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The ever-increasing requirements for structural performance drive the research and development of lighter, stronger, tougher, and multifunctional composite materials, especially, the lattice structures, heterogeneities, or hybrid compositions have attracted great interest from the materials research community. If it is pushed to the extreme, these concepts can consist of highly controlled lattice structures subject to biomimetic material design and topology optimization (TO). However, the strong coupling among the composition and the topology of the porous microstructure hinders the conventional trial-and-error approaches. In this work, discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite materials were adopted for structural design. A three-dimensional (3D) periodic lattice block inspired by cuttlefish bone combined with computer modeling-based topology optimization was proposed. Through computer modeling, complex 3D periodic lattice blocks with various porosities were topologically optimized and realized, and the mechanical properties of the topology-optimized lattice structures were characterized by computer modeling. The results of this work were compared with other similar designs and experiments to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed approach provides a design tool for more affordable and higher-performance structural materials.

In general, the chloroplast genomes of angiosperms are considered to be highly conserved and affected little by adaptive evolution. In this study, we tested this hypothesis based on sequence differentiation and adaptive variation in the plastid genomes in the order Dipsacales. We sequenced the plastid genomes of one Adoxaceae species and six Caprifoliaceae species, and together with seven previously released Dipsacales chloroplasts, we determined the sequence variations, evolutionary divergence of the plastid genomes, and phylogeny of Dipsacales species. The chloroplast genomes of Adoxaceae species ranged in size from 157,074 bp ( ) to 158,305 bp ( ), and the plastid genomes of Caprifoliaceae varied from 154,732 bp ( var. ) to 156,874 bp ( ). The differences in the number of genes in Caprifoliaceae and Adoxaceae species were largely due to the expansion and contraction of inverted repeat regions. In addition, we found that the number of dispersed repeats (Adoxaceae = 37; Caprifoliaceae = 384) was much higher than that of tandem repeats (Adoxaceae = 34; Caprifoliaceae = 291) in Dipsacales species. Interestingly, we determined 19 genes with positive selection sites, including three genes encoding ATP protein subunits ( , , and ), four genes for ribosome protein small subunits ( , , , and ), four genes for photosystem protein subunits ( , , , and ), two genes for ribosome protein large subunits ( and ), and the , , , , , and genes. These gene regions may have played key roles in the adaptation of Dipsacales to diverse environments. In addition, phylogenetic analysis based on the plastid genomes strongly supported the division of 14 Dipsacales species into two previously recognized sections. The diversification of Adoxaceae and Caprifoliaceae was dated to the late Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. The availability of these chloroplast genomes provides useful genetic information for studying taxonomy, phylogeny, and species evolution in Dipsacales.

Mesozoic mineral deposits in South China include world-class deposits of W, Sn and Sb and those that provide the major sources of Ta, Cu, Hg, As, Tl, Pb, Zn, Au and Ag for the entire country. These deposits can be classified into polymetallic hydrothermal systems closely related to felsic intrusive rocks (Sn–W –Mo granites, Cu porphyries, polymetallic and Fe skarns, and polymetallic vein deposits) and low-temperature hydrothermal systems with no direct connection to igneous activities (MVT deposits, epithermal Au and Sb deposits). Recent studies have shown that they formed in the Triassic (Indosinian), Jurassic–Cretaceous (Early Yanshanian), and Cretaceous (Late Yanshanian) stages. Indosinian deposits include major MVT (Pb–Zn–Ag) deposits and granite-related W–Sn deposits. Early Yanshanian deposits are low-temperature Sb–Au and high-temperature W–Sn and Cu porphyry types. Many Late Yanshanian deposits are low-temperature Au–As–Sb–Hg and U deposits, and also include high-temperature W–Sn polymetallic deposits. The formation of these deposits is linked with a specific tectonothermal evolution and igneous activities. This special issue brings together some of the latest information in eight papers that deal with the origins and tectonic environments of mineral deposits formed in these stages. We anticipate that this issue will stimulate more interests in these ore deposits in South China.

Detecting various anomalies using optical satellite data prior to strong earthquakes is key to understanding and forecasting earthquake activities because of its recognition of thermal-radiation-related phenomena in seismic preparation phases. Data from satellite observations serve as a powerful tool in monitoring earthquake preparation areas at a global scale and in a nearly real-time manner. Over the past several decades, many new different data sources have been utilized in this field, and progressive anomaly detection approaches have been developed. This paper reviews the progress and development of pre-seismic anomaly detection technology in this decade. First, precursor parameters, including parameters from the top of the atmosphere, in the atmosphere, and on the Earth's surface, are stated and discussed. Second, different anomaly detection methods, which are used to extract anomalous signals that probably indicate future seismic events, are presented. Finally, certain critical problems with the current research are highlighted, and new developing trends and perspectives for future work are discussed. The development of Earth observation satellites and anomaly detection algorithms can enrich available information sources, provide advanced tools for multilevel earthquake monitoring, and improve short- and medium-term forecasting, which play a large and growing role in pre-seismic anomaly detection research.

Cytokine storm resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection is one of the leading causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and lung fibrosis. We investigated the effect of inflammatory molecules to identify any marker that is related to lung fibrosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Seventy-six COVID-19 patients who were admitted to Youan Hospital between January 21 and March 20, 2020 and recovered were recruited for this study. Pulmonary fibrosis, represented as fibrotic volume on chest CT images, was computed by an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted program. Plasma samples were collected from the participants shortly after admission, to measure the basal inflammatory molecules levels. At discharge, fibrosis was present in 46 (60.5%) patients whose plasma interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were twofold lower than those without fibrosis ( > 0.05). The multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis demonstrated the inverse association risk of having lung fibrosis and basal circulating IFN-γ levels with an estimate of 0.43 ( = 0.02). Per the 1-SD increase of basal IFN-γ level in circulation, the fibrosis volume decreased by 0.070% ( = 0.04) at the discharge of participants. The basal circulating IFN-γ levels were comparable with c-reactive protein in the discrimination of the occurrence of lung fibrosis among COVID-19 patients at discharge, unlike circulating IL-6 levels. In conclusion, these data indicate that decreased circulating IFN-γ is a risk factor of lung fibrosis in COVID-19.

Superlubricity of graphite and graphene has aroused increasing interest in recent years. Yet how to obtain a long-lasting superlubricity between graphene layers, under high applied normal load in ambient atmosphere still remains a challenge but is highly desirable. Here, we report a direct measurement of sliding friction between graphene and graphene, and graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) under high contact pressures by employing graphene-coated microsphere (GMS) probe prepared by metal-catalyst-free chemical vapour deposition. The exceptionally low and robust friction coefficient of 0.003 is accomplished under local asperity contact pressure up to 1 GPa, at arbitrary relative surface rotation angles, which is insensitive to relative humidity up to 51% RH. This ultralow friction is attributed to the sustainable overall incommensurability due to the multi-asperity contact covered with randomly oriented graphene nanograins. This realization of microscale superlubricity can be extended to the sliding between a variety of two-dimensional (2D) layers. Superlubricity can be unstable in graphene systems, especially under high applied loads. Here the authors use microspheres uniformly coated by graphene to measure friction between 2D materials and show that superlow friction is preserved for long periods of time under high loads and various atmospheres.

Orchidaceae is the 3rd largest family of angiosperms, an evolved young branch of monocotyledons. This family contains a number of economically-important horticulture and flowering plants. However, the limited availability of genomic information largely hindered the study of molecular evolution and phylogeny of Orchidaceae. In this study, we determined the evolutionary characteristics of whole chloroplast (cp) genomes and the phylogenetic relationships of the family Orchidaceae. We firstly characterized the cp genomes of four orchid species: Cremastra appendiculata, Calanthe davidii, Epipactis mairei, and Platanthera japonica. The size of the chloroplast genome ranged from 153,629 bp (C. davidi) to 160,427 bp (E. mairei). The gene order, GC content, and gene compositions are similar to those of other previously-reported angiosperms. We identified that the genes of ndhC, ndhI, and ndhK were lost in C. appendiculata, in that the ndh I gene was lost in P. japonica and E. mairei. In addition, the four types of repeats (forward, palindromic, reverse, and complement repeats) were examined in orchid species. E. mairei had the highest number of repeats (81), while C. davidii had the lowest number (57). The total number of Simple Sequence Repeats is at least 50 in C. davidii, and, at most, 78 in P. japonica. Interestingly, we identified 16 genes with positive selection sites (the psbH, petD, petL, rpl22, rpl32, rpoC1, rpoC2, rps12, rps15, rps16, accD, ccsA, rbcL, ycf1, ycf2, and ycf4 genes), which might play an important role in the orchid species’ adaptation to diverse environments. Additionally, 11 mutational hotspot regions were determined, including five non-coding regions (ndhB intron, ccsA-ndhD, rpl33-rps18, ndhE-ndhG, and ndhF-rpl32) and six coding regions (rps16, ndhC, rpl32, ndhI, ndhK, and ndhF). The phylogenetic analysis based on whole cp genomes showed that C. appendiculata was closely related to C. striata var. vreelandii, while C. davidii and C. triplicate formed a small monophyletic evolutionary clade with a high bootstrap support. In addition, five subfamilies of Orchidaceae, Apostasioideae, Cypripedioideae, Epidendroideae, Orchidoideae, and Vanilloideae, formed a nested evolutionary relationship in the phylogenetic tree. These results provide important insights into the adaptive evolution and phylogeny of Orchidaceae.

In electric vehicles (EVs), the batteries are arranged in the battery pack (BP), which has a small layout space and difficulty in dissipating heat. Therefore, in EVs, the battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) are critical to managing heat to ensure safety and performance, particularly under higher operating temperatures and longer discharge conditions. To solve this problem, in this article, the thermal analysis models of a 3-battery-cell BP were created, including scenarios (1) natural air cooling without a BTMS; (2) natural air cooling with water cooling hybrid BTMS; and (3) forced air cooling plus water cooling composite BTMS. The thermal performances of the pack-level BPs were simulated and analyzed based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A variety of boundary conditions and working parameters, such as ambient temperature, inlet coolant flow rate and initial temperature, discharge rate, air flow rate, and initial temperature, were considered. The results show that without a BTMS (Scenario 1), the maximum temperature in the BP rises rapidly and continuously to reach 63.8 °C, much higher than the upper bound of the recommended operating temperature range (ROTR between +20 °C to +35 °C) under the extreme discharge rate of 3 C and even if the discharge rate is 2 C. With a hybrid BTMS (Scenario 2), the maximum temperature in BP rises to about 38.7 °C, slightly above the upper bound of the ROTR. Lowering the coolant (water) initial temperature can effectively lower the temperature up to 5.7 °C in BP, but the water flow rate cannot since the turbulence model. While with a composite BTMS (Scenario 3), the temperature can be further lowered up to 1.5 °C under the extreme discharge rate of 3C, just reaching the upper bound of the ROTR. In addition, lowering the initial coolant temperature or air temperature can effectively decrease the temperatures up to 5.1 and 1.0 °C, respectively, in BP, but the coolant flow rate (due to the turbulence model) and the air flow rate cannot. Finally, the thermal performances of the different battery cells in the BP with different cooling systems and at the different positions of the BP were compared and analyzed. The present work may contribute to the design of BTMSs in the EV industry.

Chromatin dynamics regulated by epigenetic modification is crucial in genome stability and gene expression. Various epigenetic mechanisms have been identified in the pathogenesis of human diseases. Here, we examined the effects of ten epigenetic agents on pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection by using GFP-reporter assays. Inhibitors of bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4), which receives much more attention in cancer than viral infection, was found to exhibit substantial anti-viral activity against PRV as well as a range of DNA and RNA viruses. We further demonstrated that BRD4 inhibition boosted a robust innate immune response. BRD4 inhibition also de-compacted chromatin structure and induced the DNA damage response, thereby triggering the activation of cGAS-mediated innate immunity and increasing host resistance to viral infection both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the inhibitory effect of BRD4 inhibition on viral infection was mainly attributed to the attenuation of viral attachment. Our findings reveal a unique mechanism through which BRD4 inhibition restrains viral infection and points to its potent therapeutic value for viral infectious diseases.

Cotton is one of the most economically important fiber crop plants worldwide. The genus contains a single allotetraploid group (AD) and eight diploid genome groups (A-G and K). However, the evolution of repeat sequences in the chloroplast genomes and the phylogenetic relationships of species are unclear. Thus, we determined the variations in the repeat sequences and the evolutionary relationships of 40 cotton chloroplast genomes, which represented the most diverse in the genus, including five newly sequenced diploid species, i.e., (C ), (D ), (D ), (D ), and (D ), and an important semi-wild race of upland cotton, race (AD ). The genome structure, gene order, and GC content of cotton species were similar to those of other higher plant plastid genomes. In total, 2860 long sequence repeats (>10 bp in length) were identified, where the F-genome species had the largest number of repeats ( F : 108) and E-genome species had the lowest ( E : 53). Large-scale repeat sequences possibly enrich the genetic information and maintain genome stability in cotton species. We also identified 10 divergence hotspot regions, i.e., ( ), ( ), ( ) ( ) ( ), , and , which could be useful molecular genetic markers for future population genetics and phylogenetic studies. Site-specific selection analysis showed that some of the coding sites of 10 chloroplast genes ( , and ) were under protein sequence evolution. Phylogenetic analysis based on the whole plastomes suggested that the species grouped into six previously identified genetic clades. Interestingly, all 13 D-genome species clustered into a strong monophyletic clade. Unexpectedly, the cotton species with C, G, and K-genomes were admixed and nested in a large clade, which could have been due to their recent radiation, incomplete lineage sorting, and introgression hybridization among different cotton lineages. In conclusion, the results of this study provide new insights into the evolution of repeat sequences in chloroplast genomes and interspecific relationships in the genus .