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Accurate identification of primary breast cancer and axillary positive-node response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is important for determining appropriate surgery strategies. We aimed to develop combining models based on breast multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging and clinicopathologic characteristics for predicting therapeutic response of primary tumor and axillary positive-node prior to treatment. A total of 268 breast cancer patients who completed NAC and underwent surgery were enrolled. Radiomics features and clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed through the analysis of variance and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm. Finally, 24 and 28 optimal features were selected to construct machine learning models based on 6 algorithms for predicting each clinical outcome, respectively. The diagnostic performances of models were evaluated in the testing set by the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Of the 268 patients, 94 (35.1 %) achieved breast cancer pathological complete response (bpCR) and of the 240 patients with clinical positive-node, 120 (50.0 %) achieved axillary lymph node pathological complete response (apCR). The multi-layer perception (MLP) algorithm yielded the best diagnostic performances in predicting apCR with an AUC of 0.825 (95 % CI, 0.764–0.886) and an accuracy of 77.1 %. And MLP also outperformed other models in predicting bpCR with an AUC of 0.852 (95 % CI, 0.798–0.906) and an accuracy of 81.3 %. Our study established non-invasive combining models to predict the therapeutic response of primary breast cancer and axillary positive-node prior to NAC, which may help to modify preoperative treatment and determine post-NAC surgery strategy. • PCR is an important prognostic factor in breast cancer, but the rates differ in primary tumor and metastatic axillary node. • Predicting tumor and axillary node response prior to NAC is essential for identifying candidates suitable for BCS and SLNB. • Our models can accurately predict the response to NAC, which may help to determine the therapeutic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main steam temperature of boiler outlet has been deemed as a significant parameter of the safety and economic performances in the thermal power plant operation. The complex working status of the thermal generation endures highly uncertain factors and remarkable disturbance, which call for effective controlling approaches in the corresponding temperature management. The linear active disturbance rejection controller (LADRC) is a conducive and powerful controlling method, whereas strong correlation between LADRC parameters leads to difficulties in optimally determining the controller parameters. Aiming at eliminating the negative effects on main steam temperature control caused by uncertainties factors and disturbances, a high performance LADRC based on a novel parameters optimization strategy, the simultaneous heat transfer search (SHTS) algorithm, is designed to deliver a stability, rapidity, and precision of control process. In the presented SHTS algorithm, all the three phases of heat transfer are randomly and parallel operated, providing a significant improvement towards the optimization performance. The proposed algorithm is first verified on various benchmark functions contrasted to state-of-the-art counterparts in performance validating, and then adopted in the parameter selection of LADRC in the main steam temperature control system. The excellent control performance, strong robustness and disturbance rejection ability of the designed approach are illustrated through the simulation results on main steam temperature control system. • A novel simultaneous heat transfer search based algorithm is proposed and evaluated. • A SHTS based method is applied in the parameter selection of LADRC. • The proposed method performs well in main steam temperature control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monolithic catalyst is very important for the further industrial application of hydrogen production via NaBH 4 hydrolysis. Nowadays, the structural stability and catalytic performance of aerogel based monolithic catalysts still need to be further improved. Herein, the amorphous Ru–Co(OH) x @GO particles are synthesized by in-situ growth and transformation of ZIF-67 on the surface of GO, the hydrogen generation rate and activation energy via catalytic NaBH 4 hydrolysis can reach 11,062 mL min−1 g−1 and 36.2 kJ mol−1, respectively. Meanwhile, the composite aerogel of Ru–Co(OH) x @GO, chitosan and carbonylated cellulose nanofiber is prepared by solution blending and freeze drying, and the hydrogen generation rate has 7680 mL min−1 g−1 (retained 69.4%) under the same amount of Ru–Co(OH) x @GO. Furthermore, after high speed catalytic hydrogen generation, the aerogel can still maintain its structural integrity, thus facilitating recovery and reuse, which is attributed to the co-structural coupling of carbonylated cellulose nanofiber and chitosan macromolecule to the skeleton. This work provides a convenient and controllable strategy for the development of monolithic catalysts. • ZIF-67 nanocrystalline was in-situ grown on GO. • Amorphous RuCo(OH) x was transformed by etching. • Composite aerogel displayed lamellar skeleton and porous channel. • The hydrogen generation rate of the aerogel had 7680 mL min−1 g−1. • The aerogel had a complete structure after catalytic hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermochemical energy storage has drawn great attention due to its advantages such as high energy density, little heat loss, and long term and distance storage. The present study aims to enhance reactive transport processes during the dehydration process of Ca(OH) 2 /CaO. A physicochemical model is developed for the dehydration process occurring in porous reactant, including vapor flow, heat transfer and endothermic chemical reaction. Distributions of temperature and Ca(OH) 2 concentration in cylinder reactors are discussed, and complicated coupling mechanisms are revealed between multiple processes. In addition, the results show that increasing temperature can efficiently enhance the reactive transport. Effects of reactant porosity are also explored and different reaction patterns are observed. Finally, porous channels with high thermal conductivity and permeability are embedded into the reactor. On the one hand, the porous channel with high permeability serves as highway for the vapor generated to be discharged out of the reactor, thus pushing the reaction towards dehydration direction. On the other hand, the porous channel with high thermal conductivity also enhances local heat transfer, thus accelerating the dehydration chemical reaction. In summary, with porous channels added, the dehydration process is greatly enhanced. • A physicochemical model of Ca(OH) 2 /CaO dehydration is established. • The interaction of thermal conduction and fluid flow of dehydration is studied. • High wall temperature quickens reaction while low porosity prolongs reaction time. • A porous channel is inserted to enhance fluid flow and thermal conduction. • Channels of high permeability and thermal conductivity greatly enhance reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solubility trapping is crucial for permanent CO 2 sequestration in deep saline aquifers. For the first time, a pore-scale numerical method is developed to investigate coupled scCO 2 -water two-phase flow, multicomponent (CO 2 (aq), H + , HCO 3 − , CO 3 2− and OH − ) mass transport, heterogeneous interfacial dissolution reaction, and homogeneous dissociation reactions. Pore-scale details of evolutions of multiphase distributions and concentration fields are presented and discussed. Time evolutions of several variables including averaged CO 2 (aq) concentration, scCO 2 saturation, and pH value are analyzed. Specific interfacial length, an important variable which cannot be determined but is required by continuum models, is investigated in detail. Mass transport coefficient or efficient dissolution rate is also evaluated. The pore-scale results show strong non-equilibrium characteristics during solubility trapping due to non-uniform distributions of multiphase as well as slow mass transport process. Complicated coupling mechanisms between multiphase flow, mass transport and chemical reactions are also revealed. Finally, effects of wettability are also studied. The pore-scale studies provide deep understanding of non-linear non-equilibrium multiple physicochemical processes during CO 2 solubility trapping processes, and also allow to quantitatively predict some important empirical relationships, such as saturation-interfacial surface area, for continuum models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have developed a sequential chemically topotactic transformation strategy to fabricate highly porous thin NiCo 2 S 4 discs with complex crisscross pore channels through sequential in situ ion-exchange. Starting from Co 3 O 4 discs prepared by direct pyrolysis of solid Co-glycolate discs, complex porous Co 3 S 4 and NiCo 2 S 4 discs are obtained after the sequential ion-exchange reactions with S 2− and Ni 2+ ions, respectively. Physicochemical and electrochemical investigations demonstrate that the as-derived NiCo 2 S 4 discs with high electrical conductivity, ion-diffusion-derived large accessible surface area and pore volume present attractive pseudocapacitive properties including remarkably high capacitivity (908 F g −1 at 3 A g −1 ), good rate capability (610 F g −1 at 20 A g −1 ) and outstanding electrochemical stability with a capacitance retention of 82% after continuous cycling for 5000 cycles. Furthermore, a hybrid device using the NiCo 2 S 4 discs and carbon-based composite as positive and negative electrodes, respectively, delivers a high energy density of 42.7 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 375 W kg −1 , suggesting that the NiCo 2 S 4 discs could be a powerful electrode platform for advanced supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of triazine herbicides on glucose metabolism remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess the associations between serum triazine herbicides and glycemia-related risk indicators in general adults, and to evaluate the mediating role of natural immunoglobulin M antibodies (IgM) in the above associations among uninfected participants. We measured the concentrations of atrazine, cyanazine, and IgM in serum, as well as fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and fasting plasma insulin in 4423 adult participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort baseline population, enrolled in 2011–2012. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate the associations of serum triazine herbicides with glycemia-related risk indicators, and mediation analyses were performed to evaluate the mediating role of serum IgM in the above associations. The median levels of serum atrazine and cyanazine were 0.0237 μg/L and 0.0786 μg/L, respectively. Our study found significant positive associations of serum atrazine, cyanazine, and Σtriazine with FPG levels, risk of impaired fasting glucose (IFG), abnormal glucose regulation (AGR), and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, serum cyanazine and Σtriazine were found to be significant positive associated with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels. Significant negative linear relationships were observed in associations of serum IgM with serum triazine herbicides, FPG, HOMA-IR levels, the prevalence of T2D, and AGR (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we observed a significant mediating role by IgM in the associations of serum triazine herbicides with FPG, HOMA-IR, and AGR, with the proportions ranging from 2.96% to 7.71%. To ensure the stability of our findings, we conducted sensitivity analyses in normoglycemic participants and found that the association of serum IgM with FPG and the mediating role by IgM remained stable. Our results suggest that triazine herbicides exposure is positively associated with abnormal glucose metabolism, and decreasing serum IgM may partly mediate these associations. [Display omitted] • Serum samples were measured for atrazine and cyanazine among general urban adults. • Triazine herbicide exposure was associated with abnormal glucose metabolism. • Triazine herbicide exposure was negatively associated with serum IgM level. • Down-regulated serum IgM level was associated with abnormal glucose metabolism. • IgM mediated triazine herbicide exposure-associated abnormal glucose metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, facile and scalable process of simultaneous activation and templating is developed for in situ synthesis of graphene-enhanced 3D hierarchical porous carbon nanobelt networks uniformly anchored with polycrystalline Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (5–45 nm) (Fe 3 O 4 –rGO/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-derived carbon) as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode. During the synthesis, 3D self-assembled NaCl particles are adopted as a structural template to direct the growth of 3D carbon nanobelt networks with interconnected macropores, KOH is used as an activating reagent to generate porous nanobelts with masses of micro-, meso- and macropores, and graphene sheets behave as a chemical activator to promote the growth of hierarchical porous thin nanobelts. The resulting Fe 3 O 4 –rGO/PVA-derived carbon electrode leads to a combination of the redox pseudo-capacitance of Fe 3 O 4 and the electric double-layer capacitance of the carbon species with a remarkably high capacitivity (538.8 F g −1 at 5 A g −1 ) and outstanding cycle performance (∼590 F g −1 after 5000 cycles at 5 A g −1 ). This work offers a new strategy for preparation of 3D hierarchical porous carbon networks for future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus that eventually progresses to heart failure. The sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum calcium ATPase 2a (SERCA2a), an important calcium pump in cardiomyocytes, is closely related to myocardial systolic-diastolic function. In mammalian cells, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), as a second messenger, antioxidant, and sulfurizing agent, is involved in diverse biological processes. Despite the importance of H 2 S for protection against DCM, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to determine whether H 2 S regulates intracellular calcium homeostasis by acting on SERCA2a to reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis during DCM. Db/db mice were injected with NaHS for 18 weeks. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) were treated with high glucose, palmitate, oleate, and NaHS for 48 h. Compared to the NaHS-treated groups, in vivo and in vitro type 2 diabetic models both showed reduced intracellular H 2 S content, reduced cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) expression, impaired cardiac function, decreased SERCA2a expression and decreased SERCA2a activity, reduced SUMOylation of SERCA2a, increased sentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1) expression, and disruption of calcium homeostasis leading to activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Compared to the NaHS-treated type 2 diabetes cellular model, overexpression of SENP1 C683A reduced the S-sulfhydration of SENP1, reduced the SUMOylation of SERCA2a, reduced the increased expression and activity of SERCA2a, and induced mitochondrial apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. These results suggested that exogenous H 2 S elevates SENP1 S-sulfhydration to increase SERCA2a SUMOylation, improve myocardial systolic-diastolic function, and decrease cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DCM. [Display omitted] • H 2 S content is reduced in diabetic cardiomyopathy. • Reduced the SUMOylation of SERCA2a in diabetic cardiomyopathy leads to decreased expression and activity of SERCA2a and imbalance in cellular calcium homeostasis. • H 2 S can S-sulfhydration the 683 cysteine site in the catalytic triad of SENP1. • Decreased S-sulfhydration of SENP1 Cys683 leads to decreased the SUMOylation of SERCA2a in diabetic cardiomyopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse health effects of pyrethroids exposure have attracted wide concern. We aimed to assess the associations of bifenthrin, a widely used pyrethroid, with glucose homeostasis and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to explore the underlying mechanism. Serum bifenthrin, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting plasma insulin (FPI), and plasma protein carbonyl (PCO) were determined among 3822 participants from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Glucose homeostasis was evaluated by FPG, FPI, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), and abnormal glucose regulation (AGR). The associations of serum bifenthrin with glucose homeostasis and risk of T2DM were assessed by generalized linear models and logistic regression models. The role of PCO in the above associations was evaluated by mediation analyses. After adjusting for covariates, each 2-fold increase in serum bifenthrin was associated with a 0.21 mmol/L increase in FPG and a 5.19%, 10.49%, and 12.18% increase in FPI, HOMA-IR, and PCO levels, respectively. Monotonically elevated ORs of IFG and AGR (all P and P for trend <0.05), but not T2DM (P > 0.05) were detected to be associated with increased bifenthrin. Compared with the participants with low bifenthrin and low PCO, participants with high bifenthrin exposure and high PCO showed a 0.40 mmol/L, 11.07%, and 22.50% increase in FPG, FPI, and HOMA-IR, as well as a 119.97% and 48.88% increase in risks of IFG and AGR, respectively (P for trend <0.05). Moreover, PCO mediated 13.61%–24.98% of the serum bifenthrin-associated glucose dyshomeostasis. The study suggested that bifenthrin exposure was dose-dependently associated with glucose dyshomeostasis in the general Chinese urban adults, and these associations were exacerbated and partly mediated by PCO. Given that other pollutants were not included in this study, the effect of co-exposure of pyrethroids with multiple pollutants is necessary to be considered in future studies. [Display omitted] • Serum bifenthrin was dose-dependently associated with glucose dyshomeostasis. • Protein carbonylation exacerbated bifenthrin-associated glucose dyshomeostasis. • Protein carbonylation partly mediated bifenthrin-associated glucose dyshomeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two novel twistacenes isomers containing pyrene are designed and synthesized. • The ultrafast nonlinear absorption of both compounds is discussed by Z-scan and TAS. • The TPA of end-substituted planar molecular (C1) is significantly enhanced. • The ESA in twistacenes is modulated by differences in spatial structure. End-substituted planar and twisted isomers (C1 and C2) of pyrene-containing twistacenes were designed and synthesized to investigate the modulation of ectopic substitution on nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. Results of ultrafast transient absorption spectra reveal that C1 exhibits broad-band excited state absorption (ESA), meanwhile C2 displays an additional electronic delocalized state due to charge transfer. The twisted structure caused by large steric hindrance in C2 is thought to be the cause of enhancement according to the density functional theory calculation. Moreover, the evolution of ESA regarding the transition from local excited (LE) to intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state is observed in the transient spectra. The performance of reverse saturable absorption at 480 nm, 5 ns, is improved by ESA originating from ICT in C2. The extension of π-conjugated system results in a significant enhancement of the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section of C1/toluene from 235 to 737 GM at 532 nm. With different substitution positions of terminal group in isomers, TPA and ESA of these chromophores can be dramatically modulated. This work may provide an idea for the optimization of nonlinear functional isomeric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many bulbous plant species that require vernalization, including garlic, the age of the plant and a period of low temperature are important for complete vernalization. However, the response of garlic to vernalization treatment, which regulates development, remains poorly understood. In this study, the effects of vernalization and plant age on garlic growth and development were assessed. Garlic cultivar cv. G064 (bolting type), which is widely cultivated in China, was grown in a plastic tunnel for three different durations (A 65 , A 45 or A 25 : 65, 45 or 25 days after planting) and then exposed to four vernalization temperatures [ T 5–0 : 5 °C/0 °C, T 10–5 : 10 °C/5 °C, T 15–10 : 15 °C/10 °C, T 20–15 : 20 °C/15 °C (day/night)] for 40 days in growth chambers. To evaluate the bolting rate, plant growth, and endogenous physiological indexes, leaf and pseudostem samples were taken from all plants after 20 days of treatment and from A 25 plants after 40 days of treatment. The results indicate that the response to vernalization varied among garlic plants of different ages, although the patterns were similar among the treatments. In general, vernalization treatment significantly increased the bolting rate in plants at all ages tested, with the youngest plants having the highest bolting rates at 10 °C/5 °C (28.6%, 40.1% and 50.0% for the A 65 , A 45 , and A 25 plants, respectively), inhibited vegetative growth (with reductions in plant height observed in all plants except for A 65 plants, pseudostem diameter, and green leaf number, especially for the T 5–10 treatment) and promoted peroxidase (E.C. 1.15.1.7) and superoxide dismutase (E.C. 1.15.1.1) activities compared with the results observed in the control. The lowest temperature induced the strongest enhancing effect. It seems that a curved parabolic relationship might exist between the vernalization conditions and successful vernalization. Furthermore, the regulation of growth and bolting of plants requiring green-plant vernalization is achievable through the control of plant age (sowing dates) and growth temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, environmental exposure to phenanthrene is widespread worldwide. The potential effects and mechanism of phenanthrene exposure on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) have not been well determined. In this study, we aim to explore the effects of phenanthrene exposure and AMER3 variants on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) through a longitudinal epidemiological study. Repeated measurements of five urinary hydroxyphenanthrene (OHPh) for 5739 participants with 7083 observations from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort were performed to analyze the relationships between total OHPh (ΣOHPh) and FPG using linear mixed models and restricted cubic spline functions. Then, we genotyped 2777 participants (4104 observations) using the Infinium OmniZhongHua-8 BeadChip and included all 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the AMER3 gene to analyze the interaction of the AMER3 on the relationship between ΣOHPh and FPG. We observed a U-shaped relationship between ΣOHPh and FPG, and the turning point of ΣOHPh was 2.512 μg/mmol Cr. When lower than the turning point, ΣOHPh was negatively associated with FPG, while higher than the turning point, ΣOHPh was positively associated with FPG. Furthermore, we observed interactions (P int <0.05) between two common variants (rs72854995 and rs72854999) of the AMER3 and ΣOHPh on FPG change: the U-shaped relationship was still observed in the GG genotype groups but not in the allele A carriers. Our results suggested that the AMER3 gene can modify the U-shaped relationship between phenanthrenes exposure and FPG, which showed a new gene-environment interaction and will provide a new perspective on the relationship between phenanthrene exposure and FPG. [Display omitted] • A U-shaped relationship was observed between ΣOHPh and FPG. • AMER3 variants modify the U-shaped relationship between ΣOHPh and FPG. • The role of AMER3 in glucose metabolism warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure has been related to the abnormal glucose metabolism and the risk of diabetes. However, the joint effects of various PCBs are uncertain and the potential mechanisms remain unclear. Our objectives were to evaluate the associations of serum PCBs with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and the risk of diabetes among a general Chinese population, and to estimate the mediating effects of oxidative stress in the above associations. Serum levels of seven indicator-PCBs (PCB-28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) and FPG values were determined among 4498 subjects from the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Oxidative DNA damage biomarker (urinary 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) and lipid peroxidation biomarker (urinary 8-isoprostane, 8-iso-PGF 2α) were also measured. Positive relationships of serum PCBs with FPG values as well as the risk of diabetes were observed. With each 1% increment in the natural log-transformed values of wet weight serum PCBs, FPG levels increased a 0.125% for PCB-52, 0.168% for PCB-118, 0.221% for PCB-138, 0.273% for PCB-153, and 0.379% for ΣPCB (the sum of seven PCBs). The adjusted odds ratios of diabetes associated with wet weight PCBs were 1.186 for PCB-52, 1.373 for PCB-118, 1.635 for PCB-153, and 1.456 for ΣPCB. The seven serum PCBs showed positive overall effect on the risk of diabetes. Elevated PCB-28, PCB-52, PCB-118, PCB-138, PCB-153, and ΣPCB were associated with the increased urinary 8-iso-PGF 2α , which was positively related with FPG values. Furthermore, urinary 8-iso-PGF 2α partially mediated the positive associations between PCBs and FPG values, with the mediated proportions ranged from 3.20 to 12.93%. In conclusion, our results suggested that serum PCBs were positively related with increased oxidative stress, FPG values, and the risk of diabetes among a general Chinese population. Serum PCBs mixture had positive overall effect on the risk of diabetes. Lipid peroxidation partly mediated the FPG elevation induced by PCB exposure. [Display omitted] • Serum PCB-52, 118, 138, and 153 and ∑PCB were positively associated with FPG levels. • Serum PCB-52, 118, and 153 and ∑PCB were positively associated with risk of diabetes. • PCBs mixture showed positive overall effect on the risk of diabetes. • Increased serum PCBs were associated with elevated urinary 8-iso-PGF 2α. • Urinary 8-iso-PGF 2α mediated the associations between serum PCBs and increased FPG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garlic ( Allium sativum L.) has been long favored as a seasoning and as a seasonal vegetable all over the world. However, the production of fresh garlic scapes and bulbs is extremely limited by the climate and region, especially the temperature and photoperiod, under natural production conditions, and the uncertainty of the vernalization characteristic of garlic has been a key restriction to the developmental regulation of bolting and bulbing. A thorough understanding of the vernalization conditions for garlic growth should improve our knowledge of the bolting and bulbing processes. This research was conducted to assess the response of the clove to chilling treatment and further demonstrate whether chilling treatment on garlic clove could substitute the vernalization requirements for garlic plant. Before planting, the cloves (cv. G064) were subjected to low temperature (5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C) for different durations (20 days, 40 days or 60 days) for chilling treatment. The control cloves or plants remained in the 20–22 °C regime throughout. Then, the plant growth, bolting and garlic yield were evaluated during field growing. The results indicate that pre-plant chilling treatment significantly affects garlic plant growth and development, and could act as the vernalization and enable the garlic plant to bolt without undergoing chilling during plant growth. Lower temperatures and longer treatment durations significantly enhanced the leaf elongation, shortened the growth period (5 °C or 60 days), promoted the rate of one-clove bulbs (5 °C or 40 days), stimulated bolting and increased the bolting rate (10 °C) compared with the control. However, the bolting rate and low-temperature treatment did not follow a simple linear relation, as lower temperatures (5 °C) or higher temperatures (15 °C) were not beneficial to garlic bolting. It was found that garlic plants subjected to a treatment of 10 °C for 20/40 days or 5 °C for 20 days had comparatively higher bolting rates. Nevertheless, the garlic bulb yield and mean bulb weight decreased significantly as a function of the increasing period of the chilling treatment compared with the control. The treatment of 5 °C for 20 days had the greatest yield among all the treatments, second only to the control. These findings provide strong evidence for the potential cultivation of garlic of various cultivars in various climates or seasons, making off-season cultivation possible. Other researchers could use a similar methodology to shorten the period needed until harvest or even produce desirable scapes and bulbs in the warm season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 3D model of indirect shell-tube reactor coupling physical–chemical-thermal process. • Interaction of reactive transport and heat transfer process of Ca(OH) 2 dehydration. • When HTF inlet velocity increases to 40 m⋅s−1, the reaction time reduced by 46.6%. • Adding tubes in by-pass region improves energy storage amount and reaction rate. • Five possible schemes are proposed to improve the reactor low η store. The Ca(OH) 2 /CaO system is a promising candidate for thermochemical energy storage because of its high energy density, low cost and negligible heat loss. Coupling mechanisms of multiple physiochemical processes still need further investigation and the system performance should be further improved. In this work, for the first time, a three-dimensional numerical model is developed to study the thermochemical energy storage process by Ca(OH) 2 dehydration reaction in a shell-tube reactor. The turbulent heat transfer fluid flow in the shell side, and the steam flow, heat transfer and dehydration reaction in the tube side are comprehensively taken into account. Effects of operation conditions and reactor geometry parameters on the dehydration process are also investigated in detail. Five indicators are proposed to comprehensively evaluate the reactor performance, including reaction time, energy storage density, heat exchange power, heat exchange efficiency and energy storage efficiency. The results reveal that higher inlet temperature and inlet velocity of heat transfer fluid can enhance the heat transfer and accelerate the reaction. Lower porosity, although increases the energy storage density, leads to higher flow resistance and impedes the reaction. With deep understanding of the physiochemical processes, 16 more tubes are properly added in the by-pass flow region, leading to shorter reaction time and higher energy storage amount. The low values of heat exchange efficiency and energy storage efficiency reveal that the input heat cannot be efficiently transferred to the tube side. To improve the energy conversion performance of reactor, additional schemes are discussed including regenerative HTF, optimization of reactor geometry, increase of reactant thermal conductivity, reducing tube-side flow resistance and extending HTF residence time. The numerical model and simulation results in the present work could be helpful for optimizing the shell-tube Ca(OH) 2 /CaO reactor and improving the thermochemical energy storage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications. Due to the dynamic nature and low stoichiometry of the protein phosphorylation, enrichment of phosphopeptides from proteolytic mixtures is necessary prior to their characterization by mass spectrometry. In this work, we synthesized Fe3O4@mesoporous TiO2 magnetic microspheres with core–shell structure and large surface area for selective enrichment of phosphopeptides. To demonstrate its ability for selective enrichment of phosphopeptides, we applied Fe3O4@mesoporous TiO2 magnetic microspheres to isolation and enrichment of the phosphopeptides from tryptic digestion of standard proteins and real samples, and then the enriched peptides were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) or liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC–ESI-MS). Due to that the as-made Fe3O4@mesoporous TiO2 microspheres have large surface area, good dispersivity and biocompatibility, they have been demonstrated as a powerful tool for phosphoproteomics research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The paper provides a high-accuracy method for diagnosis of schistosomiasis cirrhosis based on XAS. • The results showed that the X-ray absorption of 20–30 keV energy in mouse cirrhosis was greater than that in normal liver. • PCA combined with kNN, SVM or ANN can achieve a highest 10-fold cross-validation accuracy of 99.50%. A new diagnostic technique of schistosomiasis cirrhosis based on X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was studied in this paper. Taking the liver of normal and schistosomiasis mansoni mice as samples, the incident and transmission spectra of the samples were obtained by a wide-beam X-ray spectrometry detection system based on photon counting principle, and the X-ray absorption spectra were calculated. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to compress and visualize the normalized XAS data. The XAS processed by PCA were used as input data to train k -nearest neighbor (k NN), support vector machine (SVM) and artificial neural network (ANN). The experimental results showed that the X-ray absorption of 20–30 keV energy in mouse cirrhosis was greater than that in normal mouse liver, and PCA combined with k NN, SVM or ANN can achieve a highest 10- fold cross-validation accuracy of 99.50 %. XAS principle combined with machine learning algorithm provides a new method for the diagnosis or stage-specific diagnosis of schistosomiasis cirrhosis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]