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Solar energy plays an essential role in achieving carbon goals and mitigating climate change. Therefore, solar power plants are rapidly developing in the renewable energy sector. However, many reports of solar power plants are on land, and extremely limited observational research has been conducted on the impacts of fishery complementary photovoltaic power plants (FPVs) on near-surface meteorology and surface energy. This study selected two adjacent eddy covariance observational towers at the fishery complementary photovoltaic power plant (FPV) in Yangzhong, Jiangsu Province, China, to explore this topic. The results indicated that the percent frequency of east wind (<4 m s−1) at 2 m decreased by 25.3% in the FPV site compared with the reference site. The FPV array has not an obvious heating effect on the ambient environment. The average air temperature difference in the two sites at 2 m and 10 m was 0.3 K and 0.1 K, respectively, during the heating period. The net radiation increased by 47.8 W m−2 in the two sites. The sensible heat increased by 7.9 W m−2 due to the heating effect. The latent heat in the two sites is contrary to the sensible heat (−13.0 W m−2). The difference in the water storage heat is 32.18 W m−2, which implies that the water absorbs higher heat in the FPV site than in the reference site. This work illustrated the importance of observational experiments to animate process-based understanding combined with FPV systems and provides a scientific basis for establishing FPV energy balance models based on observations that may be used to reveal the impact of utility-scale FPV deployment on climatic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of photovoltaic plays an important role in achieving the carbon-neutral goal. How to improve the conversion efficiency and power generation of solar photovoltaic has always been a focus issue. However, more attention is paid to the impact of photovoltaic panel working temperature on the performance of photovoltaic power generation, and how air temperature affects photovoltaic power generation has been ignored. This paper compared and analyzed the impact of the difference in air temperature between lake and land on the revenue of photovoltaic power generation, and established the functional equation between photovoltaic power generation, air temperature and solar radiation, and revealed the relationship between air temperature, solar radiation, and photovoltaic power generation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been much debate on whether color categories affect how we perceive color. Recent theories have put emphasis on the role of top-down influence on color perception that the original continuous color space in the visual cortex may be transformed into categorical encoding due to top-down modulation. To test the influence of color categories on color perception, we adopted an RSVP paradigm, where color stimuli were presented at a fast speed of 100 ms per stimulus and were forward and backward masked by the preceding and following stimuli. Moreover, no explicit color naming or categorization was required. In theory, backward masking with such a short interval in a passive viewing task should constrain top-down influence from higher-level brain areas. To measure any potentially subtle differences in brain response elicited by different color categories, we embedded a sensitive frequency-tagging-based EEG paradigm within the RSVP stimuli stream where the oddball color stimuli were encoded with a different frequency from the base color stimuli. We showed that EEG responses to cross-category oddball colors at the frequency where the oddball stimuli were presented was significantly larger than the responses to within-category oddball colors. Our study suggested that the visual cortex can automatically and implicitly encode color categories when color stimuli are presented rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid progress of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology has caused growing interest in understanding interactions between large scale PV plants and near-surface atmosphere. However few attempts have been made to quantify the impact of PV modules on surface radiative forcing and energy partitioning process. Here, this issue is explored experimentally and analytically in the two adjacent sites located at the PV plant and the natural barren field respectively in Wujiaqu in Xinjiang of China. The results showed that the physical effect of PV panels is not symmetrical in the whole day. During the daytime, compared with the reference site, net shortwave radiative forcing increases 8%, a warming effect on the integrated underlying surface (0.1 K) and a cooling effect (∼-2.6 K) on the ground surface were found in the PV plant. 9.2% of the net radiation (NR) was converted into electric energy (PE), sensible heat flux (H) increased by 30.6% hence resulted in the convection heating effects of 0.64 K and 0.32 K on the near-surface air temperature at the height of 2 m and 10 m respectively, while latent heat flux (LE) and ground surface heat flux (GS) decreased by 49% and 3% respectively related to the reference site. At night, PV panels produce a cooling effect of −0.2 K and −2.3 K on the ground and integrated underlying surface respectively, and less GS is released in the PV plant which contribute to the cooling effects of −0.24 K and −0.08 K on the air temperature at the height of 2 m and 10 m respectively related to the reference site. In the whole day, in the PV plant, H increased by 27.6%, LE and GS decreased by 47.4% and 6.7% respectively, air temperature increased by 0.16 K and 0.1 K at 2 m and 10 m respectively. • The physical effect of PV modules is not symmetrical in the whole day. • Net shortwave radiative forcing induced by PV modules increases 7.2%. • Sensible heat increases 34.4% and latent heat decreased 20.9% in PV plant related to reference site. • Ground surface heat decreases 7.4%. • The reasons of physical effect of PV modules were explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ERK/MSC transplantation improves neurological function of rats after stroke. • More grafted cells in ERK/MSCs-treated rats compared to MSCs-treated rats. • More nestin-positive and nestin/MAP2-positive cells in ERK/MSC-treated rats. • 4 Enhanced reactive astrocytes but suppressed microglia in ERK/MSC-treated rats. Although transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown beneficial effects on stroke, lower survival of MSCs limits effects. Extracellular regulating kinase 1/2 signaling (ERK1/2) is crucial for cell survival, differentiation, and proliferation. This study was designed to explore whether MSCs modified by over-expressing ERK1/2 may reinforce beneficial effects on stroke in rats. rat MSCs transfected with ERK1/2 and empty lentivirus to generate MSCs overexpressing ERK1/2 (ERK/MSCs) and MSCs (as a control), respectively. In vitro , ERK/MSCs were plated and exposed to glutamate-induced condition, and viability of ERK/MSCs was measured. Furthermore, neural induction of ERK/MSCs was investigated in vitro. Cerebral ischemic rats were induced by occluding middle cerebral artery, and then were stereotaxically injected into ipsilateral right lateral ventricle with ERK/MSCs or MSCs 3 days after stroke and survived for 7 or 14 days after injection. ERK/MSCs showed better viability in physiological and glutamate-induced neurotoxic conditions compared to MSCs. After neural induction, more neurons were be differentiated from ERK/MSCs than from MSCs. After transplantation, more numbers of grafted cells and improved functional recovery were observed in ERK/MSCs-treated rats compared with MSCs-treated rats. Compared with MSCs treatment, ERK/MSCs treatment significantly increased proliferation of neural stem cells in the subventricle zone (SVZ) and the MAP2/nestin double-labeled cells adjacent to the SVZ, enhanced the numbers of reactive astrocytes while suppressed microglial activation. Besides, TNF-α level was elevated in ERK/MSCs-treated rats. Conclusion: ERK/MSCs transplantation showed better functional recovery after stroke in rats, likely in part through enhancing survival of MSCs and possibly by modulating the proliferation, neuronal de-differentiation and neuroinflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Rod-shaped CeO 2 supported AuPd alloy structure was facilely synthesized. • Au 1 Pd 1 /CeO 2 showed remarkable increase in hydrogenolysis activity of aryl C O bond. • The strength of aryl C–O ether bond of lignin is decreased as 4-O-5 > β-O-4 ≥ α-O-4. • Au 1 Pd 1 /CeO 2 obtained 44.1% yield of monophenols in hydrogenolysis of real lignin. The mild depolymerization of lignin into aromatic monomer is a grand challenge owing to the various aryl ether C–O bonds, particularly for the most abundant β-O-4, α-O-4 and 4-O-5 linkages. Rod-shaped CeO 2 supported AuPd bimetallic catalysts fabricated by sol-immobilization method presented robust alloy structure, as evidenced by TEM, XPS, UV–vis, and CO-DRIFTS. For the hydrogenolysis of C O bond model compound with formic acid, Au 1 Pd 1 /CeO 2 showed about 23.5 and 6 folds increase in activity compared with its monometallic counterparts Au/CeO 2 and Pd/CeO 2 , respectively. The outstanding performance was mainly ascribed to the increased adsorption ability of electron-deficient Pd for aromatic C–O bond. Additionally, formic acid-mediated Au 1 Pd 1 /CeO 2 has efficiently performed hydrogenolysis of real lignin into a variety of valuable monophenols, achieving 44.1% yield at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding an approach for pretreatment of radionuclides from contaminated water are interesting topics of research. In present work, the ZSM-5 molecular sieve was characterized with different techniques such as zeta potential, SEM, FT-IR and XRD to clarify the surface properties of sample and applied as a sorbent to concentrate and recover Cs(I) from aqueous solution. The effect of environmental conditions such as contact time, ionic strength, content of sorbent and solution pH on Cs(I) uptake were optimized using batch techniques. Different kinetic and isotherm models were utilized to evaluate the experimental data and the correlation parameters were obtained. Based on the sorption/desorption experiment, it can be deduced that the ZSM-5 molecular sieve has potential application for the rapid and quantitative recovery of radiocesium from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of pH, contact time, temperature, ionic strength and initial U(VI) concentration on U(VI) sorption onto K-feldspar was investigated using batch techniques. The sorption kinetics was evaluated and the activation energy was obtained based on the rate constants at different temperature. Graphical correlations of sorption isotherm models have been evaluated and applied for U(VI) uptake by K-feldspar. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as, Gibb's free energy, entropy and enthalpy of the on-going sorption process have been calculated and the possible sorption mechanism of U(VI) was deduced. The results are expected to help better understand the migration of uranium in the host materials of granite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Skin photodamage is associated with UV-induced overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the inactivation of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs), a population of dermal stem cells, are considered to be involved in wound repair and skin regeneration through the activation of Nrf2. However, no reports concentrate on the treatment of skin photodamage with SKPs. Objective To investigate the photoprotective role of SKPs against UV-induced damage in mice. Methods Fifty Balb/c hairless mice were divided into five groups (n = 10), namely, normal (no intervention), model, prevention, treatment, and control groups. The latter four groups were dorsally exposed to UVA + UVB irradiation over a 2-week period. Mice in the prevention group received weekly SKP injections for 2 weeks the day before irradiation. Mice in the treatment and Hanks groups received a two-time injection of SKPs and Hanks, respectively, after irradiation. One week after final intervention, skin appearance, pathological alterations, and oxidative indicators were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemical analysis, and western blotting. Results After irradiation, lesions were observed on the dorsal skin of mice, including erythema, edema, scales, and wrinkles; however, these were significantly ameliorated by subcutaneous SKP injection. Hyperkeratosis, acanthosis, and spongiosis in the epidermis, as well as dermal papillae edema and inflammatory cell infiltration, were observed in both model and control groups; however, these conditions resolved with either pretreatment or posttreatment with SKPs. In addition, SKPs increased Nrf2, heme oxygenase-1, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and gluthathione expression, while decreasing levels of ROS, MDA, and H 2 O 2 . Conclusions These findings suggest that SKPs have a photoprotective role against UV-induced damage in mice, which may be associated with their ability to scavenge photo-oxidative insults and activate Nrf2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale solar power plants are rapidly increasing in size and number across the world. However, the surface heat balance is altered when a photovoltaic (PV) power plant is operating. Modifications to the surface albedo through the deployment of photovoltaic arrays have the potential to change radiative forcing, surface temperatures and local weather patterns. In this work, the field observation data from a large solar farm and a region without PV array in Golmud are used to study the impact of large solar farms in desert areas on the local meteorology. The results show that the total daily values of upward shortwave radiation and net radiation in the two sites are significantly different. The mean daily albedo in the solar farm is 0.19, while it is 0.26 in the region without PV. The annual mean net radiation in the solar farm is evidently higher than that of the region without PV. The daily range of soil temperatures at a depth of 5–10 cm in the solar farm is lower than that in the region without a PV farm. The annual range of soil temperatures at a depth of 5–180 cm in the solar farm is higher than that in the region without PV. The soil temperatures at different depths in winter in the solar farm are clearly lower than those in the region without PV. The daily mean of soil temperatures at a depth of 5–80 cm from October 2012 to March 2013 is clearly lower than that in the region without a PV array. The 2-m daytime air temperature in the two sites is essentially the same during winter, while during the other seasons, the daytime air temperature in the PV farm is higher than that in the region without PV, with the maximum difference appearing during the summer. The nighttime air temperatures at a height of 2 m during the four seasons in the solar farm are higher than those in the region without PV. The monthly average 2-m air temperature in the solar farm is higher than that in the region without PV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WO 3 nanorod bundles were prepared via a facile hydrothermal method with Na 2 SO 4 as structure directing agent. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) images indicate that the WO 3 nanorod bundles consist of hierarchically nanostructured bundles assembled with smaller nanorod subunits. Furthermore, the gas-sensing properties of the as-prepared WO 3 were tested to a series of organic gases. The WO 3 nanorod bundles display a significantly better sensing performance (100 ppm formic acid, R a / R g = 51.3) than commercial WO 3 (100 ppm formic acid, R a / R g = 1.8) for the detection of formic acid. The results demonstrated that the WO 3 nanorod bundles have a potential application in formic acid sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human adults implicitly learn the prototype and the principal components of the variability distinguishing faces (Gao & Wilson, 2014). Here we measured the implicit learning effect in adults and 9-year-olds, and with a modified child-friendly procedure, in 7-year-olds. All age groups showed the implicit learning effect by falsely recognizing the average (the prototype effect) and the principal component faces as having been seen (the PCA learning effect). The PCA learning effect, but not the prototype effect increased between 9 years of age and adulthood and at both ages was the better predictor of memory for the actually studied faces. In contrast, for the 7-year-olds, the better predictor of face memory was the prototype effect. The pattern suggests that there may be a developmental change between ages 7 and 9 in the mechanism underlying memory for faces. We provide the first evidence that children as young as age 7 can extract the most important dimensions of variation represented by principal components among individual faces, a key ability that grows stronger with age and comes to underlie memory for faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) has proved to be a highly active and reusable solid acid catalyst for glycerol esterification with acetic acid in the synthesis of bioadditives diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG). The effects of reaction temperature, molar ratio of acetic acid to glycerol, catalyst amount and reaction time were investigated. A 90.2% combined selectivity of DAG and TAG with complete glycerol conversion was achieved at 120 °C for 6 h over GO. Final characterization shows that the active site of GO is the remaining SO 3 H group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite 1,3-propanediol possessing high economic value, its production from glycerol hydrogenolysis is a challenging task. Herein, a series of WO x promoted Pt/Al 2 O 3 catalysts with various WO x contents were prepared and investigated for selective production 1,3-propanediol from glycerol hydrogenolysis. To explore the structure feature, these catalysts were fully characterized by BET, CO chemisorption, HRTEM, XRD ( in situ XRD), Raman, NH 3 –TPD, Py–IR, H 2 –TPR, and XPS. Among them, Pt–10WO x /Al 2 O 3 achieved the highest 1,3-propanediol yield up to 42.4%, which was ascribed to the large concentration of Brønsted acid sites, strong electronic interaction between Pt with WO x and hydrogen spillover. The strong correlation between 1,3-propanediol yield and Brønsted acid site indicated its essential role for the formation of 1,3-propanediol. Meanwhile the linear correlation between 1,2-propanediol yield and Lewis acid site gave direct evidence that Lewis acid site preferentially generated 1,2-propanediol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Addition of SiO2 to PtW/Zr greatly enhanced activity and 1,3-propanediol selectivity. [•] 54.3% conversion and 52.0% 1,3-propanediol selectivity were achieved over 5PtW/ZrSi. [•] A model scheme of WO x transformation due to SiO2 doping has been built. [•] Pt and polytungstate have been identified as the dominant active phases. [•] Glycerol hydrogenolysis conforms to the dehydration–hydrogenation mechanism. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• TiO 2 nanosheets supported Ru nanoparticles form strong interfacial Ru O Ti structure. • Ru/TiO 2 reached the highest TOF of 19,045 h−1for levulinic acid (LA) hydrogenation. • 99.1% yield of γ-valerolactone (GVL) was achieved over Ru/TiO 2. • DFT calculations clearly elucidate reaction mechanism of LA hydrogenation to GVL. • Ru/TiO 2 interface tunes rate-determining step from LA hydrogenation to cyclization. Highly efficient synthesis of valuable γ-valerolactone (GVL) by levulinic acid (LA) hydrogenation is still a challenge for Ru-based catalysts under mild condition. In this work, we have reported that ultrathin TiO 2 nanosheets supported Ru nanoparticles showed extraordinarily high catalytic activity, GVL yield (99.1%) and reusability owing to the formation of Ru O Ti interfacial structure. The turnover frequency (TOF) reached as high as 19,045 h−1 at 100 °C, much higher than those of Ru/SiO 2 , Ru/GO, Ru/MoS 2 , and commercial Ru/C. DFT calculation elucidates that the dominant reaction pathway of LA hydrogenation to GVL is preferentially hydrogenated to CH 3 CHOCH 2 CH 2 COOH*, followed by cyclization to CH 3 (OH)C 4 OH 4 OH* (GVL − OH) and final dehydroxylation, irrespective of surface structure. Compared to Ru (0 0 2) facet, Ru/TiO 2 interfacial structure changes the rate-determining step from initial hydrogenation to cyclization, which greatly declines the activation barrier from 0.81 eV to 0.48 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PV plants in China's northwestern Gobi Deserts would favor lower evaporation and wind. • Local climate effects of PV plants are equivalent to or even greater than projected climate variability. • PV-induced climate effects could contribute to improving ecological conditions in Gobi Deserts. In this study, a promising photovoltaic (PV) deployment scenario is firstly designed to represent China's solar energy development in the context of its dual carbon target. Then, the potential climate effects of the designed PV plants under different emission scenarios are simulated using a newly developed weather research and forecasting (WRF)-PV regional climate model, which is initiated by the latest Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) projections. The modeling results indicate that the projected PV plants in China's Gobi Deserts could impact the local climate, causing positive change of 3.71 ± 0.03 % in the surface relative humidity, and negative changes of 1.60 ± 1.36 W/m2 in the latent heat flux and 0.39 ± 0.00 m/s in the 10-m wind speed in July by about 2060 under the intermediate emission scenario, and these PV-induced climate effects are approximately equivalent to or even greater than the projected climate variability, but almost confined to the local area. These findings suggest that the projected PV deployment in China will lead to low carbon emissions while causing favorable climate effects, such as lower evaporation and wind speed in Gobi Deserts, which will bring environmental and ecological benefits to the PV industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W 18 O 49 nanowire networks have been fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method. In this method, p -aminobenzoic acid (PABA) was used as an assistant agent to control the morphology transformation. W 18 O 49 and its products annealed at different temperature were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, XPS, TGA, and FTIR. Formation mechanism and thermal stability of W 18 O 49 nanowire networks were studied in detail. The experiment data showed that PABA played an important role in the induced crystal growth of W 18 O 49 nanowires along [0 1 0] axis. In transformation, the structure of samples was controlled: from irregular particles to nanowire networks. W 18 O 49 nanowire networks were annealed at different temperature. The nanowire networks collapsed at 450 °C, while WO 3 nanocrystals were obtained. The W 18 O 49 nanowire networks annealed at 400 °C have a superior photocatalytic performance to degrade methylene blue and its specific surface area was up to 147 m 2  g −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the presence of multiple motor and vocal tics. Research using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) have found aberrant static functional connectivity (FC) and its topological properties in the brain networks of TS. Our study is the first to investigate the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) in the whole brain network of TS patients, focusing on the temporal properties of dFC states and the temporal variability of topological organization. The rfMRI data of 36 male children with TS and 27 matched healthy controls were collected and further analyzed by group spatial independent component analysis, sliding windows approach based dFC analysis, k-means clustering analysis, and graph theory analysis. The clustering analysis identified three dFC states. Of these states, state 2, characterized by increased inter-network connections in subcortical network (SCN), sensorimotor network (SMN), and default mode network (DMN), and decreased inter-network connections between salience network (SAN) and executive control network (ECN), was found to have higher fractional window and dwell time in TS, which was also positively correlated with tic severity. TS patients also exhibited higher temporal variability of whole-brain-network global efficiency and local efficiency, and higher temporal variability of nodal efficiency and local efficiency in SCN, DMN, ECN, SAN, and SMN. Additionally, temporal variability of the efficiency and local efficiency in insula was positively correlated with tic severity. Our findings revealed abnormal temporal property of dFC states and temporal variability of topological organization in TS, providing new insights into clinical diagnoses and neuropathology of TS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Roots of P. australis enhance Fe-OC coupling, especially in low-tide areas. • Rhizosphere Fe-OC fluctuates seasonally, higher in low-tide flats in the growing season. • Plant growth stages significantly influence Fe-OC dynamics in tidal flat wetlands. • Significant rise in FeRB abundance in low-tide flat during non-growing season. • Seasonal shifts in microbial communities affect Fe-OC content in tidal sediments. As sea levels rise, coastal tidal wetlands are increasingly threatened by flooding and salt stress, highlighting the importance of iron (Fe) (hydr-) oxides in soil for stabilizing organic carbon (OC). This study focuses on Phragmites australis , common in the Yangtze River Estuary, exploring the interplay between OC and Fe (hydr-) oxides in the rhizosphere of P. australis across various seasons and elevations. It also examines microbial community shifts in the Fe oxidation–reduction cycle. Results show that in the non-growing season (January), Fe (hydr-) oxides and total organic carbon (TOC) levels in the rhizosphere soil of high-tide P. australis are significantly higher than during the growing season (August), with a notable increase in Fe oxide-bound OC (Fe-OC). The content of Fe-OC in tidal wetland soil fluctuates with plant growth stages and elevation. Notably, during the growing season, the Fe-OC content in the rhizosphere of low-tide P. australis is markedly higher than in high-tide areas, reversing in the non-growing season. The presence of P. australis roots is found to significantly enhance the accumulation and coupling of Fe (hydr-) oxides and OC, especially in low-tide areas compared to bare flats. This coupling is affected by the organic matter contributed by roots, microbial metabolism, and redox conditions of the soil. The study also highlights how plant and microbial metabolism regulate the response of rhizosphere Fe-OC across different tidal flat elevations. In low-tide environments during the non-growing season, the prevalence of Fe-reducing bacteria results in decreased Fe-OC content, while in high-tide areas, increased organic matter input boosts complexed Fe-OC formation. Overall, this study emphasizes the significance of plant metabolism in understanding the impact of sea level rise on Fe-OC stores in tidal wetlands, a vital factor for comprehending C cycling mechanisms and assessing C sequestration potential under future climate change scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the rapid development of solar energy and photovoltaic industries in China, it is crucial to provide the reliable and accurate solar radiation predictions. In this work, three commonly used machine learning models for predicting global and diffuse solar radiation were assessed in eight Chinese cities, representing different geoclimatic and pollutant conditions. According to the results; regarding the nRMSE, nMAE, nMBE and R values, coastal locations (such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, etc.) obtained higher values than inland locations (such as Lanzhou and Wuhan). Moreover, the SVM (support vector machine) highly outperformed the other models in all locations, regardless of whether the study area was arid, semiarid, semihumid or humid, followed by GLMNET (generalized linear modeling) and RF (random forest). In addition, when assessing the SVM in different locations under different climatic and pollution conditions, it was indicated that the accuracy of solar radiation prediction was closely related to the weather and pollution condition levels. In general, the global solar radiation prediction error was in line with the weather condition levels. The prediction error increased as the weather level increased. However, the relationship between the pollution condition levels and the global solar radiation prediction showed a non-linear relationship. Moreover, for the prediction results of diffuse solar radiation, its variation law with different weather and pollution condition levels was almost different from that of global solar radiation. The maximum high error occurrence probability of global solar radiation and diffuse solar radiation appeared at pollution levels 5 and 1, respectively. Overall, the SVM model demonstrated its reliability in radiation prediction under slight pollution and stable weather conditions. This is crucial in locations with scarce meteorological data and can be used to optimize the selection of geographical locations for photovoltaic power station construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel extractant resin DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 was successfully prepared with simple and low-cost method. • DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 exhibited remarkable separation ability of Sr(II) even in high concentration HNO 3 (3–12 mol/L). • DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 possessed great acid, irradiation and thermal resistance stability. • DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 can adeptly sequesters and recovers Sr(II) from wastewater via an automated separation system. Effective removal of radioactive 90Sr is crucial for both management of spent nuclear fuel and recovery of radioactive strontium resources, while it's still a great challenge due to the presence of high acid levels and intense radiation. Herein, a novel porous resin (DtBuCH18C6@CG-71) were synthesized by introducing 4′,4″(5″)-di- tert -butyldicyclohexano-18-crown-6 onto CG-71 resin using vacuum impregnation. The DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 resin maintains superior adsorption abilities in extreme conditions, including high acid resistance (3–12 mol/L HNO 3), substantial γ-irradiation (200 kGy 60Co), and elevated temperatures (50–100 ℃). Impressively, even when exposed to a high concentration of matrix ions (59 elemental ions), the Sr(II) adsorption ratio onto DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 resin remains near 100 % even in highly acidic condition, which performance outpaces most of commercial resins. Dynamic column tests using an automated separation system further confirmed the superior ability of DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 in term of extracting Sr(II) from wastewater. Given its impressive features, cost-effectiveness, and scalability, DtBuCH18C6@CG-71 resin holds promising potential for 90Sr disposal in nuclear wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to identify impacts of photovoltaic (PV) power plant on surface radiation, this paper conducted a comparative study on the surface radiation and surface albedo characteristics between the PV site and reference site in the Gobi area in Xinjiang, China in the summer of 2020. The results show that, the upward long-wave radiation at the PV site was significantly lower than that at the reference site in the night, while the two were basically the same during the daytime. The average surface albedo at the PV site (0.14) was 39.1% lower than that at the reference site (0.23). Net radiation was higher at the PV site than that at the reference site throughout the whole day. The average net radiation of the underlying surface at the PV site was 30.7% more than that at the reference site, 75% of which was contributed by lower upward shortwave radiation and 25% was due to nocturnal lower upward longwave radiation at the PV site. • Average surface albedo at photovoltaic power site decreases 39.1%. • Upward long-wave radiation at photovoltaic power site decreases significantly. • Average net radiation at photovoltaic power site increases 30.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The article only applies the Twersky approximation and avoids Foldy's effective field approximation. Under the condition of the only independently distributed scattering, we use the new expression of far field approximation of the dyadic Green's function, obtain the effective dyadic dielectric constant and, provides a new method to calculate the effective dielectric constant of a complex media with a variety of different composition and various particle size. • A new integral equation i.e., T matrix method, of the electric field with multiple scattering in multiple particle system is established. The infinite series relationship between total transition operator and single scatterer transition operator is obtained, and the transfer equation of coherent field (average field) is derived. For the average field equation, the formal solution and the concrete solution are obtained. The results demonstrate that the coherent wave is a plane wave propagating along the incident light with the characteristics of the dyadic effective wave number. • The article showed that the rate of attenuation in coherent wave propagation is the extinction coefficient of the radiative transfer equation. The extinction coefficient matrix of particles with arbitrary orientation and shape is a non-diagonal matrix, It is reflected that the Stokes parameters of the scattered wave are not only related to the Stokes parameter of the incident wave, but also related to the polarization state of the incident light, that is, the non-spherical particle scattering has dichroism, and the most generalized vector optical theorem is derived. • The vector transfer equations of four Stokes parameters are directly obtained from the vertical and horizontal polarization electric fields of the coherent wave, which is the familiar transfer equation of direct radiation specific intensity, and the formal solution (i.e., generalized vector Beer's law) and specific solution of the coherence intensity are derived. Instead of using the phenomenological approximation of the classical radiative transfer theory, the macroscopic statistical Maxwell electromagnetic theory was successfully adopted to derive the transfer equation of coherent wave intensity (direct radiation intensity) with the Twersky approximation and far-field representation for the dyadic Green's function. We develop new equations to directly describe the transition operator of a multi-particle system, and to establish the infinite series relationships between the total transition operator and the transition operator of a single particle. By taking into consideration of the randomness of the scattering particle distribution, we could obtain the ensemble average of the total transition operator. Finally, we acquire the coherent wave (average wave) equation and the formal and concrete solutions of its vertical and horizontal polarization components, indicating that the coherent wave is a plane wave propagating along the direction of incident light, with an effective dyadic wave number. The transfer equation of the Stokes column vector of coherent strength is obtained using the coherent wave. The formal and concrete solutions to the coherent intensity are developed. The formal solution of the coherent intensity is the generalized vector Beer law. For non-spherical particles, the extinction coefficient matrix, which is the generalized vector optical theorem, is achieved in the matrix of non-diagonalization. Furthermore, this article reveals the influence of non-spherical characteristics of particles on polarization and clarifies the difference between the independent distribution scattering and single scattering. This paper also discusses the relationships and differences between classical transfer equation by the phenomenological approach and the transfer equation of direct radiation specific intensity by electromagnetic wave theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suppressing reverse water-gas-shift (RWGS) reaction is high desirable but challenging and underdeveloped for Cu/ZnO catalysts, particularly for commercial Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalysts. Different from the current methodologies to reduce RWGS reaction, we report a simply surface silylation method for efficiently minimizing RWGS reaction over a commercial Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. This method suppresses STY CO (Space-time yield) from 97.4 to 0.7 g CO ·kg cat −1·h−1, improving STY MeOH from 20.2 to 39.9 g MeOH ·kg cat −1·h−1 and methanol selectivity from 15.1 to 92.9 mol%. The combination of characterization methods and density functional theory calculations provide insight into the suppressing mechanism of surface silylation on catalyst. A hydroxyl (on ZnO)-promoted RWGS reaction cycle is discovered, which can be efficiently inhibited by the consuming of hydroxyls via surface silyation. Our results provide a way to regulate RWGS reaction on Cu/ZnO-based catalysts and are expected to the further use of silylation strategy to tune the interconversion of CO and CO 2 via RWGS/WGS reaction on hydrogenation catalysts. [Display omitted] • Surface silylation suppresses RWGS reaction on Cu/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 for CO 2 hydrogenation, promoting S CH3OH from 15.3 to 92.9 mol%. • A Zn-OH promoted RWGS mechanism is found, i.e., H spillover from Cu to the reactants via the Zn-OHs boosts RWGS reaction. • Consuming hydroxyls via the surface silylation inhibits the H spillover and further RWGS reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microclimate and soil characteristics under Gobi PV arrays were first observed. • South-facing PV panels reduced wind speed with the prevailing northerly wind below. • PV panels had buffer effects on microclimate and soil thermal regime change. • Annual net radiation reduction was up to 92.68% since the shading of PV. • The significant increase in relative humidity during winter was caused by snow cover. The high demand for low-carbon energy sources to mitigate climate change has prompted a rapid increase in ground-mounted solar parks. The implementation of photovoltaic (PV) significantly impacted the local climate and ecosystem, which are both poorly understood. To investigate the effects of a typical solar park on the Gobi ecological system, local microclimate and soil thermal regimes were measured year-round under and between PV arrays, at an applied solar park sited in Xinjiang, China. Our results demonstrated their seasonal and diurnal changes. Under solar PV arrays, the mean annual net radiation and wind speed decreased by 92.68 % and 50.53 % respectively. In contrast, PV panels caused an increase of the rear sides air by 10.12 % with 0.87 °C. South-facing PV panels reduced wind speed with the prevailing northerly wind below. In addition, the relative humidity rapidly decreased when snow covered the ground, but slightly increased from April to September. We found the soil under PV panels was cooler and tended to be a sink of energy during spring and summer whereas was more often a source during autumn and winter compared with the soil between PV panels. Observed data developed the understanding of the energy processes of solar parks in Gobi ecosystems and provided evidence to support the sustainable management of the solar park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An efficient and economic HDPy-bent material was synthesized and applied for removing 99Tc from contaminated water. 99Tc is one of the critical fission products in the treatment of wastewater and the nuclear waste repository due to its long half-life (t 1/2 = 2.13 × 105 y), high fission yield (~6%), and high mobility in the environment. The development of highly-efficient, low-cost and easily available materials that can rapidly and selectively remove 99Tc is of great significance, but remains a challenge. In this work, bentonite-based materials (HDPy-bent) were obtained through modifying bentonite with hexadecylpyridinium (HDPy) and applied for the remove of TcO 4 − as well as its surrogate ReO 4 −. The structure of HDPy-bent (e.g., the values of d 001) was evaluated and the maximum loading amount of HDPy on bentonite was found to be 200% CEC. The loaded HDPy+ might replace exchangeable cations in the inter-layer space of bentonite. Batch experiment results show that HDPy-bent could quantitatively remove TcO 4 − from aqueous solution within 3 min. The distribution coefficient (K d) of TcO 4 − in this material is up to 2.1 × 105 mL/g, which is significantly higher than most of the previously tested inorganic adsorbent materials. More importantly, HDPy-bent can selectively remove TcO 4 − in the presence of large excess (80,000 times) of competitive anions (NO 3 –, SO 4 2−, CO 3 2−, PO 4 3− and Cl−). This work demonstrates that the HDPy-bentonite is a low cost, and effective adsorbent for removing 99Tc from contaminated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acupuncture has been widely used as a treatment for stroke in China for a long time. Recently, studies have demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) can accelerate intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced angiogenesis in rats. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EA on neurobehavioral function and brain injury in ICH rats. ICH was induced by stereotactic injection of collagenase type I and heparin into the right caudate putamen. Adult ICH rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: model control group (MC), EA at non-acupoint points group (non-acupoint EA) and EA at Baihui and Dazhui acupoints group (EA). The neurobehavioral deficits of ICH rats were assessed by modified neurological severity score (mNSS) and gait analysis. The hemorrhage volume and glucose metabolism of hemorrhagic foci were detected by PET/CT. The expression levels of MBP, NSE and S100-B proteins in serum were tested by ELISA. The histopathological features were examined by haematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Apoptosis-associated proteins in the perihematomal region were observed by immunohistochemistry. EA treatment significantly promoted the recovery of neurobehavioral function in ICH rats. Hemorrhage volume reduced in EA group at day 14 when compared with MC and non-acupoint EA groups. ELISA showed that the levels of MBP, NSE and S100-B in serum were all down-regulated by EA treatment. The brain tissue of ICH rat in the EA group was more intact and compact than that in the MC and non-acupoint groups. In the perihematomal regions, the expression of Bcl-2 protein increased and expressions of Caspase-3 and Bax proteins decreased in the EA group vs MC and non-acupoint EA groups. Our data suggest that EA treatment can improve neurobehavioral function and brain injury, which were likely connected with the absorption of hematoma and regulation of apoptosis-related proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique has enlarged the application of Raman spectroscopy, and the most crucial problem is the exploration of SERS-active materials. In the paper, a SERS substrate made of helical gold nanoparticles by the directed synthesis of L-glutathione (L-GSH) was proposed. Because of the large surface specific area and the uneven conduction electrons distribution for sharp tips resulted from the complex concave surface and the symmetry breaking structure, The nanostructure has shown an impressive average enhancement factor (EF) of 2.95 × 105 under off-resonant condition. This phenomenon was explained by the experimental results and finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Finally, the SERS substrates were used to detect thiram on pear with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.62 mg/kg and R2 of 0.9772. The proposed SERS substrates suggest the potential application of chiral molecules such as amino acids, peptides et al. in the SERS-active materials fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify the best practices and future research directions for driver lane-change intention (DLCI) prediction using eye-tracking technologies based on a systematic literature review. We searched five academic literature databases and then conducted an in-depth review, structured coding, and analysis of 40 relevant articles. The literature on DLCI prediction is summarized in terms of input features, feature extraction and prediction time windows, labeling methods, and machine learning algorithms. The results show that eye tracking data features along with other data sources can be useful inputs for the prediction of DLCI. Major challenges in this line of research include determining the optimal time window for feature extraction and developing and evaluating the appropriate machine learning algorithm. Suggestions for future research and practice for DLCI prediction in intelligent vehicles are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pan evaporation process is essential to understanding the climate change of pan evaporation. To study the physical process of pan evaporation and its interactions with the surrounding environment, an elaborate pan evaporation experiment was carried out by means of micrometeorological method in the arid region of northwest China, in which hourly pan evaporation was measured by E601B, Class A and D20 pans, the local actual evapotranspiration was measured using eddy correlation system. Our results show that the pan water surface and the surrounding land surface constitute a significant non-uniformity of heat and moisture, and the non-uniformity energy exchange between them has an important influence on pan evaporation rate. As the environmental humidity changes, daily actual evapotranspiration and pan evaporation rates have a contradictory tendency, with the relationship between these two evaporations presenting a clear asymmetrical complementary behavior. In addition, a simple pan non-uniformity intensity index ( I E ) is defined as the ratio of pan evaporation to the Penman potential evaporation ( LE ppman ) ( I E = LE pan / LE ppman ). This index reflects the non-uniformity intensity between pan water and the surrounding land. Meanwhile, the comparison of complementary relationship corresponding to three types of pans shows that the degree of complementary relationship asymmetry linearly rises as the intensity of non-uniformity between pan and surrounding environment increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of wind farms on the local climate is not simply warming and cooling. • Air temperature becomes colder and the land surface temperature becomes warmer at night. • The significant increase in evapotranspiration may be due to the impact of wind farms. • Wind farm has no or negligible effect on vegetation growth both spatially and temporally. To explore the possible local climatic and environmental impacts of an onshore wind farm in North China, meteorological observation and satellite remote sensing data around the wind farm were collected, and the soil chemical composition within and outside of the wind farm was determined. Our analysis revealed changes in the spatial patterns of wind, air temperature (T a), ground surface temperature (T s), land surface temperature (LST), evapotranspiration (ET), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from before to after the construction of the wind farm. The two datasets of meteorological observations showed that wind speed decreased after the construction of the wind farm, with one dataset indicating a significant decrease. Since the construction of the farm, T a and T s have shown increasing trends, and ET has shown a significant increasing trend. The nighttime T a and LST showed opposite trends, with T a decreasing and LST increasing. The change in LST was the greatest at the wind farm and in its downwind zone, indicating that the operation of the wind farm affects the LST within and beyond the 10 km buffer zone. After the wind farm construction, the NDVI showed a significant positive trend. However, increases in the concentrations of Ti and Co were observed, suggesting that the construction and operation of wind farm may promote vegetation growth and cause soil pollution. The monitoring of wind farms needs to be strengthened to reveal the long-term impacts of wind farms on local climates and ecosystems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CoNi alloy encapsulated in N-doped thin graphene shell was synthesized from MOF. • One-pot cellulose conversion to γ-valerolactone using formic acid as hydrogen donor. • γ-Valerolactone yield reached as high as 55.9 % over AgPW/CoNi@NG. • Reaction mechanism of formic acid as hydrogen donor was revealed over CoNi@NG400. One-step efficient conversion of cellulose into value-added γ-valerolactone (GVL) is of great interest because it not only integrates complex tandem reactions in one-step, but also does not need additional hydrogen sources. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to fabricate high-performance catalyst that can accelerate both hydrolysis of cellulose and further transformation of generated stoichiometric levulinic acid (LA) and formic acid (FA) into GVL. CoNi nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped thin graphene shell gave GVL yield as high as 55.9 % at 200 °C combined with Ag+-exchanged heteropolyacid (AgPW). This composite catalyst is highly resistant to the corrosion of LA and FA, and hence shows high catalytic stability. LA-adsorption FTIR spectra and DFT calculations indicate that LA and FA can penetrate through shell graphene layers into core CoNi sites via cracks. Compared to H 2 , FA can much more rapidly reduce LA because of its low dissociation energy barrier and high dissociation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape-memory polymers are a class of materials that show dual or multi-shape competence. Here a solvent casting method was used to prepare composite films from Cu-BTC crystals in poly (l -lactide) (PLLA) to induce crystallization leading to a marked shape memory effect (SME). Extensive physico-chemical characterizations including solid-state NMR indicated that Cu-BTC triggered the crystallization of PLLA for ensuring the entropy needed for the shape memory behavior. The diffusion of polymeric chains inside pores of activated Cu-BTCs ensured interactions which increases the crystallinity as both simulation and experimental results show. Moreover, the segregation of Cu-BTC crystallites to small copper oxide particles due to the activation increases the volume of the crystalline region observed by microscopic images. We compared the identical features of composite prepared in the same method in where small molecule was encapsulated inside Cu-BTC with PLLA/5 wt% Cu-BTC; we were able to show that having the sharp transition of elastic to rubbery state in the vicinity of cold crystallization temperature in PLLA/5 wt% Cu-BTC provides Cu-BTC crystallites to act as netpoints. Moreover, the reinforcement accompanied by increased toughness demonstrates the combination of improved mechanical properties as well as SME of polymers which rarely have attained. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]