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Water electrolysis has been considered as a green and sustainable technique for hydrogen production, while the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the insufficient active sites remain bottlenecks for practical performance. Herein, we present in situ electrochemical activation of nickel (Ni) alloys for water splitting assisted by the electro-oxidation of organic molecules. It has been discovered that in situ electrochemical activation results in an increased degree of metal oxidation, thereby inducing more high-valence active metal species (NiOOH). These species not only function as active sites for surface adsorption but also facilitate electron transfer. Subsequently, two representative organic molecules, methanol and ethanol, are introduced to further promote the water electrolysis. Through a combination of electrochemical testing and in situ Raman spectroscopy, it has been revealed that the activated Ni alloy demonstrates a stronger response to the adsorbed alcohol molecules and tends to form β-NiOOH at lower potentials compared to the pristine one, resulting in enhanced water splitting. The present work advances a simple activation method for transition metal-based electrocatalysts for highly efficient alcohol oxidation-assisted water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Good wound healing is critical to infection prophylaxis and satisfactory rehabilitation in Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). Currently, two techniques, i.e., barbed continuous subcuticular suture without skin adhesive or combined use skin adhesive (n-butyl-2) are being used for superficial wound closure of TKA. While a new skin adhesive (2-octyl) with self-adhesive mesh has been employed as an alternative to conventional surgical skin closure in TKA, its superiority, especially in reducing wound complications and improving wound cosmetic outcomes has not been investigated. This study aimed to compare 2-octyl, n-butyl-2, and no skin adhesive in terms of safety and efficacy in TKA superficial wound closure. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled study in 105 patients undergoing primary TKA between May 2022 and October 2023. Each patient's knee was randomized to receive 2-octyl, n-butyl-2, or no skin adhesive skin closure with all using barbed continuous sutures in deep tissue. Wounds were followed 1, 3, 5 days, 2, 6 weeks, and 3 months after surgery. Wound discharge, complications, cosmetic outcomes, patient satisfaction, and wound-related costs were compared among these three methods. Results: Wound discharge was less in 2-octyl group and n-butyl-2 group than in non-adhesive group at 1 day, with the discharge only being less in 2-octyl group than in the non-adhesive group at day 3 and day 5 days (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of other wound complications among the groups (P > 0.05). The 2-octyl group achieved better cosmetic effects than the other two groups in 6 weeks and 3 months (P < 0.05). Compared to the non-adhesive group, 2-octyl group scored higher in overall patient satisfaction score in 2 weeks and incurred lower costs (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Skin closure in TKA using 2-octyl adhesive material showed superiority when compared to no skin adhesive or n-butyl-2, in reducing wound discharge, improving the cosmetic outcomes, without increasing wound complications. In addition, the use of 2-octyl yielded better patient satisfaction and also was less costly compared to no skin adhesive. Our study exhibited that 2-octyl was a safe and effective wound closure technique for patients undergoing TKA. Trial registration: This study has been registered at Clinical Trials. Gov (No. ChiCTR210046442). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological membranes containing transmembrane channels play a crucial role in numerous cellular processes, and mimicking of cell membranes has garnered significant interest in various biomedical applications, particularly nanopore sequencing technology, where remarkable progress has been made with nanopore membranes. Considering the fragility of biomimetic membranes formed by artificial lipids and the limited mimicry of those formed by common block copolymers, this study developed a novel amphiphilic polymer by covalently linking hydrophilic heads of phospholipids to the ends of hydrophobic poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) chains. The absence of hydrophilic blocks allowed for good control over the polydispersity of this polymer within a narrow range. The high flexibility of PDMS chains, combined with relatively uniform molecular weights, would confer enhanced stability and robustness to polymeric membranes. Dynamic light scattering measurements and microdroplet formation tests demonstrated good amphipathic properties of these novel polymers when maintaining an appropriate hydrophilic–hydrophobic ratio. Moreover, the high similarity between the hydrophilic heads and natural phospholipids makes this polymer more compatible with biomolecules. A successful protein insertion experiment confirmed both the stability of this polymeric membrane and its compatibility with membrane proteins. As a result, this novel amphiphilic polymer exhibits great potential for biomembrane mimicking and paves a new path for material design in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript reports on the interaction of a current-free monochromatic surface wave field with a wave-free uniform current field. The existing reasonable theories of wave–current interactions are primarily based on weak current assumptions and derived from linear theory, resulting in calculation bias in the analysis of nonlinear wave–current interactions. Moreover, experimental data on high-order wave–current interactions still need to be collected. Thus, steady-state solutions named the third-order wave–current theory based on the third-order wave dispersion relationship and the principle of wave–current energy conservation were derived. The wave–current interaction experiment was set up to cover 164 sets of experimental conditions, including 33 types of periodic waves from the second to the fifth order and six different current velocities. The effects of water depth, current velocity, wave period, and height on the wave height and wavelength in the wave–current interaction field were investigated. A comparison of the mean relative error (MRE) and the determination coefficient (R2) of the wavelength with the experimental data revealed that the third-order wave–current theory outperformed the traditional linear theory, with an optimal reduction of 75% and an enhancement of 25%, respectively. Additionally, the third-order wave–current theory reduces the MRE by 25%–40% in the wave height calculation, with R2 consistently outperforming the linear theory. The third-order wave–current theory can significantly improve the calculation accuracy of the theoretical method in solving nonlinear wave–current interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional motion trajectories of bubbles in liquid metal have been extensively measured under a horizontal magnetic field (HMF) using ultrasonic phased array technology. This study focuses on the case of a streamwise magnetic field (SMF). Experimental results show that the anisotropy of bubble oscillation in HMFs is not observed in the SMF. Under a weak SMF, single bubbles exhibit zigzag oscillation motion whose axis is along the streamwise direction. The oscillation frequency and amplitude decrease as the SMF intensity increases. As the SMF becomes stronger, the bubble suddenly begins to exhibit low-frequency oblique oscillations, the main axis of which deviates from the streamwise direction. Further increases in the SMF intensity produce an oblique straight-line motion, with the oblique oscillations suppressed by the magnetic field. Under the SMF, the terminal velocity of the bubbles initially increases when the magnetic interaction parameter is N < 1 , with the attenuation of the oscillation frequency being the dominant cause. However, the magnitude of velocity growth under the SMF is smaller than that in the case of an HMF. When N > 1 , the bubble terminal velocity steadily decreases and exhibits a similar trend to that under the HMF, along with an increase in the drag coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanopore selective sequencing allows the targeted sequencing of DNA of interest using computational approaches rather than experimental methods such as targeted multiplex polymerase chain reaction or hybridization capture. Compared to sequence-alignment strategies, deep learning (DL) models for classifying target and nontarget DNA provide large speed advantages. However, the relatively low accuracy of these DL-based tools hinders their application in nanopore selective sequencing. Here, we present a DL-based tool named ReadCurrent for nanopore selective sequencing, which takes electric currents as inputs. ReadCurrent employs a modified very deep convolutional neural network (VDCNN) architecture, enabling significantly lower computational costs for training and quicker inference compared to conventional VDCNN. We evaluated the performance of ReadCurrent across 10 nanopore sequencing datasets spanning human, yeasts, bacteria, and viruses. We observed that ReadCurrent achieved a mean accuracy of 98.57% for classification, outperforming four other DL-based selective sequencing methods. In experimental validation that selectively sequenced microbial DNA from human DNA, ReadCurrent achieved an enrichment ratio of 2.85, which was higher than the 2.7 ratio achieved by MinKNOW using the sequence-alignment strategy. In summary, ReadCurrent can rapidly classify target and nontarget DNA with high accuracy, providing an alternative in the toolbox for nanopore selective sequencing. ReadCurrent is available at https://github.com/Ming-Ni-Group/ReadCurrent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and cover change (LUCC) significantly impacts global carbon cycles and land surface properties, accounting for 25% of the historical atmospheric CO2 increase. We explore a previously overlooked role of LUCC in driving the land carbon cycle by using a three-level meta-analysis and Land Use Harmonization data to drive an ecosystem model. Our findings reveal that a loss of 39.2% of soil organic carbon (SOC) change in China due to LUCC, mitigated by afforestation, doubles gross primary productivity at 0.02 Pg C yr−1, countering central China's urbanization decline. Indirect climate effects, especially soil bulk density, significantly impact SOC compared to direct climate effects. LUCC has significantly increased the Chinese terrestrial carbon sink, with net ecosystem productivity reaching 0.02 ± 0.12 Pg C yr−1. Our study underscores the importance of reforestation and afforestation in addressing climate change and enhancing carbon sinks in future carbon management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Furfurylated wood exhibits excellent dimensional stability and corrosion resistance, making it a promising material for constructing buildings, but it is highly flammable. Herein, flame-retardant furfurylated poplar wood was produced via a two-step process utilizing boric acid (BA) and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) as flame-retardant components, and biomass-derived furfuryl alcohol (FA) as a modifier. The acidity of BA and ADP allowed them to catalyze the polymerization of FA, which formed a cross-linked network that immobilized BA and ADP inside the wood. The addition of BA/ADP substantially delayed the time to ignition from 10 to 385 s and reduced the total heat release and total smoke release by 58.75% and 77.31%, respectively. Analysis of the pyrolysis process showed that the decomposition products of BA and ADP protected the underlying furfurylated wood and diluted combustible gases. This method significantly improved the fire retardancy and smokeless properties of furfurylated wood, providing promising prospects for its application as an engineering material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate prediction of blade loading is crucial to designing efficient turbomachinery, but traditional methods often neglect the impact of compressibility, leading to inaccuracies at high speeds. This study investigates the effect of compressibility on the blade loading parameters, particularly the Zweifel coefficient (Zw) and lift coefficient (CL), in turbine cascades. A novel intermediate method (IM), with averaged flow properties derived from both inlet and outlet conditions, is proposed to enhance the accuracy of Zw and CL calculations in compressible flow regimes. This method is based on the extended Kutta–Joukowski theorem for compressible flow and incorporates the Mach number directly into the modified definitions of Zw and CL. The analysis reveals that the averaged flow angle (αm), calculated by using a velocity-weighted approach, serves as a crucial parameter for blade similarity studies. The proposed correction method is applied and validated based on CFD simulations of the VKI-RG turbine cascade. The IM and modified definitions provide a robust framework for accurately predicting blade loading at high speeds, enabling improved design and analysis of turbomachinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]