Search

In this Article, we report the synthesis of micro- and nanocrystalline diamond/β-SiC composite gradient films, using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique and its application as a robust and chemically inert means to actuate water and hazardous liquids. As revealed by scanning electron microscopy, the composition of the surface changed gradually from pure nanocrystalline diamond (hydrophobic) to a nanocrystalline β-SiC surface (hydrophilic). Transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were employed to determine the presence of diamond, graphite, and β-SiC phases. The as-prepared gradient films were evaluated for their ability to actuate water. Indeed, water was transported via the gradient from the hydrophobic (hydrogen-terminated diamond) to the hydrophilic side (hydroxyl-terminated β-SiC) of the gradient surface. The driving distance and velocity of water is pivotally influenced by the surface roughness. The nanogradient surface showed significant promise as the lower roughness combined with the longer gradient yields in transport distances of up to 3.7 mm, with a maximum droplet velocity of nearly 250 mm/s measured by a high-speed camera. As diamond and β-SiC are chemically inert, the gradient surfaces can be used to drive hazardous liquids and reactive mixtures, which was signified by the actuation of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide solution. We envision that the diamond/β-SiC gradient surface has high potential as an actuator for wate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study the small sphere limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy defined in Wang and Yau (Phys Rev Lett 102(2):021101, 2009, Commun Math Phys 288(3):919-942, 2009). Given a point p in a spacetime N, we consider a canonical family of surfaces approaching p along its future null cone and evaluate the limit of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy. The evaluation relies on solving an "optimal embedding equation" whose solutions represent critical points of the quasi-local energy. For a spacetime with matter fields, the scenario is similar to that of the large sphere limit found in Chen et al. (Commun Math Phys 308(3):845-863, 2011). Namely, there is a natural solution which is a local minimum, and the limit of its quasi-local energy recovers the stress-energy tensor at p. For a vacuum spacetime, the quasi-local energy vanishes to higher order and the solution of the optimal embedding equation is more complicated. Nevertheless, we are able to show that there exists a solution that is a local minimum and that the limit of its quasi-local energy is related to the Bel-Robinson tensor. Together with earlier work (Chen et al. 2011), this completes the consistency verification of the Wang-Yau quasi-local energy with all classical limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale is a typical layered and anisotropic material whose properties are characterized primarily by locally oriented anisotropic clay minerals and naturally formed bedding planes. The debonding of the bedding planes will greatly influence the shale fracking to form a large-scale highly permeable fracture network, named stimulated reservoir volume (SRV). In this paper, both theoretical and numerical models are developed to quantitatively predict the growth of debonding zone in layered shale under fracking, and the good agreement is obtained between the theoretical and numerical prediction results. Two dimensionless parameters are proposed to characterize the conditions of tensile and shear debonding in bedding planes. It is found that debonding is mainly caused by the shear failure of bedding planes in the actual reservoir. Then the theoretical model is applied to design the perforation cluster spacing to optimize SRV, which is important in fracking. If the spacing is too small, there will be overlapping areas of SRV and the fracking efficiency is low. If the spacing is too large, there will be stratum that cannot be stimulated. So another two dimensionless parameters are proposed to evaluate the size and efficiency of stimulating volume at the same time. By maximizing these two parameters, the optimal perforation cluster spacing and SRV can be quantitatively calculated to guide the fracking treatment design. These results are comparable with data from the field engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The giant panda, with an estimated population size of 2239 in the world (in 2015), is a global symbol of wildlife conservation that is threatened by habitat loss, poor reproduction and limited resistance to some infectious diseases. Of these factors, some diseases caused by parasites are considered as the foremost threat to its conservation. However, there is surprisingly little published information on the parasites of the giant panda, most of which has been disseminated in the Chinese literature. Herein, we review all peer-reviewed publications (in English or Chinese language) and governmental documents for information on parasites of the giant pandas, with an emphasis on the intestinal nematode Baylisascaris schroederi (McIntosh, 1939) as it dominates published literature. The purpose of this chapter is to: (i) review the parasites recorded in the giant panda and describe what is known about their biology; (ii) discuss key aspects of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and control of key parasites that are reported to cause clinical problems and (iii) conclude by making some suggestions for future research. This chapter shows that we are only just 'scratching the surface' when it comes to parasites and parasitological research of the giant panda. Clearly, there needs to be a concerted research effort to support the conservation of this iconic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in cancer patients may disrupt anticarcinogenic treatment and greatly increase associated mortality rates. The present study reported on the management of cancer patients with AKI and, from the nephrologic viewpoint, on the significance of fine volume control during the continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). The records of 117 cancer patients with AKI treated over three years were reviewed and their data were compared with those of 120 healthy controls. AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria with serum creatinine levels determined on initial admission and for the diagnosis of AKI. CRRT with concomitant impedance cardiography (ICG) monitoring was performed in 79 patients. On average, AKI manifested as a 1.68±0.38-fold increase in serum creatinine within 10.2±5.7 days. The causes of AKI were diverse, with the major ones being nephrotoxic agents, hypotension and obstructive nephropathy. Renal biopsy confirmed two cases of thrombotic microangiopathy, due to the use of interfon-α and sunitinib malate, respectively, and a third case of cast nephropathy caused by immunoglobulin D multiple myeloma. The patients were generally marantic and had compromised cardiac function compared with the healthy controls. The CRRT prescription was discriminatingly optimized by the ICG parameters effecting discreet fluid balance, as the thoracic fluid content was significantly correlated with the ultrafiltration rate. By considering the causative mechanisms and applying subtle ICG-assisted volume control, the present study may thus help to improve the safety and efficacy of CRRT in cancer patients with AKI. In addition, it provided information to bring advances in onconephrology, a novel nephrological subspecialty field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect greatly affects the microscopic structure and electrical properties of perovskite piezoelectric ceramics, but the microscopic mechanism of defect-driven macroscopic properties in the materials is not still completely comprehended. In this work, K0.5Na0.5NbO3+x mol CuSb2O6 lead-free piezoelectric ceramics were fabricated by a solid-state reaction method and the defect-driven evolution of piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties was studied. The addition of CuSb2O6 induces the formation of dimeric (Cu"'Nb - V••O)' (DC1) and trimeric (V••O - Cu"'Nb - V••O)• (DC2) defect dipoles. At low doping concentration of CuSb2O6 (0.5-1.0 mol%), DC1 and DC2 coexist in the ceramics and harden the ceramics, inducing a constricted double P-E loop and high Qm of 895 at x=0.01. However, DC2 becomes more dominant in the ceramics with high concentration of CuSb2O6 (≥1.5 mol%) and thus leads to softening behavior of piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity as compared to the ceramic with x=0.01, giving a single slanted P-E loop and relatively low Qm of 206 at x=0.025. All ceramics exhibit relatively high d33 of 106-126 pC/ N. Our study shows that the piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics can be tailored by controlling defect structure of the materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the world. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its X gene-encoded protein (HBx) play important roles in the progression of HCC. Although long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) cannot encode proteins, growing evidence indicates that they play essential roles in HCC progression, and contribute to cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, autophagy, and apoptosis by targeting a large number of pivotal protein-coding genes, miRNAs, and signaling pathways. In this review, we briefly outline recent findings of differentially expressed lncRNAs in HBV-related HCC, with particular focus on several key lncRNAs, and discuss their regulation by HBV/HBx, their functions, and their underlying molecular mechanisms in the progression of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies using self-reported data suggest a gene-physical activity interaction on obesity, yet the influence of sedentary behavior, distinct from a lack of physical activity, on genetic associations with obesity remains unclear. We analyzed interactions of accelerometer-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and time spent sedentary with genetic variants on obesity among 9,645 U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. An overall genetic risk score (GRS), a central nervous system (CNS)-related GRS, and a non-CNS-related GRS were calculated based on 97 BMI-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Genetic association with BMI was stronger in individuals with lower MVPA (first tertile) versus higher MVPA (third tertile) (β = 0.78 kg/m2 [SE, 0.10 kg/m2] vs. 0.39 kg/m2 [0.09 kg/m2] per SD increment of GRS; Pinteraction = 0.005), and in those with more time spent sedentary (third tertile) versus less time spent sedentary (first tertile) (β = 0.73 kg/m2 [SE, 0.10 kg/m2] vs. 0.44 kg/m2 [0.09 kg/m2]; Pinteraction = 0.006). Similar significant interaction patterns were observed for obesity risk, body fat mass, fat percentage, fat mass index, and waist circumference, but not for fat-free mass. The CNS-related GRS, but not the non-CNS-related GRS, showed significant interactions with MVPA and sedentary behavior, with effects on BMI and other adiposity traits. Our data suggest that both increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior may attenuate genetic associations with obesity, although the independence of these interaction effects needs to be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radix Codonopsis has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for strengthening the immune system, improving poor gastrointestinal function, treating gastric ulcers and chronic gastritis and so on. In the present study, an inulin-type fructan CP-A was obtained from the roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Franch.) Nannf. and its structure was confirmed by MS and NMR as (2 → 1) linked-β-D-fructofuranose. The protective effects of CP-A against ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer in rats were intensively investigated. A Lacy assay demonstrated that CP-A-treated group (50 mg/kg) showed the gastric damage level 1, which was similar to the positive control group, while the model group exhibited the gastric damage level 3. The Guth assay demonstrated that the mucosa ulcer index for CP-A groups at the doses of 50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg significantly decreased compared with that in the model group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, CP-A significantly increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and decreased the contents of MDA and NO, and the activity of MPO in gastric tissue in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The present research reported for the first time that inulin-type fructan CP-A were likely the potential component in Radix Codonopsis for treatment of acute gastric ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A gold-catalyzed synthesis of an important building block, 1-(furan-3-yl)-1,2-diones, from easily available starting materials under mild reaction conditions was reported. Preliminary mechanistic investigation indicated that water was involved as a reactant in the reaction serving as an oxygen source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A concise and efficient photoinduced rearrangement of (E)-3-arylvinyl-4H-chromen-4-ones for the synthesis of benzoaryl-5-yl(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanones is described. Benzoaryl-5-yl-(2-hydroxyphenyl)methanones were obtained in 77-95% yields via the irradiation of (E)-3-arylvinyl-chromones in the 95% EtOH with a high-pressure mercury lamp at room temperature under Ar atmosphere. The reported method provides a novel procedure for the synthesis of α,α'-diaryl ketone derivatives without addition of any transition metals and oxidants or other additives. A plausible mechanism was proposed, and the rearrangement product was characterized by NMR, HRMS, and X-ray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional role of gap junction protein a 5 (Gja5) in arterial endothelial cells in the arteriogenesis that occurs during acute ischemic cardiovascular disease. Gja5 knockout mice and the femoral artery occlusion (FAO) model were used in the current study. Perfusions of both hindlimbs were obtained separately prior to FAO, immediately following FAO and 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after FAO using a Laser Doppler Flow Imager. Genetic evidence concerning the gastrocnemicus (GC) muscle was collected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. There were significant reductions in the hindlimb perfusion of Gja5-/- mice compared with Gja5+/+ mice 1, 3, 7, 14 and 21 days following FAO. In Gja5+/- and in Gja5+/+ mice, the expression of Gja5 in the GC muscle was increased 4-fold in the ischemic hindlimb 3 days following FAO. Levels of Gja5 expression then returned to baseline values 7 days after FAO. The results of the present study demonstrated that arterial Gja5 expression serves a functional role in acute ischemic cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colored waterborne polyurethanes have been widely used in paintings, leathers, textiles, and coatings. Here, a series of black waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) with different ratios of black dye, Sudan Black B (SDB), were prepared by step-growth polymerization. WPU emulsions as obtained exhibit low particle sizes and remarkable storage stability at the same time. At different dye loadings, essential structural, statistical and thermal properties are characterized. FTIR (fourier transform infrared) spectra indicate that SDB is covalently linked into waterborne polyurethane chains. All of the WPUs with covalently linked SDB show better color fastness and resistance of thermal migration than those with SDB mixed physically. Besides, WPUs incorporated SDB covalently with different polymeric diols, polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG), polypropylene glycol (PPG), poly-1, 4-butylene adipate glycol (PBA) and polycaprolactone glycol (PCL), were prepared to obtain different properties to cater to a variety of practical demands. By a spraying method, the black WPUs can be directly used as metal coatings without complex dyeing process by simply mixing coating additive and other waterborne resins, which exhibit excellent coating performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Striped stem-borer (SSB) infestation is one of the most serious sources of damage to rice growth. A rapid and non-destructive method of early SSB detection is essential for rice-growth protection. In this study, hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics was used to detect early SSB infestation in rice and identify the degree of infestation (DI). Visible/near-infrared hyperspectral images (in the spectral range of 380 nm to 1030 nm) were taken of the healthy rice plants and infested rice plants by SSB for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days. A total of 17 characteristic wavelengths were selected from the spectral data extracted from the hyperspectral images by the successive projection algorithm (SPA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the hyperspectral images, and 16 textural features based on the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) were extracted from the first two principal component (PC) images. A back-propagation neural network (BPNN) was used to establish infestation degree evaluation models based on full spectra, characteristic wavelengths, textural features and features fusion, respectively. BPNN models based on a fusion of characteristic wavelengths and textural features achieved the best performance, with classification accuracy of calibration and prediction sets over 95%. The accuracy of each infestation degree was satisfactory, and the accuracy of rice samples infested for 2 days was slightly low. In all, this study indicated the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging techniques to detect early SSB infestation and identify degrees of infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA/miR), a type of non‑coding RNA molecule, is able to inhibit the expression of target genes at multiple stagess. There are 800‑1,000 known miRNAs in the human genome, which serve important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and migration. Previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of miR‑21 is upregulated in numerous types of malignant tumor, and that miR‑21 participates in the occurrence and development of tumors via complex regulatory mechanisms. The present study aimed to investigate the association between miR‑21 expression, cell viability and apoptosis in a lung cancer cell line, and to elucidate the potential mechanisms. miR‑21 or small interfering RNA against miR‑21 were transfected into A549 non‑small cell lung cancer cells. The mRNA expression of miR‑21 was confirmed. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined using MTT and flow cytometric assays, respectively. The expression of certain apoptosis‑associated proteins was detected by western blotting. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR‑21 was able to increase the proliferation of A549 cells by inhibiting cellular apoptosis. miR‑21 inhibited apoptosis by modulating the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/Rac‑α serine/threonine protein kinase (Akt) pathway in A549 cells. Correspondingly, inhibition of Akt decreased the apoptosis of A549 cells in miR‑21 siRNA‑treated cells. Therefore, the results of the present study demonstrated that miR‑21 increased cell viability by inhibiting apoptosis, through regulation of Akt activation. The present study demonstrated that miR‑21 may be involved in the progression of lung cancer and may be a novel therapeutic target for the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The protistan pathogens Cryptosporidium and Giardia can cause significant intestinal diseases in animals and humans. Cattle, particularly calves, carrying these protists can be significant reservoirs for human infections and disease. However, little is known about the genetic make-up of Cryptosporidium and Giardia populations in cattle and other ruminants in some regions of China. Results: In the present study, PCR-based tools were used to genetically characterise these protists in faecal samples from a total of 339 pre- and post-weaned calves from four distinct locations in Hubei Province using markers in the large (LSU) or small (SSU) subunits of nuclear ribosomal RNA genes. Cryptosporidium andersoni, C. bovis, C. ryanae and Giardia duodenalis assemblage E were detected in 0.6%, 10.9%, 4.1% and 22.6% of calves, respectively. Conclusions: This study is the first to report the prevalence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in pre- and post-weaned calves in Hubei Province, and encourages large-scale molecular studies of animals and humans, in an effort to better understand the epidemiology of these enteric pathogens in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variation of refrigerant mass in the cylinder of refrigerator compressor has a great influence on the compressor's thermodynamic process. In this paper, the m-θ diagram, which represents the variation of refrigerant mass in compressor cylinder (m) and the crank angle (θ), is proposed to investigate the thermodynamic process of the refrigerator compressor. Comparing with the traditional pressure-Volume (p-V) indicator diagram, the refrigerant's backflow trigged by the delayed closure of valve can be clearly expressed in the m-θ diagram together with the mass flow rate. A typical m-θ diagram was obtained by experimental and theoretical investigations. To improve the thermodynamic model of the compressor, a 3D fluid-structure interaction (FSI) FEA model has been introduced to find out the effective flow area of the valves. Based on the m-θ diagram, the effect of rotating speed on the backflow through the valve, which depends on the movement of the valve, has been investigated. Specific to the compressor used in this study, the maximum backflow through the suction valve and discharge valve occur at 3500 r·min-1 and 5500 r·min-1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the formation of macroscopic wires up to centimeters in length from a series of structurally flexible, covalently tethered small-molecular fluorophore-quencher dyads (FQDs, average MW = 425 Da), comprised of carbazole, melatonin, and cyanobenzoate moieties. These FQDs are nonemissive in organic solutions but become moderately to highly luminescent (ΦF = 0.037-0.39) upon formation of wires with emission maxima in the blue region (446-483 nm). The blue photoluminescence (PL) is ascribed to a combination of singlet charge transfer, localized triplet state, and possibly delayed fluorescence emissions with intrinsic luminescence lifetimes ranging from 0.228 to 21333 μs, based on luminescence, transient absorption measurements, X-ray diffraction, and calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a three-dimensional model was developed to investigate the temperature fields during a double-sided laser welding process of T-joints, and the correlations between the thermal characteristics and the mechanical properties were researched in details. To verify the modelling results, welding experiments were conducted with two different welding parameters and the geometrical dimensions of the weld pool were measured. It was found that there was a good agreement between the calculated and the measured results. The calculated results showed that the temperature profile was bilateral symmetry along the stringer centre, and the temperature gradient became greater as running far from the stringer centre, especially on the skin side. All of the tensile specimens were fractured along the fusion line on the skin panels for the head and the hoop tensile tests. The loss of the alloying elements near the fusion line on the skin side resulted in the lowest micro-hardness value appeared here, and made it to be the weakest region of the welded T-joints. The calculated thermal cycles indicated that the materials closest to the fusion line on the skin side had been staying at higher temperature for a longer time, and which is the essential reason for the fracture behaviour, micro-hardness distribution and alloying elements distribution of the double-sided laser welded T-joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are well-known accelerants of aging, but, paradoxically, we show that physiological levels of ROS extend life span in pupae of the moth Helicoverpa armigera, resulting in the dormant state of diapause. This developmental switch appears to operate through a variant of the conventional insulin-signaling pathway, as evidenced by the facts that Akt, p-Akt, and PRMT1 are elevated by ROS, but not insulin, and that high levels of p-Akt fail to phosphorylate FoxO through PRMT1-mediated methylation. These results suggest a distinct signaling pathway culminating in the elevation of FoxO, which in turn promotes the extension of life span characteristic of diapause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of nano/microstructured YF3:0.125Eu3+, 0.5%Bi3+ samples with specific morphologies was successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using various fluoride sources as microstructure-directing agents, and the grain morphology and fluorescence were effectively tailored. The YF3:0.125Eu3+, 0.5%Bi3+ samples using NH4F, NH4HF2, LiF, NaF, KF, MgF2, CaF2, and BaF2 as fluoride source are abbreviated as S1-S8, respectively. Except for the sample S8, all the diffraction peaks of the other materials (S1-S7) can be indexed to pure YF3 with orthorhombic symmetry. Granule-like nanoparticles, truncated octahedron, octahedron, and bipyramid morphologies were observed in S1-S2, S3-S4, S5-S7, and S8 samples, respectively. The grain size of the materials is positively correlated with the cationic radius in fluoride sources, which gives the values of 64 nm to 4.2 μm. The schematic diagram showing grain formation process has been proposed on the basis of fluoride source-induced morphological evolution. The morphology dependence of fluorescence reveals that the NaF-controlled sample exhibits the strongest orange-yellow emission, while the emission intensity using NH4F as the fluoride source is the lowest. This work offers us a method to effectively control the shape and size of inorganic photoluminescent materials so as to improve the fluorescence by tuning their morphology using different fluoride sources. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that these luminescent nanoparticles can be used in luminescent ink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent and room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials are widely used in bioimaging, chemical sensing, optoelectronics and encryption. Here, a series of single-component dual-emissive waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs) with both fluorescence and room-temperature phosphorescence were synthesized. Dye without halogen atom incorporated into WPUs can only exhibit fluorescence due to poor spin-orbit coupling. When bromine atom is introduced into dye, we found that WPUs can emit both fluorescence and room-temperature phosphorescence with lifetimes up to milliseconds because of enhanced spin-orbit coupling. Moreover, with an increase in dye concentrations in WPUs, excimers are formed due to the aggregation effect, and may promote communication between singlet and triplet states. At different dye concentrations, structural, thermal, and luminescent properties serve as the main focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the mechanical strength and antipollution properties of membranes, this research presents a facile method to prepare crosslinked polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes. This was achieved firstly by radical copolymerization with acrylonitrile, allyl methacrylate and sulfobetaine methacrylamide. Then, the copolymer was crosslinked by a thiol-ene click reaction under UV irradiation. Finally, the crosslinked membranes were prepared by traditional immersion precipitation phase inversion. These prepared membranes showed excellent water-pressure resistance and solvent swelling, owing to their crosslinked structure. This research will help in preparing crosslinked membranes through facile crosslinking under mild reaction conditions. The betaine structure also considerably improved the antifouling properties of the membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been a effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Octohydroaminoacridine, a new AChE inhibitor, is a potential treatment for AD. Method: we conducted a multicenter, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group Phase II clinical trial to investigate the effects of octohydroaminoacridine in patients with mild-to-moderate AD. Patients were randomised to receive placebo thrice daily, octohydroaminoacridine 1 mg/thrice daily (TID) (low-dose group), 2 mg/TID (middle-dose group) or 4 mg/TID (high-dose group). Doses in the middle-dose and high-dose group were titrated over 2-4 weeks. Changes from baseline to Week 16 were assessed with the AD Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog), Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change Plus (CIBIC+), activities of daily living (ADL) and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). ADAS-cog was the primary end point of the study. A two-way analysis of covariance and least squares mean t-test were used. Results: at Week 16, the changes from baseline in ADAS-cog were 1.4, -2.1, -2.2 and -4.2 for placebo, low-, middle- and high-dose groups, respectively. Patients in the high-dose group had better performance in CIBIC+ and ADL scores at the end of the study. There was no significant difference in the change in NPI score among the groups. The effects of octohydroaminoacridine were dose dependent, and were effective within 16 weeks of treatment. No evidence was found for more adverse events that occurred in different drug groups than placebo group. Conclusions: octohydroaminoacridine significantly improved cognitive function and behaviour in patients with mild-tomoderate AD and this effect was dose dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulse electro-coagulation (PEC) was applied to treat plastic factory wastewater in this study. One representative plasticizer molecule was chosen for the synthetic wastewater: dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Experiments demonstrated that PEC exhibits superior economic efficiency and removal efficiency compared to traditional electro-coagulation in wastewater treatment. Experimental data also indicated that at a given current density, compared with the aluminum electrode, the iron electrode could more efficiently remove DBP from wastewater. With an initial pH of 8-9, the required energy was 2.5 kWh m-3 for 75% DBP removal in the case of iron as the anode type. In general, the pollutants have been successfully reduced to environmentally acceptable levels under the following operating conditions: iron as the anode type, interelectrode distance of 10 mm, duty cycle of 0.6, pH of 8-9 and current density of 15 mA cm-2 for PEC time>15 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydrostatic transmission is a promising technology in renewable energy harvesting, such as wind energy and wave energy, where the hydrostatic-driven electric generator is a key energy conversion component. By using analytical and experimental methods, this paper investigates the performance of a novel hydrostatic-driven electric generator which integrates the functions of an axial piston hydrostatic motor and a permanent magnet electric generator together. The experimental platform consists of a prototype, an adjustable hydrostatic power source, a controllable electrical load, and various sensors. Energy conversions between hydrostatic and electrical forms are evaluated under different operating velocities and control signals. Power loss distributions are presented by combining measured data and analytical calculation. Thermal experiments are implemented under both of natural and oil-forced cooling conditions and it is found that the temperature rise is much lower when the machine is cooled by hydraulic oil. The experiments validate the energy conversion efficiency, steady controllability, and cooling capability of the integrated hydrostatic-driven electric generator. The results can provide references for further efficiency optimization, dynamic control, as well as practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social performance brought company reputation, insurance or moral capital. It performed in the capital market as soon as the company experienced adverse events. The content of this research is the based on such judge. The paper analyzed the influence of corporate social performance on stock returns when there were adverse events of the listed companies. The empirical results show that the influence of corporate social performance on economic performance is not a direct result. The implementation of corporate social responsibility is to give enterprises more accumulation of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyze the relationship between open economy and carbon emissions. It uses revised Cole model so as to analyze the influence of foreign direct investment, outward foreign direct investment and international trade on carbon emissions in China. Empirical results show that foreign direct investment and outward foreign direct investment help reduce carbon emissions in China, while export increase the carbon emissions. Carbon emissions in different regions are very different because of the disparity of region's economic development level and industrial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial cyber-physical system is defined as transformative technologies for upgrading the traditional industrial mode. Wireless mesh network becomes a typical technology in industrial cyber-physical system for the network communication with large-scale distributed wireless terminals. However, the robustness of wireless mesh networks in the industrial environment is seriously challenged by worst working reliability of network nodes, more vulnerable wireless communication links, and so on. In this article, in order to enhance network robustness and reliability, we propose a robust collaborative mesh networking method for interconnecting large-scale distributed wireless heterogeneous terminals in industrial cyber-physical systems. First, moderate redundancy of network deployment is introduced to guarantee twoconnectivity for each mesh router and two-coverage for each wireless terminal, and an improved metric for evaluating the overall network robustness is presented. Second, the robustness-aware collaborative mesh networking problem is formulated with a multi-objective optimization model, and an improved multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm based on self-adaptive evolutionary learning is exploited to search out the Pareto optimal particles with better distribution and diversity. The experimental results show how the network robustness and load-balancing performance change along with the increasing number of deployed mesh router/mesh gateways, and our method is helpful for finding out a robust wireless mesh network deployment scheme in industrial cyber-physical systems when given a deployment cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carthamin yellow (CY), which is a flavonoid compound isolated from safflower, has various pharmacological effects including promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis and alleviating pain. CY is a herb used in Chinese traditional medicines. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common spinal disorder and degeneration of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and inflammation are significant parts of the pathological cascade. The curative effect of CY on NP cells in association with degeneration and inflammation remains to be elucidated. In the present study, rat NP cells were isolated, cultured and used to detect the suppressive effects of CY on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced genetic expression variation and the expression of matrix degradation enzymes, including matrix metallopeptidase-3, ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif (ADAMTS)-4 and ADAMTS-5. A protective effect of CY on NP cells was observed against LPS-induced matrix degradation and inflammation. Western blotting results demonstrated that pretreatment with CY significantly suppressed the LPS-induced activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The results of the present study suggested that CY exerted anti-degenerative and anti-inflammatory effects on NP cells via inhibition of MAPK pathway activation. Therefore, CY may be a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of IDD in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, T-joints consisting of 2.0 mm thick 2060-T8/2099-T83 aluminum-lithium alloys for aircraft fuselage panels have been fabricated by double-sided fiber laser beam welding with different filler wires. A new type wire CW3 (Al-6.2Cu-5.4Si) was studied and compared with conventional wire AA4047 (Al-12Si) mainly on microstructure and mechanical properties. It was found that the main combined function of Al-6.2%Cu-5.4%Si in CW3 resulted in considerable improvements especially on intergranular strength, hot cracking susceptibility and hoop tensile properties. Typical non-dendritic equiaxed zone (EQZ) was observed along welds’ fusion boundary. Hot cracks and fractures during the load were always located within the EQZ, however, this typical zone could be restrained by CW3, effectively. Furthermore, changing of the main intergranular precipitated phase within the EQZ from T phase by AA4047 to T 2 phase by CW3 also resulted in developments on microscopic intergranular reinforcement and macroscopic hoop tensile properties. In addition, bridging caused by richer substructure dendrites within CW3 weld’s columnar zone resulted in much lower hot cracking susceptibility of the whole weld than AA4047. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Proton stress and aluminum (Al) toxicity are major constraints limiting crop growth and yields on acid soils (pH < 5). In Arabidopsis, STOP1 is a master transcription factor that controls the expression of a set of well-characterized Al tolerance genes and unknown processes involved in low pH resistance. As a result, loss-of-function stop1 mutants are extremely sensitive to low pH and Al stresses. Results: Here, we report on screens of an ethyl-methane sulphonate (EMS)-mutagenized stop1 population and isolation of nine strong stop1 suppressor mutants, i.e., the tolerant to proton stress (tps) mutants, with significantly enhanced root growth at low pH (4.3). Genetic analyses indicated these dominant and partial gain-of-function mutants are caused by mutations in single nuclear genes outside the STOP1 locus. Physiological characterization of the responses of these tps mutants to excess levels of Al and other metal ions further classified them into five groups. Three tps mutants also displayed enhanced resistance to Al stress, indicating that these tps mutations partially rescue the hypersensitive phenotypes of stop1 to both low pH stress and Al stress. The other six tps mutants showed enhanced resistance only to low pH stress but not to Al stress. We carried out further physiologic and mapping-by-sequencing analyses for two tps mutants with enhanced resistance to both low pH and Al stresses and identified the genomic regions and candidate loci in chromosomes 1 and 2 that harbor these two TPS genes. Conclusion: We have identified and characterized nine strong stop1 suppressor mutants. Candidate loci for two tps mutations that partially rescue the hypersensitive phenotypes of stop1 to low pH and Al stresses were identified by mapping-by-sequencing approaches. Further studies could provide insights into the structure and function of TPSs and the regulatory networks underlying the STOP1-mediated processes that lead to resistance to low pH and Al stresses in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient transition-metal-free photoinduced intracyclization of 4H-chromen-4-ones in EtOH-H2O (7:1, v/v) at ambient temperature for the construction of complicated fused-ring heteroaromatics is established. The reaction proceeds smoothly without requiring any catalysts/additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in Ta/CoFeB/MgO structures are studied by harmonic voltage method. The results indicate that both Slonczewski-like (HSL) and field-like (HFL) effective field are enhanced by annealing in the film stacks with various Ta thicknesses. Investigation of the crystallographic phase of the Ta layers and resistance of Hall bar devices suggest that annealing may induce a phase transformation in the Ta layers from the α to the β phase, which results in the enhanced HSL of the annealed samples. Current-induced magnetization switching experiments revealed a corresponding decrease of the switching current in the annealed samples because of their enhanced SOTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of application of low-concentration contrast agent and low tube voltage combined with iterative reconstruction in whole brain computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging of patients with acute cerebral infarction was investigated. Fifty-nine patients who underwent whole brain CTP examination and diagnosed with acute cerebral infarction from September 2014 to March 2016 were selected. Patients were randomly divided into groups A and B. There were 28 cases in group A [tube voltage, 100 kV; contrast agent, iohexol (350 mg I/ml), reconstructed by filtered back projection] and 31 cases in group B [tube voltage, 80 kV; contrast agent, iodixanol (270 mg I/ml), reconstructed by algebraic reconstruction technique]. The artery CT value, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), dose length product, effective dose (ED) of radiation and brain iodine intake of both groups were measured and statistically analyzed. Two physicians carried out kappa (κ) analysis on the consistency of image quality evaluation. The difference in subjective image quality evaluation between the groups was tested by χ². The differences in CT value, SNR, CNR, CTP and CT angiography subjective image quality evaluation between both groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05); the diagnosis rate of the acute infarcts between the two groups was not significantly different; while the ED and iodine intake in group B (dual low-dose group) were lower than group A. In conclusion, combination of low tube voltage and iterative reconstruction technique, and application of low-concentration contrast agent (270 mg I/ml) in whole brain CTP examination reduced ED and iodine intake without compromising image quality, thereby reducing the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blueshifts in the ultraviolet absorption spectra have been observed in cerium oxide nanocrystallites. The mechanism of the absorption is a charge-transfer optical transition. The relationships among the blueshift, valence state of cerium ions, and the particle size are formulated. The blueshifts are well explained for diameters down to less than a few nanometers by the change in the electronic band structure. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides theoretical support for the preparation of CrMnFeCoNi coatings with excellent performance by laser cladding. These high-hardness TiC particles act as wear-resistant skeletons in the CrMnFeCoNi coatings. The mass loss and friction coefficient of the coating with 7 wt% TiC are reduced by 72.22% and 12.39%, respectively, compared with the coating without TiC after wear at room temperature for 1800 s. However, the skeleton characteristic of the TiC distribution is broken down in the coating with 13 wt% TiC. The mass loss and friction coefficient of the coating with 4 wt% TiC are reduced by 51.89% and 16.73%, respectively, compared with the coating without TiC after wear at 873 K for 1800 s [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depleted uranium will be stainless if a small amount of niobium was added into it, and niobium has good solubility in the γ-phase uranium. Upon cooling, it undergoes phase transformation. U-Nb alloys which is near the monotectoid have a finally martensitic (α") phase at room temperature if the content percent of niobium is from 5 to 8 w.t.%. First principles calculations have been performed to study how the niobium (Nb) atom defects into the γ-uranium and crystal structure of U-12.5 at% Nb alloy. Using DFT calculations, the authors find that the substitutional sites prefer to be occupied by Nb atoms thermodynamically in the γ-phase U. Furthermore, the crystal structure of U-12.5 at% Nb alloy is a monoclinic structure (α"), and the electronic structures characteristic reveals that the electron interactions between Nb atoms and U atoms in the alloy are mainly dominated by 4d orbital of Nb atom and 5f, 6d orbitals of U atom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristics of MoS2-nanoflake field-effect transistors (FETs) were studied by analyzing the transfer curves in MoS2-FETs with ferroelectric and general polymers as the gate dielectric. A clear hysteresis, opposite to the electron trapping-detrapping effect in traditional MoS2-FETs, was observed in the MoS2-FETs with ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] films. The effect carrier mobility of MoS2 nanoflakes reached approximately 95.6 cm²/Vs under the control of the polarization field of P(VDF-TrFE), whereas the effect carrier mobility was only approximately 15.3 cm²/Vs in MoS2-FETs with traditional dielectric poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films. Furthermore, the ferroelectric MoS2-FETs possess a higher ON/OFF resistance ratio (approximately 107) than do the PMMA MoS2-FETs (approximately 105). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is concerned with the asynchronous control problem for a class of discrete-time switched systems with non-linear perturbation. The asynchronous switching means that the switching signal of the controller experiences a time delay with respect to that of the system. The analytical solution of the state equation for the asynchronously switched system is utilized to study the dynamics of the system directly without constructing the Lyapunov function. By using the average dwell time approach, sufficient conditions for exponential stability of a closed-loop system are established. Moreover, asynchronously switched controllers are designed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the computational efficiency of the large-scale structures with uncertainty parameters, this paper present a methodological approach for interval uncertainty treatment based on an improved free interface Component Mode Synthesis (CMS) method. Firstly, the structure is divided into substructures and the perturbation method is employed for the eigenvalue analysis of substructures with the interval non-deterministic characteristics. To reduce the mode truncation error, the residual flexibility matrix is considered by constructing a set of weighted orthogonal modal vectors with low-order system modal vectors and system matrices. Different from the previous studies, this method proposed in this paper avoids calculating directly inverse of the stiffness matrix, which makes it easier to get the residual flexibility matrix. Then the synthesis equations including parameters perturbation can be deduced in terms of the interface compatibility conditions. Finally, two examples including with a numerical example as well as an experiment example are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low cost, durable, and efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) is essential for high-performance fuel cells. Here, we fabricated Co3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on N-doped mesoporous carbon nanofibers (Co3O4/NMCF) by electrospinning combined with the simple heat treatment. Within this composite, carbon nanofibers possess a mesoporous structure, contributed to obtain a high surface area, which can facilitate the infiltration of electrolyte. Moreover, this one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanofiber also acts as a 1D conductive channel, effectively improving the transmission of electrons. In addition, the doping of the N element with high content combined with homogenously distributed Co3O4 NPs can significantly enhance the ORR electrocatalytic activity. Benefiting from the advantages of material and structure, the Co3O4/NMCF catalyst favors a four electron transfer process in alkaline media, exhibiting good ORR electrocatalytic activity, and its durability is much better than that of commercial Pt/C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with conventional laser beam welding, double-sided laser beam welding has two laser heat sources simultaneously and symmetrically loaded from both sides makes it to be a more complicated coupled heat transport and fluid flow process. In this work, in order to understand the heat transfer and fluid flow, a three-dimensional model was developed and validated with the experimental results. The temperature field, fluid flow field, and keyhole characteristic were calculated using the developed model by FLUENT software. Calculated results indicated that the temperature and fluid flow fields were bilateral symmetry along the stringer center, and the molten pool maximum length was located near the keyhole intersection position. The skin side had higher temperature and faster cooling speed. Several characteristic flow patterns in the weld pool cross section, including the vortexes flows near the keyhole opening position, the convection flows above the keyhole intersection location, the regularity downward flows at the molten pool bottom. And in the lengthwise section, a distinct vortex flow below the keyhole, and the liquid metal behind the keyhole first flowed to near the molten pool maximum length location and then to the molten pool surface. Perpendicular to and along welding direction the keyhole liquid metal flowed to the weld molten pool surface and around the keyhole, respectively. The special temperature fields and fluid flow patterns were closely related to the effects of the double sides’ laser energy coupling and enhancement. The calculated weld pool geometry basically in good agreement with the experimental results indicated that the developed model was validity and reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aircraft industry, double-sided laser beam welding is an approved method for producing skin-stringer T-joints on aircraft fuselage panels. As for the welding of new generation aluminum-lithium alloys, however, this technique is limited because of high hot cracking susceptibility and strengthening elements’ uneven distributions within weld. In the present study, a new technique of skin embedded wire double-sided laser beam welding (LBW) has been developed to fabricate T-joints consisting of 2.0 mm thick 2060-T8/2099-T83 aluminum-lithium alloys using eutectic alloy AA4047 filler wire. Necessary dimension parameters of the novel groove were reasonably designed for achieving crack-free welds. Comparisons were made between the new technique welded T-joint and conventional T-joint mainly on microstructure, hot crack, elements distribution features and mechanical properties within weld. Excellent crack-free microstructure, uniform distribution of silicon and superior tensile properties within weld were found in the new skin embedded wire double-sided LBW T-joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between interleukin‑6 (IL‑6) and angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1‑R) in modulating the progression of heart failure (HF) remains to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of IL‑6 and AT1‑R in a model of HF induced by surgery. Male Sprague‑Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups, including sham surgery and vehicle groups. The animals were treated for 4 weeks via paraventricular nucleus infusion with either vehicle, losartan (LOS; 200 μg/day), IL‑6 (1 μg/day) or LOS and IL‑6 together (LOS+IL‑6). The rats with HF had higher levels of IL‑6, corticotropin‑releasing hormone (CRH) and norepinephrine (NE), and a lower level of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), compared with the rats in the sham surgery group. Treatment with LOS attenuated the decrease in nNOS and the increases in IL‑6, CRH and NE; whereas treatment with IL‑6 facilitated the lower expression of nNOS and higher expression levels of IL‑6, CRH and NE. No differences in the expression levels of nNOS, CRH or NE were found between the LOS group and LOS+IL‑6 group. The results of the study demonstrated that IL‑6 contributed to the progression of HF via the AT1‑R pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TC4 coating was successfully prepared on the surface of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRP) via laser cladding technology. The microstructure of the TC4 coating/CFRP substrate interface was analyzed. The results indicated that the molten TC4 infiltrated into the CFRP substrate and reliable bonding of TC4 coating and CFRP substrate was obtained. TiC and a small amount of TiS 2 phases were formed at the interface between TC4 coating and CFRP substrate. In addition, the process for preparing TC4 coating on the surface of CFRP substrate and the bonding mechanism at the interface was put forward based on the basis of experimental observation and theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we report the synthesis of new colloidal polydiaminopyridine (PDAP) nanospheres with uniform particle size tuned from 76 to 331 nm. The polymer colloidal nanospheres and thin films assembled by the nanospheres exhibit amphiphilic or superhydrophilic properties, originated from the different polymer surfactants. In addition, the polymer nanospheres can be easily carbonized into microporous carbon nanospheres with high N content up to 24 wt %, thus enabling a preferred basicity for CO2 adsorption. As-synthesized PDAP show good compatibility that can not only encapsulate typical nanoparticles to form core-shell composite nanospheres but also stabilize noble metal ions to obtain ultrasmall metal nanoparticles (e.g., Pd and Au) during the thermal reduction process by the nitrogen sites from sphere frameworks. The nanocomplex Pd/PDAP-500 shows exceptional activity and high selectivity in the solvent-free oxidation of alcohols with O2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the Internet and communication technologies, a large number of multimode or multidimensional networks widely emerge in real-world applications. Traditional community detection methods usually focus on homogeneous networks and simply treat different modes of nodes and connections in the same way, thus ignoring the inherent complexity and diversity of heterogeneous networks. It is challenging to effectively integrate the multiple modes of network information to discover the hidden community structure underlying heterogeneous interactions. In our work, a joint nonnegative matrix factorization (Joint-NMF) algorithm is proposed to discover the complex structure in heterogeneous networks. Our method transforms the heterogeneous dataset into a series of bipartite graphs correlated. Taking inspiration from the multiview method, we extend the semisupervised learning from single graph to several bipartite graphs with multiple views. In this way, it provides mutual information between different bipartite graphs to realize the collaborative learning of different classifiers, thus comprehensively considers the internal structure of all bipartite graphs, and makes all the classifiers tend to reach a consensus on the clustering results of the target-mode nodes. The experimental results show that Joint-NMF algorithm is efficient and well-behaved in real-world heterogeneous networks and can better explore the community structure of multimode nodes in heterogeneous networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the dependence of the incidence of moderate-luminosity (L0.5-8 keV = 1041.9-43.7 erg s-1) active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and the distribution of their accretion rates on host color at 0.5 1010 M⊙. We use extinction-corrected rest-frame U-V colors to divide both AGN hosts and non-AGN galaxies into red sequence (red), green valley (green), and blue cloud (blue) populations. We find that the fraction of galaxies hosting an AGN at fixed X-ray luminosity increases with stellar mass and redshift for all the three galaxy populations, independent of their colors. However, both the AGN fraction at fixed stellar mass and its evolution with redshift are clearly dependent on host colors. Most notably, red galaxies have the lowest AGN fraction (~5%) at z~1 yet with most rapid evolution with redshift, increasing by a factor of~5 (24%) at z~2. Green galaxies exhibit the highest AGN fraction across all redshifts, which is most pronounced at z~2 with more than half of them hosting an AGN at M∗ > 1010.6 M⊙. Together with the high AGN fraction in red galaxies at z~2, this indicates that (X-ray) AGNs could be important in both transforming (quenching) star-forming galaxies into quiescent ones and subsequently maintaining their quiescence at high redshift. Furthermore, consistent with previous studies at lower redshifts, we show that the probability of hosting an AGN for the total galaxy population can be characterized by a universal Eddington ratio (as approximated by LX/M∗) distribution (p(λEdd) λEdd-0.4), which is independent on host mass. Yet consistent with their different AGN fractions, galaxies with different colors appear to also have different p(λEdd) with red galaxies exhibiting more rapid redshift evolution compared with that for green and blue galaxies. Evidence for a steeper power-law distribution of p(λEdd) in red galaxies (p(λEdd) λEdd-0.6) is also presented, though larger samples are needed to confirm. These results suggest that the AGN accretion or the growth of supermassive black holes is related to their host properties, and may also influence their hosts in a different mode dependent on the host color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we reported a large magnetoresistance effect in silicon by ion implantation of nitrogen atoms. At room temperature, the magnetoresistance of silicon reaches 125 % under magnetic field 1.7 T and voltage bias -80 V. By applying an alternating magnetic field with a frequency (f ) of 0.008 Hz, we find that the magnetoresistance of silicon is divided into f and 2f two signal components, which represent the linear and quadratic magnetoresistance effects, respectively. The analysis based on tuning the magnetic field and the voltage bias reveals that electric-field-induced space-charge effect plays an important role to enhance both the linear and quadratic magnetoresistance effects. Observation as well as a comprehensive explanation of large MR in silicon, especially based on semiconductor CMOS implantation technology, will be an important progress towards magnetoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]