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Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as a rising class of carbon family have gained widespread attention in view of their multiple properties such as great photoluminescence (PL) properties, facile synthesis route, needing economical and cheap raw material, high physiochemical stability, and simple functionalization. This makes CQDs highly versatile and with potential for different applications. To date, CQDs-enabled photocatalysts are regarded as one of the most efficient technologies to degrade pollutants in water; however, poor activity under visible light and the recombination of photogenerated electron and hole pairs hinder getting an ideal performance that may be applied on a large scale. Conventional techniques have been modified via a new advanced method. In this review, we highlighted the strategies to improve the activity of conventional semiconductor photocatalysis via coupling with CQDs, and strategies to improve the photocatalytic activity such as functionalization, doping, and Z-scheme heterojunctions were discussed in detail. This review also covered the CQDs heterojunction application in pollutant degradation and discussed several examples with high-performance photocatalytic activity.

Ti3C2Tx materials have large specific surface area, high in-layer conductivity, strong conductivity loss and good electromagnetic absorption properties. However, the impedance matching characteristics of Ti3C2Tx still need to be further optimized. Through cross-linking reaction, a poly-dopamine (PDA) protective layer is coated on the surface of Ti3C2Tx, and then, the N-doped pyrolytic carbon (N-PyC)/Ti3C2Tx hybrids are fabricated by heat treatment with the obtained PDA-Ti3C2Tx. The results show that Ti3C2Tx coated with N-PyC layered has a low degree of oxidation and a high dielectric loss, which is attributed to the carbon coating as a protective layer consumes Ti3C2Tx surface functional groups and reduces the O-terminals of Ti3C2Tx produced during the heat treatment process, thereby reducing oxidation. The high conductivity Ti3C2Tx is compounded with the medium loss material N-PyC, which can optimize the impedance matching characteristics. On the flip side defect polarization caused by N atoms in N-PyC is propitious to dissipate electromagnetic waves. Hence, N-PyC/Ti3C2Tx hybrids exhibit good electromagnetic wave absorption properties. When the mass ratio is 21wt% and the thickness is 2.6 mm, the minimum reflection coefficient of N-PyC/Ti3C2Tx is -26.5 dB in X-band.

To effectively improve the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries through the design and manufacture of a new structure of composite electrode materials. Hence, in this work, we prepared a structure that Ge nanoparticles encapsulate in carbon spheres by a simple two-step method. When applied as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, which serves a specific capacity of 529 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles with the Coulomb efficiency (CE) of over 99.8%. Otherwise, it also obtains preferable cycling stability and rate capability. Its prominent advantages in the electrochemical performance of Ge/C can be due to the synergy between carbon spheres and Ge nanoparticles: including highly electrical conductivity carbon spheres and the coated structure, which can reduce the volume change of Germanium nanoparticles. At the same time, we also provide a novel structure design method for those electrode materials that suffer from huge volume expansion in the course of charging and discharging to suppress their volume expansion, so that they can be better used or create more efficient and practical electrodes.

To meet the ever-increasing demand for higher energy density and power density, developing cathode materials with high specific capacity has become an urgent problem. V2O5 has been considered as one of the most promising cathodes for its high theoretical specific capacity (443 mAh g−1), abundant source, and low cost. In this work, cobalt-doped vanadium pentoxide (Co-V2O5) microflowers were synthesized through a simple solvothermal method. The doped Co not only improves the electronic conductivity but also increases the diffusion coefficient of the lithium ions. Benefiting from the appropriate amount of Co doping, the charge transfer impedance decreases from 51 to 28 Ω and the diffusion coefficient of the lithium ions increased from 2.81×10−17 cm2 s−1 to 3.31×10−16 cm2 s−1. The optimal Co-V2O5 microflowers deliver a high reversible capacity of 166 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles.

Layer-structured α-MoO3 with high theoretical capacity (1117 mAh g−1) is considered as one of the alternative anode materials for LIBs. However, the repeated insertion/extraction of Li+ often causes irregularly exfoliated layer structure of α-MoO3, especially the multiple-direction interlayer Li+ insertion/extraction shows rapid capacity decay. In this work, we achieve regularly exfoliated layer structure by inducing [100]-orientated plate-like α-MoO3 during high-temperature calcinations process. This regularly exfoliated layer structure is dominated by the optimized [100] single-direction Li+ interlayer diffusion way caused by the induced orientation growth. As anode for LIBs, the plate-like α-MoO3 exhibits capacity retention of 86.7% from 1st to 300th, showing enhanced stability of Li storage performance. This work indicates that inducing orientation growth of electrode material to optimize lithium-ion diffusion path can achieve regular exfoliation of layer structure, which can enhance the stability of Li storage performance. This conclusion can be used as a good reference for enhancing stability of layer-structured electrodes by structure design.

In this work, the SnS2 nanoflakes electrode materials have been synthesized using citric acid as chelating agent for lithium-ions battery by a facile microwave hydrothermal method. Citric acid can form a strong ligand for metal ions, and the crystals growth is controlled by the interaction between ligand and hydrogen bond, which affects the nucleation, growth, and self-assembly in the synthesis process. Therefore, the SnS2 nanoflakes electrodes were obtained with the size and thickness of around 100–200 nm and ~ 30 nm, respectively. The SnS2 nanoflakes electrode delivers the initial discharge capacity of 1485.8 mAh g−1, the reversible capacity of 327.3 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 100 cycles, and the Coulombic efficiency (CE) of about 99.8%. The prominent rate capability was exhibited for lithium-ion battery (387.5 mAh g−1 and 339.7 mAh g−1 at 800 and 1000 mA g−1, respectively). The outstanding electrochemical performance and high capacity retention rate mainly are ascribed to the fast charges, lithium-ions diffusion, and stable structure for SnS2 nanoflakes. This work could provide a potential approach to promote the electrochemical performances of sulfides electrode materials for lithium-ions battery.

Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most primary lung cancer subtype, threatens human health globally. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been uncovered to affect multiple cancers progression. Nevertheless, the specific function of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1806 (LINC01806) in NSCLC remains elusive. Methods RT-qPCR and western blot were involved in this study. The influence of LINC01806 on NSCLC was assessed by in vitro and in vivo assays. Via ChIP, RNA pull down, RIP, and luciferase reporter assays, the in-depth cellular mechanisms of LINC01806 in NSCLC were explored. Results LINC01806 expression was high in NSCLC cell lines. Functionally, LINC01806 knockdown impeded cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness, along with tumor growth. As for its mechanism, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) activated LINC01806 transcription in NSCLC. Furthermore, LINC01806 sequestered microRNA-4428 (miR-4428) to enhance notch receptor 2 (NOTCH2) expression, thus activating Notch signaling pathway. Finally, in vitro and in vivo assays jointly validated that LINC01806 exerted its function in NSCLC development via miR-4428/NOTCH2 pathway. Conclusion LINC01806 enhanced NOTCH2 expression to stimulate Notch signaling via sponging miR-4428, thereby facilitating NSCLC progression, which provided a novel mechanism for NSCLC therapeutic approaches. Graphical Abstract

CuAlO2, with a relative higher conductivity than other ceramics, is a potential candidate in microwave absorption fields. Herein, to enhance the wide-range efficient microwave absorption property of CuAlO2 powders, Fe-doped CuAlO2 powders were synthesized via a facile sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction results displayed that 5 at.% Fe doping CuAlO2 powders maintained the original delafossite structure and excessive Fe doping could destroy the structure of CuAlO2. When the Fe doping content increased to 20 at.%, FeAl2O4 phase formed. The Fe doping had significant effects on the electromagnetic parameters of samples. Compared with pure CuAlO2, the Fe-doped CuAlO2 powders have a higher e″ and µ″, which is beneficial to improve the electromagnetic absorption property. The calculated reflection loss curves demonstrated that the sample with at.% Fe doping displayed the most excellent microwave absorption property in thickness of 3.93 mm, showing a minimum reflection loss of − 20.5 dB at the frequency of 9.86 GHz and reflection loss below − 10 dB in the whole measured frequency. Compared with other potential high temperature microwave absorption materials, Fe-doped CuAlO2 powders exhibit a wide-range microwave absorption property.

The photocatalytic reclamation of the environment requires improved catalysts, as severe charge recombination currently limits their practical application. This study describes a simple synthesis of SnO2−x/Sb2O3 composite by the mechanical milling method. The coupling of SnO2−x possessing oxygen vacancies (OVs) with Sb2O3 is a new approach for obtaining materials with outstanding photocatalytic properties. For the photo-oxidation of isopropanol (IPA) within 5 h, the acetone yield over SnO2−x/Sb2O3 composite with mass ratio of 1:4 was 22.67 and 10.5 times higher than those of SnO2−x and Sb2O3, respectively, and the carbon dioxide output was 13.29 and 7.46 times higher than those of SnO2−x and Sb2O3, respectively. This results showed that the OVs-induced SnO2−x/Sb2O3 heterostructures have a very high IPA photo-oxidation catalytic degradation activity, even after six cycles with no obvious decline. Combination of defect engineering and heterojunction can be a powerful tool for obtaining broad light absorption and high photo-induced charge separation efficiency, which contributes to improving the photocatalytic IPA degradation property.

In this work, a highly photocatalytic Ag/In2S3 was synthesized via the hydrothermal and photoreduction method. The as-prepared photocatalysts were confirmed by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, and XPS showing that Ag nanoparticles were decorated on the In2S3 surface. Photocatalytic activities of photocatalysts were investigated for photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light. The Ag/In2S3 composites showed the enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of 97% under visible light irradiation for 90 min, which was about 3.0 times higher than that of pure In2S3. The enhanced photocatalytic performance could be owing to the SPR of Ag and the Schottky junction formed between Ag and In2S3. Our PL results indicate the inhibited recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs in In2S3 upon the attachment of Ag nanoparticles. The active species tests demonstrate that the superoxide radical (·O2−) and h+ are responsible for the efficient degradation of MO over Ag/In2S3. In addition, it also proposes a potential mechanism for enhancing the photocatalytic activity.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disorder resulting from abnormal cilia ultrastructure and function. Few studies have reported the phenotype and genetic characteristics of PCD caused by mutations in DNAAF3. In this study, four PCD patients with DNAAF3 mutations underwent extensive clinical assessments, cilia ultrastructural and motion evaluations. All patients presented with situs inversus totalis, neonatal respiratory distress, and sinusitis; however, they did not have recurrent infections of the lower airways. The nasal nitric oxide level of these patients was markedly reduced. The respiratory cilia were found to be uniformly immotile, with their dynein arms defects. A total of 7 (5 novel) variants in DNAAF3 were identified and cosegregated in their families by Trio-based whole-exome sequencing. As the first report on DNAAF3 mutations in PCD patients in China, our study not only contributes to a deeper appreciation of the phenotypic characteristics of patients with DNAAF3 mutations but also expands the spectrum of DNAAF3 mutations and may contribute to the genetic diagnosis of and counseling for PCD.

In this article, a novel photocatalyst: Ag/Sm(OH)3 nanotubes was successfully synthesized using a common oil bath approach at 80 °C. The composition, structure, morphology, and photocatalytic properties were investigated in detail. The results of field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the diameters of Sm(OH)3 nanotubes are about 50 nm, its length are in the range of 300–350 nm, and Ag nanoparticles with size of 5–20 nm are uniformly anchored on the surface of Sm(OH)3 nanotubes. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicated excellent photo absorption of Ag/Sm(OH)3 shifting from UV-light to visible-light. The transient photocurrent responses demonstrated that the deposition of Ag nanoparticles onto the Sm(OH)3 nanotubes promote the separation of photogenerated carriers sufficiently. The as-prepared Ag/Sm(OH)3 nanotubes exhibit a remarkable photocatalytic activity. The possible mechanism has been studied. The excellent photocatalytic performance for degrading the organic pollutants is ascribed to the formation of surface plasmon resonance induced by Ag nanoparticles, which can enhance the absorption of visible light and boost photogenerated charge separation/transfer.

In this paper we devote to study the piecewise smooth equation of the form: $$\begin{aligned} \frac{dx}{dt}=S(t,x)=\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} S_1(t,x)=a_1(t)x^m+b(t), &{} \quad \hbox {if }\quad x\ge {0}, \\ S_2(t,x)=a_2(t)x^m+b(t), &{} \quad \hbox {if }\quad x 0$$). In this study we pay more attention to the examples in which the equation has limit cycle(s) crossing the separation straight line $$x=0$$. In the end, we apply this result on a kind of piecewise smooth planar system which has a separation curve $$x^2+y^2=1$$.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignancies worldwide, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial factor affecting HCC progression and metastasis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been validated to act as critical regulators of biological processes in various tumors. Herein, we attempted to elucidate the uncharacterized function and mechanism of lncRNA DLGAP1-AS1 in regulating tumorigenesis and EMT of HCC. In our study, DLGAP1-AS1 was shown to be upregulated in HCC cell lines and capable to promote HCC progression and EMT. Besides, DLGAP1-AS1 was proven to serve as a molecular sponge to sequester the HCC-inhibitory miRNAs, miR-26a-5p and miR-26b-5p, thus enhancing the level of an oncogenic cytokine IL-6, which could activate JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and reciprocally elevate the transcriptional activity of DLGAP1-AS1, thus forming a positive feedback loop. Moreover, we elaborated that the cancerogenic effects of DLGAP1-AS1 in HCC cells could be effectuated via activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway by positively regulating CDK8 and LRP6, downstream genes of miR-26a/b-5p. In conclusion, our results demonstrated the detailed molecular mechanism of DLGAP1-AS1 in facilitating HCC progression and EMT in vitro and in vivo, and suggested the potentiality of DLGAP1-AS1 as a therapeutic target for HCC.

Calcination temperature plays a crucial role in determining the surface properties of generated MgO, but the influence of temperature variation in a muffle furnace during calcination on its performance is rarely reported. Herein we observed that the temperature in a muffle furnace during calcination demonstrated a gradually increasing trend as the location changed from the furnace doorway to the most inner position. The variation in temperature had a great impact on the adsorption performance of generated rod-like MgO without and/or with involvement of Na2SiO3 to Congo red in aqueous solution. To get a better understanding on the detailed reasons, various techniques including actual temperature measurement via multimeter, N2 physical adsorption, CO2 chemical adsorption and FT-IR spectrometry have been employed to probe the correlation between the adsorption performance of generated MgO from various locations and the inner actual temperature of used muffle furnace as well as their physicochemical properties. In addition, two mechanisms were proposed to elucidate the adsorption process of Congo red over the surface of generated MgO without and/or with presence of Na2SiO3, respectively.

V2O5 has a high theoretical capacity of 440 mAh g−1 as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. However, the poor conductivity may affect the lithiation/delithiation behavior greatly. This study effectively solves the poor conductivity and lithium ion migration rate of V2O5. Nitrogen-doped carbon-coated V2O5 composites (NCNPs-V2O5) are synthesized via an organic solvent assisted in situ hydrothermal growth method. Owing to the NCNPs and their novel 3D flower structure, the as-prepared NCNPs-V2O5 exhibited remarkable electrochemical performance as cathode material of lithium ion battery.

NH4V3O8 has been widely studied because of its attractive electrochemical performance, such as high theoretical capacity and long cycle life. However, the microscopic structure of materials has great influence on the physical and chemical properties of materials, especially the electrochemical performance. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) NH4V3O8 nanoflowers (NFs) have been prepared through a simple synthesis of solvothermal method. The result of X-ray diffraction confirms that the NFs were pure NH4V3O8. The nanocomposite could deliver a discharge capacity of 365 mAh g−1 at a current density of 15 mA g−1. Even after 50 cycles, a capacity of 304 mAh g−1 was still maintained. Moreover, it still maintained a high discharge capacity of 145 mAh g−1 at 300 mA g−1, indicating a promising applications as cathode material for LIBs. This high discharge capacity and cycleability is attributed to finer crystal grains and flower-like morphology of nano particles.

This paper is devoted to three constructive extensions associated with the Pfaff–Saalschutz \({}_3\phi _2\), Watson’s \({}_6\phi _5\), and Jackson’s \({}_8\phi _7\) summation formulas in basic hypergeometric series. All these lead to new general recurrence approaches to well-known Bailey pairs and well-poised Bailey pairs, as well as the emergence of new Pfaff–Saalschutz pairs. Some new applications to q-series are also investigated.

Based on a large number of domestic literature reviews with related research abroad, academic standards and issues awareness have been intensified in domestic tourism geography, disciplinary consciousness and innovation enhancement. Hence, some valuable achievements have been made in the areas of tourism resources, tourism regional system, the spatial structure of tourism, tourism flow, ecotourism, tourism industry, tourism planning and tourism impacts, which strengthened the traditional advantages of research, expanded new areas of research and made research trends diverse. Meanwhile, with innovation of research methods, tourism geography in China is getting more and more internationally-oriented and reflecting Chinese characteristics. Research trends of China’s tourism geography are prospected: 1) Catering to national strategic needs, persisting problem-oriented, strengthening the metatheoretical research, and building Chinese “localization” of theory of tourism geography and method system. 2) Introducing and assimilating foreign theories and research methods, while focusing on explaining new tourism phenomena and problems in the domestic socio-economic background. 3) Concerning about the new regional spatial processes of demographic process, social process, and spatial process in new tourism trend. 4) Exploring interactive process and mechanism of man-land relationship and new models to develop territorial space under the tourism impacts. 5) Exploring important research issues of tourism geography in global, national, regional and local scales, from the point of view of spatial differentiation, scale transformation, interaction of man and nature, creating tourism geography interpretation system based on “process-structure-mechanism” of China. 6) Building theoretical system actively, while strengthening application-oriented research, and focusing on tourism poverty alleviation, tourism and heritage protection, national parks’ construction and other hot issues. Faced with econometrics research boom, we should return to rational thinking, using big data scientifically, while paying attention to the important role of qualitative evaluation in future research.

The current study comprehensively examined the association between common variants in the Na(+)-coupled bicarbonate transporter (NCBT) genes and blood pressure (BP) responses to dietary sodium intervention. A 7-day low-sodium followed by a 7-day high-sodium dietary intervention was conducted among 1906 Han participants from rural areas of northern China. Nine BP measurements were obtained at baseline and each intervention using a random-zero sphygmomanometer. A mixed-effect model was used to assess the additive associations of 76 common variants in five NCBT genes, including SLC4A4, SLC4A5, SLC4A7, SLC4A8 and SLC4A10, with salt sensitivity phenotypes. The Bonferroni method was used to adjust for multiple testing. SLC4A4 marker rs4254735 was significantly associated with diastolic BP (DBP) response to low-sodium intervention (P=5.05 × 10(-4)), with mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) response of -2.91 (-3.21, -2.61) and -0.40 (-1.84, 1.05) mmHg for genotype AA and AG, respectively. In addition, BP responses to high-sodium intervention significantly increased with the number of minor C alleles of SLC4A4 marker rs10022637. Mean systolic BP responses among those with genotypes TT, CT and CC were 4.62 (4.29, 4.99), 5.94 (5.31, 6.58) and 6.00 (3.57, 8.43) mmHg (P=1.14 × 10(-4)); mean DBP responses were 1.72 (1.41, 2.03), 3.22 (2.52, 3.92) and 3.94 (1.88, 5.99) mmHg (P=2.26 × 10(-5)) and mean arterial pressure responses were 2.69 (2.40, 2.97), 4.13 (3.57, 4.70) and 4.61 (2.51, 6.71) mmHg (P=2.07 × 10(-6)), respectively. In brief, the present study indicated that common variants in the SLC4A4 gene might contribute to the variation of BP responses to dietary sodium intake in Han Chinese population.

Biomass carbon doped Bi2WO6 crystallite with a three-dimensional hierarchical structure was prepared with a facile and efficient process under microwave hydrothermal-calcination conditions. The as-prepared samples were characterized and investigated for phase compositions, morphology and photo-catalytic activity. Results show that the highest photo-catalytic activity of the C-Bi2WO6 for the degradation of RhB is 92.3 % within 240 min under visible light, which is considerably higher than that of pure Bi2WO6. The improved photo-catalytic performance could be attributed to the enhanced carrier transportation and photo-generated electron–hole separation. Our studies indicate that the synergetic effect between C and Bi2WO6 is beneficial to its photo-catalytic activity.

Engineering broadband light absorbers is crucial to many applications, including energy-harvesting devices and optical interconnects. The performances of an ideal absorber are that of a black body, a dark material that absorbs radiation at all angles and polarizations. Despite advances in micrometre-thick films, the absorbers available to date are still far from an ideal black body. Here, we describe a disordered nanostructured material that shows an almost ideal black-body absorption of 98-99% between 400 and 1,400 nm that is insensitive to the angle and polarization of the incident light. The material comprises nanoparticles composed of a nanorod with a nanosphere of 30 nm diameter attached. When diluted into liquids, a small concentration of nanoparticles absorbs on average 26% more than carbon nanotubes, the darkest material available to date. By pumping a dye optical amplifier with nanosecond pulses of ∼100 mW power, we harness the structural darkness of the material and create a new type of light source, which generates monochromatic emission (∼5 nm wide) without the need for any resonance. This is achieved through the dynamics of light condensation in which all absorbed electromagnetic energy spontaneously generates single-colour energy pulses.

Airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and small airway function are critical to children with asthma. Little is known about the role of the small airway in well-controlled subjects with AHR. We aimed to evaluate AHR and small airway function in children with well-controlled asthma, and to investigate the association between them.We studied 116 cases of children with well-controlled asthma (group A), 46 cases healthy children as controls (group C). Spirometry, impulse oscillometry (IOS), and methacholine challenge test (MCT) were conducted on all the children.(i) Group A and group C had no differences in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio (P0.05). Forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% of vital capacity (FEF25-75) and reactance at 5 Hz (X5) in group A were significantly lower than those in group C. (ii) One hundred and five cases (90.5%) of group A proved positive to MCT. (iii) FEF25-75 in group A proved positive to MCT but were lower than those proved negative (P0.05).AHR persisted in majority of children with well-controlled asthma. Among children with well-controlled asthma, small airway function was lower in those with AHR than those without AHR.

This paper is devoted to the investigation of Abel equation $$\dot{x}=S(t,x)=\sum ^3_{i=0}a_i(t)x^i$$ , where $$a_i\in \mathrm C^{\infty }([0,1])$$ . A solution x(t) with $$x(0)=x(1)$$ is called a periodic solution. And an orbit $$x=x(t)$$ is called a limit cycle if x(t) is a isolated periodic solution. By means of Lagrange interpolation formula, we give a criterion to estimate the number of limit cycles of the equation. This criterion is only concerned with S(t, x) on three non-intersecting curves. Applying our main result, we prove that the maximum number of limit cycles of the equation is 4 if $$a_2(t)a_0(t)

e-Phase-reinforced ZnAl4Y matrix composite has been fabricated by mixed solid-liquid casting method. The results show that the size of primary η-Zn phase in the composite decreases remarkably with the increase of adding amount of Cu-10wt.%Al powders till it reaches 6.0 wt.% in ZnAl4Y alloy. Besides, a large amount of small e-phase particles form in ZnAl4Y matrix when the adding amount of Cu-10wt.%Al powders is in the range of 4.0-6.0 wt.% in ZnAl4Y alloy. Coarse e-phase particles forms when the adding amount of Cu-10wt.%Al powders exceeds 8.0 wt.% in ZnAl4Y alloy. Compared with ZnAl4Y alloy, the composite could obtain optimal mechanical properties when the added amount of Cu-10wt.%Al powders is 6.0 wt.%.

In this paper we define an extended quasi-homogeneous polynomial system dx/dt = Q = Q1 + Q2 + ... + Qδ, where Qi are some 3-dimensional quasi-homogeneous vectors with weight α and degree i, i = 1, . . . ,δ. Firstly we investigate the limit set of trajectory of this system. Secondly let QT be the projective vector field of Q. We show that if δ ≤ 3 and the number of closed orbits of QT is known, then an upper bound for the number of isolated closed orbits of the system is obtained. Moreover this upper bound is sharp for δ = 3. As an application, we show that a 3-dimensional polynomial system of degree 3 (resp. 5) admits 26 (resp. 112) isolated closed orbits. Finally, we prove that a 3-dimensional Lotka-Volterra system has no isolated closed orbits in the first octant if it is extended quasi-homogeneous.

Human height is a complex genetic trait with high heritability but discovery efforts in Asian populations are limited. We carried out a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for height in 6,534 subjects with in silico replication of 1,881 subjects in Han Chinese. We identified three novel loci reaching the genome-wide significance threshold (P5 × 10(-8)), which mapped in or near ZNF638 (rs12612930, P = 2.02 × 10(-10)), MAML2 (rs11021504, P = 7.81 × 10(-9)), and C18orf12 (rs11082671, P = 1.87 × 10(-8)). We also confirmed two loci previously reported in European populations including CS (rs3816804, P = 2.63 × 10(-9)) and CYP19A1 (rs3751599, P = 4.80 × 10(-10)). In addition, we provided evidence supporting 35 SNPs identified by previous GWAS (P0.05). Our study provides new insights into the genetic determination of biological regulation of human height.

The layered titanium oxide is a useful and unique precursor for the facile and rapid preparation of the peroxide layered titanium oxide H1.07Ti1.73O4·nH2O (HTO) crystal with enhanced visible light photoactivity. The H2O2 molecules as peroxide chemicals rapidly enter into the interlayers of HTO crystal, and coordinate with Ti within TiO6 octahedron to form a mass of Ti-O-O coordination bond in the interlayers. The introduction of these Ti-O-O coordination bonds result in lowering the band gap of HTO, and promoting the separation efficiency of the photo induced electron–hole pairs. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic investigation indicates that such peroxide HTO crystal has the enhanced photocatalytic performance for RhB degradation and water splitting to generate oxygen under visible light irradiating.

Sb4O5Cl2 hollow microspheres with self-narrowed bandgap and optimized photocatalytic performances are synthesized via a facile template-free method. It is found that the crystal structure and morphology of Sb4O5Cl2 crystallites are strongly dependent on the pH values of precursors. Nano-sized irregular-cuboids assembled Sb4O5Cl2 micro-particles and hollow microspheres can be synthesized at pH 1 and 2, whereas individual Sb4O5Cl2 micro-belts become to form when the pH is higher than 3. The irregular-cuboids assembled Sb4O5Cl2 micro-particles and hollow microspheres exhibit self-narrowed bandgap and higher light absorption ability compared with individual Sb4O5Cl2 micro-belts. The photoelectrochemical measurements show that the assembled Sb4O5Cl2 hollow microsphere crystallites prepared at pH 2 exhibit enhanced carrier density, improved separation efficiency of electron-hole pairs and decreased electron-transfer resistance. As a result, the irregular-cuboids assembled Sb4O5Cl2 hollow microspheres prepared at pH = 2 exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of gaseous iso-propanol (IPA) and Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution. The good photocatalytic activity of Sb4O5Cl2 sample prepared at pH = 2 may be caused by the synergistic effect of its higher light absorption, the decreased electron-transfer resistance, the suppressed recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, and the increased surface area.

Lamellar hard carbon derived from holly leaf with enlarged pores of tiny graphite-like domains and meso-pores was prepared by hydrothermal followed high temperature pyrolysis process. Benefiting from the enlarged nano-pores of tiny graphite-like domains and the thin sheet structure with meso-pores, the derived carbon delivered a high reversible capacity of 318 mAh g−1 at a current rate of 20 mA g−1 and excellent rate capability as the anode of sodium-ion battery. And the hydrothermal followed high temperature pyrolysis method was also confirmed an effective approach for betula platyphylla and sophora japonica leaf as precursor respectively to synthesis hard carbon of lamellar structure with enlarged nano-pores of tiny graphite-like domains.

A hydroxyapatite (HA) coating was achieved on H2O2-treated carbon/carbon (C/C) composite through hydrothermally treating and induction heating deposited CaHPO4 coating in an ammonia solution under ultrasonic water bath. Then, this HA coating was placed in a NH4F solution and hydrothermally treated again to fabricate fluorinated hydroxyapatite (FHA) coatings for 24 h at 353, 373, 393 and 413 K, respectively. The structure, morphology and chemical composition of the HA and FHA coatings were characterized by SEM, XRD, EDS and FTIR, and the adhesiveness and chemical stability of these FHA coatings were examined by a scratch test and an immersion test, respectively. The results showed that the as-prepared FHA coatings contained needle-like or stripe-like crystals, different from those of the HA coating. As the fluoridation temperature rose, the adhesiveness of the FHA coating first increased from 34.8 to 40.9 N at a temperature between 353 and 393 K, and then decreased to 24.2 N at 413 K, while the dissolution rate of the FHA coating decreased steadily. The reasons for the property variation of the FHA coatings were proposed by analyzing the morphology, composition and structure of the coatings.

Porous silicon microcavities (PSM) optical crystals consisting of a Fabry-Perot microcavity embedded between two distributed Bragg reflectors have been fabricated by electrochemical etching. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) clearly depicted their physical sandwich construction. The optical feature of the PSM structure was tuned by varying the anodization parameters. Through proper thermal oxidation and surface chemical modifications, the resulting structures were employed as optical sensors for the detection of environmental pollutants including volatile organic vapors (i.e. acetonitrile, toluene, cyclohexane, chloroform, acetone and ethanol) and interior decoration gases (i.e. toluene, ammonia and formaldehyde). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra confirmed the effective thermal annealing and surface modification chemistry, and the sensing process was accompanied by recording the modified structures’ optical responses when exposed to target analytes. The PSM optical sensors showed good stability, sensitivity and selectivity, implying promising applications in gas sensing and environmental monitoring.

To protect carbon/carbon (C/C) composites from oxidation at high temperature, a nano SiC–MoSi2 (SiC n –MoSi2) coating on SiC pre-coated C/C composites was prepared by hydrothermal electrophoretic deposition. The phase composition, surface and cross-section microstructures of the prepared SiC n –MoSi2 coating deposited with different MoSi2/SiC n mass ratio were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of MoSi2 content in the hydrothermal electrophoretic deposition suspension on the phase composition, microstructure and high-temperature oxidation resistance of the multi-layer coatings were investigated. Results showed that the content of MoSi2 phase in the prepared coating increases with the increase of MoSi2 content in the suspension. The density and oxidation resistance of the SiCn-MoSi2 coating improve with the increase of MoSi2 mass content from 20 to 60 wt% in the deposition suspension. However, micro-cracks and micro-holes in the coating are found when deposited with 80 wt% MoSi2, and a decrease in oxidation resistance was also detected. The multi-layer coatings deposited with suspension of 60 wt% MoSi2 exhibited the best anti-oxidation ability, which can effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation in air at 1,873 K for 90 h with weight loss of 2.08%.

Cristobalite aluminum phosphate (C-AlPO4) coatings were prepared by a hydrothermal electrophoretic deposition process on SiC-coated C/C composites. Phase compositions and microstructures of the as-prepared coatings were characterized by XRD and SEM analyses. The influence of deposition voltage on the phase, microstructure and antioxidation property of the cristobalite aluminum phosphate coatings was investigated. Results show that the as-prepared coatings are composed of cristobalite aluminum phosphate crystallites. The thickness and density of cristobalite aluminum phosphate coatings are improved with the increase of deposition voltage. The deposition amount and bonding strength of the cristobalite aluminum phosphate coatings also increase with the increase of deposition voltage. The deposition mass per unit area of the coatings and the square root of the deposition time at different hydrothermal voltages satisfy linear relationship. The antioxidation property of the coated C/C composites is improved with the increase of deposition voltage. Compared with SiC coatings prepared by pack cementation, the multilayer coatings prepared by pack cementation with a later hydrothermal electrophoretic deposition process exhibit better antioxidation property. The as-prepared multi-coatings can effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation in air at 1 773 K for 37 h with a mass loss rate of 0.53%.

The hormone resistin, which was originally shown to induce insulin resistance, has been implicated in the regulation of inflammatory processes, but the molecular mechanism underlying such regulation has not been clearly defined. The goal of our study was to determine whether the expression of COX-2 can be induced by resistin and what the potential signaling pathway involved in this process is. Compared with controls, resistin significantly upregulated COX-2 expression in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Administration of anti-resistin antibody could significantly reduce this effect. Induction of COX-2 by resistin was also markedly reduced in the presence of either dominant negative mutant IkappaBalpha or PDTC, a pharmacological inhibitor of NF-kappaB. On the other hand, NF-kappaB subunit p65 was upregulated by resistin. Moreover, we found that transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAPKKK), could be activated in response to resistin. These results suggest that resistin enhances COX-2 expression in mouse macrophage cells in a TAK1-IKK-NF-kappaB-dependent manner and therefore plays a critical role in inflammatory processes.

An in-situ polymerization method was employed to synthesize the nanosilica/acrylic/epoxy (SAE) hybrid coating on AISI 430 stainless steel (430SS), as compared with a traditional blending method. Microstructures of the blending SAE hybrid coating (BC) and in-situ SAE hybrid coating (ISC) were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Corrosion resistance of BC and ISC on 430SS was evaluated by the neutral salt spray test and potentiodynamic polarization technique. Failure mechanism of the BC on 430SS was suggested by the microstructures and corrosion behaviors. Serious aggregation of nanosilica particles in the BC impairs its structural uniformity and induces the flaws formation. These flaws in the BC initiates the failures of pitting, filiform corrosion and peeling which are accelerated by the O2 concentration cell and H+ self-catalysis in chlorine-containing moist environments. The ISC-coated 430SS shows a more advantageous corrosion resistance than that of the BC-coated. The ISC-coated 430SS can suffer the salt spray over 1000 h. Besides, it exhibits a high corrosion potential beyond 0.925 V and good passivation characteristics during the potentiodynamic polarization.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were prepared on carbon/carbon (C/C) composites with a novel hydrothermal electrodeposition method. The as-prepared HAp coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The influence of ethanol on the phases and microstructures of HAp coatings was investigated. Results show that the coatings’ crystallization shows little change with the increase in ethanol content up to 15%, but the density, homogeneousness, and adhesion with the substrate of HAp coatings obviously improved. The deposition mechanism of the HAp coating is also discussed. Thus, it is helpful to get dense and good-adhesion HAp coatings when ethanol is added into the solution during the hydrothermal electrodeposition process.