The electromagnetic wave absorption performance (EWAP) can be significantly improved by incorporating a functionalized layered structure that maximally directs electromagnetic waves deeper into ...cementitious materials. These waves are absorbed by multicomponent absorbers. This study investigates the influence of different absorber contents, specifically, magnetite (3, 6, 10, and 15%) and copper (Cu)-powder (3, 6, and 9%), as well as functionalized layered structure on the EWAP of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC). The results indicate that the functionalized layered structure can effectively improve the EWAP of MPC. By concurrently employing conductive Cu-powder and magnetic loss magnetite absorbers in the absorbing layer, an increase is observed in the EWAP of MPC. Notably, our proposed MPC with a double-layered structure (MPC10–2b) demonstrates optimum EWAP characteristics with a peak reflection loss of −13.8 dB and bandwidnth below −10 dB across 15.5 GHz. Thus, a functionalized layered structure significantly improves the EWAP of cementitious material, satisfying both the optimal impedance matching and microwave dissipation design criteria for electromagnetic absorbing materials.
Destructive removal of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from water has been an emerging concern, as the C−F bond cleavage requires energy‐consuming advanced oxidation approaches. The conventional ...photocatalyst materials exhibit insufficient PFAS degradation due to either a weak absorption ability towards PFASs or a limited reaction oxygen species (ROS) generation. Herein, In2O3, which has an excellent absorption ability towards perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), is chosen as the main catalyst materials. Oxygen vacancies are then generated on the surface of In2O3 to assist the PFOA adsorption. Further depositions of the MnOx cocatalyst on the surface of In2O3 are performed to enhance the ROS generation efficiency. Based on the above design, the MnOx‐modified oxygen‐vacancy‐rich In2O3 photocatalyst shows a remarkably improved PFOA photodegradation and defluorination efficiencies under the solar light irradiation as compared with the pristine and commercial In2O3. The photodegradation pathway of PFOA is investigated. The experimental results from the PFOA adsorption analysis and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra confirm the enhanced adsorption ability and the higher ROS generation efficiency, respectively. The catalyst is further tested in the presence of different anions and cations, where rapid degradation of PFOA is also observed, indicating the potential of the composite materials applied in the practical treatment of PFAS‐contaminated water.
Surface engineering strategies including generating oxygen vacancies and depositing MnOx cocatalyst are performed on the surface of In2O3 particles. Oxygen vacancies facilitate the PFOA adsorption process, while MnOx cocatalyst efficiently enhances the generation of reaction oxygen species. Therefore, the as‐prepared MnOx‐modified oxygen‐vacancy‐rich In2O3 photocatalyst shows excellent PFOA photodegradation and defluorination efficiencies under mild solar irradiation.
Abstract Background Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between schizophrenia and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but their results were not entirely consistent. Our ...study aimed to elucidate the association between schizophrenia and the risk of CVD by a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Methods PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched to identify relevant studies that met the prespecified inclusion criteria. We also reviewed reference lists from the retrieved articles. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled using the fixed-effect or random-effects models. Results Thirteen studies involving 3,549,950 participants, with outcomes of CVD reported for 422,698, were included in the meta-analysis. The follow-up period ranged from 1.6 to 36.0 years. The meta-analysis found that the pooled RRs for schizophrenia compared with the reference group were 1.53 (95% CI: 1.27–1.86) for the incidence of CVD, 1.20 (95% CI: 0.93–1.53) for coronary heart disease (CHD), 1.71 (95% CI: 1.19–2.46) for stroke, and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.42–2.29) for congestive heart failure (CHF). Sensitivity analysis after the exclusion of a single cohort or using the unadjusted RRs yielded similar results to the primary overall estimations. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusions Schizophrenia is associated with increased incidence of CVD, stroke and CHF, and might also increase the risk of CHD. Greater attention should be paid to schizophrenia patients to prevent the occurrence of CVD and to decrease the risk of cardiac morbidity.
Carotenoids are important photosynthetic pigments with many physiological functions, nutritional properties and high commercial value. β-carotene hydroxylase is one of the key enzymes in the ...carotenoid synthesis pathway of
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
for the conversion of β-carotene to astaxanthin. The vector p64DZ containing the β-carotene hydroxylase gene
crtZ
from
Haematococcus pluvialis
was transformed into
C
.
reinhardtii
CC-503. The transformants were selected by alternate culture in solid–liquid medium containing spectinomycin (100 µg mL
−1
). PCR results indicated that the gene
crtZ
and
aadA
were integrated into the genome of
C
.
reinhardtii
. RT-PCR analysis showed that the gene
crtZ
was transcribed in
Chlamydomonas
transformants. HPLC analysis showed that the content of astaxanthin and β-carotene in cells of
C
.
reinhardtii
were simultaneously increased. Under medium light intensity cultivation (60 µmol m
−2
s
−1
), transgenic
C
.
reinhardtii
had an 85.8% increase in β-carotene content compared with the wild type. The content of astaxanthin and β-carotene reached 1.97 ± 0.13 mg g
−1
fresh cell weight (FCW) and 105.94 ± 5.84 µg g
−1
FCW, which were increased 18% and 42.4% than the wild type after 6 h of high light treatment (200 µmol m
−2
s
−1
), respectively. Our results indicate the regulatory effect on pigments in
C
.
reinhardtii
by β-carotene hydroxylase gene of
H
.
pluvialis
, and demonstrate the positive effect of high light stress on pigment accumulation in transgenic
C
.
reinhardtii
.
•Developed a risk assessment framework including farmers' planting and awareness.•Evaluated crop sensitivity by the coincidence of crop water demand and precipitation.•Assessed farmers’ adaptability ...by subjective awareness and objective resources.•Farmers’ drought risk showed an obvious pattern of “High-South and Low-North”•Maintaining the planting structure may increase farmers’ drought risk in the future.
The increase in the frequency, scale, and intensity of drought disasters due to climate change will have a substantial impact on agricultural production activities. Farmers are some of the main victims of drought disasters, and their planting behavior and awareness will affect the regional drought risk level to varying extents. In this study, crop sensitivity under the influence of planting behavior and the subjective adaptability of farmers under the influence of disaster prevention awareness were analyzed. The aim was to assess the vulnerability of farmers to drought and build a risk assessment framework. The results suggested that (1) drought intensity in the southern towns of Xinghe County was relatively high, especially in Dianzi (DZZ), Zhanggao (ZGZ), and the eastern regions of Datongyao (DTY) and Chengguan (CGZ); (2) among the common crops in Xinghe County, the average water demand of naked oats had the highest correlation with precipitation (r, 0.74), suggesting that naked oats would help ensure relatively stable crop yields under drought conditions; (3) the drought vulnerability of Xinghe County tended to decrease from southeast to northwest, with Datongyao (DTY) and Dianzi (DZZ) suffering from the highest drought vulnerability; (4) the drought risk for Xinghe County showed a pattern of high in the South and low in the North. Among them, Saiwusu (SWS) and Datongyao (DTY) were the towns with the lowest and highest drought risk at 60.98% and 52.10%, respectively. With the impact of climate change, the SPI in most areas of Xinghe County indicated a downward trend (MK trend test, p < 0.05). The results suggest that drought risk and farmer vulnerability in this area will increase in the future.
The ancient gymnosperm genus Taxus is the exclusive source of the anticancer drug paclitaxel, yet no reference genome sequences are available for comprehensively elucidating the paclitaxel ...biosynthesis pathway. We have completed a chromosome-level genome of Taxus chinensis var. mairei with a total length of 10.23 gigabases. Taxus shared an ancestral whole-genome duplication with the coniferophyte lineage and underwent distinct transposon evolution. We discovered a unique physical and functional grouping of CYP725As (cytochrome P450) in the Taxus genome for paclitaxel biosynthesis. We also identified a gene cluster for taxadiene biosynthesis, which was formed mainly by gene duplications. This study will facilitate the elucidation of paclitaxel biosynthesis and unleash the biotechnological potential of Taxus.
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•Dynamic change of metals was studied in algal-bacterial AGS for Cr(VI) removal.•Mg and Ca were released from LB-EPS while Cr was localized in the residue.•Replenishment of Mg and Ca ...from residue to EPS contributed to granular stability.•Existing of mineral salts and carbon source favored lower mobility of loaded Cr.•33.7% of the loaded Cr was in residual fraction after hydrothermal treatment.
Algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was applied for hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) biosorption from wastewater and the dynamic distribution and mobility of different metals in granules were systematically examined before and after hydrothermal treatment. The loaded Cr on algal-bacterial AGS was found to mainly localize in microbial cells and mineral particles; little Cr was detected in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) after 6 h contact, which increased to 5.1% after 24 h biosorption. Along with Cr localization, 9.3–22.8% of Mg and 11.5–26.4% of Ca in algal-bacterial AGS were released from loosely bound EPS, then replenished to maintain their stable proportion in EPS, probably contributing to granular stability. In addition, chemical fractionation showed that the Cr mobility in algal-bacterial AGS, indicated by a low mobility factor of 4.7%, decreased to 1.4% with the co-existence of mineral salts and acetate during biosorption, which was further declined to 0 after hydrothermal treatment.
Maize (Zea mays) tassels underwent profound morphological changes during maize domestication and improvement. Although a number of genes affecting maize inflorescence development have been ...identified, the genetic basis of the morphological changes in maize tassels since domestication is not well understood.
Here, using a large population of 866 maize-teosinte BC2S3 recombinant inbred lines genotyped using 19 838 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, we performed high-resolution quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping for five tassel morphological traits.
We showed that the five tassel traits were associated with different genetic architecture features. Known genes for maize inflorescence development identified by mutagenesis were significantly enriched in the tassel trait QTLs, and many of these genes, including ramosa1 (ra1), barren inflorescence2 (bif2), unbranched2 (ub2), zea floricaula leafy2 (zfl2) and barren stalk fastigiate1 (baf1), showed evidence of selection. An in-depth nucleotide diversity analysis at the bif2 locus identified strong selection signatures in the 50-regulatory region. We also found that several known flowering time genes co-localized with tassel trait QTLs. A further association analysis indicated that the maize photoperiod gene ZmCCT was significantly associated with tassel size variation. Using near-isogenic lines, we narrowed down a major-effect QTL for tassel length, qTL9-1, to a 513-kb physical region.
These results provide important insights into the genetic architecture that controls maize tassel evolution.
The number of leaves and their distributions on plants are critical factors determining plant architecture in maize (Zea mays), and leaf number is frequently used as a measure of flowering time, a ...trait that is key to local environmental adaptation. Here, using a large set of 866 maize‐teosinte BC₂S₃ recombinant inbred lines genotyped by using 19 838 single nucleotide polymorphism markers, we conducted a comprehensive genetic dissection to assess the genetic architecture of leaf number and its genetic relationship to flowering time. We demonstrated that the two components of total leaf number, the number of leaves above (LA) and below (LB) the primary ear, were under relatively independent genetic control and might be subject to differential directional selection during maize domestication and improvement. Furthermore, we revealed that flowering time and leaf number are commonly regulated at a moderate level. The pleiotropy of the genes ZCN8, dlf1 and ZmCCT on leaf number and flowering time were validated by near‐isogenic line analysis. Through fine mapping, qLA1‐1, a major‐effect locus that specifically affects LA, was delimited to a region with severe recombination suppression derived from teosinte. This study provides important insights into the genetic basis of traits affecting plant architecture and adaptation. The genetic independence of LA from LB enables the optimization of leaf number for ideal plant architecture breeding in maize.
Developing a facile strategy for the construction of advanced electrocatalysts to accelerate oxygen evolution kinetics to meet the needs of new energy conversion technologies is highly desirable. ...Herein, a novel and facile route is devised to grow the amorphous Ru
x
O
y
on CuO/Cu
2
O nanowire arrays. Experimental results show that the typical product displays an outstanding electrocatalytic oxygen evolution activity involving a low overpotential of 236 mV at 20 mA cm
−2
and an excellent durability. The reasons for which is associated with the synergistic effect of amorphous Ru
x
O
y
and CuO/Cu
2
O nanowire arrays, as well as the existence of abundant oxygen vacancies. This study exhibits new insights into using the composite of amorphous Ru
x
O
y
and copper (Cu)–based oxides as high-activity catalysts for oxygen evolution.
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