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The shift and low-frequency oscillations of neutral point potential are key issues in the neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter. The space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) algorithm has limited voltage balancing ability at high modulation levels and low power factors. The virtual SVPWM can achieve midpoint potential balance across the entire range, but it has the problem of multiple switching times and poor harmonic characteristics. Parallel three-level NPC inverters can increase the power rating and efficiency of systems, thus being suitable for high-power applications. However, their parallel topology also brings current sharing issues. This paper first proposes several methods of combining varied virtual middle vectors based on five-level vectors, which control the midpoint current by adjusting the action time of the basic vector. Second, different virtual vector combinations are used for voltage commands with different modulation indexes to reduce the switching frequency of the inverter and the synthesis vector error. The proposed hybrid method has fewer switching times, reduces the amplitude of midpoint voltage fluctuation, and has good harmonic characteristics of output current. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the hybrid method are verified through simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the two‐stage inverter system, due to the space vector modulation (SVM), the midpoint potential of active neutral point clamped three‐level inverter system (ANPC‐TLIS) will have triple frequency fluctuation, under the influence of the closed‐loop control strategy, the fluctuation amplitude of the lithium battery energy storage system (LBESS) output current will increase. To reduce the low‐frequency output current fluctuation, a voltage loop strategy based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) with notch filter (NF)is proposed in this paper. In this scheme, the voltage outer‐loop control strategy not only maintains voltage stability, but also reduces the fluctuation amplitude of reference current. In addition, during the electromagnetic transient process, the LBESS output current fluctuation frequency is constantly changing because the power supply frequency required by linear motor is constantly changing. To solve this problem, the inverter output current frequency is feedforward to the LBESS controller, forming a variable frequency notch filter (VFNF). Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified by fixed‐frequency and variable frequency conditions experiments on RT‐LAB experimental platform. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variables that can be considered in experimental investigations of internal instability of earth dam materials are often bounded by practicality and feasibility constraints. To overcome these shortcomings, a total of 164 previous published experimental results were compiled to study statistically the relative significance of vertical effective stress, grain size ratio (D15/d85), fines content, coefficient of uniformity (Cu), and specimen length in the mechanism of internal instability. The present statistical results agreed with previous experimental findings on the combined dominant roles played by fines content and stress in the internal instability. However, the stress reduction factor was found to be inversely correlated with the vertical effective stress, which was not reported previously. The scale effect of specimen size has significant positive correlations with both the stress reduction factor and critical hydraulic gradient, whereas the influences of Cu and D15/d85 were minimal, in contrast to previous experimental findings. An improved theoretical hydromechanical envelope for predicting internal instability of cohesionless soil in the space of stress-gradient–stress reduction factor was proposed in this study. The unstable envelope moved with increasing applied hydraulic gradient until the state of material touching the envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The capacity and equivalent switching frequency of parallel interleaved inverters can be increased, but there are problems with neutral point potential balance and parallel bridge circulating current. This paper regards the parallel three-level inverter as a five-level inverter and five-level space vector integrated modulation is applied. On this basis, a neutral-point potential control strategy based on the mid-point charge to calculate the adjustment factor k is proposed. By further meticulously partitioning specific sector regions, the selection method of redundant vectors in the switching sequence is optimized without increasing the switching times, and the midpoint voltage ripple is reduced. Then, the redundant state allocation in the process of splitting the five-level into three-level is used as a new degree of freedom to suppress the circulating current of the parallel bridge, therefore realizing the control of voltage and current sharing. Finally, simulation and experiments verify the correctness and effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many places in the world suffer from a shortage of river sand because of population growth and environmental protection, and people have to replace river sand with manufactured sand (M-sand). In this study, M-sand was adopted as aggregate and the effect of the mix design (paste fluidity (PF) and paste-to-aggregate ratio (P/A)) on the properties of porous mortar was investigated through a combined experimental, statistical and response surface method (RSM). By including variations in both P/A (0.16–0.26) and PF (160–200 mm), the method was utilized to develop ANOVA models and construct response surface and contour lines. The experimental results revealed that the compressive strength of the porous mortar increased by 62.3% to a value of 34.1 MPa while the PF increased to 190 mm from 160 mm at a P/A of 0.20, and the water permeability coefficient was 7.2 mm/s under the same conditions. In addition, the ANOVA analysis of the measured properties revealed a strong interactive effect of the paste-to-aggregate ratio and paste fluidity on the porous mortar properties, and the developed relationship models between the variables and responses were accurate. A porous mortar with a compressive strength over 30 MPa and a permeability coefficient over 7 mm/s could be conveniently designed by RSM. Additionally, the compressive strength of the porous concrete reached more than 40 MPa at a P/A of 0.26. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explicitly modeling the distribution of transitions with a distributional neural network. • Selecting transitions with a novel distribution-guided experience sampling approach. • Consolidating the policy with most informative transitions in a memory-efficient way. • Performance of our approach is demonstrated on multiple control tasks. Policy consolidation aims at learning new skills in sequential multi-tasks without forgetting acquired skills. Typically, the collected transitions for each task need to be stored for further exploiting. However, it is impractical to store all the transitions with limited memory as the number of tasks increases. To this end, we propose a novel distribution-guided experience sampling method that can efficiently select previously informative transitions and replay them to consolidate the learned policy. Specifically, we learn a distributional neural network to capture the interdependence among transitions, and evaluate the importance of each transition based on the interdependence. Meanwhile, the importance-based prioritized sampling method is presented to periodically replay transitions with higher importance to consolidate previous skills. Therefore, the proposed method can maintain good generalization ability of the policy in a memory-efficient way. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on several benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mitigating fluctuations of output active power of WF. • Compensating output reactive power of WF. • Participating in system primary frequency regulation. • Providing damping control (POD) of inter-area oscillations. This paper presents a concept of multi-purpose Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) which is integrated into a large wind farm (WF). The BESS aims to suppress the fluctuation of the output of active power and reactive power of the wind farm WF, participate in frequency regulation and damp low-frequency oscillations. Firstly, the concept and structure of the multi-purpose of BESS is presented. After that, the digital twin technology is applied to configure the capacity of the BESS. The performance of the multi-purpose BESS is demonstrated in the two-area system model constructed using DIgSILENT PowerFactory. The simulation results show that the multi-purpose BESS significantly improves the stability of the system in terms of suppressing the fluctuation of the out of WF, frequency regulation and damping low-frequency oscillations, which is the essential step to the practical implementation of the multi-purpose BESS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing gas sensors for formaldehyde vapor detection is necessary. Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) exhibited good formaldehyde sensing properties but with high working temperature and unsatisfactory selectivity. Herein, ZnSnO 3 was sensitized by ZnO QDs modification for high-performance formaldehyde sensing at low working temperatures via simple immersion method. Meanwhile, SnO 2 QDs instead of ZnO QDs was also modified on ZnSnO 3 nanocubes. The result indicated both ZnO QDs and SnO 2 QDs modification greatly improved gas sensing response and lower the working temperature of ZnSnO 3 to formaldehyde. Whereas, the obtained ZnSnO 3 /ZnO QDs composite (ZSO/ZQD) containing 5 wt% ZnO QDs (ZSO/ZQD-0.05) showed a highest response value of 613.3–100 ppm formaldehyde at 70℃ with good reversibility and stability, which was nearly 20 times of bare ZnSnO 3 and 6 times of SnO 2 QDs modified ZnSnO 3. The detection limit reached 100 ppb formaldehyde. The formaldehyde sensing performance of ZSO/ZQD-0.05 composite was checked in presence of simulated indoor pollutants. Its improved sensor performance was mainly attributed to ZnO QDs, which played roles in forming rich heterojunctions with ZnSnO 3 , increasing the surface area, and providing oxygen deficiency for formaldehyde sensing reaction. This provided an alternative way to improving the sensing properties of MOS by QDs modification. • QDs modified ZnSnO 3 based sensors were facilely fabricated for HCOH gas sensin. • 5 wt% ZnO QDs modified ZnSnO 3 showed high response and selectivity at 70℃. • The excellent HCOH sensing performance induced by ZnO QDs is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folates are indispensable for plant development, but their molecular mode of action remains elusive. We synthesized a probe, "5-F-THF-Dayne," comprising 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate (THF) coupled to a photoaffinity tag. Exploiting this probe in an affinity proteomics study in Arabidopsis thaliana , we retrieved 51 hits. Thirty interactions were independently validated with in vitro expressed proteins to bind 5-F-THF with high or low affinity. Interestingly, the interactors reveal associations beyond one-carbon metabolism, covering also connections to nitrogen (N) metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism/photosynthesis, and proteostasis. Two of the interactions, one with the folate biosynthetic enzyme DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE-THYMIDYLATE SYNTHASE 1 (At DHFR-TS1) and another with N metabolism-associated glutamine synthetase 1;4 (At GLN1;4), were further characterized. In silico and experimental analyses revealed G35/K36 and E330 as key residues for the binding of 5-F-THF in At DHFR-TS1 and At GLN1;4, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis of At GLN1;4 E330, which co-localizes with the ATP-binding pocket, abolished 5-F-THF binding as well as At GLN1;4 activity. Furthermore, 5-F-THF was noted to competitively inhibit the activities of At DHFR-TS1 and At GLN1;4. In summary, we demonstrated a regulatory role for 5-F-THF in N metabolism, revealed 5-F-THF-mediated feedback regulation of folate biosynthesis, and identified a total of 14 previously unknown high-affinity binding cellular targets of 5-F-THF. Together, this sets a landmark toward understanding the role of folates in plant development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control (FCS-MPC) has the ability to achieve multi-objective optimization, but there are still many challenges. The key to realizing multi-objective optimization in FCS-MPC lies in the design of the cost function. However, the different dimensions of penalty terms in the cost function often lead to difficulties in designing weighting coefficients. Incorrect weighting coefficients may result in truncation errors in calculations of DSPs and FPGAs, thereby affecting the algorithm's control performance. Therefore, this article focuses on a system driving an induction motor with a three-level Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) inverter, and selects stator current and switching frequency as penalty terms in the cost function. An improved method is proposed to unify the dimensions of both penalty terms in the cost function. By unifying the dimensions of the penalty terms, a simple design of weighting coefficients can be achieved. Subsequently, to balance the inverter's switching frequency and the dynamic response performance of the motor, a composite cost function is further proposed. Finally, the rationality of the proposed method is validated through simulation and experimental platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The key contributions of this research work are as follows: • The study of the impact of SAPC on the low-frequency oscillatory stability presented in this paper not only considers the conventional control loop of SAPC but also investigates the influence of the signal pass filters which is essential for the practical application of SAPC. • This paper presents the mechanism of low-frequency oscillation by using the damping torque method and deriving the coupled operational equation of the wind turbine and the synchronous generator. By using that, the physical sense of the impact of SAPC on low-frequency oscillations is clearly observed. The impact of the SAPC on the oscillatory stability is also confirmed by the classical eigenvalue analysis, for both the two-area system and IEEE 39-bus system that was built in PowerFactory simulation software. • To analyze the effect of SAPC on low-frequency oscillations under uncertainties, a set of real wind data is fed into wind turbines to generate different operational scenarios; in addition, the impact of SAPC and the robustness of the control schemes are tested under large disturbance in large systems with different penetration levels of wind generation. The supplementary active power control (SAPC) that is integrated into wind turbines has been widely used for improving the frequency stability of power systems with high penetration of wind energy. As power electronic control schemes play key roles in future power systems, it is essential to study the impact of SAPC on system stability. This paper presents a thorough methodology for the analysis of the SAPC on the low-frequency oscillatory stability of modern power systems. Firstly, the mathematical model that drives the dynamic interaction between the synchronous generators and the wind turbine is presented, by using that, the impact of the SAPC on the oscillatory stability is analyzed. After that, the impact of the SAPC on the oscillatory stability is demonstrated by nonlinear simulations using a simplified two-area system and IEEE 39-bus system. The simulations are executed with the consideration of the uncertainty of the operational conditions and the different levels of the penetration of wind farms, and the system's robustness has been also confirmed in the event of large disturbances. The simulation results show that the SAPC has significant impacts on low-frequency oscillatory stability. The methodology is a powerful tool for low-frequency oscillation analysis and damping controller design in the power system with high penetration of wind energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel low-foam viscous cationic collector DTDAB was synthesized. • DTDAB exhibited superior collector ability and selectivity than DTAB. • Insertion of hydroxyl could reduce interface tension and foam coalescence of collector. • Better selectivity was achieved by regulating the size of the polar group. Traditional cationic collectors generally exist some disadvantages, such as high foam viscosity and difficulty in defoaming, which worsening the flotation separation effect. Herein, a novel cationic collector-dodecyl trihydroxyethyl ammonium bromide (DTDAB) with low-foam viscous was synthesized to optimize the reverse flotation system of hematite ore, which was achieved by introducing three hydroxyethyl groups into the nitrogen atoms of dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB). The analysis of foam collapse performance indicated that the introduction of hydroxyl groups into hydrophilic head groups of DTAB reduced the interface surface tension and bubble coalescence, which were consistent with the design expectations. Meanwhile, flotation behaviors were systematically studied, and the results showed that the concentrates with 63.89 % total iron (TFe) grade and 89.27 % total iron recovery was obtained at pH 6.81, when the concentration of DTDAB and starch was 20 mg/L and 5 mg/L, respectively. Besides, the possible flotation mechanism was further studied by means of contact angle, Atomic force microscope (AFM), Fourier transforming infrared spectra (FT-IR), X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The results comfirmed that the adsorption between DTDAB and quartz was caused by electrostatic force and hydrogen bonding affinity. In conclusion, it can be confirmed that the novel cationic collector DTDAB with low-foam viscous has the potential for the hematite reverse flotation desilication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The [P204]− ILs were applied to self-assembly extraction for the first time. • Self-assembly extraction was developed by expansion of inevitable third phase. • The ILs exhibited excellent extraction efficiency for copper cyanide complex ions. Copper cyanide complexes in cyanide leach solutions deteriorate the recoveries of gold. Herein, five phosphonate-based [P204]− ionic liquids were synthesized, which were pioneered to apply to extraction of copper cyanide complex ions in cyanide leach solutions. In the extraction process, macroscopic layered solids rich in copper cyanide complex ions were formed at the aqueous-organic phase interface, which was driven by self-assembly of ionic liquids. Notably, the layered solids can be obtained by simple filtration. The extraction behaviors were systematically studied in the present work. The results show that the extraction efficiency in excess of 90 % can be achieved at higher pH (13.16) and enriched as self-assembly solids in the process of one-step extraction and solidification, based on the self-assembly extraction systems of [P4444][P204] IL. It is worthy of note that no self-assembly sample was observed when the extraction systems is applied to extraction zinc and iron cyanide complex ions. It indicates that the present self-assembly extraction systems could be applied in separation copper and zinc/iron cyanide complex ions. Meanwhile, the coordination mechanism was investigated detaily, and the covalent nature played a leading role in the binding interaction. Remarkably, [P4444][P204] can be repeatedly used without obvious loss in extraction capacity of copper cyanide complex ions after two cycles, indicating that the IL has a good recycling ability. In conclusion, it is possible to employ the self-assembly extraction systems to separate and recover various valuable metals from aqueous solutions by designing and developing ILs extractants in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of recycling cyanide leaching solutions, the presence of iron-cyanide complex ions in gold leaching solutions leads to increased cyanide consumption and competition with gold for adsorption onto activated carbon. Consequently, the removal of iron- cyanide complex ions from cyanide leaching solutions is crucial. This study presents a novel strategy for the treatment of metal ions in leaching solutions, achieving effective waste treatment using hydrogel-like beads. To remove iron-cyanide complex ions from cyanide leaching solutions, we synthesized carboxymethyl cellulose‑iron (CMC Fe) hydrogel through a crosslinking method. The adsorbent, carboxymethyl cellulose-Prussian blue (CMC-PB) hydrogel, obtained after iron-cyanide complex ion adsorption, can directly remove Cs+ ions from solution without the need for desorption and regeneration. Notably, the CMC-Fe hydrogel exhibits exceptional adsorption performance and high selectivity toward iron-cyanide complex ions. The adsorption process of the CMC-Fe hydrogel follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, while the Freundlich isotherm model is more suitable for describing the adsorption equilibrium. Additionally, the CMC-PB hydrogel efficiently adsorbs 83.1% of Cs+ ions at a dosage of 86.5 μg, and desorption and regeneration studies reveal that its adsorption efficiency remains high even after three cycles. Furthermore, the proposed adsorption mechanism of CMC-PB for Cs+ ions involves a combination of chemisorption (K+/Na+ exchange) and physisorption (hole channels of hydrogels). [Display omitted] • The CMC-Fe hydrogel was applied to adsorption for iron cyanide complex ions. • The CMC-PB hydrogel adsorption cesium was developed. • The CMC-Fe exhibited excellent adsorption efficiency for iron cyanide complex ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined effects of shear stress ratio, density, and fines content on stress redistribution during shearing and their implications for internal instability were investigated in this study using the discrete element method. The widely used stress reduction factor was modified in this study by introducing the Voronoi cell to account for the volume change during shearing. The response of stress in finer fraction and its relative contribution to the overall stress of the specimen as evaluated by the established stress reduction factor showed inconsistent trends. The relationship between the mean stress in finer fraction and the shear stress ratio of the entire specimen was found to be dependent on FC and density during pre-peak stress condition. At post-peak, the relationship was only governed by the soil load-bearing skeleton. The stress redistribution of dense transitional soils exhibited the most pronounced changes. The mean stress in finer fraction reached the peak and steady values quicker than the shear stress ratio. This could be attributed to the decrease in critical hydraulic gradient under a high shear stress ratio, as evidenced from previous experimental works. These nonsynchronous performances could be explained by the shift of contact force and volume change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tetrabutylammonium bis (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate [N4444][P204] ionic liquid (IL) was synthesized, which was applied to extract copper cyanide complex ions in cyanide tailing liquid stream pressure filtration. In the extraction process, macroscopic layered solids rich in copper cyanide complex ions were formed at the phase interface, which was based on self-assembly of ionic liquids actuation. The solid samples can be obtained by simple filtration. Meanwhile, the extraction behaviors were investigated in detail. The [N4444][P204] ionic liquid exhibited excellent extraction efficiency for copper cyanide complex ions. More than 90% of copper cyanide complex ions were extracted at pH 13.4 and enriched as self-assembly solids in the process of one-step extraction and solidification. Notably, the extraction efficiency of copper cyanide complex ions can still reach more than 75% after three cycles of organic phase with fresh aqueous phase. Furthermore, the analyses of the SEM, EDS, XPS, FTIR, and ESI-MS for self-assembly sample implied that the potential mechanism of extraction for copper cyanide complex ions is coordination reaction. It is worthy of note that the extraction system of [N4444][P204] IL has no extraction effect on iron cyanide complex ions. In the end, the proposed strategy may be further expanded to the separation of other metal cyanide complex ions by designing the ionic liquids. [Display omitted] • The one-step extraction and solidification of copper cyanide complex ion was achieved. • Extraction of copper cyanide complex ion exhibited excellent extraction efficiency. • The extraction system showed the excellent selectivity to iron cyanide complex ion. • The concept of self-assembly extraction was proposed based on the [N4444][P204] IL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metal cyanide complex ions of gold extraction wastewater consume extra cyanide and compete with gold for adsorption on activated carbon during wastewater recycling. Therefore, the removal of metal cyanide complex ions from gold extraction wastewater is of great significance. In this study, polypropylene (PP) fibers were used to prepare strong acylated alkaline ion-exchange fibers (SAA-IEFs) using a polymer graft monomer method that achieved excellent adsorption of metal cyanide complex ions from gold extraction wastewater. The properties of the SAA-IEFs were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Adsorption experiments were conducted to study the adsorption performance and to verify the adsorption mechanism. The results show that the highest adsorption efficiencies of the SAA-IEFs for zinc and copper cyanide complex ions were 85.5% and 91.2%, respectively, and these performances were obtained when the SAA-IEF concentration was 50 g/L and pH was 10. The adsorption efficiency of the cyanide complexes in practical wastewater reached 92% at a concentration of 30 g/L. The desorption and regeneration results indicate that the adsorption capacity of the SAA-IEFs remained high after nine cycles. Moreover, an adsorption mechanism is proposed, and the adsorption process is best modeled using the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. These results indicate that chemisorption plays a dominant role in the adsorption process. Overall, SAA-IEFs are a promising, efficient, and cost-effective adsorbent for metal cyanide complex ion adsorption from gold extraction wastewater. • Strong acylated alkaline ion exchange fiber was used to remove zinc/copper cyanide complex ion from cyanide gold extraction wastewater. • Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model can better describe the adsorption process. • The adsorption efficiency of total cyanide complexes in practical wastewater (pH = 10.5) can reach to 92%. • The ion exchange fiber can be effectively regenerated and reused with insignificant fiber damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2) to high value-added multi-carbon compounds at the cathode is an emerging application of microbial electrosynthesis system (MES). In this study, a composite cathode consisting of hollow fiber membrane (HFM) and the carbon felt is designed to enhance the CO 2 mass transfer of the cathode. The result shows that the main products are acetate and butyrate without other substances. The electrochemical performance of the electrode is significantly improved after biofilm becomes matures. The composite cathode significantly reduces the "threshold" for the synthesis of butyrate. Moreover, CO 2 is dissolved and protons are consumed by synthesizing volatile fatty acids (VFAs) to maintain a stable pH inside the composite electrode. The synthesis mechanism of butyrate is that CO 2 is converted sequentially into acetate and butyrate. The microenvironment of the composite electrode enriches Firmicute. This composite electrode provides a novel strategy for regulating the microenvironment. [Display omitted] • MES reactor with gas diffusion membrane dissolved CO 2 only synthesized acetate and butyrate. • The composite biocathode lowered the threshold for synthesizing butyrate. • Dissolved CO 2 in cooperation with synthesized VFAs controlled pH inside the electrode. • The composite electrode system could naturally enrich Firmicute (relative abundance: 89.60%). • The synthesis mechanism of butyrate was that CO 2 was first converted to acetate and then to butyrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Litchi thaumatin-like protein (LcTLP) after digested induced inflammation in cell. • LcTLP with 100 mg/kg could lead to the occurrence of liver inflammation. • LcTLP could activate the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in liver. • LcTLP decreased the abundance and diversity in gut microbiota. • Building a correlation between LcTLP-induced inflammatory and gut microbiota. The pro-inflammation activity of litchi thaumatin-like protein (LcTLP) was speculated to be the cause of the adverse reaction after excessive consumption of litchi. This study evaluated the pro-inflammation activity of LcTLP in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that LcTLP digested in vitro exhibited the pro-inflammation activity in RAW264.7 cells, as evidenced by an increase in pro-inflammation cytokines tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α), interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). After LcTLP supplementation in mice, pathological examination revealed the edematous cytoplasm and inflammatory cell accumulation in liver tissue. The levels of TNF- α , IL-1 β , IL-6 and interleukin-10 in liver also increased by 60.43%, 74.86%, 120.18% and 129.91% in high-dose group, respectively, due to the upregulation of p-p65 and p-p38 levels and further activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Additionally, LcTLP altered the composition of gut microbiota, such as the reduction of Bacteroidota, norank_f__Muribaculaceae and norank_f__Lachnospiraceae abundances which were negatively correlated with inflammation cytokines levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Maillard reaction of LcTLP and fructose was simulated during litchi drying. • The structure of Maillard reaction products was analyzed by using SAXS. • Molecular weight, Rg and secondary structure of conjugates were changed. • Maillard reaction process of LcTLP and fructose could be divided two stages. • Maillard reaction reduced the pro-inflammation activity of LcTLP. The structural characteristics and inflammatory activity of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) from fructose (Fru) and litchi thaumatin-like protein (LcTLP) with a pro-inflammatory activity were investigated. The structural changes of LcTLP-Fru MRPs were divided into two stages during the Maillard reaction. In 0–6 h, the unfolding and degradation of the LcTLP were dominant, resulting in a looser structure; the increase of β -sheets was 13.02%; the decrease of α -helices was 9.21%; and both the molecular weight and gyration radius R g decreased. After 6 h, the enhanced glycosylation caused the molecular weight to increase, while R g remained low, implying that the molecular structure became more compact. In addition, LcTLP-Fru MRPs reduced the inflammation response by significantly reducing the gene and protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor- α , interleukin-1 β , and interleukin-6 compared with the LcTLP group in RAW264.7 macrophages. The findings provided a theoretical foundation for addressing the inflammatory response caused by litchi products consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a novel distribution-aware and policy-aware unified curiosity-driven learning framework to unify state novelty and state-action novelty. DAW enables the agent to explore states diversely, and PAWencourage the agent to explore the states that the policy is uncertain about which action to take. The proposed approach improves the exploration ability of RL with complete intrinsic reward; • We propose to improve the robustness of policy learning by smoothing the intrinsic reward with a batch of transitions close to the current transition; we propose to employ an attention module to extract task-relevant features for a more precise estimation of intrinsic reward; • Extensive experiments on Atari games demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. In reinforcement learning (RL), the intrinsic reward estimation is necessary for policy learning when the extrinsic reward is sparse or absent. To this end, Unified Curiosity-driven Learning with Smoothed intrinsic reward Estimation (UCLSE) is proposed to address the sparse extrinsic reward problem from the perspective of completeness of intrinsic reward estimation. We further propose state distribution-aware weighting method and policy-aware weighting method to dynamically unify two mainstream intrinsic reward estimation methods. In this way, the agent can explore the environment more effectively and efficiently. Under this framework, we propose to employ an attention module to extract task-relevant features for a more precise estimation of intrinsic reward. Moreover, we propose to improve the robustness of policy learning by smoothing the intrinsic reward with a batch of transitions close to the current transition. Extensive experimental results on Atari games demonstrate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches in terms of both score and training efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The deposition model and the thermal resistance model of the deposits are verified. • The deposit growth and changes over a 500-day period in the fuel rod bundle channel are obtained. • The thermal resistance of the deposit increases rapidly once its thickness exceeds 30 μm. • The influence of different parameters on deposit growth and parameter changes is investigated. Corrosion of pressurized water reactors (PWR) in nuclear power plants can lead to serious safety hazards. This study aims to analyze the deposition of corrosion products using FLUENT software. Deposition models and thermal resistance models were developed, and the effects of deposits on the reactor's thermal–hydraulic characteristics were evaluated. Additionally, the impact of various parameters on deposition and thermal–hydraulic characteristics was examined. Results show that deposits accumulate extensively in the inlet section of the fuel cladding, while appearing as spot deposits in the outlet section. For deposit thicknesses below 30 μm, the surface temperature of the cladding gradually increases. However, when the thickness exceeds 30 μm, the surface temperature rapidly rises. Furthermore, the study reveals that the deposition amount decreases with increasing inlet flow velocity, exhibits an upward trend with higher inlet temperature, and increases with a higher wall heat flux density. This research provides important insights for understanding core deposition and thermal–hydraulic characteristics in nuclear reactor systems. It offers valuable guidance for enhancing safety and operational efficiency in nuclear power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) is an ideal two-dimensional material for enhancing the flexural strength and toughness of cement-based materials due to its exceptionally large theoretical specific surface area and Young's modulus. However, the smooth surface of GO results in weak bonding with the cement matrix. Additionally, GO has a tendency to agglomerate in cement paste, resulting in significant decreases in its specific surface area and its beneficial effect in cement-based materials. In this paper, GO modified by nano In(OH) 3 (IGOs) was successfully prepared for improving its specific surface area, dispersion and bonding with the cement matrix. These improvements were achieved by utilizing urea and sodium citrate as nanoparticle stabilizers to adjust the pH of solution. Furthermore, the optimal compositions of IGO material as described above and its effects were identified through investigating the impact of IGOs on the cement paste. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a quantitative chemoproteomic approach that utilizes a clickable photoreactive probe for global profiling of celastrol targets, which may significantly improve the current understanding of celastrol's mode of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on constructions that are vulnerable to fire hazards during wildfire events, and these constructions are known as 'exposures', which are an increasingly significant area of disaster research. A key challenge lies in estimating dynamically and comprehensively the risk that individuals are exposed to during wildfire spread. Here, 'exposure risk' denotes the potential threat to exposed constructions from fires within a future timeframe. This paper introduces a novel method that integrates a spatiotemporal knowledge graph with wildfire spread data and an exposure risk analysis model to address this issue. This approach enables the semantic integration of varied and heterogeneous spatiotemporal data, capturing the dynamic nature of wildfire propagation for precise risk analysis. Empirical tests are employed for the study area of Xichang, Sichuan Province, using real-world data to validate the method's efficacy in merging multiple data sources and enhancing the accuracy of exposure risk analysis. Notably, this approach also reduces the time complexity from O   (m × n × p) to O   (m × n) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxidative stress is a significant contributor to the development of various diseases, and the oxidative balance score (OBS) is a valuable tool for assessing the impact of dietary and lifestyle factors on oxidative stress in humans. Nevertheless, the precise relationship between OBS and thyroid function in adults remains elusive. Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 6222 adult participants drawn from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 2007 to 2012. Employing weighted multivariable linear regression modeling, the study estimated the connection between OBS quartiles and thyroid functions. The causal relationship between OBS components and thyroid function was analyzed by Mendelian randomization (MR). Results: We found a significant negative correlation between OBS and free thyroxine (FT4) and total thyroxine (TT4). Univariate and multivariate MR Analyses showed a causal relationship between BMI and FT4. Copper, smoking, and riboflavin showed a causal relationship with FT4 after moderation. Conclusion: We found that a lifestyle high in antioxidant exposure reduced FT4 and TT4 levels in the population. We suggest that BMI, Copper, and Riboflavin are important factors in the regulation of FT4 levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offshore anchor piles are extensively used as moor-floating structures in harsh environments that experience oblique tensile loads and the mechanical response is complex. This study investigated the effect of oblique tensile loads on the response of anchor piles in calcareous sand through a series of model tests and the standard penetration tests (SPT) to obtained bearing capacity equations. Eight model piles were installed into the calcareous sand bed with relative densities (D r) of 53%, 75% and were loaded with different load inclination angles (α). The test results showed that the load-displacement curves were nonlinear and that dense sand could effectively control deformation and improve the bearing capacity. The critical load inclination, corresponding to the maximum load capacity for a given pile under tension loading, was around 30° and was larger than that for the terrestrial sand (5°∼10°), which may have been caused by particle breakage. The bending stress of the anchor pile was 2∼8 times the axial stress. In dense sand (D r = 75%), the bending moment reaches its maximum around the critical angle (30°), indicating a the strong interaction between the pile and calcareous sand. The ultimate tensile load of anchor piles is a function of load inclination angle and ultimate capacity of uplift and horizontal piles. • The critical value of the load inclination angle for anchor piles in calcareous sand is around 30°. • The depth of maximum bending moment developed along the shaft of anchor piles is about 2.5d∼4d below the pile top. • Oblique tensile loads result in unignorable bending stress in anchor piles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver powder, as the primary component of solar silver paste, significantly influences various aspects of the paste's performance, including printing, sintering, and conductivity. This study reveals that, beyond the shape and size of the silver powders, their microstructure is a critical factor influencing the performance of both silver powders and silver pastes in solar cell applications. The growth process leads to the formation of either polycrystalline aggregated silver powder or crystal growth silver powder. Analyzing the performance characteristics of these different microstructures provides guidance for selecting silver powders for silver pastes at different sintering temperatures. Polycrystalline aggregated silver powder exhibits higher sintering activity, with a sintering initiation temperature around 450 °C. The resulting silver paste, sintered at 750 °C, demonstrates a low sheet resistance of 2.92 mΩ/sq and high adhesion of 2.13 N. This silver powder is suitable for formulating silver pastes with lower sintering temperatures. The solar cell electrode grid lines have a high aspect ratio of 0.37, showing poor uniformity. However, due to the high sintering activity of the silver powder, the glass layer dissolves and deposits more silver, resulting in excellent conductivity, a low contact resistance of the silver electrode, a low series resistance of the solar cell of 1.23 mΩ, and a high photoelectric conversion efficiency of 23.16%. Crystal growth silver powder exhibits the highest tap density of 5.52 g/cm3. The corresponding silver paste shows improved densification upon sintering, especially at 840 °C, yielding a sheet resistance of 2.56 mΩ/sq and adhesion of 3.05 N. This silver powder is suitable for formulating silver pastes with higher sintering temperatures. The solar cell electrode grid lines are uniform with the highest aspect ratio of 0.40, resulting in a smaller shading area, a high fill factor of 81.59%, and a slightly higher photoelectric conversion efficiency of 23.17% compared to the polycrystalline aggregated silver powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is widely acknowledged as a pivotal energy carrier in the global transition towards sustainable energy. One promising approach to hydrogen production is method copper-chlorine cycle powered by nuclear energy. This article presents an innovative integrated system for small lead-cooled fast reactors that are coupled with a copper-chlorine cycle. To assess the performance of the entire system with regards to energy, exergy, and economics, comprehensive modeling, simulation, and analysis are conducted using the simulation tool Simulink. Furthermore, a comprehensive examination of key operating parameters was conducted to explore their impact on the system. The obtained results demonstrate the energy efficiency of system is 21.3 % and the exergy efficiency of system is 40.9 %. The overall system based on the small LFR can produce high-pressure compressed hydrogen gas at a rate of 2.34 g/s and generate 53.9 kW of electricity. According to the study, the levelized cost of energy production is determined to be $0.04252/kW·h. The specific energy cost is primarily influenced by equipment investment, including the costs associated with operating and maintaining the system. Notably, the small lead-cooled fast reactor and the copper-chlorine cycle plant represent the major capital investments within the system. This study provides valuable insights and serves as a significant reference for the future engineering applications of lead-cooled fast reactors coupled with copper-chlorine cycle hydrogen systems. • Assess the performance of the Systems and subsystems in terms of energy, exergy. • Investigate the influence of key parameters on efficiency and hydrogen production rate. • Employ the levelized cost of energy production for the system's techno-economic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identified and verified the characteristic differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (CDEFRGs) in osteosarcoma (OS). We extracted ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs), identified differentially expressed FRGs (DEFRGs) in OS, and conducted correlation analysis between DEFRGs. Next, we conducted GO and KEGG analyses to explore the biological functions and pathways of DEFRGs. Furthermore, we used LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithms to screen CDEFRGs, and evaluated its accuracy in diagnosing OS through ROC curves. Then, we demonstrated the molecular function and pathway enrichment of CDEFRGs through GSEA analysis. In addition, we evaluated the differences in immune cell infiltration between OS and NC groups, as well as the correlation between CDEFRGs expressions and immune cell infiltrations. Finally, the expression of CDEFRGs was verified through qRT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry experiments. We identified 51 DEFRGs and the expression relationship between them. GO and KEGG analysis revealed their key functions and important pathways. Based on four CDEFRGs (PEX3, CPEB1, NOX1, and ALOX5), we built the OS diagnostic model, and verified its accuracy. GSEA analysis further revealed the important functions and pathways of CDEFRGs. In addition, there were differences in immune cell infiltration between OS group and NC group, and CDEFRGs showed significant correlation with certain infiltrating immune cells. Finally, we validated the differential expression levels of four CDEFRGs through external experiments. This study has shed light on the molecular pathological mechanism of OS and has offered novel perspectives for the early diagnosis and immune-targeted therapy of OS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a common third-generation environmentally friendly quaternary ammonium salt disinfectant, dimethyl dioctadecyl ammonium chloride (DDAC), was used as the modifier to achieve one-step rapid preparation of the modified red-mud-based adsorption material under the condition of microwave assistance, and applied it to the adsorption phosphorus in solutions. After the process of this modification, the structure of the red mud (RM) was not changed, and the DDAC modification could provide more adsorption active sites. The adsorption experiments indicated that the novel modified red mud (NMRM) exhibited a good adsorption performance for phosphorus. The adsorption capability of NMRM for phosphorus was significantly enhanced, and was about eight times higher than that of the initial RM. The kinetics model of the pseudo-second-order, which implied that phosphorus was chemically adsorbed on the surface of the NMRM, could accurately represent the adsorption procedure of NMRM. The adsorption equilibrium of NMRM could be better depicted using the isotherm model of Freundlich. It was speculated that the ion exchange might be responsible for the adsorption mechanism of NMRM for phosphorus. Thus, the NMRM is a potential material for the treatment of phosphorus-containing wastewater due to its outstanding adsorption capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-diameter monopile is the most widely used foundation for offshore wind energy converters, which behaves as a semi-rigid/rigid pile under lateral loading. However, the current laterally loaded monopile design method recommended by API ignores the toe-kick phenomenon and the base shear force (Q b), which was developed initially for slender piles. The base shear force calibration method is still ambiguous due to the lack of lateral loading tests for large-diameter monopiles. In this study, the moment contribution of the monopile base shear force (Q b) is quantified based on the finite element simulation in dense sand. The results demonstrate that the base shear force (Q b) should not be neglected for semi-rigid/rigid monopile design, especially when the aspect ratio is no more than 4. And then, a novel four-parameter hump curve (FHC) model is suggested to establish the relationship between the shear force (Q b) and deflection (y b) at the monopile tip. The results show that the FHC model agrees well, and the Q b - y b relationship can be used in practical engineering. The systematic Q b - y b relationship establishment procedure can be applied to other sites, which may facilitate a more accurate calibration of the soil-monopile interaction for the laterally loaded monopile design. • The moment contribution of the base shear force is quantified by finite element simulation. • The base shear force should not be neglected for semi-rigid/rigid monopiles design. • The four-parameter hump curve model is suggested to establish the Q b - y b relationship for laterally loaded monopiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Displacement of bone cement following percutaneous vertebral augmentation for Kümmell disease (KD) presents a significant concern, resulting in increasing back pain and compromising daily activities. Unfortunately, current literature does not yet establish a validated and minimally invasive surgical intervention for this issue. This study aims to investigate the effects of a novel hollow pedicle screw combined with kyphoplasty (HPS‐KP) in preventing bone cement displacement following simply percutaneous kyphoplasty for the management of KD. Methods: A total of 22 patients (six males, 16 females, averagely aged 77.18 ± 7.63 years) with KD without neurological deficits treated by HPS‐KP at the hospital between March 2021 and June 2022 were hereby selected, among which, there were three stage I KD cases, 12 stage II KD cases, and seven stage III KD cases according to Li's classification. Bone mineral density (BMD), spinal X‐ray, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were examined before the operation. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications were all recorded. The follow‐up focused on visual analog scale (VAS) score, Oswestry dysfunction index (ODI), anterior vertebral height (AVH), middle vertebral height (MVH), posterior vertebral height (PVH), wedge‐shape affected vertebral Cobb angle (WCA), and bisegmental Cobb angle (BCA). One‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Bonferroni post‐hoc test was employed for performing multiple comparisons in the present study. Results: All patients having received the operation successfully were followed up for more than 8 months (ranging from 8 to 18 months). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and BMD (T‐score) were 39.09 ± 5.64 min, 14.09 ± 3.98 ml, and − 3.30 ± 0.90 g/cm3, respectively. Statistically significant differences were observed in the VAS score, ODI, AVH, MVH, and WCA (All p < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in PVH and BCA at different time points (All p > 0.05). During follow‐up, five patients suffered from bone cement leakage, and one presented an adjacent vertebral fracture and no bone cement displacement. Conclusion: HPS‐KP could be safe and effective in the treatment of KD without neurological deficits, effectively relieving the symptoms of patients, restoring partial vertebral height, and preventing the occurrence of bone cement displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is a wealth of data and expert knowledge available on monitoring agro-meteorological disasters. However, there is still a lack of technical means to organically integrate and analyze heterogeneous data sources in a collaborative manner. This paper proposes a method for monitoring agro-meteorological disasters based on a spatio-temporal knowledge graph. It employs a semantic ontology framework to achieve the organic fusion of multi-source heterogeneous data, including remote sensing data, meteorological data, farmland data, crop information, etc. And it formalizes expert knowledge and computational models into knowledge inference rules, thereby enabling monitoring, early warning, and disaster analysis of agricultural crops within the observed area. The experimental area for this research is the wheat planting region in three counties in Henan Province. The method is tested using simulation monitoring, early warning, and impact calculation of the past two occurrences of dry hot wind disasters. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can provide more specific and accurate warning information and post-disaster analysis results compared to raw records. The statistical results of NDVI decline also validate the correlation between the severity of wheat damage caused by dry hot winds and the intensity and duration of their occurrences. Regarding remote sensing data, this paper proposes a method that directly incorporates remote sensing data into spatio-temporal knowledge inference calculations. By integrating remote sensing data into the regular monitoring process, the advantages of remote sensing data granted by continuous observation are utilized. This approach represents a beneficial attempt to organically integrate remote sensing and meteorological data for monitoring, early warning, and evaluation analysis of agro-meteorological disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast, low-cost, and efficient design of zeolite imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) based derivatives with perfect hollow channels is an effective method for enhancing their full water-splitting catalytic activities and achieving their commercial use. In this study, the novel cobalt nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanocages uniformly dispersed over two curved surfaces of biomass-derived hollow carbon fibers (Co@NC nanocage/HCF) were synthesized via the carbonization of the ZIF-67/hollow biomass fiber precursors. After the usage amounts of biomass fibers were optimized, the optimal Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 exhibited a larger surface area and higher dispersion states of Co@NC nanocages than the tightly packed pure Co@NC nanocages. Particularly, owing to the hollow and porous structures of Co@NC nanocages, more electrocatalytic active centers (i.e. the pyridinic-N, Co-N x -C, pyrrolic-N, graphitic-N, high-valence Co, and other oxygen-containing functional groups) were exposed along surfaces of the Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 catalyst. In an alkaline solution, the hydrogen evolution reaction potential at 10 mA cm−2 for Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 was 165 mV more negative than that of 20 wt% Pt/C. Particularly, the oxygen evolution reaction potential at 10 mA cm−2 for Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 was 17 mV more negative than that of RuO 2. For overall water splitting, the bifunctional Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 catalyst-based electrolysis cell achieved a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of 1.618 V, which is 4 mV smaller than that of the state-of-the-art 20 wt% Pt/C||RuO 2 cell (1.614 V). The perfect hollow and porous structures, uniformly dispersed Co@NC nanocages (locked by vast in situ formed carbon nanotubes), and abundant electrocatalytic active sites along the inner and outer surfaces of Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 contributed to the excellent water splitting catalysis. Particularly, owing to the excellent stabilities of hollow structures and uniformly dispersed porous Co@NC nanocages, the Co@NC nanocage/HCF 200 exhibited higher stability toward water electrolysis. [Display omitted] • Co@NC nanocages uniformly dispersed hollow carbon fibers. • The large surface area and various active sites of Co@NC nanocages/HCF 200. • HER E 10 value of optimal catalyst is 165 mV more negative than 20 wt% Pt/C. • OER E 10 value of optimal catalyst is 17 mV more negative than that of RuO 2. • Cell voltage at 10 mA cm−2 for optimal catalyst is 4 mV smaller than 20 wt% Pt/C||RuO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides pose a significant threat to human lives and property, making the development of accurate and reliable landslide prediction methods essential. With the rapid advancement of multi-source remote sensing techniques and machine learning, remote sensing data-driven landslide prediction methods have attracted increasing attention. However, the lack of an effective and efficient paradigm for organizing multi-source remote sensing data and a unified prediction workflow often results in the weak generalization ability of existing prediction models. In this paper, we propose an improved multi-source data-driven landslide prediction method based on a spatio-temporal knowledge graph and machine learning models. By combining a spatio-temporal knowledge graph and machine learning models, we establish a framework that can effectively organize multi-source remote sensing data and generate unified prediction workflows. Our approach considers the environmental similarity between different areas, enabling the selection of the most adaptive machine learning model for predicting landslides in areas with scarce samples. Experimental results show that our method outperforms machine learning methods, achieving an increase in F1 score by 29% and an improvement in processing efficiency by 93%. Furthermore, by comparing the susceptibility maps generated in real scenarios, we found that our workflow can alleviate the problem of poor prediction performance caused by limited data availability in county-level predictions. This method provides new insights into the development of data-driven landslide evaluation methods, particularly in addressing the challenges posed by limited data availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eucalyptus biomass-fired boilers generally experience severe problems with deposit formation and are expected to suffer from severe superheater corrosion at high temperatures due to the large alkali and chlorine content in eucalyptus biomass. The unique deposition layer structure and corrosion mechanism of eucalyptus-fired boilers are discussed in this paper. It was found that a unique sandwich like cell-membrane structure on the heating surface was formed in eucalyptus biomass-fired boilers. Chlorine acts as a catalyst, circulates the reaction and causes serious corrosion. The oxides at the junction of the corrosion layer and the matrix mainly penetrate along the grain boundary of the matrix, forming a unique network structure. There is obvious internal oxidation and mass transfer along the grain boundary in the matrix of 12Cr2MoWVTiB steel pipe, and no obvious internal oxidation in SA213T91 steel pipe due to its fine and uniform grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to accurately characterize and evaluate dust particle diffusion in the dynamic tunneling process of a boring machine, this study considers the 31,116 main transport chute heaving face of the Lijiahao coal mine as a case study. A dynamic tunneling model is developed considering the real dynamic tunneling state of the header, to carry out an in-depth analysis of the spatial and temporal evolution of wind flow and dust dispersion in the tunnel under dynamic excavation. In addition, the results were compared against the calculations of a static standard excavation model of a conventional header. Employing CFD analysis accompanied by field measurements, it was highlighted that the dynamic tunneling of the header leads to an increase in the pressure difference and the turbulent kinetic energy at the working face. Moreover, an increase in the number of vortices was reported, and a higher concentration of dust spreads more quickly along the return wind side wall to the return flow area. On the other hand, the high concentration of dust under the standard tunneling model was found to accumulate a lot on the return wind side. Simultaneously, as the distance between the pressurized air outlet and the working face increases, the average wind speed in the vortex-type wind flow area at the front of the tunnel decreases. When t = 60 s, the return flow area expands to a space of 8 m~24 m from the head, and the dust accumulated above the header spreads to the back of the header to form a high concentration dust region of more than 500 mg/m³. It was shown that the range of high-concentration dust clouds in the breathing zone decreases compared to the results of the standard tunneling model. Moreover, the dust concentration in the breathing zone of the driver is significantly lower than that reported by the standard tunneling model. Based on the results of the field test, the average error between the simulated and measured data of the dynamic tunneling model was calculated to be around 6.46%, thus demonstrating the model's capability in describing the real working conditions of the heave tunnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IVR-ERVC (In-Vessel Retention – External Reactor Vessel Cooling) is a critical accident management method for ensuring the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head. One of the most crucial aspects within this method is to enhance the CHF (Critical Heat Flux) on the outer surface of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head. This paper explores the application of graphene nanofluids in IVR-ERVC. This paper uses computational fluid dynamics to numerically simulate the CHF characteristics of graphene nanofluids under different undercooling, mass flow rate, concentration, tilt angle, and gap size conditions and analyzes the impact of different factors on CHF and the coupling effects between different factors. The undercooling range is 5 K–100 K, the mass flow rate range is 150 k g / (m 2 ∙ s) to 3000 k g / (m 2 ∙ s) , the concentration range is 0–1%, the inclination angle range is 0°–90°, and the gap sizes are 10 mm and 20 mm. The results show that the CHF can be effectively improved by adding nano-graphene into the base solution, and the CHF increases with the increase of subcooling degree, mass flow rate, concentration, dip Angle and gap size. Within the simulation range, the strengthening effect on CHF weakens when raising the undercooling and mass flow rate. And the larger the concentration and inclination angle within the simulation range, the better the enhancement effect on CHF. The maximum increase was 290%, while the average increase was 75.6%. This article studies the coupling effects between different parameters through numerical simulation. It can be concluded that increasing the mass flow rate weakens the enhancement of subcooling and concentration on CHF, increasing the subcooling weakens the enhancement effect of mass flow rate and concentration on CHF, and increasing the concentration enhances the enhancement effect of subcooling and mass flow rate on CHF. Enhance the mass flow rate will weaken tilt angle effect, while increasing the concentration will enhance the strengthening effect of tilt angle on CHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simulation code for the HCOTSG under ocean motion is established and validated. • The impact of the changes in amplitude and period in IRIS reactor were investigated. • The effect of inclining direction and angle on the thermohydraulic parameters of HCOTSG was researched. • The influence of swaying angle, swaying period, and direction of swaying axis was analyzed. Based on the finite difference method, the fixed boundary method, and a staggered grid method, this paper develops a one-dimensional thermal–hydraulic analysis code to simulate the effects of heave motion and more complex oceanic motions, namely heaving coupled with inclination and heaving coupled with swaying, on the thermal–hydraulic parameters of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) reactor's helical coil once-through steam generator (HCOTSG). The oceanic conditions were achieved by modifying the momentum equation. The validity and accuracy of the code were obtained by comparing the results with the design parameters of HCOTSG for two types of marine nuclear reactors, the SMART reactor and the IRIS reactor, and with the calculations of some similar international prediction programs. The simulation results indicate that (1) when only heave motion is considered, increasing the amplitude and reducing the period both result in a greater magnitude and a faster rate of change in the HCOTSG parameters. (2) When the combined motion of inclining and heaving is present, the dynamic performance of the composite motion inclining towards the positive x-axis deteriorates the most severely, while its thermodynamic conditions improve slightly. In this direction, the inclining angle has little influence on the thermal–hydraulic characteristics of HCOTSG. (3) When the combined motion of heaving and swaying is present, the dynamic performance is more severely affected under swaying motion towards the negative y-axis, despite a slight improvement in thermodynamic conditions. In this direction, as the swaying angle increases, the trend of parameter variation under swaying is similar but with a greater magnitude of change. The deterioration in dynamic performance becomes more severe, although there are small improvements in thermodynamic conditions. With the swaying period increasing, the maximum and minimum values of the secondary side pressure drop show little change. Additionally, the average thermodynamic conditions exhibit little variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simulation code for the HCOTSG under appropriate inclination state is developed and verified; • The variation of the main parameters of the HCOTSG in IRIS reactor under different inclination state is investigated; • The influences of the input parameters perturbation on HCOTSG thermal–hydraulic Characteristics are analyzed; • The variations of thermal–hydraulic parameters under different input parameters perturbation in inclination state and vertical state are compared. This paper develops a one-dimensional thermal–hydraulic analysis program to simulate the main thermal–hydraulic parameter changes of helical coil once-through steam generator (HCOTSG) under inlet thermal–hydraulic parameters perturbation in inclining and vertical conditions. The inclining process is divided into the process of rotating from the vertical position to the inclining position and the stable inclining process. The rotating process is regarded as swaying motion. The swaying and inclining motions are achieved by modifying the momentum equation. What's more, the code was verified through experiments on two-phase heat transfer and friction pressure drop, as well as comparisons with the design parameters of the HCOTSG of the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) reactor. The results of the simulation indicate that the direction of incline has an obvious impact on the safety of the HCOTSG, with inclination towards the y-axis having the greatest impact. In the stable inclining process, an increase in the angle of inclining results in a rise in primary-side outlet temperature and a reduction in heat transfer, while the secondary-side pressure drop increases. Furthermore, the HCOTSG underwent testing with eight types of transient perturbations, including four sudden perturbations and four linear perturbations. Results indicated that during sudden perturbations, apart from the secondary-side pressure drop, there were no substantial differences in simulated results between the inclined and vertical states at the same time during the transition process. However, during linear perturbations, due to the slow changes in parameters, the differences between the inclined and vertical states at the same time were more distinct. Regardless of the perturbation type, the inclined state led to a deterioration in the dynamic condition of the system compared to the vertical state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate frictional properties of the rupture surface of the carbonate Jiweishan rock avalanche, we conducted high-velocity-friction tests on the limestone and shale samples at different shear rates. The samples showed shear- and rate-strengthening of friction at low shear rates, but transformed to shear- and rate-weakening of friction at large shear rates. The critical shear rate was deduced to be between 0.05 and 0.2 m/s in our tests. The friction coefficient reduced to an extremely low value of less than 0.1 at a shear rate of 2.1 m/s. The sliding rock mass therefore could slide out of the rupture surface at a high velocity and consequently traveled a long distance as granular debris. Two mechanisms may have reduced the frictional resistance. Recrystallized calcite nanograins and CaO nanograins produced through calcite decomposition covered and lubricated the shear surface. Furthermore, the CO 2 emitted through calcite decomposition reduced the effective normal stress and therefore the friction on the surface. Our conclusions for Jiweishan rock avalanche are also useful for understanding the high mobility of other widely distributed carbonate rock avalanches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest fires have frequently occurred and caused great harm to people's lives. Many researchers use machine learning techniques to predict forest fires by considering spatio-temporal data features. However, it is difficult to efficiently obtain the features from large-scale, multi-source, heterogeneous data. There is a lack of a method that can effectively extract features required by machine learning-based forest fire predictions from multi-source spatio-temporal data. This paper proposes a forest fire prediction method that integrates spatio-temporal knowledge graphs and machine learning models. This method can fuse multi-source heterogeneous spatio-temporal forest fire data by constructing a forest fire semantic ontology and a knowledge graph-based spatio-temporal framework. This paper defines the domain expertise of forest fire analysis as the semantic rules of the knowledge graph. This paper proposes a rule-based reasoning method to obtain the corresponding data for the specific machine learning-based forest fire prediction methods, which are dedicated to tackling the problem with real-time prediction scenarios. This paper performs experiments regarding forest fire predictions based on real-world data in the experimental areas Xichang and Yanyuan in Sichuan province. The results show that the proposed method is beneficial for the fusion of multi-source spatio-temporal data and highly improves the prediction performance in real forest fire prediction scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crux of graph classification lies in the effective representation learning for the entire graph. Typical graph neural networks focus on modeling the local dependencies when aggregating features of neighboring nodes, and obtain the representation for the entire graph by aggregating node features. Such methods have two potential limitations: 1) the global node saliency w.r.t. graph classification is not explicitly modeled, which is crucial since different nodes may have different semantic relevance to graph classification; 2) the graph representation directly aggregated from node features may have limited effectiveness to reflect graph-level information. In this work, we propose the Saliency-Aware Regularized Graph Neural Network (SAR-GNN) for graph classification, which consists of two core modules: 1) a traditional graph neural network serving as the backbone for learning node features and 2) the Graph Neural Memory designed to distill a compact graph representation from node features of the backbone. We first estimate the global node saliency by measuring the semantic similarity between the compact graph representation and node features. Then the learned saliency distribution is leveraged to regularize the neighborhood aggregation of the backbone, which facilitates the message passing of features for salient nodes and suppresses the less relevant nodes. Thus, our model can learn more effective graph representation. We demonstrate the merits of SAR-GNN by extensive experiments on seven datasets across various types of graph data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A simulation code for the HCOTSG under appropriate rolling motion is developed and verified. • The variation of the main parameters of the HCOTSG in IRIS reactor under rolling conditions is investigated. • The influences of the different system operating parameters on HCOTSG thermal-hydraulic Characteristics are analysed. • The variations of thermal-hydraulic parameters under different swing directions, angles, periods, and positions of swing axes are obtained. Steam generators are essential for the safe, economical, and reliable operation of nuclear reactors. Helical Coil Once-through Steam Generators (HCOTSG) offer unique advantages over other types of steam generators for ship reactors or offshore platforms. To investigate the effect of rolling motion due to ocean conditions on the safe and economic operation of HCOTSG, a new model and a new code are developed in this paper. The program is developed and allows numerical simulation of HCOTSG under ocean conditions. The validity of the code was verified by comparing the simulation results with the design parameters of the Marine Reactor X (MRX) steam generator and the simulation results of other dedicated programs. The code was further used to perform the International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) transient operating conditions under typical rolling motions. Then, the influences of different swing directions, angles, periods, and positions of swing axes from the origin of the system operating parameters are analyzed. In the cases discussed in this paper, the following conclusions are obtained: (a) The direction of the swing significantly affects the system. The most dangerous situation is around the x-axis, and the case around the z-axis is the safest, in which the rolling situation has little effect on the system because the centripetal force is perpendicular to the tube wall, and the gravitational pressure drop is constant. (b) when the swing angle increases, except the fluctuation speed is faster, the fluctuation range of the parameters also increases. (c) when the swing period changes, the parameters' fluctuation range also change (d) the orientation of the swing axis from the origin affects the magnitudes of the parameters' changes (e) the distance of the swing axis from the origin affects the magnitude of the parameter variation and the farther the swing axis is from the origin, the greater the parameter fluctuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of the new century, since nuclear energy received widespread attention due to its economy and environmental protection, the nuclear industry has developed rapidly. However, there are still some issues challenging the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) especially at extreme conditions. During a hypothetical severe accident in a light water reactor, the core fuel will be disrupted and melt-down resulting from the absence of coolant, and finally forms a high-temperature molten pool at the lower head of reactor pressure vessel (RPV), which threaten the integrity of RPV, one of the most important barriers to prevent radioactive fission product releasing to the environment. In this regard, the decay heat removal of the molten pool plays an essential role in the strategy of in-vessel retention (IVR)-external reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) to arrest the molten corium inside the RPV, as shown in Fig. 1. This paper examines the research work about experimental investigation, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation conducted for ERVC and summarizes the different approaches proposed by scholars to strengthen ERVC capabilities. Those approaches are the replacement of the cooling work materials, the application of nanofluids, surface modification, and other methods. Finally, it concludes the deficiencies of the current study and the direction of future efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • LcTLP treated by ultrasound for 15 min (LT15) altered multi-level structure. • LcTLP structure tended to recover with ultrasound treatment reached 45-min. • The inflammatory epitopes of LcTLP were disrupted at 15 min. • Proinflammatory cytokines secretion and mRNA expression levels reduced by LT15. • LT15 inhibited the inflammatory response through NF-κB and MAPK pathways in vitro. The pro-inflammation activity of litchi thaumatin-like protein (LcTLP) led to be responsible for the occurrence of adverse reactions after excessive consumption of litchi. This study aimed to characterize the changes in the structure and inflammatory activity of LcTLP induced by ultrasound treatment. Significant molecular structure of LcTLP changes occured at 15 min ultrasound treatment, and then tended to recover with subsequent treatment. Secondary structure (α- helices decreased from 17.3% to 6.3%), tertiary structure (the maximum endogenous fluorescence intensity decreased), and microstructure (mean hydrodynamic diameter reduced from 4 μm to 50 nm) of the LcTLP treated for 15 min (LT15) were significantly affected, which led to the inflammatory epitope of LcTLP (domain II and V-cleft) unfolded. In vitro , LT15 had a significant anti-inflammatory response, which inhibited NO production and had the best effect at 50 ng/mL in RAW264.7 macrophages (73.24%). Moreover, proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion and mRNA expression levels were also significantly lower compared with untreated LcTLP (p < 0.05). Western blot further confirmed that the expressions of IκB- α , p65, p38, ERK and JNK reduced markedly (p < 0.05), which indicated LT15 inhibited the inflammatory response through NF-κB and MAPK transduction pathways. Overall, it can be hypothesized that LT15 exposed to low frequency ultrasonic fields have a direct effect on the protein surface structure and thus on the entry of LT15 into cells, making 15-minute ultrasound treatment potentially useful in reducing the pro-inflammatory properties of litchi or related liquid products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first comparative study of combinations of anesthetics that cause a decrease in systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and myocardial contractility or that increase increase sympathetic excitation. • Under a standard anesthesia induction and maintenance, S-ketamine may improve the hemodynamic profile. • S-Ketamine produced higher PI values than placebo. • The patients administered S-ketamine exhibited a lower rate of postinduction hypotension. Abnormal peripheral perfusion and postinduction hypotension are associated with postoperative adverse outcomes. S-ketamine may stimulate blood circulation by activating the sympathetic nervous system. This study aimed to identify whether S-ketamine may improve the hemodynamic profile, relative to saline. 115 patients were assessed for eligibility for participation in this study. A total of 100 patients were included. The patients (n = 50 for each group) were randomly allocated to the Test group, treated with S-ketamine plus propofol, cisatracurium and sufentanil, and to the Control group, treated with saline plus propofol, cisatracurium, and sufentanil. Maintenance of anesthesia in both groups was accomplished with sevoflurane. The perfusion index (PI) was recorded at intervals of 1 min, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were collected continuously at intervals of 3 min. The number of patients with MAP < 60 mmHg was also analyzed. The PI remained higher in the Test group than in the Control group at the following time points: initial induction (mean difference: 1.01 [95% CI: 0.27–1.74]; P = 0.007), preintubation (mean difference: 1.46 [95% CI: 0.57–2.34]; P = 0.001) and postintubation (mean difference: 1.28 [95% CI: 0.26–2.30]; P = 0.014), before (mean difference: 2.66 [95% CI: 1.22–4.1]; P < 0.001) and after making the skin incision (mean difference: 1.03 [95% CI: 0.28–1.78]; P = 0.007). Compared with Control group, a higher MAP trend from preintubation to postincision appeared in patients assigned to S-ketamine (P = 0.003). The number of patients with MAP < 60 mmHg in the Test group was lower than Control group (10.0% vs. 34.0%, P < 0.003) in the preincision. The HR was similar throughout the test, with no statistical difference. During anesthesia induction and maintenance, the use of S-ketamine may improve the peripheral perfusion and blood pressure as compared to the Control group. ChiCTR2100051167. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) had been widely detected in water environment and caused extremely toxicity. The Fe(Ⅲ) reduction process had been confirmed with potential effect on organic pollutants removal. Many substances can be served as electron shuttles that played important role in Fe(Ⅲ) reduction and the removal or distribution of PFAS. Considering the complex organic characteristics in wetland sediment, this study explored the effect of diverse electron shuttles, including activated carbon (AC), sucrose, humic acid (HA), organic acid (OA) and NH 4 +, on typical PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) removal under the Fe(Ⅲ) reduction conditions. Results showed that, the Fe(Ⅲ) contents reduced with the removal of PFAS. The addition of NH 4 +, AC and sucrose enhanced PFOA and PFOS removal in sediment. And the addition of NH 4 + achieved best PFOA removal, which had 30.2% lower content than that in control. The characteristics of organic carbon changed with these electron shuttles and thus influenced the performance and distribution of PFAS. Among the organic matter components, the proportions of fulvic acid-like and humic-like materials increased, which could promote Fe(Ⅲ) reduction. Increased proportions of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Pseudomonas were detected with various electron shuttles. These microbes could survival under PFAS pollution and have potential to defluorination of PFAS. The electron shuttles highly improved the proportions of iron-reduction bacteria, which were more than 86.0% higher than that in control. This study provided a key information for better understanding the role of electron shuttles in PFAS removal via Fe(Ⅲ) reduction process, which could be useful for effective PFAS remediation in sediment. • The reduction of Fe(Ⅲ) accompanied by the removal of PFOA and PFOS. • NH 4 +, activated carbon and sucrose enhanced PFOA and PFOS removal with Fe(Ⅲ). • Electron shuttles increased proportions of fulvic acid-like and humic-like materials. • Relative abundance of iron reducing bacteria was increased with electron shuttles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid sliding in a rock avalanche may occur from strain- and strain-rate- weakening of the rupture-surface strength. However, existing research on rock-avalanche dynamics pays little attention to rupture-surface weakening. In this paper, we used high-speed-friction tests on limestone and shale of the Qixia Formation to determine strain- and strain-rate- weakening of the rupture surface of the Jiweishan rock avalanche. The strain- and strain-rate- weakening model inferred that the friction coefficient of the rupture surface decreased rapidly to a residual value of <0.1 within a short interval after rock-avalanche failure, which was collectively determined by shear rate and shear displacement. We used this rate-weakening in a numerical model to investigate the dynamics of the rock avalanche, and compared it with another model that used a constant value of friction. Our model results suggested that rupture-surface weakening could cause the disintegration of the sliding body and influence the post-failure motion of the Jiweishan rock avalanche. With strain- and strain-rate- weakening, a larger sliding-out velocity (~ 13–27 m/s) of the rock mass was modelled due to reduction of frictional energy consumption causing by rupture-surface weakening. Hence a strain and strain-rate- weakened rock mass could both fly farther in the air and strike the ground at a lower angle maintaining more kinetic energy. The transport distance of such a sliding rock mass would have been ~50–500 m longer than in a model without weakening. Our study suggested that strain- and strain-rate- weakening behavior of a rupture surface would significantly increase the rock-avalanche transport distance. Use of such a model might provide more accurate prediction of the disaster reach of rock avalanches. • Rupture-surface strength decreases rapidly after rock-avalanche initiation. • Rupture-surface strength is quantitatively studied by numerical modeling. • Rupture-surface strength weakening promotes the disintegration of a rock avalanche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]