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A solution combustion synthesis (SCS) process to prepare nickel catalyst over bentonite (NiO/Ben) is reported. Compared to the traditional impregnation method, NiO/ben produced by SCS has smaller nickel particle size and higher dispersion. With a metal loading of 20 wt%, the afforded NiO/Ben demonstrates excellent catalytic activity for CO2 methanation in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. In certain discharge conditions (H2:CO2 ratio of 5 in feed gas, discharge input power of 45 W, and gas hourly space velocity of 11 320 h−1), CO2 conversion and CH4 selectivity are as high as 55.8% and 84.6%, respectively. Under the conditions of plasma configuration, the strong interaction between the nickel species and the support plays an important role in the CO2 methanation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are widely involved in various biological processes of plants and contribute to plant resistance against various pathogens. In this study, upon sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) infection, the accumulation of maize (Zea mays) miR398b (ZmmiR398b) was significantly reduced in resistant inbred line Chang7‐2, while it was increased in susceptible inbred line Mo17. Degradome sequencing analysis coupled with transient co‐expression assays revealed that ZmmiR398b can target Cu/Zn‐superoxidase dismutase2 (ZmCSD2), ZmCSD4, and ZmCSD9 in vivo, of which the expression levels were all upregulated by SCMV infection in Chang7‐2 and Mo17. Moreover, overexpressing ZmmiR398b (OE398b) exhibited increased susceptibility to SCMV infection, probably by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which were consistent with ZmCSD2/4/9‐silenced maize plants. By contrast, silencing ZmmiR398b (STTM398b) through short tandem target mimic (STTM) technology enhanced maize resistance to SCMV infection and decreased ROS levels. Interestingly, copper (Cu)‐gradient hydroponic experiments demonstrated that Cu deficiency promoted SCMV infection while Cu sufficiency inhibited SCMV infection by regulating accumulations of ZmmiR398b and ZmCSD2/4/9 in maize. These results revealed that manipulating the ZmmiR398b‐ZmCSD2/4/9‐ROS module provides a prospective strategy for developing SCMV‐tolerant maize varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt nitride (Co3Nx) thin films were deposited via the technique of plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) at low temperatures down to 100 °C, using bis(N,N′-di-iso-propylacetamidinato)cobalt(II) [Co(ipr2AMD)2] and NH3 plasma. Saturation curves demonstrate that the deposition processes follow the ideal self-limiting ALD fashion with a growth rate of 0.075 nm/cycle. The x in the nominal formula of Co3Nx is approximately 0.78, and the films are demonstrated polycrystalline with a hexagonal Co3N crystal structure. This process can deposit a pure, smooth, and highly conformal Co3Nx film in trenches with 20:1 aspect ratio, which can be extended to the deposition of other metal nitrides at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We employed integrated capacitively coupled detector (ICCD) as a novel diagnostic technology to distinguish the mode transitions in helicon plasma by taking evolution discharge images. Prior to characterizing the helicon plasma with Boswell type antenna, the Langmuir electrostatic probe diagnostic was performed, which affirmed the discharge mode transition by the jumped plasma density. The optical emission spectroscopy (OES) measurement in the same Ar plasma also confirmed these results. In the ICCD evolution images, it was observed that when the first mode transition appeared, the glow area moved from two sides of the tube to one side; subsequently, it moved to the center of the discharge tube when the second mode transition appeared, which was consistent with the results by Langmuir probe and OES. We also noted that with ICCD, the influence from endplates and process parameters, such as gas pressure, magnetic field, and RF power, on the helical discharge mode transition can be recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]