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High-precision segmentation of skin lesions is essential for early diagnosis of skin cancer and improved patient survival. However, this task becomes challenging due to the irregularity of skin lesion regions, significant differences in color shades, ambiguity of boundaries, and other complex interfering factors. In this study, a transformer-based multi-attention hybrid network, TMAHU-Net, is proposed to cope with the complexity of skin lesion regions. The model introduces an innovative hybrid module that fully combines the advantages of CNNs and transformers to capture both global and local feature information. We also employ a deeply separable convolutional attention module to dynamically assign attention weights, which enhances the channel and spatial dimensions of feature information. To improve contextual relevance, we introduce an extended gated external attention module. Finally, a multi-scale aggregation module is used to fuse feature information at different scales to compensate for the differences in processing images with different resolutions. The model performs well in dealing with irregular, color shades, fuzzy boundaries, and complex interference lesion regions, which provides strong support for doctors to accurately determine complex lesion regions. Critically evaluated on three publicly available datasets, ISIC2016, ISIC2017, and PH2, TMAHU-Net achieved significant improvements over state-of-the-art methods, with F1 scores and IoU scores increasing by 1.01% and 1.01%, 1.22% and 1.40%, and 0.92% and 1.50%, respectively. • Transformer-based multi-attention hybrid network for skin lesion segmentation. • Focus on segmentation of complex lesion areas. • The LCT module integrates CNN and Transformer strengths. • Multiple attention mechanisms enable the model to focus on the target region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, denoising diffusion models have achieved remarkable success in generating pixel-level representations with semantic values for image generation modeling. In this study, we propose a novel end-to-end framework, called TGEDiff, focusing on medical image segmentation. TGEDiff fuses a textual attention mechanism with the diffusion model by introducing an additional auxiliary categorization task to guide the diffusion model with textual information to generate excellent pixel-level representations. To overcome the limitation of limited perceptual fields for independent feature encoders within the diffusion model, we introduce a multi-kernel excitation module to extend the model's perceptual capability. Meanwhile, a guided feature enhancement module is introduced in Denoising-UNet to focus the model's attention on important regions and attenuate the influence of noise and irrelevant background in medical images. We critically evaluated TGEDiff on three datasets (Kvasir-SEG, Kvasir-Sessile, and GLaS), and TGEDiff achieved significant improvements over the state-of-the-art approach on all three datasets, with F1 scores and mIoU improving by 0.88% and 1.09%, 3.21% and 3.43%, respectively, 1.29% and 2.34%. These data validate that TGEDiff has excellent performance in medical image segmentation. TGEDiff is expected to facilitate accurate diagnosis and treatment of medical diseases through more precise deconvolutional structural segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Permselective interlayer was designed and fabricated for Li-S battery. • The networked porous structure amplifies the LiPSs adsorption and conversion performance of Co 4 S 3. • Co 4 S 3 and pyridinic N sites can synergistically facilitate the transmission of Li+. • The Li-S battery performance is remarkably improved by enhancing the permselective capability of the interlayer. Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have garnered significant research interest owing to their exceptional energy density, positioning them as a compelling candidate for next-generation energy storage technology. Nonetheless, their broad application faces challenges, primarily attributed to issues such as the shuttle effect induced by the lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) migration. The integration of a functional interlayer between cathode and separator has emerged as a straightforward, cost-effective, and efficient strategy, but its structure and composition need to be designed more elaborately. Herein, inspired by the semipermeable cell membrane in biology, we focused on improving the permselectivity of the interlayer by fabricating a Co 4 S 3 nanoparticles incorporated carbon-based permselective interlayer via phase inversion method combining in-situ sulfurization and carbonization. The networked porous structure makes the adsorptive and catalytic active Co 4 S 3 accessible to more LiPSs and realizes the blockage of LiPSs diffusion, and the Li+ diffusion is simultaneously facilitated attributed to the synergy of Co 4 S 3 and lithiophilic N sites. The Li-S battery, integrated with the proposed permselective interlayer, exhibits notable enhancements in both specific capacity and cycling stability. Remarkably, it maintains a specific capacity of 635.6 mAh/g after 500 cycles at 2.0 C, and a capacity of 563.5 mAh/g after 400 cycles at 4.0 C, demonstrating a comparable decay rate of only ∼ 0.09 %. This result demonstrates the effectiveness and necessity of augmenting the permselective capability of the interlayer to significantly enhance the overall performance of Li-S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A tight focusing filamentation for optimizing the stability of supercontinuum white light and improving the sensitivity of femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectrum detection is proposed. • The tight focusing element improves the controllability of femtosecond filamentation by reducing optical Kerr effect and plasma defocusing effect. • The scheme based on optimized probe pulse energy fluctuation can improve the stability of the transient absorption system and meanwhile reduce the complexity of the system. • The optimized system has the ability to detect weakly photosensitive materials. Femtosecond time resolution transient absorption spectroscopy (FTRTAS) is a powerful tool to obtain ultrafast photoexcitation dynamics of matter. The rapid development of photosensitive materials such as bioprotein and advanced photoelectric nanocrystal put forward higher stability requirements for the technique of FTRTAS. In this paper, we propose a strategy to establish a tight-focusing stable femtosecond laser filamentation system to optimize the stability of probe pulses, and finally achieve highly sensitive detection of weak signals. It is found that intense geometric focusing with short-focus lens can effectively reduce the self-focusing effect and plasma defocusing effect in the process of filamentation, avoid multiple filamentation, and promote a stable and tight femtosecond laser filamentation in the crystal. The results indicate that the supercontinuum white light (WL) pulse generated from 50 mm lens tight-focusing filamentation displays a comprehensive high detection ability with an enhanced stability and appropriate power and width, which improves the performance of the FTRTAS system and increases the detection sensitivity from conventional mode of 0.75 mOD to 0.3 mOD. The optimized FTRTAS system shows a great performance in detecting weak signals and tracking carrier evolution of perovskite and carotenoid after photoexcitation. These results demonstrate that the optimization of the femtosecond laser filamentation system can effectively improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and provide a valuable strategy for optimizing the FTRTAS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rational structure and composition design of interlayer was fabricated with modified phase inversion method. • This interlayer can physically block the shuttle of LiPSs with dense surface layer. • This interlayer can chemically capture and convert LiPSs with abundant Co nanoparticles in the honeycomb-like pores. • This interlayer can facilitate Li+ migration with abundant pyridinic N sites. • The Li-S battery assembled with this interlayer exhibits excellent performance under high current density. Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been considered to be the most promising next-generation secondary battery system, but the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and sluggish redox kinetics of LiPSs conversion processes still hinder its commercial application. Herein, a honeycomb-like structured and dense layer coated interlayer with Co nanoparticles uniformly dispersed was fabricated via a modified phase inversion method followed by carbonization. This interlayer can suppress the LiPSs shuttling by physically blocking the diffusion of LiPSs and chemically capturing and accelerating the conversion of LiPSs due to the high catalytic activity of Co nanoparticles. Meanwhile, the abundant lithiophilic pyridinic N sites can also facilitate Li+ migration, which further promotes the reaction kinetics of LiPSs conversion. Consequently, the Li-S battery assembled with this interlayer can exhibit an excellent specific capacity of 586.6 mAh/g after 400 cycles at 4.0 C with a low decay rate of 0.10 %. Even when the sulfur loading is elevated to 5.1 mg cm−2, this battery can still maintain the specific capacity of 646.0 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. This work demonstrates the importance and potential of the rational design of interlayer structure and composition in improving the overall Li-S battery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The acetate production rate with fluidized GAC was 2.8 times that of control. • Fluidized GAC provide a high electrode surface and a favorable mass transport. • Fluidized GAC likely promoted the enrichment of electrochemically active bacteria. • Fluidized GAC electrode is a promising strategy to improve MES efficiency. Abstract The electricity-driven bioreduction of carbon dioxide to multi-carbon organic compounds, particularly acetate, has been achieved in microbial electrosynthesis (MES). MES performance can be limited by the amount of cathode surface area available for biofilm formation and slow substrate mass transfer. Here, a fluidized three-dimensional electrode, containing granular activated carbon (GAC) particles, was constructed via MES. The volumetric acetate production rate increased by 2.8 times through MES with 16 g L−1 GAC (0.14 g L−1 d-1) compared with that of the control (no GAC), and the final acetate concentration reached 3.92 g L−1 within 24 days. Electrochemical, scanning electron microscopy, and microbial community analyses suggested that GAC might improve the performance of MES by accelerating direct and indirect (via H 2) electron transfer because GAC could provide a high electrode surface and a favorable mass transport. This study attempted to improve the efficiency of MES and presented promising opportunities for MES scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) significantly promote CO 2 biomethanation with H 2. • MOFs promote direct interspecific electron transfer between microorganisms. • Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were enriched in the anaerobic reactors with MOFs. • MOFs alleviated the hydrogen competition of bacteria. • MOFs increase the abundance of functional gene for CO 2 biomethanation with H 2. In this work, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) were prepared to evaluate its impact on carbon dioxide (CO 2) biomethanization during anaerobic degradation (AD). The results showed that MOFs significantly improved the CO 2 biomethanation efficiency, especially in the AD reactors using a concentration of 1.0 g/L MOFs. Furthermore, MOFs promoted direct interspecific electron transfer and alleviated the hydrogen competition of bacteria. Meanwhile, hydrogenotrophic methanogens were enriched in the AD reactors with MOFs. After the addition of MOFs, there was 3.28 times and 3.41 times increase in the abundance of metabolic functions related to methanogenesis by CO 2 reduction with hydrogen and dark hydrogen oxidation, respectively. There was an increased abundance of all genes that encode the key enzymes used in methane metabolism. However, functional genes involved in nitrate reduction had their expressions inhibited. The work may offer a contribution to helping the industry achieve the carbon capture and utilization policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized from corn straw extract promote methane production. • Iron NPs encourages the emergence of new liquid products. • Iron NPs promote nutrient exchange between bacteria. • Copper NPs inhibits the activity of acid-producing and CO 2 /H 2 -producing bacteria. • Iron NPs increase the abundance of functional gene for producing more methane. To investigate the influence of nanoparticles (NPs) as additives on methane production from coal, bituminous coal was selected for the biogas production experiment, and iron and copper NPs were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of corn straw. Biomethane production, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, microbial community structure, and functional gene expression were analyzed to determine the effect of NPs on coal conversion to biomethane. The optimal amount of iron NPs (Fe 3 O 4), composite NPs (Fe 3 O 4 /CuO), and copper NPs (CuO) for the biogas production experiment were 1.5 g/L, 1.0 g/L, and 1.5 g/L, respectively, and the corresponding methane production increased by 701.22%, 337.81%, and 12.20% compared to the biogas production experiment without NPs. After the addition of iron NPs, a new product (butylated hydroxytoluene) was produced, promoting fatty acid biosynthesis and decreasing the CO 2 accumulation. The abundance of liquid products in the biogas production with composite NPs was not significantly different from the experimental group without NPs. The microbial community structure analysis results showed that adding NPs eliminated Lysinibacillus in the bacterial community, while Pseudomonas prevailed as the dominant bacteria. Copper NPs inhibited acid-producing and CO 2 /H 2 -producing bacteria (Sphaerochaeta). The abundance of functional genes involved in glycolysis and methane metabolism in the biogas production experiment with iron NPs was the largest, promoting biomethane production. Gene abundance related to nitrate reduction was the highest in experiments with copper NPs, while the gene abundance related to sulfate reduction was the same between copper and iron NPs groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-beam coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) spectroscopy setup is built. Measurements of CARS spectra generated from polystyrene (PS) sheet under excitation of femtosecond (fs) pulses and chirped pulses are demonstrated. The pump-Stokes time delay is adjusted at fixed step of 6 fs and transient CARS spectra is measured at every pump-Stokes time delay. Two-dimensional plots depicting intensity of fs CARS, chirped Stokes CARS, chirped pump/probe CARS and spectral focusing CARS as a function of the wavenumber and the pump-Stokes time delay are realized. Excitation situation of Raman resonances in fingerprint region of polystyrene molecule is discussed in conditions of un-chirped and chirped CARS spectra. Capacity of chirped Stokes CARS, chirped pump/probe CARS and spectral focusing CARS in improving spectral resolution over fs CARS is systematically analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ag nanoparticles embedded in soda-lime silicate glasses were fabricated by the ion-exchange technique. Effects of thermal treatment on the optical nonlinearity and ultrafast dynamics of Ag nanoparticles were investigated by applying time-resolved optical Kerr effect and pump-probe techniques. The results indicate that thermal treatment is an efficient method to improve the nonlinear optical performance of this kind of material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two-photon fluorescence (TPF) imaging system with dual-axis galvo mirror as scanning unit is built. Based on the optical path of imaging system built, mechanism of how intensity distortion generating in dual-axis galvo mirror scanning TPF imaging system is theoretically analyzed. In experiment, TPF imaging is realized with Rhodamine B sample through detecting TPF signal generated from Rhodamine B molecule at excitation of broadband femtosecond pulses. The imaging result verifies the existence of intensity distortion with distribution agreeing well with the theoretical analyzation. To eliminate the intensity distortion in TPF imaging result, a mathematical method is proposed in which a calibration matrix is calculated, As the calibration matrix is applied to the distorted imaging result of Rhodamine B sample, intensity distortion is relieved effectively and precise imaging result is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceleration of aging and the increase in life expectancy have resulted in an increasing number of older adults developing physical and mental comorbidities. We examined the association between depression and quality of life (QoL) using cognitive impairment (COI) as a mediator and sleep quality (SQ) as a moderator among older adults with type 2 diabetes. A total of 2646 participants from Weifang, Shandong, China completed the survey. Their depression, cognitive function, SQ, and QoL were assessed. PROCESS was used to investigate mediating and moderating effects. COI mediated the association between depression and QoL (indirect effect = −0.1058, bootstrapped 95 % CI [−0.1417, −0.0725]). Moderated mediation analyses indicated that SQ moderated the first half of the pathway of depression's impact on QoL through COI (moderating effect = −0.1128, bootstrapped 95 % CI [−0.1981, −0.0348]). Depression negatively impacted cognitive function in participants with poor (vs. better) SQ. First, multiple assessment tools should be considered to increase objective assessment. Second, the cross-sectional design limited our ability to make causal inferences. Third, additional diabetes-related variables should be included to explore this relationship. Finally, the pathways of influence and mechanisms of action of COI in older adults should be explored further. Depression could impair the QoL of older adults by aggravating their COI. Fortunately, improving patients' SQ may undermine this negative effect. These findings may play an integral role in promoting the psychiatric health of older adults with type 2 diabetes. • QoL of older adults with T2DM can be negatively predicted by depression. • COI partially mediates the relationship between depression and QoL. • Depression has a greater negative impact on COI in people with poor SQ. • High levels of SQ may attenuate the negative effects of depression on QoL via COI. • SQ moderates depression's impact, mitigates its negative effect on QoL via COI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish a process for cleaning and efficiently utilizing solid residues and residual liquid after co-fermentation of coal and corn straw, three coal samples combined with corn straw were used. Combustion tests were carried out using the solid residue to compare the changes in calorific value, slagging characteristics and air pollutant emission before and after fermentation. Biogas production experiments were performed using acclimated residual liquid to establish the biomethane production characteristics. Results show that the total calorific value of solid residue after co-fermentation of bituminous coal D, bituminous coal C and corn straw increased by 8.16% and 8.08%, respectively, compared to original samples. The slagging index also decreased during the combustion of solid residues. The diversity of bacterial community structure was the main causes for the significant reduction in air pollutant emissions from the combustion of solid residues. Acclimation experiments improved the removal rate of hemicelluloses from corn straw and increased biomethane production by 45.86%, 10.66% and 60.47%, respectively. This work can improve the clean conversion efficiency of coal and straw, not only reducing environmental pollution, but also transforming waste into clean energy, which has a positive impact on the environment and allows the sustainable use of resources. • Co-fermentation of coal and corn straw achieved higher methane production. • Calorific value of solid residues increased. • Atmospheric pollutant emissions and slagging index of solid residues decreased. • Methane production increased by acclimation of the residual liquid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fracture toughness of each micro-region in 30Cr2Ni4MoV steam turbine rotor welded joint was studied, including the central zone of the SAW bead (SAW-C), the overlapping zone of the SAW bead (SAW-Z), and the central zone of the TIG weld metal (TIG), coarse-grained heating affected zone (CGHAZ), fine-grained HAZ (FGHAZ) and base metal (BM). The microstructure, fracture morphologies and cracking paths were observed by OM and SEM microscope, and the influence of microstructure on fracture toughness was analyzed. The research results show that the fracture toughness of the weld metal is lower than that of BM and HAZ, and the fracture toughness of the weld metal is non-uniform. TIG and SAW-C are composed of columnar tempered bainite, intergranular tempered lath martensite and carbides, and the fracture toughness is the worst. SAW-Z is zigzag columnar tempered bainite and equiaxed granular tempered bainite between weld passes, which has good fracture toughness. CGHAZ and FGHAZ are equiaxed tempered martensite with the best fracture toughness. By observing the fracture morphology and cracking path, SAW-C and TIG are dominated by brittle cleavage fracture mode, and SAW-Z, FGHAZ, CGHAZ and BM are in the ductile fracture mode. The straight columnar grains of SAW-C and TIG are prone to crack propagation, but the tempered bainite acts as a bridge. SAW-Z has a zigzag tempered bainite grains, and the crack propagation path is tortuous. For FGHAZ, CGHAZ and BM with equiaxed grains, the fracture toughness is related to the grain size and the dimple size around the crack tip. The crack propagation process is that the dimples are first formed in a certain range around the crack tip, but only the dimples in the lower strength micro-regions grow and merge preferentially, and rapidly form new cracks. • The microstructure at the crack tip determines the fracture toughness and fracture mode of the welded joint. • The fracture toughness is related to the grain size and the size of the dimples distribution at the crack tip. • The dimples around the crack tip are formed and grown in a certain range during the crack propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new remote sensing detection equipment, airborne streak tube imaging laser radar. • A building zone extraction method from airborne streak tube imaging laser radar data. • A building zone extraction method only using single data source, laser radar data. • Extracting suburban residential building zone. In this paper, we proposed a novel method for extracting suburban residential building zone (SRBZ) from airborne streak tube imaging LiDAR (STIL) data. This method is implemented using a single data source, which avoids the collections of multi-source data and shortens the production cycle of LiDAR data products. The framework of the method is mainly composed of a prediction module, and a correction module. In the correction module, two correction algorithms were proposed, that is, k -nearest neighbor majority voting correction algorithm (k- NNMV) and Gaussian weight based k -nearest neighbor voting correction algorithm (GW k- NNV). Experiment tests show that the framework based on the GW k -NNV has a better SRBZ extraction effect than that of the k -NNMV. The F 1 coefficient of the GW k -NNV-based framework reached 80.10%. That proves that the proposed method for extracting SRBZ from airborne STIL data is feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The diazobenzene chromophore, C.I Direct Red 28 (Congo Red) was modified using isocyanatopropyl silane and subsequently incorporated into a silica matrix, which significantly increased the thermal stability of the dye. The third-order nonlinearity of the ensuing hybrid dye–silica film was investigated using Third Harmonic Generation and Z-scan measurements at 1064nm and 400nm. The observed high, nonlinear refractive index (up to 10−8 esu) of the film, as well as the large two-photon absorption cross-section at 1064nm, was attributed to the enlarged and strengthened conjugated electron system as well as the symmetrical molecular structure of the hybrid material; optical Kerr studies showed that the hybrid films had an ultrafast response time of 0.36ps at 400nm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ultrafast third-order nonlinear optical responses of the as-deposited and annealed Cu:Bi2O3 nanocomposite films were investigated by using femtosecond Z-scan and time-resolved optical Kerr effect (OKE) techniques at the wavelength of 800nm. The Z-scan measurement showed that both the real and imaginary parts of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility were enhanced after thermal annealing treatment. The OKE response of the as-deposited film was instantaneous, and the enhanced OKE signal of the annealed film presented additional slow decay processes which imply the important contribution from photoinduced hot electrons in Cu nanoparticles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The neutralization process and beam quality of a hydrogen beam prepared by emitting 1–––10 MeV negative hydrogen ions to a hydrogen target were studied. The simulation of the neutralization of negative hydrogen ions followed the construction of the neutralization theoretical model and beam transport model. Finally, calculations and analyses were performed to determine the effects of various variables on the neutralization of negative hydrogen ions, such as the transport distance, energy, and target gas density. According to the findings, since negative hydrogen ions in the target gas are transmitted farther, neutralization efficiency first rises and then falls. To achieve the highest neutralization efficiency, the gas vessel must be thicker depending on the incoming negative hydrogen ions are more energetic. Conversely, the denser the target gas, the thinner the gas vessel must be. The maximal neutralization efficiency, however, is unaffected by the density of the target gas or the negative hydrogen ion energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measured dose was shown to be dependent on the angle of beam incidence and influenced by couch absorption when a 2D detector was used in a stationary phantom. The use of a 2D array (MatriXX) in combination with a solid water phantom (RW3) dose verification system was explored, which could take into account the couch absorption influences, generate correction factors (CFs) for each detector element, and also calibrate the measured dose for accurate validation of intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) treatment plans. Based on the introduction of a homogeneous treatment bed model in the Monaco treatment planning system, CFs(θ) were constructed for all incidence angles using 6 MV photon lines in a 28 cm × 28 cm field for MatriXX at different field incidence angles (0°–360°) as a relative ratio of simulated and measured values. The accuracy of the 2D array in combination with the solid water phantom (MatriXX/RW3) was systematically investigated by verifying 12 IMAT plans with and without CFs. In addition, the resulting assessments were evaluated by 40 additional IMAT plans of different tumor sites, using the COMPASS three-dimensional (3D) dose validation device measurements as a benchmark. After correction based on CFs(θ), the effect of the mean pass rates (3%/3 mm) of the MatriXX 2D array for 12 IMAT plan QA can be seenan explicit improvement of 6.1% was observed with the CFs(θ). The average pass rate increased from 92.0% to 98.1%, and the additional 40 IMAT plans QA γ(3mm/3%) matched well between COMPASS and the measurements for MatriXX/RW3, with CFs(θ)'s of 98.4 ± 1.5 vs. 99.1 ± 0.9 for the phantom plans. For different tumor sites, the cervical, thoracic, and abdominal cases for the 3D COMPASS validation devices were 97.9 ± 1.5 vs. 99.4 ± 0.3, 99.1 ± 0.9 vs. 98.6 ± 1.6, and 98.7 ± 0.9 vs. 99.3 ± 0.7, respectively, with P = 0.051, 0.420, and 0.175. For head tumors, the 2D MatriXX validation pass rate was slightly lower than 3D COMPASS (97.7 ± 2.0 vs. 99.2 ± 0.5, P = 0.048). The combination of MatriXX with the solid water RW3 phantom and CFs(θ)'s incorporation of the main couch model (iBEAM evo Couchtop EP) proved to be a fast and reliable method for pre-treatment verification of arc therapy with sufficient accuracy. Slight deviations were found for patients with head tumors treated with the treatment bed extension plate assembly iBEAM® evo Extension 415. These could be minimized by constructing the extension plate couch model and then reconstructing the MatriXX/RW3 calibration factor. • A 2D array in combination with RW3 phantom dose verification system was explored. • Correction factors (CFs) were developed to calibrates the measured dose. • Measurements with and without CFs were compared with simulations in Monaco TPS. • CFs were also evaluated using the COMPASS as a benchmark by 40 additional IMAT plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The synergistic biodegradation mechanisms of coal and corn straw were explored. • The synergistic biodegradation of coal is combined with straw-filled goaf. • The production of liquid-phase products is related to the coal rank. • Coal can promote the biodegradation of cellulosic substances from corn straw. • Corn straw and coal improve the microbial community structure. The mechanisms associated with the biomethane metabolism through the synergistic biodegradation of both coal and corn straw were explored to improve the utilization rate of corn straw. This applies to the filling of the goaf with corn straw and the production of biomethane using indigenous bacteria in the mine water with coal. The results showed that new macromolecular substances (e.g., Tetracosane and Pentacosane) were produced on the third day. A lower coal rank leads to a lower biodegradation rate of low-molecular-weight substances (e.g., butyric acid and valeric acid). Under the addition of coal samples, the biodegradation rate of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in corn straw could reached up to 29.82%, 35.79% and 6.16%, respectively. The addition of corn straw promoted the complementary advantages of archaeal genera (such as Methanosarina and Methanospirillum) and decreased the adverse bacterial genera (such as Desulfovibrio and Pseudomonas) in the fermentation system of single coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytosolic calcium (c Ca2+) entry into mitochondria is facilitated by the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), an electrochemical gradient generated by the electron transport chain (ETC). Is has been assumed that as long as mutations that affect the ETC do not affect the ΔΨm, the mitochondrial Ca2+ (m Ca2+) homeostasis remains normal. We show that knockdown of NDUFAF3 and SDHB reduce ETC activity altering m Ca2+ efflux and influx rates while ΔΨm remains intact. Shifting the equilibrium toward lower [Ca2+] m accumulation renders cells resistant to death. Our findings reveal an unexpected relationship between complex I and II with the m Ca2+ homeostasis independent of ΔΨm. • NDUFAF3 and SDHA are essential for complex I and II assembly respectively and its absence decrease OXPHOS. • Knockdown of NDUFAF3 and SDHB altered mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux and influx rates in absence of ΔΨm loss. • Shifting the equilibrium toward lower concentration of mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation renders cells resistant to death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A pulse-burst dye laser at 10 kHz repetition rate is presented for the first time. • Single pulse energy achieves 1.45 mJ at 280 nm at 10 kHz repetition rate. • Frequency doubling efficiency is higher than previous laser at this repetition rate. • OH-PLIF images are taken and show the promising application. Abstract In this paper, we present a dye laser operated under burst mode with minimum pulse interval 0.1 ms, corresponding to repetition rate 10 kHz. Pulse energy of 7.77 mJ with efficiency of 26.7% is achieved at 560 nm by using rhodamine 6G solution in methanol as the gain medium when the energy of pump energy is 32.4 mJ at 532 nm. The tunable range is found from 545.3 nm to 573.1 nm for fundamental and 272.5 nm to 286.9 nm after frequency doubling with maximum pulse energy 1.45 mJ at 280 nm, which indicates the frequency doubling efficiency is 18.7%. OH-PLIF images with time interval 0.1 ms are gotten using the dye laser, which proves the feasibility of this dye laser applied in dynamic laser diagnosis fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) is one of the most active technologies for optical time-of-flight ranging and three-dimensional (3D) imaging. Ranging accuracy is one of the most critical issues of lidar system. We propose a three-laser-beam TCSPC lidar system. Besides the main measuring laser beam, the second beam is used to decrease the error caused by jitter of time synchronization. The third beam has n+0.5 time bins’ difference with the main measuring beam, and it is used to correct the error caused by the discrete sampling of time-to-digital converter (TDC). To validate the feasibility of the three-laser-beam TCSPC lidar system, a series of simulation experiments using the scheme is carried out. The results show that this method is effective to improve the ranging accuracy of TCSPC lidar system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-structured surface on diamond is widely used in microelectronics, optical elements, MEMS and NEMS components, ultra-precision machining tools, etc. The efficient micro-structuring of diamond material is still a challenging task. In this article, the influence of the focus position on laser machining and laser micro-structuring monocrystalline diamond surface were researched. At the beginning, the ablation threshold and its incubation effect of monocrystalline diamond were determined and discussed. As the accumulated laser pulses ranged from 40 to 5000, the laser ablation threshold decreased from 1.48 J/cm 2 to 0.97 J/cm 2 . Subsequently, the variation of the ablation width and ablation depth in laser machining were studied. With enough pulse energy, the ablation width mainly depended on the laser propagation attributes while the ablation depth was a complex function of the focus position. Raman analysis was used to detect the variation of the laser machined diamond surface after the laser machining experiments. Graphite formation was discovered on the machined diamond surface and graphitization was enhanced after the defocusing quantity exceeded 45 µm. At last, several micro-structured surfaces were successfully fabricated on diamond surface with the defined micro-structure patterns and structuring ratios just by adjusting the defocusing quantity. The experimental structuring ratio was consistent with the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal organic framework CuBTC nanoparticles were incorporated into polyether-block-amide (Pebax) to promote the transport of penetrant molecules in the membranes. The CuBTC nanoparticles can form hydrogen-bonds with the Pebax chains, thus interfered with the chain packing and tailored the free volume properties of Pebax. The channels and active metal sites of CuBTC promoted the transport of sulfur-containing molecules when the membranes were employed for gasoline desulfurization. When the filler content was 2 wt%, the optimal separation performance was achieved with a permeation flux of 4.4 kg/(m 2 h) and a thiophene enrichment factor of 6.0 at 40 °C, increased by 36% and 11% compared with the Pebax pristine membrane. The comprehensive performance of the membranes is more competitive than widely-used PDMS membranes, especially under high temperatures. A permeation flux of 16.45 kg/(m 2 h) is reached with an enrichment factor of 4.04 at 70 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variation of the biological source and diagenetic environment results in significant differences in pore structure and mechanical properties of coral reef limestone (CRL) with various structures. This study analyzed uniaxial compression behavior and pore structural characteristics of four types of CRL using the uniaxial compression test and computerized tomography (CT) scanning test. The influence mechanism of CRL's physical properties on its uniaxial compression characteristics was revealed from a microscopic perspective. The results suggested that the uniaxial compressive curves of different structural types of CRLs exhibited "single-peak" or "multi-peak" characteristics, in which Coral Framework Limestone (CFL) and Coral Boulder Limestone (CBL) mainly experienced brittle failure while Coral Gravel Limestone (CGL) and Coral Calcarenite Limestone (CCL) underwent ductile failure with the increase of porosity. Through a CT scanning test, the influence of pore structure on the damage mechanism of CRL was explored. According to the digital image analysis technique, the influence of CRL diagenesis on the pore fractal dimension was investigated from the perspective of geological genesis, and an empirical formula for estimating uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of CRL was established based on the fractal dimension. Furthermore, a quality evaluation method for CRL suitable for practical engineering was proposed. The research results can provide a reference for the estimation of UCS and quality classification evaluation of CRL in the construction of island reefs. • Sample with a "single-peak" curve underwent brittle failure, while those with a "multi-peak" curve underwent ductile failure. • The pore complexity and anisotropy positively correlated with the fractal dimension, which was affected by diagenesis. • The empirical formula based on fractal dimension could effectively estimate the uniaxial compression strength of sample. • The proposed classification method provided a reference for the quality grade evaluation of coral reef limestone mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of N 2 , CO 2 and H 2 O dilutions on the two-dimensional (2D) temperature and concentration fields of OH in methane Bunsen flames were investigated by employing two-line planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) thermometry and bi-directional PLIF technique, respectively. The spatial resolution of the measured temperature and concentration fields of OH radical was 41.7 μm. It was found that the measured temperature fields in methane Bunsen flames with different diluents exhibited a non-uniform and a symmetrical structure. In terms of decreasing the flame temperature, the CO 2 diluent achieved a good result compared with N 2 and H 2 O diluents. The total uncertainties in PLIF thermometry measurements were estimated to be ±8.44%, ±8.17% and ±8.27% for each diluent, respectively. The OH peak absorption cross sections at different heights were obtained in methane Bunsen flames with different diluents. Finally, the 2D absolute OH concentration filed in methane Bunsen flames diluted with three different diluents were obtained by using bi-directional PLIF technique. The peak absolute OH number densities in the flames with H 2 O, N 2 and CO 2 diluents were 9.84 × 10 17 cm −3 , 8.57 × 10 17 cm −3 and 7.84 × 10 17 cm −3 , with the overall uncertainties of ±20.56%, ±19.04% and ±23.43%, respectively. The numerical simulations of chemical kinetics were performed by using a physical model of one-dimensional laminar premixed flame and a detail methane reaction mechanism of GRI-Mech 3.0 so as to investigate the difference between the simulation results and experimental values. The comparison results for the temperature and OH concentration indicated that the reaction mechanism of GRI-Mech 3.0 might underestimate the chemical effects of CO 2 and H 2 O diluents on the production of OH radical in premixed methane flames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The anaerobic fermentation of FOG and lignite promotes their transformation into biomethane. • FOG enriches the substrates available to the microbial community. • The addition of FOG to the substrates can change the composition and structure of both bacterial and archaeal communities. • This study has demonstrated potential for the utilization of lignite and the treatment of FOG. The biogenic methane production experiment of FOG combined with lignite was performed to enhance the methane output of lignite anaerobic fermentation. Three-dimensional fluorescence, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, volatile fatty acids and 16S rDNA tests were carried out to analyze the composition of the liquid substances at the biomethane peak production. The results showed that the yield of this compound in the combined fermentation of lignite and FOG could be increased by 380.25 %. Moreover, the degradable organic matter and acetic acid content increased, while the degree of humification decreased. In addition, the microbial activity was enhanced. In the combined substrate of the anaerobic fermentation process, both Acinetobacter and Methanosarcina were activated as the dominant bacteria and archaea, respectively, which improved the degradation efficiency of organic matter and the overall biomethane yield. This research showed that the combined anaerobic fermentation of FOG and lignite could promote the biomethane production efficiency in the context of anaerobic fermentation, which provided a new idea for the clean transformation of lignite and utilization of FOG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Femtosecond time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is utilized to study the ultrafast vibrational dynamics in ethanol at room temperature. The beat wavenumbers between Raman modes of C H stretch modes (from 2800 cm −1 to 3000 cm −1 ) in ethanol are excited and detected by varying wavelengths of the laser pulses and detection window. The coherence relaxation times of the C H stretch mode in ethanol are measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We utilized femtosecond time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) to study the ultrafast vibrational dynamics in distilled water at room temperature. The CARS signals from the broad OH-stretching modes between 3100 cm −1 and 3700 cm −1 were obtained and analyzed. The dephasing times of four Raman modes in water were detected and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harnessing developmental processes for tissue engineering represents a promising yet challenging approach to regenerative medicine. Tooth avulsion is among the most serious traumatic dental injuries, whereas functional tooth regeneration remains uncertain. Here, we established a strategy using decellularized tooth matrix (DTM) combined with human dental pulp stem cell (hDPSC) aggregates to simulate an odontogenesis-related developmental microenvironment. The bioengineered teeth reconstructed by this strategy regenerated three-dimensional pulp and periodontal tissues equipped with vasculature and innervation in a preclinical pig model after implantation into the alveolar bone. These results prompted us to enroll 15 patients with avulsed teeth after traumatic dental injuries in a pilot clinical trial. At 12 months after implantation, bioengineered teeth led to the regeneration of functional teeth, which supported continued root development, in humans. Mechanistically, exosomes derived from hDPSC aggregates mediated the tooth regeneration process by upregulating the odontogenic and angiogenic ability of hDPSCs. Our findings suggest that odontogenic microenvironment engineering by DTM and stem cell aggregates initiates functional tooth regeneration and serves as an effective treatment for tooth avulsion. • The odonto-microenvironment provided by DTM and cell aggregates initiates functional tooth regeneration in animal and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Femtosecond time-resolved coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) is utilized to study the ultrafast vibrational dynamics in BBO crystals at room temperature. Time-resolved two-beam and three-beam CARS are detected. The vibrational dephasing time is analyzed and the changes of vibrational mode intensities with the polarization of pump pulses are observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The two-photon absorption (TPA) characteristics of PMMA discs doped with three different dyes were studied using an fs-pulsed Ti-Sapphire laser as the pump source, and employing the open-aperture Z-scan technique. TPA cross-sections obtained for PMMA doped with the dyes PM597, DCM and rhodamine 6G–rhodamine B (co-doped) were found to be equal to 24.7, 33.3 and 32.3GM, respectively (1GM=10−50 cm4 sphot−1 mol−1). Furthermore, two-photon fluorescence was measured for the samples containing DCM and rhodamine 6G–rhodamine B (co-doped). Compared to the one-photon fluorescence spectrum, the peaks in the two-photon fluorescence spectrum were red shifted and the extent of red shift increased with increasing doping concentration. We have also observed that the red shift in the two-photon fluorescence peak of the samples in the solid form is much larger than that in the solution state. This phenomenon could be explained by a twisted intra-molecular charge transfer model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ultrafast nonlinear optical properties of co-sputtered silver/bismuth oxide (Ag:Bi2O3) nanocomposite films with different Ag concentration (13.2–59.3at%) were investigated by femtosecond (fs) pump–probe and fs optical Kerr effect (OKE) techniques. The pump–probe measurements revealed the Ag concentration-related energy relaxation dynamics: for films with high concentration of Ag (>50%), the relaxation dynamics consist of a fast excitation power-dependent component (1–2ps) and a long-lived component (>100ps). While for films with relative low Ag concentration (<40%), the energy relaxation behaves as a single exponential process, nearly completed within 1ps. This Ag concentration related dynamical behavior was suggested to be originated from the differences in the structural and thermal properties of both Ag nanoparticles and Bi2O3 matrices. The result of the femtosecond OKE measurements showed that the third-order susceptibilities () of Ag:Bi2O3 films have a maximum of 4.1×10−10 esu at Ag concentration of 35.7%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective. To construct ScFv and Fab from murine anti-gastric cancer monoclonal antibody (mAb) 3H11. Methods. At first, 3H11 ScFv and Fab were constructed with V genes PCR amplified by degenerate primers for FRI. The bacterial expressed 3H11 Ab fragments showed no antigen binding activity. Then, phage antibody library and random mutated library were constructed from 3H11 hybridoma cells and panning selection was performed. Again the identification of positive clone was failed. Finally the N-terminal sequences of V regions were resumed to 3H11 original sequences by site-directed mutagenesis via PCR. Results. Binding activity to gastric cancer cells was detected only from N-terminal sequence corrected 3H11 ScFv and Fab, though the expression of the AB fragments was not affected. Correction of either VI, or VH N-terminal sequences could partially resume the antigen binding activity. Conclusion. Sequence changes of V region N terminal introduced by PCR may seriously affect antigen binding without affecting the expression of antibody. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, several methods have been adopted for the laboratory preparation of artificial volatile organic compound (VOC) contaminated soils (VCSs). However, it remains unclear whether the prepared contaminated soils are homogenous. In this study, two representative VOCs, toluene and perchloroethylene, were separately mixed with a kaolin-based soil using six preparation methods. Thereafter, the homogeneity and recovery of the contaminated kaolin prepared using these methods were determined and analyzed. The six procedures were quantitatively assessed according to the comprehensive evaluation mathematical model (AHP-CRITIC-TOPSIS), and the final score order of the different procedures was: A > C > E > B > F > D. Additionally, the qualitative evaluation of the procedures was performed based on the phase transformation and mass transfer during the mixing processes. Based on these discussions, method A, which was considered to be optimal, was then adopted for further investigations with various natural soils. The results showed that this optimal method could be applied to natural soils and revealed that the adsorption-related characteristics of natural soils, including total organic carbon, specific surface area, pore volume, pH, plastic limit, particle size, and mineral composition, influenced the homogeneity and recovery through mass transfer. In addition, it was also observed that the chemical properties of VOCs, including molecular structure, vapor pressure, and the octanol/water partition coefficient, could also affect the effectiveness of sample recovery. Through this study, researchers can prepare VCSs with excellent homogeneity and low loss rates to conduct standardized tests for technology development. [Display omitted] • Homogeneity (CV) and recovery (RR) are used to evaluate preparation effectiveness. • AHP-CRITIC-TOPSIS model obtains the optimal method by scoring (highest score, 0.857). • Applying optimal method to natural soil is feasible, its recovery is often high. • Soil adsorption-related property has effect on sample preparation (r = 0.848–0.991). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 500 kHz burst-mode YVO 4 /Nd:YVO 4 1064 nm laser oscillator with a burst duration of 1 ms and a burst energy of 45.0 mJ was presented. The acousto-optically Q-switched frequency could be varied from 10 kHz to 500 kHz, resulting in 10–500 sub-pulses per burst. At the pulse repetition rate of 500 kHz, the maximum single pulse energy reached 90.0 μJ with a pulse width of 37.8 ns, corresponding to a peak power of 2.4 kW. The beam quality factor of burst-mode laser at 500 kHz was measured to be M2=1.6. The burst-mode YVO 4 /Nd:YVO 4 laser could be acted as a master oscillator for further power scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A high efficiency passively Q-switched Nd:GdTaO 4 laser at 1066 nm is presented. • Q-switched pulse with high repetition rate and short pulse width are obtained. • Compact structure, small volume, suitable for various narrow working environments. We report an 879 nm laser diode directly pumped passively Q-switched Nd:GdTaO 4 laser at 1066 nm. The continuous-wave output power at 1066 nm reaches 5.6 W under an incident pump power of 12.8 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 43.8% and a slope efficiency of 48.0%. By using Cr4+:YAG as the saturable absorber, passively Q-switched laser operation is conducted, yielding a highest pulse repetition frequency of 185 kHz and a maximum average power of 3.6 W. The shortest pulse width of 15.2 ns is achieved with a peak power of 2.34 kW at 33.7 kHz. The beam quality factors at the maximum average output power is measured to be M x 2 = 2.2, M y 2 = 1.5 by using knife-edge method. The thermal focal length and internal loss for Nd:GdTaO 4 crystal is also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A genome-wide association study identified LMO1 , which encodes an LIM-domain-only transcriptional cofactor, as a neuroblastoma susceptibility gene that functions as an oncogene in high-risk neuroblastoma. Here we show that dβh promoter-mediated expression of LMO1 in zebrafish synergizes with MYCN to increase the proliferation of hyperplastic sympathoadrenal precursor cells, leading to a reduced latency and increased penetrance of neuroblastomagenesis. The transgenic expression of LMO1 also promoted hematogenous dissemination and distant metastasis, which was linked to neuroblastoma cell invasion and migration, and elevated expression levels of genes affecting tumor cell-extracellular matrix interaction, including loxl3 , itga2b , itga3 , and itga5 . Our results provide in vivo validation of LMO1 as an important oncogene that promotes neuroblastoma initiation, progression, and widespread metastatic dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]