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To progress with their learning, students need to be able to make judgements about the quality of their own work and the work of others. This capability is known as evaluative judgement. The importance of evaluative judgement is well-established, but environments in which learners practice this capability remain unknown. This paper explores whether learners practice evaluative judgement within qualitative self-assessment. We conducted a thematic analysis of students' qualitative self-assessments from years one, three and four of construction management and building surveying courses and analysed approximately 430 pages of text. Our analysis indicated that learners often practised evaluative judgement during qualitative self-assessment even when such pedagogical activity was not specifically designed for this purpose. While constructing their professional knowledge, learners made evaluations of the quality of work, their own and the work of others. Based on our findings, we recommend that qualitative self-assessment is embedded within curricula to enable learners to practice evaluative judgement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate perception of external environment information through the robot foot is crucial for the mobile robot to evaluate its ability to traverse terrain. Adequate foot-end contact signals can provide robust support for robot motion control and decision-making processes. The shape and uncertain rotation of the wheel-legged robot foot end represent a significant challenge to sensing the robot foot-end contact state, which current foot-end sensing schemes cannot solve. This paper presents a sensing method for the tire stress field of wheel-legged robots. A finite element analysis was conducted to study the deformation characteristics of the foot-end tire under force. Based on this analysis, a heuristic contact position estimator was designed that utilizes symmetrical deformation characteristics. Strain sensors, arranged in an array, extract the deformation information on the inner surface of the tire at a frequency of 200 Hz. The contact position estimator reduces the dimensionality of the data and fits the eigenvalues to the estimated contact position. Using support vector regression, the force estimator utilizes the estimated contact position and sensor signal to estimate the normal reaction force, designated as FZ. The sensing system is capable of detecting the contact position on the wheel circumference (with a root mean square error of 1.150°), as well as the normal force of 160 N on the Z axis (with a root mean square error of 6.04%). To validate the efficacy of the sensor detection method, a series of randomized and repeated experiments were conducted on a self-constructed test platform. This novel approach offers a promising avenue for perceiving contact states in wheel-legged robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of different levels of compound acidifiers on the growth performance, nonspecific immunity, and serum biochemical indexes of grass carp. A total of 480 grass carps with similar weight were randomly divided into four groups with three replicates in each group and 40 grass carps in each replicate. Grass carp in the control group were fed with basic feed, while grass carp in the experimental group were fed with feed containing 0.1% (0.1% compound acidifier group), 0.2% (0.2% compound acidifier group) and 0.4% (0.4% compound acidifier group), respectively. The trial period was eight weeks. The results showed that compared with the control group, the powder weight, weight gain rate and specific growth rate of grass carp in the 0.2% compound acidifier group increased significantly (P<0.05), while the feed coefficient decreased significantly (P<0.05). The liver-body ratio of grass carp in the 0.1% compound acidifier group and 0.2% compound acidifier group was significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the crude fat content of grass carp muscle in each compound acidifier group increased significantly (P<0.05), and the water content of grass carp muscle in 0.2% compound acidifier group decreased significantly (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the activity of lysozyme (LZM) and the content of triglyceride (TG) in serum of grass carp in the 0.2% and 0.4% compound acidulant groups were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the content of immunoglobulin M (IgM) in serum of grass carp in each compound acidulant group was significantly increased (P<0.05). The serum urea nitrogen (BUN) content decreased significantly (P<0.05), total protein (TP), glucose (GLU) content and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity increased significantly in the 0.2% compound acidifier group (P<0.05). The study indicates that adding the proper amount of compound acidifier in grass carp production can improve growth performance, improve body composition, enhance immunity, and improve some serum biochemical indexes, and the suitable addition level of compound acidifier is 0.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment plays an important role in higher education, both guiding student learning and judging student success. However, assessment that treats all students the same is inequitable, since it ignores differences in students' past and present circumstances. A shift to assessment for inclusion is advocated to promote student equity; one that incorporates diverse students' perspectives on and experiences of assessment. A students-as-partners approach was taken to explore diverse students' experiences of assessment, and their suggestions to make assessment more inclusive. A team of six staff and five student partners undertook a co-research project, facilitating workshops with 52 students from diverse backgrounds to understand their assessment experiences. While assessment goals varied, students reported assessment was an emotional experience, citing challenges with assessment design, process and broader university support. These findings can be aligned and incorporated within a previously developed assessment design framework, demonstrating that students can make nuanced judgements about the quality of assessment design in relation to inclusion. Future work on assessment design which seeks to be inclusive can and should therefore routinely involve students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning classification algorithms, such as decision trees and random forests, are commonly used in many applications. Clients who want to classify their data send them to a server that performs their inference using a trained model. The client must trust the server and provide the data in plaintext. Moreover, if the classification is done at a third-party cloud service, the model owner also needs to trust the cloud service. In this paper, we propose a protocol for privately evaluating decision trees. The protocol uses a novel private comparison function based on fully homomorphic encryption over the torus (TFHE) scheme and a programmable bootstrapping technique. Our comparison function for 32-bit and 64-bit integers is 26% faster than the naive TFHE implementation. The protocol is designed to be non-interactive and is less complex than the existing interactive protocols. Our experiment results show that our technique scales linearly with the depth of the decision tree and efficiently evaluates large decision trees on real datasets. Compared with the state of the art, ours is the only non-interactive protocol to evaluate a decision tree with high precision on encrypted parameters. The final download bandwidth is also 50% lower than the state of the art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most advanced fuel injection system, the common rail system can achieve the flexible control of injection pressure, injection timing and injection rate. Thus, the pressure control strategy of high-pressure common rail system (HPCRS) will be critical for the performance of the diesel engine, as it affects its injection characteristics. In this paper, model in loop (MIL) simulation studies were carried out, a high-precision common rail hydraulic model and analytical rail pressure control strategy based on flow continuity equation were established. The delay of the high-pressure pump was accounted for and included in the proposed strategy, making it more targeted for HPCRS. The delay can be extremely important for high-pressure common rail overshoot especially in variable working condition. Next, the proposed strategy was compared to the traditional PI-based control strategy in both the start-up and transient conditions. Results indicated that the proposed strategy performs better regarding the overshoot, notably improving the control effect (compared to traditional PI-based strategy). The advances of using the proposed strategy primarily include improvements in working conditions with the obvious change in cycle injection quantity and engine speed. Both the proposed control strategy and PI-based strategy can track pressure effectively in various working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When students graduate, they cannot rely on educators telling them if their work is good enough. To do so, they need well-developed evaluative judgement, the capability to make decisions about the quality of their own and the work of others. There is little evidence about the specific approaches that can develop evaluative judgement—or how to study those approaches. Understanding how to research evaluative judgement in the context of pedagogical activities is essential to advance both research and practice. This paper explores how to research evaluative judgement within the context of a longitudinal reflective diary kept by first-year students in a built environment course. Students were required to observe construction and managerial processes on worksites and record these in their reflective diaries. Thematic analysis was conducted on a dataset comprising approximately 290 pages of text. Our analysis suggests it is possible to observe students' evaluative judgement even in some tasks that are not specifically designed to evidence it. Recommendations are made about improving the design and implementation of assessment tasks with the inclusion of reflective practices and dialogue as key enablers of the development and therefore research of evaluative judgement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet and 5G era makes e-learning a vital part of modern education, and extensive evidence has shown that peer teaching and flipped classroom contribute to increased success in medical teaching. However, the applicability of these pedagogies in laboratory courses remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the academic performance, proficiency in procedural skills, and perception of nursing students in physiology laboratory classes delivered with nontraditional classroom (NTC) pedagogies comprising the combination of e-learning, peer teaching, and flipped classroom. Each class was subdivided into two equal halves by successive student identification (ID) number and randomly assigned to the control or NTC group. Compared to the control class, NTC teaching significantly enhanced mean score of six preclass tests (67.77 ± 9.83 vs. 62.94 ± 9.70), with "B" graders increased obviously, suggesting that preclass e-learning was more effective than textbook-based preview, especially for general grasp of the topic. Similarly, average scores on postclass quizzes in the NTC group were improved (79.40 ± 9.12 vs. 74.43 ± 8.88). Lesser time cost and higher success rates were observed in trachea, artery, and heart catheterizations in the NTC group, although no disparities were found in ureteral intubation. The majority (-74%) of students supported the reform and shared positive experiences with NTC methodology. They reported that virtual experiments and self-paced procedural skill videos affected pre- and in-class learning outcomes most, respectively. These findings indicated that NTC pedagogy was workable to improve students' subject scores and proficiency in complicated and direct-viewing procedural skills and was favorable to students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the crystal structure of a 2D-grid Fe(II) polymeric compound involving the Schiff base ligand ( I E i ) I N i '-(pyridin-4-ylmethylene)isonicotinohydrazide. Comment Schiff base derivatives have been widely studied as complex ligands [[7]], or catalyst-active materials [[9]]. Experimental details Restrained distances O3-C17A O3-C17B, C16A-C17A C16A-C17B, O2-C16A O2-C16B, C16A-C17A C16B-C17A, C16A-C17B C16B-C17B, O2-C14A O2-C14B, C15A-C14A C15A-C14B, O3-C15A O3-C15B, C15A-C14A C15B-C14A,C15A-C14B C15B-C14B with sigma of 0.02. [Extracted from the article]

Comment Picolinic acid derivatives have been widely studied as complex ligands [[6]], or functional materials [[7]]. Crystal structure of di- 2-hydroxido-tetrakis(6-methylpyridine-2-carboxylato-k2N,O) diiron(III) trihydrate C28H32Fe2N4O13 However, only a limited number of compounds of its 6-methyl substituted derivative (6-methyl-2-pyridinecarboxylic acid) have been reported, and most of them are mononuclear compounds [[8]]. [Extracted from the article]

Porous monodisperse spindle-like α-Fe2O3 nanomaterials are first synthesized successfully by a hydrothermal method, and then the as-prepared nanoparticles are annealed at different temperatures under various atmospheres to achieve the spindle-like Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The evolution of the features of nanoparticles, including the changes of the structures and microstructures as well as the magnetic properties, during the reduction process has been investigated by using the Raman spectrum and Mössbauer spectrum. Our research reveals that the α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles annealed by covering of the C powder become a mixture of α-Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 in the range of annealing temperature from 300 °C to 800 °C. With reduced atmospheric H2, spindle-like α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are transferred to mixture of α-Fe2O3, Fe3O4 and Fe as temperature increases. They are also converted from a typical rhombohedral structure to a cubic α-Fe phase at 500 °C. Finally, with the atmosphere of H2/Ar (5%/95%), a pure Fe3O4 phase, and its excellent magnetic properties are achieved at 450 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The finite difference method is widely used in seismic wave numerical simulation, reverse time migration and full waveform inversion. However, the numerical dispersion problem seriously affects the results of seismic imaging and inversion. Based on this, we introduced cosine-combined window function (CCWF) used in harmonic analysis of the power system and compared the amplitude response and error properties with other window functions. Then, an optimised CCWF and a new weighting method are proposed, which results in finite-difference operators with not only large spectral coverage but also small precision error fluctuation. In this paper, the analysis shows the good stability of using finite difference operators. Finally, we perform numerical forward modelling, which denotes that our method is superior than other optimum methods. From an economic point of view, this method will effectively reduce the computation cost and improve efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the thermal ignition and combustion characteristics of liquid droplet of ammonium dinitramide based liquid propellant in different oxidizing gas atmospheres under different on-load voltages. The oxidizing gases included air, O 2 , N 2 O and NO. The ignition and combustion processes were recorded synchronously by two high speed cameras to catch the directly recorded images and schlieren images respectively. In order to explore the ignition and combustion process quantitatively, the ignition delay time, burning duration and the development of the droplets were analyzed. • The ADN based liquid propellant were ignited in different oxidizing gas atmospheres. • The ignition and combustion processes of ADN based liquid propellant droplet were recorded. • The ignition and combustion characteristics of ADN based liquid droplets were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study Ga-doped cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanowires (NWs) were grown through chemical vapor deposition. The carrier conductivities of the CdS NWs improved after the incorporation of Ga; moreover, the conductivities of the CdS NWs increased upon increasing the amount of the Ga source. Using a cation exchange method, these CdS NWs served as the source material for the preparation of Cu2S–CdS p–n heterostructured NWs. The short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency of the best-performing Cu2S–CdS NW photovoltaic device were 0.152 nA, 0.245 V, 44.5%, and 0.405%, respectively, when illuminated under AM 1.5 solar light. This study demonstrates the possibility of modulating not only the properties of CdS NWs through the incorporation of dopant Ga atoms but also the photovoltaic properties of Cu2S–CdS p–n heterostructured NW devices, paving the way for the exploitation of nanostructures within optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute anterior uveitis (AAU) is an ordinary type of uveitis, which is an autoimmune disease produced by T cells. Programmed apoptosis protein 1 (PD-1) is a vital negative regulatory protein of immune tolerance. We detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs41386349, rs10204525, and rs2227982 of PD-1 to investigate the correlation between PD-1 polymorphisms and AAU. A total of 166 AAU patients and 263 controls were recruited in this case-control study. Compared with controls, the frequencies of the GG genotypes were higher in rs10204525 in AAU patients (p = 0.012). There were obvious increases in frequencies of the TT genotypes in rs2227982 and the GG genotypes in rs10204525 in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27-negative AAU patients compared with controls (p = 0.03; p = 0.015, respectively). There were also increases in frequencies of TT genotypes in rs2227982 and the GG genotypes in rs10204525 in the patients without ankylosing spondylitis (AS) when compared with controls (p = 0.021; p = 0.003, respectively). Furthermore, the frequencies of TT genotypes in rs2227982 were higher in female patients diagnosed with AAU than with control group (p = 0.033). Our results showed that SNPs rs2227982 and rs10204525 were interrelated to AAU; the influence on AAU could be related with gender, HLA-B27, and AS status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Turbulent combustion experimental studies of hydrogen-rich syngas were conducted in a fan-stirred turbulent combustion chamber. • The power-law correlations between S T /S L and Re T,flame were obtained under different conditions. • The acceleration exponent was extracted to quantitatively investigate the flame self-acceleration propagation in the transition stage. • The relationships between acceleration exponent and u' , Kz , L T , δ , ρ u / ρ b , Le eff were analyzed. In order to investigate the flame self-similar propagation and flame acceleration characteristics of hydrogen-rich syngas turbulent expanding flames, the turbulent combustion experimental studies of H 2 /CO/air mixtures with X H2 = 55%-95%, φ = 0.6–1.0, P = 1 bar-3 bar, u' =0.809–2.533 were conducted in a fan-stirred turbulent combustion chamber with an inner diameter of 380 mm. Results show that the normalized flame propagation speed S T /S L and turbulent flame Reynolds number Re T,flame could be represented by power-law correlations. With the increase of hydrogen fraction from 55% to 95%, the power exponent decreases from 0.413 to 0.301. The increase of hydrogen fraction makes the flame acceleration weaker because that the enhancing of laminar flame speed is more obvious than the differential-diffusion effect by decreasing Le. With the decrease of equivalence ratio from 1.0 to 0.6, the power exponent increases from 0.304 to 0.411 in this study. The relative high power exponent under low equivalence ratio is due to the coupling between differential-diffusion and the flame stretch on the local wrinkled flame structures. In addition, the influence of turbulence and flame intrinsic instabilities on flame acceleration propagation process of hydrogen-enriched syngas were studied. The acceleration exponent was extracted to quantitatively investigate the flame self-acceleration propagation in the transition stage, and the relationships between acceleration exponent and turbulence intensity (u'), Kovasznay number (Kz), turbulence integral length scale (L T), flame thickness (δ), thermal expansion ratio (ρ u / ρ b), effective Lewis number (Le eff) were analyzed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decision tree is a common algorithm in machine learning, which performs classification prediction based on a tree structure. In real-world scenarios, input attribute values may be sensitive and tree models are usually private, thus the computation potentially incurs security and privacy risks. In this paper, we focus on how to retain privacy when outsourcing decision tree evaluation. Leveraging homomorphic encryption, our construction achieves data confidentiality against semi-honest adversaries while enabling both the client (who provides the attributes) and the model holder to be offline during evaluation. Based on an unbalanced-computational-ability two-server model, we achieve single-branch evaluation, which is exponentially less computation than previous schemes that evaluated the entire decision tree. A proof-of-concept implementation demonstrates this. Additionally, with multi-key encryption and joint decryption, our protocol easily supports multi-client scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-Key Fully Homomorphic Encryption (MKFHE) supports homomorphic evaluation on ciphertexts encrypted under different keys, guaranteeing data privacy in the case of multiple mutually untrusted parties. In ASIACRYPT 2019, Chen et al. designed an LWE-based MKFHE scheme, which evaluates a boolean gate on ciphertexts followed by a bootstrapping procedure in the dynamic multi-key setting. In this paper, we propose a new MKFHE scheme from NTRU and (R)LWE, achieving better bootstrapping performance. To that end, we adapt Chen et al.'s bootstrapping algorithm to the NTRU setting and construct an efficient conversion from multi-key NTRU to multi-key RLWE ciphertexts. With appropriate parameter choice, our scheme avoids the sublattice attacks that broke previous NTRU-based MKFHE schemes. Finally, we implement a proof-of-concept of our construction and conduct experiments to test its performance. Our experiments indicate that gate bootstrapping in our scheme for 2 parties takes 0.18 seconds, which is faster than with Chen et al. by around 5.3 times, but unfortunately does not scale beyond that. It is however practical for uses such as oblivious neural network inference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study was conducted using outwardly propagating flame to evaluate the laminar burning velocity and flame intrinsic instability of diluted H 2 /CO/air mixtures. The laminar burning velocity of H 2 /CO/air mixtures diluted with CO 2 and N 2 was measured at lean equivalence ratios with different dilution fractions and hydrogen fractions at 0.1 MPa; two fitting formulas are proposed to express the laminar burning velocity in our experimental scope. The flame instability was evaluated for diluted H 2 /CO/air mixtures under different hydrogen fractions at 0.3 MPa and room temperature. As the H 2 fraction in H 2 /CO mixtures was more than 50%, the flame became more unstable with the decrease in equivalence ratio; however, the flame became more stable with the decrease in equivalence ratio when the hydrogen fraction was low. The flame instability of 70%H 2 /30%CO premixed flames hardly changed with increasing dilution fraction. However, the flames became more stable with increasing dilution fraction for 30%H 2 /70%CO premixed flames. The variation in cellular instability was analyzed, and the effects of hydrogen fraction, equivalence ratio, and dilution fraction on diffusive-thermal and hydrodynamic instabilities were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the influence of turbulence intensity on flame local structural and local propagation characteristics was studied. In order to achieve this, 50% H2/50% CO with equivalence ratio of 0.8 were conducted under different turbulence intensities ranging from 0 to 1.31 m/s at atmospheric pressure and temperature. The distribution of the flame local radius and flame local propagation speed and the correlation between the two were investigated. The results show that the turbulence can increase the disturbance in the flame front, and enhance the fluctuation of the flame local radius, resulting in an increase in the fluctuation of the flame local propagation speed. With the development of flame, the distribution of the flame local propagation speed tended to become uniform, while the intersection zone of the flame local propagation speed and the flame local radius distribution gradually decreased. When the turbulence intensity ranged between 0.49 m/s to 0.74 m/s and between 1.08 m/s to 1.31 m/s, the sensitivity of the flame local propagation speed to its local characteristics reduced with the increase of the turbulence intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite compelling evidence of its potential effectiveness, uptake of self and peer assessment in higher education has been slower than expected. As with other assessment practices, self and peer assessment is ultimately enabled, or inhibited, by the actions of individual academics. This paper explores what academics see as the benefits and challenges of implementing self and peer assessment, through the analysis of interviews with 13 Australian academics. Thematic analysis of our qualitative data identified seven themes of benefits and five challenges. Our academics showed strong belief in the power of self and peer assessment as formative assessment, contrary to past literature which has focussed on the accuracy of students’ marking. This paper therefore brings insights as to not only what academics value about self and peer assessment but also identifies potential inhibitors in practice. Recommendations are made about improving the design and implementation of self and peer assessment in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Electrical ignition experiments of ADN based liquid propellant in Ar, air and N 2 O were conducted in a combustion chamber. • The ignition and combustion processes of ADN based liquid propellant were analyzed according to the images recorded in the experiments. • Ignition delay time and peak combustion pressure of ADN based liquid propellant under different on-load voltages were studied. • Ignition energy and total energy were observed under different on-load voltages. • The mole fractions of key reaction products CO and N 2 O of ADN based liquid propellant were analyzed. An experimental study was performed to investigate combustion characteristics of ammonium dinitramide (ADN) based liquid propellant with electrical ignition method in a combustion chamber. The experiment was conducted in different gas atmospheres such as argon, air and nitrous oxide under an on-load voltage range of 60–100 V. The influence of the gas atmosphere, on-load voltage on the ignition delay time, peak combustion pressure, ignition energy, total energy and key reaction products mole fractions were studied. The ignition delay time of propellant decreases gradually with the increase of ignition voltage, while the ambient gas has little effect on the ignition delay time because the flame appears inside the propellant earliest. The peak combustion pressure of propellant is highest when the ambient gas is nitrous oxide, whereas lowest in argon atmosphere. The ignition energy and total energy are insensitive to gas atmosphere and decrease gradually with the increasing on-load voltage. The concentration of N 2 O increases with the increase of on-load voltage. The mole fraction of CO decreases with the increase of on-load voltage in general, especially obviously at relatively high on-load voltage of 100 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-rich syngas, produced from biomass-based feedstocks, is a promising alternative energy source. However, its combustion characteristics are completely different from those of typical hydrocarbon fuels due to the presence of hydrogen. As a result, the kinetic mechanism of hydrogen-rich syngas premixed flame (HRSPF) propagation is very complex. In this work, the propagation of HRSPF was investigated employing different fan speeds (0–4273 rpm), hydrogen fractions (55%–95%), pressures (1.0 bar–3.0 bar), and equivalence ratios (0.6–1.0). It was found that the propagation speed of turbulent HRSPF increased when the mixing process of turbulent flow was enhanced or the stretching effect of flame front was weakened. When the turbulence intensity increased, the effect of flame inherent instability on the propagation speed of HRSPF was weakened. When the relative changes of thermal diffusion and mass diffusion of flame front were considerable, the effect of diffusional-thermal instability on flame acceleration process was more significant. On the contrary, the effect of hydrodynamic instability on flame acceleration process was more significant. [Display omitted] • The stretching effect of flame front on flame propagation was studied. • Effect of both turbulence and flame inherent instabilities on the u t were evaluated. • Self-similar propagation coupled with diffusional-thermal instability was analyzed. • Effect of accelerated propagation process of the HRSPF was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of high-entropy borides with combined structural and functional performance holds untold scientific and technological potential, yet relevant studies have been rarely reported. In this work, we report nanocrystalline (La0.25Ce0.25Nd0.25Eu0.25)B6 high-entropy rare-earth hexaboride (HEReB6-1) ceramics fabricated through the high-pressure sintering of self-synthesized nanopowders for the first time. The as-fabricated samples exhibited a highly dense (96.3%) nanocrystalline (94 nm) microstructure with major (001) fiber textures and good grain boundaries without any impurities, resulting in a remarkable mechanical, electrical, and thermionic emission performance. The results showed that the samples possessed outstanding comprehensive mechanical properties and a high electrical resistivity from room temperature to high temperatures; these were greater than the average values of corresponding binary rare-earth hexaborides, such as a Vickers hardness of 23.4 ± 0.6 GPa and a fracture toughness of 3.0 ± 0.4 MPa•m1/2 at room temperature. More importantly, they showed high emission current densities at elevated temperatures, which were higher than the average values of the corresponding binary rare-earth hexaborides. For instance, the maximum emission current density reached 48.3 A•cm−2 at 1873 K. Such superior performance makes the nanocrystalline HEReB6-1 ceramics highly suitable for potential applications in thermionic emission cathodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomenon: Peer learning has many benefits and can assist students in gaining the educational skills required in future years when they become teachers themselves. Peer learning may be particularly useful in clinical learning environments, where students report feeling marginalized, overwhelmed, and unsupported. Educational interventions often fail in the workplace environment, as they are often conceived in the “ideal” rather than the complex, messy real world. This work sought to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing peer learning activities in a clinical curriculum.Approach: Previous peer learning research results and a matrix of empirically derived peer learning activities were presented to local clinical education experts to generate discussion around the realities of implementing such activities. Potential barriers and limitations of and strategies for implementing peer learning in clinical education were the focus of the individual interviews.Findings: Thematic analysis of the data identified three key considerations for real-world implementation of peer learning: culture, epistemic authority, and the primacy of patient-centered care. Strategies for peer learning implementation were also developed from themes within the data, focusing on developing a culture of safety in which peer learning could be undertaken, engaging both educators and students, and establishing expectations for the use of peer learning.Insights: This study identified considerations and strategies for the implementation of peer learning activities, which took into account both educator and student roles. Reported challenges were reflective of those identified within the literature. The resultant framework may aid others in anticipating implementation challenges. Further work is required to test the framework's application in other contexts and its effect on learner outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive types of brain tumor. Due to its highly recurrent rate and poor prognosis, the overall survival time with this type of tumor is only 20-21 months. Recent knowledge suggests that its recurrence is in part due to the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which display radioresistant, chemoresistant, self-renewal and tumorigenic potential. Enhancers of Zeste 2 (EZH2) and AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) are both highly expressed in GBM. Additionally, they are an essential regulator involved in CSCs maintenance, migration, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), stemness, metastasis and patient survival. In this study, we used a small molecule, n-butylidenephthalide (BP), to assess the anti-GBM stem-like cells potential, and then tried to find out the associated genes involved with regulation in migration and invasion. We demonstrated that BP reduced the expression of AXL and stemness related genes in a dose-dependent manner. The migratory and invasive capabilities of GBM stem-like cells could be reduced by AXL/EZH2. Finally, in the overexpression of AXL, EZH2 and Sox2 by transfection in GBM stem-like cells, we found that AXL/EZH2/TGF-β1, but not Sox2, might be a key regulator in tumor invasion, migration and EMT. These results might help in the development of a new anticancer compound and can be a target for treating GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The resistive ignition experiments of ADN based liquid propellant were conducted. • Comparison investigation was done in inert gas and oxidizing gas atmospheres. • Ignition delay time and burning duration of ADN based liquid propellant were studied. • The variation of droplet equivalent diameter of ADN based liquid propellant was analyzed. An experimental investigation was performed to study combustion characteristics of ADN based liquid propellant droplet with resistive ignition method. The experiment was conducted in Ar atmosphere and different oxidizing gas atmospheres under an on-load voltage range of 190–230 V; the oxidizing gases included N 2 O, NO and O 2. The influence of the atmosphere, on-load voltage, droplet volume on the ignition energy, ignition delay time, burning duration, and droplet equivalent diameter development during ignition and combustion was studied. ADN based liquid propellant showed feasibility to combustion by the resistive ignition method in the inert gas atmosphere. The ignition energy accounted for more than 80 % of the total energy during the ignition and combustion process. With the increase of the droplet volume, the value of the ignition delay time and burning duration increased. The atmosphere had a significant influence on the burning duration and droplet diameter, but had little influence on the ignition delay time. Under our experiment conditions, the N 2 O and O 2 atmospheres improved the combustion process, while, the NO atmosphere inhibited the oxidation of methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The resistive ignition experiments of ADN based liquid propellant were conducted. • Comparison investigation was done in inert gas and oxidizing gas atmospheres. • Ignition delay time and burning duration of ADN based liquid propellant were studied. • The variation of droplet equivalent diameter of ADN based liquid propellant was analyzed. An experimental investigation was performed to study combustion characteristics of ADN based liquid propellant droplet with resistive ignition method. The experiment was conducted in Ar atmosphere and different oxidizing gas atmospheres under an on-load voltage range of 190–230 V; the oxidizing gases included N 2 O, NO and O 2. The influence of the atmosphere, on-load voltage, droplet volume on the ignition energy, ignition delay time, burning duration, and droplet equivalent diameter development during ignition and combustion was studied. ADN based liquid propellant showed feasibility to combustion by the resistive ignition method in the inert gas atmosphere. The ignition energy accounted for more than 80 % of the total energy during the ignition and combustion process. With the increase of the droplet volume, the value of the ignition delay time and burning duration increased. The atmosphere had a significant influence on the burning duration and droplet diameter, but had little influence on the ignition delay time. Under our experiment conditions, the N 2 O and O 2 atmospheres improved the combustion process, while, the NO atmosphere inhibited the oxidation of methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the laminar combustion characteristics of H2/N2/air (H2/CO2/air) were systematically investigated under different hydrogen ratios (40-100%) and equivalence ratios (0.4-1.0) in a closed combustion vessel using the spherical expanding flame method associated with Schlieren technology. The unstretched laminar burning velocities were compared with data from previous study, and the result indicates that excellent agreements are obtained. Numerical simulations were also conducted using GRI3.0 and USC II mechanisms to compare with the present experimental results. The Markstein length for H2/inert gas can be decreased by decreasing the equivalence ratio and hydrogen ratio. The results indicate that the H2/inert gas premixed flames tend to be more unstable with the decrease of equivalence ratio and hydrogen ratio. For H2/N2 mixture, the suppression effect on laminar burning velocity is caused by modified specific heat of mixtures and decreased heat release, which result in a decreased flame temperature. For H2/CO2 mixture, the carbon dioxide has stronger dilution effect than nitrogen in reducing laminar burning velocity owing to both thermal effect and chemical effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clean fuel with low carbon emissions, hydrogen-rich syngas has higher flame propagation speed and higher adiabatic flame temperature than other gaseous fuels, so its local flame propagation characteristics are also different from other fuels. In this paper, an experimental study on the hydrogen-rich syngas turbulent premixed flame was carried out at different pressures [101–303 kPa (1.0–3.0 bar)] when the hydrogen fraction was 65%, the fan speed was 3,559 revolutions/min (rpm), and the equivalence ratio was 1.0. The results show that with the propagation of the flame or the increase in pressure, the fluctuation amplitude of flame local radius and flame local pulsation radius becomes smaller. Similarly, the flame local propagation speed increases with the increase of pressure. By analyzing the correlation between the turbulent premixed flame front structure and the turbulent premixed flame propagation process in hydrogen-rich syngas, it is found that when the pressure increases, the correlation between the flame local pulsation propagation speed and the flame local pulsation radius weakens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with hydrazine propellant, energetic ammonium dinitramide (ADN)-based liquid monopropellant has the advantages of high specific impulse, nontoxic, pollution-free, and easy storage. Moreover, ADN-based space engine has been applied in orbit, indicating a good application prospect. However, due to the use of a catalyst and catalyst preheating, it is impossible to realize the long life time of a thruster and the cold start of an engine in emergency. In this study, a new resistive ignition method was used to ignite ADN-based liquid propellant without a catalyst, and the electric ignition characteristics of ADN-based liquid propellant in nitrous oxide environment were studied. The results show that the resistive ignition method could be used to ignite ADN-based liquid propellant in nitrous oxide environment. The increase in voltage affected the decrease of ignition delay time, but slightly affected the combustion duration. With the increase in ambient pressure, the ignition duration of droplet gradually decreased. Voltage and ambient pressure slightly affected the energy consumption in nitrous oxide environment. Moreover, because the ignition delay time was much longer than the combustion duration, the ignition energy accounted for a high proportion of the energy consumed in the entire reaction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new diketopiperazines including spirobrocazines A-C (1-3) and brocazine G (4) were characterized from the mangrove-derived Penicillium brocae MA-231. Compounds 1 and 2 had a 6/5/6/5/6 cyclic system with a rare spirocyclic center at C-2. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic analysis, TDDFT-ECD calculations, and X-ray diffraction. Compound 4 exhibited potent cytotoxicity against both sensitive and cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cells and strong antimicrobial activity against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide more insight into the laminar burning velocity reduction of diluted syngas premixed flames, the laminar burning velocities of diluted syngas premixed (H 2 /CO/N 2 /air and H 2 /CO/CO 2 /air) laminar spherical flames were systematically and thoroughly investigated experimentally via Schlieren technology. In the present investigation, the volume fraction of H 2 was varied from 30% to 70%, the volume fraction of CO was varied from 30% to 70%, the volume fraction of CO 2 was varied from 0% to 60%, and the equivalence ratio was varied from 0.7 to 1.0. In the present investigation, the effects of equivalence ratio, hydrogen fraction, and dilution fraction on the laminar burning velocities were studied. Compared to N 2 dilution, the laminar burning velocity reduction with CO 2 dilution was analysed through the thermal, transport, and chemical effects. In addition, the contributions of third-body and direction effects were also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laminar burning characteristics of syngas-premixed (H 2 /CO/CO 2 /air) laminar spherical flames have been systematically investigated through an experiment using Schlieren system. In the experiment, the volume fraction of H 2 in the H 2 /CO part of the H 2 /CO/CO 2 /air mixtures was varied from 30% to 100%, the volume fraction of CO 2 in the H 2 /CO/CO 2 mixtures was varied from 0% to 60%, and the equivalence ratio was varied from 0.4 to 1.0. The effects of hydrogen fraction, carbon dioxide fraction and equivalence ratio on flame propagation, Markstein length, and laminar burning velocities have been studied. The obtained laminar burning velocities were compared with existing data from the literature and excellent agreement was obtained. The flames become more unstable by decreasing the equivalence ratio and increasing dilution fraction. The value of laminar burning velocity decreases apparently with the increase of carbon dioxide dilution fraction due to combined effect of decrease in adiabatic temperature, thermal diffusivity and the CO 2 participation in the chemical reaction of CO + OH ↔ CO 2 + H. With the increase of hydrogen fraction, the laminar burning velocity increases significantly due to the chemical effect and diffusion effect rather than thermal effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The liquid-phase aldol condensation of acetone for the synthesis of isophorone (IP) was studied under catalysis of CaC2 powder for the first time. The reaction products were analyzed by gas chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. The catalytic behavior of CaC2 was studied at varying temperature, particle size, and dosage and compared with that of Ca(OH)2 and other basic catalysts. It was found that CaC2 shows excellent catalytic performance because of its strong Lewis basicity and dehydrating ability, and CaC2 is converted to Ca(OH)2 and acetylene simultaneously by the resulting water. Higher temperature, smaller catalyst size, and higher mass ratio of CaC2 are beneficial to the IP synthesis. The overall catalytic performance of CaC2 is superior to that of all basic catalysts reported heretofore. This process combines the hydrolysis of CaC2 and the aldol condensation of acetone into a one-pot reaction, which promotes the condensation of acetone greatly along with the quantitative reclamation of acetylene. Thus, this process can be thought of as a green, cost-effective, and efficient route for the synthesis of IP and provides a valuable use of CaC2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacillus cereus is the second most frequent cause of post-traumatic bacterial endophthalmitis. Although genotyping of B. cereus associated with gastrointestinal infections has been reported, little is known about the B. cereus clinical isolates associated with post-traumatic endophthalmitis. This is largely due to the limited number of clinical strains available isolated from infected tissues of patients with post-traumatic endophthalmitis. In this study, we report successful isolation of twenty-four B. cereus strains from individual patients with different disease severity of post-traumatic endophthalmitis. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all strains could be categorized into three genotypes (GTI, GTII and GTIII) and the clinical score showed significant differences among these groups. We then further performed genotyping using the vrrA gene, and evaluated possible correlation of genotype with the clinical features of B. cereus–caused post-traumatic endophthalmitis, and with the prognosis of infection by conducting follow-up with patients for up to 2 months. We found that the disease of onset and final vision acuity were significantly different among the three groups. These results suggested that the vrrA gene may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of endophthalmitis, and genotyping of B. cereus has the potential for predicting clinical manifestation and prognosis of endophthalmitis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of isolation of large numbers of clinical isolates of B. cereus from patients with endophthalmitis. This work sets the foundation for future investigation of the pathogenesis endophthalmitis caused by B. cereus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus, Sphinctogoniella, is described to accommodate Sphinctogonia lingula Yang & Li, 2002, its type species from China. Sphinctogoniella lingula (Yang & Li, 2002), comb. n. is re-described and illustrated. Differences between the new genus and Sphinctogonia Breddin, 1901 are tabulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser Doppler imagery is a contemporary form biomedical science specializing in non-evasive micro-circulation investigation. This paper outlines the process and results of applying twelve different test samples to mouse skin to collect data variation of micro-circulation, then judge the effects of different formulas in skin health improvement. More specifically, it is said [15] that micro-circulation is associated with anti-aging (otherwise known as micro-circulation acceleration) by the way of improvement of nutrition supply and hazard substance elimination, has some effects of skin anti-aging. In this paper, compared with Group 0 (the blank group), Group 1, and Group 2 formulas have statistically significant differences in skin micro-circulation perfusion, which implies that those two groups are provided with better anti-aging formulas. So, Group 1's formula and Group 2's formula have the most significant positive effect on the skin health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Soft-tissue digital defects frequently need to be covered by a flap rather than a skin graft. In hand surgery, functional preservation and aesthetic appearance are often as important as procedural efficacy. Objective We present our clinical experience with reconstruction of digital skin defects with the free wrist crease flap. Methods From January 2012 to September 2013, 14 digits of 14 patients (10 males, 4 females) were included for evaluation. The procedure was performed with brachial plexus block anesthesia. The superficial palmar branch of the radial artery, a subcutaneous superficial vein, and the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve were included in the free wrist crease flap. The flaps were used to reconstruct the skin defect of injured digits through microvascular anastomosis, and donor sites were closed primarily. Results Postoperative follow-up time ranged from 3 to 25 months. All digital deformities were corrected, all flaps survived completely without ischemia, and none were aesthetically bulky. The area of free wrist crease flaps ranged from2.5 to 5.0 cmby 2.0 to 3.1 cm. Slight wound infections appeared in two cases. Venous crisis occurred in one case, but it was successfully addressed after vascular exploration and reanastomosis. Sensation determined by static two-point discrimination measured in these flaps 2 months postsurgery was "good" at a mean 9.7 ± 2.1 mm (range, 6-14 mm). The mean motion range of the distal interphalangeal joint and proximal interphalangeal joint was 23.4 ± 6.9 degrees (0-42 degrees) and 75.8 ± 22.1 degrees (0-98 degrees) preoperatively. The mean motion range of the distal interphalangeal joint recovered to 40.3 ± 5.7 degrees (36-42 degrees), and that of the proximal interphalangeal joint was 90.3 ± 15.3 degrees (85-98 degrees) postoperatively. Both joints reached normal motion angle and difference was statistically significant preoperatively and postoperatively (p < 0.05). The mean disabilities of arm and shoulder (DASH) score was 6.8 ± 3.4 (0-15), and there was statistically significant difference when compared with the preoperative score of 13.5 ± 4.3 (3-19) (p < 0.05). Conclusion We found the free wrist crease flap to be an ideal solution for reconstruction of skin defects of digits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwanin A (α,β-bis(piperonylidene)-γ-butyrolactone) is extracted from Taiwania cryptomerioides . Taiwanin A is extracted from tree bark and exhibits antitumor activity in breast, liver, and lung cancer cell lines. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the cytotoxicity of Taiwanin A against tumor cells by increasing the expression of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene-1 (NAG-1). NAG-1 has been reported to exhibit antitumor and proapoptotic activities, suggesting potential use in cancer therapy. Inhibiting NAG-1 mRNA expression in A549 reduced the cytotoxicity caused by Taiwanin A. Furthermore, the c-Jun-N-terminal kinase/Ste20-related protein proline/alanine-rich kinase (JNK/SPAK) pathway played a key role in the influence of NAG-1 on cell viability, whereas the addition of the JNK pathway inhibitor SP600125 resulted in an inhibitory effect on NAG-1 and recovery of Taiwanin-A-treated cells. A xenograft tumor model demonstrated that Taiwanin A dose-dependently significantly decreases tumor-mediated growth in nude mice by increasing the NAG-1 expression accompanying tumor apoptosis. These data supported the hypothesis that Taiwanin A inhibits lung carcinoma growth by increasing NAG-1 expression through the JNK pathway both in vivo and in vitro. This result can contribute to a compound design for increasing cytotoxicity activity in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study was performed in a constant volume vessel by using the Schlieren system to investigate the laminar burning velocities and Markstein lengths ( L b ) of H 2 /CO lean and stoichiometric ( φ = 0.4 to φ = 1.0) premixed flames under various hydrogen fractions (from 0% to 100%) at atmospheric and elevated pressures and room temperature. The unstretched laminar burning velocities ( S u 0 ) are compared with data from previous literature. Results indicate that excellent agreements are obtained. At 0.1 MPa and room temperature, the stretch behaviour is governed by both the hydrogen and carbon monoxide with hydrogen fraction of less than 50%. However, the hydrogen governs the stretch behaviour with hydrogen fractions of more than 50% because Markstein lengths are essentially the same as for H 2 /air flames. Furthermore, L b generally increases with increasing equivalence ratios for most hydrogen fractions; an opposite trend is observed when the hydrogen fraction is 0%, i.e., in pure carbon monoxide. The unstretched burning velocities of lean and stoichiometric synthesis gas (syngas) premixed flames increase with increasing hydrogen fraction and/or equivalence ratio. The value of unstretched burning velocities decreases with increasing initial pressure with a specific equivalence ratio and hydrogen fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Newly collected male and female specimens of the leafhopper Kolla albescens Jacobi, 1943 from the typelocality (Northeast China), are identified as Pagaronia albescens (Jacobi), comb. n. (Evacanthinae: Pagaroniini). A redescription of the species is provided together with habitus photographs of the male and female and illustrations of the male and female genitalia. P. continentalis Anufriev, 1970 is placed as a junior synonym of P. albescens syn. n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study of the intrinsic instabilities of H2/CO lean (φ = 0.4 to φ = 1.0) premixed flames at different hydrogen fractions ranging from 0% to 100% at elevated pressure and room temperature was performed in a constant volume vessel using a Schlieren system. The unstretched laminar burning velocities were compared with data from the previous literature and simulated results. The results indicate that excellent agreements are obtained. The cellular instabilities of syngas-air flames were discussed and critical flame radii were measured. When hydrogen fractions are above 50%, the flame tends to be more stable as the equivalence ratio increases; however, the instability increases for flames of lower hydrogen fractions. For the premixed syngas flame with hydrogen fractions greater than 50%, the decline in cellular instabilities induced by the increase in equivalence ratio can be attributed to a reduction of diffusive-thermal instabilities rather than increased hydrodynamic instabilities. For premixed syngas flames with hydrogen fractions lower than 50%, as the equivalence ratio increases, the cellular instabilities become more evident because the enhanced hydrodynamic instabilities become the dominant effect. For premixed syngas flames, the enhancement of cellular instabilities induced by the increase in hydrogen fraction is the result of both increasing diffusive-thermal and hydrodynamic instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] FOXD3 is down-regulated in breast cancer tissues. [•] FOXD3 inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. [•] FoxD3 deficiency induces epithelial–mesenchymal transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zwitterions show great superiority in the field of polymer membrane surface functionalization, as the synthesis process is simple, the adaptability of functional groups is strong, and zwitterions with strong hydration capacity in aqueous solutions can inhibit protein adsorption. In this study, a polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membrane was modified to improve anti-protein-fouling capacity by grafting short-chain sulfonic type zwitterions. 3-Dimethylaminopropylamine was first grafted onto hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane by the activation of 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Subsequently, sulfobetaine zwitterions emerged on the membrane surface by quaternization of 1,3-propane sultone. The sulfobetaine zwitterionic membranes were analyzed for surface chemical composition, hydrophilic properties, and surface and cross-sectional structure of the membrane, by a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. Static protein adsorption and dynamic filtration experiments were undertaken to show that the modified membrane had excellent resistance to protein adsorption. It was found that the molecular weight cutoff of the substrate membrane had great influence on the flux recovery rate of the modified membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the increasing demand for telemedicine services has raised interest in the use of medical image protection technology. Conventional block ciphers are poorly suited to image protection due to the size of image data and increasing demand for real-time teleradiology and other online telehealth applications. To meet this challenge, this paper presents a novel chaos-based medical image encryption scheme. To address the efficiency problem encountered by many existing permutation-substitution type image ciphers, the proposed scheme introduces a substitution mechanism in the permutation process through a bit-level shuffling algorithm. As the pixel value mixing effect is contributed by both the improved permutation process and the original substitution process, the same level of security can be achieved in a fewer number of overall rounds. The results indicate that the proposed approach provides an efficient method for real-time secure medical image transmission over public networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and the chiral ionic liquids formed from β-cyclodextrin mono-6-deoxy-6-(3- methylimidazolium)-β-cyclodextrin tosylate (β-CD-IL) as chiral selectors is described. The inclusion phenomena between the β-cyclodextrin chiral selectors and D,L-tryptophan (D,L-Trp) was studied. The inclusion compounds were prepared by grinding, and their properties analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The separation factor between β-CD and β-CD-IL with D,L-Trp was studied by the saturated solution method. This indicated a different binding capacity of β-CD and β-CD-IL to the two enantiomers. This result shows that the chiral ionic liquids have a higher separation factor because of their high solubility. The β-cyclodextrin chiral ionic liquids and CS were crosslinked and immobilized on an N6 membrane to form composite membranes. Adsorption experiments and permeation experiments were carried out. 105.43mg D,L-Trp/g membrane was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge in molecular electronics is to attach electrodes to single molecules in a reproducible manner to make molecular junctions that can be operated as transistors. Several attempts have been made to attach electrodes to proteins, but these devices have been unstable. Here, we show that self-assembly can be used to fabricate, in a highly reproducible manner, molecular junctions in which an antibody molecule (immunoglobulin G) binds to two gold nanoparticles, which in turn are connected to source and drain electrodes. We also demonstrate effective gating of the devices with an applied voltage, and show that the charge transport characteristics of these protein transistors are caused by conformational changes in the antibody. Moreover, by attaching CdSe quantum dots to the antibody, we show that the protein transistor can also be gated by an applied optical field. This approach offers a versatile platform for investigations of single-molecule-based biological functions and might also lead to the large-scale manufacture of integrated bioelectronic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasogonia Young, 1986 is a sharpshooter genus with 13 species, four of them recorded from China. In this paper, S. sandaracata (Distant, 1908) is recorded as new for China and S. rufipenna Li & Wang, 1992 is regarded as a junior synonym of S. nigromaculata Kuoh, 1991. The morphological diversity of the female genitalia of Seasogonia is still poorly known. We provide herein detailed descriptions and illustrations of three Chinese Seasogonia species. Notes on the female genitalia of seasogonia, including intraspecific and interspecific variation, and comparisons between the female genitalia of Seasogonia and of other related genera from China are provided. The preliminary results indicate that the female genitalia may provide useful features for the taxonomy of Seasogonia and other members of the Old World Cicadellini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complex of terbium and a new podand-type polyaromatic carboxylic acid [3,6-bis[(4'-carboxyphenoxy)methyl]-1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene(H2BCM)] have been synthesized, introduced into the pores of mesoporous silica by the sol-gel method, and characterized by IR, UV-Vis, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The Tb complex encapsulated in the pores of mesoporous silica MCM (Mobil composition of matter)-41 (MCM-41-Tb2(BCM)3) displayed characteristic luminescence emission of the pure Tb complex (Tb2(BCM)3); compared with the complex itself, the unit-mass luminescence intensity of the mesoporous silica hybrid material is enhanced four times. The luminescence lifetime of Tb3+ in the hybrid material is also longer than that in pure complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]