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We report the discovery of superconductivity on the border of antiferromagnetic order in a quasi-one-dimensional material RbMn6Bi5 via measurements of resistivity and magnetic susceptibility under high pressures. Its phase diagram of temperature versus pressure resembles those of many magnetism-mediated superconducting systems. With increasing pressure, its antiferromagnetic ordering transition with T N = 83 K at ambient pressure is first enhanced moderately and then suppressed completely at a critical pressure of P c ≈ 13 GPa, around which bulk superconductivity emerges and exhibits a dome-like T c(P) with a maximal T c onset ≈ 9.5 K at about 15 GPa. In addition, the superconducting state around P c is characterized by a large upper critical field μ 0 H c2(0) exceeding the Pauli paramagnetic limit, implying a possible unconventional paring mechanism. The present study, together with our recent work on KMn6Bi5 (the maximum T c onset ≈ 9.3 K), makes A Mn6Bi5 (A = alkali metal) a new family of Mn-based superconductors with relatively high T c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a comprehensive high-pressure study on the monoclinic TlFeSe2 single crystal, which is an antiferromagnetic insulator with quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure at ambient pressure. It is found that TlFeSe2 undergoes a pressure-induced structural transformation from the monoclinic phase to an orthorhombic structure above Pc ≈ 13 GPa, accompanied with a large volume collapse of ΔV/V0 = 8.3%. In the low-pressure monoclinic phase, the insulating state is easily metallized at pressures above 2 GPa; while possible superconductivity with K is found to emerge above 30 GPa in the high-pressure phase. Such a great tunability of TlFeSe2 under pressure indicates that the ternary AFeSe2 system (A = Tl, K, Cs, Rb) should be taken as an important platform for explorations of interesting phenomena such as insulator-metal transition, dimensionality crossover, and superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a comprehensive high-pressure study on the monoclinic TlFeSe2 single crystal, which is an antiferromagnetic insulator with quasi-one-dimensional crystal structure at ambient pressure. It is found that TlFeSe2 undergoes a pressure-induced structural transformation from the monoclinic phase to an orthorhombic structure above Pc ≈ 13 GPa, accompanied with a large volume collapse of ΔV/V0 = 8.3%. In the low-pressure monoclinic phase, the insulating state is easily metallized at pressures above 2 GPa; while possible superconductivity with K is found to emerge above 30 GPa in the high-pressure phase. Such a great tunability of TlFeSe2 under pressure indicates that the ternary AFeSe2 system (A = Tl, K, Cs, Rb) should be taken as an important platform for explorations of interesting phenomena such as insulator-metal transition, dimensionality crossover, and superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reproductive isolation, the key process to prevent interspecific hybridization and keep the completeness and independence of species, is crucial to the formation and maintenance of biodiversity. The forming steps, methods and intensities of reproductive isolation between different species are not completely the same. Literatures on reproductive isolation between species provide valuable evidence for speciation and its maintenance. Flowering phenology, flowering-visiting insects, and pollen-stigma compatibility were observed for Ligularia virgaurea and L. sagitta, two species of weeds sympatrically distributed in eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The characteristics of reproductive isolation mechanism of both species and its role in reproductive isolation were also studied. The results showed that the flowering period of L. virgaurea was 20 d earlier than that of L. sagitta. Although the full-blooming period separated, there was a roughly 10 d overlap between the two species. Meanwhile, the pollens and stigmas of the two species were both viability in the overlapped 10 d. L. virgaurea and L. sagitta shared the same types of pollinating insects, which was a generalized pollination type. Besides, the flower-visiting behavior towards the two species from the pollinators was similar, along with the interleaved access between the two species. There was no complete time isolation and no complete pollinator isolation between the two species, but the stigma had poor compatibility towards heterogenic pollen. The germination of pollen on stigma and growth of the pollen tube was hampered. Furthermore, the rejection of pollen-stigma was likely to be an important prezygotic reproductive isolation between L. virgaurea and L. sagitta, thus avoiding the natural hybridization and maintaining the diversity and genetic stability of the two species.