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Antimony selenide (Sb2Se3) is a promising light absorber material for solar cells because of its superior photovoltaic properties. However, the current performance of the Sb2Se3 solar cell is much lower than its theoretical value (∼32%) due to its low open-circuit voltage (VOC). In this paper, we have demonstrated inorganic vanadium oxides (VOx) as a hole transport layer (HTL) for Sb2Se3 solar cells to enhance efficiency through the VOC improvement. Here, a solution-processed VOx through the decomposition of the triisopropoxyvanadium (V) oxide is deposited on the Sb2Se3 absorber layer prepared by close-spaced sublimation (CSS). With VOx HTL, the built-in voltage (Vbi) is significantly increased, leading to improved VOC for the Sb2Se3 solar cell devices. As a result, the efficiency of the device increases from an average efficiency of 5.5% to 6.3% with the VOx.

Although perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have made revolutionary progress in terms of power conversion efficiency (PCE), to achieve long-term stability and low-cost device manufacturing for commercialization of the devices, selection of proper hole transport layer (HTL) and affordable back contact are still crucial to realize the upscale manufacturing. However, the carbon-based perovskite still faces great challenges to further improve the device performance due to the low quality of the carbon/perovskite interface. Inorganic NiOx is a superior HTL candidate due to its favorable energy band alignment, superior chemical stability, high hole mobility, and low-cost manufacturing. To address the poor interface quality of the carbon-based PSCs, we report electrospun NiOx fibers as an effective HTL, resulting in highly efficient device performance of PCEs up to 13.73% when deployed in our carbon-based PSCs. NiOx has been introduced as an interfacial layer between the perovskite and the carbon counter electrode to study its impact on interfacial modification and device performance.

Iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) alloys with different content of niobium (Nb)—0, 0.4 wt%, 0.8 wt%, and 1.2 wt%—were designed and prepared. All samples were then irradiated with 2.4 MeV Fe2+ ion to the dose of 1 and 15 displacements per atom (dpa) at 400 °C. The formations of dislocation loops induced by self-ion irradiation in these alloys were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nano-indentation tests were used to assess the hardness and irradiation hardening of samples. For the samples before irradiation, the (Fe, Cr)2(Nb, Mo) Laves phases density and the nano-indentation hardness increased with increasing Nb content of the samples. After irradiation to 1 and 15 dpa, both of a/2 and a dislocation loops were produced but no voids or αˊ phase were found in all samples. With increasing Nb content of the samples, the size of dislocation loops increased first and then decreased, while the total volume number density decreased and then increased. The fraction of a dislocation loops increased first and then decreased with increasing Nb content, and increased with increasing irradiation dose. Dislocation networks and the amorphization of the Laves phases were observed in the samples with irradiation dose of 15 dpa. Irradiation hardening of Nb free samples was two to four times that of Nb containing samples, and the irradiation hardening increased with increasing Nb content of Nb containing samples. The experimental results indicate that the increase of Nb content in FeCrAl alloys can increase the density of Laves phases, leading to the decrease of Mo content and increase of Cr content in the matrix. The competition between the two types of solutes affects the nucleation and growth of the dislocation loops.

Heterosis refers to the superior phenotypes observed in hybrids. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) system plays an important role in cotton heterosis utilization. However, the global gene expression patterns of CMS-D2 and its interaction with the restorer gene Rf1 remain unclear. Here, the full-length transcript sequencing was performed in anthers of the CMS-D2 restorer line using PacBio single-molecule real-time sequencing technology. Combining PacBio SMRT long-read isoforms and Illumina RNA-seq data, 107,066 isoforms from 44,338 loci were obtained, including 10,086 novel isoforms of novel genes and 66,419 new isoforms of known genes. Totally 56,572 alternative splicing (AS) events, 1146 lncRNAs, 61 fusion transcripts and 10,466 genes exhibited alternative polyadenylation (APA), and 60,995 novel isoforms with predicted open reading frames (ORFs) were further identified. Furthermore, the specifically expressed genes in restorer line were selected and confirmed by qRT-PCR. These findings provide a basis for upland cotton genome annotation and transcriptome research, and will help to reveal the molecular mechanism of interaction between Rf1 and CMS-D2 cytoplasm.

Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4) is regarded as a candidate solid tritium breeding material for the fusion reactors, but the phase control and densification for this ceramic are difficult. Microwave-induced solution combustion synthesis (MSCS) offers an efficient and flexible route for preparing the tritium breeders in a single step. The combustion process can be effectively controlled by the microwave power output and the fuel-to-oxidizer ratio (ϕ), which can be taken advantage of for the phase control of the product. The results show that the combustion temperature increases linearly with the increase of the ϕ value, and the Li4SiO4 becomes the main product when the ϕ value is higher than 0.75. Lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3) is detected in minimum quantities in the products, and its content can be reduced when the microwave power output is 1100 W, which can be further removed by calcination at 873 K for 2 h. The thermal analysis results show that the redox reaction between the LiNO3 and citric acid provides the heat for the combustion. The ceramic body can be sintered to 84% of the theoretical density at a low temperature of 1073 K, and the relative density is close to 96% with high purity at the sintering temperature of 1373 K.

Sb2Se3 is a promising absorber material for thin-film solar cells owing to its earth-abundant and non-toxic constituents, superior optoelectronic properties, and unique one-dimensional crystal structure. To further increase the power conversion efficiency of the Sb2Se3, we fabricated an n-i-p structure by integrating a solution-processed NiOx hole-transport layer (HTL) into Sb2Se3 solar cells to enhance the carrier collection. In this study, we systematically screen the thickness of NiOx HTL and demonstrate an improved average power conversion efficiency from 6.12% to 7.15% with a 50 nm NiOx HTL. The mechanism associated with the improved device performance was characterized through the microstructure of the material, device physics, and interface electronic behaviors. It is also shown that the low-cost and scalable solution-processed NiOx HTL can improve device stability under an accelerated stress test. Thus, this work paves a way to further improve the performance of antimony chalcogenides-based solar cells via tailoring the inorganic HTL.

The coordinated utilization of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is vital for plants to maintain nutrient balance and achieve optimal growth. Previously, we revealed a mechanism by which nitrate induces genes for phosphate utilization; this mechanism depends on NRT1.1B-facilitated degradation of cytoplasmic SPX4, which in turn promotes cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of PHR2, the central transcription factor of phosphate signaling, and triggers the nitrate-induced phosphate response (NIPR) and N-P coordinated utilization in rice. In this study, we unveiled a fine-tuning mechanism of NIPR in the nucleus regulated by Highly Induced by Nitrate Gene 1 (HINGE1, also known as RLI1), a MYB-transcription factor closely related to PHR2. RLI1/HINGE1, which is transcriptionally activated by PHR2 under nitrate induction, can directly activate the expression of phosphate starvation-induced genes. More importantly, RLI1/HINGE1 competes with PHR2 for binding to its repressor proteins in the nucleus (SPX proteins), and consequently releases PHR2 to further enhance phosphate response. Therefore, RLI1/HINGE1 amplifies the phosphate response in the nucleus downstream of the cytoplasmic SPX4-PHR2 cascade, thereby enabling fine-tuning of N-P balance when nitrate supply is sufficient.

The low charge separation efficiency and sunlight utilisation of traditional titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle photocatalysts greatly limit their applications. Herein, one-dimensional (1D) mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanotubes with engineered surface defects are fabricated using a combination of simple solvothermal synthesis and high-temperature surface hydrogenation strategy. The obtained mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanotubes with mesopores in the nanotube walls and a specific surface area of 110 m2 g−1 decrease the bandgap from 3.18 to 2.98 eV, enhancing the photoresponse to the visible-light region of the solar spectrum. The defective mesoporous anatase TiO2 nanotubes exhibited an excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 9.8 mmol h−1 g−1, which is approximately 2.5 times higher than that of the pristine anatase TiO2 nanotubes. This can be ascribed to the engineered surface defects and 1D mesoporous nanotube structure favouring efficient spatial charge separation on the horizontal–vertical dimensions, enabling visible-light absorption and exposing abundant surface active sites. This study provides a facile and feasible strategy for the fabrication of high-performance 1D mesostructured semiconductor oxide photocatalysts for efficient solar energy conversion.

This present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan (CS) on carcass composition and meat quality in growing Huoyan geese. A total of 320 (28-day-old) growing Huoyan geese (sex balance) with similar body weight were randomly divided into the following 4 main groups: basal diet (control), basal diet + 100 mg/kg CS (CS100), basal diet + 200 mg/kg CS (CS200), and basal diet + 400 mg/kg CS (CS400) groups. Each group includes 4 replicates with 20 geese per replicate, and the feeding trail lasted for 4 wk. The results showed that the geese in CS200 group had lower abdominal fat percentage, b∗ value, shear force, crude fat content, and drip loss of breast and thigh muscle than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the CS200 group had higher glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, valine, total nonessential amino acids, total essential amino acids, total amino acids, C22:0, C16:1, C18:1, C20:1, C20:2, C20:5, total monounsaturated fatty acids concentration and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio and lower total SFA, total PUFA concentration, and total n-6:n-3 ratio in breast muscle than the control group (P < 0.05). Taken together, these results indicated that addition of 200 mg/kg CS improved meat quality in growing Huoyan geese through altering slaughter performance, meat traits, amino acids, and fatty acids composition.

The cross-linked network of DUT-67/tubular polypyrrole (T-PPY) composites was first synthesized by in-situ growth zirconium - based metal-organic frameworks (DUT-67) with T-PPY. The introduction of T-PPY effectively increases conductivity of DUT-67/T-PPY composites, weakens accumulation of the DUT-67, and exposes more active sites of DUT-67. DUT-67/T-PPY/GCE manifests increased electrocatalytic activity toward reduction of nitrofurazone and ornidazole compared with DTU-67. A novel electrochemical sensor based on DUT-67/T-PPY was established to effectively detect two anti-infective drugs, respectively. Under optimized experimental conditions, the proposed sensor shows a wider linear range for nitrofurazone that is composed by two line segments (9.08–354.08 μM and 354.08–1004.04 μM). Meanwhile, the sensor also displays a linear response to ornidazole in the range of (0.7–100.5 μM and 100.5–250.4 μM) as well as a low LOD as 0.25 μM (S/N = 3). The proposed sensor was used for the detection of nitrofurazone and ornidazole in actual samples, and the satisfactory results were acquired. This research provides an efficient strategy for fabricating novel electrochemical sensor based on cross-linked network structure of T-PPY and MOFs.

The evolution of defects with isochronal annealing between 373 and 1273 K in 316L stainless steels, irradiated by helium ions at room temperature (RT), has been studied by the slow positron Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS). The results showed that with annealing temperature between RT and 673 K, the S parameters of sample were maintained. It indicates that below 673 K, on the one hand, some vacancies introduced by irradiation were gathered to form vacancy clusters and on the other hand, some vacancies migrated and recovered. From 773 K to 1073 K, there was continuous growth of HenVm cluster, resulting in rapid increasing of S parameter. After 1073 K, unstable HenVm clusters dissociated into vacancies and He atoms. The vacancies were vanished rapidly, which decreases the concentration of vacancy defects, leading to decline of S parameter.

Development of electrocatalysts composed of low cost and abundant elements that exhibit catalytic activity comparable to noble metals is important for water splitting. As such, in this study, a catalyst material with a ginger-like morphology consisting of Co6W6C is synthesized via a hydrothermal reaction and pyrolysis treatment. The Co6W6C catalyst exhibits satisfactory electrochemical properties towards both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions in an alkaline electrolyte, with a low overpotential, low Tafel slope, and durable stability. Co6W6C possesses a high activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline conditions, with an onset potential and overpotential of −0.024 V and 101 mV, respectively, and low Tafel slope of 80.5 mV dec−1 at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. In addition, Co6W6C achieves a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for the oxygen evolution reaction at an overpotential of only 343 mV. Furthermore, electrochemical stability tests indicate that the Co6W6C catalyst maintains 91% of the original current after 60,000 s for the hydrogen evolution reaction and 95% of the original current after 45,000 s for the oxygen evolution reaction. Moreover, electrochemical splitting of water via a two-electrode system employing this catalyst can hold 89% of the initial current after 40,000 s in 1 M KOH.

This present experiment was performed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan (CS) on immune function in growing Huoyan geese. A total of 320 28-day-old healthy growing Huoyan geese (sex balance) with similar body weight were randomly allotted into control, CS100, CS200, and CS400 groups. Each group includes 4 replicates with 20 geese per replicate, and the feeding trial lasted for 4 wk. The 4 diets contained 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg CS per kg feed, respectively. The results showed that compared with the control group, the relative weight of thymus, serum concentrations of IGF-I, INS, GH, T3, T4, IgM, IgG, IgA, complement C3, and IL-2 in CS200 group were significantly higher at both 42 and 56 D of age, respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, relative weight of bursa of fabricius (BF), spleen, serum complement C4, and TNF-a concentrations in CS200 group were higher at 56 D of age (P < 0.05), no differences were observed at 42 D of age (P > 0.05). These results indicated that addition of 200 mg/kg CS enhanced immune organs weight, serum concentrations of immunoglobulins, complements, hormone, as well as cytokines, and improved immune function of growing Huoyan geese.

In this study, cobalt-iron selenides embedded in porous carbon nanofibers (CoFe2Se4/PCF), derived from Prussian blue analogues, was prepared as a novel phenolic sensor. The obtained CoFe2Se4/PCF nanocomposites show three-dimensional (3D) networks nanostructures that can supply a desirable conductive network to accelerate electron transfer and avoid the aggregation of CoFe2Se4 nanoparticles. Electrochemical detection of hydroquinone (HQ), catechol (CC) and resorcinol (RS), at CoFe2Se4/PCF modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) were researched. The results show the obtained 3D CoFe2Se4/PCF/GCE exhibits excellent electrochemical properties towards the simultaneous testing trace of HQ, CC and RS. The obtained electrode provides wide linear ranges of 0.5–200, 0.5–190 and 5–350 μM and low detection limit of 0.13, 0.15 and 1.36 μM for HQ, CC and RS, respectively. The as-prepared phenolic sensor displays satisfied selectivity and long-term storage stability. In addition, the constructed sensor can be used to determine HQ, CC and RS in actual samples.

The effect of the concentration of hydrogen (H) atoms on the hydrogen diffusion and evolution of hydrogen bubbles in body-centered cubic iron was investigated using molecular statics and molecular dynamics methods. The simulation results indicate that the local accumulation of H atoms can significantly influence their migration. Compared to the isolated H in a perfect lattice, the H atoms in a high-concentration H-cluster are trapped. After collecting a sufficient amount of hydrogen atoms, the H-vacancy cluster will push out one hydrogen atom instead of a self-interstitial atom, which indicates that loop-punching will not dominate the H-bubble growth in bcc iron. These results will provide a new understanding for the hydrogen-induced radiation damages in nuclear materials.

The evolution of dislocation loops in two types of modified 310S steel under proton irradiation are investigated with rate theory simulations. The growth of dislocation loops is promoted with the increase of irradiation dose and growth rate decreases at high dose, while the number density of the dislocation loops increases first with dose and then tends to be saturated gradually. At the initial stage of irradiation, large number of dislocation loops nucleate and the density increases rapidly. With the development of irradiation, the growth of dislocation loops gradually takes over. Simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental observations of transmission electron microscope. Present study shows that The irradiation resistance of Zr-added steel is slightly better than that of (Nb, Ta, W)-added steel, which may due to the smaller migration energy of interstitials and vacancies in Zr-added steel than that in the (Nb, Ta, W)-added one.

The effects of oversized additive atoms on microstructure evolution in 310S stainless steel under irradiation was investigated. Ar ion irradiations were conducted on modified 310S stainless steels at 290 °C and 550 °C. SC-1 was modified with Zr and SC-2 was modified with Nb, Ta and W. Compared with SC-2, lower density, smaller vacancy clusters formed in SC-1 at 290 °C. When irradiation temperature was increased from 290 °C to 550 °C, the average size of vacancy clusters increased while the number density dropped to a lower value in SC-1; however, in SC-2, the average size and number density of vacancy clusters shifted to larger values. At 550 °C, lower density and larger size of vacancy clusters were observed in SC-1 compared with that in SC-2. In addition, precipitates enriched with Ni were observed in SC-1, while Nb- and Ta-enriched precipitates were found in SC-2. A possible mechanism is discussed.

In this work, porphyrin-based 2D MOF CuTCPP/platelet ordered mesoporous carbon (pOMC) composites were successfully synthesized by conventional solvothermal reaction. The introduction of pOMC increases conductivity of CuTCPP/pOMC composites, weakens accumulation of the CuTCPP layers, and exposes active sites of CuTCPP. CuTCPP/pOMC composites show high electro-catalytic activity to the oxidation of hydroxylamine and the redox of chlorogenic acid. An electrochemical sensor based on CuTCPP/pOMC was constructed for quantitative determination of hydroxylamine and chlorogenic acid, and relevant mechanisms were discussed. Under optimized conditions, the fabricated sensor displays two wide linear responses in the ranges of 5.8–733.8 μM and 733.8–2933.8 μM for hydroxylamine, with a rapid response time about 1 s. For chlorogenic acid, the sensor presents linear responses in the ranges of 0.1–2 μM and 2–15 μM, with a high sensitivity of 10.18 μA/μM. The sensor was used to detect hydroxylamine and chlorogenic acid in real samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. The synthesis of CuTCPP/pOMC composites provides new strategy for designing electrochemical sensors based on 2D MOFs.

High ductility cementitious composites (HDCCs) exhibit robust tensile ductility accompanied by multiple cracking and a tight crack width. The constitutive relations of fiber/matrix interfacial bonding has a great influence on the mechanical properties of HDCCs. Appropriate interfacial bonding can give full play to the bridging effect of fibers, whereas improper interfacial bonding only achieves inferior, or even no ductility. The purpose of this study is to elaborate on the optimal range of the fiber/matrix interfacial bonding strength based on the micromechanics theory with consideration to fiber rupture. As typical fibers used in HDCCs, like PVA fiber, PET fiber, PE fiber and steel fiber were selected as case studies. Furthermore, a source of confused question is clarified if all the fibers in HDCCs exhibit pullout behavior rather than rupture behavior, which is the optimal case. The analysis results show that moderate volume fractions of fibers ruptured can contribute to obtain stronger fibers bridging capacity and can achieve higher ductility for HDCCs. Finally, the experimental value of fiber/matrix interfacial friction τ 0 is shown to be in an optimal range, and the ductility of the PVA-HDCC and PE-HDCC can reach 2.7 ± 0.3% and 4.8 ± 1.0%, respectively. These research findings can be used as an important guide on fiber surface treatment and fiber/matrix interface tailoring.

Quasi-one-dimensional van der Waals Sb2Se3 compound is a promising absorber material with desired optical properties and has theoretical potential to achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ∼30%. Here, we report a new window layer, i.e., sputtered CdSe, which can enhance the Sb2Se3 device stability during light soaking and improve the photocurrent collection. Compared to the widely used CdS window layer, CdSe can suppress the interfacial diffusion between the window layer and the Sb2Se3 film, thereby reducing interfacial recombination sites. The dominant degradation mechanism in the CdS/Sb2Se3 devices is found to be the S diffusion instead of the Cd diffusion, as CdSe/Sb2Se3 devices did not show degradation during the 85 °C 120 h 1-Sun light soaking with similar Cd diffusion. Meanwhile, the enhanced photocurrent and reduced series resistivity in the CdSe/Sb2Se3 solar cells lead to an improved PCE of 4.5% with a glass/FTO/CdSe/Sb2Se3/graphite cell architecture. The obtained results suggest that CdSe can be employed as a window layer in the thin-film solar cells made of stable and efficient Sb2Se3-like quasi-one-dimensional van der Waals materials, providing a cost-effective way to integrate into the traditional thin-film solar cell manufacturing process.

Background Previous study had demonstrated that sestrin2 (Sesn2) expression was increased in human failing heart. Although, the circulating Sesn2 concentrations in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) remains unknown. This study investigated plasma Sesn2 concentrations in patients with CHF and the role between Sesn2 and the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events. Methods A total of 80 control subjects and 220 CHF patients were enrolled and the Sesn2 concentrations of each sample were measured. Additionally, the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events in each CHF patient were followed prospectively for 36 months. Results Increased plasma Sesn2 concentrations were found in CHF patients and gradually increased from New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II to IV. The Sesn2 concentrations were positively correlated with N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) but negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in CHF patients. The ROC curve suggested that Sesn2 had a certain value in predicting major adverse cardiac events during CHF patients, although, the predictive role of Sesn2 is not as good as NT-pro BNP. In addition, the multivariate Cox hazard analysis was performed after the CHF patients were divided into 3 groups (low, middle, and high) base on the plasma Sesn2 concentrations category, and the results showed that both high and middle Sesn2 concentrations increased the incidence of major adverse cardiac events when compared with low Sesn2 group. Furthermore, CHF patients with major adverse cardiac events showed higher Sesn2 concentrations when compared with CHF without major adverse cardiac events. The Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed after the CHF patients were divided into 2 groups according to the median Sesn2 concentrations and the results revealed that patients with high Sesn2 concentrations had a higher risk of major adverse cardiac events compared with those with low Sesn2. Conclusions Plasma Sesn2 concentrations were increased in CHF patients and positively correlated with the severity of CHF. Increased Sesn2 concentrations significantly increased the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events and suggested poor outcome in CHF patients.

The microstructure of bubbles induced by single-ion (He or H) and sequential-ion H/He irradiation in tungsten were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Specimens were irradiated with 12 keV He+ and 6.7 keV H+ under different fluences at 600 °C. Bubbles were observed after single He+ irradiation and sequential H+/He+ irradiation. Compared with single He+ irradiation, the mean size of bubbles decreased first, and then increased with the increasing fluence of pre-implanted H+ for the sequential H+/He+ irradiation condition. The main effect of pre-implanted H+ with low proportion might enhance bubbles nucleated, and the main effect of pre-implanted H+ with high proportion might make bubbles grow larger. The possible mechanism was discussed in this paper.

A facile, low cost and effective method was used to synthesize porous holey nitrogen-doped graphene (PHNG) with three-dimensional (3D) structure via direct pyrolysis of a mixture of urea and magnesium acetate tetrahydrate, followed by treating with hydrochloric acid to remove magnesium cations. The unique structure of PHNG significantly decreases the irreversible stacking of graphene nanosheet, favors the exposure of active edge sites, and enables more accessibility for reactants/electrolytes. The PHNG shows porous structure with a large surface area and can serve as support for nanoparticles. PtPd nanoparticles with different ratios were deposited on PHNG surface to synthesize PtPd/PHNG. The PtPd/PHNG-2 shows high direct oxidation activity towards the glucose, achieving a high sensitivity (52.526 μA mM−1 cm−2), wide linear range (100–4000 μM), fast response time (

There is an important connection between the microscopic and macroscopic properties of UHS-UHDCC with compressive strength (more than 160 MPa) and uniaxial tensile ductility (more than 6%). First, some microscopic properties were studied. For the fresh mortar matrix, the plastic viscosity within an optimal range is beneficial to achieve uniform fiber distribution. Compared with the fluorescence analysis, the backscattering analysis more truly displays the fiber distribution situation and cross section shapes of fibers. Based on the mesh size of three-dimensional grid formed by theoretically absolutely uniform distributed fibers, the river sand with an average particle size of 240 μm was selected as the aggregate. The addition of fibers slightly increases the porosity, the larger bubbles are not easy to be excreted due to the isolation of the fiber mesh. With the increasing of silica fume (SF) dosage and the decreasing of the water-binder ratio (w/b), the overall protruded length of fibers on fracture surface of tensile specimen reveals a decreasing trend, the hydration product attached to the fibers first increases and then decreases, and the decreasing accompanies a more severely scraped fiber surface, the fiber shedding changes from being no apparent to gradually increase. Increasing SF dosage or decreasing the w/b, the elastic modulus increases with different degrees, and the difference between the elastic modulus in interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of about 60 μm span and that of mortar matrix gets smaller and smaller. The elastic modulus in ITZ exhibits a gradient that first decreases and then increases. Further, the connection between microscopic and macroscopic (flexural、compressive、tensile) properties was analyzed. The highest fiber dispersion degree at mix proportion 0.4SF + W0.19 + PE and its suitable interfacial bonding strength together create the saturated multi-crack ductility of 6.53% and compressive strength of 163 MPa. When the strength growth benefitting from the increasing of interfacial bonding strength lowers than the strength loss due to the decreasing of the fiber dispersion degree, the ultimate tensile strength and the flexural strength of UHS-UHDCC decrease.

The flower color of Paeonia 'Coral Sunset' and 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' changes from coral to pink to pale yellow during flowering, which confers high ornamental value to these two cultivars. However, the molecular mechanism underlying flower color change is still unclear. In this study, flavonoids in petals of Paeonia 'Coral Sunset' and 'Pink Hawaiian Coral' at seven flowering stages were analyzed to explore the effects of the flavonoid component on changes in flower color. In addition, four cDNA libraries of 'Coral Sunset' during the critical blooming stages were constructed and the transcriptome was sequenced to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying changes to flower color. Two anthocyanins (cyanidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside and peonidin-3,5-di-O-glucoside) were detected in both cultivars. Total anthocyanin content in both cultivars accumulated continuously from stages 1-3 and then decreased sharply. Correlation analysis showed that the change in flower color from coral to pink to pale yellow is due to a significant decrease in anthocyanin content. A total of 91,583 Unigenes were obtained in 'Coral Sunset', 33,962 (37.08%) of which were annotated to major databases. Based on the enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, eight structural genes (CHS, F3H, F3'H, FLS, DRF, ANS, ANR and UFGT) and 13 transcription factors (five MYB, three bHLH, one WD40, one HY5, one PIF3, one COP1 and two PHY) related to flavonoid biosynthesis were screened. The qRT-PCR results were generally consistent with the high-throughput sequencing results. This research will provide a foundation to clarify the mechanisms underlying changes in flower color of herbaceous peony.

A catalytic system consisting of metal chloride-ionic liquids (ILs) was applied for one-pot conversion of ketones to amides via Beckmann rearrangement under solvent-free condition. The influence of the type of metal chlorides, type of ILs, length of the substituent chain on the cation of ILs, reaction temperature, and dosage of ILs was investigated. Various combinations of metal chlorides and ILs were found to be highly efficient for this reaction.

The deterioration of cement based materials in marine and salts lakes environment is complicated problem, due to the presence of chlorides and sulfate simultaneously. The influence of sulfate on the chloride diffusion mechanism was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The total chloride profile was also used to illustrate the influence of chloride and sulfate salts concentrations on chloride diffusion. The results show that the chloride binding and formation of Friedel’s salt are inhibited by the presence of sulfate. The presence of sulfate increases chloride diffusion in the short term, while it inhibits the chloride diffusion from a long-term perspective. The aggressive ions penetrate into the mortar causing mortar’s porosity decrease, especially the pore