Harmful macroalgal blooms caused by Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri are increasing in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.However,our understanding of macroalgal blooms before 2008 is fragmented and unclear.Using t...Harmful macroalgal blooms caused by Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri are increasing in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.However,our understanding of macroalgal blooms before 2008 is fragmented and unclear.Using time-series Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2008,we examined macroalgal bloom events and their evolutionary patterns.The results suggest that no macroalgal blooms were observed before 1999.Ulva blooms could be traced back to 1999 and occurred on a small scale in 2000,2004 and 2005,before escalating into large green tides in 2007 and 2008.Notably,these Ulva blooms were confined to the southern Yellow Sea from May to August.In comparison,Sargassum blooms were first detected in the East China Sea in March 2000 and occurred almost every year thereafter,although the size of the blooms showed significant interannual variation.The distribution areas generally moved northwards from March until the bloom dissipated in May or June,suggesting the influence of the monsoon and currents.Our investigation provided some insight into the bloom history of these two harmful macroalgal blooms in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.展开更多
Utilizing the laser-driven Z-pinch e ect,we propose an approach for generating an ultrashort,intense Me V neutron source with femtosecond pulse duration.The self-generated magnetic field driven by a petawatt-class las...Utilizing the laser-driven Z-pinch e ect,we propose an approach for generating an ultrashort,intense Me V neutron source with femtosecond pulse duration.The self-generated magnetic field driven by a petawatt-class laser pulse compressed the deuterium in a single nanowire to more than 120 times its initial density,achieving an unprecedented particle number density of 10^(25)cm^(-3).Through full-dimensional kinetic simulations,including nuclear reactions,we found that these Z-pinches can generate high-intensity and short-duration neutron pulses,with the peak flux reaching 10^(27)cm^(-2)s^(-1).Such laser-driven neutron sources are beyond the capabilities of existing approaches and pave the way for groundbreaking applications in r-process nucleosynthesis studies and high-precision time-of-flight neutron data measurements.展开更多
In this paper,we prepared the nanoparticle drug carrier system between nanoparticles chitosan and Epigallocatechin-3 O-gallate(EGCG)for breast cancer cell inhibiting application.For this drug carrier system,chitosan a...In this paper,we prepared the nanoparticle drug carrier system between nanoparticles chitosan and Epigallocatechin-3 O-gallate(EGCG)for breast cancer cell inhibiting application.For this drug carrier system,chitosan acts as a carrier and EGOG as a drug.Which were systematically characterized and thoroughly evaluated in terms of their inhibition rate and biocompatibility.We also did a cell scratch test and the result indicated that the chitosan EGCG nanoparticles have inhibitory effect on the growth of breast cancer cells.The inhibition rate could reach up to 21.91%.This work revealed that the modification of nanopartidles paved a way for specific biomedical applications.展开更多
The surface properties of PAN-based carbon fibers electrochemically treated in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate before and after treatment were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microsc...The surface properties of PAN-based carbon fibers electrochemically treated in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate before and after treatment were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Dynamic Contact Angle Analysis (DCAA). The results of characterization indicated that the oxygen and nitrogen contents in carbon fiber surface were significantly increased by electrochemical treatment, and amide groups was introduced onto it, which was related with the electrolyte. The AFM photographs illustrated that the roughness of the fiber surface was also increased. The wettibality of the fibers was improved after treatment because the surface energy especially the polar part of it was increased.展开更多
Al-4.5wt.%Cu alloy has been directionally solidified at constant and abruptly changing withdrawal rates, respectively. The effects of the withdrawal rate on solidification microstructure, primary dendrite arm spacing(...Al-4.5wt.%Cu alloy has been directionally solidified at constant and abruptly changing withdrawal rates, respectively. The effects of the withdrawal rate on solidification microstructure, primary dendrite arm spacing(PDAS) and liquid solute distribution in front of the solid-liquid interface were investigated. The experimental results for the PDAS at a constant withdrawal rate agree well with the values calculated by the Hunt, Trivedi and Hunt-Lu models. At an abrupt change in the withdrawal rate, the maximum to minimum ratio of the PDAS at a given solidification parameter, i.e. λ1max/λ1min, is more than 2, and the PDAS values are remarkably history-dependent. Further, the liquid-solute distribution curve based on theoretical calculation shows that the larger the initial withdrawal rate is, the smaller the minimum of liquid solute concentration in front of the solid-liquid interface is after the abrupt change in withdrawal rate.展开更多
A type of mesh called a body-fi tted Cartesian mesh,very different from the traditional structured body-fi tted mesh,is established.At f irst,the right parallelepiped mesh is generated,then,a feature analysis is done ...A type of mesh called a body-fi tted Cartesian mesh,very different from the traditional structured body-fi tted mesh,is established.At f irst,the right parallelepiped mesh is generated,then,a feature analysis is done on the cross sections.These cross sections are the intersections of the casting shape with the right parallelepiped grids(under the Cartesian coordinate system).On the basis of the feature analysis,two sorts of body-f itted boundary grids,shape-keeping grids and shape-distortion grids,are def ined.Shape-distortion grids can be removed or weaken by increasing the number of grids or moving the coordinates of the mesh generation region,so actually the body-fitted Cartesian mesh generation is to get shape-keeping grids.A shape-keeping grid mainly consists of two sorts of surfaces(I type face and II type face),and each of them is joined by two types of points(I type point and II type point).If only these two types of points were given,the shape-keeping mesh would be constructed.In this paper,the cases of the above two boundary grids being generated were discussed.An algorithm was put forward to get the shape-keeping grids.Several body-fi tted Cartesian meshes generated on castings show the validity of the algorithm.The mesh generation examples show that the body-fi tted Cartesian mesh is more excellent than the right parallelepiped mesh in aspects of decreasing grids number and being closer to the shape of the casting solid.展开更多
We study the dissipative quantum phase transition(QPT)in a biased Tavis–Cummings model consisting of an ensemble of two-level systems(TLSs)interacting with a cavity mode,where the TLSs are pumped by a drive field.In ...We study the dissipative quantum phase transition(QPT)in a biased Tavis–Cummings model consisting of an ensemble of two-level systems(TLSs)interacting with a cavity mode,where the TLSs are pumped by a drive field.In our proposal,we use a dissipative TLS ensemble and an active cavity with effective gain.In the weak drive-field limit,the QPT can occur under the combined actions of the loss and gain of the system.Owing to the active cavity,the QPT behavior can be much differentiated even for a finite strength of the drive field on the TLS ensemble.Also,we propose to implement our scheme based on the dissipative nitrogen-vacancy(NV)centers coupled to an active optical cavity made from the gainmedium-doped silica.Furthermore,we show that the QPT can be measured by probing the transmission spectrum of the cavity embedding the ensemble of the NV centers.展开更多
Utilizing wood ash as a fertilizer in agriculture is a viable alternative to the soil nutrients absorbed by the crops. The aim of this study was to assess the phytometric and productive features of Brachiaria brizanth...Utilizing wood ash as a fertilizer in agriculture is a viable alternative to the soil nutrients absorbed by the crops. The aim of this study was to assess the phytometric and productive features of Brachiaria brizantha (cv. BRS Piatã) fertilized with wood ash in the Brazilian Cerrado. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse, adopting a completely randomized design, and applying five rates of wood ash (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g·dm-3) with five replicates. The shoot plant parts were subjected to three successive cuts 30-day intervals each. The results were submitted to the analysis of variance and regression analysis at 5% probability. The wood ash rates between 13 to 17 g·dm-3 clearly produced the best results for plant height (102.24, 84.42 and 63.27 cm), leaf/stem ratio (1.61, 1, 78 and 1.94), and chlorophyll index (46.66, 41.93 and 38.39), respectively, during the first, second and third evaluations. A 94% increase in the shoot dry mass (2nd and 3rd evaluations) and root parts was noted for the wood ash rate of 20 g·dm-3, compared with the treatment involving wood ash fertilization. Wood ash affects the phytometric features, increases the chlorophyll concentration and thus the BRS Piatãgrass production in the Oxisol of the Brazilian Cerrado.展开更多
A new trend involving the combination of solar concentrators and agricultural plants on the same piece of land offers the possibility of realizing both electricity generation and a good crop harvest.Authors analyze th...A new trend involving the combination of solar concentrators and agricultural plants on the same piece of land offers the possibility of realizing both electricity generation and a good crop harvest.Authors analyze this situation for different countries,including Mexico,and based on authors’experience regarding the development of new solar concentrator prototypes,authors’primary objective was to describe the development of compact,light,and inexpensive solar concentrator prototypes that can be collocated on horizontal roofs.Authors’second objective was to investigate the combination of such solar concentrator prototypes with agricultural plants on the same field.Thus,several studies related to the combination of renewable energy generation and agricultural crops were reviewed.Many such systems involving the combination of PV(Photovoltaic)panels with different types of vegetables exist in the USA,France(lettuce production),Japan(tomato production),India(aloe and corn),northern Italy(maize),Spain and México.展开更多
The structure of planetary scale low freonency phenomena in the tropics is studied, and an attempt is made to determine its influence and interactions with phenomena at higher latitudes.In the tropics, it is found tha...The structure of planetary scale low freonency phenomena in the tropics is studied, and an attempt is made to determine its influence and interactions with phenomena at higher latitudes.In the tropics, it is found that the majority of the variance in the zonal wind structure is made up in wave numbers I and 2. During warm events in the Pacific Ocean, when the Southern Oscillation Index is negative, almost all of the variance resides in the gravest mode which undergoes a 40° eastward phase shift. Meanwhile, the second logitudinal mode almost disappears. On the other hand, the meridional wind field possesses maximum amplitude at higher wave numbers. However, near the equator,the amplitude is small with extreme values occurring in the subtropics. The difference in scale and the location of cxtrcma of the meridional and zonal wind components indicate that the tropical atmosphere is responding to two different driving mechanisms.Correlation analyses between variations of the zonal wind at reference points along the equator with variations of component elsewhere show that there are strong logitudinal connections. The strongest correlations between the tropics and higher latitudes exist in the region of the equatorial westerlies. In fact, stronger correlations occur between variations in U anywhere along the equator and the middle latitudes to the north and south of the equatorial westerlies than to the latitudes immediately to the north and south of the reference points. We interpret this 'remote' correlation pattern as indicating a two-stage teleconnection process which emphasizes the importance of the equatorial tropical westerlies of the Pacific Ocean as a 'corridor' of communication between the low and high latitudes. The regionality of the correlations confirms, to some extent, recent theoretical development regarding trapped equatorial modes. Finally, time lagged correlations from plus and minus six months between variations of U and OLR indicate that the interactions between the extratropics and low latitudes possess an organized sequence. The extratropical influence appears to propagate into the tropics followed by an eastward propagation along the equator. Finally, a propagation from the tropics to the extratropics in the upper troposphere occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The time-lagged correlation sequence does not appear to be symmetric about the equator.展开更多
Solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors with metal-semiconductor-metal structure were fabricated based onβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3)/β-Ga_(2)O_(3) film grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.It was know...Solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors with metal-semiconductor-metal structure were fabricated based onβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3)/β-Ga_(2)O_(3) film grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.It was known that various surface states increase dark current and a large number of defects can hinder the transport of carriers,resulting in low switching ratio and low responsivity of the device.In this work,β-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) films are used as surface passivation materials.Owning to its wide band gap,we obtain excellent light transmission and high lattice matching withβ-Ga_(2)O_(3).We explore the change and mechanism of the detection performance of theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) detector afterβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) surface passivation.It is found that under the illumination with 254 nm light at bias 5 V,theβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3)/β-Ga_(2)O_(3)photodetectors show dark current of just 18 pA and high current on/off ratio of 2.16×10^(5).The dark current is sharply reduced about 50 times after passivation of theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) surface,and current on/off ratio increases by approximately 2 times.It is obvious thatβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) detectors withβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) surface passivation can offer superior detector performance.展开更多
Nutrient absorption in crops can decline and their development can be hindered by increased bulk density. This study aimed at assessing the manner in which bulk density levels affect the reproductive structures of the...Nutrient absorption in crops can decline and their development can be hindered by increased bulk density. This study aimed at assessing the manner in which bulk density levels affect the reproductive structures of the safflower genotypes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The completely randomized design was adopted with four replications for the experiment, which was conducted in a greenhouse using Oxisol collected from 0.0 to 0.2 m depth from the region supporting Cerrado vegetation. The treatments included ten safflower genotypes (PI 237538, PI 248385, PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173, PI 305205, PI 306520, PI 306603, PI 560202 and PI 613366) and five bulk density levels (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 Mg·m-3). Evaluations were done at 90 days after emergence, in terms of the number, diameter and dry mass of the heads. The data were submitted to the analysis of variance. The means were grouped using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The diameter and dry mass of the chapters were influenced by the mean bulk density of 1.10 Mg·m-3. A notable interaction was evident between the safflower genotypes and bulk density levels for the diameter and dry mass of the head alone, revealing the high degree of genetic variability that environmental changes induce among the genotypes. The PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173 and PI 305205 genotypes exhibited greater stability to the bulk density variations compared with the others. Mean bulk density of 1.2 Mg·m-3 was found to impair the development of the reproductive components of the safflower genotypes.展开更多
This paper develops a comparative overview of SEA in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa regarding legal, institutional and procedural perspectives, in order to assess their effectiveness and unveil main constrains. It i...This paper develops a comparative overview of SEA in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa regarding legal, institutional and procedural perspectives, in order to assess their effectiveness and unveil main constrains. It is clear from this brief review that SEA is a tool of environmental governance that is of growing importance in East and Southern Africa. With regards to the institutional and legal framework, both Kenya and Tanzania have formal provisions for SEA, but no specific legislation. The main constrains on SEA effectiveness are related to the lack of a clear mandate and institutional framework, guidelines for procedures and public participation. As this analysis and case studies from the three countries examined here reveal, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa have expanded their use of SEA as a preventive mechanism for environmental policy and to enhance the efficiency of strategic decisions. While each of these countries has made great strides in developing the SEA process and integrating it into their decision-making processes, much work remains to be done. Ongoing refinement to the SEA process, both within this region and elsewhere in the world, will mean that this important tool integrates sustainable environmental management principles and practices into policies, plans, and programmes and the decision-making process.展开更多
We demonstrate here a novel method for the design of liquid crystals(LCs)via the cyclization of mesogens by flexible chains.For two azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate derivatives,the cyclic dimer,cyclic bis(tetraethylene ...We demonstrate here a novel method for the design of liquid crystals(LCs)via the cyclization of mesogens by flexible chains.For two azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate derivatives,the cyclic dimer,cyclic bis(tetraethylene glycol azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate)(CBTAD),shows LC properties with smectic A phase,while its linear counterpart,bis(2-(2′-hydroxyethyloxy))ethyl azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate(BHAD),has no LC phase.The difference is ascribed to the shackling effect from the cyclic topology,which leads to the much smaller entropy change during phase transitions and increases the isotropic temperature greatly for cyclics.In addition,the trans-to-cis isomerization of azobenzene groups under UVlight is also limited in CBTAD.With the reversible isomerization of azobenzene groups,CBTAD showed interesting isothermal phase transition behaviors,where the LC phase disappeared upon photoirradiation of 365 nm UV-light,and recovered when the UV-light was off.Combined with the smectic LC nature,a novel UV-light tuned visible light regulator was designed,by simply placing CBTAD in two glass plates.The scattered phase of smectic LC was utilized as the“OFF”state for light passage,while the UV-light induced isotropic phase was utilized as the“ON”state.The shackling effect outlined here should be applicable for the design of cyclic LC oligomers/polymers with special properties.展开更多
In mobile edge computing(MEC),one of the important challenges is how much resources of which mobile edge server(MES)should be allocated to which user equipment(UE).The existing resource allocation schemes only conside...In mobile edge computing(MEC),one of the important challenges is how much resources of which mobile edge server(MES)should be allocated to which user equipment(UE).The existing resource allocation schemes only consider CPU as the requested resource and assume utility for MESs as either a random variable or dependent on the requested CPU only.This paper presents a novel comprehensive utility function for resource allocation in MEC.The utility function considers the heterogeneous nature of applications that a UE offloads to MES.The proposed utility function considers all important parameters,including CPU,RAM,hard disk space,required time,and distance,to calculate a more realistic utility value for MESs.Moreover,we improve upon some general algorithms,used for resource allocation in MEC and cloud computing,by considering our proposed utility function.We name the improved versions of these resource allocation schemes as comprehensive resource allocation schemes.The UE requests are modeled to represent the amount of resources requested by the UE as well as the time for which the UE has requested these resources.The utility function depends upon the UE requests and the distance between UEs and MES,and serves as a realistic means of comparison between different types of UE requests.Choosing(or selecting)an optimal MES with the optimal amount of resources to be allocated to each UE request is a challenging task.We show that MES resource allocation is sub-optimal if CPU is the only resource considered.By taking into account the other resources,i.e.,RAM,disk space,request time,and distance in the utility function,we demonstrate improvement in the resource allocation algorithms in terms of service rate,utility,and MES energy consumption.展开更多
Several mechanisms have been proposed in recent years to explain kinematic decoupled cores (KDCs) in early type galaxies as well as the large differences in angular momentum between KDCs and host galaxy. Most of the p...Several mechanisms have been proposed in recent years to explain kinematic decoupled cores (KDCs) in early type galaxies as well as the large differences in angular momentum between KDCs and host galaxy. Most of the proposed scenarios involve large fractions of merging events, high speed interactions with dwarf spheroidal galaxies, cusp effect of the dark matter density profiles, etc. We here argue that counterrotation as well as fast and slow rotation of disks or spheroids at the center of galaxies can also be explained by a misalignment of the central spheroid equatorial plane with regard to that defined by the observed external stellar rotation. Contrary to what happens at the outer region of disk galaxies, once instability has led to the inner warped core, the perturbed orbits can maintain a common orientation due to the rigid body like rotation at the central region of the galaxy. The spatial configuration that furnishes the smallest angular momentum difference between the KDC and the host galaxy is completely defined by observed parameters in the plane of the sky, namely, the inclination of the inner and outer disks and the angle between the two lines of nodes. As an example we modeled the paradigmatic and extreme case of the 2D radial velocity field of NGC 4382 nucleus. Tilt angles of the KDC not larger than 30 degrees also allow explaining fast and low rotators of the called “Sauron paradigm” in a unified scenario. The maximum for the three parameters, namely, velocity of the inner rotator, difference of position angle and difference with the outer rotation velocity of the whole Sauron sample, are consistently correlated in agreement with the proposed scenario. These quantities do not correlate with the galaxies magnitude, mass (since large and dwarf spheroidals show apparent counterrotation as well) or environment, also suggesting that an internal phenomenon like the central spheroid warping, that we are here proposing, may be at work.展开更多
We have analyzed the frequency and properties of the nuclear activity in a sample of galaxies with circumnuclear rings and spirals (CNRs), compiled from published data. From the properties of this sample a typical cir...We have analyzed the frequency and properties of the nuclear activity in a sample of galaxies with circumnuclear rings and spirals (CNRs), compiled from published data. From the properties of this sample a typical circumnuclear ring can be characterized as having a median radius of 0.7 kpc (mean 0.8 kpc, rms 0.4 kpc), located at a spiral Sa/Sb galaxy (75% of the hosts), with a bar (44% weak, 37% strong bars). The sample includes 73 emission line rings, 12 dust rings and 9 stellar rings. The sample was compared with a carefully matched control sample of galaxies with very similar global properties but without detected circumnuclear rings. We discuss the relevance of the results in regard to the AGN feeding processes and present the following results: 1) bright companion galaxies seem not to be important for the appearance of CNRs, which appear to be more related to intrinsic properties of the host galaxies or to minor merger processes;2) the proportion of weak bars in galaxies with a CNR is higher than expected;3) the incidence of Seyfert (Sy) activity coeval with CNRs is significantly larger than the rate expected from the morphological distribution of the host galaxies;4) the rate of Sy 2 to Sy 1 type galaxies with CNRs is about three times larger than the expected ratio for galaxies without CNRs and is opposite to that predicted by the geometric paradigm of the classical unified model for AGNs, although it does support the hypothesis that Sy 2 activity is linked to circumnuclear star formation. The possible selection effects of the sample are discussed, and we conclude that the detected trends are strong enough to justify high quality observations of as large as possible set of galaxies with circumnuclear rings and their matched control samples.展开更多
Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are considered promising next-generation energy storage devices due to their high weight capacities and theoretical energy densities,which are significantly higher than those of convent...Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are considered promising next-generation energy storage devices due to their high weight capacities and theoretical energy densities,which are significantly higher than those of conventional lithium-ion batteries.However,the sulfur cathode presents two major drawbacks,specifically low specific capacity caused by the poor electrical conductivities of the active materials and fast capacity decay caused by polysulfide dissolution/shuttling.Herein,a high-rate and high-stability dendritic material consisting of N-doped ordered mesoporous carbons(NOMCs)was successfully synthesized via a facile and low-cost calcination method.The highly ordered mesoporous carbon skeleton limited the growth of the sulfur nanofiller within its channels and provided the necessary electrical contact with the insulating sulfur.Furthermore,N-doped heteroatoms presented strong binding sites for trapping polysulfide intermediates,achieving high electrochemical activity,which promoted polysulfide conversion reactions.As a result,the prepared NOMC-2/S cathode material with 1.2-1.5 mg cm^(-2)of sulfur displayed excellent electrochemical performance with a high-rate capability of 460.5 m Ah g^(-1)at 1 C,a high specific capacity of 530.9 m Ah g^(-1)after 200 cycles at 0.1 C,and a decay rate of~0.19%per cycle.展开更多
The goal was to perform the filling,consistency and processing of the rainfall time series data from 1943 to 2013 in five regions of the state.Data were obtained from several sources(ANA,CPRM,INMET,SERLA and LIGHT),to...The goal was to perform the filling,consistency and processing of the rainfall time series data from 1943 to 2013 in five regions of the state.Data were obtained from several sources(ANA,CPRM,INMET,SERLA and LIGHT),totaling 23 stations.The time series(raw data)showed failures that were filled with data from TRMM satellite via 3B43 product,and with the climatological normal from INMET.The 3B43 product was used from 1998 to 2013 and the climatological normal over the 1947-1997 period.Data were submitted to descriptive and exploratory analysis,parametric tests(Shapiro-Wilks and Bartlett),cluster analysis(CA),and data processing(Box Cox)in the 23 stations.Descriptive analysis of the raw data consistency showed a probability of occurrence above 75%(high time variability).Through the CA,two homogeneous rainfall groups(G1 and G2)were defined.The group G1 and G2 represent 77.01%and 22.99%of the rainfall occurring in SRJ,respectively.Box Cox Processing was effective in stabilizing the normality of the residuals and homogeneity of variance of the monthly rainfall time series of the five regions of the state.Data from 3B43 product and the climatological normal can be used as an alternative source of quality data for gap filling.展开更多
Continuous adaptation to changing environmental conditions is an evolutionary trait that many plant species have acquired to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses.Several plant families have adapted to synthesize a wi...Continuous adaptation to changing environmental conditions is an evolutionary trait that many plant species have acquired to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses.Several plant families have adapted to synthesize a wide range of specialized metabolites,many of which serve protective functions.The significant biological activities of these specialized metabolites have been exploited by humans for pharmacological purposes.Notable examples include the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine fromtheMadagascar periwinkle(Apocynaceae)and the sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin from the annual wormwood(Asteraceae),which are used to treat cancers and malaria,respectively.The clinical importance of these compounds and their potential ecophysiological roles have motivated researchers to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of many specialized metabolites.展开更多
基金funded by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFC3106005)the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(No.ZR2021MD 122)+2 种基金the MNR Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science and Technology,China(No.MEEST-2023-04)the Taishan Scholars Program(No.tstp20230642)the Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Environment and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation(Nos.201708,202209,202314)。
文摘Harmful macroalgal blooms caused by Ulva prolifera and Sargassum horneri are increasing in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.However,our understanding of macroalgal blooms before 2008 is fragmented and unclear.Using time-series Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2008,we examined macroalgal bloom events and their evolutionary patterns.The results suggest that no macroalgal blooms were observed before 1999.Ulva blooms could be traced back to 1999 and occurred on a small scale in 2000,2004 and 2005,before escalating into large green tides in 2007 and 2008.Notably,these Ulva blooms were confined to the southern Yellow Sea from May to August.In comparison,Sargassum blooms were first detected in the East China Sea in March 2000 and occurred almost every year thereafter,although the size of the blooms showed significant interannual variation.The distribution areas generally moved northwards from March until the bloom dissipated in May or June,suggesting the influence of the monsoon and currents.Our investigation provided some insight into the bloom history of these two harmful macroalgal blooms in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2022YFA1602402,2022YFA1602404)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12235003,12388102)。
文摘Utilizing the laser-driven Z-pinch e ect,we propose an approach for generating an ultrashort,intense Me V neutron source with femtosecond pulse duration.The self-generated magnetic field driven by a petawatt-class laser pulse compressed the deuterium in a single nanowire to more than 120 times its initial density,achieving an unprecedented particle number density of 10^(25)cm^(-3).Through full-dimensional kinetic simulations,including nuclear reactions,we found that these Z-pinches can generate high-intensity and short-duration neutron pulses,with the peak flux reaching 10^(27)cm^(-2)s^(-1).Such laser-driven neutron sources are beyond the capabilities of existing approaches and pave the way for groundbreaking applications in r-process nucleosynthesis studies and high-precision time-of-flight neutron data measurements.
基金the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC Nos.61722508 and 11305020)Nanophotonics and Biophotonics Key Laboratory of Jilin Province,P.R.China(20140622009JC)and(14GH005).
文摘In this paper,we prepared the nanoparticle drug carrier system between nanoparticles chitosan and Epigallocatechin-3 O-gallate(EGCG)for breast cancer cell inhibiting application.For this drug carrier system,chitosan acts as a carrier and EGOG as a drug.Which were systematically characterized and thoroughly evaluated in terms of their inhibition rate and biocompatibility.We also did a cell scratch test and the result indicated that the chitosan EGCG nanoparticles have inhibitory effect on the growth of breast cancer cells.The inhibition rate could reach up to 21.91%.This work revealed that the modification of nanopartidles paved a way for specific biomedical applications.
基金Sponsored by the Scientific Research Foundation of Harbin Institute of Technology(Grant No. HIT. 2003.57)
文摘The surface properties of PAN-based carbon fibers electrochemically treated in aqueous ammonium bicarbonate before and after treatment were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Dynamic Contact Angle Analysis (DCAA). The results of characterization indicated that the oxygen and nitrogen contents in carbon fiber surface were significantly increased by electrochemical treatment, and amide groups was introduced onto it, which was related with the electrolyte. The AFM photographs illustrated that the roughness of the fiber surface was also increased. The wettibality of the fibers was improved after treatment because the surface energy especially the polar part of it was increased.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50971101)the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education(No.20136102110014)
文摘Al-4.5wt.%Cu alloy has been directionally solidified at constant and abruptly changing withdrawal rates, respectively. The effects of the withdrawal rate on solidification microstructure, primary dendrite arm spacing(PDAS) and liquid solute distribution in front of the solid-liquid interface were investigated. The experimental results for the PDAS at a constant withdrawal rate agree well with the values calculated by the Hunt, Trivedi and Hunt-Lu models. At an abrupt change in the withdrawal rate, the maximum to minimum ratio of the PDAS at a given solidification parameter, i.e. λ1max/λ1min, is more than 2, and the PDAS values are remarkably history-dependent. Further, the liquid-solute distribution curve based on theoretical calculation shows that the larger the initial withdrawal rate is, the smaller the minimum of liquid solute concentration in front of the solid-liquid interface is after the abrupt change in withdrawal rate.
基金financially supported by the fund of the State Key Laboratory of Solidif ication Processing in NWPU(No:SKLSP201006)the fund of the National Basic Research Program of China(No:2011CB610402)
文摘A type of mesh called a body-fi tted Cartesian mesh,very different from the traditional structured body-fi tted mesh,is established.At f irst,the right parallelepiped mesh is generated,then,a feature analysis is done on the cross sections.These cross sections are the intersections of the casting shape with the right parallelepiped grids(under the Cartesian coordinate system).On the basis of the feature analysis,two sorts of body-f itted boundary grids,shape-keeping grids and shape-distortion grids,are def ined.Shape-distortion grids can be removed or weaken by increasing the number of grids or moving the coordinates of the mesh generation region,so actually the body-fitted Cartesian mesh generation is to get shape-keeping grids.A shape-keeping grid mainly consists of two sorts of surfaces(I type face and II type face),and each of them is joined by two types of points(I type point and II type point).If only these two types of points were given,the shape-keeping mesh would be constructed.In this paper,the cases of the above two boundary grids being generated were discussed.An algorithm was put forward to get the shape-keeping grids.Several body-fi tted Cartesian meshes generated on castings show the validity of the algorithm.The mesh generation examples show that the body-fi tted Cartesian mesh is more excellent than the right parallelepiped mesh in aspects of decreasing grids number and being closer to the shape of the casting solid.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11934010,U1801661,U1930402,and 11847087)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2016YFA0301200)。
文摘We study the dissipative quantum phase transition(QPT)in a biased Tavis–Cummings model consisting of an ensemble of two-level systems(TLSs)interacting with a cavity mode,where the TLSs are pumped by a drive field.In our proposal,we use a dissipative TLS ensemble and an active cavity with effective gain.In the weak drive-field limit,the QPT can occur under the combined actions of the loss and gain of the system.Owing to the active cavity,the QPT behavior can be much differentiated even for a finite strength of the drive field on the TLS ensemble.Also,we propose to implement our scheme based on the dissipative nitrogen-vacancy(NV)centers coupled to an active optical cavity made from the gainmedium-doped silica.Furthermore,we show that the QPT can be measured by probing the transmission spectrum of the cavity embedding the ensemble of the NV centers.
文摘Utilizing wood ash as a fertilizer in agriculture is a viable alternative to the soil nutrients absorbed by the crops. The aim of this study was to assess the phytometric and productive features of Brachiaria brizantha (cv. BRS Piatã) fertilized with wood ash in the Brazilian Cerrado. The experiment was performed in a greenhouse, adopting a completely randomized design, and applying five rates of wood ash (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g·dm-3) with five replicates. The shoot plant parts were subjected to three successive cuts 30-day intervals each. The results were submitted to the analysis of variance and regression analysis at 5% probability. The wood ash rates between 13 to 17 g·dm-3 clearly produced the best results for plant height (102.24, 84.42 and 63.27 cm), leaf/stem ratio (1.61, 1, 78 and 1.94), and chlorophyll index (46.66, 41.93 and 38.39), respectively, during the first, second and third evaluations. A 94% increase in the shoot dry mass (2nd and 3rd evaluations) and root parts was noted for the wood ash rate of 20 g·dm-3, compared with the treatment involving wood ash fertilization. Wood ash affects the phytometric features, increases the chlorophyll concentration and thus the BRS Piatãgrass production in the Oxisol of the Brazilian Cerrado.
基金This work was partly supported by the UNAM-DGAPA-IT102320 project.
文摘A new trend involving the combination of solar concentrators and agricultural plants on the same piece of land offers the possibility of realizing both electricity generation and a good crop harvest.Authors analyze this situation for different countries,including Mexico,and based on authors’experience regarding the development of new solar concentrator prototypes,authors’primary objective was to describe the development of compact,light,and inexpensive solar concentrator prototypes that can be collocated on horizontal roofs.Authors’second objective was to investigate the combination of such solar concentrator prototypes with agricultural plants on the same field.Thus,several studies related to the combination of renewable energy generation and agricultural crops were reviewed.Many such systems involving the combination of PV(Photovoltaic)panels with different types of vegetables exist in the USA,France(lettuce production),Japan(tomato production),India(aloe and corn),northern Italy(maize),Spain and México.
文摘The structure of planetary scale low freonency phenomena in the tropics is studied, and an attempt is made to determine its influence and interactions with phenomena at higher latitudes.In the tropics, it is found that the majority of the variance in the zonal wind structure is made up in wave numbers I and 2. During warm events in the Pacific Ocean, when the Southern Oscillation Index is negative, almost all of the variance resides in the gravest mode which undergoes a 40° eastward phase shift. Meanwhile, the second logitudinal mode almost disappears. On the other hand, the meridional wind field possesses maximum amplitude at higher wave numbers. However, near the equator,the amplitude is small with extreme values occurring in the subtropics. The difference in scale and the location of cxtrcma of the meridional and zonal wind components indicate that the tropical atmosphere is responding to two different driving mechanisms.Correlation analyses between variations of the zonal wind at reference points along the equator with variations of component elsewhere show that there are strong logitudinal connections. The strongest correlations between the tropics and higher latitudes exist in the region of the equatorial westerlies. In fact, stronger correlations occur between variations in U anywhere along the equator and the middle latitudes to the north and south of the equatorial westerlies than to the latitudes immediately to the north and south of the reference points. We interpret this 'remote' correlation pattern as indicating a two-stage teleconnection process which emphasizes the importance of the equatorial tropical westerlies of the Pacific Ocean as a 'corridor' of communication between the low and high latitudes. The regionality of the correlations confirms, to some extent, recent theoretical development regarding trapped equatorial modes. Finally, time lagged correlations from plus and minus six months between variations of U and OLR indicate that the interactions between the extratropics and low latitudes possess an organized sequence. The extratropical influence appears to propagate into the tropics followed by an eastward propagation along the equator. Finally, a propagation from the tropics to the extratropics in the upper troposphere occurs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The time-lagged correlation sequence does not appear to be symmetric about the equator.
基金Project supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No.042600055)Research on Frontiers of Materials Science,Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Grant No.Z181100004418006)。
文摘Solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors with metal-semiconductor-metal structure were fabricated based onβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3)/β-Ga_(2)O_(3) film grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition.It was known that various surface states increase dark current and a large number of defects can hinder the transport of carriers,resulting in low switching ratio and low responsivity of the device.In this work,β-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) films are used as surface passivation materials.Owning to its wide band gap,we obtain excellent light transmission and high lattice matching withβ-Ga_(2)O_(3).We explore the change and mechanism of the detection performance of theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) detector afterβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) surface passivation.It is found that under the illumination with 254 nm light at bias 5 V,theβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3)/β-Ga_(2)O_(3)photodetectors show dark current of just 18 pA and high current on/off ratio of 2.16×10^(5).The dark current is sharply reduced about 50 times after passivation of theβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) surface,and current on/off ratio increases by approximately 2 times.It is obvious thatβ-Ga_(2)O_(3) detectors withβ-(Al_(0.25)Ga_(0.75))_(2)O_(3) surface passivation can offer superior detector performance.
文摘Nutrient absorption in crops can decline and their development can be hindered by increased bulk density. This study aimed at assessing the manner in which bulk density levels affect the reproductive structures of the safflower genotypes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The completely randomized design was adopted with four replications for the experiment, which was conducted in a greenhouse using Oxisol collected from 0.0 to 0.2 m depth from the region supporting Cerrado vegetation. The treatments included ten safflower genotypes (PI 237538, PI 248385, PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173, PI 305205, PI 306520, PI 306603, PI 560202 and PI 613366) and five bulk density levels (1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 Mg·m-3). Evaluations were done at 90 days after emergence, in terms of the number, diameter and dry mass of the heads. The data were submitted to the analysis of variance. The means were grouped using the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. The diameter and dry mass of the chapters were influenced by the mean bulk density of 1.10 Mg·m-3. A notable interaction was evident between the safflower genotypes and bulk density levels for the diameter and dry mass of the head alone, revealing the high degree of genetic variability that environmental changes induce among the genotypes. The PI 250196, PI 301049, PI 305173 and PI 305205 genotypes exhibited greater stability to the bulk density variations compared with the others. Mean bulk density of 1.2 Mg·m-3 was found to impair the development of the reproductive components of the safflower genotypes.
文摘This paper develops a comparative overview of SEA in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa regarding legal, institutional and procedural perspectives, in order to assess their effectiveness and unveil main constrains. It is clear from this brief review that SEA is a tool of environmental governance that is of growing importance in East and Southern Africa. With regards to the institutional and legal framework, both Kenya and Tanzania have formal provisions for SEA, but no specific legislation. The main constrains on SEA effectiveness are related to the lack of a clear mandate and institutional framework, guidelines for procedures and public participation. As this analysis and case studies from the three countries examined here reveal, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa have expanded their use of SEA as a preventive mechanism for environmental policy and to enhance the efficiency of strategic decisions. While each of these countries has made great strides in developing the SEA process and integrating it into their decision-making processes, much work remains to be done. Ongoing refinement to the SEA process, both within this region and elsewhere in the world, will mean that this important tool integrates sustainable environmental management principles and practices into policies, plans, and programmes and the decision-making process.
基金The financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21774090 and 22071167)a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions were gratefully acknowledged.
文摘We demonstrate here a novel method for the design of liquid crystals(LCs)via the cyclization of mesogens by flexible chains.For two azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate derivatives,the cyclic dimer,cyclic bis(tetraethylene glycol azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate)(CBTAD),shows LC properties with smectic A phase,while its linear counterpart,bis(2-(2′-hydroxyethyloxy))ethyl azobenzene-4,4′-dicarboxylate(BHAD),has no LC phase.The difference is ascribed to the shackling effect from the cyclic topology,which leads to the much smaller entropy change during phase transitions and increases the isotropic temperature greatly for cyclics.In addition,the trans-to-cis isomerization of azobenzene groups under UVlight is also limited in CBTAD.With the reversible isomerization of azobenzene groups,CBTAD showed interesting isothermal phase transition behaviors,where the LC phase disappeared upon photoirradiation of 365 nm UV-light,and recovered when the UV-light was off.Combined with the smectic LC nature,a novel UV-light tuned visible light regulator was designed,by simply placing CBTAD in two glass plates.The scattered phase of smectic LC was utilized as the“OFF”state for light passage,while the UV-light induced isotropic phase was utilized as the“ON”state.The shackling effect outlined here should be applicable for the design of cyclic LC oligomers/polymers with special properties.
基金National Research Foundation of Korea-Grant funded by the Korean Government(Ministry of Science and ICT)-NRF-2020R1AB5B02002478.
文摘In mobile edge computing(MEC),one of the important challenges is how much resources of which mobile edge server(MES)should be allocated to which user equipment(UE).The existing resource allocation schemes only consider CPU as the requested resource and assume utility for MESs as either a random variable or dependent on the requested CPU only.This paper presents a novel comprehensive utility function for resource allocation in MEC.The utility function considers the heterogeneous nature of applications that a UE offloads to MES.The proposed utility function considers all important parameters,including CPU,RAM,hard disk space,required time,and distance,to calculate a more realistic utility value for MESs.Moreover,we improve upon some general algorithms,used for resource allocation in MEC and cloud computing,by considering our proposed utility function.We name the improved versions of these resource allocation schemes as comprehensive resource allocation schemes.The UE requests are modeled to represent the amount of resources requested by the UE as well as the time for which the UE has requested these resources.The utility function depends upon the UE requests and the distance between UEs and MES,and serves as a realistic means of comparison between different types of UE requests.Choosing(or selecting)an optimal MES with the optimal amount of resources to be allocated to each UE request is a challenging task.We show that MES resource allocation is sub-optimal if CPU is the only resource considered.By taking into account the other resources,i.e.,RAM,disk space,request time,and distance in the utility function,we demonstrate improvement in the resource allocation algorithms in terms of service rate,utility,and MES energy consumption.
文摘Several mechanisms have been proposed in recent years to explain kinematic decoupled cores (KDCs) in early type galaxies as well as the large differences in angular momentum between KDCs and host galaxy. Most of the proposed scenarios involve large fractions of merging events, high speed interactions with dwarf spheroidal galaxies, cusp effect of the dark matter density profiles, etc. We here argue that counterrotation as well as fast and slow rotation of disks or spheroids at the center of galaxies can also be explained by a misalignment of the central spheroid equatorial plane with regard to that defined by the observed external stellar rotation. Contrary to what happens at the outer region of disk galaxies, once instability has led to the inner warped core, the perturbed orbits can maintain a common orientation due to the rigid body like rotation at the central region of the galaxy. The spatial configuration that furnishes the smallest angular momentum difference between the KDC and the host galaxy is completely defined by observed parameters in the plane of the sky, namely, the inclination of the inner and outer disks and the angle between the two lines of nodes. As an example we modeled the paradigmatic and extreme case of the 2D radial velocity field of NGC 4382 nucleus. Tilt angles of the KDC not larger than 30 degrees also allow explaining fast and low rotators of the called “Sauron paradigm” in a unified scenario. The maximum for the three parameters, namely, velocity of the inner rotator, difference of position angle and difference with the outer rotation velocity of the whole Sauron sample, are consistently correlated in agreement with the proposed scenario. These quantities do not correlate with the galaxies magnitude, mass (since large and dwarf spheroidals show apparent counterrotation as well) or environment, also suggesting that an internal phenomenon like the central spheroid warping, that we are here proposing, may be at work.
文摘We have analyzed the frequency and properties of the nuclear activity in a sample of galaxies with circumnuclear rings and spirals (CNRs), compiled from published data. From the properties of this sample a typical circumnuclear ring can be characterized as having a median radius of 0.7 kpc (mean 0.8 kpc, rms 0.4 kpc), located at a spiral Sa/Sb galaxy (75% of the hosts), with a bar (44% weak, 37% strong bars). The sample includes 73 emission line rings, 12 dust rings and 9 stellar rings. The sample was compared with a carefully matched control sample of galaxies with very similar global properties but without detected circumnuclear rings. We discuss the relevance of the results in regard to the AGN feeding processes and present the following results: 1) bright companion galaxies seem not to be important for the appearance of CNRs, which appear to be more related to intrinsic properties of the host galaxies or to minor merger processes;2) the proportion of weak bars in galaxies with a CNR is higher than expected;3) the incidence of Seyfert (Sy) activity coeval with CNRs is significantly larger than the rate expected from the morphological distribution of the host galaxies;4) the rate of Sy 2 to Sy 1 type galaxies with CNRs is about three times larger than the expected ratio for galaxies without CNRs and is opposite to that predicted by the geometric paradigm of the classical unified model for AGNs, although it does support the hypothesis that Sy 2 activity is linked to circumnuclear star formation. The possible selection effects of the sample are discussed, and we conclude that the detected trends are strong enough to justify high quality observations of as large as possible set of galaxies with circumnuclear rings and their matched control samples.
基金financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFB1502103,2018YFB1502105)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.U20A20237,51871065 and 51971068)+7 种基金the Scientific Research and Technology Development Program of Guangxi(AA19182014,AD17195073 and AA17202030–1)Guangxi Bagui Scholar FoundationGuangxi Collaborative Innovation Centre of Structure and Property for New Energy and MaterialsGuangxi Advanced Functional Materials FoundationApplication Talents Small HighlandsChinesisch–Deutsche Kooperationsgruppe(GZ1528)the Canada Research Chairs program for partial salary supportthe Guangxi undergraduate innovation and entrepreneurship training program(202010595272)。
文摘Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries are considered promising next-generation energy storage devices due to their high weight capacities and theoretical energy densities,which are significantly higher than those of conventional lithium-ion batteries.However,the sulfur cathode presents two major drawbacks,specifically low specific capacity caused by the poor electrical conductivities of the active materials and fast capacity decay caused by polysulfide dissolution/shuttling.Herein,a high-rate and high-stability dendritic material consisting of N-doped ordered mesoporous carbons(NOMCs)was successfully synthesized via a facile and low-cost calcination method.The highly ordered mesoporous carbon skeleton limited the growth of the sulfur nanofiller within its channels and provided the necessary electrical contact with the insulating sulfur.Furthermore,N-doped heteroatoms presented strong binding sites for trapping polysulfide intermediates,achieving high electrochemical activity,which promoted polysulfide conversion reactions.As a result,the prepared NOMC-2/S cathode material with 1.2-1.5 mg cm^(-2)of sulfur displayed excellent electrochemical performance with a high-rate capability of 460.5 m Ah g^(-1)at 1 C,a high specific capacity of 530.9 m Ah g^(-1)after 200 cycles at 0.1 C,and a decay rate of~0.19%per cycle.
基金The authors acknowledge the Agência Nacional deÁguas(ANA),Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais(CPRM)Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia(INMET)+2 种基金SERLA Fundação Superintendência Estadual de Rios e Lagoas and Light Serviços de Eletricidade S/A by gently give in the data for composing the rainfall time seriesthe CAPES for granting Doctorate scholarshipThe second author thanks Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development(CNPq)for granting the Research Productivity Fellowship level 2(309681/2019-7).
文摘The goal was to perform the filling,consistency and processing of the rainfall time series data from 1943 to 2013 in five regions of the state.Data were obtained from several sources(ANA,CPRM,INMET,SERLA and LIGHT),totaling 23 stations.The time series(raw data)showed failures that were filled with data from TRMM satellite via 3B43 product,and with the climatological normal from INMET.The 3B43 product was used from 1998 to 2013 and the climatological normal over the 1947-1997 period.Data were submitted to descriptive and exploratory analysis,parametric tests(Shapiro-Wilks and Bartlett),cluster analysis(CA),and data processing(Box Cox)in the 23 stations.Descriptive analysis of the raw data consistency showed a probability of occurrence above 75%(high time variability).Through the CA,two homogeneous rainfall groups(G1 and G2)were defined.The group G1 and G2 represent 77.01%and 22.99%of the rainfall occurring in SRJ,respectively.Box Cox Processing was effective in stabilizing the normality of the residuals and homogeneity of variance of the monthly rainfall time series of the five regions of the state.Data from 3B43 product and the climatological normal can be used as an alternative source of quality data for gap filling.
基金supported by the APR IR program of the Re´gion Centre-Val de Loire(ScaleBio project),the ANR(project MIACYC–ANR-20-CE43-0010)the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework(project COMBO under grant agreement N101135438).
文摘Continuous adaptation to changing environmental conditions is an evolutionary trait that many plant species have acquired to cope with biotic and abiotic stresses.Several plant families have adapted to synthesize a wide range of specialized metabolites,many of which serve protective functions.The significant biological activities of these specialized metabolites have been exploited by humans for pharmacological purposes.Notable examples include the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine fromtheMadagascar periwinkle(Apocynaceae)and the sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin from the annual wormwood(Asteraceae),which are used to treat cancers and malaria,respectively.The clinical importance of these compounds and their potential ecophysiological roles have motivated researchers to elucidate the biosynthetic pathways of many specialized metabolites.
