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Dynamic control of motion at the molecular level is a core issue in promoting the bottom-up programmable modulation of sophisticated self-organized superstructures. Self-assembled artificial nanoarchitectures through subtle noncovalent interactions are indispensable for diverse applications. Here, the active solar renewable energy is used to harness cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) superstructure devices via delicate control of the dynamic equilibrium between the concentrations of molecular motor molecules with opposite handedness. Thus, the spectral position and handedness of a photonic superstructure can be tuned continuously, bidirectionally, and reversibly within the entire working spectrum (from near-ultraviolet to the thermal infrared region, over 2 μm). With these unique horizons, three advanced photoresponsive chiroptical devices, namely, a mirrorless laser, an optical vortex generator, and an encrypted contactless photorewritable board, are successfully demonstrated. The sunlight-fueled chirality inversion prompts facile switching of functionalities, such as free-space optical communication, stereoscopic display technology, and spin-to-orbital angular momentum conversion. Motor-based chiroptic devices with dynamic and versatility controllability, fast response, ecofriendly characteristics, stability, and high efficiency have potential to replace the traditional elements with static functions. The inexhaustible natural power provides a promising means for outdoor-use optics and nanophotonics.

Three-dimensional (3D) ultra-tiny Fe2O3 nanoparticles/graphene hydrogels were prepared using a facile and efficient solvothermal reaction, by which the phase of iron oxide, particle size and the morphology of hydrogels can be precisely controlled by simply adjusting the solvothermal reaction time. Accordingly, the effect of the microstructures of hydrogels on electrochemical performance was systematically studied. It was found that Fe2O3/rGO-50 hydrogels (with a solvothermal reaction time of 50 min) possessed a desirable crystallinity, suitable particle size, decent porous structure, large specific surface area and high electrical conductivity, thus exhibiting a superior electrochemical performance as binder-free anode of supercapacitors: a large potential range of 1.15 V, an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1090 F·g−1 at a current density of 2 A·g−1 and excellent rate capability (531 F·g−1 at 10 A·g−1). The rational design and systematic research of electrode materials will provide new lights for the preparation of advanced electrochemical energy storage devices.

In this study, a solar/chlorine/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) system for the highly efficient degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ) was constructed, and the degradation mechanism of CBZ in this sy...

Rhizosphere soil microbial community and its diversity are important for the structure and functions of medicinal plant ecosystem. In this study, based on high-throughput sequencing, rhizosphere soil microbial diversity, and yield and quality of rhizome and root of Notopterygium incisum cultivated alone(control, CK) and intercropped with Vicia faba(QH) were analyzed, which is expected to lay a basis for optimization of the cultivation mode and ecological production of N. incisum. RESULTS:: showed that the rhizosphere soil bacteria of N. incisum were dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroides, with the relative abundance of 50.38%-51.95% and 16.36%-17.02%, respectively. Soil bacterial community at the phylum level was not significantly different between CK and QH. At the genus level, the relative abundance of MND1(3.54%), Spinstomonas(3.50%), Nitrospira(1.53%), and Rhizobacter(1.05%) was significantly higher and that of Gemmatimonas, Candidatus＿Solibacter, and Bryophytes was lower in QH treatment than in the CK. The plant height, leaf length, leaf width, and petiole length of N. incisum in QH treatment was significantly increased and the underground biomass rose by 71.43% compared with those in the CK. Thus, intercropping with V. faba promoted the aboveground growth of N. incisum and improved the yield of root and rhizome. Moreover, the content of notopterol and isoimperatorin increased by 37.96% and 4.09% in QH treatment, respectively, indicating that the intercropping with V. faba boosted the accumulation of secondary metabolites in N. incisum. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the soil bacterial community was mainly influenced by the soil factors including the content of soil available nutrients, soil organic matter, pH value, and soil water. The influence was in the order: total potassiumgt;total nitrogengt;pHgt;organic mattergt;available potassiumgt;soil water contentgt;available nitrogengt;available phosphorus. In conclusion, the intercropping with V. faba altered soil microenvironment and also increased the yield and accumulation of secondary metabolites of N. incisum, which is a promising ecological planting model for N. incisum.

As a new research focus in the field of biological resources, crayfish shells have great potential for development and utilization. In this review, the typical methods and research progress of separating the primary components such as chitosan, protein, and astaxanthin from crayfish shells and converting crayfish shells into functional carbon-based materials are introduced in detail. Then, the application of crayfish shell and typically modified crayfish-shell biochar in adsorption, antibacterial, electrochemical, etc. is reviewed. Finally, the future research outlook is proposed. This review can provide some perspectives on the development of the application of crayfish shells and crayfish-shell derivatives.

The production of renewable energy and chemicals from biomass can be performed sustainably using pyrolysis, but the production costs associated with biomass pyrolysis hinder its wider application. The use of renewable precursors and waste heat to fabricate high-quality functional carbon nanomaterials can considerably improve the sustainability and economic viability of this process. Here, we propose a method to maximize the economic benefits and the sustainability of biomass pyrolysis by utilizing waste pyrolysis gases and waste heat to prepare high-quality three-dimensional graphene foams (3DGFs). The resulting 3DGFs exhibit excellent performance in environmental and energy-storage applications. On the basis of a life-cycle assessment, the overall life-cycle impacts of the present synthetic route on human health, ecosystems and resources are less than those of the conventional chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process. Overall, incorporating the pyrolytic route for fabricating functional carbonaceous materials into the biomass pyrolysis process improves the sustainability and economic viability of the process and can support wider commercial application of biomass pyrolysis. Biomass pyrolysis for renewable energy and chemicals offers sustainability advantages but is expensive. This study shows a route to improve both the sustainability and economic viability of biomass pyrolysis by using pyrolytic gases and waste heat to fabricate high-quality carbon nanomaterials.

Chameleons, which are among the poikilotherms, can rapidly change color for camouflage, communication and thermoregulation. These cold-blooded animals physiologically shift color through the active tuning of lattices of guanine nanocrystals within a superficial thick layer of dermal iridophores. This active tuning can be described as alternating different refractive indices of nano-reflectors, thereby generating interference of light waves. The self-regulation of the skin behind its dynamic color changing ability makes it the ultimate “biomimetic surface” and a continued source of inspiration. We presented a deformation-color multi-responsive actuator whose response is controlled by delicate light to mimic these adaptive functions. This soft smart material is developed by well-aligned cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers (CLCE). It performs a 185 nm wavelength shift of selective reflection and is switched by reacting to exposure time. Effective optical management is critical for the operation of many modern technologies. These results demonstrate distinctive potential opportunities for LC elastomers to control light, thereby enabling new applications of modern technologies to textiles, optics, and architecture.

The catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds containing multiple functional groups into amino compounds with high conversion rates, selectivity, and stability under mild conditions is a great challenge. Herein, a well defined catalyst (Co@NC) is prepared through the pyrolysis of the Co-centered metal–organic framework (MOF) at the optimized temperature. The as-synthesized catalyst exhibits a high conversion rate and selectivity for the hydrogenation of 12 aromatic nitro compounds with different competing groups into desired amino compounds with hydrazine hydrate under mild conditions (80 °C, 30 min, and 1 atm). The catalyst also shows excellent stability and can be reused over 20 times without considerably losing its activity. It is found that the Co–Nx site is the main active site for catalytic hydrogenation, and the Mott–Schottky effect between the surface Co NPs and N-doped carbon can further promote the hydrogenation reaction. EXAFS, TEM, XPS, and Raman analyses confirm that cobalt nanoparticles (NPs) are properly encapsulated by the N-doped carbon matrix at the optimized temperature, and the Co species maintain a high spin state after the catalysis, which may be responsible for the high performance of Co@NC. This work demonstrates not only a highly efficient catalyst for hydrogenation under mild conditions, but also provides insight into the active sites in Co-based catalysts for hydrogenation.

The ever-increasing algae biomass due to eutrophication brings an enormous destruction and potential threat to the ecosystem. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a potential means converting algae to value added products such as sustainable bioenergy and biomaterials. However, the waste aqueous phase (AP) produced during the HTC of algae biomass needs to be treated carefully in case of the second pollution to environment. In this study, a model microbe (E. coli) was adopted for the microbial pretreatment of AP, by which the bioavailability of AP could be improved, and the nutrients could be reclaimed though struvite precipitation. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectra and GC-MS results illustrated that E. coli pretreatment could convert a large number of organic nitrogenous compounds to ammonia nitrogen by degrading aromatic protein substances and deaminating nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds. Afterwards, a serious of characterizations confirmed that 81.13% of ammonia nitrogen could be recovered as struvite though precipitation. Life cycle assessment indicates the cost of the two-step treatment process was much lower than that of conventional wastewater treatment processes, and is beneficial to environment. This work provides an environment-friendly strategy for the comprehensive utilization of algae, which may contribute to alleviating the algal disasters and bring certain economic benefits though algal treatment.

Maturing hybrid circuit quantum electrodynamics architectures composed of semiconductor quantum dots and on-chip microwave resonators promise an effective approach for quantum nondemolition readouts in semiconductor systems. Here, we study quantum coherence in a semiconductor charge qubit coupled with a high-impedance resonator. The qubit is controlled by a periodic pulse sequence, and a dispersive measurement is performed by measuring the time-averaged resonator response. From the Rabi oscillation and Ramsey fringe measurements, the coherence time of the charge qubit is determined as [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Compared with the time-resolved (pulsed) measurement, this time-averaged dispersive measurement process eliminates the limitation caused by the resonator response time, enabling a high repetition rate of the pulse sequence in the experiments.

Background Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), free T3 (FT3), and free T4 (FT4) are used to diagnose thyroid diseases and monitor treatment effects. Reliable biological variation (BV) data is required to ensure accurate clinical decisions. Methods Blood samples were collected from 31 healthy subjects at 00:00, 04:00, 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00; each sample was analyzed twice for TSH, T3, T4, FT3, and FT4. After outlier exclusion, normality assessment, and variance homogeneity, sex-stratified BV, including within-subject (CVI) and between-subject (CVG), was defined using nested ANOVA. Results Concentrations of five biomarkers were significantly different between sexes. The CVI and CVG estimates were 34.54% and 34.43% for TSH, 5.89% and 14.18% for T3, 4.48% and 14.96% for T4, 5.37% and 11.23% for FT3, and 3.57% and 8.03% for FT4, respectively. The individual indexes (IIs) of all the biomarkers (except TSH) were ≤ 0.63. Males had lower CVIs and IIs than females. Conclusion CVI estimates of all hormones, except TSH, were lower than those reported on the BV website, showing low IIs and differences between sexes. We provide updated data on the short-term BV of thyroid function biomarkers according to sex and complement BV data of thyroid function biomarkers.

Self-organized periodic micro/nanostructures caused by stimulus-responsive structural deformation often occur in anisotropic self-assembled supramolecular systems (e.g., liquid crystal systems). However, the long-range orderliness of these structures is often beyond control. In this article, we first demonstrate that a large-area disordered two-dimensional (2D) microgrid chiral structure appears in the cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) reactive mixture because of the photopolymerization-induced Helfrich deformation effect under exposure to the single UV-laser beam. The result is attributed to the impact of an internal longitudinal strain, which is caused by the pitch contraction of the CLC-monomer region through the continuing compression of the thickening CLC polymer layer adhered on the illuminated substrate of the sample during photopolymerization. The experimental results further show that a one-dimensional (1D) UV-laser interference field can be used to effectively control the postformed 2D microgrid structure to arrange in an orderly manner throughout the large exposed area (an order of centimeter). The optimum ability for controlling the orderliness of the microgrid structure can be achieved if the spacing width of the interference field approximates the periodicity of the postformed 2D microgrids. Several factors, such as the pitch of the CLC mixture and the included angle and intensity of the two interfering laser beams, which influence the orderliness and properties of the 2D microgrid structure, are explored in this study. The result of this research opens a new page to improve the applicability of the Helfrich deformation phenomenon and further provides a reference platform for manipulating, modifying, and even tailoring periodic micro/nanostructures in self-organized supramolecular soft-matter systems for application in advanced optics/photonics.

In this study, taking Ni enriched water hyacinth (WH, Eichhornia crassipes) as an example, we prepared porous Ni–N doped carbon material (WHPC@Ni) with high supercapacitive performance via fast pyr...

Biomass is a renewable resource that currently accounts for 10% of the total global energy load. Thermochemical technologies, particularly pyrolysis, are widely used in biomass conversion due to their high reaction and conversion rates compared with biochemical transformation. Understanding the pyrolysis process and the properties of pyrolytic products is essential to obtain further valorized pyrolytic products, such as bio-oil-based chemicals and biochar-based carbonaceous materials. Thus, fully characterizing pyrolysis and its products is imperative. This review focuses on recent advances in pyrolysis-characterization methods, particularly on the online characterization of biomass pyrolytic intermediates and spectroscopic and microscopic imaging methods for biochar and bio-oil. We further discuss how these characterizations help elucidate the pyrolysis mechanism and extend the utilization of pyrolytic products. The drawbacks and improvement prospects of current methods are also discussed.

The catalytic reduction of diverse pollutants by noble metal catalysts in the presence of reductants is a highly effective and widely used method. However, the considerable cost of noble metal catalysts impedes the practical application of this method, and the recovery of excessive reductants has not been reported previously. In this work, we prepared inexpensive biochar-supported magnetic noble metallic nanoparticles (NPs) and efficiently recovered the excessive reductants in the form of H2. The as-synthesized biochar-supported noble metallic NPs exhibited high H2 recovery during the 4-nitrophenol reduction reaction. Results showed that the catalysts with low noble metallic content have higher H2 recovery rate than commercial Pd/C, Ag/C, and Pt/C. The catalytic mechanism of magnetic biochar-supported noble metallic NPs was demonstrated to be a "synergetic effect", where biochar and Fe3O4 acted as accelerants that enable noble metallic NPs to produce active hydrogen for the reduction reaction, and the excess active hydrogen atoms combined to form H2.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade recalcitrant organic pollutants has attracted much attention, however, this process usually needs expensive or toxic catalysts. Herein, we prepared a Fe functionalized biochar composite that contain Fe0, porous carbon with abundant functional groups and nanofibers (Fe-BC-700) to activate PMS and efficiently remove bisphenol A (BPA). The contribution of different participants in the complicated system involving Fe species, carbon composites, and radicals and nonradicals were quantitatively investigated. Under optimal conditions (0.2 g/L PMS and 0.15 g/L catalyst), 20 mg/L of BPA can be completely removed in 5 min by Fe-BC-700. The effects including the activation of PMS by Fe species to produce sulfate radicals (SO4 −), the electron transfer by the nanofiber-mesoporous carbon structure, and the inherent persistent free radicals (PFR) in biochar, were demonstrated to contribute to the high performance. A series of contrast experiments showed that PMS activated by Fe contributed to about 36% of BPA degradation, while the carbon composites, especially carbon nanofibers contributed to 17%, and the other 47% was ascribed to the adsorption of carbon composites (may further undergoing degradation). Meanwhile, the degradation by SO4 − accounted for about 23% (by quenching experiments), while the nonradical pathway contributed to 30%. This work suggests that the non-activation factors in PMS/porous catalyst/pollutant system cannot be neglected.

As an application in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) coupled systems, superconducting resonators play an important role in high-sensitivity measurements in a superconductingsemiconductor hybrid architecture. Taking advantage of a high-impedance NbTiN resonator, we perform excited-state spectroscopy on a GaAs double quantum dot (DQD) by applying voltage pulses to one gate electrode. The pulse train modulates the DQD energy detuning and gives rise to charge state transitions at zero detuning. Benefiting from the outstanding sensitivity of the resonator, we distinguish different spin-state transitions in the energy spectrum according to the Pauli exclusion principle. Furthermore, we experimentally study how the interdot tunneling rate modifies the resonator response. The experimental results are consistent with the simulated spectra based on our model., 7 pages, 4 figures

To clarify the difference of soil moisture characteristics between mixed broad leaf-conifer forest soil and artificial cultivation of Notopterygium incisum, the HYPROP system and the dew point potential meter were used to determine soil water retention curves(SWRC) for samples of two horizons(i.e. 2-7 cm, 10-15 cm). The basic physical and chemical properties of soil and its water characteristic parameters were also determined. The result showed as fllows:①The bulk density of mixed coniferous-broad leaf forest soil was between 0.33 and 0.52 g·cm~(-3), significantly lower than the corresponding value of field soil(1.01-1.18 g·cm~(-3))(Plt;0.05), While the organic matter content was significantly higher than the corresponding value of field soil(Plt;0.05). ②The saturated water content(θ_s), field water holding capacity(θ_(FC)) and Water that can be effectively utilized by plants(θ_(PAC)) of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil were significantly higher than the corresponding value of field soil(Plt;0.05), while the retained water content(θ_r) value that cannot be effectively utilized by plants was significantly lower than that of field soil(Plt;0.05). ③The values of structural porosity(0.13-0.24 cm~3·cm~(-3)) and Matrix porosity(0.34-0.44 cm~3·cm~(-3)) of mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil were higher than the corresponding values of field soil. Therefore, with low bulk density and high content of organic matter, mixed coniferous-broadleaved forest soil can store more water in soil in the form of effective water to meet the needs of plants for water, thus possibly forming high quality medicinal materials of Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix. In conclusion, the results of this study can provide theoretical basis guidance for soil structure improvement and water management to form high quality medicinal materials in the artificial cultivation of N. incisum.

Guided by the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine and using modern scientific methods, Dao-di herbs pharmacology studies the nature, performance, interaction with the body and its clinical application.It is a bridge between the basic research and clinical application of Dao-di herbs. It can objectively describe the law of efficacy of Dao-di herbs, scientifically explain the mechanism of efficacy of Dao-di herbs, explore and establish the standards and methods of Dao-di herbs based on biological effect and clinical efficacy, and provide scientific basis for the special properties, pharmacology and clinical value of Dao-di herbs.Furthermore, we put forward a new idea of building the standard of Dao-di herbs based on the curative effect rather than the origin.The Dao-di herbs standard should come from the systematic research of traditional Dao-di herbs producing areas and form a new characteristic system, through the extraction of environmental, genetic, character, chemical, pharmacological and other characteristics.This standard originates from the tradition, but it is higher than the tradition. It may not have the origin meaning of strict administrative division, but it can better reflect the pharmacological characteristics and excellent clinical value of Dao-di herbs.

Indigenous knowledge and traditional culture for sustainable use of native plants in Juenang cultural region of Rangtang county, Aba Zang and Qiang Prefecture of Sichuan province, have been characterized in this paper followed the principles and methods of ethnobotany. The results indicate that 38 species from 27 families(including 6 species of fungi) are ethnobotanically used commonly in this area. Of 38 species of the native plants, 13 species from 12 families are collected for eatables and vegetables, 12 families and 16 species of indigenous plants for medicinal and edible use, 4 species from 4 families for decoration, 4 species from 4 families used for building materials or firewood, and 1 species from 1 families used for religious folklore. Under the influence of Juenang culture and Tibetan culture, indigenous knowledge such as instinctive reverence and gratitude for nature, protection ecological environment and habitats, and moderate use of natural resources(especially wild bioresource), have been gotten passed on from generation to generation in Juenang culture region of Rangtang county, which is of great significance to the protection of local bioresources and environment, including ethnic medicinal plants, and also to provide practical guidance for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration in those alpine ecological vulnerable areas.

Dao-di herbs is one of the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine different from other ethnic medicine. Sichuan province is rich in varieties and resources of Dao-di herbs, and its development scale and benefits are not obvious in recent decades due to the lag of standards behind the development of the times and objective needs. From the point of view of the whole process and the whole industrial chain, the significance of standardization system for quality assurance, healthy development of the industry, and development of the industry of Sichuan Dao-di herbs are presented in this paper. At present, Sichuan has made every effort to promote the construction and practice of the standardization system for Sichuan Dao-di herbs, to promote the rapid and high-quality development of Dao-di herbs industry in Sichuan.

Study the growth and development process of rhizomes(bamboo-like part) of Notopterygium incisum and the changes of carbohydrate, endogenous hormones and secondary metabolites, and provide theoretical guidance for the formation of high-quality N. incisum medicinal commodities under artificial cultivation. The One-year-old seedlings were transplanted to the original habitat,and the growth and physiological characteristics of N. incisum were dynamically monitored. The results showed that: ① Seedlings transplanted to the original habitat in spring could form rhizomes(bamboo-like part) in the same year. ② After 60 days of transplantation, the root length and root diameter of underground part of N. incisum had increased rapidly, and carbohydrate content in roots and rhizomes had accumulated rapidly. After 120 days of transplantation, the roots and rhizomes of underground part had grown slowly, and starch content in roots and rhizomes increased continuously, while sucrose and total soluble sugar content decreased gradually. ③ The content of abscisic acid(ABA) in rhizomes decreased firstly and then increased, while the indole acetic acid(IAA) content stabilized firstly and then increased rapidly, and the contents of gibberellin(GA_3) and zeatin riboside(ZR) continued to increase. ④ The content of notopterol in rhizomes was higher than that in roots, while the content of isoimperatorin was lower than that in roots, but the total content of the both in rhizomes was higher than that in roots. Therefore, N. incisum can form rhizomes with high content of secondary metabolites under wild tending, and the growth and development of rhizomes are closely related to changes in carbohydrates and are regulated by related endogenous hormones.

The efficient elimination of biotoxicity of halogenated antibiotics by electrochemical dehalogenation pretreatment is required by a subsequent biochemical treatment process. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been applied as an efficient catalyst for the hydrogen evolution and water splitting, without any investigation in electrochemical dehalogenation, particularly under complex environmental conditions. In this study, ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets are fabricated via a simple one-step hydrothermal process, and proved as a promising catalyst for enhancing electrochemical dehalogenation of halogenated antibiotics of a chlorinated antibiotic florfenicol (FLO) under relevant environmental conditions. Results showed that the reaction rate constant of the ultrathin MoS2 electrode (0.0135 min−1) was 4.1- and 28- fold higher than those of commercial MoS2 and bare carbon paper, respectively, and the biotoxicity of treated effluent could almost be neglected. Free radical scavenging experiments and electrochemical performance test suggested that the dechlorination of FLO on ultrathin MoS2 electrode was synergistically accomplished via the direct electron transfer and indirect reduction of active H*. Environmental conditions, namely, dissolved oxygen and humic acid had only a slight effect on the dechlorination efficiency. Electrochemical dechlorination of FLO was a gradual dechlorination process and FLO-2Cl (representing the removal of two chlorine atoms from FLO) was the final main product. Besides, the ultrathin MoS2 electrode retained a good stability and the energy consumption of the ultrathin MoS2 cathode at −1.2 V was 0.02643 kWh g−1, more than those of commercial MoS2 cathode and bare carbon paper. This study develops a new application of noble-metal-free electrode material for electrochemical dechlorination in wastewater.

This paper focuses on experiments and finite element modelling of flexible plug expansion joints (Asphaltic Plug Joints, APJ) subject to thermally induced horizontal movements. Five geometric and s...

In this study, the catalytic activity and stability of Pd nanoparticles during the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) were significantly enhanced by the interaction of Fe3O4/biochar support prepared by pyrolysis of fir sawdust. Compared with the commercial Pd/C with 5% of Pd content, the as-synthesized Pd@Fe3O4/biochar with only 1.58% of Pd content exhibited twice higher catalytic performance toward the 4-NP reduction. The significant enhancement of catalytic activity was ascribed to the interaction between Fe and Pd NPs which lowers the binding energy of Pd on surface of Pd@Fe3O4/biochar, resulting the fast desorption of the intermediate species during the reaction. Furthermore, the carbon skeleton expedites the electron transfer and facilitates the formation of active hydrogen and deprotonation of 4-NP which are key steps of reduction of 4-NP. The abundant oxygen containing groups in biochar may act as pinchers to tightly fix the Pd NPs and improve the stability of Pd@Fe3O4/biochar.

An efficient system in vitro propagation for Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang, an endemic and endangered medicinal plant, was established to address increased demand and germplasm conservation goals. Optimum response in callus induction (CI) was observed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.2 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), which the induction rate and growth of callus were 84.44% and 0.67 g respectively. The highest shoot regeneration frequency (76.97%) and maximum number of shoots (3.6 shoots per callus) were achieved on MS medium with 1.5 mg/l BAP and 0.2 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Half-strength MS medium supplemented with 0.6 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was determined to be the best rooting medium, resulting in the maximum number of roots (18.6 roots per shoot) and the highest rooting frequency (92.28%). An approximate 83.8% survival rate among the regenerated plantlets was recorded after they were transplanted in the field at an altitude of 3200 m. An HPLC analysis showed that the content of two main chemical constituents, notopterol and isoimperatorin, in the rhizomes of 3-year-old regenerated plantlets was higher (3.84 mg/g and 4.05 mg/g, respectively) than that in commercially marketed crude drugs. This first report of complete regeneration in vitro could provide an alternative method for the rapid, large-scale production and conservation of this valuable, rare, and endangered medicinal plant.

Pyrolysis, as a convenient and fast technology, has been proved to be promising in the remediation of oil-contaminated soil. However, little is known about the dissolved organic matter (DOM) associated with pyrolyzed oil-contaminated soil and its environmental impact. Herein, optical spectroscopic techniques (i.e., absorbance and fluorescence) were adopted to reveal the relationship between the pyrolysis temperature and the characteristics of the DOM and the associated phytotoxicity. Results show that one of the main factors determining the properties and phytotoxicity of DOM leached from the pyrolyzed soil is the critical temperature (approximately 325 °C) during pyrolysis. When the temperature was lower than 325 °C, more types and quantities of DOM, mainly fulvic acid-like substances, were desorbed from the soil with the temperature, which have little effect on wheat growth. However, when the temperature was in the range of 325–550 °C, the type and quantity of DOM increased first and then decreased as the temperature increased, during which the organic matter in the soil decomposed. The wheat growth was first inhibited and then promoted. Finally, the correlation between the spectral indices of DOM with the phytotoxicity suggested that fluorescent components identified by parallel factor analysis were positively correlated with phytotoxicity. This study indicates the pyrolytic remediation of oil-contaminated soil should avoid some critical temperature ranges.

A computing method for simulating the energy consumption in an injection molding process using the Moldflow MPI analysis software is proposed. Considering such factors as product structure, processing parameters, and mold structure, it was shown by orthogonal testing that the melt temperature, product diameter, product wall thickness, and gate diameter are the four largest factors impacting on the injection energy consumption. Based on the MATLAB curve fitting toolbox, the relationship between the four main factors and the injection energy consumption was established, and a calculation model for the injection energy consumption was proposed.The accuracy of the model was above 95%. Finally, by using an experimental system of injection energy consumption to research the relationship between energy consumption and actual injection power, and by verifying the calculation accuracy of injection energy consumption of the established model, the results show that the established model can be an excellent p...

Preventing release of refractory pollutants from contaminated sediments is of growing concern. In situ remediation of sediments becomes more popular because of its low cost and noninterference of benthic ecosystems compared with conventional sediment dredging. In this study, a low-cost rice husk biochar (RHB) was used as a capping material to prevent the release of representative inorganic (Cu2+) and organic (4-chlorophenol, 4-CP) pollutants from synthetic contaminated sediments. In addition, the release dynamics of pollutants was investigated under different environmentally relevant conditions. The experimental results indicated that RHB can efficiently suppress the release of Cu2+ and 4-chlorophenol from the sediments and a select thickness of RHB can maintain the concentrations of these model pollutants below the national criterion at pH = 5 and 7, even when the concentrations of these pollutants are very high (1600 mg kg–1 of Cu2+ or 100 mg kg–1 of 4-CP). Fitting the release data of pollutants to the ...

Numerical simulation was performed with the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis software POLYFLOW (ANSYS, Inc., USA) to investigate the melt transportation energy consumption and mixing characteristics of vane extruders. By modifying related parameters in the numerical simulation models, the effects of vane arrangement and eccentricity between rotor and stator were studied. The results showed that for different vane arrangements, the vane unit with four vanes distributed uniformly had the lowest energy consumption per unit melt transported in one cycle and the best mixing characteristics. With the increase of eccentricity, the average rotational power transmitted by the vanes to the melt increased, and the rate of increase increased. The same tendency occurred for the maximum shear rate and stretching rate experienced by the particles in the vane extruder. This suggested that the mixing performance of the vane unit increased significantly with the increase of eccentricity.

Currently, the remaining grand challenge liquid crystal displays (LCD's) face in the market is response time (a few milliseconds), which is ∼ 100 times slower than that of OLEDs (∼ 0.1 ms). To achieve the goal of sub-millisecond response time and suppressing the colour breakup issue, blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) is emerging as a strong candidate. The blue phase is stable in a narrow temperature range and consists of individual liquid crystal molecules arranged into double twisted cylinders. However, the strong wavelength dependent scattering of circularly polarised light dependent on lattice constant and crystal orientation leads to striking visual colour effects which hint at future display applications. To improve temperature stability, cross-linked polymer networks have been used to stabilize the BPLC lattice structure and extend the blue phase temperature range to more than 95°C including room temperature. However, this approach leads to randomly oriented blue phase (BP) structures with poor optical transmittance, contrast and high operating voltage (>100 V) [1].

A new type of energy is produced via a fast pyrolysis coupled with atmospheric distillation from lignocellulosic biomass wastes., Development of renewable energy is essential to mitigating the fossil fuel shortage and climate change issues. Here, we propose to produce a new type of energy, bio-coal, via a fast pyrolysis coupled with atmospheric distillation process. The high heating values of the as-prepared bio-coals from the representative biomass are within 25.4 to 28.2 MJ kg−1, which are comparable to that of the commercial coals. Life cycle assessment further shows that the bio-coal production process could achieve net positive energy, financial, and environmental benefits. By using available biomass wastes as feedstock, China is expected to have a total bio-coal production of 402 million tons of standard coal equivalent, which is equal to 13% of national coal consumption. It would grant China an opportunity to additionally cut 738 million tons of CO2 emission by substituting an equal amount of coal with bio-coal in 2030.

Liquid crystals (LCs) are distinctive materials that are applicable to a wide range of disciplines, such as continuum mechanics, optics of anisotropic media, statistical physics, and crystallography. The diverse structures and eye-catching topological defects of LCs in confined geometries are affected by nematic elasticity, chirality, and surface anchoring. Herein, we report the formation and detailed configuration of cholesteric LC (CLC) microdroplets with different pitches pierced by electrospun poly(methyl methacrylate) microfibers. Two kinds of surface anchoring, namely, homeotropic anchoring at the air–CLC droplet interface and planar anchoring at the fiber–CLC droplet interface, coexist in this system. By controlling temperature and light irradiation, the system exhibits thermal- and photo-dependent LC morphological and topological evolutions. The observed structures are complemented by numerical simulations of possible director fields decorated by defects. The externally controllable CLC necklaces constitute extraordinary systems for exploring the morphology and topological defects and open a route for applications in topological remote control, nanoscience, biomedical research, and the development of devices based on topologically structured soft media.