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Introduction The prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking is increasing globally. Biomarkers of waterpipe tobacco smoke (WTS) exposure are less studied. Aims and Methods To identify the types of biomarkers of WTS exposure and estimate changes in biomarker concentrations pre- to post-WTS exposure. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies up to April 24, 2023. The types of biomarkers were identified. Random-effects models were used to estimate changes in biomarker concentrations pre- to post-WTS exposure. Results Seventy-three studies involving 3755 participants exposed to WTS (49% male, mean age: 24.8 years) and 11 types of biomarkers of WTS exposure were identified. The biomarkers included tobacco alkaloids, expired carbon monoxide (eCO), carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), tobacco-specific nitrosamines, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, unmetabolized VOCs, unmetabolized PAHs, furan metabolites, and heterocyclic aromatic amines. Compared with pre-WTS exposure, eCO (breath; mean difference [MD] 27.00 ppm; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 20.91 to 33.08), COHb (blood; MD 4.30%; 95%CI: 2.57 to 6.03), COHb (breath; MD 7.14%; 95%CI: 4.96 to 9.31), nicotine (blood; MD 8.23 ng/mL; 95%CI: 6.27 to 10.19), and cotinine (urine; MD 110.40 ng/mL; 95%CI: 46.26 to 174.54) significantly increased post-WTS exposure. Conclusions Biomarkers of WTS exposure were systematically identified. The similarity between the biomarkers of WTS exposure and those of cigarette smoke and higher concentrations of some biomarkers post-WTS exposure underscore the need for further research on applying biomarkers in surveillance, interventions, and regulations to mitigate the harms of waterpipe tobacco smoking. Implications This study provides the first comprehensive overview of biomarkers investigated and available for assessing WTS exposure and their concentration changes in the human body. Researchers can use biomarkers such as eCO, COHb, nicotine, and cotinine to measure the health risks associated with WTS exposure and objectively evaluate the effectiveness of public health interventions aimed at reducing waterpipe tobacco smoking. Public health policymaking can also be informed through increased biomarker concentrations following WTS exposure, to implement regulations and public health education campaigns on limiting or preventing waterpipe tobacco smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives] This study was conducted to investigate the differences of photosynthetic physiological characteristics of different varieties (strains), which will provide a theoretical basis for high photosynthesis efficiency breeding and application in Chinese chestnut [Methods] Six Chinese chestnut varieties of Castanea mollissima Yanbao, C. mollissima 'Yanqiu, C. mollissima Yanchang, C. mollissima Yanjia, C. mollissima Qianxi 37, and C. mollissima Hybrid 22 were used as the materials. Using the portable photosynthesis system Li-6400, we measured the photosynthetic characteristics and diurnal variation of leaf samples of six different chestnut varieties or strains. We fitted the light response curves and photosynthetic parameters using the leaf floating model. Additional- ly, we determined the chlorophyll content in the leaves using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. [Results] Among the six chestnut varieties or strains, 'Yanqiu' ex hibited a significantly higher photosynthetic light saturation point (PLSP) compared to other five varieties, and 'Hybrid 22 ranked second, indicating that these two varieties had the strongest adaptation to high light intensity. The photosynthetic light compensation point (PLCP) of 'Yanchang was significantly higher than other five varieties, and "Qianxi 37" ranked second, indicating that these two varieties had the strongest adaptation to low ligat intensity. Additionally, they exhibited higher chlorophyll content and maintained good photosynthetic characteristics even in shaded environments with weak light stress. Varieties 'Yanbao' and 'Yanjia showed higher PLSP and lower PLCP, indicating that these two varieties have a wider range of adaptation to light intensity. They were capable of efficiently utilizing light across a broader spectrum of intensities. Yanqiu had the highest maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pn, max) and the lowest dark respiration rate (Rd), along with the highest chlorophyll content. It indicated that 'Yanqiu' has strong photosynthetic capacity and organic matter accumulation ability. It also had the highest PLSP, enabling it to fully utilize the high light environment of the Yanshan Mountains and possessed high light efficiency characteristics. The Pn, max of Yanqiu was significantly higher than other varieties. Hybrid 221 and Yanbao' also exhibited significantly higher P mos compared with 'Yanjia and Qianxi 37 chang had the lowest Pn, max- The order of Pn, max, among the six chestnut varieties or strains was as follows: 'Yanqiu' 'Hybrid 22 Yanbao' > 'Yanjia > Qianxi 371> 'Yanchang. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the delamination properties of high-temperature superconducting REBa2Cu3O7−x (REBCO) coated conductor (CC) tapes and lap joints under transverse tension by a finite element model (FEM) based on the cohesive zone model. The interfacial cohesive strength and the initial penalty stiffness used in the FEM calculations are adopted based on the experimental data obtained from the anvil tensile tests. Compared to previous theoretical studies, our calculation results of the delamination behaviors for the REBCO CC tapes and the lap joints are more approaching to the experimental data, and the abrupt failure behavior of the transverse load–displacement curves, which appears in the anvil tests, is reproduced by the simulations. Moreover, the effects of welding strength between the upper and lower tapes and internal tape damage during the welding process on the delamination characteristics, including the delamination strength, initial separation, delamination locations, and damage distribution of the CC lap joints, are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nomenclature of Cephalotaxus lanceolata is controversial. After a thorough literature investigation, the nomenclatural problems have been resolved. This name was published in W. C. Cheng et al. (1975) and, although ascribed to "K. M. Feng", there is no suggestion that the descriptive material in the protologue was provided by K. M. Feng. Under Art. 46.5 of the ICN, this name should be attributed to K. M. Feng ex W. C. Cheng et al. but not to K. M. Feng alone. It has been claimed that the name is an illegitimate later homonym of one published by Beissner in 1901, but Beissner never accepted this name in any of his publications and so, under Art. 36.1, he did not validly publish an earlier homonym. Cephalotaxus lanceolatus was first validly published in W. C. Cheng et al. (1975). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a flexible visitation system in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: A randomized, open-label, parallel group clinical trial was conducted. All patients admitted to the ICU of the Lanzhou University Second Hospital from April to June 2022 were enrolled. The enrolled patients were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group according to a computer-generated random sequence table. Results: A total of 410 patients were admitted. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 140 patients were included in the experimental group (flexible visitation group) and 140 in the control group (normal visitation group). The average number of visitation minutes per day between the experimental group and the control group was 24.7 versus 23.9 min (p > 0.05).Among the outcome indicators, delirium occurred in 8 (5.7%) patients in the intervention group and in 24 (17.1%) patients in the control group (p = 0.003). Five complaints (mainly pressure ulcers) were received, with one in the experimental group and the others in the control group. There were 28 cases of nosocomial infection in the experimental group and 29 cases in the control group; therefore, the incidence of nosocomial infection was 20% versus 20.7% (p = 0.882). A total of 280 questionnaires were collected, with a retrieval rate of 100%. The satisfaction of patients in the experimental group and the control group was 98.6% and 92.1%, respectively (p = 0.011). The flexible visiting system reduced the ICU length of stay (LOS). The ICU LOS of the experimental group was 6 versus 8 days for the control group (p = 0.041). However, the flexible visiting system did not reduce the hospital stay (17 vs. 19 days, p = 0.923). Conclusion: Conducting a flexible visitation system in ICUs could reduce the incidence of delirium in critically ill patients and improve the quality of nursing care; furthermore, the rate of nosocomial infections was not increased. These findings need to be further verified by a multicentre, large-scale clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type of Cycas debaoensis Y.C.Zhong & C.J.Chen (Y.C.Zhong 8762) consists of nine duplicates in PE. Our new investigation of the type collection suggests that the type includes at least two different gatherings which should be considered as syntypes. For nomenclatural purposes, we lectotypify the name Cycas debaoensis with the herbarium sheet PE00047578 and consider other duplicates in PE and GXMI as isolectotypes. The seeds in the capsule (Y.C.Zhong s.n. collected in Oct 1998) are considered as a syntype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine the influence of gender on the different pain subtypes experienced by patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: Two hundred patients with PD were recruited for this research. Demographic features for all patients were recorded, as well as clinical data on age, disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), and scores for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III (UPDRS III), Hoehn-Yahr Scale (H&Y), King's Parkinson's disease Pain Scale (KPPS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE), activities of daily living scale (ADL), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scales. Results: Male and female patients showed no significant differences in terms of age, disease duration, LEDD, H&Y stage, and UPDRS III, HAMD, HAMA, PSQI and ADL scores. Women showed significantly lower MMSE than men, but their KPPS scores were higher (both p < 0.05). Female also showed significantly higher scores for chronic, fluctuation-related pain and oro-facial pain and more discoloration; edema/swelling than males (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Female gender was associated with pain in PD patients, with stronger associations for certain subtypes of PD-related pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name Sabina convallium var. microsperma W.C.Cheng & W.T.Wang was not validly published when it was first described in 1975, but was validated in 1978 at the same time as the specific combination Sabina convallium (Rehder & E.H.Wilson) W.C.Cheng & W.T.Wang was validly published in Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae. Under Art. 41.6 of the Shenzhen Code, other names based on Sabina convallium var. microsperma were valid, including Sabina microsperma (W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu) W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu, Juniperus convallium var. microsperma (W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu) Silba, Juniperus microsperma (W.C.Cheng & L.K.Fu) R.P.Adams, despite the reference of the basionym being erroneously cited when these authors made the new combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we review quality of life and functional outcomes in bladder cancer patients after treatment and look for potential contributors. For the current scoring systems, we highlighted the specificity scales that are most commonly used in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and muscle invasive bladder cancer. In addition, we go into the influence and bias of ileal conduit, robotic surgery, gender disparities, perioperative rehabilitation, bladder-preserving radiotherapy, pharmaceutical and immune chemotherapy, etc. on quality of life. Currently, although there are conflicts whether ileal conduit or orthotopic neobladder has a more positive impact on the prognosis of patients with bladder cancer, it is widely recognized that modern applications such as robotic surgery and pharmaceutical and immune chemotherapy improve the prognosis and quality of life of bladder cancer patients. Moreover, we discussed the differences in the adaptation of sex life quality between women and man after receiving various treatments. Surgical procedures that preserve organ integrity appear to improve patient’s quality of sexual life. Through this review, clinicians will have a better understanding of how important modern applications can grasp to improve the quality of life of their patients, with the goal of restoring their patient’s normal function and making it easier for them to re-join society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The employment of soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) has become popular recently due to it's dual properties of energy production and soil pollutants treatments. In SMFCs, the main problem is to attract the exoelectrogens to the anode in solid medium rather than in aqueous medium of MFCs. So, the subsequent research should focus on developing anode materials that can not only promote the aggregation of exoelectrogens, but also cost‐effective, and so as to facilitate the removal of pollutants from contaminated soils and the power generation for low energy accessories. Recent studies have reported that the modification of traditional anode materials makes the SMFCs to obtain excellent performance, especially the use of renewable raw materials. This review summarizes the advancements of biochar, metals, graphene (Gr), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their derivatives as anode materials in SMFCs. Furthermore, the performance improvements of SMFCs by using the novel or possible future anode materials in the removal of pollutants and shifting of bacterial community were described. Finally, the future trends of anode materials for SMFCs were prospected. Novelty statement: The short of comprehensive review on the anodic materials limited the research and application of SMFCs. This work not just summarized the current used anodic materials, but also highlighted the possible future anodic materials, which should be helpful for comprehensive understanding and be beneficial to advance future research on SMFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a static electric (E)-field and an unchirped and chirped laser pulse field on the cycl[3.3.3]azine molecule was investigated using next-generation quantum theory of atoms in molecules (NG-QTAIM). Despite the magnitude of the E-field of the laser pulses being an order of magnitude lower than for the static E-field, the variation of the energy gap between the lowest lying singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) excited states was orders of magnitude greater for the laser pulse than for the static E-field. Insights into the response of the electronic structure were captured by NG-QTAIM, where differences in the inverted singlet-triplet gap due to the laser pulses were significant larger compared to those induced by the static E-field. The response of the S1 and T1 excited states, as determined by NG-QTAIM, switched discontinuously between weak and strong chemical character for the static E-field. In contrast, the response to the laser pulses, determined by NG-QTAIM, is to induce a continuous range of chemical character, indicating the unique ability of the laser pulses to induce polarization effects in the form of "mixed" bond types. Our analysis demonstrates that NG-QTAIM is a useful tool for understanding the response to laser irradiation of the lowest-lying singlet S1 and triplet T1 excited states of emitters exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence. The chirped laser pulse led to more frequent instances of the desired outcome of an inverted singlet-triplet gap than the unchirped pulse, indicating its usefulness as a tool to design more efficient organic light-emitting diode devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A result of Gluck is that any finite group G has an abelian subgroup A such that |G : A| is bounded by a polynomial function of the largest irreducible character degree of G. Moretó presented a variation of this result that looks at the number of prime factors of the irreducible character degrees and obtained an almost quadratic bound. The author improved the result of Moretó to almost linear. In this note, we further improve the bound, and also study the related problem on conjugacy class sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent phylogenetic studies have suggested that the monotypic Fokienia A.Henry & H.H.Thomas is nested within Chamaecyparis Spach, which is in agreement with separate morphological studies. Here the authors confirm a previous taxonomic treatment that incorporated Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) A.Henry & H.H.Thomas into Chamaecyparis based on the monophyly requirement of taxonomy, i.e. Chamaecyparis hodginsii (Dunn) Rushforth. In addition, the type collection of the basionym Cupressus hodginsii Dunn was found to contain three sheets of specimens, one in K including a vegetative branch (K000088294) and a separate ovulate cone (K001090486), a second one in A (A00022477), and a third one in IBSC (IBSC0016081). All three specimens are marked with Hongkong Herbarium No. 3505, but only the two specimens in K and IBSC possess similar handwriting of "Cupressus hodginsii Dunn". The two specimens should be considered as syntypes according to the Shenzhen Code. The specimen in K is better preserved but it is a mixture according to the collection label: cones from Foochow (Fuzhou) and foliage from Yenping (Nanping). We lectotypified the name Cupressus hodginsii with K000088294 because the specimen is well preserved and has enough characters for identification. Moreover, an ovulate cone (K001090486) is on the same sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heineken [H. Heineken, Nilpotent subgroups of finite soluble groups, Arch. Math.(Basel), 56 no. 5 (1991) 417–423.] studied the order of the nilpotent subgroups of the largest order of a solvable group. We point out an error, and thus refute the proof of the main result of [H. Heineken, Nilpotent subgroups of finite soluble groups, Arch. Math.(Basel), 56 no. 5 (1991) 417–423]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, sheet mica was explored as an alternative substrate for thin film deposition due to its unique layered structure and atomically flat surface. Static magnetic properties and microwave permeability of sputtered FeCoN films on mica with and without SiO2 under-layer were examined. In-plane isotropy and a large coercivity of 70 Oe were observed for the film directly deposited on mica substrate. With the insertion of 40 nm SiO2 under-layer between the film and mica substrate, well-defined in-plane anisotropy is formed due to the significant reduce in film residual stress, associated with a 3 Oe coercive force along easy axis. As a result, excellent microwave properties have been achieved and are comparable with the same film on Si substrate. Moreover, the permeability spectra are surprisingly stable from room temperature up to 390 K. Mica is proved as a promising substrate for magnetic films with high microwave performance, which is a great advantage for practical applications. Furthermore, our results provide an effective way to reduce the residual stress in sputtered films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subduction erosion is important for crustal material recycling and is widespread in modern active convergent margins. However, such a process is rarely identified in fossil convergent systems, which casts doubt on the importance of subduction erosion through the geological record. We report on ca. 155 Ma Kangqiong (pluton) intrusive rocks of a Mesozoic magmatic arc in the southern Qiangtang terrane, central Tibet. These rocks mainly consist of trondhjemites and tonalites and are similar to slab-derived adakites with mantle-like zircon oxygen isotope compositions (-18O = 5.2°-5.6°), they display more evolved Sr-Nd isotopes and higher Th/La relative to mid-oceanic ridge basalts from the Bangong-Nujiang suture, and they contain abundant amphibole and biotite. These characteristics indicate magma generation via H2O fluxed melting of eroded forearc crust debris with subducted oceanic crust at 1.5-2.5 GPa and 700-800 °C. In addition, the intrusions are exposed <20 km north of the Bangong-Nujiang suture. Given the formation of adakites, narrow arc-suture distance, migration of the Jurassic frontal arc toward the continent interior, and other independent geological archives, we suggest that the hydrated forearc crust materials were removed from the overlying plate and carried into the mantle by subduction erosion. Our study provides the first direct magmatic evidence for a subduction erosion process in pre-Cenozoic convergent systems, which confirms an important role for such processes in subduction-zone material recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION The perceived health risks of tobacco products may change during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the perceived risks of tobacco use on COVID-19 infection and severity, and possible COVID-related changes in perceptions of tobacco use and overall health. METHODS We conducted an online survey of adults in the United States in June 2020 (n=2097). The survey covered cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and hookah. We also assessed changes in the use of any of the four tobacco products. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of agreeing with the perceived risks for each risk and each product, with the adjustment of demographic and COVID-19 related variables. RESULTS For all four tobacco products, the perceived risks to general health were slightly higher during the pandemic than before the pandemic (77% vs 79.5% for cigarettes) and the perceived risk of COVID-19 severity was larger than the perceived risk of COVID-19 infection (73.3% vs 56.2% for cigarettes). All risk measures varied with tobacco products consistently, with the risks highest for cigarettes, then cigars, followed by e-cigarettes and hookah. Females and people with higher income or education were more likely to endorse the risks of tobacco use than their counterparts. People who perceived higher risks of using cigarettes (OR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.20--2.27) and cigars (OR=1.63; 95% CI: 1.17--2.27) to COVID-19 severity were more likely to have decreased or quit their use. CONCLUSIONS Tobacco/nicotine use was perceived to increase the risk of COVID-19 severity and the perceived risk of tobacco/nicotine use to general health was high during the pandemic, particularly for cigarettes. The change of perceived risks appeared to be prompting harm-reducing changes in tobacco product use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phospholipase C epsilon-1 (PLCε1) might be a novel and potential target in treating inflammatory conditions. • PLCε1 regulated NFκB activation by promoting p38/RhoA/ROCK activation loop. • PLCε1 thereby induced a increase in number of inflammatory mediators, which cause the PMVECs injury and inflammation. • This study provide a potential therapeutic target for the reduction of inflammatory response in patients with OLV. Phospholipase C epsilon-1 (PLCε1) might be a novel and potential target in treating inflammatory conditions. In the present study, we aimed to clarify whether PLCε1 is involved in lung injury caused by one-lung ventilation (OLV) and to elucidate the potential molecular mechanism of PLCε1-mediated signaling pathway on OLV induced inflammatory response and injury. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into wide-type (PLCε1-WT) group and PLCε1-KO group, and were treated with OLV for 0.5 h, 1 h, and 2 h respectively. Observation of lung tissue injury in rats was performed by Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Wet/dry (W/D) radios. In addition, pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) transfected with PLCε1-si RNA, were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). To explore the possible roles of PLCε1 in the OLV induced inflammatory injury and the involved pathway underlying, the lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) of OLV rats, as well as the PMVECs were prepared for further analysis. Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression of pro-inflammatory factors. The activities of related pathway proteins (NF-κB, phospho-p38, p38, phospho-ERK1/2, ERK1/2, RhoA and ROCK) were also detected by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis. Compared to the PLCε1-WT rats, PLCε1-KOrats exhibited marked alleviation of lung inflammation as shown by great reduction in lung wet/dry weight ratios, decreases in the expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators, and declines in the number of neutrophils and the protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Moreover, the increased expressions of RhoA and NF-κB p65 mRNA induced by OLV were significantly inhibited in PLCε1-KO rats. In LPS treated PMVECs, PLCε1-si RNA transfection ones also showed the decrease expression of proinflammatory mediators, reduction in p38 phosphorylation levels and downregulation of RhoA/ROCK signaling activation. Co-cultured with PLCε1-si RNA and BTRB796 (p38 inhibitors) in LPS-stimulated PMVECs resulted in a significant reduction in RhoA and NF-κB activity. In addition, treatment with either ROCK inhibitor (Y-27632) or dominant negative mutant of RhoA (RhoT19 N) significantly reduced the expression of NF-κB in PLCε1-si RNA treated PMVECs. The results indicated that PLCε1 played an important role in the inflammatory response induced by OLV. Moreover, through promoting p38/RhoA/ROCK activation loop, PLCε1 promoted NF-κB activation and thereby increased the expressions of inflammatory mediators, which induced the PMVECs inflammation and subsequent injury. The results of this study provide a potential therapeutic target for the reduction of inflammatory response in patients with OLV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synapse and synapse-associated proteins (SAPs) play critical roles in various neurodegeneration diseases and brain tumors. However, in lower-grade gliomas (LGG), SAPs have not been explored systematically. Herein, we are going to explore SAPs expression profile and its clinicopathological significance in LGG which can offer new insights to glioma therapy. In the present study, we integrate a list of SAPs that covered 231 proteins with synaptogenesis activity and post synapse formation. The LGG RNA-seq data were downloaded from GEO, TCGA and CGGA database. The prognosis associated SAPs in key modules of PPI (protein-protein interaction networks) was regarded as hub SAPs. Western blot, quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunochemistry results from HPA database were used to verify the expression of hub SAPs. There were 68 up-regulated SAPs and 44 down-regulated SAPs in LGG tissue compared with normal brain tissue. Data from function enrichment analysis revealed functions of differentially expressed SAPs in synapse organization and glutamatergic receptor pathway in LGGs. Survival analysis revealed that four SAPs, GRIK2, GABRD, GRID2 and ARC were correlate with the prognosis of LGG patients. Interestingly, we found that GABRD were up-regulated in LGG patients with seizures, indicating that SAPs may link to the pathogenesis of seizures in glioma patients. The four-SAPs signature was revealed as an independent prognostic factor in gliomas. Our study presented a novel strategy to assess the prognostic risks of LGGs, based on the expression of SAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actual evapotranspiration (ETa) estimated models based on the complementary relationship (CR) theory have been applied in various climatic conditions around the world. However, in cold regions, the evaluation of the adaptability of the CR models was performed through complete freeze-thaw cycles, and the adaptability during various periods of soil freeze-thaw cycles has not been evaluated separately. Daily ETa was measured by lysimeters on alpine grassland in the Qilian Mountains from 2010 to 2017, and the measurements were used to evaluate five CR models during the thawing, thawed, freezing, and frozen periods, respectively. The five models comprised the advection-aridity (AA) model of Brutsaert and Stricker, the GG model proposed by Granger and Gray, Morton's CR areal evapotranspiration (CRAE) model, the Han model, and Brutsaert model. The results show that all five CR models were only able to estimate daily ETa during the thawed period. None of the models could estimate the daily ETa during the thawing, freezing, or frozen periods. The basic assumptions of the CR may not be suitable for non-thawed periods with complex energy processes, and no complementary behavior was shown in the non-thawed periods. The CR models must be applied with caution during freeze-thaw cycles in cold regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hollow Ni − P amorphous alloy nanospheres were prepared by electroless plating method. • Such hollow catalyst showed a good potential in hydrogenation of sugars to polyols. • Such hollow catalyst has the advantages of easy handling and accessibility. • Such hollow catalyst provides more active sites for catalytic reaction. • Such hollow catalyst possesses more electron-enriched inner surface. In this paper, hollow Ni − P nanospheres (NSs) are prepared through Ni electroless plating on the Au-activated silica NSs externally covered by aminopropyl moieties, followed by removing the silica template with sodium hydroxide. With various characterizations, the resulting hollow Ni − P NSs are identified to be amorphous alloy. During liquid-phase hydrogenation of sugars to sugar alcohols, the hollow Ni − P amorphous alloy NSs delivered much superior catalytic performances to the commercial Raney Ni catalyst, showing a good potential in practical applications. Of particular interest is the unique hollow chamber structure of the hollow Ni − P amorphous alloy NSs, which allows for improving catalytic activity and durability relative to those associated with the dense Ni − P amorphous alloy NSs. This work demonstrated that such hollow Ni materials with nanoporous chamber structure displayed advantages such as easy experimental handling and high accessibility for the reactants in liquid-phase reaction, more Ni active sites, as well as the existence of more electron-enriched inner surface, which is essential to provide highly efficient catalysts for some reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature-dependent diffusion coefficient of interstitial helium in zirconium carbide (ZrC) matrix is calculated based on the transition state theory. The microscopic parameters in the activation energy and prefactor are obtained from first-principles total energy and phonon frequency calculations including the all atoms. The obtained activation energy is 0.78 eV, consistent with experimental value. Besides, we evaluated the influence of C and Zr vacancies as the perturbation on helium diffusion, and found the C vacancy seems to confine the mobility of helium and the Zr vacancy promotes helium diffusion in some extent. These results provide a good reference to understand the behavior of helium in ZrC matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we deposited FeCoN thin films by reactive dc magnetron sputtering under various deposition powers. Composition, microstructure, static magnetic properties, and microwave permeability of as-sputtered films were examined. The permeability spectra were theoretically analyzed based on LLG equation. When high deposition power was applied, μ0' improved significantly due to the increased Mi and decreased Hk. On the other hand, the damping coefficient λ increased with the power, which resulted in the widen permeability spectra. The physical origin of the influences should be related to the change in the film composition and microstructure, which have immediate impact on static magnetic properties and damping effect of the film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwaves have the capability of penetrating through materials with low permittivity. By means of a near-field scanning microwave microscope system, we obtained two-dimensional maps of the incident microwave's reflection coefficient intensity and frequency shift, which correspond well to the spatial distribution and electrical conductance of fluids and metallic thin film structures hidden underneath 15-170 μm thick dielectric covers. The lateral resolution and sensitivity to conductivity for the target samples were found closely related to the thickness of the cover layer. The technique offers a real-time, in-situ, and a non-invasive approach to monitor the local chemical reactions, the motion of fluids, and the distribution or concentrations of ions or bio-materials in lab-on-a-chip systems. This technique also has the potential to be developed for the detection of live cells and tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Ephedraceae, i.e. Ephedra chengiae sp. nov., is described and illustrated here. This new species is similar to E. rituensis Y.Yang & al. and E. intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. in the erect habit with prominent woody stems, elongated twigs with many nodes, and the long micropylar tube. However, it differs from E. rituensis by the synangia being prominently stipitate (vs. sessile), the female cone having fewer bract pairs (3–4 vs. 4–5), its glossy seeds, and from E. intermedia by the prominently stipitate synangia (vs. sessile or nearly so), the female cone having fewer bract pairs (3–4 vs. 2–5), the glossy seeds (vs. seeds not glossy), and the micropylar tube being more or less straight (vs. twisted). Ephedra chengiae var. spinosa var. nov. differs from var. chengiae in its cushion-like habit and the spinose twigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy is the most common inherited cerebral microangiopathy. Its clinical features include recurrent central nervous system symptoms—including lacunar stroke, migraine, psychiatric disturbance, acute reversible encephalopathy, and cognitive impairment. We report a case of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy in a patient presenting with severe low back pain and a herniated nucleus pulposus. A 45-year-old female patient with a prior history of right-sided sciatic pain, hypoesthesia, and paresthesia in the right S1 sensory dermatome was referred after back surgery because of persistent low back pain and a spastic gait abnormality. Imaging revealed a right protruding disc herniation of L5/S1 with right S1 nerve root compression and right posterior disc bulging at L4/5 with foraminal stenosis and disc degeneration, for which she underwent surgery. After surgery, she experienced mild sciatica, an antalgic limping gait with foot-dragging, and progressive motor weakness. Her family history was significant for a parent and sibling affected by stroke. The diagnosis of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy was established by polymerase chain reaction sequencing, which showed a mutated exon 11 of NOTCH3 on chromosome 19. Clinicians should assess patients with non-specific extra-central nervous system symptoms or atypical courses for potential underlying diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W.C.Cheng validly published the name Juniperus pingii W.C.Cheng in 1944 by providing a validating Latin diagnosis in de Ferré (1944), but he failed to cite any specimen. He repeated the publication of the name in 1947 with the same Latin diagnosis; he thus published an isonym "J. pingii" under Art. 6 Note 2. Cheng (1947) lectotypified the name J. pingii when he designated W.C.Cheng 1015 as the "type" of the isonym. Farjon (2005) overlooked this early designation and his lectotypification of the name with the illustration from the 1944 protologue is not effective as the W.C.Cheng 1015 specimen is extant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of stocking density on productive performance, egg quality, and antioxidant capacity in laying ducks. A total of 720 20-week-old Jinding laying ducks were randomly assigned to 5 stocking densities (4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 birds/m²) with 8 replicate pens each treatment. The results showed that increasing stocking density linearly increased egg production and egg mass and linearly decreased FCR of laying ducks (P <0.05). The eggshell strength and thickness decreased linearly (P <0.05) and quadratically (P <0.05) with an increase in stocking density. Increased stocking density linearly decreased concentrations of estradiol-17β and follicle-stimulating hormone, activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity in plasma (P <0.05), but linearly increased plasma and hepatic malondialdehyde content (P <0.05). The results suggested that high stocking density adversely influenced laying performance and egg quality of ducks, which is associated with impaired antioxidant capacity. Under our experimental conditions, we recommend that the stocking density of laying ducks should be kept to 4 or fewer birds/m² to avoid the negative effects of high stocking density on performance and egg quality of laying ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type collection of Abies fanjingshanensis W.L.Huang et al. contains four specimens in the Herbarium (GNUG). Abies fanjingshanensis is lectotypified here with L.Yang 83-427 (GNUG0002022) under Art. 9.12 of the Shenzhen Code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) is an emerging public health crisis, particularly among youth and young adults. Different from the use of other tobacco products and e-cigarettes, WTS tends to be a social activity occurring among friends or persons associated with social networks. In this paper, we review a potential strategy for WTS-related research. Methods: As a bottom-up computational model, agent-based modeling (ABM) can simulate the actions and interactions of agents, as well as the dynamic interactions between agents and their environments, to gain an understanding of the functioning of a system. ABM is particularly useful for incorporating the influence of social networks in WTS, and capturing people's space-time activity and the spatial distribution of WTS venues. Results: Comprehensive knowledge of WTSrelated behaviors at the individual level is needed to take advantage of ABM and use it to examine policies such as the interaction between WTS and cigarette smoking and the effect of flavors used in waterpipe tobacco. Longitudinal and WTS-specific surveys and laboratory experiments are particularly helpful to understand WTS basic mechanisms and elicit individual preferences, respectively. Conclusions: We argue that the uniqueness of WTS makes ABM a promising tool to be used in WTS-related research, as well as understanding use of other tobacco products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide variety of intrinsic and extrinsic cues lead to cell death with unclear mechanisms. The infertility of some death mutants often hurdles the classical suppressor screens for death regulators. We have developed a transient RNA interference (RNAi)-based screen using a virus-induced gene silencing approach to understand diverse cell death pathways in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). One death pathway is due to the depletion of a MAP kinase (MAPK) cascade, consisting of MAPK kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1), MKK1/2, and MPK4, which depends on a nucleotide-binding site Leu-rich repeat (NLR) protein SUMM2. Silencing of MEKK1 by virus-induced gene silencing resembles the mekk1 mutant with autoimmunity and defense activation. The RNAi-based screen toward Arabidopsis T-DNA insertion lines identified SUMM2, MEKK2, and Calmodulin-binding receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase 3 (CRCK3) to be vital regulators of RNAi MEKK1-induced cell death, consistent with the reports of their requirement in the mekk1-mkk1/2-mpk4 death pathway. Similar with MEKK2, overexpression of CRCK3 caused dosage- and SUMM2-dependent cell death, and the transcripts of CRCK3 were up-regulated in mekk1, mkk1/2, and mpk4. MEKK2-induced cell death depends on CRCK3. Interestingly, CRCK3-induced cell death also depends on MEKK2, consistent with the biochemical data that MEKK2 complexes with CRCK3. Furthermore, the kinase activity of CRCK3 is essential, whereas the kinase activity of MEKK2 is dispensable, for triggering cell death. Our studies suggest that MEKK2 and CRCK3 exert concerted functions in the control of NLR SUMM2 activation and MEKK2 may play a structural role, rather than function as a kinase, in regulating CRCK3 protein stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Radical nephrectomy (RN) and partial nephrectomy (PN) are widely used for early-stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the results were inconsistent while comparing the efficiency of RN and PN. This study aimed to assess the perioperative effectiveness of RN and PN for treating RCC.Material and Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library electronic database were searched for studies on adults with RCC comparing RN and PN published until September 2019. The perioperative efficacy and safety outcomes were calculated using odds ratio (OR) and standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous and continuous data, respectively. Subgroup analysis were conducted based on tumor stage and surgery methods for evaluation of the treatment effect on specific subsets.Results: A total of 23 studies involving 30,018 patients with RCC were included in this meta-analysis. Notably, RCC treated with PN was associated with low incidences of hospital mortality (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.38-0.89; P = 0.013) and reoperation rate (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58-0.95; P = 0.016) as compared to RN. However, PN was associated with an increased risk of overall postoperative complications (OR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.17-1.68, P < 0.001), postoperative hemorrhagic complications (OR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.28-2.87, P = 0.002), and urinary fistula (OR: 17.65; 95% CI: 5.35-58.30, P < 0.001) as compared to RN.Conclusion: These findings suggested that PN was associated with lower incidences of hospital mortality and reoperation rate, whereas RN was associated with fewer complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, to further understand the bending failure mechanism of a bridge footing subjected to lateral seismic loading, the effect of pile arrangement on the bending performance of a footing is mainly investigated by parametric analysis. The pile location can considerably affect the bending failure pattern of the footing by constraining the extent of yielding of footing top bars. The piles placed at the center of the sides parallel to the loading direction can constrain the extent of yielding of the top bars in the loading direction. Similarly, the piles at the center of the sides perpendicular to the loading direction can constrain the extent of yielding of the top bars in the other direction. The center pile can constrain the extent of yielding of the top bars in two directions. Additionally, based on the analytical results of the parametric analysis, the application condition of the current beam theory-based design method expected to accurately evaluate the footing bending capacity is discussed from the aspect of pile spacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the improvement of medical standards, the problem of treating breast cancer is in front of people. However, there is no clear and uniform method for diagnosing breast cancer. In order to apply ultrasound diagnosis in clinical research of breast cancer, from August 2016 to August 2018, positron emission mammography (PEM) examination was performed on female volunteers to explore breast cancer sonogram. Features and their changes in sound image, summarizing the sonographer features of breast cancer to improve diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy. The results showed that the sensitivity of PEM to breast cancer diagnosis was 96.5%, specificity was 53.5%, accuracy was 88.9%, positive predictive value was 90.7%, and negative predictive value was 76.7%. Ultrasound showed sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 52.5%, 87.1%, 71.2%, 77.8%, and 68.2%, respectively. Ultrasonography has a high value in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. And ultrasound can not only detect the axillary fossa, supraclavicular lymph nodes, but also detect abnormalities in the internal mammary lymph nodes. Ultrasound missed diagnosis of lymph node metastasis may be related to obesity, complicated axillary structure, deep lymph node location, or small metastatic lesions, and no morphological changes in early lymph node metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fructus Sophorae (FS), the dry mature fruit of Sophora japonica Leguminosae, is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine resource with flavonoids as the major active ingredients. To identify the plant-derived estrogenlike flavonoids serving as potential osteoporosis chemopreventive agents, we isolated and identified 27 flavonoids compounds, including 17 compounds obtained for the first time from FS. To screen out the flavonoids with estrogen-like biological behavior from the 11 high yield compounds, we set up an in vitro screening system in rat osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells including MTT assay, alkaline phosphatase staining and Alizarin red S staining assay to examine the effects on cell proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of osteoblast cells respectively. Six flavonoids, including genistein, sophoricoside, sophorabioside, sophoraflavonoloside, nicotiflorin and rutin, significantly increased the cellular activity of MC3T3-E1 cells. Furthermore, blocking the estrogen receptor signaling by tamoxifen compromised the effects above significantly, suggesting the 6 compounds behave as estrogen-like reagents. Moreover, the interaction between the six flavonoids from FS and estrogen receptor was clarified by molecular docking method from Glide XP. Collectively, being used as food and medicine in China, FS is rich in flavonoids with estrogen-like effects, may be used as healthy supplementary in treating postmenopausal women osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ti-6Al-4V polished by femtosecond laser processing is first investigated. The surface nanoparticles of Ti-6Al-4V induced by femtosecond laser have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry, and the influence of laser fluence and the overlapping rate of laser beam on surface roughness have also been analyzed. Moreover, the relationship between the laser parameters and the surface roughness of Ti-6Al-4V has been revealed, and the fine surface roughness of Ti-6Al-4V is obtained based on the optimized femtosecond laser processing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two oxyethylene/oxybutylene block copolymers (E40B79 and E47B62), which exhibit body-centered cubic sphere (bcc) and hexagonally packed cylindrical (hex) melt morphologies in bulk, respectively, were blended with nanoclay of montmorillonite (MMT). The effects of MMT on the morphology and crystallization of E40B79 and E47B62 were studied with small-angle x-ray scattering, wide-angle x-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimeter. It is found that the E block in the block copolymers can intercalate into the galleries of MMT, leading to a larger layer spacing than that of neat MMT. The preferential absorption of the E block onto MMT plates induces the formation of a new lamellar structure, irrespectively of original morphology in the bulk. There is, however, coexistence of the new lamellar structure with regions retaining the melt morphology. The order-disorder transition temperature (TODT) of the block copolymer is increased by MMT for E40B79, but it remains unchanged for E47B62. Crystallinity of the block copolymers is also greatly suppressed by the addition of MMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early stage of heterogeneous nucleation of NaCl from supersaturated NaCl aqueous solution at the water-NaCl (001) interface has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The critical size of the nuclei for spontaneous growth was found to be as small as two atoms (a Na+–Cl- ion pair) at high supersaturation. Due to the presence of a relatively stable water network and the effect of the hydration force at the interface, the stable nuclei formed on the NaCl (001) are found to contain more Na+ ions than Cl- ions. The different deposition characteristics of the Na+ and Cl- solutes lead to a positively charged substrate and thus may introduce another driving force for nucleation besides the level of solution supersaturation. The role of water was further confirmed by comparison with NaCl epitaxy growth in the vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The third-order nonlinear optical responses of gold nanoparticles capped by CdS shells of different thicknesses embedded in BaTiO3 films were investigated by off-resonance femtosecond optical Kerr effect technology at 800 nm. The nonlinearities of the Au–CdS core-shell composite nanoparticles exhibit a significant enhancement, compared with their single components, and the χ(3) value apparently increases with the increase in the CdS shell thickness. The electric-field distribution in the composite nanoparticles was calculated using Neeve’s theory [A. E. Neeves and M. H. Birnboim, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 6, 787 (1989)] to explain the nonlinear enhancement mechanism, which was mainly attributed to the enhancement of the localized electric field in the CdS shell. The electron relaxation dynamics in the Au–CdS nanoparticles with a core-shell structure were found to be the same as that in pure gold nanoparticle systems using the time-resolved pump-probe technique measured at 800 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mo-dependent nitrogenase comprises two interacting components called the Fe protein and the MoFe protein. The MoFe protein is an α2β2 heterotetramer that harbors two types of complex metalloclusters, both of which are necessary for N2 reduction. One type is a 7Fe-9S-Mo-C-homocitrate species designated FeMo-cofactor, which provides theN2-binding catalytic site, and the other is an 8Fe-7S species designated the P-cluster, involved in mediating intercomponent electron transfer to FeMo-cofactor. The MoFe protein's catalytic partner, Fe protein, is also required for both FeMo-cofactor formation and the conversion of an immature form of P-clusters to the mature species. This latter process involves several assembly factors, NafH, NifW, and NifZ, and precedes FeMo-cofactor insertion. Here, using various protein affinity-based purification methods as well as in vivo, EPR spectroscopy, and MALDI measurements, we show that several MoFe protein species accumulate in a NifZ-deficient background of the nitrogen-fixing microbe Azotobacter vinelandii. These included fully active MoFe protein replete with FeMo-cofactor and mature P-cluster, inactive MoFe protein having no FeMo-cofactor and only immature P-cluster, and partially active MoFe protein having oneαβ-unit with a FeMo-cofactor and mature P-cluster and the other αβ-unit with no FeMo-cofactor and immature P-cluster. Also, NifW could associate with MoFe protein having immature P-clusters and became dissociated upon P-cluster maturation. Furthermore, both P-clusters could mature in vitro without NifZ. These findings indicate that NifZ has an equivalent, although not essential, function in the maturation of both P-clusters contained within the MoFe protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water inrush is one of mine geological disasters to threaten safety mining in china. Water inrush sources recognition is an effective method to predict mine water inrush disaster in time. Compared with overlong processing time using conventional Hydro-chemistry methodology, the paper proposed in-situ mine water sources discrimination model using principal component analysis (PCA) and Back Propagation (BP) neural network based on in-situ water monitoring system. The system is constructed by sensor nodes, an information collector and a ground monitoring center. The measured data were collected from in-situ sensors such as fluorescence spectra, PH value, conductivity, Ca2+,Na+,HCO3- and Cl- ions transducers in different water layers of LiJiaZui Coal Mine in Huainan. PCA is utilized to eliminate correlation and BP neural network is used to recognize mine water sources. The results show that the proposed model achieves 91% accuracy to recognize water sources in mine. Thus, the proposed Model is a rapid and an effective way to recognize mine water sources and further water inrush disaster prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Non-edible Jatropha seed used for biodiesel production has increased due to its high-oil contents in kernel and potential to reduce greenhouse gas emission. High demand for biodiesel generates a large volume of waste. In this study, de-oiled Jatropha seed kernel was torrefied at 200 °C, 250 °C and 300 °C, holding time of 15, 30, 45 and 60 min and particle sizes of 0.5–1.0 and 1.0–2.0 mm to produce solid fuel. Torrefaction performance was highly affected by torrefaction temperature compared with holding time. The enhancement factor of HHV increased up to 1.243 after torrefaction at 300 °C and 60 min with particle size of 0.5–1.0 mm. The large particle size reduces the diffusion rate of torrefaction vapour through internal pores, thereby producing high solid yield and low enhancement in HHV. The analysis of torrefaction severity index shows that HHV increase is highly dependent on the weight loss, thereby directly decreasing the total energy in biochar. Scanning electron microscopy image clearly illustrated that the microparticles on the surface were destroyed to increase the porous structure of the biochar with increasing torrefaction temperature. Severe torrefaction with particle size of 0.5–1.0 mm was an effective approach to increase the energy content of biochar. Graphical abstract Highlights • De-oiled seed kernel was converted to biochar as solid fuel via torrefaction. • Particle size (0.5–1.0 mm) shows better torrefaction performance as solid fuel. • The HHV of torrefied biomass increase from 23.08 to 28.69 MJ/kg. • Energy yield of 97% was achieved with HHV enhancement of 19% at 250 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the vibration characteristics of the workpiece spindle of a gear hobbing machine, this paper established a mathematical model for the workpiece spindle vibration displacement in the x-axis direction. To verify the reliability of the proposed model, a series of experiments were run on the CNC gear hobbing machine. The relative error between the experimental data and the calculated values was lower than 5 %, which proves that our proposed mathematical model is qualified to be a research tool for the investigation of the variation law of the workpiece spindle. According to the analysis results, the workpiece spindle vibration displacement literally decreases with the increasing order, and the hobbing process with high hob revolution speed and small cutting depth is preferable for gear hobbing accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is promising for protein nanoimaging. • Spectroscopic NSOM opens up the possibility for single protein spectroscopy. • Advances and challenges in NSOM application in biotechnology are discussed. Understanding the hierarchical structure of proteins at their fundamental length scales is essential to get insights into their functions and roles in fundamental biological processes. Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), which overcomes the diffraction limits of conventional optics, provides a powerful analytical tool to image target proteins at nanoscale resolution. Especially, by combining NSOM with infrared (IR) or Raman spectroscopy, near-field nanospectroscopic imaging of a single protein is achieved. In this review, we present the recent technical progress of NSOM setup for nanospectroscopic imaging of proteins, and its application to nanospectroscopic analysis of protein structures is highlighted and critically reviewed. Finally, current challenges and perspectives on application of NSOM in emerging areas of industrial, environmental and medical biotechnology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the seismic performance of the prestressed steel strips retrofitted RC beam-column joints. Two series of joint specimens were conducted under compression load and reversed cyclic loading through quasi-static tests. Based on the test results, the seismic behavior of the strengthened joints specimens in terms of the failure modes, hysteresis response, bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation performance and damage level were focused. Moreover, the effects of the amount of the prestressed steel strips and the axial compression ratio on seismic performance of retrofitted specimens were analyzed. It was shown that the prestressed steel strips retrofitting method could significantly improve the seismic behavior of the RC joint because of the large confinement provided by prestressed steel strips in beamcolumn joints. The decrease of the spacing and the increase of the layer number of the prestressed steel strips could result in a better seismic performance of the retrofitted joint specimens. Moreover, increasing the axial compression ration could enhance the peak load, stiffness and the energy performance of the joint specimens. Furthermore, by comparison with the specimens reinforced with CFRP sheets, the specimens reinforced with prestressed steel strips was slightly better in seismic performance and cost-saving in material and labor. Therefore, this prestressed steel strips retrofitting method is quite helpful to enhance the seismic behavior of the RC beam-column joints with reducing the cost and engineering time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural social service is an important field in the development of modern agriculture. At present, agricultural social service should be based on the extension of the agricultural industrial chain and value chain. The supply and marketing system has important opportunity to participate in social services. It should be based on deep reform of supply and marketing system, rural industrial poverty alleviation, sustainable agricultural ecological development, development of farmers' cooperative organizations, and increase of organization efficiency. It is recommended to undertake works in construction of platform of supply of agricultural products, commercialization of agricultural technology services, scale development of community-supported agriculture, and market based agricultural social capital. Through improving the team system of supply and marketing system, it is recommended to create platform-based flattening environment and create cooperate ecology in PPP mode to guarantee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing the correlation matrix technique, the spatial distribution of thermal energy in two-dimensional triangular lattices in equilibrium, interacting with linear springs, is studied. It is found that the spatial distribution of thermal energy varies with the included angle of the springs. In addition, the average thermal energy of the longer springs is lower. Springs with different included angle and length will lead to an inhomogeneous spatial distribution of thermal energy. This suggests that the spatial distribution of thermal energy is affected by the geometrical structure of the system: the more asymmetric the geometrical structure of the system is, the more inhomogeneous is the spatial distribution of thermal energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developed countries, the typical modes of farmers' cooperative organizations are "German mode", "Japan and South Korea mode" and "American mode". The development of farmers' cooperative organizations in China is the product of need and being needed, with low level of specialization, systematism and industrialization. However, Chinese farmers' cooperative organizations have the advantages of diversification, full supporting and great opportunities of Internet economy and e-commerce environment. Based on that, this paper puts forward the "Chinese mode" for the development of farmers' cooperative organizations in China in the future, that is, the main body of innovation and entrepreneurship wiil unite, and the other entities of production and industry wiil follow them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]