Search

Here, a cyclometalated Pt(II) clamshell dimer (complex 2) has been synthesized with the primary ligand of dibenzo(f,h)quinoxaline and an ancillary ligand of N,N′-diphenylformamidine. In addition, a mononuclear Pt(II) complex 1a and a binuclear Pt(II) complex 1b were also prepared. Complex 1a was coordinated by one cyclometalated ligand of dibenzo(f,h)quinoxaline, one chloride ion, and one N,N′-diphenylformamidine. Complex 1b was coordinated by one cyclometalated ligand of dibenzo(f,h)quinoxaline, two chloride ions, and two N,N′-diphenylformamidines. All of these three complexes were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), elemental analyses, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Pt–Pt distance in complex 2 was 2.8439(2) Å. It also exhibited a near-infrared (near-IR) emission at 887 nm in the pure solid state. On the other hand, complexes 1a and 1b exhibited triplet emission at 589 and 660 nm, respectively, in the pure solid state. Furthermore, in 2 wt% poly(Me methacrylate) (PMMA) films, complex 1a showed a triplet emission at 548 nm (with Φ = 84% and τ = 5.53 μs) and complex 1b showed an emission at 627 nm (with Φ = 79% and τ = 4.07 μs). Due to its great photophysical properties, complex 1b was deposited onto quartz plates for the detection of organic solvent vapors and it showed unique emission quenching for the vapor of tetrahydrofuran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antler is the unique mammalian organ found to be able to regenerate completely and periodically after loss, and the continuous proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal cells and chondrocytes together complete the regeneration of the antler. Circular non-coding RNAs (circRNAs) are considered to be important non-coding RNAs that regulate body development and growth. However, there are no reports on circRNAs regulating the antler regeneration process. In this study, full-transcriptome high-throughput sequencing was performed on sika deer antler interstitial and cartilage tissues, and the sequencing results were verified and analyzed. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network related to antler growth and regeneration was further constructed, and the differentially expressed circRNA2829 was screened out from the network to study its effect on chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation. The results indicated that circRNA2829 promoted cell proliferation and increased the level of intracellular ALP. The analysis of RT-qPCR and Western blot demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of genes involved in differentiation rose. These data revealed that circRNAs play a crucial regulatory role in deer antler regeneration and development. CircRNA2829 might regulate the antler regeneration process through miR-4286-R+1/FOXO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin contamination of maize is a major food safety issue worldwide. The problem is of special significance in African countries because maize is a staple food. This manuscript describes a low-cost, portable, non-invasive device for detecting and sorting aflatoxin-contaminated maize kernels. We developed a prototype employing a modified, normalized difference fluorescence index (NDFI) detection method to identify potentially aflatoxin-contaminated maize kernels. Once identified, these contaminated kernels can be manually removed by the user. The device consists of a fluorescence excitation light source, a tablet for image acquisition, and detection/visualization software. Two experiments using maize kernels artificially infected with toxigenic Aspergillus flavus were implemented to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the device. The first experiment utilized highly contaminated kernels (71.18 ppb), while mildly contaminated kernels (1.22 ppb) were used for the second experiment. Evidently, the combined approach of detection and sorting was effective in reducing aflatoxin levels in maize kernels. With a maize rejection rate of 1.02% and 1.34% in the two experiments, aflatoxin reduction was achieved at 99.3% and 40.7%, respectively. This study demonstrated the potential of using this low-cost and non-invasive fluorescence detection technology, followed by manual sorting, to significantly reduce aflatoxin levels in maize samples. This technology would be beneficial to village farmers and consumers in developing countries by enabling safer foods that are free of potentially lethal levels of aflatoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins are among the most carcinogenic mycotoxins and are considered as the most problematic mycotoxins in U.S. agriculture. The innovative technologies that can offer high-throughput detection, advantages of rapidness and non-destructiveness are urgently needed. One such technology using the near-infrared hyperspectral imaging between 900 and 2500 nm was employed to distinguish aflatoxin contamination in corn kernels. Nine hundred kernels were used with 3 treatments, namely, each 300 kernels inoculated with the aflatoxigenic AF13 fungus, non-aflatoxigenic AF36 fungus, and sterile distilled water. One hundred kernels from each treatment group were subjected to incubation for 3, 5 and 8 days, dried and wiped to remove exterior fungus, and imaged. The reference aflatoxin concentration in each kernel was determined by the VICAM AflaTest method. The full spectral partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) results show that the models established upon the standard normal variate-preprocessed germ-side absorbance generally performed better. The models with different training sample size ratios in terms of aflatoxin-negative: -positive class, indicate that the 2:1 ratio achieved more balanced prediction performance. With the 20-ppb and 100-ppb thresholds, the type II- competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS)-PLSDA models established upon the 17 and 21 commonly selected variables, under the conditions of "frequency ≥ 70" and "frequency ≥ 60" respectively in 100 random runs, achieved comparable prediction capability to the full spectral and type I-CARS-PLSDA models. The mean prediction accuracies of the aflatoxin-negative, -positive class and overall accuracy of the type II-CARS-PLSDA models, were 90.4%, 81.1% and 89.8%, and 89.7%, 82.8% and 89.3% using the 20-ppb and 100-ppb thresholds. • Corn kernels inoculated with aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic fungi included. • Effect of corn kernel side on discrimination results was investigated. • Effect of training sample size ratio of aflatoxin-negative: -positive was addressed. • Feature spectral variables determined with selection frequency taken into account. • Simplified discriminant models were established with 20- and 100-ppb thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to measure the migration parameters of nuclides in bentonite more conveniently, an improved through-discharge electromigration method was developed. In this method, the nuclides first were driven by the electric field to migrate through the bentonite column fast, then discharged with the carrier fluid, and finally collected automatically for measurement. Meanwhile, based on the analysis of the important process in the method, the solution equation for deriving the migration parameters of nuclides was established. Furthermore, two kinds of through-discharge electromigration devices were designed in term of the different nuclide sorption behaviors onto the bentonite, and the electromigration breakthrough curves of 88Sr and 239Pu in bentonite were obtained for the first time. The result indicated that the improved electromigration technology was quite efficient for acquiring the migration parameters of 88Sr with weak adsorption capacity. However, it was found that more experimental data were needed to support the analysis of 239Pu migration behavior because of its complex electrochemistry reaction with bentonite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate relationships between blood inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers in pregnant Chinese women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Southwest China and to compare the contributions of blood inflammatory indicators to GDM identification. In total, 1,347 pregnant women were divided by gestational week into early-, middle- and late-pregnancy groups. Fasting samples were collected for complete blood count (CBC) and biochemical indicator measurements. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to predict GDM. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the associations between blood inflammatory indicators and GDM prevalence in pregnant women. Significant differences were found in blood inflammatory indicators and metabolic markers in different pregnancy trimesters. For the pregnant women with GDM, FPG, 1 h-PG, 2 h-PG levels, NLR and PLR, WBC and neutrophil counts were statistically differences when compared with non-GDM groups. ROC curve analysis indicated that the NLR, PLR, WBC and neutrophil counts have predictive value for GDM from 24–28 gestational weeks. The FPG levels in 24th–28th weeks of pregnant women were positively correlated with the NLR, PLR, 1 h-PG, 2 h-PG levels and negatively correlated with lymphocyte count. Following adjustment for the age, PLR, and FPG level, multivariate logistic regression showed that the NLR was an independent factor predicting GDM in the 24th–28th weeks of pregnancy. The blood inflammatory indicators NLR, PLR, and WBC and neutrophil counts were higher in GDM women than in healthy pregnant women, suggesting that blood inflammatory indicators are associated with GDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the relationship between CTCFL and DPPA2 and validate the positive role of CTCFL/DPPA2 in cell malignant behaviors in gastric cancer. Methods. We predicted gastric cancer-related transcription factors and corresponding target mRNAs through bioinformatics. Levels of CTCFL and DPPA2 were assessed via qRT-PCR and western blot. In vitro experiments were utilized to assay the cell biological behaviors. CHIP was utilized for the assessment of the targeted relationship between CTCFL and DPPA2. Results. CTCFL and DPPA2 were both highly expressed in gastric cancer cells, and high CTCFLL and DPPA2 could promote cell malignant behaviors. CHIP validated that DPPA2 was a target of CTCFL. In addition, high DPPA2 rescued the repressive impact of CTCFL silencing on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in gastric cancer. Conclusion. The transcription factor CTCFL fosters cell proliferative, migratory, and invasive properties via activating DPPA2 in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies the sentiment endurance (SE) index developed by He (2012) to forecast excess returns of insurance stocks. With the exception of the 12-month rolling forecasts of the Fama-French three-factor model (FF), forecasts of the SE model persistently outperform that of the CAPM and FF models in terms of lower absolute percent forecasting error (APFE) and significantly lower standard deviation of APFE. The accuracy of 6-month rolling forecasts of SE model is significantly higher than that of the FF model. Further, this study finds that the inclusion of SMB and HML in the SE model significantly deteriorates the accuracy and stability of forecasts. To a lesser degree, the addition of the market risk factor to the SE model hurts more than it improves the quality of forecasts. The results clearly suggest that compared to global variables, the SE index, as a local variable, more accurately reflects insurance investor sentiment and response to news and therefore can better forecast excess returns of insurance stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual Question Answering (VQA) is a task that requires VQA model to fully understand the visual information of the image and the language information of the question, and then combine both to provide an answer. Recently, a large amount of VQA approaches focus on modeling intra- and inter-modal interactions with respect to vision and language using a deep modular co-attention network, which can achieve a good performance. Despite their benefits, they also have their limitations. First, the question representation is obtained through Glove word embeddings and Recurrent Neural Network, which may not be sufficient to capture the intricate semantics of the question features. Second, they mostly use visual appearance features extracted by Faster R-CNN to interact with language features, and they ignore important spatial relations between objects in images, resulting in incomplete use of image information. To overcome the limitations of previous methods, we propose a novel Multi-modal Spatial Relation Attention Network (MSRAN) for VQA, which can introduce spatial relationships between objects to fully utilize the image information, thus improving the performance of VQA. In order to achieve the above, we design two types of spatial relational attention modules to comprehensively explore the attention schemes: (i) Self-Attention based on Explicit Spatial Relation (SA-ESR) module that explores geometric relationships between objects explicitly; and (ii) Self-Attention based on Implicit Spatial Relation (SA-ISR) module that can capture the hidden dynamic relationships between objects by using spatial relationship. Moreover, the pre-training model BERT, which replaces Glove word embeddings and Recurrent Neural Network, is applied to MSRAN in order to obtain the better question representation. Extensive experiments on two large benchmark datasets, VQA 2.0 and GQA, demonstrate that our proposed model achieves the state-of-the-art performance. • A novel multi-modal spatial relational attention network is proposed. • Two modules are designed for introducing more complex object relationships. • Explores three ways to employ the output features of the pre-trained model BERT. • Achieves the state-of-the-art performance on VQA 2.0 and GQA datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near infrared hyperspectral imaging over the spectral range of 900–2500 nm was investigated for its potential to identify maize kernels inoculated with aflatoxigenic fungus (AF13) from healthy kernels and kernels inoculated with non-aflatoxigenic fungus (AF36). A total of 900 kernels were used with 3 treatments, namely, each 300 kernels inoculated with AF13, AF36 and sterile distilled water as control, separately. One hundred kernels from each treatment of 300 kernels were incubated for 3, 5 and 8 days, to obtain diverse samples. Based on the full mean spectra extracted from the same kernel side(s), the best mean overall prediction accuracies achieved were 96.3% for the 3-class (control, non-aflatoxigenic and aflatoxigenic) classification and 97.8% for the 2-class (aflatoxigenic-negative and -positive) classification using the partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method. The 3-class and 2-class models using the full mean spectra extracted from different kernel sides had the best mean overall prediction accuracies of 91.5% and 95.1%. Using the most important 30, 55 and 100 variables determined by the random frog (RF) algorithm, the simplified type I-RF-PLSDA models achieved the mean overall prediction accuracies of 87.7%, 93.8% and 95.2% for the 2-class discrimination using different kernel sides' information. Among the most important 55 and 100 variables, a total of 25 and 67 variables were consistently selected in the 100 random runs and were therefore used further for establishing the type II-RF-PLSDA models. Using these 25 and 67 variables, the type II-RF-PLSDA models obtained the mean overall prediction accuracies of 82.3% and 94.9% separately. • NIR hyperspectral imaging to detect aflatoxigenic fungal infection on maize kernels. • Effect of maize kernel side on discrimination results was addressed. • Random frog algorithm was employed to optimise the discriminant analysis. • Both 3-class and 2-class models were established using different types of spectra. • Visualisation of predicted kernel class was proposed and demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The insights into the transport mechanism of Pu in granite fractures are indispensable for a reliable safety-assessment of radioactive waste disposal sites. In this work, the study of transport behavior of Pu in a rough single fracture has been performed under different pH conditions. The results indicated that under strong acidic condition the sorption of Pu dominated by ion-exchange reaction is quite weak, reversible and not be affected by the change of flow rates, while under neutral condition the majority of Pu can be adsorbed onto granite surface, controlled by surface-complex reaction between Pu(OH)4(aq) and fracture surface hydroxyl groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on density functional theory, we study the intrinsic anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) of monolayer (ML) CrI 3 in different magnetic configurations. We find that ML CrI 3 in both the in-plane and off-plane ferromagnetic (FM) states hosts significant AHC, with quantum plateaus occurring at topologically nontrivial bandgaps. In the in-plane FM state, the AHC of ML CrI 3 depends sensitively on the magnetization direction. First, the sign of AHC can be inverted whenever the magnetization angle increases by 60 °. Second, the AHC vanishes if the magnetization angle is equal to the odd times of 30 °. By doping electrons and applying moderate strain, one can switch the magnetic ground state between the off- and in-plane FM states and manipulate the magnitude and sign of the AHC. Based on these features of AHC of ML CrI 3 , we propose a theoretical model to realize the functions of spintronic devices such as the reversible spin transport, magnetic sensors, or magnetic read-in head. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Cu 2 Si nanoribbons with zigzag edges have flat bands of edge states. • Interaction between the edge states can induce sizable magnetism in the ribbon. • Carrier doping can induce sizable magnetism in the ribbon too. • Carrier doping can further control the real space distribution of magnetic moment. Abstract The surface states of three dimensional topological nodal line semimetal (TNLSM) form a flat band within the projection of the closed nodal line onto the surface. Such a flat band implies a singular surface density of states which, if close to the Fermi energy, is apt to induce a magnetic phase transition. Similar physics is expected in a two-dimensional (2D) TNLSM. In the framework of density functional theory, we study the edge states of Cu 2 Si monolayer which is currently an experimentally feasible sample of 2D TNLSM. We find that the flat bands attached to two kinds of zigzag edges of Cu 2 Si are very close to the Fermi energy. Moreover, we explore the possible magnetism of Cu 2 Si nanoribbons terminated by these zigzag edges. We find that a narrow ribbon has ferromagnetic ground states with sizable magnetic moments, owing to the interaction between the edge states localized at the opposite edges. In addition, carrier doping in a nanoribbon can induce the transition between the ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic states. More interestingly, the magnetic moment distribution in real space from one to another edges can be readily modulated by the carrier doping. Our study indicates that Cu 2 Si nanoribbons with controllable magnetism provide a new platform to realize the device functions of spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current methods for detecting aflatoxin contamination of agricultural and food commodities are generally based on wet chemical analyses, which are time-consuming, destructive to test samples, and require skilled personnel to perform, making them impossible for large-scale nondestructive screening and on-site detection. In this study, we utilized visible–near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy over the spectral range of 400–2500 nm to detect contamination of commercial, shelled peanut kernels (runner type) with the predominant aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The artificially contaminated samples were prepared by dropping known amounts of aflatoxin standard dissolved in 50:50 (v/v) methanol/water onto peanut kernel surface to achieve different contamination levels. The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models established using the full spectra over different ranges achieved good prediction results. The best overall accuracy of 88.57% and 92.86% were obtained using the full spectra when taking 20 and 100 parts per billion (ppb), respectively, as the classification threshold. The random frog (RF) algorithm was used to find the optimal characteristic wavelengths for identifying the surface AFB1-contamination of peanut kernels. Using the optimal spectral variables determined by the RF algorithm, the simplified RF-PLS-DA classification models were established. The better RF-PLS-DA models attained the overall accuracies of 90.00% and 94.29% with the 20 ppb and 100 ppb thresholds, respectively, which were improved compared to using the full spectral variables. Compared to using the full spectral variables, the employed spectral variables of the simplified RF-PLS-DA models were decreased by at least 94.82%. The present study demonstrated that the Vis-NIR spectroscopic technique combined with appropriate chemometric methods could be useful in identifying AFB1 contamination of peanut kernels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycotoxins are the foremost naturally occurring contaminants of food products such as corn, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat. As the secondary metabolites, mycotoxins are mainly synthesized by many species of the genera Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium, and are considered highly toxic and carcinogenic to humans and animals. Most mycotoxins are detected and quantified by analytical chemistry-based methods. While mycotoxigenic fungi are usually identified and quantified by biological methods. However, these methods are time-consuming, laborious, costly, and inconsistent because of the variability of the grain-sampling process. It is desirable to develop rapid, non-destructive and efficient methods that objectively measure and evaluate mycotoxins and mycotoxigenic fungi in food. In recent years, some spectroscopy-based technologies such as hyperspectral imaging (HSI), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy have been extensively investigated for their potential use as tools for the detection, classification, and sorting of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungal contaminants in food. HSI integrates both spatial and spectral information for every pixel in an image, making it suitable for rapid detection of large quantities of samples and more heterogeneous samples and for in-line sorting in the food industry. In order to track the latest research developments in HSI, this paper gives a brief overview of the theories and fundamentals behind the technology and discusses its applications in the field of rapid detection and sorting of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi in food products. Additionally, advantages and disadvantages of HSI are compared, and its potential use in commercial applications is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for developing rapid and non-destructive techniques that is suitable to real-time and on-line detection of aflatoxin and fungal contamination has received significant attentions. Measurement techniques based on fluorescence spectroscopy (FS), near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) have provided interesting and promising results for detecting aflatoxin and/or fungal contamination in a variety of foods. As such, the main goal of this article is to give an overview of the current research progress of FS, NIRS and HSI techniques in rapid detection of aflatoxin and fungal contamination in different varieties of agricultural products. These techniques are described in terms of their working principles, features and application advantages in detecting aflatoxins and fungal contamination. The research advances of each technique applied in different agricultural products are reviewed and the results obtained from different studies are compared and discussed. Perspectives on their future trends and challenges are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monodisperse micrometer hollow zirconia sphere was prepared in mixed solvents. It was fabricated by using the preformed poly(styrene-acrylic acid) (PSA) as template spheres which was mixed with zirconyl chloride octahydrate in ethanol solvent under steam treatment. The hollow zirconia spheres obtained by the calcination of PSA/ZrO 2 composite spheres had a narrow particle size distribution and commendable surface topography characterized by SEM. The calcined hollow zirconia spheres displayed monoclinic crystalline reflection peaks characterized by XRD. Besides, the micro-morphology, composition and molecular composition of sample were analyzed by FESEM, TG–DSC and FTIR, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistent occurrence of aflatoxins in food and feed remains a problem for producers of commodities subject to colonization with toxigenic molds. Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites of fungi of the Aspergillus spp. associated with deleterious health effects. Because current screening methods for these toxins are lengthy, destructive, and costly, there is a continuous search for a more rapid, noninvasive, and cost-effective technology. The present study utilized a fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) of aflatoxin as well as two additional secondary metabolites (kojic acid and the bright greenish-yellow fluorescence (BGYF) compound) of Aspergillus flavus measured with a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results were compared to image data acquired with a fluorescence hyperspectral sensor in order to evaluate the potential of image-based technology for detecting aflatoxin in grain. The excitation-emission matrix of aflatoxin B1 standard produced overlapping peaks in 340-400 nm of excitation range emitting in the blue range at around 450 nm. The spectral signature extracted from the hyperspectral image was also in the blue range, emitting blue fluorescence. Because the results from both systems were comparable, where all fluorescence peaks were in the blue range, the present study validates the feasibility of image-based technology for nondestructive detection of aflatoxin in corn. Additional peaks were revealed in the aflatoxin EEM in the 260-nm excitation range that were not present in the kojic acid and BGYF compound mixture. This new information allows for the separation of the aflatoxin signature from the potentially confounding overlap of other secondary metabolites occurring in the blue and blue-green spectral ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to address the problem of rapid detection of aflatoxin in grain, particularly oilseeds, the current study assessed the spectral differences of aflatoxin production in kernels from a cornfield inoculated with spores from 2 different strains of toxigenic Aspergillus flavus. Aflatoxin production in corn from the same field due to natural infestation was also assessed. A small corn plot in Baton Rouge, La., U.S.A., was used during the 2008-growing season. Two groups of 400 plants were inoculated with 2 different inocula and 1 group of 400 plants was designated as controls. Any contamination detected in the controls was attributed to natural infestation. A subset of each group was imaged with a visible near infra red (VNIR) hyperspectral system under ultra violet (UV) excitation and subsequently analyzed for aflatoxin using affinity column fluorometry. Group differences were statistically analyzed. Results indicate that when all the spectral data across all groups were averaged, any potential differences between groups (treated and untreated) were obscured. However, spectral analysis based on contaminated 'hot' pixel classification showed a distinct spectral shift/separation between contaminated and clean ears with fluorescence peaks at 501 and 478 nm, respectively. All inoculated and naturally infected control ears had fluorescence peaks at 501 nm that differed from uninfected corn ears. Results from this study may be useful in evaluating rapid, noninvasive instrumentation and/or methodology for aflatoxin detection in grain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of line-scan Raman hyperspectral imaging system equipped with a 785 nm line laser was examined for discrimination of uninfected control, AF36-inoculated and AF13-inoculated corn kernels in this study. The AF13 and AF36 strains were used as representatives of the aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic A. flavus fungi. A total of 300 kernels were used with 3 treatments, namely, 100 kernels inoculated with the AF13 fungus, 100 kernels inoculated with the AF36 fungus, and 100 kernels inoculated with sterile distilled water as control. The kernels were incubated at 30 °C for 8 days, dried and surface wiped to remove exterior signs of mold. The kernels were imaged on both endosperm and germ sides over the wavenumber range of 103–2831 cm−1. The mean spectrum was extracted from the Raman image of each kernel, and preprocessed with adaptive iteratively reweighted penalized least squares, Savitzky-Golay smoothing and min-max normalization. Based upon the preprocessed group mean spectra, a total of 36 and 51 local Raman peaks were identified from the endosperm side and embryo area of germ side, respectively. With the spectral variables at the identified local peak locations as inputs of discriminant models, the 3-class principal component analysis-linear discriminant analysis models ran 50 random times, achieved mean overall prediction accuracies of 89.47% and 75.55% using the endosperm and embryo data, respectively. The corresponding standard deviations were 3.48% and 4.34%. The results demonstrate usefulness of the line-scan Raman imaging technology in differentiating uninfected control corn kernels and corn kernels infected with aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic fungi. [Display omitted] • Line-scan Raman imaging detected Aspergillus flavus infection on corn kernels. • Corn kernels inoculated with aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic fungi included. • Mean spectra were extracted from endosperm side/area and embryo area of germ side. • Three-class discriminant models were established using identified Raman peaks. • Corn endosperm side/area performed better than embryo area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally occurring Aspergillus flavus strains can be either toxigenic or atoxigenic, indicating their ability to produce aflatoxin or not. The objective was to assess, with the use of a hyperspectral sensor, the difference in fluorescence emission between maize kernels inoculated with toxigenic and atoxigenic inoculums of A. flavus. Maize ears were inoculated with AF13, a toxigenic strain of A. flavus, and AF38, an atoxigenic strain of A. flavus, at dough stage of development and harvested 8 weeks after inoculation. After harvest, single kernels were divided into three groups prior to imaging: control, adjacent, and glowing. Both sides of the kernel, germ and endosperm, were imaged separately using a fluorescence hyperspectral imaging system. After imaging each single kernel was processed with affinity column fluorimetry to determine aflatoxin level. Results from discriminant analysis of the imaging data found that the classification accuracies of the three visually designated groups were not promising. The separation of maize kernels based on different fungal inoculums yielded better results. The best results were achieved with the germ side of the maize kernels. The kernels were later grouped into ‘contaminated’ and ‘healthy’ with 20 ppb and 100 ppb thresholds. The contaminated kernels all had longer peak wavelength than did the healthy ones. Results from the discriminant analysis classification indicated overall higher classification accuracy for the 100 ppb threshold on the germ side (94.4%). The germ side was also more useful at discriminating healthy from contaminated kernels for the 20 ppb threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Glyphosate is a non-selective, systemic herbicide highly toxic to sensitive plant species. Its use has seen a significant increase due to the increased adoption of genetically modified glyphosate-resistant crops since the mid-1990s. Glyphosate application for weed control in glyphosate-resistant crops can drift onto an off-target area, causing unwanted injury to non-glyphosate resistant plants. Thus, early detection of crop injury from off-target drift of herbicide is critical in crop production. In non-glyphosate-resistant plants, glyphosate causes a reduction in chlorophyll content and metabolic disturbances. These subtle changes may be detectable by plant reflectance, which suggests the possibility of using optical remote sensing for early detection of drift damage to plants. In order to determine the feasibility of using optical remote sensing, a greenhouse study was initiated to measure the canopy reflectance of soybean plants using a portable hyperspectral image sensor. Non-glyphosate resistant soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) plants were treated with glyphosate using a pneumatic track sprayer in a spray chamber. The three treatment groups were control (0kg ae/ha), low dosage (0.086kg ae/ha), and high dosage (0.86kg ae/ha), each with four 2-plant pots. Hyperspectral images were taken at 4, 24, 48, and 72h after application. The extracted canopy reflectance data was analyzed with vegetation indices. The results indicated that a number of vegetation indices could identify crop injury at 24h after application, at which time visual inspection could not distinguish between glyphosate injured and non-treated plants. To improve the results a modified method of spectral derivative analysis was proposed and applied to find that the method produced better results than the vegetation indices. Four selected first derivatives at wavelength 519, 670, 685, and 697nm could potentially differentiate crop injury at 4h after treatment. The overall false positive rate was lower than the vegetation indices. Furthermore, the derivatives demonstrated the ability to separate treatment groups with different dosages. The study showed that hyperspectral imaging of plant canopy reflectance could be a useful tool for early detection of soybean crop injury from glyphosate, and that the modified spectral derivative analysis had a better performance than vegetation indices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common liver disease during pregnancy, that has serious complications. This study aimed to compare the blood inflammation and biochemical markers of pregnant women with ICP in Southwest China and analyse their diagnostic value for ICP. A controlled cross-sectional study was conducted, and routine blood and biochemical indicators of 304 diagnosed ICP patients and 363 healthy pregnant women undergoing routine prenatal examination were assessed. The blood inflammatory indicators and biochemical indicators were compared between the ICP groups and normal groups. In this study, the levels of the ALT, AST, GGT, TBIL and DBIL biochemical indicators and the levels of WBC, neutrophils, NLR and PLR inflammatory indicators in the ICP group were significantly higher than those in healthy pregnant women (p < 0.001). The PA and lymphocytes of the ICP group were significantly lower than those of the normal group (p < 0.001). ROC curves showed that ALT and the NLR had higher predictive value for ICP. The GGT, TBA and NLR of pregnant women with ICP in the preterm group were significantly higher than those in the term group, and the combined NLR and TBA had a certain predictive value for preterm birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current trend of coated conductor development has motivated an increasing need for a novel synthesis route by which a highly epitaxial YBCO film can be readily deposited on buffered substrates. It has been demonstrated that the fluorine-based sol gel approach can produce high quality, epitaxial YBCO thin films that exhibit a superconducting Jc of over 3–5 MA/cm2 in self-field, 77 K. In this study we have developed a new fluorine-free sol gel approach (FFSG) as an effective alternative. The advantages of this new approach is three-fold: (1) no HF during the processing that is detrimental to the film; (2) the FFSG solution is much less reactive to the buffer layer, and (3) the microstructure of the YBCO thin film is more uniform and denser than achieved by the fluorine-based method. Using the new FFSG method, the YBCO thin films have been deposited on the LAO substrates. A high Jc on the order of 5 × 105 A/cm2 at 77 K and self-field has been reported. Experimental results on film synthesis, and superconducting properties are presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: To evaluate the use of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) for detection of microstructural changes in the trigeminal nerves of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) patients. Methods: Forty TN patients and 40 healthy controls were examined using 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate DTI and DKI parameters in trigeminal nerves. One-way ANOVA was used to test the differences in age, sex, and DTI and DKI parameters between the TN-affected sides, TN-unaffected sides, and controls. For parameters with inter-group differences, pairwise comparisons were performed. Then, the difference ratios (DRs) of the parameters with statistical differences were calculated and used for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to assess their diagnostic performance. In addition, for the DTI and DKI parameter values with differences, we used pure DTI and DKI values to perform the ROC analysis. Results: Compared to the unaffected sides and controls, the FA, MK, and Kr of the affected sides of TN patients were significantly reduced, while ADC was significantly increased (p < 0.05). The diagnostic efficiency of the FA DRs (AUC: 0.974; cutoff value: 0.038; sensitivity: 100%; specificity: 95.0%) was the highest among all DTI and DKI parameters. The DRs of FA and MK more efficiently diagnosed TN than pure FA and MK values. Conclusions: DTI and DKI allowed detection of microstructural changes in TN-affected trigeminal nerves. FA DR was the best independent predictor of microstructural changes in TN. Clinical relevance statement: Both DTI and DKI can be used for noninvasive quantitative evaluation of the changes in the microstructure of the cisternal segment of the cranial nerves in clinical practice. Key Points: • Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can be used to evaluate the in vivo integrity of white matter and nerve fiber pathway. • Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) has been shown to be considerable sensitive to microstructural changes. • DTI combined with DKI can comprehensively evaluate the status of the TN-affected trigeminal nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with various reduction extents was carried out in organic solvent using 1,4-diiodobutane as the reducing agent at moderate temperatures. Results showed that the C/O ratio of RGO nanosheet surface could be tailored by adjusting the ratio of graphene oxide (GO) and reducing agent. The controllable reduction strategy was applied to the fabrication of high dielectric constant graphene/polyimide composites via the in situ reduction of GO. The reduction extents of RGO in polymer matrix can be readily manipulated just through altering the addition of the reducing agent. The dielectric constants of gaphene/polyimide composites were significantly enhanced with the increasing of the reduction extent of RGO. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the composites were also affected by the reduction extent of RGO due to the decreases of the oxygen functional groups of RGO surface. Hence, the in situ controllable reduction of GO should be quite an ideal method for the fabrication of high dielectric constant composites with the tunable combination properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the most common chronic complications in diabetes. Previous studies have shown that chronic neuroinflammation was associated with DPN. However, further research is needed to investigate the exact immune molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of DPN. Expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened by R software. After functional enrichment analysis of DEGs, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in DPN. Next, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithms were applied to identify potential DPN diagnostic markers. Finally, the results were further validated by qRT-PCR. A total of 1308 DEGs were screened in this study. Enrichment analysis identified that DEGs were significantly enriched in immune-related biological functions and pathways. Immune cell infiltration analysis found that M1 and M2 macrophages, monocytes, resting mast cells, resting CD4 memory T cells and follicular helper T cells were involved in the development of DPN. LTBP2 and GPNMB were identified as diagnostic markers of DPN. qRT-PCR results showed that 15 mRNAs, including LTBP2 and GPNMB, were differentially expressed, consistent with the microarray results. In conclusion, LTBP2 and GPNMB can be used as novel candidate molecular diagnostic markers for DPN. Furthermore, the infiltration of immune cells plays an important role in the progression of DPN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary Allium mongolicum Regel powder (AMRP) supplementation on the growth performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity and muscle fibre characteristics of fattening Angus calves. Growth performance data and longissimus thoracis (LT) samples were collected from four groups of fattening Angus, which were fed either a basal diet (CON) or a basal diet supplemented with an AMRP dose of 10 (LAMR), 15 (MAMR), or 20 g/animal/day AMRP (HAMR) for 120 days before slaughter. AMRP addition to the feed improved growth performance and meat quality and altered muscle fibre type. Some responses to AMRP supplementation were dose dependent, whereas others were not. Together, the results of this study demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 10 g/animal/day AMRP was the optimal dose in terms of fattening calf growth performance, while 20 g/animal/day AMRP supplementation was the optimal dose in terms of meat quality. • The role of AMRP in the growth performance of cattle were reported for the first time. • Dietary AMRP supplementation increased calf average daily gain and feed efficiency. • Dietary AMRP supplementation increased meat quality without affecting meat colour. • Dietary AMRP supplementation may manipulate the transformation of muscle fibre types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyimide (PI) fibers containing pyrimidine and amide moieties were fabricated by the copolymerization of 2,5-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyrimidine (PRM) and 4,4′-diaminobenzanilide (DABA) with 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) via a two-step method. The effects of chemical structure of PI fibers, i.e., various molar ratios of PRM/DABA, on their thermal property, crystallinity, orientation factor, microvoid defects, and mechanical property, were investigated in detail. The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of all PI fibers ranged from 282 to 310 °C, and the temperatures at 5% weight loss (T5%) under N2 and air atmosphere were respectively within 548–584 °C and 482–540 °C, demonstrating the excellent thermal stability and thermal oxidation stability of all fibers. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction data illustrated that the co-PI fibers had lower crystallinity than the homo-PI fibers due to a marked decrease in molecular order packing by copolymerization. However, the co-PI fibers possessed higher degrees of orientation relative to the homo-PI fibers. In particular, the co-PI fiber with PRM/DABA = 5/5 showed the highest orientation factor, fc = 0.872. Moreover, the small-angle X-ray scattering results, i.e., decrease in microvoid size, revealed that DABA incorporation helps to reduce the defects in PI fibers. When the PRM/DABA molar ratio was 5/5, the co-PI fiber possessed an optimal tensile strength and initial modulus of 3.43 and 136.92 GPa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550) was used to modify the surface of two kinds of high-performance polyimide (PI) fibres (i.e., PI-1 and PI-2). The surface chemical composition, morphologies and roughness of modified PI fibres were characterised by XPS, SEM and AFM. Results showed that the elemental ratio between O and C, the surface oxygen concentration and the surface roughness increased with KH-550 concentration. However, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) values of PI fibre/epoxy resin composites increased and then decreased with KH-550 concentration. When KH-550 concentration was increased to 4 wt%, the IFSS and ILSS values reached their maximum point. At this point, the IFSS values were found increase by 17.3% and 8.3% for PI-1 and PI-2, respectively, compared with their pristine state. Meanwhile, the ILSS values of PI-1- and PI-2-reinforced composites were found increase by 22.4% and 24.1%, respectively. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of high-performance polyimide copolymer (co-PI) fibers containing phenylenebenzoxazole moiety with one hydroxyl group are synthesized based on the copolymerization of 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) with two diamine monomers, namely, p -phenylenediamine ( p -PDA) and 5-anino-2-(2-hydroxy-4-aminobenzene)-benzoxazole ( p -mHBOA), through a two-step method. The molar ratio of p -PDA/ p -mHBOA varies from 10/0 to 0/10. Influences of the p -mHBOA moieties on the thermal stability, crystal structure, crystal orientation, microvoid morphology, and mechanical properties are systemically investigated. Fourier transform infrared results confirm that intra/inter molecular hydrogen bonds come from the OH group and nitrogen atom of the benzoxazole group and/or OH group and the oxygen atom of the carbonyl group of cyclic imide. The glass transition temperatures ( T g s) of co-PI fibers are in the range of 290 °C–325 °C. The prepared fibers show excellent thermal stabilities, and their T 5% is within 528 °C–542 °C in air. Two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction spectra indicate that homo-PI and co-PI fibers present a regularly arranged polymer chains along the fiber axial direction. Moreover, the ordered molecular packing along the transversal direction of fibers is destroyed by the copolymerization. Small-angle X-ray scattering results show that co-PI fibers with optimal mechanical properties exhibit the shortest average length ( L ) and the smallest radius ( R ¯ ) of microvoids. When the p -mHBOA/ p -PDA molar ratio is 5/5, the fracture strength and initial modulus can reach approximately 30.31 cN/dtex (4.40 GPa) and 894.88 cN/dtex (129.8 GPa), respectively. The relationship between structure and mechanical properties is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence-defined chiral polyimides comprising identical asymmetric diamine monomers arranged in different directions along the main chain were designed and prepared. These new sequence-defined polymers exhibit sequence-dependent self-assembly behaviors and responses to ibuprofen enantiomers, as revealed by their chiroptical spectra and gelation properties. For the first time, the self-assembly of polymers and their interactions with guest molecules have been successfully controlled by means of the directional arrangement of the monomers in their polymer backbones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the design of efficient and environmentally friendly photo-Fenton-like catalysts has attracted much attention in the field of environmental remediation. In this work, Mg-doped graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) nanosheets (MgCNNS) were fabricated using the thermal polymerization of melamine and MgCl 2 with the assistance of the NH 4 Cl chemical blowing method. MgCNNS were used to activate H 2 O 2 to degrade methylene blue (MB) under visible-light illumination. Results showed that the maximum reaction rate constant of MgCNNS was 24 times higher than that of pristine g-C 3 N 4. The notable improvement in catalytic properties was attributed to the synergistic effect between photocatalysis and Fenton-like reaction. The strong adsorption and transfer ability of N Mg bond to electrons not only effectively inhibited the recombination of photoinduced carriers, but also promoted the conversion of H 2 O 2 into reactive oxygen species in the Fenton-like reaction. The influences of different reaction parameters (i.e., catalyst dosage, H 2 O 2 dosage, pH value, MB concentration, and coexisting substance) on the catalytic properties in MB degradation were studied. Moreover, the MgCNNS catalyst had the characteristics of high stability, wide pH range, nontoxicity, low cost, and easy manufacturing and is a promising candidate for the treatment of organic contaminants in water. [Display omitted] • An efficient and environmentally friendly photo-Fenton-like catalyst was synthesized by a simple one-step method. • The N Mg bond in the Mg-doped g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets plays a vital role in the photo-Fenton-like reaction. • The synergy between photocatalysis and Fenton-like process helps to yield abundant reactive radicals, such as 1O 2 , •O 2 −, h+, and •OH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two series of novel aromatic polyimide films containing xanthone moiety and amide groups were prepared through a two-step procedure. • The maximum T g of the PI film is 400 °C. • The minimum CTE of the PI film is 2.3 ppm·K−1. • The PI films has fluorescence properties and the highest absolute fluorescence quantum efficiency is 2.9%. In recent years, an increasing amount of attention has been paid to polyimide (PI) substrate materials with high glass transition temperature (T g) and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) due to the rapid development of the flexible OLED field. To improve T g and CTE, rigid conjugated structure and hydrogen bonds are designed. Two diamines containing amide and rigid xanthone groups were synthesized (p -DAXBA and m -DAXBA). Two series of PI films, PIa and PIb, were prepared by polymerization of DAXBA with different dianhydrides, i.e., pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyl tetracarboxylic diandhydride (BPDA), 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), and 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA). PIa films prepared by p -DAXBA have more hydrogen bonding, closer molecular chain packing, and stronger molecular charge transfer (CT) effect, as well as better heat resistance, dimensional stability, and mechanical properties than PIb films prepared by m -DAXBA. However, their absolute fluorescence quantum efficiency and transparency are weaker than those of PIb films. A PIa-1 film prepared by p -DAXBA/PMDA has a T g of 400 °C, tensile strength of 192 MPa, modulus of 6.14 GPa, and CTE as low as 2.3 ppm·K−1. Both PIa-4 and PIb-4 films prepared by ODPA show fluorescent property with maximum emission wavelengths at 509 and 508 nm, and their absolute fluorescence quantum efficiencies are 1.5% and 2.9%, respectively. The as-prepared PI films exhibit potential application in the flexible OLED field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel aromatic polyimide (PI) films containing xanthone moiety was prepared through a two-step procedure, namely, the polymerization of 2,7-diaminoxanthone (2,7-DAX) and six aromatic anhydrides and thermal imidization. The solubility, thermal properties, dimensional stability, mechanical properties, and fluorescence performance of the resulting PI films were studied extensively. The PI-1 film prepared by Pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)/2,7-DAX has a glass transition temperature (T g) of more than 450 °C, a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of as low as 6.3 ppm K−1, 5% weight loss temperature (T 5) of 608 °C, a tensile strength of 164 MPa, and a tensile modulus of 5.65 GPa, resulting in potential applications in the flexible OLED field. In addition, xanthone moiety acts as a fluorophore group to provide a polymer fluorescent performance, and the maximum emission wavelength is in the range of 443–552 nm, from blue color to yellow color. The PI-1 film prepared by PMDA/2,7-DAX has a T g of more than 450 ° C and CTE as low as 6.3 ppm K−1，The PI-4 film prepared by ODPA/2,7-DAX shows high fluorescence characteristics, and the absolute fluorescence quantum efficiency is 1.9%. [Display omitted] • A series of novel aromatic polyimide films containing xanthone moiety was prepared through a two-step procedure. • The maximum T g of the PI film is more than 450 °C. • The minimum CTE of the PI film is 6.3 ppm K−1. • The PI films has fluorescence properties and the highest absolute fluorescence quantum efficiency is 1.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin contamination caused byAspergillus flavusinfection of corn is a significant and chronic threat to corn being used as food or feed. Contamination of crops at levels of 20 ng g−1or higher (as regulated by the USFDA) by this toxin and potent carcinogen makes the crop unsalable, resulting in a significant economic burden on the producer. This review focuses on elimination of this contamination in corn which is a major US crop and the basis of many products. Corn is also “nature's example” of a crop containing heritable resistance to aflatoxin contamination, thereby serving as a model for achieving resistance to aflatoxin contamination in other crops as well. This crop is the largest production grain crop worldwide, providing food for billions of people and livestock and critical feedstock for production of biofuels. In 2011, the economic value of the US corn crop was US$76 billion, with US growers producing an estimated 12 billion bushels, more than one-third of the world's supply. Thus, the economics and significance of corn as a food crop and the threat to food safety due to aflatoxin contamination of this major food crop have prompted the many research efforts in many parts of the world to identify resistance in corn to aflatoxin contamination. Plant breeding and varietal selection has been used as a tool to develop varieties resistance to disease. This methodology has been employed in defining a few corn lines that show resistance toA. flavusinvasion; however, no commercial lines have been marketed. With the new tools of proteomics and genomics, identification of resistance mechanisms, and rapid resistance marker selection methodologies, there is an increasing possibility of finding significant resistance in corn, and in understanding the mechanism of this resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The difficulty of wound healing in patients with diabetes mellitus remains a considerable challenge for clinical and scientific research. To address the problem of poor healing that affects chronic wounds in patients with diabetes, we developed an injectable self-healing hydrogel based on chitosan (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), and kalium γ-cyclodextrin metal organic frameworks (K-γ-CD-MOFs) loaded α-lipoic acid (α-LA) with antibacterial activity and antioxidant performance. In vitro analysis showed that the hydrogel could promote cell proliferation and migration on the basis of Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and Transwell experiments. Moreover, the addition of α-LA allowed the reversal of oxidative stress-induced cell damage. In vivo analyses were performed involving a full-thickness wound model in diabetic Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats. The hydrogel dressing significantly promoted the wound healing process with better granulation tissue formation and more collagen deposition because of its multifunctional traits, suggesting that it can be an excellent treatment for chronic full-thickness skin wound healing. • QCS-OHA hydrogel with Injectable, self-healing antibacterial properties are obtained. • QCS-OHA hydrogel combined with (K-γ-CD-MOFs) achieves sustained drug release. • QCS-OHA-α-LA hydrogel has vascularization and antioxidant effects for promoting wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A π-electronic tight-binding (TB) model with, at most, three independent parameters is found to well fit the density functional theory results about the dispersions of the conduction and valence bands of α-, β-, γ- and (6,6,12)-graphyne. By means of such a toy model, the electron–hole symmetry in these graphynes is demonstrated. An explicit expression of the dispersion relation of α-graphyne is obtained. The position of the Dirac point on a particular Γ–M line in the Brillouin zone of β-graphyne is analytically determined. The absence of Dirac cones in γ-graphyne is intuitively explained. Based on these interesting results, it is believed that this TB model provides a simple but effective theoretical approach for further study of the electronic and transport properties of these typical graphynes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) produces secondary metabolites, aflatoxins, that are harmful to both humans and animals. Because of stringent federal regulation requirements as well as the limitations of available detection methods, there is an urgent need for rapid, non-invasive and effective techniques such as hyperspectral imaging, for the detection of the toxigenic strains of A. flavus. Hyperspectral images of toxigenic and atoxigenic strains of A. flavus were classified. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied for data decorrelation and dimensionality reduction. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) was implemented for the selection of principal components (PCs) based on Bhattacharya Distance (B-Distance). A Support Vector Machine (SVM) was successfully applied for the classification. Under halogen light sources, in average 83% of the toxigenic fungus pixels and 74% of the atoxigenic fungus pixels were correctly classified; while under UV light sources, 67% of the toxigenic fungus pixels and 85% of the atoxigenic fungus pixels were correctly classified. The pair-wise classification accuracies between toxigenic AF13 and each atoxigenic fungus species (AF38, AF283 and AF2038) were 80%, 91% and 95% under halogen light sources, and 75%, 97% and 99% under UV lights, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Phase evolution of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) thin films prepared by a newly-developed fluorine-free sol–gel method were studied by combined use of in situ high temperature optical microscope observation and X-ray diffraction. The reaction sequences associated with yttrium, barium and copper in this route were determined respectively. It was found that the reactions that take place were strongly dependent on the experimental conditions such as water partial pressure. The formation of YBCO started around 710°C and continued up to 800°C for about 15min. The formation mechanism of YBCO was found to be dependent on the barium containing phases, which were controlled by the experimental conditions. The formation of a- and c-axes oriented YBCO grains was also found to be governed by the processing reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To investigate the migration behavior of Sr (strontium) in granite, a rough-walled single fracture of granite was prepared with the self-built rock splitting apparatus. Surface roughness angle and hydraulic aperture of the fracture were measured by 3D laser scanning and fluid flow experiment, respectively. The sorption and desorption breakthrough experiments of Sr in the single fracture were conducted at different flow rates and initial concentrates of Sr , and the important transport parameters were derived by fitting the BTCs and DPCs. The results suggested that the sorption of Sr onto the fracture surface was a linear and reversible ion-exchange process, unaffected by the variation of flow rate and initial concentrate of Sr. • Surface roughness angle and hydraulic aperture of the fracture were measured by 3D laser scanning and fluid flow experiment, respectively. • The seepage experiment indicated that the flow in this single fracture is laminar and can be described by the modified cubic law. • The sorption and desorption breakthrough experiments of Sr in the single fracture suggested that the sorption of Sr onto the fracture surface is a linear and reversible ion-exchange process, unaffected by the variation of flow rate and initial concentrate of Sr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]