Genetic diversity and population structure of Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte inferred by microsatellites.

Cinnamomum balansae Lecomte (Lauraceae), an economically important forest tree, is distributed in the tropical forests of central and northern Vietnam, which has been threatened in recent decades due to the destruction of its habitat and over-exploitation. The genetic diversity and population structure of the species have not been fully evaluated. We used a set of 15 microsatellites to analyze 161 adult trees from 9 different populations, representing the geographical distribution of C. balansae. Ninety-two different alleles were identified. Here our results showed a low genetic diversity level with an average H o = 0.246 and H e = 0.262, and a high level of genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.601). The bottleneck tests indicated evidence of a reduction in the population size of the two populations (TC and CP). Additionally, all three clustering methods (Bayesian analysis, principal coordinate analysis, and Neighbor-joining tree) were identified in the two genetic groups. The Mantel test showed a significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance (R 2 = 0.7331). This study will provide a platform for the conservation of C. balansae both in ex-situ and in-situ plans.

Lithocarpus vuquangensis (Fagaceae), a new species from Vu Quang National Park, Vietnam.

Lithocarpus vuquangensis Ngoc & Hung is described from Vu Quang National Park, North Central Vietnam. The morphological comparison and phylogenetic analysis based on rbcL, matK and ITS provided evidence that the new species was not assignable to any of the previously known taxa in Vietnam and its surrounding countries. The description, photographs, preliminary conservation status and DNA barcode sequences are also provided for the new species.

Novel fabrication of a robust superhydrophobic PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge and its application in oil-water separations.

We report a novel superhydrophobic material based on commercially available polyurethane (PU) sponge with high porosity, low density and good elasticity. The fabrication of a superhydrophobic sponge capable of efficiently separating oil from water was achieved by imitating or mimicking nature's designs. The original PU sponge was coated with zinc oxide (ZnO), stearic acid (SA) and iron oxide particles (Fe3O4) via a facile and environmentally friendly method. After each treatment, the properties of the modified sponge were characterized, and the changes in wettability were examined. Water contact angle (WCA) measurements confirmed the excellent superhydrophobicity of the material withhigh static WCA of 161° andlow dynamic WCA (sliding WCA of 7° and shedding WCA of 8°). The fabricated sponge showed high efficiency in separation (over 99%) of different oils from water. Additionally, the fabricated PU@ZnO@Fe3O4@SA sponge could be magnetically guided to quickly absorb oil floating on the water surface. Moreover, the fabricated sponge showed excellent stability and reusability in terms of superhydrophobicity and oil absorption capacity. The durable, magnetic and superhydrophobic properties of the fabricated sponge render it applicable to the cleanup of marine oil spills and other oil-water separation issues, with eco-friendly recovery of the oil by simple squeezing process.

Inorganic clusters with a [Fe2MoOS3] core-a functional model for acetylene reduction by nitrogenases.

We report the first example of a wholly inorganic mimic of a part of the FeMoco active centre of nitrogenases. We detail the synthesis, characterisation and reactivity of two related, transient hydride-containing inorganic clusters, a dihydride complex and a vinyl monohydride complex, which bear the [Fe2MoOS3] portion of FeMoco. The dihydride complex is capable of reducing acetylene to ethylene via the vinyl monohydride complex. In the reaction cycle, a transient low-valent complex was generated by the reductive elimination of H2 or ethylene from dihydride or vinyl monohydride complexes, respectively.

An IrSi oxide film as a highly active water-oxidation catalyst in acidic media.

We report an acid-stable Si oxide-doped Ir oxide film (IrSi oxide film), made by metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) of an Ir(V) complex for electrochemical water-oxidation. This is a successful improvement of catalytic ability and stability depending upon the pH of Ir oxide by doping of Si oxide. The turnover frequency (TOF) of the electrochemical water-oxidation by the IrSi oxide film is the highest of any Si oxide-doped Ir oxide materials and higher even than that of Ir oxide in acidic media.