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Background: The appropriateness of hypertension thresholds for triggering action to prevent cardiovascular and renal complications among non-White populations in the UK is subject to question. Our objective was to establish ethnicity-specific systolic blood pressure (SBP) cutoffs for ethnic minority populations and assess the efficacy of these ethnicity-specific cutoffs in predicting adverse outcomes. Methods: We analyzed data from UK Biobank, which included 444,418 participants from White, South Asian, Black Caribbean, and Black African populations with no history of cardiorenal complications. We fitted Poisson regression models with continuous SBP and ethnic groups, using Whites as the referent category, for the composite outcome of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. We determined ethnicity-specific thresholds equivalent to the risks observed in Whites at SBP levels of 120, 130, and 140 mm Hg. We adjusted models for clinical characteristics, sociodemographic factors, and behavioral factors. The performance of ethnicity-specific thresholds for predicting adverse outcomes and associated population-attributable fraction (PAF) was assessed in ethnic minority groups. Results: After a median follow-up of 12.5 years (interquartile range, 11.7–13.2), 32,662 (7.4%) participants had incident composite outcomes. At any given SBP, the predicted incidence rate of the composite outcome was the highest for South Asians, followed by White, Black Caribbean, and Black African. For an equivalent risk of outcomes observed in the White population at an SBP level of 140 mm Hg, the SBP threshold was lower for South Asians (123 mm Hg) and higher for Black Caribbean (156 mm Hg) and Black African (165 mm Hg). Furthermore, hypertension defined by ethnicity-specific thresholds was a stronger predictor and resulted in a larger PAF for composite outcomes in South Asians (21.5% [95% CI, 2.4,36.9] vs. 11.3% [95% CI, 2.6,19.1]) and Black Africans (7.1% [95% CI, 0.2,14.0] vs. 5.7 [95% CI, -16.2,23.5]) compared to hypertension defined by guideline-recommended thresholds. Conclusions: Guideline-recommended blood pressure thresholds may overestimate risks for the Black population and underestimate risks for South Asians. Using ethnicity-specific SBP thresholds may improve risk estimation and optimize hypertension management toward the goal of eliminating ethnic disparities in cardiorenal complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel metasurface antenna element and a novel metasurface antenna array, both of which have broadband low radar cross section (RCS) performance. The antenna element is constructed by two kinds of H‐shaped metasurface unit cells. One kind of H‐shaped metasurface unit cells is properly fed to radiate, and the other unit cells are used to cancel the scattering field from the former. Thus, an integration of metasurface and antenna is performed and broadband low RCS is obtained. Furthermore, a H‐shaped metasurface antenna array is also proposed by deliberately introducing metallic vias for isolation. Both the proposed antenna element and the array have almost the same radiation performance with conventional patch antennas. Numerical calculations and experimental measurements are conducted. The results verify the effectiveness of the proposed novel antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical Brauer–Ostrowski Theorem and the Ostrowski Theorem give spectral enclosures of matrices by a union of Cassini ovals and a union of some disks, respectively. In this paper, we obtain the corresponding results for operator matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical water splitting presents a potential method for generating clean and renewable hydrogen energy. The extensive utilization of such energy depends on the availability of abundant and easily accessible sources of water. However, despite the significant development prospects, direct seawater decomposition is hindered by the presence of impurities, intricate pretreatment, and reaction process, etc, which hinders the efficient implementation of seawater electrolysis as a means of hydrogen production. Herein, a strategy is described to modulate the Ru surface electronic structure through rapid formation of Ru─P bonds between Ru and black phosphorus (BP), thereby optimizing the electrochemical activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). By adjusting the amount of BP, the HER price activity of BPed‐Ru‐Gr exhibits a remarkable increase of 3.8‐fold and 10.4‐fold compared with the original Ru‐Gr and the benchmark of commercial Pt/C in 1.0 m KOH. Furthermore, BPed‐Ru‐Gr also demonstrates high HER stability and activity in alkaline seawater. The price activity of BPed‐Ru‐Gr exceeds that of the state‐of‐the art Pt/C by a factor of 13.0 after 1000 cycles. The research reveales the marine corrosion resistance of BP on Ru and Pt metal catalysts in the HER, demonstrating its ability to resist the corrosion of Cl ions in alkaline seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 1P36 deletion syndrome is recognized as the most common terminal microdeletion syndrome in humans, characterized by early developmental delay and consequent intellectual disability, seizure disorder, and distinctive facial features. Variable deletion locations may attributed to phenotypic variability. However, the abnormal phenotypes of hematology are rarely reported in 1P36 deletion syndrome patients. Case presentation: We present a case of postnatal intellectual disability accompanied by pancytopenia. Copy number variation analysis revealed a pathogenic deletion in 1p36.331p36.32 with a deletion size of 2.21 Mb. Following successful treatment with glucocorticoids, the patient was diagnosed with immuno-related hemocytopenia (IRH). Discussion: The patient experienced IRH, an uncommon characteristic of 1p36 deletion syndrome. The deletion fragment of 1p36.33-p36.32, particularly the loss of GNB1 gene, has been associated with the development of pancytopenia. Genotype-phenotype correlations are valuable in identifying the genes responsible for various clinical characteristics of the syndrome by associating phenotypic variation with specific genes located within the chromosome deletion region. Genome sequencing is recommended in cases where clinical manifestations indicate the presence of a genetic disorder but pose diagnostic challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the experimental observation of second-order corner states in a two-dimensional breathing honeycomb topolectrical circuit with sixfold rotational symmetry C 6 through voltage measurements. The topological corner states originate from the nontrivial bulk topology, which can be characterized by the topological invariant associated with the rotation eigenspectrum. We confirm two types of corner states, both originate from the C 6 symmetry, while one of them is specially pinned to zero admittance because of the emerging chiral symmetry protection. We then examine the robustness of zero modes in the presence of next-nearest-neighbor hopping terms that destroy chiral symmetry but still preserve C 6 symmetry. Our work provides a paradigm in circuit systems to study the exotic topological physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report we present two unconditionally stable, second order, decoupled ensemble schemes for computing evolutionary Boussinesq equations: the stabilized scalar auxiliary variable Crank-Nicolson leap-frog ensemble scheme (Stab-SAV-CNLF-En) and the stabilized scalar auxiliary variable BDF2 ensemble scheme (Stab-SAV-BDF2-En). The two ensemble schemes adopt the recently developed stabilized scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) idea and ensemble timestepping to achieve both high efficiency and unconditional stability. Specifically, the stabilized SAV approach makes it possible to devise unconditionally long time stable schemes for which the nonlinear terms and coupling terms in the Boussinesq equations are made fully explicit, leading to linear systems with constant coefficient matrices to be solved after spatial discretization. The ensemble timestepping further improves the efficiency by making the coefficient matrices of all realizations the same, so that efficient block solvers can be applied to solve the corresponding one linear system with multiple right hand sides and thus greatly reduce the computational cost. We prove the proposed schemes are unconditionally stable and present implementation details. Ample numerical tests are performed to show the efficiency and effectiveness of the combined approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wilson fermion (WF) is a fundamental particle in the theory of quantum chromodynamics. Theoretical calculations have shown that the WF with a half skyrmion profile represents a quantum anomalous semimetal phase supporting a chiral edge current, but the experimental evidence is still lacking. In this work, we report a direct observation of the WF in circuit systems. We find that WFs manifest as topological spin textures analogous to the half skyrmion, half-skyrmion pair, and Néel skyrmion structures, depending on their mass. Transformations of different WF states are realized by tuning the electric elements. We further experimentally observe the propagation of chiral edge current along the domain-wall separating two circuits with contrast fractional Chern numbers. Our work provides experimental evidence for WFs in topolectrical circuits. The nontrivial analogy between the WF state and the skyrmionic structure builds an intimate connection between the two burgeoning fields. The Wilson fermion is a particle in the theory of quantum chromodynamics that allows to solve the fermion doubling problem. Here the authors use topolectrical circuits to simulate Wilson fermions, and realize nontrivial topological phases characterized by different Chern numbers, including quantum anomalous semimetal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronically progressive autoimmune liver disease. At present, There are limited drugs to treat PBC, and some patients eventually progress to end-stage liver disease due to poor response to drugs. The pathogenesis of PBC is not fully understood, but there is increasing evidence that apoptosis of bile duct epithelial cell (BEC) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PBC. This article reviewed the main factors and related mechanisms affecting BEC apoptosis in PBC, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for developing new therapeutic targets, developing new drugs or proposing new therapeutic schemes for PBC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wilson fermion (WF) is a fundamental particle in the theory of quantum chromodynamics. Theoretical calculations have shown that the WF with a half skyrmion profile represents a quantum anomalous semimetal phase supporting a chiral edge current, but the experimental evidence is still lacking. In this work, we report a direct observation of the WF in circuit systems. We find that WFs manifest as topological spin textures analogous to the half skyrmion, half-skyrmion pair, and Néel skyrmion structures, depending on their mass. Transformations of different WF states are realized by tuning the electric elements. We further experimentally observe the propagation of chiral edge current along the domain-wall separating two circuits with contrast fractional Chern numbers. Our work provides experimental evidence for WFs in topolectrical circuits. The nontrivial analogy between the WF state and the skyrmionic structure builds an intimate connection between the two burgeoning fields. The Wilson fermion is a particle in the theory of quantum chromodynamics that allows to solve the fermion doubling problem. Here the authors use topolectrical circuits to simulate Wilson fermions, and realize nontrivial topological phases characterized by different Chern numbers, including quantum anomalous semimetal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report presents two scalar auxiliary variable (SAV) ensemble algorithms based on artificial compressibility (AC) for fast computation of incompressible flow ensembles. We combine and exploit three numerical techniques: ensemble timestepping, SAV, AC, to design extremely efficient and fast algorithms for the computation of a (possibly large) Navier-Stokes flow ensemble. The proposed numerical algorithms feature that (1) all ensemble members share a common constant coefficient matrix allowing the use of efficient block solvers to significantly reduce required computational cost and (2) the computation of the velocity and the pressure is decoupled, and the pressure can be updated directly without solving a Poisson equation, further reducing the overall computational cost. We prove both algorithms are long time stable under a parameter fluctuation condition, without any timestep constraints. Extensive numerical tests are also presented to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the ensemble algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The macroscopic stretchability of ionomer melts strongly relies on the structural evolution during the elongational flow. It has been noted that the introduction of the secondary associations weaker than the ionic association can improve the stretchability. To understand the mechanism, this study examines the stretchability of unentangled ionomers containing a fixed number of ionic groups per chain, f ion ≅ 4 , but a varied number of hydrogen bonds per chain, fH = 5.5–27. The stretchability that is reflected in the maximum Hencky strain achieved before rupture shows nonmonotonous change with fH: the stretchability improves with increasing fH from 5.5 to 14 while it decreases upon further increasing fH to 27. The former improvement is attributed to the slowing down of chain retraction after the strain-induced dissociation of ionic groups. The slowing down would suppress the formation of defects or small cracks that potentially grow into the fracture. This mechanism, i.e., strain-induced dissociation followed by the chain retraction, holds only in a window where the elongational rate is faster than the ionic dissociation rate but slower than the chain retraction rate. This window narrows down with increasing fH, which probably leads to the decrease of stretchability at high fH = 27. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Naruo porphyry copper deposit containing more than 2 Mt of copper is located in the Duolong ore district in the west of the Bangongco–Nujiang belt in central Tibet. New zircon U‐Pb, biotite 40Ar/39Ar, zircon (U‐Th)/He ages, published age data together with thermal modeling were presented in this paper to investigate the thermal history of Naruo deposit. Thermal modeling reveals a prolonged magmatic‐hydrothermal evolution firstly cooling from ∼700°C to ∼350°C at 120 Ma, then cooling to 230°C at 106 Ma and maintaining at 200°C from 106 to 90 Ma which is attributed to multiple magmatic events and thermal effect of strike‐slip fault. Affected by thrust nappe structure, the sample was consistent with 120°C from 70 to 63 Ma. The Naruo deposit started to experience exhumation at a rate of ∼0.07 km/Myr since 60 Ma which is related to India‐Asia collision. The prolonged magmatic‐hydrothermal evolution process might have important influence on the Naruo deposit. The ore‐related intrusions preserved in the foot walls of strike‐slip fault and thrust nappe structure are the objects of future exploration in the Duolong ore district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the linear viscoelasticity of double-associative ionomers based on poly(hexyl methacrylate). The ionomer samples are unentangled and contain a fixed number of ionic stickers per chain, f ion ≅ 4 , but a varied number of hydrogen-bonding stickers per chain, fH = 5.5–27. Increasing fH has distinct effects on the glassy and rubbery dynamics. On the one hand, the glassy relaxation mode distribution broadens, and the glassy-to-rubbery transition region delays significantly with increasing fH. On the other hand, the delay of the ionic dissociation and, accordingly, the terminal relaxation (activated by continuous ionic dissociations) are much weaker. This contrast suggests that the ionic dissociation is not only activated by the segmental motion of the main backbone but is also partly activated by the motion of the side chains that is less dependent on fH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report we present a second-order, stabilized SAV based, Crank–Nicolson leap-frog (CNLF) ensemble method, and perform a comprehensive numerical study of it as well as the Crank–Nicolson ensemble method with a linear extrapolation (CNLE) presented in Jiang and Yang (SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 43:A2869–A2896, 2021). Both methods are extremely efficient as only one linear system with multiple right hands needs to be solved at each time for a (potentially large) number of realizations of the flow problems. In particular the coefficient matrix of the fully discretized system is a constant matrix that does not change from one time step to another. We present extensive testing of these two methods and demonstrate the advantages of each. We also present long time stability analysis for both methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1-γ antibody (anti-TIF1-γ-Ab) and to explore its associations with clinical features in patients with dermatomyositis. Methods: Sixteen kinds of myositis-specific/associated antibodies were examined in 141 dermatomyositis patients by western blotting. Clinical features and laboratory data were collected. The frequency of anti-TIF1-γ-Ab positivity and its correlations with clinical phenotypes were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results: Dermatomyositis patients with anti-TIF1-γ-Ab were prone to malignancy (P < 0.001); were more likely to present with heliotrope rash (P = 0.007), shawl sign (P < 0.001), and V sign (P < 0.001); and had relatively longer disease duration (P = 0.031), but were less likely to present with interstitial lung disease (P < 0.001) and mechanic's hand (P = 0.003) than the anti-TIF1-γ-Ab-negative subgroup. Anti-TIF1-γ-Ab status was independently associated with the presence of malignancy during multivariate logistic regression analysis. Among the anti-TIF1-γ-Ab-positive dermatomyositis patients, the subgroup with malignancy was prone to present with all types of rashes (87.5% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.001) and has higher incidence of male than the without-malignancy subgroup (50% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.033). Conclusions: Anti-TIF1-γ-Ab positivity was identified as a specific serological indicator of dermatomyositis with malignancy. Men with anti-TIF1-γ-Ab positivity were more likely to have malignancy than women. Increasing types of rashes were associated with greater likelihood of developing malignancy. Key Points • The clinical features of anti-TIF1-γ-Ab in patients with dermatomyositis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato Fusarium crown and root rot (FCRR) is an extremely destructive soil-borne disease. To date, studies have shown that only plants with tomato mosaic virus (TMV) resistance exhibit similar resistance to tomato Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici (FORL) and have identified a single relevant gene, Frl, in Peruvian tomato. Due to the relative lack of research on FCRR disease-resistance genes in China and elsewhere, transcriptome data for FORL-resistant (cv. '19912') and FORL-susceptible (cv. 'Moneymaker') tomato cultivars were analysed for the first time in this study. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was higher in Moneymaker than in 19912, and 189 DEGs in the 'plant–pathogen interaction' pathway were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. MAPK and WRKY genes were enriched in major metabolic pathways related to plant disease resistance; thus, we focused on these two gene families. In the early stage of tomato infection, the content of JA and SA increased, but the change in JA was more obvious. Fourteen genes were selected for confirmation of their differential expression levels by qRT-PCR. This study provides a series of novel disease resistance resources for tomato breeding and genetic resources for screening and cloning FORL resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key messages: Gray leaf spot (GLS) resistance in tomato is controlled by one major dominant locus, Sm. Sm was fine mapped, and the nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) gene Solyc11g020100 was identified as a candidate gene for Sm. Further functional analysis indicated that this gene confers high resistance to Stemphylium lycopersici in tomato. Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) is widely consumed and cultivated in the world. Gray leaf spot (GLS), caused by Stemphylium lycopersici (S. lycopersici), is one of the most devastating diseases in tomato production. To date, only one resistance gene, Sm, which confers high resistance against GLS disease, has been identified in the wild tomato species Solanum pimpinellifolium. This resistance locus (comprising the Sm gene) has been transferred into the cultivated variety 'Motelle'. Although several studies have reported the mapping of the Sm gene, it has not been cloned, limiting the utilization in tomato breeding. Here, we cloned Sm using a map-based cloning strategy. The Sm gene was mapped in a region of 160 kb at chromosome 11 between two markers, namely, M390 and M410, by using an F2 population from a cross between the resistant cultivar 'Motelle' (Mt) and susceptible line 'Moneymaker' (Mm). Three clustered NBS-LRR (nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat) resistance genes, namely, Solyc11g020080 (R1), Solyc11g020090 (R2), and Solyc11g020100 (R3) were identified in this interval. Nonsynonymous SNPs were identified in only the open reading frame (ORF) of R3, suggesting it as a strong candidate for the Sm gene. Furthermore, gene silencing of R3 abolished the high resistance to S. lycopersici in Motelle, demonstrating that this gene confers high resistance to S. lycopersici. The cloning of Sm may speed up its utilization for breeding resistant tomato varieties and represents an important step forward in our understanding of the mechanism underlying the resistance to GLS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An aluminosilicate zeolite has a porous structure with openings comparable to the molecular size, which endows it with unique adsorptive and catalytic properties that are highly dependent on its chemical composition and crystal morphology. Thus, the precise control or rational design of zeolite's particle morphology has attracted much attention as it can greatly improve the adsorptive separation and catalytic properties by effectively adjusting the diffusion path of adsorbates, reactants and products. This paper reviews the recent progress made in the synthesis and application of zeolites with a specific crystal/particle morphology with emphasis on the control of the crystal size and facet exposure degree, oriented assembly of crystals, creation of hierarchical porous structures and synthesis of core–shell structures. It is shown that an appropriate decrease of the crystal size and/or an increase of the exposure degree of certain facets by adding seeds and optimizing the synthesis conditions enhances the catalytic stability and product selectivity in some reactions. This can also be achieved by introducing plenty of mesopores and/or macropores in zeolites as a result of significant alleviation of diffusion limitation. Assembly of zeolite crystals into membranes on porous substrates improves the adsorptive separation performance of zeolites, for e.g. alcohol/water mixture and xylene and butane isomers. Core–shell-structured composites with metal nanoparticles or subnanoparticles as the core and the zeolite, including its modified counterpart, as the shell show excellent catalytic performance in some hydrogenation, dehydrogenation and oxidation reactions. In addition, attempts to illustrate the relationship between zeolite's particle morphology and its catalytic performance are discussed and strategies for the rational design of zeolite's particle size and behavior are envisioned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) is an important legume forage, which is widely distributed in cool-season regions. Therefore, cold stress is a major environmental factor limiting its growth and production, while little is known about the its cold tolerance at molecular level. In the present study, we performed time-course RNA-seq analysis under cold stress. RNA-seq results suggested that genes associated with "oxidoreductase activity" and "transcription regulator activity" are more likely related to the response of white clover to cold stress. To identify the specific gene modules and the hub genes of white clover in response to cold stress, we applied weighted gene co-expression network analyses (WGCNA) to transcriptome data. We also found that gene modules that focus on protein kinase activity, DNA-binding transcription factor activity and oxidoreductase activity, are more likely to be involved in the response of white clover to cold stress. Especially, we identified several AP2/ERF TF genes and CDPK genes as pivotal genes in white clover in response to cold stress, which would provide helpful insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of white clover to cold stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wogonin (5, 7-dihydroxy-8-methoxyflavone) is a natural di-hydroxyl flavonoid extracted from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. This paper was intended to investigate the mechanism of action of wogonin in alleviating the inflammation and apoptosis in acute lung injury (ALI).Materials and Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish the in vitro model of ALI. After wogonin treatment, the cell viability and apoptosis of LPS-induced A549 cells were, respectively, measured by CCK-8, TUNEL assays and acridine orange/ethidium bromide dual staining, while the contents of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers were estimated by RT-qPCR, ELISA assay, western blot analysis and commercial kits. Western blot was also conducted to assess the expression of proteins involved. Subsequently, the effect of wogonin on the sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)-mediated high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) deacetylation was investigated. SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 was used to evaluate the regulatory effects of wogonin on SIRT1-mediated HMGB1 deacetylation in A549 cells under LPS stimulation.Results: LPS induced inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis of A549 cells, which was abolished by wogonin. It was also found that wogonin promoted the HMGB1 deacetylation, accompanied by upregulated SIRT1 expression. However, SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 partially reversed the protective effects of wogonin on the inflammation and apoptosis of LPS-induced A549 cells.Conclusion: Wogonin alleviated the inflammation and apoptosis in LPS-induced A549 cells by SIRT1-mediated HMGB1 deacetylation, which might represent the identification of a novel mechanism by which wogonin exerts protective effects on ALI and provide ideas for the application of wogonin to ALI treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel integration strategy of microstrip antenna and metasurface is proposed to achieve low-radar cross section (RCS) and improved radiation performance simultaneously. Aimed at the applications in stealth cylindrical carrier, the antenna has a circular configuration, and the metasurface cells are closely arranged around the radiation patch in a concentric ring-type manner. Moreover, the mode analysis method is fully used to analyze the antenna’s working mechanism and guide the optimization process. Owing to the addition of metallic vias, the original quasi-TM30 mode is altered to three series-TM10 modes and thus enhanced gain is achieved. Interestingly, the addition of vias also generates a new resonance which widen the antenna’s impedance bandwidth. In another aspect, both in-band and out-of-band RCS reductions are obtained simultaneously. Finally, two prototypes are fabricated to validate the proposed design strategy. Good agreements between measurements and simulations are obtained. Measured results show that the gain of the proposed antenna is at least 3 dB higher than the conventional antenna in the entire operating band, and obvious RCS reduction is achieved from 4.0 to 8.5 GHz concurrently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new apatite fission track (AFT) and apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) data from the Duolong ore district. The corresponding AFT and AHe ages provide insights into the uplift and exhumation history of the Duolong ore district, revealing rapid exhumation with an erosional exhumation rate of 0.067 km/Ma between 65 and 35 Ma, and slow exhumation with an erosional exhumation rate of 0.023 km/Ma since 35 Ma. The new data in this study, along with previous low-temperature thermochronology data, show that samples with ages from 130 to 83 Ma are distributed close to Shuanghu in the central Qiangtang, samples with ages from 65 to 45 Ma are distributed evenly across the whole Qiangtang terrane, and several samples with ages from 20 to 7 Ma are distributed at the edge of the Qiangtang terrane. The Qiangtang terrane experienced heterogeneous surface uplift. The central Qiangtang was initially uplifted during the Early Cretaceous, and the weathered paleosoil dated between 120 and 110 Ma in the Duolong ore district is consistent with the exhumation during this period. Large-scale uplift and exhumation of the Qiangtang terrane between the Palaeocene and Eocene is consistent with the rapid exhumation of the Duolong ore district between 65 and 35 Ma; finally, the uplift and exhumation at the edge of the Qiangtang terrane since the Eocene caused the Duolong ore district to be uplifted to its present elevation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radar cross section (RCS) reduction in the working band of antennas, likely leading to radiation performance change or deterioration, is quite difficult for both antenna elements and arrays. Aimed at this problem, this article presents a novel design strategy of microstrip patch antennas with low in-band RCS. This strategy combines metasurface with antenna from the perspectives of both structure and electrical performance. To be specific, anisotropic metasurface is proposed to replace the conventional patch and behave as the radiating structure of the antenna directly, which does not increase the original antenna size. Through proper connection of the metasurface units, the novel antenna has the same radiation performance with conventional microstrip antenna but low in-band RCS for any polarized incidence. The radiation and scattering mechanism of the novel antenna is carefully elaborated, from which a frequency reconfigurable antenna is also derived by loading varactors. Furthermore, different design strategies of low in-band-RCS antenna element and array are clarified. On the basis of which, a $4 \times 4$ array is developed to achieve in-band-RCS reduction with radiation performance kept. Both numerical and experimental results are demonstrated, and the reasonably good agreements verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factors are a plant-specific family of transcription factors and one of the largest families of transcription factors. Ethylene response factors (ERF) regulate plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. In a previous study, the ERF2 gene was significantly upregulated in both resistant and susceptible tomato cultivars in response to Stemphylium lycopersici. The main purpose of this study was to systematically analyze the ERF family and to explore the mechanism of ERF2 in tomato plants resisting pathogen infection by the Virus-induced Gene Silencing technique. Results: In this experiment, 134 ERF genes were explored and subjected to bioinformatic analysis and divided into twelve groups. The spatiotemporal expression characteristics of ERF transcription factor gene family in tomato were diverse. Combined with RNA-seq, we found that the expression of 18 ERF transcription factors increased after inoculation with S. lycopersici. In ERF2-silenced plants, the susceptible phenotype was observed after inoculation with S. lycopersici. The hypersensitive response and ROS production were decreased in the ERF2-silenced plants. Physiological analyses showed that the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities were lower in ERF2-silenced plants than in control plants, and the SA and JA contents were lower in ERF2-silenced plants than in control plants after inoculation with S. lycopersici. Furthermore, the results indicated that ERF2 may directly or indirectly regulate Pto, PR1b1 and PR-P2 expression and enhance tomato resistance. Conclusions: In this study, we identified and analyzed members of the tomato ERF family by bioinformatics methods and classified, described and analyzed these genes. Subsequently, we used VIGS technology to significantly reduce the expression of ERF2 in tomatoes. The results showed that ERF2 had a positive effect on tomato resistance to S. lycopersici. Interestingly, ERF2 played a key role in multiple SA, JA and ROS signaling pathways to confer resistance to invasion by S. lycopersici. In addition, ERF2 may directly or indirectly regulate Pto, PR1b1 and PR-P2 expression and enhance tomato resistance to S. lycopersici. In summary, this study provides gene resources for breeding for disease resistance in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: APETALA2/ethylene responsive factor (AP2/ERF) transcription factors are a plant-specific family of transcription factors and one of the largest families of transcription factors. Ethylene response factors (ERF) regulate plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stress. In a previous study, the ERF2 gene was significantly upregulated in both resistant and susceptible tomato cultivars in response to Stemphylium lycopersici. The main purpose of this study was to systematically analyze the ERF family and to explore the mechanism of ERF2 in tomato plants resisting pathogen infection by the Virus-induced Gene Silencing technique. Results: In this experiment, 134 ERF genes were explored and subjected to bioinformatic analysis and divided into twelve groups. The spatiotemporal expression characteristics of ERF transcription factor gene family in tomato were diverse. Combined with RNA-seq, we found that the expression of 18 ERF transcription factors increased after inoculation with S. lycopersici. In ERF2-silenced plants, the susceptible phenotype was observed after inoculation with S. lycopersici. The hypersensitive response and ROS production were decreased in the ERF2-silenced plants. Physiological analyses showed that the superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities were lower in ERF2-silenced plants than in control plants, and the SA and JA contents were lower in ERF2-silenced plants than in control plants after inoculation with S. lycopersici. Furthermore, the results indicated that ERF2 may directly or indirectly regulate Pto, PR1b1 and PR-P2 expression and enhance tomato resistance. Conclusions: In this study, we identified and analyzed members of the tomato ERF family by bioinformatics methods and classified, described and analyzed these genes. Subsequently, we used VIGS technology to significantly reduce the expression of ERF2 in tomatoes. The results showed that ERF2 had a positive effect on tomato resistance to S. lycopersici. Interestingly, ERF2 played a key role in multiple SA, JA and ROS signaling pathways to confer resistance to invasion by S. lycopersici. In addition, ERF2 may directly or indirectly regulate Pto, PR1b1 and PR-P2 expression and enhance tomato resistance to S. lycopersici. In summary, this study provides gene resources for breeding for disease resistance in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report we propose two highly efficient ensemble algorithms incorporating the gPAV and the rotational pressure correction methods for computing Stokes-Darcy flow ensembles. All variables are fully decoupled including the three components of the velocity, leading to smaller linear systems to be solved at each time step. Moreover, all ensemble members share the same constant coefficient matrix for which the fast block CG method can be applied for computing the ensemble at one pass at significantly reduced computational cost. We prove the two new ensemble algorithms are unconditionally stable with respect to the modified energy without any constraints on the uncertain parameters or the time steps. We will provide details of implementation and discuss how to efficiently solve the corresponding linear systems. Numerical examples are presented to show the efficiency and effectiveness of the algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common nutrient-related health problem in the world. There is still a lack of comprehensive comparative study on the efficacies of commonly used iron supplements such as polysaccharide iron complex (PIC), iron protein succinylate (IPS) and ferrous succinate (FS) for IDA. In this study, we compared the PIC, IPS and FS efficacies in IDA rats via intragastric administration. The results showed that the three iron supplements had similar efficacies. PIC/IPS/FS at a dose of 15 mg Fe/kg/d for 10 d increased the hematological and serum biochemical parameters to 2.15/2.12/2.18 (Hb), 1.71/1.67/1.69 (RBC), 2.10/2.11/2.12 (HCT), 1.26/1.22/1.22 (MCV), all 1.34 (MCH), 1.15/1.15/1.14 (MCHC), 1.94/1.82/1.91 (SF), 9.75/9.67/9.53 (SI), and 23.30/22.68/21.64 (TS) times, and reduced TIBC to 0.42/0.43/0.44 times, compared to untreated IDA rats. PIC performed slightly better than IPS and FS in restoring MCV level. Meanwhile, the heart, spleen and kidney coefficients reduced to 67%/74%/65% (heart), all 59% (spleen) and 87%/88%/88% (kidney), and the liver coefficient increased to 116%/115%/116%, compared to untreated IDA rats. The liver iron content was found to be more affected by IDA than the spleen iron content. PIC/IPS/FS at 15 mg Fe/kg/d increased organ iron contents to 4.20/3.97/4.03 times (liver) and 1.36/1.24/1.41 times (spleen) within 10 d compared to untreated IDA rats, and PIC-H and FS were slightly better than IPS in restoring spleen iron content. The results of this study can provide useful data information for the comparison of three iron supplements, PIC, IPS and FS. [Display omitted] • PIC, IPS and FS had similar efficacies for iron supplementation in IDA rats. • PIC at 15 mg Fe/kg/d performed slightly better in restoring MCV. • PIC-H and FS at 15 mg Fe/kg/d were slightly better in restoring spleen iron content. • Liver iron content was more affected by IDA than spleen iron content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daylily (Hemerocallis citrina Borani), a widespread ornamental plant around the world, has been considered as an ideal model to study flower development recently. To initiate the research to comprehensively investigate the molecular mechanism of the flower development of daylily, we performed a transcriptome sequencing study to establish the transcriptional profiles of this plant at different flower developmental stages. Briefly, we divided the flower development of daylily into six stages, and performed transcriptome sequencing for the samples collected from each stage. A total of 56,598 unique transcripts were obtained, of which 35,424 ones (about 62.6%) encode proteins with known functions based on homology searches against well-studied model plants. The expression profiles of these genes showed that 7,395 genes were differentially expressed during flower development. Further functional enrichment analysis for these differentially expressed genes revealed that they are enriched in the processes of translation, oxidation-reduction, and cell wall metabolism, suggesting the critical roles of these processes in daylily flower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tiegelongnan is the first discovered porphyry–epithermal Cu (Au) deposit of the Duolong ore district in Tibet, China. In order to constrain the thermal history of this economically valuable deposit and the rocks that host it, eight samples were collected to perform a low‐temperature thermochronology analysis including apatite fission track, apatite, and zircon (U‐Th)/He. Apatite fission track ages of all samples are between 34 ± 3 and 67 ± 5 Ma. Mean apatite (U‐Th)/He ages show wide distribution, ranging from 29.3 ± 2.5 to 56.4 ± 9.1 Ma. Mean zircon (U‐Th)/He ages range from 79.5 ± 12.0 to 97.9 ± 4.4 Ma. The exhumation rate of the Tiegelongnan deposit was 0.086 km m.y.−1 between 98 and 47 Ma and decreased to 0.039 km m.y.−1 since 47 Ma. The mineralized intrusion was emplaced at a depth of about 1400 m in the Tiegelongnan deposit. Six cooling stages were determined through HeFTy software according to low‐temperature thermochronology and geochronology data: (i) fast cooling stage between 120 and 117 Ma, (ii) fast cooling stage between 117 and 100 Ma, (iii) slow cooling stage between100 and 80 Ma, (iv) fast cooling stage between 80 and 45 Ma, (v) slow cooling stage between 45 and 30 Ma, and (vi) slow cooling stage (<30 Ma). Cooling stages between 120 and 100 Ma are mainly caused by magmatic–hydrothermal evolution, whereas cooling stages after 100 Ma are mainly caused by low‐temperature thermal–tectonic evolution. The Bangong–Nujiang Ocean subduction led to the formation of the Tiegelongnan ore deposit, which was buried by the Meiriqiecuo Formation andesite lava and thrust nappe structure; then, the Tiegelongnan deposit experienced uplift and exhumation caused by the India–Asia collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ORR experimental conditions are thoroughly examined during ab initio calculations. • ORR performances and stabilities of 19 metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) are explored. • Rh−, Ir−, Ru−, and MnPc are forecasted as the four most effective ORR catalysts. Metal phthalocyanines (MPcs) represent a promising class of single-atom catalysts with diverse structures, high thermal stability, and versatile chemical properties. In this work, we have computationally screened nineteen MPcs (metal M = V–Zn, Mo–Ag, and W–Pt ordered based on the atomic number) to assess their suitability as electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, with consideration of a broad range of experimental conditions, including the oxygen adsorption, temperature effects, partial pressure, solvation effects, pH effects, and demetallation decomposition. Using density functional theory calculations based on the hybrid functional, we find that the ORR behaviors on these MPcs fall into three categories, which are characterized by their distinct oxygen adsorption ability. We correctly predict the experimental ORR performance trend of common MPcs and forecast Rh−, Ir−, Ru−, and MnPc as the four most effective ORR catalysts, outperforming the state-of-the-art FePc in terms of catalytic activity and stability. This study highlights the crucial role of oxygen adsorption, predicts superior MPcs for ORR electrocatalysis, and offers detailed guidance on the optimal working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determination of antipsychotics from biological samples is meaningful in the field of clinical and forensic medicine. Compared to blood, keratinized matrices such as hair and nails have attracted increasing attention in drug analysis for wider detection window. Nevertheless, the distribution and stability of antipsychotics in keratinized matrices are not clarified yet. Therefore, we developed a LC-MS/MS based method for simultaneous determination of 10 antipsychotics from blood, hair and nails, with high recovery (78.1–107.4%, 71.3–93.5% and 75.2–90.5%), low LOD (5–10 pg/mL, 5–10 pg/mg and 5 pg/mg) and high accuracy (96.0%−101.6%, 97.5%−102.5% and 97.6–101.7%). The method was applied to sets of blood, hair, and nail samples of 54 patients who received long-term therapy, and significant correlations between drug concentrations in blood and hair was found, while the correlation between nails and other matrices varied depending on the drug. Except for olanzapine, the concentrations of antipsychotics in segmental hair samples were consistent with drug exposure. Besides, the hair and nail samples of suspects in two forensic cases were analyzed and provided supporting evidence for the suspects' psychiatric state. Our research offered a deeper understanding of keratinized matrix as stable and retrospective bio-samples for antipsychotics detection in forensic practice. [Display omitted] • A LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous detection of 10 antipsychotic drugs was developed and validated. • The proposed method was successfully applied to analyze blood, hair and nail samples from psychiatric patients. • The correlations between drug concentration in different matrices, between each matrix and dose was analyzed. • There are abnormalities in the concentration of olanzapine and clozapine in the hair segments of some patients. • The method was applied to the analysis of antipsychotics in the hair and nails of suspects in two real forensic cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract First-principle calculations were performed to investigate the structural, electronic, optical, and lattice dynamic properties of the cubic (c), hexagonal (h), tetragonal (α), orthorhombic (β), monoclinic (γ) and triclinic (δ) WO 3 phases. Based on the analysis of structures and relative energies, we noted that the asymmetric distortion of WO6 octahedron was mainly responsible for the enhanced crystal stability of α -, β -, γ - and δ -WO 3 , while the titling of WO6 octahedron played a secondary effect. The results of the calculated dipole moment indicated that the phase transformation from β -to γ -WO 3 induced the change of antiferroelectricity-ferroelectricity, which was contributed to the octahedral distortion along x and y directions. The band gaps calculated by PBE0 hybrid function were 1.562, 1.943 and 2.244eV for c -, h - and α -WO 3. The increasing of the band gaps were contributed to the decreasing valence band width due to the expanded octahedral volume. Importantly, the distortion of the WO6 octahedron lifted the level of 5d xy states at bottommost of the conduction band, which much enlarged the band gaps of β -, γ - and δ -WO 3 to 2.974, 2.881 and 2.813eV. The calculated optical properties gave the decreasing static dielectric constants ε 1 (0) of 8.9, 7.6, 7.3, 5.6, 5.3 and 5.1 for c -, h -, α -, β -, γ -, and δ -WO 3 , respectively, which were agreement with the band gaps. The lattice dynamic properties presented unstable structures of c -, h - and α -WO 3 , and stable structures of β -, γ -, and δ -WO 3. The instability mainly originated from the stretching vibrations of O W O bonds with few contributions by the blending vibrations of W O bonds. IR and Raman spectra were discussed and compared with experimental data, which confirmed the reasonability of the calculated results. The analyzed vibrational modes with different frequencies at Gamma point noted that the grid of WO 3 presented "soft" characteristic and the WO6 octahedron was "rigid". Highlights • The band structures of six WO 3 phases were associated with the geometrical characteristics. • We discussed the stability of different WO3 structures by phonon spectrum calculations. • The optical properties, IR and Raman spectrum of six WO3 phases were calculated and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the 22 member mammalian FGF family, FGF22 belongs to FGF7 subfamily, and its effects are largely confined to the brain and skin. To explore the functions of FGF22 on other tissues and develop a large-scale production of recombinant human FGF22 (rhFGF22) without a fusion tag, a plasmid encoding human FGF22 (pET3a-rhFGF22) was used to express rhFGF22 in E. coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. A large amount of rhFGF22 inclusion body protein was obtained. A two-step denaturing method successfully solubilized rhFGF22, and it was refolded and then purified in one step via heparin affinity chromatography. A yield of 105 mg rhFGF22 with a purity of up to 95% was obtained from 100 g wet bacteria. It was found that the rhFGF22 had biological activity, since it effectively attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced human hepatic L02 cell death. Analysis by qRT-PCR and Western blot demonstrated that rhFGF22 protects L02 cells from H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage via suppression of mitochondrial apoptosis pathways. In conclusion, the strategy described in this paper may provide a novel means to solve the production of insoluble rhFGF22 and shine new light on its translational potential. Highlights • Develop the large-scale production technology of rhFGF22 without fusion tag in 30 L fermenter. • Two-step denaturing method was used to solublized inclusion body protein that difficult to be dissolved. • Inclusion body protein was efficiently refolded onto heparin column. • rhFGF22 protects hepatic L02 cells from H 2 O 2 -induced oxidative damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT)-based mesh generation is a very effective technique for creating high-quality Voronoi meshes and their dual Delaunay triangulations that often play a crucial role in applications, including ocean and atmospheric simulations using finite volume schemes. In the next generation climate models, the spacing scales change dramatically across the whole sphere and require ultra-high resolution and smooth transitions from coarse to fine grid regions. Thus fast and robust spherical CVT (SCVT) meshing algorithms become highly desirable. In this paper, we first propose a Lloyd-preconditioned limited-memory BFGS method for constructing SCVTs that is also applicable to the construction of CVTs of general domains. This method is then parallelized based on overlapping domain decomposition, enabling excellent scalability on distributed systems. Results of several computational experiments show that the new method could incur computational time costs one order of magnitude smaller compared with some existing methods for generating large-scale highly variable-resolution meshes, while also providing significant improvements in mesh quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Qualitatively different binding behaviors of O on Al and Cu surfaces. • A metal pulled-off effect of the topmost cu due to strong interactions between O in Cu lattice. • Inner Cu oxidization due to the topmost layer reconstructions. • A tetrahedral O unit (AlO4) in the initial penetrating configuration, characteristic of Al 2 O 3. The typical FCC Al and Cu with distinct electronic configurations performing the difference in oxidation behaviors are our focus. The optimized reconstruction, thermodynamical energies, electronic properties, and diffusion dynamics of Al(111) and Cu(111) adsorption and penetration systems with on-surface O coverages from 0.25 ∼ 1 ML have been studied using DFT methods. The qualitatively different binding behaviors of O-Al/Cu(111) adsorption systems as the increasing coverage can be illustrated systemically by the relaxations of outermost layers, electron transfer, and orbital hybridization. Based on this benchwork, it can be seen that the initial O-penetrating configurations are energetically less favorable and present more significant surface reconstructions mainly due to the strong interactions between on-surface and sub-surface oxygen in the crystal lattice. A metal pulled-off effect with a larger missing-row stepped on-surface reconstruction only in Cu can be observed over the whole pre-coverage in the existence of sub-surface O, mainly due to the significant strain-induced interactions dominate in the Cu lattice. This reconstruction will suggest the possible formation of a larger channel to further oxidize the inner Cu atoms. On-surface/sub-surface O species play a cooperative role in surface reconstruction and stability of Al/Cu(111) and enlighten us on the distinct atomic-level mechanisms of the initial oxidation process. [Display omitted] In this paper, the optimized reconstructions, thermodynamic energies, electronic properties, and diffusion dynamics of Al/Cu(111) adsorption and penetration systems with an on-surface oxygen coverage from 0.25 to 1 ML have been studied using DFT methods to evaluate the distinct oxidation behaviors at the initial process. The calculated results of adsorption systems illustrate that E b increases with the increasing coverages of O-Al(111) predicting an attraction interaction between O atoms leading to the formation of islands, while decreases for O Cu(111) indicating a repulsive interaction due to the distinct charge transfer and orbital hybridization. For initial O-penetrating configurations, in the case of structures and stability of initial O-penetrating configurations, E b decreases slightly compared with corresponding adsorption configurations of Al/Cu(111). A more significant missing-row surface reconstruction with the topmost Cu atoms pulled off can be observed over the full coverage in the existence of subsurface O, especially at Φ = 0.5∼1 ML, which suggests the possible formation of a larger channel to oxidize the inner Cu atoms further. The embedded sub-surface O will produce larger lattice expansion in Cu dominated by strain-induced interactions. In addition, on-surface (2 × 2) full-coverage and sub-surface tetra-Ⅰ (2 × 2) 0.25 ML-coverage structure from a tetrahedral O unit with an Al atom in the center, characteristic of Al 2 O 3. The cooperative on-surface/sub-surface O species play a crucial role in the surface reconstruction and stability of Al/Cu(111) and enlighten us on the distinct atomic-level mechanisms of the initial oxidation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C15H16N5O5Cl, monoclinic, P21/n (no. 14), a = 7.37210(10) Å, b = 13.30639(19) Å, c = 17.1682(2) Å, β = 97.2301(12)°, Z = 4, V = 1670.74(4) Å3, Rgt(F) = 0.0357, wRref(F2) = 0.1023, T = 173(1) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron probe micro‐analysis (EPMA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) have been used to investigate the principal ore minerals and coexisting metallic mineral inclusions in polished thin sections from the Tiegelongnan deposit, which consists of a high‐sulfidation epithermal system (HSES) and a porphyry system (PS). Molybdenite, chalcopyrite, bornite, tennantite, enargite, digenite, anilite, covellite, and tetrahedrite have been identified by EPMA. Intergrowth, cross‐cutting and replacement relationships between the metallic minerals suggest that molybdenite formed first (stage 1), followed by chalcopyrite ± bornite ± hematite (stage 2), then bornite ± Cu‐sulfides ± Cu‐Fe‐sulfoarsenides (stage 3), and lastly Cu‐Fe‐ sulfoarsenides ± Cu‐ sulfides (stage 4). Pyrite is developed throughout all the stages. Droplet‐like inclusions of Au‐Te minerals commonly occur in tennantite but not in the other major sulfides (molybdenite, chalcopyrite and bornite), implying that tennantite is the most important Au telluride carrier. The pervasive binary equilibrium phases of calaverite and altaite constrain fTe2 in the range from ∼−6.5 to ∼−8 and fS2 < −11. The intergrowth of bornite and chalcopyrite and the conversion from bornite to digenite suggest fluctuated and relatively low precipitation temperature conditions in the HSES relative to the PS. Contrastingly, the dominance of chalcopyrite in the PS, with minor bornite, suggests relatively high temperature conditions. These new results are important for further understanding the mineral formation processes superimposed by HSES and PS systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mitochondrial genome (mt-genome) data can potentially return artefactual relationships in the higher-level phylogenetic inference of insects due to the biases of accelerated substitution rates and compositional heterogeneity. Previous studies based on mt-genome data alone showed a paraphyly of Cimicomorpha (Insecta, Hemiptera) due to the positions of the families Tingidae and Reduviidae rather than the monophyly that was supported based on morphological characters, morphological and molecular combined data and large scale molecular datasets. Various strategies have been proposed to ameliorate the effects of potential mt-genome biases, including dense taxon sampling, removal of third codon positions or purine-pyrimidine coding and the use of site-heterogeneous models. In this study, we sequenced the mt-genomes of five additional Tingidae species and discussed the compositional and mutational rate heterogeneity in mt-genomes and its effect on the phylogenetic inferences of Cimicomorpha by implementing the bias-reduction strategies mentioned above. Results: Heterogeneity in nucleotide composition and mutational biases were found in mt protein-coding genes, and the third codon exhibited high levels of saturation. Dense taxon sampling of Tingidae and Reduviidae and the other common strategies mentioned above were insufficient to recover the monophyly of the well-established group Cimicomorpha. When the sites with weak phylogenetic signals in the dataset were removed, the remaining dataset of mt-genomes can support the monophyly of Cimicomorpha; this support demonstrates that mt-genomes possess strong phylogenetic signals for the inference of higher-level phylogeny of this group. Comparison of the ratio of the removal of amino acids for each PCG showed that ATP8 has the highest ratio while CO1 has the lowest. This pattern is largely congruent with the evolutionary rate of 13 PCGs that ATP8 represents the highest evolutionary rate, whereas CO1 appears to be the lowest. Notably, the value of Ka/Ks ratios of all PCGs is less than 1, indicating that these genes are likely evolving under purifying selection. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that mt-genomes have sites with strong phylogenetic signals for the inference of higher-level phylogeny of Cimicomorpha. Consequently, bioinformatic approaches to removing sites with weak phylogenetic signals in mt-genome without relying on an a priori tree topology would greatly improve this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) is a key enzyme in polyamine (PA) biosynthesis, and overexpression of SAMDC in plants can increase the PA level and enhance tolerance to multiple abiotic and biotic stresses. In our previous study, this gene was significantly up-regulated during Cladosporium fulvum resistance gene ( Cf )/ Avirulence ( Avr ) interaction in tomato. In this study, to further understand the role that the SAMDC gene plays in Cf / Avr interaction, the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) method was applied to down-regulate SAMDC expression in CGN18423, a line carrying the Cf-19 gene for resistance to C. fulvum . Then, these plants were infected with C. fulvum to analyze changes in resistance. The silencing of SAMDC was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis and PA quantification. The resistance levels of SAMDC -silenced plants were lower than those of untreated CGN18423 plants. No visible signs of infection were observed on the leaves of untreated CGN18423 plants, while some small chlorotic spots were observed on parts of the leaf margins of SAMDC -silenced plants, and hyphae inside the chlorotic spots were observed late in the hypersensitive response (HR) process. These changes suggested that silencing of the SAMDC gene affected the process of Cf/Avr interaction and decreased the resistance of CGN18423 to C. fulvum . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Identification of the active copper species, and further illustration of the catalytic mechanism of Cu‐based catalysts is still a challenge because of the mobility and evolution of Cu0 and Cu+ species in the reaction process. Thus, an unprecedentedly stable Cu‐based catalyst was prepared by uniformly embedding Cu nanoparticles in a mesoporous silica shell allowing clarification of the catalytic roles of Cu0 and Cu+ in the dehydrogenation of methanol to methyl formate by combining isotope‐labeling experiment, in situ spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. It is shown that Cu0 sites promote the cleavage of the O−H bond in methanol and of the C−H bond in the reaction intermediates CH3O and H2COOCH3 which is formed from CH3O and HCHO, whereas Cu+ sites cause rapid decomposition of formaldehyde generated on the Cu0 sites into CO and H2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Identification of the active copper species, and further illustration of the catalytic mechanism of Cu‐based catalysts is still a challenge because of the mobility and evolution of Cu0 and Cu+ species in the reaction process. Thus, an unprecedentedly stable Cu‐based catalyst was prepared by uniformly embedding Cu nanoparticles in a mesoporous silica shell allowing clarification of the catalytic roles of Cu0 and Cu+ in the dehydrogenation of methanol to methyl formate by combining isotope‐labeling experiment, in situ spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. It is shown that Cu0 sites promote the cleavage of the O−H bond in methanol and of the C−H bond in the reaction intermediates CH3O and H2COOCH3 which is formed from CH3O and HCHO, whereas Cu+ sites cause rapid decomposition of formaldehyde generated on the Cu0 sites into CO and H2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration and transformation trend of heavy metals have close relationship with soil safety. In this research, we aim to provide reliable basis for prevention and management of local soil contaminants. We choose Anshan tailings for field investigations and laboratory research, analyze vertical and horizontal migration characteristics of five heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cr) and the role of Amaranthus blitoides in tailings. According to Single factor contaminant index and Nemerow composite index, the five heavy metals condition different migration trend in the vertical direction (Cd > Zn > Cr > Pb > Cu) in the soil properties and threaten the groundwater of Anshan tailings. They had strong migration capability in horizontal direction resulting in surrounding pollution. The highest migration capability was found in Cr followed by Pb > Zn > Cd > Cu under specific climatic condition. Amaranthus blitoides as dominant species can grow well in harsh environment and can effectively remove heavy metals in mine tailings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An N-doped Co@C catalyst (Co@NC) is synthesized by a one-pot carbonization of biomass-derived glucose and harmless melamine with CoCl2 as the catalyst, where C and N resources could be transformed into highly graphitic N-doped carbon, while the coordinated Co2+ ions are reduced to uniform Co nanoparticles (NPs), which are embedded in N-doped graphitic structures. Under base-free conditions with formic acid (FA) as a hydrogen donor, the optimized Co@NC-700 (pyrolyzed at 700 °C) shows a highly efficient H2 generation from FA and the best activity for vanillin hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) with FA. For example, Co@NC-700 exhibits 15.4 times higher activity in comparison with uncovered Co on AC (Co/AC), and affords ＞95% vanillin conversion with 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (MMP) as the sole product at 180 °C for 4 h. Compared with molecular hydrogen, Co@NC-700 gives a much higher activity and MMP selectivity for vanillin HDO with FA. The Co@NC-700 demonstrates enhanced acid resistance in acidic medium and adsorption of vanillin, and is recyclable and versatile for hydrogenating various unsaturated compounds. The superior performance of Co@NC-700 could be ascribed to N-derived defective sites on Co@NC, which could play multiple roles as base additives in FA dehydrogenation and as a metal-like active center in vanillin HDO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have studied the different surface oxygen chemisorption behaviors of two-dimensional FCC metal surfaces of Al and Cu with increasing thickness N by first-principles calculations. The charge transfer from substrate to adsorbate O atom is mainly contributed by surface atoms in the Al system, but by surface associated with sub-surface atoms in the Cu system. The shorter Al-O bonding length shows stronger bond strength and interaction than that of Cu O bonding. The thickness-dependence of the binding energy E b , work function Φ, and surface energy E surf in Al(1 1 1) not Cu(1 1 1) shows a periodical oscillation due to QSEs. the oscillations of Al_3 p z PDOS mainly contribute to that of TDOS around E F , thus giving an oscillatory energy state contribution to periodic surface energies and reactivities. Further investigation suggests that QSEs are not only z-direction thickness N but also wavevector-dependence, which is maximum at Γ ¯ point resulting from the strong interlayer coupling interaction between 3 p z orbitals. Besides, the wavevector of Al(1 1 1) is maximum at Γ ¯ point resulting from a strong interlayer coupling interaction between 3 p z states but could become quite small at other symmetry points due to weak intralayer coupling between 3 p x,y states. However, because d-band metals like Cu(1 1 1) have complex Fermi surfaces causing incremental Fermi wavelength anisotropy and larger-amplitude fluctuation of Cu_t 2g at E F , QSEs will be generally canceled. Our systematical calculation results present the oscillations of different periodicity in chemisorption behaviors and physical properties like electronic properties, which can be adapted to tailor catalytic performance, chemical reactions, and even corrosion protection processes in two-dimensional nanostructured film materials. [Display omitted] Oxygen chemisorption is one of the crucial factors to understand the performance of metal materials under special service environments. Here, we investigate the thickness-dependent O chemisorption behaviors on two-dimensional Al(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 1) films based on first-principles calculations. It is found that the charge transfer from substrate to adsorbate O atom is mainly contributed by surface atoms in the Al system, but by surface associated with sub-surface atoms in the Cu system. Moreover, the thickness-dependent surface energy, work function, and O adsorption energy show an approximate three-monolayer oscillation for the Al surface, but not for the Cu surface. It results from quantum size effects (QSEs) in Al, which are related not only to z-direction size but also to wavevector: the QSEs reach their maximum at Γ ¯ point resulting from strong interlayer coupling interaction between 3 p z orbitals. The oscillations of Al_3 p z PDOS mainly contribute to that of TDOS around E F , thus giving an oscillatory energy state contribution to periodic surface energies and reactivities. However, because d-band metals like Cu(1 1 1) have complex Fermi surfaces causing incremental Fermi wavelength anisotropy and larger-amplitude fluctuation of Cu_t 2g at E F , QSEs will be generally canceled. Our findings may shed light on modeling the chemisorption and intrinsic physical properties, and thereby the distinct surface behaviors of low-dimensional metallic films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one kind of chronic and uncurable diseases that can cause heart failure. Immune microenvironment plays a significant role in PAH. The aim of this study was to assess the role of immune cell infiltration in the pathogenesis of PAH. Differentially expressed genes based on microarray data were enriched in several immune‐related pathways. To evaluate the immune cell infiltration, based on the microarray data sets in the GEO database, we used both ssGSEA and the CIBERSORT algorithm. Additionally, single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) data was used to further explicit the specific role and intercellular communications. Then receiver operating characteristic curves and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were used to discover and test the potential diagnostic biomarkers for PAH. Both the immune cell infiltration analyses based on the microarray data sets and the cell proportion in scRNA‐seq data exhibited a significant downregulation in the infiltration of monocytes in PAH. Then, the intercellular communications showed that the interaction weighs of most immune cells, including monocytes changed between the control and PAH groups, and the ITGAL‐ITGB2 and ICAM signaling pathways played critical roles in this process. In addition, ITGAM and ICAM2 displayed good diagnosis values in PAH. This study implicated that the change of monocyte was one of the key immunologic features of PAH. Monocyte‐associated ICAM‐1 and ITGAL‐ITGB2 signaling pathways might be involved in the pathogenesis of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous nitrogen-doped carbon black (NCB) was synthesized by facile carbonization of carbon black (CB) coated with polypyrrole (CB@polypyrrole) and used as a support for Ni nanoparticles (NPs). The microstructure, reducibility and crystallinity of the as-synthesized materials were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H2-TPR/TPD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that surface nitrogen species on NCB significantly promote the decomposition of the nickel precursor and the reduction of nickel oxide, and improve the stability of metallic Ni in ambient atmosphere. In the selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of vanillin in the aqueous phase at low hydrogen pressure (0.5 MPa) and mild temperature (＜150 °C), Ni/NCB shows much higher activity than N-free catalysts. This is ascribed to the higher reducibility, the lower oxidation state of Ni NPs and the enhanced hydrogen spillover of Ni to the support. Moreover, the Ni/NCB catalyst is relatively cheap and easy to scale-up the production of, thus achieving a low-cost transformation of biomass to bio-oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]