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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of food retailer's Approaching the Expiration Date (AED) labelling on consumers' retailer-related response. Specifically, the main effect of food retailer's AED labelling on consumers' patronage intention, the mediation effect of food retailer's concern for consumers and the boundary condition of this effect are explored. The selected context of research is that food retailers are reluctant to stick an AED label on nearly expired food due to negative effect on selling them.Design/methodology/approachTwo separate pretests and two separate experiments have been conducted to investigate the influence of food retailer's AED labelling on patronage intention. Pretest 1 develops the stimulus material of food retailer's AED labelling. Study 1 investigates the influence of AED labelling on patronage intention and mediation effect of consumers' perception of retailer's concern for consumers. Pretest 2 develops the stimulus material of government regulation on food retailer's AED labelling. Study 2 explores the boundary condition of the positive effect, namely the moderation effect of whether retailer's AED labelling is voluntary or mandatory.FindingsThe main findings of this research highlight the positive influence of food retailer's AED labelling on consumers' patronage intention. In addition, the current research reveals the underlying mechanism food retailer's concern for consumers and the boundary condition whether the AED labelling is voluntary or mandatory.Originality/valueAlthough previous researches has explored the effect of food retailer's AED labelling on consumers' response, most of them focus on consumer purchase intention of the nearly expired food and neglect its effect on consumers' food retailer-related response. It is a need for food retailer to explore the potential positive influence of food retailer's AED labelling on consumers' patronage intention.

Phospholipase C zeta1 (Plcz1) was known to be a physiological factor in sperm that activates oocytes to complete meiosis by triggering Ca2+ oscillations after fertilisation. However, the role of male Plcz1 in spermatogenesis and early embryo development in progeny has been controversial. Plcz1 knockout (Plcz1−/−) mouse model (Plcz1m3 and Plcz1m5) was generated by using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The fertility of Plcz1−/− mice was evaluated by analysing the number of offsprings, sperm quality, pathological changes in the testis and epididymis. RNA-seq and RT-PCR were performed to screen differentially expressed genes and signalling pathways related to fertility in Plcz1−/− mice. Further mechanism was explored by using Plcz1−/− cells. Plcz1 knockout led to hypofertility in male mice. In particular, a significant time delay in development and polyspermy was found in eggs fertilized by both Plcz1m3 and Plcz1m5 sperm. Interestingly, a decline in sperm quality combined with pathological changes in epididymis was found in Plcz1m3 mice but not in Plcz1m5 mice. Notably, abnormal cytoskeleton appears in epididymis of Plcz1m3 mice and Plcz1−/− cells. Cytoskeleton damage of epididymis is involved in fertility decline of males upon Plcz1 deficiency in this model.

Mitochondrial-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAMs) play a key role in several physiological functions, including calcium ion (Ca2+) transfer and autophagy; however, the molecular mechanism controlling this interaction in cadmium (Cd)-induced neurotoxicity is unknown. This study shows that Cd induces alterations in MAMs and mitochondrial Ca2+ levels in PC12 cells and primary neurons. Ablation or silencing of mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) in PC12 cells or primary neurons blocks the colocalization of ER and mitochondria while reducing the efficiency of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. Moreover, Mfn2 defects reduce interactions or colocalization between GRP75 and VDAC1. Interestingly, the enhancement of autophagic protein levels, colocalization of LC3 and Lamp2, and GFP-LC3 puncta induced by Cd decreased in Mfn2-/- or Grp75-/- PC12 cells and Mfn2- or Grp75-silenced primary neurons. Notably, the specific Ca2+ uniporter inhibitor RuR blocked both mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and autophagy induced by Cd. Finally, this study proves that the mechanism by which IP3R-Grp75-VDAC1 tethers in MAMs is associated with the regulation of autophagy by Mfn2 and involves their role in mediating mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake from ER stores. These results give new evidence into the organelle metabolic process by demonstrating that Ca2+ transport between ER-mitochondria is important in autophagosome formation in Cd-induced neurodegeneration.

Controlling the morphology of highly homogeneous nanoribbons is one of the main goals for synthesizing catalysts with excellent activity and durability. In this Communication, platinum (Pt) nanoribbons were synthesized by a one-pot method. We used ammonium fluoride (NH4F) as the regulator, under 8 atm of hydrogen (H2), to synthesize zigzag-shaped two-dimensional Pt nanoribbons. Benefiting from their unique morphology, the Pt nanoribbons display superior electrocatalytic activity and stability.

The porous polymer matrix with good stability and confined microenvironment is considered as ideal support to stabilize isolated metal centers for catalysis. Herein, we report a "one-pot" method to prepare a kind of palladium complexed with azo porous organic polymer nanospheres (Pd-azo-POPs). The method combines the synthesis of Azo-POPs with the reduction of the Pd ion, where azo is conducted as an anchoring group to limit the growth of Pd. The unique structure is conductive to the formation of a uniform active center and providing better electron transfer. Pd-azo-POPs-80 exhibits high catalytic activity and recycle stability both in 4-nitrophenol reduction and Suzuki-Miyaura coupling. The k nor for the 4-nitrophenol reduction was 174.7 min -1 mM -1 and remains the conversion above 90% after 6 cycles. Meanwhile, the yield was still up to 94.5% after 5 cycles for the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction of benzene derivatives with I/Br under milder conditions.

Developing the highly efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reactions (OERs), as vital half reactions of water splitting, is crucial for renewable energy technology. The electrocatalysts based on multi-component and hierarchically structured non-noble metal hydr(oxy)oxide materials are of great prospects. Herein, we report an efficient strategy at low temperatures for synthesizing amorphous iron-doped cobalt-molybdenum ultrathin hydroxide (Fe-CoMo UH) nanosheets. Benefiting from the ultrathin amorphous structure and multi-metal coordination, Fe-CoMo UH nanosheets exhibit outstanding performance for OERs with a low overpotential of 245 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 37 mV dec−1 and an excellent stability for 90 h. The mass activity of Fe-CoMo UH is higher than that of commercial Ir/C and most of the transition metal hydroxide catalysts. This work provides a feasible consideration for the construction of promising efficient non-noble metal catalysts.

Epilepsy might be one of the manifestations in children with leukodystrophies, but the incidence of epilepsy in different types of leukodystrophies is unclear yet. A retrospective observational cohort study was performed on children diagnosed with leukodystrophies in Peking University First Hospital from January 2004 to June 2019, and the patients were followed for 5.5 years (0.4–14.2 years) after the first visit. A total of 333 patients were included. The overall incidence of epilepsy was 30.6% (102/333). Alexander disease had the highest incidence (77.3%, 51/66), followed by vanishing white matter disease (41.2%, 21/51), Canavan disease (33.3%, 1/3), megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts (32.1%, 9/28), X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (23.1%, 3/13), Krabbe disease (18.8%, 3/16), metachromatic leukodystrophy (14.3%, 6/42), and Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease (7.0%, 8/114). The incidence of epilepsy in leukodystrophies classified as astrocytopathies was higher than that in myelin disorders (55.9% vs. 11.2%, P

Over the past decades, metal selenides have drawn considerable attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, huge volume changes and sluggish electrochemical transfer kinetics hinder their applications in energy storage and conversion. In this work, we demonstrate an efficient and ingenious synthesis strategy to regulate nickel selenide electrodes by the introduction of copper and in situ coating with carbon (Cu-NiSe2@C). When used as anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the as-synthesized Cu-NiSe2@C delivered a high capacity of 1630 mA h g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 200 cycles and excellent rate performance as well as long-term cycling stability with a high capacity of 489 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1 after 20 000 cycles. When coupled with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode, the full cells showed a high capacity of 463 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1. Their superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the in situ carbon coating and copper doping, which can promote the electron/ion transfer kinetics, as well as alleviate the volume expansion during cycling. This work will open new opportunities for the development of high-performance anodes for lithium storage.

Background Megalencephalic leukoencephalopathy with subcortical cysts (MLC) is a rare neurological degenerative disorder caused by the mutations of MLC1 or GLIALCAM with autosomal recessive or autosomal dominant inheritance and a different prognosis, characterized by macrocephaly, delayed motor and cognitive development, and bilateral abnormal signals in cerebral white matter (WM) with or without cysts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This study aimed to reveal the clinical and genetic features of MLC patients with GLIALCAM mutations and to explore the brain pathological characteristics and prognosis of mouse models with different modes of inheritance. Methods Clinical information and peripheral venous blood were collected from six families. Genetic analysis was performed by Sanger sequencing of GLIALCAM. GlialcamArg92Trp/+ and GlialcamLys68Met/Thr132Asn mouse models were generated based on mutations from patients (c.274C>T(p.Arg92Trp) (c.203A>T(p.Lys68Met), and c.395C>A (p.Thr132Asn))). Brain pathologies of the mouse models at different time points were analyzed. Results Six patients were clinically diagnosed with MLC. Of the six patients, five (Pt1–Pt5) presented with a heterozygous mutation in GLIALCAM (c.274C>T(p.Arg92Trp) or c.275G>C(p.Arg92Pro)) and were diagnosed with MLC2B; the remaining patient (Pt6) with two compound heterozygous mutations in GLIALCAM (c.203A>T (p.Lys68Met) and c.395C>A (p.Thr132Asn)) was diagnosed with MLC2A. The mutation c.275C>G (p.Arg92Pro) has not been reported before. Clinical manifestations of the patient with MLC2A (Pt6) progressed with regression, whereas the course of the five MLC2B patients remained stable or improved. The GlialcamArg92Trp/+ and GlialcamLys68Met/ Thr132Asn mouse models showed vacuolization in the anterior commissural WM at 1 month of age and vacuolization in the cerebellar WM at 3 and 6 months, respectively. At 9 months, the vacuolization of the GlialcamLys68Met/ Thr132Asn mouse model was heavier than that of the GlialcamArg92Trp/+ mouse model. Decreased expression of Glialcam in GlialcamArg92Trp/+ and GlialcamLys68Met/ Thr132Asn mice may contribute to the vacuolization. Conclusions Clinical and genetic characterization of patients with MLC and GLIALCAM mutations revealed a novel mutation, expanding the spectrum of GLIALCAM mutations. The first Glialcam mouse model with autosomal recessive inheritance and a new Glialcam mouse model with autosomal dominant inheritance were generated. The two mouse models with different modes of inheritance showed different degrees of brain pathological features, which were consistent with the patients’ phenotype and further confirmed the pathogenicity of the corresponding mutations. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12519-019-00284-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Intellectual disability/developmental delay is a complex condition with extraordinary heterogeneity. A large proportion of patients lacks a specific diagnosis. Next generation sequencing, enabling identification of genetic variations in multiple genes, has become an efficient strategy for genetic analysis in intellectual disability/developmental delay. Methods Clinical data of 112 Chinese families with unexplained intellectual disability/developmental delay was collected. Targeted next generation sequencing of 454 genes related to intellectual disability/developmental delay was performed for all 112 index patients. Patients with promising variants and their other family members underwent Sanger sequencing to validate the authenticity and segregation of the variants. Results Fourteen promising variants in genes EFNB1, MECP2, ATRX, NAA10, ANKRD11, DHCR7, LAMA1, NFIX, UBE3A, ARID1B and PTPRD were identified in 11 of 112 patients (11/112, 9.82%). Of 14 variants, eight arose de novo, and 13 are novel. Nine patients (9/112, 8.03%) got definite molecular diagnoses. It is the first time to report variants in EFNB1, NAA10, DHCR7, LAMA1 and NFIX in Chinese intellectual disability/developmental delay patients and first report about variants in NAA10 and LAMA1 in affected individuals of Asian ancestry. Conclusions Targeted next generation sequencing of 454 genes is an effective test strategy for patients with unexplained intellectual disability/developmental delay. Genetic heterogenicity is significant in this Chinese cohort and de novo variants play an important role in the diagnosis. Findings of this study further delineate the corresponding phenotypes, expand the mutation spectrum and support the involvement of PTPRD in the disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12881-019-0794-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Clethra fargesii, an essential ecological and endemic woody plant of the genus Clethra in Clethraceae, is widely distributed in Central China. So far, there have been a paucity of studies on its chloroplast genome. In the present study, we sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genome of C. fargesii. We also analyzed the chloroplast genome features and compared them to Clethra delavayi and other closely related species in Ericales. The complete chloroplast genome is 157,486 bp in length, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,034 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,492 bp, separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,980 bp. The GC content of the whole genome is 37.3%, while those in LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.4%, 30.7%, and 43.0%, respectively. The chloroplast genome of C. fargesii encodes 132 genes in total, including 87 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. A total of 26,407 codons and 73 SSRs were identified in C. fargesii chloroplast genome. Additionally, we postulated and demonstrated that the structure of the chloroplast genome in Clethra species may present evolutionary conservation based on the comparative analysis of genome features and genome alignment among eight Ericales species. The low Pi values revealed evolutionary conservation based on the nucleotide diversity analysis of chloroplast genome in two Clethra species. The low selection pressure was shown by a few positively selected genes by adaptive evolution analysis using 80 coding sequences (CDSs) of the chloroplast genomes of two Clethra species. The phylogenetic tree showed that Clethraceae and Ericaceae are sister clades, which reconfirm the previous hypothesis that Clethra is highly conserved in the chloroplast genome using 75 CDSs of chloroplast genome among 40 species. The genome information and analysis results presented in this study are valuable for further study on the intraspecies identification, biogeographic analysis, and phylogenetic relationship in Clethraceae.

Among the hypomyelinating leukodystrophies, Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease (PMD) is a representative disorder. The disease is caused by different types of PLP1 mutations, among which PLP1 duplication accounts for ~ 70% of the mutations. Previous studies have shown that PLP1 duplications lead to PLP1 retention in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER); in parallel, recent studies have demonstrated that PLP1 duplication can also lead to mitochondrial dysfunction. As such, the respective roles and interactions of the ER and mitochondria in the pathogenesis of PLP1 duplication are not clear. In both PLP1 patients’ and healthy fibroblasts, we measured mitochondrial respiration with a Seahorse XF Extracellular Analyzer and examined the interactions between the ER and mitochondria with super-resolution microscopy (spinning-disc pinhole-based structured illumination microscopy, SD-SIM). For the first time, we demonstrated that PLP1 duplication mutants had closer ER-mitochondrion interfaces mediated through structural and morphological changes in both the ER and mitochondria-associated membranes (MAMs). These changes in both the ER and mitochondria then led to mitochondrial dysfunction, as reported previously. This work highlights the roles of MAMs in bridging PLP1 expression in the ER and pathogenic dysfunction in mitochondria, providing novel insight into the pathogenicity of mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from PLP1 duplication. These findings suggest that interactions between the ER and mitochondria may underlie pathogenic mechanisms of hypomyelinating leukodystrophies diseases at the organelle level.

Phyllostachys glauca is a dominant species in limestone mountains endemic to China. Here, we characterized its complete chloroplast genome. It is a circular DNA molecule of 139,689 bp in length, including a pair of 21,798 bp inverted repeats (IRs), a 12,872 bp small single-copy (SSC) region and an 83221 bp large single-copy (LSC) region. The total GC content of P. glauca chloroplast genome was 38.9%, and it encodes a total of 137 functional genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 40 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis shows that P. glauca is highly clustered in the Phyllostachys clade (V), sister to the lineage of P. nigra var. henonis + P. sulphurea.

Straw return is widely applied in China to achieve sustainable grain production. However, inappropriate farm practices can increase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reduce soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration, thereby increasing the carbon footprint (CFP) and affecting soil fertility and climate change. A 10-year experiment was conducted to evaluate and quantify the effects of straw management on SOC, crop yield, and CFP under a winter wheat–summer maize rotation in the Guanzhong Plain. The experiment involved seven straw-return modes, namely high wheat stubble retention and chopped maize straw return (WH-MC), high wheat stubble retention and chopped maize straw return with sub-soiling every two years (WH-MM), high wheat stubble retention and no maize straw return (WH-MN), both chopped wheat and maize straw return (WC-MC), chopped wheat and maize straw return with sub-soiling every two years (WC-MM), chopped wheat straw return and no maize straw return (WC-MN), and a control with no return of either wheat or maize straw (WN-MN). The results indicate that SOC change, crop yield, and CFP were significantly influenced by the straw-return mode in the annual wheat–maize season. SOC sequestration rate was positively correlated with cumulative plant-derived C input, which ranged from 29.4 Mg C ha −1 in WN-MN to 100.7 Mg C ha −1 in WH-MC. Of all the studied treatments, WH-MC produced the highest grain yield and lowest CFP, which were 26% higher and 20.5% lower than those of the control, respectively. However, crop yield and CFP in the individual wheat or maize seasons were only slightly affected by straw-return mode; only WC-MN in the wheat season and WH-MC, WH-MM, and WC-MN in the maize season produced a significantly higher grain yield and lower CFP compared to the no straw return treatment. Annual GHG emissions were highest in the WC-MM treatment and lowest in WH-MN. Therefore, WH-MC found to be the most suitable straw-return for lowering CFP and enhancing crop yield and SOC sequestration. However, to achieve the coordinated development of agriculture and the livestock industry it is necessary to remove some straw for animal feed and fuel, so WH-MN produced optimum yield and maintained SOC stock with low GHG emissions.

Over the past decades, metal selenides have drawn considerable attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, huge volume changes and sluggish electrochemical transfer kinetics hinder their applications in energy storage and conversion. In this work, we demonstrate an efficient and ingenious synthesis strategy to regulate nickel selenide electrodes by the introduction of copper and in situ coating with carbon (Cu-NiSe2@C). When used as anodes for lithium-ion batteries, the as-synthesized Cu-NiSe2@C delivered a high capacity of 1630 mA h g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 after 200 cycles and excellent rate performance as well as long-term cycling stability with a high capacity of 489 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1 after 20 000 cycles. When coupled with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode, the full cells showed a high capacity of 463 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1. Their superior electrochemical performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the in situ carbon coating and copper doping, which can promote the electron/ion transfer kinetics, as well as alleviate the volume expansion during cycling. This work will open new opportunities for the development of high-performance anodes for lithium storage.

Mitochondrial-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAMs) play a key role in several physiological functions, including calcium ion (Ca

Objectives Cadmium (Cd) induces mitophagy in neuronal cells, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate these mechanisms. Materials and methods The effects of Cd on the mitophagy in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells were detected, and the role of PINK1/Parkin pathway in Cd‐induced mitophagy was also analysed by using PINK1 siRNA. In order to explore the relationship between AMPK and PINK1/Parkin in Cd‐induced mitophagy in PC12 cells, the CRISPR‐Cas9 system was used to knock down AMPK expression. Results The results showed that Cd treatment triggered a significant increase in mitophagosome formation and the colocalization of mitochondria and lysosomes, which was further proved by the colocalization of LC3 puncta and its receptors NDP52 or P62 with mitochondria in PC12 cells. Moreover, an accumulation of PINK1 and Parkin was found in mitochondria. Additionally, upon PINK1 knock‐down using PINK1 siRNA, Cd‐induced mitophagy was efficiently suppressed. Interestingly, chemical or genetic reversal of AMPK activation: (a) significantly inhibited the activation of mitophagy and (b) promoted NLRP3 activation by inhibiting PINK/Parkin translocation. Conclusions These results suggest that Cd induces mitophagy via the PINK/Parkin pathway following AMPK activation in PC12 cells. Targeting the balanced activity of AMPK/PINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy signalling may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat Cd‐induced neurotoxicity.

To identify pathological mutation of D4Z4 in a child with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) presented initially as mental retardation.Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised in China (WISC-IV) was used to assess the patient's IQ. Other clinical data was also collected. With genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples, the child and his parents were subjected to medical exome sequencing and copy number variation analysis by next generation sequencing (NGS). The D4Z4 repeats and their origin source were determined by molecular combing.By the WISC-IV test, the child was found to have a total IQ of 41, with a speech comprehension IQ of 45, and perceptual inference index IQ of 52. No pathological mutation was detected by NGS. By molecular combing method, the child was found to carry a D4Z4 spanning 5.2 kb with a copy number of 2. Analysis of his parents indicate that the mutation was de novo.The D4Z4 copy number variation may account for the FSHD and mental retardation in the child. The molecular combing method can be used to identify the number of repeat units and facilitate the diagnosis of FSHD.

This article addresses a product delivery and store network layout strategy problem considering not only firms’ but also consumers’ cost. The study presents several mathematical programming models to minimize the cost or maximize the profit. Then, we design a two-step solution method for exact solutions and present an implementation. The results show that a carbon cap will do more good than harm for the environment. Trying to minimize the cost from both sides will not only improve the efficiency of social resource use but also enable stores to attract more consumers. Limiting emissions for firms will result in significant emissions reduction without an excessive cost increase.

Based on a monopoly model in industrial symbiosis chain including one upstream manufacturer and one downstream manufacturer, the price sensitive-environmental concern demand is introduced into the paper. The decision behaviors of the manufacturers in industrial symbiosis chain under environmental regulations imposed by the policy makers or the government in waste emission standard, waste emission tax and subsidy for waste usage are investigated. The results show the operational factors of the manufacturers must be taken into account in the right formulation of waste emission standard, and the simultaneous implementation of waste emission tax and subsidy for external environmental performance of the manufacturers is superior to a single policy. Environmental concerned consumers with stronger green attitude who are more willing to buy environmentally friendly products could pressurize the manufacturers into decreasing waste emission level, and the manufacturers will affirmatively involve in industrial symbiosis chain due to the intervention of environmental regulations. Especially, integrated industrial symbiosis becomes the optimal decision for the manufacturers to boost both economic benefit and environmental performance. Waste emission contract and quantity discount contract can be techniques to improve the performance of non-integrated industrial symbiosis chain.

Chimonobambusa sichuanensis is an ornamental shrubby bamboo endemic to southern China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequence of Chimonobambusa sichuanensis was first reported. The cpDNA is 139,594 bp in length, including a small single-copy (SSC) region of 12,820 bp and a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,196 bp, which were separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 21,789 bp. The genome contains 140 genes, consisting of 93 protein-coding genes, seven ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 40 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. The phylogenetic analysis showed that C. sichuanensis is highly clustered in the Phyllostachys clade, sister to C. tumidissinoda.

Consumer generally prefer produce with perfect/attractive appearance and reject unattractive produce (e.g., spotted apples, curved cucumbers), which results in global economic and sustainability issues. Researchers are making efforts to find strategies to reduce consumer or retailer waste of unattractive produce. This article aims to study the role of anthropomorphism communication in the marketing of unattractive produce and to identify an empathy-helping underlying psychological mechanism. Three experimental studies found that when unattractive produce is anthropomorphized, the situation of rejection evokes consumer empathy. Feelings of empathy drive consumers to accept and purchase unattractive produce. In addition, the positive effect of anthropomorphism on purchase intentions is moderated by popularity of unattractive produce (e.g., number of shoppers). The effect of anthropomorphism is strengthened when the produce is unpopular, and it is weakened when the produce is popular.

The objective of this effort is to study the combustion performance of a hybrid rocket motor with the help of 3D steady-state numerical simulation, which applies 90% hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizer and hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene as the fuel. A method of secondary oxidizer injection in post-chamber is introduced to investigate the flow field characteristics and combustion efficiency. The secondary injection medium is the mixed gas coming from liquid hydrogen peroxide catalytic decomposition. The secondary injectors are uniformly set along the circumferential direction of the post-chamber. The simulation results obtained by above model are verified by experimental data. Three influencing parameters are considered: secondary injection diameter, secondary injection angle and secondary injection numbers. Simulation results reveals that this design could improve the combustion efficiency with respect to the same motor without secondary injection. Besides, the secondary injection almost has no effect on the regression rate and fuel sueface temperature distribution. It is also presented that the oxidizer is injected by 8 secondary injectors with a diameter of 7–8 mm in the direction of 120°in post-chamber is identified as the optimized secondary injection pattern, through which combustion efficiency, specific impulse efficiency as well as utilization of propellants are all improved obviously.

The mechanisms involved in the fast growth of Angiostrongylus cantonensis from fifth-stage larvae (L5) to female adults and how L5 breaks through the blood-brain barrier in a permissive host remain unclear. In this work, we compared the transcriptomes of these two life stages to identify the main factors involved in the rapid growth and transition to adulthood. RNA samples from the two stages were sequenced and assembled de novo. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses of 1,346 differentially expressed genes between L5 and female adults was then undertaken. Based on a combination of analytical results and developmental characteristics, we suggest that A. cantonensis synthesizes a large amount of cuticle in L5 to allow body dilatation in the rapid growth period. Products that are degraded via the lysosomal pathway may provide sufficient raw materials for cuticle production. In addition, metallopeptidases may play a key role in parasite penetration of the blood-brain barrier during migration from the brain. Overall, these results indicate that the profiles of each transcriptome are tailored to the need for survival in each developmental stage.

Phyllostachys glauca is a dominant species in limestone mountains endemic to China. Here, we characterized its complete chloroplast genome. It is a circular DNA molecule of 139,689 bp in length, in...

Gene List. List of 454 genes related to ID/DD. (DOCX 13 kb)

Developing stable, efficient and economical electrocatalytic materials is still challenging for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Hence, we develop a Pd/Ni bimetallic carbon electrocatalyst (Pd/Ni-NC) with outstanding electrocatalytic performance. The catalyst derived from Pd-doped Ni-MOF (Pd/Ni-MOF) has particles and needle-like carbon tubes on its surface and is similar in shape to setaria. Benefiting from the composition and the unique structure, Pd/Ni-NC shows excellent HER catalytic performance with 16 mV at 10 mA cm−2, superior to Pd or Ni single metal-carbon catalyst. Furthermore, it maintains stable catalytic activity under constant current for 25h. These results show the strategy that obtaining Pd and Ni bimetallic MOF by cation exchange and its corresponding bimetallic carbon material with setaria-shaped structure by calcination is powerful for high efficient HER performance.

A supply- and demand-driven supply chain model was built by introducing supply and demand function and price adjustment equation simultaneously, then the lead time demand was predicted and the bullwhip effect was analyzed. The results show supply and demand fluctuations can’t eliminate the bullwhip effect in any case due to the systematic factor, while there is an inverse relationship between the impacts of supply and demand fluctuation imposed on the bullwhip effect. The supplier has been in an active position in reducing the bullwhip effect, and reducing lead time is apparent to alleviate the bullwhip effect if lead time is in the optimal interval. Meanwhile, the supplier can develop production plan depending on previous multi-period historical product price information to restrain the bullwhip effect, and the retailer should choose the right sales strategy to control the bullwhip effect after analyzing consumers’ price consumption psychology and understanding consumers’ price sensitivity.