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Carbon nanotube reinforced natural rubber composites (CNT/NRs) have been increasingly used in industry. However, due to the large aspect ratio and high curling of CNTs, the traditional theoretical models that have been used for inclusion-reinforced composites cannot be applied to CNT/NRs directly. Therefore, a longer time is needed to predict the elastic properties of CNT/NRs in experiments. In this work, the classical macroscopic model and mesoscopic method were used to predict the elastic performance of CNT/NRs prepared by the latex blending method. Three types of phenomenological models were employed: Mooney–Rivlin, Ogden, and Yeoh. A comparison with the experimental results shows that the Ogden model describes the constitutive behavior of CNT/NRs more accurately. In addition, at the mesoscale, the Halpin–Tsai equation, Mori–Tanaka model, and finite element method were employed to predict the elastic modulus based on the persistent length theory. The stress-strain curves under large deformations were compared with those of the experimental results. Therefore, the applicability of the three mesoscale models were verified for the CNT/NRs studied in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence from observational studies and clinical trials suggests that the gut microbiota is associated with tuberculosis (TB). However, it is unclear whether any causal relationship exists between them and whether causality is bidirectional. Methods: A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed. The genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of gut microbiota were obtained from the MiBioGen consortium, while the GWAS summary statistics of TB and its specific phenotypes [respiratory tuberculosis (RTB) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB)] were retrieved from the UK Biobank and the FinnGen consortium. And 195 bacterial taxa from phylum to genus were analyzed. Inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, maximum likelihood (ML), weighted median, and weighted mode methods were applied to the MR analysis. The robustness of causal estimation was tested using the heterogeneity test, horizontal pleiotropy test, and leave-one-out method. Results: In the UK Biobank database, we found that 11 bacterial taxa had potential causal effects on TB. Three bacterial taxa genus.Akkermansia, family.Verrucomicrobiacea, order.Verrucomicrobiales were validated in the FinnGen database. Based on the results in the FinnGen database, the present study found significant differences in the characteristics of gut microbial distribution between RTB and EPTB. Four bacterial taxa genus.LachnospiraceaeUCG010, genus.Parabacteroides, genus.RuminococcaceaeUCG011, and order.Bacillales were common traits in relation to both RTB and TB, among which order.Bacillales showed a protective effect. Additionally, family.Bacteroidacea and genus.Bacteroides were identified as common traits in relation to both EPTB and TB, positively associating with a higher risk of EPTB. In reverse MR analysis, no causal association was identified. No significant heterogeneity of instrumental variables (IVs) or horizontal pleiotropy was found. Conclusion: Our study supports a one-way causal relationship between gut microbiota and TB, with gut microbiota having a causal effect on TB. The identification of characteristic gut microbiota provides scientific insights for the potential application of the gut microbiota as a preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic tool for TB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible electronic devices are attracting much attention on account of their great potential in artificial intelligence, electronic skin, and biomedicine. However, the poor stretchability, conductivity, and machinability of flexible materials limit the application of flexible electronic devices in practical environments. Herein, hydrogels with excellent mechanical, electrical, and processable properties are synthesized by introducing deep eutectic solvent (DES) and MXene into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix, which shows more than 2700% tensile strain, and 1.21 S m−1 conductivity. Interestingly, hydrogels also exhibited 3D printable properties, enabling the fabrication of sensors with complex structures in a short period of time. Besides, the serpentine lines strain sensor is successfully prepared by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing and assembled into a bidirectional strain rosette sensor and omnidirectional strain rosette sensor, which could recognize the direction and magnitude of stress. More importantly, the omnidirectional strain sensor can accurately distinguish the signal responses of different directions and sizes generated by ping‐pong players swinging the racket, showing excellent strain recognition ability. In brief, the hydrogels designed are expected to realize the manufacture of large‐scale and low‐cost flexible sensors through a simple preparation process, which provides a new idea for the manufacture of flexible electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic characteristics play a crucial role in evaluating the performance of weight sensors and are essential for achieving fast and accurate weight measurements. This study focuses on a weight sensor based on optical coherence displacement. Using finite element analysis, the sensor was numerically simulated. Frequency domain and time domain dynamic response characteristics were explored through harmonic response analysis and transient dynamic analysis. The superior dynamic performance and reduced conditioning time of the non-contact optical coherence-based displacement weight sensor were confirmed via a negative step response experiment that compared the proposed sensing method to strain sensing. Moreover, dynamic performance metrics for the optical coherence displacement-type weight sensor were determined. Ultimately, the sensor's dynamic performance was enhanced using the pole-zero placement method, decreasing the overshoot to 4.72% and reducing the response time to 0.0132 s. These enhancements broaden the sensor's operational bandwidth and amplify its dynamic response capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mine tires are an essential and expensive component of heavy mining machinery. This study explored the grounding characteristics and temperature field distribution of mining tires during driving as well as the relationships between the maximum temperature and tire inflation pressure, load, and speed. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional finite element models of mine tires were established. Steady-state rolling simulation analysis was conducted based on inflation and static load simulations. Temperature field simulation analysis was conducted with the tire section as a research object. The accuracy of the finite element model was verified. Analysis results demonstrated that the grounding contact area decreased with an increase in charging pressure and increased with an increase in load. With an increase in inflation pressure, the maximum normal grounding stress increased in the middle part of the tread and decreased near the shoulder. The maximum normal grounding stress continuously deviated in the shoulder direction with an increase in load. Temperature field analysis indicated that the tire had the maximum temperature at the binder position, where the first belt layer was connected to the second belt layer, which corresponds to the maximum stress position in the steady-state rolling simulations. Tire temperature increased with driving speed. The maximum temperature increased with an increase in tire deflection, whereas the deflection decreased with an increase in inflation pressure and increased with an increase in load. Speed had the greatest influence on the maximum temperature, followed by load, with inflation pressure having the smallest influence. The results of this research can be used to improve the service life of mine tires to improve productivity and reduce costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For practical applications in the fields of aerospace and robotic engineering, flexible energy storage devices must be stable under environmental temperatures and different deformed situations. In this work, a mechanically stable supercapacitor (SC) at harsh ambient temperatures is synthesized by in situ polymerization of polyaniline(PANI) onto a double network hydrogel electrolyte from cross‐linked polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) and polyacrylamide/acrylic acid (PAM/AA) networks. The highly integrated structure endows the supercapacitor with unprecedented mechanical performance. The devices can endure 608% tensile strain and be stretched up to 50% without noticeable hysteresis, demonstrating fatigue and fracture resistance under thousands of cyclic loads. Benefiting from an all‐flexible configuration through seamless integration of the PANI electrode, the supercapacitor presents a high specific capacitance of 95.8 mF cm–2. It can also work as an all‐flexible device and maintain its stable output under complex deformations, even physical damages. Furthermore, the device delivers excellent environmental adaptability by steady electrochemical performance after operating at extreme temperatures from −60 to 100 °C. Such a versatile supercapacitor presents a potential application in integrated flexible electronic systems by powering functional devices in harsh environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: NDT80, a known transcriptional factor, regulates various targets, including regulation of meiosis, stress responses, filamentous growth, sexual development, biofilm formation, drug resistance, and virulence. But the numbers and roles of Ndt80‐like genes in different fungi are highly variable. This study aims to address the numbers and functions of Ndt80‐like genes in Coniothyrium minitans, a well‐known biocontrol agent against Sclerotinia diseases. Methods and Results: Here, two genes (CmNdt80a and CmNdt80b) encoding NDT80‐like proteins were obtained by searching the genomic sequence of C. minitans. RT‐PCR analysis showed that both CmNdt80 genes were constitutively expressed in C. minitans from the hyphal growth stage (48 hpi) to the pycnidial maturation stage (120 hpi). The roles of CmNdt80a and CmNdt80b in C. minitans were verified through gene knockout and complementation experiments. The results showed that the ΔCmNdt80a mutants exhibited a lighter colour and normal growth rate on potato dextrose agar plates. The ability of the ΔCmNdt80a mutants to produce conidia and parasitize the colony and sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was markedly diminished compared with the wild‐type strain and complemented strain. Interestingly, the ΔCmNdt80a mutant showed less sensitivity to cell wall stressors and cell wall‐degrading enzymes, and had thicker cell walls than the wild‐type strain and complemented strain. However, no phenotypic consequences were discovered for the deletion of CmNdt80b. Conclusions: Two Ndt80‐like genes, CmNdt80a and CmNdt80b, were present in C. minitans. CmNdt80a, but not CmNdt80b, plays a crucial role in conidiogenesis, mycoparasitism, and cell wall integrity. Significance and Impact of the Study: Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the conidiation and parasitism of C. minitans could help us to more efficiently utilize this biological control agent and advance our knowledge of fungal biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conductive hydrogel has shown extensive applications in multifunctional sensors. However, the intrinsic characteristics of conductive hydrogels, such as lacking anti-freezing, mechanical strength, and being easily dehydrated have hindered their application in wearable devices. Herein, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were incorporated into a porous cross-linking poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel network within dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/H2O binary solvent. A honeycomb-like dense micro-network and uniform dispersion conductive tough fillers endow high toughness (3.1 MPa @ 600% strain) and conductivity to the organohydrogel. With the intense interaction between water and DMSO, the organohydrogel exhibits reliable mechanical and electronic performance in a wide range of temperatures (−30 to 60 °C) and possesses excellent ambient stability. The organohydrogel had excellent sensitivity and linear repeatable response ability in both mechanical and thermal stimulation. With the integrated unique features, the sensitive organohydrogel was developed for a multifunctional sensor. As a strain/pressure sensor, it exhibited a sensitive response to the applied tensile or compressed strain with repeatability and durability. As a temperature sensor, it presented excellent linear and reliable thermal response with a high sensing accuracy. This work provides a new paradigm for designing a wearable multifunctional sensor or E-skin, which is used to detect the motion or temperature of the human in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent flexible sensors that are comfortable to wear and have self-powered properties are primary candidates for next-generation wearable electronics. Nevertheless, most current flexible sensors cannot work independently, they have to rely on external power. Herein, we report a flexible sensing device that is able to reliably and stably monitor human motion with successive self-powering. The device consists of a supercapacitor as a power source and a strain sensor. An ionic hydrogel was used either as the electrolyte for the supercapacitor or as the functional element for the sensor. Thanks to the superior electromechanical and electrochemical properties of the hydrogel, when used as the electrolyte, the supercapacitor delivers over a wide voltage window (0–2.5 V), and exhibits superior energy density (81.46 mW h cm−2), and power density (2500 mW cm−2). The ionic hydrogel electrolyte also exhibits environmental durability and strain-resistance, demonstrating its reliability under deformation. Strain sensors based on such ionic organohydrogels operate over a wide working range (0–1000%), with high sensitivity (gauge factor = 6.04), and durability. Such a compact wearable sensing system presents potential applications in health monitoring by detecting motion precisely and rapidly. When machine learning is combined into a wearable sensing system, the intelligent device offers new prospects for tackling challenges in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has bright prospects in energy applications, but its durability and cost still affect its commercialization. In this work, a group of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were tested to study the quick evaluating method for predicting their lifetimes. MEA1 was tested under the real constant load till the end of its lifetime and MEA2 was tested with a quick evaluating method. The data were treated with the particle filter algorithm to eliminate the influence of all kinds of errors, including the system error and random error. Based on this, the lifetime prediction model was developed. For a degradation rate of 10% of the initial working voltage, the lifetime of MEA1 was 6140 h; that of MEA2 was 3575 h if predicted with the test data directly, and 6776 h if the data was treated with the particle filter algorithm. The relative errors for both cases were about 41.8% and 10.3%, respectively, when compared with the lifetime of MEA1; indicating that the prediction accuracy was greatly improved. Furthermore, it was found that the voltage degradation rate was nonlinear when the whole lifetime of the MEA was considered, and the degradation rate increased significantly near the end period. In the quick evaluating method employed in most studies, the lifetime prediction model uses a linear degradation rate, which tends to cause errors; therefore, further research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-dimensional geometric model is developed for a polymer electrolyte based on the liquid water penetration mechanism in the membrane electrode assemblies under the action of capillary pressure. The effects of the diameter, number, and distribution of cracks in the micro-pore layers (MPLs) of the modeled MEA on the performance of the PEMFC are simulated to investigate the influence of mass transfer across the membrane. The results indicate that liquid water in the catalyst layer (CL) of the MEA can be discharged to gas channels through the cracks in MEA under the action of capillary pressure, thereby alleviating the flooding in the CL and enhancing the diffusion of oxygen to the CL. When the proportion of the total area of cracks in the active area of the MEA was 8%–12%, crack diameter was 20–30 µm, and cracks were distributed uniformly. MEAs with and without cracks were prepared, fuel cells were assembled, and their performance was measured. The effects of cracks on mass transfer were then verified. This study helps prepare MEAs with controllable cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main observation and conclusion: With the increasing demand of sustainable and eco‐friendly resources, it is very attractive to use waste leaves for activated carbon (AC) preparation that can be used in supercapacitors. Considering the practically collected leaves are commonly in mixed nature, and extra efforts are needed to sort these mixtures, we here report the first preparation of AC using mixed leaves from different plants, including Platanus acerifolia (PA), Firmiana platanifolia (FP) and Pistia stratiotes (PS), and compared the results with single leaves‐derived AC materials. These leave‐derived AC samples were characterized with FESEM, EDS, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, and electrochemical tests. The AC derived from mixed leaves (PA3FP1PS2AC) showed a good specific capacitance of 246 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1 in aqueous 3 mol·L–1 KOH. This sample further showed the largest specific capacitance of 201 F·g−1 at 5 A·g−1, as compared with the non‐mixed AC samples, and a good stability of 100.0% capacitance retention over 1000 cycles. Utilizing mixed leaves for AC preparation is not only demonstrated to be a promising approach of low cost and high‐performance AC production for supercapacitor applications, but may also help environmental protection by reducing the invasive species problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aramid fiber‐reinforced rubber composites (AFRCs) have attracted considerable attention due to their excellent mechanical properties. These mechanical properties provide the composites with a certain degree of anisotropy due to the fiber orientation distribution (FOD) in the AFRCs, thereby allowing them to flexibly meet requirements based on different scenarios. However, the quantitative determination of FOD in AFRCs continues to be a challenge. In this study, the triple ion‐beam cutting technique was proposed to obtain high‐quality polished cross‐sections of the AFRCs. An image processing technique was used to separate the rubber matrix and the fiber in the optical micrograph. The fiber orientation information was extracted based on the shape of the fiber section. The FODs of the AFRCs were described using the probability function. Finally, the mechanical property was evaluated using a 2D finite element analysis. The agreement between the experimental and numerical results validated the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible sensors at small scales have potential applications in many fields. Until now, the research on high-performance vibration sensors based on soft materials with high sensitivity and precision, fast response and high stability are still in its infancy. In this work, a flexible, wearable and high precision film sensor based on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was prepared via a vacuum filtration process and then encapsulated within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity with gauge factor of 214.3 at flexural strain of 0.4%. When used to monitor the vibration responses of a carbon-fiber beam induced by the base excitation and impact hammer, the time and frequency responses were comparable with the results obtained by the accelerometer, with difference less than 1\!%. In addition, when the MWCNT/PDMS thin film was employed as an electronic skin sensor attached on the human body to detect human activities, the high sensitivity and repeatability demonstrate a great potential application in monitoring human motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological control mechanisms of plant diseases have been intensively studied. However, how plant pathogens respond to and resist or alleviate biocontrol agents remains largely unknown. In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis was performed to elucidate how the pathogen of sclerotinia stem rot, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, responds and resists to the biocontrol agent, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Results revealed that a total of 2,373 genes were differentially expressed in S. sclerotiorum samples treated with B. amyloliquefaciens fermentation broth (TS) when compared to control samples (CS). Among these genes, 2,017 were upregulated and 356 were downregulated. Further analyses indicated that various genes related to fungal cell wall and cell membrane synthesis, antioxidants, and the autophagy pathway were significantly upregulated, including glucan synthesis, ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, fatty acid synthase, heme-binding peroxidase related to oxidative stress, glutathione S-transferase, ABC transporter, and autophagy-related genes. These results suggest that S. sclerotiorum recruits numerous genes to respond to or resist the biocontrol of B. amyloliquefaciens. Thus, this study serves as a valuable resource regarding the mechanisms of fungal pathogen resistance to biocontrol agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing demand for the large-scale force standard machine with a capacity higher than 20 MN. In this paper, the calibration method and procedure were developed according to a proposed traceability route and used to calibrate a 60 MN force standard machine. One 7.5 MN and six 20 MN force transducers and two 60 MN build-up systems were used as the force transfer standards. Uncertainty models of the build-up system and force standard machine were also developed. The calibration results show that it is possible to calibrate a 60 MN build-up force standard machine with a relative expanded measurement uncertainty smaller than 0.035% (k = 2) by two build-up systems, which were compared with themselves. The 60 MN build-up system, which worked as the force transfer standard, should be calibrated to confirm its systematic error and corrected by the error. Its uncertainty also could be estimated independently by the developed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance hydrogel electrolytes with eminent toughness, high conductivity and anti-freezing properties have extensive applications in wearable devices or implantable sensors. However, it is still difficult to integrate excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity into one hydrogel sample simultaneously. This work introduced NaCl into a poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic amide) (PVA/PAM) double network hydrogel to prepare PVA/PAM/NaCl supramolecular hydrogel electrolytes via a one-pot method. NaCl introduces physical entanglement into the PVA/PAM/NaCl hydrogel electrolytes and provides a dense and wrinkled three dimensional (3D) network nanostructure. The PVA/PAM/NaCl hydrogel electrolytes not only showed excellent mechanical properties (tensile strength up to 477 kPa, elongation at break to 1072% and a fracture energy of 2.484 MJ m−3), but also had high conductivity (up to 6.23 S m−1). A strain sensor based on the PVA/PAM/NaCl hydrogel electrolytes exhibited very high sensitivity (gauge factor = 24.901) with the ability of precise and reliable detection of human motions. Hydrogels also showed excellent anti-freezing properties and maintained excellent mechanical properties and conductivity at −20 °C. Introducing a physically cross-linking network through the effects of a metal salt could promote the performance of the hydrogels. This work provides a new insight into the design of multifunctional materials with applications on electronic skin, wearable devices and biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some fiber types have a high aspect ratio and it is very difficult to predict their composites using traditional finite element (FE) modeling. In this study, an FE model was developed to predict the anisotropy of composites reinforced by short aramid fibers. Three fiber distribution types were studied as follows: perfectly aligned, normally distributed, and randomly distributed fibers. The elastic constants were obtained, and, for different alignment angles and parameters in the fiber orientation distribution function, their numerical results were compared to those of the Mori–Tanaka model. Good agreement was obtained; thus, the employed FE model is an excellent and simple method to predict the isotropy and anisotropy of a composite with high-aspect-ratio fibers. Therefore, the FE model was employed to predict the orientation distribution of a composite fiber with a nonlinear matrix. The predicted and experimental results agree well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmission estimation is a critical step in single-image dehazing. The estimate of each pixel describes the portion of the scene radiance that is degraded by hazing and finally reaches the image sensor. Transmission estimation is an underconstrained problem, and, thus, various assumptions, priors, and models are employed to make it solvable. However, most of the previous methods did not consider the different assumptions simultaneously, which, therefore, did not correctly reflect the previous assumptions in the final result. This paper focuses on this problem and proposes a method using an energy function that clearly defines the optimal transmission map and combines the assumptions from three aspects: fidelity, smoothness, and occlusion handling, simultaneously. Fidelity is measured by a novel principle derived from the dark channel prior, smoothness is described by the assumption of piecewise smoothening, and occlusion handling is achieved based on a new proposed feature. The transmissions are estimated by searching for the optimal solution of the function that can retain all the employed assumptions simultaneously. The proposed method is evaluated on the synthetic images of two datasets and various natural images. The results show that there is remarkable fidelity and smoothness in the transmission and that a good performance is exhibited for haze removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical measurement can substantially reduce the required amount of labor and simplify the measurement process. Furthermore, the optical measurement method can provide full-field measurement results of the target object without affecting the physical properties of the measurement target, such as stiffness, mass, or damping. The advent of consumer grade depth cameras, such as the Microsoft Kinect, Intel RealSence, and ASUS Xtion, has attracted significant research attention owing to their availability and robustness in sampling depth information. This paper presents an effective method employing the Kinect sensor V2 and an artificial neural network for vibration frequency measurement. Experiments were conducted to verify the performance of the proposed method. The proposed method can provide good frequency prediction within acceptable accuracy compared to an industrial vibrometer, with the advantages of contactless process and easy pipeline implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image-based measurement has received increasing attention as it can substantially reduce the cost of labor, measurement equipment, and installation process. Instead of using optical flow, pattern, or marker tracking to extract a displacement signal, in this study, a novel noncontact machine learning-based system was proposed to directly predict vibration frequency with high accuracy and good reliability by using image sequences acquired from a single camera. The performance of the proposed method was demonstrated through experiments conducted in a laboratory and under real-field conditions and compared with those obtained using a contacted sensor. The vibration frequency prediction results of the proposed method are compared with industry-level vibration sensor results in the frequency domain, demonstrating that the proposed method could predict the target-object-vibration frequency as accurately as an industry-level vibration sensor, even under uncontrollable real-field conditions with no additional enhancement or extra signal processing techniques. However, only the principal vibration frequency of a measurement target is predicted, and the measurement range is limited by the trained model. Nonetheless, if these limitations are resolved, this method can potentially be used in real engineering applications in mechanical or civil structural health monitoring thanks to the simple deployment and concise pipeline of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the problem of the presence of grey-scale material in optimization results and improve convergence efficiency during the optimization procedure caused by those intermediate densities, three kinds of simpler filter functions were proposed for the variable density method according to S-curve models. First, the feasible range for the parameters of the filter functions was determined by studying Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm beam with the solid isotropic micro-structure with the penalization (SIMP) method. Then, the filter functions were applied to three classic examples to verify their validity and feasibility. The results showed that higher convergence efficiency, clearer structure boundaries, and better feasible solutions were obtained compared with that without the filter function. Finally, the filter functions were also compared with one existing method to demonstrate its effectiveness and validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coniothyrium minitans is a sclerotial parasite, which has been investigated for commercial control of crop diseases caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Previously, we obtained a T-DNA insertional mutant, ZS-1TN24363, which did not produce melanin during conidiation. To understand the function of melanin in C. minitans , we cloned the gene that was disrupted by the T-DNA insertion, and found that this gene, called CmMR1 , encoded a putative protein of 1,011 amino acids, which is a homolog of the transcription factor MR. Full-length CmMR1 contains 3,167 bp, with three exons and two introns. To confirm that the disrupted gene is responsible for the melanin-deficiency of the mutant, CmMR1 was disrupted and three targeted knockout mutants were obtained. Biological assays showed that the phenotype of the targeted knockout mutants was similar to that of the T-DNA insertional mutant. Furthermore, gene complementation confirmed that CmMR1 is responsible for the mutant phenotype. CmMR1 disruption did not affect hyphal growth, conidiation, and parasitization of C. minitans , however, the ROS accumulation increased and tolerance to UV light decreased significantly in the mutants. Our result may enhance the understanding of melanin in the ecology of C. minitans on molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cross sections of blended natural/styrene-butadiene (NSBR) composites filled with different volume fractions of carbon particles were observed using a Quanta 250 scanning electron microscope. In addition, the sizes and distributions of the carbon particles were analyzed using Nano Measurer. A two-dimensional representative volume element model (RVE) for a rubber composite reinforced with circular carbon particles was established, and the uniaxial tensile behaviors of polymer nanocomposites with different particle size distribution patterns were simulated using the ABAQUS software. The results showed the following. (1) For the random models, if the difference of particle size was larger and particle distance was closer, stress distribution would be denser as well as the stress concentration would become greater. However, if the difference of particle size was small, for the case of same particle volume fraction, the particle size has little influence on the macromechanical properties whether the average size is large or small. (2) The correlation between the volume fraction and distribution of the carbon particles revealed that when the volume fraction of carbon black particles was larger than 12%, clusters between carbon particles in the polymer nanocomposites could not be avoided and the modulus of the composites increased with an increase in the cluster number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coniothyrium minitans is an important sclerotial and hyphal parasite of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Previously, a conidiation-deficient mutant, ZS-1N22225, was screened from a T-DNA insertional library of C. minitans. CmVps39, a homologue of Vam6p/Vps39p that plays a critical role in vacuolar morphogenesis in yeast, was disrupted by a T-DNA insertion in this mutant. CmVps39 is composed of 1071 amino acids with an amino-terminal citron homology domain and a central clathrin homology domain, as observed for other Vam6p/Vps39p family proteins. Abnormal fragmented vacuoles were observed in ΔCmVps39 under light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and ΔCmVps39 showed impairment in autophagy. ΔCmVps39 also exhibited significantly reduced hyphal development, poor conidiation and decreased sclerotial mycoparasitism. In addition, deletion of CmVps39 affected osmotic adaptation, pH homeostasis and cell wall integrity. Taken together, our results suggest that CmVps39 has an essential function in vacuolar morphology, autophagy, fungal development and mycoparasitism in C. minitans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, taking into account the external loading, growth strain, creep, and bending deformation during the metallic high-temperature oxidation, a residual stress evolution model is developed according to the force- and moment-equilibrium equations. In this model, oxidation kinetic relationship (the stress-dependent growth rate) is related to the stress in the oxide scale, not classical parabolic law. If and only if the stress in the scale or the activation volume is equal to zero, this relationship can reduce to the parabolic law. Then the stress-dependent oxidation kinetics is compared with the stress-independent one (the parabolic law). Finally, effects of the external loading on the stress distribution in the oxide scale, the curvature of the system and the scale thickness are discussed, and numerical results show that the tensile external loading decreases the oxidation stress and promotes the growth rate of the oxidation layer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We presented an elastic-plastic endochronic constitutive model of 0Crl7Ni4Cu4Nb stainless steel based on the plastic endochronic theory (which does not need the yield surface) and experimental stress-strain curves. The key feature of the model is that it can precisely describe the relation of stress and strain under various loading histories, including uniaxial tension, cyclic loading-unloading, cyclic asymmetric-stress axial tension and compression, and cyclic asymmetric-stress axial tension and compression. The effects of both mean stress and amplitude of stress on hysteresis loop based on the elastic-plastic endochronic constitutive model were investigated. Compared with the experimental and calculated results, it is demonstrated that there was a good agreement between the model and the experiments. Therefore, the elastic-plastic endochronic constitutive model provides a method for the accurate prediction of mechanical behaviors of 0Crl7Ni4Cu4Nb stainless steel subjected to various loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: fatigue; flexible supercapacitors; fracture; harsh temperatures EN fatigue flexible supercapacitors fracture harsh temperatures 1 1 1 08/29/22 20220825 NES 220825 B Flexible Supercapacitors b In article number 2205708, Lunhui Guan and co-workers fabricate a mechanically stable all flexible supercapacitor by in-situ electrode growth. Mechanically Stable All Flexible Supercapacitors with Fracture and Fatigue Resistance under Harsh Temperatures (Adv. Funct. The device presents a stable electrochemical property with device-level fracture and fatigue resistance. [Extracted from the article]

Metal oxidation at high temperature is often accompanied with the stress generation both in the metal substrate and the growing oxide scale. In this paper, taking into account the growth strain, intrinsic strain and creep deformation, a new analysis model to characterize the residual stress evolutions during an isothermal oxidation process is developed on the basis of the mechanical-balance and moment-equilibrium equations. In this model, the growth strain and the stress are coupled based on an evolving equation, which reduces to the Clarke's assumption if the stress influence on the growth strain of the oxide scale is ignored. The curvature describing the bending of the system is expressed. Euler numerical method is adopted to simulate the stress evolution and the comparisons among the present model, Zhang's creep solution and the experimental results are also performed. Finally, effects of creep constants, substrate thickness and intrinsic strain on the residual stress distribution in the oxide scale/metal substrate are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effect of frictional forces on the canine's translation and rotation in transparent tooth correction treatment. Materials and Methods: Based on computed tomography (CT) images of the teeth and their supporting tissues, solid models were used to build finite-element models. One canine was simulated translation and rotation in the buccolingual direction by aligners with different friction coefficients. Results: The change of the canine's rotation centers and periodontal ligament (PDL) stress with an increase of the friction coefficient in the two movement types were obtained. Conclusions: Friction coefficient has little effect on the canine's translation movement. While in rotation cases, the small friction coefficient seems to be helpful to gain the body movement type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible hybrid film consisting of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was prepared and employed as a multifunctional sensor to monitor temperature and liquid leakage, based on the piezoresistive effect. The influences of the GNP content on the mechanical, thermal, and sensing properties were investigated. Experimental results showed that both the hardness and Young's modulus of the hybrid film were decreased with an increasing GNP content, while the thermal conductivity exhibited in an opposite trend. The electrical resistance of the hybrid film decreased was linearly with an increase in temperature. The resistance change increased linearly with an increase of the solvent adsorption. These features demonstrated the potential applications of the hybrid film in the detection of temperature, and liquid leakage. The sensitivity of leakage detection is increasing with the increase of the GNP loading, while temperature sensitivity is in the opposite trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid films were prepared with the aid of surfactant Triton X-100 and sonication through a vacuum filtration process. The influence of GNP content ranging from 0 to 50 wt.% on the mechanical and electrical properties was investigated using the tensile test and Hall effect measurement, respectively. It showed that the tensile strength of the hybrid film is decreasing with the increase of the GNP content while the electrical conductivity exhibits an opposite trend. The effectiveness of the MWCNT/GNP hybrid film as a strain sensor is presented. The specimen is subjected to a flexural loading, and the electrical resistance measured by a two-point probe method is found to be function of applied strain. Experimental results demonstrate that there are two different linear strain-sensing stages (0–0.2% and 0.2–1%) in the resistance of the hybrid film with applied strain. The strain sensitivity is increasing with the increase of the GNP content. In addition, the repeatability and stability of the strain sensitivity of the hybrid film were conformed through the cyclic loading–unloading tests. The MWCNT/GNP hybrid film shows promising application for strain sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration measurement serves as the basis for various engineering practices such as natural frequency or resonant frequency estimation. As image acquisition devices become cheaper and faster, vibration measurement and frequency estimation through image sequence analysis continue to receive increasing attention. In the conventional photogrammetry and optical methods of frequency measurement, vibration signals are first extracted before implementing the vibration frequency analysis algorithm. In this work, we demonstrate that frequency prediction can be achieved using a single feed-forward convolutional neural network. The proposed method is verified using a vibration signal generator and excitation system, and the result compared with that of an industrial contact vibrometer in a real application. Our experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve acceptable prediction accuracy even in unfavorable field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]