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Aims Develop quantitative assays (qPCR) to determine the wheat rhizosphere competence of inoculant strains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens W10 and Pseudomonas protegens FD6, and their suppressive efficacies against the sharp eyespot pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis. Methods and results Antimicrobial metabolites of strains W10 and FD6 decreased in vitro growth of R. cerealis. A qPCR assay for strain W10 was designed from a diagnostic AFLP fragment and the rhizosphere dynamics of both strains in wheat seedlings were compared by culture-dependent (CFU) and qPCR assays. The qPCR minimum detection limits for strains W10 and FD6 were log 3.04 and log 4.03 genome (cell) equivalents g−1 soil, respectively. Inoculant soil and rhizosphere abundance determined by CFU and qPCR were highly correlated (r > 0.91). In wheat bioassays, rhizosphere abundance of strain FD6 was up to 80-fold greater (P Conclusions Strain FD6 exhibited greater abundance in wheat roots and rhizosphere soil than strain W10 and both inoculants decreased rhizosphere abundance of R. cerealis.

HIV-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been developed to target latently infected CD4+ T cells that express virus either spontaneously or after intentional latency reversal. However, the T-cell exhaustion and the patient-specific autologous paradigm of CAR-T hurdled the clinical application. Here, we created HIV-specific CAR-T cells using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and a 3BNC117-E27 CAR (3BE CAR) construct that enables the expression of PD-1 blocking scFv E27 and the single-chain variable fragment of the HIV-1-specific broadly neutralizing antibody 3BNC117 to target native HIV envelope glycoprotein (Env). In comparison with T cells expressing 3BNC117-CAR alone, 3BE CAR-T cells showed greater anti-HIV potency with stronger proliferation capability, higher killing efficiency (up to ~75%) and enhanced cytokine secretion in the presence of HIV envelope glycoprotein-expressing cells. Furthermore, our approach achieved high levels (over 97%) of the TCR-deficient 3BE CAR-T cells with the functional inactivation of endogenous TCR to avoid graft-versus-host disease without compromising their antiviral activity relative to standard anti-HIV CAR-T cells. These data suggest that we have provided a feasible approach to large-scale generation of “off-the-shelf” anti-HIV CAR-T cells in combination with antibody therapy of PD-1 blockade, which can be a powerful therapeutic candidate for the functional cure of HIV.

Early fundus screening and timely treatment of ophthalmology diseases can effectively prevent blindness. Previous studies just focus on fundus images of single eye without utilizing the useful relevant information of the left and right eyes. While clinical ophthalmologists usually use binocular fundus images to help ocular disease diagnosis. Besides, previous works usually target only one ocular diseases at a time. Considering the importance of patient-level bilateral eye diagnosis and multi-label ophthalmic diseases classification, we propose a bilateral feature enhancement network (BFENet) to address the above two problems.We propose a two-stream interactive CNN architecture for multi-label ophthalmic diseases classification with bilateral fundus images. Firstly, we design a feature enhancement module, which makes use of the interaction between bilateral fundus images to strengthen the extracted feature information. Specifically, attention mechanism is used to learn the interdependence between local and global information in the designed interactive architecture for two-stream, which leads to the reweighting of these features, and recover more details. In order to capture more disease characteristics, we further design a novel multiscale module, which enriches the feature maps by superimposing feature information of different resolutions images extracted through dilated convolution.In the off-site set, the Kappa, FComprehensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed model. Besides, our method can be extended to similar tasks where the correlation between different images is important.

Digital technology is being increasingly designed and employed to support the preservation and restoration of ancient murals. The contributions of digital technologies to this study were planned from the very beginning, as the complexity of this restoration necessitated the design of innovative procedures to manage the restoration and reconstruction processes and to record the details and deformation of the mural. This paper takes the digital restoration of the "maid holding a fan" mural in the Tang Zhaoling Duan Jianbi tomb as an example. In view of the large number and dislocation of mural fragments, the application of digital restoration technology and its achievements in the restoration of this ancient mural are preliminarily explored in combination with high-precision digital information collection and recording. Technical suggestions and details regarding the digital restoration of the mural are put forward to serve as guidance for the preservation and restoration of ancient murals.

The competing constraints, associated with different features such as wettability, optical transparency, anti-reflectivity, and anti-fouling properties, set back the progress of developing multi-functional coatings in an easily-accessible manner. Herein, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/SiO 2 coatings with combined reflection-reducing, anti-fogging, and underwater contamination-reducing performances were successfully fabricated from the immersion-curing process assisted with ultrasonic dispersion of silica nanoparticles (NPs). The effects of SiO 2 dispersion method, thickness and SiO 2 particle size on surface properties were systematically investigated. The designed two-stage process was underlined for the first time to be pivotal, during which the initial ultrasonic dispersion rendered the coating transparent, while immersion-curing further repressed its surface reflection. Coexistence of high hydrophilicity with high transmittance has been realized in the as-prepared coatings containing highly-dispersed fumed silica A200 NPs, resulting in a multi-functional surface equipped with anti-fogging, anti-reflection, self-cleaning and underwater anti-fouling properties. Additionally introducing bi-component acrylic polyurethane basecoat, the PVA/SiO 2 coatings were applicable on diverse substrates, including fragile ones.

Heat-resistant supercapacitors with excellent mechanical strength are highly required for flexible and wearable electronics in our daily life. Here, high-performance and heat-resistant solid-state supercapacitors based on poly(

Lymph node tissue pathological analysis is one of the common methods for doctors to evaluate the types and stage of breast cancer. Using deep learning methods to detect breast cancer metastases has great research value. We proposes a model to automatically classify breast cancer metastases, using a convolutional neural network with attention mechanism. A Convolutional Block Attention Module is used in our network. We validate our model on PCam dataset, and obtain an AUC score of 0.976. These results demonstrate that using computer vision method has a great performance in pathological diagnoses.

Mild aqueous Zn–MnO2 battery attracts lots of attention in energy storage filed due to its low cost, high safety and environmental friendliness. To achieve high-performance in battery, phase evolution processes of MnO2 during synthesis and electrochemical reactions need to be understood. Herein, the phase evolution during microwave hydrothermal and correlated battery performance of β-MnO2 are studied. The results demonstrate a phase evolution mechanism from an initial mixture of vernadite, nsutite, and pyrolusite (β-MnO2) to a final single β-MnO2 phase, along with enhanced structure stability, increased Mn valence, and decreased BET surface area. It is found that only when microwave hydrothermal time (MHT) ≥ 120 min, β-MnO2 showing both high capacity and excellent cycling performance can be obtained. β-MnO2 prepared under a MHT of 120 min shows a high reversible capacity of 288 mA h g−1 with a median voltage of 1.36 V vs. Zn/Zn2+, and high capacity retentions of 91.8% after 200 cycles at 0.5C and 84.3% after 1000 cycles at 4C, respectively. In addition, the formation of inactive ZnMn2O4 during cycling is observed, which contributes to the capacity fading of β-MnO2 after long-term cycling. This research makes a step forward to the practical application of Zn–MnO2 batteries, and contributes to the large-scale energy storage field.

As a promising plasmonic photocatalyst, an Ag-Pt core-shell nanostructure is able to convert sunlight into chemical energy. To fully exploit each function of the constituent materials, a numerical study on the optimal design of the hybrid nanostructures is presented in this work. Ag-Pt is demonstrated to be a good material configuration for the core-shell nanostructure because Ag has strong intrinsic plasmonic responses and a low imaginary dielectric function in the visible region, while Pt is catalytically active and has a large imaginary dielectric function. Considering the hot carrier generation and transfer processes in both plasmonic photocatalysis and photothermal catalysis, the catalytically active sites at the Pt shell can be revealed by high local heating power densities. For the dipole resonance, these sites distribute alternately with the spots where local electric fields are greatly enhanced. The former are along the “equatorial belt” of the nanoparticle, while the latter are in the two polar regions. It is then found that the high-efficiency hot carrier generation is related to multiple factors, including at least an ultrathin shell and a core of high aspect ratio with sharp tips. The physics behind these factors is further addressed.As a promising plasmonic photocatalyst, an Ag-Pt core-shell nanostructure is able to convert sunlight into chemical energy. To fully exploit each function of the constituent materials, a numerical study on the optimal design of the hybrid nanostructures is presented in this work. Ag-Pt is demonstrated to be a good material configuration for the core-shell nanostructure because Ag has strong intrinsic plasmonic responses and a low imaginary dielectric function in the visible region, while Pt is catalytically active and has a large imaginary dielectric function. Considering the hot carrier generation and transfer processes in both plasmonic photocatalysis and photothermal catalysis, the catalytically active sites at the Pt shell can be revealed by high local heating power densities. For the dipole resonance, these sites distribute alternately with the spots where local electric fields are greatly enhanced. The former are along the “equatorial belt” of the nanoparticle, while the latter are in the two polar ...

Many aquatic organisms are negatively affected by exposure to high copper concentrations. We investigated the biochemical response of the mussel Mytilus coruscus (Mytiloida: Mytilidae) to copper exposure. In vivo bioassays using M. coruscus and different copper concentrations were conducted. The activity of six biomarkers, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) were measured. Survival rates decreased with increased copper concentrations and exposure times. The LC50 values at 48, 72, and 96 h exposure were 0.48, 0.37, and 0.32 mg/L, respectively. Within digestive glands, CAT activity increased with increasing Cu concentrations. The activity of AKP showed no significant change, while the remaining four enzymes showed decreasing activity with increasing Cu concentrations. Within the gills, AKP activity increased when the Cu concentration was 0.05 mg/L, but showed no significant changes at higher concentrations. Activity of CAT and ACP within gills tended to decrease with increasing Cu concentration. The activity of SOD and GPT decreased at an exposure concentration of 0.2 mg/L. GOT activity within gills decreased at 0.1 mg/L and increased at an exposure concentration of 0.2 mg/L. Within the adductor muscle, AKP activity increased at 0.05 mg/L but did not change at higher exposure concentrations. ACP activity within adductor muscle tissue showed no change, while activities of CAT, GOT and GPT decreased with increasing Cu concentrations. SOD activity within the adductor muscle tissue significantly decreased at the 0.02, 0.05 and 0.2 mg/L exposure concentrations. Our results show tissue specific differences for the six biomarkers in for M. coruscus. Our findings provide the basis for the establishment of reference activity levels against which biomarker changes can be estimated, and are essential preliminary steps in development of in vivo bioassays.

ISO 6953:2000 prescribes that forward flow-rate and outlet pressure until maximum flow-rate shall be measured with a constant inlet pressure and two or more outlet set pressures, and their relations shall be indicated by curves on a graph [1][2]. Since this test requires not only a huge air compressor, but also keeping continuous large flow-rate for a long time, enormous energy is consumed. Thus, this paper proposes a method to obtain flow-rate characteristics from pressure response on charging/ discharging compressed air into/from an air tank as an alternative test. This test method requires none of a huge air source, a long testing time, and enormous energy consumption. In this paper, the above-mentioned alternative test was performed to some pressure regulators which had different constructions and sizes from one another, and it was verified that the results of the alternative test successfully corresponded to the one by ISO 6953 using a flow meter. Examination to optimize the test method was also discussed. The running cost to operate the test, which consists of labor costs based on the test time and energy consumption, was reduced to approximately one-fifth.

The structures and components of different pigments from the Feng Hui tomb situated in Bin County, Shaanxi Province, dated in the Five Dynasties (907–960 AD), were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). It is shown that the red, yellow and black samples are cinnabar, PbSO4–PbO and carbon black, respectively, and well preserved, which provide scientific data for later conservation. Moreover, the results indicate that HREM and Raman analysis are very effective for identifying ancient inorganic pigments at low concentrations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A layer of Y2O3–Al2O3, used as a sintering aid, was coated onto the surface of Si3N4 particles by the precipitation of inorganic salts from a water-based solution containing Al(NO3)3, Y(NO3)3, and urea. The electrokinetic and colloidal characteristics of the Si3N4 powder were changed significantly by the coating layer. As a result, dispersion of the Y2O3–Al2O3-coated Si3N4 powder was significantly greater than that of the original powder. Furthermore, the Y2O3–Al2O3 coating layer prevented the hydrogen-gas-discharging problem that occurred during gelcasting of the original Si3N4 powder because of reaction between the uncoated powder and the basic aqueous solution in suspension. Surface coating, as well as the gelcasting process, significantly improved the microstructure, room-temperature bending strength, and Weibull modulus of the resulting ceramic bodies.

In this paper. the powerful jet noise containing discrete frequencies and behavior of pseudo-shock waves in the supersonic jet issuing from a divergent exit had been studied mainly by the flow visualization. The shock waves visualized by a high-speed camera and a Schliren system. The motion of the over-compression regions was studied by the digital image processing. It was clarified that the behavior of over-compression regions was periodical, and those periods were closely related to the discrete frequency of jet noise.

The development of a cast forming process for ceramics based on agarose gelation is described and the properties of green and sintered bodies are presented. For this process, a warm alumina slurry containing more than 50 vol.-% solids loading and ∼1 wt-% agarose binder (Al2O3 basis) is cast into a relatively cold, non-porous mould, resulting in a tough green body formed by gelation (37°C) of the agarose molecules. The green compacts show uniform density distribution, with precise dimensions and very smooth surfaces. After drying, they can be sintered directly without special binder burn out procedures. Complex ceramic parts with thick and thin cross-sections can be formed. The process is illustrated for the preparation of a turbine rotor component.

Graphene is an important material with unique electronic properties. Aiming to obtain high quality samples at a large scale, graphene growth on metal surfaces has been widely studied. An important topic in these studies is the atomic scale growth mechanism, which is the precondition for a rational optimization of growth conditions. Theoretical studies have provided useful insights for understanding graphene growth mechanisms, which are reviewed in this article. On the mostly used Cu substrate, graphene growth is found to be more complicated than a simple adsorption-dehydrogenation-growth model. Growth on Ni surface is precipitation dominated. On surfaces with a large lattice mismatch to graphene, epitaxial geometry determin a robust nonlinear growth behavior. Further progresses in understanding graphene growth mechanisms is expected with intense theoretical studies using advanced simulation techniques, which will make a guided design of growth protocols practical.

Dissociative electron attachment to carbon monoxide, e(-) + CO -> C + O-, at 9.5, 10.0, and 10.6 eV is investigated by using the anion velocity time-sliced map imaging technique. The completely ...

In this work, the interference characteristics of two parallel underexpanded jets issuing from straight circular pipes with different diameters were studied. Further, the influence of the distance between the central axes of the two pipes on the interference of jets was investigated. The inner diameters of the pipes used were 4.1 and 6.1 mm, and 6.1 and 9.1 mm, respectively. Flow visualization and measurement of velocity distributions were conducted ; thus, the mechanism of pseudo-shock waves and equivelocity diagrams within a vertical section to the jets axes were clarified. As a result, it was found that the longitudinal vibration of flow was controlled by the difference between the cell lengths of the two jets. Thus, the supersonic flow was present in a considerably farther downstream range than the case with two parallel jets with equivalent inner diameter.

The explanation of the influence of the exit divergent angle of nozzle on the subsonic jet noise is very important. It was found that the jet issuing from the divergent angle nozzle of 10°-30° produced a powerful screech contained the discrete frequencies. To clarify the mechanism in the generation of powerful screech, a flow visualization was carried out by means of the instantaneous schlieren photograph method. It is proved that there is a series of dynamic eddies moving with jet flow near by the exit of nozzle, and it is due to the self-excited vibration occuring in the dynamic eddies region that the powerful screech is produced.

In this paper, the numerical analyses of the flow with heat transfer flow in pipe having fins were studied. The analyses were carried out for the several of combination models in the length and interval of fin over a wide range of Reynolds number. The k-e turbulence model was chosen to calculate the velocity and temperature. The results obtainded were as follows ; (a) the temperature differences between the inlet and outlet decreased and presented distinction each other with increasing Reynolds number, (b) the pressure drag coefficient was constant approximately in each pipe, and differ greatly from each other.

Via fluorescence yield (FY) and resonant inelastic scattering spectroscopy in the soft X-ray range we find that soft X-rays induce formation of N2 molecules in solid NH4Cl and in related compounds. The nitrogen molecules form weak bonds in NH4Cl, so that a substantial fraction of the molecules remains in the sample. From measurements of the FY as a function of exposure and temperature, the rates for the photochemical processes are estimated. At elevated temperatures (363 K), several nitrogen atoms are removed from the sample per incoming photon. At lower temperatures (233 K), the rate is reduced to around 0.02 nitrogen atoms for each incoming photon. Virtually all these atoms form N2 molecules which are bound in the sample. The generality and implications of these results are briefly discussed.

An optical schlieren system was used to visualize helium gas flow in ambient. Simultaneous photographing of gas flows and plasma plumes helps to reveal more details of atmospheric pressure plasma jet.