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Prof. Tchen-Ngo Liou is one of the founders of China's botany, geobotany, and forest ecology. Theory of dynamic geobotany, established by Prof. Liou, can track back from his doctoral work in Alps in France, and was developed based on his long-term field works in northeast, southeast, north, northeast parts of China, India, North Korea and other regions. In the short course on dynamics geobotany in 1962, he gave a series of lectures which formed a synthesized system. The key elements of this theory are the comprehensive review and critical thinking on climax theory of vegetation science and community succession. Prof. Liou has applied this theory into the establishment of artificial vegetation, the improvement of natural vegetation, forest harvesting and regeneration, and the prevent and control of desertification in China. Here, we gave a short summary about this theory, and discussed its potential influence on important topics in vegetation ecology and biodiversity science, including mountain biodiversity, natural forest conservation, forest management, global change, and vegetation classification.

Functional traits regulate plant response to environmental changes, with consequences on population dynamics. However, how plant functional traits impact population dynamics, including growth, mortality, and recruitment, remains elusive in temperate forests across different successional stages. In this study, we compiled data on population dynamics and eight functional traits, encompassing hydraulic, wood, and leaf traits, from 35 species commonly found in a secondary poplar-birch forest and a broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Northeast China. We quantified the intrinsic relationships between plant population dynamics and assessed how plant functional traits influenced these dynamics. The results demonstrated a gradual increase in the correlation among population dynamics as forest succession progressed. In the secondary forest, tree growth rate and mortality rate were negatively correlated, while growth-death rate and growth-recruitment rate were not related. Conversely, in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest, there was a significant negative correlation between tree growth rate and mortality rate, as well as between growth rate and recruitment rate, while tree mortality rate positively correlated with recruitment rate. Additionally, functional traits effectively predicted population dynamics, but the predictive ability varied across successional stages. Functional traits, particularly xylem hydraulic traits ( e.g ., Huber value) and anatomical traits ( e.g ., mean xylem conduit diameter), were stronger predictors of tree growth, mortality, and recruitment rates at the late successional stage compared with the early stage. These findings indicated that population dynamics and functional traits exhibited strong regularity in the late successional stage of broad-leaved Korean pine forests.

Sodium dual-ion batteries (Na-DIBs) have attracted increasing attention due to their high operative voltages and low-cost raw materials. However, the practical applications of Na-DIBs are still hindered by the issues, such as low capacity and poor Coulombic efficiency, which is highly correlated with the compatibility between electrode and electrolyte but rarely investigated. Herein, fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) is introduced into the electrolyte to regulate cation/anion solvation structure and the stability of cathode/anode-electrolyte interphase of Na-DIBs. The FEC modulates the environment of PF 6 - solvation sheath and facilitates the interaction of PF 6 - on graphite. In addition, the NaF-rich interphase caused by the preferential decomposition of FEC effectively inhibits side reactions and pulverization of anodes with the electrolyte. Consequently, Sb||graphite full cells in FEC-containing electrolyte achieve an improved capacity, cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency. This work elucidates the underlying mechanism of bifunctional FEC and provides an alternative strategy of building high-performance dual ion batteries., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Despite the diverse roles of tripartite motif (Trim)-containing proteins in the regulation of autophagy, the innate immune response, and cell differentiation, their roles in skeletal diseases are largely unknown. We recently demonstrated that Trim21 plays a crucial role in regulating osteoblast (OB) differentiation in osteosarcoma. However, how Trim21 contributes to skeletal degenerative disorders, including osteoporosis, remains unknown. First, human and mouse bone specimens were evaluated, and the results showed that Trim21 expression was significantly elevated in bone tissues obtained from osteoporosis patients. Next, we found that global knockout of the Trim21 gene (KO, Trim21 -/- ) resulted in higher bone mass compared to that of the control littermates. We further demonstrated that loss of Trim21 promoted bone formation by enhancing the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and elevating the activity of OBs; moreover, Trim21 depletion suppressed osteoclast (OC) formation of RAW264.7 cells. In addition, the differentiation of OCs from bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) isolated from Trim21 -/- and Ctsk-cre; Trim21 f/f mice was largely compromised compared to that of the littermate control mice. Mechanistically, YAP1/β-catenin signaling was identified and demonstrated to be required for the Trim21-mediated osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. More importantly, the loss of Trim21 prevented ovariectomy (OVX)- and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bone loss in vivo by orchestrating the coupling of OBs and OCs through YAP1 signaling. Our current study demonstrated that Trim21 is crucial for regulating OB-mediated bone formation and OC-mediated bone resorption, thereby providing a basis for exploring Trim21 as a novel dual-targeting approach for treating osteoporosis and pathological bone loss., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Forest is the main component of terrestrial ecosystems that harbors about 40% of the existing species on the earth. As a vital component of biodiversity, phyllosphere microbes in the canopy play a critical and unique role in maintaining plant health, improving host resistance, and influencing global biogeochemical cycle. However, the studies on the community structure of phyllosphere fungi in natural forests are scarce as compared to that on rhizosphere microbes. Consequently, we know litter about how phyllosphere fungi associates with leaf traits. In this study, we analyzed fungal community composition of canopy leaves of six dominant tree species ( i.e ., Pinus koraiensis , Tilia amurensis , Quercus mongolica , Acer mono , Fraxinus mandshurica , and Ulmus japonica ), in a broad-leaved Korean pine forest of Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve in Jilin Province, using high-throughput sequencing. We compared the differences of phyllosphere fungal community structure and functional groups of different dominant tree species. Moreover, 14 key leaf functional traits of their host trees were measured to investigate the relationships between fungal community composition and leaf functional traits. We found that the dominant phyla and class of phyllosphere fungi were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, and Dothideomycetes and Taphrinomycetes, respectively. Results of LEfSe analysis indicated that all the tree species except Ulmus japonica had significant biomarkers, such as the Eurotiomycetes of Pinus koraiensis and the Ascomycetes of Quercus mongolica . The main functional groups of phyllosphere fungi were pathotroph. The results of redundancy and envfit analysis showed that functional traits related to plant nutrient acquisition as well as resistance to diseases and pests were the main factors influencing the community structure of phyllosphere fungi.

In this study, the spatial distribution patterns of individuals with different diameter classes of dominant shrub Lonicera fragrantissima var . lancifolia and the intraspecific and interspecific relationships were analyzed in Qinling Huangguan Plot. The results showed that the diameter class structure of L. fragrantissima var . lancifolia showed a pyramid shape, with a wide bottom and a narrow top. The number of small-diameter class individuals was the largest, showing a good state of renewal and a stable growth, which was conducive to community renewal and succession. Based on Ripley's K function, using univariate and bivariate paired correlation functions, under complete spatial randomness model, heterogeneous Poisson model and antecedent condition model, all individual of the species and their diameter-dividing classes were mainly aggregated, and the aggregation degree decreased with the increases of research scale, and gradually tended to random distribution. Affected by habitat heterogeneity, diffusion restriction and negative density dependence, there was a positive correlation among different intraspecific dia-meter classes, and also a certain degree of no correlation, but without negative correlation. The interspecific relationship was complex. All types of association (no, positive and negative) were observed, but negative association and no association were dominated.

Shrub is an important part of forest ecosystem. Exploring the species composition, structure and spatial distribution of shrub layer can lay an important foundation for further clarifying the mechanisms underlying species coexistence, biodiversity maintenance and community succession. In this study, species composition, spatial distribution, and species diversity of shrub layer were analyzed in 25 hm 2 of Huangguan forest plot. A total of 20716 individual shrubs (with 10463 branches) were recorded in the plot, belonging to 54 species, 45 genera, 28 families. The status of dominant species in the shrub layer was not obvious, with all the importance values being less than 10. The diameter structure of shrub layer vegetation was inverted 'J' type. Shrubs showed aggregated distribution in the plot, with obvious altitude differences in spatial distribution. The diameter structure and spatial distribution of the nine shrub species with the largest abundance in the plot were consistent with the overall situation of shrub layer. With increasing altitude, the Shannon diversity index ( H ) and Simpson dominance index ( D ) did not change significantly, while the Pielou evenness index ( E ) decreased. Those indices decreased with the increases of the abundance of dominant species in tree layer, and E increased with the increase of the number of dominant species in sub-tree layer. The indices of H , D , E were significantly negatively correlated with soil total phosphorus (TP). The H index was significantly positively correlated with soil pH, and the E index was significantly positively correlated with soil total potassium. The shrub layer was rich in species, stable in community structure and well regenerated. The species diversity of shrub layer was mainly affected by the number of dominant species in the tree layer, soil pH, and TP.

To explore the spatial distribution and intraspecific correlation of Quercus aliena var. acutiserrata , a domi-nant tree species in a 25 hm 2 plot of warm temperate deciduous broadleaved forest in Qinling Mountains, the pair-correlation function g ( r ) was used to study the spatial pattern and intraspecific association. The results showed that the diameter class structure of Q . aliena var. acutiserrata was bimodal, with a large proportion of young trees (1 cm≤DBH＜5 cm), indicating an increase population structure with good capability of regeneration. The abundance of middle trees (15 cm≤DBH＜25 cm) was slightly more than that of big trees (25 cm≤DBH＜35 cm) and old trees (DBH≥35 cm), but far less than that of young trees and small trees. The spatial distribution of Q . aliena var. acuteserrata was obviously altitude dependent, which mainly distributed in the middle and high altitude areas. Results of complete spatial randomness (CSR) model analysis showed that young trees, small trees, adult trees, big trees, and old trees were aggregated in the large scale (＜60 m). Heterogeneous Poisson (HP) model was used to eliminate habitat heterogeneity. The results of HP model showed that the individual aggregation degree of each diameter class decreased, indicating that the distribution was affected by habitat heterogeneity. At the small scale (＜40 m), spatial correlation was positively correlated between individuals with small diameter gap, whereas the spatial correlation was negative correlation and no correlation between individuals with large diameter gap. At large scale (>40 m), the spatial correlation was positively correlated between large-diameter individuals, but negatively correlated and unrelated between saplings and other diameter individuals. Our results indicated that biological cha-racteristics of Q . aliena var. acutiserrata and habitat heterogeneity were important drivers for the formation of population spatial pattern.

Genomic epidemiology is important to study the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than two million severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomic sequences were deposited into public databases. However, the exponential increase of sequences invokes unprecedented bioinformatic challenges. Here, we present the Coronavirus GenBrowser (CGB) based on a highly efficient analysis framework and a node-picking rendering strategy. In total, 1,002,739 high-quality genomic sequences with the transmission-related metadata were analyzed and visualized. The size of the core data file is only 12.20 MB, highly efficient for clean data sharing. Quick visualization modules and rich interactive operations are provided to explore the annotated SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary tree. CGB binary nomenclature is proposed to name each internal lineage. The pre-analyzed data can be filtered out according to the user-defined criteria to explore the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Different evolutionary analyses can also be easily performed, such as the detection of accelerated evolution and ongoing positive selection. Moreover, the 75 genomic spots conserved in SARS-CoV-2 but non-conserved in other coronaviruses were identified, which may indicate the functional elements specifically important for SARS-CoV-2. The CGB was written in Java and JavaScript. It not only enables users who have no programming skills to analyze millions of genomic sequences, but also offers a panoramic vision of the transmission and evolution of SARS-CoV-2., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

The Qinling Mountain is a natural boundary between warm temperate zone and subtropical zone. While the China Forest Biodiversity Monitoring Network (CForBio) have basically covered most of the climate regions in China, few plots were located in the climate transition zone. Following the field protocol of CForBio and the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS), a 25 hm 2 (500 m×500 m) forest plot was established in Huangguan Nature Reserve in Shaanxi Province, China, in 2019. In this study, we analyzed species composition, flora characteristics, diameter class structure, and spatial distribution patterns of dominant tree species based on the data of all woody species with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥1 cm. The results showed that there were 75137 woody individuals with DBH ≥1 cm in the plot (95679 when including branching individuals), belonging to 121 species, 83 genera and 44 families. The flora type at the genera level was mainly temperate, accounting for 71.1% of the total genera, and mixed with some tropical components. The dominant species in the community were obvious, with the number of individuals in the top 5 species exceeding 40% of the total number of individuals, the number of individuals in the top 50 species accounting for 95% of the total number of individuals, and the number of individuals in the remaining 61 species being less than 5% of the total. The diameter distribution of all woody indivi-duals in the plot was inverted 'J' type. Spatial distribution patterns varied across the four most abundant species with importance value >5. The degree of aggregation within species decreased with the increases of scales, while the spatial distribution of different species was affected by environmental heterogeneity. Warm-temperate deciduous broadleaved forest in Qinling Mountains had abundant species, stable community structure and good regeneration, reflecting the typical characteristics of the transition from warm temperate zone to subtropical zone. Environmental heterogeneity might be an important factor affecting the spatial distribution of tree species in the plot.

Abundant and diverse domestic mammals living on the Tibetan Plateau provide useful materials for investigating adaptive evolution and genetic convergence. Here, we used 327 genomes from horses, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and dogs living at both high and low altitudes, including 73 genomes generated for this study, to disentangle the genetic mechanisms underlying local adaptation of domestic mammals. Although molecular convergence is comparatively rare at the DNA sequence level, we found convergent signature of positive selection at the gene level, particularly the EPAS1 gene in these Tibetan domestic mammals. We also reported a potential function in response to hypoxia for the gene C10orf67 , which underwent positive selection in three of the domestic mammals. Our data provide an insight into adaptive evolution of high-altitude domestic mammals, and should facilitate the search for additional novel genes involved in the hypoxia response pathway., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.)

This publisher's note contains corrections to Opt. Lett.40, 5224 (2015).OPLEDP0146-959210.1364/OL.40.005224.

Pangolins are among the most critically endangered animals due to heavy poaching and worldwide trafficking. However, their demographic histories and the genomic consequences of their recent population declines remain unknown. We generated high-quality de novo reference genomes for critically endangered Malayan ( Manis javanica , MJ) and Chinese ( M. pentadactyla , MP) pangolins and re-sequencing population genomic data from 74 MJs and 23 MPs. We recovered the population identities of illegally traded pangolins and previously unrecognized genetic populations that should be protected as evolutionarily distinct conservation units. Demographic reconstruction suggested environmental changes have resulted in a population size fluctuation of pangolins. Additionally, recent population size declines due to human activities have resulted in an increase in inbreeding and genetic load. Deleterious mutations were enriched in genes related to cancer/diseases and cholesterol homeostasis, which may have increased their susceptibility to diseases and decreased their survival potential to adapt to environmental changes and high-cholesterol diets. This comprehensive study provides not only high-quality pangolin reference genomes, but also valuable information concerning the driving factors of long-term population size fluctuations and the genomic impact of recent population size declines due to human activities, which is essential for pangolin conservation management and global action planning., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of China Science Publishing & Media Ltd.)

Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) results from disruption of the intima of the arterial wall, and can lead to intrusion of blood into the arterial wall and form an intramural hematoma. The hematoma can compress the true lumen of the vessel, causing functional stenosis or occlusion. The classic triad signs of ICAD include pain in the ipsilateral neck, head and orbital regions; a (partial) Horner syndrome; and cerebral or retinal ischemia. However, not all ICAD patients present with this classic signs. In some cases, ocular manifestations are the initial (and sometimes the only) findings. We summarize the ocular manifestations associated with ICAD in 3 categories: visual symptoms, oculosympathetic palsy, and ocular motor nerve palsy.

We examined the effects of nitrogen, soil microbe and their interactions on biomass allocation, growth and photosynthesis of Fraxinus mandschurica, a typical tree species in Changbai Mountain, through outdoor control experiments. In June 2017, an experiment with two-factor randomized block design was carried out. There were four treatments: control (F), nitrogen addition (FN), sterilization (FS), sterilization and nitrogen addition (FSN), six repetitive blocks, three repetitions per block, including 18 repetitions of each treatment. In mid-August 2018, we measured photosynthetic parameters and then harvested seedlings to measure biomass and growth parameters in September. The results showed that compared with F, FN significantly increased total biomass by 14%, basal diameter by 9%, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (P n ), stomatal conduc-tance (g s ), transpiration rate (T r ) by 75%, 318%, 231%, 227% respectively. FS significantly increased total biomass by 13%, basal diameter by 9% and chlorophyll content, P n , g s and T r increased by 34%, 213%, 120% and 115%, respectively. FSN increased total biomass by 23%, basal diameter by 14%, chlorophyll content, P n , g s and T r increased by 81%, 672%, 312% and 273%, respectively. Nitrogen, soil microbe and their interactions had significant effects on biomass, growth and photosynthesis of F. mandschurica seedlings. Soil microbe would regulate the response of F. mandschurica seedlings to nitrogen.

Seeds are the basis for forest regeneration. To examine the composition and spatio-temporal dynamics of seed rains, a total of 150 seed traps of 0.5 m 2 were installed in a 25 hm 2 broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest plot in Changbai Mountains. With a total of 252 collections from May 2006 to September 2017, we collected 764299 mature and immature seeds which were belonged to 27 species, 17 genera, and 12 families. More than 90% of all collected seeds (704231 seeds) were from 13 canopy species. Seeds of four tree species, including Tilia amurensis, Fraxinus mandschurica, Acer mono, and Acer pseudo-sieboldianum could be collected every year from each trap. Mast-seeding was found in every canopy layer, but it happened one to two years earlier in the overstorey layer than midstorey and understorey layer. Almost all species produced seeds in autumn, with considerable spatiotemporal variation. Generally, the spatial variation of seeds was larger than temporal variation. Compared with annual variation coefficient of seeds in tropical forest of the Barro Colorado Island (BCI) and subtropical evergreen forest in the Gutianshan, annual variation coefficient of seeds in Changbai Mountains was higher, which supported the hypothesis that annual variation in seed rains would be lower in the tropics than that in higher latitudes.

Aim: To observe the effect of topical 0.05% cyclosporine A (CsA) on the ocular surface and tear protein lacritin in a botulinum B-induced dry eye rat model., Methods: A total of 36 female SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, botulinum B was injected into the right lacrimal gland of all rats. Group A and group B were treated with 0.05% CsA and 0.1% sodium hyaluronate, respectively, 3 times daily. The control group was not treated. Basal tear flow, corneal epithelial defects, and lacritin levels were measured., Results: Tear secretion in all rats was reduced on day 3 and was even lower on day 7 postoperation ( P <0.05). Tear secretion in group A increased by day 14 and was at the preoperative level on day 42. Tear secretion in group B and control rats was lower on days 14 and 42 compared with preoperative level ( P <0.05). Corneal fluorescein staining in group A was higher on day 3, peaked on day 7, and then decreased gradually from day 7 until day 14, returning to normal by day 42 post-procedure. However, in group B, corneal fluorescein staining had improved, but was not fully recovered by day 42. Corneal fluorescein staining was more intense than before the operation and then in the control group at all time points. Tear protein lacritin levels reached the lowest levels on day 7 in all groups. In group A, tear protein lacritin levels began to increase on day 14 and were normal on day 42. In group B, tear protein lacritin levels began to increase on day 14, but had not completely recovered on day 42. In the control group, tear protein lacritin levels remained low post-procedure., Conclusion: CsA 0.05% prompts tear protein lacritin expression in a rat model of dry eye and improves the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

Molecular emission can be used for isotopic analysis in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) due to its large isotopic shift. However, spectral weakness and interference have become the main flaws in molecular isotopic analysis, causing deterioration of quantitative accuracy and sensitivity. Here, to overcome these problems, laser-induced radical fluorescence (LIRF) was applied to enhance the molecular spectra and eliminate the spectral interference. The root mean square errors of cross validation (RMSECVs) of boron and carbon isotopes ( 11 BO, 10 BO, 12 CN, and 13 CN) improved to 2.632, 5.721, 5.990, and 1.543 at.%, as compared with 16.96, 35.79, 57.10, and 13.89 at.%, respectively, obtained in the case without LIRF. The limits of detection (LoDs) of 11 BO, 10 BO, 12 CN, and 13 CN were 0.9858, 0.8470, 1.606, and 1.193 at.%, respectively. This work demonstrates the feasibility of LIBS-LIRF to achieve isotopic determination with high accuracy and sensitivity.

The calibration-free laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CF-LIBS) and its variations are low cost, short time consumption, and high adaptability. However, seeking a more flexible and simple quantitative analysis method remains a challenge. A one-point and multi-line calibration (OP-MLC) was presented as a simple quantitative analysis method of LIBS. The results showed that OP-MLC-LIBS method can achieve quantitative analysis using only one standard sample, and the average relative errors (AREs) are 9, 22, 21 and 36% for Mn, Cr, Ni and Ti elements in six tested low-alloy steel samples, respectively. The method requires neither a large number of standard samples nor complicated calculations, which provides a flexible and low-cost quantitative analysis approach for development and application of LIBS.

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) plays an important role in the development of malignant carcinoma. The small peptide intermedin (IMD) can promote hepatic carcinoma cell proliferation. The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of miR-155 on IMD-stimulated hepatic carcinoma cell proliferation., Methods: Proliferation of hepatic carcinoma SMMC7721 cells was detected by CCK-8, expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and miR-155 was detected by real-time PCR., Results: We found that IMD promotes the proliferation of SMMC7721 cells in a time and dose-dependent manner. IMD can upregulate the expression of miR-155, and blocking of miR-155 can inhibit the IMD-induced SMMC7721 cell proliferation to some extent., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that IMD can promote the proliferation of human hepatic carcinoma cell line SMMC7721 cells through upregulation of miR-155. This study may contribute to hepatic cancer prevention and therapy., Competing Interests: None., (IJCEP Copyright © 2018.)

An efficient method has been developed to identify meat species by using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). To improve the accuracy and stability of meat species identification, multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) was adopted to first pretreat the spectrum for correction of spectrum scatter. Then the corrected spectra were identified by using the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) model. The results showed that the identification rate improved from 94.17% to 100% and the prediction coefficient of variance (CV) decreased from 5.16% to 0.56%. This means that the accuracy and stability of meat species identification using MSC and LIBS simultaneously improved. In light of the findings, the proposed method can be a valuable tool for meat species identification using LIBS.

The proliferative activity of hepatic carcinoma cells is directly associated with tumorigenesis, tumor development, metastasis and invasion. A variety of cytokines and peptides serve important roles in the development of hepatic carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of intermedin (IMD) on hepatic carcinoma cell proliferation and its mechanism of action. HepG2 hepatic carcinoma cell lines were treated with human recombinant IMD1-53 and its receptor antagonist IMD17-47. Cell proliferation was detected using a Cell Counting kit-8. The activation of the classical Wnt signaling pathway was demonstrated by the ratio of TOPflash:FOPflash luciferase activity. The expression of c-Myc and cyclin D1 downstream of the Wnt signaling pathway were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. It was demonstrated that IMD may promote the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a time-dependent manner, and that the IMD receptor antagonist IMD17-47 could eliminate this promotion. IMD may activate classical Wnt signaling pathway transcriptional activity and the mRNA levels of certain downstream target genes. Furthermore, blocking of the Wnt signaling pathway may inhibit IMD-induced HepG2 cell proliferation to a certain extent. IMD may promote hepatic carcinoma cell proliferation by binding with receptor antagonist IMD17-47 and activating the Wnt signaling cascade, thus providing a novel avenue for the treatment of hepatic carcinoma.

A novel strategy is proposed for the increase of specific surface area (SSA) of porous carbon sphere (PCS) by oxidation and activation. 2-keto-l-gulonic acid mother liquor (GAML) as a high-pollution waste has a relatively high value of reutilization. For its high value-added utilization, GAML is used as the precursor for preparation of PCS as carbon-based electrode materials for electric double-layer capacitor. PCS is prepared by hydrothermal carbonization, carbonization and KOH activation, and Fe(NO 3 ) 3 9H 2 O is used as an oxidizing agent during carbonization. The as-prepared PCS has excellent porosity and high SSA of 2478 m 2  g -1 . Meanwhile, the pore structure of PCS can be controlled by the adjustment of carbonization parameters (carbonization temperature and the loading of Fe(NO 3 ) 3 9H 2 O). Besides, the SSA and specific capacitance of PCS can be increased remarkably when Fe(NO 3 ) 3 9H 2 O is added in carbonization. The specific capacitance of PCS can reach 303.7 F g -1 at 40 mA g -1 . PCSs as electrode material have superior electrochemical stability. After 8000 cycles, the capacitance retention is 98.3% at 2 A g -1 . The electric double-layer capacitance of PCS is improved when CS is carbonized with Fe(NO 3 ) 3 9H 2 O, and the economic and environmental benefits are achieved by the effective recycle of GAML., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Boron is an essential element for industry, but it is hard to accurately and rapidly determine high boron content with conventional laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), due to the matrix and self-absorption effect. Using molecular emission is an alternative method for boron content analysis, but its weak spectra are major challenges. Here, boron monoxide (BO) radicals were used to establish calibration assisted by LIBS and laser-induced radical fluorescence (LIBS-LIRF). Two types of BO radical excitations, vibrational ground state excitation (LIRFG) and vibrational excited state excitation (LIRFE), were compared. The results showed that LIRFG achieved better sensitivity with a limit of detection of 0.0993 wt.%, while the LIRFE was more accurate with a root mean square error of cross validation of 0.2514 wt.%. In conclusion, this work provided a potential approach for molecular emission analysis with LIBS-LIRF.

The rate of behavioural decline in the ageing population is remarkably variable among individuals. Despite the considerable interest in studying natural variation in ageing rate to identify factors that control healthy ageing, no such factor has yet been found. Here we report a genetic basis for variation in ageing rates in Caenorhabditis elegans. We find that C. elegans isolates show diverse lifespan and age-related declines in virility, pharyngeal pumping, and locomotion. DNA polymorphisms in a novel peptide-coding gene, named regulatory-gene-for-behavioural-ageing-1 (rgba-1), and the neuropeptide receptor gene npr-28 influence the rate of age-related decline of worm mating behaviour; these two genes might have been subjected to recent selective sweeps. Glia-derived RGBA-1 activates NPR-28 signalling, which acts in serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons to accelerate behavioural deterioration. This signalling involves the SIR-2.1-dependent activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, a pathway that modulates ageing. Thus, natural variation in neuropeptide-mediated glia-neuron signalling modulates the rate of ageing in C. elegans.

Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is an autosomal dominant inherited non-syndromic type of hereditary hearing loss characterized by varying combinations of sensorineural hearing loss and abnormal pigmentation of the hair, skin, and inner ear. WS is classified into four subtypes (WS1-WS4) based on additional symptoms. WS2 is characterized by the absence of additional symptoms. Recently, we identified a SOX10 missense mutation c.422T > C (p.L141P) associated with WS2. We performed functional assays and found the mutant loses DNA-binding capacity, shows aberrant cytoplasmic and nuclear localization, and fails to interact with PAX3. Therefore, the mutant cannot transactivate the MITF promoter effectively, inhibiting melanin synthesis and leading to WS2. Our study confirmed haploinsufficiency as the underlying pathogenesis for WS2., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In order to analyze characteristic CT signs in the solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 49 patients with pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas who where treated in Liaoning Cancer Hospital. All of the patients were confirmed by pathology, CT signs were analyzed and a pathology contrast was conducted. Furthermore, all cases had single lesions; 7 cases in the pancreatic head, 23 cases in the pancreatic body, 15 cases in the pancreatic body-tail and 4 cases in the pancreatic tail. The boundaries of the lesions were clear and the tumors, which may outline the pancreas, were composed of solid and polycystic parts. In addition, calcifications could be observed in the lesions and CT results revealed varying degrees of contrast enhancement of the solid components in the arterial phase, as well as a gradual contrast enhancement in the venous and delayed phase. Enhancement of capsule could be observed, and the enhancement region was observed in the solid part, no enhancement in cystic part.. In conclusion, CT manifestations of solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas are specific, which is helpful to the diagnosis.

To understand the factors influencing tree radial growth, we analyzed the seasonal dynamics of tree growth of 3 common species (Pinus koraiensis, Tilia amurensis, Quercus mongolica), compared interspecific growth rates and explored the effects of size, neighborhood competition, soil and topography based on five years dendrometer bands monitoring data of the 3 common species in a broad-leaved Korean pine (P. koraiensis) mixed forest plot in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China. The results showed that the growth dynamics of 3 species were consistent. Trees began to grow in late May, thrived in July, grew at declining rates from late August and stopped growing in late October. Annual relative growth rates were significantly different among the species. Q. mongolica tended to grow faster than the other two species, and the differences of growth rates among the 3 species were especially large for small and medium trees. Tree growth rates of P. koraiensis and Q. mongolica were strongly decreased by neighborhood competition, while tree growth rate of T. amurensis was significantly related to tree size, soil and topography.

Aim: To observe the therapeutic effect of corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in combination with liposomal amphotericin B in fungal corneal ulcers., Methods: New Zealand rabbits were induced fungal corneal ulcers by scratching and randomly divided into 3 groups, i.e. control, treated with CXL, and combined therapy of CXL with 0.25% liposomal amphotericin B ( n =5 each). The corneal lesions were documented with slit-lamp and confocal microscopy on 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28d after treatment. The corneas were examined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 4wk., Results: A rabbit corneal ulcer model of Fusarium was successfully established. The corneal epithelium defect areas in the two treatment groups were smaller than that in the control group on 3, 7, 14 and 21d ( P <0.05). The corneal epithelium defect areas of the combined group was smaller than that of the CXL group ( P <0.05) on 7 and 14d, but there were no statistical differences on 3, 21 and 28d. The corneal epithelium defects of the two treatment groups have been healed by day 21. The corneal epithelium defects of the control group were healed on 28d. The diameters of the corneal collagen fiber bundles (42.960±7.383 nm in the CXL group and 37.040±4.160 nm in the combined group) were thicker than that of the control group (24.900±1.868 nm), but there was no difference between the two treatment groups. Some corneal collagen fiber bundles were distorted and with irregular arrangement, a large number of fibroblasts could be seen among them but no inflammatory cells in both treatment groups., Conclusion: CXL combined with liposomal amphotericin B have beneficial effects on fungal corneal ulcers. The combined therapy could alleviate corneal inflammattions, accelerate corneal repair, and shorten the course of disease.

The self-absorption at reduced air pressure for quantitative analysis of Mn and Cu elements in steel using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was investigated. The calibration curves of Mn and Cu elements at the air pressures of 100, 80, 50, 20, and 1 kPa were studied. The results show that, the nonlinearity of calibration curves which caused by self-absorption effects at atmosphere could be significantly improved by reducing the air pressure to 1 kPa, and the coefficients of determination (R 2 ) of linear calibration curves of Mn and Cu lines are all higher than 0.99. The further study explored that the reason for the improvement was that the induced plasma became low density and the self-absorption coefficient was close to 1 when the air pressure reduced to 1 kPa.

In this study, chemical replacement combined with surface-enhanced laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (CR-SENLIBS) was for the first time applied to improve the detection sensitivities of trace heavy metal elements in aqueous solutions. Utilizing chemical replacement effect, heavy metal ions in aqueous solution were enriched on the magnesium alloy surface as a solid replacement layer through reacting with the high chemical activity metallic magnesium (Mg) within 1 minute. Unitary and mixed solutions with Cu, Pb, Cd, and Cr elements were prepared to construct calibration curves, respectively. The CR-SENLIBS showed a much better detection sensitivity and accuracy for both unitary and mixed solutions. The coefficients of determination R 2 of the calibration curves were above 0.96, and the LoDs were of the same order of magnitude, i.e., in the range of 0.016-0.386 μg/mL for the unitary solution, and in the range of 0.025-0.420 μg/mL for the mixed solution. These results show that CR-SENLIBS is a feasible method for improving the detection sensitivity of trace element in liquid sample, which definitely provides a way for wider application of LIBS in water quality monitoring.

LIBS mapping was used to analyze and detect the elemental distribution of iron ore surface with self-developed software and 532 nm Nd∶YAG laser. Firstly, in order to illustrate the relationship between element content and spectral intensity, the calibration curve was established by scanning the surface of standard sample. Then, a self-made sample was homogeneously divided into three parts that was pressed by three different standard iron ore powders. For the purpose of validating the mapping technology, a two-dimensional concentration distribution profile was generated after scanning the sample surface which was compared with surface morphology phase of the sample. Finally, with the resolution of 100 microns, the surface scanning analysis of the natural iron ore within the scope of 14 mm×11 mm was implemented. With this basis, the distribution profile of the elements Ca, Al, Ti and Mn were obtained, and the analysis results were compared with the surface morphology phase of the natural iron ore. The results showed that LIBS mapping technology could be used to achieve the qualitative analysis of component gradient distribution of the heterogeneous sample surface.

The matrix effect of powder samples, especially for soil samples, is significant in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), which affects the prediction accuracy of the element concentration. In order to reduce this effect of the soil samples in LIBS, the standard addition method (SAM) based on background removal by wavelet transform algorithm was investigated in this work. Five different kinds of certified reference soil samples (lead (Pb) concentrations were 110, 283, 552, 675, and 1141 ppm, respectively) were used to examine the accuracy of this method. The root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was more than 303 ppm by using the conventional calibration method. After adoption of SAM with background removal by wavelet transform algorithm, the RMSEP was reduced to 25.7 ppm. Therefore, the accuracy of the Pb element was improved significantly. The mechanism of background removal by wavelet transform algorithm based on SAM is discussed. Further study demonstrated that this method can also improve the predicted accuracy of the Cd element.

The self-absorption effect is one of the main bottlenecks for the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique. In this Letter, LIBS assisted by laser-stimulated absorption (LSA-LIBS) is proposed to solve this problem. The process of LSA in self-absorption reduction is discussed and confirmed. The serious self-absorption phenomena of spectral lines (K, Mn, and Al) were not observed in LSA-LIBS. The full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of K, Mn, and Al was reduced by about 58%, 25%, and 52%, respectively. The results demonstrate the capability of this approach to self-absorption reduction in the LIBS technique.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), a new kind of atomic spectrum analysis technology, has attracted much atterition of the researchers due to its characteristics of real-time, simultaneous multi-element analysis, and no sample preparation. However, the poor analytical sensitivity has been an important factor that restricts the development of this technology. LIBS based on resonance excitation combines atomic fluorescence spectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and selectively excites the target elements. In this way, the analytical sensitivity of LIBS can be improved substantially and its application for trace elements detection is greatly expanded. In this paper, the research development of LIBS based on resonance excitation is summarized. The generation of atomic, fluorescence spectrum in laser-induced plasma, the typical classification and the basic principle of LIBS based on resonance. excitation are introduced. The influence of ablation laser energy, resonant laser energy and wavelength, delay between the ablation laser and the resonant laser, and the gate width on spectral enhancement are analyzed in detail. The application status and deficiencies of LIBS based on resonance excitation in the fields of metallurgy, environmental monitoring and isotope detection are elaborated. Future prospects of LIBS based on resonance excitation are also described.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with partial least squares regression (PLSR) has been applied to measuring the acidity of iron ore, which can be defined by the concentrations of oxides: CaO, MgO, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂. With the conventional internal standard calibration, it is difficult to establish the calibration curves of CaO, MgO, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ in iron ore due to the serious matrix effects. PLSR is effective to address this problem due to its excellent performance in compensating the matrix effects. In this work, fifty samples were used to construct the PLSR calibration models for the above-mentioned oxides. These calibration models were validated by the 10-fold cross-validation method with the minimum root-mean-square errors (RMSE). Another ten samples were used as a test set. The acidities were calculated according to the estimated concentrations of CaO, MgO, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ using the PLSR models. The average relative error (ARE) and RMSE of the acidity achieved 3.65% and 0.0048, respectively, for the test samples.

Extreme ultraviolet lithography is one of the most promising technologies on the next generation of high-capacity integrated circuit manufacturing. However, techniques for ion debris mitigation have to be considered in the application of extreme ultraviolet source for lithography. In our paper the dynamics of ion debris from Sn plasma by using dual ns laser pulses were investigated. The results show that debris from plasma greatly depends on the energy of pre-pulse and the delay time between the two laser pulses. The energy of Sn ions debris was efficiently mitigated from 2. 47 to 0. 40 keV in the case of dual laser pulses, up to 6. 1 times lower than that by using single laser pulse. We also found that Sn ions debris can be mitigated at all angles by using the dual laser pulses method.

Spruce-fir forest is the best protected forest vegetation, while larch forest is intrazonal vegetation on the northern slope of Changbai Mountains. To further understand their species composition and community structure, we established a 4 hm2 forest permanent plot in each of these two forests in 2010. All free-standing plant species with DBH (diameter at breast height) ≥ 1 cm were mapped, tagged, and identified to species. The results showed that there were 9257 stems belonging to 8640 genotype individuals, 22 species, 6 genera and 12 families in the spruce-fir forest plot, while 4060 stems belonging to 3696 genotype individuals, 22 species, 8 genera and 16 families in the larch forest plot. Species composition in the two plots was very similar. Most of the species belonged to the Changbai Mountains plant flora. The analysis of species' importance values showed that there were dominant species in both communities. The spruce-fir forest was dominated by Abies nephrolepis and Larix olgensis, whose importance values accounted for 38.7% and 23.9% of the sum of importance values over all species in the plot, respectively. The larch forest was dominated solely by L. olgensis, whose importance value accounted for 61.9% of the sum of importance values over all species in the plot. Both forests were in good condition of regeneration and showed a reversed 'J' type in tree size distributions, at community level. However, different species showed different shapes in size distribution in the two forests. A. nephrolepis showed a reversed 'J' type size distribution in the spruce-fir forest, while L. olgensis with DBH ≥ 10 cm showed a hump-shaped distribution in the larch forest. Spatial distribution patterns of the main species changed differently with size class and spatial scales. Common species had different spatial distribution patterns in the two plots.

A modified algorithm of background removal based on wavelet transform was developed for spectrum correction in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The optimal type of wavelet function, decomposition level and scaling factor γ were determined by the root-mean-square error of calibration (RMSEC) of the univariate regression model of the analysis element, which is considered as the optimization criteria. After background removal by this modified algorithm with RMSEC, the root-mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) and the average relative error (ARE) criteria, the accuracy of quantitative analysis on chromium (Cr), vanadium (V), cuprum (Cu), and manganese (Mn) in the low alloy steel was all improved significantly. The results demonstrated that the algorithm developed is an effective pretreatment method in LIBS to significantly improve the accuracy in the quantitative analysis.

The broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest represents the typical vegetation type of the eastern mountain area in Northeast China. However, due to the interference of human activities, the natural broad-leaved Korean pine forest only distributes in some residual fragments with unequal areas in Changbai Mountains and Small Hinggan Mountains. To compare and analyze the similarities and differences of broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forests in the different areas, we established six forest plots following the field protocol of the 50 hm2 forest plot in Panama (Barro Colorado Island, BCI) in 2012 in Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve in Jilin Province and the eastern mountain area in Liaoning Province. All free-standing plant species with DBH (diameter at breast height) > or = 1 cm were mapped, tagged and identified to species. The results showed that there were 69 woody species in the six plots, comprising 42 genera and24 families. Aceraceae was the most species-rich family in all six plots. Most species belonged to the plant type of North Temperate Zone, with a minor subtropical plant species component. The statistics of species abundance, basal area, mean DBH, and importance value showed that there were obviously dominant species in each community. The DBH distribution of all individuals showed a reversed "J" type. However, the percentage of individuals in small size-class and large size-class varied in the six communities, which indicated that these communities were at different successional stages. Ranked by the importance value, the DBH distribution of the top three species in the six plots showed four distribution types: reversed "J" distribution, reversed "L" distribution, unimodal distribution, and partial peak distribution. Spatial distribution patterns of the main species in the six plots changed differently with species and size-class, and the distribution patterns of the same species varied in the different plots.

A new approach to polymer identification by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) with adjusting spectral weightings (ASW) was developed in this work aiming at improving the identification accuracy. This approach has been achieved through increasing the intensities of specific characteristic spectral lines which are important to polymer identification but difficult to be excited. Using the ASW method, the identification accuracies of all 11 polymers were increased to nearly 100%, while the accuracies of PE, PU, PP and PC were only 98%, 74%, 90% and 98%, respectively, without using the ASW method.

All 396 Prunus padus individuals of the population with DBH (diameter at breast height) > or = 1 cm were sampled in a 25 hm2 broadleaved Korean pine forest plot of Changbai Mountains and divided into three DBH classes: 1-3 cm, 3-10 cm, and >10 cm. They were then genotyped using microsatellite loci. The spatial autocorrelation of their genetic structure was analyzed at different distance classes and life stages. The results showed that positive autocorrelation mainly occurred at scales less than 70 m, while negative autocorrelation occurred at scales larger than 110 m. The spatial genetic structure (SGS) at different life stages was similar due to limited pollen/seed dispersal and asexual reproduction. No significant self-thinning occurred in the studied population.

The concentrations of vanadium and titanium elements in the steel samples were quantitatively analyzed by Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique in the present paper. The lines of V (VI: 440.85 nm) and Ti (Ti I: 334.19 nm) were chosen as the quantitative analysis spectral lines, while spectral line of Fe (Fe I: 438.35 nm) was chosen as the internal calibration line due to it being the matrix element. Then the calibration curves of V and Ti elements were established with basic calibration method and internal calibration method respectively to quantitatively analyze the concentrations of vanadium and titanium elements in steel. The experimental results showed that the fitting correlation coefficient (R2) of vanadium and titanium elements are 0.9875 and 0.9909 when using basic calibration method, and their maximum relative errors of measurement are 11.09% and 4% respectively; while the fitting correlation coefficient (R2) of vanadium and titanium elements reachs 0.9952 and 0.9921 respectively when using internal calibration method, at the same time, the relative errors of measurement for vanadium and titanium elements were decreased to be lower than 4%. The results of this study demonstrated that the concentration measurement of vanadium and titanium elements in the steel was more suitable with internal calibration method in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.