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Background: Populus spp. is a crucial fast-growing and productive tree species extensively cultivated in the mid-latitude plains of the world. However, the impact of intensive cultivation management on gene expression in plantation remains largely unexplored. Results: Precision water and fertilizer-intensive management substantially increased key enzyme activities of nitrogen transport, assimilation, and photosynthesis (1.12–2.63 times than CK) in Populus × euramericana 'Neva' plantation. Meanwhile, this management approach had a significant regulatory effect on the gene expression of poplar plantations. 1554 differential expression genes (DEGs)were identified in drip irrigation (ND) compared with conventional irrigation. Relative to ND, 2761–4116 DEGs, predominantly up-regulated, were identified under three drip fertilization combinations, among which 202 DEGs were mainly regulated by fertilization. Moreover, drip irrigation reduced the expression of cell wall synthesis-related genes to reduce unnecessary water transport. Precision drip and fertilizer-intensive management promotes the synergistic regulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism and up-regulates the expression of major genes in nitrogen transport and assimilation processes (5 DEGs), photosynthesis (15 DEGs), and plant hormone signal transduction (11 DEGs). The incorporation of trace elements further enhanced the up-regulation of secondary metabolic process genes. In addition, the co-expression network identified nine hub genes regulated by precision water and fertilizer-intensive management, suggesting a pivotal role in regulating the growth of poplar. Conclusion: Precision water and fertilizer-intensive management demonstrated the ability to regulate the expression of key genes and transcription factor genes involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism pathways, plant hormone signal transduction, and enhance the activity of key enzymes involved in related processes. This regulation facilitated nitrogen absorption and utilization, and photosynthetic abilities such as light capture, light transport, and electron transport, which faintly synergistically regulate the growth of poplar plantations. These results provide a reference for proposing highly efficient precision intensive management to optimize the expression of target genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent tiny molecules that are resistant to acid have long been the center of interest. The nitrogen atoms on benzyl cyanide were sp hybridized, while the two nitrogen atoms at pyrimidine were sp2 hybridized in the primary structure that we constructed. With the addition of a protonic acid (H2SO4, CH3SO3H, and HF), the nitrogen atoms at acridine underwent sp3 hybridization, which caused the hydrogen protons to interact with the three types of nitrogen atoms to varying degrees. This distribution of the electron cloud density led to a decrease in fluorescence emission. Furthermore, Gaussian 09 software and DFT calculations were used to model its orbital conformation, which is the highest occupied molecular orbital—lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO). Furthermore, its crystal structure was assigned to the orthorhombic system with stronger non-homogeneity (a = 8.9160 (4) Å, b = 44.289 (3) Å, c = 9.6131 (7) Å, α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90°, V = 3796.0 (4) Å3, z = 4, Dc = 1.244 g/cm3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of spin reorientation transition in magnetic materials is truly captivating, as it involves a fascinating change in the direction of magnetic moments. However, the research on spin reorientation transition in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials has received limited attention, thus hindering its immense potential for significant advancements in various device applications. In this study, we present a discovery of a spin reorientation transition from an in-plane to an out-of-plane direction in the van der Waals ferromagnet Cr1.7Te2 (Tc = 300 K). This transition occurs at 70 K when the temperature ranges from 3 to 300 K, which is evidenced by the temperature-dependent Hall effect and magnetic anisotropy energy measurements. Notably, the anisotropic evolution observed reveals that the shape anisotropy effect surpasses the magnetocrystalline anisotropy in van der Waals ferromagnet at low temperatures, which is distinct from reported ferromagnetic materials. Furthermore, temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction characterizations confirm that no structural phase transition occurs during this intriguing spin reorientation transition process. These findings establish a strong and solid foundation, offering a promising platform for the design and development of cutting-edge 2D spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid detection of trace heavy metal ions in water is of great relevance to the environment and human health in the future. With pyrimidine as the parent structure, the water-soluble thiourea group is skillfully introduced to form a symmetric framework, thus firmly capturing the heavy metal ions in the water. The responsiveness of heavy metal ions in water was observed by UV-fluorescence spectroscopy. Especially with Co(NO3)2, Cu(NO3)2, Ni(NO3)2, and Zn(NO3)2, the response changes are most significant. The rapid response changes between them and trace heavy metal ions in water were intuitively observed under sunlight and fluorescence irradiation environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, converter steelmaking is the main method for steelmaking, the performance of bottom blowing and bath stirring would obviously affect the efficient and stable smelting of high‐quality clean steel. At present, the uniform bottom gas distribution mode is mostly applied in converter steelmaking, which would probably lead to unstable stirring performance and inadequate mixing at the later stage of furnace campaign. Therefore, a nonuniform bottom gas distribution mode is proposed herein, which intends to improve the mixing efficiency. The physical and numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the influence of gas flowrate, nozzle configurations, and bottom gas distribution mode on bath stirring and mixing. In the results, it is shown that the large and asymmetric circulation flow is formed due to the nonuniform gas distribution for each nozzle, which enhances stirring in the horizontal direction and ultimately improves mixing efficiency. Compared with the uniform gas distribution mode, when gas distribution ratio of nonuniform bottom blowing is 3:1, the mixing time is reduced by 29%, the average velocity of liquid steel is increased from 0.0342 to 0.0404 m s−1, the ratio of the dead zone is decreased by 26.23%, and the proportion of active flow region is added by 10.49%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminosilicates, such as montmorillonite, kaolinite, halloysite, and diatomite, have a uniform bidimensional structure, a high surface-to-volume ratio, inherent stiffness, a dual charge distribution, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, abundant active groups on the surface, such as silanol (Si-OH) and/or aluminol (Al-OH) groups. These compounds are on the list of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved active compounds and excipients and are used for various medicinal products, such as wound healing agents, antidiarrheals, and cosmetics. This review summarizes the wound healing mechanisms related to the material characteristics and the chemical components. Numerous wound dressings with different active components and multiple forms have been studied. Then, medicinal mineral resources for use in hemostatic materials can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of transition metal hydroxides has long been plagued by its poor conductivity and stability as well as severe aggregation tendency. In this paper, a novel hierarchical core–shell architecture, using an F-doped Co(OH)2 nanorod array (Co(OH)F) as the core and Mn/Ni co-doped Co(OH)2 nanosheets (NiCoMn-LDH) as the shell, was constructed via an MOF-mediated in situ generation method. The obtained Co(OH)F@ NiCoMn-LDH composites exhibited excellent supercapacitive performance with large specific capacitance as well as improved rate capability and long-term stability. The effect of the Ni/Mn ratio on the supercapacitive performance and energy storage kinetics was systematically investigated and the related mechanism was revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of penicillin resistance, the development of novel antibiotics has become an urgent necessity. Semi-synthetic penicillin has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional penicillin. The demand for the crucial intermediate, 6-aminopicillanic acid (6-APA), is on the rise. Enzyme catalysis is the primary method employed for its production. However, due to certain limitations, the strategy of enzyme immobilization has also gained prominence. The magnetic Ni0.4Cu0.5Zn0.1Fe2O4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a rapid-combustion method. Sodium silicate was used to modify the surface of the Ni0.4Cu0.5Zn0.1Fe2O4 nanoparticles to obtain silica-coated nanoparticles (Ni0.4Cu0.5Zn0.1Fe2O4-SiO2). Subsequently, in order to better crosslink PGA, the nanoparticles were modified again with glutaraldehyde to obtain glutaraldehyde crosslinked Ni0.4Cu0.5Zn0.1Fe2O4-SiO2-GA nanoparticles which could immobilize the PGA. The structure of the PGA protein was analyzed by the PyMol program and the immobilization strategy was determined. The conditions of PGA immobilization were investigated, including immobilization time and PGA concentration. Finally, the enzymological properties of the immobilized and free PGA were compared. The optimum catalytic pH of immobilized and free PGA was 8.0, and the optimum catalytic temperature of immobilized PGA was 50°C, 5°C higher than that of free PGA. Immobilized PGA in a certain pH and temperature range showed better catalytic stability. Vmax and Km of immobilized PGA were 0.3727 μmol·min-1 and 0.0436 mol·L-1, and the corresponding free PGA were 0.7325 μmol·min-1 and 0.0227 mol·L-1. After five cycles, the immobilized enzyme activity was still higher than 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface engineering has been proved efficient and universally applicable in improving the performance of CeO2 in various fields. However, previous approaches have typically required high-temperature calcination or tedious procedures, which makes discovery of a moderate and facile modification approach for CeO2 an attractive subject. In this paper, porous CeO2 nanosheets with effective nitrogen-doping were synthesized via a low-temperature NH3/Ar plasma treatment and exhibited boosted hydrogen evolution reaction performance with low overpotential (65 mV) and long-term stability. The mechanism of the elevated performance was investigated by introducing Ar-plasma-treated CeO2 with no nitrogen-doping as the control group, which revealed the dominant role of nitrogen-doping by providing abundant active sites and improving charge transfer characteristics. This work illuminates further investigations into the surface engineering methodologies boosted by plasma and the relative mechanism of the structure–activity relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared a visual Rhodamine B-nido-carborane fluorescent marker by one-pot method for tumor cell imaging. Firstly, the fat-soluble carborane was treated with potassium hydroxide to obtain nido-carborane potassium salt. Secondly, it was combined with Rhodamine B to remove a molecule of potassium chloride, and finally a fluorescent marker of Rhodamine B-nido-carborane was obtained. In order to further understand its structural characteristics, it was observed that the nido-carborane and Rhodamine B are firmly bound together by ionic properties by X-ray single crystal diffraction. Such a design strategy is conducive to combining the advantages of the two, and can better promote its application in the biological field through the synergistic action of complementarity and mutual assistance. The addition rate and inhibition rate of Rhodamine B-nido-carborane in Hera cells were measured by CCK-8, and their maximum values were 71.76% and 28.24%, respectively. In fluorescence imaging, HeLa cells were selected to test their biocompatibility in different channels, and it was found that Rhodamine B-nido-carborane had a good labeling effect on tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reform of state-owned railway companies is an important part of railway reforms in many countries. However, those companies' reforms are often evaluated based on experts' personal opinions or simple statistics. This article proposes a concept of Reform Index to evaluate the state-owned railway companies' reforms. The method is to create an R6 Euclidean space and measure the distance from points representing ordinary reforms to the point representing a perfect reform. The calculation of Reform Index is based on Euclidean distance and data envelopment analysis. According to the value of Reform Index, the degree of reform can be divided into five levels: very successful, successful, not obvious, failed, and completely failed. The article also uses the case of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) as an empirical study. Through the calculation of Reform Index, it not only clarifies that the degree of JNR's reform can be considered successful, but also finds the constraints to further success and proposes suggestions for improving them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of press‐hardened steels (PHSs) in automotive body‐in‐white components using the hot‐stamping technique is growing thanks to its impressive strength and formability. Unfortunately, hydrogen embrittlement (HE), an issue that generally exists in high‐strength steels, impedes the PHSs rising application trend by causing catastrophic mechanical property degradation. Thus, detailed evaluation and prediction of HE risk throughout PHSs manufacture and service condition are necessary. This study highlights techniques to characterize the hydrogen content and distribution, techniques to evaluate HE susceptibility, and potential models to simulate the in‐service performance of PHS. The survey of existing studies has revealed the gaps between laboratory measurement and industry application, including but not limited to 1) the accelerated experiment‐induced discrepancies against real‐life applications, 2) a selection of the appropriate HE indicators, 3) an accurate risk prediction model, and 4) efficient feedback to the industry based on both experimental and simulated results. Based on the review, future studies are expected to establish a conclusive HE evaluation standard for PHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C26H22N6O7Co, triclinic, P 1 ‾ (no. 2), a = 9.0033(4) Å, b = 10.1338(5) Å, c = 15.5122(8) Å, α = 96.164(4)°, β = 100.835 (4) ∘ , γ = 113.867 (5) ∘ , V = 1244.20(11) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0473, wRref(F2) = 0.1023, T = 293(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one kind of aggressive cancer, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has become one of the major causes of women mortality worldwide. Recently, combinational chemo-PDT therapy based on nanomaterials has been adopted for the treatment of malignant tumor. However, the efficacy of PDT was partly compromised under tumor hypoxia environment due to the lack of sustainable O2 supply. In this study, CeO2-loaded nanoparticles (CeNPs) with peroxidase activity were synthesized to autonomously generate O2 by decomposing H2O2 within tumor region and reprogramming the hypoxia microenvironment as well. Meanwhile, the compound cinobufagin (CS-1) was loaded for inhibiting TNBC growth and metastasis. Moreover, the hybrid membrane camouflage was adopted to improve the biocompatibility and targeting ability of nanocomplexes. In vitro assay demonstrated that decomposition of H2O2 by CeO2 achieved sustainable O2 supply, which accordingly improved the efficacy of PDT. In turn, the generated O2 improved the cytotoxicity and anti-tumor migration effect of CS-1 by downregulating HIF-1α and MMP-9 levels. In vivo assay demonstrated that the combination of CS-1 and PDT significantly inhibited the growth and distance metastasis of tumor in MDA-MB-231 bearing mice. Thus, this chemo-PDT strategy achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects by smartly utilizing the enzyme activity of nanodrugs and special micro-environment of tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DGE method detects forest disturbances with GMM and EM. • DGE outperforms traditional methods like ANAC, PGC, BL, and AI. • Broad DGE applications in disturbances, growth-climate relationship and other ecology fields. Forests have experienced unprecedented decline and mortality beyond their historical range in past decades, which is attributed to disturbances like drought, fire, insects and disease. Traditional disturbance detection methods that typically employ a time series perspective to identify discrete disturbance events within continuous tree growth signals and were mainly designed for gap-scale often fail to identify disturbances across populations. To more accurately identify growth suppression and release clusters based on the perspective of forest population dynamics, here we applied a novel method of detecting forest disturbances using a Gaussian mixture model with an expectation maximisation algorithm (DGE), to fit annual distributions of growth indicators, i.e., tree-ring index. We further compared our novel approach of DGE with five traditional methods based on two sets of real tree-ring data and simulated tree-ring data. The results show an improvement of accuracy (35.5 %–48.1 %), sensitivity (36.6 %–58.1 %), precision (21.2 %–51.5 %) and specificity (11.1 %–20.6 %) for the average of two real radial growth datasets and an improvement of accuracy (7.6 %–13.9 %), sensitivity (70 %), precision (100 %) and specificity (9.1 %–9.7 %) for the simulation radial growth dataset, indicating that our DGE approach performs much better than the traditional methods. This study contributes to an improved strategy and understanding for sustainable forest management in the context of climate warming, demonstrating that our DGE approach can be better applied to global forest disturbance detection under global change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractA facile rapid-combustion process was introduced for preparing magnetic CoxMgyCu(1-x-y)Fe2O4 nanoparticles, and to enhance their specific surface area and saturation magnetization, the optimization involved adjusting the element proportion, calcination temperature, and solvent amount. The optimal element proportion of x:y:(1-x-y) for CoxMgyCu(1-x-y)Fe2O4 nanoparticles was 0.1:0.7:0.2, and the effects of solvent amount, and calcination temperature were also investigated. The average particle size and specific surface area of Co0.1Mg0.7Cu0.2Fe2O4 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C with 25 mL absolute alcohol were 17.9 nm and 56.96 m2/g, respectively; while demonstrating a saturation magnetization of 8.5 emu/g. To solve the increasingly severe issue of water pollution, these nanoparticles were employed to efficiently treat dye wastewater containing methyl blue (MB). After fitting kinetic and isotherm models, the adsorption process of magnetic Co0.1Mg0.7Cu0.2Fe2O4 nanoparticles for MB dominated by chemisorption and was a multilayer adsorption process. The adsorption isotherm experiments revealed a remarkable maximum adsorption capacity of methyl blue, reaching 2255.7 mg/g, within the concentration range of MB from 400 to 4000 mg/L. The thermodynamic analysis indicated the spontaneity of the exothermic adsorption process. The studies on the effect of pH also led to satisfying results; while the residual adsorption capacity could still remain 91.2% initial adsorbance after 12 times recycle. The outstanding recycling ability, resistance to ionic strength, and pH resistance distinguished the magnetic Co0.1Mg0.7Cu0.2Fe2O4 nanoparticles among vast adsorbents. These results highlight the significant potential of these nanoparticles for treating dye wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient cryogenic distillation system was designed and constructed for the PandaX-4T dark matter detector based on the McCabe–Thiele method and the conservation of mass and energy. This distillation system is designed to reduce the concentration of krypton in commercial xenon from 5 × 10−7 to ∼ 1 0 − 14 mol/mol with 99% xenon collection efficiency at a maximum flow rate of 10 kg/h. The offline distillation operation has been completed and 5.75 tons of ultra-high purity xenon was produced, which is used as the detection medium in the PandaX-4T detector. The krypton concentration of the product xenon is measured with an upper limit of 8.0 ppt. The construction, operation, and stable purification performance of the cryogenic distillation system are studied with the experimental data, which is important for theoretical research and distillation operation optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trans-urocanic acid, a UV chromophore in the epidermis of human skin, was found to exhibit a wavelength dependent isomerization property. The isomerization quantum yield to cis-urocanic is greatest when being excited to the S1 state, whereas exciting the molecule to the S2 state causes almost no isomerization. The comparative photochemical behavior of the trans-urocanic on the S1 and S2 states continues to be the subject of intense research effort. This study is concerned with the unique photo-behavior of this interesting molecule on the S2 state. Combining the on-the-fly surface hopping dynamics simulations and static electronic structure calculations, three decay channels were observed following excitation to the S2 state. An overwhelming majority of the molecules decay to the S1 state through a planar or pucker characterized minimum energy conical intersection (MECI), and then decay to the ground state along a relaxation coordinate driven by a pucker deformation of the ring. A very small fraction of molecules decay to the S1 state by a MECI characterized by a twisting motion around the CC double bond, which continues to drive the molecule to deactivate to the ground state. The latter channel is related with the photoisomerization process, whereas the former one will only generate the original trans-form products. The present work provides a novel S2 state decay mechanism of this molecule, which offers useful information to explain the wavelength dependent isomerization behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study was to clarify the mechanisms through which leader mindfulness enhances employee creativity, and we proposed that leader–member exchange (LMX) would act as a mediator of this relationship. To test our hypotheses we conducted a survey with 329 subordinates and 51 supervisors employed at three large manufacturing companies in China. The results of structural equation modeling show that the association of leader mindfulness with employee creativity was positive, and that LMX partially mediated this link. This study provides useful insights in explaining the impact that leader mindfulness has on employee creativity by focusing on LMX as a mediator. Our findings indicate that organizations should take leader mindfulness into account, and that managerial interventions should be implemented to establish high-quality LMX relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the rapid combustion method at 500 °C for 2 h with 30 mL absolute ethanol, and were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, VSM, and XPS techniques, their average particle size and the saturation magnetization were about 25.3 nm and 79.53 A·m2/kg, respectively. The magnetic MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were employed in a fixed bed experimental system to investigate the adsorption capacity of Hg0 from air. The MnFe2O4 nanoparticles exhibited the large adsorption performance on Hg0 with the adsorption capacity of 16.27 μg/g at the adsorption temperature of 50 °C with the space velocity of 4.8×104 h-1. The VSM and EDS results illustrated that the prepared MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were stable before and after adsorption and successfully adsorbed Hg0. The TG curves demonstrated that the mercury compound formed after adsorption was HgO, and both physical and chemical adsorption processes were observed. Magnetic MnFe2O4 nanoparticles revealed excellent adsorbance of Hg0 in air, which suggested that MnFe2O4 nanoparticles be promising for the removal of Hg0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On-the-fly ab initio molecular dynamics calculations have been performed to investigate the relaxation mechanism of green fluorescent protein chromophore anion under vacuum. The CASSCF surface hopping simulation method based on Zhu-Nakamura theory is applied to present the real-time conformational changes of the target molecule. The static calculations and dynamics simulation results suggest that not only the twisting motion around bridging bonds between imidazolinone and phenoxy groups but the strength mode of C=O and pyramidalization character of bridging atom are major factors on the ultrafast fluorescence quenching process of the isolated chromophore anion. The abovementioned factors bring the molecule to the vicinity of conical intersections on its potential energy surface and to finish the internal conversion process. A Hula-like twisting pattern is displayed during the relaxation process and the entire decay process disfavors a photoswitching pattern which corresponds to cis-trans photoisomerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flue gas flooding is one of the important technologies to improve oil recovery and achieve greenhouse gas storage. In order to study multicomponent flue gas storage capacity and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) performance of flue gas water-alternating gas (flue gas–WAG) injection after continuous waterflooding in an oil reservoir, a long core flooding system was built. The experimental results showed that the oil recovery factor of flue gas–WAG flooding was increased by 21.25% after continuous waterflooding and flue gas–WAG flooding could further enhance oil recovery and reduce water cut significantly. A novel material balance model based on storage mechanism was developed to estimate the multicomponent flue gas storage capacity and storage capacity of each component of flue gas in reservoir oil, water and as free gas in the post-waterflooding reservoir. The ultimate storage ratio of flue gas is 16% in the flue gas–WAG flooding process. The calculation results of flue gas storage capacity showed that the injection gas storage capacity mainly consists of N2 and CO2, only N2 exists as free gas phase in cores, and other components of injection gas are dissolved in oil and water. Finally, injection strategies from three perspectives for flue gas storage, EOR, and combination of flue gas storage and EOR were proposed, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of Wi‐Fi connections and throughput, the problems posed by unreliable connection and unstable delay need to be urgently solved through advanced methods. The IEEE 802.11ax standard was designed to improve the reliability of connection and increase the throughput in dense Wi‐Fi scenario where the inter‐site interference becomes more serious and the spectral resources are more insufficient. Furthermore, in the next generation of Wi‐Fi standard IEEE 802.11be, the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) and multi‐band technologies will be introduced to solve the problems of unstable delay, serious interference and insufficient spectrum resources. In this paper, retransmission schemes combined multi‐band and hybrid automatic repeat request are deeply studied to improve the retransmission efficiency. Combining hybrid automatic repeat request with multi‐band, this paper proposes three kinds of retransmission mode: insisting on the current frequency band (ICFB) retransmission, switching to the backup frequency band (SBFB) retransmission and concurrent retransmitting on dual‐band (CRDB). Then, an intelligent selection algorithm of retransmission mode based on machine learning is designed to determine the optimal mode. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the proposed method can greatly improve the retransmission efficiency and thereby reduce the transmission latency and increase the throughput for multi‐band Wi‐Fi networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physical test model of a new lining structure for a shallow double-arch tunnels under unsymmetrical pressure with a scale of 1:20 was designed and manufactured. Kobe seismic waves and EI seismic waves were selected as the loading waves and a large-scale shaking table test was carried out. The acceleration and dynamic strain response of shallow double-arch tunnels under unsymmetrical pressure under different seismic wave types and seismic intensities are studied. The results show: Under different seismic wave excitations, only the horizontal acceleration amplification factor of the left-hole vault, right-hole invert and the top right of the mid-partition is less than 1, and the horizontal acceleration amplification factors of other measurement points are all greater than 1. The measurement points with relatively large horizontal acceleration response are the left-hole shoulder, the top left of the mid-partition, the right-hole vault and shoulder; The overall response of the right half-arch of the left-hole is greater than the left half-arch of the left-hole, and the overall response of the left half-arch of the right-hole is greater than the right half-arch of the right-hole. The measured points in the left half-arch of the left-hole and the right half-arch of the right-hole have small differences in acceleration response; The effects of Kobe wave on horizontal acceleration and vertical acceleration are greater than EI wave, and the average value of the vertical acceleration response of the lining is greater than the average value of the horizontal acceleration response. With the increase of seismic intensity, the larger the acceleration amplification factor is, the greater the increase is; Under the action of different seismic waves, the seismic wave excitation has a greater impact on the dynamic strain response of the left-hole, and less impact on the right-hole. Among them, the strain value of the left-hole shoulder, left-hole invert and the top left of the mid-partition is much larger than the other measurement points, the trend of the right-hole is relatively gentle, and the strain values of the shoulder are slightly larger. The research conclusions have certain guidance and reference value for the seismic design of shallow double-arch tunnels under unsymmetrical pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale but highly destructive harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasingly observed in coastal aquaculture areas. However, the impact of elevated organic nutrients generated during mariculture production and their bioavailability for HABs are not yet fully understood. This study investigated the population dynamics of HAB-causing species and the hydrolytic dynamics of different extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) along with variations in environmental inorganic and organic nutrients during a dinoflagellate bloom of Prorocentrum shikokuense adjacent to the coastal aquaculture area in Sansha Town, located in the East China Sea. The results indicated that both inorganic and organic nutrients were enriched in the study area, with organic nutrients comprising more than half of the total nutrient content. The presence of enriched organic nutrients and a high N:P ratio significantly contributed to bloom occurrence. Organic nutrient concentrations played a predominant role in controlling both the density and duration of the P. shikokuense bloom. The significant increase in EEAs during the bloom stages, primarily contributed by P. shikokuense , emphasized the crucial hydrolytic role of extracellular enzymes in nutrient recycling and supply for the bloom. The enzymatic kinetic parameters indicated enhanced efficiency in the recycling of organic nutrients as the bloom progressed. This study highlights the significant role of organic nutrients facilitated by EEAs in determining the occurrence, duration, and magnitude of HABs in coastal aquaculture areas. • Organic nutrients are enriched in waters near coastal aquaculture areas. • Enriched organic nutrients and a high N:P ratio contribute to bloom occurrence. • Organic nutrient levels control bloom density and duration. • Extracellular enzyme activities play a crucial role in bloom nutrient recycling. • Bloom progression enhances the efficiency of organic nutrient recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of deposition property to the cake filtration process was considered and the deposition factor was introduced to correct cake resistance for dead-end mode at constant transmembrane pressure. The values of model parameters in the traditional and corrected cake resistance expressions were determined for activated sludge, yeast, kaolin suspensions, and humic acid solution, respectively. The higher adsorption and sedimentation ability will make the deposition factor bigger. In addition, the predictions of the corrected cake resistance expression are in good agreement with experimental data at different TMPs and concentrations. The applicability of the corrected cake resistance expression was also validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die Reduktion von Kohlendioxid (CO2) durch die Nutzung verschiedener Antriebskräfte wie Wärme, Strom und Strahlung ist Gegenstand intensiver Forschung. Die effiziente CO2‐Reduktion ist jedoch aufgrund der langsamen Kinetik nach wie vor eine Herausforderung. Jüngste Pionierarbeiten aus mehreren Arbeitsgruppen, darunter auch unsere, haben gezeigt, dass die Kopplung von Solarenergie und Wärmeenergie als neuartige und vielversprechende Strategie zur Förderung der Aktivität und/oder der Manipulation der Selektivität bei der CO2‐Reduktion dienen kann. Hier werden wir die Definition und die Prinzipien der Kopplung von Solarenergie und Wärmeenergie klar definieren und den aktuellen Stand und die Perspektiven der CO2‐Reduktion durch Kopplung von Solarenergie und Wärmeenergie evaluieren. Katalysatordesign, Reaktorkonfiguration, photovermittelte Aktivität/Selektivität und Mechanismusstudien zur photothermischen CO2‐Reduktion werden hervorgehoben. Ziel dieses Aufsatzes ist es, das Verständnis für die CO2‐Aktivierung zu fördern und Leitlinien für die Entwicklung neuer Katalysatoren für eine effiziente CO2‐Reduktion zu liefern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enormous efforts have been devoted to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) by utilizing various driving forces, such as heat, electricity, and radiation. However, the efficient reduction of CO2 is still challenging because of sluggish kinetics. Recent pioneering studies from several groups, including us, have demonstrated that the coupling of solar energy and thermal energy offers a novel and promising strategy to promote the activity and/or manipulate selectivity in CO2 reduction. Herein, we clarify the definition and principles of coupling solar energy and thermal energy, and comprehensively review the status and prospects of CO2 reduction by coupling solar energy and thermal energy. Catalyst design, reactor configuration, photo‐mediated activity/selectivity, and mechanism studies in photo‐thermo CO2 reduction will be emphasized. The aim of this Review is to promote understanding towards CO2 activation and provide guidelines for the design of new catalysts for the efficient reduction of CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic MnFe2O4 nanorods were fabricated via the alcohol-solution combustion and calcination process. The morphology, microstructure, and composition of the as-prepared MnFe2O4 nanorods were characterized by x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy and using a vibrating sample magnetometer. In addition, the magnetic MnFe2O4 nanorods were employed to remove methyl blue (MB) from aqueous solutions; the experimental results showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was fitted well for the adsorption of MB onto MnFe2O4 nanorods in the initial MB concentration range of 100–400 mg l−1, while the isotherm data of MB onto MnFe2O4 nanorods could conform to the Langmuir model owing to the value of the square deviation (R2 > 0.99), and the maximum adsorption capacity of MB was 102.2 mg g−1, which suggested that the adsorption mechanism of MB onto MnFe2O4 nanorods at room temperature was the monolayer and multilayer adsorption. The effects of the solution pH and the recycle on the MB adsorption were evaluated. The adsorption capacity of MB onto MnFe2O4 nanorods could keep a high level at pH greater than 5. More than 78% of the removal efficiency of MB onto MnFe2O4 nanorods could be maintained after 10 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, Mn 2 + / Eu 3 + co-doped Zn2GeO4 (Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Eu 3 +) was prepared by high-temperature solid phase method. Compared with common fluorescent materials Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Eu 3 + could not only emit strong green fluorescence of 535 nm, but also maintain excellent persistent luminescence performance. Through Density Functional Theory calculation, we obtained the fine band structure of Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Eu 3 + . The results of the band structure were consistent with the experimental spectral data. On this basis, we proposed a new luminescence mechanism model of Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Eu 3 + to explain the phenomena observed in experiment reasonably, though which was not completely consistent with previous works. When Zn2GeO4:Mn 2 + , Eu 3 + was excited, electron–hole separation occurred in the valence band (VB), and the electron transitioned to the conduction band (CB) directly. Through CB, the electron was trapped by trap levels (7F 0 ∼ 7 F5 of Eu 3 +) and maintained metastable for a long time. Under the action of thermal stimulation, electron returned to CB from the trap level slowly. The electron was captured again by the 4T2(D) level of Mn 2 + . Then the electron transitioned down toward VB and recombined with the previous hole and emitted a photon with 535 nm (afterglow). The samples were being irradiated, trap levels accommodated the excited electrons to saturation. More electrons excited into the CB could not be captured by the trap levels any more. They were captured directly by the 4T2(D) and transitioned directly to VB, then emitted green fluorescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogenated fullerenelike carbon (H-FLC) films, with high hardness of 41.7 ± 1.4 GPa and elastic recovery of ∼75.1%, have been uniformly deposited at low temperature by pulse direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (pulse DC PECVD). The superior mechanical properties of the H-FLC films are attributed to the unique curvature and interconnection of graphitic basal planes. We propose the fullerenelike structures are formed in the far nonequilibrium pulse plasma environment and stabilized in the sequential fast quenching process. It is expected that the facile deposition of H-FLC films will promote the large-scale low-temperature preparation of engineering protective films for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With peptides increasingly favored as drugs, natural product motifs, namely the tryptathionine staple, found in amatoxins and phallotoxins, and the 2,2'‐bis‐indole found in staurosporine represent unexplored staples for unnatural peptide macrocycles. We disclose the efficient condensation of a 5‐hydroxypyrroloindoline with either a cysteine‐thiol or a tryptophan‐indole to form a tryptathionine or 2‐2'‐bis‐indole staple. Judicious use of protecting groups provides for chemoselective stapling using α‐MSH, which provides a basis for investigating both chemoselectivity and affinity. Both classes of stapled peptides show nanomolar Ki's, with one showing a sub‐nanomolar Ki value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influences of thermal annealing on the microstructural and tribological properties of amorphous carbon nitride films were investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer were utilized to characterize bond configuration and chemical state of the films. The results indicated that at low annealing temperatures (200 and 300 °C), the volatile species and surface contamination are easily dissociated without obvious bulk modification; while at high annealing temperatures (400 and 500 °C), the microstructure of carbon nitride films changed and favored a graphitization process, which indicated the growth of more graphitic film structures. The faint Raman signal of C≡N decreased with annealing temperature (TA) and completely disappeared at TA of 500 °C, indicating that nitrile bonds were thermal unstable under high temperature. Surprisingly, the tribological properties of the films showed a remarkably decreasing in friction coefficient as the TA increased; it is attributed to the graphitization of carbon nitride films during thermal annealing, which favored transfer film formation between the carbon nitride films and counterface materials. The transfer films benefit the decrease in coefficient of friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Solar energy and thermal energy were coupled to promote methanol synthesis. • Upon visible light irradiation, the methanol production rate increased to > 1.5 times. • Upon visible light irradiation, the apparent activation energy was reduced by 40%. • The activity promotion was due to LSPR effect over plasmonic Cu/ZnO catalysts. • The photo-exited hot electrons can transfer through Cu-ZnO interfaces. Abstract Methanol synthesis via carbon dioxide (CO 2) reduction is challenging and important because this technology can convert CO 2 by solar- or wind-generated hydrogen into liquid fuel. The present work introduces the visible light as an external stimulus and for the first time demonstrates that methanol synthesis over Cu/ZnO catalysts can be effectively promoted by solar energy under atmospheric pressure. Experimental and theoretical studies document that hot electrons were photo-excited by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on Cu nanoparticles and such photo-excited hot electrons could transfer to ZnO through the metal-support interfaces. The hot electrons on Cu and ZnO synergistically facilitated the activation of reaction intermediates. Consequently, the activation energy was reduced by 40% and the methanol synthesis activity was promoted by 54%. This work provides a new strategy towards synthesis of liquid fuel via CO 2 reduction under low pressure and sheds new light on the mechanism of photo-mediated catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic Ni 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 nanocomposite was prepared via the rapid combustion process, and its surface was modified to obtain amino-functionalized magnetic Ni 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 -NH 2 nanocomposite. The modified nanocomposite was loaded on graphene oxide (GO), on which penicillin G acylase (PGA) was covalently immobilized. The structure for docking was visualized between PGA and penicillin G using the PyMol program, which revealed the configuration of the active site. Selections of immobilization conditions including immobilization concentration and time of fixation, were explored. The catalytic performance of the immobilized PGA was characterized. The immobilized and free PGA had the highest activity at pH 8.0 and 45 °C. Compared with the activity of the free PGA, the activity of the immobilized PGA was affected less by pH and temperature. The immobilized PGA exhibited the high-effective activity and good stability. V max and K m of immobilized PGA were 0.8123 mol·min−1 and 0.0399 mol·L−1, respectively. Free PGA's V max and K m were 0.6854 mol·min−1 and 0.0328 mol·L−1. Immobilized PGA remained >70% in relative activity after 9 successive cycles. • Magnetic Ni 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 nanocomposite was prepared via a rapid combustion process. • Penicillin G acylase (PGA) was immobilized onto Ni 0.5 Zn 0.5 Fe 2 O 4 @SiO 2 -NH-GO composite by covalent bond. • The structure for docking was visualized Pymol between PGA and penicillin G potassium salt using the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The heterogenous crtEBI operon was overexpressed in 10 LPS mutant strains of E. coli W3110. • Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI and Δ waaF /pWSK29- crtEBI produced more lycopene than others. • Overexpressing dxr , dxr , ispA and idi in Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI and Δ waaF /pWSK29- crtEBI enhanced lycopene production. • The maximum yield of 5.39 mg/g was produced in Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI - SRA. Abstract Lipopolysaccharides, the major molecules in the outer membrane of Escherichia coli , affect the behavior of bacteria including outer membrane permeability, but its influence on lycopene production in E. coli has never been reported. In this study, the effects of lipopolysaccharides with different structures on lycopene biosynthesis were investigated. Firstly, the heterogenous crtEBI operon were overexpressed in 10 LPS mutant strains of E. coli W3110 (Δ waaC , Δ waaF , Δ waaY , Δ waaG , Δ waaR , Δ waaO , Δ waaU , Δ waaP , Δ waaY and Δ waaB), and their ability to produce lycopene were compared. Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI , Δ waaF /pWSK29- crtEBI and Δ waaY /pWSK29- crtEBI produced 4.19, 4.20, and 3.81 mg/g lycopene, respectively, while the control W3110/pWSK29- crtEBI produced 3.71 mg/g lycopene; the other strains produced less lycopene than the control. In order to enhance lycopene production, genes dxr , dxr , ispA , and idi were overexpressed in Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI , Δ waaF /pWSK29- crtEBI individually or in combination, and the lycopene production in each strain was analyzed. The maximum yield of 5.39 mg/g was achieved in Δ waaC /pWSK29- crtEBI - SRA , which is 142% higher than that in W3110/pWSK29- crtEBI. The results indicate that the length of lipopolysaccharide affects lycopene biosynthesis in E. coli , and the shorter lipopolysaccharide and higher outer membrane permeability might be beneficial to lycopene biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocomposites with a well-defined sandwich-like nanostructure were prepared via in situ growing NiCo-layered double hydroxide nanosheets with tunable Ni/Co ratios on reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Electrochemical impedance spectra and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms confirmed that these sandwich nanostructures effectively promoted charge transport and enlarged the specific surface area. The nanocomposites with Ni : Co = 2 : 1 exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 2130 F g−1 at 2 A g−1, excellent rate capability (72.7% retention at 15 A g−1), and cycling stability. Asymmetric supercapacitors were assembled with these nanocomposite cathodes and rGO as a negative electrode (anode), and demonstrated an energy density of 34.5 W h kg−1 at a power density of 772 W kg−1, while maintaining a capacity retention of 86.7% after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g−1. The robust electrochemical properties indicate the composites as promising electrodes for electrochemical energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Shot peening (SP) is one kind of effective mechanical surface treatment to improve the surface mechanical property. Increasing SP intensity can not only introduce compressive residual stresses into the layer near the treated surface, but also produce nanocrystalline layer near the treated surface. This paper investigated the method of predicting the generation of refined grains after high energy shot peening (HESP) proposed by previous works. In that method, the equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) was considered as a critical value for estimating the grain refinement level. The main contribution of this paper was to prove the applicability of the proposed method of predicting nanostructured surface layer in different HESP conditions via a HESP model with different numbers of shots and impact patterns. The simulated results show the ultimate PEEQ value is independent of the element size in all HESP conditions, which confirms this method is a practical and effective tool to evaluate surface nanocrystallization phenomenon during HESP process. Highlights • The universality of the method of predicting nanostructured surface layer in high energy shot peening (HESP) process has been proved via establishing different HESP models with different numbers of shots and impact patterns. • This work confirms that the real maximum equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) value is independent of the element size in all HESP conditions. • The real maximum PEEQ value can be obtained via the extrapolation method if three arbitrary different maximum PEEQ values are obtained. • Compared with increasing the number of shot impacting, increasing the overlap rate of dimples' coverage makes the PEEQ increase more significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Multi-area economic dispatch (MAED) characterized by high non-convexity and non-linearity is an important issue in power system operation. This paper presents an improved stochastic fractal search (ISFS) to solve the MAED problem considering the area load demands, the tie-line limits and various operating constraints. To balance exploration and exploitation, the ISFS introduces an opposition-based learning method for population initialization as well as for generation jumping. By combining with the differential evolution strategy, a hybrid diffusion process is developed and used as the local search technique to enhance the exploitation ability. Furthermore, a novel repair-based penalty approach is presented and incorporated into the ISFS to find feasible solutions more efficiently. The effectiveness and robustness of the ISFS is evaluated on several test systems consisting of 16–120 generating units. Computational results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed ISFS scheme over the state-of-the-art algorithms. Highlights • An effective improved stochastic fractal search algorithm is proposed. • The proposed algorithm is applied to solve multi-area economic dispatch problem. • A novel repair-based penalty approach is presented to handle constraint violations. • Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liu, Qiu and Zhang (2021) introduced a notion of reciprocal symmetry breaking (RSB) for paired comparison matrices (PCMs), and devised a formula to calculate RSB degrees of PCMs as well as presented some theorems to show the equivalency between PCMs with RSB and interval PCMs. The authors also proposed an index formula to figure out approximate inconsistency levels of PCMs and directly utilized the classical eigenvector method to acquire priority vectors from PCMs with RSB. In this paper, a counterexample is employed to reveal that the proposed theorems are not true. Two numerical illustrations are given to demonstrate that the presented approximate consistency index is not invariant when object numberings are permuted, and the proposed priority acquisition method fails to achieve a satisfying solution from a PCM with RSB. New notions and computational formulas are introduced to rectify the errors. A novel consistency framework of PCMs with RSB is built and a maximum-eigenvalue-based index formula is brought forward to figure out inconsistency levels of PCMs with RSB. An eigenvector-based approach is developed to acquire interval-valued priority vectors from PCMs with RSB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga‐doped ZnO nanoparticles are successfully prepared by a facile coprecipitation method and then are activated by H2 annealing. The as‐prepared ZnO powders are characterized by X‐ray diffractometer (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Gas sensing property using NO2 as probe shows that the 1 at.% Ga‐ZnO powders activated in H2 at 540 °C showed high NO2 response of ≈50/ppm, high selectivity toward typical interferences such as ethanol, acetone, toluene, NO, SO2, C2H6, and C2H4 and high stability as measured at 200 °C. On the contrary, the pure ZnO and the Ga‐ZnO without H2 activation show far lower response, which illustrates the effect of Ga dopant activation by H2 annealing aimed for the high performance gas sensing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbivore-induced changes in host quality mediate indirect interactions between herbivores. The nature of these indirect interactions can vary depending on the identity of herbivores involved, species-specific induction of defense-signaling pathways, and sequence of attack. However, our understanding of the role of these signaling pathways in the success of multiple exotic herbivores is less known. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is attacked by two invasive herbivores [elongate hemlock scale (EHS; Fiorinia externa) and hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae)] throughout much of its range, but prior attack by EHS is known to deter HWA. The potential role of phytohormones in this interaction is poorly understood. We measured endogenous levels of phytohormones in eastern hemlock in response to attack by these invasive herbivores. We also used exogenous application of methyl jasmonate (MJ) and acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), a salicylic acid (SA) pathway elicitor, to test the hypothesis that defense-signaling phytohormones typically induced by herbivores could deter HWA. Resistance to adelgid attack was assessed using a behavioral assay. Adelgid feeding significantly elevated both abscisic acid (ABA) and SA in local tissues, while EHS feeding had no detectable effect on either phytohormone. HWA progrediens and sistens crawlers preferred to settle on ASM-treated foliage. In contrast, HWA crawlers actively avoided settlement on MJ-treated foliage. We suggest that induction of ABA- and SA-signaling pathways, in concert with defense-signaling interference, may aid HWA invasion success, and that defense-signaling interference, induced by exotic competitors, may mediate resistance of native hosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) contamination has become a public health concern in recent decades. The aim of the present study was to assess the contribution of dietary Cd exposure and its health risk among Shenzhen adult residents using the Total Diet Study (TDS) approach. Cd was determined in 13 food groups using 276 individual samples by ICP-MS. The major food contributors to Cd exposure of Shenzhen adult residents were ‘Vegetables’ (32.6% of the total exposure), ‘Rice and its products’ (19.2% of the total exposure) and ‘Fish, seafood and shellfish’ (18.5% of the total exposure). The mean and the 95th percentile dietary exposure to Cd of Shenzhen adults were 9.9 and 13 μg kg−1 bw month−1, respectively. The dietary exposures of all individual age-gender population subgroups were below the provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI = 25 μg kg−1 bw month−1), so the health risk of Cd dietary exposure of Shenzhen adults is considered to be low, but still, cadmium pollution should be strictly controlled and monitored continuously due to an exceptionally long biological half-life of cadmium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]