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Tungsten ditelluride (WTe 2 ), a layered transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD), has recently demonstrated an extremely large magnetoresistance effect, which is unique among TMDs. This fascinating feature seems to be correlated with its special electronic structure. Here, we report the observation of 6 Raman peaks corresponding to the , , , , and phonons, from the 33 Raman-active modes predicted for WTe 2 . This provides direct evidence to distinguish the space group of WTe 2 from those of other TMDs. Moreover, the Raman evolution of WTe 2 from bulk to monolayer is clearly revealed. It is interesting to find that the mode, centered at ~109.8 cm −1 , is forbidden in a monolayer, which may be attributable to the transition of the point group from C 2v (bulk) to C 2h (monolayer). Our work characterizes all observed Raman peaks in the bulk and few-layer samples and provides a route to study the physical properties of two-dimensional WTe 2 .

A high O3 episode with the large increases in surface ozone by 21–42 ppbv and the nocturnal surface O3 levels exceeding 70 ppbv was observed in the region between Xiamen and Quanzhou over the southeastern coast of China during 12–14 June 2014, before the Typhoon Hagibis landing. Variations in the surface O3, NO2, CO and meteorology during the Typhoon Hagibis event clearly suggest a substantial impact of the peripheral downdrafts in the large-scale typhoon circulation on such an O3 episode excluding the contributions of photochemical production and the horizontal transport. The influence of vertical O3 transport from the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region on high surface O3 levels is further confirmed by a negative correlation between surface O3 and CO concentrations as well as dry surface air observed during the O3 episode. This study provides observational evidence of typhoon-driven intrusion of O3 from the UTLS region to surface air, revealing a significant effect of such a process of stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE) of O3 on tropospheric O3 and ambient air quality.

Spectral similarity indices were used to select similar soil samples from a spectral library and improve the predictive accuracy of target samples. There are many similarity indices available, and precisely how to select the optimum index has become a critical question. Five similarity indices were evaluated: Spectral angle mapper (SAM), Euclidean distance (ED), Mahalanobis distance (MD), SAM_pca and ED_pca in the space of principal components applied to a global soil spectral library. The accordance between spectral and compositional similarity was used to select the optimum index. Then the optimum index was evaluated if it can maintain the greatest predictive accuracy when selecting similar samples from a spectral library for the prediction of a target sample using a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model. The evaluated physiochemical properties were: soil organic carbon, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), clay, silt, and sand content. SAM and SAM_pca selected samples were closer in composition compared to the target samples. Based on similar samples selected using these two indices, PLSR models achieved the highest predictive accuracy for all soil properties, save for CEC. This validates the hypothesis that the accordance information between spectral and compositional similarity can help select the appropriate similarity index when selecting similar samples from a spectral library for prediction.

This study validated the effectiveness and safety of the treatment for residual stones using flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) and holmium laser (0.6–1.2 J, 20–30 Hz) lithotripsy via a fiber with a 200-μm core diameter and 0.22 numerical aperture (NA) after the management of complex calculi with single-tract percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Between January 2014 and June 2016, 27 consecutive patients with complex calculi underwent fURS and holmium laser lithotripsy after a planned single-tract PCNL. Among the 27 patients with complex calculi, 9 had full staghorn calculi, 7 had partial staghorn calculi, and 11 had multiple calculi. After the first single-tract PCNL session, the mean stone size and mean stone surface area were 18.0 ± 10.7 mm and 181.9 ± 172.2 mm 2 , respectively. Treatment for residual stones with fURS and holmium laser lithotripsy was successfully completed and was performed without intraoperative complications. The mean operative time of the fURS procedure was 69.1 ± 23.6 min, and the mean hospital stay was 5.3 ± 2.4 days. The mean decrease in the hemoglobin level was 7.3 ± 6.5 g/l. After the fURS procedure, the overall stone-free rate was 88.9%. The overall postoperative complication rate was 14.8% (Clavien grade I 11.1%; Clavien grade II 3.7%). The current approach tested here combines the advantages of both PCNL and fURS and effectively manages complex calculi with a high stone-free rate (SFR) (88.9%). This approach also reduced the number of treatment sessions, the number of percutaneous access tracts, and the blood loss and potential morbidity associated with multiple tracts.

The microbial community and sulfur oxygenase reductases of metagenomic DNA from bioreactors treating gold-bearing concentrates were studied by 16S rRNA library, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), conventional cultivation, and molecular cloning. Results indicated that major bacterial species were belonging to the genera Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Sulfobacillus, and Sphingomonas, accounting for 6.3, 66.7, 18.8, and 8.3%, respectively; the sole archaeal species was Ferroplasma sp. (100%). Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that the 16S rRNA gene copy numbers (per gram of concentrates) of bacteria and archaea were 4.59 x 10(9) and 6.68 x 10(5), respectively. Bacterial strains representing Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, and Sulfobacillus were isolated from the bioreactors. To study sulfur oxidation in the reactors, pairs of new PCR primers were designed for the detection of sulfur oxygenase reductase (SOR) genes. Three sor-like genes, namely, sor (Fx), sor (SA), and sor (SB) were identified from metagenomic DNAs of the bioreactors. The sor (Fx) is an inactivated SOR gene and is identical to the pseudo-SOR gene of Ferroplasma acidarmanus. The sor (SA) and sor (SB) showed no significant identity to any genes in GenBank databases. The sor (SB) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli, and SOR activity was determined. Quantitative RT-PCR determination of the gene densities of sor (SA) and sor (SB) were 1,000 times higher than archaeal 16S rRNA gene copy numbers, indicating that these genes were mostly impossible from archaea. Furthermore, with primers specific to the sor (SB) gene, this gene was PCR-amplified from the newly isolated Acidithiobacillus sp. strain SM-1. So far as we know, this is the first time to determine SOR activity originating from bacteria and to document SOR gene in bioleaching reactors and Acidithiobacillus species.

A series of recurring jets occurred at the edge of an active region NOAA 11459 on 2012 April 20, and they were observed simultaneously at EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths. They also were sometimes associated with a hard X-ray source at the base region. The jets might have resulted from magnetic reconnection between the newly emerging flux and the preexisting magnetic field that corresponded to the footpoint region of large-scale coronal loops. We obtained two periods of 171 Å intensity variations at the jet footpoint region, which were about 5 and 13 min. At the jet base, the short and long periodic brightenings might have originated from magneto-acoustic waves and magnetic reconnection. It is plausible that the p-modes might possibly trigger magnetic reconnection, and that reconnection might release stored magnetic energy to produce the jets.

Metal confined ceramic hollow ball composite was prepared by low pressure casting impregnation molding process. Because the ceramic hollow ball is fully constrained by metal in the circumference and radial direction, and takes into account high hardness of ceramic and strength and toughness of metal, it has a strong back strength and energy absorption effect and excellent impact resistance when it is penetrated by projectiles. The protection test of metal confined ceramic hollow ball composite material was carried out by using 14.5mm ballistic gun and firing 14.5mm perforating projectile. The test results show that the average protection coefficient of metal confined ceramic hollow ball composite structure is 1.53, and the damage area of metal confined ceramic hollow ball composite is small, and it has great advantages in resistance to multiple bullets.

The gas temperature inside a Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping (SEOP) laser-pumping polarized 3He cell has long been a mystery. Different experimental methods were employed to measure this temperature but all were based on either modelling or indirect measurement. To date there has not been any direct experimental measurement of this quantity. Here we present the first direct measurement using neutron transmission to accurately determine the number density of 3He, the temperature is obtained using the ideal gas law. Our result showed a surprisingly high gas temperature of 380°C, compared to the 245°C of the 3He cell wall temperature and 178°C of the optical pumping oven temperature. This experiment result may be used to further investigate the unsolved puzzle of the \"X-factor\" in the SEOP process which places an upper bound to the 3He polarization that can be achieved. Additional spin relaxation mechanisms might exist due to the high gas temperature, which could explain the origin of the X-factor.

The sealing structures, found in various equipment used in daily life, industry, and the military, play roles in preventing leaks, contamination, and toxic gases. This study focuses on the sealing interface of hyperelastic rough surface, employing an iterative algorithm to calculate the leakage process under fluid action and determine the critical leakage pressure. By substituting the fluid load on the sealing interface before leakage with a uniformly distributed pressure, this algorithm accurately identifies the boundaries of fluid and sealing contact regions through continuous iteration. Consequently, it solves the sealing interface state under a certain pressure and incrementally increases the hydrostatic pressure to obtain the critical leakage pressure. This research visualizes the sealing leakage process and determines the critical leakage pressure of the sealing interface, offering practical value for engineering applications and providing guidance for the design and manufacturing methods of sealing components.

Nanoparticles are now emerging as a novel class of autophagy activators. Functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNTs) are valuable nanomaterials in many industries. This article is designed to assess the autophagic response for f-SWCNTs exposure in vitro and in vivo . A few types of f-SWCNTs were screened in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells for the autophagic response and related pathways in vitro . Formation of autophagosomes and LC3-II upregulation were confirmed on the basis of electron microscopy and LC3 western blotting for COOH-CNT, but not for PABS-CNT and PEG-CNT. MTT assay showed marked increase in cell viability, when COOH-CNT was added to cells in the presence of autophagy inhibitor 3MA, ATG6 or TSC2 siRNA. Consistent with the involvement of the Akt–TSC1/2–mTOR pathway, the phosphorylation levels of mTOR, mTOR’s substrate S6 and Akt were shown significantly decreased in A549 cells on treatment with COOH-CNT using western blotting. What’s more, autophagy inhibitor 3MA significantly reduced the lung edema in vivo . In a word, COOH-CNT induced autophagic cell death in A549 cells through the AKT–TSC2–mTOR pathway and caused acute lung injury in vivo . Inhibition of autophagy significantly reduced COOH-CNT-induced autophagic cell death and ameliorated acute lung injury in mice, suggesting a potential remedy to address the growing concerns on the safety of nanomaterials.