In this contribution, we report the palynology, organic petrography and carbon isotopes for the #16 Seam in the Lower Cretaceous Yimin Formation of the Hailar Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. Eighteen ...palynological samples were collected from the coal seam as well as from intraseam partings and the immediate roof. Microfloras comprise a diverse assemblage of ferns, conifers, horsetails, lycopsids, bryophytes, ginkgoes and cycads. Conifer pollen is common, especially representative of Pinaceae (Pinuspollenites) as well as Cheirolepidiaceae (Classopollis) and Araucariaceae (Araucariacites, Chasmatosporites); however, this material is interpreted as mostly derived from an upland source rather than from the mire-forming vegetation. An overrepresentation of conifer pollen may explain the relatively poor abundance and diversity of ginkgo and cycad pollen, compared to what is found in the macrofossil record. The palynological assemblage found in Seam #16 indicates a Barremian to Aptian age. Maceral composition, ash yields, and δ13Corg signature of the coal suggest peat accumulation was controlled by a rising water table from flooding of the mire, coupled with significant ground (peat) fires and/or surface wildfires. These conditions resulted in high levels of detrital mineral matter and charcoal input, the latter represented by inertodetrinite in the coals. The top of the coal seam is characterised by a higher ash yield, lower δ13Corg values and increased sphagnacean spores, which suggest the gradual drowning of the palaeomire. Although angiosperms were present in the Hailar Basin during the time that Seam #16 was accumulating, they are absent from the pollen found in this study. This may indicate that they were not yet adapted to the extreme conditions of the mire (e.g., acidity, anoxia), and unable to compete with the established mire vegetation.
•Abundant fossil charcoal in the Seam #16 shows fire as an important part of palaeomire ecology.•Ash yields and δ13Corg values indicate that flooding terminated the palaeomire.•Some pollen was likely derived from upland conifer forests and transported into the mire.•The absence of angiosperms reflects the harsh, palaeomire conditions.
An immunofiltration strip is a promising rapid and powerful tool for the routine monitoring of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. However, the strip assay is generally less sensitive than other ...immunological techniques. A novel immunofiltration strip method based on the photothermal effect of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) was developed for the sensitive, rapid, simple handheld and low-cost detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The photothermal effect of GNPs was used to achieve the amplification of signals to improve the sensitivity of the strip method. The thermal contrasts caused by the photothermal effect were proportional to the bacteria concentrations and yield an almost logarithmic relation. Under optimal conditions, the detection limit was 1.95 × 104 CFU mL-1, and the sensitivity was improved about ten times compared to that of the conventional visual strip method. In brief, the photothermal based immunofiltration strip could be used for the rapid and sensitive detection of other pathogens as a great potential food quality control technique.
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•The electrochemical patch is totally battery-free and wireless, which enabled wireless power and data transmission with smartphones.•The printed stretchable electrode array could ...maintain stable conductivity during stretching, without serpentine designs.•The patch achieved quantitative detections of calcium and chloride ions in various biofluids.•The Ca2+ and Cl− sensors both showed high sensitivity, repeatability, selectivity, and long-time stability.
Last decade has seen a growing trend toward smartphone-based biochemical sensing systems. Meanwhile, flexible electrochemical sensing devices like wristbands, patches, and tattoos have been widely developed for in situ detections of analytes in accessible biofluids. For these devices, the connectivity with smartphone and the flexibility of the whole device are hard to achieve at the same time, due to the need for rigid batteries or wired connections. Here, a smartphone-based battery-free and flexible electrochemical patch is developed for real-time calcium and chloride ions detections in various biofluids. The patch is integrated with near field communication (NFC) module, on-site signal processing circuitry, and an all-printed stretchable electrode array which can maintain stable conductivity during stretching, without the need for serpentine designs. The device enables wireless power harvesting, on-site signal processing, and wireless data transmission capabilities. NFC-enabled smartphones can wirelessly power the patch and get the detection results through inductive coupling between antennas. The calcium and chloride sensors showed good sensitivity, repeatability, selectivity, and stability in quantitative detections of target ions. Ex situ measurements in serum, urine, tear, and sweat demonstrated good consistency with specialized instrument. Real-time on-body sweat analysis with the patch was also performed, which further indicated the usability and stability of the device in wearable applications. This platform provides a battery-free, wireless, and flexible solution for smartphone-based electrochemical sensing systems, which can be applied to rapid analysis of various biofluids.
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced retinal inflammation is an important factor in retinal diseases. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of Sirt6 on LPS-induced retinal injury. ARPE-19 cells ...were incubated with LPS to induce inflammation. The cell viability was determined using CCK-8 assay. The mRNA level and protein expression of corresponding genes was detected using qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. The production of inflammatory cytokines was measured using ELISA kit. The levels of oxidative stress-related factors were measured using their detection kits. Cell apoptosis was observed using TUNEL assay. The results showed that Sirt6 was downregulated after LPS treatment. Sirt6 strengthened LPS-induced autophagy by promoting the expression of LC3II/I, beclin1 and ATG5. Sirt6 treatment significantly inhibited LPS-induced inflammation, oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, which was then partly abolished by 3 MA. These results suggest Sirt6 to be an important regulator for LPS-induced inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis partly by regulating cell autophagy.
We design, fabricate, and experimentally demonstrate an optically active metasurface of λ/50 thickness that rotates linearly polarized light by 45° over a broadband wavelength range in the near IR ...region. The rotation is achieved through the use of a planar array of plasmonic nanoantennas, which generates a fixed phase-shift between the left circular polarized and right circular polarized components of the incident light. Our approach is built on a new supercell metasurface design methodology: by judiciously designing the location and orientation of individual antennas in the structural supercells, we achieve an effective chiral metasurface through a collective operation of nonchiral antennas. This approach simplifies the overall structure when compared to designs with chiral antennas and also enables a chiral effect which quantitatively depends solely on the supercell geometry. This allows for greater tolerance against fabrication and temperature effects.
As one of the most promising renewable energy sources, the amount of solar photovoltaics has reached 104.1 GW in 2018. China not only has the natural advantages of abundant solar energy resources, ...but the photovoltaic industry under the government’s support has also become the main driving force for global development. Facing the structural adjustment of solar photovoltaic parity online and the important contribution of solar power generation to energy conservation and emission reduction, this paper based on the radial and non-radial comprehensive consideration of EBM (Epsilon-Based Measure) DEA (Data envelopment analysis) model from the input-output perspective on solar photovoltaic industry CO2 emission reduction and efficiency analyze. It is concluded that the total efficiency of the solar photovoltaic industry in China’s six regions shows a growing trend, but the regional differences are obvious. The overall efficiency of the northwest region is superior. Among the index efficiency, CO2 emission reduction efficiency is better than cumulative installed capacity efficiency, solar energy utilization hour efficiency is the lowest, and CO2 emission reduction and cumulative installed capacity efficiency all show a consistent trend. It shows that the efficiency of cumulative installed capacity has a positive impact on CO2 emission reduction, but the efficiency of solar power generation needs to be improved.
•Evaluating the efficiency of china’s solar photovoltaic industry from the input-output perspective.•Using the EBM model based on linear and nonlinear factors.•Discussing the contribution of China’s solar photovoltaic industry to CO2 emission reduction.•The efficiency of cumulative installed capacity has positive impact on CO2 emission reduction, but need to be improved.
This paper reports the geochemical and mineralogical compositions of the Late Permian No. 25 Coal (semi-anthracite) and its host rocks (roof and floor strata) from the Guxu (Gulin–Xuyong) Coalfield, ...Sichuan Province, China. The coal is characterized by medium-sulfur content (average 2.73%) and has an average ash yield of 20.95%. In contrast to other Late Permian coals from southwestern China that are enriched in Sc, V, Cr, Co, Ni, and Cu, the No. 25 coal does not contain an abundance of these transition elements but is rich in lithophile elements Be, Y, Nb, Zr, Hf, and U. The elevated concentrations of trace elements in the No. 25 Coal were probably derived from the felsic–intermediate rocks at the top of the Emeishan basalt sequence, rather than from the Emeishan mafic basalts.
The floor strata of the No. 25 Coal can be divided into two sub-sections. The upper sub-section of the sequence immediately below the No. 25 Coal consists of material with a felsic–intermediate composition probably derived from terrigenous sources and the lower sub-section is composed of mafic tuff. The terrigenous mineral matter in the No. 25 coal appears to have the same sediment-source region as the upper sub-section of the floor strata, based on their similar geochemical compositions. The roof strata of the No. 25 Coal are more quartzose, and were probably derived from a different sediment-source region. The mineral matter in the coal is dominated by kaolinite and, to a lesser extent, calcite and pyrite; the roof and floor strata each have quite different mineralogy, with kaolinite dominant in the latter and illite, kaolinite and quartz in the former; pyrite contents are variable both in the coal and in the host rocks. The floor strata and the coal have been affected by hydrothermal solutions, leading to the enrichment of rare earth elements and yttrium (REY), Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and U. The REY in the coal and floor strata, as well as the Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and U in the floor strata, represent potentially economic rare metal resources.
•Lithophile elements Be, Y, Nb, Zr, Hf, and U are enriched in the Guxu coal.•The terrigenous-source rocks for the coal are mainly of felsic–intermediate composition.•The lower part of the floor strata are a mafic tuff.•The terrigenous-source region for the upper part of the floor rock has a felsic–intermediate composition.•The coal and the floor strata are potential sources of rare metals.
A layer-by-layer self-assembled zinc oxide (ZnO)/graphene oxide (GO) film device for ultrahigh humidity sensing was demonstrated in this letter. The morphological and compositional properties of ...as-prepared ZnO/GO hybrid were characterized by SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensing performance of the ZnO/GO hybrid film device toward humidity was investigated, and an unprecedented response was yielded, which surpasses the existing conventional humidity devices. Moreover, this device exhibits ultrafast response and recovery speed capable of detecting human breath, acceptable repeatability, and satisfying stability. The humidity-sensing mechanism of the ZnO/GO composite device was discussed.
Abscisic acid (ABA) and brassinosteroid (BR) antagonistically regulate many aspects of plant growth and development. Previous physiological studies have revealed that the inhibition of BR signaling ...by ABA is largely dependent on ABI1 and ABI2. However, the genetic and molecular basis of how ABI1 and ABI2 are involved in inhibiting BR signaling remains unclear. Although it is known that in the BR signaling pathway the ABA-BR crosstalk occurs in the downstream of BR receptor complex but upstream of BIN2 kinase, a negative regulator of BR signaling, the component that acts as the hub to directly mediate their crosstalk remains a big mystery. Here, we found that ABI1 and ABI2 interact with and dephosphorylate BIN2 to regulate its activity toward the phosphorylation of BES1. By in vitro mimicking ABA signal transduction, we found that ABA can promote BIN2 phosphorylation by inhibiting ABI2 through ABA receptors. RNA-sequencing analysis further demonstrated that ABA inhibits BR signaling through the ABA primary signaling components, including its receptors and ABI2, and that ABA and GSK3s co-regulate a common set of stress-responsive genes. Because BIN2 can interact with and phosphorylate SnRK2s to activate its kinase activity, our study also reveals there is a module of PP2Cs–BIN2–SnRK2s in the ABA signaling pathway. Collectively, these findings provide significant insights into how plants balance growth and survival by coordinately regulating the growth-promoting signaling pathway and stress responses under abiotic stresses.
We report that ABI1 and ABI2, negative regulators of ABA signaling, can directly interact with and dephosphorylate BIN2, which leads to the dephosphorylation of BES1 to enhance BR signaling. Genetic and bioinformatic analyses suggest that the dephosphorylation of BIN2 by ABI2 is ABA dependent, providing significant insight into the genetic and molecular mechanisms of coordinating growth and stress responses in plants.
Echinacoside (ECH), a natural phenylethanoid glycoside, was first isolated from
DC. (Compositae) sixty years ago. It was found to possess numerous pharmacologically beneficial activities for human ...health, especially the neuroprotective and cardiovascular effects. Although ECH showed promising potential for treatment of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, some important issues arose. These included the identification of active metabolites as having poor bioavailability in prototype form, the definite molecular signal pathways or targets of ECH with the above effects, and limited reliable clinical trials. Thus, it remains unresolved as to whether scientific research can reasonably make use of this natural compound. A systematic summary and knowledge of future prospects are necessary to facilitate further studies for this natural product. The present review generalizes and analyzes the current knowledge on ECH, including its broad distribution, different preparation technologies, poor pharmacokinetics and kinds of therapeutic uses, and the future perspectives of its potential application.
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