Ab initio calculations of the NO2 fission for CL-20 conformers

NO₂ fission is regarded to be the most important initial decomposition process of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). In this study, four CL-20 conformers based on the ε-CL-20 were obtained after the optimization at m062x/cc-pvtz level, and the bond length, bond order and bond dissociation energy of the N-N bonds were examined to investigate the stability of these bonds. In addition, the rate constants and activation energy of the NO₂ fission were evaluated using the microcanonical variational transition state theory (μVT). The calculation results have shown that N-N bonds in the case of pseudo-equatorial and axial of nitro groups are the most stable and the least stable, respectively, by evaluating the bond length, bond order and minimum energy path (MEP). The NO₂ fission rate constants are affected by not only the stability of N-N bonds but also the repulsion forces from the other nitro groups, and the fission process for pseudo-equatorial positioning of nitro groups is easier to be accelerated due to the increase of the repulsion forces. The decomposition of CL-20 conformer may mainly originate from the fission of the pseudo-equatorial positioning of nitro groups, especially for CL-20 III conformer because of the significant low activation energy.     

Evolution of properties of parts during MIM and sintering of recycled oxide particles

Metal injection moulding (MIM) is an established process for high volume production of complex shaped metallic parts using commercially available feedstocks. The characteristics of parts after moulding, debinding, and sintering cannot be simply predictable from raw materials because the properties get altered with the process parameters and the corresponding levels of porosity during processing steps. In this study, physical properties, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the MIM parts have been characterised to understand the evolution of strength during various steps in MIM processing. Feedstocks with different binder loading show a considerable difference in physical as well as mechanical characteristics. During sintering of parts which have solid loading of grinding sludge, simultaneous in situ reduction and densification takes place, whereas only densification occurs in carbonyl iron parts. It is, therefore, possible to make complex shaped parts of different levels of porosity from downgraded shop floor metallic waste.     

云南镇源难处理金精矿工艺矿物学研究

利用X射线衍射、X射线荧光光谱（XRF）、X射线能谱分析（EDX）和矿物解离分析（MLA）等检测手段对云南镇源难处理金精矿的化学组成、矿物组成、硫化物特征以及金的分布情况进行了详细的工艺矿物学研究。结果显示：该金矿以硫化矿、碳酸盐和硅酸盐类矿物为主，含有3.18%的有机碳和2.37%的无机碳。通过金的诊断浸出发现96.16%的金被硫化物包裹，少量金以单体形式存在。通过对主要载金矿物黄铁矿、辉锑矿和毒砂的粒度、包裹及裸露情况进行分析，得出大部分硫化矿以解离单体的形式存在，少部分与其他矿物共生。根据MLA测试及金的诊断浸出，认为大部分金被硫化矿完全包裹，处理该矿石时应先进行硫化物包裹层的氧化处理，再进行金矿的浸出。     

Four phenolic acids from purple sweet potato and their effects on physicochemical,digestive and structural characteristics of starch

Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was employed to investigate free phenols that were released from purple sweet potato (PSP) by alkaline, acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. Four phenolic acids, including ferulic, isoferulic, 4-hydroxybenzoic and caffeic acids, were identified. Based on their effects on the characteristics of purple sweet potato starch (PSPS), the four phenolic acids were studied. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were employed to explore the microstructures of the complexes of the phenolic acids and PSPS. The obtained results demonstrated that the pasting, thermal, retrogradation, as well as digestive properties of PSPS were all influenced by the phenolic acids which interacted with PSPS through noncovalent hydrogen bonds. The influence of the four phenolic acids on the properties of PSPS was in the descending order: 4-hydroxybenzoic acid > ferulic acid > caffeic acid > isoferulic acid.     

MooseFS热备元数据节点设计与实现

针对MooseFS元数据节点的单点故障问题，对MooseFS源码进行改造，为其增加一个热备的备元数据节点，并通过主备之间同步元数据，备节点回放操作日志等技术使得备元数据节点内存中的元数据时刻跟主元数据节点保持一致。当主元数据节点发生故障切换到备元数据节点后，备元数据节点无需从本地加载元数据即可快速接替主元数据节点对外提供服务。测试结果表明，备元数据节点本地和内存中的元数据均与主元数据节点保持一致，且故障恢复时间小于1 s。     

固体自拉曼激光器多波长输出研究

实验对比了a切和c切的Nd∶YVO4晶体作为激光晶体时,激光器输出光光谱及输出功率上的区别。设计了一种小型化固体自拉曼多波长激光器,实验证明通过调节倍频晶体BBO的角度,可实现多波长选择性输出及同时输出,并测量了其输出光谱及单波长输出时的功率。     

Rheum rhaponticum Root Extract Improves Vasomotor Menopausal Symptoms and Estrogen-Regulated Targets in Ovariectomized Rat Model

Ovarian insufficiency and ovariectomy are characterized by deregulated heat loss mechanisms. Unlike hormone therapy, ERr 731 (a standardized botanical extract of Siberian rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum L. high in rhaponticin) acts like a selective estrogen receptor modulator for ERβ receptors and may offer a higher degree of safety while maintaining the desired efficacy profile. In this study, we examined the relationship between oral administration of ERr 731 and the underlying components of skin vasomotion responses in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. ERr 731 dose-dependently reduced tail skin temperature (T_skin) values by an average of 1 °C. The rapid onset of this effect was observed in 1 and 3 mg/kg/day ERr 731 groups as early as day 2 of administration, and remained in place for the duration of the treatment (2 weeks). Substituting ERr 731 after E₂ withdrawal helped maintain body temperature similarly to E₂ alone, suggesting the usefulness of ERr 731 for replacing existing hormonal therapy in humans. ERr 731 also acted as a highly selective agonist for ERβ in the hypothalamus of OVX rats, as well as in ERα/β cell-based reporter assays. These data validate the OVX/T_skin rat model as a suitable screening platform to evaluate botanical and pharmaceutical treatments of menopause, while providing further evidence for the efficacy of ERr 731 towards alleviating vasomotor menopausal symptoms and improving wellbeing during the menopausal transition.     

An Improved Protocol for Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation in Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) is the most widely grown annual pasture legume in southern Australia. With the advent of advanced sequencing and genome editing technologies, a simple and efficient gene transfer protocol mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens was developed to overcome the hurdle of genetic manipulation in subterranean clover. In vitro tissue culture and Agrobacterium transformation play a central role in testing the link between specific genes and agronomic traits. In this paper, we investigate a variety of factors affecting the transformation in subterranean clover to increase the transformation efficiency. In vitro culture was optimised by including cefotaxime during seed sterilisation and testing the best antibiotic concentration to select recombinant explants. The concentrations for the combination of antibiotics obtained were as follows: 40 mg L⁻¹ hygromycin, 100 mg L⁻¹ kanamycin and 200 mg L⁻¹ cefotaxime. Additionally, 200 mg L⁻¹ cefotaxime increased shoot regeneration by two-fold. Different plant hormone combinations were tested to analyse the best rooting media. Roots were obtained in a medium supplemented with 1.2 µM IAA. Plasmid pH35 containing a hygromycin-resistant gene and GUS gene was inoculated into the explants with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AGL0 for transformation. Overall, the transformation efficiency was improved from the 1% previously reported to 5.2%, tested at explant level with Cefotaxime showing a positive effect on shooting regeneration. Other variables in addition to antibiotic and hormone combinations such as bacterial OD, time of infection and incubation temperature may be further tested to enhance the transformation even more. This improved transformation study presents an opportunity to increase the feeding value, persistence, and nutritive value of the key Australian pasture.     

A general framework to study the price‐color relationship in paintings with an application to Mark Rothko rectangular series

We propose a general framework to study the relationship between the price of a painting and its color‐related attributes. To this end we focus on four key aspects: dominant colors, features of the color palette, color harmony, and color emotions. We demonstrate the usefulness of this approach with an example based on Mark Rothko's post‐1950 paintings (the “rectangular” series), and auction data from the 1994 to 2018 period. We identify two distinct price‐color regimes in Rothko's market: (a) [1994‐2005], a period in which prices are explained mainly by the growing popularity of the artist regardless of the color attributes of the paintings sold; and (b) [2006‐2018], a period in which color‐related attributes explain most of the prices. Furthermore, we find that in this second period, the dominant colors and the diversity of the color palette, are by far the most relevant attributes that influence the price; color harmony and color emotions hold almost no explanatory power during this period. Finally, we propose a new metric based on the Herfindahl Index to describe color diversity; this metric seems to be promising at characterizing the effect of the color palette on the price of a painting.