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This study aimed to determine the optimal fertilization conditions for perennial cranberry. The effects of fertilizer with low, medium, or high nutrient levels, supplied in solid or liquid form and with or without humic acid (HA) on cranberry were determined in a field experiment. The number of erect stems, fruit diameter, number of fruit set, 100-grain weight, and yield increased as the nutrient supply level increased from nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium (NPK) 3.30 kg/667 m² (low) to NPK 6.00 kg/667 m² (medium) to NPK 9.90 kg/667 m² (high). At the medium nutrient level, fruit diameter, fruit set, 100-grain weight, and yield were significantly higher in the liquid fertilizer treatments than in the solid fertilizer treatments. A compound fertilizer consisting of HA and NPK was better than inorganic NPK fertilizer. The addition of HA to solid fertilizer significantly increased fruit diameter, fruit set, and fruit yield; and the addition of HA to liquid fertilizer significantly increased fruit set. Considering fertilizer costs and the health of the soil ecological environment, NPK 6.00 kg + 4 kg HA/667 m² solid or liquid fertilizer is recommended for cranberry plants cultivated on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most typical observational features of solar radio spikes are their short duration and narrow bandwidth. We have improved the YOLOv5s network model for these characteristics by adding inclined bounding frames and attention and feature fusion mechanism modules. The decimeter- and meter-wavelength spikes observed by the Solar Broad-band Radio Spectrometer in Huairou and the Chashan Solar Radio Observatory spectrograph are used to carry out experiments, respectively. The results demonstrate that the AP value obtained by the improved network is 74%, which is almost 14% higher than the original network. The improved network detects 9709 (1379) decimeter- (meter-) wavelength spikes in two events with durations, bandwidths, relative bandwidths, and frequency-drift rates. The spikes at decimeter and meter wavelengths are again categorized based on their frequency-drift rates, such as positive, negative, and no measurable frequency-drift rates. We have carried out a statistical study on these categorized spikes. These statistical results and findings constrain solar radio spikes' formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crack-free coating that consisted of Ti-Al2O3-SiC-Ag was prepared on the surface of Ti6Al4V alloy by laser cladding. In the composite powder Al2O3 was coated onto Ti particles by the sol-gel method to improve the crystallite and hardness, SiC whiskers were used to depress the diffusion of cracks and Ag was used to improve the thermal diffusivity during laser cladding and depress the thermal stress. A protecting nozzle was designed to prevent the Ti particles from oxidation and hydrogenation. The microstructure of the cladding layer was lamellar β-phase, Ag and SiC whiskers played an effective role in restraining cracks. The results of microhardness testing show that the average hardness of the Ti-Al2O3-SiC-Ag clad layer is about 669 Hv1 which is 1.86 times higher than Ti6Al4V alloy. Friction and wear experiments revealed that the wear resistance of the Ti-Al2O3-SiC-Ag clad layer was - that of the Ti6Al4V alloy substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the physical/chemical stability and potential interactions of trastuzumab and pertuzumab in a single infusion bag before co-administration have been evaluated preliminarily, it is not easy to clarify which monoclonal antibodies changes when the admixtures were analyzed as a whole, especially for in vitro potency evaluation. In this study, take admixtures of pertuzumab and trastuzumab biosimilar products as samples, an in vitro potency assay system was developed that can monitor the changes of potency of each monoclonal antibodies as well as their admixtures. Development of the assay system included 3 steps, the first step is to develop protein quantification assay for each monoclonal antibodies by specific antigen based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, then a specified cell based potency assay that could be used to measure the biological potency of each monoclonal antibodies and their admixtures was developed. After that, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based protein quantification assay and the specified cell based potency assay were qualified for accuracy and precision. Meanwhile, admixtures containing different amount ratios of pertuzumab and trastuzumab biosimilar products were prepared and measured by the well qualified assays. Finally, the potency test data generated from admixtures of different amount ratio were summarized as an analysis table. The analysis table plus protein quantification results were then used as the basic tool for further in vitro potency evaluation of unknown admixtures. Using this system, the change of potency of each monoclonal antibodies in admixtures could be monitored. The in vitro potency assay system was then qualified in evaluating forced degraded samples. This study represents a good example on thorough biological potency evaluation for monoclonal antibodies admixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To develop an oral delivery system of glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) (28–36) for treating type‐2 diabetes, B.S‐GLP‐1(28–36), a recombinant Bacillus subtilis spores transformed with a plasmid vector encoding five consecutive GLP‐1 (28–36) nonapeptides with an enterokinase site was constructed. Methods and Results: GLP‐1(28–36) nonapeptide was successfully expressed on the surface of B. subtilis spores and validated by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The therapeutic effect of oral administration of B.S‐GLP‐1(28–36) spores was evaluated in type 2 diabetic model mice. The efficacy of recombinant spores was examined for a period of 13 weeks after oral administration in diabetic mice. At the end of the sixth week, diabetic mice with oral administration of BS‐GLP‐1(28–36) spores showed decreased blood glucose levels from 2·4 × 10−2 mol l−1 to 1·7 × 10−2 mol l−1. By the ninth week, the mean fasting blood glucose level in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group 30 min after injection of pyruvate. At the end of the 10th week of oral administration, the blood glucose of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group after intraperitoneal injection of glucose. By the 12th week, fasting blood glucose level and fasting insulin level were measured in all mice, the results showed that the recombinant spores increased the insulin sensitivity of mice. Conclusions: The results of pathological observation showed that the recombinant spores also had a certain protective effect on the liver and islets of mice, and the content of GLP‐1(28–36) in the pancreas of the experimental group was increased. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of this study revealed that GLP‐1(28–36) nonapeptides can reduce blood glucose and play an important role in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative intensities of emission peaks from boron-doped silicon terahertz sources have been measured under various pumping conditions. These data have been analyzed to determine the hole occupations in the excited states. As the pumping current increased, the hole concentrations increased approximately linearly. The hole population increased faster in the lower energy 1Γ8- state than in other excited states. At a fixed pumping current, the hole population decreased as temperature increased, but the decrease was slower for the 1Γ8- lower-energy state. These results suggest that to achieve terahertz emission at high temperatures it would be best to use dopants with transitions that have a strong oscillator strength from the lowest-energy excited state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basing to the controversy on the function of the effective microorganisms (EM) microbial agent in manure aerobic composting, the differences of physical and biomass indexes of the experimental group (EP) (manure with EM inoculant) and the control group (CK) (manure without the EM inoculant) were studied and compared during composting. The results showed that the differences of physical indexes variation between the EP and the CK were similar during the process of composting. The number of operational taxonomic units (OTU) in the EP was lower than that in the CK at the beginning, while it was on the contrary in the end. The current study suggested that the presence of the EM microbial agent did not improve the number of OTU at the initial stage and early warming stage of aerobic composting. And, it intensified the competition with indigenous microorganisms in the piles. Furthermore, no obvious difference effects were observed between the EP and the CK. Considering the composting cost, the addition of the EM bacteria was unnecessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the role of vitamins and paclitaxel on the proliferation of breast cancer cells and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical adjuvant therapy, 50 female patients with triple negative breast cancer were selected as the research subjects. These female patients were diagnosed in Zhoushan Maternal and Child Care Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018. They were then randomly divided into the study group and the control group, with 25 cases in each group. All patients were treated with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy. On this basis, the study group received adjuvant treatment of paclitaxel combined with vitamin C intravenous drip. According to the patient's medical records and follow-up records, the clinical efficacy, functional status scores, survival time and the level of tumour markers were counted and analysed. The effect of paclitaxel combined with vitamin C on inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells in cytological experiments was also investigated. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the treatment efficacy and clinical benefit rate between the two groups. The survival time without disease progression and the total survival time were compared between the two groups. The study group had significantly longer survival time than the control group (p<0.05). After the treatment, the Karnofsky performance status score of the study group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). The incidence of side effects of nausea and vomiting, constipation, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia and abnormal liver function in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). The level of tumour markers after treatment was compared between the two groups and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). In addition, when paclitaxel was used in combination with vitamin C, the rate of cancer cell inhibition at any concentration was higher than that of paclitaxel and vitamin C alone. Paclitaxel and vitamin C adjuvant therapy for breast cancer could improve the efficiency of clinical treatment, prolong the survival time of patients and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. In this study, cell experiments further confirmed that paclitaxel combined with vitamin C could inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, and thus can be used as a theoretical basis for clinical medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In ovo feeding (IOF) of l -arginine (Arg) can affect growth performance of broilers, but the response of IOF of Arg on breast muscle growth is unclear, and the mechanism involved in protein deposition remains unknown. Hense, this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of IOF of Arg on breast muscle growth and protein-deposited signalling in post-hatch broilers. A total of 720 fertile eggs were collected from 34-week-old Arbor Acres breeder hens and distributed to three treatments: (1) non-injected control group; (2) 7.5 g/l (w/v) NaCl diluent-injected control group; (3) 0.6 mg Arg/egg solution-injected group. At 17.5 days of incubation, fertile eggs were injected 0.6 ml solutions into the amnion of the injected groups. Upon hatching, 80 male chicks were randomly assigned to eight replicates of 10 birds each and fed ad libitum for 21 days. The results indicated that IOF of Arg increased relative breast muscle weight compared with those of control groups at hatch, 3-, 7- and 21-day post-hatch (P <0.05). In the Arg-injected group, the plasma total protein and albumen concentrations were higher at 7- and 21-day post-hatch than those of control groups (P <0.05). The alanine aminotransferase activity in Arg group was higher at hatch than that of control groups (P <0.05). The levels of triiodothyronine at four time points and thyroxine hormones at hatch, 7- and 21-day post-hatch in Arg group were higher than those of control groups (P <0.05). In addition, IOF of Arg increased the amino acid concentrations of breast muscle at hatch, 7- and 21-day post-hatch (P <0.05). In ovo feeding of Arg also enhanced mammalian target of rapamycin, ribosomal protein S6 kinase-1 and eIF4E-bindingprotein-1 messenger RNA expression levels at hatch compared with those of control groups (P <0.05). It was concluded that IOF of Arg treatment improved breast muscle growth, which might be associated with the enhancement of protein deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene response factor (ERF) is a key transcription factor of plant ethylene signaling pathway, which plays an important role in plant response to abiotic and biotic stresses by regulating the expression of downstream genes. However, little is known about the mechanisms of the regulation of gene expression by ERF proteins. Chloroplast is an essential organelle that is important for photosynthesis and biosynthesis of many essential metabolites. There exists an interaction between chloroplasts and the nucleus. Chloroplasts can send multiple kinds of signals to regulate the nuclear gene expression known as retrograde signaling. In our study, we have analyzed the expression of the components related to plastid retrograde signaling pathway to elucidate the mechanism of tomato ethylene responsive factor 1 (TERF1) in response to drought stress. Our results showed that TERF1 can regulate different biogenic and operational retrograde signals to regulate nuclear genes expression, which can improve plant tolerance to drought stress. We also propose a new potential of TERF1 in regulating nuclear gene expression, including regulation of different phytohormone signaling pathways and gene posttranscriptional modification triggered by different retrograde signals. Our results have enriched our knowledge about the function of ERF proteins and ethylene signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Ti@Ni core-shell powder is in favor of enhancing the sintering densification, obtaining the linear shrinkage response, forming equiaxed α-Ti grain, and reducing the oxygen contamination, compared to the elemental powder mixtures. The enhanced sintering densification is responsible for the improved tensile strength, while a combination of the equiaxed α-Ti grain formation, the low oxygen increment, and the reduced porosity content noticeably doubled the tensile ductility. The linear shrinkage response is good for accurately controlling the dimension of the sintered parts. All of the improved issues are largely attributed to the unique dissolution phenomenon of Ni from Ti@Ni core-shell powder. The detailed mechanism will be discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of creatine pyruvate (CrPyr) on the growth performance, energy reserves and mRNA expression levels of gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis enzymes in liver of late‐term embryos and neonatal broilers were investigated. After candling on 16 day of incubation, a total of 960 eggs were randomly assigned to three treatments: (i) non‐injected control, (ii) saline group injected with 0.6 ml of 0.75% physiological saline and (iii) Creatine pyruvate group injected with 0.6 ml of physiological saline containing 12 mg CrPyr/egg. After hatching, 120 male chicks with average body weight (BW) were randomly allocated into each treatment group for a 7‐day feeding trial. The results showed that broilers subjected to CrPyr treatment had higher BW than those of the control and saline groups on 1, 3 and 7 day post‐hatch, as well as the yolk sac weight on 19 day of incubation (19 E), the day of hatch and 3 day post‐hatch (p < .05). Compared with the control and saline groups, IOF of CrPyr increased the plasma creatine concentration on the day of hatch, and the plasma pyruvate concentration on the day of hatch and 3 day post‐hatch (p < .05). Moreover, IOF of CrPyr increased the liver pyruvate and glucose concentrations on 19 E and the day of hatch, and the liver glycogen concentration during the experiment (p < .05). Broilers in the CrPyr group showed increased mRNA expression levels of pyruvate carboxylase (PC), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glycogen synthase 2 (GYS2) on 19 E and the day of hatch (p < .05). These results indicated that IOF of CrPyr increased energy reserves in liver of embryos and neonatal broilers possibly through upregulating the mRNA expression levels of PC, PEPCK and GYS2, which could benefit the increase of BW in broilers on 7 day post‐hatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of uniaxial compressive stress on the terahertz electroluminescence from P-doped silicon devices have been studied. A shift by ∼0.5 THz in the emission peaks of donor state transitions: 2p0→1s(E) and 3p+/-→1s(E) has been observed for a stress of ∼0.1 GPa along the [100] direction. Transitions from excited states to the strain split states of 1s(E) showed a pronounced polarization effect. Transitions involving the 1s(T1) ground state, however, showed no polarization effect. These results suggest that it may be possible to realize a tunable impurity-doped silicon terahertz emitter by externally applied stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of creatine pyruvate (CrPyr) on the hatchability, growth performance and energy status of embryos and broilers (Arbor Acres) were investigated. Five treatments were arranged as non-injected treatment (Control), 0.6 ml physiological saline (0.75%) injected treatment (Saline), and IOF treatments injected with 0.6 ml physiological saline (0.75%) containing 3, 6 or 12 mg CrPyr (CrPyr3, CrPyr6 or CrPyr12) into the amnion per fertile egg on day 17.5 of incubation. After hatching, 80 male chicks from each treatment with similar weight close to the average BW of their pooled group were selected and randomly assigned into eight replicates of 10 chicks each. The results showed that the hatchability was not affected among groups, whereas the hatching weight of broilers in CrPyr12 was significantly higher than the control and saline groups (P<0.05). At 21 day post-hatch, the BWs of broilers in CrPyr6 and CrPyr12 were increased relative to the control and saline groups (P<0.05). Chickens in CrPyr6 and CrPyr12 exhibited higher BW gain and feed intake than the control and saline groups during 8 to 21 days post-hatch and the entire experiment period (P<0.05). Compared with the control and saline groups, the total and relative weight of pectoral muscle of embryos or chickens were greater in CrPyr6 and CrPyr12 at 19th day of incubation (19 E), hatch, 3 and 21 days post-hatch (P<0.05). The concentrations of glucose and glycogen in liver were increased in CrPyr6 and CrPyr12 at 19 E and hatch (P<0.05). Neither glycogen nor glucose concentration in pectoral muscle was altered among treatments (P>0.05). Irrespective of dosage, the concentrations of creatine and phosphocreatine, and activities of creatine kinase in embryos were enhanced in CrPyr treatments at 19 E when compared with the control and saline groups (P<0.05). The activities of glucose-6-phosphatase in liver in CrPyr6 and CrPyr12 treatments were higher than the control and saline groups at 19 E (P<0.05). In conclusion, these results indicated that IOF of CrPyr, especially at the level of 12 mg/egg, could improve energy status of embryos and hatchlings, which was useful for enhancing hatching weight, BW and pectoral muscle weight until the end of the experiments at 21 days post-hatch in broilers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

MgO-doped congruent Lithium Niobate (MgO:CLN) is widely used in a variety of nonlinear optical processes, while its Sellmeier equation has only been derived from experiments under 200°C. Here we extend the temperature range for the Sellmeier equation study to as wide as 60 °C to 510 °C. This work is important to extend the operation temperature range of MgO:CLN crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of in ovo feeding (IOF) of Arg solution on the hatchability, growth performance, gastrointestinal hormones, serum AA, activities of digestive enzymes, and mRNA expressions of sensing receptors and nutrient transporters in the jejunum of posthatch broilers. One thousand two hundred embryonated eggs with similar weight were randomly allocated to 5 groups consisting of 8 replicates of 40 eggs each. The 5 treatments were arranged as a noninjected control, a diluent-injected (0.75% NaCl solution) group, and Arg solution-injected groups with 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% Arg, all dissolved in diluent. At 17.5 d of incubation, 0.6 mL of IOF solution was injected into the amniotic fluid of each egg of the injected groups. Results showed the hatchability of the 2% Arg group was lower (linear, P = 0.025) than that of the other groups, and the BW of 21-d-old broilers increased (linear, P = 0.008; quadratic, P = 0.003) with increasing IOF concentration of Arg. The ADFI (linear, P = 0.005; quadratic, P = 0.001) and ADG (linear, P = 0.010; quadratic, P = 0.004) increased during d 1 to 21 with increasing IOF concentration of Arg. For 7- and 21-d-old broilers, the weights of digestive organs increased (linear, P < 0.05) with increasing IOF concentrations of Arg; the greatest values were observed in the 1% Arg group. For 21-d-old broilers, IOF of the 1% Arg solution increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 2; the activities of digestive enzymes, alkaline phosphatase, maltase, and sucrase in the jejunum; and the concentrations of serum AA of Val, Met, Ile, Leu, Arg, and Pro compared with those of the noninjected control and diluent-injected group. In ovo feeding of the 1% Arg solution also increased (P < 0.05) the mRNA expressions of jejunal sensing receptors of taste receptor type 1 members 1 and 3; the G protein-coupled receptor, class C, group 6, subtype A; nutrient transporters of solute carrier family 7, members 4, 6, and 7; sodium-glucose transporter 1; and fatty acid-binding protein 1. In conclusion, the 1% Arg solution was the appropriate injection level. In ovo feeding of the 1% Arg solution did not affect the hatchability but facilitated the release of gastrointestinal hormones, increasing the digestive and absorptive capacity and finally improving the growth performance of 21-d-old broilers. Therefore, IOF of the appropriate Arg solution could be an effective technology for regulating early nutrition supply and subsequent growth development in the poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Nd,Ti)-codoped BiFeO (BNFTO) thin films have been prepared on LaNiO (LNO)/Si, indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass, and monocrystalline silicon (Si) substrates by metal organic decomposition combined with sequential layer annealing. The influences of the various substrates on crystal structure, surface and cross-sectional images, insulating and dielectric properties were mainly investigated. All the samples crystallize into the pure rhombohedral perovskite structure with different relative intensities of ( l00) peaks. Compared with other two films, BNFTO on ITO/glass shows lower leakage current due to the dense microstructure with relatively small grains. The voltage shift degree of capacitance-voltage curve is not same for BNFTO on ITO/glass and LNO/Si, which can be ascribed to the different content of defect complexes in both samples. The memory window of BNFTO on Si is 1.4 V at the applied voltage of ±5 V. The values of the figure of merit are 7.3 and 9.5 for BNFTO on ITO/glass and LNO/Si substrates, respectively. These present findings suggest that the microstructure and dielectric property depend strongly on the using substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nd (3 %) and Ti (2 %) codoped BiFeO (BNFTO) films with different layer and film thicknesses were deposited on LaNiO(100)/Si substrates using a metal organic decomposition method. The BNFTO films show a highly (100)-preferred orientation. The hysteresis loops of both films are asymmetric with negatively imprinted polarizations, suggesting that both samples are self-polarized regardless of the layer and film thicknesses. More importantly, the P- E hysteresis loops for both films can recover to their asymmetric shapes after high-field measurements, indicating the self-polarizations are quite stable. These results are explained based on the stabilization of the defect complexes. The effects of the self-polarization on the leakage, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of the BNFTO films are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-concentration precursor solution of BiLaFeO (BLFO) was fabricated and stored under the different temperatures (40, 20, 0 °C). After 10 days, the solution at the temperature of 40 °C generated both bismuth acetate precipitation and nitrogen dioxide gas and at the temperature of 20 °C generated nitrogen dioxide gas, while the solution still maintains stability and transparency at the temperature of 0 °C. These results show that low temperature is an important way to improve the stability of high-concentration precursor solution in sol-gel method. Furthermore, the stability precursor solution is adopted to prepare BLFO thick film on indium tin oxide/glass substrate by spin coating combined with sequential layer annealing. The film exhibits a perovskite structure without impurity phase; especially, a comparatively high remanent polarization ( P ) of 42.85 μC/cm can be obtained, which may be related to lanthanum doping, preferred (110) orientation and relatively compact microstructure. Graphical Abstract: XRD patterns and cross-sectional structure of BiLaFeO thick film, polarization-electric field ( P- E) loops at various voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposites consisting of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix and 0, 3, 5 and 8 wt-% fluoropropyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (FP-POSS) were prepared using the solvent evaporation method. The mechanical properties of nanocomposites were investigated by universal mechanical testing and nano-tensile testing. The results derived from two different scales testing both indicated that a small addition of FP-POSS exhibited a positive reinforcement effect of mechanical properties. Meanwhile the reason of the different variation trend of mechanical properties derived from testing standards under different scales was analysed, and the specific role and multi-performance of POSS were estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nd (3 %) and Ti (2 %) co-doped BiFeO (BNFTO) thin film was deposited on indium tin oxide-coated glass substrate by a metal organic decomposition process. The BNFTO film exhibits a single perovskite phase with random orientation and good insulating property with low leakage current. Asymmetrical polarization-electric field loops are observed in the BNFTO film: This is mainly attributed to the role of oxygen vacancy-related defect complexes in the film. Additionally, the capacitance of the sample is strongly dependent on both the applied voltage and measuring frequency. Furthermore, with the increase in applied voltages or decrease in frequencies, the dielectric tunability is gradually enhanced. The related physics mechanism for the enhanced performance is also discussed. High dielectric constant of 165, dielectric tunability of 27 % and figure of merit of 13.5 are achieved when a measuring frequency of 1 kHz is applied. These present results can be regarded as a base for further development of high-performance BiFeO films. Graphical Abstract: Polarization-electric field ( P- E) and capacitance-voltage ( C- V) curves of the BNFTO film measured under various electric fields and applied bias voltages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2,4-bis(Isopropylamino)-6-methylthio-s-triazine (prometryn) poses a risk to aquatic environments in several countries, including China, where its use is widespread, particularly due to its chemical stability and biological toxicity. Vetiver grass ( Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) was tested for its potential for phytoremediation of prometryn. Vetiver grass was grown in hydroponic media in a greenhouse, in the presence of prometryn, with appropriate controls. Plant uptake and removal of prometryn from the media were monitored for a period of 67 days. The results showed that the removal of the prometryn in the media was expedited by vetiver grass. The removal half-life (t) was shortened by 11.5 days. Prometryn removal followed first-order kinetics (C = 1.8070e). This study demonstrated the potential of vetiver grass for the phytoremediation for prometryn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zn doped non-stoichiometric [(NaKLi)Bi](TiZn)O (NKLBTZn, x = 0-4 at.%) thin films were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide/glass substrates via a metal organic decomposition method. The effect of Zn doping content on microstructure, insulating characteristic and dielectric properties were mainly investigated. All the thin films exhibit similar single perovskite structures without detectable secondary phase and the grain size gradually decreases with the increase of Zn doping content. Compared with other films, NKLBTZn thin film shows enhanced insulating characteristic with lower leakage current, and improved dielectric properties with a relatively higher dielectric tunability and lower dielectric loss. Moreover, with the increasing of electric field or decreasing of measuring frequency, the dielectric tunability is progressively increased. The tunability and figure of merit for the NKLBTZn thin film at 300 kV/cm and 1 kHz are 40.1 % and 7.0, respectively. These findings suggest that NKLBTZn thin film has potential applications in microwave dielectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO2geological storage into deep saline aquifers is one of the most promising methods for reducing anthropogenic CO2emissions into the atmosphere. During the CO2geological storage, many factors may affect the final success of actual storage projects, including storability, injectivity, and seal security. In order to investigate the impact of the desiccation phenomenon on the physical and chemical behaviors around the injection well, a series of numerical simulations were performed. Simulation results demonstrated that the geochemical reactions play an important role in the CO2injection stage, especially the dissolution of easily soluble minerals, such as carbonates and sulfate. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Surfactant–polymer (SP) flooding has been proved to be an effective enhanced oil recovery method. Producing ultra-low interfacial tensions is an important mechanism relating to SP flooding for enhanced oil recovery. The interfacial tension between surfactant (PJS-1 and BE)/polymer solution and Simsim oil was evaluated in the work. The influence of surfactant and polymer concentration on interfacial tension between Simsim oil and these solutions is discussed. The interfacial tension between the oil and the surfactant solution reduces as the surfactant concentration increases. In the same concentration of surfactant, the interfacial tension between the surfactant solution and the oil becomes larger when the polymer was added in the solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a user-friendly suggestive interface for sketch-based character posing. Our interface provides suggestive information on the sketching canvas in succession by combining image retrieval technique with 3D character posing, while the user is drawing. The system highlights the canvas region where the user should draw on and constrains the user's sketches in a reasonable solution space. This is based on an efficient image descriptor, which is used to measure the distance between the user's sketch and 2D views of 3D poses. In order to achieve faster query response, local sensitive hashing is involved in our system. In addition, sampling-based optimization algorithm is adopted to synthesize and optimize the retrieved 3D pose to match the user's sketches the best. Experiments show that our interface can provide smooth suggestive information to improve the reality of sketching poses and shorten the time required for 3D posing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding has been proved to be an effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. Reduction of interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and ASP solution is the main mechanism in ASP flooding. Evaluating IFT between crude oil and ASP solution is a key parameter for ASP flooding in laboratory experiments or field projects. In order to obtain good result of ASP flooding in the reservoir in Zahra field, the influence of the concentration of Na2CO3on IFT between Zahra crude oil and ASP solution with three different surfactants, BHJC, SS-231, and SS-233, was researched. IFT was measured with surface tension meter SVT20N, Dataphysics Co. Germany, at 72°C. For the view of IFT result anionic surfactant BHJC is more suitable for the Zahra oil field. This research is helpful for practical application of ASP flooding in Zahra oil field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A series of experiments were performed to investigate the effect of the temperature on electrode performance of the as-cast LaMg(NiMnCo) alloy. XRD and SEM show that LaMg(NiMnCo) alloy has LaNi and LaNi phase. The activation curves show that the as-cast LaMg(NiMnCo) alloy electrode can be activated in three times and the maximum discharge capacity is 358.74 mA h/g at 273 K. With increasing the temperature, the cyclic stability of the alloy electrode decreases obviously. And the capacity retention decreases from 96.14 to 63.53% when the temperature increases from 238 to 303 K. It also can be seen that the as-cast LaMg(NiMnCo) alloy electrode has the best self-discharge ability at 238 K and the best high-rate discharge ability at 273 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructures and properties of 2024 and 7A09 aeronautical aluminium alloys subjected to thermal cycling have been investigated in simulated low earth orbit (LEO) space environment using microhardness tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microhardness tests revealed that the hardness decrease first and then increase, but finally decrease with the cycle times. The results of XRD and TEM show that, in 2024 aluminium alloy, the precipitate evolution with the cycling time is the small needle-like S′ phases transforming to the rod-like equilibrium S phases. In 7A09 aluminium alloys, needle-like η′ phases and short rod-like η equilibrium phases transform to rod-like η equilibrium phases and large size of Guinier-Preston zones in the process of thermal cycling. Furthermore, many cavities around the precipitated phase appear after 500 cycles in both 2024 and 7A09 aluminium alloys. The relationship between microstructural evolution and thermal fatigue in LEO space environment was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical water control technique has been successfully used to improve oil recovery of mature waterflooding reservoirs. However, for high-temperature and low-permeability sandstone reservoirs, not many options are available. An inorganic gel composed of aluminum chloride hexahydrate as gelling agent and urea as an activator was developed. Based on the proper gelation time and degree of syneresis, the optimum mass ratio of aluminum chloride and urea was 1:0.625. According to the gel strength and economical cost, the reasonable concentration of aluminum chloride should range from 3.0% to 6.0%. Gel compatibility with various formation brines showed that the gel could tolerate sodium chloride concentrations up to 80 g·L−1and calcium chloride concentrations up to 40 g·L−1. Long-term thermal stability and sandpack flow results showed that after aging for 60 days at 110°C, the gel showed approximately 82% permeability reduction when about 16% syneresis was observed in bulk samples. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: To assess image quality and diagnostic accuracy of monochromatic imaging from spectral CT in patients with small HCC (≤3 cm).Methods: Twenty-seven patients with 31 HCC underwent spectral CT to generate conventional 140-kVp polychromatic images (group A) and monochromatic images with energy levels from 40 to 140 keV (group B) during the late arterial phase (LAP) and the portal venous phase (PVP). Two-sample t tests compared the tumour-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and mean image noise. Lesion detection for LAP, reader confidence and readers' subjective evaluations of image quality were recorded.Results: Highest CNRs in group B were distributed at 40, 50 and 70 keV. Higher CNR values and lesion conspicuity scores (LCS) were obtained in group B than in group A (CNR 3.36 ± 2.07 vs. 1.47 ± 0.89 in LAP; 2.29 ± 2.26 vs. 1.58 ± 1.75 in PVP; LCS 2.82, 2.84, 2.63 and 2.53 at 40-70 keV, respectively, vs. 1.95) (P < 0.001). Lowest image noise for group B was at 70 keV, resulting in higher image quality than that in group A (4.70 vs. 4.07; P < 0.001).Conclusion: Monochromatic energy levels of 40-70 keV can increase detectability in small HCC and this increase might not result in image quality degradation.Key Points: • Spectral computed tomography may help the detection of small hepatocellular carcinoma. • Monochromatic energy levels of 40-70 keV increase the sensitivity for detection. • Prospective study showed that monochromatic imaging provides greater diagnostic confidence. • Monochromatic energy level of 70 keV improves the overall image quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Room-temperature ferromagnetism in doped anatase TiO has previously been observed, ferromagnetic semiconductor heterostructures based on anatase TiO can thus provide a new opportunity to study spin-dependent transport phenomena at room temperature. An accurate determination of barrier heights or band offsets at the TiO-based heterojunctions is of great importance for the spintronics application with semiconductors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with high-energy resolution was used to determine the band offsets of epitaxial LaAlO/TiO heterojunction on SrTiO(001) substrate fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. Results showed an upward band bending of 0.48(0.03) eV when the film thickness of the overlayer LaAlO above 4 unit cells. The valence band offset obtained is about 0.35(0.16) eV. Assuming bulk band gaps for the LaAlO and TiO epitaxial films, the associated conduction band offset is about 2.95(0.16) eV. These results show that LaAlO can be an ideal tunneling barrier for TiO-based heterojunctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six species of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutions comprised of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalenes, hexachlorobenzene and pentachlorobenzene in soils collected from Shanxi province, China were determined. The sum toxic equivalent ranged from 0.14 to 2.20 with an average of 0.94 pg TEQ/g. Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans contributed the most toxic proportion to the total toxic equivalent. CB-126 was the most toxic contributor to polychlorinated biphenyls. CN66/67 and CN73 are the dominant toxic congeners to polychlorinated naphthalenes. From the patterns, it was speculated that thermal related industries were possible sources of unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation with wavelengths of 11-14 nm is seen as the most promising candidate for a new lithographic technology. Compared with synchrotron radiation sources and laser-produced plasmas, gas discharge-produced plasma sources for EUV radiation are expected to offer lower cost of ownership. Using xenon, a broadband emission in the investigated wavelength range from 10 to 17 nm is observed. Very short current pulses, having a fast rise time of 85- or 140-ns duration and 23-kA amplitude, were applied across the xenon-filled Z-pinch capillary (3-mm diameter and 5-mm length) to produce EUV radiation. An EUV radiation from the Z-pinch plasma was characterized, which is based on the temporal behavior of EUV intensity and the pinhole images. Two maximum EUV radiations occur, which are sensitive to the xenon flow rate and the discharge current. The first radiation is relatively of short duration, while the second radiation lasts as long as the first period of the current flows. The EUV source size due to the first radiation is approximately 300 µm, i.e., half of the one due to the second radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presentation in trans by the Interleukin-15 receptor α chain (IL-15Rα) has been suggested as the main mechanism for IL-15 anchoring to the cell surface, but it is also evident that IL-15 can exist as a transmembrane protein. We herein demonstrate that replacement of the first 41 residues of human IL-15 (hIL-15) with Ig κ chain leader sequence resulted in secretion of most of the recombinant hIL-15 expressed in transfectant cells, thus identifying the transmembrane region of IL-15. A fusion protein (hIL-15Rα-Fc) between the extracellular domain of hIL-15Rα and the Fc fragment of IgG1 was prepared and shown to be able to bind with transmembrane IL-15 (tmIL-15). The level of tmIL-15 expression in macrophages, activated T cells and B cells from 6-month-old BXSB male mice, an animal model for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), was significantly increased compared with that from BXSB females or young males. In addition, hIL-15Rα-Fc was able to block the T cell stimulating and anti-apoptotic effect of the tmIL-15-positive BXSB macrophages in vitro. Intravenous administration of hIL-15Rα-Fc reduced the titre of autoantibodies against dsDNA and also proteinuria in aged BXSB males, implying that neutralization of IL-15 activity in vivo may be an effective way of treating SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of metallic oxide in the intumescent flame retardant (IFR) polypropylene (PP) composites containing melamine phosphate (MP) and pentaerythritol (PER) is studied. The flammability of the composites was characterised by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94 and cone calorimeter tests. It is found that, in the case of the IFR composites containing metallic oxides, all of them have higher LOI values than the composites without them, and composites with 1% zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) or 1% dichromium trioxide (Cr2O3) can achieve the V-0 rating. The cone calorimeter results show that the composite containing 1%Cr2O3 has a lower heat release rate than the IFR composite, and the incorporation of titanium dioxide (TiO2), lanthanum trioxide (La2O3), zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and Cr2O3, leads to a major decrease in the peak CO emission. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the surface of the intumescent char is strongly modified in the presence of the metallic oxide. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the composites and the intumescent chars are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Least visible path analysis is a basic function in terrain visibility analysis. However, current least visible path planning is constrained to least-cost path computing on a cost surface obtained from visibility information of all the terrain points on digital elevation models. This kind of method ignores the visibility correlation caused by the overlapped part of the adjacent points' reverse viewsheds. With regard to such a correlation, this paper proposes a new method using the amalgamation of reverse viewsheds to find an optimal path with the minimal visibility dominance. Both methods are implemented using C++ programming, and the experimental results show that the new method produces more accurate least visible paths than the traditional one does. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristic of biodiesel fuel production from transesterification of soybean oil is studied. The reactant solution is the mixture of soybean oil, methanol, and solvent. A new lipase immobilization method, textile cloth immobilization, was developed in this study. Immobilized Candida lipase sp. 99-125 was applied as the enzyme catalyst. The effect of flow rate of reaction liquid, solvents, reaction time, and water content on the biodiesel yield is investigated. Products analysis shows that the main components in biodiesel are methyl sterate, methyl hexadecanoate, methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, and methyl linolenate. The test results indicate that the maximum yield of biodiesel of 92% was obtained at the conditions of hexane being the solvent, water content being 20 wt%, and reaction time being 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, terahertz (THz) sources between 0.1 THz and 10 THz have attracted much attention for imaging and sensing applications. THz emission from radiative transitions in impurity states has been demonstrated in Si and Ge devices by either electrical or optical pumping. Compared to Si as the material for THz emission, the wide-band-gap material SiC exhibits several advantages such as a higher dopant ionization energy, which allows a higher device operating temperature. Combining with its superior material qualities such as high breakdown field and high thermal conductivity, SiC is a promising material for high-temperature and high-power THz emitting devices. This article describes recent progress in using SiC materials to increase the operating temperature and output power of dopant-based THz sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry etching with xenon difluoride (XeF2) is a well-known process for the isotropic removal of silicon. The etching of silicon-germanium alloys with XeF2, however, has not yet been investigated. Here, the XeF2 dry etching of SiGe alloys was characterized versus composition and XeF2 partial pressures. It was found that the etch rates showed a strong dependence on Ge content of the etched materials. The roughness of the etched surfaces was also investigated. This study provides etch rates versus process conditions and etched surface roughness, which are useful for accurately fabricating SiGe-based structures and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commutation failure, which is a very frequent dynamic event in HVDC inverters, can deteriorate the availability of HVDC links and thus affect the performance of the power system. Most commutation failures are caused by voltage reduction due to ac system faults. In this paper, efforts are made to lower the effect of commutation failure on the power system, and the remedy is implemented in a fuzzy controller. In order to achieve control flexibility, the output of the fuzzy controller is made appropriate by setting a self-adjusting proportional factor. The validity and effectiveness of the fuzzy controller is verified by simulation which shows that the fuzzy controller can decrease commutation failure frequency induced by ac system faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]