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• A behavior intervention architecture was applied in the traffic safety field. • The concept was explored by conducting a survey with 1054 respondents in Japan. • Nudge Theory could effectively nudge drivers to use driving tracking. • Different demographic groups should be nudged with different nudge techniques. Driver tracking has the potential to improve driving skills and reduce traffic accidents. Nudging drivers toward the widespread utilization of driver tracking holds significant potential for enhancing traffic safety. Nudge approach gained popularity by changing environmental factors through careful design and guiding people to make certain choices under non-mandatory conditions. This research is dedicated to examines the impact of nudge approach on driver's willingness to use driver tracking across different age, marital, and income groups. Survey data were collected from a sample of 1054 respondents throughout Japan in 2020. Together with the PLS-SEM model and multigroup analysis, results reveal that (1) natural consequences, comparison of behavior, shaping knowledge, covert learning, identity nudge approaches could all have positive impact on driver's willingness to use driver tracking; (2) it is significantly effective to deploy shaping knowledge nudge approach for the drivers under 50 years old to encourage them to use driver tracking; (3) natural consequence nudge approach is more suitable for drivers older than 50 years old, while the convert learning nudge approach is more appropriate for drivers younger than 50 years old; (4) natural consequences nudge approach is more effective in influencing the willingness of unmarried respondents to use driver tracking, while the covert learning nudge approach is more effective in influencing the willingness of married respondents; (5) comparison of behavior nudge approach is 2 times more effective at persuading drivers to use driver tracking for the higher income group, while driver's identity nudge approach is 2 times more effective for the lower income group. These findings provide valuable insights for drivers, companies, and governments with a superior nudge approach to enhance driving skills, which is beneficial for improving traffic safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the kinetic performance of thick electrodes is essential for improving the efficiency of lithium extraction processes. Biochar, known for its affordability and unique three-dimensional (3D) structure, is utilized across various applications. In this study, we developed a biochar-based, 3D-conductive network thick electrode (∼20 mg cm−2) by in-situ deposition of LiFePO 4 (LFP) onto watermelon peel biomass (WB). Utilizing Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations complemented by experimental data, we confirmed that this The thick electrode exhibits outstanding kinetic properties and a high capacity for lithium intercalation in brines, even in environments where the Magnesia-lithium ratios are significantly high. The electrode showed an impressive intercalation capacity of 30.67 mg g−1 within 10 min in a pure lithium solution. It also maintained high intercalation performance (31.17 mg g−1) in simulated brines with high Magnesia-lithium ratios. Moreover, in actual brine, it demonstrated a significant extraction capacity (23.87 mg g−1), effectively lowering the Magnesia-lithium ratio from 65 to 0.50. This breakthrough in high-conductivity thick electrode design offers new perspectives for lithium extraction technologies. The watermelon peel serves as the substrate, simultaneously supporting the in-situ loading of LFP, thereby forming an LFP/WB thick electrode exhibits high lithium absorption capacity and excellent kinetic performance in high Mg2+/Li+ ratio brine. It achieved an impressive absorption rate of 30.67 mg g−1·min−1 in 10 min and an average lithium extraction of 23.87 mg g−1 from salt lake brine. This approach effectively reduced the Mg2+/Li+ ratio from 65 to 0.50, enabling efficient lithium separation and comprehensive biological resource utilization. [Display omitted] • The comprehensive utilization of biological resources is achieved. • The low efficiency of Li + extraction with thick electrode is effectively solved. • Effectively reducing the Mg2+/Li+ ratio in low-grade brine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel carbazole sulfonamide derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for antiproliferative activity. Among them, compounds 7 and 15 showed strong potency (IC 50 values of 0.81–31.19 nM) against five different cancer cells including multidrug-resistant MCF7/ADR cells. Compound 15 displayed a high cancer cell selectivity (IC 50 (L02)/average IC 50 : SI = 7.7). The l -valine prodrug 7a and the phosphate prodrug 15a exerted rohust in vivo antitumor efficacies and accepted safety prolifes. Further mechanism studies revealed that 7 and 15 directly bind to the colchicine site in tubulin to block tubulin polymerization, promote microtubule fragmentation at the cellular level, and induce apoptosis with G2/M cell cycle arrest. These compounds also inhibit HEMC-1 cells migration and vascular tube formation. Additionally, compound 7 displayed a selective inhibition of Topo I. Collectively, these studies suggest that 7 and 15 represents a promising new generation of tubulin inhibitors for cancer treatment. [Display omitted] • Compound 7 is a novel dual-mechanism antitumor agent with targeting tubulin and Topo I. • Compounds 7 and 15 showed an average IC 50 value of 17.99 and 6.94 nM against five cancer cells, respectively. • Compound 15 showed a high selective between cancer cells and L02 cells with SI of 7.7. • Compounds 7 and 15 possessed antitumor effect in MCF-7 xenograft model with IR 0f 66 % and 73 %, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the kinetic performance of thick electrodes is key to enhancing lithium extraction from salt lakes. Nano-melamine foam (MF), known for its unique porous structure, is ideal for building a three-dimensional (3D) conductive network, thereby boosting electrode kinetics. In our study, we developed a thick electrode (20 mg·g−1) with a 3D-conductive network by in-situ growing LiFePO 4 (LFP) onto a nanoscale MF substrate. This electrode exhibited superior kinetic performance and a high lithium adsorption capacity in brine, achieving up to 32.8 mg·g−1 in just 10 min. Remarkably, even in simulated brine with a high Mg2+/Li+ ratio, it maintained an average coulomb efficiency of 62 %, significantly lowering the Mg2+/Li+ ratio from 65.6 to 0.47. It also showed exceptional stability in actual brine, maintaining an average coulomb efficiency of about 56.6 %. Our development of this high conductivity, thick electrode provides new insights into efficient lithium extraction methods. • The introduction of melamine foam significantly enhanced the extraction efficiency of lithium，addressing the low efficiency commonly associated with lithium extraction in salt lakes. • Demonstrated effectiveness of the LFP/MF materials in real salt lake brine environments, highlighting their potential for practical applications. • The construction of 3D network thick electrode provides a new idea for extracting lithium from salt lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of air entrainment on rheological behavior of fresh cementitious materials has attracted a lot of attention in the past years, but the results are still in controversy. In this research, cement mortars were prepared with equivalent air contents using different air-entraining admixtures (AEAs) to measure their fresh-state performance and hardened air-void system at variable temperature conditions, which aimed to clarify and unveil the coupled effects of different surfactants and temperature for the first time. The adsorption amount of AEA, zeta potential of cement, along with hydration kinetics of mixtures were evaluated to characterize the interaction of air bubbles with cement grains. It was found that for mixture without superplasticizer (SP), the impact of air entrainment on rheological parameters was dependent on the interaction intensity of AEA molecules with cement. For SP-plasticized mixture, air entrainment tended to cause a shear-thinning behavior with decreased plastic viscosity, while its influence on yield stress was in accordance with the situation without SP. The hardened samples with anionic surfactant contained more small voids and lacked big voids, whereas the samples with cationic surfactant showed opposite outcomes. With temperature decreasing, both the average chord length and the spacing factor of air voids increased owing to the reduced yield stress of mixture. The results will provide in-depth illustrations for understanding how air bubbles change the rheological behavior of mixture, and more importantly it will explain the seemingly inconsistent findings reported by previous literatures. • How air bubbles affected rheological behavior of mixtures with various states was clarified. • The coupled influence of surfactant type and temperature on air-void system were explored. • The crucial role of surfactant interaction with cement for fresh-state performance was revealed. • The reasons why temperature decreasing at fresh-state degraded air-void structure were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 3D-rGO, an electrode with a three-dimensional conductive network was successfully constructed, which shortened the transmission path of Li+ and showed excellent kinetic properties (the rate in the first 10 min was 3.58mg·g−1·min−1), and it also has a high adsorption capacity (35.8mg·g−1). [Display omitted] • Significant improvement in the kinetic performance of lithium extraction using the LFP/rGO materials, addressing the low efficiency commonly associated with lithium extraction in salt lakes. • Demonstrated effectiveness of the LFP/rGO materials in real salt lake brine environments, highlighting their potential for practical applications. • The development of a three-dimensional conductive network-incorporated thick electrode provides new insights for the fabrication of high-performance lithium extraction electrodes. Constructing thick electrodes with high Li+ adsorption capacity and excellent kinetic performance effectively addresses the low efficiency of lithium extraction from salt lake brines. However, an increase in the content of active material can hinder the Li+ mass transfer within the electrode, resulting in polarization and reduced kinetic performance, which ultimately affects the extraction efficiency. This study synthesized a three-dimensional(3D) conductive network-incorporated thick electrode (∼20 mg/cm2) composed of the redox graphene oxide-loaded LFP(LFP/rGO) composite through an in situ hydrothermal method. The electrode material showed excellent kinetic performance and a high adsorption capacity for Li+ in salt lake brine. Under a constant voltage of 0.8 V in Li+ solution, the Li+ adsorption capacity reached 36.78 mg·g−1 within 10 min, exhibiting an average coulombic efficiency of over 83.53 %. Furthermore, the LFP/rGO composite thick electrode exhibited a Li+ adsorption capacity of 32.82 mg·g−1, along with an average coulombic efficiency of 74.6 %, even in the West Taijinar old brine solution. Additionally, the electrode material demonstrated remarkable cycling stability, maintaining a capacity of 172.09 mAh·g−1 after 50 cycles at a 0.2C rate in a high-concentration salt lake brine. Our preparation strategy offers novel insights for high-performance lithium extraction electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a finite-horizon optimal control based on a linear periodically time-varying (LTPV) state–space model for single-phase cascaded H-bridge (CHB) converter with low-capacitance. This LPTV model, characterized by periodic time-varying state matrices, integrates the branch current and capacitor voltages as state variables, modulation signals as control inputs. This article aims to design a full state feedback control for the periodic currents and capacitor voltages tracking, without decoupling control bandwidth for current and capacitor voltage as in conventional studies. This is indeed particularly important for low-capacitance CHB, because the capacitor voltage ripple and current are interacted with each other. After deriving the LPTV model from a bilinear time-varying model, an optimal problem with a performance index over a finite-time interval as the objective function is formulated. In order to solve this optimal problem, the dynamic programming is used so as to obtain an optimal control matrix. Simulations on a 45-level CHB converter and experiments on a 5-level low-capacitance single-phase CHB prototype verify the proposed control strategy, corroborating its excellent performance at transient- and steady-state. • Build a linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) state–space model under natural-frame, integrating the branch current and sum of SM capacitor voltages as state variables while modulation signals as control inputs. • Design an optimal controller based on the LPTV system for current and capacitor voltage tracking. • The proposed method is superior to the conventional cascaded control at the aspects of elimination of filters for extracting average capacitor voltages, simple tuning process and rapid response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of ceramics has attracted increasing attention in various fields. However, the pyrolysis of organic components used for binding or polymerization in 3D printing commonly causes a large shrinkage (up to 30 %–40 %), high porosity, and cracking or deformation, severely limiting practical applications. In this study, 3D printing of Al 2 O 3 ceramic architectures with ultra-low shrinkage is realized by introducing inorganic binder aluminum dihydrogen phosphate (Al(H 2 PO 4) 3 , AP) as a ceramic precursor. Compared to organic binders, the inorganic AP binder can undergo crystallization conversion, which reduces mass loss during sintering at high temperatures, resulting in low shrinkage. Moreover, AP can be used as a rheological modifier to regulate the printability of the ceramic ink for direct ink writing of Al 2 O 3 ceramic architectures, such as wood-piled scaffolds, honeycomb structures, and tubes with high fidelity. The resultant Al 2 O 3 structural ceramics sintered at 1250 °C exhibit good mechanical performance and structural integrity. Most importantly, the linear shrinkage of the printed ceramics is less than 5 %, which is several times lower than that of ceramics with organic binders. This study provides a viable strategy for fabricating high-performance ceramic architectures with good dimensional fidelity for practical applications. ∙ Al 2 O 3 ceramics with aluminum phosphate binder were printed by using direct ink writing. ∙The resultant Al 2 O 3 ceramic exhibited ultra-low dimensional shrinkage owing to the inorganic binder. ∙Al 2 O 3 ceramics are programmable in size and shape, with good stability, reusability, and fidelity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the dual role of the transport sector in the Covid-19 pandemic: spreading the virus around the world and being most negatively impacted by the pandemic. This paper describes and analyzes the following: (a) actions taken by the governments and international community in order to control the spreading and to alleviate negative economic impacts including massive fiscal and monetary stimulus funding; (b) detailed discussions on the impacts of the pandemic on air transport, rail and bus transport, and urban transit, and major countries' responses to reduce the negative effects; (c) discussions on the positive effects of the pandemic on the environment and climate change by suggesting policy measures in order to make it sustainable over the long term. Finally, the paper addresses social acceptance issue of the behavioral changes necessary in the post-pandemic world, in particular reflecting historical experience of the Spanish flu case. We end the paper with some observations and discussion of the normative issues for a sustainable development of the transport sector. • The impacts of three Covid-19 waves on the world economies have enforced many countries to start large stimulus packages. • The negative impacts on transportation activities are severe for aviation, rail and public transit. • Car travel is on the way of recovering while biking rides are increasing and parcel services are booming. • It will be difficult for mass transport modes to return to previous Covid growth paths because of reduced confidence of passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has influenced economies and societies across the globe and will thoroughly reshape our world as it continues to unfold. The pandemic is likely to trigger permanent long-term impacts on the transport sector in the post-COVID world. While a post-COVID "new normal" will be likely to incur negative consequences, it may provide an opportunity to move toward a more sustainable transport sector. This paper is aimed at developing an urban economic model with an energy focus to depict the dynamics of travel demand, energy consumption, and emissions in the post-COVID world. A set of scenarios was created according to model assumptions regarding lifestyle changes and policy interventions accompanied by the expected post-COVID new normal, to explore long-term pathways toward a deep decarbonization of the transport sector. Scenario simulations demonstrated that working from home, online shopping, and a bike-friendly infrastructure will contribute to a reduction in energy consumption and CO 2 emissions, whereas a significant shift from bus to car transport and the decreasing use of car-sharing services will adversely affect CO 2 emission reductions. The arrival of the post-COVID world may contribute to an 11% reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2060, while the maximum reduction potential could be as high as 44%. Supporting policies and strategies for encouraging remote work and online shopping as well as for promoting safe public transport, active transport, and carpooling services are needed to strongly decarbonize the transport sector in the post-COVID world. Moreover, population distribution and urban structure may also be influenced by the arrival of the post-COVID new normal, which warrant further attention for urban planning. • An urban economic model that accommodates detailed transport and energy technology representations is presented. • Several scenarios are analyzed to depict decarbonization pathways for the transport sector in the post-COVID world. • The arrival of the post-COVID new normal may contribute to reducing CO 2 emissions by a maximum of 44% by 2060. • The impacts of the oncoming new normal on urban structure deserve more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To design effective policies against COVID-19, there is a need for more evidence-based research. However, associations between actual policies and temporal behavior changes have remained underexplored. To fill this important research gap, a nationwide retrospective life-oriented panel survey on individuals' behavior changes from April to September 2020 was implemented in Japan. Reliability of information sources, risk perceptions, and attitudes toward policymaking were also investigated. Valid data were collected from 2643 respondents residing in different parts of the country. Risks were reported about general infections and public transport use. Attitudes toward policymaking were mainly about policymaking capacity and PASS-LASTING based policy measures. A dynamic structural equation model (DSEM) was developed to quantify dynamic associations between individuals' behavior changes over time and subjective assessments (i.e., attitudes) of policymaking. Survey results revealed that behavior changes are mostly characterized by avoidance behaviors. Modeling estimation results showed a statistically-significant sequential cause-effect relationship between accumulated behavior changes in the past, subjective factors, and the most recent behavior changes. The most recent behavior changes are mostly affected by accumulated behavior changes in the past. Effects of subjective assessments of policymaking on the most recent behavior changes are significant but moderate. Among attitudes toward policymaking, attitudes toward policymaking capacity are more influential than willingness to follow PASS-LASTING based policy measures. High risks of using public transport are found to significantly influence the most recent behavior changes, together with other risk perception factors. Insights into effective COVID-19 policymaking are summarized. [Display omitted] • A nationwide life-oriented panel survey was implemented online in Japan in 2020. • Various behavior changes are mostly characterized by avoidance behaviors in Japan. • Impacts of risk perception during the use of public transport are revealed. • Impacts of policymaking capability on activity-travel behaviors are confirmed. • Impacts of PASS-LASTING policies on activity-travel behaviors are confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to provide scientifically-sound evidence for designing more effective COVID-19 policies in the transport and public health sectors by comparing 418 policy measures (244 are transport measures) taken in different months of 2020 in Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. The effectiveness of each policy is measured using nine indicators of infections and mobilities corresponding to three periods (i.e., one week, two weeks, and one month) before and after policy implementation. All policy measures are categorized based on the PASS approach (P: prepare-protect-provide; A: avoid-adjust; S: shift-share; S: substitute-stop). First, policy effectiveness is compared between policies, between countries, and over time. Second, a dynamic Bayesian multilevel generalized structural equation model is developed to represent dynamic cause-effect relationships between policymaking, its influencing factors and its consequences, within a unified research framework. Third, major policy measures in the six countries are compared. Finally, findings for policymakers are summarized and extensively discussed. [Display omitted] • COVID-19 transport-related policymaking in six developed countries are compared. • Effectiveness of 418 PASS-based policy measures are examined by using 27 indicators. • Policy effectiveness is compared between policies, between countries and over time. • A dynamic Bayesian multilevel generalized structural equation model is developed. • Dynamic relationships between policymaking, factors and consequences are revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travelers often change their behavior in reaction to adverse weather conditions. This paper seeks to conduct an empirical evaluation of both ordered and unordered discrete outcome frameworks for examining the adaptive behavior decisions of intercity travelers and investigate the varying effects of explanatory factors on different alternatives of adaptive behavior during adverse weather. The data from 754 respondents in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, China are collected by a two-phase survey instrument. To capture the unobserved heterogeneity more effectively, this paper develops three advanced models to investigate the variations in intercity travel behavior during adverse weather. Four alternative adaptive behaviors are determined as outcome variables: maintaining original travel plans, changing only the intercity mode, changing the departure date, and canceling the trip, while potential influencing factors including adverse weather conditions, trip-related characteristics, individual attributes and urban agglomeration attributes are statistically assessed. The results indicate that the unordered models consistently outperform their ordered counterparts, and the incorporation of multilayer heterogeneity enhances the model fit. Furthermore, significant factors and their coefficient values vary across the different adaptive behavior alternatives. Intercity travelers demonstrate a higher probability of changing departure dates or canceling trips during snowy and windy days compared to rainy and foggy days. Trains exhibit higher flexibility and reliability during adverse weather, and access attributes significantly affect intercity travel adaptive behavior. Additionally, the analysis of individual and urban agglomeration attributes uncovers variations in adaptive behavior among individuals and cities. These findings provide profound insights into the complexities and variations of intercity travel behavior during adverse weather, and propose practical strategies to mitigate the detrimental impacts of adverse weather on intercity travelers. • Adaptive behavior of intercity travelers during adverse weather is investigated. • Unordered framework outperforms ordered counterparts in adaptive behavior study. • Multilayer unobserved heterogeneity in the adaptive behavior is accounted for. • The varying effects of explanatory factors on different adaptive alternatives are examined. • Practical strategies are proposed to mitigate negative impacts of adverse weather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the transport sector and the corresponding policy measures are becoming widely investigated. Considering the various uncertainties and unknowns about this virus and its impacts (especially long-term impacts), it is critical to understand opinions and suggestions from experts within the transport sector and related planning fields. To date, however, there is no study that fills this gap in a comprehensive way. This paper is an executive summary of the findings of the WCTRS COVID-19 Taskforce expert survey conducted worldwide between the end of April and late May 2020, obtaining 284 valid answers. The experts include those in the field of transport and other relevant disciplines, keeping good balances between geographic regions, types of workplaces, and working durations. Based on extensive analyses of the survey results, this paper first reveals the realities of lockdowns, restrictions of out-of-home activities and other physical distancing requirements, as well as modal shifts. Experts' agreements and disagreements to the structural questions about changes in lifestyles and society are then discussed. Analysis results revealed that our human society was not well prepared for the current pandemic, reaffirming the importance of risk communication. Geographical differences of modal shifts are further identified, especially related to active transport and car dependence. Improved sustainability and resilience are expected in the future but should be supported by effective behavioral intervention measures. Finally, policy implications of the findings are discussed, together with important future research issues. • Findings are derived from a worldwide expert survey implemented in April–May 2020. • Guidelines and contingency plans were reported by only about 30% of experts. • Remarkable modal shifts away from public transport usage were reported. • Developing countries were equally active in taking measures as developed countries. • Various long-term changes in lifestyles and society were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the characteristics of individuals with voluntary behavioural changes (cancellation and postponement of bookings) during the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Japan. In addition, the temporal trends of these changes were captured. A cross-sectional analysis and a time series analysis were conducted. A nation-wide retrospective panel survey was conducted at the end of March 2020 (n = 1052). Odds ratios for cancellations/postponements with respect to individual characteristics were calculated in the analysis. To determine the temporal trend, the incidence ratios were compared throughout the time series analysis for four time periods: period 1, before the announcement of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) from the World Health Organisation (WHO) (January 1–31); period 2, after the announcement of PHEIC (February 1–26); period 3, after the announcement of school closures by the Japanese government (February 27 – March 11); and period 4, after the announcement of the pandemic by the WHO (March 12–31). In total, 72% of respondents cancelled or postponed their bookings at least once, and about half of the changes occurred in period 3. Elderly individuals' changes in gatherings were, on average, 5.9 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9 – 17.9) higher than those of young individuals. The incidence rate of change in gatherings during period 3 was 7.11 times (95% CI: 5.16 – 9.81) higher than in period 2 and 3.15 times (95% CI: 2.25 – 4.43) higher than in period 4. Significant interaction terms were observed in age and residential city size, but not sex, of the respondents. A significant proportion of the Japanese population voluntarily changed their behaviour during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the government's announcement of school closures was a key trigger during this time. [Display omitted] • Temporal behavioural changes for the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Japan were evaluated. • A high percentage of the population had voluntarily initiated behavioural changes. • Differences in behavioural changes were observed across individual characteristics. • The government announcement for school closures was a key trigger for behavioural change across all ages. • Significant interaction effects between time periods and characteristics were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-2 toxin is widely found in nature and also contaminates field crops and grain storage, posing a potential threat to human health. In this study, an ultra-sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor has been developed for the detection of T-2 toxin using Ti 3 C 2 MXene-based nanomaterials functionalized with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and Ru(bpy) 3 2+ (Ti 3 C 2 @AuNRs-Ru) as the luminescent indicator. Specifically, gold nanorods are grown in situ on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 MXene, and Ru(bpy) 3 2+ is loaded onto Ti 3 C 2 @AuNRs via electrostatic force to form the Ti 3 C 2 @AuNRs-Ru luminescent probe, which is then modified on the electrode surface. The aptamer of T-2 toxin is connected to the electrode surface through Au-S bonds, and then the capture chain (cDNA) with a quenching probe of ferrocene is introduced to the system. Ferrocene can quench the luminescence of the probe, reducing the ECL signal. In the presence of T-2 toxin, it binds to the aptamer with higher affinity, so the quenching probe is competed down, resulting in the recovery of the ECL signal. The increase in ECL signal is linearly correlated with the logarithm of T-2 toxin concentration, with the detection range of 50 fg/mL to 50 ng/mL and a detection limit of 6.44 fg/mL. This strategy utilizes the high catalytic activity and excellent conductivity of MXene, improving the sensitivity significantly. The proposed sensor has been successfully applied for the detection of actual samples and provides a new strategy for the detection of hazardous pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thixotropic behavior of fresh cement-based materials has been found to be derived from the reversible breakage and agglomeration of flocculated cement grains. The existence of thixotropy can lead to significant variations in shear stress and apparent viscosity under the same shear rate, which brings great challenges for measuring rheological performance. This paper highlights the difference between strong and weak particles flocculation for the first time, and then reveals the intrinsic interactions of various thixotropic and rheological parameters. The thixotropic behavior and dynamic yield stress were evaluated for cement paste samples with different resting time and temperature conditions. It was found that the longer resting time, the higher temperature, and the larger solid volume fraction increased the difficulties for both the structural breakdown and the subsequent structural re-buildup processes, indicating the lower reversibility of thixotropic behavior; These factors also led to higher dynamic yield stress, more amount of strongly-bound flocs, but less weakly bound flocs. After removal of shear force, the microstructure reconstruction ability of fresh cement paste was highly correlated to the recovery of dispersed weak flocs, but with little regard to strong flocs. The dynamic yield stress value could be dependent on the breakage degree of flocculation, while the prolonged duration of last several steps in the descending portion of the rheometric procedure enhanced the dynamic yield stress due to structural re-buildup. The results will provide new in-depth insights into the roles of strong and weak flocs in the reversible thixotropic behavior of fresh cement-based materials. • The roles of strong and weak flocs in thixotropy of cement paste were separately clarified. • The influence of resting time and temperature on thixotropy of cement paste were explored. • The higher binding strength of flocs resulted in the less reversibility of thixotropic behavior. • The higher dynamic yield stress was measured with the prolonged duration of last shear steps. • The intrinsic relations among various thixotropic and rheological parameters were established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has had wide-reaching and unprecedented impacts on the transport sector worldwide. At present, there is no globally agreed timeframe for when this pandemic will end. The current and near-future potential impacts must be addressed in a relatively comprehensive and seamless way. The present study proposed a PASS (P: Prepare–Protect–Provide; A: Avoid–Adjust; S: Shift–Share; S: Substitute–Stop) approach for policymaking that accounts for COVID-19 and future public health threats. The PASS approach was illustrated conceptually, and then policy measures were recommended by referring to the past and ongoing best practices. Policymaking challenges and research issues were discussed. Image 1 • •Impacts of COVID-19 on the transport sector are targeted. • •A PASS approach was proposed for policymaking for addressing pandemics. • •Policy measures are recommended based on the PASS approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Car ownership of Japanese young people has declined since 1999. • Temporal trends of car expenditure shares varied across income groups. • Car and other expenditures are jointly modeled with inter-choice interactions. • The influence of car-related utility was moderate and fluctuated over time. • Influences of low-income status and the number of household members are confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to provide insights into the coupled influence of typical anti-freezing agents (AFAs) and cold environment on rheological performance of cement mortar with/without different superplasticizer (SP) and air-entraining agent (AEA) components. Fresh mixtures were prepared with chemical admixtures singly or in groups (AFA; AFA/SP; AFA/SP/AEA) for the continuous measurement of their time-dependent rheological behavior at variable temperatures (24 °C; 0 °C; −5 °C; −10 °C). Hydration kinetics, pore solution and air-void system were systematically evaluated to provide evidences supporting for the variations in rheological parameters. It was found that the yield stress of mixture decreased and the plastic viscosity increased with the temperature falling from 24 °C to 0 °C, while both the yield stress and the plastic viscosity increased rapidly with the temperature falling from 0 °C to −10 °C. Temperature could affect the rheological parameters development by changing the interaction of SP with ions. For the SP-plasticized mixtures under low temperature, the dosage of calcium nitrite (CN) as AFA should be carefully restricted. For the air-entrained mixtures, the incorporation of CN enhanced the shear stress in the high shear rate region, while the incorporation of ethylene glycol (EG) showed a converse behavior. The results will provide theoretical supports for the manufacture and the early-age properties control of flowable concrete during winter construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In aquatic ecosystems, both phytoplankton and bacteria play pivotal roles. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, considerable research focused on phytoplankton colony attached and free-living bacteria has revealed the close relationship between them, and indicated that the entire bacterial community mediates crucial biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. However, our understanding of their distribution patterns and response to environmental factors remains poor. Besides, picocyanobacteria, which were omitted from attached bacteria analysis, were reported to be important in cyanobacterial blooms. To explore the spatiotemporal variation of the entire bacterial community with their driving environmental factors and detect the relationships among them, we collected 61 water samples spanning one year and the entire Lake Taihu regions for surveying the entire bacterial community. Our results indicated: 1) seasonal variation of the bacterial community composition was stronger than spatial variation due to the clearly seasonal variation of Microcystis , Synechococcus (pico-cyanobacteria) and other bacteria (Actinomycetales , Pirellulaceae and Sphingobacteriaceae); 2) the spatial distribution of the bacterial community showed that different phyla were dominant in different regions; 3) the bacterial co-occurrence networks varied seasonally and were dominated by Microcystis, ACK-M1, Chthoniobacteraceae, Synechococcus, Pirellulaceae and Pelagibacteraceae ; 4) phytoplankton density, chlorophyll a , water temperature and total nitrogen were the major factors that drove the spatiotemporal variation of bacterial community composition. This study revealed the seasonal succession and spatial distribution of the entire bacterial community in Lake Taihu, providing new insights into the relationship between water bloom-forming cyanobacterial species and other bacteria, and their response to environmental factors in eutrophic freshwater ecosystem. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Analyzed the seasonal and spatial dynamics of the entire bacterial community composition involved in cyanobacterial blooms • Found strong seasonal but weak spatial succession in bacterial community composition due to the cyanobacterial variation • Explored the relationships among Microcystis , Synechococcus (pico-cyanobacteria) and their related bacteria • Determined the main factors that drove the spatiotemporal variation of bacterial community composition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is essential to better understand the opinions and behaviors of various stakeholders (e.g., persons in companies, customers, government, and local community) when taking effective traffic management and operation measures. Existing studies have examined the interactions between companies and customers in the context of distribution chains; however, even though the importance of other inter-agent interactions is recognized, no efforts have been made, at least in the context of inter-city truck transport routes on expressways. To fill this research gap, this study implemented a stated preference (SP) survey to managers and drivers of transport companies along the expressways in the western part of Japan in 2014–2015, where some new traffic management measures encouraging behavioral changes are investigated. As a result, we obtained 525 valid SP responses from 52 companies (one manager and several drivers from each company). Our survey results first revealed that about 60% of truck transport routes were decided by company managers, and decisions by drivers are minor. A modeling analysis based on a path-size bivariate probit model is further conducted to explicitly represent the interaction between company managers and drivers. The existence of the interaction is statistically supported. We further revealed the similarities and dissimilarities of factors affecting managers' and drivers' decisions, together with the relative importance of measures encouraging behavioral changes. Finally, we made extensive discussions about the implications of analysis results. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Interpersonal interaction (InIn) within transport company is focused on. • A path-size bivariate probit model with InIn and route-overlapping and is built. • Inter-city truck route choices are investigated using an SP data. • About 60% of truck transport routes are decided by company managers. • The roles of monetary incentives to behavioral changes are identified to be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Coupling Influence of vibration parameters and rheology on concrete segregation was presented. • Segregation led to severer degradation on transport than mechanical performance of concrete. • Chloride ion permeability of the top concrete exponentially increased with the degradation of ITZ. Abstract Vibrating consolidation process is widely applied to field construction of cement concrete. Improper vibration can easily lead to the instability of fresh concrete and then induce performance degradation of hardened concrete. In this study, two poker vibrators with different vibrating duration were adopted for consolidating fresh concrete mixture with variable rheological performance. The variation of apparent density along casting direction was employed to evaluate the segregation state. Rebound hammer, chloride ion penetration and cement-aggregate interfacial transition zone (ITZ) microhardness were performed on selected samples at different casting depths of hardened concrete prisms. Results show that either higher amplitude or longer duration of poker vibration causes the severer segregation of fresh concrete and the plastic viscosity plays a main role in controlling vibration-induced segregation. Both mechanical performance and chloride permeability variation along casting direction tends to linearly increase with the segregation level. The severe segregation presents a worse harmful impact on the long-term durability than on the mechanical performance. Chloride ion permeability of the top concrete exponentially increased with the thicker ITZ width or the lower ITZ bonding for all vibrated concretes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here a highly sensitive fluorescent thrombin biomarker sensing method by integrating the DNA walker and CRISPR/Cas12a system. The presence of thrombin causes the localization of DNA moving arms on AuNP tracks via their proximity bindings with the dye-labeled probes immobilized on AuNPs. With the assistance of the primer and DNA polymerase, the arm sequences move continuously on the AuNP tracks to generate many CRISPR/Cas12a-responsive dsDNAs, which push the dye to move away from AuNPs to restore its fluorescence. Moreover, the dsDNAs can be recognized and cut by the CRISPR/Cas12a to trigger its trans -cleavage activity for cyclically cleaving the fluorescently quenched signal probes on the AuNP tracks, which liberates the dye from AuNPs to further enhance the fluorescence restoration to achieve highly sensitive thrombin assay with detection limit of 29.5 fM. Selectively detecting thrombin against other interference proteins and in diluted serums by such sensing method has also been verified, making it an attractive approach for monitoring other protein biomarkers at low levels for the diagnosis of diseases. [Display omitted] • A sensitive fluorescent sensing method for the detection of thrombin is developed. • The DNA walker and CRISPR/Cas12a enable a two-stage amplification of the signal. • The proximity hybridization leads to a high selectivity of the assay method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Massive partial sequencing of 16S rRNA genes has become the predominant tool used for studying microbial ecology. However, determining which hypervariable regions and primer sets should be used for screening microbial communities requires extensive investigation if controversial results are to be avoided. Here, the performances of different variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene on bacterial diversity studies were evaluated in silico with respect to the SILVA non-redundant reference database (SILVA SSU Ref 123NR), and subsequently verified using samples from Lake Taihu in China, a eutrophic lake. We found that the bacterial community composition results were strongly impacted by the different V regions. The results show that V1–V2 and V1–V3 regions were the most reliable regions in the full-length 16S rRNA sequences, while most V3 to V6 regions (including V3, V4, V3–V4, V5, V4–V5, V6, V3–V6, V4-V6, and V5–V6) were more closely aligned with the SILVA SSU Ref 123NR database. Overall, V4 was the most prominent V region for achieving good domain specificity, higher coverage and a broader spectrum in the Bacteria domain, as confirmed by the validation experiments. S-D-Bact-0564-a-S-15/S-D-Bact-0785-b-A-18 is, therefore, a promising primer set for surveying bacterial diversity in eutrophic lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel one-step hydrothermal method has been developed to deposit a superhydrophobic hydroxyapatite coating on Mg-Gd-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy substrate from a solution containing stearic acid and calcium-phosphate compounds. The as-prepared coatings were mainly made up of hydroxyapatite and calcium stearate. When the volume ratio of ethanol and deionized water is 6:4, the hydroxyapatite coating had a maximum contact angle of 152.8° and a sliding angle of < 2°. Potentiodynamic polarization studies proved that the superhydrophobic hydroxyapatite coatings reduced the corrosion current density in Hank' Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) by four orders of magnitude. Besides, the prepared coatings induced < 0.1% of hemolysis, satisfying the judging criterion for excellent blood compatibility. This rapid and environmentally friendly method could be of great value for the application of biomedical magnesium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue argues the importance of a paradigm shift from traditional approaches to the life-oriented approach for a better understanding of travel behavior and for better supporting cross-sectoral transport policymaking. The life-oriented approach focuses on the interdependencies between life choices, and for travel behavior analysis, it not only considers travel behavior as the results from various life choices, but also the reverse relationship of travel behavior influencing life choices. Here, first, we introduce the life-oriented approach in general, and then apply it to travel behavior research. Second, we summarize the findings from ten papers included in this special issue. These ten papers deal with topics such as commuting, ‘peak car’ phenomenon, travel mode choice, residential biography, holiday travel behavior, and happiness. Evidence is presented mainly from developed countries, but with an exception from China. Each paper presents unique and innovative efforts. Finally, we discuss several important future research challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a behavioral viewpoint, people choose where to live based on various factors, including their current situations, past experience, and plans for the future. Some aspects of residential preference might be constant over time, inherited from the initial stage of life, and other parts might be responses to residential biography or other biographical domains like household structure, employment/education, and travel. Capturing these intertemporal dependences needs a life course analysis of residential location choices. However, a serious methodological gap exists between the perceived importance of dynamic life course analyses and quantitative modeling approaches. This study developed a dynamic choice model with cross-sectional and longitudinal heterogeneities as well as discounted utility (called the DU-DCLH model) to describe the decision-making process for residential relocation by incorporating various intertemporal dependences over the life course. Model parameters were estimated using data collected from a life history survey conducted in Japan in 2010. The estimation results firstly confirm the effectiveness of the DU-DCLH model for portraying the dynamics of residential mobility over a life course. Next, it was found that previous experiences dominate decisions on residential location choice and can explain more than 75% of the total variations in choice. It was also revealed that as the mobility age increases, the influence of the past on their choices increases continuously. In contrast, the influence of the present situation is small and almost negligible. Furthermore, the study empirically confirmed not only the influence of time-constant and time-varying preference for residential neighborhoods but also the specific influence of household biography, employment/education biography, and travel biography. This study enriches the existing research by providing a systematic modeling framework incorporating broader behavioral mechanisms for residential location choice over the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensitive detection of ten-eleven translocation (TET) dioxygenase is of significance for understanding the demethylation mechanism of 5-methylocytosine (5mC), which is responsible for a wide range of biological functions that can affect gene expression in eukaryotic species. Here, a non-label and sensitive fluorescence biosensing method for TET assay using TET1 as the model target molecule is established on the basis of target-triggered Mg2+-dependent DNAzyme and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA)-mediated multiple signal amplification cascades. 5mC sites in the hairpin DNA probe are first oxidized by TET1 into 5-carboxycytosine, which are further reduced by pyridine borane into dihydrouracil, followed by its recognition and cleavage by the USER enzyme to liberate active DNAzyme and G-quadruplex sequences from the probe. The DNAzyme further cyclically cleaves the substrate hairpins to trigger subsequent CHA reaction and DNAzyme cleavage cycles for yielding many G-quadruplex strands. Thioflavin T dye then intercalates into G-quadruplexes to cause a magnificent increase of fluorescence for high sensitivity assay of TET1 with 47 fM detection limit. And, application of this method for TET1 monitoring in diluted serum has also been confirmed. [Display omitted] • Non-label and sensitive fluorescent ten-eleven translocation enzyme assay is developed. • DNAzyme and CHA recycling are integrated into the assay to amplify the signal output. • The method shows high selectivity and has a low detection limit of 47 fM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on China, which has a special household registration system (called hukou ), this study examines the likely effects of the China’s National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014–2020) on rural migrant workers’ intentions to reside permanently in cities and their future energy consumption preference. Questionnaire surveys were conducted in 2014 and 2015 among rural migrant workers and residents with a hukou in three cities (985 migrants and 671 residents with a hukou). Analysis results show that 39% of migrant workers intended to reside permanently in cities under the aforementioned plan, and the current energy consumption of residents with a hukou is 1.2–4.0 times higher than that of rural migrant workers. Further analyses based on structural equation models confirm that migrants’ current less-satisfied life experience and lower level of viability in cities hinder them to become a permanent urban resident. Unexpectedly, migrants’ permanent residence intentions do not affect their future energy consumption preference, which is however mostly affected by their confidence and barriers to become a permanent resident, especially future concerns about health and lack of social security in their current daily life. Finally, it is argued that studies on rural migrants should pay more attention to capability-concerned and life-oriented aspects, which are useful to derive important insights into cross-sectoral energy policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To optimize simultaneous control of NO and elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) and gain more insight into the mechanisms, nano-sized TiO 2 -Al 2 O 3 -CeO 2 materials synthesized via sol-gel method were used for simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 from simulated flue gas. The physicochemical characteristics of catalysts were characterized by ICP-OES, BET, XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, H 2 -TPR and FT-IR. TiAl 10 Ce 20 nanoparticle with the addition of 10 wt%Al 2 O 3 showed superior NO removal efficiency (93.41%) and Hg 0 removal efficiency (80.54%) in the presence of SCR atmosphere at 300 °C. The deactivation effects of 8% H 2 O and 400 ppm SO 2 were also reduced by Al addition. In the presence of SCR atmosphere, the capture of Hg 0 was inhibited by the existence of NH 3 , while the presence of Hg 0 had little impact on NO removal. The characterization results showed that the excellent performance of TiAl 10 Ce 20 nanoparticle might result from the stronger redox ability, lower crystallinity and better texture properties with highly dispersed Ce species, which were all attributed to Al addition. The mechanisms for simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 were also proposed on the basis of above results. TiAl 10 Ce 20 nanoparticle developed in this work was considered to be a promising catalyst for simultaneous removal of NO and Hg 0 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Mg-Gd-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy was processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 375 °C. The grain size of Mg-Gd-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy was refined to ~ 2.5 μm with the spherical precipitates (β 1 phase) distributing in the matrix. The mechanical properties of ECAPed alloy were significantly improved as a result of the grain refinement and precipitation strengthening. The corrosion rate of the ECAPed magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid dramatically decreased from 0.236 mm/a to 0.126 mm/a due to the strong basal texture and refined microstructure. This wrought magnesium alloy shows potentials in biomedical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great significance to monitor therapeutic antibodies in human serum to obtain the pharmacokinetic data for assessing their therapeutic efficacy at the dosage of administration. Here, based on the target-triggered proximity binding approach, as well as the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and CRISPR/Cas12a cleavage dual signal amplification strategy, we describe the establishment of a highly sensitive method for detecting panitumumab, a cancer therapeutic monoclonal antibody, in diluted human serums. The two proximity probes bind the target panitumumab simultaneously to form initiation sequences for subsequent CHA for the cyclic yield of many dsDNAs, which further activate the specific trans-cleavage activity of Cas12a to digest lots of fluorescently quenched ssDNAs to restore drastically enhanced fluorescence for detecting panitumumab with a 0.62 pM detection limit. Besides, the sensing approach can selectively discriminate panitumumab against other monoclonal antibodies and realize low levels of panitumumab detection in diluted serums. Moreover, by simple replacement of the proximity recognition probes, the established method can be easily expanded for the development of versatile sensing platforms for different biomolecules in addition to antibodies. [Display omitted] • A new method for the detection of therapeutic monoclonal antibody is reported. • Chimeric probes bind the target molecules to trigger cascaded signal amplifications. • Such method shows highly improved sensitivity and selectivity for target molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentration variation of phenylalanine (Phe), an essential amino acid in humans, can cause metabolism disorders and even mental disability. Sensitive and convenient monitoring of Phe is therefore important for disease diagnosis. We describe here the establishment of a new aptamer-based, sensitive and label-free colorimetric Phe detection strategy by integrating catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) and Mg2+-dependent DNAzyme amplification cascades. The target Phe coordinates with pentamethylcyclopentadienyl rhodium(III) chloride dimer [(Cp*RhCl 2) 2 ] to form a complex that has a high affinity to the corresponding aptamer sequence. Upon its binding to the aptamers in DNA duplex probes, ssDNA strands are released to trigger subsequent CHA reactions for the formation of many DNAzymes, which cleave the substrate signal probes to liberate lots of CHA initiation strands and free G-quadruplexes to realize the cascaded amplifications. Hemin further associates with the many G-quadruplexes to yield hemin/G-quadruplex mimicking peroxidases, which catalyze solution of substrate to exhibit highly enhanced UV–vis adsorption for detecting Phe at 0.19 μM level. At the meantime, the monitoring of Phe in diluted serums with high selectivity has also been demonstrated by the developed method, indicating its potential for simple diagnosis of Phe-related diseases. [Display omitted] • A new aptamer-based, sensitive and label-free colorimetric assay for phenylalanine is reported. • The integration of CHA with DNAzyme leads to a significant signal amplification. • The method has a high selectivity and a low sub-micromolar level detection limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The PF contributed to the total infiltration was >50% • The control mechanisms of temporal and small-scale spatial characteristics on different types of preferential flow processes were clarified. • Environmental characteristics differed between two types of preferential flow. • The two types of preferential flow affected soil moisture parameters differently. The control mechanisms of temporal and small-scale spatial characteristics on different types of preferential flow (PF) processes during infiltration are still lacking. Two-year high-resolution in situ soil moisture profiles were used to investigate the controls of PF processes and its interaction with moisture and vegetation dynamics, which covers three hillslope positions (upslope–14˚, midslope–9˚, and downslope–4˚) and three vegetation treatments (bare ground, stubble grassland and natural grassland) in a typical semi-arid grassland of Eurasia. Two types of PF were identified. Non-sequential response (NSR) was taken as one indication of PF using the disordered response of soil moisture profiles to rainfall. Fast preferential flow in sequence response (PF-rate) was taken as another indicator when a measured maximum pore water rate higher than saturated hydraulic conductivity. The conditions for the occurrence of the two PFs were inconsistent and different from the studies which showed the higher probability of PFs under dryer conditions and with higher rainfall intensities. Small rainfall events with low rainfall intensity and relatively low soil moisture at most locations showed higher NSR frequency, which further highlight the strong dependence of NSR on hydrophobicity and macropore structure of the topsoil. Whereas a higher rainfall intensity increased PF-rate under wet conditions. Meanwhile, the occurrence of PF-rate was also significantly controlled by vegetation coverage, soil texture and saturated hydraulic conductivity of 5–10 cm soil layer. Furthermore, the frequency of PF was 15.9%–44.5%, and its contribution to the total infiltration was >50%. The water recession rate of NSR and PF was slower and faster than that of matrix flow, respectively. This demonstrates the importance of PF to water replenishment in scarce rain areas and the influence of combinations of spatial–temporal factors on different flow processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of land use policy on people's residential and travel choices may be overestimated because of self-selection effects. In the context of commuting, neighborhood and travel preferences may induce self-selection effects in choices about residential location, work location, and commuting mode. Presumably, such self-selection effects may vary across different job markets. To date, however, no study has been done in developing countries. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap by using data collected in Hanoi, Vietnam. A joint model with the above three choices is built by incorporating self-selection effects, where effects of land use attributes are emphasized. Choices of labor-intensive workers (11,344) and knowledge-intensive workers (12,360) are compared. The statistical significance of multiple self-selection effects is confirmed, which suggests that the joint estimation of the above three choices is a useful approach. As for the magnitude of influence of self-selection effects, self-selection seems to be more influential in knowledge-intensive workers' residential location and work location choices. As for land use attributes, different types of households, and labor-intensive and knowledge-intensive workers show different responses to different types of land in location choices (especially the work location choice). Effects of land use diversity and population density on the commuting mode choice are mixed. Additionally, the centralization of knowledge-intensive employment and decentralization of labor-intensive employment are captured. These findings may be useful for city planners in Hanoi in designing land use patterns in the future in order to keep knowledge-intensive workers working and living close together. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cast Mg–2.9Gd–1.5Nd–0.3Zn–0.3Zr alloy was processed by equal channel angular pressing at 375 °C for 1, 4 and 8 passes. Microstructure, texture and mechanical properties were investigated. The results indicate that the average grain size decreases from ∼50 μm at as-cast state to 1.23 μm during 8-pass ECAP. Homogeneity of microstructure improved obviously and new spherical β 1 phase gradually precipitated from α-matrix with the increase of pass. Moreover, the random texture was converted to the strong (0002) basal texture. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation increased in all passes, and the magnesium alloy obtained the excellent mechanical property at ECAP for 8 pass, for which the UTS, YS and elongation reached to 274.1 MPa, 231.6 MPa and 20.3%, respectively. The increase in strength and ductility was owing to cooperative effects of grain refinement, precipitation strengthening and texture evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household decisions on the energy consumption behavior are with regard to the situations that multiple end-uses (e.g., domestic appliances and vehicles) are simultaneously hold and consumed. To deal with this issue, the multiple discrete–continuous models are the best choices from the behavioral perspective. This study compared two types of utility theory-based multiple discrete–continuous models, which are widely applied in the literature: multiple discrete–continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model and the improved resource allocation model based on the multi-linear function (RAM-MLF). A household energy consumption survey was carried out in Beijing in 2010, and the comparative analysis on the performance of these two models is carried out based on the survey data. Results show that the overall performance of RAM-MLF is slightly superior to the MDCEV model due to the incorporation of the inter-end-use interaction and the relative importance of end uses. Moreover, the utility structure by using the satiation parameters to represent the diminishing marginal utility with the increasing consumption shows better fitness than the structure only using the logarithmic function. These findings can be contributed to understand the household energy consumption behavior, while suggest the potential improvement of the model structure, which is mainly focused on the utility form and the decision making mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a gradient descent method for enhancing the quality of reconstructed images encoded by double-phase holograms (DPHs). Holographic displays are often noisy because of optical hardware problems. However, owing to the conversion from complex-amplitude holograms to phase-only holograms, the reconstructed images still have noise and cannot be ignored. In this paper, the proposed method uses a spectrum loss function instead of image loss function in the gradient descent optimization process. The spectrum loss function ensures that DPHs can be optimized by gradient descent method, and this method requires only several iterations. The simulations and experimental results have validated the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the microbial composition in maxillary sinusitis and determined the predominant fungal and bacterial species. Samples were obtained from 11 patients with fungal sinusitis and 2 healthy patients. The 13 samples were sequenced using an Illumina Hi-Seq 2000, and mapping to the human, bacterial, and the fungal genomes were based on several steps. Bioinformatics and statistical analyses were then performed for bacterial and fungal expressions in the samples. All samples were cultures for fungal growth. The sequencing data revealed that Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae were the dominant fungal strains in the rhinosinusitis samples, and Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis were the dominant bacterial strains. Indeed, the fungi and bacteria were associated with the development of fungal rhinosinusitis. Furthermore, B. cereus and B. thuringiensis may cooperate with Pseudomonas aeruginosa to inhibit the growth of fungal mycelia. Knowledge of the microbial composition can provide a diagnostic reference for patients with maxillary sinusitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased attention has been paid to travel behaviour in circumstances of extreme weather conditions that are expected with climate change, and the analyses usually address intra-city travel. There is lack of assessments on inter-city travel which has less redundancy and is more exposed to extreme weather threats. In addition, much of the research has been carried out in developed countries. This paper provides new perspectives by investigating how people adapt their inter-city travel behaviour to flooding impacts in Bangladesh. With an orthogonal design of three flooding scenarios, questionnaire data were collected in 14 coastal and inland areas. Results of the statistical analyses identify the significant impacts of flooding on people’s inter-city travel and reveal significant differences in attitudes and responses to flooding and extreme weather in coastal compared to inland locations. The main factors significantly affecting travel behaviour choice are road disruption, isolation by flood water, and flood frequency. These factors are felt differently in coastal and inland locations. The most common responses are cancelling trips or changing destinations. It is recommended that when making flooding adaptation decisions, it is important to protect road infrastructure and guarantee accessible routes in coastal areas, while offering more flood adaptation education to the inland people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] A life history survey of Japanese’s four types of biographies is implemented. [•] Residence, household structure, job/education and car ownership are targeted. [•] An exhaustive CHAID analysis is done to capture biographical interdependences. [•] Both intra-domain and inter-domain biographical interdependences are observed. [•] Both short- and long-term state dependence and future expectations are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Direct and indirect rebound effects for private vehicle in Japan are investigated. [•] SP-off-RP method is used to identify the existence and distribution of rebounds. [•] 34% of respondents have the reallocation choices which cause rebound effect. [•] Rebound effects from vehicles are more possible to occur in domestic sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-scale solid particles optimization for Eco-SCC was developed by DEM simulation. • DEM models gave insights into interactions among aggregates with different gradation. • The flow behavior and continuous motion traces of fresh Eco-SCC could be presented. • Optimized Eco-SCC showed lower environmental loads than normal SCC mixtures. The development of mix design method for low-binder ecologically-friendly self-compacting concrete (Eco-SCC) has attracted interest in recent years. Most studies investigated this topic by evaluating mixtures with various ingredient proportions experimentally and then establish empirical correlations. This research attempts to take the first step towards a novel numerical discrete element method (DEM) simulation to optimize multi-scale particles size distribution of Eco-SCC at a constant mixing proportion. The two-phase DEM model was generated as an assembly of hard core with soft shell based on the thickness of mortar layer covering gravels and rheological behavior of suspending mortar, to characterize fresh properties of Eco-SCC. The rolling resistance standard contact model was adopted for simulating fresh mortar matrix lacking in excess paste. It was found that the blended cementitious powders closer to Fuller ideal curve and the aggregates gradation with higher fractal dimension were beneficial to the flowability of mixture. However, potential negative impacts on stability or passing ability of Eco-SCC might also be induced by an overmuch incorporation of slag or a higher portion of large-size gravel. The numerical results not only showed good agreements with experimental verifications (deviations lower than 7% for flow spread prediction), but also provided insights into the interactions among particles along with their continuous motion traces. Thereby, DEM modelling can be used as an efficient tool to reveal the influential mechanism of aggregates on fresh Eco-SCC and attain a general improvement in rheological performance via multi-scale particles optimization, with the measured slump flow increasing from 510 mm to 730 mm (by 43.1% at most) in this study. The eventually optimized Eco-SCC mix can be obtained with slump flow at 670 mm, V-funnel time at 4.1 s, J-ring spread at 635 mm, VSI = 0, and the cost intensity of 7.09 CNY·m−3·MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Indolizidine alkaloids (+)-monomorine I (1) and (−)-indolizidine 195B (2), having cis and trans relationships of the C-3 and C-9 substituents, respectively, were prepared from the sulfinimine-derived chiral building blocks N-sulfinyl δ-amino β-ketophosphonate and 3-oxo pyrrolidine 2-phosphonate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an integrated model system for mobility maximization based on a quantified specification of environmental capacity, and evaluates policy interaction and effectiveness by simulating a number of policy scenarios. The system is designed to specify the maximum level of car ownership and number of trips by private and public modes subject to an environmental capacity constraint defined as the frontier emission under maximum system efficiency. Four types of hypothetical policies (population change, urban sprawl, land-use pattern and network improvement) are designed and the effects of 13 policy scenarios are simulated using data of Dalian City, China. Results reveal that the integrated model system reacts sensitively to policy interventions. The urban sprawl reflected in a changing residential distribution from central to suburban areas is most instrumental from the perspective of pollution alleviation. If the goal is to simultaneously reduce emissions while accommodating mobility, two combinational policy scenarios outperform all others. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper attempts to evaluate the effects of in-vehicle warning information on drivers’ decelerating and accelerating behavior when approaching an intersection near an arch-shaped bridge, where traffic accidents have often occurred due to poor visibility. The warning information was provided with images and/or voice, triggered by the actual presence of a stopped vehicle at the downhill road section of the intersection. An on-site driving experiment was conducted on a national highway in Hiroshima City, Japan, by involving 14 university students, and it was demonstrated that dynamic information seems more effective for drivers to avoid dangerous driving situations than static information. It was also found that having only the voice-based warning information may be as effective as having both the voice and image warning information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To represent heterogeneous group decision-making mechanisms in choice behavior, this paper attempts to develop a new household discrete choice model by integrating different types of household choice models based on latent class modeling approach under the principle of random utility maximization, where household utility function at each model is defined to theoretically reflect its members’ preferences and intra-household interaction. A latent class corresponds to a particular group decision-making mechanism. The proposed model can deal with not only the choice situations where multiple household members involved in joint decision are known a priori, but also the situations where the involved members are unknown. As a case study, three types of household utility functions are dealt with: multi-linear, maximum and minimum types, in the context of couples’ car ownership behaviors. Due to the limited sample size, paired combinations of the three utilities are examined and compared. Using the data collected in two Japanese cities in 2004, the effectiveness of the proposed household decision model is empirically confirmed. It is found that changes of utility combinations result in very complicated variations in both signs and values of the model parameters and choice probabilities by multi-linear utility show small variations across different combinations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]