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This paper reported a novel approach to quantification of adulterated fox-derived components in meat products by drop digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). By using the F2 gene as the target gene of fox, a single primer was designed to identify the adulteration that had been added either inadvertently or deliberately during the process. In this paper, the fox meat was used as the experimental materials and a relationship was established between fox mass and copy number by extracting DNA and using DNA concentration as an intermediary. The results that across the dynamic range, the relationships between meat mass and DNA concentration were nearly linear (R2 = 0.9986), as was the relationship between DNA concentration and DNA copy number (R2 = 0.9992). Based on the DNA concentration, the following formulas were developed about the relationship between fox meat mass (Mfox) and DNA copy number (C): Mfox = 0.05C + 2.7.

This study investigates the relationship between Chinese farmers' propensity to adopt environment-friendly practices and their membership in cooperatives. Based on data collected in 2021 from the Fujian China Household Survey, the Endogenous Switching Probit model (ESP) is applied to account for unobserved factors that could simultaneously affect farmers' cooperative membership and their willingness to adopt environment-friendly practices. First, the results indicate that a cooperative membership has a positive impact on the level of farmers' interest in green production practices. Second, there is evidence of some heterogeneity (based on both observable and unobservable characteristics) in the impact of cooperative membership; the higher the farmers' capital returns, the more prominent the role of cooperatives in guiding these farmers. Third, participation in cooperatives is conducive to raising farmers' interest in green production. The overall conclusion is that a cooperative membership raises the Chinese farmers’ willingness to adopt environment-friendly practices.

In China, it has been widely recognized that graduate students urgently need to develop capabilities in engaging in academic communication at the international level, above all through writing and publishing their research in English. This educational need has stimulated the growth of EAP and the teaching of English academic writing (EAW) to graduate students across disciplines at Chinese universities. In this paper we report an interview-based study which focused on understanding Chinese emerging EAP teachers’ graduate-level EAW instruction and their endeavors of professional development (PD). Our study adds to the limited existing literature on EAP practitioners’ contextualized teaching practices and their professional development, and generates insights that can be drawn upon by EAP professionals in other contexts

To solve the problem of insufficient node positioning accuracy in wireless sensor networks,an algorithm based on improved particle swarm optimization by membrane computing (IPSO-MC) was proposed.Kent mapping was used to initialize the population and domain particles were introduced to improve the global optimization of the particle swarm.The weight factor and nonlinear extreme value perturbation were used to improve the local optimization ability of the particle swarm,and the Levy flight mechanism was used to optimize the individual position.Finally,the optimal solution of the particle swarm algorithm was obtained by the evolutionary rules of the membrane computing.Simulation experiments show that compared with the chicken flock algorithm,the improved particle swarm algorithm and the membrane computing,the proposed algorithm improves 3.24%,5.12% and 8.15% in the comparison of reference node ratio indicators,and the increase in the number of nodes indicators by 2.26%,7.82% and 9.81%,and the comparison of communication radius indicators increased by 2.15%,5.5% and 7.5%,respectively.This indicates that the algorithm has a good effect in node localization.

As high-capacity anode materials, spinel NiFe2O4 aroused extensive attention due to its natural abundance and safe working voltage. For widespread commercialization, some drawbacks, such as rapid capacity fading and poor reversibility due to large volume variation and inferior conductivity, urgently require amelioration. In this work, NiFe2O4/NiO composites with a dual-network structure were fabricated by a simple dealloying method. Benefiting from the dual-network structure and composed of nanosheet networks and ligament-pore networks, this material provides sufficient space for volume expansion and is able to boost the rapid transfer of electrons and Li ions. As a result, the material exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, retaining 756.9 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after cycling for 100 cycles and retaining 641.1 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 500 mA g−1. This work provides a facile way to prepare a novel dual-network structured spinel oxide material, which can promote the development of oxide anodes and also dealloying techniques in broad fields.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological illness in women of reproductive age that significantly decreases life quality and fertility. Paeonol has been shown to play an important part in endometriosis treatments. Understanding the mechanism is critical for treating endometriosis. In this study, autologous transplantation combined with a 28 day ice water bath was used to create a rat model of endometriosis with cold clotting and blood stagnation. The levels of estradiol and progesterone in plasma were detected by ELISA, and the pathological changes of ectopic endometrial tissue were examined by H&E staining, which proved the efficacy of paeonol. For metabolomic analysis of plasma samples, UPLC-Q/TOF-MS was combined with multivariate statistical analysis to identify the influence of paeonol on small molecule metabolites relevant to endometriosis. Finally, the key targets were screened using a combination of network pharmacology and molecular docking approaches. The results showed that the pathological indexes of rats were improved and returned to normal levels after treatment with paeonol, which was the basis for confirming the efficacy of paeonol. Metabolomics results identified 13 potential biomarkers, and paeonol callbacks 7 of them, involving six metabolic pathways. Finally, four key genes were found for paeonol therapy of endometriosis, and the results of molecular docking revealed a significant interaction between paeonol and the four key genes. This study was successful in establishing a rat model of endometriosis with cold coagulation and blood stagnation. GCH1, RPL8, PKLR, and MAOA were the key targets of paeonol in the treatment of endometriosis. It is also demonstrated that metabolomic techniques give the potential and environment for comprehensively understanding drug onset processes.

Metal oxide anode materials are affected by severe volume expansion and cracking in the charging/discharging process, resulting in low capacity and poor cycle stability, which limits their application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, a new strategy is uncovered for a preparing spinel-structured, multi-component transition metal oxide, (Ni,Co,Mn)Fe2O4−x, with oxygen vacancies as an LIB anode material. The as-fabricated material presented excellent reversible capacity and cycling stability, delivering a discharge capacity of 1240.2 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 for 200 cycles and then at 300 mA g−1 for 300 additional cycles. It presented extremely long cycle stability even at 2 A g−1, revealing 650.5 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles. The good lithium storage capacity can be ascribed to the entropy stabilization effect, the multi-cation synergistic effect, abundant oxygen vacancies and the spinel structure. This study provides a new opportunity to fabricate and optimize conversion-type anodes for LIBs with satisfactory electrochemical performance.

Today, the development of new self-supporting electrode materials with high porosity and excellent degradation properties is of great importance for the removal of dye pollutants. Herein, this work synthesized nanoporous nickel@nickel oxide (np-Ni@NiO) electrode containing an amorphous alloy in the middle interlayer. The nanoporous structure endowed the electrode with more active sites and facilitated the ion/electron transport. The electrochemical active surface area was about 185.5 cm2. The electrochemical degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) using a np-Ni@NiO electrode was systematically investigated. The effects of technology paraments (NaCl concentration, the applied potential and pH) on electro-catalytic degradation were explored. An RhB removal rate of 99.68% was achieved in 30 s at optimized conditions, which was attributed to the unique bicontinuous ligament/pore structure and more active sites on the surface, as well as lower charge transfer resistance. In addition, the degradation mechanism of RhB in electrochemical oxidation was proposed, according to active species capture tests and EPR measurements.

(1) Background: Sheath blight is one of the most economically significant rice diseases worldwide. A study was conducted in order to find the relationship and impact of the amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) application on the hybrid rice population microclimate and the severity of sheath blight. (2) Methods: Four N and four P application levels were used to determine their impact on plant type, temperature, and humidity variation in different positions of population and the severity of sheath blight in the later stage. (3) Results: We found that N and P application levels could affect the plant type and change the population temperature and humidity by increasing the leaf length and leaf angle. (4) Conclusions: N application had a more significant (p < 0.05) impact on the plant type. High N application caused decreased temperature (hybrid rice population), while increased humidity (especially the population base layer at grain filling stage) resulted in severe sheath blight. High P application had similar impacts; however, P application increased material and nitrogen transport in plants and reduced the severity of sheath blight.

Developing a facile and environmentally friendly approach to the synthesis of nanostructured Ni(OH)2 electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor applications is a great challenge. In this work, we report an extremely simple route to prepare a Ni(OH)2 nanopetals network by immersing Ni nanofoam in water. A binder-free composite electrode, consisting of Ni(OH)2 nanopetals network, Ni nanofoam interlayer and Ni-based metallic glass matrix (Ni(OH)2/Ni-NF/MG) with sandwich structure and good flexibility, was designed and finally achieved. Microstructure and morphology of the Ni(OH)2 nanopetals were characterized. It is found that the Ni(OH)2 nanopetals interweave with each other and grow vertically on the surface of Ni nanofoam to form an “ion reservoir”, which facilitates the ion diffusion in the electrode reaction. Electrochemical measurements show that the Ni(OH)2/Ni-NF/MG electrode, after immersion in water for seven days, reveals a high volumetric capacitance of 966.4 F/cm3 at a current density of 0.5 A/cm3. The electrode immersed for five days exhibits an excellent cycling stability (83.7% of the initial capacity after 3000 cycles at a current density of 1 A/cm3). Furthermore, symmetric supercapacitor (SC) devices were assembled using ribbons immersed for seven days and showed a maximum volumetric energy density of ca. 32.7 mWh/cm3 at a power density of 0.8 W/cm3, and of 13.7 mWh/cm3 when the power density was increased to 2 W/cm3. The fully charged SC devices could light up a red LED. The work provides a new idea for the synthesis of nanostructured Ni(OH)2 by a simple approach and ultra-low cost, which largely extends the prospect of commercial application in flexible or wearable devices.

Designing a novel photocatalytic composite for the efficient degradation of organic dyes remains a serious challenge. Herein, the multi-layered Co3O4@NP-CuO photocatalyst with unique features, i.e., the self-supporting, hierarchical porous network as well as the construction of heterojunction between Co3O4 and CuO, are synthesized by dealloying-electrodeposition and subsequent thermal treatment techniques. It is found that the interwoven ultrathin Co3O4 nanopetals evenly grow on the nanoporous CuO network (Co3O4@NP-CuO). The three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous structure for the catalyst provides more surface area to act as active sites and facilitates the absorption of visible light in the photodegradation reaction. Compared with the commercial CuO and Co3O4 powders, the newly designed Co3O4@NP-CuO composite exhibits superior photodegradation performance for RhB. The enhanced performance is mainly due to the construction of heterojunction of Co3O4/CuO, greatly promoting the efficient carrier separation for photocatalysis. Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanism is analyzed in detail. This work provides a promising strategy for the fabrication of a new controllable heterojunction to improve photocatalytic activity.

Purpose: Learning to do research has been understudied in the context of professional development in postgraduate programs. This exploratory study investigated the agency and experiences of five Chinese students who learned to design their research project in a Master of Education program at an English-medium university in Hong Kong SAR. Design/Approach/Methods: We obtained the data from semi-structured interviews and documents to establish data triangulation. Findings: The findings revealed that (1) the students’ agency in research design and proposal writing was associated with their personal/professional backgrounds, (2) their English proficiency affected their agency in the proposal writing, (3) the supervisors’ feedback would stimulate students’ agency in changing/refining their research design, and (4) ineffective supervision and learning resources would impede students’ achievement of agency on their way to creating a robust research design. Originality/Value: This study adds empirical evidence to the field of research training through the lens of learner agency. It demonstrates the applicability of using the ecological framework of agency in theoretically interpreting the contextual facilitators and constraints in making postgraduate students active agents.

In China, it has been widely recognized that graduate students urgently need to develop capabilities in engaging in academic communication at the international level, above all through writing and publishing their research in English. This educational need has stimulated the growth of EAP and the teaching of English academic writing (EAW) to graduate students across disciplines at Chinese universities. In this paper we report an interview-based study which focused on understanding Chinese emerging EAP teachers’ graduate-level EAW instruction and their endeavors of professional development (PD). Our study adds to the limited existing literature on EAP practitioners’ contextualized teaching practices and their professional development, and generates insights that can be drawn upon by EAP professionals in other contexts

Background. PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have made unprecedented progress in the treatment of cancer. Methods. A systemic search was conducted for randomized controlled trials that compared PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy or combination therapy with nonimmunotherapy. Hazard ratios (HRs) of overall survival (OS) according to the sex, age, ECOG PS, smoking status, liver metastasis, PD-L1 expression, EGFR, and KRAS status of patients were analyzed. Results. Totally, 13 studies with monotherapy and 5 with combination regimens were included, and the pooled HRs of OS were 0.74 (P

By virtue of the high theoretical capacity of Si, Si-related materials have been developed as promising anode candidates for high-energy-density batteries. During repeated charge/discharge cycling, however, severe volumetric variation induces the pulverization and peeling of active components, causing rapid capacity decay and even development stagnation in high-capacity batteries. In this study, the Si/Fe2O3-anchored rGO framework was prepared by introducing ball milling into a melt spinning and dealloying process. As the Li-ion battery (LIB) anode, it presents a high reversible capacity of 1744.5 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 200 cycles and 889.4 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 500 cycles. The outstanding electrochemical performance is due to the three-dimensional cross-linked porous framework with a high specific surface area, which is helpful to the transmission of ions and electrons. Moreover, with the cooperation of rGO, the volume expansion of Si is effectively alleviated, thus improving cycling stability. The work provides insights for the design and preparation of Si-based materials for high-performance LIB applications.

In this paper we report a study which was aimed to find out how overseas-trained Chinese management academics (CMAs) compare with their home-trained counterparts in English-medium scholarly experience. Our data were drawn from a web-based questionnaire distributed following the conclusion of the biennial conference of the International Association of Chinese Management Research (IACMR) held in 2014, the part of the conference program which featured English sessions, e-mail interviews with some questionnaire respondents, and observation at the conference site. Our findings comparatively illustrate the English-medium scholarly experience of the two cohorts of CMAs in terms of their participation in the English presentation sessions of IACMR2014, their use of English as university academics, and the relationship between English/Chinese-medium research productivity and self-perceived English abilities. Our study highlights heterogeneity among different groups of English as an Additional Language (EAL) scholars and calls for more contextualized investigation of the diversified experiences of EAL scholars across countries and disciplines in this English-dominant academic world.

An AZ80 alloy with ultra-high strength and good ductility has been successfully prepared by a novel processing route of combining extrusion and caliber rolling. The caliber rolled (CRed) AZ80 alloy has a necklace grain structure with ultrafine dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains formed around the micro-scale deformed grains, which is remarkably different from the uniform microstructure of as-extruded sample free from caliber rolling. In addition, both the deformed region and the DRXed part in CRed AZ80 alloy exhibit more random basal texture than that of the as-extruded sample. Furthermore, the CRed AZ80 alloy demonstrates an excellent comprehensive mechanical property with the ultimate tensile strength of 446MPa and elongation of 13%, respectively. These good mechanical properties of CRed AZ80 alloy can be attributed to the synthetic effects of necklace bimodal microstructure containing ultra-fine grains, profuse Mg17Al12 precipitates, and the modified texture.

To improve glucose electrocatalytic performance, one efficient manner is to develop a novel Cu-Ag bimetallic composite with fertile porosity and unique architecture. Herein, the self-supported electrode with CuxO/Ag2O (x = 1, 2) nanowires grown in-situ on a nanoporous Cu-Ag network (CuxO/Ag2O@NP-CuAg) has been successfully designed by a facile two-step approach. The integrated hierarchical porous structure, the tip-converged CuxO/Ag2O nanowires combined with the interconnected porous conductive substrate, are favorable to provide more reactive sites and improve ions or electrons transportation. Compared with monometallic Cu2O nanowires integrated with nanoporous Cu matrix (Cu2O@NP-Cu), the bimetallic CuxO/Ag2O@NP-CuAg composites exhibit the enhanced electrocatalytic performance for glucose. Moreover, the higher sensitivity of ~1.49 mA mM−1 cm−2 in conjunction with a wider linear range of 17 mM for the CuxO/Ag2O@NP-CuAg electrode anodized for 10 min are attributed to the synergistic effect of porous structure and bimetallic CuxO/Ag2O nanowires. Particularly, the integrated CuxO/Ag2O@NP-CuAg composites possess good flexibility, which has been reported for the first time. Accordingly, the CuxO/Ag2O@NP-CuAg with excellent glucose electrocatalytic performance and good flexibility is promising to further develop as a candidate electrode material of glucose sensors.

We describe the complete mitochondrial genome of Phiaris dolosana. It is 15,562 bp in length, and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a 612 bp D-Loop. All PCGs start with ATN codon except for COI gene, which uses CGA as the initiation codon. Nine of 13 PCGs use a typical stop codon of TAA, the rest use incomplete stop codon of T or TA. Phylogenetic analysis of P. dolosana with other 17 leaf rollers is conducted with neighbor-joining method, the result is consistent with the conventional classification.

The leaf roller, Eudemis lucina, is a potential pest of Quercus in East Asia. In this study, we described the complete mitochondrial genome of this species by high-throughput sequencing. The mitochondrial genome is found to be a circular molecule of 16,056 bp in length, which consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a non-coding control region (A + T-rich region). The A + T content is 80.5% for the whole mitogenome. All PCGs are initiated by ATN codons, except for COI which is initiated by the CGA codon. Eight PCGs use a typical stop codon of TAA, whereas the remaining PCGs use incomplete stop codon of T–– or TA–. The non-coding control region is 1013 bp and located between s-rRNA and Met-tRNA.

In this paper I discuss some constraints and implications in accessing fellow academics as research participants, a topic that has rarely been addressed thus far in the literature. I will point out that a lack of cooperation from fellow academics may defeat our research purposes, and will survey some studies involving U.S., European, and Chinese academics as research participants to illustrate education researchers’ efforts to work with fellow academics against the odds. By referencing my personal experience of engaging with Chinese academics, I will then discuss the role of personal contacts in research and reflect upon various constraints in accessing fellow academics as research participants. I will suggest that, when we do participate in a fellow researcher’s project, the incentive is a desire to support our peers in the spirit of “academic citizenship.”

In this conceptual paper, we address the problem that novice scholars in social sciences sometimes have in constructing conceptual or theoretical frameworks for their dissertations and papers for publication. In the first part of the paper, we discuss why the topic is important in the high pressure environment that novice scholars face, in which finishing a doctoral degree and getting published can make a difference in career success or failure, and explain our understanding of theoretical/conceptual framing, including provisionally defining some key terms. We then elucidate ten problems that novice scholars have with theoretical/conceptual framing, using our own experiences as manuscript reviewers and writers as examples. The paper concludes with ways that novice scholars can address the task of framing their scholarly work conceptually and theoretically, on the understanding that the struggles continue over the lifetime of a scholarly career.

In this paper we report a study which was aimed to find out how overseastrained Chinese management academics (CMAs) compare with their hometrained counterparts in English-medium scholarly experience. Our data were drawn from a web-based questionnaire distributed following the conclusion of the biennial conference of the International Association for Chinese Management Research (IACMR) held in 2014, the part of the conference program which featured English sessions, e-mail interviews with some questionnaire respondents, and observation at the conference site. Our findings comparatively illustrate the English-medium scholarly experience of the two cohorts of CMAs in terms of their participation in the English presentation sessions of IACMR2014, their use of English as university academics, and the relationship between English/Chinese-medium research productivity and self-perceived English abilities. Our study highlights heterogeneity among different groups of English as an Additional Language (EAL) scholars and calls for more contextualized investigation of the diverse experiences of EAL scholars across countries and disciplines in this Englishdominant academic world

China’s medical research has been growing in visibility at the international level in recent years. Contributing to this development is the English-publishing policy now often found in the country’s major hospitals. In this paper, I report a study conducted at the Orthopedics Department of a major hospital in east China. Based on interviews with eleven orthopedic surgeons who are expected to publish both Chinese and English (SCI) papers (with the latter privileged), I describe their reactions to the publication policy and their approaches to fulfilling the publication requirement. The paper will end by calling for more contextualized research that brings forth the voices of English as an Additional Language (EAL) researchers in various academic and professional contexts.

Free dealloying of Cu-Hf-Al metallic glasses in HCl electrolytes are studied in this paper. The results show that the electrolyte concentration and dealloying time strongly influence the type of dealloying products. A superficial dealloying happens in diluted HCl electrolytes while a complete dealloying occurs in concentrated HCl electrolytes. The results present that Cu2O microparticles with regular morphology can be tailored on glassy surfaces in 0. 05 M HCl solution by controlling the dealloying time. Furthermore, the designable products of nanoporous Cu, Cu2O nanoplates and CuO microwires can be fabricated in 1. 2 M HCl electrolyte with the dealloying time. Due to a big difference of examined Cu-Hf-Al alloys in the electrolyte concentration and dealloying time, one or mixed dealloying products (Cu, Cu2O and CuO), which depend on the progress of relative chemical reactions and the different dealloying route, will finally be produced.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) present excellent mechanical properties. However, the exploitation of chemical properties of HEAs is far less than that of mechanical properties, which is mainly limited by the low specific surface area of HEAs synthesized by traditional methods. Thus, it is vital to develop new routes to fabricate HEAs with novel three-dimensional structures and a high specific surface area. Herein, we develop a facile approach to fabricate nanoporous noble metal quasi-HEA microspheres by melt-spinning and dealloying. The as-obtained nanoporous Cu30Au23Pt22Pd25 quasi-HEA microspheres present a hierarchical porous structure with a high specific surface area of 69.5 m2/g and a multiphase approximatively componential solid solution characteristic with a broad single-group face-centered cubic XRD pattern, which is different from the traditional single-phase or two-phase solid solution HEAs. To differentiate, these are named quasi-HEAs. The synthetic strategy proposed in this paper opens the door for the synthesis of porous quasi-HEAs related materials, and is expected to promote further applications of quasi-HEAs in various chemical fields.

Mg-Zn-Ca amorphous alloys are considered as potential bone implants. A large number of works have focused on the alloys under free corrosion environment. However, the real service environment of bone implants is a kind of chemistry-mechanics interactive environment in which the materials not only suffer corrosion by body fluids but also bear applied force induced by body movement. In order to imitate the real service environment, surface morphologies and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Ca amorphous alloys were studied under different chemistry-mechanics interactive environments in this paper. It was found that cracks and Ca/Mg phosphates formed on the surface of amorphous alloys. The compressive strength of the alloys decreased seriously but could still reach an acceptable value to avoid material failure. Fan-shaped patterns found on all the samples implied that brittle fracture was the main fracture form. Moreover, vein-like patterns could still be found in some areas, showing a locally plastic deformation. This was the reason why the alloy could maintain a high compressive strength after severe and interactive treatments. The study could guide related works in the establishment of experimental environments in the future, which will facilitate a more accurate biomedical evaluation of bone implants.

Dr Patrick O’Connor is a scientist based in Adelaide, Australia [...]

In the literature on academic publishing, little attention has been paid to the needs and concerns of non-English-speaking researchers in professional contexts. This paper addresses the gap in that literature by providing insights into the situation with medical doctors in China. Following an overview of the broad picture, I will report a case study, which was conducted at a major hospital in East China and which aimed at exploring how a group of orthopedic surgeons access the English medical literature and to what extent they seek the support of editorial services and training in academic writing/publication skills. The results of the study show that the participant doctors tend to rely on their students or overseas personal connections for access to full-text medical literature, and they have generally had limited experience with language editorial services and academic writing/publication skills seminars. The paper ends by discussing some challenges while proposing recommendations for enhancing Chinese doctors’ access to the full-text medical literature, as well as their understanding of the kind of support that can be provided by editorial services and training in publication skills.

Mg‒Zn‒Ca metallic glasses are regarded as promising biodegradable materials. Previous studies on this alloy system have mostly focused on the composition regions with a large critical size (Dc) for the formation of metallic glasses, while this paper investigates the composition regions with a small Dc, which has been overlooked by researchers for a long time. The effects of the addition of Ag, Nd, and Yb elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg‒Zn‒Ca metallic glasses were studied. It was found that the Mg‒Zn‒Ca metallic glass exhibits a single and uniform amorphous structure with a compressive strength of 590 MPa. After the addition of a small amount of Ag into the alloy, the amorphous matrix is retained and new precipitate phases that lead to the decrease of the compressive strength are formed. The addition of the rare earth elements Nd and Yb changes the microstructure from a single amorphous matrix to a large number of quasicrystal phases, which results in an increase in compressive strength. The compressive strength of the Mg‒Zn‒Ca‒Yb alloy increases to 606.2 MPa due to the formation of multi-layered swirling solidified structure and a large number of small quasicrystals with high microhardness. Moreover, this study can be considered as a useful supplement to the existing studies on the Mg‒Zn‒Ca alloy system; it also provides new ideas for designing the microstructure and spatial structure of quasicrystal containing alloys with high performances.

China's medical research has been growing in visibility at the international level in recent years. Contributing to this development is the English-publishing policy now often found in the country's major hospitals. In this paper, I report a study conducted at the Orthopedics Department of a major hospital in east China. Based on interviews with eleven orthopedic surgeons who are expected to publish both Chinese and English (SCI) papers (with the latter privileged), I describe their reactions to the publication policy and their approaches to fulfilling the publication requirement. The paper will end by calling for more contextualized research that brings forth the voices of English as an Additional Language (EAL) researchers in various academic and professional contexts

The atomization mechanism of lubrication fluid in rolling bearings under high-speed airflow between the rings was investigated. A simulation model of gas–liquid two-phase flow in angular contact ball bearings was developed, and the jet lubrication process between the bearing rings was simulated using FLUENT computational fluid dynamics software (Ansys 19.2). The complex motion boundary conditions of the rolling elements were addressed through a layered approach. We can obtain more accurate boundary layer flow field changes and statistics of the diameter of oil particles in lubricating oil atomization, which lays the foundation for analyzing the law of influence on lubricating oil atomization. The results show that as the number of boundary layer layers increases, the influence of the boundary layer flow field on the lubricating oil is more obvious. The oil particle size is excessively flat, and the concentration of large particles of oil appears to decrease. As the speed increases, the amount of oil in the cavity decreases, but the oil droplets are also fragmented, which intensifies the atomization and reduces the particle diameter. This reduces the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), which is not conducive to the lubrication of the bearing. Under different injection pressures, when the injection pressure is large, it is beneficial to the lubrication of the bearing.

The slope erosion in the distribution area of completely weathered granite is often relatively severe, causing serious ecological damage and property loss. Ecological restoration is the most effective means of soil erosion control. Taking completely weathered granite backfill soil as the research object, two types of slope protection plants, Vetiver grass and Pennisetum hydridum, were selected. We analyzed these two herbaceous plants’ soil reinforcement and slope protection effects through artificial planting experiments, indoor simulated rainfall experiments, and direct shear tests. The test results showed that the runoff and sediment production rates of the two herbaceous plant slopes were significantly lower than those of the bare slope, with the order of bare slope > Vetiver grass slope > Pennisetum hydridum slope. Compared with the bare slope, the cumulative sediment production of the Vetiver grass slope at 60 min decreased by 56.73–60.09%, and the Pennisetum hydridum slope decreased by 75.97–78.45%. The indoor direct shear test results showed that soil cohesion decreases with increasing water content. As the root content of Vetiver grass roots increases, soil cohesion first increases and then decreases, reaching a maximum value when the root content is 1.44%. As the root content of Pennisetum hydridum increases, soil cohesion increases. The internal friction angle increases slightly with increasing water content, while the root content does not significantly affect the internal friction angle. Therefore, the shear strength of soil decreases when the water content increases. The shear strength of the Vetiver grass root-soil composite reaches a peak at a root content of 1.44%, while the shear strength of the giant king grass root-soil composite increases as the root content increases. At the same root content, the shear strength of the Vetiver grass root-soil composite is slightly higher than that of giant king grass. The reinforcement effect of roots on shallow soil is better than on deep soil. Both herbaceous plants have an excellent soil-fixing and slope-protecting impact on the fully weathered granite backfill slope. Pennisetum hydridum’s soil and water conservation effect is significantly better than that of the Vetiver grass. In contrast, Vetiver grass roots slightly outperform Pennisetum hydridum in enhancing the shear strength of the soil. The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the vegetation slope protection treatment of fully weathered granite backfill slopes.

Nine species of angiosperms are reported as new records from Guangxi, China. They are Machilus cicatricosa S. Lee, Portulaca quadrifida L., Pisonia aculeata L., Helicia yangchunensis H. S. Kiu, Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC., Jasminum rehderianum Kobuski, Ehretia asperula Zoll. et Mor., Zeuxine ovalifolia L. Li & S. J. Li and Cyperus javanicus Houtt. Detailed morphological description and field photos are provided, and the citation and geographical distribution of each species are also listed in this paper.

Abstract 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED) is the rate-limiting enzyme for abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis in higher plants. In rice, OsNCED3 was shown to promote ABA synthesis, and improve abiotic stress tolerance, but the function of OsNCED3 in regulating rice defense against the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens; BPH) has been unclear. In this study, several parameters were used to assess rice resistance to BPH, including the average injury level, the functional plant loss index, and electrical penetration graph analysis. Rice lines overexpressing OsNCED3 (OE) were more resistant to BPH than the wild-type cv. Zhonghua11 (WT). Transcriptome analysis was performed on WT, OE, and a RNAi transgenic line silenced for OsNCED3; these three lines were either infested or non-infested with BPH. Seventeen RNA libraries were compared, and most of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were upregulated. The number of DEGs in the RNAi line infested with BPH was significantly higher than the OE, and WT lines, and many DEGs were related to the stress response, and biosynthesis of jasmonic acid. This study shows that overexpression of OsNCED3 in rice improves resistance to BPH, and has potential merit in rice breeding programs.

A large quantity of metal compounds in plastics are released into the marine environment every year. However, our understanding of the extent and mechanism by which polymer-bound metals leach into seawater is still limited. In this study, a comprehensive survey was conducted to measure the metal concentrations in commonly used plastics and evaluate the effects of environmental factors (temperature, radiation, and salinity) and the physiochemical properties (surface roughness, specific surface area, hydrophobicity, and crystallinity) of the plastics on their metal leaching into seawater. In particular, we observed the metal loss from six plastics submerged in coastal seawater for eight months and studied the role of biofilm in controlling the leaching of Sb, Sn, Pb, Ba, and Cr. Our results indicate that increased temperature enhanced the release of these metals, while exposure to ultraviolet radiation significantly increased the leaching of Sn from polylactide (PLA). High salinity facilitated the leaching of Sn from PLA and Pb from polyvinylchloride ball, however inhibited the leaching of Ba from PE wrap. The leaching rate was primarily determined by the inherent property of crystallinity. Metal loss from the plastics in the field was apparent during the first three weeks, but then was hindered by the development of biofilm. Our study provides the mechanisms underlying metal leaching from physical, chemical, and biological perspectives, which is useful for understanding the environmental risk of the plastic-containing metals.

The feeding posture of a group of François’ langurs in Fusui County, Guangxi, was studied using instantaneous scan sampling from January to December 2016 to explore how the species adapts to karst limestone forests by collecting data on feeding posture, forest strata height, and substrate use. The results showed that leaves were the main food type of the François’ langurs, with young leaves accounting for 64.97% ± 19.08% of the food composition, mature leaves accounting for 11.88% ± 12.09%, fruits accounting for 12.96% ± 12.89%, flowers accounting for 4.16% ± 4.06%, and other food types, including stems, petioles, and other unknown parts of the tree, accounting for a total of 6.03% ± 9.09%. The François’ langurs had four main postures during feeding, of which sitting and bipedal standing feeding accounted for the largest proportions, at 85.99% ± 5.97% and 12.33% ± 6.08% of the total records, respectively. Quadrupedal standing and suspending were rarely observed and only appeared occasionally during feeding activities at the peak resting period, the two postures together accounting for 1.39% ± 1.59% of the total records. The feeding postures of the langurs had marked seasonal variation, as evidenced by the fact that seated feeding accounted for a significantly higher proportion of the total behavioral records in the rainy season than in the dry season, whereas feeding while standing bipedally was significantly more frequent during the dry season. Correlation analyses showed that feeding posture was correlated with food composition, showing a positive correlation between the proportion of bipedal standing feeding and mature leaf consumption. François’ langurs preferred to forage in the lower and middle forest layers, with the lower forest layer accounting for 55.93% ± 16.50% of the total number of recordings and the middle forest layer accounting for 33.63% ± 18.33%. Langurs were less likely to forage on the ground (rocks), accounting for only 6.79% ± 4.78% of the records. The frequency of langurs feeding in the upper part of the forest layer was the lowest at 3.65% ± 2.73%. Additionally, in the dry season, langurs utilized the lower forest layer more but used the middle forest layer less than in the rainy season. This study demonstrates that the spatial distribution of foods in the limestone forest has an important effect on the feeding posture of François’ langurs and their forest layer utilization.

Portunus pelagicus inhabits coastal muddy or sandy seabed, and are often exposed to rotten sewage containing a large number of bacteria. In this study, RT-PCR technology was used to clone peroxiredoxin (prx) genes prx1, prx3 and prx6 of P. pelagicus. Genes expressed in normal tissue, gills and hepatopancreas after Vibrio alginolyticus stress were tested by RT-qPCR. The full-length coding sequences of prx1, prx3 and prx6 were 597 bp, 690 bp and 660 bp, which encode 198, 229 and 219 amino acids, respectively. Prx1 and prx3 are typical 2-cys peroxiredoxins, while prx6 is a typical 1-cys peroxiredoxin. RT-qPCR revealed widespread expression of prx1, prx3 and prx6 in all the tested tissues, and their expression was the highest in gills (93.81-fold vs muscle tissue), hepatopancreas (28.95-fold vs thoracic ganglia) and gonads (219.43-fold vs thoracic ganglia), respectively. The highest expression of prx1, prx3 and prx6 in the hepatopancreas of surviving individuals belonging to the experimental group were 1.67-, 1.86- and 2.11-fold higher than the control group after V. alginolyticus challenge, and the highest expression in gills was 5.99-, 5.51- and 6.11-fold higher than in the control group, respectively. However, the expression of prx genes in dead individuals of the experimental group was lower than the surviving individuals. These results revealed that prx genes play an important role in the defense against V. alginolyticus stress. The cause of death under sublethal concentration may be related to the regulation of prx genes expression.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperone proteins that can help maintain cellular protein homeostasis, assist in correcting the folding of cellular proteins, and protect organisms from stress when the body is under stress conditions such as temperature changes or bacterial infections. In this study, the HSP10 and HSP40 genes of Eriocheir hepuensis were cloned and named Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40. The results show that the coding sequence length of the HSP10 and HSP40 genes of E. hepuensis was 309 bp and 1191 bp, encoding 102 and 396 amino acids, respectively. The results of protein domain prediction show that Eh-HSP10 has a Cpn10 domain. The Eh-HSP40 protein contains a DnaJ domain, which is characteristic of the HSP40 gene family. The results of qRT-PCR show that the Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40 genes were expressed in different normal tissues, with the highest expression in the heart. Under Vibrio parahaemolyticus stress, the Eh-HSP10 genes peaked at 6 h, and the Eh-HSP40 peaked at 9 h in the hepatopancreas. In the gill, Eh-HSP10 showed a double peak at 24 and 48 h, and the expression of Eh-HSP40 was time-dependent. In the heart, the expression of Eh-HSP10 increased first and then decreased, whereas Eh-HSP40 peaked at 48 h. The results indicate that the Eh-HSP10 and Eh-HSP40 proteins may play a role in protecting E. hepuensis under V. parahaemolyticus infection and that they may be involved in the innate immune response of E. hepuensis against bacteria.

Azadirachtin is a rapidly developing botanical pesticide with toxicity to arthropods. GST is a multifunctional biological enzyme that can remove peroxide and promote drug metabolism. In this study, RT-PCR technology was used to clone the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes of Eriocheir hepuensis. The results showed that the coding sequence (CDS) lengths of the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes were 675 bp, 687 bp and 666 bp, encoding 224, 228 and 221 amino acids, respectively. The deduced protein domain prediction showed that the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 proteins of Eriocheir hepuensis had the GST-N-Mu and GST-C-family, GST-N-T and GST-C-T, and GST-N-D and GST-C-D domains, respectively. In normal tissues, the expression levels of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 were highest in the hepatopancreas. Under azadirachtin stress, compared with the control group, the GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 genes showed a double peak (both at 6 h and 24 h) in the hepatopancreas and a single peak (peak of GSTD1 in gills at 9 h, others at 6 h) in the heart and gills, while the expression of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1 in the dead individuals in the experimental group was lower than that in the surviving individuals. These results showed that individual death under azadirachtin stress is related to its ability to regulate the expression of GSTM3, GSTT1 and GSTD1, and the three GST genes played an important role in Eriocheir hepuensis regulating azadirachtin stress.

Abstract The presence of distributed generators (DGs) with high penetration poses new challenges in the management and operation of electrical grids. Due to the local character of DGs, they could in principle be used in emergency situations to prevent a voltage instability event of the grid. In this paper, a certain method is proposed to coordinate the operation of virtual power plant (VPP) and conventional voltage regulation device to improve the static voltage stability of distribution network with the multi-agent framework. The concept and the general framework of this coordinated control system is introduced, and the voltage instable nodes are determined based on the voltage instability indicator. The voltage coordinated control model of the distribution system is established according to the multi-agent consistency control theory and the coordinated controllers for agents are designed by solving a problem with bilinear matrix inequality constraints. The suggested method is implemented on an IEEE 33 nodes test system and the simulation results show its efficiency and validity.

Cerithidea sinensis is a common and important component of mangrove ecosystem. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of C. sinensis was determined for the first time using next-generation sequencing; the overall base components of mitogenome consisting of 15633 bp was 31.14% for A, 35.70% for T, 16.65% for G, 16.51% for C, and its GC content was 33.16%. The mitochondrial circular genome was composed of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tranfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs. Polygenetic analysis showed that the C. sinensis was more closed to Semisulcospira libertina than Turritella bacillum and Tylomelania sarasinorum. We may speculate that the C. sinensis is evolved from freshwater species.

Neritina violacea is a common and important component of mangrove ecosystem. In this study, the mitogenome of N. violacea was determined for the first time using next-generation sequencing; the overall base components of mitogenome consisting of 15,710 bp was 31.37% for A, 34.91% for T, 19.47% for G, 14.25% for C, and its GC content was 33.72%. The mitogenome was composed of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tranfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs. Polygenetic analysis showed that the N. violacea was more close to N. Usnea and Theodoxus fluviatilis. We speculated that the N. violacea was evolved from freshwater species.

Trachypenaeus curvirostris is a common and important shrimp species in the shallow waters of Indo-West Pacific. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of T. curvirostris was determined for the first time using next-generation sequencing; the overall base components of mitogenome consisting of 15968 bp was 35.16% (5614 bp) for A, 33.51% (5351 bp) for T, 11.54% (1842 bp) for G, 19.80% (3161 bp) for C, and its GC content was 31.34%. The mitochondrial circular genome was composed of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, 1 D-loop and 2 ribosomal RNAs. Polygenetic analysis showed that the T. curvirostris was more closed to Parapenaeopsis hardwickii.

Background Parkinson's disease (PD) is frequently accompanied with anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, autonomic dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and other non-motor symptoms, among which autonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment severely impair the quality of life. The relationship between autonomic dysfunction and cognitive impairment in PD is still controversial. Objective To analyze the characteristic of autonomic dysfunction and its correlation with cognitive impairment in PD patients. Methods A total of 156 patients with idiopathic PD admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital between September 2018 and November 2020 were enrolled. General data of patients, including age, sex, duration of disease, age of onset and years of education, were collected. According to the prevalence and duration of autonomic dysfunction, they were divided into autonomic dysfunction group (AutD group, n=107) and non-autonomic dysfunction group (NAutD group, n=49) . The part Ⅲ of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-Ⅲ) was used to assess motor symptoms. The Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) scale was used to assess the severity of PD. The non-motor symptoms were assessed by the Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) . The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 24-item (HAMD-24) were used to evaluate anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. The 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) was used to evaluate PD-specific health related quality of life. Autonomic function was evaluated by Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) . Cognitive function was evaluated by Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) . Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between autonomic function (assessed using the SCOPA-AUT score) and cognitive function (assessed using the MMSE score and MoCA score) . Results Among the 156 patients, 83 were male and 73 were female, with a mean age of (63.9±0.7) years. AutD group had greater mean age (t=-4.391, P