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LncRNAs exert important functions in the modulation of tumorigenesis and cancer stem cell-like properties in liver cancer. However, the role of LncRNA Ras suppressor protein 1 pseudogene 2 (RSU1P2) in modulating tumorigenesis and cancer stem cell-like properties in liver cancer is still not known. In this study, the expression of LncRNA RSU1P2 was significantly elevated in liver cancer tissues and cells. Besides, knockdown of RSU1P2 repressed cell viability, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of liver cancer cells and the expressions of cancer stem cell-related genes, whereas facilitated the apoptosis of liver cancer cells. In addition, LncRNA RSU1P2 can interact with microRNA let-7a (let-7a), and repress let-7a expression. Testis-Expressed Protein 10 (Tex10) was identified to be a target of let-7a, and let-7a repressed Tex10 expression. Finally, RSU1P2 knockdown suppressed tumor volume, tumor weight, and EMT in a xenograft model. Therefore, LncRNA RSU1P2 promotes tumorigenesis and cancer stem cell-like properties in liver cancer through let-7a/Tex10 pathway.

In view of the fact, the poor stability and inadequate chemical properties of conductive polymers inhibit their use in gas sensor applications. Aside from this, the elegant two-dimensional (2D) polymeric graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) have attracted numerous attention for the room temperature (RT) gas sensing applications due to its intrinsic porous structure and the lone pair electrons on nitrogen atoms. Herein, we report surface acoustic wave (SAW) NO2 gas sensor using 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets deposited on langasite (LGS). Further, the thickness effect on gas sensing performances were manifested and it was noticed that 220 nm thickness of g-C3N4 coated LGS SAW sensor showed better sensing performances. The g-C3N4/LGS SAW sensor showed a significant negative differential frequency shift (Δf) of ~3.1 kHz at room temperature (RT~27 oC) for 100 ppm of NO2 gas with a quick response/recovery times (42/22 s). Furthermore, our experimental results demonstrated that the effect of temperature remarkably influences the NO2 sensing responses and it was escalated from ~3.1 kHz to ~23.3 kHz in the temperature range of 27 oC to 200 oC for 100 ppm of NO2. Also, the device showed immense sensitivity towards NO2 (100 ppm) under various relative humidity (RH) conditions (20-80%) at RT. Besides, the g-C3N4/LGS SAW sensor showed a low detection limit (~158 ppb), excellent long-term stability, high sensitivity, and selectivity to NO2 gas, which could be ascribed to the enhancement in mass loading effect resulting by the absorption of NO2 gas molecules. Finally, with help of resistive gas sensors, we have deliberately discussed the underlying mechanism associated with the 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets deposited LGS SAW device.

Although excellent milestones of III-nitrides in optoelectronic devices have been achieved, the focus on the optimization of their geometrical structure for multiple applications is very rare. To address this issue, we exclusively designed a prototype device to enhance the photoconversion efficiency and gas interaction capabilities of GaN nanorods (NRs) grown on a V-grooved Si(100) substrate with Si(111) facets for photodetector and gas sensor applications. Photoluminescence studies have demonstrated an increased surface-to-volume ratio and light trapping for GaN NRs grown on V-grooved Si(111). GaN NRs on V-grooved Si(100) with Si(111) facets exhibited high photodetection performance in terms of photoresponsivity (217 mA/cm2), detectivity (3 × 1013 Jones), and external quantum efficiency (2.73 × 105%) compared to GaN NRs grown on plain Si(111). Owing to the robust interconnection between NRs and a high surface-to-volume ratio, the GaN NRs grown on V-grooved Si(100) with Si(111) facets probed for NO2 detection with the assistance of photonic energy. The photo-assisted sensing makes it possible to detect NO2 gas at the ppb level at room temperature, resulting in significant power reduction. The device showed high selectivity to NO2 against other target gases, such as NO, H2S, H2, NH3, and CO. The device showed excellent long-term stability at room temperature; the humidity effect on the device performance was also examined. The excellent device performance was due to the following: (i) benefited from the V-grooved Si structure, GaN NRs significantly trapped the incident light, which promoted high photocurrent conversion efficiency and (ii) GaN NRs grown on V-grooved Si(100) with Si(111) facets increased the surface-to-volume ratio and thus improved the gas interaction with a better diffusion ratio and high light trapping, which resulted in increased response/recovery times. These results represent an important forward step in prototype devices for multiple applications in materials research.

For the weak part of the quality traceability ability of cigarette logistics and products, this paper proposes a quality traceability method which integrates PDCA quality cycle with information strategy. This method firstly establishes the quality cycle process of cigarette logistics through PDCA quality cycle process, and then constructs IS-PDCA process based on information strategy (IS) to analyze the quality traceability process of cigarette products. The key links are determined according to the traceability process of cigarette logistics, and the traceability resource scheduling function is determined through the product. Then, according to the determined scheduling function and RFID technology, the optimal allocation strategy is constructed to complete the feature extraction and classification identification of cigarette quality labels. For assessing the quality of cigarette evaluation, classification based on fuzzy is proposed and artificial neural network are utilized for calculating the grade of cigarette. Finally, a process of cigarette quality traceability combining PDCA quality cycle and information strategy is formed, and the quality traceability results are constructed by means of QR code technology, so as to realize the process system of cigarette quality traceability and improve the quality control ability of cigarettes. The simulation results show that the cigarette quality traceability method constructed in this paper can obtain the cigarette quality control with good adaptive performance, and the control process shows a strong ability, which improves the feasibility and effectiveness of the cigarette quality traceability.

In view of the production quality management of filter rods in the manufacturing and execution process of cigarette enterprises, this paper analyzes the necessity of implementing the manufacturing execution system (MES) in the production process of filter rods. In this paper, the filter rod quality system of cigarette enterprise based on MES is fully studied, and the constructive information management system demand analysis, cigarette quality control process, system function module design, implementation and test effect are given. This paper utilizes the Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process to find the optimal system for processing the manufacturing of cigarette. The implementation of MSE based filter rod quality information management system for a cigarette enterprise ensures the quality control in the cigarette production process. Through visualization, real-time and dynamic way, the information management of cigarette production is completed, which greatly improves the quality of cigarette enterprise manufacturing process.

Background: The corrosion of steel bar leads to the deterioration of structural behaviors, high cost maintenance, shortened service life. The bridge deck structures constructed by Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars and High-Volume Fly Ash-Self-Compacting Concrete (HVFA-SCC) can achieve low energy consumption, sustainable construction and high durability. However, the structural behaviors of this bridge deck are still unclear. Objective: The aim of this paper is to study the structural behaviors, including ultimate loads, failure mode, cracking behavior, deflection and strain of one-way HVFA-SCC slabs reinforced with Glass- FRP (GFRP). Experimental: Eleven full-scale HVFA-SCC slabs, varying in reinforcement diameter, reinforcement ratio, shear-span ratio, the type of reinforcing materials and concrete matrix materials, were tested by using a four-point bending load. Methods: The test results of tested specimens were compared with existing theoretical models, such as crack load, ultimate bearing capacity, maximum crack width, maximum crack space and deflection predicted model. Results: The GFRP reinforced HVFA-SCC slab exhibits similar structural behaviors to the GFRP reinforced NC slab. The maximum crack width of HVFA-SCC slab is significantly increased by using GFRP bars with a diameter of 19 mm. Conclusion: It is concluded that it is feasible to use HVFA-SCC instead of NC combined with GFRP bars in bridge deck structures. The stress limit of concrete materials (0.45fc) is the main governing factor for the service limit state (SLS) of GFRP reinforced HVFA-SCC slabs. The maximum crack width of GFRP reinforced HVFA-SCC slabs can be predicted by using EHE-08 and GB 50608-2010 models.

To reveal the regularity of arsenic adsorption of sediment, this study explores the law of arsenic adsorption by sediment when Fe3+ and Mn2+ coexist. The experimental results fit the first-order kinetic model and the second-order kinetic model. The surface physicochemical properties of sediment particles were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm and fractal dimension. Characterization of surface area and pore distribution were measured by the BET equation and BJH equation. The results illustrate that the adsorption of arsenic by sediment shows the phenomenon of rapid adsorption in the early stage, slow adsorption in the middle stage and finally adsorption equilibrium. In the presence of coexisting ions, the BET specific surface area was as high as 20.14m2/g, the pore volume as 0.047826cm3/g, the surface pore volume as 43.25cm3, and the surface fractal dimension Ds as the largest.

Clayey silt reservoirs bearing natural gas hydrates (NGH) are considered to be the hydrate-bearing reservoirs that boast the highest reserves but tend to be the most difficult to exploit. They are proved to be exploitable by the first NGH production test conducted in the South China Sea in 2017. Based on the understanding of the first production test, the China Geological Survey determined the optimal target NGH reservoirs for production test and conducted a detailed assessment, numerical and experimental simulation, and onshore testing of the reservoirs. After that, it conducted the second offshore NGH production test in 1225 m deep Shenhu Area, South China Sea (also referred to as the second production test) from October 2019 to April 2020. During the second production test, a series of technical challenges of drilling horizontal wells in shallow soft strata in deep sea were met, including wellhead stability, directional drilling of a horizontal well, reservoir stimulation and sand control, and accurate depressurization. As a result, 30 days of continuous gas production was achieved, with a cumulative gas production of 86.14 ×104 m3. Thus, the average daily gas production is 2.87 ×104 m3, which is 5.57 times as much as that obtained in the first production test. Therefore, both the cumulative gas production and the daily gas production were highly improved compared to the first production test. As indicated by the monitoring results of the second production test, there was no anomaly in methane content in the seafloor, seawater, and atmosphere throughout the whole production test. This successful production test further indicates that safe and effective NGH exploitation is feasible in clayey silt NGH reservoirs. The industrialization of hydrates consists of five stages in general, namely theoretical research and simulation experiments, exploratory production test, experimental production test, productive production test, and commercial production. The second production test serves as an important step from the exploratory production test to experimental production test.

Clarifying dominant factors determining the immune heterogeneity from non-survivors to survivors is crucial for developing therapeutics and vaccines against COVID-19. The main difficulty is quantitatively analysing the multi-level clinical data, including viral dynamics, immune response and tissue damages. Here, we adopt a top-down modelling approach to quantify key functional aspects and their dynamical interplay in the battle between the virus and the immune system, yielding an accurate description of real-time clinical data involving hundreds of patients for the first time. The quantification of antiviral responses gives that, compared to antibodies, T cells play a more dominant role in virus clearance, especially for mild patients (96.5%). Moreover, the anti-inflammatory responses, namely the cytokine inhibition and tissue repair rates, also positively correlate with T cell number and are significantly suppressed in non-survivors. Simulations show that the lack of T cells can lead to more significant inflammation, proposing an explanation for the monotonic increase of COVID-19 mortality with age and higher mortality for males. We propose that T cells play a crucial role in the immunity against COVID-19, which provides a new direction–improvement of T cell number for advancing current prevention and treatment.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO

As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to threaten public health worldwide, the development of effective interventions is urgently needed. Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) have great potential for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, ten nAbs were isolated from two phage-display immune libraries constructed from the pooled PBMCs of eight COVID-19 convalescent patients. Eight of them, consisting of heavy chains encoded by the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene-variable region (IGHV)3-66 or IGHV3-53 genes, recognized the same epitope on the receptor-binding domain (RBD), while the remaining two bound to different epitopes. Among the ten antibodies, 2B11 exhibited the highest affinity and neutralization potency against the original wild-type (WT) SARS-CoV-2 virus (KD = 4.76 nM for the S1 protein, IC50 = 6 ng/mL for pseudoviruses, and IC50 = 1 ng/mL for authentic viruses), and potent neutralizing ability against B.1.1.7 pseudoviruses. Furthermore, 1E10, targeting a distinct epitope on RBD, exhibited different neutralization efficiency against WT SARS-CoV-2 and its variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. The crystal structure of the 2B11–RBD complexes revealed that the epitope of 2B11 highly overlaps with the ACE2-binding site. The in vivo experiment of 2B11 using AdV5-hACE2-transduced mice showed encouraging therapeutic and prophylactic efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Taken together, our results suggest that the highly potent SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibody, 2B11, could be used against the WT SARS-CoV-2 and B.1.1.7 variant, or in combination with a different epitope-targeted neutralizing antibody, such as 1E10, against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Although excellent milestones of III-nitrides in optoelectronic devices have been achieved, the focus on the optimization of their geometrical structure for multiple applications is very rare. To address this issue, we exclusively designed a prototype device to enhance the photoconversion efficiency and gas interaction capabilities of GaN nanorods (NRs) grown on a V-grooved Si(100) substrate with Si(111) facets for photodetector and gas sensor applications. Photoluminescence studies have demonstrated an increased surface-to-volume ratio and light trapping for GaN NRs grown on V-grooved Si(111). GaN NRs on V-grooved Si(100) with Si(111) facets exhibited high photodetection performance in terms of photoresponsivity (217 mA/cm

Although metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely reported, Au NPs functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/GaN nanorods (NRs) for multi-functional applications are rarely discussed. The rGO is a well known transparent electrode and has been considering an alternative electrode to ITO in the current optoelectronic community. In this work, Au NPs functionalized rGO (Au@rGO)/GaN NRs hybrid structure probed for photodetector and CO gas sensing applications. The hybrid structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, current-voltage characteristics, photo conductivity, and gas sensor measurements. The Au@rGO/GaN NRs showed higher photoresponsivity (λ = 382 nm, 516 nm) compared to rGO/GaN NRs at room temperature. The rising and falling times of Au@rGO/GaN NRs are faster than that of rGO/GaN NRs. The hybrid structure Au@rGO/GaN NRs exhibited high CO gas response compared to rGO/GaN NRs at room temperature (∼38% to the 20 ppm). Au NPs played an important role in terms of electronic and chemical changes in the hybrid structure for improving both photodetectors the CO gas response. Such a multi-functional hybrid device is an interest of various room temperature applications.

Considering the power consumption and safety risks in the presence of combustible gases, sensor operation at room temperature (RT∼28 °C) has drawn much interest in recent days. Different strategies have been found to meet the effective sensor performance at RT. Here, we report a riveting combination of DNA‒CTMA/GaN (DGaN) hybrid structure for high-sensitive NO2 gas sensor at RT. The surface modifications are caused by the functional groups of DNA‒CTMA interactions with GaN. The XPS studies reveal that the native oxides of GaN surface are binding with the functional groups of DNA‒CTMA. The DGaN hybrid structure display higher response to various concentrations (100–10 ppm) of NO2 compared to the pristine GaN film. The effect of UV illumination on NO2 gas sensing performance of DGaN is also manifested, and the response of the sensor is enhanced under UV illumination in comparison with those of dark condition. From our observations, the amine groups and the negatively charged hydroxyl groups in DNA‒CTMA helps for the higher response of gas sensor by the hybrid structure which makes them a good candidate for high-response NO2 gas sensors at RT.

This essay examines the first Chinese New Testament translated by the missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (M.E.P.) Jean Basset (1662–1707) in collaboration with Confucian convert Johan Su in the early Qing period. Though they did not complete a full translation of the New Testament, the work carried unique characteristics that went beyond the limitations of its time. One of the original manuscripts also exerted direct influence on nineteenth-century Protestant translations. With in-depth analysis of this exemplary piece among early Catholic endeavors, the essay addresses a set of key concerns that have not been sufficiently studied, including Basset’s vision of a Chinese Bible, the translation principle and techniques, Christian and Chinese terminology, and the interface of biblical translations and Chinese language and literature. The findings of this study offer fresh insights and facilitate a re-evaluation of Catholic contributions and legacy in the history of the Bible in China.

The file includes an asymptotic analysis of viral load peak, a derivation of antiviral equations for a group of individuals, extra comparisons of simulation of antiviral dynamics to data, data integration and selection, method of uncertainty estimation, tables of the fitting parameters (initial guess, uncertainties, the goodness of fit).

The surface states, poor carrier life, and other native defects in GaN nanorods (NRs) limit their utilization in high-speed and large-gain ultraviolet (UV) photodetection applications. Making a hybrid structure is one of the finest strategies to overcome such impediments. In this work, a polypyrrole (Ppy)-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/GaN NRs hybrid structure is introduced for self-powered UV photodetection applications. This hybrid structure yields high photodetection performance, while pristine GaN NRs showed negligible photodetection properties. The ability of the photodetector is further boosted by functionalizing the hybrid structure with Ag nanowires (NWs). The Ag NWs-functionalized hybrid structure exhibited a responsivity of 3.1 × 103 (A/W), detectivity of 3.19 × 1014 Jones, and external quantum efficiency of 1.06 × 106 (%) under a UV illumination of λ = 382 nm. This high photoresponse is due to the huge photon absorption rising from the localized surface plasmonic effect of a Ag NWs network. Also, the Ag NWs significantly improved the rising and falling times, which were noted to be 0.20 and 0.21 s, respectively. The model band diagram was proposed with the assistance of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to explore the origin of the superior performance of the Ag NWs-decorated Ppy-PEDOT:PSS/GaN NRs photodetector. The proposed hybrid structure seems to be a promising candidate for the development of high-performance UV photodetectors.

Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1-4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363genomes from 92.4% of bird families-including 267newly sequenced genomes produced for phaseII of the Bird 10,000Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species.

Recently, III-nitride semiconductor nanostructures, especially InGaN/GaN quantum well nanorods (NRs), have been established as a promising material of choice for nanoscale optoelectronics and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting applications. Due to the large number of surface states, III-nitride NRs suffer from low quantum efficiency. Therefore, control of the surface states is necessary to improve device performance in real-time applications. In this work, we investigated the effect of hydrogen plasma treatment on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN single-quantum-well (SQW) NRs. The low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) studies revealed that yellow and green emissions overlapped and the yellow band is more dominant in the pristine InGaN/GaN SQW NRs. However, the emission corresponding to yellow luminescence was strongly suppressed and the green emission is more intensified in hydrogenated InGaN/GaN SQW NRs. Furthermore, the time-resolved PL spectroscopy studies revealed that the carrier lifetimes of hydrogenated InGaN/GaN SQW NRs are relatively short compared to the pristine InGaN/GaN SQW, indicating the effective reduction of non-radiative centers. From the PEC measurement, the photocurrent density of hydrogenated InGaN/GaN SQW NRs in the H2SO4 solution is found to be 5 mA cm-2 at -0.48 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, which is 3.5-fold larger than that of pristine ones. These findings shed new light on the significance of surface treatment on the optical properties and thus nanostructured photoelectrodes for PEC applications.

In this work, for the first time, we have made InN/In

Under suboxic and anoxic environments, magnetite is one corrosion product of iron being used in nuclear waste canisters. Previous studies have reported a complete reduction of U(VI) on the surfaces of biogenic and natural magnetite crystals, while incomplete reductions to U(V)/U(IV)-containing species have been observed on chemosynthetic magnetite. To date, the reasons behind such disparities remain poorly studied. This study shows that uranyl nitrate or uranyl acetate is mainly reduced to UO2+x oxides (e.g., U4O9, U3O8, etc.) by chemosynthetic magnetite under acidic conditions. When extra zero valent-iron was added, the reaction rate was significantly increased, and an improved but still incomplete U(VI) reduction was observed. Nitrate and ferric ions are ubiquitous in natural environment. Results demonstrate that the nitrate ion associated with uranyl and the ferric ion contained in magnetite or generated from U(VI) reduction have a non-negligible oxidative effect on the final products, which could mainly account for the incomplete reduction of U(VI) by chemosynthetic magnetite in the absence or presence of extra zero valent-iron observed in this study. Furthermore, the surface loading of uranium in U-Fe systems can, in part, unravel the discrepancies in various observations. An enhanced understanding of the U-Fe reaction mechanism can facilitate predictions of the extent of uranium mobility with respect to nuclear waste disposal and radioactive decontamination.

This article explores the emergence and early development of Marian devotions in China from the 7th century to the 17th century. With in-depth analysis of a variety of textual and visual sources, i...

In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/GaN nanorods (NRs) hybrid structure based sensors for hydrogen (H2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gases has been demonstrated at room temperature. The morphological, elemental, and structural analyses were carried out by using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrical characterization of rGO/GaN NRs hybrid structures showed good rectifying behavior compared to pristine GaN NRs. The H2 and H2S gas sensing measurements at different gas concentrations revealed that the rGO/GaN NRs exhibit superior sensing properties compared to pristine GaN NRs. In order to find the gas sensing mechanism of rGO/GaN NRs, hybrid structure sensor is also tested with NOx gas. Our experimental results revealed that the rGO/GaN NRs are good candidates for selective detection of H2S gas. The rGO/GaN NRs showed remarkably improved response under ultra-violet (λ = 365 nm) illumination, the photogenerated carriers could be responsible for increasing response of the gas sensor at 30 °C under UV illumination. In addition, humidity test of the rGO/GaN NRs sensor was also conducted in this work. Our experimental results suggested that decorating GaN NRs with solution-processable rGO is one of the effective ways to enhance the response of GaN nanostructures.

Although the physicochemical properties of graphene oxide-Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (GO-PEDOT:PSS) nanocomposite has widely reported, the urgency of this nanocomposite in the surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology still remains at the infancy stage. In this work, a high response SAW NO2 gas sensor was developed by depositing the GO-PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite on piezoelectric LGS substrate. The pristine LGS SAW sensor has showed a resonant center frequency of 136.10 MHz and it was shifted to 135.78 MHz for the GO-PEDOT:PSS coated LGS SAW sensor. The observed shift in resonance frequency likely due to the mass loading effect of GO-PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite interface. However, under the gas ambient the GO-PEDOT:PSS/LGS SAW sensor exhibited a significant negative differential frequency shift (Δf) of 5.89 kHz to100 ppm of NO2 gas with a good cycling stability, excellent sensitivity and a low detection limit (∼175 ppb) at room temperature (RT), while the pristine GO/LGS and PEDOT:PSS/LGS SAW sensors showed the Δf of about 0.9 kHz and 2.1 kHz, respectively. In addition, under the various relative humidity conditions at RT for 100 ppm of NO2, the GO-PEDOT:PSS/LGS SAW device showed a dominant Δf. Our experimental results divulged that the effect of mass loading is the responsible underlying mechanism for the superior NO2 gas sensing performances. In turn, the predominant mechanism between the chemical interface and NO2 gas molecules on GO-PEDOT:PSS/LGS SAW device has been deliberately discussed in detailed by comparing with chemo-resistive type gas sensing properties These intriguing results indicate that the significance of GO-PEDOT:PSS has a synergetic effect in SAW sensor applications.

Although gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures are auspicious for photocatalytic activity, geometrical optimization has paid much attention for a significant light trapping in photoelectrochemical applications. To minimize the optical losses, we designed a prototype V-groove textured Si (100) with (111) facets, and GaN nanorods (NRs) were grown over a prototype substrate using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The photocurrent density of V-groove textured GaN NRs in the NaOH electrolyte is found to be 801.62 μA/cm2 at 1.14 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, which was 2.1-fold larger than that of GaN NRs on plain Si (111). Using this prototype V-groove textured Si(100) with (111) facets, a significant light can be trapped and modulated into GaN NRs. Furthermore, the heterostructure between GaN NRs and V-groove textured Si stimulates effective charge separation and transportation. These results represent an important forward step in solar photoelectrolysis.

Considering the poor formability of aluminum alloys at room temperature, this study proposes a stamping technique assisted by arc pretreatment that locally modifies the material properties. V-shape bending tests are conducted on the arc-treated specimens. The formability (bendability in particular) of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy is significantly improved by arc pretreatment and the springback is reduced as well. The reasons for formability improvement and springback reduction are analyzed through the microstructure, mechanical property, and fracture morphology of the heat-affected zone. The hardness at different locations within the heat-affected zone before and after bending is also tested. Finally, the advantages of arc pretreatment over other traditional forming processes at elevated temperatures are explained.

This research explores the joining between dissimilar alloys (magnesium alloy and titanium alloy) by ultrasonic spot welding. The tensile shear test shows that the joint strength increases with energy input. The fracture initiates inside magnesium alloy, indicating a high joining strength at the weld interface. Banded grain-refinement is found at the interface on the magnesium alloy side, neither transition layer nor inter-metallic compound layer is identified though. The interfacial temperature exceeds the temperature range for liquefying magnesium alloy. The precipitated aluminum from the liquid-phase magnesium alloy plays a bridging role in ultrasonic welding of magnesium alloy to titanium alloy.

Table S1 The sampling localities for Emberiza godlewskii. Table S2 The PCR primers used in this study. Table S3 Descriptions of prior settings for all parameters used in DIY-ABC. Table S4 Genbank Accession numbers for individuals of mitochondrial genes used in this study. Table S5 Genbank Accession numbers for individuals of nuclear genes used in this study. Table S6 Estimations of posterior distributions of parameters revealed by DIY-ABC for the best scenario of demographic history of northern and southern population, respectively. Figure S1 Demographic expansion and divergence models of Emberiza godlewskii. ABC results showing demographic history. Effective population sizes are marked in different colours and times of events (not to scale) are indicated. Figure S2 (a) Schematic representation of ABC modelling of changes in population sizes. Na, ancestral population size; N1, current population size; Ne and Nb, population sizes between Na and N1; t2, old expansion time; tb, bottleneck time; t1, recent expansion time. (b) Posterior probabilities obtained by logistic regression of 1% of the closest simulated datasets for the northern and southern lineages, respectively, from left to right. (DOCX 279 kb)

Additional file 2: Table S2. Sampling information of the Oriental Tit (Parus minor).

Additional file 4: Table S4. Pearsonâ s correlation coefficient (r) between climate variables.

Additional file 1: Table S1. Sampling information of the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica).

Additional file 3: Table S3. AIC and t values of the linear mixed-effect models for the relationships of morphological measurements with each climate variable.

Understanding the metal/semiconductor interface is very significant for real-time optoelectronic device applications. In particular, the presence of interface states and other defects is detrimental to photodetector applications. In this study, the electrical transport properties of a pristine gallium nitride (GaN) nanorod (NR)-based Schottky diode are demonstrated at different temperatures by current–voltage characteristics in the range of 200–360 K. An enhancement in the Schottky barrier height (0.65 eV for hydrogen-passivated GaN NRs compared to 0.56 eV for pristine ones) is noticed. The effect of deep traps residing within the forbidden gap of GaN NRs is investigated using deep-level transient spectroscopy. Two deep defects are found at E C − 0.19 eV and E C − 0.31 eV in pristine GaN NRs; the E C − 0.31 eV defect peak is attributed to V Ga or nitrogen interstitials. After hydrogenation the peak at E C − 0.31 eV is suppressed and that at E C − 0.19 eV remains unchanged. The hydrogenated GaN NRs show a high photoresponse, which is nearly 2.83 times higher than that of pristine GaN NRs. The hydrogenated GaN NRs exhibit a photoresponsivity of 4.7 × 10−3 A W−1 and detectivity of 1.24 × 1010 Jones under UV illumination of λ = 382 nm. The enhanced performance is attributed to the deep defect passivation by hydrogenation along with the surface-state-free interface between the GaN NRs and metal contacts. The experimental results demonstrate the significance of hydrogen treatment use in the fabrication of GaN-based optoelectronic devices.