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The death of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily due to from critically ill patients, especially from ARDS complications caused by SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is essential to contribute an in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and to identify biomarkers for predicting critically ill patients at the molecular level. Immunogenic cell death (ICD), as a specific variant of regulatory cell death driven by stress, can induce adaptive immune responses against cell death antigens in the host. Studies have confirmed that both innate and adaptive immune pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the role of ICD in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 has rarely been explored. In this study, we systematically evaluated the role of ICD-related genes in COVID-19. We conducted consensus clustering, immune infiltration analysis, and functional enrichment analysis based on ICD differentially expressed genes. The results showed that immune infiltration characteristics were altered in severe and non-severe COVID-19. In addition, we used multiple machine learning methods to screen for five risk genes (KLF5, NSUN7, APH1B, GRB10 and CD4), which are used to predict COVID-19 severity. Finally, we constructed a nomogram to predict the risk of severe COVID-19 based on the classification and recognition model, and validated the model with external data sets. This study provides a valuable direction for the exploration of the pathogenesis and progress of COVID-19, and helps in the early identification of severe cases of COVID-19 to reduce mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The death of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily due to from critically ill patients, especially from ARDS complications caused by SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, it is essential to contribute an in-depth understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and to identify biomarkers for predicting critically ill patients at the molecular level. Immunogenic cell death (ICD), as a specific variant of regulatory cell death driven by stress, can induce adaptive immune responses against cell death antigens in the host. Studies have confirmed that both innate and adaptive immune pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the role of ICD in the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 has rarely been explored. In this study, we systematically evaluated the role of ICD-related genes in COVID-19. We conducted consensus clustering, immune infiltration analysis, and functional enrichment analysis based on ICD differentially expressed genes. The results showed that immune infiltration characteristics were altered in severe and non-severe COVID-19. In addition, we used multiple machine learning methods to screen for five risk genes (KLF5, NSUN7, APH1B, GRB10 and CD4), which are used to predict COVID-19 severity. Finally, we constructed a nomogram to predict the risk of severe COVID-19 based on the classification and recognition model, and validated the model with external data sets. This study provides a valuable direction for the exploration of the pathogenesis and progress of COVID-19, and helps in the early identification of severe cases of COVID-19 to reduce mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) accounts for about 2% of cancer diagnoses and deaths worldwide. Recent studies emphasized the critical involvement of microbial populations in RCC from oncogenesis, tumor growth, and response to anticancer therapy. Microorganisms have been shown to be involved in various renal physiological and pathological processes by influencing the immune system function, metabolism of the host and pharmaceutical reactions. These findings have extended our understanding and provided more possibilities for the diagnostic or therapeutic development of microbiota, which could function as screening, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers, or be manipulated to prevent RCC progression, boost anticancer drug efficacy and lessen the side effects of therapy. This review aims to present an overview of the roles of microbiota in RCC, including pertinent mechanisms in microbiota-related carcinogenesis, the potential use of the microbiota as RCC biomarkers, and the possibility of modifying the microbiota for RCC prevention or treatment. According to these scientific findings, the clinical translation of microbiota is expected to improve the diagnosis and treatment of RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of ultrasound and microreactors for the synthesis of nanomaterials is becoming increasingly popular, but effectively altering the ultrasonic field at the microscale to control the crystallization process remains a challenge. Herein, we investigated numerically and experimentally the effects of the ultrasonic field on the synthesis of boron-doped carbon nitride supported silver nanoparticles based on our homemade ultrasound-assisted coiled flow inverter microreactor (UCFIR). Specifically, the ultrasound promotes the radial mixing in the coiled flow inverter microreactor, even under low Reynolds number 10, resulting in better control over the crystallization process. The effects of key parameters, such as ultrasonic field distribution and ultrasonic power, on the particle size and size distribution of Ag/B-g-C3N4 have been demonstrated. The results show that when the ultrasound transducer is positioned on the 'abc' sides, the Ag/B-g-C3N4 with small and uniform Ag particles (4.12 ± 1.12 nm) can be obtained. As ultrasound power increased (0–176 W) and residence time decreased (17.5–140 s), the size of silver nanoparticles decreased, and their distribution narrowed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we generalize the index of impulsive periodic orbits defined in planar systems to n-dimensional impulsive switched systems. The moving Poincaré section is applied, which extends the classical Poincaré section and makes it possible to always preserve the transversal property at the corresponding time t with the help of reparametrization. Further, we combine it with the implicit function theorem and linear approximation to rewrite the original n-dimensional differential equation, which contributes to the definitions of indexes of impulsive periodic orbits of arbitrary finite order m. Based on these indexes, we further obtain sufficient conditions to judge the Zhukovskiǐ quasi-stability, which permits a time lag and focuses on the study of approximate synchronization between orbits with the existence of impulsive switchings. At last, an example of harvesting fishery model with mutual impacts of infection and abrupt harvesting firstly is presented and some sufficient criteria based on model parameters are obtained to illustrate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study symmetry and monotonicity properties of nonnegative solutions of semilinear elliptic equations with mixed boundary conditions in a half cylinder. We will prove that under suitable conditions, every bounded nonnegative solution of the equation has one-dimensional symmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic peroxides combined with ionic liquids had a high application value in the desulfurization process. However, thermal stability between organic peroxides and ionic liquids displayed a significant difference. Moreover, it was of great significance to investigate the thermal hazard of organic peroxides due to the influence of ionic liquids. In this study, a common organic peroxide cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) and two imidazole ionic liquids, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([Bmim]BF4 and Bmim[NTf2]), with good desulfurization performance were selected for experiments. The thermal stability of [Bmim]BF4 and Bmim[NTf2], respectively, mixed with cumene hydroperoxide in air and nitrogen conditions was studied by thermogravimetry (TG) analysis. The kinetic data of CHP which was mixed with two ionic liquids were evaluated using two different isoconversional methods: Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS). Furthermore, their gas decomposition products were investigated by thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR) analysis. The experimental and calculated results demonstrated that the apparent activation energy was decreased after CHP was mixed with the two ionic liquids. The main decomposition stage ranged from 350.0 to 480.0 K with a mass loss of CHP under air and nitrogen conditions. The thermal decomposition behavior of the CHP under air conditions displayed higher apparent activation energy compared with that in nitrogen atmosphere. The experimental results provide an important reference for organic peroxides combined with ionic liquids applicated in the desulfurization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider 3D Young diagrams with at most N layers in z-axis direction, which can be constructed by N 2D Young diagrams on slice z = j, j = 1, 2, · · · , N from the Yang-Baxter equation. Using 2D Bosons {aj,m, m ∈ ℤ} associated to 2D Young diagrams on the slice z = j, we constructed 3D Bosons. Then we show the 3D Boson representation of W1+∞ algebra, and give the method to calculate the Littlewood-Richardson rule for 3-Jack polynomials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D (3 dimensional) Young diagrams are a generalization of 2D Young diagrams. In this paper, We consider 3D Bosons and 3-Jack polynomials. We associate three parameters h1, h2, h3 to y, x, z-axis respectively. 3-Jack polynomials are polynomials of Pn,j, n ≥ j with coefficients in ℂ(h1, h2, h3), which are the generalization of Schur functions and Jack polynomials to 3D case. Similar to Schur functions, 3-Jack polynomials can also be determined by the vertex operators and the Pieri formulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the following Kirchhoff equation involving fractional Laplacian in R N where N ≥ 2 , a ≥ 0 , b , μ > 0 , 0 < s < 1 , and (- Δ) s is the fractional Laplacian with order s. By reducing (K) to an equivalent system, we obtain the existence of a positive solution of (K) with general nonlinearities. The positive solution is unique if g (u) = | u | p - 1 u , 1 < p < N + 2 s N - 2 s . Moreover, if the function g is odd, the existence of infinitely many (sign-changing) solutions is concluded. As we shall see, for the case where 0 < s ≤ N 4 , a necessary condition of existence of nontrivial solutions of (K) is that b is small. Our method works well for the so-called degenerate case a = 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their numerous properties as an advanced or specialized material, ionic liquids (ILs) have found an increasingly wide utilization in many fields. Moreover, mixtures of ILs can further improve their correlative properties. Therefore, it is significant that the thermal stability and exothermic behaviour of IL binary mixtures were studied. In this work, two typical representative imidazole ILs ([BMIM]BF4 and BMIM[NO3]) were selected, and their binary mixture thermal stability and thermal decomposition process of visualization were investigated by simultaneous thermogravimetric analyser (STA). Furthermore, their binary mixture exothermic behaviour and decomposition products were obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG-FTIR), respectively. The compound mode of imidazolium-based IL binary mixtures was divided into three categories: the molar fraction (7:3, 1:1, and 3:7) of parent pure ILs. We found that TG curves trend of IL binary mixtures was consistent with their parent pure ILs. Compared with TG curves, DSC curves of IL mixtures demonstrated that the behaviours of heat absorption and heat release at greater than 700.0 K in mixtures were different from their parent pure ILs. According to the infrared spectrum of gas products, the oxygen-containing functional group in BMIM[NO3] is likely to have some influence on the second-stage decomposition of sample 1#. Systematic thermal analysis results provided a significant reference for the exothermic behaviours and thermal degradation process of imidazolium-based ionic liquid binary mixture and a feasible research route for further investigations into the thermal decomposition characteristics of IL mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The age of central Yunnan fragment uplift has long been debated, with estimates ranging from the Late Eocene to about 1 Ma. To determine the central Yunnan fragment uplift time in the Cenozoic, apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) was used to analyze the low-temperature thermochronology of samples from the Jiaozi Mountain area of the eastern central Yunnan fragment. The sampling area is located in the Dongchuan District of Kunming, Yunnan Province, near the Xiaojiang fault zone. The results show that AHe ages from the eastern part of central Yunnan fragment were mainly concentrated around 25.7–37.9 Ma, and intensive uplift had happened before 36.5 Ma. Together with previous low-temperature thermochronology research on the western and eastern central Yunnan fragment, we concluded that the Yunnan Plateau uplifted prior to 36.5 Ma, in a west to east sequence. The uplift caused a change in paleo-geographical terrain, which may have altered the ancient river systems of the southeast Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a two-tensor model with order-3 and present its W-representation. Moreover we derive the compact expressions of correlators from the W-representation and analyze the free energy in large N limit. In addition, we establish the correspondence between two colored Dyck walks in the Fredkin spin chain and tree operators in the ring. Based on the classification Dyck walks, we give the number of tree operators with the given level. Furthermore, we show the entanglement scaling of Fredkin spin chain beyond logarithmic scaling in the ordinary critical systems from the viewpoint of tensor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have begun to pay close attention to the construction of artificial Z-scheme photocatalysts due to their excellent ability to separate photogenerated electron–hole pairs and prominent redox ability. In this study, Bi-bridged Z-scheme BiOCl/Bi2O3 (BiOCl/Bi–Bi2O3) heterojunctions with oxygen vacancies were prepared via a one-step hydrothermal method. The phase structure, morphology, and optical properties of the samples were characterized using XRD, XPS, ESR, FESEM, HRTEM, and UV–Vis DRS. Compared with BiOCl and Bi–Bi2O3, the prepared BiOCl/Bi–Bi2O3(25% and 50%) samples exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity in degrading colorless antibiotics (tetracycline hydrochloride) and colored dyes (RhB) under visible light irradiation. This result indicated improved visible light absorption due to the presence of oxygen vacancies and enhanced separation efficiency of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs and high redox ability due to the construction of the Z-scheme. On the basis of the results of radical-trapping, photoelectron chemical experiments, and PL analysis, a possible photocatalytic mechanism of the Z-scheme BiOCl/Bi–Bi2O3 heterojunctions was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define a vector representation V (u) of elliptic Ding-Iohara algebra U (q, t, p): Furthermore, we construct the tensor products of the vector representations and the Fock modules F(u) by taking the inductive limit of certain subspaces in the finite tensor products of vector representations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monogamy and polygamy relations characterize the distribution of entanglement for multipartite systems. In this paper, we establish a class of tighter weighted monogamy relations of multi-qubit entanglement based on the α th-power of Tsallis-q entanglement(TE) for α ≥ 1 and 2 ≤ q ≤ 3. And for 0 ≤ α ≤ 1 and 1 ≤ q ≤ 2 or 3 ≤ q ≤ 4, the α th-power of Tsallis-q entanglement of assistance(TEoA) follows a class of tighter weighted polygamy relations. For α < 0, the corresponding monogamy and polygamy relations are also given, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a new family of trigonometrically fitted two-step Obrechkoff methods for the numerical solution of one-dimensional Schrödinger equation. Error analysis is carried out and the asymptotic expressions of the local errors for large energies are discussed. The numerical results are reported in the case of the resonance problem which are confirmed by the error analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNA actin filament-associated protein 1-antisense RNA 1 (AFAP1-AS1) is dysregulated in certain tumors. However, the function of AFAP1-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains elusive. In this study, we conducted global lncRNA profiling and identified that AFAP1-AS1 is significantly upregulated in NSCLC, suggesting that AFAP1-AS1 may be important for lung cancer development. For the first time, the transcription initiation and termination sites of AFAP1-AS1 were identified by rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology, and the sequencing data indicated that AFAP1-AS1 in lung cancer cells is a novel transcript variant. Through gain- and loss-of-function studies, AFAP1-AS1 was demonstrated to promote cell migration and invasion. Mechanistically, AFAP1-AS1 functions through positively regulating the expression of AFAP1 protein. On the other hand, the expression of lncRNA AFAP1-AS1 negatively correlates with CpG methylation status of its gene promoter, identified in both lung cancer cells and patient tissues, and treatment with DNA methyltransferase inhibitor decitabine significantly activates AFAP1-AS1 expression, strongly supporting that AFAP1-AS1 expression is tightly regulated by DNA methylation. Taken together, this study demonstrates that AFAP1-AS1 acts as an oncogene in NSCLC to promote cell migration partly by upregulating AFAP1 expression, while its own expression is controlled by DNA methylation, and highlights its diagnostic and therapeutic values for NSCLC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose an integrated particle approach based on the coupling of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and discrete element method (DEM) to predict the injection molding process of discrete short fibers. The fibers in the coupled SPH-DEM model are treated as non-rigid bodies to allow deformation and fracture. The interaction between resin and fibers is solved by a physical model to take into consideration of drag forces. Two cases of injection molding process with different volume fractions of short fibers are studied to predict the flow behaviors of fibers and resin. The numerical results qualitatively agree with previous experimental studies. It is found that the velocity contour of resin flow is parabolic in shape due to the velocity gradient near the wall boundaries and consequently the moving direction of fibers is in parallel with the flow direction of resin. Fiber accumulation is found in the case with higher content of short fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic investigation is conducted to evaluate the influence of dissolved manganese ions from LiMnO cathode on the degradation of LiTiO-based lithium-ion batteries. Worse capacity fading is found in LiTiO-based full cells with increasing manganese ion addition. The interfacial film covered on LiTiO anode is affected by the manganese ion contamination during cycling, which becomes thicker but more non-uniform, and is composed by less ratio of compact components and more ratio of loose components compared with that free of contamination. Such flawed passivation film cannot restrain the further penetration of electrolyte and inhibit the contact between electrolyte and LiTiO anodes efficiently, thus triggering more interfacial reactions and that should be the reason for the more severe capacity degradation. Accordingly, we suggest that in addition to optimizing the chemistry and microstructure of LiTiO electrode, more attention should also be paid to minimizing the destructive effect imposed on the passivation film of LiTiO electrode by the transition metal ion contaminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemo-mechanical-grinding (CMG) is a hybrid process which integrates chemical reaction and mechanical grinding between abrasives and workpiece into one process. It has been successfully applied into manufacturing process of silicon wafers where both geometric accuracy and surface quality are required. This paper aims to study the potential of CMG process in manufacturing process of single crystal sapphire wafers. The basic material removal mechanism in terms of chemical effect and mechanical effect in CMG process has been analysed based on experiment results of two different kinds of CMG wheels. The experiment results suggest that chromium oxide (CrO) performs better than silica (SiO) in both material removal rate (MRR) and surface quality. It also reveals that, no matter under dry condition or wet condition, CMG is with potential to achieve excellent surface quality and impressive geometric accuracy of sapphire wafer. Meanwhile, test result by Raman spectrum shows that, by using CrO as abrasive, the sub-surface damage of sapphire wafer is hardly to be detected. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tells that the sub-surface damage, about less than 50 nm, might remain on the top surface if chemical effect is not sufficient enough to meet the balance with mechanical effect in CMG process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present higher Chern-Simons theories based on (2-)crossed modules. We start from the generalized differential forms in Generalized Differential Calculus and define the corresponding generalized connections which consist of higher connections. Then we establish the generalized Chern-Simons forms to get the higher Chern-Simons actions. Finally, we develop the higher second Chern forms and Chern-Weil theorems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pixel unmixing is essential for the reliable description of many land-cover patterns with low spatial resolution. The fuzzy ARTMAP neural network-based model has been proven effective for pixel unmixing in the literature. In most cases, the forms of the endmember combination in diverse pixels are very distinct. However, traditional fuzzy ARTMAP model neglects such difference and models endmembers as fixed composition entities. Due to this limitation, the mixture model is unable to precisely and effectively represent details in the result image. In this work, we address this issue by applying a new selective endmember spectral mixture model based on fuzzy ARTMAP neural network. We first consider the endmember variability and identify the most suitable form of the endmember combination, and then the fuzzy ARTMAP model is used to perform the unmixing work. Through two experiments, we show that a more accurate endmember combination in the parent pixel results in an adaptive representation image. The results confirm that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the accuracy of the unmixing results compared with the linear unmixing method and the traditional fuzzy ARTMAP model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) has been endangering the safety of the coal industry. Spontaneous combustion of coal may lead to coal seam combustion and gas explosions in coal mines, causing a lot of damage. At the same time, CSC will produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, which seriously endangers the ecological environment. Therefore, what reduces the spontaneous combustion of coal is necessary. Ionic liquid (IL) is a new kind of green organic solvent. It has the characteristics of good stability and can be used as a flame retardant for CSC. In this study, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Bmim[Ntf2]) was selected as the flame retardant of bituminous coal spontaneous combustion, where thermal stability of bituminous coal treated by Bmim[Ntf2] and raw bituminous coal was studied by the simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer. The apparent activation energy was calculated by the FWO method. The decomposition gas products of bituminous coal and bituminous coal treated with Bmim[Ntf2] were analyzed by Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometer to investigate the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bond on bituminous coal spontaneous combustion. The results show that Bmim[Ntf2] inhibits the spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal. The addition of Bmim[Ntf2] increases the decomposition temperature of bituminous coal, where the apparent activation energy is increased. The results of Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometry show that the reduction in hydrogen bonds reduces the risk of spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their low volatility, ionic liquids (ILs) are widely used in many industries. However, some ILs are reported to be explosive under unstable conditions in the literature, and therefore a comprehensive assessment of the fire safety risks should be conducted before industrial applications. This study aims to investigate the thermal stability of two environmentally friendly used ILs (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate ([C4mim]NO3) and 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium nitrate ([C4mmim]NO3) using simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer, differential scanning calorimetry, accelerating rate calorimeter, and thermogravimetry coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Based on the results of dynamic and isothermal thermogravimetric experiments, [C4mmim]NO3 shows higher thermal stability compared with [C4mim]NO3, indicating that the methyl substitution at the imidazolium C2 has a positive effect on the thermal stability of imidazolium nitrate. Additionally, the increased methyl substitution leads to more significant thermal decomposition of [C4mmim]NO3 and enhanced gas production under adiabatic conditions, which means that the potential thermal hazards are increased. Furthermore, [C4mim]NO3 and [C4mmim]NO3 may have different thermal decomposition pathways because the possible thermal decomposition products are not identical. The produced flammable gases also indicate that the operating temperatures of [C4mim]NO3 and [C4mmim]NO3 must be strictly controlled to prevent the occurrence of accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain protein content (GPC) and flour whiteness degree (FWD) are important qualitative traits in common wheat. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for GPC and FWD was conducted using a set of 131 recombinant-inbred lines derived from the cross 'Chuan 35050 × Shannong 483' in six environmental conditions. A total of 22 putative QTLs (nine GPC and 13 FWD) were identified on 12 chromosomes with individual QTL explaining 4.5-34.0% phenotypic variation. Nine QTLs (40.9%) were detected in two or more environments. The colocated QTLs were on chromosomes 1B and 4B. Among the QTLs identified for GPC, QGpc.sdau-4A from the parent Shannong 483 represented some important favourable QTL alleles. QGpc.sdau-2A.1 and QFwd.sdau-2A.1 had a significant association with both GPC and FWD. The markers detected on top of QTL regions could be potential targets for marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acid rain adversely affects maize seed germination by sulfite toxicity. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms underlying seed germination inhibition by sulfite in maize are largely unknown. Previously, the involvement of sulfite oxidase (SO) in sulfite detoxification in model plants was characterized. Here, we characterized Zea mays SO ( ZmSO) in transgenic maize to investigate its role during seed germination upon sulfite exposure. ZmSO was responsive to sulfite stress at the transcriptional level during germination of maize seeds. Unlike the null mutant atso-1, ZmSO-overexpressing transgenic Arabidopsis plants were tolerant to SO stress and could effectively rescue the susceptible phenotype of atso-1. Silencing of ZmSO could lead to seed germination delay upon sulfite exposure, but not under normal conditions; interestingly, expressions of several seed germination-related genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes such as α-amylase, β-amylase, and glucosidase were reduced markedly in germinating seeds of ZmSO-compromised lines. This indicates that embryonic SO might alleviate the inhibitory effect of toxic sulfite by sulfite oxidation and the modulation of several hydrolytic enzymes during seed germination. Collectively, these data demonstrate that embryonic SO could be essential for timely seed germination upon sulfite exposure in maize. ZmSO might be a promising target for genetic improvement of crops tolerant to acid rain in molecular breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two exponentially fitted two-derivative Runge-Kutta pairs for the numerical integration of the Schrödinger equation are presented in this paper. The asymptotic expressions of the local errors for large energies are given. The numerical results in the integration of the radial Schrödinger equation with the Woods-Saxon potential and the Lennard-Jones potential show the high efficiency of our new methods when compared with some famous optimized codes in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular representation learning is a crucial task to accelerate drug discovery and materials design. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have emerged as a promising approach to tackle this task. However, most of them do not fully consider the intramolecular interactions, i.e. bond stretching, angle bending, torsion, and nonbonded interactions, which are critical for determining molecular property. Recently, a growing number of 3D-aware GNNs have been proposed to cope with the issue, while these models usually need large datasets and accurate spatial information. In this work, we aim to design a GNN which is less dependent on the quantity and quality of datasets. To this end, we propose a force field-inspired neural network (FFiNet), which can include all the interactions by incorporating the functional form of the potential energy of molecules. Experiments show that FFiNet achieves state-of-the-art performance on various molecular property datasets including both small molecules and large protein–ligand complexes, even on those datasets which are relatively small and without accurate spatial information. Moreover, the visualization for FFiNet indicates that it automatically learns the relationship between property and structure, which can promote an in-depth understanding of molecular structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy of the digestive system with high morbidity and high mortality worldwide. Currently, surgical resection is considered the most effective treatment for HCC. Laparoscopic surgery is a major trend in contemporary minimally invasive surgery. However, is laparoscopic resection suitable for HCC patients with diaphragmatic involvement? If so, then what is the preferred resection method, and how safe and effective is this treatment? Are there any factors that require special attention? Methods: Clinical data of 17 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery in the Second Affiliated Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University) from January 2018 to February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The mean age was 48.9 ± 14.0 years; mean operation time, 186.00 ± 18.3 min; median blood loss, 170.0 ml (140.8–207.5 ml); and median length of hospital stay, 8.0 days (7.0–9.5 days). There was no case of open conversion. Pathologic findings revealed all cases of HCC. Intraoperative frozen pathology and postoperative pathology showed free surgical margins. Six patients had pathologically confirmed diaphragmatic invasion (DI), and eleven was confirmed as having diaphragmatic fibrous adhesion (DFA) only. Post-operative complications included liver section effusion, pleural effusion, pneumonia and bile leak. All the complications responded well to conservative treatment. No other abnormality was noted during outpatient follow-up examination. Sixteen patients survived tumor-free; one patient with HCC developed intrahepatic metastasis 1 year after surgery, and this patient survived with tumor after treatment. Conclusions: Our experience initially provides valuable support for the laparoscopic surgical treatment of HCC patients with diaphragmatic involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat dissipation enhancement of LED luminaries is of great significance to the large-scale application of LED. Luminaries-level structure improvement by the method of boring through-hole is adopted to intensify heat dissipation. Furthermore, the natural convection heat transfer process of LED luminaries is simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model before and after the structural modification. As shown by computational results, boring through-hole is beneficial to develop bottom-to-top natural convection, eliminate local circumfluence, and finally form better flow pattern. Analysis based on field synergy principle shows that boring through-hole across LED luminaries improves the synergy between flow field and temperature field, and effectively decreases the thermal resistance of luminaries-level heat dissipation structure. Under the same computational conditions, by luminaries-level structure improvement the highest temperature of heat sink is decreased by about 8°C and the average heat transfer coefficient is increased by 45.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate the overall and sex–age-specific absolute and relative risks of motorcycle collisions at road traffic accidents among patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A cohort study in Taiwan was conducted by following 989,495 patients with type 2 diabetes and the same number of matched controls recruited between 2010 and 2012 to the end of 2016. Collision events by motorcycle driver victims were identified from the Police-reported Traffic Accident Registry. Overall and sex–age-specific incidence rates of collision involving motorcycle driver victims were estimated under Poisson assumption. The Cox proportional hazard regression models were performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of collision in association with type 2 diabetes. Results: Over an up to 7 years of follow-up, patients with type 2 diabetes had a higher incidence rate of motorcycle collision than controls at 1.16 and 0.89 per 100 person-years, respectively, which represented a significantly elevated HR of 1.28 (95% CI 1.27–1.30) after adjusting for potential confounders including various diabetic complications. The elevated HR was similarly seen in both men and women patients, and was significantly decreasing with increasing age regardless of sex. Little evidence supported the dose–response relationship between duration of type 2 diabetes and motorcycle collision risk. Conclusions: After adjustment for common diabetic complications and comorbidities that could impair driving performance, patients with type 2 diabetes still suffered from increased risk of motorcycle collisions, regardless of sex, but was more evident in younger than in older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The YM theory has been generalized to 2YM and 3YM theories. Similarly, we generalize the BFYM theory to “2BFYM” and “3BFYM” theories. Then, we show that these higher BFYM theories can give the formulations of the corresponding higher form YM theories. Finally, we study the gauge symmetries of these higher BFYM theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To investigate the association of quantitative 3-T diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and clinical severity in detecting optic nerve degeneration in patients with primary closed-angle glaucoma. Methods: Twenty three patients (42 eyes; 9 men, 14 women) with primary closed-angle glaucoma and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Both DTI and OCT were performed on the optic nerves of all subjects. The mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), and eigenvalue maps were obtained for quantitative analysis. RNFL thickness and quantitative electrophysiology were also performed on all subjects. The association of quantitative DTI with RNFL thickness and glaucoma stage was analyzed. Results: Compared with control nerves, the FA, λ, and λ values, and RNFL thickness in affected nerves decreased, while MD increased in patients with primary glaucoma ( p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation between FA, MD, λ, and λ and the mean RNFL thickness ( P < 0.01). The mean FA and λ values derived with DT MR imaging correlated well with glaucoma stage ( P < 0.05), but the mean MD and λ values did not correlate with glaucoma stage ( P > 0.05). Conclusion: DTI measurement could detect abnormality of the optic nerve in patients with glaucoma and may serve as a biomarker of disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diatomaceous earth (DE) solidifies hydrothermally with analcime formation. With analcime formation, strength development was much greater than that with calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) formation. NaOH addition conditioned analcime formation because NaOH solution not only promoted dissolution of quartz and montmorillonite but also provided Na to form the analcime. Curing temperature and time affected analcime formation, and, in this study, over 6 h (at 200 °C) and 175 °C (for 12 h), analcime seemed to form readily. After hydrothermal treatment, the skeletons of diatoms can still be seen in the solid after analcime formation but can hardly be found after CSH formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For an integer m ≥ 4, we define a set of $$ 2^{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} \times 2^{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} $$ matrices γ j ( m), ( j = 0, 1, . . . , m − 1) which satisfy $$ \gamma _{j} {\left( m \right)}\gamma _{k} {\left( m \right)} + \gamma _{k} {\left( m \right)}\gamma _{j} {\left( m \right)} = 2\eta _{{jk}} {\left( m \right)}{\rm I}_{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} $$ , where ( η jk ( m))0≤ j,k≤ m−1 is a diagonal matrix, the first diagonal element of which is 1 and the others are −1, $$ {\rm I}_{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} $$ is a $$ 2^{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} \times 2^{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} $$ identity matrix with $$ _{{{\left[ {\frac{m} {2}} \right]}}} $$ being the integer part of $$ {\frac{m} {2}} $$ . For m = 4 and 5, the representation $$ {\mathfrak{H}}{\left( m \right)} $$ of the Lorentz Spin group is known. For m ≥ 6, we prove that (i) when m = 2 n, ( n ≥ 3), $$ {\mathfrak{H}}{\left( m \right)} $$ is the group generated by the set of matrices (ii) when m = 2 n + 1 (n ≥ 3), $$ {\mathfrak{H}}{\left( m \right)} $$ is generated by the set of matrices [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the key control equipment for the transmission of fluid medium, processing valves are widely used in the transmission systems of fluid medium in energy, chemical industry, metallurgy and other fields, which play important roles in the stability and reliability of the system operation. When the flow cross-section is operated in a sudden change, the pressure decreases rapidly at the downstream, which leads to the cavitation in the processing valves. Cavitation makes serious erosion and damage on the valve core and pipeline surface, which makes the leakage and noise problems in processing valves. This seriously affects the regulation performance and lifetime of processing valves. In this article, numerical simulations were carried out to investigate the transient cavitation in a model butterfly valve. By considering effects of local pressure on formation of cavitation, a modified model for calculating the diameter of cavitation bubbles was derived. Effects of valve opening degree were investigated on the dynamic evolution of cavitation by analyzing formation, development and collapse of cavitation. The generation, development and collapse of single cavitation bubble was obtained and discussed in details to state the interaction between vortices and cavitation. Attached and quasi-periodic cavitation were observed and analyzed at different valve opening degrees in detail as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and prevalent brain tumor that poses significant challenges in treatment. SRSF9, an RNA-binding protein, is essential for cellular processes and implicated in cancer progression. Yet, its function and mechanism in GBM need clarification. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore differential expression of SRSF9 in GBM and its prognostic relevance to glioma patients. SRSF9 and CDK1 expression in GBM cell lines and patients’ tissues were quantified by RT-qPCR, Western blot or immunofluorescence assay. The role of SRSF9 in GBM cell proliferation and migration was assessed by MTT, Transwell and colony formation assays. Additionally, transcriptional regulation of CDK1 by SRSF9 was investigated using ChIP-PCR and dual-luciferase assays. Results: The elevated SRSF9 expression correlates to GBM stages and poor survival of glioma patients. Through gain-of-function and loss-of-function strategies, SRSF9 was demonstrated to promote proliferation and migration of GBM cells. Bioinformatics analysis showed that SRSF9 has an impact on cell growth pathways including cell cycle checkpoints and E2F targets. Mechanistically, SRSF9 appears to bind to the promoter of CDK1 gene and increase its transcription level, thus promoting GBM cell proliferation. Conclusions: These findings uncover the cellular function of SRSF9 in GBM and highlight its therapeutic potential for GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern green stink bug (SGSB) Nezara viridula L. is one of the most common stink bug species in the United States and can cause significant yield loss in a variety of crops. A suitable marker for the assessment of gene-editing tools in SGSB has yet to be characterized. The white gene, first documented in Drosophila, has been a useful target to assess the efficiency of introduced mutations in many species as it controls pigmentation processes and mutants display readily identifiable phenotypes. In this study we used the RNAi technique to investigate functions and phenotypes associated with the white ortholog in the SGSB and to validate white as a marker for genetic transformation in this species. This study revealed that white may be a suitable marker for germline transformation in the SGSB as white transcript knockdown was not lethal, did not impair embryo development and provided a distinguishable phenotype. Our results demonstrated that the white ortholog in SGSB is involved in the pathway for ommochrome synthesis and suggested additional functions of this gene such as in the integument composition, management of hemolymph compounds and riboflavin mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the rainbow tensor model and present the Virasoro constraints, where the constraint operators obey the Witt algebra and null 3-algebra. We generalize the method of W-representation in matrix model to the rainbow tensor model, where the operators preserving and increasing the grading play a crucial role. It is shown that the rainbow tensor model can be realized by acting on elementary function with exponent of the operator increasing the grading. We derive the compact expression of correlators and apply it to several models, i.e., the red tensor model, Aristotelian tensor model and r = 4 rainbow tensor model. Furthermore, we discuss the case of the non-Gaussian red tensor model and present a dual expression for partition function through differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the distribution of archaebacteria in the frigid marine waters of Antarctica. Assertion that there is high archaeal abundance in the area; Discussion of how the authors investigated archaeal distribution in the area.

TiB2 nanosheets were synthesized by the borothermal reduction of TiO2 in flowing argon atmosphere with the assistance of MgCl2. Phase transformation was studied by XRD and micromorphology of products was studied by SEM and TEM. In the experiment, the prepared TiB2 formed the nanoscale lamellar structure. These lamellas agglomerated together to be a net-like structure. Effects of reduction temperature, addition of MgCl2, and its amount were discussed in detail. The results indicated that the presence of MgCl2 accelerated the mass transfer of reactant. Moreover, the co-effects of MgCl2 and B2O3 contributed to the formation of TiB2 nanosheets. TiB2 could dissolve in MgCl2 and B2O3 at high temperature and then recrystallized during the cooling process. The products with a specific surface area of 99.32 m2 g−1 were obtained at 1373 K after reacting for 4 h with a MgCl2:TiO2 molar ratio of 1:1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO) is an intra- and extracellular messenger with important functions during human physiology process. A long-lived luminescent iridium(III) complex probe 1 has been designed and synthesized for the monitoring of NO controllably released from sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Probe 1 displayed a 15-fold switch-on luminescence in the presence of SNP at 580 nm. The probe exhibited a linear response towards SNP between 5 to 25 μM with detection limit at 0.18 μM. Importantly, the luminescent switch-on detection of NO in HeLa cells was demonstrated. Overall, complex 1 has the potential to be applied for NO tracing in complicated cellular environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the Gaussian and chiral supereigenvalue models in the Neveu-Schwarz sector. We show that their partition functions can be expressed as the infinite sums of the homogeneous operators acting on the elementary functions. In spite of the fact that the usual W-representations of these matrix models can not be provided here, we can still derive the compact expressions of the correlators in these two supereigenvalue models. Furthermore, the non-Gaussian (chiral) cases are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In social networks, bursts of activity often result from the imitative behavior between interacting agents. The Ising model, along with its variants in the social sciences, serves as a foundational framework to explain these phenomena through its critical properties. We propose an alternative generic mechanism for the emergence of collective exuberance within a broad class of agent-based models. We show that our model does not require the fine-tuning to a critical point, as is commonly done to explain bursts of activity using the Ising model and its variants. Instead, our approach hinges on the intrinsic non-symmetric and hierarchical organization of socio-economic networks. These non-normal networks exhibit transient and unsustainable surges in herd behavior across a wide range of control parameters even in the subcritical regime, thereby eliminating the need for the - arguably artificial - fine-tuning proximity to a critical point. To empirically validate our framework, we examine the behavior of meme stocks and establish a direct linkage between the size of financial bubbles and the degree of non-normality in the network, as quantified by the Kreiss constant. Our proposed mechanism presents an alternative that is more general than prevailing conceptions of instabilities in diverse social systems. Social networks often show sudden bursts of activity. By analysing meme stocks, the authors provide a proof-of concept for a generic endogenous mechanism that explains the emergence of financial bubbles. The theory correlates their size with the structure of social networks, emphasizing how influential individuals tend to impact others in a top-down manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional batch synthesis of hexafluoroacetone (HFA), an important pharmaceutical intermediate, suffers from complex catalyst preparation, harsh reaction conditions (up to 200 °C), and low selectivity. In this study, we developed a continuous flow system that employs a micro packed-bed reactor (MPBR) filled with Lewis acid catalysts. After an initial screening of reaction conditions and catalysts in the batch reactor, a Bayesian Optimization model and the multi-objective optimization algorithm qNEHVI were used to find a compromise between conversion and energy efficiency for the reaction in the continuous flow system. After 14 rounds of experiments, BO found the best results with conversion of 98.6%, selectivity of 99.9%, and an energy cost of 0.121 kWh per kg of product at 25.1 °C, atmospheric pressure, and a GHSV of 931.5 h− 1 reaction conditions. The study demonstrates that BO can be used as an efficient tool for multi-objective optimization of heterogeneous catalysis in continuous flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparation of chemically recyclable polyesters by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) has made a considerable progress over the past few years. However, this method involves cumbersome synthesis and minimal functional diversity of cyclic monomers. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop novel polymerization methods for direct polymerization of commercially available monomers to prepare recyclable polyesters with versatile functionalities. In present work, we report dehydrogenative copolymerization of commercial α,ω-diols to afford high molecular weight chemically recyclable aliphatic copolyesters (65.7 kg·mol−1) by using commercially available Milstein catalyst precursor. The thermal properties of the obtained copolymers could be finely tuned by simply adjusting the feeding ratio of two monomers. The incorporation of aliphatic or aromatic rings into polyester mainchain via copolymerization of 1,10-decanediol with 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and 1,4-benzenedimethanol could significantly improve the thermal properties of the resulting copolymers. More importantly, the obtained copolyesters were able to completely depolymerize back to original diols via hydrogenation by the same catalyst in solvent-free and mild conditions, thus offering a green and cost-effective route toward the preparation of widely used polyesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning has great potential in predicting chemical information with greater precision than traditional methods. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they can automatically learn the features of the molecule from the graph, significantly reducing the time needed to find and build molecular descriptors. However, the application of machine learning to energetic materials property prediction is still in the initial stage due to insufficient data. In this work, we first curated a dataset of 12,072 compounds containing CHON elements, which are traditionally regarded as main composition elements of energetic materials, from the Cambridge Structural Database, then we implemented a refinement to our force field-inspired neural network (FFiNet), through the adoption of a Transformer encoder, resulting in force field-inspired Transformer network (FFiTrNet). After the improvement, our model outperforms other machine learning-based and GNNs-based models and shows its powerful predictive capabilities especially for high-density materials. Our model also shows its capability in predicting the crystal density of potential energetic materials dataset (i.e. Huang & Massa dataset), which will be helpful in practical high-throughput screening of energetic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm.A commercial route has been developed to synthesize submicrometer titanium nitride from titanium dioxide/phenolic resin composite. The phenolic resin served as the carbon source and the titanium dioxide served as titanium source to produce titanium nitride in flowing ultrahigh purity N2 atmosphere at 1373–1773 K. Titania was embedded in a continuous phenolic resin dispersant. X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the phase composition, microstructure and reaction mechanism. It was found that the reaction sequence was TiO2 → Ti4O7 → Ti3O5 → TiN and the whole formation process was consisted of chemical synthesis reaction process firstly and the following recrystalline-physical process. The optimal conditions to prepare titanium nitride powders were determined: the molar ratio of titanium dioxide to phenolic resin is 1:0.5; thermostatic temperature is 1773 K, and thermostatic time is 2 h. The stepped structure on the surface of product formed due to recrystallization. The particle size of the obtained titanium nitride powders is about 0.5 μm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple procedure to develop antibacterial surfaces using thiol-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is shown, which effectively kill bacteria under dark and light conditions. The effect of AuNP size and concentration on photo-activated antibacterial surfaces is reported and we show significant size effects, as well as bactericidal activity with crystal violet (CV) coated polyurethane. These materials have been proven to be powerful antibacterial surfaces against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. AuNPs of 2, 3 or 5 nm diameter were swell-encapsulated into PU before a coating of CV was applied (known as PU-AuNPs-CV). The antibacterial activity of PU-AuNPs-CV samples was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria under dark and light conditions. All light conditions in this study simulated a typical white-light hospital environment. This work demonstrates that the antibacterial activity of PU-AuNPs-CV samples and the synergistic enhancement of photoactivity of triarylmethane type dyes is highly dependent on nanoparticle size and concentration. The most powerful PU-AuNPs-CV antibacterial surfaces were achieved using 1.0 mg mL−1 swell encapsulation concentrations of 2 nm AuNPs. After two hours, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were reduced to below the detection limit (>4 log) under dark and light conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]