STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL STABILITY OF POLYFLUORINATED GROUP SUBSTITUTED POLYTHIOPHENES

Electrochemical polymerization of 3-fluoroalkoxy and 3-fluoroether thiophenes gives polymers with relatively high molecular weights and good processibility. Investigation of these polymers by means of GPC indicates that an increase in the number of fluorine atoms in the fluorinated group results in a decrease in degree of polymerization of the polymers in the same polythiophene series. As shown by NMR and FTIR, the polyfluorinated group substituted polythiophenes have regular 2, 5-coupling in their main chains. The SEM micrographs of the polymer films exhibit that polymer (1)-poly [3-2, 2, 3, 3-tetrafluoro-propoxy) thiophene] possesses more regular structure than the other polymers do. Substitution of polythiophenes by fluorinated groups leads to the polymers with high electric, electrochemical and thermal stability.

Stability and transepithelial transport of oligopeptide(KRQKYD)with hepatocyte-protective activity from Jinhua ham in human intestinal Caco-2 monolayer cells

The study evaluated the stability of an oligopeptide(Lys-Arg-Gln-Lys-Tyr-Asp,KRQKYD)and its transport mechanism by simulating gastrointestinal digestion and a model of human intestinal Caco-2 monolayer cells in vitro.In this study,the effects of environmental factors(temperature,pH and NaCl concentration)and simulated gastrointestinal digestion on the stability of KRQKYD were evaluated by indicators of the levels of alanine transaminase(ALT),aspartate transaminase(AST)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in an alcoholinduced hepatocyte injury model.The results showed that KRQKYD still maintained satisfactory hepatocyteprotective activity after treatment with different temperatures(20-80℃),pH(3.0-9.0),NaCl concentration(1%-7%)and simulated gastrointestinal digestion,which indicated that KRQKYD showed good stability to environmental factors and simulated gastrointestinal digestion.Furthermore,the intact KRQKYD could be absorbed in a model of Caco-2 monolayer cells with a P_(app)value of(9.70±0.53)×10^(-7)cm/s.Pretreatment with an energy inhibitor(sodium azide),a competitive peptide transporter inhibitor(Gly-Pro)and a transcytosis inhibitor wortmannin did not decrease the level of transepithelial KRQKYD transport,indicating that the transport mechanism of KRQKYD was not associated with energy dependent,vector mediated and endocytosis.The tight junction disruptor cytochalasin D significantly increased the level of transepithelial KRQKYD transport(P<0.05),suggesting that intact KRQKYD was absorbed by paracellular transport.

Stability of growth periods traits for soybean cultivars across multiple locations

The growth periods（GPs, from planting/emergence to reproductive stage 8（R8） of soybean cultivars vary in different ecological regions, especially in China with a very complex soybean cropping system. In this study, a 3-yr experimental study was undertaken in three geographical locations of China from 2008 to 2010, including the Northeast（40.66-45.85°N）, Huang-Huai（34.75-38.04°N） and southern（22.82-30.60°N） eco-regions with about 250 accessions in each region to clarify the classification of maturity group（MG） and identify the cultivars with stable GP to increase the knowledge about the GP distribution of soybean cultivars in China. GPs of soybean cultivars in different eco-regions were significant different with a gradual decrease from 115-125 d in the Northeast part to the 85-100 d in the southern part of China. The geographical location was the major factor for GP of cultivars from the Northeast, while the year of planting was the major factor affecting the stability of GPs in Huang-Huai summer and southern summer soybean. AMMI2（additive main effects and multiplicativeinteraction）-Biplot analysis showed that the GPs of soybean cultivars from the Northeast eco-region have a comparatively satisfactory environmental stability. Moreover, soybean cultivars with moderate GP/MG and stable environment adaptability in different eco-regions were identified based on the linear regression and AMMI analysis, which was important for the accurate classification of soybean MGs in future. Taken together, our results reflected the genetic diversity, geographical distribution and environmental stability of the Chinese soybean GP trait. Soybean cultivars with stable GP for various Chinese eco-regions would be beneficial for Chinese soybean genetic improvement, varietal introduction, exchange, and soybean breeding program for wide adaptability.

Relationships between Artemisia ordosica communities and environmental factors following sand-dune stabilization in the Mu Us desert,northwest China

Artemisia ordosica is an excellent sand-fixing shrub for sand stabilization in northwestern China. Sand dune stabilization, a critically important process, leads changes in abiotic factors, such as soil structure and nutrient contents. However, the effects of factors on an A. ordosica community following sand stabilization remain unclear. In this study, we used canonical correspondence analysis （CCA） to examine the relationships between A. ordosica communities and environmental factors at three habitats： semi-fixed dune （SF）, fixed dune with low-cov- erage biological soil crust （F）, and fixed dune with high- coverage biological soil crust （FC） in Mu Us desert. The mean height and coverage of plants increased with sand stabilization, while species diversity and richness increased initially and then reduced significantly. Correlation analysis and CCA revealed that slope, soil organic carbon, and nutrient contents, proportion of fine soil particles, soil moisture, and thickness of biological soil crust were all highly correlated with vegetation characteristics. These environmental factors could explain 40.42 % of the vege- tation-environment relationships at the three habitats. The distribution of plant species was positively related to soil moisture in the SF dune. Soil moisture, soil nutrient, and fine-particle contents mainly affected plants distribution in the F dune. In the FC dune, distribution of plant species was positively and negatively correlated with the thickness of biological soil crust and soil moisture at a depth 0-20 cm, respectively. The dominance value of typical steppe species increased significantly following sand-dune stabilization and relations between species and samples in CCA ordination bi-plots showed that perennial grasses could invade the A. ordosica community on FC, indicating A. ordosica communities had a tendency to change into typical steppe vegetation with the further fixation. We conclude that the significant differentiation not only occurred in community characteristics, but also in the relationships between vegetation and environmental factors among the three stages of dune fixation. So, restoration of degraded dune ecosystems should be based on habitat conditions and ecological needs.

Improvement of Environment Stability of an i-Line Chemically Amplified Photoresist

An i-Line chemically amplified(ICA)thick film positive resist is reported in this paper.The impact of process conditions on photoresist performance was investigated.Pre-apply bake temperature and post exposure bake temperature affect acid diffusion and deblocking reactions,thus playing an integral role in defining the resist profile.Both pre-apply bake delay and post exposure delay(PED)affect critical dimension(CD)variation,but PED is more sensitive to contact with airborne contaminants.Different polymers and different photo-acid generators(PAG)are also illustrated in this work.By optimizing the structure and concentration of key components,an ICA resist with good environment stability and excellent lithographic performance was demonstrated.

Environment-Stable CoxNiy Encapsulation in Stacked Porous Carbon Nanosheets for Enhanced Microwave Absorption

Magnetic/dielectric@porous carbon composites,derived from metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)with adjustable composition ratio,have attracted wide attention due to their unique magnetoelectric properties.In addition,MOFs-derived porous carbon-based materials can meet the needs of lightweight feature.This paper reports a simple process for synthesizing stacked CoxNiy@C nanosheets derived from CoxNiy-MOFs nanosheets with multiple interfaces,which is good to the microwave response.The CoxNiy@C with controllable composition can be obtained by adjusting the ratio of Co^2+ and Ni^2+.It is supposed that the increased Co content is benefit to the dielectric and magnetic loss.Additionally,the bandwidth of CoNi@C nanosheets can take up almost the whole Ku band.Moreover,this composite has better environmental stability in air,which characteristic provides a sustainable potential for the practical application.

Analysis of the State of Woody Plants in the City of Nukus (Streets of Ernazar Alakoz)

This article observed seven species of Fraxinus excelsior L., Fraxinus pensylvanica March., Salix alba L., Populus alba L., Juniperus communis L., Catalpa bignonioides Walt., Ulmus densa Litv for seasonal growth. The Republic of Karakalpakstan is located in the North-West of Uzbekistan, covers 166,600 km2 (28%), and is the largest in terms of territory by region. The study of woody plants in the flora of Karakalpakstan is an important aspect of the convention on biological diversity. The species composition of the natural flora of Karakalpakstan is quite poor in ornamental plants, especially evergreens, suitable for gardening. At the same time, the biodiversity of these plants in Nukus and the factors contributing to them were analyzed. Relevance of the study: Creating an environmentally friendly environment in cities is possible by optimizing intra-urban tree plantations that perform forming, improving and regulating functions in the environment. The effectiveness of green spaces mainly depends on the range of trees and shrubs and their correct use in accordance with biological characteristics, environmental requirements and decorative qualities. The degree of impact of plantings on the environment also depends on the type, age and physiological characteristics of plants [1]. Woody plants, unlike hardwoods, enrich and purify the air throughout the year and can be used for single and group planting when creating hedges and borders, as well as green gardens. All year round, they enrich the air with oxygen, absorb street noises, and lower the air temperature. However, the conservation of flora is necessary not only for individual components, but also for the entire population diversity. Salinized land, unfavorable climate and other environmental factors are among the obstacles or restrictions to the introduction of new species of trees and shrubs, especially evergreen ones, in arid areas [2] [3]. The urban environment differs from the natural environment in terms of the degree of illumination, the amount of solar radiation, air temperature and humidity, soil properties, etc. In this regard, green plants only with proper planning, selection of assortment, sufficient quantity and good care ensure the improvement of the ecological state of the city. For scientifically based gardening, it is necessary to have objective ideas not only about the quantity and quality of existing plantings, but also to know the ecological and physiological state of each species, which allows us to assess the role of plants in improving the quality of the environment [4]. The sharply continental climate, aridity of the territory, increased wind activity and salinity of the soil contribute to the aggravation of environmental problems in the cities of the southern Aral sea region. The deteriorating environmental situation in Nukus requires the development of a specific gardening strategy aimed at creating sustainable urban plantings of various types. In this regard, we conduct research on the biological characteristics of ornamental woody plants in urban conditions. The range of tree and shrub species used in the landscaping of the city of Nukus remains quite poor today [5]. The predominant tree species are P. alba L., P. nigra L., P. diversifolia L., F. excelsior L., F. pensylvanica Marsh., Fraxinus potamaphylla Herd, S. excels S. Gmel, S. babylonica L., S. alba L., Juniperus communis L. In the landscaping of Nukus, introduced plants are also used, which have adapted to local conditions, although they are damaged by frosts. These include C. bignonioides Walt, Ulmus pumila L., F. pensylvanica Marsh.

Substrate-decoupled,bulk-acoustic wave gyroscopes:Design and evaluation of next-generation environmentally robust devices

This paper reports on a new type of high-frequency mode-matched gyroscope with significantly reduced dependencies on environmental stimuli such as temperature,vibration,and shock.A novel stress-isolation system is used to effectively decouple an axis-symmetric bulk-acoustic wave(BAW)vibratory gyro from its substrate,minimizing the effect that external sources of error have on the offset and scale factor of the device.Substrate-decoupled(SD)BAW gyros with a resonance frequency of 4.3 MHz and Q values near 60000 were implemented using the high aspect ratio poly and single-crystal silicon(HARPSS)process to achieve ultra-narrow capacitive gaps.Wafer-level packaged sensors were interfaced with a customized application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC)to achieve low variations in the offset across temperature(±26°s^(−1) from−40 to 85℃),supreme random-vibration immunity(0.012°s^(−1) gRMS−1)and excellent shock rejection.With a scale factor of 800μV(°s^(−1))^(−1),the SD-BAW gyro system attains a large full-scale range(±1250°s^(−1))with a non-linearity of less than 0.07%.A measured angle-random walk(ARW)of 0.39°/√h and a bias instability of 10.5°h^(−1) are dominated by the thermal and flicker noise of the integrated circuit(IC),respectively.Additional measurements using external electronics show bias-instability values as low as 3.5°h−1,which are limited by feed-through signals coupled from the drive loop to the sense channel,which can be further reduced through proper re-routing of the gyroscope pin-out configuration.

Improvement of thermal stability of ZrSiON based solar selective absorbing coating

Solar selective absorbing coatings(SSACs)are required to have not only excellent optical property but also outstanding thermal stability for high temperature applications.The optical properties of Mo/ZrSiN/ZrSiON/SiO_(2) SSAC had been optimized successfully before.Herein,we are focusing on the evaluation and mechanism of thermal stability of this multilayer coating for its potential applications in concentrated solar power(CSP)systems.Fortunately,the coating exhibits excellent thermal stability after aging at 400℃ for 1500 h in vacuum.At aging temperature of 500℃ for 1000 h or 600℃ for 300 h in vacuum,the slight inter-diffusion between Mo layer and stainless steel(SS)substrate occurs.At higher aging temperature of 700℃ for 100 h in vacuum,the serious inter-diffusion between Mo layer and SS substrate leads to invalidation of the coating,which has been evidenced by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry(RBS)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)technologies.Additionally,this coating also has an outstanding thermal stability after aging at 400℃for 300 h in air.A heating-cooling cycling(HCC)treatment evidences the good thermal stability of this coating working in cold environment(60℃).The results reveal that this coating can be a promising candidate not only for CSP system in high temperatures but also for usage in cold environment.

Building the conformal protection of VB-group VS_(2)laminated heterostructure based on biomass-derived carbon for excellent broadband electromagnetic waves absorption

Although VB-Group transition metal disulfides(TMDs)VS_(2)nanomaterials with specific electronic properties and multiphase microstructures have shown fascinating potential in the field of electro-magnetic wave(EMW)absorption,the efficient utilization of VS_(2)is limited by the technical bottleneck of its narrow effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)which is attributed to environmental instability and a deficient electromagnetic(EM)loss mechanism.In order to fully exploit the maximal utilization values of VS_(2)nanomaterials for EMW absorption through mitigating the chemical instability and optimizing the EM parameters,biomass-based glucose derived carbon(GDC)like sugar-coating has been decorated on the surface of stacked VS_(2)nanosheets via a facile hydrothermal method,followed by high-temperature carbonization.As a result,the modulation of doping amount of glucose injection solution(Glucose)could effectively manipulate the encapsulation degree of GDC coating on VS_(2)nanosheets,further imple-menting the EM response mechanisms of the VS_(2)/GDC hybrids(coupling effect of conductive loss,interfacial polarization,relaxation,dipole polarization,defect engineering and multiple reflections and absorptions)through regulating the conductivity and constructing multi-interface heterostructures,as reflected by the enhanced EMW absorption performance to a great extent.The minimum reflection loss(Rmin)of VS_(2)/GDC hybrids could reach52.8 dB with a thickness of 2.7 mm at 12.2 GHz.Surprisingly,compared with pristine VS_(2),the EAB of the VS_(2)/GDC hybrids increased from 2.0 to 5.7 GHz,while their environmental stability was effectively enhanced by virtue of GDC doping.Obviously,this work provides a promising candidate to realize frequency band tunability of EMW absorbers with exceptional perfor-mance and environmental stability.

Spectroscopic Understanding of Structural and Electrical Property Variations in Dopant-Free ZnO Films

Physical property variation in dopant-free ZnO films was investigated. Film annealing under various environments（O_2, in-Air, N2 and vacuum） resulted in better crystallinity than in the as-grown film. In particular, the film annealed under the N_2 environment showed better crystallinity and electrical properties than films annealed in other environments. Based on spectroscopic analysis, we found a correlation between physical（structural, electrical） and chemical properties： The crystallinity of ZnO films is closely related to ZnO bonding, whereas carrier concentration is associated with VO（oxygen vacancy）.