Liquid phase exfoliation of natural graphite is an industrially effective solution for graphene preparation. However, many countries have identified natural graphite as a strategic resource and restricted its mining. In this report, we used abundant and readily available needle coke (NC) as a graphene exfoliation precursor and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a dispersant to prepare a sandwich structured conductive graphitized NC nanosheets (GNCNs) by liquid phase exfoliation, freeze-drying and high-temperature graphitization, in which a graphene layer is sandwiched between two thin CMC layers. CMC could increase the liquid absorption and retention ability of the conductive agent and improve the migration rate of lithium ions. The highly ordered graphene layer could accelerate the transmission of electrons. The GNCNs with 0.4 wt% CMC addition showed good rate performance (144.6 mAh g− 1 at 5 C) and high cycle stability (96.2% after 200 cycles at 1 C) for LiFePO4 (LFP) battery. The traditional Super-P (SP) conductive agent exhibited low-rate performance (113.9 mAh g− 1 at 5 C) and cycle performance (89.9% after 200 cycles at 1 C). This study offers a novel approach to selecting graphene precursors and has promising applications for conductive additives in high-performance LFP batteries.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) programs based on motion capture camera are the most convenient and cost-effective approaches for remote rehabilitation. Assessment of physical function is critical for providing optimal VR rehabilitation training; however, direct muscle strength measurement using camera-based kinematic data is impracticable. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method to indirectly estimate the muscle strength of users from the value obtained using a motion capture camera. Objects: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the pedaling speed converted using the VR engine from the captured foot position data in the VR environment can be used as an indirect way to evaluate knee muscle strength, and to investigate the validity and reliability of a camera-based VR program. Methods: Thirty healthy adults were included in this study. Each subject performed a 15-second maximum pedaling test in the VR and built-in speedometer modes. In the VR speedometer mode, a motion capture camera was used to detect the position of the ankle joints and automatically calculate the pedaling speed. An isokinetic dynamometer was used to assess the isometric and isokinetic peak torques of knee flexion and extension. Results: The pedaling speeds in VR and built-in speedometer modes revealed a significantly high positive correlation (r = 0.922). In addition, the intra-rater reliability of the pedaling speed in the VR speedometer mode was good (ICC [intraclass correlation coefficient] = 0.685). The results of the Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant moderate positive correlation between the pedaling speed of the VR speedometer and the peak torque of knee isokinetic flexion (r = 0.639) and extension (r = 0.598). Conclusion: This study suggests the potential benefits of measuring the maximum pedaling speed using 3D depth camera in a VR environment as an indirect assessment of muscle strength. However, technological improvements must be followed to obtain more accurate estimation of muscle strength from the VR cycling test.

Here, a novel nitrogen-doped carbon nano-material (N-CGNM) with hierarchically porous structure was prepared from spent coffee ground for efficient adsorption of organic dyes by a simple one-step carbonization process (the uniform mixture consists of spent coffee ground, urea, and CaCl2 with the ratio of 1:1:1, which was heated to 1000 °C with a rate of 10 °C min− 1 and held at 1000 °C for 90 min in N2 atmosphere to carry out carbonization, activation, and N-doping concurrently). The morphology and structure analysis show that the prepared N-CGNM exhibits hierarchical pore structure, high specific surface area (544 m2/ g), and large numbers of positively charged nitrogen-containing groups. This unique structure and chemical composition endow N-CGNM with an excellent adsorption capacity toward anion Congo red (623.12 ± 21.69 mg/g), which is obviously superior to that (216.47 ± 18.43 mg/g) of untreated spent coffee ground-based carbon nano-materials (CGM). Oppositely, the adsorption capacity of N-CGNM towards cation methylene blue is inferior to that of CGM due to the existence of electrostatic repulsion. These findings show a great guidance for the development of low-cost but efficient selective adsorbent.

With continuous development in the field of sample preparation technology, solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) has been widely used in analytical chemistry for high extraction efficiency and convenient operation. Different materials lead to different extraction results. Among existing materials, carbon-based materials are still attracting attention from scientists due to their excellent physical and chemical properties as well as their modifiable surfaces, which could enhance the adsorption effects of SPME fiber. This review introduces the preparation methods and applications of different kinds of carbon-based material coatings on fibers. In addition, directions for future research on carbon material composites are discussed.

The main goal of the Green Building Council is to create a prosperous and sustainable future through cost control and energy saving. Some positive measures have been adopted by the Green Building Council to take the construction industry in order to promote sustainable cost control of the construction of a number of architectural practices. In order to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in the future, sustainable development in the system of education in the construction of large-scale implementation. Green buildings are designed to reduce operating costs to reduce energy consumption, but some of the artical on green buildings consume more energy than non green buildings. In this paper, the construction cost and the construction period of the data is from the specific area of the 30 green building and 30 non green education construction. Statistical tests are used to determine whether there is a clear difference between the construction cost and the construction period. Test results show that the cost and duration of the green building are significantly higher than those of the non green building. The findings are helpful to further research on the life cycle of the building.

The antioxidant capacities, total phenolic contents (TPC), and total quercetin contents (TQC) of a red (Chenjujuck), a yellow (Sunpower), and a white (Grasier) onion cultivar were determined in this study. Onion was separated into edible portion and dry skin. In the case of edible portion, the yellow onion had the highest antioxidant activity, followed by the red onion. The white onion showed neither antioxidant activity nor quercetin compounds. On the other hand, the dry skin of the red onion showed higher antioxidant activity than yellow onion skin. The white onion skin had slight antioxidant activity, low TPC, and no quercetin compounds. In addition, the flavonoid compounds of the edible portion and dry skins of these colored onions were analyzed by UFLC(ultra-fast liquid chromatography). The major compounds were quercetin 3,4-diglucoside and quercetin 4- glucoside in yellow and red onion edible portion, whereas the major compounds in yellow and red onion skins were quercetin 4- glucoside, quercetin, and quercetin 3,4-diglucoside.

The Chinese outbound travel market has been one of the fastest-growing international markets for destinations, with Chinese tourist arrivals grown from 10 million to 83 million from 2000 to 2012 and their expenditures abroad reaching US102 billion in 2012 to position China as the world’s largest tourism source market in spending (CTA, 2012; UNWTO, 2013). Investigations into how Chinese tourists behave in comparison to their Western counterparts will have tremendous potential for developing insights into tourism literature, especially if previously developed Western theoretical models can interpret Chinese tourist behaviour. Practically, a better understanding of the Chinese outbound tourism phenomenon benefits destinations, which seek to effectively promote economic and social development associated with the ever-growing Chinese outbound market. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic, quantitative review of 118 articles published in 15 top tourism and hospitality journals between 2000 and 2012 to determine the status of research on Chinese outbound tourism. This study adopted a hybrid design that incorporated the characteristics of both the narrative and systematic quantitative review methods. The review outlines current achievements and future directions for Chinese outbound tourism research, and is pertinent to both theory building and professional practice. Based on Weaver and Lawton’s (2009) model of multi-disciplinary linkages, the 118 articles were classified into: psychology (38 articles), marketing (33), business management (16), economics (6), history (4), sociology (3), political science (1), and others (17). Credit shall be given to research efforts manifested in several areas such as travel motivation, expectations, travel barriers, destination image and preference, market segmentation and business management issues. However, much of existing literature focuses on one specific domain of sustainability – economic, reflecting an initial excitement about the development potential of this market, promoting it as an ideal source for economic growth at the destinations. The majority of studies are within the positivistic/post-positivistic paradigm. Few studies take a platform beyond advocacy to dialectically evaluate Chinese outbound tourism phenomena and impacts. In general, these studies applied existing theories to the Chinese market but fall short of making a significant breakthrough beyond the widely adopted Western models. As such, knowledge generated is to some extent fragmented and context-confined. Long-term strategic development requires recognition of the complexity and reality of the Chinese outbound tourism phenomenon as well as a need for sustainable and responsible development. In response, research needs to move toward the sustainable, knowledge-based and ethics platforms that adopt a holistic view of tourism as an integrated and interdependent system.

The precipitation polymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) was carried out in a mixture solution of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water at 50~65℃ using α,α'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator. The increased molecular weight polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was prepared with increasing the H2O/DMSO ratio from 10/90 to 80/20. The viscosity average molecular weight of H2O/DMSO solvent was 4.4 times larger than that of H2O/DMF solvent, and precipitation polymerization was accelerlated due to the far decreased chain transfer effect of DMSO. Based on the experimental results, the increased PAN molecular weight was regarded as the summation of two mechanisms: i) particle-particle aggregation and ii) particle-radical attachment. The theoretical equation derived from the mechanisms was well coincided with the experimental results showing the linear relationship between the viscosity average molecular weight and the H2O/DMSO ratio.

Phospholipid-hydroperoxide glutathione peroxide (PHGPx) is an antioxidant enzyme that reduces lipid hydroperoxides in biomembranes. Here, we cloned and characterized cys-PHGPx from the bumblebee Bombus ignitus (Bi-PHGPx). The Bi-PHGPx gene consists of 4 exons, encoding 168 amino acid residues with a canonical cys-codon at residue 45 and active site residues Gln82 and Trp134. Recombinant Bi-PHGPx, expressed as a 19 kDa protein in baculovirus-infected insect cells, exhibited enzymatic activity against PLPC-OOH and H2O2 using glutathione as an electron donor. Tissue distribution analyses showed the presence of Bi-PHGPx in all tissues examined. Bi-PHGPx transcripts were upregulated by stresses, such as wounding, H2O2 exposure, external temperature shock, and starvation. Under H2O2 overload, the RNA interference (RNAi)-induced thioredoxin peroxidase (BiTPx1)-knock-down B. ignitus worker bees showed upregulated expression of Bi-PHGPx in the fat body. These results indicate that Bi-PHGPx is a stress-inducible antioxidant enzyme that acts on phospholipid hydroperoxide and H2O2.

Among bee venom proteins, phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is critical one of bee venom components to defend against predators intruders. In this study, PLA2 gene from cDNA libarary using the venom glands of Bombus ignitus worker bees(BiVn-PLA2) was cloned and characterized. BiVn-PLA2 spans 2211 bp and consists of three introns and four exons encoding 180 amino acid residues. BiVn-PLA2 shares high levels of identity with a bumblebee, B. terristris (89% protein sequence identity), B. pennsylvanicus (88%), and a honey bee, Apis mellifera (53%). Northern blot analysis revealed that BiVn-PLA2 is expressed in venom gland, indicating that BiVn-PLA2 is one of the venom components of B. ignitus. To determine BiVn-PLA2 of venom components from venom sac, N-terminal amino acid sequencing of a putative BiVn-PLA2 (the purified 18 kDa) was performed by Edman degradation. The N-terminal amino acid sequencing of the 18 kDa protein was coincident with the N-terminal amino acid residues of the mature BiVn-PLA2 and the 18 kDa protein catalysed the hydrolysis of DBPC subs trate[1-O-(6-Dabcyl-aminohexanoyl)-2-O-(12-(5-B ODIPY-entanoyl) aminododecanoyl)-sn-glyceryl phosphatidylcholine] that is a sensitive fluorogenic probe for PLA2 activation. Western blot analysis revealed that BiVn-PLA2 is expressed in the venom gland, stored in the venom sac, and then emitted throughout sting apparatus. Finally, to test BiVn-PLA2 toxicity, BiVn-PLA2 was adjusted to a insect cell (Sf9) at different concentrations (1-30 μg/2×105 cells). The apoptotic cell death assay results showed that the cell survival decreased with increasing concentrations (1-30 μg/2×105 cells).

Kim Hak-Ch’ŏl (1916-2001) was the “last squad commander” of the Korean Volunteer Army as well as being the main intellect within the community of ethnic Koreans in China (Chosŏnchok) and a master in the world of Korean-Chinese literature. He lived one half of his life as a hero and the other half as a ‘traitor”, so research into his work could not help but go through tumultuous times. After liberation, some critics became interested in Kim’s novels that dealt with the life and experience as a member of the Korean Volunteer Army, however, after he moved to North Korea thus rendering his works inaccessible, research on his work could not take place. However, his writing activities when in Beijing and Yanbian garnered attention from critics and he was noted for his uniqueness. But as a result of the Anti-Rightist Movement in 1957, he ended up living a hellish life for the next 24 years. Research on his work was revived only after reforms were introduced and the writer started to gain attention also in South Korea and Japan. In this article, we will review existing research that had been performed on his life and literature in Korea, Japan and China, and propose some areas that need to be researched further in the future.

This study was conducted to examine the variations of seed hull color characteristics, the oil contents and fatty acid composition in 275 sunflower germplasms. The seed hull of sunflower germplasms were classified into 4 colors of white, black, grey, and brown. The grey color of seed hull was the highest percentage of 33.8%, whereas the white color of seed hull was the lowest percentage of 5%. Average oil content was 22.5% with a range from 11.7% to 45.5%. Average saturated fatty acid contents were 6.9%, while average content of unsaturated fatty acid was 93%. The average contents of fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid were 4.7%, 2.2%, 55.2%, and 38%, respectively. Comparing the oil contents and fatty acids among different seed hull colors, the highest content of oil was with grey seed hull color and the lowest with white seed hull color. Saturated fatty acid were higher in brown seed hull color. Unsaturated fatty acids were higher in grey and black seed hull colors. It could be observed that there was significant negative correlation(r=-0.998**) between linoleic and oleic acid content, and also L-value(Lightness of seed hull color) showed significant negative correlations with oil content, oleic acid content and linoleic acid content.