New Spinor Field Realizations of the Non-Critical W3W_{3} String

We investigate the new spinor field realizations of the $W_{3}$ algebra, making use of the fact that the $W_{3}$ algebra can be linearized by the addition of a spin-1 current. We then use these new realizations to build the nilpotent Becchi-Rouet-Stora--Tyutin (BRST) charges of the spinor non-critical $W_{3}$ string.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, revtex4 style, accepted by Chin. Phys. Let

Influence of Grassland Management on Carbon Allocation in a Semiarid Temperate Steppe

Grazing lands in North China are often excessively grazed and widely degraded, while hay-making lands appear to be in relatively good condition due to grazing exclusion, but they are facing a continuous loss of nutrients in the harvested biomass. In semiarid grasslands, plant productivity and community composition are significantly altered by grazing and haying. Grazing mostly leads to negative effects on aboveground productivity, however root biomass seems to increase with moderate grazing (Gao et al. 2009; Derner et al. 2006), although responses can vary. Aboveground biomass removal can increase C3 grass dominance and productivity (Hofer and Bragg 1981). Grazing exclusion is a valuable mechanism of sequestering soil C (He 2008). However, grazing can change C allocation patterns and affect the amount of C entering the soil. Here we examine the potential effects of common management practices (exclusion with fencing, grazing and hay-making) on semiarid grasslands above- and below-ground C pools. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of grazing exclusion and annual last-summer haying in previous grazing lands on the storage of C in semiarid grasslands of northern China

A Redox-Neutral Catechol Synthesis

Ubiquitous tyrosinase catalyses the aerobic oxidation of phenols to catechols through the binuclear copper centres. Here, inspired by the Fischer indole synthesis, we report an iridium-catalysed tyrosinase-like approach to catechols, employing an oxyacetamide-directed C–H hydroxylation on phenols. This method achieves one-step, redox-neutral synthesis of catechols with diverse substituent groups under mild conditions. Mechanistic studies confirm that the directing group (DG) oxyacetamide acts as the oxygen source. This strategy has been applied to the synthesis of different important catechols with fluorescent property and bioactivity from the corresponding phenols. Finally, our method also provides a convenient route to 18O-labelled catechols using 18O-labelled acetic acid

Carbon materials for stable Li metal anodes Challenges, solutions, and outlook

Lithium Li metal is regarded as the ultimate anode for next generation Li ion batteries due to its highest specific capacity and lowest electrochemical potential. However, the Li metal anode has limitations, including virtually infinite volume change, nonuniform Li deposition, and an unstable electrode electrolyte interface, which lead to rapid capacity degradation and poor cycling stability, significantly hindering its practical application. To address these issues, intensive efforts have been devoted toward accommodating and guiding Li deposition as well as stabilizing the interface using various carbon materials, which have demonstrated excellent effectiveness, benefiting from their vast variety and excellent tunability of the structure property relationship. This review is intended as a guide through the fundamental challenges of Li metal anodes to the corresponding solutions utilizing carbon materials. The specific functionalities and mechanisms of carbon materials for stabilizing Li metal anodes in these solutions are discussed in detail. Apart from the stabilization of the Li metal anode in liquid electrolytes, attention has also been paid to the review of anode free Li metal batteries and solid state batteries enabled by strategies based on carbon materials. Furthermore, we have reviewed the unresolved challenges and presented our outlook on the implementation of carbon materials for stabilizing Li metal anodes in practical application

A promising new class of high-temperature alloys: Eutectic high-entropy alloys

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) can have either high strength or high ductility, and a simultaneous achievement of both still constitutes a tough challenge. The inferior castability and compositional segregation of HEAs are also obstacles for their technological applications. To tackle these problems, here we proposed a novel strategy to design HEAs using the eutectic alloy concept, i.e. to achieve a microstructure composed of alternating soft fcc and hard bcc phases. As a manifestation of this concept, an AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 (atomic portion) eutectic high-entropy alloy (EHEA) was designed. The as-cast EHEA possessed a fine lamellar fcc/B2 microstructure, and showed an unprecedented combination of high tensile ductility and high fracture strength at room temperature. The excellent mechanical properties could be kept up to 700°C. This new alloy design strategy can be readily adapted to large-scale industrial production of HEAs with simultaneous high fracture strength and high ductility

Detection of TMPRSS2 : ERG fusion gene in circulating prostate cancer cells

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license (CC BY-NC SA)Aim: To investigate the existence of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion gene in circulating tumor cells (CTC) from prostate cancer patients and its potential in monitoring tumor metastasis. Methods: We analyzed the frequency of TMPRSS2: ERG and TMPRSS2:ETV1 transcripts in 27 prostate cancer biopsies from prostatectomies, and TMPRSS2:ERG transcripts in CTC isolated from 15 patients with advanced androgen independent disease using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was applied to analyze the genomic truncation of ERG, which is the result of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion in 10 of the 15 CTC samples. Results: TMPRSS2: ERG transcripts were found in 44% of our samples, but we did not detect expression of TMPRSS2:ETV1. Using FISH analysis we detected chromosomal rearrangements affecting the ERG gene in 6 of 10 CTC samples, including 1 case with associated TMPRSS2:ERG fusion at the primary site. However, TMPRSS2:ERG transcripts were not detected in any of the 15 CTC samples, including the 10 cases analyzed by FISH. Conclusion: Although further study is required to address the association between TMPRSS2:ERG fusion and prostate cancer metastasis, detection of genomic truncation of the ERG gene by FISH analysis could be useful for monitoring the appearance of CTC and the potential for prostate cancer metastasis.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Non-existence of Extended Holographic Dark Energy with Hubble Horizon

The extended holographic dark energy model with the Hubble horizon as the infrared cutoff avoids the problem of the circular reasoning of the holographic dark energy model. We show that the infrared cutoff of the extended holographic dark energy model cannot be the Hubble horizon provided that the Brans-Dicke parameter $\omega$ satisfies the experimental constraint $\omega> 10^4$, and this is proved as a no-go theorem. The no-go theorem also applies to the case in which the dark matter interacts with the dark energy.Comment: 12 pages with revtex, 4 figures, v2: minor corrections to match the version appeared in JCA