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A new species of Iris, Iris cangshanensis, was discovered in Cangshan Nature Reserve, Dali City, Yunnan Province, China. Morphologically, I. cangshanensis shares several key features with species in Iris subg. Crossiris, including prominent crests and stout rhizomes, but it is easily distinguished from other Iris species by its unique crest, dark purple spots on the falls, erect standards recurved to the style branches, and slightly fimbriate tips of the style branches. Phylogenetic analysis including 115 related species based on matk/trnk and trnL‐F sequences indicates that I. cangshanensis forms a distinct clade, and reveals a strong genetic connection between I. cangshanensis, the Iristectorum complex and Iris latistyla. Overall, both morphological and phylogenetic evidence strongly support the classification of I. cangshanensis as a newly discovered species. A comprehensive description of this species is provided, including a detailed illustrations and photographs, geographical distribution, habitat and ecology, as well as its IUCN conservation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of up‐to‐date data on the distribution and dynamics of the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) presented a significant challenge in developing effective conservation strategies and implementing protective measures within China. Currently, most of China's national‐level nature reserves and administrative departments operate at the county level, thereby limiting the applicability of larger‐scale analyses and studies for these administrative entities. This study employed 11 widely used modeling techniques created within the Biomod2 framework to predict suitable habitats for the pangolin at the county scale, while examining the correlation between environmental variables and pangolin distribution. The results revealed that highly suitable habitats in Mingxi County of China encompassed only 49 km2. Within the county‐managed nature reserve, the proportion of highly suitable habitats reached as high as 52%. However, nearly half of these areas, both moderately and highly suitable habitats, remained inadequately addressed and conserved. We found nine administrative villages that necessitated prioritized conservation efforts. The study anticipated an overall expansion in suitable habitats over the ensuing two decades, with significant growth projected in the eastern regions of Xiayang and Hufang Town. This research offered a clear and applicable research paradigm for the specific administrative level at which China operates, particularly pertinent to county‐level jurisdictions with established nature reserves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) catalyzes the oxidation of cello‐oligosaccharides and transfers electrons to oxygen or other electron receptors, such as lytic polysaccharide oxygenases (LPMOs). Cellobiose dehydrogenase has the potential to be used as an electron donor for LPMOs. Therefore, it is important to obtain CDHs under reaction conditions that are compatible with those of cellulases and LPMOs. Here, a CDH gene from Myceliophthora thermophila (MtCDH‐A) was constitutively expressed in Trichoderma reesei, and its ability to donate electrons to the LPMO was validated. MtCDH‐A has an optimal pH of 6.0 and maintains relatively high activity over a wide pH range. The optimal temperature was 60°C, and it remained stable at 50°C for a long time. These enzymatic properties were compatible with the catalytic conditions of fungal LPMOs and cellulases. When MtCDH‐A was used as an electron donor, the synergistic effect of LPMO and cellulase improved the degradation efficiency of phosphoric acid‐swollen cellulose by 141%. This work provides a novel insight into finding a stable electron donor for LPMOs and a new direction for finding more efficient thermostable CDHs in newly identified fungal species. © 2023 Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical damage can cause immediate or delayed failure of the pipe. The dent is the main form of mechanical damage. According to the Oyane ductile fracture criterion, the finite element method was used to simulate the axial simple dent caused by the construction stage. Analyzed the change of pipeline ductile damage degree in different pit sizes, pipe sizes and pipe pressures, the relationship between the dents depth and the ductile damage degree is obtained, which provides the theoretical basis for the safe design of the oil and gas pipelines with axial indentation during the construction stage.

The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to second-generation biofuels through enzymes is achieved at a high cost. Filamentous fungi through a combination of oxidative enzymes can easily disintegrate the glycosidic bonds of cellulose. The combination of cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) with lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) enhances cellulose degradation in many folds. CDH increases cellulose deconstruction via coupling the oxidation of cellobiose to the reductive activation of LPMOs by catalyzing the addition of oxygen to C-H bonds of the glycosidic linkages. Fungal LPMOs show different regio-selectivity (C1 or C4) and result in oxidized products through modifications at reducing as well as nonreducing ends of the respective glucan chain. T. reesei LPMOs have shown great potential for oxidative cleavage of cellobiose at C1 and C4 glucan bonds, therefore, the incorporation of heterologous CDH further increases its potential for biofuel production for industrial purposes at a reduced cost. We introduced CDH of Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PcCDH) in Trichoderma reesei (which originally lacked CDH). We purified CDH through affinity chromatography and analyzed its enzymatic activity, electron-donating ability to LPMO, and the synergistic effect of LPMO and CDH on cellulose deconstruction. The optimum temperature of the recombinant PcCDH was found to be 45 °C and the optimum pH of PcCDH was observed as 4.5. PcCDH has high cello-oligosaccharide kcat, Km, and kcat/Km values. The synergistic effect of LPMO and cellulase significantly improved the degradation efficiency of phosphoric acid swollen cellulose (PASC) when CDH was used as the electron donor. We also found that LPMO undergoes auto-oxidative inactivation, and when PcCDH is used an electron donor has the function of a C1-type LPMO electron donor without additional substrate increments. This work provides novel insights into finding stable electron donors for LPMOs and paves the way forward in discovering efficient CDHs for enhanced cellulose degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of nursing intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT) on patients with respiratory diseases in the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Methods: A total of 74 patients with respiratory diseases who were hospitalized from June 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled and stratified into a control group (n = 37) and an experimental group (n = 37) according to a stratified random sampling method. The control group adopted a routine nursing intervention program of the respiratory department, whereas the experimental group received a PMT‐based nursing intervention program on the basis of the control group. Chronic Disease Self‐Management Study Measures (CDSMS) and Self‐Efficacy for Managing Chronic Diseases 6‐item Scale (SECD6) were used to evaluate the effect of PMT intervention before intervention, after 1 week, and after 4 weeks of intervention. The levels of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured to evaluate pulmonary function. Results: Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales and liver function indexes between the two groups (p > 0.05). After 1 and 4 weeks of intervention, the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.0001). The indexes of pulmonary function of the experimental group were improved, but there was no significant difference compared with the control group (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Nursing intervention based on PMT contributes to the improvement of self‐management behaviors and self‐efficacy, which is conducive to the prognoses of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a rational and cost-effective approach for designing highly-efficient and sustainable electrocatalysts is essential for clean and renewable hydrogen energy. Herein, we report nitrogen-doped CoP on two-dimensional ammoniated black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets (N-CoP/NH2-BP) as novel and highly-active heterostructure electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Using the reactive defects on the BP nanosheets as the original sites under NH3 gas, N-doped CoP nanocrystals were grown on the surface of the BP nanosheets that were functionalized with NH2 groups at their edge. The N-CoP/NH2-BP heterostructure exhibits low overpotentials of 90 and 246 mV at 10 and 200 mA cm−2, respectively, in an alkaline electrolyte. The excellent HER activity should be attributed to the synergistic effect between N-doped CoP and NH2-functionalized BP, in which NH2-BP, with its high electron mobility and hydrophilicity, accelerates the charge transfer and offers more active sites, moreover, N-doped CoP modulates the electronic structure of CoP for enhanced HER activity. This work not only provides a novel and effective electrocatalyst, but also opens up a straightforward strategy for the design of phosphorene-based electrocatalysts for highly efficient hydrogen evolution and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The respiratory burst oxidase homolog (RBOH), as the key producer of reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays an essential role in plant development. In this study, a bioinformatic analysis was performed on 22 plant species, and 181 RBOH homologues were identified. A typical RBOH family was identified only in terrestrial plants, and the number of RBOHs increased from non-angiosperms to angiosperms. Whole genome duplication (WGD)/segmental duplication played a key role in RBOH gene family expansion. Amino acid numbers of 181 RBOHs ranged from 98 to 1461, and the encoded proteins had molecular weights from 11.1 to 163.6 kDa, respectively. All plant RBOHs contained a conserved NADPH_Ox domain, while some of them lacked the FAD_binding_8 domain. Plant RBOHs were classified into five main subgroups by phylogenetic analysis. Most RBOH members in the same subgroup showed conservation in both motif distribution and gene structure composition. Fifteen ZmRBOHs were identified in maize genome and were positioned in eight maize chromosomes. A total of three pairs of orthologous genes were found in maize, including ZmRBOH6/ZmRBOH8, ZmRBOH4/ZmRBOH10 and ZmRBOH15/ZmRBOH2. A Ka/Ks calculation confirmed that purifying selection was the main driving force in their evolution. ZmRBOHs had typical conserved domains and similar protein structures. cis-element analyses together with the expression profiles of the ZmRBOH genes in various tissues and stages of development suggested that ZmRBOH was involved in distinct biological processes and stress responses. Based on the RNA-Seq data and qRT-PCR analysis, the transcriptional response of ZmRBOH genes was examined under various abiotic stresses, and most of ZmRBOH genes were up-regulated by cold stress. These findings provide valuable information for further revealing the biological roles of ZmRBOH genes in plant development and abiotic stress responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions are recently being progressively utilized as advanced catalyzed systems for green and sustainable chemical conversion. Hierarchically porous metal–organic frameworks (H-MOFs) are regarded as promising candidates for the fabrication of Pickering emulsions because of the features of tunable porosity, high specific surface area and structure diversity. However, CO2-switchable Pickering emulsions formed by hierarchically porous zirconium-based MOFs have never been seen. In this work, a novel kind of the amine-functionalized hierarchically porous UiO-66-(OH)2 (H-UiO-66-(OH)2) has been developed using a post-synthetic modification of H-UiO-66-(OH)2 by (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS), 3-(2-aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPTMS) and 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino]propyl-trimethoxysilane (AEAEAPTMS), and employed as emulsifiers for the construction of Pickering emulsions. It was found that the functionalized H-UiO-66-(OH)2 could stabilize a mixture of toluene and water to give an emulsion even at 0.25 wt % content. Interestingly, the formed Pickering emulsions could be reversibly transformed between demulsification and re-emulsification with alternate addition or removal of CO2. Spectral investigation indicated that the mechanism of the switching is attributed to the reaction of CO2 with amino silane on the MOF and the generation of hydrophilic salts, leading to a reduction in MOF wettability. Based on this strategy, a highly efficient and controlled Knoevenagel condensation reaction has been gained by using the emulsion as a mini-reactor and the emulsifier as a catalyst, and the coupling of catalysis reaction, product isolation and MOF recyclability has become accessible for a sustainable chemical process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primula, well known for its heterostyly, is the largest genus in the family Primulaceae with more than 500 species. The considerable species number has introduced a huge challenge for taxonomy. The phylogenetic relationships among Primula still maintain unresolved due to frequent hybridization and introgression between closely related species. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genomes of Primula wilsonii Dunn, which is a PSESP (plant species with extremely small populations), using Illumina sequencing and compared its genomic sequences with those of four related Primula species. The chloroplast genomes of Primula species were similar in the basic structure, gene order, and GC content. The detected 38 SSRs (simple sequence repeats) loci and 17 hypervariable regions had many similarities in P. wilsonii, P. anisodora, P. miyabeana, and P. poissonii, but showed a significant difference compared with those in P. secundiflora. Slight variations were observed among Primula chloroplast genomes, in consideration of the relatively stable patterns of IR (inverted repeats) contraction and expansion. Phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast genomes and protein‐coding genes confirmed three major clades in Chinese Primula, but the infrageneric sections were not in accordance with morphological traits. The P. poissonii complex was confirmed here and P. anisodora was the most closely related species to P. wilsonii. Overall, the chloroplast genome sequences provided useful genetic and evolutionary information for phylogeny and population genetics on Chinese Primula species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming and the intensification of extreme temperature events have been major issues around the world in recent decades. Understanding changes in temperature extremes is critical to assessing and responding to the risks associated with regional temperature change. This paper takes the Longtan watershed as the research object, and 11 extreme temperature indices were calculated based on the meteorological observation data from 1959 to 2017. The Mann-Kendall trend mutation test, Empirical Orthogonal Function, and other methods were used to explore the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of temperature extremes. Meanwhile, the simulation effects of temperature were analyzed based on 11 CMIP5 climate models, and the extreme temperature change in 2021–2050 under the high emission scenario RCP8.5 and low emission scenario RCP4.5 was estimated. The main results are as follows: both the warm-related indices and the extreme minimum temperature show an increasing trend. The cold-related frequency indices all show a decreasing trend. The spatial distribution of most temperature extremes increases or decreases from southwest to northeast, and the fluctuation is obvious with the alternation of positive and negative positions of the time. In the next 30 years, compared with the reference period 1961–1990, under the RCP4.5, the multiyear average of the Extreme Tmax and the multiyear average of the Extreme Tmin increase by 2.1°C and 0.4°C, respectively, and by 2.0°C and 0.3°C under the RCP8.5. Overall, the frequency of extreme cold events decreases, and the frequency of extreme warm events increases. There is a warming trend in temperature extremes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the tendency toward economic and strategy decoupling between China and the United States and amidst the anti-globalization trend, enterprises are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. In this study, we reveal how the agile intuition (AI) of top managers with respect to the external environment affects enterprise innovation behavior (IB) based on the cognition–behavior framework. Strategic learning (SL) is considered a moderator, and knowledge sharing (KS) is considered a mediator. The survey sample consists of 305 managers from 47 enterprises in China during the COVID-19 period. The empirical results show that top management agile intuition significantly promotes enterprise IB; knowledge sharing (KS) partially mediates the relationship between top manager AI and enterprise IB; and SL suppresses the promotion effect of top manager AI on enterprise IB to a certain extent, hindering blind innovation. In a surprising result, we find that strategic guidance by an external consultant does not significantly affect the enterprise IB in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was observed that the seedling biomass was correlated with final seed yield in many crops. It is helpful to dissect the genetic architecture of seedling biomass‐related traits for high yield breeding of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). To date, the genetic architecture of seedling biomass‐related traits is still unclear in B. napus. To identify candidate genes associated with high seedling biomass, a genome‐wide association study of seedling biomass‐related traits under normal growth condition and waterlogging stress was conducted with 156 B. napus accessions. We detected six peaks including 55 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with the above‐mentioned traits in SNP association analysis and 142 UniGenes showed significantly associated with traits in gene expression marker (GEM) association analysis. Candidate genes located within the linkage disequilibrium (LD) blocks were identified, such as ADP GLUCOSE PYROPHOSPHORYLASE LARGE SUBUNIT 1 (BnaC2APL1), PS II OXYGEN‐EVOLVING COMPLEX 1 (BnaC9PSBO1), their ortholog in the Arabidopsis thaliana has been shown to play key roles in starch biosynthesis and photosynthesis. Resequencing of genomic regions revealed the non‐synonymous SNPs in coding regions may be the functional polymorphisms in the two candidate genes. Our results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the establishment of high‐seedling biomass B. napus and lay a foundation for the characterization of candidate genes aimed at developing high‐seedling B. napus varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structured lipids (SLs) refer to a new type of functional lipids obtained by chemically, enzymatically, or genetically modifying the composition and/or distribution of fatty acids in the glycerol backbone. Due to the unique physicochemical characteristics and health benefits of SLs (for example, calorie reduction, immune function improvement, and reduction in serum triacylglycerols), there is increasing interest in the research and application of novel SLs in the food industry. The chemical structures and molecular architectures of SLs define mainly their physicochemical properties and nutritional values, which are also affected by the processing conditions. In this regard, this holistic review provides coverage of the latest developments and applications of SLs in terms of synthesis strategies, physicochemical properties, health aspects, and potential food applications. Enzymatic synthesis of SLs particularly with immobilized lipases is presented with a short introduction to the genetic engineering approach. Some physical features such as solid fat content, crystallization and melting behavior, rheology and interfacial properties, as well as oxidative stability are discussed as influenced by chemical structures and processing conditions. Health‐related considerations of SLs including their metabolic characteristics, biopolymer‐based lipid digestion modulation, and oleogelation of liquid oils are also explored. Finally, potential food applications of SLs are shortly introduced. Major challenges and future trends in the industrial production of SLs, physicochemical properties, and digestion behavior of SLs in complex food systems, as well as further exploration of SL‐based oleogels and their food application are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A safe, convenient, and regioselective synthesis of 3-halo coumarins using a metal halide (CuX2 alone or with ZnX2) promoted halogenation with N -halosuccinimide (NXS) as halide source is reported. The synthesis involved the steady in situ generation of highly reactive positive halogen (X+) by the coordination of copper or zinc with the N -halosuccinimide and subsequent electrophilic aromatic substitution of the electron-deficient coumarins. This procedure works well also for the halogenation of less electron-rich naphthoquinones, flavones, and methoxypsoralen in moderate to quantitative yields. This protocol features simple experimental conditions using readily available inexpensive reagents and provides a convenient approach to the chlorination or bromination of some useful heteroaromatic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer is a severe cancer with a high death rate. The 5-year survival rate for stage III lung cancer is much lower than stage I. Early detection and intervention of lung cancer patients can significantly increase their survival time. However, conventional lung cancer-screening methods, such as chest X-rays, sputum cytology, positron-emission tomography (PET), low-dose computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging, and gene-mutation, -methylation, and -expression biomarkers of lung tissue, are invasive, radiational, or expensive. Liquid biopsy is non-invasive and does little harm to the body. It can reflect early-stage dysfunctions of tumorigenesis and enable early detection and intervention. Methods: In this study, we analyzed RNA-sequencing data of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) in 402 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and 231 healthy controls. A total of 48 biomarker genes were selected with advanced minimal-redundancy, maximal-relevance, and incremental feature-selection (IFS) methods. Results: A support vector-machine (SVM) classifier based on the 48 biomarker genes accurately predicted NSCLC with leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and Matthews correlation coefficients of 0.925, 0.827, 0.889, and 0.760, respectively. Network analysis of the 48 genes revealed that the WASF1 actin cytoskeleton module, PRKAB2 kinase module, RSRC1 ribosomal protein module, PDHB carbohydrate-metabolism module, and three intermodule hubs (TPM2, MYL9, and PPP1R12C) may play important roles in NSCLC tumorigenesis and progression. Conclusion: The 48-gene TEP liquid-biopsy biomarkers will facilitate early screening of NSCLC and prolong the survival of cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable Li–CO2 batteries are promising energy storage systems for reducing fossil fuel consumption and mitigating the “greenhouse effect” due to the reversible reaction between lithium ions and carbon dioxide. The addition of metal nanoparticles with high catalytic activities can accelerate the reaction between Li2CO3 and carbon during the charge process, but more work is required to accurately describe how metal nanoparticles work in Li–CO2 batteries. In this study, a gel-like film synthesis mechanism method is presented for the preparation of a composite of Cu nanoparticles that are highly dispersed on N-doped graphene (Cu-NG), which acts as an efficient cathode for Li–CO2 batteries. Additionally, Cu-NG can achieve a low overpotential of 0.77 V and has excellent cyclability (50 cycles). It is speculated that superoxide radicals generated from the self-decomposition of Li2CO3 unavoidably corrode electrodes during the charge process. Nevertheless, the surface of the Cu nanoparticles forms a 3–5 nm thick CuO film that protects and stabilizes the cathode during later cycles. This study may open up new directions and strategies for developing highly efficient cathodes and provide a better understanding of the electrochemical processes of Li–CO2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Salmonella, Shigella, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 contaminate similar types of food and cause foodborne disease. The objective of this study was to develop a selective enrichment broth for simultaneous enrichment of Salmonella Enteritidis, E. coli O157:H7, and Shigella flexneri (SES) using Bile salt No. 3, potassium tellurite, novobiocin sodium, and lithium chloride as selective agents. Developed SES broth not only enriched both of the target pathogens to as high as 9 log10 CFU/ml after 24 hr incubation at 37 °C with 10–100 CFU/ml of inoculation concentration, but also could successfully support the simultaneous enrichment of target pathogens with similar growth rates and inhibit the growth of most nontarget bacteria effectively. The enrichment effect of SES was confirmed by artificial contamination test coupled with multiplex PCR. In summary, SES has been shown to be a promising multiplex selective enrichment broth for the detection of the three pathogens on a single‐assay platform. Practical applications: It is different from traditional microbiological enrichment broths used in detecting Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Shigella flexneri, which limit the application of multipathogen detection in a single‐assay format. SES can be considered as an effective multipathogen selective enrichment broth for simultaneous growth of S. Enteritidis, E. coli O157:H7, and S. flexneri, and inhibit most of other common pathogens. In addition, SES combined with multi‐PCR could be directly used for the detection of the three pathogens in meat, which solved issues of no suitable enrichment broth, ensured detection accuracy, and saved detection time and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural hybridization frequently occurs in plants and can facilitate gene flow between species, possibly resulting in species refusion. However, various reproductive barriers block the formation of hybrids and maintain species integrity. Here, we conducted a field survey to examine natural hybridization and reproductive isolation (RI) between sympatric populations of Primula secundiflora and P. poissonii using ten nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci. Although introgressive hybridization occurred, species boundaries between P. secundiflora and P. poissonii were maintained through nearly complete reproductive isolation. These interfertile species provide an excellent model for studying the RI mechanisms and evolutionary forces that maintain species boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium sulfide (Li2S), which has a high theoretical specific capacity of 1166 mA h g−1, has potential application in cathode materials because of its high safety and compatibility with lithium-free anodes for Li–S batteries. However, its low electron conductivity and lithium transfer cause significant polarization in Li2S electrodes. Here, we demonstrate the use of ultrasmall Li2S nanocrystals encapsulated in N-rich carbon (NRC) as a cathode material for Li–S batteries. By evaporating a mixture of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and Li2S in dimethylformamide (DMF) solution and then subjecting the mixture to carbonization, a nano-Li2S@NRC composite with ultrasmall Li2S well dispersed in its carbon matrix was successfully synthesized. The obviously lower potential barriers and excellent cycling performance of nano-Li2S@NRC electrodes confirm their improved polarization because of the size effect of Li2S nanocrystals and the good electron transfer between Li2S and N-doped carbon. The nano-Li2S@NRC cathode delivers a high initial specific capacity of 1046 mA h g−1 of Li2S (∼1503 mA h g−1 of S) at 0.25C and 958 mA h g−1 of Li2S (∼1376 mA h g−1 of S) at 0.5C with a favorable cycling performance with an ∼0.041% decay rate per cycle over 1000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are appealing for next generation efficient energy power systems due to their high energy density and low cost. Yeast cells, as a natural biotemplate, are self-duplicable, nitrogen-rich, inexpensive and regular in morphology. Yeast cells show promising applications in the synthesis of nitrogen-doped hollow porous carbon materials for energy storage and transition systems. In this work, we have developed a green and facile self-templating route through low-cost and renewable yeast cells with hollow structures to fabricate N-doped hollow porous carbon microspheres (NHPCMs) for encapsulating sulfur. The sulfur-loaded NHPCM (NHPCM@S) composite with 65 wt% sulfur is then used as the cathode material for Li–S batteries. These batteries exhibit a reversible specific capacity of 1202 mA h g−1 and a capacity retention of 725 mA h g−1 over 400 cycles at 0.1C with a capacity decay of 0.09% per cycle, as well as an enhanced rate performance of 587 mA h g−1 at 2C. In the NHPCM@S composite, the stable micro/mesoporous carbon shell acts as an efficient reservoir for soluble polysulfide, and the doped nitrogen in the carbon shell can offer exceptional electronic conductivity and strong adsorption for polysulfide species. This work demonstrates that an environmentally friendly, economical, sustainable, and self-templating route for N-doped hollow porous microspheres with natural and reproducible biological resources can lead to exciting developments in Li–S batteries and their practical applications in portable electronic devices, advanced electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this context, we report a novel one-pot synthesis of S@Polypyrrole core–shell spheres as the cathode material in lithium–sulfur battery, designed by polypyrrole (PPy) wrapping on the formed nano-sulfur via the facile wet chemical strategy. The in-situ polymerized PPy layer in this special structure is helpful to inhibit aggregation of sulfur particles with small size, the polysulfide dissolution and shuttling, and offer fast and efficient transport of electron/lithium ion within the electrode. Besides, the flexible PPy layer effectively accommodates the volume expansion. PPy with partial PO 4 3− doping was also employed to improve cycling stability and C-rate performance of S@PPy composite by exchanging Cl − with PO 4 3− . Thus, the sulfur electrode with a high sulfur loading of 80% delivered an initial discharge capacity of 1142 mA h g −1 and maintained a high capacity of 805 mA h g −1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. The corresponding capacity retention over 100 cycles was about 65%, with a limited decay of 0.3% per cycle. Even at a high current density of 1.5 C, the composite still exhibited a high discharge capacity of about 700 mA h g −1 . This results mean that the designed electrode can achieve a high practical specific energy density of more than 400 W h/kg, far beyond the commercial LiCoO 2 batteries. Due to low cost, facile large-scale synthesis and superior electrochemical performance of S@PPy cathode with high sulfur loading, this work will provide a very promising method to further promote the Li–S batteries in the practical application of portable electronic devices, electric devices and energy storage system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primula wilsonii Dunn is a perennial herb in section Proliferae Pax of Primula L. with small population sizes in the field. Here, we constructed the complete plastome of the P. wilsonii using Illumina sequencing technology. The circular plastome was 151,677 bp in size, and comprises a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,510 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,765 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats (IR) of 25,201 bp. The GC content was 36.99% overall, with 34.89%, 30.18%, and 42.87% for the LSC, SSC, and IR regions, respectively. The plastome comprised 130 unique genes including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The ML phylogenetic analysis based on 17 plastomes in Primulaceae showed a strong sister relationship with P. anisodora in section Proliferae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative transcriptome analysis and de novo short-read assembly of S. aureus Newman strains revealed significant transcriptional changes in response to the exposure to triple-acting staphylolytic peptidoglycan hydrolase (PGH) 1801. Most altered transcriptions were associated with the membrane, cell wall, and related genes, including amidase, peptidase, holin, and phospholipase D/transphosphatidylase. The differential expression of genes obtained from RNA-seq was confirmed by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Moreover, some of these gene expression changes were consistent with the observed structural perturbations at the DNA and RNA levels. These structural changes in the genes encoding membrane/cell surface proteins and altered gene expressions are the candidates for resistance to these novel antimicrobials. The findings in this study could provide insight into the design of new antimicrobial agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sorbus amabilis Cheng ex Yü, a small excellent ornamental tree species, is only distributed in Eastern China. In this study, we assembled and annotated the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of the species using the next-generation sequencing for the first time. The cp genome was 160,006 bp in size, consisting of two copies of invert repeat (IR) regions of 26,405 bp, one large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,870bp, and one small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,326 bp. The overall GC content of the genome was 36.55%. The genome was predicted to contain 128 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of 25 chloroplast genomes in Rosaceae indicated that S. amabilis is most closely related to S. commixta. These findings may provide useful information to the phylogeny of the genus Sorbus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is an important bacterium that can cause serious infections in human such as pneumonia and bacteremia. Rapid detection of this pathogen is crucial in food industries and clinical laboratories to control S. aureus food poisoning and human infections. In this study, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy equipped with a germanium attenuated total reflection accessory was used as a novel approach to identify S. aureus. A total of 17 reference strains belonging to 4 different species and 84 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus spp. were analyzed. After the cultivation of the strains, spectral collection and data preprocessing, the S. aureus isolates were identified by a two-step discrimination procedure. An internal validation and the related external validation were performed to demonstrate the discriminatory power and the quality of the discrimination models before the discrimination analysis. In the first step, 38 S. aureus isolates were correctly classified and the others were misidentified as Staphylococcus haemolyticus by hierarchical clustering analysis model using the first derivatives from the spectral range between 1,800 and 1,050/cm. In the second step, several classification/discrimination algorithms of soft-independent modeling of class analogy, principal component regression and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were applied to build models for differentiating S. aureus and S. haemolyticus. The results showed that 57 (98.3%) strains and 4 (100%) strains of S. aureus and S. haemolyticus could be correctly identified by PLSR. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a potential method for rapid discrimination, classification and identification of intact microbial cells. In this study, FTIR spectroscopy equipped with a germanium attenuated total reflection accessory, using hierarchical clustering analysis-partial least squares regression discrimination analysis, is a powerful means for routine identification of Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]