buckthorn by-products have rich nutritional value, and alcohol extraction is more effective in inhibiting Escherichia coli compared to water extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improved delayed detached eddy simulation is performed to investigate aero-optical distortions induced by Mach 0.5 flow over a cylindrical turret with a flat window at a Reynolds number of Re = 5.9 × 105 based on the turret radius. Optical wave-front distortions and associated far-field intensities at elevation angles of 90°, 100°, and 120° are calculated using the geometric ray-tracing method and Fourier optics theory, respectively. The time-averaged properties of the flow fields and the optical distortions are compared with the experimental results, and reasonable agreements are obtained. It is shown that large-scale coherent structures significantly increase the optical distortions and, consequently, degrade the optical performance in terms of the far-field intensity level, while the optical effects of the attached turbulent boundary layers and separation bubbles are trivial and negligible. Very little difference is observed in both instantaneous and statistical optical results calculated with and without defocus and astigmatism components, indicating the adequacy of the removing piston and tilt components for aiding in the design of adaptive optical systems. Both co-flow and blowing jet fluid control methods are introduced with a steady mass flow to alleviate wave-front distortions, and preliminary simulations demonstrate the practicability of these fluid control methods in suppressing the optical distortions. It is shown that both the active control methods are competent to reduce the overall wave-front root-mean-square of the optical path difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the expression in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues and explore the effects of kinesin family member 4A (KIF4A) on ccRCC progression. Methods: GEPIA was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues from TCGA database, and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were performed to assess its expression in human ccRCC tissues collected in our hospital. The clinical-pathological analysis was performed to explore the correlation with KIF4A expression. The effects of KIF4A on ccRCC cell proliferation were detected through colony formation and MTT assays. Finally, the effects of KIF4A on tumor growth were measured using a mice model. Results: Bioinformation results showed the expression of KIF4A mRNA was upregulated in ccRCC tissues and high expression of KIF4A was related with poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. We also found a high expression of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues collected in our hospital. We also found its expression level was correlated with clinical characteristics, including T stage (P=0.035*) and lymphatic metastasis (P=0.028*). We further confirmed that knockdown of KIF4A suppressed cell proliferation in HTB-47 and CRL-1932 cells. Furthermore, KIF4A contributes to tumor growth of ccRCC cells in mice. Conclusion: We found the abnormal high expression of KIF4A in human ccRCC tissues and demonstrated that KIF4A could serve as a tumor induction gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The blender of active material R6G and film forming agent PDMS are spincoated onto a sandpaper substrate to fabricate the random laser of thin layer. The sandpaper provides support for the random laser and the sand particles on the sandpaper substrate provide the scattering mechanism of random lasing output. The random lasing emission centres at 560 nm, with a threshold of about 13 mJ/cm2. This design provides a new and cheap method to fabricate random lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the problems of ordinary rubber seals, such as high- and low-temperature resistance, easy aging, and insufficient load-bearing performance, O-type metal rubber seals with large ring-to-diameter ratio were prepared by the cold stamping method using stainless steel wire as raw material. The effects of heat treatment and porosity on the compression and tensile properties of test samples were investigated. Under uniaxial compression testing, it was found that the test sample had typical hysteresis characteristics, and the loss factor and energy dissipation of the sample with the same size and different porosity increased with the decrease of porosity. The loss factor and energy dissipation of the heat-treated sample were lower than those of the untreated sample. Thus, the smaller the porosity, the greater the change of loss factor and energy dissipation. Under uniaxial tensile testing, obvious stage changes were found during the tensile process, which included a linear elasticity stage, the formation and development stage of wire breakage, the one-by-one fracture stage of wires, and the complete failure stage of the sample. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity of four samples with different porosity were measured, and it was found that the three parameters increased with the decrease of porosity. Moreover, the thermal treatment conductivity increased with the decrease of porosity. The aforementioned three parameters were generally increased. This indicated that metal rubber materials have good mechanical properties under high-temperature environments, which effectively solves the problem of vulnerability to aging and failure of ordinary rubbers under normal working conditions and has strong practical engineering significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genesis of high-K calc-alkaline rocks is important in evaluating subduction-related magmatism, particularly with regard to melts derived from recycled subducted sediments, which require unusually steep geothermal gradients. Here, we present high-precision laser ablation--inductively coupled plasma--mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb, bulk-rock geochemical, Sr and Nd isotopic, mineral chemical, and in situ zircon Hf isotope data for high-K calc-alkaline granodiorites and associated enclaves in the SE Lhasa block, Tibet. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb data show that the grano diorites were emplaced at ca. 124.1-123.8 Ma, and the associated enclaves formed at ca. 132.7-129.6 Ma. The granodiorites are high-K, calc-alkaline, and slightly peraluminous, with A/CNK (= molar ratio of Al2O3/[CaO + Na2O + K2O]) values in the range 0.96-1.11. The high Th/La and La/Sm ratios, Th and Nb content, and low Nb/Ta, Ba/Th, U/Th, and Zr/Nb ratios are similar to rocks formed from sediment-derived melts. The uniformly high initial 87Sr/86Sr values (0.710277-0.712581), low εNd(t) (-8.3 to -11.2) values, and negative and variable zircon εHf(t) values (-11.71 to -0.96) imply continental crustal sources. The enclaves are basaltic to andesitic and have high MgO (3.82-5.48 wt%), and their zircon Hf isotopic compositions and presence of magnesian-hornblende and plagioclase with labradorite-bytownite composition indicate a possible mantle connection. In conjunction with regional geological features, we infer that these rocks were derived from melting of recycled subducted sedimentary materials in the mantle wedge during the southward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean. Our new data, together with those from the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone and its flanks, suggest that magmatic activity associated with the subduction of Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan oceanic lithosphere occurred from the Middle Triassic to Early Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Early Cretaceous high-Mg# granodiorites in the NE Lhasa terrane. • Intensive granitic magmatism occurred at ca. 133–113 Ma. • Mantle-derived materials play a necessary role in the generation. • Interaction between ancient lower crust and mantle-derived peridotites. • Evolved isotopic component was gradually decreased from 140 to 100 Ma. High-Mg# (molar Mg/[Mg + Fe]) intermediate to felsic rocks, such as high-Mg andesitic rocks (HMA) and Mg andesites (MA), are usually produced by melting of mantle-derived peridotites and/or interaction with mantle-derived peridotites. Both are crucial in tracking mantle-crust interaction processes in the deep crust. We present LA-ICP-MS in-situ zircon U-Pb isotopic data, whole-rock geochemistry and whole-rock Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data for the Basu granodiorites which are exposed between the Jiali fault and the Bangong-Nujiang suture, SE Tibet. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb data show that the granodiorites were formed at ca. 122.1 ± 1.0 Ma, coeval with other granitoids in this region. The granodiorites belong to the high-K calc-alkaline and high-Mg# (49.7–53.7) series, similar to typical MA. The decreasing A/CNK from 0.97 to 0.87 and increasing FM (molar Fe + Mg) from 0.08 to 0.16 indicate a clinopyroxene entrainment and I-type trend. The rocks also display enriched Rb, Th, U and Pb, but depleted P, Ti and obvious negative Eu anomalies. Evolved whole-rock isotopic compositions of Basu granodiorites include high initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7097–0.7114), negative ε Nd(t) (−12.0 to −7.2) and ε Hf(t) values (−9.6 to −7.9), and lower to upper crustal affinity of Pb isotopes which imply that they were derived from an ancient and evolved lower crust source. Therefore, we suggest that these granodiorites were products of interaction between partial melting of ancient basaltic lower crust and mantle-derived peridotites. Together with a geochronology dataset from the literature, we suggest that there was intensive granitic magmatism occurred in the Early Cretaceous range from 133 to 113 Ma in the northeastern Lhasa terrane, similar to those in the central and northern Lhasa terrane. Furthermore, we have compared with the dataset of in-situ zircon Lu-Hf isotopes, whole-rock Sr-Nd from the literatures and the relationship with zircon U-Pb ages in the northeastern Lhasa terrane, all of which indicate the importance of evolved and ancient continental crust source in the Early Cretaceous magmatism in the northeastern Lhasa terrane, but also that the mantle-derived materials play a necessary role in the generation. In addition, the amount of enriched and evolved isotopic component gradually decreased from ca.140 to 100 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the design and optimization of a ring-pair permanent magnet array for head imaging in a low-field portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The proposed array generates a longitudinal main static magnetic field (${B}_{0}$ field) with an average field strength of 169.7 mT and a homogeneity of 24 786 ppm in a field of view with a diameter of 200 mm and a thickness of 50 mm. It is a significant increase in field homogeneity by 79.7% compared to a traditional ring-pair structure of the same dimension and mass while still maintaining a similar field strength. The optimization was implemented by applying a genetic algorithm and by proposing an efficient current model for the forward calculation of the magnetic field. The effectiveness of the optimization is validated by realistic simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics. Compared to a Halbach array, where the field is transversal and the existing coil designs cannot be applied directly, the proposed array generates stronger fields. Its magnetic field is longitudinal, which allows the direct application of the advancements in RF coil designs in a conventional MRI system to the imaging system using the proposed magnet array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal rubber (MR) is an excellent damping material that is often used in practical engineering applications. The performance of MR in the nonforming direction is different from that in the molding direction, and research is rare; the anisotropy of MR is gradually revealed in many engineering applications because characterization and analysis of damping energy dissipation characteristics in the nonforming direction of cylindrical MR were carried out by the characterization method of damping materials. Based on the testing methods, dry friction and dynamic stiffness are taken as the main analysis points. By performing single-factor control and orthogonal tests, the parameters affecting the energy dissipation and damping characteristics of MR are studied, and the main factors that cause changes in energy consumption and loss factor are analyzed. It is found that the influence of loading amplitude on damping energy is much higher than that of loading frequency, and the damping characteristic of MR is not sensitive to frequency. Therefore, the loading amplitude level of the actual environment should be considered first followed by the knitting technology in design of MR components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strongly peraluminous fractionated S-type granites are important indicators of compositional maturity of the continental crust. Here we report the finding of strongly peraluminous fractionated S-type granites from the western Baoshan Block in the southeastern Tibetan–Himalayan orogenic belt. We present LA ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages from biotite- and two-mica- granites which reveal two distinct periods of magmatism at 121.8 ± 1.1 Ma and 81.9–79.7 Ma. These Cretaceous granites are strongly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.18–1.31), high-K calc-alkaline, enriched in Rb, Th, K, and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Sr and Ti. They also show high normative- corundum contents of 2.84–4.42 wt%, moderately high P 2 O 5 content (0.22–0.28 wt%) and high differentiation index (DI) of 93.1–96.8, similar to the features of fractionated S-type granites. The low total Fe 2 O 3 T + MgO + TiO 2 contents (<3.0 wt%) are also consistent with the results from experimental studies on S-type granite melts. The S-type granites from Baoshan show high Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2 (93.8–182.9), Rb/Ba (6.19–23.5), and Rb/Sr (17.0–30.5) values, and low CaO/Na 2 O (0.09–1.19). They also display negative εNd( t ) values (−11.7 to −13.6) and εHf( t ) ranges (−5.47 to −0.77 for biotite granites and −7.67 to −0.81 for two-mica granites) suggesting evolved and heterogeneous continental crustal sources for the magma. The initial 206 Pb/ 204 Pb (17.527 to 19.277), 207 Pb/ 204 Pb (15.772 to 15.888), and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb (39.237 to 39.498) isotopic ratios are also consistent with lower to upper crustal affinity. Our data, in conjunction with those from experimental studies suggest that the strongly peraluminous S-type granites were derived from partial melting of metasedimentary, pelite-dominated source within continental crustal basement, similar to typical fractionated S-type granites from the Jiangnan Orogen (SE China), Erzgebirge (Central Europe), Eastern Australia and the low-temperature SP granites in the Himalayas. We correlate the Early- to Late- Cretaceous magmatism with two-stage melting of fertile continental materials following the final closure and termination of Bangong-Nujiang Tethys ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which described the average bond energy model used to develop the determination of valence-band offset at heterojunctions. Background on semiconductor heteroconjunctions; Calculation details and results; Discussion and conclusions.

Presents studies which examined electronic structures of strained-layer super lattices (SLS) InP/InAs system, using an all electron-potential, scalar relativistic linearized muffin-tin-orbital method. Configuration of the unit cell of (InAs)[subn](InP)[subn](001]; Band structure and frozen potential of LS; Conditions influencing the corrected band gaps of SLS in flying-spot microscope; Effects of hydrostatic pressure on the electronic structures of SLS.

In consideration of the thermodynamic pressure and volume, we present a short and direct derivation of Hawking radiation as a tunneling process for the charged particles. Using Parikh's Semi-classical tunneling method and Lagrangian analysis on the action, we provide the geodesic equation of the massive particles via tunneling from the Anit-de Sitter (AdS) black hole. Special attention is given to calculating the imaginary part before and after particles via the horizon as the pressure and volume are considered. The result shows that the emission rates are always related to the change of Bekenstein-Hawking entropy and the exact spectrum is not precisely thermal, which are consistent with the case without pressure and volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morus alba L. (mulberry) is a perennial woody tree and a species with great potential for Cd phyremediation owing to its large biomass and extensive root system. The mechanisms involved in Cd detoxification were investigated by analyzing the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of Cd in mulberry in the present study. These results indicated that 53.27-70.17% of Cd mulberry accumulated was stored in the root and only about 10% were in the leaves. Lots of the Cd was located in the cell wall of the mulberry root and in soluble fraction of the mulberry leaf. Moreover, in roots, the largest amount of Cd was in the form of undissolved Cd-phosphate. While in mulberry leaves and stems, most of the Cd was extracted by 2% Acetic acid and 0.6 M HCl, representing Cd-phosphate and Cd-oxalate. It could be concluded that the Cd combination with peptides and organo-ligands in vacuole of leaf or complexed with proteins or cellulose in the cell wall of root might be contributed to the tolerance of mulberry to Cd stress. The mulberry could be used to remediate the Cd polluted farmland soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the pressure-temperature phase diagram of the antiferromagnet CeAg 2 Si 2 established via resistivity and calorimetry measurements under quasi-hydrostatic conditions up to 22.5 GPa. With increasing pressure, the Néel temperature [ T N ( p = 0 ) = 8.6 K] slowly increases up to T N = 13.4 K at 9.4 GPa and then vanishes abruptly at the magnetic critical pressure p c ∼ 13 GPa. For the first time, heavy fermion superconductivity is observed in CeAg 2 Si 2 . Superconductivity emerges at ∼ 11 GPa and persists over roughly 10 GPa. Partial- and bulk-transition temperatures are highest at p = 16 GPa, with a maximal T c bulk = 1.25 K. In the pressure region of superconductivity, Kondo and crystal-field splitting energies become comparable and resistivity exhibits clear signatures of a Ce-ion valence crossover. The crossover line is located at a rapid collapse in resistivity as function of pressure and extrapolates to a valence transition critical endpoint at critical pressure and temperature of p cr ∼ 17 GPa and T cr ∼ − 13 K , respectively. Both critical spin and valence fluctuations may build up superconductivity in CeAg 2 Si 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shapinggou molybdenum deposit is located in the Qinling-Dabie Orogen, which hosts the world's largest molybdenum belt. The igneous rocks at Shapinggou can be divided into two stages (136–127 Ma and 118–114 Ma), the early suite of felsic (136–127 Ma, SiO 2  = 58.0 to 72.9 wt%) and mafic rocks (133–128 Ma, SiO 2  = 45.2 to 57.0 wt%), and a later suite comprising syenite (117 Ma, SiO 2  = 64.2 to 65.0 wt%), quartz syenite porphyry (116 Ma, 62.5 to 70.0 wt%), granite porphyry (112 Ma, SiO 2  = 75.5 to 77.6 wt%) and diorite porphyry (111 Ma, SiO 2  = 56.6 to 59.7 wt%). The early-stage felsic rocks display high SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , Na 2 O, K 2 O, Sr, LREE contents, and Sr/Y, (La/Yb) N ratios, initial Sr isotope ratios of 0.7076 to 0.7089, but low MgO, FeO T , Y, Yb contents and negative ε Nd (t) values, consistent with partial melting of the lower continental crust. The early-stage mafic rocks exhibit low SiO 2 , high MgO, Ni and Cr contents, consistent with an upper mantle source, but trace element and isotope data suggest a role for crustal contamination. The late-stage syenite and quartz syenite porphyry show high abundances of Na 2 O, K 2 O, Al 2 O 3 , HFSEs (e.g., Th, U, Zr, Hf) and significant negative Eu anomalies. The late-stage granite porphyry displays high SiO 2 contents, and depletions in Ba, Sr, Eu and Ti. The geochemical features of the late-stage intrusions are similar to A-type granites. Crystal fractionation of plagioclase, K-feldspar, biotite/ muscovite, amphibole/ garnet and Fe-Ti oxides controlled the evolution of the magma. The geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the rocks at Shapinggou were likely derived from a mixed source of lithospheric mantle, subducted continental crust of the Yangtze Block (Kongling Group) and partial melts of the Dabie Complex. Early stage rocks represent melts of the source with a lower proportion of Dabie Complex materials, whereas late stage rocks were derived from a source with a higher proportion Dabie Complex component. The geochemical and isotopic variations of the intrusions at Shapinggou were controlled by both source characteristics and fractional crystallization. Although the Shapinggou deposit is located in a continental collision orogen, the magmas formed in an intraplate extension setting, with an increase in the amount of extension from the early to late stages. As well, both stages intrusions at Shapinggou were generated by the addition of heat, due to lithospheric delamination, mantle upwelling and rapid mantle convection, related to the far-field effects of the westward subduction of the paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Asian continent. The geochemistry and setting suggest that the formation of a giant Mo deposit does not require a Mo-rich magma source, but rather an efficient convection mechanism for the transport of volatiles and Mo in a granitic magma system. The fluids derived from the granite porphyry at Shapinggou were more oxidised than that from the barren intrusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Shapinggou deposit, located in the Dabie Orogenic Belt, eastern China, is one of the largest Mo-only porphyry deposits in the world. Alteration types associated with Shapinggou include silicic, potassic-silicic, phyllic, propylitic and argillic. The phyllic alteration can be subdivided into quartz and sericite (mainly muscovite) phases whereas the argillic alteration is distinguished by poorly crystallized kaolinite (kaolinite PX), muscovite and phengite. The ore-forming event can be divided into quartz-K-feldspar, quartz-molybdenite, quartz-sericite and quartz-fluorite-gypsum stages, with molybdenite deposited in the first three stages but mainly in the second. The molybdenites in Shapinggou represent either the 2H 1 and/or the 2H 1  + 3R polytype, and can be subdivided into two groups (group one and group two), Group 1 is associated with stage 1 alteration whereas Group 2 is found with stages 2 and 3. There is an increase in the Re values from group one to group two with the Re contents likely controlled by both the crustal metal source and temperature. With decreasing temperature, the contents of Re and the ratios of Mo/Cu in molybdenites in Shapinggou decrease gradually, whereas the contents of Cu and W + Sn, and the ratios of Re/Cu, Co/Ni increase. The Pb + Zn values in molybdenite are higher in the porphyry Mo deposit associated with Pb-Zn deposits than in porphyry Cu-Mo/Mo deposits not associated with Pb-Zn deposits. The ratios of Cl − /F − , SO 2 /H 2 S, and H + /K + in the Shapinggou fluids, increasing over time, suggest that the fluids became more oxidised. The initial ore-forming fluid, was >500 °C, carried ions of Mo, Ca, Na, K, Cl, F, S and caused potassic-silicic alteration with deposition of only small amounts of molybdenite. As the temperature dropped down to ∼400 °C, the amounts of Mo, K, Cu and Cl ions in the fluid decreased leading to silicic-sericitic and propylitic alteration and the deposition of the majority of the molybdenite. As the temperatures decreased to ∼300 °C, the fluid contained ions of Ca and F, and Pb-Zn was deposited distally around the main Mo ore-body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents precise zircon U–Pb, bulk-rock geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data for metagabbro, quartz diorite, and granite units within the Tengchong Block of SW China, which forms the southeastern extension of the Himalayan orogeny and the southwestern section of the Sanjiang orogenic belt, a key region for furthering our understanding of the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys. These data reveal four groups of zircon U–Pb ages that range from the late Paleozoic to the early Mesozoic, including a 263.6 ± 3.6 Ma quartz diorite, a 218.5 ± 5.4 Ma two-mica granite, a 205.7 ± 3.1 Ma metagabbroic unit, and a 195.5 ± 2.2 Ma biotite granite. The quartz diorite in this area contains low concentrations of SiO2 (60.71–64.32 wt%), is sodium-rich, and is metaluminous, indicating formation from magmas generated by a mixed source of metamafic rocks with a significant metapelitic sedimentary material within lower arc crust. The two-mica granites contain high concentrations of SiO2 (73.2–74.3 wt%), are strongly peraluminous, and have evolved Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions, all of which are indicative of a crustal source, most probably from the partial melting of felsic pelite and metagreywacke/psammite material. The metagabbros contain low concentrations of SiO2 (50.17–50.96 wt%), are sodium-rich, contain high concentrations of Fe2O3T (9.79–10.06 wt%) and CaO (6.88–7.12 wt%), and are significantly enriched in the Sr (869–894 ppm) and LREE (198.14–464.60 ppm), indicative of derivation from magmas generated by a metasomatized mantle wedge modified by the sedimentary-derived component. The biotite granites are weakly peraluminous and formed from magmas generated by melting of metasedimentary sources dominated by metagreywacke/psammite material. Combining the petrology and geochemistry of these units with the regional geology of the Indosinian orogenic belt provides evidence for two stages of magmatism: an initial stage that generated magmas during partial melting of mantle-derived material associated with late Permian-to-Early Triassic subduction of the Paleo-Tethys, and a second stage that generated granitoid magmas by the partial melting of crustal-derived sources during the Late Triassic collision between the Lhasa and Tengchong blocks and the northern margin of the Australian continent. These rocks, therefore, provide evidence of a systematic late Permian-to-Late Triassic transition from a pre-collision/volcanic arc setting through a collisional setting to a final within-plate phase of magmatism. The previous research involving bulk-rock Sr–Nd analyses of units from the southern Sanjiang orogenic belt and zircon Hf isotopic analyses of units from the Tengchong Block suggests that these areas may record similar magmatic evolutionary trends from mantle- to crustal-derived sources during the evolution of the eastern Paleo-Tethys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Icariin (ICA) has been implicated in certain biological and pathological processes, including myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of ICA in I/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury and the potential underlying mechanism. Cell proliferation and apoptosis of H9C2 cells was determined by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in H9C2 cells was measured by flow cytometry. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot assay were performed to examine the expression levels of proteins, including HSP20, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), cytochrome complex (Cyt-c), apoptotic protease activating factor 1 (APAF1), caspase-9 andcaspase-3, and the phosphorylation of Akt (p-Akt) in H9C2 cells. The present results demonstrated that, compared with the control group, the I/R group demonstrated significantly reduced levels of HSP20 expression and cell proliferation, and increased apoptosis and ROS production in H9C2 cells. In parallel, the expression levels of Cyt-c, APAF1, caspase-9 and caspase-3 were significantly increased in the I/R group, although Bcl-2 and p-Akt/Akt expression levels were decreased. Furthermore, compared with the I/R group, ICA treatment and/or HSP20 overexpression significantly improved cardiac function, as evidenced by promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of H9C2 cells. The current study indicates that ICA exerts a cardioprotective effect against I/R injury, which is associated with the upregulation of HSP20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient one-pot synthesis of quinazolin-4(3 H )-ones, benzoimidazo[2,1- b ]quinazolin-12(6 H )-ones and imidazo[2,1- b ]quinazolin-5(1 H )-ones via a palladium-catalyzed domino process has been developed. The Pd-catalyzed reactions of 2-azidobenzamides 1 with isocyanides 2 produced quinazolin-4(3 H )-ones 4 at room temperature by a domino Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling/carbodiimide-mediated cyclization. However, as 2-azido- N -(2-bromophenyl)benzamides 1 were used under heating condition in the presence of Cs 2 CO 3 , the benzoimidazo[2,1- b ]quinazolin-12(6 H )-ones 5 were directly obtained by twice Pd-catalyzed domino cyclization. A domino reogioselective 5 -exo-dig intramolecular cyclization reaction of alkynyl-containing azides 6 with isocyanides 2 generated imidazo[2,1- b ]quinazolin-5(1 H )-ones 9 in 74–93% yields in the presence of catalyst Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 and K 2 CO 3 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional diamond exploration seldom searches directly for diamonds in rock and soil samples. Instead, it focuses on the search for indicator minerals like chrome spinel, which can be used to evaluate diamond potential. Chrome spinels are preserved as pristine minerals in the early Paleozoic (∼465 Ma), hydrothermally altered, Group I No. 30 pipe kimberlite that intruded the Neoproterozoic Qingbaikou strata in Wafangdian, North China Craton (NCC). The characteristics of the chrome spinels were investigated by petrographic observation (BSE imaging), quantitative chemical analysis (EPMA), and Raman spectral analysis. The results show that the chrome spinels are mostly sub-rounded with extremely few grains being subhedral, and these spinels are macrocrystic, more than 500 µm in size. The chrome spinels also have compositional zones: the cores are classified as magnesiochromite as they have distinctly chromium-rich (Cr 2 O 3 up to 66.56 wt%) and titanium-poor (TiO 2 < 1 wt%) compositions; and the rims are classified as magnetite as they have chromium-poor and iron-rich composition. In the cores of chrome spinels, compositional variations are controlled by Al 3+ -Cr 3+ isomorphism, which results in a strong Raman spectra peak (A 1g mode) varying from 690 cm −1 to 702.9 cm −1 . In the rims of chrome spinel, compositional variations result in the A 1g peak varying from 660 cm −1 to 672 cm −1 . The morphology and chemical compositions indicate that the chrome spinels are mantle xenocrysts. The cores of the spinel are remnants of primary mantle xenocrysts that have been resorbed, and the rims were formed during kimberlite magmatism. The compositions of the cores are used to evaluate the diamond potential of this kimberlite through comparison with the compositions of chrome spinels from the Changmazhuang and No. 50 pipe kimberlites in the NCC. In MgO, Al 2 O 3 and TiO 2 versus Cr 2 O 3 plots, the chrome spinels from the Changmazhuang and No. 50 pipe kimberlites are mostly located in the diamond stability field. However, only a small proportion of chrome spinels from No. 30 pipe kimberlite have same behavior, which indicates that the diamond potential of the former two kimberlites is greater than that of the No. 30 pipe kimberlite. This is also supported by compositional zones in the spinel grains: there is with an increase in Fe 3+ in the rims, which suggests that the chrome spinels experienced highly oxidizing conditions. Oxidizing conditions may have been imparted by fluids/melts that have a great influence on diamond destruction. Here, we suggest that chrome spinel compositions can be a useful tool for identifying the target for diamond potential in the North China Craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geochemical variations in granitic rocks may be controlled by their source rocks, melting reactions and subsequent magmatic processes, which resulted from various geodynamic processes related to subduction, collision, or slab break-off. Here we report new LA–ICP-MS zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes, whole-rock chemistry and Sr–Nd isotopes for the late Early Cretaceous quartz diorite, granodiorite and monzogranite in the Gaoligong belt, southeastern Tibet Plateau. The zircon U–Pb dating yield ages of 113.9 ± 1.6, 111.7 ± 0.8, and 112.8 ± 1.7 Ma for the quartz diorite, granodiorite, and monzogranite, respectively, which are coeval with bimodal magmatism in the central and northern Lhasa sub-terrane. There are the distinct sources regions for the quartz diorite and granodiorite–monzogranite association. The quartz diorites are sodic, calc-alkaline and have high Mg# (52–54) values. They also have elevated initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr (0.707019 to 0.709176) and low εNd(t) (− 5.16 to − 7.63), with variable zircon εHf(t) values (+ 5.65 to − 9.02). Zircon chemical data indicate a typical crustal-derived character with high Th (142–1260 ppm) and U (106–1082 ppm) and moderate U/Yb ratios (0.30 to 2.32) and Y content (705–1888 ppm). Those data suggest that the quartz diorites were derived from partial melting of ancient basaltic lower crust by a mantle-derived magma in source region. The granodiorite–monzogranite association has high-K calc-alkaline, weakly peraluminous characters. They show lower Nb/Ta (5.57 to 13.8), CaO/Na 2 O (0.62 to 1.21), higher Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2 (24.4 to 44.4) ratios, more evolved whole-rock Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic signatures, all of which suggest derivation from mixed basaltic and metasedimentary source rocks in a deep crustal zone. We propose that the granitic magmatisms at ca. 113–110 Ma in the Gaologong belt was triggered by the slab break-off of Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan oceanic lithosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Na-rich intermediate-to-felsic granitic rocks provide insights into the generation of magmas in subduction zones. This paper presents zircon LA-ICP-MS U–Pb ages as well as whole-rock geochemical, mineral chemical, and in situ zircon Hf isotopic data on Na-rich granitic rocks from the Tengchong Block, SW China. The granodiorites and associated mafic magmatic enclaves (MMEs) from the Menglian batholith yield zircon U–Pb ages of 116.1 ± 0.8 to 117.8 ± 0.6 Ma and 117.7 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively. Both host granodiorites and enclaves show calc-alkaline and sodium-rich nature, enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs), and variable depletion in zircon Hf isotopic compositions. Euhedral amphiboles in both granodiorites and associated enclaves are magnesian-hornblende with high Mg and Ca and contain euhedral plagioclase inclusions of labradorite to andesine (An 36–57 ) composition. The granodiorite was most likely derived through the mixing of partial melts derived from juvenile basaltic lower crust and a minor evolved component of ancient crustal sources. The quartz monzodiorite–granodiorites and associated MMEs from the Xiaotang-Mangdong batholith yield zircon U–Pb ages of 120.3 ± 1.3 to 122.6 ± 0.8 Ma and 120.7 ± 1.5 Ma. These rocks are also sodium-rich and show calc-alkaline trend with negative zircon Hf isotopic compositions (− 5.55 to + 0.58). The MMEs in the host intrusions are monzogabbro with variable and depleted zircon Hf isotopic compositions. The amphiboles in the both host intrusions and the enclaves show Al-rich ferro-tschermakite composition. We infer that the quartz monzodiorite–granodiorites were derived from magmas generated by the melting of ancient basaltic rocks in the lower arc crust induced by the underplating of mantle-derived mafic magmas. The formation of the different types of Na-rich granitic rocks is correlated to the subduction of Bangong–Nujiang Tethyan ocean. A comparison with magmatism in the northern magmatic belt suggests that mantle-derived magmas played an important role in the genesis of Early Cretaceous intrusions from Tengchong to Lhasa Blocks, although crustal melting is the dominant contributor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern continental crust has evolved to a more potassic, granitic composition than early continental crust, which comprises largely sodic TTG-suite magmas. The present paradigm holds that the latter are largely "juvenile" (in the sense that the time from mantle extraction to felsic crust production is comparatively short, of the order 10–100 Ma) while the former represent recycled older crust of igneous or sedimentary composition. The data from high-Mg diorites, tonalites, granodiorites and potassic granites of the 125–115 Ma Menglian Batholith (SE Tibet) exemplify the modern situation and can therefore be used to constrain current crust formation processes. These rocks have higher concentrations of incompatible elements than magmatic rocks from typical continental arc settings, with a continuum of increasing K 2 O/Na 2 O ratios, SiO 2 , K 2 O, Rb, and Th concentrations juxtaposed with decreasing MgO, CaO, and Sr. They consistently record both higher zircon δ18O values than mantle values and decoupled Nd Hf isotope systems caused by the interaction of subducted sediments with the mantle wedge. Petrogenetic mechanisms that connect the suite include crystal fractionation within the diorites, melting of the lower crust induced by advection of heat and water by the diorites, and high-level fractionation of the tonalite-granodiorite suite to produce the high-silica granites. Therefore, this example of modern fertile continental crust had a five-stage evolution: (1) subduction-enrichment of the mantle source, (2) mantle melting to produce mafic magmas that pooled in or below the lower crust, (3) mafic magma differentiation to produce the tonalite-granodioritic magmas controlled by crystal-liquid equilibria, (4) crustal melting and admixture to the evolving felsic magmas and (5) final high-level fractionation and melt extraction to produce the silicic extreme, enriched in incompatible elements such as Rb, Th and K. This model could be a general mechanism for how modern mature continental crust evolves. Importantly, it indicates a significant role for mafic magmas and thence a more important role for juvenile additions than is generally accepted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Positive temperature dependence of STZ volume and activation energy is formulated based on physical model. • Negative temperature dependence of shear band density and significant improvement of plasticity at lower temperature is demonstrated. • Experimental results of plasticity fit well with the prediction of the analytical formulation. In this paper, a theoretical formulation for shear transformation zone (STZ) volume, shear band density, and plasticity are presented and temperature dependence of these parameters are discussed. In particular, the strain energy barrier for a shear cooperative transformation is modeled following the Johnson and Samwer approach for amorphous metallic glasses; positive temperature dependence of the STZ volume and negative temperature dependence of the shear band density are formulated, based on which a significant improvement in plasticity at lower temperatures is predicted. Experimental data on the plasticity for Vit105 bulk metallic glass - obtained from the present compression tests and also from the literature - show negative temperature dependence, which is consistent with the prediction of the analytical formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylation reactions represent an important organic transformation to form C-C bonds. In addition to conventional approaches with alkyl halides or sulfonates as alkylating agents, the use of unactivated olefins for alkylations has become attractive from both cost and sustainability viewpoints. This Review summarizes transition-metal-catalyzed alkylations of various carbon-hydrogen bonds (addition of C-H bonds across olefins) using regular olefins or 1,3-dienes up to May 2016. According to the mode of activation, the Review is divided into two sections: alkylation via C-H activation and alkylation via olefin activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving thermostability of an enzyme can accelerate the relevant chemical reaction. Thus, the analysis and prediction of thermophilic proteins are conducive to protein engineering and enzyme design. In this study, a novel method based on two-step discrimination was proposed to distinguish between thermophilic and non-thermophilic proteins. The model was rigorously benchmarked on an objective dataset including 915 thermophilic proteins and 793 non-thermophilic proteins. Results showed that the overall accuracy of our method is 94.44% in 5-fold cross-validation, which is higher than those of other published methods. We believe that the two-step discriminated strategy will become a promising method in the relevant field of protein bioinformatics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shift-splitting preconditioner was recently proposed for saddle point problems, which is based on a generalized shift-splitting of the saddle point matrix. We provide a new analysis to prove that the corresponding shift-splitting iteration method is unconditional convergent. To further show the efficiency of the shift-splitting preconditioner, the eigenvalue distribution of the shift-splitting preconditioned saddle point matrix is investigated. We show that all eigenvalues having nonzero imaginary parts are located in an intersection of two circles and all real eigenvalues are located in a positive interval. Numerical examples are given to confirm our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative stability between disordered L2B structure and ordered XA structure in Heusler alloys CoFeVSi and CoFeMnSi has been compared by using first-principles calculations. It has been found that the L2B structure is lower in energy and stable in CoFeMnSi while in CoFeVSi, the ordered XA structure has a higher stability. The SGS character in XA-type CoFeVSi and CoFeMnSi may be disturbed by L2B disorder. CoFeMnSi becomes a half-metal while CoFeVSi becomes a normal ferromagnetic metal when L2B disorder occurs. The SGS character in XA-type and half-metallicity in L2B-type CoFeMnSi are insensitive to lattice distortion, which is interesting to technical applications. Finally, our results suggest that the relative stability of L2B structure and XA structures in Heusler alloys may be composition dependent, and the possibility of L2B structure should be considered, when designing and preparing Heusler alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of heterometallic Mo(W)–M′–S clusters (M′ = transition metals) has its genesis in the late 1970s with the identification of the nitrogenase iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) featuring a Mo–Fe–S double-cubane cluster core. This has led to the generation of a library of cluster skeletons subsequently used as building blocks for oligomers (OGs) and polymers, merging this field with the fascinating developments in supramolecular chemistry and coordination polymers (CPs). While resembling the general metal–ligand assembly to form CPs in one-pot, cluster-based OGs or CPs are conventionally prepared from Mo(W)–S synthons and Cu(i) salts in the presence of bridging ligands. This review summarizes the synthesis of Mo(W)–Cu–S cluster-supported OGs and CPs through a two-step strategy involving preformed clusters. This stepwise approach facilitates clean conversion, and is amenable to exquisite design protocols and yields products otherwise inaccessible via a direct one-pot method. We review the synthesis of OGs and CPs by cluster core upgrading, downgrading, ligand substitution, and cluster aggregation reactions, together with the optical and host–guest properties of the products. In doing so, we demonstrate the power and generality of this strategy for assembling these unique materials and offer clues on how to adapt this less practiced method to preparing extended molecular assemblies with potentially intriguing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acylindoles are valuable chemicals widely found in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biologically active compounds. They are also important synthetic building blocks for chemical transformation. Recent advances of acylindoles synthesis via acylation of indoles with diverse carbonyl sources ( N -alkylamines, aldehydes, α-oxocarboxylic acids, nitriles, olefins, CO, fluorinated acetic acids (salts), and diketones) are highly desirable methods. Moreover, intramolecular cyclization of aminoalkynes and enaminones also provided highly efficient and atom-economical alternatives to the traditional methods. Herein, we summarize recent advances on the synthesis of acylindoles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine the curative effects and proper radiotherapy plan of head γ-stereotactic radiotherapy (γ-SRT) for the treatment of functional pituitary macroadenoma. Clinical samples of 30 patients that underwent γ-SRT (radiotherapy group) and 26 patients that underwent pituitary adenoma resection via single nasal-sphenoidal approach (surgery group) were analyzed retrospectively and their curative effects were compared. The results showed that in the radiotherapy group, 12 cases accepted single fraction irradiation, with an average maximum diameter of tumor body of 1.8±0.6 cm, average volume of 0.6±0.4 cm3, average dose of the central point of 52.6±18.7 Gy, average dose of the peripheral point of 24.7±10.2 mGy, and isodose curve of 50-70%. The remaining 18 cases accepted multiple fraction irradiation, with an average irradiation of 3.7±1.6 times, maximum average diameter of tumor body of 4.3±1.8 cm, average volume of 4.8±2.7 cm3, average dose of the central point of 24.6±12.5 Gy, average dose of the peripheral point of 13.6±7.4 mGy, and isodose curve of 50-70%. Following treatment, the tumor volumes of patients in the radiotherapy group that received single and multiple irradiation were significantly reduced and the visual acuity and visual field were improved (p< 0.05). The two groups were followed up for an average of 3.8 years, and the follow-up results showed that differences of the two groups on the tumor control, mortality and hypopituitarism rates were not statistically significant (p>0.05). In addition, the incidence of complications of the radiotherapy group was significantly decreased as compared to that of the surgery group (p<0.05). In conclusion, γ-SRT was safe and effective for the treatment of functional pituitary adenomas. Its curative effects were equivalent to that of the microscopic single nasal-sphenoidal approach with fewer complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]