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Vaginitis, a prevalent gynecological condition in women, is mainly caused by an imbalance in the vaginal micro-ecology. The two most common types of vaginitis are vaginal bacteriosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis, triggered by the virulent Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans, respectively. In this study, a strain capable of inhibiting G. vaginalis and C. albicans was screened from vaginal secretions and identified as Lactobacillus gasseri based on 16S rRNA sequences. The strain, named L. gasseri VHProbi E09, could inhibit the growth of G. vaginalis and C. albicans under co-culture conditions by 99.07% ± 0.26% and 99.95% ± 0.01%, respectively. In addition, it could significantly inhibit the adhesion of these pathogens to vaginal epithelial cells. The strain further showed the ability to inhibit the enteropathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis, to tolerate artificial gastric and intestinal fluids and to adhere to intestinal Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that L. gasseri VHProbi E09 holds promise for clinical trials and animal studies whether administered orally or directly into the vagina. Whole-genome analysis also revealed a genome consisting of 1752 genes for L. gasseri VHProbi E09, with subsequent analyses identifying seven genes related to adhesion and three genes related to bacteriocins. These adhesion- and bacteriocin-related genes provide a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism of bacterial inhibition of the strain. The research conducted in this study suggests that L. gasseri VHProbi E09 may be considered as a potential probiotic, and further research can delve deeper into its efficacy as an agent which can restore a healthy vaginal ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaginitis, a prevalent gynecological condition in women, is mainly caused by an imbalance in the vaginal micro-ecology. The two most common types of vaginitis are vaginal bacteriosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis, triggered by the virulent Gardnerella vaginalis and Candida albicans, respectively. In this study, a strain capable of inhibiting G. vaginalis and C. albicans was screened from vaginal secretions and identified as Lactobacillus gasseri based on 16S rRNA sequences. The strain, named L. gasseri VHProbi E09, could inhibit the growth of G. vaginalis and C. albicans under co-culture conditions by 99.07% ± 0.26% and 99.95% ± 0.01%, respectively. In addition, it could significantly inhibit the adhesion of these pathogens to vaginal epithelial cells. The strain further showed the ability to inhibit the enteropathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella enteritidis, to tolerate artificial gastric and intestinal fluids and to adhere to intestinal Caco-2 cells. These results suggest that L. gasseri VHProbi E09 holds promise for clinical trials and animal studies whether administered orally or directly into the vagina. Whole-genome analysis also revealed a genome consisting of 1752 genes for L. gasseri VHProbi E09, with subsequent analyses identifying seven genes related to adhesion and three genes related to bacteriocins. These adhesion- and bacteriocin-related genes provide a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanism of bacterial inhibition of the strain. The research conducted in this study suggests that L. gasseri VHProbi E09 may be considered as a potential probiotic, and further research can delve deeper into its efficacy as an agent which can restore a healthy vaginal ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing amount of evidence indicates that Baicalin (Bai, a natural glycosyloxyflavone compound) exhibits an antiviral effect against avian viruses. However, it remains unclear if the antiviral effect of Bai against infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is exerted indirectly by modulating respiratory tract microbiota and/or their metabolites. In this study, we investigated the protection efficacy of Bai in protecting cell cultures and broilers from IBV infection and assessed modulation of respiratory tract microbiota and metabolites during infection. Bai was administered orally to broilers by being mixed in with drinking water for seven days. Ultimately, broilers were challenged with live IBV. The results showed that Bai treatment reduced respiratory tract symptoms, improved weight gain, slowed histopathological damage, reduced virus loads and decreased pro-inflammation cytokines production. Western blot analysis demonstrated that Bai treatment significantly inhibited Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) expression both in cell culture and cells of the trachea. Bai treatment reversed respiratory tract microbiota dysbiosis, as shown by 16S rDNA sequencing in the group of broilers inoculated with IBV. Indeed, we observed a decrease in Proteobacteria abundance and an increase in Firmicutes abundance. Metabolomics results suggest that the pentose phosphate pathway, amino acid and nicotinamide metabolism are linked to the protection conferred by Bai against IBV infection. In conclusion, these results indicated that further assessment of anti-IBV strategies based on Bai would likely result in the development of antiviral molecule(s) which can be administered by being mixed with feed or water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anomaly detection is a crucial task for hyperspectral image processing. Most popular methods detect anomalies at the pixel level, while a few algorithms for anomaly detection only utilize subpixel level unmixing technology to extract features without fundamentally analyzing the anomalies. To better detect and separate the anomalies from the background, this paper proposes a dual-view hyperspectral anomaly detection method by taking account of the anomaly analysis at both levels mentioned. At the pixel level, the spectral angular distance is adopted to calculate the similarities between the central pixel and its neighbors in order to further mine the spatial consistency for anomaly detection. On the other hand, from the aspect of the subpixel level analysis, it is considered that the difference between the anomaly and the background usually arises from dissimilar endmembers, where the unmixing will be fully implemented. Finally, the detection results of both views are fused to obtain the anomalies. Overall, the proposed algorithm not only interprets and analyzes the anomalies from dual levels, but also fully employs the unmixing for anomaly detection. Additionally, the performance of multiple data sets also confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strain of lactic acid bacteria from cheese was isolated, that showed strong growth inhibitory effects on Streptococcus mutans. The API 50CH system and 16S rDNA sequencing verified that this was a novel strain, and was named Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus VHProbi M14. The strain inhibited the growth of S. mutans and Fusobacterium nucleatum under mixed culture conditions, coaggregated with S. mutans and F. nucleatum, and reduced the adhesion of S. mutans and F. nucleatum on cultured human primary gingival epithelial (HPGE) cells. The pH, peroxidase and protease sensitivity testing found antibacterial substances of protein- and peptide-like structures in addition to organic acids. The antimicrobial substances were sensitive to hydrolysis with trypsin, papain and pineapple protease and were inactived at temperatures above 100°C. Ammonium sulphate-precipitated proteins from the M14 strain retained the ability to inhibit the growth of S. mutans and F. nucleatum. The M14 strain contained 23 bacteriocin-related genes encoding for metabolites, belonging to class II bacteriocins. The M14 strain also showed inhibitory effects on 8 other pathogenic strains (A. actinomycetemcomitans, C. albicans, E. coli, G. vaginalis, P. acnes, P. gingivalis, S. aureus, S. enteritids), and thus has a broad spectrum of bacterial inhibition. This new isolate has been identified as having potential to be used as a probiotic bacterium in clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts with different Cu2+ species were synthesized successfully. • The balance between Cu2+-2Z and [Cu(OH)]+-Z exhibited optimal DeNOx performance. • The optimal ratio of Cu2+ species can promote the rapid formation of intermediates. In diesel vehicle exhaust after-treatment systems, high silica Cu-SSZ-13 has received increasing attention as a commercialized catalyst owing to its high efficiency in selective catalytic reduction reactions with NH 3 (NH 3 -SCR). However, research on the regulation of Cu2+ species within metal active centers in the pore structure of chabazite (CHA)-type zeolite to improve catalytic performance lacks sufficient depth. Herein, SSZ-13 zeolite with various Al distributions was prepared by adjusting the proportion of N,N,N-Trimethyl-1-adamantanaminiumhydroxide (TMAdaOH) and Na in the initial gel. Moreover, three representative Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts with different Cu2+ species were synthesized via an ion exchange method. 23Na MAS NMR and NO adsorption infrared spectroscopy results revealed that with increasing Na content and decreasing TMAdaOH concentration in the initial gel, the number of paired Al in the CHA framework gradually increased. Consequently, this increased the number of Cu2+-2Z sites near six-membered ring (MR) and reduced the amount of [Cu(OH)]+-Z sites near eight-MR. The fresh Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst, with a moderate amount of Cu2+-2Z and [Cu(OH)]+-Z, exhibited optimal catalytic performance across the entire temperature window. After hydrothermal aging, Cu-SSZ-13 with a higher concentration of Cu2+-2Z species featured optimal performance among all Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts above 400 °C. These findings indicated the significance of balancing the amount of both Cu2+-2Z and [Cu(OH)]+-Z in the Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite. Additionally, the results elucidated the reaction intermediates involved in the NH 3 -SCR process catalyzed by Cu-SSZ-13 with various Cu species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phillygenin (PHI) and Baicalin (Bai) are the major chemical ingredients extracted from Forsythia suspensa and Scutellaria baicalensis , respectively. The mixture of Forsythia suspensa and Scutellaria baicalensis according to the theories of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, compounded formulation can effectively exert heat-clearing and detoxifying effect, but the synergistic anti-IBV activity of PHI combined with Bai was unclear. Here, the protection of PHI combined with Bai on avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) M41 infection and the change of respiratory microbiota and metabolomics profiles in broilers that infected with IBV were investigated. According to the experimental findings, the combination of PHI and Bai effectively alleviated broilers' slowing-growth weight and respiratory symptoms. This was accompanied by a reduction in viral copies and histopathological changes, as well as an increase of antiviral protein (G3BP1) level in tracheas and anti-IBV antibody levels in serum. In addition, 16s RNA sequencing revealed that IBV infection significantly changed respiratory microbiota composition at different taxonomic levels and respiratory metabolism composition in broilers. Interestingly, PHI combined with Bai modulated the composition of respiratory microfloras, especially the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillaceae were upregulated, as well as the abundance of Proteobacteria was downregulated. The metabolomics results indicated that PHI combined with Bai involved in glucose, lipids, amino acids and nucleotide metabolism during IBV infection. In summary, PHI combined with Bai exhibited a synergistic effect on preventing infectious bronchitis (IB), with the protection being closely associated with the composition of respiratory microbiota and metabolites. Therefore, adding the mixture of PHI and Bai to the chicken drinking water is recommended to prevent and control IB in clinical. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rubiginones belong to the angucycline family of aromatic polyketides, and they have been shown to potentiate the vincristine (VCR)-induced cytotoxicity against VCR-resistant cancer cell lines. However, the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and biosynthetic pathways for rubiginones have not been reported yet. Results: In this study, based on bioinformatics analysis of the genome of Streptomyces sp. CB02414, we predicted the functions of the two type II polyketide synthases (PKSs) BGCs. The rub gene cluster was predicted to encode metabolites of the angucycline family. Scale-up fermentation of the CB02414 wild-type strain led to the discovery of eight rubiginones, including five new ones (rubiginones J, K, L, M, and N). Rubiginone J was proposed to be the final product of the rub gene cluster, which features extensive oxidation on the A-ring of the angucycline skeleton. Based on the production profiles of the CB02414 wild-type and the mutant strains, we proposed a biosynthetic pathway for the rubiginones in CB02414. Conclusions: A genome mining strategy enabled the efficient discovery of new rubiginones from Streptomyces sp. CB02414. Based on the isolated biosynthetic intermediates, a plausible biosynthetic pathway for the rubiginones was proposed. Our research lays the foundation for further studies on the mechanism of the cytochrome P450-catalyzed oxidation of angucyclines and for the generation of novel angucyclines using combinatorial biosynthesis strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral image (HSI) unmixing is an important issue of research due to its effect on the subsequent processing of HSIs. Recently, the sparse regression method with spatial information has been successfully applied in hyperspectral unmixing (HU). However, most sparse regression methods ignore the difference in spatial structure handling with only one sparse constraint. In fact, the pixels in detail regions are more likely to be severely mixed with more endmembers participated, and the sparsity degree of its corresponding abundances is relatively low. Considering the sparsity difference of abundances, a sketch-based region adaptive sparse unmixing applied to HSI is proposed in this article. Inspired by the vision computing theory, we use the region generation algorithm based on a sketch map to differentiate the homogeneous regions and detail regions. Then, the abundances of these two kind regions in HSIs are separately constrained by sparse regularizers of ${L}_{1/2}$ and ${L}_{1}$ with a proposed manifold constraint. Our method not only makes full use of the spatial information in HSIs but also exploits the latent structure of data. The encouraging experimental results on three data sets validate the effectiveness of our method for HU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electrochromic polymer poly(2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxine) (PEDOT-Me2) based on 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with symmetric dimethyl pendant groups was successfully synthesized through electrochemical polymerization in 0.1 M LiClO4/ACN electrolyte. The polymer film displays reversible electrochromism switching between blue neutral state (− 1.2 V) and transmissive sky blue oxidized state (0.5 V) with an enhanced optical contrast (ΔT = 30%) in comparison with the traditional PEDOT (ΔT = 25%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of substituting Bacillus subtilis, Astragalus membranaceus , and enzymes for aureomycin to improve the growth performance of broilers during specific phases were studied to develop alternatives to in-feed antibiotics and decrease drug residues in meat food and antibiotic resistance. Six hundred one-day-old broilers were randomly assigned to 5 groups. Broilers in the control group were supplied with basal diets (CT), and those in the remaining 4 groups were supplied with feed containing aureomycin premix (AU), B. subtilis powder (BS), A. membranaceus root powder (AM), and enzyme compound powder (EN), respectively. Compared to the control group, broilers in the other groups exhibited better growth performance during different phases. Microbial analysis of cecal contents suggested that treatment with BS or EN significantly increased the abundance of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacteria but inhibited Escherichia coli or Clostridium welchii ; however, these bacteria were suppressed by AU treatment except C. welchii. The digestibility of the feed in vitro was significantly enhanced by adding BS or EN to the feed, consistent with findings for growth performance. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 3 additives could improve the growth performance of broilers during specific phases. Future studies should focus on designing suitable schedules to partially replace in-feed antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)—producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from dairy cattle with endometritis in China. The prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli in sample was detected using ChromID ESBL agar, and genotyping of the ESBL producers was performed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Results: The results revealed that the proportion of positive pathogens tested was 69.76% (180/258) in samples obtained from cows diagnosed with clinical endometritis, with E. coli accounting for 170 out of the 180 positive samples. The infection rate of isolated E. coli was 39.14% (101/258), and co-infections with other pathogens were prevalent. Furthermore, among the 158 E. coli isolates, 50 strains were identified as ESBL producers, with TEM and CTX-M prevalence rates at 78.00% and 32.00%, respectively. Drug sensitivity experiments indicated that 50 isolates of ESBL- producing E. coli were multidrug resistance (MDR), with 48.0% of them exhibiting positive results for both the class 1 integron gene and five gene cassettes associated with resistance to trimethoprim (dfr1 and dfrA17) and aminoglycosides (aadA1, aadA5, and dfrA1), respectively. Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated a substantial prevalence and heightened level of antimicrobial resistance among ESBL-producing E. coli isolates derived from dairy cattle infected with endometritis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmixing is an important issue of hyperspectral images. Most unmixing methods adopt linear mixing models for simplicity. However, multiple scattering usually occurs between vegetation and soil in a bilinear scene. Thus, nonlinear mixing problems which are difficult to be solved should be taken into consideration under this circumstance. In practice, both linear and nonlinear spectral mixtures exist in hyperspectral scenes. Considering the characteristics of different regions in images, we propose a hybrid unmixing algorithm for hyperspectral images based on region adaptive segmentation. Our method uses a standard K-means clustering algorithm to obtain different regions, including homogeneous regions and detailed regions. The model of the homogeneous regions is assumed to be linear, which will be pursued using the method of sparse-constrained nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), and the mixing in the detailed regions is assumed to be based on a nonlinear model. We also propose a new nonlinear unmixing method, called graph-regularized semi-NMF, which considers the manifold structure of hyperspectral data as the unmixing method to deal with the detailed regions. Finally, by combining the two regions, we obtain the abundance of the whole hyperspectral image. The proposed method can not only achieve more precise abundance but also be good at keeping the edge information of the bilinear abundance. The experimental results on both synthetic and real data also show that the proposed method is effective for improving the unmixing accuracy of hyperspectral remote-sensing images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has recently been attracted much attention, and zeolite supported platinum catalyst is regarded as one of the most efficient methods. Herein, hierarchical porous mordenite (denoted as HPMOR) was fabricated via a facile acid and alkali post-treatment strategy and used for toluene total combustion for the first time. This method avoids the use of high price template and shows better performance than conventional MOR zeolite. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) confirmed that the samples were well retained MOR crystal structure even after de-metal treatment. N 2 adsorption/desorption isotherm analysis showed that the mesopore volume and pore size of HPMOR are 0.16 cm 3 /g and 8.5 nm, respectively, which mean that the hierarchical porous MOR (HPMOR) was successfully prepared. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images exhibited that the size of Pt nano-particles (NPs) on HPMOR is obviously smaller than on traditional MOR. H 2 adsorption-desorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that Pt NPs have higher dispersion and Pt 0 /Pt 2+ ratio than conventional MOR (Pt/MOR). Thus, Pt/HPMOR catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance for toluene combustion compared with Pt/MOR, which makes it potential catalyst for real exhaust control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Well‐defined β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD)‐terminated double hydrophilic diblock copolymers (DHBCs), β‐CD‐ poly(di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate) (PMEO2MA)‐b‐poly(2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDEA) (BP1) and β‐CD‐PDEA‐b‐PMEO2MA (BP2), are synthesized via sequential atom transfer radical polymerizations of di(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate and 2‐(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate using alkynyl‐functionalized initiator, followed by click reactions with an excess of mono‐azido‐substituted β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD‐N3). The micellization behavior of these as‐prepared DHBCs in aqueous solutions suffers from insufficient colloidal stabilities at basic pH and high temperatures (e.g., pH 9 and 45 °C), resulting in the formation of macroscopic precipitations. However, the stabilities of colloidal nanoparticles can be remarkably enhanced as a result of the convenient formation of three‐layered micelles by taking advantage of host–guest interactions of BP1/BP2 and Ad‐terminated poly(ethylene glycol). The pH‐ and thermoresponsive three‐layered micelles with enhanced stability may augur promising applications in targeted drug delivery and controlled intelligent release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesizing and designing of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode composed of earth-abundance elements is the current research topics. Among the many discovered catalysts, cobalt disulfide has outstanding performance for HER due to its catalytic activity cobalt sites. Here, phosphorus-doped cobalt disulfide (P doped CoS 2 ) samples are successfully synthesized via simple one-step hydrothermal method. By using them as the electrocatalysts, the most efficient electrode we obtained shows the excellent electrocatalytic activity, with low overpotential of 53 mV to achieve a 10 mA/cm 2 current density, a small Tafel slope of 57 mV/dec and a high stability after 10000 cycles. First-principle calculations results indicate that phosphorus dopants could improve the electrocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution by lowing the free energy for atomic hydrogen adsorption ( Δ G H * ) at the Co sites. Moreover, the metallic P doped CoS 2 could promote electron transfer and offers faster HER kinetics, thereby leading to better HER activity. This finding demonstrates an effective way to synthesis nonmetal doped CoS 2 catalysts via one-step hydrothermal method and further improve the HER performance of CoS 2 under the guidance of theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resident microbes of the human body, particularly the gut microbiota, provide essential functions for the host, and, therefore, have important roles in human health as well as mitigating disease. It is difficult to study the mechanisms by which the microbiota affect human health, especially at a systems-level, due to heterogeneity of human genomes, the complexity and heterogeneity of the gut microbiota, the challenge of growing these bacteria in the laboratory, and the lack of bacterial genetics in most microbiotal species. In the last few years, the interspecies model of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its bacterial diet has proven powerful for studying host–microbiota interactions, as both the animal and its bacterial diet can be subjected to large-scale and high-throughput genetic screening. The high level of homology between many C. elegans and human genes, as well as extensive similarities between human and C. elegans metabolism, indicates that the findings obtained from this interspecies model may be broadly relevant to understanding how the human microbiota affects physiology and disease. In this review, we summarize recent systems studies on how bacteria interact with C. elegans and affect life history traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have been proven efficient and biocompatible as solvents and conversion medium in many fields. Multicomponent composition makes it hard to direct recovery NADES after utilization process. Industrial application of NADES requires sustainable and economic recovery technology. In this study, hybrid membrane-based technique of ultrafiltration (UF) with bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) was employed for sustainable recovery and recycling of NADES choline chloride-urea in pine wood fractionation. UF and BMED worked based on retaining of macromolecules and distinguished separation of each NADES solute. The highest NADES recovery ratio was 97.7 % and the lowest specific energy consumption for NADES recovery was 8.4 kWh/kg. Regenerated NADES was recycled in biomass fractionation for 3 batches. Removal efficiency of hemicellulose (∼25.4 %) and lignin (∼18.1 %) could be retained with regenerated NADES. Besides, NADES recovery cost by UF-BMED was close to 3.0 % of its purchasing price according to calculation results. Insight gained from the research proposed a sustainable and low-cost technique for NADES recycling in biomass utilization. [Display omitted] • Hybrid membrane strategy designed for NADES recovery. • NADES recovery ratio close to 97.7 %. • Specific energy consumption of NADES recovery approached 8.4 kW·h/kg. • NADES recovery cost verge on 3.0 % of its purchase price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides with 2H-phases, as a unique platform of valleytronics, display valley polarization and the well-known anomalous valley Hall effect when stacking with 2D magnetic substrates. In this study, we employ first-principles calculations to investigate the magnetic states, band structures, and magnetic proximity-dependent valley properties of 2D van der Waals heterostructures Cr2Ge2Te6/2H-MX2 (M = Mo, W, and X = S, Se, Te). Our findings reveal that the heterostructures possess stacking-dependent spontaneous valley polarization as well as pristine perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Additionally, the Berry curvature and circular polarization demonstrate the presence of spin–momentum coupling characteristics, while the calculated non-zero Hall voltage indicates that the anomalous valley Hall effect can be achieved in valley-polarized systems. Furthermore, due to the strain effect and the electronic polarization at the interface, Cr2Ge2Te6/2H-MX2 heterostructures undergo the transition from semiconductors to semimetals upon substitution of early chalcogen elements. These calculations provide valuable insights for practical applications of valleytronics in 2D van der Waals heterostructure systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the objective to prepare better CO oxidation catalysts and explore the inherent factors to determine the activity of supported Ag catalysts, KCC-1, SBA-15 and MCM-41, a series of mesoporous SiO 2 with different morphologies, have been synthesized and used as supports for Ag to prepare catalysts (7% Ag/KCC-1, 7% Ag/SBA-15 and 7% Ag/MCM-41) for CO oxidation. It is found that the morphologies of the SiO 2 supports influence the dispersion of the supported Ag species, thus resulting in catalysts with different Ag grain sizes and active metallic surface areas, as proved by XRD and H 2 adsorption-desorption results. With fibrous KCC-1 silica spheres as the support, the mobilization and aggregation of the Ag particles can be effectively hindered by the open access surface mesopores. Therefore, compared with SBA-15 and MCM-41, Ag nanoparticles with much smaller grain sizes have been achieved, thus resulting in a catalyst with significantly improved activity. Furthermore, a linear relationship has been found between the differential CO oxidation rates and the Ag grain size. Therefore, it is concluded that the active Ag metal surface area is the determining factor for the activity of the silica supported Ag catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials with excellent extinction performance can be synthesized by regulating the microstructure of carbon–based composites derived from metal–organic frameworks Herein, zeolitic imidazolate framework–67 (ZIF–67) was pyrolyzed at 400, 600, and 800 °C, forming Co@C-400, Co@C-600, and Co@C-800, respectively. At higher pyrolysis temperatures, the decomposed carbon skeleton exposed metal particles on the surface, which improved the extinction properties. Specimen Co@C-800 showed the highest absorption (above 95%) in the optical band. The average mass extinction coefficients of Co@C-800 in the 3–5 μm and 8–14 μm regions are 2.59 m2 g−1 and 2.22 m2 g−1, respectively, affirming the potential value of Co@C-800 in photo–thermal conversion and multiband stealth. Fig (a) The preparation process of ZIF–67 and Co@C composites materials (left); the digital pictures of Co@C-400, Co@C-600, and Co@C-800 (right); (b) Mid–far–IR transmission spectra of ZIF–67, Co@C-400, Co@C-600, and Co@C-800; (c) mass extinction coefficient of four materials. [Display omitted] • Three Co@C composites were prepared by one-step pyrolysis method in argon atmosphere with precursor ZIF-67. • The extinction properties of composites were first studied for the visible-infrared range, with the average MEC of Co@C-800 at the two infrared atmospheric Windows achieving 2.59 m2 g−1 and 2.22 m2 g−1, respectively. • Co@C-800 shows best absorption characteristics, working as one potential material for photo–thermal conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in Co/Ni multilayer were optimized by manipulating its interface structure (inducing HfO 2 capping layer and Pt insertion) and post-annealing treatment. A strong PMA can be obtained in Co/Ni multilayers with HfO 2 capping layer even after annealing at 400 °C. The heavy metal Hf may improve the interfacial spin-orbit coupling, which responsible for the enhanced PMA and high annealing stability. Moreover, the multilayer containing HfO 2 capping layer also exhibited high saturation anomalous Hall resistivity through post-annealing, which is 0.85 μΩ cm after annealing at 375 °C, 211% larger than in the sample at deposited state which is only 0.27 μΩ cm. The enhancement of AHE is mainly attributed to the interface scattering through post-annealing treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to balance the active sites and conductivity for electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is still a challenge. In this paper, we reported the enhanced catalytic activeties of metal-phase assisted 1T@2H-MoSe 2 nanosheets for hydrogen evolution. Combining with the structure analysis and electrochemical measurement results, we concluded that the incorporation of 1T metal phase into its 2H matrix could increase the electro conductivity of the catalysts and yield more active sites due to the atom-rearrangement in the phase transformation progress. An HER electrode with low onset potential of 20 mV and small Tafel slope of 41 mV/dec were obtained for 1T@2H-MoSe 2 nanosheets with the optimized active sites and conductivity. This work can broaden our horizons in the design of new highly efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A weak-strong coetching strategy is developed for metal–organic frameworks. • Hollow nanopompoms structure is obtained and can be maintained upon pyrolysis. • Pyrolyzed nanopompoms allow for efficient electron transfer applications. • Heterophases increase active sites and promotes electrocatalytic performance. • Nanopompoms catalyst has desirable bifunctional performance for Zn-air batteries. The rational structure and composition design of bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is crucial for rechargeable metal–air batteries. Here, we report controlled structural transitions of metal–organic frameworks through a weak-strong competitive coordination strategy for high-performance electrocatalysts. Upon the introduction of potassium ferricyanide (PF) and/or phosphomolybdic acid (POM), cubic zeolitic-imidazole framework-67 (Cube-67) undergoes both chemical and macroscopic morphology changes, i.e., from nanocubes to hollow nanopompoms, where PF and POM act as the weak chelator (i.e., for finer structures) and the strong chelator (i.e., shape-directing agent), respectively. After calcination, the hierarchically structured nanopompoms display tunable and high-performance OER and ORR catalytic activities suitable for Zn–air batteries that display a long-term charge–discharge cycling stability. This work not only holds promise for clean-energy applications but provides a design principle for engineering advanced electrocatalysts by effectively tuning their structural and chemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A weak-strong coetching strategy is developed for metal–organic frameworks. • Hollow nanopompoms structure is obtained and can be maintained upon pyrolysis. • Pyrolyzed nanopompoms allow for efficient electron transfer applications. • Heterophases increase active sites and promotes electrocatalytic performance. • Nanopompoms catalyst has desirable bifunctional performance for Zn-air batteries. The rational structure and composition design of bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is crucial for rechargeable metal–air batteries. Here, we report controlled structural transitions of metal–organic frameworks through a weak-strong competitive coordination strategy for high-performance electrocatalysts. Upon the introduction of potassium ferricyanide (PF) and/or phosphomolybdic acid (POM), cubic zeolitic-imidazole framework-67 (Cube-67) undergoes both chemical and macroscopic morphology changes, i.e., from nanocubes to hollow nanopompoms, where PF and POM act as the weak chelator (i.e., for finer structures) and the strong chelator (i.e., shape-directing agent), respectively. After calcination, the hierarchically structured nanopompoms display tunable and high-performance OER and ORR catalytic activities suitable for Zn–air batteries that display a long-term charge–discharge cycling stability. This work not only holds promise for clean-energy applications but provides a design principle for engineering advanced electrocatalysts by effectively tuning their structural and chemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CHA-type ECNU-25 was synthesized with cheap OSDA in the SiO 2 -B 2 O 3 system. • Al atoms were introduced to obtain [Al,B]-ECNU-25 with tailorable Si/Al ratio. • [Al,B]-ECNU-25 were highly active in methanol-to-olefin and NH 3 -SCR reaction. The small-pore CHA -type zeolites have received intensive attentions due to their outstanding performance in both of the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process and ammonia selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NH 3 -SCR of NO x) reactions. However, the costly synthesis of CHA -type aluminosilicate is a great issue for the practical application. In this study, a novel and cheap organic structure-directing agent of N,N,N -trimethylisobutylammonium hydroxide was developed and used to synthesize CHA -type zeolites (name as ECNU-25) with boric acid as the supporting agent. The Si/Al ratio in the synthetic gel could be tailored in a wide range of 50 - ∞. [Al,B]-ECNU-25 zeolite thus synthesized served as an effective catalyst for the MTO reaction. After Cu2+-exchange, the Cu-[Al,B]-ECNU-25 was also highly active in the NH 3 -SCR of NO x. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WRKY comprises a large family of transcription factors in plants, but most WRKY members are still poorly understood. In this study, we report functional characterization of a Group III WRKY gene ( FcWRKY 70) from F ortunella crassifolia. FcWRKY 70 was greatly induced by drought and abscisic acid, but slightly or negligibly by salt and cold. Overexpression of FcWRKY 70 in tobacco ( N icotiana nudicaulis) and lemon ( C itrus lemon) conferred enhanced tolerance to dehydration and drought stresses. Transgenic tobacco and lemon exhibited higher expression levels of ADC (arginine decarboxylase), and accumulated larger amount of putrescine in comparison with wild type ( WT). Treatment with D-arginine, an inhibitor of ADC, caused transgenic tobacco plants more sensitive to dehydration. Knock-down of FcWRKY 70 in kumquat down-regulated ADC abundance and decreased putrescine level, accompanied by compromised dehydration tolerance. The promoter region of FcADC contained two W-box elements, which were shown to be interacted with FcWRKY70. Taken together, our data demonstrated that FcWRKY 70 functions in drought tolerance by, at least partly, promoting production of putrescine via regulating ADC expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phillygenin has high binding activity with IBV spike protein, non-structural protein 9 and main protease by molecular docking simulation. • Phillygenin inhibits IBV replication by reducing IBV N mRNA transcription, N protein synthesis and the release of virus particles. • Phillygenin disturbs multiple stages of the IBV life cycle, including viral adsorption, invasion, internalization and release in cell. • Phillygenin activates PKR/eIF2α pathway and induces stress granule formation to exert anti-IBV. The prevalence of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is still one of causes inducing severe losses of production in the poultry industry worldwide. Vaccination does not completely prevent IBV infection and spread due to immune failure and viral mutations. Forsythiae Fructus and its compounds have been widely used in a lot of prescriptions of the traditional Chinese medicine for a long history, and it is well-known as safety and efficiency in heat-clearing and detoxifying. This study aims to investigate the anti-IBV activity and mechanism of phillygenin. The results showed that phillygenin inhibited IBV replication by disturbing multiple stages of the virus life cycle, including viral adsorption, invasion, internalization, and release in Vero cells. After being treated with 100, 125 and 150 μg/mL phillygenin, the expression of G3BP1 was significantly increased and the phosphorylation of PKR/eIF2α was activated, which increased stress granule, thereby triggering the antiviral response in Vero cells. The anti-virus activity of PHI was decreased when G3BP1 was interfered by si-RNA, and G3BP1 was down-regulated when PKR/eIF2α was interfered by si-RNA. In conclusion, our findings indicate that phillygenin activates PKR/eIF2α pathway and induces stress granule formation to exert anti-IBV, which holds promise to develop into a novel anti-IBV drug. Further study in vivo is needed to explore phillygenin as a potential and effective drug to prevent IB in poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of chabazite (CHA) aluminosilicate without organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) is a green process, but producing the CHA zeolite with excess acid sites, structural instability and limited applications due to a high aluminum content. Therefore, it is meaningful to develop an effective dealumination method to partially remove the framework aluminum atoms from the OSDA-free low-silica CHA zeolite. A novel stepwise dealumination and stabilization strategy through the subsequent treatment of Al 2 (SO 4) 3 , H 2 O, HNO 3 and NH 4 F was developed, which not only increased the Si/Al ratio from 2.4 to 5.0, but also stabilized the framework structure. Simultaneously, the removal of Al atoms optimized the acidity, introduced mesopores into the CHA framework and enhanced the diffusion property. Compared with low-silica CHA, the obtained high-silica CHA zeolite displayed attractive catalytic performance in methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction, showing a methanol conversion above 80% for more than 360 min with a maximum selectivity of 87% for low olefins (C 2 = - C 4 =). A stepwise dealumination and stabilization strategy was developed to increase the Si/Al ratio from 2.4 to 5.0 for OSDA-free low-silica CHA zeolite, and the obtained high-silica CHA zeolite was more durable in methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction. [Display omitted] • OSDA-free low-silica CHA aluminosilicate was dealuminated stepwisely. • High-silica CHA was obtained with the remove of excess acid sites and the creation of mesopores. • The high-silica CHA was more durable than the pristine one in MTO reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop and analyze a rigorous multiscale upscaling method for dual continuum model, which serves as a powerful tool in subsurface formation applications. Our proposed method is capable of identifying different continua and capturing non-local transfer and effective properties in the computational domain via constructing localized multiscale basis functions. The construction of the basis functions consists of solving local problems defined on oversampling computational region, subject to the energy minimizing constraints that the mean values of the local solution are zero in all continua except for the one targeted. The basis functions constructed are shown to have good approximation properties. It is shown that the method has a coarse mesh dependent convergence. We present some numerical examples to illustrate the performance of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More efficacious and specific biomarkers are urgently needed for better control of tuberculosis (TB), the second leading infectious cause of mortality worldwide. The region of difference 9 (RD9) presents the genome of the causative pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosi s rather than other species of the genus Mycobacterium , which might be promising targets for specific diagnosis, vaccine development and pathogenesis. In this study, two proteins Rv2073c and Rv2074, encoded by the RD9 were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli system. Following stimulation with both proteins, the levels of IFN-γ secreted by T cells from a total of 49 whole blood samples obtained from clinically diagnosed active TB patients, patients with latent TB infections (LTBIs), and healthy donors, were compared with those of the incubation with recombinant fusion protein of CFP21 and MPT64 (rCM). Our results demonstrated that only Rv2073c could induce a higher level of IFN-γ in TB infections than healthy controls and there was a positive correlation between Rv2073c- and rCM-specific IFN-γ levels in TB infections and healthy donors, respectively. These findings indicate that Rv2073c might be a promising antigen for specific diagnostic reagents and vaccine candidates of TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein subunit vaccines present a compelling new area of research for control of tuberculosis (TB). Based on the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its host, five stage-specific antigens of M. tuberculosis that participate in TB pathogenesis—Rv1813, Rv2660c, Ag85B, Rv2623, and HspX—were selected. These antigens were verified to be recognized by T cells from a total of 42 whole blood samples obtained from active TB patients, patients with latent TB infections (LTBIs), and healthy control donors. The multistage polyprotein A1D4 was developed using the selected five antigens as a potentially more effective novel subunit vaccine. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of A1D4 emulsified in the adjuvant MTO [monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), trehalose-6,6′-dibehenate (TDB), components of MF59] was compared with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in C57BL/6 mice. Our results demonstrated that A1D4/MTO could provide more significant protection against M. tuberculosis infection than the PBS control or MTO adjuvant alone judging from the A1D4-specific Th1-type immune response; however, its efficacy was inferior to BCG as demonstrated by the bacterial load in the lung and spleen, and by the pathological changes in the lung. Antigen-specific single IL-2-secreting cells and different combinations with IL-2-secreting CD4+ T cells were beneficial and correlated with BCG vaccine-induced protection against TB. Antigen-specific IFN-γ+IL-2+ CD4+ T cells were the only effective biomarker significantly induced by A1D4/MTO. Among all groups, A1D4/MTO immunization also conferred the highest number of antigen-specific single IFN-γ+ and IFN-γ+TNF-α+ CD4+ T cells, which might be related to the antigen load in vivo, and single IFN-γ+ CD8+ T cells by mimicking the immune patterns of LTBIs or curable TB patients. Our strategy seems promising for the development of a TB vaccine based on multistage antigens, and subunit antigen A1D4 suspended in MTO adjuvant warrants preclinical evaluation in animal models of latent infection and may boost BCG vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiments were conducted to find out the molecular features, infection process of a special alga plaque-forming microorganism and its potential influence on the biomass of Chlorella vulgaris during the infection process. Direct contact between the algal cell and the bacterium may be the primary steps needed for the bacterium to lyse the alga. Addition of C. vulgaris cells into f/2 medium allowed us obtain the object bacterium. The 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons results showed that the plaque-forming bacterium kept the closest relationship with Labrenzia aggregata IAM 12614 T at 98.90%. The existence of the bacterium could influence both the dry weight and lipid content of C. vulgaris . This study demonstrated that direct cell wall disruption of C. vulgaris by the bacterium would be a potentially effective method to utilize the biomass of microalgae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration of genes functioning in salt tolerance is crucial for generating transgenic plants with enhanced salt tolerance. In this study, we report the isolation and functional characterization of a stress-responsive gene FcSISP from Meiwa kumquat ( Fortunella crassifolia ). FcSISP encodes a putative protein of 47 amino acids, with a calculated molecular mass of 4.94 kDa and theoretical isoelectric point of 3.76, and was localized in the nucleus. Transcript levels of FcSISP were induced by dehydration, cold, salt and bacterium causing citrus canker, and hormones (salicylic acid and abscisic acid), with the greatest induction under salt treatment. Overexpression of FcSISP in tobacco ( Nicotiana nudicaulis ) conferred enhanced salt tolerance. The transgenic lines accumulated lower Na + contents, leading to reduced Na/K ratio, but accumulated more proline than the wild type (WT). Steady state mRNA levels of genes involved in Na + exchange (three SOS genes and three NHX genes) and proline synthesis ( P5CS and P5CR ) were higher in the transgenic lines in comparison with WT. Moreover, overexpression of FcSISP in trifoliate orange [ Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.], a widely-used and salt-sensitive citrus rootstock, led to elevated salt tolerance. Taken together, the data demonstrate that FcSISP plays a positive role in salt tolerance and that it holds a great potential for engineering salt tolerance in crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Moving mesh methods are a widely used approach in the numerical solution of PDEs where the original PDEs are transformed from a physical domain to a computational domain. The objective is to utilize a uniform mesh in the computational domain to get a non-uniform physical mesh that better captures the behavior of the solution. The movement of the physical mesh points can be governed by a moving mesh PDE associated with a corresponding monitor function and both the original PDEs and the moving mesh PDEs must be solved simultaneously. The motivation for this paper is to study a balanced moving mesh method, where the aim is to strike a balance between the properties of the solution of the original PDE and that of the moving mesh PDE. We focus on particular choices of the monitor function that give both a well-behaved mesh transformation and a well-behaved solution in the computational domain. Both theoretical analysis and numerical experiments are presented as illustrations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A reliable indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on a new specific monoclonal antibody was developed to determine olaquindox in animal feed. The influence of several physicochemical factors (nonfat dried milk solution, organic solvent, incubation time) on the immunoassay was investigated. In the optimized system, the 50% inhibition concentration was 9.66 ± 1.81 µ g L−1. The limits of detection for porcine, chicken, and fish feed were 0.28, 0.46, and 0.48 µg kg−1. The limits of quantification were 1.00 µg kg−1for the feed samples. The recoveries from porcine, chicken, and fish feed spiked with olaquindox were 90–104%, 77–103%, and 78–107%, respectively, with coefficients of variation (CVs) between 3.8 and 14.1%. The cross-reactivity was less than 2.08% with four structurally related compounds and no recognition of five other restricted or forbidden drugs was observed. Parallel analysis of the three spiked feed samples showed comparable results between the indirect competitive ELISA and the standard high-performance liquid chromatography method in China (R2 = 0.9985 for porcine feed, R2 = 0.9896 for chicken feed, and R2 = 0.9987 for fish feed). These data suggest that the developed indirect competitive ELISA is a specific and convenient method and is suitable for olaquindox determination in animal feed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Display omitted] • High-silica CHA zeolite with Si/Al ranges from to 20 to ∞ were prepared via a boron-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. • Introducing B reduced the amount of strong Brønsted acid sites in the BAl-CHA. • The weak acidity of BAl-CHA improves the selectivity towards light olefins. • The residual CO and H 2 affect the product distribution in STO process. Transformation of syngas into light olefins (STO) over bifunctional oxide and zeolite (OX-ZEO) composite catalysts requires rational design of zeolites with moderate to low acid density and strength. As a promising zeolite component in OX-ZEO towards olefins production, the synthesis of CHA with desirable acidity remains to be a challenging task. Herein, high-silica CHA zeolite with Si/Al ranges from to 20 to ∞ were prepared via a boron-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. The influence of Si/Al ratio on the acidity and textural properties of boron-containing CHA (BAl-CHA) was systematically studied. The syngas to olefin performance over ZnAlO x /BAl-CHA was explored. The roles of acidity, framework boron and reaction parameters in determining the olefin selectivity as well as catalyst stability were revealed. The 85.1% selectivity of light olefins was achieved over the BAl-CHA catalyst with Si/Al ratio over 300. The boron played a vital role in directing the formation of CHA structure (Si/Al > 100) and reduced the strong acid sites. The H 2 /CO ratio, reaction temperature, total pressure and proximity of the two components also played crucial role in determining the light olefins selectivity. A DME/methanol involved aromatic-cycle is proposed to play a predominant role in the olefin production. The residual CO and H 2 are likely involved in the aromatic-cycle, and then affect the product distribution, with CO promoting the ethene selectivity while H 2 enhancing the alkane selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical synaptic transmission through gap junctions is a vital mode of intercellular communication in the nervous system. The mechanism by which reciprocal target cells find each other during the formation of gap junctions, however, is poorly understood. Here we show that gap junctions are formed between BDU interneurons and PLM mechanoreceptors in C. elegans and the connectivity of BDU with PLM is influenced by Wnt signaling. We further identified two PAS-bHLH family transcription factors, AHA-1 and AHR-1, which function cell-autonomously within BDU and PLM to facilitate the target identification process. aha-1 and ahr-1 act genetically upstream of cam-1. CAM-1, a membrane-bound receptor tyrosine kinase, is present on both BDU and PLM cells and likely serves as a Wnt antagonist. By binding to a cis-regulatory element in the cam-1 promoter, AHA-1 enhances cam-1 transcription. Our study reveals a Wnt-dependent fine-tuning mechanism that is crucial for mutual target cell identification during the formation of gap junction connections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the constrained shrinking dimer dynamics (CSDD) which leads to numerical procedures for locating saddle points (transition states) associated with an energy functional defined on a constrained manifold. We focus on the most generic case corresponding to a constrained stationary point where the projected Hessian of the energy onto the tangent hyperplane of the constrained manifold has only one unstable direction and demonstrate, in this case, the local stability of the CSDD. We examine various numerical implementation issues and consider some interesting applications of CSDD including the computation of periodic centroidal Voronoi tessellations, generalized Thomson problems about particle/charge distribution on the unit sphere, and the critical nuclei morphology in binary phase transformations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cononsolvency-induced micellization kinetics of a pyrene end-labeled diblock copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, Py-PNIPAM-b-POEGMA, was investigated in detail via a combination of stopped-flow light-scattering and fluorescence techniques. Upon a stopped-flow jump from pure methanol to proper methanol/water mixtures, scattered light intensity exhibited an initial increase and then stabilized out; whereas the time-dependence of monomer to excimer fluorescence intensity ratios () revealed an abrupt increase followed by a gradual decrease to plateau values. The dynamic traces of scattered intensity can be well fitted by double exponential functions, the obtained and can be ascribed to processes of forming quasi-equilibrium micelles and their relaxation into final equilibrium states, respectively. On the other hand, a triple exponential function was needed to fit the dynamic traces of , leading to three characteristic relaxation times (, , and ). It was found that the time scales of and obtained from stopped-flow light scattering were in general agreement with and obtained from stopped-flow fluorescence. Considering that excimer fluorescence is extremely sensitive to small aggregates, the newly detected fast process () by stopped-flow fluorescence should be ascribed to the early stage of micellization, i.e., the burst formation of small transient micelles, in which light scattering detection was still not sensitive enough. These small transient micelles fused and grew into quasi-equilibrium micelles, which then slowly relaxed into the final equilibrium state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • High-silica precursor can be obtained from low-cost NaY and Al-rich Beta zeolites. • Economization of CHA-zeolite synthesis via inter-zeolite conversion strategy. • The low-cost synthesized Cu−CHA-type zeolites have highly crystallinity and well de NO x performance. • Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism might be occurred over the low-cost prepared Cu−CHA catalysts during the NH 3 -SCR reaction process. The costly synthesis of conventional CHA zeolites for ammonia selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NH 3 -SCR of NO x) has hindered their widespread applications. In this study, highly crystalline CHA zeolites (CHA-Y and CHA-B) were successfully synthesized from low-cost NaY and Al-rich beta precursors and alternately low cost or low content structure directing agents through the inter-zeolite conversion route. After ion exchange with Cu, the Cu−CHA-Y and Cu−CHA-B showed superior performance in the NH 3 -SCR of NO x reaction, which can be attributed to their high surface area, abundant acidic sites. The in situ analysis by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) revealed the reaction intermediates of NH 3 -SCR of NO x over the low-cost prepared Cu−CHA catalysts. The as- prepared low-cost Cu−CHA catalysts are promising candidates for the reduction of NO x conforming to the economic production of de NO x catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The kinetics and mechanism of sphere-to-rod transitions of sodium alkyl sulfate micelles induced by hydrotropic salt, p-toluidine hydrochloride (PTHC), were investigated by stopped-flow with light scattering detection. Spherical sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles transform into short ellipsoidal shapes at low salt concentrations ([PTHC]/[SDS], and 0.4). Upon stopped-flow mixing aqueous solutions of spherical SDS micelles with PTHC, the scattered light intensity gradually increases with time. Single exponential fitting of the dynamic traces leads to characteristic relaxation time, , for the growth process from spherical to ellipsoidal micelles, and it increases with increasing SDS concentrations. This suggests that ellipsoidal micelles might be produced by successive insertion of unimers into spherical micelles, similar to the case of formation of spherical micelles as suggested by Aniansson–Wall (A–W) theory. At , rod-like micelles with much higher axial ratio form. The scattered light intensity exhibits an initially abrupt increase and then levels off. The dynamic curves can be well fitted with single exponential functions, and the obtained decreases with increasing SDS concentration. Thus, the growth from spherical to rod-like micelles might proceed via fusion of spherical micelles, in agreement with mechanism proposed by Ikeda et al. At and 0.6, the apparent activation energies obtained from temperature dependent kinetic studies for the micellar growth are 40.4 and 3.6 kJ/mol, respectively. The large differences between activation energies for the growth from spherical to ellipsoidal micelles at low and the sphere-to-rod transition at high further indicate that they should follow different mechanisms. Moreover, the sphere-to-rod transition kinetics of sodium alkyl sulfate with varying hydrophobic chain lengths (, 12, 14, and 16) are also studied. The longer the carbon chain lengths, the slower the sphere-to-rod transition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper explores whether the high or low ESG rating of a company is related to the level of its implied tail risk, measured on the basis of derivative data by implied skewness and implied kurtosis. Previous research suggests that the ESG rating of a company is indeed connected to some financial risk; however, often, only volatility is used as a risk measure. We examined the relation between ESG ratings and implied volatility, and explore the relation between ESG ratings and financial risk in more depth by looking into higher implied moments accessing financial tail risk. First, we found that higher ESG rated companies have a lower implied volatility connected with them, and exhibit more negative implied skewness and higher implied kurtosis. In other words, we observed a higher negative tail risk for higher ESG rated companies. However, on a midsized company data set, we found that higher ESG rated companies both have lower implied volatility, and exhibit less negative implied skewness and lower implied kurtosis. Hence, negative tail risk is typically lower for high ESG rated companies. Our study further investigated similar effects on individual environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) scores of the involved companies. Second, we examined whether such a kind of trend exists for different sectors. Our results indicate that the influence of ESG ratings on implied volatility exhibits a similar trend, except for the industrial, information services, and real estate sectors, while for the materials, healthcare, and communication services sectors, the influence of ESG ratings on implied skewness and implied kurtosis is less pronounced. Moreover, the results show that the ESG ratings are correlated with implied moments for companies in consumer discretionary sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperspectral image unmixing is an important task for remote sensing image processing. It aims at decomposing the mixed pixel of the image to identify a set of constituent materials called endmembers and to obtain their proportions named abundances. Recently, number of algorithms based on sparse nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) have been widely used in hyperspectral unmixing with good performance. However, these sparse NMF algorithms only consider the correlation characteristics of abundance and usually just take the Euclidean structure of data into account, which can make the extracted endmembers become inaccurate. Therefore, with the aim of addressing this problem, we present a sparse NMF algorithm based on endmember independence and spatial weighted abundance in this paper. Firstly, it is assumed that the extracted endmembers should be independent from each other. Thus, by utilizing the autocorrelation matrix of endmembers, the constraint based on endmember independence is to be constructed in the model. In addition, two spatial weights for abundance by neighborhood pixels and correlation coefficient are proposed to make the estimated abundance smoother so as to further explore the underlying structure of hyperspectral data. The proposed algorithm not only considers the relevant characteristics of endmembers and abundances simultaneously, but also makes full use of the spatial-spectral information in the image, achieving a more desired unmixing performance. The experiment results on several data sets further verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Astragali Radix cell wall is composed of dense components, which greatly reduces the utilization rate of its active constituents and limits its application and promotion in animals. The application of microbial fermentation technology can effectively address this issue. We produced a mixed-bacterial-fermented Astragalus powder. In this study, we found that fermented Astragalus powder has the potential to enhance the growth performance, immune function, and antioxidant capacity of broilers to a certain degree. Additionally, it has shown promising effects in regulating the intestinal flora. Fermented Astragalus powder is expected to be a novel kind of feed additive. A total of 320 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into five groups. The control group (CON) received a basal diet, while the FAP4, FAP2, and FAP1 groups were provided with the basal diet supplemented with 4%, 2%, and 1% fermented Astragalus powder, respectively. The unfermented Astragalus powder (UAP2) group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 2% UAP. Each group contained eight replicates of eight chicks each. The results revealed that the final BW and ADG in the FAP 1 and FAP2 were higher than those in the UAP2 and CON groups, while reducing F/G from day 14 to day 42. On day 42, the thymus index in the UAP and FAP groups as well as the bursa index in the FAP4 group showed significant increases compared to those in the CON group. Supplementation with 2% FAP elevated serum IgA levels in broilers on day 28 and day 42, and it also increased serum IgG levels on day 42. Furthermore, supplementation with 2% FAP elevated serum albumin (ALB) levels in broilers, while supplementation with 4% FAP increased serum (glucose) GLU levels in broilers on day 28. The serum biochemical parameters and pathological observation of the liver and kidney in the groups did not show any adverse effects on broilers' health. In addition, the serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) level significantly increased in the FAP4 and FAP2 groups on day 28, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in both serum and liver tissue decreased in the FAP2 group on day 28 and day 42. Compared to the CON group, 2% FAP and 2% UAP supplementation reduced the relative abundance of Bacteroides and supplementation with 2% FAP increased the relative abundance of Alistipes on day 42. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of FAP can enhance the growth performance, immune function, and antioxidant capacity and regulate microflora in broilers, of which 2% FAP is more effective. It indicates FAP exhibits significant application potential as a promising feed additive for broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration and manipulation of topological protected magnetic swirls, such as skyrmion, antiskyrmion, meron, and vortex, holds significance for fundamental research and practical applications in high‐density magnetic information storage and spintronics because of their high storage density and low driven current. This study unveils the existence of field‐free spontaneous (anti)meron chains with a topological charge of ±1/2 in the centrosymmetric rare‐earth magnet Tb6Co2.17Si2.5 via in situ real‐space observation. The spin reorientation transition from in‐plane to uniaxial anisotropy contributes to the spontaneous transformation from straight domain walls to topological (anti)meron chains and to stripe domains along the [110] zone axis during in situ cooling. The study further confirms the critical role of the noncollinear magnetic structure of Tb atoms in the formation of topological (anti)meron chains via real‐space observations, first‐principles calculations, and micromagnetic simulations. The spontaneous topological magnetic texture is strongly correlated with the 4f electrons of rare‐earth atoms, enriching and stimulating alternative generation mechanisms of topological spin textures from emerging rare‐earth magnets, and further applications in spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alloying Pt catalysts with transition metal elements is an effective pathway to enhance the performance of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but often accompanied with severe metal dissolution issue, resulting in poor stability of alloy catalysts. Here, instead of forming traditional alloy structure, we modify Pt surface with a novel Ni−W dimer structure by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The obtained NiW@PtC catalyst exhibits superior ORR performance both in liquid half‐cell and practical fuel cell compared with initial Pt/C. It is discovered that strong synergistic Ni−W dimer structure arising from short atomic distance induced a stable compressive strain on the Pt surface, thus boosting Pt catalytic performance. This surface modification by synergistic dimer sites offers an effective strategy in tailoring Pt with excellent activity and stability, which provides a significant perspective in boosting the performance of commercial Pt catalyst modified with polymetallic atom sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alloying Pt catalysts with transition metal elements is an effective pathway to enhance the performance of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but often accompanied with severe metal dissolution issue, resulting in poor stability of alloy catalysts. Here, instead of forming traditional alloy structure, we modify Pt surface with a novel Ni−W dimer structure by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The obtained NiW@PtC catalyst exhibits superior ORR performance both in liquid half‐cell and practical fuel cell compared with initial Pt/C. It is discovered that strong synergistic Ni−W dimer structure arising from short atomic distance induced a stable compressive strain on the Pt surface, thus boosting Pt catalytic performance. This surface modification by synergistic dimer sites offers an effective strategy in tailoring Pt with excellent activity and stability, which provides a significant perspective in boosting the performance of commercial Pt catalyst modified with polymetallic atom sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]