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The nanoconfinement approach for constructing ultra‐small nanoparticles has been effectively utilized in the development of non‐precious metal catalysts. Herein, the catalyst precursor was prepared by host‐guest assembly method, using PCN‐222 as the host and 1,1′‐bis(diphenylphosphino) ferrocene (DPPF) as the guest. After calcination, the sub‐2 nm iron oxide nanoparticles within a phosphorus‐nitrogen co‐doped carbon matrix (Fe3O4@P/N‐CDCM) was obtained. Benefiting from the nanoconfinement effect, the sub‐2 nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the P/N‐CDCM matrix. As a representative application, Fe3O4@P/N‐CDCM‐600 showed remarkable catalytic activity in the reduction of various nitroaromatic compounds. Under ambient conditions, the efficient reduction of nitro compounds in aqueous solution led to excellent conversion rates (96–99 %) and selectivity (99 %) within 45 minutes. Additionally, the catalyst maintained high efficiency over 5 cycles without experiencing a noticeable decrease in activity. This work provides an innovative and cost‐effective strategy for fabricating highly dispersed non‐precious metal nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In maize, two pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase (PPDK) regulatory proteins, ZmPDRP1 and ZmPDRP2, are respectively specific to the chloroplast of mesophyll cells (MCs) and bundle sheath cells (BSCs). Functionally, ZmPDRP1/2 catalyse both phosphorylation/inactivation and dephosphorylation/activation of ZmPPDK, which is implicated as a major rate‐limiting enzyme in C4 photosynthesis of maize. Our study here showed that maize plants lacking ZmPDRP1 or silencing of ZmPDRP1/2 confer resistance to a prevalent potyvirus sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). We verified that the C‐terminal domain (CTD) of ZmPDRP1 plays a key role in promoting viral infection while independent of enzyme activity. Intriguingly, ZmPDRP1 and ZmPDRP2 re‐localize to cytoplasmic viral replication complexes (VRCs) following SCMV infection. We identified that SCMV‐encoded cytoplasmic inclusions protein CI targets directly ZmPDRP1 or ZmPDRP2 or their CTDs, leading to their re‐localization to cytoplasmic VRCs. Moreover, we found that CI could be degraded by the 26S proteasome system, while ZmPDRP1 and ZmPDRP2 could up‐regulate the accumulation level of CI through their CTDs by a yet unknown mechanism. Most importantly, with genetic, cell biological and biochemical approaches, we provide evidence that BSCs‐specific ZmPDRP2 could accumulate in MCs of Zmpdrp1 knockout (KO) lines, revealing a unique regulatory mechanism crossing different cell types to maintain balanced ZmPPDK phosphorylation, thereby to keep maize normal growth. Together, our findings uncover the genetic link of the two cell‐specific maize PDRPs, both of which are co‐opted to VRCs to promote viral protein accumulation for robust virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aedes sp. mosquitoes are changing their geographic range in response to climate change. This is of concern because these mosquitoes can carry dengue fever and other viral diseases. Changing weather patterns can also increase the numbers of Aedes mosquitoes, leading to greater human exposure and enhancing population health risks. We project the geographic distribution of Aedes and associated changes in populations exposed to dengue in Asian metropolitan areas under warming scenarios from 1.5°C to 5.0°C above pre‐industrial temperatures, using multi‐model ensembles. With global warming, the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, the coast of the Arabian Sea in southern Iran, southern Pakistan in West Asia, the Korean Peninsula, most of the Japanese islands, and parts of North China in East Asia are projected to become suitable for dengue transmission. The numbers of metropolitan areas exposed to dengue is projected to change from 142 (48%) in the reference period (1995–2014) to 211 (71%) at 5.0°C warming. With the combined impact of socioeconomic and climate change, population exposure to dengue in Asian metropolitan areas is projected to increase from 263 (multi‐model range 252–268) million in 1995–2014 to 411 (394–432) million, 446 (420–490) million, 509 (475–601), 558 (493–685) and 587 (529–773) million, respectively, at 1.5°C, 2.0°C, 3.0°C, 4.0°C and 5°C warming, with an average of 2.9 million new people exposed to dengue fever in metropolitan areas each year. Plain Language Summary: Dengue fever, spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, is the most serious arbovirus disease affecting Asia. With global warming, mosquitoes that may carry dengue virus continue to expand in geographic range and vectorial capacity. Continued growth of mosquito populations can lead to a considerable increase in dengue exposure, especially in urban areas, increasing public health risks. Based on the occurrence data of the two mosquito species and climate observations, we explored the correlation between different climate elements and the spread of the mosquitoes. Using the outputs of 34 global climate models, we project the probability of occurrence and mosquito vectorial capacity under different warming levels in Asia. With global warming, much of Asia's area is projected to become suitable for dengue transmission. We have also estimated the future population changes in Asian metropolitan areas, to explore the combined effects of socioeconomy and climate change on exposure to dengue. As population density continues to increase and dengue epidemic potential rises, the population exposed to potential dengue fever transmission in Asian metropolitan areas is projected to surge in the future. Information conveyed in our paper can help increase preparedness for dengue outbreaks. Key Points: With global warming, a large number of areas in Asia are projected to become emerging regions suitable for dengue transmissionThe combined effects of climate and socioeconomic changes are projected to jointly lead to a surge in the population exposed to dengueAn average of 2.9 million new people are projected to be exposed to dengue fever in metropolitan areas each year in the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic cathode materials for aqueous rechargeable zinc batteries (ARZBs) are rapidly gaining prominence, while the exploration of compounds with affordable synthesis, satisfactory electrochemical performance, and understandable mechanisms still remains challenging. In this study, 6,8,15,17‐tetraaza‐heptacene‐5,7,9,14,16,18‐hexaone (TAHQ) as an easily synthesized organic cathode material with novel quinone/pyrazine alternately conjugated molecule structure is presented. This organic electrode exhibits good capacity with highly reversible redox reactions, and the influence of multi‐active structures on the Zn2+/H+ loading behavior is systematically investigated by ex situ spectroscopy, electrochemical tests, and computation. Both experimental and theoretical studies effectively address the Zn2+/H+ intercalation/deintercalation kinetics. Benefitting from the fused active functionalities, the assembled Zn//TAHQ battery displays a maximum discharge specific capacity of 254.3 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and it maintains remarkable cycle performance with 71% capacity retention after 1000 cycles under 5 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought has a paramount impact on global agriculture and food security. However, the study on future cropland areas that can incur drought is inadequate. This paper uses input parameters from 7 CMIP6 models for 7 future scenarios (SSP1‐1.9, SSP1‐2.6, SSP4‐3.4, SSP2‐4.5, SSP4‐6.0, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5) to measure South Asian cropland exposure to drought and its underlying factors. Some defined epochs such as 2021–2040 (near‐term), 2041–2060 (mid‐term), 2081–2100 (long‐term), and 1995–2014 (reference period) are designed to explore diverse outlooks of the change. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index and the Run theory methods are applied to detect drought. Results indicate an intensified cropland (under SSP4‐3.4, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5) in the Indo‐Gangetic Plain region of South Asia, where mostly the variation occurs among scenarios and periods. Notably, the future cropland exposed to drought will increase in the 2021–2040, and 2041–2060 periods, but it intends to decline during the 2081–2100. Relatively, the exposed cropland will upturn highest by 49.2% (SSP3‐7.0) in the mid‐term period and decrease by −8.2% (SSP5‐8.5) in the end future. Spatially, distributed cropland in the central, south‐west, and portion of the northeast of South Asia are subjective to be exposed largely, but it can drop greatly across the eastern part by the end future. Importantly, the climate change effect plays a grounding role in future exposure change over the region during the near to mid‐term periods, while the cropland change effect is predominant in the long‐term perspectives. However, these findings signify the urgency of policymaking focusing on drought mitigation to ensure food security. Plain Language Summary: Estimating drought‐induced cropland exposure is the pivotal aspect of agricultural risk assessment for drought impacts. The purposes of this study are to explore (a) how much of the cropland area would be exposed to drought under SSP scenarios; and (b) the degree to which climate change and cropland change effects contribute to changes in exposure. In this regard, we conducted a multi‐model and multi‐scenario‐based analysis to reveal variations in the cropland area exposed to drought in South Asia. Among the seven scenario combinations, the highest percentage of cropland exposed to drought was found at 49.2% (SSP3‐7.0) in the mid‐term epoch (2041–2060). The climate change effect seems to be the key contributor in the near‐term to mid‐term period, whereas it is the cropland change effect long‐term. To reduce drought risk, we recommend focusing on strong climate change mitigation policy development in the near‐ and mid‐term periods at a global scale and strict land‐use management policy interventions in the long‐term period at the regional level. Key Points: Larger cropland area will experience drought in the 2040–2060 period, while it will decline by the end of 21st centuryThe exposed cropland will increase by 49.2% under SSP3‐7.0 than that of historical timeThe climate change effect is the pivotal contributor in exposure changes over South Asia [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uneven changes in potential evapotranspiration (PET) in response to temperature rise are called the 'evapotranspiration paradox' phenomenon, which is expected to intensify further under a warming climate. In this paper, we explored the spatial–temporal changes in the future 'evapotranspiration paradox' phenomenon over China and its 10 major river sub‐regions under different climate change scenarios. Thus, this paper uses four global climate model outputs under seven shared socioeconomic pathway‐based scenarios (SSP1‐1.9, SSP1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, SSP3‐7.0, SSP4‐3.4, SSP4‐6.0 and SSP5‐8.5) from the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Considering the latest IPCC's 6th Assessment Report (AR6), this research emphasizes the 2021–2040 (near‐term), 2041–2060 (mid‐term) and 2081–2100 (long‐term) periods to anticipate the 'evapotranspiration paradox' phenomenon. In this study, PET is estimated based on the modified Penman–Monteith (P‐M) method (considering CO2). Furthermore, the paradox phenomenon in this study is defined considering two pivotal conditions: the surface temperature increases but the evaporation decreases (Type I), and the temperature decreases but the evaporation still tends to increase (Type II). The results show that there were only Type I 'evapotranspiration paradoxes' that existed in the historical period, which were dominant especially before the 1990s. Nearly 50% of the areas experienced the Type I 'evapotranspiration paradox' phenomenon that occurred during 1975–1994 and 1995–2014. Spatially, it covered 100% of the area of the Southeast River (SER) and the Liaohe River (LR) during 1975–1994 and the area of the SER, the HAR, the HHR and the LR during 1995–2014. In the future, the interdecadal growth rate of PET in China is projected to be the highest under the SSP5‐8.5 and the lowest under the SSP3‐7.0 with spatial variation. Importantly, the largest areas of approximately 36% and 45% with the Type I phenomenon are inclined to occur under the SSP1‐1.9 and SSP4‐6.0, respectively, over the long‐term period (2081–2100). The area with the Type I phenomenon will be less than 20% in the near‐term, and it is less than 12% in the mid‐term period. For the Type II evapotranspiration paradox, the uppermost 45% of the area is expected to experience the Type II phenomenon under SSP1‐1.9 during the mid‐term period, while it is 30% under SSP1‐2.6 during the long‐term period. However, this study's findings provide the scientific basis for formulating adaptation and mitigation strategies to combat 'evapotranspiration paradox'‐related extremes at regional scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) has gained widespread commercial use, yet there is a continuous need to identify innovative emitters that offer higher efficiency and a broader color gamut. To effectively screen out promising OLED molecules that are yet to be synthesized, representation learning aided high throughput virtual screening (HTVS) over millions of Ir(III) complexes, which are prototypical types of phosphorescent OLED material constructed via a random combination of 278 reported ligands. This study successfully screens out a decent amount of promising candidates for both display and lighting purposes, which are worth further experimental investigation. The high efficiency and accuracy of this model are largely attributed to the pioneering attempt of using representation learning to organic luminescent molecules, which is initiated by a pre‐training procedure with over 1.6 million 3D molecular structures and frontier orbital energies predicted via semi‐empirical methods, followed by a fine‐tuning scheme via the quantum mechanical computed properties over around 1500 candidates. Such workflow enables an effective model construction process that is otherwise hindered by the scarcity of labeled data and can be straightforwardly extended to the discovery of other novel materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread dissemination of coronavirus 2019 imposes a significant burden on society. Therefore, rapid detection facilitates the reduction of transmission risk. In this study, we proposed a multiplex diagnostic platform for the rapid, ultrasensitive, visual, and simultaneous detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) open reading frame 1ab (ORF1ab) and N genes. A visual diagnostic method was developed using a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)‐Cas12a/Cas13a dual‐enzyme digestion system integrated with multiplex reverse transcriptase‐recombinase polymerase amplification (RT‐RPA). Two CRISPR‐Cas proteins (Cas12a and Cas13a) were introduced into the system to recognize and cleave the N gene and ORF1ab gene, respectively. We used fluorescent or CRISPR double digestion test strips to detect the digested products, with the N gene corresponding to the FAM channel in the PCR instrument or the T1 line on the test strip, and the ORF1ab gene corresponding to the ROX channel in the PCR instrument or the T2 line on the test strip. The analysis can be completed in less than 20 min. Meanwhile, we assessed the application of the platform and determined a sensitivity of up to 200 copies/mL. Additionally, dual gene validation in 105 clinical nasopharyngeal swab samples showed a 100% positive predictive value agreement and a 95.7% negative predictive value agreement between our method and quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. Overall, our method offered a novel insight into the rapid diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At first glance, assessing future landslide‐exposed population appears to be a straightforward task if landslide hazard estimates, climate change, and population projections are available. However, the intersection of landslide hazard with socioeconomic elements may result in significant variation of estimated landslide exposure due to considerable variations in population projections. This study aims to investigate the effects of different sources of population data on the evaluation of landslide‐exposed population in China under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) scenarios. We utilize multiple global climate models (GCMs) from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 and six high‐resolution spatially explicit static and dynamic population data sets to drive available landslide models. The results indicate an overall rise in landslide hazard projections, with an increase in the potential impact area of 0.4%–2.7% and an increase in the landslide frequency of 4.7%–20.1%, depending on the SSPs scenarios and future periods. However, the likely changes in future landslide exposed population, as modeled by incorporating population data from different sources with landslide hazard, yield divergent outcomes depending on the population data source. Thus, some of the projections depict an increase in future landslide exposure, while others show a clear decrease. The nationwide divergence ranged from −64% to +48%. These divergent findings were mainly attributed to differences in population data and a lesser extent to variations in GCMs. The present findings highlight the need to pay closer attention to the dynamic evolution of the elements at risk and the associated data uncertainties. Plain Language Summary: As climate change continues, extreme rainfall is expected to become more frequent and intense. This can lead to changes in landslide risks and how population is exposed to them. While previous studies have mainly focused on how the landslide likelihood may change in time, few have paid attention to how dynamic socioeconomic factors play a role in determining landslide risk. In this study, we used multiple global climate models and different population data sets to investigate how different sources of population information can affect estimates of future landslide risks in China. Overall, we found that landslide hazard is likely to increase in the future. However, when we incorporated different population data into our models, we found divergent results in terms of the number of people exposed to these phenomena. Depending on the population data used, the estimates ranged from a decrease of about 64% to an increase of 48%. These different outcomes were mainly due to variations in population data we used, although climate models also had an impact. These conflicting estimates highlight the need to consider changes in elements at risk when assessing disaster risks and developing targeted measures to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Key Points: Future landslide exposure is assessed by combining landslide model with spatially explicit population and global climate model dataPotential impact areas and frequency of landslides in China under climate change are projected to increase by 0.4%–2.7% and 4.7%–20.1%, respectivelyVarying sourced population projections may induce divergent signals (−64% to +48%) of landslide‐exposed population under climate change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Anterior nucleus of thalamus (ANT) has been widely accepted as a potential therapeutic target for drug‐resistant epilepsy. Although increased volume of the ANT was also reported in patients with absence epilepsy, the relationship between the ANT and absence epilepsy has been barely illustrated. Methods: Using chemogenetics, we evaluated the effect of ANT parvalbumin (PV) neurons on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‐induced absence seizures in mice. Results: We found that intraperitoneal injection of PTZ (30 mg/kg) can stably induce absence‐like seizures characterized by bilaterally synchronous spike–wave discharges (SWDs). Selective activation of PV neurons in the ANT by chemogenetics could aggravate the severity of absence seizures, whereas selective inhibition of that cannot reverse this condition and even promote absence seizures as well. Moreover, chemogenetic inhibition of ANT PV neurons without administration of PTZ was also sufficient to generate SWDs. Analysis of background EEG showed that chemogenetic activation or inhibition of ANT PV neurons could both significantly increase the EEG power of delta oscillation in the frontal cortex, which might mediate the pro‐seizure effect of ANT PV neurons. Significance: Our findings indicated that either activation or inhibition of ANT PV neurons might disturb the intrinsic delta rhythms in the cortex and worsen absence seizures, which highlighted the importance of maintaining the activity of ANT PV neurons in absence seizure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent major worldwide outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has highlighted the urgent need for accurate MPXV detection methods. Although quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique is currently the gold standard for MPXV diagnosis, the high costs associated with the technique and the need for complex instrumentation, limits its application in resource‐poor settings. CRISPR technology has developed rapidly in recent years and provides an effective tool for point‐of‐care testing pathogen identification. Here, we exploited the cleavage properties of the Cas12a enzyme and Cas13a enzyme, to detect the MPXV specific genes, F3L gene and B6R gene, respectively. We developed two detection protocols: a 2‐step method in which the CRISPR Dual System reaction and the multiplex recombinase polymerase amplification reaction were carried out in separate tubes and a single‐tube method in which both reactions were carried out in one tube. Evaluation of the two methods showed that our protocol can detect the MPXV genome down to 10° copies/μL with good specificity and no cross‐reactivity with other poxviruses pseudoviruses, and bacteria. Mock positive samples were used to assess clinical applicability, with the results showing satisfactory concordance with the qPCR method for parallel testing. In conclusion, our study provides a reliable molecular diagnostic strategy for detection of MPXV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To quantify the effect of carnitine on glucose and lipid metabolic profiles and fertility outcomes in women with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design: A systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted. Patients: Women with PCOS diagnosed by Rotterdam or Androgen Excess Society (AES) criteria and taking carnitine supplement were assessment. Measurements: Fertility outcomes (ovulation, clinical pregnancy, live birth, and miscarriage), lipid parameters (BMI, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein, low‐density lipoprotein), fasting glucose and insulin, and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA‐IR). Results: In total, 839 participants were included in this analysis. The dosage of carnitine and treatment duration reported by studies varied from 250 mg to 3000 mg daily and 84 to 90 days, respectively. The publication bias was absent. Compared with placebo, carnitine significantly improved ovulation rates (RR 3.42, 95% CI 2.39 to 4.89, I2 = 0%) and pregnancy rates (RR 11.05, 95% CI 1.21 to 100.58, I2 = 79%). None of included studies reported live birth. After treatment, carnitine resulted in significant reductions relative to baseline in body mass index (BMI, MD −0.93 kg/m2, 95% CI −1.15 to −0.70, I2 = 55.0%), insulin levels (MD −2.47 mIU/L, 95% CI −4.49 to −0.45, I2 = 0%) and the Homeostasis Model Assessment index (MD −0.67, 95% CI −1.20 to −0.14, I2 = 0%) than placebo, but not for lipid profiles including triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low‐density lipoprotein. Conclusion: With the available literature, carnitine seems to improve ovulation and clinical pregnancy and insulin resistance, BMI in women with PCOS. These effects are warranted to be further validated, due to insufficient statistical power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture as a key variable of land processes greatly influences the weather and climate. This study investigates the observed linkage between Tibetan Plateau (TP) spring soil moisture and summer precipitation and floods in the Yangtze River basin during 1988–2008 using satellite and in‐situ observations. A significant (p = 1%) proportion of interannual variations of summer precipitation (about 25%) in the Yangtze River basin can be attributed to spring TP soil moisture anomalies which show a dipole pattern. When spring soil moisture anomalies are positive (negative) over eastern (western) TP, there is more summer precipitation and consequently river discharge in the Yangtze River basin, or vice versa. The possible mechanisms can be explained from the perspectives of surface energy balance and atmospheric thermodynamics. More (less) spring soil moisture over the eastern (western) plateau enhances summer diabatic heating, which may be related to soil moisture memory. The enhanced summer diabatic heating stimulates vigorous ascending motions over TP, which diverge in the upper troposphere (200 hPa) and descend over the western Pacific. This is conducive to the enhancement and mutual proximity of the South Asian High (SAH) and the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH). As a result, the warm and humid air flows from the Bay of Bengal and the western Pacific and the cold and dry air flows from the boreal continent converge in the Yangtze River basin, causing excessive summer precipitation. Therefore, TP spring soil moisture can be considered a seasonal predictor of summer precipitation and possible subsequent floods in the Yangtze River basin. Plain Language Summary: Spring soil moisture over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) explains a significant proportion of interannual variations of summer precipitation (about 25%) in the Yangtze River basin. When spring soil moisture anomalies are positive (negative) over the eastern (western) TP, there is more summer precipitation and consequently river discharge in the Yangtze River basin, or vice versa. The possible mechanisms can be attributed to the perspectives of surface energy balance and atmospheric thermodynamics. More (less) spring soil moisture over the eastern (western) plateau enhances summer diabatic heating. The diabatic heating controls the atmospheric circulation changes over the TP and surrounding regions associated with the enhancement and eastward (westward) stretching of the South Asian High (Western Pacific Subtropical High), favoring the convergence of the warm and humid (cold and dry) air flows from Tropical Ocean (boreal continent) to the Yangtze River basin, resulting in excessive summer precipitation. Key Points: Spring soil moisture over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) explains about 25% of interannual variations of summer precipitation in the Yangtze River basinPositive (negative) soil moisture anomalies over eastern (western) TP lead to more precipitation and discharge in the Yangtze River basinMore precipitation is due to moisture‐rich airflow convergence linked to South Asian High and Western Pacific Subtropical High affected by soil moisture‐induced diabatic heating [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future global temperature change will have significant effects on society and ecosystems. Earth system models (ESM) are the primary tools to explore future climate change. However, ESMs have great uncertainty and often run at a coarse spatial resolution (usually about 2°). Accurate high‐spatial‐resolution temperature dataset are needed to improve our understanding of temperature variations and for many other applications. We apply Super resolution (SR) in computer vision using deep learning (DL) to merge 31 ESMs data. The proposed method performs data merging, bias‐correction, and spatial downscaling simultaneously. The CRU TS (Climate Research Unit gridded Time Series) data is used as reference data in the model training process. To find a suitable DL method, we select five SR methodologies with different structures. We compare the performances of the methods based on mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and Pearson correlation coefficient (R). The best method is used to merge the projected monthly data (1850–1900), and monthly future scenarios data (2015–2100), at the high spatial resolution of 0.5°. Results show that the merged data have considerably improved performance compared with individual ESM data and their ensemble mean (EM), both spatially and temporally. The MAE shows significant improvement; the spatial distribution of the MAE widens along the latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. The MAE of merged data is ranging from 0.60 to 1.50, the South American (SA) has the lowest error and the Europe has the highest error. The merged product has excellent performance when the observation data is smooth with few fluctuations in the time series. This work demonstrates the applicability and effectiveness of the DL methods in data merging, bias‐correction and spatial downscaling when enough training data are available. Data can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5746632. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of luminescence and carrier transport is of prime interest for optoelectronics, but full with challenges in organic semiconductors. Previously, it has been demonstrated that intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) in the herringbone H‐aggregate can lend oscillator strength to the lowest‐lying dark state if electron transfer (te) and hole transfer (th) integrals are in phase (same sign) and greater than 2J$\sqrt 2 J$, where J is exciton coupling. In this work, both herringbone and π–π stackings are considered and a universal descriptor I =2teth/[(|te|+|th|)·|J|]$I\;{\bf = }2{t_{\rm{e}}}{t_{\rm{h}}}/\left[ {(|{t_{\rm{e}}}|{\bf + }|{t_{\rm{h}}}|)\cdot|J|} \right]$ is proposed. It is found that for π–π stacking with I > 1 and for herringbone with I>2$I{\bf > }\sqrt 2 $, respectively, the lowest dark state could become bright through mixing ICT component. Accordingly, it is found that eclipsed packing and use of molecules with acene‐like frontier molecular orbital profiles favor larger I value than the other packing patterns. Finally, with the help of the proposed descriptor, 13 high‐mobility emissive unit cores from 32 fused ring molecules are effectively screened out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simulations of spectroscopy and quantum dynamics are of vital importance to the understanding of the electronic processes in complex systems, including the radiative/radiationless electronic relaxation relevant for optical emission, charge/energy transfer in molecular aggregates related to carrier mobility in organic materials, as well as photovoltaic and thermoelectric conversion, light‐harvesting and spin transport, and so forth. In recent years, time‐dependent density matrix renormalization group (TD‐DMRG) has emerged as a general, numerically accurate and efficient method for high‐dimensional full‐quantum dynamics. This review will cover the fundamental algorithms of TD‐DMRG in the modern framework of matrix product states (MPS) and matrix product operators (MPO), including the basic algebra with respect to MPS and MPO, the novel time evolution schemes to propagate MPS, and the automated MPO construction algorithm to encode generic Hamiltonian. Most importantly, the proposed method can handle the mixed state density matrix at finite temperature, enabling quantum statistical description for molecular aggregates. We demonstrate the performance of TD‐DMRG by benchmarking with the current state‐of‐the‐art methods for simulating quantum dynamics of the spin‐boson model and the Frenkel–Holstein(–Peierls) model. As applications of TD‐DMRG to real‐world problems, we present theoretical investigations of carrier mobility and spectral function of rubrene crystal, and the radiationless decay rate of azulene with an anharmonic potential energy surface. This article is categorized under:Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Statistical MechanicsTheoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and KineticsSoftware > Simulation Methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin, lightweight micro‐diffractive optical elements (M‐DOEs) are of great significance to integrated optics. However, the narrow working bandwidth of M‐DOEs allows them to operate only at specific wavelengths. Existing solutions require multiple components assembly, which is difficult to implement in an integrated system. Here, a general designing and processing scheme of an optofluidic‐integrated broad‐bandwidth M‐DOE is reported, achieving an average diffraction efficiency of over 84% across the entire visible band (406–824 nm). As a proof‐of‐concept, a wideband operating micro‐diffractive lens and orbital angular momentum beam micro‐generator are demonstrated. This strategy provides a common protocol for various broad‐bandwidth M‐DOEs operating in integrated optical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the risk of lead pollution in 9 kinds of vegetables consumed by residents in 20 provinces/cities of China. Sampling data and vegetable consumption data from 20 provinces/cities in 2019 were used. Combined with dietary exposure assessment, the vegetable categories and provinces were paired, and a risk classification model based on spectral clustering algorithms was proposed. The results of the spectral clustering algorithm showed that the risk level of lead pollution in vegetables can be divided into five levels. The combination of vegetable‐province/cities at the risk level of 1 and 2 accounted for 92.78%, and that at the risk level of 4 and 5 accounted for 2.22%. The high‐risk combinations were fresh edible fungus–Shaanxi, fresh edible fungus–Sichuan, and fresh edible fungus–Shanghai and bean sprouts–Guangdong. In the proposed model, objective data were used as the classification index, and the spectral clustering algorithm was employed to select the optimal risk classification in a data‐driven way. As a result, the influence of subjective factors was effectively reduced, the risk of lead pollution in vegetables was classified, and the results were scientific and accurate. This study provides a scientific basis of supervision priorities for regulatory departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Fungal infections have emerged as a major global threat to human health because of the increasing incidence and mortality rates every year. The emergence of drug resistance and limited arsenal of antifungal agents further aggravates the current situation resulting in a growing challenge in medical mycology. Here, we identified that ponatinib, an FDA‐approved antitumour drug, significantly enhanced the activity of the azole fluconazole, the most widely used antifungal drug. Further detailed investigation of ponatinib revealed that its combination with fluconazole displayed broad‐spectrum synergistic interactions against a variety of human fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Cryptococcus neoformans. Mechanistic insights into the mode of action unravelled that ponatinib reduced the efflux of fluconazole via Pdr5 and suppressed the expression of the proton pump, Pma1. Taken together, our study identifies ponatinib as a novel antifungal that enhances drug activity of fluconazole against diverse fungal pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land evaporation (ET) is of great significance in climate change research, water resource management, and numerical weather forecasting. In this study, Ridge Regression Method and Sensitivity Analysis Methods have been used to study the projected land evaporation changes over China, and its response to vegetation greening under low (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway [SSP]1‐2.6), medium (SSP2‐4.5), and high (SSP5‐8.5) forcing scenarios during 2020–2099, based on 16 of the latest generation of Earth System Models (ESMs) taking part in the Coupled Models Intercomparison Project Phase 6. Land evaporation is projected to significantly increase under all climate change scenarios, especially in the southern China where there is a humid climate. The influencing factors, including precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation, and leaf area index (LAI), are analyzed; LAI is indicated to dominate the interannual variations of land ET, contributing over 40% of the interannual variance in the warming climates. However, the sensitivity of land ET to vegetation greening is found to generally reduce along with the increasing radiation forcing levels. Such a reduced sensitivity is particularly true when making intermodel comparisons, possibly due to the uncertainties of vegetation parameterizations in different models. This study reveals the response of land ET to vegetation greening under multiple climate change scenarios, which may help to understand the essential role of vegetation in water cycle and provide support for future water resource management. Key Points: Land evaporation (ET) is projected to significantly increase under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP)1‐2.6, SSP2‐4.5, and SSP5‐8.5 scenarios over China during 2020–2099Among all influencing factors, leaf area index dominates the interannual variations of projected land ET, explaining over 40% of the total ET varianceLand ET sensitivity to vegetation greening is reduced with the increasing radiation forcing levels, especially when models are compared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting determines by the light absorption and charge extraction/injection. Here, we dispersedly modified the core‐shell structured Ni@NiyFe1−y(OH)2 on Si photoanodes and in‐situ electrochemically converted it to Ni@NiyFe1−yOOH to form a Si/SiOx/Ni@NiyFe1−yOOH assembly, exhibiting the adjustable band bending and catalytic ability in water oxidation depending closely on the composition of NiyFe1−yOOH. Combining with the island‐like dispersed distribution to maximize the light absorption and the Ni@NiyFe1−y shell as a high work function and a catalytic layer to simultaneously enlarge charge extraction and injection, the Si/SiOx/Ni@Ni0.7Fe0.3OOH assembly achieved an onset potential of 1.0 VRHE, a saturated current density of 35.4 mA cm−2 and a more than 50 h stability in an electrolyte with pH 9 under AM1.5G simulated sunlight irradiation. Our findings suggested that regulating the charge energetics at Si‐electrolyte interface by discontinuously modifying a composition‐adjustable core‐shell structure is a potential route to develop highly efficient PEC devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work provides an augmented system (AS), constructed based on a modified tangent vector Index, i.e. the full derivative of the uncontrollable parameter with respect to the voltage magnitude of critical bus of the system, to directly detect steady‐state voltage stability margin (SSVSM). The Newton iteration produced by the AS is illustrated to be able to approach the equilibrium manifold until converging to the saddle node bifurcation, given that the initial point is approaching to the corresponding branch. With the special searching direction, limit induced dynamic bifurcations or limit induced static bifurcation that appear along the equilibrium manifold are able to be located with expected precision by the proposed corrections. Several cases in a 2000‐bus synthetic grid exemplify the effectiveness and high efficiency of the algorithm, compared with standard continuation power flow and the predicter‐corrector primal dual interior point algorithm for detecting the SSVSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts are major, large‐scale, weather‐driven natural disasters, on the rise in the changing climate. We project changing population exposure to drought in two vulnerable, adjacent, basins of large rivers, the Tarim River Basin (TRB) and the Indus River Basin (IRB), for the future horizon 2021–2065. Drought events are assessed based on the outputs of multiple Global Climate Models, by applying the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Intensity‐Area‐Duration method (IAD). Future population exposure to droughts is evaluated by combining the drought events under three RCP scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5) with the projected population from Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), acknowledging the recent two‐child policy in China. Results show that frequency of drought events in both river basins could increase in the future, while increase in the TRB is stronger than in the IRB. The areal coverage of drought events in both river basins is projected to be greater in 2021–2065 than in 1961–2005. Increase of frequency and areal coverage in both basins is especially strong for the class of extreme drought events. According to the ensemble mean of multi‐GCMs, population exposure to droughts was 25.0% and 20.9% of the total population in the TRB and the IRB, respectively, in 1961–2005, and it is projected to increase by over 60% for the TRB and to increase by over 30% for the IRB, in 2021–2065. Plain Language Summary: As a major, large‐scale, weather‐driven natural disaster, drought may occur in all climatic zones and cause significant losses in human and natural systems. Both the Tarim River Basin and the Indus River Basin are vulnerable to drought, but changing characteristics of population exposure to drought is unknown for the two basins under the climate and population dynamics scenarios. We analyze the changing frequency and areal coverage of drought events in 2021–2065 relative to 1961–2005 and then quantify the population exposure to drought in both two river basins. It was found that frequency and areal coverage of drought in both river basins could increase in the future. Increase of frequency and areal coverage in both basins is especially strong for extreme drought events. Population exposure to droughts was 25.0% and 20.9% of the total population in the Tarim and the Indus River Basin, respectively, in 1961–2005, and it is projected to increase by over 60% for the Tarim River Basin and by over 30% for the Indus River Basin in 2021–2065. Key Points: This research combine the Representative Concentration Pathways and the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways scenarios in the drought exposure assessmentThis research project drought events in river basins of the Tarim and the Indus, based on the multiple GCM outputs and the Intensity‐Area‐Duration methodDrought is projected to be more severe in the TRB than in the IRB, while population exposed to droughts in the IRB has been and will be larger than in the TRB [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is a pathogen of worldwide importance that causes dwarf mosaic disease on maize (Zea mays). Until now, few maize genes/proteins have been shown to be involved in resistance to SCMV. In this study, we characterized the role of maize phenylalanine ammonia‐lyases (ZmPALs) in accumulation of the defence signal salicylic acid (SA) and in resistance to virus infection. SCMV infection significantly increased SA accumulation and expression of SA‐responsive pathogenesis‐related protein genes (PRs). Interestingly, exogenous SA treatment decreased SCMV accumulation and enhanced resistance. Both reverse transcription‐coupled quantitative PCR and RNA‐Seq data confirmed that expression levels of at least four ZmPAL genes were significantly up‐regulated upon SCMV infection. Knockdown of ZmPAL expression led to enhanced SCMV infection symptom severity and virus multiplication, and simultaneously resulted in decreased SA accumulation and PR gene expression. Intriguingly, application of exogenous SA to SCMV‐infected ZmPAL‐silenced maize plants decreased SCMV accumulation, showing that ZmPALs are required for SA‐mediated resistance to SCMV infection. In addition, lignin measurements and metabolomic analysis showed that ZmPALs are also involved in SCMV‐induced lignin accumulation and synthesis of other secondary metabolites via the phenylpropanoid pathway. In summary, our results indicate that ZmPALs are required for SA accumulation in maize and are involved in resistance to virus infection by limiting virus accumulation and moderating symptom severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the influence of blood deposition on flesh quality of ordinary muscle in yellowtail. This study compared the flesh quality changes in upper and under‐sides of yellowtails killed by two different methods: spinal‐cord destruction (SCD) with blood removal and suffocation in air without blood removal (SA). The under‐sides of the SA group showed the highest values for a*, cathepsin B and B + L activities, the lowest value in breaking strength and the greatest degradation of myosin heavy chain (MHC) among the four groups. However, the values of the SCD‐upper group indicated the best flesh quality. In addition, the white blood cells presented the highest cathepsin B and B + L activities among the blood components. These results indicate that blood has the tendency to deposit downward in accordance with the direction of placement. This phenomenon influences the distribution of white blood cells which contain enzymes that accelerate the deterioration of flesh quality. The texture of fish muscle is an important part of the flesh quality. In captured fishery (purse‐seine fishery and dragnet fishery), it is impossible to immediately and completely remove blood. Therefore, suffocation in air is the common method after the fish is caught. The commercial value of fish is decreased and the price varies greatly when these fish enter market circulation. In our study, we examined the influence of blood deposition on the flesh quality of yellowtail during storage. The degradation of structural proteins accelerated in the deposited blood which contain proteases. The movement and deposition of blood caused the difference of quality on both sides, which seriously affected the quality of fish during preservation. Our study has some theoretical guidance for muscle softening and give a better understanding of the adverse effect of blood during preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles show great potential for drug delivery. However, suitable nanostructures capable of loading a range of drugs together with the co‐delivery of siRNAs, which avoid the problem of cation‐associated cytotoxicity, are lacking. Herein, we report an small interfering RNA (siRNA)‐based vesicle (siRNAsome), which consists of a hydrophilic siRNA shell, a thermal‐ and intracellular‐reduction‐sensitive hydrophobic median layer, and an empty aqueous interior that meets this need. The siRNAsome can serve as a versatile nanostructure to load drug agents with divergent chemical properties, therapeutic proteins as well as co‐delivering immobilized siRNAs without transfection agents. Importantly, the inherent thermal/reduction‐responsiveness enables controlled drug loading and release. When siRNAsomes are loaded with the hydrophilic drug doxorubicin hydrochloride and anti‐P‐glycoprotein siRNA, synergistic therapeutic activity is achieved in multidrug resistant cancer cells and a tumor model. The siRNAsome is an siRNA‐based vesicle originating from the self‐assembly of siRNA‐disulfide‐poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (siRNA–SS–PNIPAM) diblock copolymers. It can serve as a versatile nanostructure for loading drug agents with divergent chemical properties and therapeutic proteins, as well as co‐delivering immobilized siRNAs without transfection agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beginning in 2016, all couples in China were allowed to have two children without any restrictions. This paper provides population and economic projections under five shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and three fertility policies. By replacing the one‐child policy with the two‐child policy, the population is predicted to continue growing until 2025–2035, with a peak of approximately 1.39–1.42 billion, and then to decline under four SSPs, with the exception of the fragmented world SSP3. As a result, the two‐child policy will lead to mitigation of the pressure from labor shortages and aging problems to a certain extent. In addition, an increase in working‐age people with higher education level relative to projections based on the one‐child policy will lead to an increase in gross domestic product by approximately 38.1–43.9% in the late 21st century. However, labor shortages and aging problems are inevitable, and the proportion of elderly in China will be greater than 14% and 21% by approximately 2025 and 2035, respectively. Full liberalization of fertility is expected to reduce the share of elderly people by 0.7–1.0% and to lead to an increase in gross domestic product by 5.3–6.7% relative to the two‐child policy in the late 21st century. The full liberalization of fertility policies is recommended, supplemented by increases in pension and child‐rearing funds, improvement in the quality of health services for females and children, and extension of compulsory education to meet the needs of an aged society. Plain Language Summary: The one‐child policy in China has been replaced by the two‐child policy since 2016. What might the population and economy change if the one‐child policy is continued in the 21st century? What can China benefit from the fertility policy changes? Is it necessary to allow people to choose their family size in China? We conducted multipopulation policies and multisocioeconomic development pathways combined analysis to explore the effects of fertility policy changes on population and economy in China. We found that population size by the late 21st century might be 28% less than that in 2010 at the one‐child policy, and share of elderly (aged 65+) might be 49%. The implementation of the two‐child policy can mitigate the labor shortages and aging problems to a certain extent, and the increased working‐age population with higher education level can lead to a 38.1–43.9% increase in gross domestic product in the late 21st century. A further 0.7–1.0% reduction in elderly share of the total population and 5.3–6.7% increase in gross domestic product is projected in the late 21st century at the "full relaxation" policy. We believe that introduction of effects from fertility policy changes on socioeconomy can deliver useful information to decision makers. Key Points: The integrated effects of population policies and socioeconomic pathways on the population structure and economy are exploredThe population bust in China caused by the one‐child policy will be relieved after the two‐child policy, as indicated by all the SSPsFull relaxation of fertility control is recommended with the simultaneous implementation of other social policies (e.g., pension funds) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse impacts and increasing economic losses from tropical cyclones (TCs) are a major focus in respect to the potential global warming of 1.5 °C or even 2.0 °C. Based on observed meteorological data and county‐scale loss records, loss‐inducing rainfall and wind speed thresholds are identified using the regional climate model CCLM to project future TC events in China. An established damage function is combined with future gross domestic product predictions under five shared socio‐economic pathways. At the 1.5 °C warming level, normalized TC losses will be four times higher than in the reference period (1986–2005). At the 2.0 °C warming level, a sevenfold increase is projected. Relative to the 1.5 °C warming level, TCs will become more frequent under the 2.0 °C scenario, especially along the southeast coast of China. Nearly 0.2–0.5% of the increase in gross domestic product might be offset by TC losses between the 1.5 °C and 2.0 °C warming levels, and the single highest TC loss at 2.0 °C may double that at 1.5 °C, with a larger affected area and more severe rainstorms and wind speeds. Rainfall is attributed more often to TC losses than wind speed. Limiting global warming at 1.5 °C would avoid an estimated increase in TC losses of more than 120 billion CNY annually. Based on a simple linear regression approach, normalized event‐based (a) and annual aggregated (b) TC losses in China will be four times higher at the 1.5 °C warming level than in the reference period (1986–2005). Relative to the 1.5 °C warming level, TCs will become more frequent under the 2.0 °C scenario, especially along the southeast coast of China. Limiting global warming at 1.5 °C would avoid an estimated increase in TC losses of more than 120 billion CNY annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land surface temperature (LST) plays an essential role in the energy exchanges between land and atmosphere. It reflects the changes of available terrestrial energy in the context of global warming, and thus can serve as an indicator of regional climate change. The recently developed HIRS (High‐resolution infrared radiation sounder onboard NOAA satellites) LST product is among the longest LST records. We have analysed the HIRS LST against ground measurements from 66 stations in the Poyang Lake basin, China, considering the temporal variations at daily and interannual time scales during 1980–2009. The error metrics of correlation coefficient, Bias and unbiased Root Mean Square Deviation (ubRMSD) are used, together with the long‐term linear trends. The two data sets have considerable agreement with respect to daily variations. Their correlation coefficients are higher than 0.95 for all stations; and those for daily anomalies range from 0.73 to 0.85 across the basin. The Bias and the ubRMSD have indicated that the HIRS data have generally underestimated the LST across the basin, mainly because of its large underestimation of the occurrences of temperature higher than 35 °C. Nevertheless, the HIRS LST has largely overestimated the occurrences of summer days with temperature ranging 20–30 °C. The Bias and the ubRMSD appear to be smaller in the cropped plains and much larger in the afforested mountain areas. As for the interannual variations, the HIRS LST shows highest correlations with ground measurement in spring; they are lowest in summer, possibly due to the interference of monsoonal precipitation. Both the HIRS LST and ground measurements show significant increasing trends with similar patterns in spring and winter. However, the long‐term trends are significantly overestimated across the basin in summer, but underestimated in autumn in the HIRS LST data. Normalized probability density function of the HIRS LST and ground measurements in (a) NGB and (b) SGB regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In yeast target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) and Tap42-associated phosphatases regulate expression of genes involved in nitrogen limitation response and the nitrogen discrimination pathway. However, it remains unclear whether TORC1 and the phosphatases are required for sensing nitrogen conditions. Utilizing temperature sensitive mutants of tor2 and tap42, we examined the role of TORC1 and Tap42 in nuclear entry of Gln3, a key transcription factor in yeast nitrogen metabolism, in response to changes in nitrogen conditions. Our data show that TORC1 is essential for Gln3 nuclear entry upon nitrogen limitation and downshift in nitrogen quality. However, Tap42-associated phosphatases are required only under nitrogen limitation condition. In cells grown in poor nitrogen medium, the nitrogen permease reactivator kinase (Npr1) inhibits TORC1 activity and alters its association with Tap42, rendering Tap42-associated phosphatases unresponsive to nitrogen limitation. These findings demonstrate a direct role for TORC1 and Tap42-associated phosphatases in sensing nitrogen conditions and unveil an Npr1-dependent mechanism that controls TORC1 and the phosphatases in response to changes in nitrogen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Changes in maximum and minimum temperature ( Tmax and Tmin) are analysed to assess the regional extent of global warming in Xinjiang autonomous region, China, for the period of 1961-2015. Two nonlinear, non-stationary signal-processing methods - the Bernaola-Galván algorithm and the ensemble empirical mode decomposition method - are applied on daily time series of observations from 53 meteorological stations. Statistically significant abrupt change points are identified in 1996 in both annual Tmax and Tmin time series averaged for the whole province, while another one is identified in 1976 in the annual Tmin time series only. At local scale, most stations experience one abrupt change point in annual Tmax in the 1990s, but two or three change points in annual Tmin, mainly in the 1980s and 1990s. After the abrupt change points, the frequency and probability density of Tmax in summer and Tmin in winter are skewed towards the hotter part of the probability distribution. It is found that the hot temperature extremes in summer occur concurrently with El Niño events. Further results suggest that anomalies in geopotential height at 500 hPa can be associated with the hottest and coldest months. The key regions of the anomalies are over the east of the Ural Mountains and the North Atlantic, while the geopotential height anomalies over Greenland and the east of the Ural Mountains are closely related to the hot and cold spells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anisotropic domain structures and local piezoresponse of rhombohedral Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 single crystals with high ferroelectric phase transition temperature ( TFE-FE≥120°C) were systematically investigated by vector piezoresponse force microscopy. The typical size of labyrinthine domain pattern for [001] C sample was in the range of 100-200 nm, revealing its relaxor feature. While the [011] C sample exhibited ordered ribbon-shaped domain pattern with preferential alignment along <011> direction since the modulation effect of polar nanoregions. For [111] C sample, it had messy and featureless domain patterns. For as-grown crystal, the incorporation of Zr4+ cation in Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 system resulted in that the long-range coulomb interactions of the charged ions in the short range order regions were weakened, leading to an increased relaxor feature. Concurrently, the incorporation of Zr4+ cation enhanced the Pb-B repulsion intensity, resulting in an improved TFE-FE. Temperature-dependent properties of as-grown crystal exhibited good temperature stability from 30 to 120°C, indicating it is a promising material for actuator and ultrasonic transducer applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this article, the analysis of simulated and projected climatic changes in the Indus River Basin ( IRB) is presented. The performance of the regional climate model COSMO-CLM ( CCLM) driven by the global circulation model MPI-ESM-LR is evaluated on the ability of reproducing temperature, precipitation, and wind pattern for the period 1961-2005. There exist quantitative biases, especially in precipitation pattern, which are associated to the diverse reproduction of the atmospheric circulation by the global circulation model. The overall results show that CCLM is able to satisfyingly capture the dominant spatial characteristics in annual temperature and precipitation time series, including the warming trend, and the seasonal variations. The changes in precipitation and temperature over the IRB are projected for the mid- (2046-2065) and late-21st century (2081-2100). Relative to the baseline period (1986-2005), the average annual temperature will increase during the mid- and late-21st century over the whole basin. Extreme temperature events, i.e. heat waves, are more likely to occur. An increase in summer temperature is also projected especially in the upper IRB, where the persistent increase is likely to cause further melting of glaciers. The annual precipitation will decrease in both the mid- and late-21st century with significant spatial changes. A decrease in the monsoon precipitation is also projected, particularly in the central and southern plains of lower altitudes, which might be highly related to the reduction of wet air from the Indian Ocean and the increment in outflow to the east of the IRB. For winter and spring precipitation, except for the late-21st century under the representative climate pathway (RCP) 2.6, a decreasing trend is projected, which might be caused by the reduction of water vapour from the west. This will further weaken the availability of water resources in these seasons, especially in the upper IRB of higher altitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For newly developed, highly reliable, and long-lifespan products, it is quite difficult to implement effective remaining useful life (RUL) prediction in the early usage under limited time cost. However, accelerated degradation testing (ADT) is generally used for lifetime evaluation for such products with harsher test conditions and shorter test time in the late research and development phase. Thus, in this paper, we propose a life prediction framework to integrate the information from ADT to conduct field RUL prediction for highly reliable products. Because ADT belongs to reliability testing used for inferring the population information from the selected test samples, we at first present the modified Wiener process (MWP) model. Different from traditional methods that embody both the random variability and unit-to-unit variability into the diffusion coefficient, the proposed method describes them separately in ADT analysis. Then, the MWP model from ADT is used as a prior for field RUL prediction of the target product during which the strong tracking filtering algorithm is introduced for updating the hidden state and computing the RUL prediction results when the new monitoring data are available. Because of the complexity of the MWP model, the Markov chain Monte Carlo method is provided to estimate the unknown parameters. Finally, the simulation study and the light-emitting diode application verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework that can achieve reasonable life prediction results for highly reliable products for both linear and nonlinear scenarios. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This letter proposes a wearable antenna fabricated by multifilament threads. The radiator is conductive threads filled with a copper wire, directly sewn onto a piece of cloth. Its advantages include better impedance matching, enhanced radiation efficiency, and additional value to smart clothing because the radiator is shaped into a logotype. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1232-1236, 2016 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral infections cause plant chlorosis, stunting, necrosis or other symptoms. The down-regulation of chloroplast-related genes (Ch RGs) is assumed to be responsible for chlorosis., We identified the differentially expressed genes ( DEGs) in Rice stripe virus ( RSV)-infected Nicotiana benthamiana, and examined the contribution of 75 down-regulated DEGs to RSV symptoms by silencing them one by one using Tobacco rattle virus ( TRV)-induced gene silencing., Silencing of 11 of the 75 down-regulated DEGs caused plant chlorosis, and nine of the 11 were Ch RGs. Silencing of a down-regulated DEG encoding the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A ( eIF4A) caused leaf-twisting and stunting that were visible on RSV-infected N. benthamiana. A region of RSV RNA4 was complementary to part of eIF4A mRNA and virus-derived small interfering (vsi RNAs) from that region were present in infected N. benthamiana. When expressed as artificial micro RNAs, those vsi RNAs could target Nbe IF4A mRNA for regulation., We provide experimental evidence supporting the association of Ch RGs with chlorosis and show that eIF4A is involved in RSV symptom development. This is also the first report demonstrating that si RNA derived directly from a plant virus can target a host gene for regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observed streamflow of headwater catchments of the Tarim River (Central Asia) increased by about 30% over the period 1957-2004. This study aims at assessing to which extent these streamflow trends can be attributed to changes in air temperature or precipitation. The analysis includes a data-based approach using multiple linear regression and a simulation-based approach using a hydrological model. The hydrological model considers changes in both glacier area and surface elevation. It was calibrated using a multiobjective optimization algorithm with calibration criteria based on glacier mass balance and daily and interannual variations of discharge. The individual contributions to the overall streamflow trends from changes in glacier geometry, temperature, and precipitation were assessed using simulation experiments with a constant glacier geometry and with detrended temperature and precipitation time series. The results showed that the observed changes in streamflow were consistent with the changes in temperature and precipitation. In the Sari-Djaz catchment, increasing temperatures and related increase of glacier melt were identified as the dominant driver, while in the Kakshaal catchment, both increasing temperatures and increasing precipitation played a major role. Comparing the two approaches, an advantage of the simulation-based approach is the fact that it is based on process-based relationships implemented in the hydrological model instead of statistical links in the regression model. However, data-based approaches are less affected by model parameter and structural uncertainties and typically fast to apply. A complementary application of both approaches is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two virus isolates, designated S1 and TL, were obtained from tomato and camellia root in China, respectively, and their host ranges, symptomatology, serological reactions and complete nucleotide sequences were determined. Isolate TL systemically infected Chenopodium amaranticolor causing leaf chlorosis, but the isolate S1 induced only local necrotic lesions. The complete nucleotide sequences of S1 and TL were determined and consisted of 6384 and 6383 nucleotides (Genbank accessions and ), respectively. Sequence analysis revealed that both isolates have the highest nucleotide sequence identity (over 92%) with Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), but less (80%) with other tobamoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses based on the amino acid sequences of 30-kD and 17.5-kD proteins also indicated that both the isolates form a cluster with the isolates of ToMV. These data suggest that S1 and TL are isolates of ToMV. The possible reasons that TL infected C. amaranticolor systemically but S1 induced only local necrotic lesions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that developed a poloxamer analogs/bioadhesive polymers-based in situ gelling ophthalmic delivery system aiming at enhancing bioavailability and anticataract effect. Also examined was the effect of poloxamer 407 (P407), poloxamer 188 (P188), carbopol 934P (C934), and sodium hyaluronate (NaHA) concentration on the gelation temperature (GT). Results showed that in vitro drug release from in situ gel was controlled by gel dissolution and followed zero-order kinetics.

During the past 30 years, water ceased to flow in the lower reaches of the Tarim River in northwest China. A project was initiated that aims for ecosystem recovery and rehabilitation by means of transporting water through an open canal to the lower reaches of the Tarim River. In this study, the ecohydrological responses of this rare type project are assessed. Water loss-runoff relationships and an index model for water loss rates and runoff are analyzed. The detected ecohydrological responses of the canal project include that water diversion dominates the dynamics of (1) the groundwater depth and (2) the tempo-spatial variation of riparian vegetation close to the water channel. The relationships between groundwater depth, vegetation coverage, species richness and soil water content are clearly the main factors contributing to the riparian vegetation. Variations of water mineralization are significant, both temporally and spatially, at each sampling station within the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The study provides basic information on water diversion and stream corridor restoration in the lower reaches of the Tarim River. The results show associated mechanisms between riparian vegetation and hydrological variation in arid zone. This lays the theoretical and practical foundation for improving the evaluation system for supplementary water delivery and comprehensive improvement in the Tarim Basin. It also provides information on strengths and weakness in current practices. These are needed for the planning of ecological recovery and rehabilitation of damaged ecosystems in this and other arid areas in western and northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the results of a study on the characterization of thermosensitive hydrogels made of graft copolymers of guar gum and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The increase in the amount of guar gum transformed hydrogel into pseudoplastic fluid from dilatant fluid. The hydrogel with water content of over 98.4 percent contained both the freezing bound water and free water. The behavior of the hydrogel at temperature below lower critical solution temperature is described.