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With the development of sequencing technology, more and more rare thalassemia types have been found. In this article, we found a novel Hb H disease combined with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency through whole genome sequencing (WGS), which was verified by Sanger sequencing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot-blot hybridization, respectively.

Medicinal plant stem cells are separated from the meristem and vascular cambium of medicinal plants, which can produce active components for preventing and treating diseases and improving body physical functions under certain conditions. Medicinal plant stem cells come from a broad category of medicinal plants, including ethnic medicinal plants, folk medicinal plants, original plants of health products, vegetables, fruits, and other potential medicinal plants. At present, the techniques for the isolation, identification, preservation and culture of medicinal plant stem cells have become increasingly mature, and the mechanism of stem cell differentiation, growth and regulation of secondary metabolites has been studied in depth. Medicinal plant stem cells have a broad application prospect in medicine, health food, food and medical beauty products. As a strategic resource, the construction of thequot;Global Medicinal Plant Stem Cell Bankquot; was first proposed to preserve various kinds of medicinal plant resources in the world, and it will go global relying on the internationalization strategy of traditional Chinese medicine. The bank should follow safety, environmental protection, advanced and practical design principles. The main construction contents include the original plant bank, stem cell bank, component resource bank, gene bank, database and resource sharing system, with genetic and data resources incorporated into the scope of protection and utilization. The bank will establish a new strategy for medicinal plant resources protection and regeneration, and provide a new resource for natural products drug discovery and a technology sharing platform for various medicinal plant stem cells. As a resource treasury, a source of innovative technologies and a center of cooperation, it will become the core driving force of the global medicinal plant stem cell industry.

The effect of spinning temperature on phase stability, rheological stability, and thermal stability of mesophase pitch (MP), naphthalene-based mesophase pitch (AR) and microstructure of pitch filament were investigated in this study. Results showed that the interface stratification of anisotropic and isotropic phases, local enrichment of isotropic phases and extensive enrichment of isotropic phases existed in the spinning process for mesophase pitch. The local enrichment of isotropic phase was observed in MP and AR at the spinning temperature of 320 °C. The interface stratification of anisotropic and isotropic phases and extensive enrichment of isotropic phases were generated in MP when the spinning temperature reached 340 °C. This phase separation reduced the rheological stability and thermal stability of mesophase pitch and then affected the spinning ability. The inhomogeneous pores were also formed in the MP and AR mesophase pitch filament at the spinning temperature of 340 °C.

Ceramic-based conductive coatings were prepared by sol–gel method with artificial graphite (CGM) as conductive fillers and methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and silica sol as dispersion medias. The gra...

Artemisia Argyi Folium, a traditional Chinese medicine of important medicinal and economic value, sees increasing demand in medicinal and moxibustion product market. Screening stable and reliable reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR) is a prerequisite for the analysis of gene expression in Artemisia argyi. In this study, eight commonly used reference genes, Actin, 18s, EF-1α, GAPDH, SAND, PAL, TUA, and TUB, from the transcriptome of A. argyi, were selected as candidate genes. The expression of each gene in different tissues(roots, stems, and leaves) of A. argyi and in leaves of A. argyi after treatment with methyl jasmonate(MeJA) for different time(0, 4, 8, 12 h) was detected by qRT-PCR. Then, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, ΔCT, and RefFinder were employed to evaluate their expression stability. The results demonstrated that Actin was the most stable reference gene in different tissues and in leaves treated with MeJA, and coming in the second was SAND. Furthermore, the expression of DXS and MCT which are involved in terpenoid backbone biosynthesis was detected in different tissues and after MeJA treatment. The results showed that the expression patterns of DXS and MCT in different tissues and under MeJA treatment calculated with Actin and SAND as internal reference genes were consistent, which validated the screening results. In conclusion, Actin is the most suitable reference gene for the analysis of gene expression in different tissues of A. argyi and after MeJA treatment. This study provides valuable information for gene expression analysis in A. argyi and lays a foundation for further research on molecular mechanism of quality formation of Artemisia Argyi Folium.

The development of quality Chinese medicine is an important way to improve the quality of Chinese medicine, and ensure the safety and effectiveness of Chinese medicine. This article systematically elaborates the definition, classification, standard and mana-gement certification strategy of quality Chinese medicine. We present the quality Chinese medicine which is higher quality than that of eligible Chinese medicine based on quality control standards. Quality Chinese medicine is strictly in accordance with management procedures, likely GAP and GMP et al, during the productive process, which quality indicators is higher than that of the current relevant national quality standards, such as Chinese Pharmacopoeia(ChP) et al; its limited indicators such as exogenous pollutants and endogenous toxic substances are lower than that of the current relevant national quality standards, likely ChP et al; meanwhile these Chinese herbal medicine, medicinal pieces, patent medicines, and health products and foods with Chinese medicine raw materials are been certificated by quality Chinese medicine. At the same time, this article systematically expounds the five major management systems of quality Chinese medicine, including technical training management for practitioners, productive process management, standard mana-gement, quality inspection and certification management, and product traceability management. And we put forward strategies to improve the supervision and management system, and promote the standardization and development of quality Chinese medicine by improving the technical management system of quality Chinese medicine, strengthening the quality management system and six sigma(6σ) management in the company. These strategies will provide a reliable basis and effective way to improve the quality of Chinese medicine.

Herba Anoectochili is a commonly used medicinal material. However, its adulteration is a serious concern. Due to the similar morphological characteristics of Herba Anoectochili and its adulterants, traditional identification techniques often fail to distinguish between them accurately, which is not conducive to the circulation management and safety of the medicinal materials. To improve the distinction between Herba Anoectochili and its adulterants accurately, this study identified 41 Herba Anoectochili and its adulterant samples based on the ITS2 sequence. Sequence characteristics, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) application, genetic distance, construction of phylogenetic tree, secondary structure prediction, and other methods showed the ITS2 sequence to accurately identify Herba Anoectochili from its adulterants. Furthermore, in this study, we designed a specific primer, based on the ITS2 sequence, and established a real-time PCR detection system for the rapid, sensitive, and specific identification of the original plant of Herba Anoectochili. Compared to DNA barcoding technology, this method has shorter detection time, stronger specificity, and higher sensitivity, which lays the foundation for the rapid identification of Herba Anoectochili.

The origins of 9 species of the Chinese medicinal materials in the 2015 edition of the Chinese pharmacopoeia(ChP) has revised in the 2020 edition of ChP. The revision is based on the investigation and textual research on the problems found after screening the original plants, animals or minerals of all the Chinese medicinal materials in the 2015 edition. Among them the Chinese names of Alismatis Rhizoma, Cassiae Semen, Coicis Semen, Corydalis Bungeanae Herba and Echinopsis Radix all do not match to the Latin scientific names, and also do not match the name of the actual medicinal origins. In addition, Alismatis Rhizoma has the omission of original plant. There is confusion about the Chinese name and the family name of the original insect of Cera Chinensis. The original mineral of Gypsum Fibrosum has the wrong group names. Alumstone and melanterite, the original mineral of Alumen and Melanteritum respectively, of which the group names are missing. To solve these problems, field survey and literature research were conducted on the medicinal materials and their origins. The source of these problems are explored. The correct origins and the Chinese names or Latin names are all determined according to the research results to the situation, in which the Chinese and Latin names of the original plants of the medicinal materials do not match. The correct family name and group name are obtained through textual research by taxonomy if the names are confused or mis-sing. The scientific evidence and correct results of revision in the 2020 edition of ChP are determined at last.

To breed new varieties of medicinal plants with high resistance is the premise to ensure the production of high-quality medicinal materials. Molecular breeding using modern molecular biology and genetic technology can save time and effort and realize rapid and accurate breeding. Here we are trying to summarize the difference of breeding characteristics between medicinal plants and crops such as genetic background and breeding purpose. The strategy of molecular breeding of medicinal plants was summarized, and the four-phases breeding based on high-throughput sequencing and target gene mining was emphasized. We put forward the current molecular breeding of medicinal plants in the condition of four phases breeding is the optimal technological way of breeding, and gene editing breeding is the direction of medicinal plants breeding.

Cultivated ginseng in the farmland would become the mainly planting mode of Panax ginseng. However,there are relatively few cultivation ginseng varieties for farmland in China. Correlative analysis of qualitity and agronomic traits of P. ginseng cultivation in the farmland could provide a reference for the selection of excellent germplasm and new variety breeding of P. ginseng. In this study,the main index of saponin and agronomic traits of 4-6 yearsapos; samples were analyzed by UPLC and measured. The results show that there was significant difference in agronomic indexes of Damaya. The coefficient of variation of the root length( CV = 41. 97%) and fresh weight( CV = 31. 81%) were maximum,and the coefficient of variation of the stems thickness( 16. 72%) and root thickness were minimum. There was a significant correlation between yield and root thickness( Plt;0. 05). There was significant difference in drug yield of different harvest years( Plt;0. 05),and the yield of 6-years was 31. 52%-39. 69% higher than 4-years. However,there wasnapos;t significant difference in total ginsenosides between 4 and 6 years old P. ginseng,but there was significant difference in ginseng Rg2,Rc and Rb2( Plt;0. 05),and the ginsenoside contents of different harvesting years were accorded with the criterion standards of 2015 Chinese Pharmacopoeia. There was no significant correlation between the saponin and the agronomic trait,while there was positive correlation with root thickness( Plt; 0. 05). Therefore,the stem diameter was positive correlation with yield of P. ginseng. Selection of the stem thickness of seedlings is beneficial to the increase of the yield and breeding of P. ginseng.

Astragali Radix is commonly used as bulk medicinal materials. Chinese Pharmacopoeia contains about 150 compound preparations of Astragali Radix, but the sample preparation method under the determination of Astragali Radix content in Chinese Pharmacopoeia is tedious and time-consuming, not convenient for the test of a large number of samples. Therefore, it is of great significance to simplify the sample preparation method and improve the practicability of the method for the quality control of Astragali Radix and its preparations. In this study, ultrasonic extraction method was used instead of heated reflux extraction, and solid phase extraction method was used to enrich and prepare the samples. A set of practical quality evaluation method was established for Astragali Radix slices and standard decoction, greatly shortening the sample preparation time and improving the accuracy of the method. The results of Astragali Radix standard decoction analysis showed that the transfer rate of calycosin 7-O-β-D-glucospyranoside,(96.5±28.7)%, had great variation, which was found to be related to the conversion of mulberry isoflavone glucoside into calycosin 7-O-β-D-glucospyranoside during the preparation of standard decoction. The transfer rates were(59.4±14.4)% and(101.3±12.3)% for calycosin and astragaloside Ⅳ respectively, which were relatively stable. Therefore, it is suggested that Astragali Radix slices and water decoction preparations should be evaluated by using calycosin and astragaloside Ⅳ as the quality evaluation index. The results provide a scientific and practical method for quality control of Astragali Radix slices and its standard decoction, and also provide scientific evidence for quality evaluation of the preparations.

Standard decoction is the core of the pharmacodynamics for water-soluble substance of Chinese materia medica. Its research is of great significance to the research and development of some single ingredients and the classical prescriptions,and it is the only way to transform traditional medication experience into industrial products. In this article,standard decoction research strategies were used for the comparison analysis of Ophiopogonis Radix from Zhejiang province(ZMD),Ophiopogonis Radix from Sichuan province(CMD),and Liriopes Radix(SMD). Regularities were present among different grades of CMD; potential quality markers and pH differences associated with SO2 residues were also found. Finally,the extract powder of Ophiopogonis Radix prepared by mass production process was analyzed and validated,and the results showed that the standard system could be used for the quality control of intermediates and final products. In conclusion,this study can provide reference for the clinical application of Ophiopogonis Radix medicines and provide testing method for higher quality with higher price.

At present,China manages cannabis into industrial and medical types. Industrial cannabis( THC0. 3%) is grown for fiber and seed,while medical cannabis( THC0. 3%) is prohibited from being planted and used. In recent years,breakthroughs have been made in the applications for a variety of fields of CBD,a non-psychoactive cannabinoid of Cannabis. However,China made a minimal contribution to this international research hotspot,mainly due to the outdated way of classification on cannabis. Here we reviewed the medicinal use history of cannabis,achievements in the study of Cannabis germplasm,and first proposed the three-level classification of management: psychoactive medicinal cannabis( THC0. 3%),non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis( THC0. 3%,high CBD)and industrial cannabis( THC0. 3%,for fiber and seed,low CBD). Based on summarizing the research progress of the non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,four key research strategies of breeding,sex control,plant factory,and synthetic biology are proposed.

The shortage of new cannabis varieties with low THC and high CBD content and irregular planting techniques have become the bottleneck for he development of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis industry. Based on the cannabis germplasm resources,this paper proposes strategies for breeding high CBD content,seed-type and high-efficiency,dwarf non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis varieties through molecular marker development,assisted breeding,genetic engineering breeding and traditional breeding. According to the suitable ecological factors of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,the CBD content and grain yield of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis can be improved by regulating the nutritional structure and illumination properties of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,scientific harvesting and storage. At the same time,in order to further accelerate the application of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,we can accelerate the selection of new varieties of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis by mining genetic information of cannabis,and strengthen the application of information technology and automation of modern agriculture in the production of non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis. Provide basis for the cultivation and wide application of new non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis varieties with high quality and high yield.

Pitch is constituted of aromatic hydrocarbon, which is one kind of organic liquid with high viscosity. The soft coal pitch was divided into different group components by solvent extraction, and the different fractions of soft coal pitch were carbonized separately. The relationship between the microstructures of carbonization products and the chemical compositions of group components was investigated in this paper. Results show that the structure and morphology of the carbonization products from pitch were significantly influenced by the chemical composition of the group components. The main microstructure of the toluene soluble (TS) fraction-derived carbonization products is streamline and partial regional type. The microstructure of products from toluene insoluble (TI) fraction is mosaic and regional type. The structure of toluene insoluble-quinoline soluble (TI-QS) fraction-derived carbonization product is mainly streamline type. Nevertheless, the carbonization product from quinoline insoluble (QI) fraction is constituted with isotropy micron grade isotropic particles.

This paper investigates transient and dynamic characteristics and proposes available fault protection solutions for ungrounded low-voltage (LV) AC microgrids. Transient characteristics of the ungrounded LVAC microgrid are surveyed through fault tests and transition tests of the microgrid operation between the grid-connected and the islanded operation modes. Additionally, dynamic behaviours of the ungrounded LVAC microgrid are surveyed through motor starting tests and different load conditions. Simulation results under transient and dynamic operation situations are used to evaluate available fault protection solutions proposed for the ungrounded low-voltage AC microgrids.

In a general microgrid (MG), a step-up distribution transformer is used to facilitate integration of the low-voltage (LV) AC microgrid into a medium-voltage distribution system. On the other hand, isolation transformers are placed between distributed energy resources (DERs) (e.g. non-renewable/renewable energy resources and energy storage devices) and common AC buses/lines to eliminate DC-current components and to configure 3-phase & 4-wire, 3-phase & 3-wire, 1-phase & 2-wire, or 1-phase & 3-wire AC microgrids. When all neutral points of isolation transformers are grounded through a unique grounding system of the step-up distribution transformer, a uni-grounded AC microgrid structure is configured. This paper not only mentions advantages and shortcomings of the uni-grounded LVAC microgrid operation, but also investigates its transient operation characteristics. Transient simulation results of the uni-grounded LVAC MG are surveyed through various fault situations and operation transition tests between the grid-connected mode and the islanded mode of the microgrid. Available fault protection methods of a uni-grounded LVAC microgrid are considered. Transient simulation results from PSCAD software are used to validate the fault protection solutions developed for the uni-grounded LVAC microgrid. Last, a generalised fault protection system of uni-grounded LVAC microgrids is proposed in the paper.

qRT-PCR was used for gene expression analysis. The subcellular localization of SmbHLH92 was detected byThese data indicate that

The excessive pesticide residues and heavy metals in traditional Chinese medicine seriously endanger human health and the sustainable development of Chinese medicine industry. In order to improve the quality of traditional Chinese medicine and establish a general standard for maximum residue limits(MRL) of pesticides in pollution-free traditional Chinese medicine and decoction pieces, and to ensure the safety of clinical medication from its origin, MRLs were calculated based on the formula(MRL=A×W/100M) from Chinese Pharmacopeia, comparing it with the current Chinese and international standards as well as literature review, the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method(RAM) was applied to determine the categories and MRLs of pesticides in pollution-free traditional Chinese medicine and decoction pieces. Two questionnaires were drafted for expert panel and appropriateness analysis was carried out with the 9-point Likert scale to determine the general standard for MRLs of pollution-free traditional Chinese medicine and decoction pieces. The results showed that a total of nine experts from different fields scored the necessity of standard-setting and 206 pesticide residue limits respectively. The appropriateness scores of 206 pesticides were greater than 7, and appropriateness rate was 100%, which signifies that the expert panel has reached consensus. In summary, based on the RAM, the general standard for maximum residue limits of pesticides in pollution-free Chinese medicines and decoction pieces has reached an expert consensus. Comparing with the MRLs of medicinal plants and plant-sourced food from CAC, Europe Union, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, 206 MRLs from this general standard share 88.8% in common, 4.4% of which is higher and 6.8% lower than those international standards. This has provided a basis for standardizing the use of pesticides in pollution-free traditional Chinese medicine.

In this study, the synthetic pathway of β-amyrin was constructed in the pre-constructed Saccharomyces cerevisiae chassis strain Y0 by introducing β-amyrin synthase from Glycyrrhiza uralensis, resulting strain Y1-C20-6, which successfully produced β-amyrin up to 5.97 mg·L~(-1). Then, the mevalonate pyrophosphate decarboxylase gene(ERG19), mevalonate kinase gene(ERG12), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase gene(ERG13), phosphomevalonate kinase gene(ERG8) and IPP isomerase gene(IDI1)were overexpressed to promoted the metabolic fluxto the direction of β-amyrin synthesis for further improving β-amyrin production, resulting the strain Y2-C2-4 which produced β-amyrin of 10.3 mg·L~(-1)under the shake flask fermentation condition. This is 100% higher than that of strain Y1-C20-6, illustrating the positive effect of the metabolic engineering strategy applied in this study. The titer of β-amyrin was further improved up to 157.4 mg·L~(-1) in the fed-batch fermentation, which was almost 26 fold of that produced by strain Y1-C20-6. This study not only laid the foundation for the biosynthesis of β-amyrin but also provided a favorable chassis strain for elucidation of cytochrome oxidases and glycosyltransferases of β-amyrin-based triterpenoids.

China is rich in the diversified Chinese medicine resources and is notable for the wide and long-term applications of Chinese medicine. However,the lack of genomic information on medicinal taxa leads to problems in relation to resource conservation and the downstream application of traditional Chinese medicine resources,which restricts the modernization process of traditional Chinese medicine. Molecular phylogenetics is an important tool to understand the origin and evolution of the earth's biodiversity and promote the conservation and use of medicinal taxa. With the development of sequencing technology,the combination of genomic data extends the traditional molecular phylogenetics to the research level of phylogenomics,making it more powerfully applied to all aspects of biological research. Undoubtedly,carrying out phylogenomic research on Chinese medicine species will greatly promote their resources conservation,molecular evaluation and identification,and the exploration and utilization of natural pharmacodynamic components,promoting the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. This article starts with a brief introduction of the developing history and basic research methods of phylogenomics,and then reviews the current research progress in phylogenomics related to traditional Chinese medicine resources. Finally,it discusses the problems existing in the current research and the next direction of phylogenomics research in medicinal taxa. The article will hopefully provide a reference for relevant researches in future.

Health food containing Chinese materia medica has many advantages in health preservation and reducing the risk of disease occurrence,which meets people's demands for " great health" and " preventive treatment of disease". However,due to its complex ingredients,diverse quality of raw materials,as well as the vagueness and lack of integrity for existing quality standards,chaos is caused in the health food market,which restricts its healthy development and also poses new challenges to the quality control of healthy food. At present,the total component content or single component content is determined in most functional/marker component examinations. Safety and microbial detection methods fail to cover the contamination range of the raw materials of Chinese materia medica.Therefore,it is impossible to meet the purpose of ensuring authenticity,safety and efficacy. In recent years,a lot of Chinese materia medica extracts have been used as raw materials for food products,but many extracts lack standards. The author believes that the quality control of health food containing Chinese materia medicas should start with the quality control of Chinese materia medica extracts. In this way,product quality is controlled from source to ensure product consistency; secondly,the overall quality control should be strengthened to ensure the authenticity of the products; the scope of safety inspection shall be expanded to fundamentally ensure the safety of products. At the same time,we should strengthen the quality control of whole process and strengthen the overall quality control of raw materials to produce health food of high quality.

Aesculus chinensis belongs to Hippocastanaceae family,bears medicinal and ornamental values. The oleanane type triterpenoid saponin aescin is regarded as active ingredient and accumulated in seed. In order to understand its molecular basis of the triterpenoid biosynthesis,we used high-throughput sequencing under Illumina Hi Seq 2000 platform to obtain the transcriptome data of seed and flower from A. chinensis to further mine the genes involved in its metabolic pathway. Unigene's de novo splicing was performed using Trinity software; the transcriptome results were annotated with KEGG database to predict the specific pathways of the aescin triterpenoid metabolism. Terpenoid and triterpenoid pathways were found from transcriptome data,and forty seven and twenty seven corresponding genes were uncovered respectively. It was found that there are eight kinds of enzymes related to the terpenoid metabolism pathway precursors and three kinds of enzymes related to the triterpenoid metabolism pathway. In this study,five genes corresponding to triterpene cyclase were analyzed in A. chinensis for the first time,which may participate in the synthesis of triterpenoid. It' s revealed that there were thirty three differential genes associated with the ko00900 and ko00909 pathways by analysis on the difference in transcriptome expression between seeds and flowers; seventeen unigenes were up-regulated and sixteen unigenes were down-regulated in the seeds relative to flowers. In this study, qRT-PCR experiments were used to verify the expression of three key enzyme genes of SQE( Unigene25806),HMGS( Unigene36710),and β-AS( Unigene33291). The results of qRT-PCR were consistent with the transcriptome data. The candidate genes related to triterpenoid saponin aescin synthesis in A. chinensis found in this study can provide theoretical basis for the metabolism synthesis and regulation of aescin.

DNA metabarcoding,one rapid and robust method using specific standard DNA fragments,has been widely used for rapid species identification of a bulk sample through high-throughput sequencing technologies.While it has been widely used in the studies of metagenomics,animal and plant biodiversity,it has gradually come to be used as a profitable method in species identification of mixed Chinese herbal medicines.In this paper,we mainly summarize the current studies of the application of DNA metabarcoding in species identification of mixed Chinese herbal medicines.Moreover,high-throughput sequencing technologies adopted in those studies,such as Sanger,the next-generation,and third-generation sequencing technologies,are discussed.It is conducted to provide a theoretical guidance for the application of DNA metabarcoding in species identification of mixed Chinese herbal medicines and in more other biodiversity studies.

Why are different medicinal parts including heads, bodies and tails ofASR were separated into three medicinal parts: heads (rootstocks with petiole traces of ASR), bodies (taproots of ASR) and tails (lateral roots of ASR), and chemical and transcriptomic analyses were conducted simultaneously.High performance liquid chromatographyChemical and transcriptomic analyses revealed the distribution contents and pivotal transcripts of the ferulic acid biosynthesis-related pathways. The spatial gene expression pattern partially explained the discrepancy of integral medicinal activities of three medicinal root parts.

This article presents standards commonly used for microgrid technology and practical tests of these standards before developing an industry microgrid standard. Standards of communication networks, Internet security, data and communications security, installation and protection of distributed generators and energy storage devices, electronic power interfaces of distributed energy resources, and interconnection of microgrids to electric power system are analyzed. The practical tests for the above standards are planned to perform at a low-voltage (380-V) AC microgrid test bed built by the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Taiwan. Microgrid configurations, installation of distributed generators and energy storage systems, operation conditions of the microgrid, microgrid energy management and control systems, and microgrid protection are mentioned in the proposed standard tests. The main contributions of this article are (i) to review and analyze common standards used for microgrids, (ii) to presen...

Lithium iron phosphate/carbon (LiFePO4/C) is synthesized by a modified sol–gel method, in which the nonionic surfactant poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) is used. PVP plays a dual roles in the preparation of LiFePO4/C: it is used as surfactant to prevent the colloid particles and carbon source from aggregating, and is a carbon source. The carbon contents and conductivities of LiFePO4/C increase with increasing of PVP. When the ratio of PVP to LiFePO4 reaches 1 ‰, the conductivity of LiFePO4/C reaches its optimal value of 2.67×10−2 S cm−1 and its discharge capacity at 1 C is 131.0 mAh g−1. This is because the use of PVP leads particles that are small and have a homogeneous size distribution, which is due to dispersion by PVP. Titanium (Ti4+)-doped samples, obtained from a sol–gel method, possess even better performances. The discharge capacities of this sample is 111.1 mAh g−1at 5 C and 87.3 mAh g−1 at 8 C. The gap in potential between the oxidative and reductive peaks is as low as 0.2053 V, which shows its reversibility is excellent.

This paper develops a novel fault protection system for AC microgrids having a multiple grounding system. Communication-supported digital relays which have different protection modules are used for this novel microgrid protection system. The protection modules in a digital relay have various functionalities to protect AC microgrids from various fault types, such as: low/high-impedance ground faults and short-circuits. To effectively use the developed novel microgrid protection system, the first step is to reconfigure different microgrid structures into a standard microgrid configuration having a multiple-grounding system through using delta/wye-grounded or wye-grounded/wye-grounded transformers. Then, a fast–dependable–adaptable (FDA) fault protection algorithm is developed to protect AC microgrids from faults occurring at trunk lines, common buses or branch lines. At an islanded operation mode of AC microgrids, by using digital relays, a new protection module is designed to detect, locate, and classify the faults occurring at trunk lines and common AC buses, while other protection modules can use the existing protection methodologies (e.g. directional/non-directional overcurrent protection principles, etc.) to detect and clear the faults at source branches or load branches of the microgrids. At a grid-connected operation mode, standard overcurrent protection modules are applied for the FDA fault protection system. Simulation and experiment results obtained from various fault cases at a real low-voltage AC microgrid have validated the effective operation of the FDA fault protection system.

Transient situations of a uni-grounded low-voltage AC microgrid are simulated in this paper, which include different fault tests and operation transition test between the grid-connected and islanded modes of the uni-grounded microgrid. Based on transient simulation results, available fault protection methods are proposed for the main and back-up protection of a uni-grounded AC microgrid. Main contributions of this paper are (i) analysing transient responses of a typically uni-grounded lowvoltage AC microgrid from line-to-line, single line-to-ground, three-phase faults and a microgrid operation transition test; and (ii) proposing available fault protection methods for uni-grounded AC microgrids, such as non-directional/directional overcurrent protection solutions, under/over voltage protection solutions, differential protection, voltage-restrained overcurrent protection, and other protection principles not based on high fault currents (e.g. total harmonic distortion detection of phase currents and voltages, or protection methods using symmetrical sequence components of current and voltage).

This paper presents three main configurations of uni-grounded low-voltage AC microgrids. Transient situations of a uni-grounded low-voltage (LV) AC microgrid (MG) are simulated through various fault tests and operation transition tests between grid-connected and islanded modes. Based on transient simulation results, available fault protection methods are proposed for main and back-up protection of a uni-grounded AC microgrid. In addition, concept of a generalised fault protection structure of uni-grounded LVAC MGs is mentioned in the paper. As a result, main contributions of the paper are: (i) definition of different uni-grounded LVAC MG configurations; (ii) analysing transient responses of a uni-grounded LVAC microgrid through line-to-line faults, line-to-ground faults, three-phase faults and a microgrid operation transition test, (iii) proposing available fault protection methods for uni-grounded microgrids, such as: non-directional or directional overcurrent protection, under/over voltage protection, differential current protection, voltage-restrained overcurrent protection, and other fault protection principles not based on phase currents and voltages (e.g. total harmonic distortion detection of currents and voltages, using sequence components of current and voltage, 3I0 or 3V0 components), and (iv) developing a generalised fault protection structure with six individual protection zones to be suitable for different uni-grounded AC MG configurations.

LiMn0·8Fe0·2PO4/C nanocrystal was synthesized by a facile solvothermal reaction. The pH and concentration of lithium ion are changing with the increase of LiOH. The deposition law of precursor ions is investigated, in which Li+ exceeds the necessary stoichiometric ratio even in the lowest amount of LiOH. Mn2+ and Fe2+ possess the similar fixation tendency, and 87.88% Mn2+ are deposited at the pH of 3.30. However, nearly all Fe2+ are precipitated in a wide pH range (2.96–3.85). The morphology changes from nanosheet to nanoellipsoid under the cooperation of pH and precursor ions. The components of LiMnPO4 and LiFePO4 in LiMn0·8Fe0·2PO4/C are predicted and their contributions to capacity are close to the actual results. Sample S-2.6 delivers the optimum electrochemical performance with a capacity of 150.9, 134.6 and 107.5 mA h·g−1 at 0.05, 1 and 5 C, respectively. It also exhibits high reversibility, low charge transfer resistance (41.2 Ω) and excellent diffusion coefficient (5.38 × 10−11 cm2·s−1). The capacity retention of sample S-2.6 reaches 96.03% after 200 cycles and it maintains original structure without obvious change according to the ex-situ XRD results. The morphology of the cycled cathode film also maintains its integrity without evident cracks. The low dissolution of Mn2+ and Fe2+ from LiMn0·8Fe0·2PO4/C shows the enhanced chemical stability.

Malaria is one of the three most deadly diseases in the world. Artemisinin is the first line and effective drug for treating malaria, and only can be extracted from Artemisia annua. Therefore, it is of great significance to cultivate new varieties of A. annua with high artemisinin content. Based on the germplasm bank and the whole genome, transcriptome and genetic map, the authors can explore high-quality genes, stress-resistant genes and genetic markers which have been used for rapid breeding of superior varieties of A. annua. So these methods of molecular breeding will become the main breeding direction of A. annua in the future. The breeding times of new varieties of A. annua can be shortened with molecular breeding technology. Based on the genetic background and the current situation of molecular breeding of A. annua, the strategy and technical route of molecular breeding were discussed and worked out in this paper, which provided a guidance and scientific reference for molecular breeding of A. annua in the future.

Aimed to solve the issues of pesticide residue, heavy metal contents and harmful elements in the productive process of Chinese herbal medicines, the research team built the technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. This regulation included the environment of production area, the process of production, quality of products etc., which were the key steps controlled the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. The environment of production area was selected according to the ecological factors which were stipulated by Ecological Suitability Regionalization of Chinese herbal medicines (second edition). The quality of air should be attain the one or two levels of GB/T3095-2012 standard values. The cultivation soils should reach to the one or two levels of GB15618 and NY/T391 standard values. The quality of irrigation water should accord with the stipulation of GB5084-2005. Aimed to the production of Chinese herbal medicines, disease-resistant and superior varieties which were suitable to the local stations should be selected, and the breeding of superior seeds and seedlings should be strengthened. Additionally, rational fertilizer application of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines should be conformed to the principles, requirements, and the kinds of fertilizers allowed or limited for use, which were stipulated by the standard of DB13/T454. Furthermore, the plant protection policy of priority to prevention and synthetical prevention should be followed; improving ecological environment and strengthening cultivation management should be served as the basics. Agricultural measures, and biological and physical control strategies should be preferred to use; and high toxicity, residue pesticide and its mixture should be inhibited; the use of chemical pesticides should be minimized and then to decrease contamination and residue. Additionally, the quality of products should be reached to the standard of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines; high toxicity and detection rate of pesticide residues and the contents of heavy metal and harmful elements (e.g. plumbum, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and cuprum) should accord with the common criteria of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines. Application of technical regulations for production of pollution-free Chinese herbal medicines guarantees significantly social, economic and ecological benefits.

The ecology suitability and ecological characteristics of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen were studied to provide a reference for its artificial introduction and cultivation. The maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) and geographic information system (GIS) were used to investigate the global ecology suitability regions for Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen based on its 67 distribution points collected from global biodiversity information facility (GBIF), Chinese virtual herbarium(CVH) and the related references. The results showed that the possible ecological suitable regions of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen were located in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Fujian and Chongqing provinces. The areas with ecological similarity higher than 60% were about 89 571.3 square kilometers in total, mainly distributing in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces and small portion was located in Guangdong and Guizhou provinces. The areas with ecological similarity between 40% and 60% were about 155 172 square kilometers, mainly in Yunnan,Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan provinces. The distribution areas were about 329 952.8 square kilometers with ecological similarity between 20% and 40%, mainly in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Fujian and Chongqing. The climate factors mainly affecting the distribution of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen were precipitation of warmest quarter, SD of temperature seasonality, altitude, isothermality, coefficient of variation of precipitation seasonality, mean temperature of monthly, precipitation of driest month, reference bulk density of soil and soil texture.

High-resolution-melting analysis (HRM) is a new technology derived from q PCR and is widely used in the study of polymorphism, genotyping, and single nucleotide mutation. Advantages of HRM include cost-effectiveness and time-efficiency over PCR-based genotyping. However, the application of HRM in the authentication of herbal products is still limited with few studies on the classification and identification of herbal products. In this study, Cimicifugae Rhizoma was used as an example to verify the stability and accuracy of HRM technique in identification of Chinese materia medica. HRM assay was established for identification based on ITS2 region of Cimicifugae Rhizomas and its adulterants(including 41 samples). Our findings showed that HRM allows not only the identification of adulteration but also the quantification of the most common admixture. This study is significant for better quality in the verification of the authenticity of herbal medicine. The method is promising for future identification of traditional Chinese medicinal materials.

To identify the commercial medicinal materials of Bombyx Batryticatus, two-dimensional DNA barcode was used to construct the "Internet Plus" identification system for Chinese medicine, which should benefit the cross-platform communication of DNA barcode information. Bombyx Batryticatus contained Bombyx mori Linnaeus and Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuillant. Both COI and ITS sequences were obtained via PCR amplification for total genomic DNA extracted from raw materials using the animal genomic DNA kit, while only ITS but no COI sequences was obtained when using the plant genomic DNA kit. The ITS sequences obtained using the animal genomic DNA kit were consistent with those using plant genomic DNA kit. The medicinal materials yielded COI sequences and identified as B. mori. According to analysis of ITS sequences, the main species of the medicinal materials were identified as B. bassiana and few were identified as other fungi. NJ trees analysis based on ITS sequences suggests that it can be easily distinguished from other fungi. Our results showed that total genomic DNA of B. mori and B. bassiana was extracted simultaneously using the animal genomic DNA kit, which could effectively solve the problem in species identification of animal and fungi mixture materials. COI and ITS regions as DNA barcodes can stably and accurately identify Bombyx Batryticatus. The "Internet Plus" two-dimensional DNA barcode system will promote the standardization and normalization of Chinese medicinal materials market.