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Flood discharge atomization is a phenomenon of water droplets and mist diffusion caused by dam discharge, which brings heavy rainfall around the dam. The unnatural rainfall is harmful to the safe operation of hydropower stations and the stability of slopes. Jet splashing is the most important factor in the formation of flood discharge atomization. The splashing rainfall intensity and diffusion region are highly dependent on the jet impingement conditions. In this study, a two-dimensional splashing model is derived that describes the splashing rainfall distribution when a jet impinges on a plunge pool surface in terms of the jet impingement conditions. Given the close relationship between the splashing rainfall intensity distribution and the motion trajectories of droplets, it is hypothesized that certain droplet trajectories can accurately represent the distribution of rainfall intensity. The characteristic ejection angle of splashing droplets and the splashing diffusion coefficient are introduced to estimate the characteristic trajectories of droplets. Experimental data from laboratory tests are used to estimate the parameters of the splashing model. The current predictions are compared with the data from laboratory tests and prototype observations. The results suggest that the model accurately predicts the relative rainfall intensity at the upper region of the predicted curves, which corresponds to approximately 1/10 of the total height of the ideal parabola. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• VN/Mo 2 C heterointerfaces nanoparticles are monodispersed on N-doped carbon nanosheets. • Mo 2 C and VN synergistically promote the diffusion and conversion of polysulfides. • The functional separator also has excellent protective effect on the lithium anode. • The modified separator exhibits superb electrochemical performance in Li-S batteries. Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is deemed as one of the optimal next-generation energy storage devices due to its low cost and high energy density. However, the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfide (LiPS), sluggish reaction kinetics, and fatal Li-dendrite growth hinder its practical applications. In this work, a bifunctional nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheet conductive framework embedded with VN-Mo 2 C heterointerfaces (VN/Mo 2 C@CNS) is reported as a separator modifier for both sulfur cathode and lithium anode. The VN/Mo 2 C@CNS can offer a synergistic effect of strong surface affinity, good catalytic activity, and small diffusion barrier to accelerate the conversion of polysulfides, which was confirmed by in-situ Raman and theoretical calculation. Moreover, the composite has good lithiophilicity, thus inhibiting the formation of dendrites and achieving uniform lithium deposition. Benefiting from the above merits, the Li-S cells with VN/Mo 2 C@CNS separator obtain desirable rate performance (687 mAh g−1 at 4 C), long cycle life of 1000 cycles (0.042 % capacity attenuation per cycle at 1 C), high areal capacity of 4.2 mAh cm−2 (under a high sulfur loading of 5.6 mg cm−2), and stable performance in protecting the Li anode (at 5 mA cm−2 for 1000 h). This work highlights a novel strategy for facilely designing heterostructures, offering valuable insights to tackle sulfur cathode and lithium anode challenges simultaneously for longevous Li-S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screening for fentanyl has been adopted by many clinical laboratories to detect illicit drug use and monitor medication adherence. However, compared to other urine drug testing, fentanyl screening assays are relatively new and therefore their clinical performances are largely unknown. This study extensively evaluated the clinical performance, positive cutoff, and interference profile of SEFRIA fentanyl immunoassay in real patient settings. The FDA-cleared cutoff of 1.0 was verified with 21 urine samples with low or undetectable levels of fentanyl. After assay implementation, all screened-positive samples were confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A new cutoff was derived from the numeric values of the false positive (FP) screening results. The FP rates before and after implementing the new cutoff were compared. Interferences were identified by an untargeted drug analysis and confirmed by spiking experiments. A total of 3951 screening results were reviewed in the first two months of the assay utilization, 410 were screened-positive, and 157 (38 %) were FP. After a new cutoff of 1.3 was implemented, the FP rate was reduced to 17 % based on 11119 screening results. Trazodone, labetalol, and haloperidol were identified as major interferents, accounting for 56 % of the FP results using the cutoff of 1.3. By applying the new cutoff and including an interference comment to positive screening results, the FP rate was reduced from initial 38 % to 7.5 % (17 % times 56 %). • A false positive rate of 38 % was observed with the FDA-cleared cutoff of 1.0. • A new cutoff of 1.3 was implemented, and the false positive rate dropped to 17 %. • Interferences were identified by an untargeted drug analysis and spiking studies. • Trazodone, labetalol, and haloperidol accounted for 56 % of the false positives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early prostatic cancer (PCa) diagnosis significantly improves the chances of successful treatment and enhances patient survival rates. Traditional enzyme cascade-based early cancer detection methods offer efficiency and signal amplification but are limited by cost, complexity, and enzyme dependency, affecting stability and practicality. Meanwhile, sarcosine (Sar) is commonly considered a biomarker for PCa development. It is essential to develop a Sar detection method based on cascade reactions, which should be efficient, low skill requirement, and suitable for on-site testing. To address this, our study introduces the synthesis of organic-inorganic self-assembled nanoflowers to optimize existing detection methods. The Sar oxidase (SOX)-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (Cu 3 (PO 4) 2 :Ce@SOX) possess inherent fluorescent properties and excellent peroxidase activity, coupled with efficient enzyme loading. Based on this, we have developed a dual-mode multi-enzyme cascade nanoplatform combining fluorescence and colorimetric methods for the detection of Sar. The encapsulation yield of Cu 3 (PO 4) 2 :Ce@SOX reaches 84.5 %, exhibiting a remarkable enhancement in catalytic activity by 1.26–1.29 fold compared to free SOX. The present study employing a dual-signal mechanism encompasses 'turn-off' fluorescence signals ranging from 0.5 μM to 60 μM, with a detection limit of 0.226 μM, and 'turn-on' colorimetric signals ranging from 0.18 μM to 60 μM, with a detection limit of 0.120 μM. Furthermore, our study developed an intelligent smartphone sensor system utilizing cotton swabs for real-time analysis of Sar without additional instruments. The nano-platform exhibits exceptional repeatability and stability, rendering it well-suited for detecting Sar in authentic human urine samples. This innovation allows for immediate analysis, offering valuable insights for portable and efficient biosensors applicable to Sar and other analytes. A fluorescence and smartphone colorimetric sensing dual-mode multienzyme cascade based on oxidation-induced self-assembled nanoflowers for sarcosine's sensitive and selective detection. [Display omitted] • The simple synthesis method includes SOX as part of the enzyme-like catalyst. • The fluorescence was quenched by the SOX + Sar system, with activating nanozyme activity. • The generated H 2 O 2 has the effect of killing two birds with one stone for the cascade reaction system. • A chromogenic cotton swabs-based smartphone sensing system was developed for sarcosine analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The learning and memory abilities of GHP offspring rats were significantly lower than those of normal rat offspring. • Sal treatment can significantly increase the expression of Wnt1 and Skp2 protein, and decrease the expression of P27kiwf and P21waf1protein. • Sal significantly promoted the proliferation and differentiation on neural stem cell, while Wnt1 knockdown could reverse these promotions by Sal. • Sal treatment significantly increased the expression of Tuj1, SOX2, Ki67 and DCX protein. Salidroside (Sal) has been found to protect against multiple impairments caused by diabetes, and we designed this study to investigate the effect of Sal on gestational hypertension (GHP)-induced impairment of offspring learning and memory. We established a GHP rat model by intraperitoneal injection of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and treated with Sal by daily gavage. We used Morris Water Maze test to evaluate the learning and memory ability of offspring rats. HE staining was used to measured the pathological changes in hippocampus of offspring. Immunohistochemistry, cellular immunofluorescence and western blot were used to detect the protein expression. The learning and memory abilities of GHP offspring rats were significantly lower than those of normal rat offspring, while Sal treatment could significantly improve the learning and memory abilities of GHP offspring rats. HE staining did not reveal pathological differences in the hippocampus of normal rats, GHP rats and Sal-treated GHP offspring rats. However, Sal treatment can significantly increase the expression of Wnt1 and Skp2 protein, and decrease the expression of P27kiwf and P21waf1 protein in the hippocampus of GHP offspring rats. In vitro, Sal significantly promoted the proliferation and differentiation on neural stem cell, while Wnt1 knockdown could reverse these promotions by Sal. In the hippocampus of GHP offspring rats, Sal treatment significantly increased the expression of Tuj1, SOX2, Ki67 and DCX protein. Salidroside significantly improves the learning and memory impairment of offspring caused by GHP, and its mechanism may be related to the fact that Salidroside promotes the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells by activating the Wnt1/Skp2 signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The proposed model can be used for IFTs and MMPs prediction in nanopores. • Critical properties shift dominates IFT and MMP reduction over capillary pressure. • IFTs and MMPs become less sensitive to pore size when the pore radius exceeds 15 nm. • Mixing rule is more reasonable for MMP prediction in a real reservoir. CO 2 miscible flooding is considered to be a cost-effective and efficient method for improving shale oil recovery. The minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) between CO 2 and shale oil in nanopores is a crucial parameter for assessing the viability of miscible flooding. Experimental methods are often inadequate for capturing phase transition behaviors at the nanoscale. Therefore, it is essential to establish a comprehensive theoretical model to explore the phase behavior and miscibility of fluids confined in nanopores. Besides, the real shale formations have highly heterogeneous pore spaces, where the effect of pore size distribution on the MMP prediction should be properly addressed. In this research, a thermodynamic model that accounts for the nano-confinement effect is proposed to describe the interfacial tensions (IFTs) and MMPs profiles based on the vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) method. Firstly, a modified Peng-Robinson equation of state (PR-EOS) was employed for the vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) calculations at the nanopores by considering the capillary pressure effect and critical properties shift. Secondly, the model validation and the effect of temperature, pore radius, alkane type, and injected gas components on IFTs and MMPs were launched to analyze the nano-confinement effect. Finally, the model was applied to real shale oil to explore how pore size distribution affected the MMP in nanopores. The simulation results show that IFTs and MMPs calculated by the proposed model match very well with the experimental and molecular dynamic simulation (MD) results. The critical properties shift is the main cause for IFT and MMP reduction compared with capillary pressure. The MMPs of CO 2 -alkanes initially increase and then decrease with increasing temperature in nanopores. The IFTs and MMPs increase with pore radius, carbon number of alkanes. However, the IFTs and MMPs become less sensitive to pore size when the pore radius exceeds 15 nm. Higher C 2 H 6 & C 3 H 8 mole fractions decrease the MMP of confined fluids, while higher CH 4 mole fraction increases MMP. The MMPs calculated by considering the pore size distribution are lower than those calculated using the average pore radius. Therefore, the mixing rule should be considered when the pore size distribution is provided. We hope this model can give a more precise depiction of fluid phase behaviors in shale reservoirs, thereby facilitating the development of shale oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A mild pressure-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment was developed to facilitate PHK. • Air pressure of 3 MPa improved hemicelluloses removal more than heating up 10 °C. • Pressurised PHK facilitated the reduction of active alkali content in Kraft process. • This strategy could provide superior cellulose properties and purity. The efficient removal of hemicelluloses while preventing cellulose hydrolysis is crucial in Kraft pulping yet remains challenging. Herein, a mild pressure-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment strategy was developed in this study prior to Kraft pulping. Research indicated that pretreatment at 155 °C under 3 MPa pressure significantly enhances hemicelluloses removal (to 70.63 %), surpassing even that at 165 °C under ambient pressure. Moreover, during pre-hydrolysis Kraft pulping, pressure-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment could reduce the concentration of active alkali used in the subsequent pulping process. The cellulose properties (viscosity = 491 ml/g) and purity (R10 = 94.60 %) of bleached pulp obtained from pressure-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment outperform those obtained from conventional hydrolysis. Furthermore, the removed hemicelluloses were converted into monosaccharides and polysaccharides to produce high-value chemicals in downstream processes. Therefore, pressure-assisted hydrothermal pretreatment not only enhanced hemicelluloses removal and pulp properties but also reduced alkali concentration in the subsequent pulping process, promoting sustainable development in pulp production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of data-driven complex ship-motion attitude prediction models not only depends on the structure and algorithm design of the model but is also affected by the quantity and quality of training samples. Insufficient available data, resulting from factors such as low sampling rates and high costs, could inhibit the achievement of optimal prediction accuracy. This limitation in turn increases the model's expected generalization error of the model and causes overfitting in regression models. Nevertheless, by artificially expanding the training dataset, data-augmentation methods enhance the resistance of the model to overfitting, thereby improving the prediction performance. This study introduces a novel data-driven model for ship-motion prediction based on the principles of Slim Generative Adversarial Imputation Networks (SGAINs). The model not only increases the amount of data but also considers temporal correlation features in the enhancement process, thus uniquely addressing the issue of poor accuracy of prediction models caused by insufficient training datasets. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed model for short-term ship-motion attitude data augmentation. • The autocorrelation from state variable sequences sets the sliding window length and ensures inputs' relevance. • A robust framework is effectively constructed for data expansion for ship-motion attitude. • The model's accuracy ties to training length and balances complexity and precision. Bayesian optimization boosts prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of the morphological changes at different growth stages and lignin accumulation pattern for pine biomass plays the key role in facilitating the further development of value-added utilization and downstream conversion processes. This work systematically revealed the morphological change and lignin accumulation pattern in Chinese pine branches cell walls via confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) technology. Meanwhile, the structural characteristics of isolated lignin samples from different growth stages were synthetically characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques. The results indicated that the content of pith in adult pine new branch was bigger than juvenile trees. With the increase of physiological age, the branches in adult pine could accumulate more lignin both in overall content and the concentration of cell corner middle layer. Moreover, the significantly increases of molecular weights and the β- O - 4, β-β linkages content revealed that the lignin macromolecule of pine would polymerize faster in the adult stage (14, 35 years). The panorama generated from the structural and chemical features of pine native lignin not only benefited to understand the biosynthetic pathways and lignin macromolecules structural variation in plant cell walls from different growth stages but also contributed to the valorization and deconstruction of biomass. [Display omitted] • The multi-scale structure of Chinese pine branches was systematically characterized. • The new branch pith was increscent during the growth of pine. • The branches from adult pine could accumulate more lignin in xylem CCML. • The lignin macromolecule of pine would polymerize faster at the adult stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony (Sb) is a recognized priority pollutant with toxicity that is influenced by its migration and transformation processes. Oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxides, which is a common phenomenon in the environment, is often accompanied by the formation of Mn(III/IV) and might affect the fate of Sb. In this study, incorporated Mn(III) and sorbed/precipitated Mn(III/IV) associated with lepidocrocite were prepared by adding Mn(II) during and after Fe(II) oxidation, respectively, and the effects of these Mn species on Sb fate were investigated. Our results indicated that the association of these Mn species with lepidocrocite obviously enhanced Sb(III) oxidation to Sb(V), while concomitantly inhibiting Sb sorption due to the lower sorption capacity of lepidocrocite for Sb(V) than Sb(III). Additionally, Mn oxide equivalents increased in the presence of Sb, indicating that Sb oxidation by Mn(III/IV) associated with lepidocrocite was a continuous recycling process in which Mn(II) released from Mn(III/IV) reduction by Sb(III) could be oxidized to Mn(III/IV) again. This recycling process was favorable for effective Sb(III) oxidation. Moreover, Sb(V) generated from Sb(III) oxidation by Mn(III/IV) enhanced Mn(II) sorption at the beginning of the process, and thus favored Mn(III/IV) formation, which could further promote Sb(III) oxidation to Sb(V). Overall, this study elucidated the effects of Mn(III/IV) associated with lepidocrocite arisen from Fe(II) oxidation on Sb migration and transformation and revealed the underlying reaction mechanisms, contributing to a better understanding of the geochemical dynamics of Sb. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to develop a multifunctional wound dressing with enhanced antibacterial properties and wound healing promotion. The synthesis process involved preparing oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) following a modified procedure, synthesizing chitosan/silver nanoparticles (CS/Ag NPs) via an in-situ reduction method, and subsequently preparing ORC/CS/Lys@Ag NPs hydrogels. Characterization techniques including FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDS were employed to analyze functional groups, lattice structure, morphology, and elemental composition. Gelation time, swelling behavior, water retention, mechanical properties, viscosity, self-healing capacity, rheological behavior, oxygen permeability, in vitro degradation, release of Ag+, and antibacterial properties were evaluated using various experimental methods. Results indicated that the novel wound dressing has the capability to evenly distribute Ag NPs to effectively counteract bacteria. It can maintain moist conditions for 86 h, resist a sturdy mechanical pressure of 11.3 KPa, and degrade by 11.045 % ± 0.429 within 8 h. Combining its efficient gas exchange abilities, self-repairing function, and biocompatibility, almost full recovery was observed in injured mouse skin within 13 days, highlighting its promising clinical utility. [Display omitted] • Novel ORC/CS/Lys@Ag NPs hydrogel dressing successfully developed. • In situ synthesis yields well-distributed nanosilver, ensuring antibacterial efficacy. • Introduction of lysine significantly promotes comprehensive wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A potent ionizable lipid nanoparticle and its lyophilization formulation was developed to efficiently co-delivery of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA for genome editing. [Display omitted] CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology holds great promise for wide-ranging biomedical applications. However, the development of efficient delivery system for CRISPR-Cas components remains challenging. Herein, we synthesized a series of ionizable lipids by conjugation of alkyl-acrylate to different amine molecules and further assembled ionizable lipid nanoparticles (iLNPs) for co-delivery of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA. Among all the iLNP candidates, 1A14-iLNP with lipids containing spermine as amine head, demonstrated the highest cellular uptake, endosomal escape and mRNA expression in vitro. Co-delivery of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA targeting EGFP by 1A14-iLNP achieved the highest EGFP knockout efficiency up to 70% in HeLa-EGFP cells. In addition, 1A14-iLNP displayed passive liver-targeting delivery of Cas9 mRNA in vivo with good biocompatibility. Moreover, we developed a simple method of lyophilization-mediated reverse transfection of CRISPR-Cas9 components for efficient genome editing. Therefore, the developed 1A14-iLNP and the lyophilization formulation, represent a potent solution for CRISPR-Cas9 delivery, which might broaden the future of biomedical applications of both mRNA and CRISPR-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The correlation between process and microstructure for laser writing Cu/C composites has been established. • The electrochemical energy storage performance of Cu/C composites has been investigated. • The factors influencing the energy storage performance of the composites have been discussed. One-step laser written copper-carbon (Cu-C) composites are ideal for assembling supercapacitors, but their structuring-performance correlation remains unclear. In this study, the microstructure of written composites has been controlled by varying the laser power. Their electrochemical energy storage performance has been investigated and compared to reveal the contribution of each component. The porous carbon-rich (C-rich) structure, introduced by laser carbonization of the substrate, can provide abundant active sites for the Faraday reaction of the copper-rich (Cu-rich) structure. The continuous sintered Cu-rich structure, obtained by laser reduction of ionic precursor and in-situ joining, can ensure fast transfer of electrons in the composites. Owing to their synergistic effect, our optimal composite exhibits an excellent specific capacity of 107.2 C/cm2 at 1 mA/cm2. This study provides a theoretical reference for the development of high-performance supercapacitors. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Our research demonstrated the significance of SDC2 and NDRG4 methylation in early CRC diagnosis and screening using fast, easy and noninvasive fecal samples. • The two genes showed a high frequency of methylation in stool and could be candidate biomarkers for CRC diagnosis with stool-based approach, especially when combined. Recent studies have identified methylated SDC2 and NDRG4 in colorectal cancer (CRC), however, the diagnostic value of the combined two genes remains undefined. This study aims to investigate the methylation of SDC2 and NDRG4 in stool samples and their application in diagnosis of CRC. Five groups were enrolled in our study which consisted of CRC (n = 138), advanced adenomas (n = 27), polyp (n = 35), intestinal disease control (n = 150), and healthy individuals (n = 28). Methylation status of SDC2 and NDRG4 in fecal samples were tested with appropriate commercial kits. Primary data were collected and statistical analyses were performed. The positive rates of both SDC2 and NDRG4 methylation in stool samples of CRC group were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those of either group of advanced adenomas, or polyp, or intestinal disease or the healthy control. It was suggested that both methylated SDC2,NDRG4, SDC2/NDRG4 and age were independent risk factors for CRC. The sensitivity of SDC2 and NDRG4 for CRC diagnosis were 73.9 % and 63.0 %, respectively, while SDC2 combined with NDRG4 had a higher sensitivity of 85.5 %. The specificity of SDC2, NDRG4 and SDC2 combined with NDRG4 achieved 91.6 %, 88.3 % and 84.6 %, respectively. The AUC for methylated SDC2 and NDRG4 were 0.828 (95 % CI: 0.780–0.876) and 0.757 (95 % CI: 0.703–0.811), respectively. In contrast, SDC2 combined with NDRG4 improved the AUC to 0.850 (95 % CI: 0.807–0.893). This research confirmed the significance of detection of SDC2 and NDRG4 methylation by using noninvasive samples of stool. More importantly, attributing to their high level and frequency of methylation in stool, SDC2 and NDRG4 could be promising biomarkers for stool-based method for screening and early diagnosis of CRC, especially when combined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sc microalloying and isothermal multidirectional compression (IMC) are important methods to refine grains and improve the mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys. Herein, EBSD, SAXS and TEM have been carried out to investigate the effect of IMC and minor Sc on the microstructure, especially for grain boundary wetting, and mechanical properties of aged Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys by melting and hot compression process parameter optimization. The results show that the strength and plasticity can be obviously improved simultaneously by minor Sc addition and IMC. Especially, stripy GBs (one kind of typical GB complexion) have been widely observed for alloy samples after microalloying Sc and IMC, which indicates the occurrence of GB wetting for Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloy. And the GB wetting degree gradually increases for alloys with only microalloying Sc, only IMC and (microalloying Sc + IMC). Combined with GB wetting, the formation of Al 3 (Sc, Zr) due to Sc addition could inhibit the motion of dislocation and grain boundary, which promotes formation and inhibit growth of recrystallized grains, leading to further grain refinement. Besides, GB wetting degree would affect the precipitate distribution, especially for grain boundary precipitates. Also, GB wetting probably promote grain bridging, which is beneficial to improve the yield strength and ductility of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys. The concurrent effect of grain refinement, the precipitate including finer Al 3 (Sc, Zr) particles, dislocation strengthening and grain bridging contribute to the simultaneous improvement of the strength and ductility of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys under IMC and Sc. This study provides a new understanding on microalloying Sc combined with IMC on the microstructure and properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloys. [Display omitted] • IMC and minor Sc induce nonlinear GB wetting of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Zr alloy. • Sc, IMC and (Sc + IMC) cause gradually increased GB wetting degrees. • Minor Sc promotes formation and inhibits growth of recrystallization grain. • GB complexion transition affecting the mechanical properties of alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• "Si-O-Si" could refine the pore structure together with hydration products to improve the anti-efflorescence of the coating. • KH-560 could improve the compatibility between PA and PDMS, reducing the deterioration of mechanical properties by PDMS. • The efflorescence area of the modified-coating containing MP and 0.3 wt% SA was only 1.58%. The objective of this paper was to prepare a novel type of anti-efflorescence cement-based coating with excellent mechanical properties using the modified polyacrylate emulsion (MP) and silicon-aluminum based powder (SA), and provided an optimum proportion. Silica sol (SS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were selected as modified components to incorporate into polyacrylate emulsion (PA). The synergistic effect of MP and SA on the tensile strength, water absorption, hydration process, microstructure and anti-efflorescence property of cement-based coatings were investigated. The research results demonstrated that the tensile strength and waterproof in coating containing MP and 0.3 wt% SA were increased by about 73.4% and 52.1%, respectively, compared with the reference sample. The reason could be attributed to the densification of the internal structure due to the formation of "Si-O-Si" structure and pozzolanic effect of SA. In addition, the hydrophobic PDMS can hinder the migration of water and salt, thereby limiting the diffusion of alkali ions outward. Hence, the efflorescence area of the modified-coating was decreased to 1.58%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has emerged as a promising analytical technique that combines the distinct advantages of both electrochemistry and chemiluminescence. In recent years, nanomaterials have been extensively developed as a new generation of emitters, coreactants, coreaction accelerators, and nanoreactors in ECL reactions due to their tunable structures, and excellent optical and electrical properties. High-sensitivity nanomaterial-based ECL biosensing systems are in high demand for practical applications in trace marker detection. This review summarizes recent advances in signal enhancement for nanomaterial-based ECL biosensing systems in the past five years. These advances include the development of high-performance ECL emitters, the promotion of charge transfer between the emitter and coreactant, the improvement of the interfacial conductivity of the electrode materials, and the utilization of nanomaterial-based signal amplification techniques. The challenges and perspectives in this field are also discussed for the development and application of nanomaterial-based ECL biosensing systems. • Recent advances in signal enhancement of nanomaterials-based ECL systems are reviewed. • Diverse strategies for enhancing nanomaterials-based ECL signals are summarized. • Detailed signal enhancement mechanisms and biosensing applications are discussed. • Perspectives for the signal enhancement of nanomaterial-based ECL are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-emitting luminescent MOF Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC and its hydrogel Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC@PVA-8 were used for sensing temperature over a temperature range from 303 to 383 K with high relative sensitivities and good recyclability. [Display omitted] • Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC shows stability under both weakly acidic and alkaline conditions and multiband luminescence. • Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC@PVA-8 showed good structural integrity and retains the temperature-sensing behavior of the MOF in a flexible form. • Both them were used for sensing temperature from 303 to 383 K with high relative sensitivities and good recyclability. In this study, we synthesized a solid solution of MOF, Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC (H 3 PTC represents 2, 4, 6-pyridine tricarboxylic acid) by hydrothermal reaction, which showed exceptional stability under both weakly acidic and alkaline conditions and multiband luminescence. We further prepared Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC@PVA hydrogels by immobilizing Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution, which exhibited both the integrity and temperature sensing behavior of the MOF solid solution, alongside excellent mechanical performance. Both Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC and Eu 0.05 Y 0.95 -PTC@PVA-8 hydrogel displayed temperature sensing capabilities over the range from 303 to 383 K, with relative sensitivities (S r) reaching a maximum value of 1.94 %•K−1 and 0.65 %•K−1 at 383 K, respectively, and good recyclability as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-sulfur (Li–S) batteries are considered as the most promising successors of lithium-ion batteries, however, the shuttle effect and sluggish reaction kinetics are the biggest obstacles hindering their commercialization. In this work, a kind of NiSe nanoparticles embedded in corn stalk-derived two-dimensional (2D) porous carbon nanosheet (NiSe@CSC) is constructed as a separator modifier for advanced Li–S batteries. The rich pore structure of the corn stalk-derived carbon nanosheets enables uniform distribution of NiSe and provides more deposition sites for lithium polysulfides (LiPS). Electrochemical analyses show that NiSe increases the affinity for LiPS to suppress the shuttle effect, thereby effectively preventing the corrosion of polysulfide on the lithium anode. NiSe@CSC is found to accelerate the redox conversion of sulfur species in the kinetic study. Consequently, the assembled Li–S cells with NiSe@CSC coating layer exhibit a high-rate performance of 710 mAh g−1 at 3 C and a low capacity attenuation rate of 0.046% per cycle after 800 cycles at 1 C. Furthermore, it can still maintain 2.8 mAh cm−2 at 0.5 C in near-commercial application scenarios of 4.1 mg cm−2 sulfur loading. The NiSe@CSC-based Li–Li symmetric cells also demonstrate stability and low overpotential in protecting the lithium anode. This combination of renewable biomass-based carbons and transition metal selenides enriches the exploration of biomass materials in separators and provides new ideas for designing practical Li–S batteries. [Display omitted] • NiSe nanoparticles are monodispersed on corn stalk derived 2D carbon nanosheet. • The composite is used as separator modifier with excellent electrical conductivity. • NiSe exhibits significant adsorption and electrocatalytic conversion to LiPS. • The Li–S Batteries with NiSe@CSC deliver excellent electrochemical performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proven high carcinogenicity to humans and high destructive force to the environment determine the extreme urgency of eliminating hypertoxic Cr(VI) in water bodies. Herein, a route of room temperature synthesis and secondary grafting was proposed to fabricate graphene oxide-based nanoadsorbent co-functionalized with polydopamine and branched polyethyleneimine (GOPP) to remove Cr(VI). The flexible decoration of polydopamine and polyethyleneimine on GO flakes could gradually enhance the amount of N-containing functional groups and realize selective removal of Cr(VI) with the maximum experimental adsorption capacity of 564.7 mg/g, displaying a significantly high separation factor against alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, and other transition metal ions. Various combination mechanisms, such as electrostatic attraction, reduction, complexation, and hydrogen bonding, were demonstrated to be involved in the adsorption process of Cr(VI) by XPS, ESP, and DFT calculations. And the interaction energies of the five protonated configurations of primary amine, tertiary amine, secondary amine, imine, and secondary amine on the ring with HCrO 4 − were: −22.66, −12.08, −24.92, −24.26, −27.64 kcal/mol. In the actual industrial wastewater study, a Cr(VI) removal rate of 85.8% was realized. This work provided a viable idea for the elimination of Cr(VI) and was expected to be applied in the field of wastewater treatment. The hypertoxic Cr (VI) poses a serious hazard to humans and the environment. Herein, GOPP were synthesized and applied to the adsorption process of Cr (VI), aiming to achieve effective control of Cr (VI) pollution in actual fluids. [Display omitted] • The flexible decoration of PDA and PEI could gradually enhance N content. • The protonation order of the five N-containing sites were revealed. • The interaction energies of the five configurations with HCrO 4 − were researched. • Imines and secondary amines play important roles in the adsorption of Cr(VI). • The GOPP exhibited 564.7 mg/g adsorption capacity towards Cr(VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

17β-Estradiol (E2) has been widely detected in natural water and treatment with E2 induces potential endocrine disrupting effects in fish. However, effects on fish fecundity and steroid system after treatment with environmentally relevant concentrations of E2 for the full sexual maturation cycle remain unclear. In this study, zebrafish were treatment with 0, 10 or 100 ng/L E2 from embryo to adult stage, and effects on gonadal development and differentiation, steroid hormone levels, transcription of genes associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-liver (HPG) axis in adults and fertilization rate of offspring were assessed. The results showed that treatment with E2 lead to increased number of feminization in zebrafish. In females, E2 decreased cumulative amount of spawning and inhibited the maturation of oocyte. In males, E2 inhibited the maturation and motility of sperm, as well as decreased the movement speed of sperm. These adverse effects on sperm might be responsible for the reduced fertilization observed in offspring. In addition, treatment with E2 changed the levels of steroid hormones in zebrafish gonad and altered the transcriptional levels of genes associated with HPG axis, which is responsible for the regulation of germ cells maturation and gonadal development in zebrafish. Overall, these results suggested that treatment with environmentally relevant concentrations of E2 for the full sexual maturity cycle resulted in adverse effects on reproduction in zebrafish. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UiO-66-SO 3 H/Fe(1:1)-800 exhibited high tetracycline degradation efficiency. • The influence of operating parameters on tetracycline degradation was analyzed. • It exhibited good stability and potential for wastewater treatment applications. • Mechanism of TC degradation by heterogeneous electro-Fenton process was proposed. Designing efficient heterogeneous electro-Fenton (HEF) catalysts for in-situ H 2 O 2 generation and organic pollutant degradation in water has become a hot research topic. In this study, a series of novel UiO-66-SO 3 H/Fe(x)-800 materials were successfully prepared by carbonizing sulfonic acid metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66-SO 3 H) doped with iron for tetracycline (TC) HEF degradation. The catalytic performance of UiO-66-SO 3 H/Fe(x)-800 was evaluated by comparing different HEF systems, and the effects of different operating parameters and co-existing substances were investigated. The results indicated that UiO-66-SO 3 H/Fe(1:1)-800 displayed excellent performance for TC degradation over a broad pH range, with an optimal TC degradation efficiency of 90.10% in 90 min and a low energy consumption of 4.39 kWh/kg/TOC. Furthermore, the superior stability and reusability of this catalyst were proved in continuous cycling experiments with low iron leaching (<1.000 ug/L). The mechanism exploration demonstrated that TC was mainly oxidized by ‧OH and 1O 2. In addition, iron-doped porous carbon carrier improved the utilization rate of H 2 O 2 and accelerated the regeneration of Fe2+, which played an important role in the HEF process. The HEF system based on UiO-66-SO 3 H/Fe(1:1)-800 also exhibited satisfactory performance when treating actual water samples, presenting broad application prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency and intensity of maize (Zea mays L.) yield disturbance caused by lodging stress are getting higher and higher, so it is of great significance to take effective methods to monitor the yield loss of lodging maize. This study aimed to explore the ability of hyperspectral technology to estimate maize yield loss under lodging. The lodging control experiment of maize was carried out, the changes of canopy hyperspectral and per unit yield loss of maize in multiple growth stages were analyzed. First, the successive projections algorithm (SPA) and recursive feature elimination (RFE) methods were used to select yield-sensitive wavelengths from original canopy spectrum (OCS) to achieve dimensionality reduction. Then, the fractional-order differential (FOD) transform was applied for the canopy spectrum, and the RFE method was used to select the optimal wavelength combination. Finally, the models of estimating per unit yield of maize with different lodging periods and days after lodging (DAL) were constructed by using the optimal wavelength combination, and the model was verified by leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) method. It was found that the more serious the lodging severity, the greater the maize per unit yield loss. On 1, 7, 14, 21 DAL at vegetative tasseling (VT) stage and 1, 7 DAL at reproductive milk (R3) stage, the model accuracy of RFE method was 5.26%, 17.39%, 9.46%, 6.41%, 20.37% and 11.11% higher than that of SPA method. The estimation accuracy of lodging maize yield model was improved by using FOD method and RFE method (FOD-RFE). The R 2 of the maize yield model of 1.4-order, 0.9-order, 1.8-order, 0.6-order on 1, 7, 14 and 21 DAL at VT stage reached 0.90, 0.89, 0.92, 0.93, which were 12.5%, 11.11%, 13.58% and 12.05% higher than OCS-RFE. The R 2 of the maize yield model of 1.5-order and 1.5-order on 1 and 7 DAL at R3 stage were 0.84 and 0.87, which were 29.23% and 24.29% higher than OCS-RFE. Therefore, fractional-order differential transform and spectral feature selection could improve the estimation accuracy of maize yield under lodging stress. The hyperspectral technology could be used to quickly estimate maize yield loss under lodging stress. • The change of canopy hyperspectral of maize on DAL 1, 7, 14, 21 were analyzed. • The SPA and RFE methods were used to achieve dimensionality reduction. • The FOD-RFE method for sensitive wavebands selection was proposed. • A more accurate method was used to estimate yield loss of lodging maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electromagnetic shocking treatment (EST) is put forward to reduce the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of high-strength aluminum alloys and its fasteners by selectively modifying grain boundary (GB) microstructure. The effect of EST on the microstructure, mechanical properties and SCC susceptibility of T73-Al7075 alloy and its high-lock nuts has been investigated. Mechanical properties, electrochemical performance and constant strain SCC test have been carried out for T73-Al7075 alloy, microhardness test and SCC test under wet-dry cyclic condition have been carried out for its high-lock nuts, as well as microstructure characterizations via SEM, EBSD and TEM have been carried out for T73-Al7075 alloy. Comparing to the received sample, the strength of EST sample basically keep consistent while the elongation increases slightly, besides, the electrical conductivity and electrochemical corrosion performance improves. The SCC susceptibility of T73-Al7075 alloy and its high-lock nuts have been reduced after EST. Microstructure characterization shows that the grain morphology and matrix intragranular precipitate distribution of the EST sample keep almost the same as those of the received sample, which is consistent with the almost unchanged mechanical properties of alloy sample. However, EST induces the transformation of grain boundary precipitates (GBPs) and the formation of stripy/wavy GB as observed experimentally, which indicates that EST promotes nonlinear GB wetting or pre-melting and even grain bridging. The phase transformation and GB complexion transition induced by EST are main factors attributing to the obvious improvement of SCC resistance of T73-Al7075 alloy and its high-lock nuts. It can be deduced that anodic dissolution cracking will be relieved because of the dissolution and coarsening of GBPs. Hydrogen induced cracking and crack propagation can be relieved with the occurrence of grain bridging. They are both beneficial to improve SCC resistance of Al7075 alloys. This work provides a novel EST method to targetedly embellish GB microstructure, optimize GB complexion and connectivity, and then enhance the service performance of solid alloys and even finished parts. [Display omitted] • A novel EST is put forward to improve SCC of T73-Al7075 alloys and its fastener. • EST selectively modifies GBs of Al alloy without losing mechanical properties. • EST promotes GB wetting and grain bridging on nanoscale for Al7075 alloy. • EST improves SCC of T73-Al7075 alloys by embellishing GB complexion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A huff-n-puff MD simulation can estimate MMP for shale oil/CO 2 systems. • Oil recovery increases with temperature and slit height, plateauing near miscible pressure. • Confinement of nanopores lowers predicted MMP compared to the bulk phase. • Temperature elevation raises MMP; smaller slits initially decrease it, but beyond a threshold, they increase it. CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been regarded as an essential means of tertiary oil recovery worldwide, which has been gradually applied in exploiting shale oil and gas resources. In this study, we proposed a new method to estimate the MMP (minimum miscibility pressure) of shale oil/CO 2 systems using huff-n-puff molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The bulk MMP of the shale oil/CO 2 system obtained agrees reasonably well with the vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) and the available experimental results. The organic nanopore oil reservoir is modeled with graphene as a substrate and octane molecules as shale oil. We found that oil recovery increases up to near miscible pressure and plateaus after that. The oil recovery increases with the rise of the reservoir temperature and slit height. Due to the nanopore's confinement effect, the predicted MMP is lower inside the nanopore than the bulk counterpart. The MMP inside the nanopore decreases with a slit height up to a specific size and then starts to climb up due to the increased adsorption effect of nanopore walls. It means that CO 2 flooding will be more efficient in shale oil reservoirs with more prominent pores and throats. Some CO 2 molecules remain inside the nanopore after the completion of the huff-n-puff process. Like the oil recovery, the amount of CO 2 trapped inside the pore after the huff-n-puff procedure plateaus after some critical pressure. So, CO 2 huff-n-puff has two benefits — oil recovery and carbon sequestration. Our method of simulating huff-n-puff using MD can be a quick and economic supplement to the CO 2 -EOR experiments, which might benefit the development of shale oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking the settlement of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations serves as the foundation for population projection, urban planning, and policy making to achieve social justice, equity, and multicultural harmony. Drawing on census data in 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, our study contributes an Australian nationwide time-series study of the settlement of CALD populations at a fine neighbourhood level, enabling long-term tracking of changing settlement patterns and residential diversity and revealing potential drivers for such changes. Following segmented assimilation theory, we examine whether the CALD populations with higher education levels, higher socioeconomic status and better language skills may tend to partially move out and partially retain their ethnic concentrations, resulting in assimilation that occurs segmentally across urban fabrics. We find that both existing CALD communities and the formation of new CALD concentrations in peri-urban regions exhibit segmented assimilation over time. We also find the settlement patterns of CALD populations in urban areas are more diverse than in rural areas in most states/territories. Our study provides spatially explicit evidence with far-reaching policy implications for migration, place-based health, population and urban planning. • It contributes an Australian nationwide time-series study of the settlement of CALD populations. • The settlement changes of CALD populations exhibit segmented assimilation over time. • Early CALD communities and new CALD concentrations in peri-urban regions concurrently exist. • Their settlement patterns in urban areas are more diverse than in rural areas in most states. • Speaking good English and high education levels play important roles in driving settlement shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The direct evidence of Cu aggregation from ENIG substrate to interface is given. • Contribution of solder and substrate to Cu aggregation at the interface was investigated; • Drive force of Cu aggregation in thermodynamic view is clarified. Cu aggregation of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu /electroless nickel-immersion gold (ENIG) solder joints generally affect the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the interfacial region. Herein, the interfacial microstructure of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/ENIG solder joint is compared with the joints obtained with Cu-free solder or substrate to reveal the Cu contributor and its metallurgical behavior. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) were used to observe the IMCs and elemental distribution, respectively. The Gibbs free energy of the Sn-Ni-Cu system was calculated by JMatPro software. The results showed that Cu had significant aggregation in the interface. The solder is the major contributor to Cu aggregation in the interface, while the ENIG substrate also makes a minor contribution. The Cu 6 Sn 5 is then formed at the interface because of its lowest Gibbs free energy in the system. These results are of significance for subsequently controlling the interfacial microstructure and performance of joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

M50 steel is a commonly used material for aeroengine main shaft bearings. In this study, a gradient nanostructured M50 steel was fabricated by an efficient surface nanocrystallization method, i.e., ultrasonic shot peening (USP) technology. The recrystallization behavior and phase transformation of gradient nanostructured M50 steel under the athermal effect of electrical pulses were investigated. Compared with the USPed sample, the ferrite structure size was 32.5% smaller, and the structure size uniformity was 51.5% greater in the 0–50 μm region after USP treatment and electrical pulsing treatment (EPT) with 38 A/mm2–1 s. Athermally induced ferrite recrystallization by EPT accompanied with obvious precipitation of VC and Mo 2 C carbides, and decomposition of austenite occurred during ferrite structure coarsening. EPT has different responses to different depths of gradient M50 steel, and there is an optimal current density to achieve structure refinement in different depths. However, the coarse-grain tempered M50 steel did not undergo obvious ferrite structure refinement under the same EPT parameters. The results revealed that the EPT promoted static recrystallization of incompletely recrystallized structures after USP processing by activating the release of stored deformation energy. Static recrystallization under the athermal effect of EPT was achieved by promoting the migration of the subgrain boundary to absorb the surrounding dislocations and increase the misorientation between itself and the surrounding ferrite structure. The mechanism of the athermal effect of EPT was based on electron-defect interactions, such as dislocations and lattice distortions. High-density nonequilibrium grain boundaries, acting as "active sites", accelerating the process of recrystallization under the effect of electric pulses. This study proposed a method for optimizing EPT parameters through the change in instantaneous resistance to evaluate the degree of recrystallization of the gradient structure. • Locally homogenized structures was achieved by USP processing and subsequent EPT. • EPT promoted static recrystallization of incomplete dynamically recrystallized structures after USP processing. • High-density nonequilibrium grain boundaries accelerated the process of recrystallization under the effect of electric pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An unsupervised surface defect detection of aluminum sheets is proposed. • A patch-aware pseudo-siamese feature matching network is developed. • A scoring function considering multiple aspects among the samples is designed. • A dataset of defect samples captured from aluminum production lines is constructed. In the field of quality control for aluminum sheets, the presence of surface defects can greatly impact the overall product quality. Supervised machine learning methods, which necessitate a substantial quantity of expertly annotated defect samples, present limitations when faced with a limited number and lack of diversity of defect samples. To address these challenges, an unsupervised defect detection method, which utilizes a combination of bright-field and dark-field illumination, is proposed. Combined bright-field and dark-field illumination can provide more information about the surface and enhance the visibility of defects by illuminating the surface from different angles and at different levels of reflectivity. Based on the combined illumination condition, an unsupervised patch-aware feature matching network, which is inspired by the anomaly detection paradigm and only requires defect-free samples for training, is proposed in this paper. The network can extract high-resolution features from bright-field and their corresponding dark-field images simultaneously. Additionally, a well-designed scoring function that considers both intra-field and inter-field relationships is introduced to obtain more accurate anomaly scores for the score map. Moreover, artificially simulated abnormal samples are incorporated into the training phase, which assists the network in explicitly learning potential differences between normal and abnormal samples. The proposed method was thoroughly evaluated on a dataset of surface defects in aluminum sheets. The experimental results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method in defect identification and segmentation, achieving a high level of accuracy with small model size and short inference time, outperforming other neural network-based methods. The method has been implemented in a real-time machine vision system, resulting in a significant improvement in detection efficiency and product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH 3) is a vital precursor of secondary aerosols, which play an important role in urban air pollution. The passive observation of NH 3 in the urban atmosphere showed higher concentrations than conventionally believed; however, the NH 3 dynamics remain limited due to the paucity of active measurements with fast response instruments. In this study, intensive online measurements of ambient NH 3 were conducted using cavity ring-down spectroscopy in late spring and early summer 2020 at the megacities of Beijing and Shanghai in northern and southern China. The results show that the average NH 3 concentration in Beijing (23.1 ± 10.3 ppb) was nearly double that in Shanghai (12.0 ± 5.0 ppb). This spatial difference was confirmed by satellite column observations and bottom-up emission patterns. In addition, there was a significant increase in NH 3 concentrations during the morning in our study. This special diurnal profile was a universal feature, with an occurrence frequency exceeding 50% in both cities. These frequent morning increases were mainly caused by motor vehicle emissions, with an additional contribution from the residual layer breakup for one-quarter of the days in the morning increase. On these days, the NH 3 concentration increased by approximately 20% due to the downward mixing of the residual layer rupture. The unique data observed here could be used to validate the chemistry and transport models at a higher time resolution and improve the understanding of the current status of NH 3 pollution in the urban atmosphere. [Display omitted] • 1 Hz NH 3 observations were conducted at megacities of Beijing and Shanghai. • Atmospheric NH 3 concentrations in urban Beijing were double that in Shanghai. • A morning pulse of NH 3 levels was a common feature at Beijing and Shanghai. • Highly frequent morning increases of NH 3 were mainly caused by vehicle emissions. • Boundary layer rupture further enhanced the rapid increase of NH 3 in the morning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by heterogeneity of rapid-increasing 3D pavement data and the generalization ability of transfer learning, a robust and generalized framework for cross-scene 3D pavement-crack detection and attribute extraction was proposed in this paper, called profile component decomposition model with holistically nested edge detection (PCDM-HED). The core purpose of the PCDM-HED is to construct the enhanced deep edge features. By applying profile frequency, sparse characteristics of 3D profiles, and fusing the multiscale and multilevel edge characteristics of 3D depth maps in HED network, the robust enhanced feature can highlight the essential properties of cracks in heterogeneous 3D data. It overcomes the complex domain shifts caused by different 3D imaging conditions, pavement textures, and crack distributions in heterogeneous data. Cross-domain transfer experiments were carried out over seven 3D/2D datasets with 915 pavement sections. The results show that proposed PCDM-HED achieved average buffered Hausdorff scores of 90.17 to 96.42, recall scores of 0.84 to 0.91, and F-values of 0.85 to 0.89 in six different datasets without labeled samples. Compared with 9 groups of comparison results, including the traditional and related state-of-the-art methods, the transfer generalization effect of proposed PCDM-HED is more than 23% higher than that of comparison results. The proposed PCDM-HED makes full use of limited off-the-shelf samples, demonstrated strong transfer learning capability. It provides an effective solution for heterogeneous 3D pavement-crack detection tasks in engineering, in the case of limited labeled samples or even no corresponding labeled samples. • A 3D pavement crack detection with generalized transfer learning ability is proposed. • An enhanced deep edge feature is developed for heterogeneous 3D pavement data. • The PCDM-HED achieves BHS of 90.17 to 96.42 in heterogeneous without labeled samples. • The PCDM-HED demonstrates generalization ability across different 3D pavement scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrogen gas produced through the electrolysis of water using excess energy could serve as a prospective source to meet peak energy demand during certain seasons. Because of the large storage capacity and ease of accessibility, saline aquifers are a highly desirable geological storage option for hydrogen. Common challenges encountered in aquifer-based hydrogen storage systems during production include the notable lateral migration of the hydrogen plume caused by the high mobility of hydrogen, as well as the occurrence of gravity override due to the low density of hydrogen and the subsequent production of significant amounts of water during withdrawal. The proposed approach for mitigating water coning and increasing hydrogen production is a gravity-assisted-storage-extraction (GASE) protocol. This involves injecting the working hydrogen gas from the lower region of the formation and extracting it from the top region using a horizontal well. The proposed process capitalizes on the gravitational effects that facilitate the vertical migration of hydrogen, creating a gas-enriched zone within the aquifer. This results in improved hydrogen production as the lateral flow of water and hydrogen is restricted. The implementation of GASE protocol is demonstrated by numerical simulation experiment based on an actual hydrogen storage site at San Pedro belt. The results of simulations conducted on the numerical model indicate that if the GASE protocol is implemented, it has the potential to recover over 93% of the working gas, which is a 20–30% improvement compared to the data that has been previously published. The major limitation of the GASE protocol is the potential capital cost increments due to the drilling and completion of the horizontal wells, which makes it more suitable for a hydrogen storage project with long-term and sustainable hydrogen supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The effect of Ar and CO 2 shielding gas on surface formation of WS was studied. • Umbrella-shaped Fe-Al IMCs was formed on both sides of WS shielded by Ar. • It is potential to reduce Al content in welded seam shielded by CO 2. The Al-Si coating was negative to the laser welding of press-hardened steel (PHS). This study carried out the comparative analysis of the shielding gas (Pure Ar and CO 2 shielding gas) on the surface formation of welded seam. The results showed that the intermittent umbrella-shaped Fe-Al intermetallic compounds (IMCs) on both sides of the weld were presented for the Ar shielding gas, but it was disappeared for CO 2 shielding gas. The adjacent Al-Si coating on the humps of the molten pool was melted by the heat conduction of the liquid metal, and flowed into the molten pool at the gap of two humps. The reaction between Fe and Al occurred to form Fe-Al IMCs as umbrella-shaped. The CO 2 shielding gas provided a reaction opportunity with liquid Al to form the floated film on the surface of molten pool due to low Gibbs free energy, which presented particles oxides on the weld surface after solidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A series of COF membranes with tunable wettability were constructed using COF nanofibers by filtration assembly. • The membrane exhibits superior robustness and flexibility and can be easily peeled off from substrates into a self-standing membrane. • The membrane can achieve switchable separation of light oil/water, heavy oil /water, water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsion. • The membrane presents excellent stability and recyclability. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), as a kind of porous crystalline materials, have exhibited tremendous application prospects in various fields over the past few decades. Nonetheless, the employment of COFs in oil/water separation field was rarely reported. Herein, we prepared a robust and loose COF membrane using the collected COF nanofibers by filtration assembly method. The obtained COF membrane possesses unique superwettability, which endows the COF membrane with switchable transport performance. Consequently, the COF membrane can achieve the controllable and switchable separation of light oil/water mixture, heavy oil/water mixture, water-in-oil emulsion, and oil-in-water emulsion with high separation efficiency and permeance. This intelligent COF membrane with the underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic properties will greatly enrich the application field of COFs and open up new prospects for designing more novel materials in controllable free oil/water mixture separation and on-demand oil/water emulsion separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two isomorphous Ln-MOFs, Eu-PTC-DMF and Tb-PTC-DMF, were prepared by solvothermal synthesis method and characterized structurally. Photophysical property measurements reveal that both Ln-MOFs emit characteristic emissions of Ln3+ ions and possess microsecond scale emission lifetime with absolute quantum yields as high as 33.0% and 50.4%, respectively. [Display omitted] Two isomorphous Ln-MOFs with pyridine-2, 4, 6-tricarboxylic acid (H 3 PTC), Eu-PTC-DMF and Tb-PTC-DMF, were prepared by solvothermal synthesis method and characterized by IR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, and powder X-ray diffraction techniques. Single-crystal structural analyses indicate that the Ln1 and Ln2 coordination polyhedra are connected by sharing corners of polyhedra to construct 1D chain, which further form a 3D coordination framework through the connection of PTC3- ligands, and the solvent molecules of DMF and H 2 O, as the terminal ligands, are bound to polyhedra of Ln3+ ions. Investigation of the photophysical property at ambient conditions revealed that both Ln-MOFs emit characteristic luminescence of Ln3+ ions. Eu-PTC-DMF and Tb-PTC-DMF possess microsecond scale emission lifetime with absolute quantum yields as high as 33.1% and 50.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Quasi-2D Dion-Jacobson (DJ) tin halide perovskites intercalated by alkyl ligands exhibit significantly improved stability. • The calculated features of Sn-vacancy further confirm the improved stability and depressed trapping states of (PDA)Cs 2 Sn 3 I 10. • The (PDA)Cs 2 Sn 3 I 10 perovskites exhibit optimal bandgaps and improved charge transportation. • The significantly improved phase stability and conductivity have been verified by experimental results. Currently, the development of CsSnI 3 perovskite is still greatly hindered by their intrinsic deficiencies, such as their easy phase transformation. To address this issue, we theoretically constructed Dion-Jacobson (DJ) perovskites intercalated by divalent 1,5-pentamethylenediamine (PeDA2+) exhibit significantly enhanced phase stability. However, the carrier mobility is always depressed owing to the charge localization and severe lattice distortion in the presence of spacers among wafers. Thus, the alkyl ligand cations (e.g. , ethylenediamine (EDA), 1,3-propanediamine (PDA), 1,4-butanediamine (BDA)) with varying lengths as organic intercalators are examined for optimizing charge transfer. Compared with the other configures, the (PDA)Cs 2 Sn 3 I 10 exhibits the most significantly improved stability due to the enhanced chemical bonding and faintest structural distortions, as evidenced by computed the formation enthalpy. Formation energy and transition level of tin-vacancy defect further confirm the improved stability and depressed defect-trapping states. Meanwhile, 2D-(PDA)Cs 2 Sn 3 I 10 exhibit obviously increased electrical conductivity and reduced carrier effective masses, which might benefit the photoelectric conversion of solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sarcopenic Obesity (SO) model was established and validated successfully through high-fat diet in older rats. • RNA-seq analysis of muscle show that differential expressed genes (DEG) and alternative splicing events (ASE) mainly focus on inflammatory, immune-response and antigen processing and presentation. • MEF2C, as a core transcription factors that regulates skeletal muscle differentiation and growth, is found with significant alternative 3′ splice sites (A3SS) and down-regulated expression in SO. Obesity has been suggested as a risk factor for sarcopenia. Sarcopenic obesity (SO), as a new category of obesity, is a high-risk geriatric syndrome in elderly individuals. However, knowledge about the molecular pathomechanisms of SO is still sparse. In the present study, starting at 13 months, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and normal diet (ND) for 28 weeks to establish a rodent animal model of SO with an identical protocol, which was further assessed and verified as a successful SO model. Through RNA-seq analysis of gastrocnemius muscle in SO rats, we found that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and alternative splicing events (ASEs) focused mainly on inflammatory, immune-response, skeletal muscle cell differentiation, fat cell differentiation and antigen processing and presentation. Furthermore, as the core regulation factor of skeletal muscle, the mef2c (myocyte enhancer Factor 2C) gene also has a significant alternative 3′ splice site (A3SS) and down-regulated expression in HFD-induced SO. The alternative genes targeted by mef2c identified by GO analysis were enriched in transcript regulation of RNA polymerase II promoter. In conclusion, these explorative findings in aging high-fat-fed rats might serve as a firm starting point for understanding the pathway and mechanism of sarcopenic obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehend the biosynthesis processes of conifers, it is essential to investigate the disparity between the cell wall shape and the interior chemical structures of polymers throughout the development of Chinese pine. In this study, branches of mature Chinese pine were separated according to their growth time (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 years). The variation of cell wall morphology and lignin distribution was comprehensively monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal Raman microscopy (CRM), respectively. Moreover, the chemical structures of lignin and alkali-extracted hemicelluloses were extensively characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The thickness of latewood cell walls increased steadily from 1.29 μm to 3.38 μm, and the structure of the cell wall components became more complicated as the growth time increased. Based on the structural analysis, it was found that the content of β- O -4 (39.88–45.44/100 Ar), β-β (3.20–10.02/100 Ar) and β-5 (8.09–15.35/100 Ar) linkages as well as the degree of polymerization of lignin increased with the growth time. The complication propensity increased significantly over 6 years before slowing to a trickle over 8 and 10 years. Furthermore, alkali-extracted hemicelluloses of Chinese pine mainly consist of galactoglucomannans and arabinoglucuronxylan, in which the relative content of galactoglucomannans increased with the growth of the pine, especially from 6 to 10 years. • The Chinese pine branches were systematically revealed. • The thickness of cell wall was enhanced gradually in late wood. • The lignin macromolecule polymerized gradually with Chinese pine growth. • The alkali-extracted hemicelluloses mainly consist of galactoglucomannans and arabinoglucuronxylan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with unique physical and chemical properties are composed of metal ions/clusters and organic ligands, including high porosity, large specific surface area, tunable structure and functionality, which have been widely used in chemical sensing, environmental remediation, and other fields. Organic ligands have a significant impact on the performance of MOFs. Selecting appropriate types, quantities and properties of ligands can well improve the overall performance of MOFs, which is one of the critical issues in the synthesis of MOFs. This article provides a comprehensive review of ligand design strategies for functional MOFs from the number of different types of organic ligands. Single-, dual- and multi-ligand design strategies are systematically presented. The latest advances of these functional MOFs in environmental applications, including pollutant sensing, pollutant separation, and pollutant degradation are further expounded. Furthermore, an outlook section of providing some insights on the future research problems and prospects of functional MOFs is highlighted with the purpose of conquering current restrictions by exploring more innovative approaches. [Display omitted] • Three ligand design strategies for functional MOFs are systematically presented. • The recent advances of functional MOFs in environmental applications are presented. • The mechanisms of functional MOFs in environmental applications are discussed. • Problems and challenges of functional MOFs by ligand design in future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have an unparalleled specific capacity, the notorious shuttle effect, and slow reaction kinetics severely inhibit their development. Herein, a composite composed of ZnSe nanoparticles with a nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon shell uniformly dispersed in reduced graphene oxide (ZnSe/NC@rGO) is designed as a separator modifier for Li-S batteries. The underlying mechanism of the ZnSe/NC@rGO modified separator is confirmed by both systemic electrochemical characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Graphene as a highly conductive skeleton promotes electrical conductivity, while N-doping provides additional adsorption sites for the immobilization of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Moreover, the polar ZnSe has good chemical adsorption capabilities for LiPSs and could lower the decomposition energy barrier of Li 2 S, which effectively facilitates the catalytic conversion of polysulfides. In addition, the separator modifier is beneficial to the uniform deposition of lithium. Thus, the delicate catalyst can effectively suppress the shuttle effect and accelerate the redox reaction kinetics during the charging and discharging processes. When used as a separator modifier of Li-S batteries, ZnSe/NC@rGO delivers enhanced electrochemical performance, including a high capacity (1057 mAh g–1 at 0.2 C after 100 cycles) and excellent rate performance of 685 mAh g–1 at 3 C. The negligible capacity decay per cycle within 900 cycles at 1 C is as low as 0.043%. These findings not only provide a feasible method for boosting the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries but also reveal that transition metal selenides have potential in energy storage as electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy harvesting based on salinity gradients between oceans and rivers can provide a clean, stable, and continuous electric output. However, it is highly dependent on the excellent performance of biomimetic ion-selective membranes. The graphene oxide (GO) membrane, as a 2D material-based layered-structure membrane, offers the possibility of efficient salinity gradient energy conversion. However, unstable stratification in aqueous solutions and the limited number of charged functional groups make practical applications difficult. A conventional symmetric structure will also reduce the effective salinity gradient owing to ion enrichment on the low-concentration side. In this study, we pre-modified GO to create an asymmetric ion-selective membrane with opposing charges. Hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) as surface charge donors and crosslinkers stabilise the interlayer spacing of GO and increase charge density, achieving up to 3.4 W/m2 power density under sea water and river water. Furthermore, theoretical calculations show that membranes with asymmetric structure and opposite charges can eliminate the effect of ion enrichment on the low-concentration side, thereby avoiding power consumption. This system contributes to a further step toward the application of salinity energy conversion. • Graphene oxide/polymer asymmetric membrane for salinity gradient energy conversion. • The membrane with asymmetric structure and charges prepared from simple strategy. • A power density of 3.4 W/m2 was achieved under sea water and river water. • The membrane performed over a broad pH range and with complex electrolyte solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving efficient fractionation and tailored downstream high value-added applications of bulk industrial waste biomass could guarantee the sustainability of biorefinery strategies. A synergistic and mild alkaline deep eutectic solvent‑hydrogen peroxide (DES-HP) pretreatment was designed in this study to significantly reduce pretreatment costs while achieving efficient fractionation of industrial xylose residues for preparing high antioxidative lignin and high enzymatic digestion of cellulose substrates for subsequent bioenergy and biochemicals production. The results demonstrated that this DES-HP pretreatment had admirable biomass deconstruction ability and the obtained DES-HP lignin displayed well-preserved structures and excellent antioxidative properties, which facilitated downstream catalytic degradation as well as the production of lignin-based materials and chemicals. Under the optimal condition (60 °C, 2 h, 10 FPU/g), the fermentable glucose yield of the DES-HP pretreated substrate could achieve 95.89%. In conclusion, this synergistic DES-HP is an ideal pretreatment strategy for the current tailored biorefinery scenario of industrial lignocellulosic biomass. [Display omitted] • Synergistic DES-H 2 O 2 pretreatment was developed for fractionation of xylose residue. • The precipitation of DES-HP lignin was achieved by injecting CO 2. • The DES-HP lignin had well-preserved structure with high antioxidant activity. • The excellent delignification (97.1%) was achieved by synergistic DES-HP pretreatment. • The highest glucose yield (95.9%) had been achieved under the mild condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel method for selectively embellishing GB of solid alloys is presented. • GBPs of Al7075 alloys occur dissolution and coarsening concurrently by EST. • Stripy/wavy GBs are more commonly observed in EST sample. • EST enhances corrosion resistance of Al7075 alloys by embellishing GB. A novel electromagnetic shock treatment (EST) is put forward to selectively modify grain boundary (GB) microstructures and further improve corrosion resistance of T73-Al7075 alloys. Electrochemical tests and GB microstructure characterization by TEM (HRTEM) are conducted. The results show that EST with appropriate electromagnetic pulse energy being utilized can modify GB microstructure and enhance the corrosion resistance of T73-Al7075 alloy. In EST sample, GB precipitates (GBPs) dissolve and coarsen simultaneously, and stripy/wavy GBs with nanometer scale are more commonly observed which indicates that GBs relax within nanometer scale and even promote nonlinear grain bridging. The transformation of GBPs as well as the transition of GB complexions improve the corrosion resistance of EST sample. This provides a promising method to selectively modify GB microstructure instantaneously and improve related properties of solid alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) is vital to prevent and control systemical financial risk. Recently, network-based methods have been widely used to identify SIFIs by considering the complex relationship of financial institutions. However, most existing network-based methodologies typically use a single measure. In this study, we first identify SIFIs from three different perspectives, including the market value of financial institutions, the correlation between financial institutions, and the risk spillover between financial institutions. Then, we first employ the stock price volatility and investor sentiment data to form a multiplex financial network with four layers based on variance decompositions and correlation-based methods. Moreover, by incorporating features of the multiplex financial network and institutions' market value, we identify SIFIs with technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). Furthermore, we conduct an empirical analysis of the Chinese financial market from 2016 to 2020. The results indicate that national commercial banks and Internet financial securities play an essential role in the Chinese financial system during the period, while insurances are not sensitive to price volatility and investors' sentiment. Compared with existing methods, the proposed approach is valid to identify SIFIs from multiple perspectives, which can be generalized to other regional financial markets for identifying SIFIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]