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The direct discharge of boron mud poses significant environmental hazards to soil and groundwater. Despite extensive research efforts, the reprocessing of boron mud has not yielded significant advancements. Recently, the development of magnesium cement has spurred interest in the reutilization of boron mud. However, the direct treatment of boron mud remains challenging, necessitating pre-treatment in most studies to achieve substantial results. Consequently, research on the direct incorporation of untreated boron mud is scarce. This study explores the feasibility of using uncalcined boron mud as a base material in basic magnesium sulfate cement (BMSC), composed of lightly calcined magnesia and magnesium sulfate heptahydrate. The effects of varying boron mud content on the compressive strength of the BMSC system were investigated. The results indicate that the 5·1·7 phase is the primary strength phase of BMSC. When the boron mud content is 30%, the uncalcined boron mud has a minimal impact on the formation of the 5·1·7 phase. Additionally, the 28 days compressive strength of BMSC-B30 showed a slight difference compared to the control group BMSC-C, registering at 66.7 MPa. TG-DSC analysis revealed that the presence of a small amount of boron mud inhibits the micro-expansion trend of the BMSC structure. Furthermore, XRD and SEM analyses confirmed that the addition of uncalcined boron mud does not significantly alter the phase structure of the 5·1·7 phase in BMSC. This study provides a foundational basis for the long-term development of direct boron mud treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photon management strategies are crucial to improve the efficiency of perovskite thin film (PTF) solar cell. In this work, a nano-cone (NC) based 2D photonic nanostructure is designed and simulated aiming at achieve superior light trapping performance by introducing strong light scattering and interferences within perovskite active layer. Compared to the planar PTF solar cell, the NC nanostructured device with 45 degrees half apex angle obtains highest short-circuit current density, which improved over 20% from 15.00 mA/cm2 to 18.09 mA/cm2. This work offers an alternative design towards effective light trapping performance using 2D photonic nanostructure for PTF solar cell and could potentially be adopted as the nano-structuring strategy for the future perovskite solar cell industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activator is a critical component of alkali activated materials. In the present work, a by-product calcium carbide residue is used to prepare mixed alkali activators combined with sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate, and the properties of alkali activated slag (AAS) pastes versus different activators have been analyzed. The results of the investigation show that the mixed alkali activators with two sodium salts represent different characteristics but better performance compared to single sodium hydroxide. The addition of mixed activators can effectively relieve the rapid hardening and concentrated exotherm of hydration. Meanwhile, mixed activators substituting sodium hydroxide properly enhance the mechanical properties of AAS paste, and change the type and content of hydration products slightly. Further, the SEM testing result indicates that the early shrinkage and calcium-losing are overcome by using mixed alkali activators. These testing results prove the economy, environment, and practicability of mixed alkali activator developed by calcium carbide residue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open pit mining is an effective way to extract valuable minerals from the earth's crust and generate significant profits for mining companies, however it also causes significant environmental harm to vast tracts of land and the surrounding ecosystems. However, the maximization of economic benefits is still the overall objective of optimizing open pit mine design, while environmental issues have been ignored in attempts to achieve more sustainable mine development. Therefore, estimating ecological costs of mining and considering such costs in the mine design process is an important step towards reducing ecological consequences at the design stage. The aim of the study is to calculate the ecological costs of open-pit coal mining and analyze how these costs affect the ultimate pit delineate. The ecological costs associated with coal mining are calculated according to the carbon emissons from energy consumption and the scope of grassland destroyed by resource extraction. There are three key components of ecological cost that have been identified: ecological service value loss, reclamation cost, and carbon emission cost. Necessary equations are provided for estimating these costs. An iterative optimization algorithm is described for ultimate pit optimization in coal deposits with near-horizontal coal seams. A case study is presented in which the ultimate pits are optimized by both with and without considering ecological costs, and compared to prove the impact of ecological costs on the ultimate pit design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of open pit mine production scheduling is not only a multistage decision-making problem but also involves space–time dynamic action among multiple factors, which makes it difficult to optimize production capacity, mining sequence, mining life, and other factors simultaneously in optimizing design. In addition, the production capacity is disorderly expanded, the calculation scale is large, and the optimization time is long. Therefore, this article designs a mobile capacity search domain method to improve computing efficiency without omitting the optimal production capacity. At the same time, taking the maximum net present value as the objective function, an enumeration method is used to optimize the possible paths in different capacity domains and calculate the infrastructure investment and facility idle cost required to meet the maximum production capacity on each possible path to control the disorderly expansion and violent fluctuation of production capacity. The research shows that the open pit mine production scheduling optimization algorithm proposed in this article can not only realize the simultaneous optimization of the three elements of production capacity, mining sequence, and mining life but also improve the computing efficiency by 200 times. Furthermore, the production capacity fluctuation is less than 1.4%. The mining life of the mine is extended by 13 years, and the overall economic benefit is increased by 18%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3) plays a pivotal role in the transition of cement industry toward lower carbon emissions. However, the reliance on limited, non-renewable limestone and expensive, high-grade kaolinite presents notable challenges for LC3, requiring a balance between using lower-quality materials and maintaining high performance. To address this challenge, this study introduced an innovative LC3 mix by incorporating shell powder and self-ignition coal gangue as substitutes for traditional ingredients. The study found that shell powder significantly increased the early-age compressive strength of LC3 at 3 days, raising it to 20.4 MPa, although it restricted the space for further hydration product development. In contrast, introducing self-ignition coal gangue fine-tuned the hydration process, resulting in enhanced compressive strengths of 34.3 MPa and 45.2 MPa at 7 and 28 days, respectively. Additionally, Backscattered Electron (BSE) analysis revealed notable microstructural heterogeneity and introduced a new image processing-based method for evaluating microstructure, emphasizing the importance of adjusting phase compositions around inert particles and reducing inter-particle overlap to optimize LC3 performance. • Novel LC3 formulation leverages solid wastes for improved strength and sustainability. • Shell powder and self-ignition coal gangue identified as effective substitutes in LC3 matrix. • Potential for self-ignition coal gangue in optimizing LC3 carbon footprint. • New directions for enhancing LC3 using controllable particle metrics suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to realize the resource utilization of by-product lithium slag has become an urgent problem with the rise of lithium batteries. This study investigates the feasibility of using lithium slag as a supplementary siliceous material for the preparation of autoclaved aerated concrete. The effect of replacement method and substitution level on the physical properties of lithium slag based autoclaved aerated concrete were evaluated. In addition, the matching relationship between hydration products and physical properties was investigated by utilizing multiple microscopic tests. The results showed that the incorporation of lithium slag contributed to the enhancement of system reactivity at the chemical level. In contrast to quartz sand, lithium slag introduced reactive Al 2 O 3 to the system, leading to the generation of Al-substituted tobermorite and katoite. The suitable level of substitution promoted the generation of hydration products. The composition of the elements and the morphology of hydration products were made closer to the desirable state, which contributed to strength development. Considering the comprehensive impact of lithium slag incorporation on physical properties and microstructures, specimens prepared utilizing lithium slag with a substitution rate of 50 %-75 % by the material quality control method possessed better application prospects. • Lithium slag was utilized as siliceous material to produce autoclaved aerated concrete. • In contrast to quartz sand, lithium slag introduced more reactive Al 2 O 3 to the system. • Appropriate proportions of lithium slag supported the generation of tobermorite. • The incorporation of lithium slag rendered the shape of tobermorite more acicular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the stability study of the flywheel battery system under the influence of road conditions is only limited to the analysis of dynamic characteristics but also lacks effective controller considering road disturbances. In order to solve this defect and further improve the robust performance of vehicular flywheel battery systems under road disturbances, a robust controller considering interference of road surface roughness is proposed. Firstly, on the basis of a brief introduction to flywheel battery system structure, the influence degree of the flywheel by road condition is compared to find the key areas most affected by road disturbance factors. Then the nonlinear dynamic model of the axial suspension system is constructed, and the actual road surface roughness is regarded as the unmodeled dynamics of the external disturbance emphatically. Following, the established unknown system dynamics is approximated by radial basis function (RBF) neural network based on the minimum parameter learning method, the control input is generated by sliding-mode control law, and the weight adjustment of neural network is replaced by the designed adaptive law of parameter estimation. The effects of different levels of road surface roughness on the system are simulated, and the robustness of the proposed controller is verified based on the Lyapunov method. Finally, the experimental platform to simulate road disturbances is designed ingeniously. Experimental results show that the proposed controller can make the flywheel battery system have good robustness under different road conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to improve the thermal and waterproof properties of foamed concrete through the synergic work of nano SiO2 aerogel powder (NSAP) and organosilicon waterproofing agent (OWA). Hence, several series of foamed concrete with a 0–3.0% of OWA and with 1–4% of NSAP addition were developed. The results show that OWA can decrease the dry bulk density, compressive strength, water absorption rate, and thermal conductivity. With the addition of NSAP, the water absorption rate reached a minimum value of 9.2% at 3.0% NSAP, while the thermal conductivity continued decreasing. Through the microscopic pore size distribution, XRD, and SEM, it was found that the addition of NSAP had no effect on the type of hydration product, but it can increase the average pore size and the amount of macropore and weaken the interfacial adhesion between hydration products. Comparing the heat transmission model, the presence of NSAP increased the heat transmission pathway and resistance, resulting in lower thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale (large-area), fine spatial resolution satellite sensor images are valuable data sources for Earth observation while not yet fully exploited by research communities for practical applications. Often, such images exhibit highly complex geometrical structures and spatial patterns, and distinctive characteristics of multiple land-use categories may appear at the same region. Autonomous information extraction from these images is essential in the field of pattern recognition within remote sensing, but this task is extremely challenging due to the spectral and spatial complexity captured in satellite sensor imagery. In this research, a semi-supervised deep rule-based approach for satellite sensor image analysis (SeRBIA) is proposed, where large-scale satellite sensor images are analysed autonomously and classified into detailed land-use categories. Using an ensemble feature descriptor derived from pre-trained AlexNet and VGG-VD-16 models, SeRBIA is capable of learning continuously from both labelled and unlabelled images through self-adaptation without human involvement or intervention. Extensive numerical experiments were conducted on both benchmark datasets and real-world satellite sensor images to comprehensively test the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. The novel information mining technique developed here can be applied to analyse large-scale satellite sensor images with high accuracy and interpretability, across a wide range of real-world applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gonad development is a highly regulated process that coordinates cell specification and morphogenesis to produce sex‐specific organ structures that are required for fertility, such as testicular seminiferous tubules and ovarian follicles. While sex determination occurs within specialized gonadal supporting cells, sexual differentiation is evident throughout the entire organ, including within the interstitial compartment, which contains immune cells and vasculature. While immune and vascular cells have been traditionally appreciated for their supporting roles during tissue growth and homeostasis, an increasing body of evidence supports the idea that these cell types are critical drivers of sexually dimorphic morphogenesis of the gonad. Myeloid immune cells, such as macrophages, are essential for multiple aspects of gonadogenesis and fertility, including for forming and maintaining gonadal vasculature in both sexes at varying stages of life. While vasculature is long known for supporting organ growth and serving as an export mechanism for gonadal sex steroids in utero, it is also an important component of fetal testicular morphogenesis and differentiation; additionally, it is vital for ovarian corpus luteal function and maintenance of pregnancy. These findings point toward a new paradigm in which immune cells and blood vessels are integral components of sexual differentiation and organogenesis. In this review, we discuss the state of the field regarding the diverse roles of immune and vascular cells during organogenesis of the testis and ovary and highlight outstanding questions in the field that could stimulate new research into these previously underappreciated constituents of the gonad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel semi-supervised ensemble framework with a cross-checking mechanism is proposed for remote sensing scene classification; • An enhanced self-training hierarchical prototype-based classifier is introduced as the base learner; • A novel pseudo-labelling mechanism is proposed to utilise the multi-granular information mined from data in decision-making; • The proposed ensemble framework can achieve top performance with a reduced requirement for labelled images. Remote sensing scene classification plays a critical role in a wide range of real-world applications. Technically, however, scene classification is an extremely challenging task due to the huge complexity in remotely sensed scenes, and the difficulty in acquiring labelled data for model training such as supervised deep learning. To tackle these issues, a novel semi-supervised ensemble framework is proposed here using the self-training hierarchical prototype-based classifier as the base learner for chunk-by-chunk prediction. The framework has the ability to build a powerful ensemble model from both labelled and unlabelled images with minimum supervision. Different feature descriptors are employed in the proposed ensemble framework to offer multiple independent views of images. Thus, the diversity of base learners is guaranteed for ensemble classification. To further increase the overall accuracy, a novel cross-checking strategy was introduced to enable the base learners to exchange pseudo-labelling information during the self-training process, and maximize the correctness of pseudo-labels assigned to unlabelled images. Extensive numerical experiments on popular benchmark remote sensing scenes demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed ensemble framework, especially where the number of labelled images available is limited. For example, the classification accuracy achieved on the OPTIMAL-31, PatternNet and RSI-CB256 datasets was up to 99.91%, 98. 67% and 99.07% with only 40% of the image sets used as labelled training images, surpassing or at least on par with mainstream benchmark approaches trained with double the number of labelled images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of shellfish waste as a raw material in cement and concrete production is recognized as a feasible approach. Similar to limestone, seashell powder (SP), which is primarily made up of calcium carbonate, has been identified as a promising supplementary cementitious material (SCM). However, the current understanding of SP's chemical interactions within aluminum-rich cement systems remains limited, often resulting in its classification as simply an inert filler. Therefore, this research seeks to clarify the contribution of SP to fly ash (FA) cement by investigating the hydration products. The investigation reveals that SP facilitated hydration albeit to a lesser extent compared to limestone. In cements incorporating SP, the AFm phases, characterized by carboaluminate formations, became predominant, and the calcium carbonate content diminished over time, indicating reactive engagement of SP. The addition of 5 % SP enhanced the polymerization of the C-(A)-S-H structure in FA cement. Moreover, the substitution of cement with SP elevated the effective water to cement ratio, leading to a reduction in the Ca/Si ratio of C-(A)-S-H, while the Al/Si ratio remained virtually unchanged. Analysis identified the presence of monocarboaluminate (Ca/Al/C atomic ratio of 4: 1.97: 4.39) and hemicarboaluminate (Ca/Al/C atomic ratio of 4: 2.25: 2.40) in FA cements with 5 % and 10 % SP additions, respectively. Nonetheless, incorporating SP negatively impacted the compressive strength of FA cement, underscoring the importance of using SP in moderation. Specifically, the 28-day compressive strengths of FA cements with 5 % and 10 % SP additions measured at 42.9 MPa and 40.2 MPa, respectively. Moreover, SP-FA cement offers significant environmental advantages. This research innovatively elucidates the reaction mechanism of SP within fly ash cement, offering vital insights into SP's impact on the hydration process and advancing the recycling of shellfish waste. [Display omitted] • Seashell powder facilitated cement hydration to a lesser extent than limestone. • Seashell powder exhibits significant reactivity in fly ash cement. • Carboaluminate phases were detected by various means such as XRD and SEM. • 5 % seashell powder inspired the C-(A)-S-H polymerization. • Synergistic effects between seashell powder and fly ash were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The activity index of solid waste based composites is higher than 95%. • Solid waste based composites can replace 40% cement in concrete. • The total amount of solid wastes in concrete is up to 83%. Waste rock is stripped from open pit iron mines, which is often used to prepare aggregate in concrete because of its stable performance. However, with the continuous improvement of aggregate performance, a vast amount of stone powder produced in the process of aggregate preparation causes secondary solid waste pollution. In this paper, the feasibility of preparing supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) by using solid waste based composites was investigated. The results show that the 28-d activity index of iron ore waste powder (IOWP) based admixture is higher than 95%, and when it is used to replace cement in concrete, the admixture can reach 40% and the performance of concrete is stable. When iron ore waste completely replaces aggregates and IOWP based admixture replaces part of cement for concrete, the solid waste content of solid waste aggregate concrete (SWAC) is up to 83% compared to natural aggregate concrete (NAC). This study provides a new idea for high value, high efficiency and scale development of solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the synergistic effect of steel slag (SS) and metakaolin (MK) on cementitious systems. The compressive strength, flowability, packing properties, hydration products, and microstructure of composite cementitious materials containing SS and MK are investigated using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and surface fractal analysis. The results show that the incorporation of MK into the SS-cement system increases the wet packing density and generates calcium silicate hydrate with low Ca/Si and high Al/Ca ratios, thus increasing the compressive strength. In addition, the pore structure is refined. This study facilitates the sustainable and high-value utilization of SS and MK. • The packing density and PSD were used to evaluate physical synergies. • The synergistic effect of SS and MK can produce produced C-S-H with low Ca/Si. • SS and MK replacement cement can reduce costs and carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a phase planning method specially designed for coal deposits with nearly horizontal, bedded coal seams. The geology of this type of deposit is modeled into a column model, instead of a block model, to avoid coal-rock mixing in blocks. A nested pit generation algorithm is developed for producing a series of nested, least-strip ratio pits with a column model as its input. The algorithm completely overcomes the troublesome gap problem. Taking the least-strip ratio pits as possible phase states, a dynamic programming formulation is proposed to simultaneously optimize the number of phases, the phase-pits, and the ultimate pit, with an objective of maximizing the net present value. The merits and capability of the proposed method are demonstrated through a case study on a large coal deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the finite time consensus tracking problems for second‐order non‐linear multi‐agent system with the unknown dynamics. Firstly, the radial basis function neural networks are utilised to approximate the lumped unknown dynamic model. And then, to achieve the finite‐time consensus tracking, a distributed non‐singular fast terminal sliding mode control strategy is designed which can speed up the convergence of the multi‐agent system. Moreover, the consistency under the proposed control strategy is theoretically analysed and the upper bound of setting time is explicitly obtained. Finally, two simulation examples are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a prevailing trend that the user-generated content (UGC) on social media is shifting toward mobile video and micro content. Sentiment analysis and emotion recognition extract the opinions expressed in UGC and are important to understand the fast-growing mobile micro-videos. Although extensive research efforts have been devoted to it, most of the existing studies pre-processed the video before extracting sentiment features, pre-sampling as an example. Due to the rather unstructured nature of user-generated videos and the sparsely expressed emotions, sampling before sentiment analysis can remove visual contents important to understand the video. In this paper, a novel unsupervised sentiment key frame extraction (SKFE) model based on low-rank and sparse representation is proposed. Sparsity is the important characteristic distinct to a video frame. The low-rank constraint is helpful to improve the robustness to noise and outliers. The l 2 , 1 -norm sparsity is adopted to improve the robustness via different indexes running through the feature dimensions and among the video frames. To better characterize the relationship between the local features and alleviate the sensitiveness of sparse coding, a regularization term based on the Laplacian matrix is introduced to preserve the consistency of sparse codes for similar local features. The experimental results on publicly available datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SKFE model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the consensus tracking problem of second-order multi-agent systems. The key feature in this work is that the state transmission among followers may be subject to channel fading. In order to cope with the adverse factor, this work introduces the statistical information of channel fading into the measure function on the consensus tracking errors. Meanwhile, a feasible distributed sliding mode controller is designed by means of the received fading states. And then, both the reachability and the stability of sliding mode dynamics are analysed, under which the consensus tracking for followers to the leader is attained. Finally, a numerical simulation example is provided for verifying the proposed sliding mode control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cortical networks are complex systems of a great many interconnected neurons that operate from collective dynamical states. To understand how cortical neural networks function, it is important to identify their common dynamical operating states from the probabilistic viewpoint. Probabilistic characteristics of these operating states often underlie network functions. Here, using multi‐electrode data from three separate experiments, we identify and characterize a cortical operating state (the "probability polling" or "p‐polling" state), common across mouse and monkey with different behaviors. If the interaction among neurons is weak, the p‐polling state provides a quantitative understanding of how the high dimensional probability distribution of firing patterns can be obtained by the low‐order maximum entropy formulation, effectively utilizing a low dimensional stimulus‐coding structure. These results show evidence for generality of the p‐polling state and in certain situations its advantage of providing a mathematical validation for the low‐order maximum entropy principle as a coding strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introducing FA to adjust fresh behaviors of OPC-MK cementitious material system. • The synergistic effects of SCMs indicate the filling effect and pozzolanic reaction. • Hydration products of OPC-MK-FA system were beneficial to the Al-rich system. • Modification of gels and pores are the contributions of FA to OPC-MK system. The fresh behavior of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-Metakaolin (MK) cementitious material system is relatively undesirable and needs to be used in conjunction with other materials and comprehends interaction mechanism to meet practical application specifications. The present work investigated the feasibility of using fly ash (FA) to modify the properties of MK cement and reported the effects of the interaction between MK and FA on the microstructure and hydration products. The results showed that the fluidity loss behavior and premature setting time for the cement-MK system was improved by adding the appropriate amount of FA. Synergistic stacking and hydration effect of FA and MK in the ternary blend significantly yielded a more uniform mix, resulting in a matrix with a higher compressive strength and more compact structure. Besides, the addition of FA contributed to reduce the typical hydration product Ca/Si ratio and promoted the ability of gel products to absorb Al3+, which was beneficial to the Al-rich system such as OPC-MK system. This research provides the foundation for the long-term development of multi-based supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic process of cut blasting is to break rock, throw fragments, and form a cavity. Based on the characteristics of cut blasting and the combined effect of stress waves and detonation gas, the evolution process of wedge cut blasting is divided into two stages, and a theoretical model is proposed to investigate the cavity formation mechanism by theoretical analysis and field tests. In phase one, rock breaking is caused by stress waves. By considering the dynamic strength of the rock, a computational model is built for the rock failure zone derived from the coupled cylindrical charge explosion. In phase two, the driving force of the detonation gas overcomes the total resistance of the surrounding rock mass, accelerates fragments, and then throws fragments to form a cavity. The criterion of cavity formation is established on the basis of the quasi-static loading of the detonation gas. The theoretical model provides an overall interpretation of the cavity formation mechanism, in which stress waves break rock and detonation gas throws fragments. A specific case indicates that the range of the failure zone is approximately 18 times the borehole radius in granite and that the hole-bottom spacing of the wedge cut can be designed as 50 cm; in addition, detonation gas is sufficient to overcome the total resistance, accelerate rock fragments, throw fragments, and form a cavity. Field tests present favourable blasting results, with a high utilization rate of boreholes and uniform fragment sizes. Therefore, the model could provide theoretical support and technical guidance for wedge cut blasting in hard rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The SS and LS shows a synergist effect on the hydration of the cement pastes. • A large amount of C-(A)-S-H is produced with the addition of SS and LS. • The addition of LS to the cement-SS system refines the pore structure. Replacement of cement with solid waste is an important method for conserving natural resources and reducing CO 2 emissions. In this study, steel slag and lithium slag were used to replace cement to address the low activity of steel slag, which limits its large-scale utilization. The compressive strength, flow properties, dissolution characteristics, hydration products, and microstructure of composite cementitious materials containing steel slag and lithium slag were investigated by ICP-OES, XRD, TG, FTIR, SEM and MIP. The results showed that the addition of lithium slag into the cementitious material with steel slag improved the compressive strength. The lithium slag consumed a large amount of portlandite and promoted hydration of the steel slag to produce more C-(A)-S-H. Furthermore, the porosity and pore size distribution were optimized, the most probable pore size was reduced, and the pore complexity was increased. This research provides a solution for comprehensive use of steel slag, which contributes to high-value green utilization of solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic structures and spin exchange interaction in CrOF 2 and CrOCl 2 calculated by PBE+U and HSE06 both indicate their half metal properties and high phase transition over room temperature. [Display omitted] • Magnetic and electronic properties of 2D CrOX 2 (X = F, Cl) monolayer are disclosed. • CrOX 2 has intrinsic ferromagnetism with phase transition beyond room temperatures. • CrOX 2 exhibits the half metal properties, and the half-metallic gap is over 2 eV. • Uniaxial compression strain can drive Tc enhance up to 600 K at strain of −10%. Two-dimensional (2D) materials with room-temperature ferromagnetism and intrinsic wide half-metallic gap are superb candidates for pure spin generation, injection, and transport in nanospintronic applications. In this work, we disclose the magnetic and electronic properties of 2D transition metal oxyhalides CrOX 2 monolayers and the effect of strain on them using first-principles calculations. Our results show that CrOX 2 (X = F, Cl) exhibits intrinsic ferromagnetism and half metallicity with the half-metallic gap of more than 2 eV, as well as the phase transition temperature over 300 K when considering the Hubbard U eff correction as 3.5 eV as obtained in most chromium oxide. Uniaxial strain can drive magnetic phase transition occur and the phase transition temperature enhance greatly. In addition, we also find that CrOF 2 monolayer is mechanically, thermally and dynamically stable, but the CrOCl 2 monolayer is only mechanically and thermally stable. These excellent properties of CrOX 2 monolayers, in particular, CrOF 2 , make them hopeful for the fabrication of nanospintronic devices operating at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future intelligent machines will be more human-friendly and human-like, while offering much higher throughput and automation, thus augmenting our (human) capabilities. Anthropomorphic machine learning is an emerging direction for future development in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. This revolutionary shift offers human-like abilities to the next generation of machine learning with greater potential for underpinning breakthroughs in technology development as well as in various aspects of everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Iron tailings sands (ITS) were utilized 100% replacement of silica sands as siliceous materials to produce autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). • Introducing HPMC to adjust slurry performance and pore structure of iron tailings sands autoclaved aerated concrete (ITS-AAC). • The optical method and MIP were conducted to investigate the effect of HPMC content and W/S ratio on the porosity of ITS-AAC at different scales. • The positive effect of HPMC on the regulation of pore structure was confirmed. The stock of iron tailings sand (ITS) is massive and increases annually, posing a severe threat to the environment and necessitating proper disposal. This study aims to solve the problems of mesoscopic pore coalescence and disproportionation caused by excessive ITS in the production of autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC). The effects of the water-to-solid ratio (W/S) and foam stabilizer content on the performance of ITS autoclaved aerated concrete (ITS-AAC) were assessed. Furthermore, the mesoscopic and microscopic pore structures of ITS-AAC were investigated using optical methods and mercury intrusion porosimetry, respectively. The hydration and microstructure of the selected ITS-AAC samples were also analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that under the same fluidity, the incorporation of 0.3%-0.6% hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) can significantly increase the gas-retaining performance of the slurry. A finer and more homogeneous pore structure was achieved by incorporating 0.6% HPMC, resulting in a smaller bulk density (23.1% decrease) and thermal conductivity (34.3% decrease) at the expense of a slight loss of compressive strength (13.8% decrease). This study provides a basis for adjusting the physical-mechanical properties of AAC by using foam stabilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high cost of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) limits the broad usage of cemented paste backfill (CPB). Additionally, improper disposal of arsenic-containing biohydrometallurgy waste (BW) can cause tremendous pollution to the environment. Consequently, BW is used to prepare an alternative cementitious material for CPB in this study. The effect of calcined oil shale residue (COSR) on the binder's characteristics was studied. The reaction kinetics of the binder in the presence of COSR were studied via the isothermal calorimeter test and the Krstulovic–Dabic model; mechanical strength and hydration product modifications due to the addition of COSR were also investigated. The leaching of hazardous elements from the binder was also investigated. The results showed that adding COSR reduced the flowability of fresh slurry and early-age compressive strength; however, adding 20 wt% COSR resulted in the highest later age compressive strength, thereby reaching ∼43.65 MPa after 60 days. The compressive strength of the CPB sample using the COSR20 as a binder may reach ∼87% of the OPC-based CPB sample. Furthermore, the presence of COSR had no significant effect on the phase assembles but changed the amount of ettringite (AFt) and calcium silicate aluminate hydrate (C-A-S-H). The results of this study show that the prepared binder could be used as an alternative to OPC in CPB. • BW and COSR were used to prepare a cementitious material for CPB. • COSR decreased the flowability of CPB slurry. • COSR favored the formation of ettringite. • Later-age strength was increased in the presence of 20 wt% COSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this research was to analyze the prognostic significance of the minimum count of lymphocytes (LY) and the corresponding ratio of neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte (NLR) in cervical cancer (CC) patients receiving radiotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from 202 CC patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone at our hospital. Statistical methods including the Kaplan–Meier method, log‐rank test and the Cox proportional hazards model were included to examine survival differences and identify independent factors that may affect overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS). Results: The research enrolled a total of 202 patients. Patients with higher LY levels and lower NLR values during radiotherapy had significantly better survival prognosis than those with lower LY levels and higher NLR values. Multivariate COX regression analysis revealed that FIGO stage I, pathological types of SqCC, absence of lymph node metastasis, concurrent chemoradiotherapy, higher LY levels during radiotherapy, and lower NLR values before radiotherapy were independently associated with poorer PFS. Similarly, FIGO stage I, absence of lymph node metastasis and lower NLR values during and before radiotherapy were independently linked with poorer OS. Conclusion: Minimum LY value and its corresponding NLR during radiotherapy serve as prognostic factors for CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biohydrometallurgy waste (BW) was used as sulfate sources for supersulfated cement (SSC) production with the aim of providing an alternative binder for cemented paste backfill (CPB). Additives, including carbide slag (CC), Al 2 (SO 4) 3 (AlS) and Na 2 SO 4 (NaS), were used to modify the binder properties, when considering the poor mechanical strength at the early curing ages. The reaction kinetics of binder modified by additives were studied via isothermal calorimeter test; mechanical strength and hydration products modifications due to the addition of additives were also explored. Additionally, arsenic (As) leaching from the binders was tested and the immobilization mechanism was explored using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The results showed that the addition of CC increased the early strength strongly, but higher amount of CC restricted the strength development after curing for a long time; NaS presented marginal influence on the binder properties. The coupling addition of 25 wt% CC and 1 wt% AlS showed the best performance; the compressive strength after curing for 3 and 28 days reached around 13.67 MPa and 36.97 MPa, which was increased by about 47.69% and 18.34%, respectively, compared to the control sample. The superior performance was attributed to the generation of more reaction gels, especially ettringite (AFt). Rising in the AFt content contributed to better immobilization effects on As, because that it led to lower pore volume and permeability; besides, AFt showed higher immobilization effects according to the DFT calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplementary cementitious material (SCM) plays an important role in blended cement, and the effect of the particle size and morphology of siliceous supplementary cementitious material on hydration should not be ignored. In this study, 0.5 h and 1 h of wet grinding was applied to pretreat iron ore tailing powder (TP), and the divergence in pozzolanic behavior and morphology were investigated. Then, the treated TPs were used to replace the 30% cement contents in preparing blended cementitious paste, and the impact mechanism of morphology on performance was studied emphatically. M, the autogenous shrinkages of pastes were tested. Finally, hydration reaction kinetics was carried out to explore the hydration behavior, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the hydration product properties, respectively. Meanwhile, microscopy intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was also carried out to characterize the pore structures of hardened specimens. Results indicated that wet grinding has a dramatic effect on particle size and morphology, but hardly affects the phase assemblages and pozzolanic reactivity of TP, while the particle shape of TP changes from sub-circular to clavate and, finally, back to sub-circular. The results of hydration reaction kinetics, representing the morphology of particles, had a significant effect on hydration rate and total heat, and compared with the sub-circle one, the clavated particle could inhibit the hydration procedure. With the increasing grinding time, the compressive strength of cementitious paste was increased from 17.37% to 55.73%, and the micro-pore structure became denser; however, the autogenous shrinkage increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron ore tailings (IOTs) are gradually used as building materials to solve the severe ecological and environmental problems caused by their massive accumulation. However, the bulk density of IOT as aggregate is too large, which seriously affects the concrete properties. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) on the workability, mechanical properties, and durability of concrete prepared from IOT recycled aggregate was studied. The action mechanism of HPMC on the workability and the mechanical properties of the IOT concrete was analyzed by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that HPMC can effectively improve the segregation problem caused by the sinking and air entrainment of IOT aggregate and improve the crack resistance of concrete with little effect on its compressive strength and electric flux. These results are due to the air-entraining thickening effect of HPMC, which improves the slurry viscosity, hinders the sinking of aggregate, and improves the workability. At the same time, HPMC film, after concrete hardening, will bridge the slurry and aggregate through physical and chemical effects, hinder the propagation of microcracks, and improve the crack resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper iron tailing sand (TS) are used as aggerate to develop ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC). The mix proportion of UHPC is designed and TS were added by 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (wt.%, i.e., weight percentage) to replace natural river sand. Firstly, the influence of TS on the slurry behavior was carried out. The experimental result indicates that with the continuously increasing content of TS, the workability of slurry decreases, while the air content increases. Considering the workability, the optimal replacing dosage of TS should be less than 50%. Then, tests for the hardened specimens were taken. The compressive behavior and micro-porosity deteriorate with increasing content of TS, and the compressive strength had a positive linear relationship with the workability, which indicated that the decline the compressive behavior is mainly due to the loss of flowability. Finally, autogenous shrinkages of UHPC with different TS dosage were also tested. At the same time, the micro-structure of specimens was discussed, which was deteriorate with the increasing dosage of TS. Therefore, comprehensively considering the compressive behavior, micro-structure and shrinkage behavior, as much as 50% of the aggregate could be replaced by TS when developing UHPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a type of fly ash and iron tailing powder were used as a binary supplementary cementitious material (SCM) and two different mechanically activated procedures, named coalescent activation and separated activation, were carried out to improve the pozzolanic reactivity. Then, three binary supplementary cementitious materials were used to replace 30 wt% of ordinary Portland cement to develop cemented mortars, and the compressive strength, hydration products, and micro-structure were studied. The experimental results indicated that the activated supplementary cementitious materials increased the compressive strengths of the mortars by 5.4% and 13.2%, negligibly changed the hydration product types, and impacted the quantity only. The application of SCMs also prolonged the setting time and decreased the hydration rate, profiting the application. Simultaneously, the micro-pore structure was ameliorated, and the porosity decreased. Therefore, comprehensively considering the improved mechanical behavior and inexpensive cost, the activated binary SCM can be considered an ecological and economical admixture, especially for the coalescent activation procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evolving intelligent system (EIS) is able to self-update its system structure and meta-parameters from streaming data. However, since the majority of EISs are implemented on a single-model architecture, their performances on large-scale, complex data streams are often limited. To address this deficiency, a novel self-organizing fuzzy inference ensemble framework is proposed in this paper. As the base learner of the proposed ensemble system, the self-organizing fuzzy inference system is capable of self-learning a highly transparent predictive model from streaming data on a chunk-by-chunk basis through a human-interpretable process. Very importantly, the base learner can continuously self-adjust its decision boundaries based on the inter-class and intra-class distances between prototypes identified from successive data chunks for higher classification precision. Thanks to its parallel distributed computing architecture, the proposed ensemble framework can achieve great classification precision while maintain high computational efficiency on large-scale problems. Numerical examples based on popular benchmark big data problems demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed approach over the state-of-the-art alternatives in terms of both classification accuracy and computational efficiency. • A novel fuzzy ensemble framework proposed for big streaming data classification. • A novel fuzzy inference system to learn from streaming data chunk-by-chunk. • The base learner to self-calibrate precise decision boundaries from streaming data. • A novel ensemble architecture to build diverse committees with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Iron ore tailings (IOT) were used to replace manufactured sand at different proportions to make UHPC mortars. • The compressive strength and permeability of UHPC mortars were investigated. • 40% subsitutiton of IOT exhibited the highest compressive strength. • The compressive strength ws comparable to the control when IOT content was up to 80%. • The addition of IOT enhanced the impermeability of UHPC mortars. Iron ore tailings (IOT) are discharged as waste after the beneficiation process to concentrate iron ore, which has triggered a series of environmental problems. The influence of IOT as a replacement for manufactured sand (MS) (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% by weight) on the compressive strength and permeability of UHPC mortars was investigated by multiple methods including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results showed that 40% IOT replacement yielded the best performance, and 80% substitution of IOT was comparable to the control mix regarding compressive strength. Additionally, the impermeability improved with increasing IOT content. To reduce the cost of UHPC production and minimize environmental problems, it is feasible to use IOT as a fine aggregate to partly replace manufactured sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to treat the iron tailings of mining solid waste with high value is an urgent problem on a global scale. In recent years, the application of iron tailings in the building materials industry has attracted the attention of many scholars. The conversion of iron tailings into green building materials helps achieve carbon neutrality and high-value utilization of solid waste, and promotes sustainable development. Although iron tailings have been extensively studied as supplementary cementitious materials, the performance of concrete is not ideal due to its low activity. In this study, the hybrid supplementary cementitious materials system was prepared by iron tailings, phosphorus slag, and steel slag, and the effects of supplementary cementitious materials type, iron tailings content, iron tailings grinding time, and supplementary cementitious materials content on concrete performance were studied. The compressive properties, iron tailings properties, pore structure, interfacial transition zone, and element distribution of hydration products of concrete were tested by compressive strength tests, X-ray Diffractometer (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), Backscattering Electron Tests (BSE), and Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). The results show that further grinding improves the iron tailings activity. There is a synergistic mechanism between steel slag and phosphorus slag in the composite supplementary cementitious materials, which overcomes the low activity defect of iron tailings and produces concrete with a compressive strength exceeding 40 MPa. The composite supplementary cementitious materials can optimize the interfacial transition zone of the concrete interface and reduce the calcium–silicon ratio of the hydration products. However, it will deteriorate the pore structure of the concrete matrix, cause part of the concrete matrix to be damaged and lead to a loss of compressive strength, and the loss is acceptable. This work broadens the methods of comprehensive utilization of iron tailings and also provides a reference for a more detailed understanding of the properties of iron tailings-based concrete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]