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Background: Obesity is known to increase the likelihood of developing abdominal wall hernias, body mass index (BMI) alone does not provide detailed information about the amount and location of body fat. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between various adipose tissue parameters and the incidence of incisional hernias (IHs), as well as the outcomes of hernia repair. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the existing literature to examine the relationship between various body fat parameters and the occurrence of IHs after abdominal surgeries, as well as the outcomes of hernia repair. Results: Thirteen studies were included for analysis. Eight trials evaluated the IH development after abdominal surgeries via specific fat parameters, and five studies evaluated the postoperative outcomes after IH repair. The findings of this study suggest that an increase in visceral fat volume (VFA or VFV) and subcutaneous fat (SFA or SFV) are linked to a higher incidence of IHs after abdominal surgeries. Higher levels of VFV or VFA were associated with more challenging fascia closure and greater postoperative recurrence rates following repair. Whereas BMI did not demonstrate a significant association. Conclusion: Measuring visceral and subcutaneous fat composition preoperatively can be a useful tool for assessing the risk of IH, and is more reliable than BMI. Elevated levels of these fat parameters have been linked to increased recurrence of IH following hernia repair, as well as the use of complex surgical techniques during repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis leverages light energy for chemical transformations, presenting an environmentally friendly approach to mitigating pollution. We have developed Bi2WO6/Ag/ZnO composite nanomaterials that demonstrate enhanced photocatalytic efficiency. These nanomaterials have been characterized through advanced techniques such as x‐ray diffraction and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A key challenge in photocatalysis is the effective separation of electron–hole pairs, and our Bi2WO6/Ag/ZnO composites achieve an impressive degradation rate of 96.93% for methyl orange. This result notably exceeds previous performance standards and highlights the crucial role of Ag in broadening the light response spectrum of zinc oxide (ZnO), and the addition of Bi2WO6 in amplifying the electron–hole pair separation efficiency within these composite nanomaterials. These findings underscore the significant potential of Bi2WO6/Ag/ZnO composites in environmental detoxification and establish a new benchmark in photocatalytic material performance. The advancement of such nanomaterials could be transformative for environmental remediation strategies, offering efficient, sustainable, and cost‐effective solutions to ecological challenges. This study underscores the pivotal role of materials science in advancing environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, there is limited research on the mechanisms underlying moyamoya disease (MMD). Herein, we aimed to determine the role of glutamine in MMD pathogenesis, and 360 adult patients were prospectively enrolled. Human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) were subjected to Integrin Subunit Beta 4 (ITGB4) overexpression or knockdown and atorvastatin. We assessed factors associated with various signaling pathways in the context of the endothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EndMT), and the expression level of related proteins was validated in the superficial temporal arteries of patients. We found glutamine levels were positively associated with a greater risk of stroke (OR = 1.599, p = 0.022). After treatment with glutamine, HBMECs exhibited enhanced proliferation, migration, and EndMT, all reversed by ITGB4 knockdown. In ITGB4‐transfected HBMECs, the MAPK–ERK–TGF–β/BMP pathway was activated, with Smad4 knockdown reversing the EndMT. Furthermore, atorvastatin suppressed the EndMT by inhibiting Smad1/5 phosphorylation and promoting Smad4 ubiquitination in ITGB4‐transfected HBMECs. We also found the protein level of ITGB4 was upregulated in the superficial temporal arteries of patients with MMD. In conclusion, our study suggests that glutamine may be an independent risk factor for hemorrhage or infarction in patients with MMD and targeting ITGB4 could potentially be therapeutic approaches for MMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Actinidia ('Mihoutao' in Chinese) includes species with complex ploidy, among which diploid Actinidia chinensis and hexaploid Actinidia deliciosa are economically and nutritionally important fruit crops. Actinidia deliciosa has been proposed to be an autohexaploid (2n = 174) with diploid A. chinensis (2n = 58) as the putative parent. A CCS‐based assembly anchored to a high‐resolution linkage map provided a chromosome‐resolved genome for hexaploid A. deliciosa yielded a 3.91‐Gb assembly of 174 pseudochromosomes comprising 29 homologous groups with 6 members each, which contain 39 854 genes with an average of 4.57 alleles per gene. Here we provide evidence that much of the hexaploid genome matches diploid A. chinensis; 95.5% of homologous gene pairs exhibited >90% similarity. However, intragenome and intergenome comparisons of synteny indicate chromosomal changes. Our data, therefore, indicate that if A. deliciosa is an autoploid, chromosomal rearrangement occurred following autohexaploidy. A highly diversified pattern of gene expression and a history of rapid population expansion after polyploidisation likely facilitated the adaptation and niche differentiation of A. deliciosa in nature. The allele‐defined hexaploid genome of A. deliciosa provides new genomic resources to accelerate crop improvement and to understand polyploid genome evolution. Significance Statement: We provide insights into the origin of the hexaploid crop Actinidia deliciosa—a putative autohexaploid. Our data suggest chromosomal rearrangements—indicating that either the species is a segmental allopolyploid, or if a strict autoploid then chromosomal rearrangement occurred following autohexaploidy. Our work also provides a template for the study of high ploidal level (6x genome) auto or segmental alloploid genomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) are crucial to the reliability and durability of SiCf/SiC composite components seeking applications in hot sections of next‐generation advanced aero‐engines. The cracks initiated and developed in EBCs owing to various reasons during service greatly undermine their lifespans. To address this problem, in this work, silicon carbide (SiC) in the forms of particles and whiskers with various amounts have been introduced to ytterbium disilicate (Yb2Si2O7), the mainstream EBC topcoat materials, so as to gain some self‐healing potential. The results reveal that, the SiC inclusions in Yb2Si2O7 in the presence of ytterbium monosilicate (Yb2SiO5) can trigger the following reactions. Specifically, SiC self‐healing agents are oxidized to form viscous SiO2, which actively reacts with Yb2SiO5 upon encountering it, forming Yb2Si2O7. This has brought twofold beneficial effects including ① silicon supplementation of disilicate topcoat, whose silicon element tends to be "dragged out" by water vapor, leading to the deterioration of thermal mismatch; as well as ② crack self‐healing resulting from the volume expansion induced by the above reactions. Then the two aspects of self‐healing agents, namely the "promptness" and "sustainability," have been discussed in detail. The former is unveiled to be more pertinent to the repairing of large cracks, whilst the latter is more relevant to the self‐healing of tiny cracks at initiation or early stage of propagation. The current work sheds some lights on the design and development of more durable and robust EBCs with self‐healing capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The role of methionine (Met) cycle in the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases has been established, but its association with moyamoya disease (MMD) has rarely been studied. This study aimed to analyze the levels of Met cycle‐related metabolites and constructed a risk model to explore its association with the risk of MMD. Methods: In this prospective study, a total of 302 adult MMD patients and 88 age‐matched healthy individuals were consecutively recruited. The serum levels of Met cycle‐related metabolites were quantified by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Participants were randomly divided into training set and testing set at a ratio of 1:1. The training set was used to construct the risk score model by LASSO regression. The association between Met cycle‐related risk score and the risk of MMD was analyzed using logistic regression and assessed by ROC curves. The testing set was used for validation. Results: The levels of methionine sulfoxide and homocysteine were significantly increased, while the levels of betaine and choline were significantly decreased in MMD and its subtypes compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05 for all). The training set was used to construct the risk model and the risk score of each participant has been calculated. After adjusting for potential confounders, the risk score was independently associated with the risk of MMD and its subtypes (p < 0.05 for all). We then divided the participants into low‐risk and high‐risk groups, the high‐risk score was significantly associated with the risk of MMD and its subtypes (p < 0.05 for all). The risk scores were further assessed as tertiles, the highest tertile was significantly associated with a higher risk of MMD and its subtypes compared to the lowest (p < 0.05 for all). The results were validated in the testing set. Conclusion: This study has constructed and validated a risk model based on Met cycle‐related metabolites, which was independently associated with the risk of MMD and its subtypes. The findings provided a new perspective on the risk evaluation and prevention of MMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium metal batteries (KMBs) are ideal choices for high energy density storage system owing to the low electrochemical potential and low cost of K. However, the practical KMB applications suffer from intrinsically active K anode, which would bring serious safety concerns due to easier generation of dendrites. Herein, to explore a facile approach to tackle this issue, we propose to regulate K plating/stripping via interfacial chemistry engineering of commercial polyolefin‐based separator using multiple functional units integrated in tailored metal organic framework. As a case study, the functional units of MIL‐101(Cr) offer high elastic modulus, facilitate the dissociation of potassium salt, improve the K+ transfer number and homogenize the K+ flux at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Benefiting from these favorable features, uniform and stable K plating/stripping is realized with the regulated separator. Full battery assembled with the regulated separator showed ~19.9 % higher discharge capacity than that with glass fiber separator at 20 mA g−1 and much better cycling stability at high rates. The generality of our approach is validated with KMBs using different cathodes and electrolytes. We envision that the strategy to suppress dendrite formation by commercial separator surface engineering using tailor‐designed functional units can be extended to other metal/metal ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With abundant metal site and tunable electronic structure, MXene is considered as a promising electrocatalyst for the conversion of energy molecules. In this review, the latest research progress on inexpensive MXene‐based catalysts for water electrolysis is summarized. Typical preparation and modification methods and their advantages and disadvantages are briefly discussed, with a focus on the regulation and design of the surface interface electronic states, which improve the electrocatalytic performance of MXene‐based materials. The main strategies for the electronic state modification include end‐group modification, heteroatom doping, and heterostructure construction. Some limitations of MXene‐based materials, which should be considered in the rational design of advanced MXene‐based electrocatalyst, are also discussed. Finally, prospects for the rational design of Mxene‐based electrocatalysts is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the response of plant diversity to urbanization is essential for conserving urban biodiversity. In this paper, a meta‐analysis of 34 articles and 163 observations regarding the impact of urbanization on plant diversity was conducted. The results revealed that urbanization had marked negative effects on plants. Urbanization had positive effects on introduced species and negative effects on native species. In the subgroup analysis, we found that trees responded better to the effect of urbanization than herbs and shrubs. There was no evidence that urban size, population density, nighttime light, and GDP per capita had moderating effects on plant richness. Based on meta‐regression analyses, native species in urban areas were less affected by urbanization at lower latitudes. Overall, urbanization had a marginally negative effect on plant abundance. The effects of urbanization on plant diversity during different stages of urban development were inconsistent. Our research shows that the suburbs play a crucial role in the urbanization gradient; there, plants survive with high species richness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With abundant electroactive sites and rapid ion diffusion paths, ultrathin dichalcogenides such as MoS2 demonstrate enormous potential as anodes for sodium/potassium‐ion batteries (SIBs/PIBs). However, ultrahigh‐aspect‐ratio nanosheets are very easy to aggregate and re‐stack, drastically weakening their intrinsic merits. Here a sustainable dichalcogenide anode is designed via crumpling carbon‐pillared atomic‐thin MoS2 nanosheets with CNTs into an elastic ball structure (C‐p‐MoS2/CNTs). In this architecture, the glucose‐derived carbon pillars atomic‐thin MoS2 nanosheets and broadens interlayer spacing, ensuring fast Na+/K+ diffusion; CNTs act as 3D scaffolds to impede re‐stacking of MoS2 while providing high‐speed pathways for electrons; the integration of flexible atomic‐thin sheets and high‐toughness CNTs further endows the balls with great elasticity to release the cycling stress. Consequently, the C‐p‐MoS2/CNTs material delivers high reversible capacities, outstanding cycling stability, and superior rate performance as anodes for both SIBs and PIBs. Pairing with Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathode, the sodium‐ion coin‐cell could operate at a rate up to 50 C at high mass loading of 9.4 mg cm−2 and manifest ultrastable cycling stability at 40 C over 600 cycles. Impressively, the assembled pouch cell can be cycled stably with a high energy density of 188 Wh kg−1. This study is anticipated to provide inspiration for designing innovative metal dichalcogenides as battery anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separator is a critical component of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery, and the property of separator influences the battery performance significantly. Cellulose‐based separator is emerging as a promising alternative to the traditional polyolefin separator used in Li–S battery. Although the excellent battery performance of various cellulose‐based separators is shown, a comprehensive understanding of the advantageous features of bacterial cellulose (BC)‐based separator in Li–S battery still is lacking. In this work, models of BC separators with different thicknesses are prepared and compared with polypropylene separators in terms of their electrochemical performance. The results show that the BC separator exhibits favorable electrolyte affinity, improved lithium‐ion transport, suppressed shuttling of soluble polysulfides, and inhibited the formation of lithium dendrites. The combination of these unique characters of BC separator endows it with excellent battery performance. These results provide insight into the use and design of functional cellulose‐based separators in advanced secondary batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mesh infection is the most feared postoperative complication after abdominal wall hernia repair, often needs mesh removal. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used in these situations with diverse results. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the NPWT in the treatment of mesh infection, the primary outcome was the mesh salvage rates of different type of meshes and mesh positions. Methods: Major databases were searched using the keywords negative pressure wound therapy, VSD, vacuum assisted, hernia, mesh infection, including various combinations of the terms. All relevant articles and reference lists in these original studies were also obtained from the above databases. Results: Ten articles containing 265 patients on the treatment of mesh infection after hernia repair with the use of NPWT method were included. The general infected mesh salvage rate with NPWT was 76.2%. The highest mesh salvage rate was achieved in polypropylene mesh (93.5%), followed by Proceed mesh (83.3%), and the mesh salvage rate was lower in polyester mesh (PCO) (0%) and the ePTFE mesh (14/3%). The salvage rate was higher when mesh placed in the onlay position (82.6%) or retromuscular/sublay position (98.5%), but lower in the IPOM position (55.6%). Conclusion: The treatment of mesh infection after hernia repair should be individualized according to the mesh type, mesh position and the severity of infection. Infected mesh with favourable mesh materials (large pore and monofilament polypropylene) and favourable positions (onlay or sublay/retromuscular) can be salvaged with the use of NPWT based conservative method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) is considered as an alternative material for commercial platinum catalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Improving the apparent HER activity of MoS2 to a level comparable to that of Pt is an essential premise for the commercial use of MoS2. In this work, a Zn‐doping strategy is proposed to enhance the HER performance of MoS2. It is shown that tiny Zn doping into MoS2 leads to the enhancement of the electrochemical surface area, increases in proportion of HER active 1T phase in the material and formation of catalytic sites of higher intrinsic activity. These benefits result in a high‐performance HER electrocatalyst with a low overpotential of 190 mV(@10 mA cm−2) and a low Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1. The origin for the excellent electrochemical performance of the doped MoS2 is rationalized with both experimental and theoretical investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the core issues of ecology is to understand the effects of landscape patterns on ecological processes. For this, we need to accurately capture changes in the fine landscape structures to avoid losing information about spatial heterogeneity. The landscape pattern indicators (LPIs) can characterize the spatial structures and give some information about landscape patterns. However, researches on LPIs had mainly focused on the horizontal structure of landscape patterns, while few studies addressed vertical relationships between the levels of hierarchical landscape structures. Thus, the ignorance of the vertical hierarchical relationships may cause serious biases and reduce LPIs' representational ability and accuracy. The hierarchy theory about the landscape pattern structures could notably reduce the loss of hierarchical information, and the information entropy could quantitatively describe the vertical status of landscape units. Therefore, we established a new multidimensional fusion method of LPIs based on hierarchy theory and information entropy. Here, we created a general fusion formula for commonly used simple LPIs based on two‐grade land use data (whose land use classification system contains two grades/levels) and derived 3 fusion landscape pattern indicators (FLIs) with a case study. The results show that the information about fine spatial structure is captured by the fusion method. The regions with the most differences between the FLIs and the traditional LPIs are those with the largest vertical structure such as the ecological ecotones, where vertical structure was ignored before. The FLIs have a finer spatial representational ability and accuracy, not only retaining the main trend information of first‐grade land use data, but also containing the internal detail information of second‐grade land use data. Capturing finer spatial information of landscape patterns should encourage the application of fusion method, which should be suitable for more LPIs or more dimensional data. And the increased accuracy of FLIs will improve ecological models that rely on finer spatial information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Parahiatal hernia is a less common form of diaphragmatic hernia, with the defect lateral to the crus and oesophageal hiatus, and the unfamiliarity of this disease would cause confusion to general surgeons. In the present study, the literature on parahiatal hernia were reviewed, the clinical profile of this disease, as well as our own experience is presented and analysed. Methods: In the present study, a thorough identification of all published reports on parahiatal hernias was made, together with our own cases, the available data were summarized, analysed and discussed. Results: A total of 27 cases of parahiatal hernias were identified since 1987. Among them, 19 cases were primary parahiatal hernias, and eight cases were secondary or acquired parahiatal hernias. None of the 27 cases were pre‐operatively diagnosed, and the majority of them were pre‐operatively diagnosed as paraoesophageal hernias. Detailed treatment data were available in 26 of the 27 cases. Three patients received open surgery, and 23 patients were treated with laparoscopic procedures. Suture repair was used in 12 cases, and 14 cases were repaired with mesh reinforcement. In addition, two cases underwent partial gastrectomy, stomach suture was performed in another two cases. Conclusion: Patients with parahiatal hernia have a high risk of developing hernia incarceration or gastric vovulus. Laparoscopic treatment of parahiatal hernia is feasible and safe in the majority cases. Surgeons should be aware of this disease when performing paraoesophageal hernia repair, as parahiatal hernias may occur with or without previous diaphragmatic surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying patterns of variation and coordination of plant functional traits can help to understand the mechanisms underlying both invasiveness and adaptation of plants. Little is known about the coordinated variations of performance and functional traits of different organs in invasive plants, especially in response to their adaptation to environmental stressors. To identify the responses of the invasive species Solidago canadensis to drought, 180 individuals were randomly collected from 15 populations and 212 ramets were replanted in a greenhouse to investigate both the response and coordination between root and leaf functional traits. Drought significantly decreased plant growth and most of the root and leaf functional traits, that is, root length, surface area, volume and leaf size, number, and mass fraction, except for the root length ratio and root mass fraction. Phenotypic plasticity was higher in root traits than in leaf traits in response to drought, and populations did not differ significantly. The plasticity of most root functional traits, that is, root length (RL), root surface area (RSA), root volume (RV), and root mass fraction (RMF), were significantly positively correlated with biomass between control and drought. However, the opposite was found for leaf functional traits, that is, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area ratio (LAR), and leaf mass fraction (LMF). Drought enhanced the relationship between root and leaf, that is, 26 pairwise root–leaf traits were significantly correlated under drought, while only 15 pairwise root–leaf traits were significantly correlated under control conditions. Significant correlations were found between biomass and all measured functional traits except for leaf size. RV, root length ratio, RMF, total area of leaves, and LMF responded differently to water availability. These responses enable S. canadensis to cope with drought conditions and may help to explain the reason of the vast ecological amplitude of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We read with great interest the recently published article by Wilson [[1]]; the author emphasized the concept that stoma closure should be closed with mesh, and we appreciate it very much for the author's important recommendation, and we completely agree with the author that the stoma site per se is an incisional hernia by definition as it is a defect in the abdominal fascia with protruding intra-abdominal contents. I Second, i the use of mesh was effective to prevent incisional hernia development, which is a significant clinical complication after any type of laparotomy, since about 30% of laparotomy wounds would develop an incisional hernia [[2]]; in particular, ostomy closure site was remarkably risk factor for the development of incisional hernia [[3]]. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As genetically modified (GM) crops are cultivated worldwide, concerns are emerging about the ecological consequences of the coexistence of transgenic and non‐transgenic crops in fields. We first conducted field experiments using insect‐resistant transgenic rice expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt‐transgenic rice) and its counterpart conventional rice (Oryza sativa L.) with or without insecticide spraying in 2013 and 2014. In 2015 and 2016, Bt‐transgenic and conventional rice plants were employed in pure and mixed cages, with an infestation of the target insect (Chilo suppressalis) and with insecticide spraying as the control treatment to prevent target insect infestation. RESULTS: The presence of Bt‐transgenic rice decreased the abundance of target insects but did not affect non‐target insects and predators in fields. Compared with conventional rice, Bt‐transgenic rice showed more empty seeds but comparable seed production in cages. The infestation of target insects significantly decreased the plant fitness of conventional rice in pure cages, but did not affect its fitness when conventional rice coexisted with Bt‐transgenic rice. In mixed cages, the presence of Bt‐transgenic rice decreased the abundance of target insects and the percentage of dead sheaths in conventional rice. CONCLUSION: The presence of Bt‐transgenic rice benefits the growth and reproduction of non‐transgenic rice in fields because of a decreased abundance of target insects. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, we have successfully developed a series of ordered Fe‐ and N‐doped carbon (Fe‐N‐C) catalysts for alkaline anion‐exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) using ordered SiO2 nanospheres as a scaffold template. Compared to the previous work, the SiO2 nanosphere templates used in this work are more well‐ordered and size‐controlled, which increases the surface area of the Fe‐N‐C framework material. We observed that the 30 nm@Fe‐N‐C sample exhibits orderly arranged mesopores, interconnected conductive networks, and large surface area (1192 m2 g−1). Moreover, the 30 nm@Fe‐N‐C sample shows significantly enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity compared to commercial Pt/C. A more‐positive half‐wave potential of 0.84 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE) and remarkably stable limiting current of ≈6.1 mA cm−2 is demonstrated by a three‐electrode configuration rotating disk electrode (RDE) system in 0.1  m KOH solution. An AEMFC based on the 30 nm@Fe‐N‐C sample showed a maximum power density of 100 mW m−2 at a high current density of 230 mA cm−2. In addition, we found the AEMFC based on 30 nm@Fe‐N‐C catalyst could steadily operate for more than 60 h with only 4.65 % performance degradation under constant voltage conditions (0.6 V). More interestingly, this catalyst shows an excellent tolerance for CO as well as remarkably long‐term stability with more than 89.9 % retention of its initial activity after 41.6 min operation, which is obviously superior to the commercial Pt/C catalyst (59 % initial activity retention). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although designed for land surfaces, MODIS Aqua surface reflectance data products (MYD09, termed as R_Land in this work) have also been used for water applications. Yet to date their uncertainties and general suitability in such applications have rarely been documented. In this study, R_Land products of two regions (Chesapeake Bay and Taihu Lake) between July 2002 and December 2015 are evaluated against in situ measurements and against reflectance products derived by the MODIS Ocean Team using atmospheric correction schemes specifically designed for water applications, namely the default atmospheric correction method based on the near‐infrared (NIR) bands (denoted as R_NIR, data products available from NASA) and alternative atmospheric correction method based on the shortwave‐infrared (SWIR) bands (denoted as R_SWIR, data products not available from NASA but require customized processing by the user), respectively. Results suggest high accuracy in R_Land(645) and R_Land(645/555) for both Chesapeake Bay and Taihu Lake in terms of daily spatial distributions, seasonality, and long‐term trends. A sensitivity test also shows improved data quality in R_Land(645/555) when data are binned by 7 × 7 pixels in space and 32 days in time. Improved data quality can also be obtained for R_Land(645) when data are only binned in time to minimize the patchiness noise in R_Land daily images. Given the fact that most users do not have the capacity to process low‐level data to obtain R_SWIR and the standard NASA R_NIR products often lack coverage over inland waters because they are optimized for global oceans instead of inland waters, this study provides a general guide on the applicability of the widely available R_Land products in inland and estuarine water applications in the absence of customized R_NIR or R_SWIR data products for local regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the thermal stability and electrolyte affinity of the separator is critical for enhancing the performance of lithium ion batteries. A novel SnO2 nanoparticle functionalized polyethylene separator prepared through a facile blade coating process is reported. The SnO2 functionalization effectively enhances the thermal stability of the separator. The functionalized separator could withstand a temperature up to 130 °C. In addition, the novel separator shows significantly improved electrochemical performance due to its good compatibility of the SnO2 layer with the electrolyte. As a result of these favourable features, the SnO2 functionalized separator presents excellent battery performance. The discharge capacity of the LiCoO2 half‐cell with the functionalized separator at 5C is improved by ∼13% at room temperature. Besides, the functionalized separator also exhibits superior discharge performance at 80 °C. These results demonstrate the high potential of the SnO2 functionalized separator for practical lithium ion battery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The non-target effect of Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt) toxins in aquatic ecosystems is crucial to improve the present assessment of Bt-transgenic plants, particularly where crops are cultivated near aquatic ecosystems. We conducted decomposition experiments during two growing seasons to determine the effects of Bt-transgenic rice litter with and without insecticide application on the meiobenthos communities in a field ditch. RESULTS The community composition of meiobenthos colonised on leaf litter was not significantly different between Bt and non- Bt rice. The abundance of meiobenthos colonising leaves differed between insecticide application and control, and this insecticide effect interacted with rice type. No Bt toxin was detected in field ditch water. Leaf decomposition and nutrient content were comparable for both Bt and non- Bt rice with or without insecticide application. CONCLUSION Bt-transgenic rice litter had no effect on the meiobenthos community composition in field ditches, but the chronic persistence of transgenic litter in nature needs to be taken into account at large scales in aquatic ecosystems. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-performance electrocatalyst that could effectively catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is required in important energy conversion devices such as metal-air batteries. Herein, we report the template-free synthesis of a Fe and N co-doped carbon catalyst, using a novel ionic liquid as the precursor. The Fe−N−C catalyst prepared at 800 °C exhibits comparable ORR performance but significantly improved OER activity compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst as well as good stability. We demonstrate that the excellent performance of the catalyst is caused by its high heteroatom content, large surface area, and high degree of graphitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li-ion and Li-S batteries find enormous applications in different fields, such as electric vehicles and portable electronics. A separator is an indispensable part of the battery design, which functions as a physical barrier for the electrode as well as an electrolyte reservoir for ionic transport. The properties of the separators directly influence the performance of the batteries. Traditional polyolefin separators showed low thermal stability, poor wettability toward the electrolyte, and inadequate barrier properties to polysulfides. To improve the performance and durability of Li-ion and Li-S batteries, development of advanced separators is required. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the fabrication and application of novel separators, including the functionalized polyolefin separator, polymeric separator, and ceramic separator, for Li-ion and Li-S batteries. The characteristics, advantages, and limitations of these separators are discussed. A brief outlook for the future directions of the research in the separators is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robust and efficient catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are required for the development of various energy storage and conversion devices. In this study, a durable and high-performance Fe3C@graphene ORR catalyst has been developed by the carbonization of urea- and agar-modified Fe2O3 nanorods. The influence of the carbonization temperature and annealing time on the activity and stability of the resulting Fe/ C catalyst was studied in detail. The Fe/C catalyst synthesized at a temperature of 700°C (holding time: 60 min) showed better ORR activity and improved stability compared to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The improved ORR catalytic activity of the catalyst is due to its high Fe3C content and its good durability results from the unique microstructure of the Fe3C@graphene hybrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Conservation Biology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Wir beschreiben ein neues UV-initiiertes Verfahren, das eine direkte Funktionalisierung von oberflächengebundenen Hydroxygruppen mit Thiolen ermöglicht (hier als Thiol-Alkohol-Modifizierung bezeichnet). Diese Methode beruht auf einer oxidativen Kupplung von Thiol- an Hydroxygruppen. Wir zeigen, dass verschiedene Moleküle, die Thiolgruppen tragen, z. B. Fluorophore, thiolterminiertes Polyethylenglycol (PEG-SH) oder Cystein enthaltende Peptide auf der Oberfläche von porösem Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylat- co-ethylendimethacrylat) gebunden werden können. Die direkte Funktionalisierung anderer Hydroxygruppen tragender Oberflächen sowie die Herstellung von Mikrostrukturen oder zweifache Strukturierungen sind ebenfalls mit der Thiol-Alkohol-Chemie möglich. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel UV-initiated surface modification method for the direct functionalization of surface hydroxy groups with thiol-containing molecules (termed 'thiol-ol' modification) is described. This method is based on the oxidative conjugation of thiols to hydroxy groups. We demonstrate that different thiol-containing molecules, such as fluorophores, thiol-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-SH), and a cysteine-containing peptide, can be attached onto the surface of porous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate- co-ethylene dimethacrylate). Direct functionalization of other hydroxy-group-bearing surfaces, fabrication of micropatterns, and double patterning have been also demonstrated using the thiol-ol method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of polypropylene (PP) hernia mesh, modified with poly( l-lactic acid) (PLLA), was developed and used to repair rat abdominal wall defect. The PP mesh was first treated with oxygen plasma and then grafted with PLLA in phosphorus pentachloride (PCl5) solution in dichloride methane. The water contact angle changed during the procedure, and the coverage percentage of PLLA on the PP was about 80%. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy measurements showed the existence of carbonyl group absorption peak (1756.9 cm−1), and atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope morphological observation indicated that the surface of the PP mesh was covered with PLLA graft. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra was used to probe chemical group changes and confirmed that the PLLA was grafted onto the PP. A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups, and they received either modified meshes (experimental groups) or PP meshes (control groups) to repair abdominal wall defects. All animals survived until the end of the experiment. Rats in each group were dissected after the operation (after 1 week, 2 weeks, and 1 month, respectively), and the adhesion effects were evaluated. Sections of the mesh parietal peritoneum overlap were examined histologically and graded for inflammation reaction. Compared with the control groups, the experimental groups showed a better ability to resist peritoneal cavity adhesions ( P < 0.05), and there was no increase in inflammation formation ( P > 0.05). This new type of PLLA-modified PP mesh displayed an additional property of antiadhesion in animal abdominal wall defect repair. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 102B: 12-21, 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate 10 process-based terrestrial biosphere models that were used for the IPCC fifth Assessment Report. The simulated gross primary productivity ( GPP) is compared with flux-tower-based estimates by Jung et al. [ Journal of Geophysical Research 116 (2011) G00J07] ( JU11). The net primary productivity ( NPP) apparent sensitivity to climate variability and atmospheric CO2 trends is diagnosed from each model output, using statistical functions. The temperature sensitivity is compared against ecosystem field warming experiments results. The CO2 sensitivity of NPP is compared to the results from four Free-Air CO2 Enrichment ( FACE) experiments. The simulated global net biome productivity ( NBP) is compared with the residual land sink ( RLS) of the global carbon budget from Friedlingstein et al. [ Nature Geoscience 3 (2010) 811] ( FR10). We found that models produce a higher GPP (133 ± 15 Pg C yr−1) than JU11 (118 ± 6 Pg C yr−1). In response to rising atmospheric CO2 concentration, modeled NPP increases on average by 16% (5-20%) per 100 ppm, a slightly larger apparent sensitivity of NPP to CO2 than that measured at the FACE experiment locations (13% per 100 ppm). Global NBP differs markedly among individual models, although the mean value of 2.0 ± 0.8 Pg C yr−1 is remarkably close to the mean value of RLS (2.1 ± 1.2 Pg C yr−1). The interannual variability in modeled NBP is significantly correlated with that of RLS for the period 1980-2009. Both model-to-model and interannual variation in model GPP is larger than that in model NBP due to the strong coupling causing a positive correlation between ecosystem respiration and GPP in the model. The average linear regression slope of global NBP vs. temperature across the 10 models is −3.0 ± 1.5 Pg C yr−1 °C−1, within the uncertainty of what derived from RLS (−3.9 ± 1.1 Pg C yr−1 °C−1). However, 9 of 10 models overestimate the regression slope of NBP vs. precipitation, compared with the slope of the observed RLS vs. precipitation. With most models lacking processes that control GPP and NBP in addition to CO2 and climate, the agreement between modeled and observation-based GPP and NBP can be fortuitous. Carbon-nitrogen interactions (only separable in one model) significantly influence the simulated response of carbon cycle to temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration, suggesting that nutrients limitations should be included in the next generation of terrestrial biosphere models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological changes of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane caused by solvent soakage were investigated in this study. The results demonstrated that the wettable solvent with low contact angle towards PTFE membrane can introduce huge stress to the ePTFE membrane and make the membrane shrinkage, and the stress is generated in the solvent evaporation procedure. The pore size and membrane dimension shrinkage of ePTFE membrane improved with the decrease of the solvent contact angle and surface tension. For ethanol and isopropanol with contact angle of 23° and 20°, the membrane thickness shrinkness are 15.0% and 16.7%, respectively. The evaporation-induced stress towards the ePTFE membrane also increases with the decrease of the solvent contact angle to the ePTFE membrane. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mongolian gazelle (Procapra gutturosa Pallas) lives in the Mongolian Plateau, where conditions are dry and cold from late autumn to early spring. The climate results in apparent seasonal changes in the nutrition of forage plants on the plateau. The morphology of the gazelle's rumen papillae and the weight of their salivary glands also reflect these changes. The relative weight of the parotids to body mass (0.8–1.3 g kg-1 and 1.8–2.7 g kg-0.75 ) and the surface enlargement factor (SEF) of the internal rumen wall (8.5–12.0) fell within the range of mixed (intermediate) feeders. Although previous studies in a great number of ruminants have shown that parotid mass and SEF are positively related to feed quality, we found that relative parotid mass to body mass increased in winter, the dry and cold season, during the poorest dietary conditions. The surface enlargement factor increased from autumn to winter and spring, during the poorest and best seasons in feed quality, respectively. It is possible that an increase in parotid mass is related to water shortage from both feed and habitat in winter. An increase in parotid mass, suggesting an increase in saliva production, could meet the liquid needs of the gazelles during feeding and rumination in poor and dry forage seasons. The development of rumen papilla and the consequent increase in SEF in poor food seasons should result in the effective absorption of nutrients by Mongolian gazelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferredoxin: thioredoxin reductase (FTR) is the essential enzyme of the light dependent regulatory system controlling enzyme activities in oxygenic, photosynthetic cells. This protein is composed of two dissimilar subunits, a catalytic subunit containing a [4Fe-4S] cluster and a redox-active disulfide bridge as the active site, and a variable subunit, whose function is not known yet. Whereas size and primary structure of the catalytic subunit from different organisms seem to be well conserved, they are quite variable for the variable subunit. Here we report the complete amino acid sequence of the variable subunit of maize (Zea mays) FTR established by protein sequencing. The subunit contains 97 residues and has a calculated molecular mass of 10939 Da. A sequence comparison shows 40% identity with the variable subunit from spinach and 38% with the one from Anacystis. The identical residues are grouped in three consensus domains, one near the N-terminus, one in the middle of the subunit and one near the C-terminus. We have obtained some evidence indicating that the N-terminal consensus domain is possible involved in the interaction with the catalytic subunit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioinspired lubricant‐infused surfaces exhibit various unique properties attributed to their liquid‐like and molecularly smooth nature. Excellent liquid repellency and "slippery" properties, self‐healing, antiicing, anticorrosion characteristics, enhanced heat transfer, antibiofouling, and cell‐repellent properties have been already demonstrated. This progress report highlights some of the recent developments in this rapidly growing area, focusing on properties of lubricant‐infused surfaces, and their emerging applications as well as some future challenges. Slippery lubricant‐infused surfaces are attracting a lot of interest due to their unique liquid repellency, low sliding angles, antibiofouling, anti‐icing, and self‐healing properties as well as various potential applications. In this progress report, the current state of design, manufacturing, and application of slippery lubricant‐infused surfaces is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]