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One type of nonlinear optical crystal Na3VO2B6O11 (NVB) with noncentrosymmetry was synthesized and shows extraordinary UV-visible light driven photocatalytic activity in the dechlorination of 2,4-DCP under UV-vis (λ > 320 nm) light irradiation. The obtained dechlorination efficiency is 90 times higher than that of the commercial P25 TiO2 catalyst under the same conditions. The noncentrosymmetric structure of NVB gives rise to an intrinsic large polarization effect as evidenced by Kelvin probe force microscopy, and the polarization promotes separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, leading to efficient cleavage of chlorophenols into phenol series fragments and dissociative Cl− anions. A possible reaction pathway for 2,4-DCP dechlorination by NVB upon UV-vis light irradiation is proposed. Hydrodechlorination was found to be the major reaction pathway for 2,4-DCP dechlorination which could react with hydroxyl radicals to produce 1,4-benzoquinone and ocatechol. This work further advances the understanding of nonlinear optical materials, which opens up a new route to the design and synthesis of highly efficient photocatalysts by using nonlinear optical materials.

It is important for modern agricultural production to measure temperature and humidity in a real time way. This paper combined the short-distance wireless communication technology ZigBee with the long-distance wireless communication technology GPRS to design a solar-powered temperature and humidity measuring system. The system is easy to install and can run in low cost, so it is especially suitable for small and medium agricultural producers.

At present, in the western region is to develop agricultural land mortgage pilot work. How to perfect the existing mortgage financing model to solve the problem of financing difficulty become crucial. This article selected two typical cases of Ningxia, and analyzed their difference from the change pattern of system, mortgage way, risk prevention mechanism, financing object and loan amount. From the comparative analysis of the existing models, the existing land mortgage legal system, the registration of rural land confirmation and the risk prevention mechanism are found to be not comprehensive. Finally, it summarizes some Suggestions to improve the rural land mortgage financing model in the western region to promote rural economic development.

Improving nitrogen (N) management for greater agricultural output while minimizing unintended environmental consequences is critical in the endeavor of feeding the growing population sustainably amid climate change. Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers (EEFs) have been developed to better synchronize fertilizer N release with crop uptake, offering the potential for enhanced N use efficiency (NUE) and reduced losses. Can EEFs play a significant role in helping address the N management challenge? Here we present a comprehensive analysis of worldwide studies published in 1980–2016 evaluating four major types of EEFs (polymer-coated fertilizers PCF, nitrification inhibitors NI, urease inhibitors UI, and double inhibitors DI, i.e. urease and nitrification inhibitors combined) regarding their effectiveness in increasing yield and NUE and reducing N losses. Overall productivity and environmental efficacy depended on the combination of EEF type and cropping systems, further affected by biophysical conditions. Best scenarios include: (i) DI used in grassland (n = 133), averaging 11% yield increase, 33% NUE improvement, and 47% decrease in aggregated N loss (sum of NO3-, NH3, and N2O, totaling 84 kg N/ha); (ii) UI in rice-paddy systems (n = 100), with 9% yield increase, 29% NUE improvement, and 41% N-loss reduction (16 kg N/ha). EEF efficacies in wheat and maize systems were more complicated and generally less effective. In-depth analysis indicated that the potential benefits of EEFs might be best achieved when a need is created, for example, by downward adjusting N application from conventional rate. We conclude that EEFs can play a significant role in sustainable agricultural production but their prudent use requires firstly eliminating any fertilizer mismanagement plus the implementation of knowledge-based N management practices.

Flexible and freestanding MoO

Loxostege sticticalis Linnaeus is an economically important agricultural pest, and the larvae cause great damage to crops, especially in Northern China. However, effective and environmentally friendly chemical methods for controlling this pest have not been discovered to date. In the present study, we performed HiSeq2500 sequencing of transcriptomes of the male and female adult antennae, adult legs and third instar larvae, and we identified 54 candidate odorant receptors (ORs), including 1 odorant receptor coreceptor (Orco) and 5 pheromone receptors (PRs), 18 ionotropic receptors (IRs), 13 gustatory receptors (GRs), 34 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), including 1 general odorant binding protein (GOBP1) and 3 pheromone binding proteins (PBPs), 10 chemosensory proteins (CSPs) and 2 sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). The results of RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR analyses showed the expression levels of most genes in the antennae were higher than that in the legs and larvae. Furthermore, PR4, OR1-4, 7-11, 13-15, 23, 29-32, 34, 41, 43, 47/IR7d.2/GR5b, 45, 7/PBP2-3, GOBP1, OBP3, 8 showed female antennae-biased expression, while PR1/OBP2, 7/IR75d/CSP2 showed male antennae-biased expression. However, IR1, 7d.3, 68a/OBP11, 20-22, 28/CSP9 had larvae enriched expression, and OBP15, 17, 25, 29/CSP5 were mainly expressed in the legs. The results shown above indicated that these genes might play a key role in foraging, seeking mates and host recognition in the L. sticticalis. Our findings will provide the basic knowledge for further studies on the molecular mechanisms of the olfactory system of L. sticticalis and potential novel targets for pest control strategies.

Highly crystallized single crystal Bi4Ti3O12 nanosheets with dominant {001} facets were synthesized by heating a stoichiometric composition of alpha-Bi2O3 and TiO2 in molten NaCI KCl at 800 C for 2 h. Effects of the amount of the added molten salts (their mole ratio (M) to nominal Bi4Ti3O12 varied from 4 to 60 and the samples were denoted as BTO-M) on the size distribution and photoactivity of the resulting products were systematically evaluated. The side length of as-prepared Bi4Ti3O12 gradually decreases by increasing the addition of molten salts, and the minimal side length is achieved in the sample BTO-50. As a result, the sample BTO-50 shows the best photocatalytic kinetics in photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation, which is about 8.65 times faster than that of the sample BTO-0 obtained by a traditional solid-state reaction method, demonstrating the superiority of the present molten salts synthesis for bismuth titanate. The improved photocatalytic kinetics of BTO-M is a concert of several factors including the highly faceted surfaces, thin flakes that shorten the charge transport distance to the surface, as well as the internal electric fields produced by the spontaneous polarization in the BTO-50 sample that facilitate the separation of photoinduced charges as evidenced by Kelvin probe force microscopy. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further reveals that under visible-light, the electron transfer resistance of the BTO-50 decreases to nearly 50% of that of the BTO-0 sample. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nanoparticles of a borate nonlinear optical material, K3B6O10Br (KBB), have been fabricated and demonstrated excellent catalytic activity in UV-induced dechlorination of chlorophenols, which are typical persistent organic pollutants. The obtained dechlorination efficiency is 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of a commercial P25 TiO2 catalyst under UV (λ > 254 nm) light irradiation. The noncentrosymmetric structure of KBB gives rise to an intrinsic large polarization effect as evidenced by Kelvin probe force microscopy, and the polarization promotes separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs, leading to efficient cleavage of chlorophenols into small molecular fragments and dissociative Cl– anions. This work suggests that nonlinear materials open a new window for designing efficient photocatalysts.

Because the reflectivity of astaxanthin vary in different bands (mainly 400nm-600nm), so we use the visible-near infrared spectra technique to irradiate the salmon. Because in daily life, people grade the salmon flesh with a color card. In this paper, we first use principal component analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral data of salmon, then use linear discriminant analysis method, least squares support vector machine classification method to distinguish the flesh quality. The correct classification rates are 60%and73.3%. The results show that we can use visible – near infrared spectra to distinguish the quality of the salmon which doesn’t be dissected.

The spatial summation of excitation and inhibition determines the final output of neurons in the cat V1. To characterize the spatial extent of the excitatory classical receptive field (CRF) and inhibitory non-classical receptive field (nCRF) areas, we examined the spatial summation properties of 169 neurons in cat V1 at high (20–90%) and low (5–15%) stimulus contrasts. Three categories were classified based on the difference in the contrast dependency of the surround suppression. We discovered that the three categories significantly differed in CRF size, peak firing rate, and the proportion of simple/complex cell number. The classification of simple and complex cells was determined at both high and low contrasts. While the majority of V1 neurons had stable modulation ratios in their responses, 10 cells (6.2%) in our sample crossed the classification boundary under different stimulus contrasts. No significant difference was found in the size of the CRF between simple and complex cells. Further comparisons in each category determined that the CRFs for complex cells were significantly larger than those for simple cells in category type I neurons, with no significant differences between simple and complex cells in category type II and type III neurons. In addition, complex cells have higher peak firing rates than simple cells.

This paper focuses on the design of pneumatic conveying control system, including the design of both hardware and software part. The hardware part is mainly about building a test bed. Under certain wind conditions, by controlling the rotary feed valve to achieve the control of sand/dust concentration. The software part is to make the use of LabVIEW to develop a screen display program, which can achieve real-time data acquisition and control. The paper consists of three parts, the pneumatic control system hardware design, the pneumatic conveying control system software design and then Origin is used to linear fit the wind speed parameters collected back.

Based on the finite element non-linear contact theory, the calculation model of the self-adhesive label printing pressure is achieved, then doing the non-linear contact of this model by using ANSYS. By changing the magnitude of interference between the printing cylinder and the printing platform, printing pressure is achieved in different magnitudes of interference. Contrast to the traditional empirical method, this method make up for the lack of calculating the printing pressure. It turns out help correcting mechanism parameters to achieve the optimal design.

In this paper, the object of study is one pair increasing gear with building a two-dimensional plane model in ANSYS. According to the gears meshing theory, considering the gear deformation, solve the static transmission error and the gear mesh stiffness in different conditions. The influence of the centre errors on static transmission error and mesh Stiffness are basis for modal analysis based on the mesh stiffness of gear and unbalanced harmonic response.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Abelmoschus manihot (L.) medic (AM) is a natural medicinal plant used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in China. Huangkui capsule (HKC), an extract from AM, has been proved clinically effective in improving renal inflammation and glomerular injury in chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the dose-effects and the mechanisms involved in vivo are still unclear. Aim of the study This study was performed to examine the dose-effects of HKC on renal inflammation and glomerular lesion in adriamycin-induced nephropathy (ADRN), then to clarify the mechanisms in vivo of HKC by investigating its actions on modulating the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) signaling pathway. Materials and methods The rats with chronic ADRN, created by the unilateral nephrectomy and twice adriamycin injections (ADR, 4 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg) within 4 weeks, were divided into four groups, a Sham group, a Vehicle group, a high-dose HKC group, and a low-dose HKC group, and that, sacrificed at the end of the 4th week after the administration. The rat's general status, renal morphological appearance, proteinuria, blood biochemical parameters, glomerular morphological changes, podocyte shape, and macrophage (ED1+ and ED3+ cells) infiltration in glomeruli were examined, respectively. The protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-2, as well as p38MAPK signaling molecules such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, p38MAPK, and phosphorylated-p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK), were also evaluated individually. Results HKC at high dose of 2 g/kg/d not only significantly ameliorated the rat's general status, renal morphological appearance, proteinuria, albumin, and glomerulosclerosis, but also obviously reduced the infiltrated ED1+ and ED3+ macrophages in glomeruli and TNF-α protein expression in the kidney, in addition to these, evidently down-regulated TGF-β1 and p-p38MAPK protein expressions in ADRN rats, but had no influence on podocyte shape and renal function. Conclusion HKC could dose-dependently ameliorate renal inflammation and glomerular injury in ADRN rats, by way of reducing the infiltration and the activation of macrophages in glomeruli, and TNF-α protein expression in the kidney, as well as inhibiting p38MAPK signaling pathway activity via the down-regulation of p-p38MAPK and TGF-β1 protein expressions in vivo.

Sensor node in wireless sensor network is a micro-embedded system with limited memory, energy and communication capabilities. Some nodes will run out of energy and exit the network earlier than other nodes because of the uneven energy consumption. This will lead to partial or complete paralysis of the whole wireless sensor network. A balancing algorithm based on the assistance of approaching nodes is proposed. Via the set theory, notes are divided into neighbor nodes set and approaching nodes set. Approaching nodes will help weaker nodes forward part of massages to balance energy consumption. Simulation result has verified the rationality and feasibility of the balancing algorithm.

The p53-inducible gene 3 (PIG3) recently has been reported to be a new player in DNA damage signaling and response, but the crucial mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the potential mechanism of PIG3 participation in the DNA damage response induced by ionizing radiation (IR) was investigated in multiple cell lines with depleted expression of PIG3 transiently or stably by the small interference RNA and lentivirus-mediated shRNA expression strategies. PIG3 knockdown led to an abnormal DNA damage response, including decreased IR-induced phosphorylation of H2AX, Chk1, Chk2 and Kap-1 as well as a prolonged G2-M arrest and aberrant mitotic progression. Notably, PIG3 knockdown resulted in a striking depression of cellular DNA-PKcs protein level, and was accompanied by a downregulation of ATM. Re-expression of PIG3 effectively rescued the depression of DNA-PKcs in PIG3-depleted cells. This negative regulation of DNA-PKcs by depleting PIG3 seemed to take place at the translational level but not at the levels of transcription or protein degradation. However, a compensatory feedback of increased mRNA expression of DNA-PKcs was formed in PIG3-depleted cells after a few passages or cell cycles of subculture, which led the recovery of the DNA-PKcs protein level and the consequent recovered efficiency of the DNA damage response. These results provide a new insight into the mechanism of PIG3's functioning in DNA damage signaling and the regulation network of cellular DNA-PKcs expression homeostasis.

Different types of alcohol have been proposed as the anti-freezing additives for aqueous electrolytes in double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). The influence of ion solvation on the capacitive behavior of porous carbon electrode in the anti-freezing aqueous electrolytes has been studied. The low-temperature performance of EDLCs composed of either micro- or meso-porous carbon in these electrolytes has been fully investigated. Deduced from cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements, it has been discovered that the anti-freezing electrolyte of methanol/water-concentrated NaClO4 possesses low equivalent series resistance at -40 degrees C. EDLCs using the electrolytes of methanol/water-concentrated NaClO4 solutions deliver improved energy density and power density at the temperature as low as -40 degrees C. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Summary Background A recombinant adenovirus type-5 vector-based vaccine expressing the glycoprotein of Ebola Zaire Makona variant showed good safety and immunogenicity in a phase 1 trial of healthy Chinese adults. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of this vaccine in healthy adults in Sierra Leone and to determine the optimal dose. Methods We did a single-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 clinical trial at Sierra Leone–China Friendship Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone. We recruited healthy adults aged 18–50 years who were HIV negative, had no history of Ebola virus infection, and had no previous immunisation with other Ebola vaccine candidates. Participants were sequentially enrolled and randomly assigned (2:1:1), by computer-generated block randomisation (block size of eight), to receive the high-dose vaccine (1·6 × 10 11 viral particles), low-dose vaccine (8·0 × 10 10 viral particles), or placebo (containing only vaccine excipients, with no viral particles). Participants, investigators, and study staff (except two study pharmacists) were masked from treatment allocation. The primary safety outcome was occurrence of solicited adverse reactions within 7 days of vaccination, analysed by intention to treat. The primary immunogenicity outcome was glycoprotein-specific antibody responses at days 14, 28, and 168 after vaccination, analysed in all vaccinated participants who had blood samples drawn for antibody tests. The trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, number PACTR201509001259869, and is completed. Findings During Oct 10–28, 2015, 500 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive the high-dose vaccine (n=250), low-dose vaccine (n=125), or placebo (n=125). 132 (53%) participants in the high-dose group, 60 (48%) in the low-dose group, and 54 (43%) in the placebo group reported at least one solicited adverse reaction within 7 days of vaccination. Most adverse reactions were mild and self-limiting. Solicited injection-site adverse reactions were significantly more frequent in vaccine recipients (65 [26%] in high-dose group and 31 [25%] in low-dose group) than in those receiving placebo (17 [14%]; p=0·0169). Glycoprotein-specific antibody responses were detected from day 14 onwards (geometric mean titre 1251·0 [95% CI 976·6–1602·5] in low-dose group and 1728·4 [1459·4–2047·0] in high-dose group) and peaked at day 28 (1471·8 [1151·0–1881·8] and 2043·1 [1762·4–2368·4]), but declined quickly in the following months (223·3 [148·2–336·4] and 254·2 [185·0–349·5] at day 168). Geometric mean titres in the placebo group remained around 6·0–6·8 throughout the study period. Three serious adverse events (malaria, gastroenteritis, and one fatal asthma episode) were reported in the high-dose vaccine group, but none was deemed related to the vaccine. Interpretation The recombinant adenovirus type-5 vector-based Ebola vaccine was safe and highly immunogenic in healthy Sierra Leonean adults, and 8·0 × 10 10 viral particles was the optimal dose. Funding Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, and Tianjin CanSino Biotechnology.

To determine the hepatitis B immunoprophylactic failure rate in infants born to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infected mothers and to characterize HBV genes.HBV-serological testing was conducted for pregnant women and infants. The complete genomes of 30 HBV isolates were sequenced, and genetic characteristics were analyzed using MEGA 5 software.The immunoprophylactic failure rate for infants who had completed the scheduled hepatitis B vaccination program was 5.76% (32/556). High sequence homology (99.8%-100%) was observed in 8 of the 10 mother-infant pairs. We identified 19 subgenotype C2 strains, 9 subgenotype B2 strains, and 2 subgenotype C1 strains. Three serotypes were detected: adr (19/30), adw (9/30), and ayw (2/30). The frequency of amino acid mutation of the 'a' determinant region was 16.67% (5/30), including that of Q129H, F134Y, S136Y, and G145E. We detected 67 amino acid mutations in the basal core promoter, precore, and core regions of the genome.The immunoprophylactic failure rate in infants born to HBV-infected mothers is low in the regions of China examined during this study. Moreover, HBV mutation in the 'a' determinant region could not account for immunoprophylactic failure for all infants.

Gain characteristics of polymer waveguide amplifiers based on NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanocrystals (NCs) at 0.54 µm wavelength were investigated through numerical simulations. NaYF4:18%Yb3+, 1 0%Er3+ NCs were doped into SU-8 2005 polymer matrix as the core of a polymer waveguide. The absorption spectrum and photoluminescence spectrum of the NCs were recorded and analyzed. The Judd-Ofelt parameters were achieved by means of Judd-Ofelt theory: Ω2 = 6.302 x 10(-20) cm2, Ω4 = 0.69 x 10(-20) cm2, Ω6 =7.572 x 10(-20) cm2. We simulated the gain characteristics of the waveguide amplifier at 0.54 µm wavelength by combining the atomic rate equations with power propaga- tion equations. The gain curves had the saturation effects. A maximum gain -4.3 dB for the 5 cm waveguide with the Er3+ concentration of ~7.5 x 1025 m-3 was obtained.

Nanostructured highly porous 3D-Ti/Sb-SnO

To investigate the effects of Shuwei Decoction (舒胃汤, SWD) on gastric emptying, serum stem cell factor (SCF), the content of serum nitric oxide (NO), and structure change of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) in functional dyspepsia (FD) rats. Sixty Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: blank group (group A), model group (group B), mosapride group (group C), Muxiang Shunqi Pill (木香顺气丸, MSP) group (group D), SWD low-dose group (group E), and SWD high-dose group (group F), 10 rats in each group. FD rat model was established by clasping rats’ tails for 7 days, except the group A. After 3 days, group A and group B were given distilled water, and the medicated rats were given corresponding medicine for 14 days. The gastric emptying, structure change of ICC in gastric antrum by transmission electron microscope, the content of serum NO by nitrate reductant and SCF by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay were observed. Compared with group A, the rats in group B delayed gastric emptying, serum SCF decreased, serum NO increased (P

To observe morphological changes of enteric nervous system (ENS)-interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC)-smooth muscle cell (SMC) structure injury in deep muscle nerve plexus offunctional dyspepsia (FD) rats, and the repair of Shuwei Decoction (SD) on it, and to explore its effecton FD.Totally 72 rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, the lowdose SD group, the medium dose SD group, and the high dose SD group, the Mosapride group, 12 ineach group. Rats in the low dose SD group, the medium dose SD group, and the high dose SD group were intragastrically fed with SD at 0.767, 1.534, 3.068 g/mL, respectively. Rats in the Mosapride group were intragastrically fed with Mosapride (1.37 mg/kg). FD rat model with Gan depression Pi deficiency syndrome (GDPDS) was established using complex pathogenic factors. Corresponding liquors were respectively administered to rats in corresponding groups from the 3rd day after modeling. Distilled water(10 mL/kg) was administered to rats in the control group and the model group, once per day for 14 successive days. Rats were sacrificed and small intestine tissues collected for observing ENS-ICC-SMC structure injury using immunofluorescence double labeling, laser scanning confocal microscope, and transmission electron microscope at day 15. Repair of SD on it was also observed.ENS-ICC SMC structure was incomplete, with obvious injury in mutual link of ICC, ICC, SMC, and connecting structure. ENS-ICC-SMC structure was more complete in high, medium, and low dose SD groups, with close link of ICC and SMO. Their connecting structures were in good conditions.SD could keep the integrity of ENS-ICC-SMC structure by promoting regeneration and morphology of ICC, thereby, improving gastrointestinal movement disorder and showing therapeutic effect on FD.

The antibacterial carboxymethyl chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogels were successfully prepared via in situ formation of ZnO nanorods in the crosslinked carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh) matrix, by treating the CMCh hydrogel matrix with zinc nitrate solution followed by the oxidation of zinc ions with alkaline solution. The resulting CMCh/ZnO hydrogels were characterized by using FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffractormetry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM micrographs revealed the formation of ZnO nanorods in the hydrogel matrix with the size ranging from 190nm to 600nm. The swelling behavior of the prepared nanocomposite hydrogels was also investigated in different pH solutions. The CMCh/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel showed rather higher swelling behavior in different pH solutions in comparison with neat CMCh hydrogel. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of CMCh/ZnO hydrogel was studied against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by CFU assay. The results demonstrated an excellent antibacterial activity of the nanocomposite hydrogel. Therefore, the developed CMCh/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel can be used effectively in biomedical field.

Heteroatom-doped carbon (HDC) has attracted tremendous attention due to its promising application in energy conversion and storage. Herein, due to its abundance high rate of reproduction, the microorganism, Bacillus subtilis, is selected as a precursor. An effective ionothermal process is adopted to produce the HDCs. Using acid activation, the obtained sample exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity, long-term stability, and excellent resistance to crossover effects in oxygen reduction. Additionally, the base-treated sample exhibits superior performance in capacitors to most commercially available carbon materials. Even at a high current density, a relatively high capacitance is retained, indicating a great potential for direct application in energy storage.

Boron doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) films with different thicknesses were prepared with low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) technique and implemented in thin film silicon solar cells as front and back electrodes. It is found that thick back ZnO:B film electrode in thin film silicon solar cells leads to a high fill factors (FF), which is attributed to an improvement of the electrical properties of the thick ZnO:B films, and in the meanwhile a slightly low short circuit currents ( J sc ) due to a high light absorption in the thick back ZnO:B films. Differently, the thicker front ZnO:B film electrodes result in a high J sc but a low FF of solar cells compared to the thinner ones. The low FF of the solar cells may be caused by the local shunt originated from the pinholes or by the cracks (zones of non-dense material) formed in particular in microcrystalline silicon materials deposited on rough front ZnO:B films. As to the high J sc , it is expected to be due to a good light trapping effect inside solar cells grown on rough front ZnO:B films. Moreover, the application of high reflective polyvinyl butyral (PVB) foils effectively enhances the utilization of incident light in solar cells. By optimizing deposition process of the ZnO:B films, high efficiencies of 8.8% and 10% for single junction thin film amorphous silicon solar cells (a-Si:H, intrinsic layer thickness

For industry cluster with multiple suppliers and multiple manufacturers, there exist a network of supply and demand relationship among suppliers and manufacturers. By using the balanced production load among suppliers as the main criteria for decision making, an order allocation model for supply chain with multi-suppliers vs. multi-manufacturers based on production load equilibrium-based strategy is proposed in this paper. In the end of paper the discrete event system simulation is used to verify that the production load equilibrium-based strategy can enhance the supplier's responsiveness effectively，which further leads to a satisfied OTD of manufacturers and the optimization of the whole supply chain.

Surgery scheduling under upstream and downstream resource constraints was described as a three-stage multi-resource constrained flexible flow-shop scheduling problem in this study and an optimization approach based on ant colony algorithm was proposed for obtaining an optimal surgery schedule with respect to minimizing the makespan. A resource selection rule and strategy of overtime judging and adjusting was designed to allocate the resources reasonably and to make the scheduling results closer to reality. Compared to actual scheduling, the computerized result shows that the improved ant colony algorithm proposed in this paper achieved good results in shortening total time and allocating resources for surgery scheduling.

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are important parts of insect olfactory systems, and sensitive olfaction is vital for phytophagous insects in host foraging. Electrophysiological studies are helpful in understanding olfactory sensing in Sitobion avenae (Hemiptera: Aphididae), but the functions of odorant-binding proteins in this insect are poorly understood. In this study, we used fluorescence competition assays to measure the binding specificities of SaveOBPs. The results showed that both SaveOBP2 and SaveOBP3 were superior to SaveOBP7 in binding green leaf volatiles. It was unexpected that SaveOBP7 bound trans-β-farnesene strongly, which was known as alarm pheromone of this species. Host volatiles were recognized much more easily by SaveOBP2, and the observed binding activity of SaveOBP2 equaled for tested green leaf volatiles. Our results imply that SaveOBP7 might play a more important role in aphid alarm pheromone discrimination.

The lithium-based energy storage technology is currently being considered for electric automotive industry and even electric grid storage. However, the hungry demand for vast energy sources in the modern society will conflict with the shortage of lithium resources on the earth. The first alternative choice may be sodium-related materials. Herein, we propose an electric energy storage system (sodium-ion capacitor) based on porous carbon and sodium titanate nanotubes (Na-TNT, Na(+)-insertion compounds) as positive and negative electrode materials, respectively, in conjunction with Na(+)-containing non-aqueous electrolytes. As a low-voltage (0.1-2 V) sodium insertion nanomaterial, Na-TNT was synthesized via a simple hydrothermal reaction. Compared with bulk sodium titanate, the predominance of Na-TNT is the excellent rate performance, which exactly caters to the need for electrochemical capacitors. The sodium-ion capacitors exhibited desirable energy density and power density (34 Wh kg(-1), 889 W kg(-1)). Furthermore, the sodium-ion capacitors had long cycling life (1000 cycles) and high coulombic efficiency (≈ 98 % after the second cycle). More importantly, the conception of sodium-ion capacitor has been put forward.

As a promising antifreeze, Ethylene glycol (EG) was employed for preparation of new types of antifreezing Ag/AgCl reference electrodes. Different proportions of EG were used as antifreezing additives in the inner electrolyte of Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The potential shifts of the resultant reference electrodes are less than 10 mV in the wide range of temperatures (25 ∼ −40 °C), which extends their application at low temperatures. In addition, the proposed antifreezing electrodes maintain non-polarizable and reversible nature of the initial Ag/AgCl ones even in low-temperature environment. Finally, to ensure their stability at low temperatures, the antifreezing reference electrodes were applied in various low-temperature electrochemical systems.

This paper applies super-heated steam drying technology to improve the quality of lignite. A unique experimental system was built up. In order to obtain the optimum operation conditions, the drying kinetics was measured. The temperature range of super-heated steam was from 120 to 200°C. The results showed that the drying process of super-heated steam drying of lignite can be well depicted by two stages, as a constant drying rate stage followed by a falling drying rate stage. The comparison of drying process to the hot air drying showed the superior advantages of super-heated steam drying on safety, drying capacity and energy conservation. Analysis shows the huge application potential of lignite in power plants by means of the super-heated steam drying.

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are found in both insects and vertebrates, and it is believed that they are involved in chemical communication. In this study, we identify and express 2 OBPs from the scarab beetle, Holotrichia oblita Faldermann (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). HoblOBP1 shows more similarities with other scarab beetle OBPs, whereas HoblOBP2 is more diverse. N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (1-NPN) is used as a fluorescent probe in ligand-binding experiment, and results indicate that both HoblOBPs prefer plant volatiles to putative H. oblita sex pheromones. HoblOBP1 shows binding affinity to a wider range of test compounds, but HoblOBP2 displays more specific binding affinity. Cinnamaldehyde and 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol bind to HoblOBP1 can elicit strong electrophysiological responses of the antennae from female H. oblita adults, respectively. Methyl salicylate also shows good affinity to HoblOBP2 and it can elicit moderate electrophysiological responses. Although, β-ionone is one of the ligands of the strongest binding, it elicits a weak electrophysiological response. In the immunocytochemical analysis, we observe that HoblOBP1 and HoblOBP2 are coexpressed in sensilla basiconica and placodea in both sexes.

Concentrated NaClO(4) aqueous solutions have been proposed as the electrolytes in electric double-layer capacitors. The advantages of this kind of electrolytes have been addressed in the terms of enlarged specific capacitance, enhanced rate capability and elevated low-temperature performance of porous carbon electrodes. Thermal analysis, ionic conductivity measurement and Raman spectroscopic investigations have been performed on the NaClO(4) aqueous solutions in conjunction with the electrochemical study of porous carbon electrodes in this kind of electrolytes. The correlation between the hydration number of ions in the solutions and capacitive behavior of porous carbon has been clarified. The rate performance improvement in porous carbon electrode has also been connected to the increase in ionic conductivity of the electrolytes. The enhanced capacitance retention of porous carbon electrode at low temperatures in concentrated solutions has been ascribed to a fall of freezing point. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pore structure of experiment alkali waste were investigated by Mercury Porosimetry, the influence of pore structure characteristics on their sulfur fixation performance were discussed, it can be found that little pores make a significant contribution to calcium utilization in the initial stage of reaction and at lower temperature, while bigger pores take effect in the later stage and at higher temperature, the range of effective aperture are different at different temperature, which respectively are from 0.005μm to 0.02μm at temperature from 1123K to 1223K and from 0.2μm to 0.3μm at temperature from 1223K to 1323K, the more pore in range of effective aperture, the better the sulfur fixation performance.

The peritrophic membrane (PM) plays an important role in protecting insects. The PM proteins are important to determinate the formation and function of the PM. A new PM protein, named Lsti99, was identified from the PM of Loxostege sticticalis larvae by cDNA library screening. The full cDNA of Lsti99 is 1392 bp in length, contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1245 bp that encodes a preprotein of 415 amino acid residues with a 17-amino acid signal peptide. The sequence of Lsti99 showed no homology to other known PM proteins. The recombinant Lsti99 was successfully expressed in insect cells (Sf9) using recombinant baculoviruses and was used to isolate the antibodies to Lsti99 from the polyclonal antiserum. Lsti99 was expressed mainly in the PM, but weaker bands could be detected in the head and integument as well. The Lsti99 protein could be separated from the PM complex by chitinase in vitro, but M2R did not show effect in vitro confirming the chitin-binding activity of Lsti99. The biochemical and physiological functions of Lsti99 in L. sticticalis require further investigation.

Gas bubble dynamic template, a new green and promising template, can be used to prepare nanostructured materials with different shapes from electrochemical deposition processes. Different morphological platinum nanomaterials have been synthesized by the replacement reaction of the deposited copper nanomaterials which were obtained under negative potential along with H2 evolution (dynamic template) at a glassy carbon electrode. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical methods were adopted to characterize their structures and properties. The nanomaterials platinum exhibited excellent catalytic activity toward oxygen reduction. The results demonstrated that the strategy is a simple, cost-effective, and potent method to prepare platinum nanomaterials.

Three-dimensional (3D) macroporous Pt (MPPt) with highly open porous walls has been successfully synthesized using the hydrogen bubble dynamic template synthesis and galvanic replacement reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrochemical methods were adopted to characterize their structures and properties. The resulting MPPt shows the same morphology as the initial 3D copper. The MPPt modified glassy carbon electrode (MPPt/GCE) exhibits excellent catalytic activity toward methanol oxidation. The present strategy is expected to reduce the cost of the Pt catalyst remarkably.

Borrelia burgdorferi BB0462 ORF encodes an unknown functional protein with 110 amino acids. A BLAST search in protein databases and the secondary structure being predicted by the program JUFO showed that the conserved hypothetical BB0462 protein was similar to the members of the YbaB protein family in both amino acid composition and protein structure. The co-transformation of BB0462 ORF and oppA upstream regulation DNA into E. coli host cells and β-galactosidase activity assay demonstrated that the BB0462 protein enhanced the transcriptional activity of the oppAV promoter, but does not affect those of oppAI, II, III and IV promoters. Analysis of DNA retardation and competitive repression also confirmed that the BB0462 protein bound to the 409 bp upstream regulation DNA fragment close to the initiation codon of the oppAV gene. All data in our study suggested that the BB0462 protein was involved in the transcriptional regulation of the oppAV gene