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The inverse analysis of the deformation moduli of high arch dams based on displacement monitoring data is essential for structural safety assessment. In traditional inverse analysis methods, the deformation moduli are identified based on the single‐objective optimization and the hydrostatic component derived from the statistical model. This type of method has two main shortcomings: First, it treats the essential multi‐objective optimization problem as a single‐objective problem; second, the extracted hydrostatic component may be biased due to the multicollinearity of variables in the statistical model. This paper presents a methodology for the inverse analysis of the deformation moduli of high arch dams under a multi‐objective optimization strategy. The methodology employs empirical mode decomposition to extract the aging component from displacement monitoring data. Then, thermomechanical analysis is used to reconstruct the remaining hydrostatic and temperature components, thereby avoiding the biases encountered in solving the statistical model. The adaptive polynomial chaos expansion method is embedded in the NSGA‐III algorithm to establish and solve multi‐objective functions in the inverse analysis. Additionally, a composite decision index considering errors and test information is proposed to determine acceptable deformation moduli from the Pareto solution set. A high arch dam is selected to illustrate this methodology with static and dynamic monitoring data. The results show that the identified deformation moduli have errors of 3.8% and 7.2% in displacement and acceleration, respectively. The proposed methodology can yield deformation modulus values that are more consistent with the physical implications than those of the single‐objective optimization method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fourth-order governing equation of Euler-Bernoulli beams necessitates the employment of C1 Hermite shape functions in finite element analysis. However, unlike the C0 finite element shape functions that can be easily formulated as Lagrangian polynomials in a unified manner, the Hermite shape functions of Euler-Bernoulli beam elements are usually constructed case by case. In this work, a simple and unified meshfree path is proposed to develop arbitrary order Hermite shape functions of Euler-Bernoulli beam elements. This approach is realized by proving that the Hermite reproducing kernel meshfree shape functions degenerate to the interpolatory Hermite finite element shape functions under a proper choice of support sizes. The proposed approach provides an explicit formalism for Hermite finite element shape functions, which enables an easy construction of arbitrary order Hermite beam elements. Accordingly, in addition to the conventional cubic Hermite beam elements, explicit shape functions, mass and stiffness matrices for quintic and septic Hermite beam elements are presented. Meanwhile, the frequency errors and general higher order mass matrix formulation for these Hermite beam elements are elaborated as well. These theoretical results are consistently demonstrated by numerical examples with respect to both static and free vibration analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of three different alkalis, namely ammonia (NH4OH), ethylenediamine (EDA), and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) on the stability of colloidal silica, with pH controlled within the range of 8–11. As a result, NH4OH greatly promotes the stability of silica sol at first due to the strong solvation ability of NH4+ and then the stability begins to decrease because the electric double layer of silica is compressed. The addition of EDA into silica system leads to a reduction in the stability evidently followed by a slight increase, which can be explained by the cationic bridging effect of the ethylenediammonium cations. Meanwhile, the effect of TBAOH on silica dispersion is analogous to EDA, mainly caused by the hydrophobic and steric effects. The abovementioned relevant stability mechanisms are involved in non-DLVO theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cholesterol (CHO) is an essential component of the body. However, high CHO levels in the body can damage bone mass and promote osteoporosis. CHO accumulation can cause osteoblast apoptosis, which has a negative effect on bone formation. The pathogenesis of osteoporosis is a complicate process that includes oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and inflammation. Geniposide (GEN) is a natural compound with anti-osteoporotic effect. However, the roles of GEN in osteopathogenesis are still unclear. Our previous studies demonstrated that GEN could reduce the accumulation of CHO in osteoblasts and the activation of ER stress in osteoblasts. However, the molecular mechanism of GEN in inhibiting CHO-induced apoptosis in osteoblasts needs to be further investigated. Methods: MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with osteogenic induction medium (OIM). Ethanol-solubilized cholesterol (100 µM) was used as a stimulator, and 10 µM and 25 µM geniposide was added for treatment. The alterations of protein expression were detected by western blot, and the cell apoptosis was analyzed by a flow cytometer. Results: CHO promoted osteoblast apoptosis by activating ER stress in osteoblasts, while GEN alleviated the activation of ER stress and reduced osteoblast apoptosis by activating the GLP-1R/ABCA1 pathway. Inhibition of ABCA1 or GLP-1R could eliminate the protective activity of GEN against CHO-induced ER stress and osteoblast apoptosis. Conclusion: GEN alleviated CHO-induced ER stress and apoptosis in osteoblasts by mediating the GLP-1R/ABCA1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are increasingly recognized as the forefront contenders for the next generation of advanced secondary batteries. The quest for suitable anode materials to enhance the performance of SIBs and PIBs remains a critical challenge. Recently, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have emerged as a significant area of research due to the high porosity, high surface area, and controllable morphology. The application of various post-treatment methods has shown that ZIF derivatives can effectively address the inherent low electronic conductivity of pristine ZIFs. This article provides a thorough review of the recent advancements in ZIFs, encompassing a range of processes for preparing ZIF derivatives and their applications in anode materials for SIBs and PIBs. Moreover, it offers a visionary outlook on future research directions for ZIFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) beam structures with regular oriented steel fibers are designed and prepared by using an assembled solenoid device. Fiber orientation is not arranged in a single direction but is similar to the direction of tensile stress of the beam in bending load conditions. With application of inductive test method and image processing technology, fiber orientation coefficient of SFRC was evaluated and increased from 0.5 to 0.7–0.8 after fiber alignment. To describe and analyze the flexural behavior of SFRC beams with regular oriented fibers and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars, 14 concrete beams with different parameters were fabricated and subjected to a four-point bending test. Specifically, the parameters included fiber content, fiber orientation, GFRP reinforcement ratio and different layer sections. The results showed that optimizing fiber orientations to the tension zone of the section led to a higher flexural strength and can well restrain the development of crack widths with comparison to randomly distributed fibers. The peak load and energy absorption increased by 7 % and 12.4 % after fiber alignment with a fiber volume fraction of 1.5 %. The combination of randomly and regularly distributed steel fibers in the form of two-layer composite members can be an efficient solution to improve the flexural performance for purpose of the optimum distribution and direction of steel fibers, and reduce the engineering cost. • A magnetic orientation device is designed for SFRC beams with regular oriented fibers. • Fibers had well arrangements with high fiber orientation coefficient. • A flexural test of the ASFRC beams was conducted and investigated. • ASFRC improved the first cracking load and initial stiffness of beams. • The experimental results indicated great flexural performance after aligning fibers to the tension zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable reliability analysis of dams is a challenging topic in geotechnical engineering safety. Because there are more complex system failure modes and high-dimensional parameters in large solid structures, it is difficult to calculate failure probability efficiently and accurately using general reliability analysis methods. Most methods suffer from complex iterative processes and the curse of dimensionality. In this study, an improved importance sampling method based on multi-objective optimization is proposed and applied to reliability analysis for dam sliding. The optimization function is constructed from the limit state surface and the original probability density. The optimal sampling center is selected from the optimization results by considering the dominant performance function as well as the coefficient of variation of the weight function. Four numerical examples and a case study of the sliding stability of a gravity dam demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method is not sensitive to the specific multi-objective optimization algorithm used. Simulations using multiple sampling centers perform better overall than simulations using a single sampling center. In particular, the proposed method remains applicable to parallel systems with 20 high-dimensional parameters that are virtually immune to the curse of dimensionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Seepage failure probability of high core rockfill dams during RDD is investigated. • The randomness of the parameters is estimated by Bayesian inference. • Seepage failure is most likely to occur in the mid-term of RDD. Rapid drawdown (RDD) is an abnormal reservoir flood control operation that may cause seepage failure of high core rockfill dams. In this paper, a novel framework combining Bayesian inference and transient unsaturated seepage simulation is proposed to evaluate the seepage failure probability of the core during RDD. The dynamic hydraulic boundaries utilized in the simulation are first determined by the performance of water release structures. The extreme learning machine (ELM) is then employed as the surrogate model to establish the mapping relationship between material parameters with simulated seepage pressure and hydraulic gradient. The Bayesian inference method is applied to characterize the uncertainty of material parameters based on seepage monitoring data. Finally, the posterior distribution samples of random parameters are utilized to calculate the seepage failure probability of the core. The seepage safety of the core under different drawdown rates is studied with a real 186 m high core rockfill dam. The results reveal that a faster RDD rate can lead to an increased probability of seepage failure. The maximum failure probability is 35.56 % for the four release structures working together (about 0.316 m/h), higher than 23.16 % for the three release structures (about 0.165 m/h). It is also found that the peak of seepage failure probability often occurs in the middle stage of RDD. Therefore, to ensure the safety of the project, it is important to control the RDD rate and carefully monitor the seepage pressure. From the point of view of seepage failure, the proposed method for evaluating the safety of core rockfill dams under RDD is of high guiding significance to the risk assessment of similar projects under extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and utilization of wind energy can help promote the carbon neutrality. Condition monitoring and fault diagnosis based on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) can effectively improve wind turbine reliability and reduce operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. However, the complex data characteristics (e.g., time-varying and distribution-free) make it difficult to use a unified model to comprehensively evaluate the turbine state. To finely detect and analyze the turbine faulty mode, a hierarchical condition monitoring and fault diagnosis (CMFD) method is proposed, which consists of variable-level and turbine-level. First, the SCADA data is divided into two blocks: the nonstationary part with time-varying distribution, and the stationary part with time-invariant but non-Gaussian distribution. At the variable-level, this paper proposed a local monitoring unit based on sparse cointegration analysis (SCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) to detect faulty samples of different variable blocks. And the fault-related variables are isolated based on the proposed distributed reconstruction. At the turbine-level, the evaluation results from variable-level are fused: on the one hand, Bayesian inference is used to integrate monitoring statistics of stationary and nonstationary parts to comprehensively evaluate the operational state of the turbine; on the other hand, the root fault subsystem is deduced from the fault-related variables isolated from the two parts based on Gaussian process regression. The proposed method is applied in the operation and maintenance of a real wind farm, and the performance advantages are verified by the comparison with popular benchmarks. • An innovative hierarchical CMFD strategy for wind turbines is proposed which consists of variable-level and turbine-level methods. • At the variable-level, the monitoring and isolated methods are proposed based on SCA and ICA. • At the turbine-level, Bayesian inference is used to integrate variable-level monitoring results, and the root faulty subsystem is deduced based on Gaussian process regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The failure mode is a dominant factor of mechanical performance of braided composite tube subjected to axial compression. The failure mode was modified by tailoring stack-up sequence of composite tubes hybridized by bi/tri-axial braided laminate. The thermal photographing and micro-CT scanning methods were employed to monitor the in-situ damage progression and post-mortem specimen, respectively. The results show that the delamination was easy to be induced at the interface nearby tri-axial braided laminate. It attributes to the combination between the crack caused by local buckling of the axial yarns and the crack caused by shear deformation of braiding yarns. By the illumination of this behavior, delamination is controlled to occur at the different position along thickness direction of braided tube by adjusting the stacking sequence of braided laminates. When delamination position transfer from the inner/outer sides to the middle of tube wall, the failure mode transfer from the progressive folding to splaying, which increase the specific energy absorption by 45.77%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The interface and hollow structure synergistic regulation strategy is proposed to solve the limited active sites of Co 3 O 4. • The charge rearrangement at heterointerface could improve the catalytic activity of nanozymes. • The hollow nanocube structure could increase specific surface area and provide rich active sites. • This work provides a novel method for the rapid and sensitive detection of AA. The development of oxidase mimic with favorable catalytic activity is of great significance for the rapid and convenient detection of ascorbic acid (AA). Herein, in this work, a synergistic regulation strategy of heterogeneous interface and hollow structure is proposed to effectively solve the problem of limited active sites obtained with Co 3 O 4. The charge rearrangement at heterointerface could improve the catalytic activity of oxidase mimic. Moreover, the hollow nanocubes structure could increase specific surface area and provide rich active sites. As a result, the target material possesses enhanced oxidase-like catalytic activity and desirable stability compared to bare Co 3 O 4 and MnO 2 , which also catalyze the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to form a blue product (ox-TMB) even without hydrogen peroxide. Ox-TMB is reduced to TMB owing to the strong reducibility of AA, which represents a decrease in absorbance at 652 nm and a colorless solution. Moreover, an efficient biosensing method for the detection of AA is developed. The relative absorbance (∆A) of the sensing platform is linearly related to the concentration of AA in the range of 0–200 μM, and the detection limit is 0.11 μM. This work provides a novel method for the rapid, cost-effective and sensitive detection of AA, and possesses a wide range of potential application value. A synergistic regulation strategy of heterogeneous interface and hollow structure is proposed to effectively solve the problem of limited active sites obtained with Co 3 O 4. This work provides a novel method for the rapid, cost-effective and sensitive detection of AA, and possesses a wide range of potential application value. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact response of carbon/glass intralaminar hybrid braided pipes was studied. • Impact behaviors of hybrid pipes with and without internal pressure were compared. • The damage extension mechanisms were analyzed by micro-CT 3D damage reconstruction. • Ductile and brittle hybrid fibers restrict each other and promote impact resistance. • The hybrid fiber layout and the internal pressure had a synergistic effect. This study investigated the low-velocity impact behaviors of intralaminar hybrid carbon/glass braided composite pipes under internal pressure. The effects of intralaminar fiber layout and internal pressure on the mechanical responses, damage extension, and material cost-effectiveness were analyzed. The internal damage distribution of composite pipes with different hybrid fiber alternating numbers but identical mix ratios was evaluated through Micro-CT three-dimensional damage reconstructions. The yarn splitting of brittle carbon fiber materials was mutually prevented by the induction of intra-yarn debonding and delamination damages by hybridization with ductile glass fiber materials, which were prone to produce out-of-plane displacement and shear stresses under impact loading. A smaller hybrid fiber alternating unit was conducive to exploiting the hybrid impact toughening effect by avoiding pure reinforced fiber materials aggregated under the impactor. Internal pressure had a supporting effect on the composite pipe and was effectively synergistic with the hybridization effect. The change in the dominant damage mode resulted in significant reductions in impact deformation and damage severity compared to the unpressurized case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase high-entropy perovskite ceramics (Ln 0.2 Gd 0.2 La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2)MnO 3 (Ln-GLNSMO HEPCs) have been synthesized using solid-state reactions. The effect of A-site rare-earth ions (Ln = Eu, Ho, Yb) on the structure and magnetic properties was systematically investigated. The results show that all samples are orthorhombic phases (with a space group of Pbnm) and exhibit a strong crystallization trend sintered at 1300 °C for 16 h. All the HEPCs are composed of irregular spherical particles with smooth surfaces and show obvious hysteresis effects at T = 5 K. The changing Mn–O bond distance, Mn–O–Mn bond angle and the increase of Mn4+ ion concentration enhance the double exchange effect of Mn3+-O2--Mn4+, leading to different magnetic interactions. The residual magnetization M r (coercivity H c) of the samples is significantly enhanced, which is increasing from 0.13 emu/g (16.34 Oe) to 3.17 emu/g (97.07 Oe) due to the increase of configuration entropy, lattice distortion and the double exchange effect (DE). In addition, there is a strong relationship between the magnetic properties and the average radius of the A-site ions, in which Ho-GLNSMO HEPCs have a high M s magnetism. This work is a valuable reference for the magnetic regulation of high-entropy ceramics based on rare-earth and entropy-stabilized perovskite types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) and CD8 + T-cells are potential prognostic indicators for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We established a novel scoring system for evaluating the risk for PDAC based on TLS- and CD8 + T-cell-related genes. Methods: We analyzed single-cell sequence data from PDAC patients in the Genome Sequence Archive. Bioinformatics and machine algorithms established and validated a scoring method (T-C score) based on PDAC survival-related genes highly expressed in TLSs and CD8 + T-cells. Patients were stratified into the low- and high-T-C score groups. Differences in survival, pathway enrichment, mutation status, immune cell infiltration, expression of immune checkpoint-associated genes, tumor stemness, and response to antitumor therapy were compared through computer simulation methods. Results: Overall survival differed significantly between the training and validation cohorts’ low- and high-T-C score groups. The low-T-C score group correlated with lower tumor mutation burden and lower levels of tumor stemness compared with the high-T-C score group. Patients with lower T-C scores exhibited advantages in immunotherapeutic responses and might be more sensitive to the chemotherapeutic regimen and multi-kinase inhibitors. Conclusion: The T-C score could serve as an effective model for predicting the survival and therapeutic responses of patients with PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention requires early detection and removal of adenomas. We aimed to develop a computational model for real-time detection and classification of colorectal adenoma. Computationally constrained background based on real-time detection, we propose an improved adaptive lightweight ensemble model for real-time detection and classification of adenomas and other polyps. Firstly, we devised an adaptive lightweight network modification and effective training strategy to diminish the computational requirements for real-time detection. Secondly, by integrating the adaptive lightweight YOLOv4 with the single shot multibox detector network, we established the adaptive small object detection ensemble (ASODE) model, which enhances the precision of detecting target polyps without significantly increasing the model's memory footprint. We conducted simulated training using clinical colonoscopy images and videos to validate the method's performance, extracting features from 1148 polyps and employing a confidence threshold of 0.5 to filter out low-confidence sample predictions. Finally, compared to state-of-the-art models, our ASODE model demonstrated superior performance. In the test set, the sensitivity of images and videos reached 87.96% and 92.31%, respectively. Additionally, the ASODE model achieved an accuracy of 92.70% for adenoma detection with a false positive rate of 8.18%. Training results indicate the effectiveness of our method in classifying small polyps. Our model exhibits remarkable performance in real-time detection of colorectal adenomas, serving as a reliable tool for assisting endoscopists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nHIGHLIGHTSCFRP laminates are commonly used in aircraft structures due to their high structural efficiency. The phenomenon-based failures of CFRP laminates have poor predictability for the complex failure process with buckling and matrix fractures. This work carried out seven shear tests of CFRP laminates. It also attempts to reveal its failure characteristic points by directly modeling the measured strain data based on the relative deformation distribution catastrophe. The failure characteristic points are revealed by constructing the stressing state modes/parameters and applying the clustering analysis criterion, whose accuracy can be verified by comparing the shear failure characteristic points of nondestructive/impacted CFRP laminates.Conduct 7 nondestructive/impacted CFRP laminates shear tests.Construct the modes and characteristic parameters characterizing the shear-stressing state of CFRP laminates.Applying clustering analysis criterion to reveal the characteristic loads of CFRP laminates.Verify the accuracy and robustness of the characteristic loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of patients increases, physicians are dealing with more and more cases of degenerative spine pathologies on a daily basis. To reduce the workload of healthcare professionals, we propose a modified Swin-UNet network model. Firstly, the Swin Transformer Blocks are improved using a residual post-normalization and scaling cosine attention mechanism, which makes the training process of the model more stable and improves the accuracy. Secondly, we use the log-space continuous position biasing method instead of the bicubic interpolation position biasing method. This method solves the problem of performance loss caused by the large difference between the resolution of the pretraining image and the resolution of the spine image. Finally, we introduce a segmentation smooth module (SSM) at the decoder stage. The SSM effectively reduces redundancy, and enhances the segmentation edge processing to improve the model’s segmentation accuracy. To validate the proposed method, we conducted experiments on a real dataset provided by hospitals. The average segmentation accuracy is no less than 95%. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the original model and other models of the same type in segmenting the spinous processes of the vertebrae and the posterior arch of the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Damage to the testis following exposure to ionizing radiation has become an urgent problem to be solved. Here we have investigated if inhibition of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) signalling could alleviate radiation‐induced testicular damage. Experimental Approach: In mice exposed to whole body radiation (2‐6 Gy), morphological changes of the epididymis and testis was measured by histochemical staining. immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence procedures and western blotting were used to monitor expression and cellular location of proteins. Expression of genes was assessed by qPCR and RNA‐Seq was used to profile gene expression. Key Results: Exposure to ionizing radiation induced dose‐dependent damage to mouse testis. The sperm quality decreased at 6 and 8 weeks after 6 Gy X‐ray radiation. Radiation decreased PLZF+ cells and increased SOX9+ cells, and affected the expression of 969 genes, compared with data from non‐irradiated mice. Expression of genes related to p38MAPK were enriched by GO analysis and were increased in the irradiated testis, and confirmed by qPCR. Levels of phospho‐p38MAPK protein increased at 28 days after irradiation. In irradiated mice, SB203580 treatment increased spermatozoa, SOX9+ cells, the area and diameter of seminiferous tubules, sperm movement rate and density. Furthermore, SB203580 treatment increased SCP3+ cells, accelerating the process of spermatogenesis. Conclusion and Implications: Exposure to ionizing radiation clearly changed gene expression in mouse testis, involving activation of p38MAPK signalling pathways. Inhibition of p38MAPK by SB203580 partly alleviated the testicular damage caused by radiation and accelerated the recovery of sperms through promoting spermatogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable design of specific interface structures and optimization of electron transfer between the various active sites is considered an effective approach to upgrade oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetic performance. Herein, a Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 @FeOOH (CoFNiFe) core–shell heterostructure electrode is designed with nickel foam (NF) as the supporting material through a hydrothermal technique and rapid interface method. The OER electrocatalytic results demonstrate that the overpotential of the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 @FeOOH/NF (CoFNiFe/NF) electrocatalyst sustaining 100 mA cm−2 is 289 mV, indicating the excellent OER electrocatalytic performance of the CoFNiFe heterojunction. Moreover, the OER performance is upgraded through the reduction of the energy barrier in the electrocatalytic experiment, which is caused by interfacial electron transfer from Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (CoFNi) to FeOOH at the nanointerface. The introduction of F− and the formation of FeOOH/CoOOH/NiOOH heterointerfaces supply more descendent active sites, further improving the OER electrocatalytic behaviour. This research provides a feasible approach to develop highly efficient electrocatalysts by designing core–shell heterostructures to modulate the electronic structure of the nanointerface. CoFNiFe/NF core–shell heterostructure exhibit outstanding OER activity and stability due to the heterointerfacial electronic regulation, improving electrocatalytic performance. [Display omitted] • Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 @FeOOH/NF core-shell heterostructure electrocatalyst was constructed. • Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 @FeOOH/NF displayed the excellent OER performance in 1 M KOH. • Strong electronic transfer promoted intrinsic activity of electrocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ high-entropy fluorite oxides (HEFOs) were successfully prepared by conventional solid-phase reaction method and crystal structure and microstructure were studied in-depth. Single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ is formed at 1600 °C for 12 h, and five cationic elements are uniformly distributed without any segregation at the micrometer and nanometer scales. And the XRD patterns with Rietveld refinement reveal the formation of single-phase fluorite structure of (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ. The SAED patterns on the [0 1 ‾ 1] band axes are similar to the diffraction patterns of face-centered cubic fluorite structure, and the standard deviation of the cation radius (coordination VIII) distribution of the specimens is 0.1277, which is again identified as forming a single-phase fluorite structure. The bulk specimens are solid compacts free of obvious cracks with randomly distribution porosity at a rare level, and the powder specimens are irregular fragmented shapes with an average particles size of 5.41 μm. The average cation radius and interplanar spacings becomes larger compared with standard fluorite structure of CeO 2 due to the cation radius of La3+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ are larger than that of Ce4+, leading to an increase in lattice parameters of the HEFOs. In addition, the concentration of Ce3+ in the Ce cation is only 8.1 %, and the δ -value is calculated to be 0.3081 based on the content of all cations per mole of the substance, which indicates that the composition of the prepared specimen is (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 1.6919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ high-entropy fluorite oxides (HEFOs) were successfully prepared by conventional solid-phase reaction method and crystal structure and microstructure were studied in-depth. Single-phase (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ is formed at 1600 °C for 12 h, and five cationic elements are uniformly distributed without any segregation at the micrometer and nanometer scales. And the XRD patterns with Rietveld refinement reveal the formation of single-phase fluorite structure of (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 2-δ. The SAED patterns on the [0 1 ‾ 1] band axes are similar to the diffraction patterns of face-centered cubic fluorite structure, and the standard deviation of the cation radius (coordination VIII) distribution of the specimens is 0.1277, which is again identified as forming a single-phase fluorite structure. The bulk specimens are solid compacts free of obvious cracks with randomly distribution porosity at a rare level, and the powder specimens are irregular fragmented shapes with an average particles size of 5.41 μm. The average cation radius and interplanar spacings becomes larger compared with standard fluorite structure of CeO 2 due to the cation radius of La3+, Sm3+ and Nd3+ are larger than that of Ce4+, leading to an increase in lattice parameters of the HEFOs. In addition, the concentration of Ce3+ in the Ce cation is only 8.1 %, and the δ -value is calculated to be 0.3081 based on the content of all cations per mole of the substance, which indicates that the composition of the prepared specimen is (Ce 0.2 Zr 0.2 La 0.2 Sm 0.2 Nd 0.2)O 1.6919. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulation is a key means to evaluate the forming performance of 3D woven preforms (3DWPs). However, the macroscopic continuous model of 3DWPs cannot predict the orientation and deformation of yarns, while the microscopic discrete model is unsuitable for large-size samples forming simulation due to computational constraints. A novel mesoscopic hybrid element yarn model is thus proposed to establish a large-size 3D woven virtual yarn preform (VYP) model and the L-shaped virtual forming simulation model. The L-shaped forming experiment of the 3DWP is designed and executed, and the accuracy of the numerical simulation models is verified from three aspects: the mechanical curve, the sample's macroscopic morphology, and the local meso -structure features. Subsequently, the deformation behavior of the yarn structure inside the 3DWP during the L-shaped forming process is analyzed by combining experimental and simulation results. Furthermore, the effects of the L-shaped angle and chamfer radius on the deformation behavior of the 3DWP are studied, which helps guide the structural design of 3DWPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GLNSYMnO 3 has a single-phase orthorhombic perovskite structure sintered at 1250 °C. • The high configurational entropy drives the structural stability of GLNSYMnO 3 even at temperatures below T C. • GLNSYMnO 3 has good magnetism due to the lattice distortion and double-exchange. • GLNSYMnO 3 is a second-order magnetic phase transition material with potential applications in magnetic storage. Rare-earth transition element high-entropy perovskite ceramics (HEPCs) (Gd 0.2 La 0.2 Nd 0.2 Sm 0.2 Y 0.2)MnO 3 (GLNSYMnO 3) were prepared by using a solid-state reaction method, and the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the GLNSYMnO 3 were studied. The crystalline structure of GLNSYMnO 3 is a smooth surface and similar to "cashews" tubular particles, and a single-phase orthorhombic (Pbnm Space group) perovskite without impurities is confirmed when the sintered temperature reaches or exceeds 1250 °C by the analysis of phase composition and microstructures. Magnetic measurements indicate that GLNSYMnO 3 HEPCs have low Curie temperature (T C = 61 K), but they exhibit a good magnetism by comparison with other high-entropy ceramics, which is caused by the lattice distortion and exchange interactions between high concentrations of Mn3+ (92.4 %) and non-magnetic oxygen ions, promoting the movement of circulating electrons. GLNSYMnO 3 HEPCs did not undergo a phase transition below T C due to high configurational entropy driving structural stability. In addition, GLNSYMnO 3 HEPCs undergo a second-order magnetic phase transition from isothermal magnetization curves and Arrot curves, which have potential applications in magnetic storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I-section carbon fiber reinforced polymer (I-CFRP) laminates are widely used as hatch and cargo doors of wide-body airliners. However, estimating the loading capacity of I-CFRP laminates has always been empirically dependent since there is no uniform failure criterion for composite materials. This study attempts to reveal the failure characteristic points of I-CFRP laminates from a thermodynamic perspective. First, the test strain data can be modeled as state variables, thus equating the loaded engineering structure to a thermodynamic system. Based on the relation of state variables, matrices (Modes) and Hamiltonians (Characteristic parameters) that characterize the overall stressing state evolution of the specimen can be established. Integrating the Hamiltonians of each part into the whole is similar to the group representation and renormalization of Wilson's phase transition theory. Applying the clustering analysis (CA) criterion in combination with the bifurcation and transition of the mode and characteristic parameter curves reveals the phase transformation loads of the specimen. The accuracy and stability can be verified for the phase transition loads before and after the renormalization transformation. In conclusion, this study reveals the deformation-failure law of I-CFRP laminates from the thermodynamic perspective, which provides a new reference and method for the design of composite laminates. [Display omitted] • Eleven I-CFRP laminates axial compression tests were conducted. • Modeling the behavior of I-CFRP laminates from a thermodynamic perspective. • Propose a matrix representation (Mode) and Hamiltonian (Characteristic parameter) of the I-CFRP laminates' stressing state. • Reveal the phase transition point of I-CFRP laminates: EPB and FS points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by complex clinical symptoms and multi-organ damage. One of the most prevalent complications of SLE is lupus nephritis (LN). Rutin, a natural flavonoid compound found in various plants used in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and renal protective effects. In our study, we treated MRL/lpr mice, a model known for spontaneously developing LN, with Rutin. Our findings reveal that Rutin markedly reduced serum cytokine and autoantibody levels and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in renal tissues, thereby ameliorating kidney pathology. In vitro experiments indicated that Rutin's therapeutic effect on LN is linked to its significant reduction of oxidative stress in T cells. Further investigations suggest that Rutin enhances oxidative stress management through the modulation of Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). We observed that Rutin modulates PPARγ activity, leading to reduced transcriptional activity of NF-κB and STAT3, which in turn inhibits the secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-17. In summary, Rutin can exert an antioxidant effect by regulating PPARγ and shows therapeutic action against LN. [Display omitted] • Rutin ameliorates lupus-like symptoms in MRL/lpr mice by improving hematologic and renal histopathological conditions. • Rutin mitigates T cell oxidative stress through the PPARγ. • PPARγ interacts with STAT3 and NFκB, resulting in reduced STAT3 and NFκB activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Self-assembly by electrostatic interaction between silane and MOF ligand. • The activation mechanism of electrochemical inert metal Co in SiO x materials was investigated. • The catalytic action of atomic Co site activates Si O bond and Li O bond to increase SiO x capacity and coulomb efficiency. • High mechanical strength and high conductivity Co nanoparticles enhance the conductivity and cycling stability of SiO x. The ultra-high theoretical capacity of silicon-based (Si) materials makes them promising anode materials for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, the dramatic volume change (∼300%) and low electrical conductivity of silicon have severely hindered the commercial use of silicon anodes. Silicon suboxide (SiO x) is one of the ideal candidates for high energy density batteries due to its reduced swelling and lower cost as compared to silicon. However, it remains a huge challenge to address the low conductivity, low (initial) coulombic efficiency and apparent volume effects of SiO x. In this paper, SiO x /Co@C composite anode materials loaded with metal Co nanoparticles were uniformly and efficiently prepared by using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) as silicon source and Co-MOF as Co source via molecular self-assembly strategy. The experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed that the catalytic action of embedded Co nanoparticles had activated the silico-oxygen bond of SiO x and the irreversible product Li 2 O, thereby improving the initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) and enhancing the reversible capacity. At the same time, the metal Co with mechanical rigidity and electrical conductivity alleviated the volume fluctuation during alloying and improved the charge transfer capacity and ion transport rate of the composite. When compared with SiO x @C anodes, SiO x /Co@C-600 composites showed higher initial CE, superior cyclic stability and good rate performance. In particular, the successful matching of the anode with the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode in full cell systems validated the possibility of its practical application. This work provides important insights into the application of Si-based materials in lithium-ion battery electrode materials and the development of high energy density batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A temperature component is given by theoretical inference and parameter optimization. • Separate modeling technique is proposed based on ICEEMDAN and clustering analysis. • The ET-SMT-DELM model is established by a multi-output deep extreme learning machine. • The proposed model has high accuracy, credibility and interpretability. The anatomy of service status through health monitoring models is essential to long-term structural safety. Since deformation is the intuitive representation of the dam's operating condition, it is crucial to investigate the deformation monitoring model with high accuracy and strong interpretability for the safety management of high arch dams. A novel deformation monitoring model is proposed by incorporating impulse response-based equivalent temperature (ET) and machine learning-aided separate modeling technique (SMT). This methodology has three main sources of novelty. First, the impulse response-based equivalent temperature and corresponding temperature component are derived from heat transfer and temperature convolution theories. Then, the model parameters are identified by an improved firefly algorithm. Second, the components in the monitored displacement are progressively stripped out by clustering analysis, separation under equal water level conditions, and a robust signal decomposition technique. Third, the separated deformation components and environmental factors are modeled by the multi-output deep extreme learning machine (DELM) with autoencoder, and the monitoring model ET-SMT-DELM is thus established. The world's highest arch dam is selected to illustrate the proposed model, and the prediction accuracy, early warning performance, component shares, and impulse response mechanism are comprehensively investigated by comparing with several typical baseline models. The results show that the overfitting of the proposed model is reduced, and the prediction and early warning performance is significantly improved. The resulting temperature impulse response function and component shares imply that the interpretability of the model is also enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of microalgae for bio-oil production is a promising strategy to avoid extensive fossil fuel utilization, while tandem amidation and Maillard reactions during hydrolysis of cellular compounds unavoidably result in formation of nitrogen containing (N-containing) compounds, reducing quality of bio-oil. Accordingly, VO 4 3− intercalated Cu–Fe layered double oxides named as Cu 2 Fe-VO 4 -LDO is firstly synthesized to both catalyze hydrolysis of cellular compounds and block N-containing compounds formation. The results indicate Cu 2 Fe-VO 4 -LDO can improve bio-oil yield from 19.32 to 20.32 wt%, with decrease of N/C ratio from 0.70 of control to 0.67 of experimental group, and increase of H/C ratio from 0.129 to 0.132. The insert of VO 4 3− provides more strong-acid sites, which are beneficial to hydrolysis of cellular compounds. Meanwhile, more strong-base sites of Cu 2 Fe-VO 4 -LDO promote decarboxylation of fatty acids and removing amino-group of amino acids, subsequently improve production of alkanes. Furthermore, the reversible oxidation of VO 4 3− promotes oxidation of reducing sugars, blocking tandem amidation and Maillard reaction between intermedia of hydrolyzed lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. This work reports a methodology for synthesis of Cu 2 Fe-VO 4 -LDO with strong acid-base sites and reversible oxidize interlayer sites, providing a strategy to simultaneously improve bio-oil yield and reduce its N/C ratio. [Display omitted] • Intercalated of VO 4 3− provides stronger basic sites and reversible redox property. • Enhanced de-amino and oxidation of glucose leads to decrease of N/C from 0.70 to 0.67. • VO 4 3− favors decarboxylation, leading to increase of H/C from 0.129 to 0.132. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately identifying various meso-morphological features and sub-phases within the damaged braided composite fabric is crucial for assessing the mechanical properties of composites under complex loading conditions and different processing parameters. However, obtaining 3D reconstructions that can be quantitatively analyzed is still a challenge, primarily due to the low contrast of the meso-morphological features (yarn tow and matrix crack networks). In this work, a new data enhancement algorithm is proposed to generate a realistic-looking artificial training dataset for enriching the information of the meso-morphological features. Then, the effect of various training networks and training parameters (the size of real and hybrid training dataset, number of epochs) on segmentation performance were examined. Finally, the meso-morphological features were statistically analyzed to accurately evaluate the mechanical properties of the composite material. The work presented here provides an effective tool that enables the quantitative analysis of the dynamic crack evolution process under the axial load of the composite materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing global air traffic has placed higher demands on airport pavement design. However, the behavior of rigid concrete airport pavement (RCAP) under traffic loading is very complex, and the existing reliability theory and empirical concrete pavement analysis methods cannot detect the precise RCAP failure point. Based on this background, this paper attempts to study the failure of RCAP under traffic loading from a thermodynamic perspective. It selects the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) test in Construction Cycle 8 (CC8) phase 3 as the research material. We apply the structural stressing state theory to equate the RCAP under traffic loading to a thermodynamic system with a phase transition, i.e., we model the whole process strain data as state variables. Then, analogous to the renormalization group method of Wilson's phase transition theory to reveal the critical point of the system, this study establishes matrixes (Modes) and Hamiltonians (Characteristic parameters) that can characterize the RCAP full-process stressing state evolution under traffic loading by accumulating the difference of state variables. We attempted to verify the effectiveness of this method under such complex working conditions, which can also be applied to many other high-speed time-variant loading conditions. By applying the clustering analysis criterion, we can reveal the phase transition points of the RCAP: elastoplastic branch (EPB), failure starting (FS), and progressive failure (PF) points, respectively. Taking the NW group as an example, the variances of EPB, FS, and PF points revealed by the mode and characteristic parameter curves conducted by the two homogeneous measured point selections, respectively, are 7.7,6.4, and 6.4, which are of exceptionally high stability. We also used thermodynamic modeling to reveal the phase transition points of the remaining three RCAPs and compared the effect of different joints on the phase transition points. Finally, this study also explores the feasibility of EPB-based concrete airport pavement design. [Display omitted] • Proposing to model the stressing state of RCAP from a thermodynamic perspective. • The stressing state matrixes and Hamiltonians of the RCAP are proposed. • Applying the clustering analysis criterion revealed the phase transition points of RCAP. • Compare the EPB and FS points for different joint types of RCAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]