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Many regions or countries seek to transition to a low-carbon economy, but there is ambiguity about how carbon emissions change with economic growth. This paper captures characteristics of carbon emissions in China using the Tapio Method. To detect driving factors of carbon emissions in economic growth, we adopt the Log-Mean Divisia Index decomposition method. The results of the paper are as follows: (1) Economic growth in most regions of China has outpaced the growth rate of carbon emissions, showing the characteristics of decoupling. (2) Metropolitan cities have a greater impact on the level of decoupling in neighboring provinces and municipalities. (3) The decoupling of carbon emissions from economic growth is caused by declining energy intensity in China. (4) The energy mix and industrial structure have little impact on the growth rate of carbon emissions. In addition, some policy implications are summarized according to the findings of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the unflavored Schur indices in the N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory for the Bn, Cn, Dn, G2 gauge groups. We explore two methods, namely the character expansion method and the Fermi gas method, to efficiently compute the q-series expansion of the Schur indices to some high orders. Using the available data and the modular properties, we are able to fix the exact formulas for the general gauge groups up to some high ranks and discover some interesting new features. We also identify some empirical modular anomaly equations, but unlike the case of An groups, they are quite complicated and not sufficiently useful to fix exact formulas for gauge groups of arbitrary rank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In recent years, the discovery of clinical pathways (CPs) from electronic medical records (EMRs) data has received increasing attention because it can directly support clinical doctors with explicit treatment knowledge, which is one of the key challenges in the development of intelligent healthcare services. However, the existing work has focused on topic probabilistic models, which usually produce treatment patterns with similar treatment activities, and such discovered treatment patterns do not take into account the temporal process of patient treatment which does not meet the needs of practical medical applications. Methods: Based on the assumption that CPs can be derived from the data of EMRs which usually record the treatment process of patients, this paper proposes a new CPs mining method from EMRs, an extended form of the traditional topic model - the temporal topic model (TTM). The method can capture the treatment topics and the corresponding treatment timestamps for each treatment day. Results: Experimental research conducted on a real-world dataset of patients' hospitalization processes, and the achieved results demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of the proposed methodology for CPs mining. Compared to existing benchmarks, our model shows significant improvement and robustness. Conclusion: Our TTM provides a more competitive way to mine potential CPs considering the temporal features of the EMR data, providing a very prospective tool to support clinical diagnostic decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the associations of corneal biomechanical properties as measured by the Corvis ST with refractive errors and ocular biometry in an unselected sample of young adults. Methods: A total of 1645 healthy university students underwent corneal biomechanical parameters measurement by the Corvis ST. The refractive status of the participants was measured using an autorefractor without cycloplegia. Ocular biometric parameters were measured using the IOL Master. Results: After adjusting for the effect of age, sex, biomechanical-corrected intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness, axial length was significantly associated with A1 velocity (A1v, β = -10.47), A2 velocity (A2v, β = 4.66), A2 deflection amplitude (A2DeflA, β = -6.02), HC deflection amplitude (HC-DeflA, β = 5.95), HC peak distance (HC-PD, β = 2.57), deformation amplitude ratio max (DA Rmax, β = -0.36), Ambrósio′s relational thickness to the horizontal profile (ARTh, β = 0.002). For axial length / corneal radius ratio, only A1v (β = -2.01), A1 deflection amplitude (A1DeflA, β = 2.30), HC-DeflA (β = 1.49), HC-PD (β = -0.21), DA Rmax (β = 0.07), stress–strain index (SSI, β = -0.29), ARTh (β < 0.001) were significant associates. A1v (β = 23.18), HC-DeflA (β = -15.36), HC-PD (β = 1.27), DA Rmax (β = -0.66), SSI (β = 3.53), ARTh (β = -0.02) were significantly associated with spherical equivalent. Conclusion: Myopic eyes were more likely to have more deformable corneas and corneas in high myopia were easier to deform and were even softer compared with those in the mild/moderate myopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for large energy storage systems due to their abundant potassium resources and low cost. However, the electrochemical properties of cathode materials, specifically the layered transition-metal oxides, hinder the practical application and development of PIBs. To overcome this challenge, further research is needed to improve the performance of cathode materials. This work presents the preparation of a series of K 0.5 Mn 1-x Co x O 2 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) materials by doping with Co ions. As cathode materials, P3–K 0.5 Mn 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 shows better rate capacity and cycle performance, delivering a higher initial discharge capacity of 108.4 and 44 mAh g−1 at current rate of 20 and 200 mA g−1, respectively, compared to K 0 · 5 MnO 2. Furthermore, the as-obtained P3–K 0.5 Mn 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 delivers a capacity of 62 mAh g−1 even at 400 mA g−1 and maintains the discharge capacity of 34.2 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles. The addition of suitable cobalt content enhances structural stability and ion transportation kinetics, ultimately improving the rate performance and cyclic stability during K+ insertion/extraction. These results could provide a new idea for the design and development of cathode materials for potassium ion batteries. • A novel K 0.5 Mn 0.8 Co 0.2 O 2 cathode material is successfully prepared. • Suitable Co content enhances structural stability and ion transportation kinetics. • It delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 108.4 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1. • It has a capacity retention of 55% after 200 cycles at 400 mA g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-wLEDs) are drawing ever-increasing attention towards electronic applications. However, thermal quenching, the intensity decay with increasing temperature, presents a significant challenge for high power operation. We reverse the effect with a negative-thermal-quenching property based on energy transfer from one luminescent center to another center. The LaMgAl 11 O 19 : Er3+, Sm3+ (LMA: LaMgAl 11 O 19 : Er3+, Sm3+) phosphor has been designed, which shows a positive relationship between emission intensity and operating temperature up to 573 K (300 °C). As the temperature rises, energy transfer from Er3+ to Sm3+ occurs with higher efficiency because of stronger ionic vibration. As a result, the phosphor luminescence intensity at elevated temperatures is enhanced. Our design for negative-thermal quenching phosphor laid the foundation for the research of high-power pc-wLEDs or lasers at higher temperatures. It also has potential for wide-temperature-sensing-range radiometric optical thermometry applications. • A negative thermal-quenching phosphor LaMgAl 11 O 19 : Er3+, Sm3+ was achieved by energy transfer. • The emission intensity of the phosphor increased continuously with temperature from 298 K to 573K. • The phosphor was promising for high power wLED operations and high temperature radiometric optical thermometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mn-Fe oxides are in-situ prepared using K 2 FeO 4 and MnSO 4. • Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni performs the best catalytic ability of toluene oxidation. • Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni exhibits better physical–chemical properties. In this work, a series of manganese-based multi oxide (Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3) was in-situ synthesized using K 2 FeO 4 and MnSO 4 as the precursor via one-step hydrothermal method. Catalytic evaluation shows that Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni performs the best activity among the prepared catalysts. T 90% and T 50% of toluene conversion on Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni are 257 and 223 °C, respectively, which are 59 and 28 °C lower than those of Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -140. XRD analysis proves that the prepared catalysts are composed of Mn 3 O 4 and Fe 2 O 3 ; N 2 -BET indicates that Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni has a higher specific surface area; HRTEM analysis implies that the (1 0 3) and (1 1 2) of Mn 3 O 4 (PDF #18–0803) crystal planes are exposed on Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -140 and Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni, respectively, implying that the introduction of Ni can result in the change of exposed plane. Raman, XPS and O 2 -TPD analysis implies that there are abundant lattice defects and abundant surface adsorbed oxygen. DFT calculations suggests that the oxygen vacancies are more likely to be formed on the (1 1 2) plane in Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni than that of (1 0 3) plane in Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -140, which is consistent with the analysis result of Raman spectra and O 2 -TPD. At last, the possible degradation route of toluene oxidation on Mn 3 O 4 -Fe 2 O 3 -Ni is induced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Climate change is expected to alter the factors that drive changes in adaptive variation. This is especially true for species with long life spans and limited dispersal capabilities. Rapid climate changes may disrupt the migration of beneficial genetic variations, making it challenging for them to keep up with changing environments. Understanding adaptive genetic variations in tree species is crucial for conservation and effective forest management. Our study used landscape genomic analyses and phenotypic traits from a thorough sampling across the entire range of Quercus longinux, an oak species native to Taiwan, to investigate the signals of adaptation within this species. Results: Using ecological data, phenotypic traits, and 1,933 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 205 individuals, we classified three genetic groups, which were also phenotypically and ecologically divergent. Thirty-five genes related to drought and freeze resistance displayed signatures of natural selection. The adaptive variation was driven by diverse environmental pressures such as low spring precipitation, low annual temperature, and soil grid sizes. Using linear-regression-based methods, we identified isolation by environment (IBE) as the optimal model for adaptive SNPs. Redundancy analysis (RDA) further revealed a substantial joint influence of demography, geology, and environments, suggesting a covariation between environmental gradients and colonization history. Lastly, we utilized adaptive signals to estimate the genetic offset for each individual under diverse climate change scenarios. The required genetic changes and migration distance are larger in severe climates. Our prediction also reveals potential threats to edge populations in northern and southeastern Taiwan due to escalating temperatures and precipitation reallocation. Conclusions: We demonstrate the intricate influence of ecological heterogeneity on genetic and phenotypic adaptation of an oak species. The adaptation is also driven by some rarely studied environmental factors, including wind speed and soil features. Furthermore, the genetic offset analysis predicted that the edge populations of Q. longinux in lower elevations might face higher risks of local extinctions under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers play a crucial role in promoting the progress of high‐performance inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, few polymers have simultaneously achieved defect passivation and device encapsulation in PSCs. Herein, a telechelic silicone polymer (poly(dimethylsiloxane‐co‐methylsiloxane acrylate) [PDMA]) is introduced, which possesses crosslinking capability to enable structure regulation through a condensation reaction. By leveraging the advantages of the polymers before and after crosslinking, a synergistic strategy of defect healing and device encapsulation for PSCs is developed via the application of the targeted polymer. PDMA as additives anchors tightly at the grain boundaries (GBs) and bridges the perovskite grains, achieving defect passivation and GBs crosslinking, increasing the efficiency of inverted PSCs from 22.32% to 24.41%. Crosslinked PDMA (CPDMA) is used as an encapsulant to encapsulate the entire device, enabling non‐destructive encapsulation at room temperature and inhibiting perovskite degradation under photothermal aging. Remarkably, the PDMA‐modified device with CPDMA encapsulation maintains 98% of its initial efficiency after 1200 h under continuous illumination at 55 ± 5 °C and retains 95% of its original efficiency after 1000 h of damp heat testing, meeting one of the IEC61215:2016 standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N‐alkyl anilines are a series of common and versatile compounds which not only have been used as reaction solvents, acid‐accepters, and organic‐bases, but also in synthesis of dyes, pharmaceuticals, and anti‐colodal. The N‐methyl and/or N,N‐dimethyl anilines are the most representative ones among these. Due to their widespread uses, numerous works have been reported on synthetic strategies in the past decades. The studies on N−H methylations of anilines mainly focus on selection of reagents, selection of catalysts, or ligands design. Different transition‐metals, e. g., Ir, Ru, Pd, and et. al, with different ligands have been used in the methylation protocols. Methanol (CH3OH), carbon dioxide (CO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), or dimethyl carbonate ((CH3)2CO3) was used as C source, and hydrogen (H2) or silanes as H source. In this work, we would like to summarize the latest advances on the synthesis of N‐methyl (N,N‐dimethyl included) anilines and derivatives. This review provides an overview of reactants and catalyst, as well as an emphasis on the scope of substrates and proposed reaction mechanism for each work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pleistocene was characterized by climate fluctuations with rapid transitions between glacial and interglacial periods. East Asia's land bridge dynamics and monsoon system during the Middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) further constrained species distributions and dispersals, which promoted local adaptation and species diversification, making East Asia an excellent location to study species biogeography. Cypripedium macranthos Sw. a terrestrial orchid, diverged in the Pleistocene and became widespread in Russia, China, Korea, and Japan. Many populations are now at risk due to illegal harvesting or habitat loss. With comprehensive sampling including 171 individuals among 22 populations across the entire distribution range, together with plastid DNA sequencing, we have explored the origin and impact of palaeoclimate on its spatial genetic structure and historical biogeography. Regression-based analyses commonly used in landscape genetics were also applied to investigate the effects of precipitation, temperature, and wind on gene flow. The results revealed northeastern China as the probable cradle of C. macranthos , with northeastward divergence and range expansion during the MPT, aided by monsoon shifts and wind-driven seed dispersal. Isolation by environment was detected with winter temperature as a driver for north–south divergence controlling for an effect of isolation by distance, revealing cold adaptation of the northern populations or temperature-driven genetic differentiation. We also emphasize the founder speciation of an unique variety on Rebun Island of Japan. The widespread but genetically and ecologically divergent C. macranthos populations highlight the need for more conservation attention on northern populations under global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the severe erosion of kiln refractories for the high‐temperature treatment used during the process of recovering valuable metal elements from waste lithium batteries, this study investigates the low‐cost, no‐firing preparation technology of erosion‐resistant SiC–C–t‐ZrO2 composites with self‐prepared t‐ZrO2–SiC–C powder, as well as silicon carbide and flake graphite as the main raw materials, and phenolic resin as the binding agent. (1) The effects of different t‐ZrO2–SiC–C powder additions and heat treatment temperatures on the properties of SiC–C–t‐ZrO2 composites were studied in details. (2) The erosion resistance of SiC–C–t‐ZrO2 composites to after‐use lithium battery waste was evaluated using the static crucible method. The mechanical properties of the t‐ZrO2–SiC–C composites was the best that its cold modulus of rupture (CMOR) was 11.37 MPa and cold crush strength (CCS) was 41.96 MPa when heat treatment temperature was 600°C and content of t‐ZrO2–SiC–C powder was 10 wt%. At that condition, the bulk density of samples reached to 3.15 g/cm3 and apparent porosity of it was only at 11.09% which means that the samples designed in this work are compacted enough. In the erosion test, the t‐ZrO2–SiC–C composites had an excellent resistance to erosion of lithium battery waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is an essential modulator for neuroplasticity in sensory and emotional domains. Here, we investigated the role of CCK in motor learning using a single pellet reaching task in mice. Mice with a knockout of Cck gene (Cck-/-) or blockade of CCK-B receptor (CCKBR) showed defective motor learning ability; the success rate of retrieving reward remained at the baseline level compared to the wildtype mice with significantly increased success rate. We observed no long-term potentiation upon high-frequency stimulation in the motor cortex of Cck-/-mice, indicating a possible association between motor learning deficiency and neuroplasticity in the motor cortex. In vivo calcium imaging demonstrated that the deficiency of CCK signaling disrupted the refinement of population neuronal activity in the motor cortex during motor skill training. Anatomical tracing revealed direct projections from CCK-expressing neurons in the rhinal cortex to the motor cortex. Inactivation of the CCK neurons in the rhinal cortex that project to the motor cortex bilaterally using chemogenetic methods significantly suppressed motor learning, and intraperitoneal application of CCK4, a tetrapeptide CCK agonist, rescued the motor learning deficits of Cck-/- mice. In summary, our results suggest that CCK, which could be provided from the rhinal cortex, may surpport motor skill learning by modulating neuroplasticity in the motor cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defects in mitochondrial RNA metabolism have been linked to sensorineural deafness that often occurs as a consequence of damaged or deficient inner ear hair cells. In this report, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying a deafnessassociated tRNAPhe 593T > C mutation that changed a highly conserved uracil to cytosine at position 17 of the DHU-loop. The m.593T > C mutation altered tRNAPhe structure and function, including increased melting temperature, resistance to S1 nuclease-mediated digestion, and conformational changes. The aberrant tRNA metabolism impaired mitochondrial translation, which was especially pronounced by decreases in levels of ND1, ND5, CYTB, CO1, and CO3 harboring higher numbers of phenylalanine. These alterations resulted in aberrant assembly, instability, and reduced activities of respiratory chain enzyme complexes I, III, IV, and intact supercomplexes overall. Furthermore, we found that the m.593T > C mutation caused markedly diminished membrane potential, and increased the production of reactive oxygen species in the mutant cell lines carrying the m.593T > C mutation. These mitochondrial dysfunctions led to the mitochondrial dynamic imbalance via increasing fission with abnormal mitochondrial morphology. Excessive fission impaired the process of autophagy including the initiation phase, formation, and maturation of the autophagosome. In particular, the m.593T > C mutation upregulated the PARKIN-dependent mitophagy pathway. These alterations promoted an intrinsic apoptotic process for the removal of damaged cells. Our findings provide critical insights into the pathophysiology of maternally inherited deafness arising from tRNA mutation-induced defects in mitochondrial and cellular integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • GSH plays an important role in reducing the external oxidative damage of microalgae cells. • Interaction existed in GSH synthesis, GSH/GSSG, peptide (PC) and ASA-GSH cycle. • GSH and phycocyanin, SOD enzyme could regulated redox-sensitive signaling. Based on the use of CQDs as fluorescent probe and covalent coupling method to detect biological molecules with amino groups, to deeply analysis and detect the metabolism of Microcystis aeruginosa. The metabolic changes of carboxyl biomolecules in Microcystis aeruginosa were analyzed by covalent coupling method, including GSH, phycocyanin and SOD enzyme. The changes of GSH content and its correlation between phycocyanin, SOD were analyzed. The content of phycocyanin and SOD reached the maximum on the 65th day, and GSH was more sensitive to the growth and metabolism of microalgae. GSH plays an important role in reducing the external oxidative damage of microalgae cells. The synthesis of glutathione (GSH), GSH/GSSG mutual transformation, the production of phytochelating peptide (PC), the ASA-GSH cycle, and other physiological processes are interconnected. These interactions are crucial for preserving the antioxidant properties of microalgae and regulating redox-sensitive signal transduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change materials are thermal energy storage materials with high heat storage density, low temperature loss and long cycle life. However, they also show a weak light absorption ability and low thermal conductivity, limiting their applicability for solar thermal conversion and storage technologies. In this paper, in order to improve the relatively low thermal conductivity of stearic acid and enhance its thermal conductivity, SGC-T composites with enhanced thermal conductivity were prepared using metallurgical slag, via the melt blending method. The SEM and EDS, surface scanning tests, were used to determine the morphology characteristics of the composite phase change materials and verify the addition of metallurgical slag. The physical phase composition, structure, and absorption coefficients were analyzed by XRD, FT-IR, and UV-Vis-NIR analyses. The thermophysical properties were analyzed by DSC. The thermal stability was explored using TG testing. The thermal conductivity was explored by measuring the thermal conductivity coefficient value of the samples at the testing temperature of 25 ℃ using the hot disk method/transient flat plate heat source method. The heat storage and exothermic capabilities of the samples were evaluated by the photo-thermal warming system/infrared thermography test. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of SGC was 0.663 W·(m·K)−1, and that of SGC-2 T, SGC-6 T, SGC-10 T, SGC-14 T, were 0.695 W·(m·K)−1, 0.758 W·(m·K)−1, 0.824 W·(m·K)−1 and 0.872 W·(m·K)−1, respectively, which are comparable to SGC. Compared with SGC, the thermal conductivity values of the four composite phase change materials increased by 4.8%, 14.3%, 24.3%, and 31.5%, respectively. SGC-14 T has the best heat transfer performance, which significantly improves the heat transfer performance during latent heat storage and release. Therefore, the SGC-14 T material reported in this work is a promising candidate in the field of energy-saving conversion, and further expands the applicability of phase change materials. • Metallurgical slag was used to the preparation of PCMs with high thermal conductivity. • Composites with high light absorption and high thermal conductivity were prepared. • Composites have great potential for future applications in solar collector devices. • The support provided by the support of national development project (No. 2021YFC1910603). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tight interface between graphene and Cu is the key to give full play to the comprehensive properties of Cu/C composites. In this study, reduced graphene oxide(RGO) was used as a reinforcing phase of Cu marix, and the interfacial bonding strength between RGO and Cu was enhanced by introducing Ni metal nanoparticles. RGO supported Ni nanosheets (Ni-RGO) were successfully prepared by in-situ chemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and the introduction of Ni nanoparticles into GO. Ni nanoparticles were tightly attached to the graphene sheets. The mechanical properties and tribological properties of Ni-RGO/Cu composites were significantly improved. The bending strength of Ni-RGO/Cu composites reached 162.2 MPa, which was much higher than that of the pure Cu. At the same time, Ni-RGO composites have the lowest wear rate, and the friction coefficient is stable between 0.1 and 0.2. The comprehensive performance of Ni-RGO composites is significantly enhanced due to the unique structure of Ni-RGO, and the introduction of Ni nanoparticles realizes the effective bonding between GO-Ni-Cu. This study provides a new and effective strategy for enhancing the interfacial bonding of Cu/C composites. [Display omitted] • Deposition of Ni nanometallic particles on graphene flakes using a chemical in situ synthesis method. • The introduction of Ni particles realizes effective bonding between RGO and Cu. • Graphene-loaded Ni particles lubricant can effectively reduce the wear of Cu matrix. • Analysis of the effect of graphene-loaded Ni structure on the friction properties of Cu matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forward osmosis membrane has shown great potential in the fields of seawater desalination and sewage treatment. However, the concentration polarization phenomenon and membrane fouling in the water treatment process greatly reduce the water treatment performance and restrict its application. To address these challenges, we employed a pre-buried seed-in-situ growth method to facilitate the Zn–Al layered double hydroxide (Zn–Al LDH) growth on the thin nanofiber membrane, and use it as the support layer for the preparation of a Zn–Al LDH modified forward osmosis membrane. Studies have shown that the introduction of Zn–Al LDH significantly improves the water treatment efficiency of the forward osmosis membrane (In Al-DS mode, the water flux increased by 87.5 %, up to 50.50 LMH, with a low specific salt flux of 0.13 g L−1). It also exhibits exceptional antibacterial, anti-membrane fouling, and photocatalytic degradation properties. This research presents a novel approach for the development of advanced high-efficiency forward osmosis membranes. [Display omitted] • The in-situ growth of Zn–Al LDH on the nanofiber membrane was realized. • FOMs have ultra-high water flux and low reverse salt flux. • FOMs has excellent antibacterial, Anti-membrane fouling and photocatalytic ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the analysis of energy structure and the development trends of advanced nuclear energy technology, combining the complementary advantages of nuclear energy and other energy sources in China, the Fluoride-Salt-cooled high-Temperature Advanced Reactor (FuSTAR) system has been proposed. FuSTAR system is designed to address production capacity issues in areas with energy shortages or resource concentration and can be combined with high-temperature process heat to achieve high-value-added processes such as hydrogen production. In this paper, the Tri-structural isotropic fuel combined with helical cruciform elements has been studied in detail on the neutron physics and thermal-hydraulic properties, and the flow and heat transfer experiment is carried out for the first time. The multilayer nonlinear programming method has been applied to the design of thermal transport systems. Then the optimal parameters and configuration of the thermoelectric conversion system are obtained by the superstructure optimization method. The inherent safety of FuSTAR is demonstrated through deterministic safety analysis. In addition, the iodine-sulfur cycle technology and the characteristics of tritium production are also analyzed. This study highlights the significant potential of integrating nuclear energy with other energy sources in an optimized energy-production system. • Multi-purpose reactor energy system for power - hydrogen - tritium production. • Over 50 % maximum thermal efficiency. • Simultaneous analysis of design, optimization, and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past, microcrystalline graphite (MG) was mainly used for the preparation of carbon enhancers and flame retardant, and is a low value-added inorganic mineral. There are very few reports of MG being compounded with Cu to produce friction materials. Carbon coated microcrystalline graphite/Cu (Carbon@MG/Cu) composites were prepared by coating MG with phenolic resin and mixing it with Cu. The effect of the phenolic resin coating on the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites was investigated by comparison with pure Cu, microcrystalline graphite/Cu (MG/Cu). The hardness and flexural strength of pure Cu were 39.8 HV and 72.3 MPa, respectively. The protection of the amorphous carbon shells led to a significant improvement in the mechanical properties of Carbon@MG/Cu, with hardness and flexural strengths of 72.3 HV and 103.8 MPa. The poor bonding between the MG and Cu severely affects its mechanical properties. Pure Cu has the highest wear rate (10.6 × 10−7(mm3/(N∙m)), while Carbon@MG/Cu has a stable coefficient of friction (0.19) and the lowest wear rate (4.3 × 10−7 (mm3/(N∙m)) compared to pure Cu and MG/Cu. We provide a method to prepare graphite/Cu composites with high mechanical and tribological properties based on low-cost MG, which helps to solve the problem of reuse of MG and increase its industrial added value. [Display omitted] • A low-cost core-shell structured Carbon@MG/Cu composites with enhanced mechanical and tribological properties. • The reuse of microcrystalline graphite and the increase of its industrial added value. To increase the mechanical and tribological properties of the composites. • The hardness and bending strength are increased by 44.9% and 39.8% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]