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In this paper, the dynamical properties of soliton interactions in the focusing Gardner equation are analyzed by the conventional two-soliton solution and its degenerate cases. Using the asymptotic expressions of interacting solitons, it is shown that the soliton polarities depend on the signs of phase parameters, and that the degenerate solitons in the mixed and rational forms have variable velocities with the time dependence of attenuation. By means of extreme value analysis, the interaction points in different interaction scenarios are presented with exact determination of positions and occurrence times of high transient waves generated in the bipolar soliton interactions. Next, with all types of two-soliton interaction scenarios considered, the interactions of two solitons with different polarities are quantitatively shown to have a greater contribution to the skewness and kurtosis than those with the same polarity. Specifically, the ratios of spectral parameters (or soliton amplitudes) are determined when the bipolar soliton interactions have the strongest effects on the skewness and kurtosis. In addition, numerical simulations are conducted to examine the properties of multi-soliton interactions and their influence on higher statistical moments, especially confirming the emergence of the soliton interactions described by the mixed and rational solutions in a denser soliton ensemble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe-based MOFs (Fe-MOFs) are excellent photocatalysts and have synergy well with Fenton reagents relative to other MOFs. In this work, a series of uniformly covered NH2-Fe-MIL-88B@TpPa-1-COF composites were synthesized using an in-situ anchoring growth strategy, which used F127 as functional molecule to decorate NH2-Fe-MIL-88B nanoparticles to eliminate their surface electrostatic repulsion with Tp molecules during the subsequent coating procedure. Meanwhile, the -NH2 groups in the skeleton of NH2-Fe-MIL-88B could also be used as anchors to covalently connect TpPa-1-COF shell and migration channels for effective charge transfer. This uniformly covered core–shell structure would endow these composites with much more contact area and imine bond linkage between the Fe-MOFs core and COFs shell. Compared with the random packing structure, the uniformly covered Fe-MOF@COF-3 composite possessed a higher proportion of Fe2+ to Fe3+. As a result, the optimized Fe-MOF@COF-3 catalyst could achieve the highest photo-Fenton degradation efficiency of 93.9% for tetracycline hydrochloride (TC⋅HCl), which was much higher than 54.8% of pure NH2-Fe-MIL-88B. In addition, the uniform TpPa-1-COF shell could further effectively enhance the stability of NH2-Fe-MIL-88B by protecting Fe ions from leaching, and the toxicity of the water samples treated with our photo-Fenton degradation process declined obviously. All these merits will endow Fe-MOF@COF-3 photo-Fenton catalyst great potential application value as in the field of environmental governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the effect of tumor plastic surgery on the repair of large-area skin defects after maxillofacial tumor resection. Methods. 90 patients undergoing maxillofacial tumor resection in our hospital from March 2019 to March 2020 were selected and randomized 1 : 1 to receive either tumor plastic surgery (experimental group) or traditional repair (control group). The clinical efficacy and facial cosmetic improvement of the two groups were compared. The Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) was used to evaluate the surgical outcomes of the two groups, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) was used to evaluate the patients' psychological status, and the Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOLI-74) was used to assess the quality of life of patients. Results. Total clinical effective rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.001). A higher excellent rate of facial cosmetic improvement was observed in the experimental group versus the control group (p < 0.001). Significantly lower POSAS scores of the experimental group than the control group were observed (p < 0.001). The POMS scores of the experimental group after treatment were lower than those of the control group (p < 0.001). Tumor plastic surgery resulted in a remarkably higher GQOLI-74 score in the patients versus traditional repair (p < 0.001). Conclusion. Tumor plastic surgery is a promising alternative for patients undergoing maxillofacial tumor resection. It can effectively promote the recovery of facial morphology and physiological function of patients, with high clinical efficacy, so it merits promotion and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to highly active catalytic sites, mass transfer, especially diffusion of the reactant/product also play important roles in supported electrocatalyst systems. However, compared with the morphologies and specific surface areas, the pore structures of the catalyst supports and their influence on catalytic mass transfer have received less attention. Herein, we propose a universal in situ cavitation strategy to regulate the pore size distributions on the metal-loaded carbon through nitro modification on the molecule-based precursors, without significantly changing the electronic structures of the active metal centers. Gas sorption experiments, electrocatalytic measurements and molecular dynamic simulations certified that the increasing mesopore/macropore ratios can remarkably facilitate the diffusion coefficient, enabling improved oxygen evolution kinetics with 71 mV overpotential dropping at 10 mA·cm−2 compared with the nitro-free counterpart. This work demonstrates that the pore size distributions of the catalyst support should be another nonnegligible parameter on boosting the overall electrocatalytic performance. [Display omitted] • Pore-size distribution of carbon support is regulated by an in-situ cavitation. • Increasing mesopore/macropore proportion facilitates the diffusion coefficient. • A high diffusion coefficient improves electrocatalytic oxygen evolution kinetic. • The pore engineering is compatible with general electronic regulation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bandwidth-controllable filtering antenna based on composite effective surface plasmon polaritons (ESPPs)-substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) structure is presented. The composite ESPP-SIW structure can support ESPPs at some frequencies. The asymptotic characteristic of ESPPs is employed to form a bandpass filter, which consists of an SIW and an air cavity situated on the top of the SIW. The unequal widths and the different dielectrics of the cavity and the SIW are employed to provide flexible controllability on the dispersion of ESPPs and thus on the cutoff frequencies of the ESPPs-SIW structure. By engineering the structural dispersion of ESPPs, the filter based on ESPPs-SIW structure shows independent controllability on its cutoff frequencies and thus exhibits a controllable bandwidth. Moreover, from effective-medium aspect, an analytical method is provided to guide the filter design. The filter is used to construct a filtering antenna operating at 5G millimeter-wave (MMW). A prototype of the filtering antenna is fabricated by using multilayer printed circuit boards (PCBs). Simulated and measured results show a good skirt selectivity and flat antenna gain in the passband (22–28 GHz) and also a high suppression in the stable wide stopband (30–43 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing techniques for stabilizing and functionalizing metal nanostructures required precise control of complex procedures and probably introduce undesirable impurities. We herein report an arc-discharge chemical vapor deposition strategy for the synthesis of chemically heterogeneous core/shell metal/oxide nanocapsules Fe/TiFe2O4, Fe/MnFe2O4, and Fe/Al2O3. A universal formation mechanism based on the co-effect of oxygen potential and surface energy is further proposed, derived from fundamental thermodynamics. Such core/shell nanocapsules, integrated with tunable components, present an effective manipulability of microwave absorption at expected frequency, originating from the various dielectric behaviors of the heterogeneous oxide shells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of kinesio taping for managing myofascial pain syndrome in terms of pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, range of motion, muscle strength and disability. Data sources: PubMed, EBSCO, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Physiotherapy Evidence Databases were searched from database inception to November 2018. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used kinesio taping as the main treatment protocol for participants diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome were included. Two reviewers independently screened articles, scored methodological quality using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and extracted data. The primary outcomes were pain intensity, pressure pain threshold and range of motion at post-intervention and follow-up. The secondary outcomes were muscle strength and disability at post-intervention and follow-up. Data synthesis: Meta-analyses of 20 RCTs involving 959 patients showed that kinesio taping was more effective than other treatments in reducing pain intensity (mean difference (MD) = 1.06 cm, 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.66 to −0.46 cm, P = 0.006) and increasing range of motion (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.43, P = 0.003) at post-intervention. Kinesio taping was also superior to other non-invasive techniques in relieving pain intensity at follow-up (MD = −0.68 cm, 95% CI: −1.22 to −0.13 cm, P = 0.02). However, there was no detectable effect on disability or function. Conclusion: Statistical evidence showed that kinesio taping could be recommended to relieve pain intensity and range of motion for patients with myofascial pain syndrome at post-intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planar spoof surface plasmonic polaritons (SPPs) have attracted much attention due to the features of the subwavelength confinement and low transmission loss. The latter feature is highly desired in millimeter wave (mm-wave) and terahertz band. In this communication, a novel method is proposed to convert bounded spoof SPPs mode to radiation mode. An equivalent radiating aperture is formed by gradually decreasing the grooves of an odd-mode plasmonic structure. The mechanism of SPPs wave radiating out through the aperture is clarified by referring to a horn antenna. Furthermore, a spoof SPPs traveling-wave antenna prototype is designed and measured to validate the concept. Measured results show that the antenna has a high gain (~15 dB) and high radiating efficiency (~90%) at the mm-wave frequency. The measured narrow beamwidth in endfire direction indicates that it can be used to construct switched-beam arrays for 5G applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA)‑145 has been demonstrated to serve a role in several types of tumors, however, the potential molecular mechanism of action of miRNA‑145 in bladder cancer metastasis remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the potential modulation of miRNA‑145 in bladder carcinoma and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. The expression of miRNA‑145 in bladder adenocarcinoma tissues and bladder cancer cells was measured by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. miRNA‑145 mimics and inhibitor were transfected into bladder cancer (BC) cells to determine the role of miRNA‑145 on cell motility and invasion measured by wound healing and transwell assays. Luciferase assay was performed to confirm whether N‑cadherin was the direct target of miRNA‑145. Subsequently, expression of N‑cadherin and matrix metalloproteinase‑9 (MMP9) in BC cells were detected by western blot analysis. miRNA‑145 was significantly downregulated cells and tissues from patients with BC, compared with healthy controls. miRNA‑145 markedly inhibited the ability of BC cells to migrate and invade. Furthermore, N‑cadherin was identified as a target of miRNA‑145 in BC cells. MMP9, acting downstream of N‑cadherin, was downregulated in BC cells by miRNA‑145. In the present study, miRNA‑145 suppressed the migration and invasion of BC cells by regulating N‑cadherin. The results of the present study indicated that miRNA‑145 may function as a tumor suppressor and may have a potential to be a diagnostic and predictive biomarker, and a therapeutic target for treatment of BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aggregated lymphoid nodules area (ALNA) in the abomasum is a special organized lymphoid tissue discovered only in Bactrian camels at present. This study aimed to explore the impact of aging on distribution of IgA + and IgG + cells in ALNA in abomasum of Bactrian camels. Twenty-four Alashan Bactrian camels were divided into the following four age groups: young (1–2 years), pubertal (3–5 years), middle-aged (6–16 years) and old (17–20 years). IgA + and IgG + cells in the lamina propria of ALNA were observed and analyzed using immunohistochemical and statistical techniques. The results showed that, in ALNA, the distribution of IgA + and IgG + cells were diffuse, and only a few were in subepithelium dome (SED) and most of them in non-SED. Meanwhile, there were significantly more IgA + cells than IgG + cells in SED from the young to the middle aged group, but which reversed in old group ( P < 0.05). However, the aging significantly decreased the densities of IgA + and IgG + cells populations in non-SED ( P < 0.05); in SED, there were no significant differences between the densities of IgA + and IgG + cells, but which were both significantly lower in old group than those in young group ( P < 0.05). The results demonstrated that, in mucosal effector sites, the aging significantly decreased the densities of IgA + and IgG + cells populations and impacted on the defense barriers formed by IgA and IgG, but had no impact on the scattered characteristics. In inductive sites, the aging dramatically declined their densities, and they should have close relationships with immune memory. These findings lay the foundation for further researching the mucosal immune disorder or decline caused by aging, and especially underscore the importance of researching the impact of aging on the relationship between IgA + and IgG + cells populations and the microbiota colonized in abomasum of Bactrian camels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond has attracted much interest, since it is expected to lead to innovative applications in various domains of quantum information, including quantum metrology, information processing and communications, as well as in various nanotechnologies, such as biological and subdiffraction limit imaging, and tests of entanglement in quantum mechanics. We propose a novel scheme of a single NV center coupled with a multi-mode superconducting microwave cavity driven by coherent fields in squeezed vacuum. We numerically investigate the spectra in-phase quadrature and out-of-phase quadrature for different driving regimes with or without detunings. It shows that the maximum squeezing can be obtained for optimal Rabi fields. Moreover, with the same parameters, the maximum squeezing is greatly increased when the detunings are nonzero compared to the resonance case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copperized oil-coupling exhibits excellent anti-galling performance, but because of the economic and environmental issues, it can't be widely used in practical uses. A new method with good anti-galling performance, lower energy-needed and emission, more simple and inexpensive coupling method for corrosion resistant couplings is urgently needed. A Nano-copper Based Composite Anti-friction Coating (AFRICO), which is the mixing of the high concentration of nano-copper suspension as the basic lubricant with some PTFE nano-particles and a special acrylic resin as a binder is presented here as a feasible alternative new method. The full scale makeup and breakout experiments carried out on the non-API high grade P110S, N80S and TP95TS oil coupling couplings of the AFRICO treated separately showed, that the surfaces of the thread do not appear any obvious galling or scratches. That means the copperized couplings can be replaced by the AFRICO treated couplings in high grade steel corrosion resistant oil-couplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the quantum states of nitrogen vacancy (NV) center can be coherently manipulated and obtained at room temperature, it is important to generate steady-state spin squeezing in spin qubits associated with NV impurities in diamond. With this task we consider a new type of a hybrid magneto-nano-electromechanical resonator, the functionality of which is based on a magnetic-field induced deflection of an appropriate cantilever that oscillates between NV spins in diamond. We show that there is bistability and spin squeezing state due to the presence of the microwave field, despite the damping from mechanical damping. Moreover, we find that bistability and spin squeezing can be controlled by the microwave field and the parameter V z . Our scheme may have the potential application on spin clocks, magnetometers, and other measurements based on spin–spin system in diamond nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the security and encryption performance of the color image encryption method, this paper designed a color image encryption method based on chaotic systems. The MD5 algorithm generated dynamically the initial values of the designed algorithm. After decomposing the R,G and B components of one color image into three grayscale images, it used three different chaotic encryption structures to encrypt the three images. It used Feistel structure to encrypt R image, the combination of the Logistic and the Hyperhenon chaotic sequences obtained the S-box. The G image encryption structure took advantage of sequence of Lorenz chaotic system to implement replacement operation. B image encryption structure used the sequence of KWLCM chaotic system. Finally, it combined three encryption images into one image. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the encryption method can ensure the security of the encryption of the color image effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented an image encryption algorithm based on hyperchaotic sequences and Feistel structure. Firstly, Kawakami mapping generated pretreatment chaotic encryption sequences to preprocess original image. Secondly, Logistic mapping generated initial values of Hyperhenon mapping. Hyperhenon mapping produced encryption sequences as S-box of Feistel structure. Thirdly, the proposed algorithm utilized Feistel structure to encrypt the pretreatment image. The experimental results show that the algorithm has a higher stability, security, and encryption efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme to generate stationary quadripartite entanglement in two-mode optical Fabry-Perot cavity, which consisted of the same two fixed mirrors and the same two perfectly reflective movable mirrors. We treat the whole two-cavity fields-two movable mirrors system as intrinsically quadripartite and investigate quadripartite continuous-variable (CV) entanglement among them. Using the criterion proposed by Loock and Furrsawa, we demonstrate that genuine quadripartite CV entanglement can be generated in this system. This system will provide a way to create genuine quadripartite entanglement in a macroscopic level and will hold good prospects for quantum information and quantum networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study an optical cavity coupled to a lattice of Rydberg atoms, which can be represented by a generalized Dicke model. We show that the competition between the atom-atom interaction and atom-light coupling induces a rich phase diagram. A novel superradiant solid (SRS) phase is found, where both the superradiance and crystalline orders coexist. Different from the normal second order superradiance transition, here both the solid-1/2 and SRS to SR phase transitions are first order. These results are confirmed by large scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical properties of an AlInN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on a sapphire substrate are investigated in a cryogenic temperature range from 295 K down to 50 K. It is shown that drain saturation current and conductance increase as transistor operation temperature decreases. A self-heating effect is observed over the entire range of temperature under high power consumption. The dependence of channel electron mobility on electron density is investigated in detail. It is found that aside from Coulomb scattering, electrons that have been pushed away from the AlInN/GaN interface into the bulk GaN substrate at a large reverse gate voltage are also responsible for the electron mobility drop with the decrease of electron density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using the sudden ionospheric disturbance (SID) monitor provided by the Stanford University, the very low frequency (VLF) signals were observed in Nanjing during the total solar eclipse on 22nd July 2009. It is found that the intensity of the VLF signal varied anomalously during the total solar eclipse, exhibiting the effect similar to the sunrise and sunset, and that the intensity of the VLF signal strongly fluctuated, exhibiting the effect similar to thunderbolts. Moreover, the signal intensity enhanced in short periods both before and after the total eclipse. Based on the discussion on the reliability of the observed data and the comparison with the previous observations, it is found that the ionosphere exhibits some variations previous to the total solar eclipse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polyaniline(PANI) micro/nanotubes doped with novel dopant acid mordant dark yellow GG (AMY GG) were prepared by soft template method in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) as an oxidant. It was found that the molar ratio of HCl to aniline and washing method of the products played key roles in the formation of PANI micro/nanotubes. Changing the molar ratio of HCl to aniline, the typical morphology of PANI could be changed from nanotubes to microtubes. In order to get the final product, different solvents were tried to wash away the by-products. After the by-products were removed by water/methonal/ether, the PANI micro/nanotubes appeared. The morphology of PANI micro/nanotubes was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The chemical structure and thermal stability of PANI micro/nanotubes were examined by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The formation mechanism of PANI micro/nanotubes was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Biodiversity endows similar species with subtle differences in composition, microstructure, and surface chemistry, making biomass a promising precursor to control the resulting active structure for heterocatalysis. Here, it is shown that Tremella fuciformis (Tfu), possessing an abundant porous structure and favorable metal affinity, is favorably serves as a precursor for confining uniform metal nanoparticles, by comparing the chemical characteristics of six varieties of agarics. The modest size of Co in the Tfu derived composite, Co@NPC‐Tfu (NPC = N, P co‐doped carbon), is suitable for in situ semi‐oxidation during oxygen evolution reaction (OER), forming a stable core‐shell structure of Co3O4@Co. Thus, Co@NPC‐Tfu can be used as a state‐of‐the‐art electrocatalyst for OER with an overpotential of 213.6 ± 4.1 mV at 10 mA cm−2, and a significant turnover frequency of 3.21 s−1 at 300 mV, benefitting from the optimum trade‐off between the atom utilization and electrical conductivity. Operando spectroscopy and theoretical calculations unveil the occupied state modulation of the robust carbon‐bonded POx groups, which optimizes the intermediate adsorption to accelerate OER kinetics. Moreover, Tfu derived Ni@NPC‐Tfu can be also prepared as a high‐performance hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst, which can be utilized for efficient overall water splitting coupled with Co@NPC‐Tfu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Plasma ADAM-10 levels are significantly raised after ICH. • Plasma ADAM-10 levels are presumed to estimate severity of ICH. • Plasma ADAM-10 might represent a useful prognostic predictor of ICH. • Plasma ADAM-10 levels efficiently discriminate risk of poor prognosis after ICH. The a-secretase A disintegrin and metalloprotease-10 (ADAM-10) may have deleterious effects in acute brain injury. This study was designed to discern if a relationship between plasma ADAM-10 levels and functional outcome exists in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A total of 109 patients with basal ganglia hemorrhage and 100 healthy controls were included. Their plasma ADAM-10 levels were gauged. Ninety-day prognosis was assessed and poor outcome was defined as death or major disability (modified Rankin Scale score of 3 or greater). Plasma ADAM-10 levels were substantially elevated in patients, as compared to controls. ADAM-10 levels were independently correlated with hematoma size and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Plasma ADAM-10, NIHSS score and hematoma size emerged as the independent predictors for 90-day poor outcome. Under receiver operating characteristic curve, plasma ADAM-10 levels exhibited similar prognostic capability, as compared to hematoma size and NIHSS score; moreover, it significantly improved prognostic abilities of NIHSS and hematoma size. Rising plasma ADAM-10 levels are independently related to increasing severity and poor long-term functional outcome after hemorrhagic stroke, substantializing serum ADAM-10 as a useful prognostic biomarker of ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a bandwidth‐controllable band‐stop filter based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) transmission line in the microwave frequency band. The approach of introducing rectangular slots into the corrugation strips offers a greater degree of flexibility in the SSPPs unit cell design. Meanwhile, the high‐order mode can be pulled to the low frequency segment of interest. The lower and upper edge of the stop band of this filter, therefore, can be controlled independently and conveniently. An equivalent circuit model of this unique unit cell is proposed for analyzing stop band formation and guiding the design of this SSSPs filter. Both numerical simulations and measured results demonstrate excellent stop band performance of the filter. The proposed filter may have potential applications in the SSPPs‐based communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entanglement of hard‐core bosons in square and honeycomb lattices with nearest‐neighbor interactions is estimated by means of quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations and spin‐wave (SW) analysis. The particular U(1)‐invariant form of the concurrence is used to establish a connection with observables, such as density and superfluid density. For specific regimes, the concurrence is expressed as a combination of boson density and superfluid density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a magnon-bandgap controllable artificial domain wall waveguide is proposed by means of micromagnetic simulation. By the investigation of the propagation behavior and dispersion relationship of spin waves in artificial domain wall waveguides, it is found that the nonreciprocal propagation of spin waves in the artificial domain walls is mainly affected by the local effective exchange field, and the magnon bandgap can be controlled by changing the maximum value of the effective exchange field. In addition, it is observed that the artificial domain wall waveguides are structurally more stable than the natural domain wall waveguides under the same spin wave injection conditions, and the magnon bandgap of the artificial domain wall waveguides can be adjusted by its width and magnetic anisotropy parameters. The bandgap controllable artificial domain wall scheme is beneficial to the miniaturization and integration of magnon devices and can be applied to future magnonic technology as a high-pass filter with adjustable cutoff frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effect of interaction, temperature, and anisotropic parameter on the quantum phase transitions in an anisotropic square-octagon lattice with fermions under the framework of the single band Hubbard model through using the combination of cellular dynamical mean field theory and a continuous time Monte Carlo algorithm. The competition between interaction and temperature shows that with the increase of the anisotropic parameter, the critical on-site repulsive interaction for the metal–insulator transition increases for fixed temperature. The interaction–anisotropic parameter phase diagram reveals that with the decrease of temperature, the critical anisotropic parameter for the Mott transition will increase for fixed interaction cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, a water-soluble polysaccharide was obtained from the dried stems of Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo by hot-water (70–75 °C) extraction and 85% ethanol precipitation, and successively purification by DEAE-cellulose anion-exchange chromatography and gel-permeation chromatography. The D. officinale polysaccharide (DOP) has a molecular weight of 8500 Da. Monosaccharide composition analysis reveals that DOP is composed of mannose, glucose, and arabinose with a trace of galacturonic acid in a molar ratio of 6.2:2.3:2.1:0.1. Periodate oxidation–smith degradation and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy analysis suggest the predominance of mannose and glucose, and it contains a 2- O -acetylglucomannan and (1 → 4)-linked-β- d -mannopyranosyl and (1 → 4)-linked-β- d -glucopyranosyl residues. Atomic force microscope shows that DOP mainly exists as rod-shaped chains, supporting high degrees of polymerization. The antioxidant activities of the polysaccharide in vitro assay indicate that DOP has good scavenging activity of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, higher scavenging activity of hydroxyl radical, and metal chelating activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although accessory spleen is a frequently encountered entity, accessory spleen in the greater omentum is rare. A 22-year-old woman presented with dull pain in the left upper abdomen. Cross-sectional imaging studies with 3-dimensional reconstruction suggested the presence of a huge tumor in the greater omentum that was associated with the spleen. At laparotomy, the diagnosis of accessory spleen was made. This accessory spleen was unusual in its size and location. Awareness of this entity and familiarity with typical imaging findings is mandatory for preoperative diagnosis. The importance of recognition and appropriate confirmatory diagnosis of an accessory spleen is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• HFMD cases with more severe CNS complications are linked to neurological sequelae. • Cognitive dysfunction is aggravated in HFMD cases with more severe CNS complications. • The risks of sequelae and cognitive deficits are similar among different pathogens. • HFMD cases without/with mild CNS involvement did not present with any sequelae. • Cognitive function was also associated with socioeconomic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term sequelae and cognitive profiles resulting from severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) with central nervous system (CNS) involvement. 294 HFMD cases were included in a retrospective follow-up study. Physical examinations were conducted. The Chinese Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV) was used to assess intelligence. 58 mild HFMD cases and 99 severe HFMD cases with mild CNS involvement did not present any neurological sequelae. In comparison, the sequelae incidence for severe HFMD with more severe CNS complications was 50.0%. The proportion of full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) impairment was 45.0%. In the 2:6–3:11 age group, severe HFMD with more severe CNS complications and lower maternal education level were risk factors for verbal comprehension disorder. Urban–rural residence and lower paternal education level were risk factors for FSIQ disorder. Furthermore, in the 4:0–6:11 age group, severe HFMD with more severe CNS complication was a risk factor for visual spatial disorder and fluid reasoning disorder. Lower paternal education level was a risk factor for FSIQ disorder. Early assessment and intervention among severe HFMD patients with more severe CNS involvement at a very young age will prove beneficial for their future performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation for fluorinated and nonfluorinated MOFs is presented. • JXNU-12(F) exhibits significantly enhanced C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation than that of JXNU-12. • JXNU-12(F) dispalys aprominent C 2 H 2 -captured amount in the breakthrough experiments. • Fluorination exerts a pronounced impact on C 2 H 2 uptake and C 2 H 2 /CO 2 selectivity. • The pores induced by pore partition and fluorination are optimized for trapping C 2 H 2. Inspired by the unique properties of fluorous compounds, the deliberate replacement of H atoms with F atoms in organic linkers of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) could be of highly interesting. Herein we rationally developed a fluorinated MOF of JXNU-12(F) derived from the parent MOF of JXNU-12 in the presence of the pore partition agent. Remarkably, H/F substitution maintains the crystal structures of MOFs but dramatically enhances the C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation properties. The C 2 H 2 uptake of JXNU-12(F) (298 K and 1 bar) is 1.48 times higher than that of JXNU-12 even though the pore volume of JXNU-12(F) is 84% of JXNU-12. Whereas both MOFs exhibit the same CO 2 uptakes under the same conditions. The C 2 H 2 /CO 2 adsorption selectivity of JXNU-12(F) at 1 bar and 298 K is 2 times that of JXNU-12, emphasizing the importance of fluorine substitution. An excellent C 2 H 2 /CO 2 separation with a large C 2 H 2 captured amount of 4.7 mmol g−1 was achieved with JXNU-12(F), ranking among the best-performing MOFs. The significant performance enhancement in JXNU-12(F) is rationalized by the large electronegativity and polarizability of fluorine groups exposed on the pore surfaces and the well-matched pore spaces generated by pore partition for trapping C 2 H 2 , which collaboratively enhance framework-C 2 H 2 interactions as revealed by computional simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal antibody (MAb) was diagnosed with progesterone (P) level of human serum. In high concentrations and large amounts of displacer effect, this monoclonal antibody (MAb) can retain biological activity so that it can be specially combined with progesterone. Under conditions of the existing displaced agent, monoclonal antibody 11F8(3)H5 can maintain high specificity and affinity and can specifically bind progesterone in serum. Progesterone ELISA standard curve was calculated according to the following formula: Logit(y)=−1.358Log(x)+0.4961, r=0.9944. The serum progesterone values obtained by this method correlated well with those obtained by chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA): the correlative equation was y=0.7804x+0.7600, r=0.9126. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A filtering wideband omnidirectional patch antenna with switchable dual bands is proposed to fulfil four operation states in this paper. Firstly, five resonant modes of the antenna are simultaneously and simply excited to enable the dual-band operation. Radiation nulls are generated beyond the bands, which improves the frequency selectivity and out-of-band suppression for the antenna. Furthermore, each of the bands could be easily and independently shut off to introduce three additional operating states by etching slots on the ground plane or/and inserting metallic rods at appropriate positions, with rejections of the suppressed bands larger than 10 dB. The radiation states show the characteristics of wide operation bands and broad stopbands. For verification, the prototypes are designed and fabricated. The simulated and measured results show good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deoxynivalenol contamination in feed and food, pervasive from growth, storage, and processing, poses a significant risk to dairy cows, particularly when exposed to a high-starch diet; however, whether a high-starch diet exacerbates these negative effects remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the combined impact of deoxynivalenol and dietary starch on the production performance, rumen function, and health of dairy cows using metabolomics and 16 S rRNA sequencing. Our findings suggested that both high- and low-starch diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol significantly reduced the concentration of propionate, isobutyrate, valerate, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA), and microbial crude protein (MCP) concentrations, accompanied by a noteworthy increase in NH 3 -N concentration in vitro and in vivo (P < 0.05). Deoxynivalenol altered the abundance of microbial communities in vivo, notably affecting Oscillospiraceae, Lachnospiraceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, and Selenomonadaceae. Additionally, it significantly downregulated lecithin, arachidonic acid, valine, leucine, isoleucine, arginine, and proline metabolism (P < 0.05). Furthermore, deoxynivalenol triggered oxidative stress, inflammation, and dysregulation in immune system linkage, ultimately compromising the overall health of dairy cows. Collectively, both high- and low-starch diets contaminated with deoxynivalenol could have detrimental effects on rumen function, posing a potential threat to production performance and the overall health of cows. Notably, the negative effects of deoxynivalenol are more pronounced with a high-starch diet than a low-starch diet. [Display omitted] ● DON poses a potential threat to milk yield and overall health of dairy cows. ● Metabolomics & 16 S rRNA sequencing reveal DON impairment in rumen functions. ● DON changes amino acid metabolism of rumen microbes. ● DON-induced impairment is more pronounced for the high-starch diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantum well in a microcavity driven by an external field is studied. Applying a linearized fluctuation analysis, single mode quadrature squeezing spectra as well as continuous-variable (CV) entanglement between the cavity field and exciton are investigated. It shows that a maximum squeezing can be achieved by choosing appropriate quadrature angles for different nonlinearities. More importantly, CV entanglement can be generated in this scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cows fed with high starch diet had higher average milk yield. • Cows fed with high fat diet had higher milk fat percentage, body condition score, and backfat thickness. • Cows fed high starch diet utilized more energy for lactation but less for body fat deposition compared with the animals fed high fat diet. Whether adjusting the dietary energy composition can prevent the excessive obesity of dairy cows remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of isocaloric diets with different ratios of starch and fat on energy partitioning between milk production and body fat deposition in Holstein dairy cows. Fifty-two cows (days in milk, 210.21 ± 6.95) were divided into 2 groups and fed either a high-starch diet (the ratio of net energy for lactation (NEL) supply by starch: fat was 30%:10%, HS), or a high-fat diet (the ratio of NEL supply by starch: fat was 26.67%:13.33%, HF) for 63 days. The dry matter intake (DMI) and milk yield was recorded daily. Milk samples were collected on day 1, 35 and 63 for composition analysis. The subcutaneous fat thickness was measured by Renco device and the body condition score (BCS) were evaluated on day 1 and 63. The blood biochemical indexes were also measured for the samples collected on day 1 and 63. There was no significant difference in the average DMI between the two dietary treatment groups. However, cows fed with the HS diet had higher (P < 0.05) average milk yield, and the difference enlarged with the duration of the treatments. The cows fed with the HF diet had higher milk fat percentage, serum urea nitrogen concentration, BCS, and backfat thickness (P < 0.05), but lower serum glucose concentrations (P < 0.05). Cows fed the HS diet utilized more energy for lactation (54.22% ME vs. 52.79% ME) but less energy for body fat deposition (0.56% ME vs. 1.94% ME) compared with the animals fed HF diet. Overall, these results indicated that adjusting the dietary energy composition may be an alternative approach to balance the energy partitioning between the lactation and body fat deposition in late lactating Holstein dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Functionalized star polymers with tetraaniline on their surface have been successfully prepared by substitution reaction of N-succinimidyl-terminated star polymers with tetraaniline. A novel functional RAFT agent bearing N-succinimidyl group was used in the RAFT polymerization of styrene, and N-succinimidyl groups-terminated polystyrenes with narrow molecular weight distribution were obtained. The star polymers with reactive N-succinimidyl groups on their surface were synthesized via RAFT polymerization of DVB. Polymerization mechanism study by gel permeation chromatography displayed that complete disappearance of linear polymers in the products is difficult. The N-succinimidyl-terminated PSt, polymer stars with surface N-succinimidyl groups and the PSt-b-tetraaniline stars were characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR and GPC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Norovirus (NoV) is the major pathogen causing the outbreaks of the viral gastroenteritis across the world. Among the various genotypes of NoV, GII.4 is the most predominant over the past decades. GII.4 NoVs interact with the histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) to invade the host cell, and it is believed that the receptor HBGAs may play important roles in selecting the predominate variants by the nature during the evolution of GII.4 NoVs. However, the evolution-induced changes in the HBGA-binding affinity for the GII.4 NoV variants and the mechanism behind the evolution of the NoV-HBGA interactions remain elusive. In the present work, the virus-like particles (VLPs) of the representative GII.4 NoV stains epidemic in the past decades were expressed by using the Hansenula polymorpha yeast expression platform constructed by our laboratory, and then the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based HBGA-binding assays as well as the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations combined with the molecular mechanics/generalized born surface area (MMGBSA) calculations were performed to investigate the interactions between various GII.4 strains and different types of HBGAs. The HBGA-binding assays show that for all the studied types of HBGAs, the evolution of GII.4 NoVs results in the increased NoV-HBGA binding affinities, where the early epidemic strains have the lower binding activity and the newly epidemic strains exhibit relative stronger binding intensity. Based on the MD simulation and MMGBSA calculation results, a physical mechanism that accounts for the increased HBGA-binding affinity was proposed. The evolution-involved residue mutations cause the conformational rearrangements of loop-2 (residues 390–396), which result in the narrowing of the receptor-binding pocket and thus tighten the binding of the receptor HBGAs. Our experimental and computational studies are helpful for better understanding the mechanism behind the evolution-induced increasing of HBGA-binding affinity, which may provide useful information for the drug and vaccine designs against GII.4 NoVs. Author summary: Human norovirus (NoV) has been recognized as the leading cause of the epidemic acute gastroenteritis worldwide and more than 50% acute gastroenteritis outbreaks are associated with NoVs. NoVs are highly infectious and may result in serious dehydration, malnutrition and even death, which severely threatens human health and brings heavy economic burden. NoVs are highly genetically diverse, in which the GII.4 genotype is the most predominant. The reported outbreaks of NoV infections have risen sharply from 2002, and it is suggested that the increasing NoV infections are attributed to the emergence of new strains with more infectiousness. GII.4 NoV evolves rapidly and on average every 2–3 years a new strain appears. It has been revealed that the histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) serve as the recognition receptor for the GII.4 NoVs infecting the host cell, and the NoV-HBGA interactions may play an important role in selecting the predominate variants during the evolution of GII.4 NoVs. However, the molecular mechanism behind the evolution of the NoV-HBGA binding affinities is still not clear. In this work, the representative GII.4 NoV strains prevalent in the past decades were expressed, and the changes in the interactions between these strains and the receptor HBGAs were investigated by using the experimental measurements combined with computational simulations. Based on the experimental and computational results, a molecular mechanism that accounts for the increasing of the NoV-HBGA binding affinities during the evolution of GII.4 NoVs was proposed. Our studies are helpful for the understanding of the evolution mechanism of GII.4 NoVs and provide valuable information for the drug and vaccine designs against GII.4 NoVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We periodically modulate the lattice trapping potential of a 87Sr optical clock to Floquet engineer the clock transition. In the context of atomic gases in lattices, Floquet engineering has been used to shape the dispersion and topology of Bloch quasi-energy bands. Differently from these previous works manipulating the external (spatial) quasi-energies, we target the internal atomic degrees of freedom. We shape Floquet spin quasi-energies and measure their resonance profiles with Rabi spectroscopy. We provide the spectroscopic sensitivity of each band by measuring the Fisher information and show that this is not depleted by the Floquet dynamical modulation. The demonstration that the internal degrees of freedom can be selectively engineered by manipulating the external degrees of freedom inaugurates a novel device with potential applications in metrology, sensing and quantum simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has raised concerns worldwide due to its enhanced transmissibility and immune escapability. The first dominant Omicron BA.1 subvariant harbors more than 30 mutations in the spike protein from the prototype virus, of which 15 mutations are located at the receptor binding domain (RBD). These mutations in the RBD region attracted significant attention, which potentially enhance the binding of the receptor human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) and decrease the potency of neutralizing antibodies/nanobodies. This study applied the molecular dynamics simulations combined with the molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MMGBSA) method, to investigate the molecular mechanism behind the impact of the mutations acquired by Omicron on the binding affinity between RBD and hACE2. Our results indicate that five key mutations, i.e., N440K, T478K, E484A, Q493R, and G496S, contributed significantly to the enhancement of the binding affinity by increasing the electrostatic interactions of the RBD-hACE2 complex. Moreover, fourteen neutralizing antibodies/nanobodies complexed with RBD were used to explore the effects of the mutations in Omicron RBD on their binding affinities. The calculation results indicate that the key mutations E484A and Y505H reduce the binding affinities to RBD for most of the studied neutralizing antibodies/nanobodies, mainly attributed to the elimination of the original favorable gas-phase electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between them, respectively. Our results provide valuable information for developing effective vaccines and antibody/nanobody drugs. [Display omitted] • N440K, T478K, E484A, Q493R, and G496S mutations significantly improve the binding affinity of Omicron RBD with hACE2. • E484A and Y505H mutations significantly reduce the binding affinities of Omicron RBD with most of the studied neutralizing antibodies. • Our results offer valuable information for vaccine development and therapeutic antibody design against SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous molecular crystals sustained by hydrogen bonds and/or weaker connections are an intriguing type of adsorbents, but they rarely demonstrate efficient adsorptive separation because of poor structural robustness and tailorability. Herein, we report a porous molecular crystal based on hydrogen‐bonded cyclic dinuclear AgI complex, which exhibits exceptional hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 134°, and high chemical stability in water at pH 2–13. The seemingly rigid adsorbent shows a pore‐opening or nonporous‐to‐porous type butane adsorption isotherm and complete exclusion of isobutane, indicating potential molecular sieving. Quantitative column breakthrough experiments show slight co‐adsorption of isobutane with an experimental butane/isobutane selectivity of 23, and isobutane can be purified more efficiently than for butane. In situ powder/single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and computational simulations reveal that a trivial guest‐induced structural transformation plays a critical role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous molecular crystals sustained by hydrogen bonds and/or weaker connections are an intriguing type of adsorbents, but they rarely demonstrate efficient adsorptive separation because of poor structural robustness and tailorability. Herein, we report a porous molecular crystal based on hydrogen‐bonded cyclic dinuclear AgI complex, which exhibits exceptional hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 134°, and high chemical stability in water at pH 2–13. The seemingly rigid adsorbent shows a pore‐opening or nonporous‐to‐porous type butane adsorption isotherm and complete exclusion of isobutane, indicating potential molecular sieving. Quantitative column breakthrough experiments show slight co‐adsorption of isobutane with an experimental butane/isobutane selectivity of 23, and isobutane can be purified more efficiently than for butane. In situ powder/single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and computational simulations reveal that a trivial guest‐induced structural transformation plays a critical role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of yeast culture (YC) on the growth performance, caecal microbial community and metabolic profile of broilers. A total of 350 1‐day‐old healthy Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to seven treatment groups. The first group received a basal diet without YC supplementation, whereas the remaining groups received a basal diet supplemented with either YC fermented for 12, 24, 36, 48 or 60 hr, or a commercial YC product (SZ2). MiSeq 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing was used to investigate the bacterial community structure, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to identify the metabolites in the caeca of broilers. The broilers that received a diet supplemented with YC had a higher average daily gain and average daily feed intake than those received YC‐free or SZ2‐enriched diets. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) of YCs fermented for 24 hr resulted in the best feed efficiency, whereas the FCR of YC fermented for 60 hr resulted in poor feed efficiency (p <.05). In the caeca of broilers, the bacterial communities were well separated, as determined by principal component analysis, and the proportions of the eight genera were significantly different among the seven groups (p <.05). The genus Akkermansia was the most abundant when the diet supplemented with YC fermented for 24 hr (p <.05). Furthermore, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio was positively correlated with the FCR in the caecum (r =.47, p <.005). Five differentially expressed metabolites (i.e., L‐alanine, benzeneacetic acid, D‐mannose, D‐arabitol and cholesterol) were identified in the caeca of broilers that received diets supplemented with YCs fermented for 24 or 60 hr. In summary, the different fermentation times of the YCs can markedly improve the growth performance and FCR of broilers by altering the caecal microbial community, and the growth performance which is related to the changes in key metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of yeast culture (YC) supplementation and the dietary ratio of non‐structural carbohydrate to fat (NSCFR) on growth performance, carcass traits and fatty acid profile of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle in lambs were determined in a 2 × 3 full factorial experiment. Thirty‐six Small‐tailed Han lambs were randomly divided into six groups with six replicates per group. The lambs were fed one of the six pelleted total mixed rations (TMRs) for 60 days after 15 adaption days. The six rations were formed by two NSCFRs (11.37 and 4.57) and three YC supplementation levels (0, 0.8 and 2.3 g/kg dietary dry matter). The average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) data of each lamb were recorded and calculated. All the lambs were slaughtered for determining carcass traits and fatty acid profile of the LD muscle. DMI was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in a quadratic fashion with 0.8 g/kg of YC supplementation. Carcass weight (CW) and dressing percentage (DP) were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in a linear fashion with 2.3 g/kg of YC supplementation. Animals fed with high‐NSCFR diet had higher (p < 0.05) contents of myristoleic acid (C14:1), pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) and cis‐10‐heptadecenoic acid (C17:1), and lower (p < 0.05) stearic acid (C18:0) content in LD muscle than those fed with low‐NSCFR diet. Moreover, ADG, growth rate (GR), backfat thickness (BFT), percentages of crude fat (CF) and crude protein (CP), SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs in LD muscle, were significantly affected (p < 0.05) by interaction of dietary NSCFR and supplemental YC level. Overall, YC not only improved the growth performance and carcass traits of the animals but also modified the fatty acid profile of the LD muscle. Furthermore, the effects of YC supplementation may depend on dietary compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coercivity increases significantly in Nd 12.2 Fe 81.8 B 6 sintered magnets by mixing Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 powders. • The effect of dual-main-phase structure on coercivity is better than that of conventional dual-alloy method. • The exchange coupling also contributes to coercivity enhancement in Nd-Fe-B/Tb-Fe-B magnets. Nd 12.2 Fe 81.8 B 6 and Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 powders were mixed to prepare sintered magnets by the powders preparation, pressing and sintering. With a small addition of Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 powders the coercivity increases largely in the Nd-Fe-B/Tb-Fe-B magnets. For the addition of 0.5 g Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 (the mass ratio 0.5:9.5 of Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 and Nd 12.2 Fe 81.8 B 6), the coercivity increases to 15.8 kOe, 2.2 times of that in Nd 12.2 Fe 81.8 B 6. With more amount addition of Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 powders the coercivity keeps to increase, and the increase is larger than that of the conventional dual-alloy method. The magnets consist of two main phases, but the atomic interdiffusion is evident for Nd and Tb. Via the investigation of thermal activation it shows that the domain walls size decreases for a little amount addition of Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 powders. So the magnetocrystalline anisotropy increases near grain boundary of Nd-Fe-B phase owing to Tb diffusing and substituting for Nd, which is beneficial to the enhancement of coercivity. For the addition of Tb 17 Fe 75 B 8 more than 0.7 g the domain wall size doesn't decrease evidently, suggesting that the existing of interfacial exchange coupling which also contributes to the increase of coercivity in the sintered composite magnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe–Ni alloy nanoparticles with various alloy components were fabricated by a direct current arc-discharge method. By dispersing the nanoparticles homogeneously into a paraffin matrix, the complex permittivity ([variant_greek_epsilon]r=[variant_greek_epsilon]r′+i[variant_greek_epsilon]r″) and permeability (μr=μr′+iμr″) of the nanoparticles have been investigated in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz and the effects of alloy components on the electromagnetic parameters were discussed. It is found that the permittivities of the nanoparticles are lower than those of the microscale counterparts and almost independent of frequency. The magnetic loss is attributed to natural resonance and the resonance peak shifts to high frequency range with the increase in Fe content. Better microwave absorption performances can be obtained by adjusting the composition and tailoring the core/shell structures to balance the electromagnetic parameters. The calculated results indicate that the Fe–Ni nanoparticles with 49 wt % Ni exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties (reflection loss <20 dB) over the range of 7.6–16.0 GHz in the thickness of 1.02–1.70 mm. The mechanism of effective EMW introduction and attenuation is discussed on the basis of the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mischmetal-based magnets were prepared by mixing 60 wt.% (MM,Nd)14.2-xFe79.8+xB6 (x=0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5) with 40 wt.% Nd15Fe79B6 powders. The coercivity is 9.50 kOe in sintered MM9.8Nd4.4Fe79.8B6/Nd15Fe79B6 magnets, and it decreases to 6.61 kOe in MM9.3Nd3.9Fe80.8B6/Nd15Fe79B6 due to the decrease MM-Nd content of (MM,Nd)-Fe-B alloy and the reduction of the amount of intergranular phase. While for further decreasing MM-Nd content of (MM,Nd)-Fe-B, the effect of Nd diffusing into (MM,Nd)-Fe-B phase to substituting for La-Ce is enhanced in the sintered composite magnets, which would lead to a more increase of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in (MM,Nd)-Fe-B phase. So the coercivity increases to 7.70 kOe in MM8.8Nd3.4Fe81.8B6/Nd15Fe79B6, and the energy product of 33.67 MGOe were obtained in this composite magnets with the 40 wt.% mischmetal in total amount of rare earth. Though the average of magnetocrytalline anisotropy decreases in the sintered composite magnets, the increase of anisotropy in local regions possibly gives rise to the enhancement of coercivity. These investigation shows that the magnetic properties could be optimized by regulating the element distribution in the sintered composite magnets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We studied effects of diet composition and yeast culture (YC) on rumen. • Diet composition × YC interaction was recorded in VFAs, NH 3 -N and bacterial community. • YC impact mainly depended on the diet composition. Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the effects of yeast culture (YC) supplementation and the ratio of non-structural carbohydrate to fat (NSCFR) on rumen fermentation parameters (RFPs) and bacterial-community composition (BCC) using 6 ruminally cannulated sheep in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment. We formulated 6 dietary treatments with 3 levels of YC supplementation (0, 0.8 and 2.3 g/kg of dietary dry matter) and 2 dietary NSCFRs (17.02 and 5.60). Each animal was fed 1 of 6 diets in a 6 × 6 Latin square arrangement during the experiment. Ruminal liquid was sampled at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 h after morning feeding on days 16 and 17 (last 2 days) in all 6 of the Latin square periods. The concentrations of acetic acid, butyric acid and total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) were significantly (p < 0.05) increased and the pH values were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased when the animals fed on high-NSCFR diet (H diet) with 2.3 g/kg of YC at 2 h after feeding compared with that on the low-NSCFR diet (L diet). However, the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) were higher (p < 0.05) in all H groups than that in L groups. The relative abundances of Prevotella_1 were higher in all L groups (p < 0.05), while Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20 and Olsenella were higher in H groups (p < 0.05). Compared with L groups, the relative abundances of Candidatus_Saccharimonas and [Ruminococcus]_gauvreauii of H groups were increased when supplemented with YC (2.3 g/kg; p < 0.05). A significant increased relative abundance of Butyrivibrio_2 was observed in the L group (2.3 g/kg YC). Overall, the RFPs and BCC were influenced by both dietary NSCFR and YC supplementation. There was significant interaction between dietary NSCFR and YC supplementation in the aspects of VFAs, NH 3 -N and all genera of BCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]