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This paper reviews the technical details of the small diameter sampling method in a study of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and X-ray CT (computed tomography) and their applications to studies of MMEs (Mafic Microgranular Enclaves) in granite. The AMS results based on 9 mm diameter cylinder specimens collected from the Cretaceous Tongkengxi mafic dykes in South China were consistent with results using 25 mm diameter specimens. The first case study demonstrated the variation of AMS in the interior of a large MME from South China, which contained a center of strong short-range magnetic lineation. This type of magnetic fabric could be detected only by using sample cores with a small diameter. In the foliation direction, the host granite interacted with the MME more heavily and produced a region with a high magnetite content. The second case study was the investigation of the MMEs in the Early Cretaceous Muchen complex in eastern South China. The MME swarms exhibited relatively uniform magnetic fabrics at the outcrop scale, but the fabrics varied significantly at the intrusion scale. AMS of the MME swarms is coaxial with that of the host granite only at some localities. The disagreement of AMS between MME and host granite either imply different magma flow directions, or different magma flow velocities, or disturbance of the granite fabric by the MME. The MMEs in a mylonitic granite from eastern North China were also studied. The MME specimens show highly variable magnetic susceptibility and lineations. They can be only studied appropriately by a small drill. In the three cases, the three magnetic susceptibility axes of the MMEs are consistent with the volume-weighted maximum eigenvector of long/intermediate/short axes of magnetite. The orientations of the magnetite long axes in the three cases form several modes and the concentration of the modes results in a strong lineation. One implication of this study is that MMEs, with the same magmatic fabrics as their host granite, most likely represent mafic magmas flowing with granitic magmas. Another implication is that the interaction between MMEs and host granite, which is strengthened by magmatic flows or ductile deformations, may promote crystallization of magnetite and formation of magnetite-rich granitoids. The presented 9 mm sampling methods provides easy ways to study the petrofabrics and other properties of small-sized features such as MMEs and their detailed internal textures.

Since the ban of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) excluding deca-BDE in China, new halogenated flame retardants (NHFRs), such as new brominated flame retardants and Dechlorane Plus, have become widely used. In this study, we assessed the atmospheric gaseous and particulate levels of eight NHFRs in nine urban areas in China. We detected high mean atmospheric (vapour plus particle phases) concentrations of tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) (74.8 pg m−3) and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) (68.8 pg m−3), two major NHFRs. Most of the gaseous and particulate NHFR concentrations presented seasonal variations (from summer to autumn), possibly driven by temperature. Spatially, concentrations and patterns of the NHFRs differed among the nine cities. Significantly higher concentrations were detected in cities with higher gross domestic products. The composition, especially the DBDPE/TBPH ratio (S), were clearly different among the cities, which pattern in each city are likely driven by variations in the type of industries operating in each city. Based on the temporal analysis of other researches and our data, PBDE levels have decreased markedly, while NHFRs levels have increased. Since high NHFR levels had detrimental effects on public health, NHFRs research warrants more attention.

A new heterometallic complex containing bis-Schiff base, namely, [(Salbn)NiNa(DMF)(H2O)]·N(CN)2 (1) (Salbn = bis(3-methoxysalicylidene) benzene-1, 2-diamine, DMF = N, N-dimethyl formamide) has been prepared through one-pot refluxing and condensation approach. Complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, X-ray single-crystal diffraction, and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction connects the Schiff base complex units through the [N(CN)2]− anion into dimer aggregate. These aggregates are further linked by weak hydrogen bondings and strong π–π interactions to give rise to one-dimensional chelating double-chain supramolecular polymer. Cyclic voltammetry measurement reveals the oxidation and reduction process of the compound is irreversible in nature. Polymer 1 exhibits emission spectrum maximum at 548 nm under ultraviolet excitation. Antibacterial property measurement indicates that 1 has strong inhibition toward Staphylococcus aureus.

In this paper, we determined and described the complete mitochondrial genome of Robin Accentor (Prunella rubeculoides), the first complete mitogenome. The complete genome of P. rubeculoides was 16,796 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosome RNA genes, and one non-coding control region. The overall base composition of the mitochondrial DNA was 29.7% for A, 23.7% for T, 15.6% for G, and 31.0% for C, with a GC content of 46.6%. This information of P. rubeculoides mitogenome is significance for phylogenetic studies of the family Prunellidea.

The Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch Carpodacus pulcherrimus, belongs to the family Fringillidae, distributed in central Himalayas from India (Himachal Pradesh) to southwest China and Bhutan. The conservation status of this species is least concern (LC) in IUCN. In this study, the complete mitogenome of C. pulcherrimus was determined. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16,797 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosome RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 non-coding region. We reconstructed a phylogenetic tree based on Bayesian inference for other 14 Fringillidae species. The new mitogenome data would provide useful information for application in conservation genetics and further clarify phylogenetic evolution of this species.

In this research, we determined and described the complete mitochondrial genome of Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus dedekeni) which was the first complete mitogenome reported. The comp...

Internet of Things (IoT) services play an increasingly important role in modern society with the more deployment in critical infrastructures. Ensuring IoT systems operating in a secure and safe environment is becoming a mandatory and urgent requirement. We have proposed a non-intrusive runtime monitoring mechanism in our previous work, but only runtime of C applications is considered in it. With the widely use of Java applications, the runtime monitoring of Java services is quite essential and important. However, the existing memory forensics on user processes are mainly focused on native stack of C or Java heap, which cannot meet the requirements of runtime monitoring of IoT services. In this paper, We propose an approach to dump and semantically reconstruct a Java stack, where a history of executed methods is obtained. We show the algorithms to extract methods in calling and the associated parameters, which are further encapsulated to be IoT events in XML format for runtime monitoring of IoT services, from Java stacks. The challenge of determining whether a stack frame is interpreted or compiled when reconstruct frames from the bottom to the top of the stack is solved. Experiments and evaluations show that the reconstruction is feasible and effective, with low resource occupation and real-time responses.

The prevalence of obesity has increased worldwide at an alarming rate over the past four decades. Obesity is a major risk factor for various non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and certain types of cancer. In parallel with the global obesity epidemic, rates of maternal obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus have risen, both of which are associated with long-term adverse health outcomes for the affected offspring. There is a robust body of epidemiological evidence, supported by experimental animal models, that fetal growth has a profound influence on adult diseases. For instance, the environment to which a fetus is exposed in the womb contributes to long-term risks of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. Both fetal growth restriction (predominantly due to poor nutrition resulting from placental insufficiency) and excessive fetal growth (predominantly due to over nutrition resulting from GDM or maternal obesity) are associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease during adulthood. Birth weight is a widely used marker of fetal growth, albeit crude. Measures of newborn body composition, such as fat mass, may identify ‘high risk’ infants more accurately. Postmenopausal women with obesity, are at a particularly high risk of cardiovascular disease. While on average obesity is associated with a greater severity of atherosclerosis and poorer arterial function, many postmenopausal women with obesity will never be affected by atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease. A better understanding of the risk factors for atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women with obesity will contribute to improved prediction of high-risk people and enable more effective disease management. Aims The studies undertaken as part of this thesis aimed to improve early identification of cardiovascular risk on the basis of advanced measures of body composition, and to trial preventive strategies for reducing the burden of atherosclerosis. Non-invasive measures of vascular health that enabled age-appropriate assessment of atherosclerosis across the life course was applied in order to achieve the following specific objectives. To examine whether a low Glycaemic Index (GI) diet during pregnancy could improve vascular health of the offspring of women with a high risk of gestational diabetes; To determine whether body composition in newborn infants, especially body fatness of neonates, is a stronger predictor of arterial wall thickness than birth weight; To determine the predictors of vascular structure in postmenopausal women with obesity; To determine theeffects of fast vsslow weight loss intervention strategies on vascular function. Results Chapter 3,published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,reports the vascular sub-study of a randomized controlledtrial of a low-GI diet during pregnancy in women at high risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The low-GI diet improved offspring arterial wall thickness at 1-year of age, independent of birth weight, body fatness and growth during infancy. This suggests that the vascular effects of a low maternal GI diet are acting via mechanisms that do not involve fetal growth. Chapter 4, published in Journal of Clinical Medicine,reports aortic intima-media thickness (AoIMT), an age-appropriate marker of vascular health, in newborns with high or low body fat, compared to those with average body fat. Infants with low body fat had higher AoIMT than controls, butinfants with high body fat showed no differences in AoIMT compared to controls. In contrast, AoIMT was significantly higher in those babies born at either end of the birth weight spectrum. The association of birth weight £10th percentile with AoIMT was independent of body fatness, but the association of birth weight >90thpercentile with AoIMT was weakened after controlling for body fatness.Accordingly, this suggests thatnewborns with low body fat have increased AoIMT, which is consistent with a higher risk of future cardiovascular disease, however birth weight appears to be a stronger predictor of aortic IMT. Chapter 5reports an analysis ofthe best predictors of atherosclerosisin postmenopausal women with obesity. We demonstrated that waist circumference (WC), subcutaneous adipose tissue(SAT) and intrahepatic lipid content were significantly associated with carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) after controlling for age, lipid lowering medications, diastolic blood pressure and BMI. This suggests that waist circumference may represent a cost-effective measure for identifying those postmenopausal women with obesity who are at the highest risk of atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular disease. Finally,Chapter 6reports the vascular sub-study of a randomized controlled trial of weight loss in postmenopausal women with obesity. The trial examined the effects on arterial endothelial function measured by flow mediated dilatation (FMD), after 4-6 months on one of two intervention strategies; fast weight loss (very low energy diet-based diet), and slow weight loss (food-based diet). Both interventions produced meaningful weight loss, although greater weight loss was achieved at both 4 and 6 months in the fast weight loss intervention group. Only the fast weight loss group showed improvements in FMD. The strongest correlate of improvements in FMD over 4-6 months was concurrent reduction in VAT, suggesting that changes in this adipose tissue depot may mechanistically link weight loss with improvements in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Conclusion The studies presented in this thesis suggest that body composition hasa profound influence on vascular health from birth through adulthood. Intervention strategies aimed at reducing cardiovascular risk should begin in the womb and focus on strategies that produce vascular health benefits. In order to treat obesity and cardiovascular disease, further research should take a holistic approach to integrate various evidences among different populations at risks with a focus on early detection and prevention. Keywords:atherosclerosis, body composition, fetal growth, obesity, vascular health

A new type of Sn-doped BiOCl photocatalyst was prepared by a simple pH-dictated route in a controllable fashion. The as-synthesized Sn-doped BiOCl catalysts were well characterized with the aid of various techniques to probe their crystallographic, morphological, chemical and optical properties. Photocatalytic capacities of the prepared Sn-doped BiOCl catalysts synthesized under different conditions have been investigated by the degradation of dye wastewater under natural sunlight irradiation, where Rhodamine B and mixed dye wastewater (Methyl orange, Orange IV and Malachite Green) were used. Our results indicated that the pH value during synthetic process imposed a crucial effect on the structure and photocatalytic properties of as-fabricated catalysts. In particular, investigations of photocatalytic stability and cycling performance were carried out by employing our representative catalyst.

Zircon U–Pb ages, Hf isotopes and whole-rock geochemical data are used to constrain the petrogenesis of the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic granitoids in southeastern China and their tectonic settings. The 225 Ma Qiuwang and 178 Ma Xiepu granites at Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, have eHf(t) values of − 15.7 to − 9.9 and − 17.6 to − 13.4, respectively. They are both ilmenite-series granitoids derived from the Paleoproterozoic basement of the Cathaysia Block in South China. The Late Triassic Qiuwang granite is strongly peraluminous with high zircon saturation temperatures (850–900 °C), and high Gd/Yb (2.7–4.8) and Ga/Al ratios (3.7–4.6 × 10− 4). In contrast, the Early Jurassic Xiepu granite is weakly peraluminous with low zircon saturation temperatures (~ 670 °C), low Gd/Yb (1.0–1.1) and high Ga/Al ratios (2.4–2.6 × 10− 4). The Qiuwang granite records higher melting temperatures and pressures than the younger Xiepu granite, reflecting a change in the tectonic regime from collisional tectonics to orogenic collapse. A regional review indicates that Triassic flat-slab subduction along the western Pacific may have led to thickening of the continental crust and metasomatism-oxidation of the continental lithosphere in the regions relatively close to the trench, where Cordilleran-type magnesian granitoids were generated. However, contemporaneous magnesian granitoids were produced in the thickened crust away from the trench, where the source rocks have uniformly moderate oxygen fugacities and metasomatism-oxidation was insignificant. Such Early Mesozoic “A-type” granitoids in the coastal region of South China are related to water-deficient and reduced melting conditions rather than an anorogenic tectonic setting.

Pepper is one of the most popular spices over the world and is called the King of Spices. Its essential oils (EOs) could alleviate neuronal ailments due to the inhibitory effect against acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In this study, the chemical compositions of 26 EOs prepared from white and black pepper collecting from 6 different cultivars were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 133 compounds were identified in the white and black pepper EOs. Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were found to be riched in these EOs, of which α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, 3-carene, limonene, and ( E)- β-caryophyllene were the major constituents. Most of pepper EOs showed potential AChE inhibitory activity with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values in the range of 0.5-182.5 µg/mL. Comparison of chemical constitutes of pepper EOs from different cultivars suggested that α-pinene, β-pinene, and 3-carene with an IC50 value of 3.2, 53.3, and 2.9 µg/mL, respectively, might be used as Quality-marker (Q-marker) of pepper oil in inhibiting AChE.

The Pacific plate since the Mesozoic is subducting into the mantle beneath the eastern Asia, and the involved recycled crustal material has greatly affected the mantle geochemistry. However, the initial timing of the subduction remains controversial, partly due to the insufficient understanding of the geochemical evolution of the Mesozoic mantle. The present study provides new constraints on this aspect using whole-rock and olivine phenocryst compositions of Mesozoic basalts from the Jitai Basin of South China, which is part of the eastern Asian volcanic belt. Multiple OIB-type basalts outcrop in the Jitai Basin ranging in age from 168 Ma to 90 Ma. In comparison with normal mantle, these basalts exhibit higher (87Sr/86Sr)i, Ba/Th, Nb/La and lower eNd(t). Their olivine phenocrysts display high Ni contents and low Mn and Ca contents. Together, these indicators suggest that components of recycled oceanic crust were involved in the mantle source of the basalts. Moreover, combined with the observations from the Hebu basalts, from 168 Ma to 63 Ma, it shows that the component of the recycled oceanic crust was continuously supplied to the mantle source of the Jitai Basin basalts. Considering that the Jitai Basin basalts have whole-rock and olivine phenocryst compositions similar to those of the Cenozoic basalts from eastern China, which were originated from a stagnant Pacific plate in the mantle transition zone, we propose that the same origin may be the best candidate for the components of recycled oceanic crust in the mantle source of the Jitai Basin basalts. Finally, it is possible to estimate that the westward subduction of the Pacific plate probably started in an earlier stage.

We monitored the concentrations of 10 organophosphate esters (OPEs) in 52 fine particulate matter (PM

Atmospheric gaseous and particle samples were collected using high-volume active samplers in Guangzhou and Wuzhishan. Concentrations of all the eight selected new halogenated flame retardants (NHFRs), including