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Silicene is an intriguing 2D topological material which is closely analogous to graphene but with stronger spin orbit coupling effect and natural compatibility with current silicon-based electronics industry. Here we demonstrate that silicene decorated with certain 3d transition metals (Vanadium) can sustain a stable quantum anomalous Hall effect using both analytical model and first-principles Wannier interpolation. We also predict the quantum valley Hall effect and electrically tunable topological states could be realized in certain transition metal doped silicene where the energy band inversion occurs. Our findings provide new scheme for the realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect and platform for electrically controllable topological states which are highly desirable for future nanoelectronics and spintronics application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The opinion of application of indocyanine green (ICG) in the macular hole surgery was contradictory. Here we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of in internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for macular hole surgery. Methods and Findings: We searched electronic databases for comparative studies published before July 2012 of ILM peeling with and without ICG. Twenty-two studies including 1585 eyes were included. Visual acuity (VA) improvement, including the postoperative rate of ≥20/40 VA gained (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.97; P = 0.033) and increased LogMAR (WMD, -0.09; 95% CI, -0.16 to -0.02; P = 0.011), was less in the ICG group. The risk of visual field defects was greater in the ICG group than in the non-ICG group. There was no significant difference in the rate of anatomical outcomes between ILM peeling procedures performed with and without ICG. RPE changes and other postoperative complications were not significantly different between the ICG and non-ICG groups. An additional analysis showed that the VA improvement of the ICG group was less than the non-ICG group only within the first year of follow up. A subgroup analysis showed that the rate of VA improvement was lower in the ICG group than in other adjuncts group. A higher rate of secondary closure and less VA improvement were observed in a high proportion (>0.1%) of the ICG group. A sensitivity analysis after the randomized-controlled trials were excluded from the meta-analysis demonstrated no differences compared with the overall results. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrated that there is no evidence of clinical superiority in outcomes for ICG-assisted ILM peeling procedure over the non-ICG one. The toxicity of ICG should be considered when choosing the various staining methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a scheme for a large-scale cluster state preparation of single-charged semiconductor quantum dots utilizing Faraday rotation. Without interaction between quantum dots, the exciton induced Faraday rotation could distribute the spatially separate quantum dots into a quantum network assisted by cavity QED. We obtain the corresponding parameters from the numerical simulation based on the input-output process for the required Faraday rotation and some discussion is made in view of experimental feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability and dynamic characteristics of a ball bearing-rotor system are investigated under the effect of the clearance in the ball bearing. Different clearance values are assumed to calculate the nonlinear stability of periodic solution with the aid of the Floquet theory. Bifurcation and chaos behavior are analyzed with variation of the clearance and rotational speed. It is found that there are three routes to unstable periodic solution. The period-doubling bifurcation and the secondary Hopf bifurcation are two usual routes to instability. The third route is the boundary crisis, a chaotic attractor occurs suddenly as the speed passes through its critical value. At last, the instable ranges for different internal clearance values are described. It is useful to investigate the stability property of ball bearing rotor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute and chronic itch are prevalent and incapacitating, yet the neural mechanisms underlying both acute and chronic itch are just starting to be unraveled. Activated transcription factor 4 (ATF4) belongs to the ATF/CREB transcription factor family and primarily participates in the regulation of gene transcription. Our previous study has demonstrated that ATF4 is expressed in sensory neurons. Nevertheless, the role of ATF4 in itch sensation remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that ATF4 plays a significant role in regulating itch sensation. The absence of ATF4 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons enhances the itch sensitivity of mice. Overexpression of ATF4 in sensory neurons significantly alleviates the acute and chronic pruritus in mice. Furthermore, ATF4 interacts with the transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) and inhibits its function without altering the expression or membrane trafficking of TRPV4 in sensory neurons. In addition, interference with ATF4 increases the itch sensitivity in nonhuman primates and enhances TRPV4 currents in nonhuman primates DRG neurons; ATF4 and TRPV4 also co-expresses in human sensory neurons. Our data demonstrate that ATF4 controls pruritus by regulating TRPV4 signaling through a nontranscriptional mechanism and identifies a potential new strategy for the treatment of pathological pruritus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The origin and strength of intra- and inter-molecular vibrational coupling is difficult to probe by direct experimental observations. However, explicitly including or not including some specific intramolecular vibrational modes to study intermolecular interaction provides a precise theoretical way to examine the effects of anharmonic coupling between modes. In this work, a full-dimension intra- and inter-molecular ab initio potential energy surface (PES) for H2O-Ar, which explicitly incorporates interdependence on the intramolecular (Q1, Q2, Q3) normal-mode coordinates of the H2O monomer, has been calculated. In addition, four analytic vibrational-quantum-state-specific PESs are obtained by least-squares fitting vibrationally averaged interaction energies for the (ν1, ν2, ν3) = (0, 0, 0), (0, 0, 1), (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) states of H2O to the three-dimensional Morse/long-range potential function. Each vibrationally averaged PES fitted to 442 points has root-mean-square (rms) deviation smaller than 0.15 cm-1, and required only 58 parameters. With the 3D PESs of H2O-Ar dimer system, we employed the combined radial discrete variable representation/angular finite basis representation method and Lanczos algorithm to calculate rovibrational energy levels. This showed that the resulting vibrationally averaged PESs provide good representations of the experimental infrared data, with rms discrepancies smaller than 0.02 cm-1 for all three rotational branches of the asymmetric stretch fundamental transitions. The infrared band origin shifts associated with three fundamental bands of H2O in H2O-Ar complex are predicted for the first time and are found to be in good agreement with the (extrapolated) experimental values. Upon introduction of additional intramolecular degrees of freedom into the intermolecular potential energy surface, there is clear spectroscopic evidence of intra- and intermolecular vibrational couplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical synthesis of valuable chemicals and feedstocks through carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction in acidic electrolytes can surmount the considerable CO2 loss in alkaline and neutral conditions. However, achieving high productivity, while operating steadily in acidic electrolytes, remains a big challenge owing to the severe competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Here, we show that vertically grown bismuth nanosheets on a gas-diffusion layer can create numerous cavities as electrolyte reservoirs, which confine in situ–generated hydroxide and potassium ions and limit inward proton diffusion, producing locally alkaline environments. Based on this design, we achieve formic acid Faradaic efficiency of 96.3% and partial current density of 471 mA cm−2 at pH 2. When operated in a slim continuous-flow electrolyzer, the system exhibits a full-cell formic acid energy efficiency of 40% and a single pass carbon efficiency of 79% and performs steadily over 50 h. We further demonstrate the production of pure formic acid aqueous solution with a concentration of 4.2 weight %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of super-large tunnels generates various safety risks that can hamper the tunneling process and cause severe damages if not properly identified. This paper presents a case study on the identification and management of geological and environmental risks during the construction of the largest (a diameter of 15.8 m) slurry shield tunnel in China. Its ground conditions and settlement control were identified among the most challenging owing to a large area of mixed ground conditions, 11 fault zones and tunneling under residential areas and the city's Metro Lines 1 and 9. In response to the severity of these risks and challenges, novel monitoring systems, ground treatment, and safety management technologies were successfully implemented throughout the tunneling process. Further, a technical framework was proposed in this study to serve as a risk management guidance for analogous tunneling operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus (P) starvation leads to increased reutilization of cell wall P in rice (Oryza sativa). Carbon dioxide (CO2) is involved not only in plant growth and development but also in the response to abiotic stresses. However, it remains unclear whether CO2 affects the reutilization of cell wall P in rice when subjected to P deficiency. In the present study, elevated CO2 (600 μl·L−1) significantly increased the soluble P content in shoots when compared with ambient CO2 (400 μl·L−1). This positive effect was accompanied by an increase of pectin content, as well as an increase of pectin methylesterase (PME) activity, which results in P release from the shoot cell wall, making it available for plant growth. P deficiency significantly induced the expression of phosphate transporter genes (OsPT2, OsPT6, and OsPT8) and decreased the P content in the xylem sap, but elevated CO2 had no further effect, indicating that the increased soluble P content observed in shoots under elevated CO2 is attributable to the reutilization of shoot cell wall P. Elevated CO2 further increased the P deficiency-induced ethylene production in the shoots, and the addition of the ethylene precursor 1-amino-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) mimicked this effect, while the addition of the ethylene inhibitor aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) abolished this effect. These results further support the role of ethylene in the alleviation of P deficiency under elevated CO2. Taken together, our results indicate that the improvement of P nutrition in rice by elevated CO2 is mediated by increasing the shoot cell wall pectin content and PME activity, possibly via the ethylene signaling pathway.

Amur virus was recently identified as the causative agent of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Here we report the complete genome sequence of an Amur virus isolated from Apodemus peninsulae in Northeastern China. The sequence information provided here is critical for the molecular epidemiology and evolution of Amur virus in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seoul virus (SEOV) is responsible for 25% of cases of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Asia. Here we report the complete genome of strain DPRK08. The sequence information provided here is useful for understanding the molecular character of SEOV in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the circulation of SEOV in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]