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The work aims to explore the anisotropic etching of synthetic diamond single crystal by rare earth oxide. Under the protection of nitrogen, synthetic diamond single crystals were etched by Pr6O11 powder at 750-950℃. The surface morphology, phase composition and etching mechanism of different crystal surfaces of diamond single crystal after etching were characterized and analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, and the changes of diamond properties before and after etching were characterized by surface roughness, single particle compressive strength and impact toughness. The results show that the etching degree and morphology of {100} faces and {111} faces of diamond by Pr6O11 are different. When the temperature is 750℃, Pr6O11 etches slightly diamond crystals. The etching intensifies with the increase of etching temperature, moreover the etching degree of diamond {111} faces is more serious than that of {100} faces. The morphologies of the etching pits of diamond {111} faces change from triangular etching pits to layered triangular ones, and {100} faces change from slight quadrilateral to honeycomb-like etching pits. The maximum etching depth of {100} face increases from 1.12 μm to 12.54 μm, while the maximum etching depth of {111} face increases from 0.3 μm to 2.11 mm. The compressive strength of single diamond particle decreases from 576.25 N of unetched diamond to the smallest value of 530.06 N, and the impact toughness decreases from 92.94 J/cm2to 88.53 J/cm2. The etching mechanism of diamond single crystal by Pr6O11 is catalytic graphitization before 885℃, and the catalytic graphitization and oxidation after 885℃.

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important legume crop worldwide. An emerging disease, basal stem rot with obvious wilt symptoms, was observed in the upper part of chickpea plants during the disease survey in Qiubei County of Yunnan Province. Three fungal isolates (ZD36-1, ZD36-2, and ZD36-3) were obtained from the diseased tissue of chickpea plants collected from the field. Those isolates were morphologically found to be similar to Diaporthe aspalathi. Molecular sequence analyses of multiple gene regions (ITS, tef1, tub2, cal, and his3) indicated that the three isolates showed a high identity with D. aspalathi. Pathogenicity and host range tests of the isolates were performed on the original host chickpea and eight other legume crops. The isolates were strongly pathogenic to chickpea and appeared highly pathogenic to soybean, cowpea, and mung bean; moderated or mild pathogenic to adzuki bean and common bean; however, the isolates did not cause symptoms on grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). Diaporthe aspalathi was previously reported as a main pathogen causing the southern stem canker in soybean. To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. aspalathi inducing basal stem rot on chickpea worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical properties of sodium cocoyl glycinate (SCG) and the synergistic effects within the SCG/CAPB complex system were investigated using visible–ultraviolet spectrophotometry and a surface tension meter. Analysis of the synergistic parameters of the complex system revealed that the combination of SCG and cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) yielded superior results compared to the individual use of SCG. Building upon this, the ternary phase behavior of the SCG/CAPB/H2O system was further explored. Different lyotropic liquid crystal phases were identified using polarized optical microscopy (POM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Surfactant solutions with varying mass fractions exhibited diverse phase behaviors, including the micellar phase (L1), micelle–solid mixed phase (L1-S), hexagonal phase (H), and lamellar phase (Lα), with the insoluble solid phase predominating. The investigation of the ternary phase diagram of SCG/CAPB/H2O provided valuable guidance for detergent formulation screening, enriched the understanding of sodium cocoyl glycinate complex systems, and further promoted the utilization of amino acid-based surfactants in the field of personal care products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cryopreservation generates a substantial quantity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in semen, leading to a decline in sperm quality and fertilization capacity. In this study, the influence of resveratrol on thawed ram sperm quality and antioxidant capacity was investigated. The study demonstrated that the supplementation of 50 μM resveratrol significantly enhances the sperm quality and antioxidant capacity of the ram sperm post-thawing. Furthermore, the impact of resveratrol on sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in thawed sperm was investigated. We found that the activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) by 50 μM resveratrol protected ram sperm from ROS-induced stress. However, at 100 μM, resveratrol appears to reduce sperm motility, mitochondrial membrane potential, acrosomes, and plasma membrane integrity. Consequently, the protective effect of resveratrol on sperm quality or potential cytotoxicity towards ram sperm is contingent on the concentration of resveratrol and filler components, as well as the ability to regulate antioxidant uptake in sperm. Cryopreservation generates a substantial quantity of ROS in semen, leading to a decline in sperm quality and fertilization capacity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol and its optimal concentration on ram sperm quality after cryopreservation. Ram semen was diluted with a freezing medium containing different concentrations of resveratrol (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 μM). After thawing, various sperm parameters such as total motility, progressive motility, acrosome integrity, plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, glutathione (GSH) content, glutathione synthase (GPx) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity, lipid peroxidation (LPO) content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, ROS level, SIRT1 level, DNA oxidative damage, and AMPK phosphorylation level were assessed. In addition, post-thaw sperm apoptosis was evaluated. Comparatively, the addition of resveratrol up to 75 μM significantly improved the sperm motility and sperm parameters of cryopreserved ram sperm. Specifically, 50 μM resveratrol demonstrated a notable enhancement in acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, antioxidant capacity, mitochondrial membrane potential, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, SIRT1 level, and AMPK phosphorylation levels compared to the control group (p < 0.05). It also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the oxidative damage to sperm DNA. However, detrimental effects of resveratrol were observed at a concentration of 100 μM resveratrol. In conclusion, the addition of 50 μM resveratrol to the cryopreservation solution is optimal for enhancing the quality of cryopreserved ram sperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]