Distance domination of generalized de Bruijn and Kautz digraphs

Let G = (V,A) be a digraph and k ≥ 1 an integer. For u, v ∈ V, we say that the vertex u distance k-dominate v if the distance from u to v at most k. A set D of vertices in G is a distance k-dominating set if each vertex of V D is distance k-dominated by some vertex of D. The distance k-domination number of G, denoted by γ _k (G), is the minimum cardinality of a distance k-dominating set of G. Generalized de Bruijn digraphs G _B (n, d) and generalized Kautz digraphs G _K (n, d) are good candidates for interconnection networks. Denote Δ _k := (∑ _j=0 ^k d ^j )^?1. F. Tian and J. Xu showed that ?nΔ _k ? γ _k (G _B (n, d)) ≤?n/d ^k? and ?nΔ _k ? ≤ γ _k (G _K (n, d)) ≤ ?n/d ^k ?. In this paper, we prove that every generalized de Bruijn digraph G _B (n, d) has the distance k-domination number ?nΔ _k ? or ?nΔ _k ?+1, and the distance k-domination number of every generalized Kautz digraph G _K (n, d) bounded above by ?n/(d ^k?1+d ^k )?. Additionally, we present various sufficient conditions for γ _k (G _B (n, d)) = ?nΔ _k ? and γ _k (G _K (n, d)) = ?nΔ _k ?.     

Ultra-high surface area and mesoporous N-doped carbon derived from sheep bones with high electrocatalytic performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction

A nitrogen (N)-doped mesoporous carbon material exhibiting ultra-high surface area was successfully synthesized from sheep bones via a facile and low-cost method. The obtained carbon material had an ultra-high specific surface area of 1961 m² g^?1 and provided rich active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), which in turn resulted in high electrocatalytic activity. It was found that the pore size distribution for the newly prepared carbonaceous material fell in the range of 1–4 nm. Benefiting from its high surface area and the presence of pyridine-N and quaternary-N species, the as-prepared carbon material exhibited excellent ORR activity in an oxygen-saturated 0.1 M KOH solution, compared to commercial Pt/C (10 wt%). Due to its high ORR catalytic activity, stability and low-cost, using sheep bone as C and N precursors to produce N-doped carbon provides an encouraging step toward the goal of replacing commercial Pt/C as fuel cell cathode electrocatalyst.     

Molecular engineering tuning optoelectronic properties of thieno[3,2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">b</Emphasis>]thiophenes-based electrochromic polymers

Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (TT) monomers end-capped with 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) moieties are electropolymerized to form π-conjugated polymers with distinct electrochromic (EC) properties. Steric and electronic factors (electron donor and acceptor substituents) in the side groups of the TT core, as well as the structure of the polymer backbone strongly affect the electrochemical and optical properties of the polymers and their electrochromic characteristics. The studied polymers show low oxidation potentials, tunable from–0.78 to +0.30 V (vs. Fc/Fc⁺) and the band gaps from 1.46 to 1.92 eV and demonstrate wide variety of color palettes in polymer films in different states, finely tunable by structural variations in the polymer backbone and the side chains. EC materials of different colors in their doped/dedoped states have been developed (violet, deep blue, light blue, green, brown, purple-red, pinkish-red, orange-red, light gray, cyan and colorless transparent). High optical contrast (up to 79%), short response time (0.57–0.80 s), good cycling stability (up to 91% at 2000 cycles) and high coloration efficiency (up to 234.6 cm² C^–1) have been demonstrated and the influence of different factors on the above parameters of EC polymers have been discussed.     

5-正则图的全控制数的一个注记

设G是不含孤立点的图,S是G的一个顶点子集,若G的每一个顶点都与S中的某顶点邻接,则称S是G的全控制集.G的最小全控制集所含顶点的个数称为G的全控制数,记为γt(G).Thomasse和Yeo证明了若G是最小度至少为5的n阶连通图,则γt(G)≤17n/44.在5-正则图上改进了Thomasse和Yeo的结论,证明了若G是n阶5-正则图,则,γt(G)≤106n/275.     

Semiparametric Bayesian inference for mean-covariance regression models

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian semiparametric mean-covariance regression model with known covariance structures. A mixture model is used to describe the potential non-normal distribution of the regression errors. Moreover, an empirical likelihood adjusted mixture of Dirichlet process model is constructed to produce distributions with given mean and variance constraints. We illustrate through simulation studies that the proposed method provides better estimations in some non-normal cases. We also demonstrate the implementation of our method by analyzing the data set from a sleep deprivation study.     

The Chemical Compositions,and Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Four Types of Citrus Essential Oils

Nanfeng mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Kinokuni), Xunwu mandarins (Citrus reticulata Blanco), Yangshuo kumquats (Citrus japonica Thunb) and physiologically dropped navel oranges (Citrus sinensis Osbeck cv. Newhall) were used as materials to extract peel essential oils (EOs) via hydrodistillation. The chemical composition, and antibacterial and antioxidant activities of the EOs were investigated. GC-MS analysis showed that monoterpene hydrocarbons were the major components and limonene was the predominate compound for all citrus EOs. The antibacterial testing of EOs against five different bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium) was carried out using the filter paper method and the broth microdilution method. Kumquat EO had the best inhibitory effect on B. subtilis, E. coli and S. typhimurium with MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values of 1.56, 1.56 and 6.25 µL/mL, respectively. All citrus EOs showed the antioxidant activity of scavenging DPPH and ABTS free radicals in a dose-dependent manner. Nanfeng mandarin EO presented the best antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values of 15.20 mg/mL for the DPPH assay and 0.80 mg/mL for the ABTS assay. The results also showed that the antibacterial activities of EOs might not be related to their antioxidant activities.     

Blocking Effect of Demethylzeylasteral on the Interaction between Human ACE2 Protein and SARS-CoV-2 RBD Protein Discovered Using SPR Technology

The novel coronavirus disease (2019-nCoV) has been affecting global health since the end of 2019, and there is no sign that the epidemic is abating. Targeting the interaction between the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is a promising therapeutic strategy. In this study, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was used as the primary method to screen a library of 960 compounds. A compound 02B05 (demethylzeylasteral, CAS number: 107316-88-1) that had high affinities for S-RBD and ACE2 was discovered, and binding affinities (K_D, μM) of 02B05-ACE2 and 02B05-S-RBD were 1.736 and 1.039 μM, respectively. The results of a competition experiment showed that 02B05 could effectively block the binding of S-RBD to ACE2 protein. Furthermore, pseudovirus infection assay revealed that 02B05 could inhibit entry of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus into 293T cells to a certain extent at nontoxic concentration. The compoundobtained in this study serve as references for the design of drugs which have potential in the treatment of COVID-19 and can thus accelerate the process of developing effective drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections.     

Upgrading Solid Digestate from Anaerobic Digestion of Agricultural Waste as Performance Enhancer for Starch-Based Mulching Biofilm

Developing a green and sustainable method to upgrade biogas wastes into high value-added products is attracting more and more public attention. The application of solid residues as a performance enhancer in the manufacture of biofilms is a prospective way to replace conventional plastic based on fossil fuel. In this work, solid digestates from the anaerobic digestion of agricultural wastes, such as straw, cattle and chicken manures, were pretreated by an ultrasonic thermo-alkaline treatment to remove the nonfunctional compositions and then incorporated in plasticized starch paste to prepare mulching biofilms by the solution casting method. The results indicated that solid digestate particles dispersed homogenously in the starch matrix and gradually aggregated under the action of a hydrogen bond, leading to a transformation of the composites to a high crystalline structure. Consequently, the composite biofilm showed a higher tensile strength, elastic modulus, glass transition temperature and degradation temperature compared to the pure starch-based film. The light, water and GHG (greenhouse gas) barrier properties of the biofilm were also reinforced by the addition of solid digestates, performing well in sustaining the soil quality and minimizing N₂O or CH₄ emissions. As such, recycling solid digestates into a biodegradable plastic substitute not only creates a new business opportunity by producing high-performance biofilms but also reduces the environmental risk caused by biogas waste and plastics pollution.     

Rapid determination of radon progeny concentration based on artificial neural networks

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The rapid measurement of radon progeny concentration is of great significance for improving the efficiency of radon exposure dose evaluation in a...     

Pd增强缺陷态TiO2纳米管阵列的光催化产氢性能

通过光还原沉积法, 利用氧空位诱导作用, 在Ni掺杂的缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列(TNT-Ni)上得到金属 Pd含量不同的Pd-TNT-Ni催化剂. 采用场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、 紫外-可见 漫反射(UV-Vis DRS)、 表面光电压(SPV)、 光致发光光谱(PL)和电化学测试等表征手段, 探究了Pd与Ni掺杂的缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列之间的强相互作用对其光吸收特性和载流子分离及传输效率的影响, 阐明了强相互 作用对材料光催化活性的调控机理, 提出了Pd增强Pd-TNT-Ni光催化性能的作用机理. 结果表明, 通过光还 原法制备的Pd纳米颗粒尺寸为10~20 nm的Pd₁₂₀-TNT-Ni样品的光响应值为4.22 mA/cm², 是未负载Pd样品光 响应值(1.14 mA/cm²)的3.7倍, 其具有最佳的平均产氢速率(5.16 mmol·g^?1·h^?1), 是TNT样品平均产氢速率 (0.45 mmol·g^?1·h^?1)的12倍, 表明Pd与缺陷态TiO₂纳米管阵列之间的强相互作用驱动了载流子的分离及传输, 且Pd作为电子捕获势阱及反应活性位点, 显著提高了材料的光催化性能.