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Abstract. Background:. Although overnight fasting is recommended prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the benefits and safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet (CFD) intake 2 h before ERCP remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze whether high-CFD intake 2 h before ERCP can be safe and accelerate patients' recovery. Methods:. This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involved 15 tertiary ERCP centers. A total of 1330 patients were randomized into CFD group (n = 665) and fasting group (n = 665). The CFD group received 400 mL of maltodextrin orally 2 h before ERCP, while the control group abstained from food/water overnight (>6 h) before ERCP. All ERCP procedures were performed using deep sedation with intravenous propofol. The investigators were blinded but not the patients. The primary outcomes included postoperative fatigue and abdominal pain score, and the secondary outcomes included complications and changes in metabolic indicators. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat principle. Results:. The post-ERCP fatigue scores were significantly lower at 4 h (4.1 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 2.8, t = 4.23, P

BackgroundAprepitant, fosaprepitant, and netupitant are three common neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists (NK-1RAs) used to prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, following highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Understanding their different adverse event (AE) profiles may help clinicians make appropriate treatment decisions.MethodsAll data collected from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database from the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2023 underwent disproportionality analysis to detect, evaluate, and compare AE signals of the three NK-1RAs.ResultsA total of 3,904, 1,123, and 243 AE reports related to aprepitant, fosaprepitant, and netupitant, respectively, were extracted from the FAERS database. Of these, more than 50% of respondents were female, and most of them were aged 45–65 years. General disorders and administration-site conditions, and gastrointestinal disorders were the most frequent signals in the system organ class of the three NK-1RA drugs. In addition, aprepitant was strongly associated with joint deposit (ROR = 26.27) and fosaprepitant was closely related to seizure-like phenomena (ROR = 26.90); two preferred terms (PTs) were not mentioned in the manual. Statistically, netupitant was likely to induce death (N = 63, ROR = 8.78, 95% CI: 6.75–11.42). Additionally, neutropenic colitis, colitis, and stomatitis were unique to netupitant. Furthermore, the AE profiles of the three NK-1RA drugs were different by gender.ConclusionThe AE profiles for aprepitant, fosaprepitant, and netupitant were different. In addition to paying attention to common AEs, clinicians need to pay attention to new emerging AEs, such as joint deposit, seizure-like phenomena, neutropenic colitis, colitis, and stomatitis, regarding the three NK-1RA drugs. Furthermore, the AE compositions of the three NK-1RA drugs were different in different genders, and clinicians should take these factors into account when selecting NK-1RAs for CINV treatment.

In order to solve the problem of performance degradation, such as local optimality, that may occur when shallow learning is used to predict the high-rise buildings seismic response under difficult conditions, a high-rise building vibration intelligent control method integrating genetic algorithms and long short-term memory networks is proposed. First, a structural response prediction model is constructed and combined with vibration control theory. Furthermore, an intelligent control algorithm using long short-term memory networks is designed. In conjunction with this algorithm, a centralized controller that integrates convolutional neural networks at different levels is designed. The structure of the centralized control system is improved, and genetic algorithms and Lyapunov stability theory are used to optimize thenetwork hyperparameters through deep learning. The results showed that this framework had high prediction accuracy, with the smallest relative difference in predicting C-library data at −0.0053 cm on average. The largest prediction error for B-library data was 0.015 cm on average. The long short-term memory network had the smallest prediction error and the best learning and prediction performance. When the degradation level of each layer stiffness in the benchmark model was between 10.2% and 20.5%, this intelligent controller achieved the best control effect, maintaining above 39.8%. Optimized using genetic algorithm, the optimal fitness value after 80 iterations represented controllerloss function value, which were $8.3\times 10.5$ , $2.3\times 10.4$ , $2.2\times 10.4$ , and $3.0\times 10.4$ , respectively, demonstrating good prediction results. Compared with traditional trial calculation methods, this algorithm has higher computational efficiency and accuracy. The fusion of genetic algorithms and long short-term memory networks with different structural forms shows good seismic reduction effects on the time responses of benchmark models. The research method has good prediction accuracy, high reliability, and flexible system design, providing new strategies for intelligent control of high-rise building structures under different conditions.

Fruit skin color is an important trait of the hawthorn tree, which has an important influence on fruit quality. Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. var. Major N.E.Br. Is one of the most widely cultivated varieties in China and has a long history of medicinal use. In recent years, it has attracted the attention of the world due to its nutritional and medicinal values. Skin color is the focus of breeders and food processors. At present, skin color-related genes have still not been mapped. In this study, “Shandong Da Mianqiu” (♀, red skin color), “Da Huang Mianzha” (♂, yellow skin color) and 131 F1 hybrids were used to construct genetic map of hawthorn by RAD-seq, and QTL mapping was performed by combining these features with the hue angle and the observed color. In this study, 13,260 SNP was assigned to 17 linkage groups, with an integrated map covering 2,297.75 cM was constructed. A total of 5 QTLs related to hawthorn skin color were detected on LG1, LG3 and LG15. Whether hue angle or pericarp color acts as phenotype for QTL mapping, the candidate genes include bHLH086, WD repeat regions and Myb-like. bHLH, WD and Myb play an important role in the color regulation of Hawthorn skin color. These results lay a solid foundation for QTL mapping and molecular marker-assisted breeding of hawthorn.

Soybean, a primary vegetable protein source, boasts favorable amino acid profiles; however, its composition still falls short of meeting human nutritional demands. The soybean amino acid content is a quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes. In this study, an F2 population of 186 individual plants derived from the cross between ChangJiangChun2 and JiYu166 served as the mapping population. Based on the previously published genetic map of our lab, we increased the density of the genetic map and constructed a new genetic map containing 518 SSR (simple sequence repeats) markers and 64 InDel (insertion-deletion) markers, with an average distance of 5.27 cm and a total length of 2881.2 cm. The content of eight essential amino acids was evaluated in the F2:5, F2:6, and BLUP (best linear unbiased prediction). A total of 52 QTLs (quantitative trait loci) were identified, and 13 QTL clusters were identified, among which loci02.1 and loci11.1 emerged as stable QTL clusters, exploring candidate genes within these regions. Through GO enrichment and gene annotation, 16 candidate genes associated with soybean essential amino acid content were predicted. This study would lay the foundation for elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of essential amino acid content and contribute to germplasm innovation in soybeans.

Abstract Carbon aerogels are elastic, mechanically robust and fatigue resistant and are known for their promising applications in the fields of soft robotics, pressure sensors etc. However, these aerogels are generally fragile and/or easily deformable, which limits their applications. Here, we report a synthesis strategy for fabricating highly compressible and fatigue-resistant aerogels by assembling interconnected carbon tubes. The carbon tube aerogels demonstrate near-zero Poisson’s ratio, exhibit a maximum strength over 20 MPa and a completely recoverable strain up to 99%. They show high fatigue resistance (less than 1.5% permanent degradation after 1000 cycles at 99% strain) and are thermally stable up to 2500 °C in an Ar atmosphere. Additionally, they possess tunable conductivity and electromagnetic shielding. The combined mechanical and multi-functional properties offer an attractive material for the use in harsh environments.

In this paper, we employ in situ transmission electron microscopy to study the disorder–order phase transition from amorphous Ga2O3 to γ-Ga2O3 and then to β-Ga2O3. The in situ studies are complemented by ex situ annealing experiments, of which the results are analyzed by x-ray diffraction and high resolution (scanning) transmission electron microscopy. Amorphous Ga2O3 deposited at 100 °C by molecular beam epitaxy crystallizes at 470 °C in the γ phase (Fd3̄m), which undergoes a phase transition to the β phase above 500 °C. Between 500° and 900 °C, we find a mixture of γ-Ga2O3 and β-Ga2O3 coexisting. Above 950 °C, we find only β-Ga2O3. Through our analyses and by considering symmetry relations, we have constructed a coincidence site lattice of both structures containing a common fcc-type sublattice occupied by oxygen atoms, the cation sites of β-Ga2O3 common to both phases, and partially occupied cation sites in the γ phase corresponding to the interstitial sites in the β phase. We assign the atomic displacements within this lattice responsible for transforming the initially disordered spinel structure with partially occupied cation sites into the well-ordered lattice of β-Ga2O3. We identify this transition as a reconstructive disorder-to-order phase transition, mediated by the exchange of cations to next nearest neighbor sites. Our model not only explains recent observations of the formation of γ-Ga2O3 during implantation for n-type doping and the subsequent recovery of β-Ga2O3 following annealing but also holds potential for inspiring understanding in other materials with similar phase transitions.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is the main source of vegetable protein and edible oil for humans, with an average content of about 40% crude protein and 20% crude fat. Soybean yield and quality traits are mostly quantitative traits controlled by multiple genes. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping for yield and quality traits, as well as for the identification of mining-related candidate genes, is of great significance for the molecular breeding and understanding the genetic mechanism. In this study, 186 individual plants of the F2 generation derived from crosses between Changjiangchun 2 and Yushuxian 2 were selected as the mapping population to construct a molecular genetic linkage map. A genetic map containing 445 SSR markers with an average distance of 5.3 cM and a total length of 2375.6 cM was obtained. Based on constructed genetic map, 11 traits including hundred-seed weight (HSW), seed length (SL), seed width (SW), seed length-to-width ratio (SLW), oil content (OIL), protein content (PRO), oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), linolenic acid (LNA), palmitic acid (PA), stearic acid (SA) of yield and quality were detected by the multiple- d size traits and 113 QTLs related to quality were detected by the multiple QTL model (MQM) mapping method across generations F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5. A total of 71 QTLs related to seed size traits and 113 QTLs related to quality traits were obtained in four generations. With those QTLs, 19 clusters for seed size traits and 20 QTL clusters for quality traits were summarized. Two promising clusters, one related to seed size traits and the other to quality traits, have been identified. The cluster associated with seed size traits spans from position 27876712 to 29009783 on Chromosome 16, while the cluster linked to quality traits spans from position 12575403 to 13875138 on Chromosome 6. Within these intervals, a reference genome of William82 was used for gene searching. A total of 36 candidate genes that may be involved in the regulation of soybean seed size and quality were screened by gene functional annotation and GO enrichment analysis. The results will lay the theoretical and technical foundation for molecularly assisted breeding in soybean.

In the current data age, the fundamental research related to optical applications has been rapidly developed. Countless new-born materials equipped with distinct optical properties have been widely explored, exhibiting tremendous values in practical applications. The optical data storage technique is one of the most significant topics of the optical applications, which is considered as the prominent solution for conquering the challenge of the explosive increase in mass data, to achieve the long-life, low-energy, and super high-capacity data storage. On this basis, our review outlines the representative reports for mainly introducing the functional systems based on the newly established materials applied in the optical storage field. According to the material categories, the representative functional systems are divided into rare-earth doped nanoparticles, graphene, and diarylethene. In terms of the difference of structural features and delicate properties among the three materials, the application in optical storage is comprehensively illustrated in the review. Meanwhile, the potential opportunities and critical challenges of optical storage are also discussed in detail.

Doumei 1 is a new cultivar of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) jointly bred by Chongqing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qinghai University, and Chongqing Agricultural Technology Extension Station. It has both horticultural and food functions. The flower color of this cultivar is pink and bright, with determinate inflorescence (Fig. 1A). During autumn sowing, the flowering period is ≈40 d in the field. ‘Doumei’ 1 is a new high-value horticulture crop (Fig. 2); the secondary branches are obvious (Fig. 1B), and it is suitable for mechanized harvesting because of its podding habit, with podding on the middle and upper nods (Fig. 1B). The emergence of faba bean cultivars with both horticultural and edible functions has endowed the traditional faba bean planting industry with landscape functions. This is essential for cross-industry innovation in faba bean breeding.

Soybeans are the main source of vegetable protein and edible oil for humans, with an average content of about 40% crude protein and 20% crude fat. Soybean quality traits are mostly quantitative traits controlled by multiple genes. The quantitative trait loci (QTL) for soybean quality traits and mining related candidate genes are of great significance for the molecular breeding of soybean quality traits and understanding the genetic mechanism of protein/fat metabolism. In this study, the F2 population was derived from the high-protein material Changjiang Chun 2 and Jiyu 166. On the basis of a genetic linkage map constructed in our previous study, the QTL of crude protein content, crude oil content and fatty acid fractions were detected using the multiple-QTL model (MQM) mapping method. The results show that a total of 92 QTL were obtained affecting quality traits under three environments, including 14 QTL of crude oil content, 9 QTL of crude protein content, and 20, 20, 11, 10 and 8 QTL for the content of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids, respectively. Sixteen QTL clusters were identified, among which Loci01.1, Loci06.1 and Loci11.1 were identified as stable QTL clusters with phenotypic contribution rates of 16.5%, 16.4% and 12.1%, respectively, and candidate genes were mined in their regions. A total of 32 candidate genes related to soybean quality were finally screened via GO enrichment and gene annotation. The present study lies the foundations for understanding the genetic mechanism and elite germplasm innovation of seed quality in soybean.

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important crop, rich in proteins, vegetable oils and several other phytochemicals, which is often affected by light during growth. However, the specific regulatory mechanisms of leaf development under shade conditions have yet to be understood. In this study, the transcriptome and metabolome sequencing of leaves from the shade-tolerant soybean ‘Nanxiadou 25′ under natural light (ND1) and 50% shade rate (SHND1) were carried out, respectively. A total of 265 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 144 down-regulated and 121 up-regulated genes. Meanwhile, KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs was performed and 22 DEGs were significantly enriched in the top five pathways, including histidine metabolism, riboflavin metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, glycerolipid metabolism and cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis. Among all the enrichment pathways, the most DEGs were enriched in plant hormone signaling pathways with 19 DEGs being enriched. Transcription factors were screened out and 34 differentially expressed TFs (DETFs) were identified. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was performed and identified 10 core hub genes. Combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome screened out 36 DEGs, and 12 potential candidate genes were screened out and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay, which may be related to the mechanism of shade tolerance in soybean, such as ATP phosphoribosyl transferase (ATP-PRT2), phosphocholine phosphatase (PEPC), AUXIN-RESPONSIVE PROTEIN (IAA17), PURPLE ACID PHOSPHATASE (PAP), etc. Our results provide new knowledge for the identification and function of candidate genes regulating soybean shade tolerance and provide valuable resources for the genetic dissection of soybean shade tolerance molecular breeding.

China has adhered to the concept of green development since the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. However, as the initiative continues to advance, speculations have been raised on the possibility of its reduction of the environmental quality of the countries along the routes. So, has the seven-year-old Belt and Road Initiative reduced the environmental quality of these countries and how does it affect the environmental quality? To address these issues, this study conducted a quasi-natural experiment, based on the WDI 2005－2017 data, the human development index database of the World Bank and the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) database. A country-year panel data was constructed using the difference-in-differences model to assess the countries along the‘area’initiative for environmental effects, and to further examine the heterogeneity and the policy effect mechanism. The main conclusions were as follows: ① The Belt and Road Initiative had significantly improved the environmental quality of countries along the routes. The conclusions remained robust after the introduction of the placebo test, the use of instrumental variables to alleviate possible endogenous problems and a series of other robustness tests. ② The results of heterogeneity analysis showed that the Belt and Road Initiative exerted a greater effect on the countries with lower environmental quality than those with higher quality in terms of environmental improvements. ③ Mechanism analysis showed that the Belt and Road Initiative improved the environmental quality of countries along the routes by promoting technological progress and strengthening environmental regulation, but it failed to significantly improve the environmental quality of these countries by promoting clean energy structure and industrial structure and increasing the scale effect. Therefore, China should continue to vigorously promote the concept of developing a green Belt and Road, expand the coverage of the green Belt and Road, improve the level of clean energy structure of the Belt and Road countries through investment and cooperation, and promote the clean transformation of their industrial structure. These findings provide empirical evidence and implications for the better promotion of the green Belt and Road Initiative, and have certain reference value for the follow–up implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

With the burgeoning of the microelectronics industry, in order to improve the transmission speed between chips in large-scale integrated circuits to meet the demands of high integration, it is necessary for interlayer insulation materials to possess a lower dielectric constant (k). Polyimide (PI) has been widely used as interlayer insulation materials for large-scale integrated circuits, and the exploration on reducing their dielectric constant has attracted extensive attention in recent years. In this work, porous PI-based composites with a low dielectric constant are mainly reviewed. The application of porous SiO2, graphene derivatives, polyoxometalates, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and hyperbranched polysiloxane in reducing the dielectric constant of PI is emphatically introduced. The key technical problems and challenges in the current research of porous polyimide materials are summarized, and the development prospect of low k polyimide is also expounded.

Abstract Gas sensors based on tin dioxide-carbon nanotube composite films were fabricated by a simple inexpensive sol-gel spin-coating method using PEG400 as a solvent. Nanostructured copper was coated on CNTs/SnO2 film, and then copper was transformed into copper oxide at 250 °C. Resistivity of the final composite films is highly sensitive to the presence of H2S, which became easily attached or detached at room temperature. The response and recovery time of the sensor are 4 min and 10 min, and the value of sensitivity is 4.41, respectively. Meanwhile, the CNTs/SnO2/CuO sensor also has low detection limit, high selectivity toward H2S, and stable performance with different concentrations of H2S.

Ratooning is the cultivation practice of two harvests in one cropping season by producing a second crop from the original stubble, which could provide higher resource use efficiency and economic benefit compared with direct sown crops. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer and planting density (D) play a vital role in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) production; however, limited information is available on the effects on yield and quality of the sorghum-ratoon system. To address this question, field experiments were conducted with three N treatments (120 kg N ha–1, N1; 180 kg N ha–1, N2; and 255 kg N ha–1, N3) and three D treatments (82,500 plant ha–1, D1; 105,000 plant ha–1, D2; and 127,500 plant ha–1, D3). The yield of the main crop was significantly higher than that of the ratoon crop. Increasing N could increase the yield and yield attributes of both main and ratoon crops, and the effect on the ratoon crop was greater than the main crop. With increasing D, the grain yield of both main and ratoon crops increased, though 1,000-grain weight and grain weight per ear decreased. The sorghum grain of the ratoon crop contained higher starch, protein, and tannin contents but lower fat content, indicating a better quality for liquor production. The quality traits were significantly affected by N and D, but the differences between treatments were smaller than that between the main and ratoon crop. Our results indicated that increasing the yield of ratoon crops could obtain a high yield and quality of the sorghum-ratoon system. It was recommended that 120 kg N ha–1 with 127,500 plant ha–1 for the main crop and a small amount of N be top-dressed in three new buds left on stubble in each hill for the ratoon crop.

As consumers’ interest in nature-sourced additives has increased, zein has been treated hydrothermally under alkaline conditions to prepare a nature-sourced emulsifier. The effects of mild hydrothermal–alkaline treatment with different temperatures or alkaline concentrations on the emulsifying properties of zein were investigated. The emulsification activity and stability index of zein hydrolysates increased by 39% and 164%, respectively. The optimal simple stabilized emulsion was uniform and stable against heat treatment up to 90 °C, sodium chloride up to 200 mmol/L, and pH values ranging from 6 to 9. Moreover, it presented excellent storage stability compared to commonly used food emulsifiers. The surface hydrophobicity caused the depolymerization of the tertiary structure of zein and the dissociation of subunits along with exposure of hydrophilic groups. The amino acid composition and circular dichroism results reveal that the treatment dissociated protein subunits and transformed α-helices into anti-parallel β-sheets and random coil. In conclusion, mild hydrothermal–alkaline treatment may well contribute to the extended functional properties of zein as a nature-sourced emulsifier.

Abstract High electrochemical performance of asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) depends on exquisite nanostructure design and synthesis of electrodes, including structural controllable design and synthesis of high theoretical performance materials and nanocomposite materials. Herein, a template-free hierarchical core-shell nanostructure of CoNiO2@NiAl-layered double hydroxide (NiAl-LDH) and α-Fe2O3 with a hollow spherical structure composed of nanoparticles are successfully prepared. The CoNiO2@NiAl-LDH as the cathode electrode and the hollow spherical α-Fe2O3 as the anode electrode of the ASC devices exhibit superior electrochemical performance. The gel of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and KOH acts as the solid electrolyte and the separator to assemble into the all-solid-state flexible ASC devices. Two of the CoNiO2@NiAl-LDH//α-Fe2O3 ASC devices in series are fabricated to meet the voltage requirement of mobile energy equipment, which exhibit a maximum energy density of 65.68 Wh kg−1 at the power density of 369.45 W kg−1. Interestingly, in addition to many advantages that the solid electrolyte in ASC devices already have, we find that it can be an alternative way of solving the problem of iron oxide cycling performance, and of course it can also be used as a reference for other materials with poor cycling performance.

Wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a competitive technique, which enables the fabrication of medium and large metallic components. However, due to the presence of coarse columnar grains in the additively manufactured parts, the resultant mechanical properties will be reduced, which limits the application of WAAM processes in the engineering fields. Grain refinement and improved mechanical properties can be achieved by introducing ultrasonic vibration. Herein, we applied ultrasonic vibration to the WAAM process and investigated the effects of wire feed speed, welding speed, and ultrasonic amplitude on the weld formation and grain size during ultrasonic vibration. Finally, a regression model between the average grain size and wire feed speed, welding speed, and ultrasonic amplitude was established. The results showed that due to the difference in heat input and cladding amount, wire feed speed, welding speed, and ultrasonic amplitude have a significant influence on the weld width and reinforcement. Excessive ultrasonic amplitude could cause the weld to crack during spreading. The average grain size increased with increasing wire feed speed and decreasing welding speed. With increasing ultrasonic amplitude, the average grain size exhibited a trend of decreasing first and then increasing. This would be helpful to manufacture parts of the required grain size in ultrasonic vibration-assisted WAAM fields.

In this study, the genetic diversity of 115 common bean germplasm resources collected from 27 counties in Chongqing over 3 years (2015–2017) was assessed. The results showed that the genetic diversity of the common bean germplasm resources was high, with an average diversity index of 1.447. The diversity of the qualitative traits of each organ was ranked as seed (H′ = 1.40) > pod (H′ = 1.062) > plant (H′ = 0.64) > leaf (H′ = 0.565), while the diversity of the quantitative traits of each organ was ranked as seed (H′ = 2.021) > pod (H′ = 1.989) > phenology (H′ = 1.941) > plant (H′ = 1.646). In the cluster analysis, 115 accessions were clustered into four groups. The accessions in the first and fourth group were characteristic of the Andean gene pool, while the accessions in the second group were characteristic of the Mesoamerican gene pool. However, the accessions of the third group possessed the combined characteristics of both gene pools and were thus classified as introgressed type. Four principal components represented 40.30% of the morphological diversity, with the first principal component representing the traits associated with plant growth; the second principal component representing flower characteristics; the third principal component being composed of seed characters; and the fourth principal component representing pod characteristics. The common bean germplasm resources are widely distributed in Chongqing, and the introgressed types are more prevalent in this region than elsewhere, with a rich genetic diversity and high utilization value in genetic breeding.

Few reports exist on QTL mapping of the important economic traits of hawthorn. We hybridized the cultivars 'Shandongdamianqiu' (female parent) and 'Xinbinruanzi' (male parent), and 130 F1 individuals and the two parents were used for RAD-seq, SNP development, and high-density linkage map construction. Three genetic maps were obtained, one for each of the parents and an integrated one. In these three maps, 17 linkage groups were constructed. The female and male parent maps contained 2657 and 4088 SNP markers, respectively, and had genetic distances of 2689.65 and 2558.41 cM, respectively, whereas the integrated map was 2470.02 cM, and contained 6,384 SNP markers. QTL mapping based on six agronomic traits, namely fruit transverse diameter, vertical diameter, single fruit weight, pericarp brittleness, pericarp puncture hardness, and average sarcocarp firmness were conducted, and 25 QTLs were detected in seven linkage groups. Explained phenotypic variation rate ranged from 17.7% to 35%. This genetic map contains the largest number of molecular markers ever obtained from hawthorn and will provide an important future reference for fine QTL mapping of economic traits and molecular assisted selection of hawthorn.

CdZnTe (CZT) films were grown by closed space sublimation (CSS) method on (111)-oriented CZT wafers, non-oriented CZT wafers and FTO substrates. The compositional and morphological properties of CZT films on different substrates were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), which indicated that CZT films grown on (111)-oriented CZT wafers had low dislocation density and high Zn composition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirmed that CZT films grown on (111)-oriented CZT wafers had the best crystal quality. The I-V and DC photoconductivity measurements indicated that CZT films on (111)-oriented CZT wafer had good carrier transport performance. The energy spectra of CZT films grown on (111)-oriented CZT wafer presented that it had a good response to the nuclear radiation under 241Am.

Abstract Genetic linkage maps are an important tool in genetic and genomic research. In this study, two hawthorn cultivars, Qiujinxing and Damianqiu, and 107 progenies from a cross between them were used for constructing a high-density genetic linkage map using the 2b-restriction site-associated DNA (2b-RAD) sequencing method, as well as for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flavonoid content. In total, 206,411,693 single-end reads were obtained, with an average sequencing depth of 57× in the parents and 23× in the progeny. After quality trimming, 117,896 high-quality 2b-RAD tags were retained, of which 42,279 were polymorphic; of these, 12,951 markers were used for constructing the genetic linkage map. The map contained 17 linkage groups and 3,894 markers, with a total map length of 1,551.97 cM and an average marker interval of 0.40 cM. QTL mapping identified 21 QTLs associated with flavonoid content in 10 linkage groups, which explained 16.30–59.00% of the variance. This is the first high-density linkage map for hawthorn, which will serve as a basis for fine-scale QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection of important traits in hawthorn germplasm and will facilitate chromosome assignment for hawthorn whole-genome assemblies in the future.

CdTe thin films have been prepared by electrochemical deposition. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of CdTe thin films deposited with different deposition time were investigated, and the influence of film thickness on the photoelectric characteristics of CdTe thin films was studied. At the deposition time of 1.5 h, CdTe thin films had good optical properties and the photocurrent reached 20 μAcm−2. Furthermore, the Pt/CdS/CdTe/FTO structure was prepared to improve its PEC stability and the photocurrent of 240 μAcm−2 had been achieved.

In this paper, the ohmic properties of Ti, Al, and Ti-Au composite electrodes on n-type (111) CdZnTe crystal deposited by vacuum evaporation method were first analyzed, and then the rapid annealing of Ti-Au electrode under Ar atmosphere with different temperature and time was explored. The ohmic property and barrier height were evaluated by current−voltage (I−V) and capacitance-voltage (C−V) measurements, and the adhesion strength of various electrodess to CdZnTe was compared. The Ti-Au electrode on CdZnTe showed the lowest leakage current and barrier height, and the highest adhesion strength among the three kinds of electrodes on (111) CdZnTe crystals. The rapid annealing of Ti-Au electrode under Ar atmosphere was proved to improve its ohmic property and adhesion strength, and the optimal annealing temperature and time were found to be 423 K and 6 min, respectively. The barrier height of the Ti-Au/CdZnTe electrode is 0.801 eV through rapid annealing for 6 min at 423 K annealing temperature, and the adhesion is 1225 MPa, which increases by 50% compared with that without rapid annealing.

A new titanium dioxide (TiO2) slurry formulation is herein reported for the fabrication of TiO2 photoanode for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The prepared TiO2 photoanode featured a highly uniform mesoporous structure with well-dispersed TiO2 nanoparticles. The energy conversion efficiency of the resulting TiO2 slurry-based DSSC was ∼63% higher than that achieved by a DSSC prepared using a commercial TiO2 slurry. Subsequently, the incorporation of acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the TiO2 slurry was examined. More specifically, the effect of varying the concentration of the CNTs in this slurry on the performance of the resulting DSSCs was studied. The chemical state of the CNTs-incorporated TiO2 photoanode was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A high energy conversion efficiency of 6.23% was obtained at an optimum CNT concentration of ∼0.06 wt.%. The obtained efficiency corresponds to a 63% enhancement when compared with that obtained from a DSSC based on a commercial TiO2 slurry. The higher efficiency was attributed to the improvement in the collection and transport of excited electrons in the presence of the CNTs.