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Peculiar coordination compound Cu(Hbpt)(CH3CN)2PF6 (1) derived from 3,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (Hbpt) is synthesized by the layer diffusion method and structurally characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. Compound 1 exhibits a structure formed by cationic [Cu(Hbpt)(CH3CN2]nn+ chains and PF6– anions with abundant supramolecular interactions. Solid-state photoluminescence experiments show that compound 1 exhibits relatively strong red emission with a peak around 656 nm, and the origin of the emission band may be ascribed to the metal-to-ligand charge transfer according to the calculation of the density of states.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ecosystem is sensitive and fragile, the grassland degradation and soil erosion in the plateau are still increasing. In this paper, we conducted a quantitative study to clarify the characteristics of land use/land cover change, the driving factors, and the environmental effects in the plateau. We focused on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau as an example, and created land use change matrices and determined the relative change rate, vegetation cover, and environmental quality index using land use data and NDVI3g data from 1980 to 2015. The results show that there were significant differences in land use/land cover change in the study area around 2000, while the farmland did not increase significantly, and the water areas exhibited a decreasing trend initially followed by an increasing trend, the unused land first increased and then decreased, and residential areas increased significantly after 2000. The relative change rate of the grassland was the largest between 1980 and 2015, while most of the grassland was converted into farmland, residential land, and unused land. In addition, grassland degradation increased significantly. Considerable spatial heterogeneity in vegetation and land use/land cover was observed in the study area. The vegetation cover decreased in some areas due to the grassland degradation, however, the others areas showed improvements due to the influences of policies and climate change. The environmental index and ecological service value of the study area declined and the environment deteriorated during the study period.

E3 ubiquitin ligases play essential roles in determining the specificity of ubiquitination and subsequent protein degradation. The plant U-box (PUB) family of E3 ligases has been implicated in biotic and abiotic stress signaling and developmental events in various species. A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis identified 56 PUB genes in the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) genome. Based on conserved motifs, the VvPUB family was classified into seven subclasses. Expansion of this family was driven by chromosomal, segmental, and tandem duplications. Microarray expression profiling revealed that three PUB genes were preferentially expressed in pollen, four in leaf, and five in root. Moreover, a large number of PUB genes were differentially expressed under abiotic stresses and eight PUB genes likely participated in defense against powdery mildew. The microarray expression data were verified by RT-qPCR. Genome-wide identification of VvPUB genes and examination of their expression will give insights into the functions of U-box genes in grapevine.

In plants, many C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factors function in plant defense responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here, we report cloning and characterization of VvZFP11 which encoded a C2H2-type zinc finger protein (ZFP) in grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Sequence analysis shows that VvZFP11 contained one L-box, two C2H2-type zinc finger motifs and one ERF-associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif. The VvZFP11 localized to the nucleus and functional analysis shows that full-length VvZFP11 had no transcriptional activity, but VvZFP11 lacking the EAR motif had a strong transcriptional activity in yeast. In grapevine, expression of VvZFP11 was induced by salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate and also quickly responded to infection with Erisiphe necator. Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing VvZFP11 were more resistant to Golovinomyces cichoracearum, and real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that defense-related genes AtPR1 and AtPDF1.2 were up-regulated in the overexpressing lines. These results suggest that VvZFP11 might play an important role in defense responses in grapevine.

We demonstrate herein the use of a one-dimensional metal-organic material as a new type of electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in place of the classic porous three-dimensional materials, which are subject to the size of the channel for lithium-ion diffusion and blocking of the windows of the framework by organic solvents during the charging and discharging processes. Introducing a one-dimensional coordination compound can keep organic active substances insoluble in the electrolyte during the charging and discharging processes, providing a facile and general new system for further studies. The results show that both the aromatic ligand and the metal center can participate in lithium storage simultaneously, illustrating a new energy storage mechanism that has been well-characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. In addition, the fact that the one-dimensional chains are linked by weak hydrogen bonds rather than strong π-π stacking interactions or covalent bonds is beneficial for the release of capacity entirely without the negative effect of burying the active sites.

MIL-101(Cr)/graphene oxides composites has been successfully synthesized via a facile route using a solvothermal treatment and fully characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The specific capacity of MIL-101(Cr)/GO are almost twice larger than that of MIL-101(Cr) at the first discharge process and the multiple relationship maintained over 40 cycles, indicating that the electrochemical performance of MIL-101(Cr) as anode material has been improved through doping by GO.

Nanostructured NiP2@C was synthesized by a facile approach via calcination of a Ni-based metal–organic-framework (Ni-MOF-74) with adsorptive red phosphorus, and was tested as an anode material for lithium ion batteries. NiP2 nanoparticles are successfully embedded in situ in porous carbon matrix, constructing crosslinked channels for lithium ion diffusion. The in situ introduction of porous carbon round NiP2 nanoparticles greatly enhances the electronic conductivity. Benefiting from the advantages of porous carbon, the nanostructured NiP2@C electrode material showed excellent electrochemical performance with high reversibility, high rate capability, and long-term cycling stability.

MicroRNA-1294 (miR-1294) was reported to act as a tumor suppressor in several cancers. However, the biological function of miR-1294 in osteosarcoma (OS) has not been investigated. We, therefore, investigated the clinical significance and underlying mechanisms of miR-1294 in OS.Quantitative Real-Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to detect the levels of miR-1294. Targets of miR-1294 were validated by luciferase reporter assay and Western blot. In vitro functional assays were performed to investigate the effects of miR-217 on cell proliferation and invasion.We found miR-1294 was downregulated in OS tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of miR-1294 has a significant negative impact on the overall survival of OS patients. Overexpression of miR-1294 suppresses OS cell proliferation and invasion in vitro. Then, luciferase reporter assay validated Homeobox A9 (HOXA9) was a downstream target of miR-1294. Expression patterns of miR-1294 were inversely correlated with HOXA9 in OS tissues, strengthening the findings from the luciferase reporter assay. Further functional assays revealed that overexpression of HOXA9 could reverse the inhibition effects of miR-1294 on cell proliferation and invasion.These results suggested miR-1294 functions as a tumor suppressor in OS progression by targeting HOXA9.

The flicker noise of source follower transistors is the dominant noise source in image sensors. This paper reports a systematic study of the shallow trench isolation effect in transistors with different sizes under high temperature conditions that correspond to the quantity of empty defect sites. The effects of shallow trench isolation sidewall defects on flicker noise characteristics are investigated. In addition, the low-frequency noise and subthreshold swing degrade simultaneously in accordance to the device gate width scaling. Both serious subthreshold leakage and considerable noise can be attributed to the high trap density near the STI edge. Consequently, we propose a coincidental relationship between the noise level and the subthreshold characteristic; its trend is identical to the experiments and simulation results.

Previous case-control studies on the relationship between the CYP4F2 gene rs2108622 polymorphism and hypertension have produced contrasting results. In this study, we aimed to further evaluate the relationship between the CYP4F2 gene rs2108622 polymorphism and hypertension. We selected four case-control studies related to the CYP4F2 gene rs2108622 polymorphism and hypertension by searching PubMed, EMBase, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and the Wanfang database. We utilized the Cochran Q-test and the I2 index to measure the heterogeneity across studies. To merge the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (95%CI), we utilized the fixed and random-effect models during the analyses. The present study included 1878 patients with hypertension and 1512 healthy control subjects. By meta-analysis, we did not find any association of the CYP4F2 gene rs2108622 polymorphism with hypertension in either genotype or allele distribution [AA+AG vs GG: OR = 1.18, 95%CI (0.91-1.54), P = 0.21; GG+AG vs AA: OR = 0.91, 95%CI (0.80-1.05), P = 0.20; A allele vs G allele: OR = 1.04, 95%CI (0.93-1.16), P = 0.53]. We concluded that the CYP4F2 gene rs2108622 polymorphism was not associated with hypertension.

This paper presents the study of massively parallel simulation of multi-physics effects in SiP using a high-performance computing scheme. An in-house time-domain finite element parallel program is developed and validated by comparing the simulated electro-thermo-mechanical responses of bonding wire arrays with commercial software. After that, thermo-mechanical responses of SiP are simulated and the parallel efficiency of our parallel program is assessed by the experiment of its strong parallel scalability. Our parallel program can reach a Speedup of 6.095 and strong scalability efficiency of 38.1% on 1024 CPU cores of 128 compute nodes.

We investigate herein the existence of spectral singularities (SSs) in composite systems that consist of two separate scattering centers A and B embedded in one-dimensional free space, with at least one scattering center being non-Hermitian. We show that such composite systems have an SS at $k_{c}$ if the reflection amplitudes $r^{A}\left( k_{c}\right) $ and $r^{B}\left( k_{c}\right) $ of the two scattering centers satisfy the condition $r_{\mathrm{R}% }^{A}\left( k_{c}\right) r_{\mathrm{L}}^{B}\left( k_{c}\right) e^{i2k_{c}\left( x_{B}-x_{A}\right) }=1$. We also extend the condition to the system with multi-scattering centers. As an application, we construct a simple system to simulate a resonant lasing cavity., Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures

Objective To observe the effectiveness of chlortetracycline (aureomycin) treatment on vulval white lesions and to explore its possible pathogenesis. Materials and methods From January 2001 to April 2011, 194 patients with vulvar non-neoplastic epithelial disorders were divided into three groups according to therapy regimens received, ie, chlortetracycline treatment group (72 cases), chlortetracycline + beclomethasone treatment group (66 cases), and beclomethasone treatment group (56 cases); their local changes of vulvar lesions were observed and efficacy of these treatment profiles was evaluated after one year. Results Effective rates of chlortetracycline group, chlortetracycline + clobetasol group and clobetasol groups were 86.1% (62/72), 87.9% (58/66), and 62.5% (35/56), respectively. There was a significant difference among these three groups (Hc = 10.7766,p = 0.0046), the curative rate of clobetasol group was markedly lower than that of the former two groups (p = 0.0072 and p = 0.0019), but was not statistical significant (p = 0.6077) when compared between the former groups. Conclusion The occurrence of vulvar non-neoplastic epithelial disorders may be associated with chlamydia and mycoplasma infection, the chlortetracycline is an effective drug for this illness, the mechanism of which might be related to killing pathogens directly and inhibiting inflammatory mediators.

On 8 November 2013, super typhoon Haiyan made landfall in Philippines. On 24 November, the Chinese hospital ship arrived in Philippines to help with disaster relief efforts. Drinking water was collected at a variety of locations, and the concentration levels of lead were determined with field test kit. The results showed that the levels of lead in 67% of total collected water samples exceeded WHO's standard. Afterwards, the local government had taken many measures to ensure a safe water supply in next few months. This is the first report about water quality in Philippines after the disaster.

The Dragon lake diversion channel (DLDC) is the only river that recharges Dragon Lake, an artificial lake in China. This paper examines the main factors influencing water quality by investigating point source and non-point source pollutants along the main route. Based on the complicated system of rivers and desilting basins, a three-dimensional water quality model using environmental fluid dynamics code (EFDC) was developed. The model of DLDC was calibrated and verified using observed data. The error ranges of river water level, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand were within 5%, 10%, 16% and 20%, respectively, all of which meet the precision requirement. The model was employed to predict the concentrations of pollutants in the main stream under current pollution loads within a year and a flood lasting for 24 hours. The results revealed that the main pollution sources that influence the water quality of waterways were the point sources followed by the non-point pollution sources. Water quality improved when large water quantities were delivered and this trend can be described as dilution. The water quality of the Dongfeng main channel meets the requirement; however, the water quality of the Dongfeng River is somewhat poor, and the water quality of the Wei River is seriously contaminated. To address these problems, we suggest that the Dongfeng River and Wei River adopt a culvert under its riverbeds.

To observe the effectiveness of chlortetracycline (aureomycin) treatment on vulval white lesions and to explore its possible pathogenesis.From January 2001 to April 2011, 194 patients with vulvar non-neoplastic epithelial disorders were divided into three groups according to therapy regimens received, ie, chlortetracycline treatment group (72 cases), chlortetracycline + beclomethasone treatment group (66 cases), and beclomethasone treatment group (56 cases); their local changes of vulvar lesions were observed and efficacy of these treatment profiles was evaluated after one year.Effective rates of chlortetracycline group, chlortetracycline + clobetasol group and clobetasol groups were 86.1% (62/72), 87.9% (58/66), and 62.5% (35/56), respectively. There was a significant difference among these three groups (Hc = 10.7766,p = 0.0046), the curative rate of clobetasol group was markedly lower than that of the former two groups (p = 0.0072 and p = 0.0019), but was not statistical significant (p = 0.6077) when compared between the former groups.The occurrence of vulvar non-neoplastic epithelial disorders may be associated with chlamydia and mycoplasma infection, the chlortetracycline is an effective drug for this illness, the mechanism of which might be related to killing pathogens directly and inhibiting inflammatory mediators.

Polyamines are necessary for normal integrity and the restitution after injury of the gastrointestinal epithelium. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of putrescine and proline during the suckling period on epithelial restitution after early weaning in piglets. Eighteen neonatal piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Large Yorkshire) from 3 litters (6 piglets per litter) were assigned to 3 groups, representing oral administration with an equal volume of saline (control), putrescine (5 mg/kg BW), and proline (25 mg/kg BW) twice daily from d 1 to weaning at 14 d of age. Plasma and intestinal samples were obtained 3 d after weaning. The results showed that oral administration of putrescine or proline increased the final BW and ADG of piglets compared with the control (P0.05). Proline treatment decreased plasma D-lactate concentration but increased the villus height in the jejunum and ileum, as well as the percentage of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) positive cells and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity in the jejunal mucosa (P0.05). The protein expressions for zonula occludens (ZO-1), occludin, and claudin-3 (P0.05) but not mRNA were increased in the jejunum of putrescine- and proline-treated piglets compared with those of control piglets. The voltage-gated K+ channel (Kv) 1.1 protein expression in the jejunum of piglets administrated with putrescine and the Kv1.5 mRNA and Kv1.1 protein levels in the ileum of piglets administrated with proline were greater than those in control piglets (P0.05). These findings indicate that polyamine or its precursor could improve mucosal proliferation, intestinal morphology, as well as tight junction and potassium channel protein expressions in early-weaned piglets, with implications for epithelial restitution and barrier function after stress injury.