It is hypothesized that in heterostylous plant species, standardization of signals of floral attraction between different morphs is advantageous, encouraging flower visitors to switch between morphs. ...It remains unclear whether signals of floral attraction (floral odor and properties of nectar) are similar between morphs in distylous species pollinated by hawkmoths, and how these relate to hawkmoth behavior. We observed the behavior of visitors to distylous Luculia pinceana (Rubiaceae), collected and analyzed floral odor, and examined properties of nectar (volume, sugar concentration, and composition) of long‐styled and short‐styled morphs during the day and night. Pollinator responses to the floral scent were tested with a Y‐tube olfactometer. We conducted diurnal and nocturnal pollination treatments and six other pollination treatments to test the importance of nocturnal pollinators and to examine the self‐incompatibility system. A species of hawkmoth, Cechenena lineosa, was the effective pollinator. The floral odor was rich in methyl benzoate, and sucrose was dominant in the nectar. There were no significant differences between the two morphs in the methyl benzoate content or the properties of nectar. Flowers released more methyl benzoate and secreted larger volumes of nectar with lower sugar concentration at night than during the day. The hawkmoth had a significant preference for methyl benzoate. Luculia pinceana was partially self‐incompatible and relied on nocturnal pollinators for reproductive success. This study verifies that floral attraction signals are consistent between different morphs in this distylous species, promoting compatible pollination, and the features and the diel pattern of these signals between day and night are adapted to hawkmoth behavior.
This study verifies that floral attraction signals are consistent between different morphs in this distylous species, promoting compatible pollination, and the features and the diel pattern of these signals between day and night are adapted to hawkmoth behavior.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Aramid nanofiber (ANF)/graphene (GN) composite aerogels were fabricated by the ice template and freeze-drying method. Because of the excellent electrical conductivity of GN and its good ...dispersibility in ANF dispersions, the ANF/GN composite aerogels possessed excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance as well as good compression performance and heat resistance. Moreover, the composite aerogels with ultralow density (0.04 g cm
−3
) exhibited a high EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 31.55 dB, and its specific EMI SE value reached 3878.78 dB cm
2
g
−1
. The high porosity of the composite aerogel increases its impedance matching with air, and the main EMI shielding mechanism of the composite aerogels is microwave absorption. Besides, the composite aerogels had excellent thermal stability, and their 10 wt% weight loss temperature was higher than 500 °C in nitrogen. This work provides an easy approach to prepare lightweight ANF/GN composite aerogels with excellent EMI shielding performance.
Aramid nanofiber (ANF)/graphene (GN) composite aerogels were fabricated be the ice template following by freeze-drying, and the composite aerogels obtained excellent EMI shielding performance as well as good compression strength and heat resistance.
Background
Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) followed by definitive cholecystectomy is an alternative treatment for acute cholecystitis (AC). We retrospectively investigated the impact of PC tube ...removal before definitive cholecystectomy on surgical outcomes.
Methods
From 2012 to 2017, 942 AC patients underwent PC at a single institute. Eligible patients were selected according to inclusion criteria. Demographic data, clinical and laboratory parameters, and treatment outcomes were extracted from medical records. Categorization of patients and subsequent subgroup analysis were based on cholangiography.
Results
The rate of emergent cholecystectomy in the PC tube removal group was higher than that in the PC tube preserved group (OR = 2.969, 95% CI 1.334–6.612, P = 0.008). In subgroup analysis of patients with patent bile flow under cholangiography, the rate of emergent cholecystectomy was higher in the PC tube removal group (OR = 3.173, 95% CI 1.182–8.523, P = 0.022), though the incidence of complications was higher in the PC tube preserved group (P = 0.012). In addition, routine preoperative cholangiography had no clinical impact on surgical outcome.
Conclusion
Percutaneous cholecystostomy tube can be removed before subsequent LC to avoid postoperative complications, though removal of the PC tube is associated with an increased likelihood of emergent cholecystectomy.
Highlight
Hung and colleagues investigated the impact of percutaneous cholecystostomy tube removal before scheduled laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Removal of the tube was associated with an increased likelihood of emergent cholecystectomy, but not with higher rates of perioperative complications. In addition, routine preoperative cholangiography via a percutaneous cholecystostomy tube may not be necessary.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Highly luminescent inks are desirable for various applications such as decorative coating, art painting, and anticounterfeiting, to name a few. However, present inks display low photoluminescent ...efficiency requiring a strong excitation light to make them glow. Here, we report a highly luminescent ink based on the copper-iodide/1-Propyl-1,4-diazabicyclo2.2.2octan-1-ium (Cu4I6(pr-ted)2) hybrid cluster with a quantum efficiency exceeding 98%. Under the interaction between the Cu4I6(pr-ted)2 hybrid cluster and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), the highly luminescent Cu4I6(pr-ted)2/PVP ink can be facilely prepared via the one-pot solution synthesis. The obtained ink exhibits strong green light emission that originates from the efficient phosphorescence of Cu4I6(pr-ted)2 nanocrystals. Attractively, the ink displays high conversion efficiency for the ultraviolet light to bright green light emission due to its wide Stokes shift, implying great potential for anticounterfeiting and luminescent solar concentrator coating.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
For cardiopulmonary bypass, the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) circuit which can initiate the activation of platelets and the coagulation cascade after blood cell contacting is the possible detrimental ...effect. Surface coating of the PVC tubing system can be an effective approach to enhance circuit's hemocompatibility. In this study, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin films were deposited through thermal atomic layer deposition (T‐ALD) or plasma‐enhanced ALD (PE‐ALD) on PVC samples, and the anticoagulation of the Al2O3‐coated PVC samples was demonstrated. The results revealed that Al2O3 deposition through ALD increased surface roughness, whereas T‐ALD had a relative hydrophilicity compared with blank PVC and PE‐ALD. Whole blood immersion tests showed that blood clots formed on blank PVC and that a large amount of red blood cells was found on PE‐ALD substrates, whereas less blood cells were noted in T‐ALD samples. Both T‐ALD and PE‐ALD Al2O3 films did not cause activation of blood cells, as evidenced in CD3+/CD4+/CD8+, CD61+/CD62P+, and CD45+/CD42b+ populations. Analysis of serum coagulation factors showed that a lower amount of prothrombin was absorbed on T‐ALD Al2O3 samples than that on blank PVC. For albumin and fibrinogen immersion tests, immunostaining and scanning electron microscopy further revealed that a thin albumin layer was absorbed on T‐ALD Al2O3 substrates but not on PVC samples. This study revealed that deposition of Al2O3 films by T‐ALD can improve anticoagulation of the PVC tubing system.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Knowledge of the contribution that individual countries have made to global radiative forcing is important to the implementation of the agreement on "common but differentiated responsibilities" ...reached by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Over the past three decades, China has experienced rapid economic development, accompanied by increased emission of greenhouse gases, ozone precursors and aerosols, but the magnitude of the associated radiative forcing has remained unclear. Here we use a global coupled biogeochemistry-climate model and a chemistry and transport model to quantify China's present-day contribution to global radiative forcing due to well-mixed greenhouse gases, short-lived atmospheric climate forcers and land-use-induced regional surface albedo changes. We find that China contributes 10% ± 4% of the current global radiative forcing. China's relative contribution to the positive (warming) component of global radiative forcing, mainly induced by well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon aerosols, is 12% ± 2%. Its relative contribution to the negative (cooling) component is 15% ± 6%, dominated by the effect of sulfate and nitrate aerosols. China's strongest contributions are 0.16 ± 0.02 watts per square metre for CO2 from fossil fuel burning, 0.13 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for CH4, -0.11 ± 0.05 watts per square metre for sulfate aerosols, and 0.09 ± 0.06 watts per square metre for black carbon aerosols. China's eventual goal of improving air quality will result in changes in radiative forcing in the coming years: a reduction of sulfur dioxide emissions would drive a faster future warming, unless offset by larger reductions of radiative forcing from well-mixed greenhouse gases and black carbon.
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IJS, KISLJ, NUK, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Polysaccharides are promising biomolecules with lowtoxicity and diverse bioactivities in food processing and clinical drug development. However, an essential prerequisite for their applications is ...the fine structure characterization. Due to the complexity of polysaccharide structure, partial degradation is a powerful tool for fine structure analysis, which can effectively provide valid information on the structure of backbone and branching glycosidic fragments of complex polysaccharides. This review aims to conclude current methods of partial degradation employed for polysaccharide structural characterization, discuss the molecular mechanisms, and describe the molecular structure and solution properties of degraded polysaccharides. In addition, the effects of polysaccharide degradation on the conformational relationships between the molecular structure and bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities, are also discussed. Finally, we summarize the prospects and current challenges for the partial degradation of polysaccharides. This review will be of great value for the scientific elucidation of polysaccharide fine structures and potential applications.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Although the efficiency of metal halide perovskite light emitting diodes (PeLEDs) has been improved to an attractive level, the poor stability of perovskite emitting layers is a major concern for the ...application of PeLEDs. Herein, we report a facile ligand-assisted precipitation synthesis of stable dual-phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 nanocrystals (NCs) for improving the stability of PeLEDs. In our synthetic process, the bromide-rich circumstance is beneficial to generate high quality dual-phase perovskite NCs with PLQY as high as 92% and a narrow emission linewidth (19 nm). More importantly, as-synthesized dual phase perovskite NCs exhibit extremely high thermal stability in heating tests in air with a considerable humidity of 30%–55% in comparison with previously reported single phase CsPbBr3 NCs. The aforementioned advantages of our synthesized dual-phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 NCs allow for the fabrication of light emitting layers of PeLEDs under ambient conditions. The fabricated green PeLED based on CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 NCs shows a low turn-on voltage of 2.5 V and a high brightness of 8383 cd m−2 at 8 V. Owing to the high stability of dual-phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 NCs, the fabricated PeLED also exhibits better operational stability in comparison with those PeLEDs based on single phase CsPbBr3 NCs. Our work presents a new route to fabricate stable perovskite light-emitting diodes using room temperature precipitated dual-phase CsPbBr3–CsPb2Br5 NCs as emitting layer materials.
Lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) possesses an attractive theoretical specific capacity (274 mAh g–1) and high discharge voltage (∼4.2 V vs Li+/Li). However, only a half of the theoretical capacity of ...LiCoO2 is available in commercialized lithium ion batteries because of the intrinsic structural instability and detrimental interface of LiCoO2 at the charging voltage over 4.2 V. Here, a facile blow-spinning synthetic method is developed to realize precise doping and simultaneous self-assembly coating of LiCoO2 particles, achieving a record performance among present LiCoO2 cathodes. Owing to the spatial confinement effect of microfibers fabricated by blow-spinning, homogeneously Mn and La doped in the LiCoO2 host and uniformly Li–Ti–O segregated at the LiCoO2 surface can be realized in every batch of samples. It is demonstrated that the Mn and La codoping can suspend the intrinsic instability and increase the Li+ diffusivity of the LiCoO2 host, and the Ti-based coating can stabilize the interface of LiCoO2 particles at the charging voltage up to 4.5 V. As a result, the obtained comodified LiCoO2 cathode shows the best rate performance (1.85 mAh cm–2 at 2C) and longest cycling stability under an areal capacity of 2.04 mAh cm–2 (83% capacity retention over 300 cycles at 0.3C), in comparison to previously reported LiCoO2 cathodes.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Two-dimensional (2D) boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) were chemically exfoliated from bulk boron nitride and coated onto the surface of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolyte through a ...dry-pressing transfer process. The fabricated BNNSs coating formed a robust interfacial layer to improve the chemical and mechanical stability of the PEO-based electrolyte, leading to the enhanced performance of solid-state Li metal batteries.
A BNNSs coating can form a robust protective layer on a PEO-based electrolyte to suppress the growth of Li dendrites and improve the performance of solid-state Li metal batteries.
