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This work presents a novel strategy to model the coexistence of HELP & HEDE mechanisms. The proposed method accounts for ductile and brittle damage with a competitive fracture criterion to describe the competition effect between HELP & HEDE mechanisms. The cooperation aspect is addressed by a dislocation-enhanced hydrogen accumulation model, which agrees with the HELP-mediated HEDE mechanism. The tensile, fracture toughness, and threshold stress intensity factor tests are simulated in different hydrogen environments. The results demonstrate that the proposed method reproduces the hydrogen-dependent ductile to brittle transition phenomenon. Under different hydrogen conditions, the dominating damage mechanism and degradation trends agree with experimental observations. Furthermore, for the investigated 4130 steel, the predicted value of fracture toughness and threshold stress intensity factor match the experiment results. The difference in damage kinetics inherent in the two test methods is captured, which supports the rationality of the proposed strategy for HELP and HEDE interaction. [Display omitted] • Competitive & Cooperative ductile-brittle damage model on HELP & HEDE interplay. • Predicted Hydrogen embrittlement features match experimental observations. • K JC and K THa prediction outputs match experiment values. • Difference in hydrogen damage kinetics in different test methods captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a manufacturer's selling channel structure choice in a supply chain wherein the firms may concern about consumer surplus. In addition, the retailer can make the demand-enhancement investment, the effect of which may spill over to the manufacturer, subsequently altering the manufacturer's selling channel structure choice among the reselling channel (mode R), the direct-selling channel (mode M), and the dual channels (mode D). Several intriguing results are obtained. First, when the manufacturer concerns about consumer surplus, the manufacturer prefers mode R if both the retailer's investment cost and the manufacturer's concern for consumer surplus are either high or low, while choosing mode M if the investment cost is high and the concern for consumer surplus is relatively low. Conversely, the manufacturer may not choose mode M when the retailer concerns about consumer surplus. Besides, whether the manufacturer or the retailer concerns about consumer surplus, only mode R may arise as the jointly preferred channel choice for the firms. Second, mode R is more profitable for the supply chain when the manufacturer's (retailer's) concern for consumer surplus is sufficiently high, because the sales competition is weaker and the retailer's investment incentive is stronger in mode R. Third, mode M cannot be optimal for consumer surplus and social welfare due to the absence of the retailer's demand-enhancement investment. Finally, the manufacturer's (retailer's) increasing concern for consumer surplus does not necessarily improve consumer surplus and social welfare because of the effect of investment cost on the manufacturer's equilibrium channel structure strategy. • Manufacturer channel choice with dual-purpose firms and demand investment is studied. • Mode R may arise as the equilibrium for dual-purpose firms under certain conditions. • The manufacturer may abandon mode M when the retailer cares about consumer surplus. • The manufacturer's dual-purpose concern does not always favor consumer surplus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the synthesis of AZ61 alloy composite powders with Co-Ni additives using high-energy ball milling (HEBM). The powders are extensively characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze their morphology, composition, structure, and bonding. The hydrogen storage capacity of the powders is measured using a Sievert's-type system revealing diverse capacities. For AZ61 alloy with Ni additive (2 µm), it absorbs 90% of the capacity in 410 s, showing an activation energy of 91.46 kJmol−1 and displays Mg 2 NiH 4 as an intermediate. On the other hand, AZ61 alloy with Co additive requires 576 s to absorb 90% of the capacity, showing an activation energy of 117.23 kJmol−1 and Mg 2 CoH 5 as an intermediate. When a mixture of Ni and Co is added to AZ61 alloy, it achieves 90% capacity absorption in 300 s. In the absence of additives, AZ61 alloy (15 µm) reaches 90% capacity absorption in 1600 s. The incorporation of additives significantly reduces the activation energy. A correlation between longer absorption times and larger activation energies provides valuable insights into the storage kinetics and activation energy associated with the hydrogen absorption/desorption process. [Display omitted] • The addition of Ni, Co, and a mixture of Ni and Co to the AZ61 alloy enhances its hydrogen storage capacity compared to the alloy without additives. • The hydrogen storage capacities of the AZ61 alloy with Ni, Co, and Ni-Co additives were measured to be 4.5 wt%, 5.316 wt%, and 5.14 wt%, respectively. • The presence of specific reaction intermediates, such as Mg 2 NiH 4 and Mg 2 CoH 5 , was confirmed through XRD patterns, indicating their role in the hydrogen absorption process and promoting reversibility and cycle stability. • The activation energy for hydrogen absorption in the AZ61 alloy with Co additive was found to be 117.23 kJ/mol while that of Ni was 91.46 kJ/mol. • Kinetics to achieve 90% capacity: AZ61 alloy with Ni additive requiring 410 s, the alloy with Co additive requiring 576 s, the alloy with Ni and Co mixture requiring 300 s, and the alloy without additives requiring 1600 s. These results highlight the influence of additive composition on the kinetics of hydrogen absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A quasi-unidirectional spatiotemporal mode-locked bidirectional tunable output has been achieved in an erbium-doped fiber laser. • Capable of achieving tunable outputs of both CSs and BSs types in both of the dominant CCW and dominant CW directions simultaneously. • Both of the STML conventional solitons and the STML bound solitons are obtained with a similar tunable wavelength from ∼1.56 μm to ∼1.58 μm. In this letter, we have demonstrated the realization of the wavelength-tunable spatiotemporal mode-locked (STML) operation in an Er-doped partial multimode fiber laser without the intracavity isolator. The laser adopts an all-fiber structure and the saturable absorption effect is attributed to nonlinear multimode interference (NL-MMI) from the single mode fiber-graded index multimode fiber-single mode fiber (SMF-GIMF-SMF) design. The STML laser can operate in the quasi-unidirectional regime with an emission strength difference of larger than 30 dB for the two counter-propagating lasers. And the switching between the dominating operating directions in the clockwise (CW) or counter-clockwise (CCW) directions can be easily achieved by adjusting the MM polarization controller (PC). Both STML conventional solitons (CSs) and the STML soliton molecules are obtained with a similar tunable wavelength from ∼1.56 μm to ∼1.58 μm for the opposite operating directions. Furthermore, the spatial dynamics of the STML soliton are also investigated in detail. The experimental results are of great help for us to explore nonlinear spatiotemporal dynamics and provide potential applications in fields of all-optical signal processing, fiber sensing and information coding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a practical numerical model with few parameters was proposed for the prediction of environmental hydrogen embrittlement. The proposed method adopts hydrogen enhanced plasticity-based mechanism in a fracture strain model to describe hydrogen embrittlement. Fracture toughness degradation of three commercial steels SA372J70, AISI4130 and X80 in high pressure hydrogen environment were investigated. Firstly, governing equations for hydrogen distribution and material damage evolution was established. Hydrogen enhanced localized flow softening effect was coupled within fracture strain dependency on stress triaxiality. Then, the numerical implementation and identification process of model parameters was described. Model parameters of the investigated steels were determined based on experiment results from literatures. Finally, with the calibrated model, fracture toughness reduction of the steels was predicted in a wide range of hydrogen pressure. The prediction results were compared with experimental results. Reasonable accuracy was reached. The proposed method is an attempt to reach balance between physical accurate prediction and engineering practicality. It is promising to provide a simplified numerical tool for the design and fit for service evaluation of hydrogen storage vessels. • Hydrogen embrittlement prediction model with few parameters was proposed. • Identification of model parameters with a few support of experiments. • Simplified Fracture toughness prediction model with acceptable accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The titanium hyperdoped black silicon is achieved with high absorption over the range of 200 ∼ 2700 nm. • The b-Si:Ti photodetector exhibits high photocurrent and photoresponsivity under low reverse bias voltages. • The photoconductive gain is achieved across a broadband spectral range. • The photodetector exhibits a stable sub-bandgap photon sensitivity. Silicon, as one of the most essential semiconducting materials, is widely applied in various photodetection applications due to its high portability, convenient preparation, and compatibility with conventional complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor technology. Nowadays, black silicon, prepared by enforcing ultrafast laser micro-structuring and hyperdoping techniques, has received considerable attention for developing next-generation silicon photonics and silicon optoelectronics devices. In this work, high-comprehensive-property black silicon photodetectors with broadband spectral responsivity and high gain were achieved by femtosecond laser irradiation and titanium hyperdoping. The proposed device can respond to the incident light from 400 nm to at least 1550 nm, demonstrating a high responsivity of 40.59 A/W for 950 nm under the application of −5 V bias, and the corresponding detectivity can reach 3.61 × 1012 cm·Hz1/2W−1. Moreover, the fabricated photodetector exhibits a stable sub-bandgap photocurrent at 1550 nm, with an average responsivity of 3.42 mA/W by applying a −5 V bias. These improvements were achieved by the hyperdoping of titanium in silicon, which shows deep impurity levels, low electroactivity, and increased effective carrier lifetimes, as well as the formation of shallow n-i heterojunction and trapping centers induced by the femtosecond laser irradiation. Our work provides significant insights into the applications of black silicon in various optical-related fields, including weak and infrared photon detection, silicon photonic chips, remote sensing, and large-scale optoelectronic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The current study is a combination of two recently trending technologies: MFC and additive manufacturing. • The impact of surface based vs truss based lattice structures on MFC power performance is studied. • Flow pattern is observed via experimental as well as CFD analysis. • Straight flow line should be avoided as it results in lower mixing efficiency. In an aim to scale up the microbial fuel cell (MFC), this research is a first attempt to investigate the impact of two lattice structures flow straighteners: gyroid and X lattice to compare with the conventional honeycomb flow straightener, fabricated via additive manufacturing. The study focused on assessing their effect on the degradation of domestic wastewater and power generation in a dual chamber recirculation MFC. Other than the geometry, structures were also tested at flow rates of 20 mL/min, 60 mL/min, and 100 mL/min. Our study found that MFC equipped with a gyroid structure flow straightener produced the highest power density of 2871.89mWm−2, followed by the X lattice flow straightener of 2626.56 mWm−2 and 2096.03 mWm−2 with honeycomb flow straightener. ANSYS simulations revealed that this increased power density is attributed to the enhanced mixing of wastewater. Traditional honeycomb-based flow straighteners showed straight streamlines, causing bacteria to settle and leading to lower output voltage. The novel X lattice and gyroid lattice designs ensured uniform substrate mixing, addressing the issue of substrate settling and consequently boosting the MFC's power performance. An optimized flow rate of 60 mL/min yielded the best output. Overall, this study successfully introduced two novel lattice structures for flow straighteners, demonstrating their potential in enhancing power performance and the scalability of this technology when produced using additive manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are a newly emerging technology in bioenergy processing. This research is to replace the use of platinum catalysts. Three types of oxygen reduction catalysts (B12/XC-72, B12/CNT and B12/AC) are analyzed and compared with the other two activated sludge and no catalyst where the performance of activated carbon in MFCs are evaluated. The results show that the catalyst with B12 vitamin as the main body has a higher open-circuit voltage. Among them, the open-circuit voltage of B12/CNT is the highest with 0.667 V, which is about 2 times that of MFCs without catalyst. The highest electrical performance with 0.54 W m−2 is 3.17 times that of catalyst-free MFCs, which shows that the self-made B12/CNT catalyst MFCs have the best performance in this study. The related research will be helpful for the application of wastewater to energy. • Vitamin B12-based catalyst is cheap but effective option for Pt-based catalyst. • Three variants of B12 and carbon form are evaluated. • B12/CNT has the highest OCV with 2 times that of MFC without catalyst. • B12/CNT is 3.17 times better conductivity compared with catalyst-free MFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the effect of different inorganic iron compounds on the biological methanation of CO 2 sequestered in coal seams, a biogas production experiment was carried out through use of bituminous coal D (China) and indigenous microorganisms, by adding bicarbonate and inorganic iron compounds. It is found that the addition of FeCl 2 or FeS 2 promoted methane production. FeS 2 resulted in the highest methane concentration (30.54%) and methane production (0.191 mmol/g), which increased by 30.46% and 38.11%, respectively. The pH of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group during the whole process. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) first increased and then decreased, and the COD peak value greatest increased by 3.07% after FeCl 2 was added. The ammonia nitrogen content in the liquid phase with FeCl 2 or FeS 2 was improved obviously (11.01% and 6.76%), and the microorganisms were increased accordingly. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) showed that the microorganisms reacted with coal and iron after addition of Fe to generate several amorphous substances on the surface of coal, and further enhanced biomethane production. This study provides a new method for the utilization of CO 2 sequestered in coal seams and the rational development of high sulfur coal. • FeS 2 has the potential to increase the bio-methanation of sequestered CO 2. • Change law of liquid phase parameters keep consistent with the biomethane generation. • Microorganisms will react with coal and iron to promote the production of biomethane. • Coal seams with high sulfur are suitable for the research of MECBM projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the equilibrium channel structure strategy in a supply chain where a manufacturer can sell products to consumers via/on an online platform, and firms may focus on both profit and consumer surplus. We consider three supply chain channel structures: a reselling channel (mode R), wherein the platform acts as the reseller; an agency channel (mode A), wherein the platform acts as the marketplace; and a dual channel (mode D), wherein the platform acts as both the reseller and marketplace. This study explores the strategic effect of the dual-purpose concern on the co-opetition relationship of firms and derives ramifications for the optimal channel structure. First, the platform may abandon mode A when the manufacturer's consumer surplus concern is high, even if the commission rate is high. This is because the manufacturer's sales revenue may be harmed by the higher selling quantity and lower price resulting from the increased concern of consumer surplus in mode A. The manufacturer prefers mode D (mode R) only when the commission rate is low (high). However, the supply chain may prefer mode R (mode D) when the platform's consumer surplus concern is high (low) irrespective of the commission rate. Second, with dual-purpose firms, both the platform and manufacturer may prefer mode R (mode D) when the commission rate is medium and the platform's consumer surplus concern is high (low). Third, mode A is beneficial to consumer surplus and social welfare as long as agency selling is viable, which occurs when the consumer surplus concern and the commission rate are not too high; otherwise, mode D is the optimal choice, because it enables the supply chain to sell products to consumers in a more flexible way. Finally, the results are robust to a parsimonious dual-purpose platform, an imperfect competitive market, price competition with a dominant platform, multiple competing manufacturers, and a non-zero slotting fee. • The equilibrium strategy with an online platform and dual-purpose firms is studied. • Dual-purpose concern has a strategic effect on the firms' co-opetition relationship. • Sales aggressiveness effect and co-opetition alteration effect are identified. • Influences of the two effects above on firms' channel preferences are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, AZ61 alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) method, is presented. This research seeks to find out the relationship that exists between the microstructure of the AZ61-magnesium alloy doped with SiC and Ni and processed by ECAP in terms of hydrogen storage properties. The results indicate that grain size reduces nearly 10 times after 4 passes of ECAP. Homogeneous distribution of the SiC in the metal matrix composite (MMC) and dynamic recrystallization are also observed. There is a gradual reduction in the grain size when the number of ECAP passes are increased. This microstructural refinement induced by ECAP improves the storage capacity and reaction kinetics of the alloy. Besides, the addition of Ni catalyst achieves faster absorption and desorption kinetics. However, it does not change its capacity. Ni reacts with Mg to form an intermetallic, which is hydrogen-absorbing, which in turn, catalyzes the reaction. Apart from introducing defects, the ECAP process also produces Mg/Al intermetallic, which acts catalytically. It is shown that SiC-doped AZ61-magnesium alloy can absorb and desorb 6.8 wt% H 2 at 648 K and 50 atm. • AZ61 with SiC and Ni additives prepared by gravity stir casting method. • Dispersion characteristics of the particles influences the rate limiting factors. • AZ61-1 wt%SiC achieves a hydrogen capacity of 6.8 wt%. • Performance declines to 6.5 wt% when Ni catalyst is added. • Combining SiC and Ni shows improved kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy is a candidate of the "ultimate energy". However, the quantified evaluation of hydrogen embrittlement phenomenon remains to be a challenging topic. This paper provides a continuum damage model to quantify hydrogen embrittlement. Firstly, theoretical model of the proposed method was introduced. The proposed model applied multi-axial fracture strain based ductile damage evolution law coupled with HELP mechanism to evaluate hydrogen accelerated micro-void coalescence (MVC) fracture. Void growth and coalescence were described by hydrogen enhanced plastic strain and hydrogen reduced fracture strain. Then, the proposed method was implemented on commercial finite element software package. Compact tensile (CT) test and slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test of two commercial steels were investigated numerically and compared with available experimental results to verify the rationality of the proposed model. The results indicated the proposed method reproduced CT and SSRT tests result with different hydrogen concentrations precisely. Hydrogen's effect on MVC process was discussed. It is suggested HELP based MVC could be a viable model to quantify hydrogen embrittlement. The proposed method was also highlighted with the advantage of describing hydrogen's effect with only one parameter. • Continuum damage model for hydrogen embrittlement based on micro-void coalescence. • Description of hydrogen-assisted void growth and coalescence with HELP mechanism. • Practical model cover ductile and brittle fracture with few model parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the hydrogen storage performance of commercial AZ31-Mg alloys combined with various allotropes of carbon was investigated and the microstructural modifications with respect to plastic deformation and high energy milling techniques investigated, with the aim of obtaining enhanced hydrogen storage efficiency. The hydrogen storage performance of alloys prepared with different weight ratios of carbonaceous materials as a catalyst was monitored in order to explore the effective improvement in hydrogen storage performance through microstructural modification. Additionally, the effects of different processing methods such as equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high energy ball milling (HEBM) were also observed. AZ31 Mg based composites with various carbon additives were produced through gravity resistance casting and their micrographic structures examined through optical Microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The average particle size distributions of the sample powders were also measured. The rate of hydrogenation kinetics was calculated by a Sievert's type apparatus. Significant enhancement of the hydrogenation performance was obtained with the addition of carbonaceous materials. Overall, the hydrogen storage performance after ECAP deformation of the AZ31-3CB (carbon Black) composite showed a gain in the maximum capacity of 6.72 ± 0.05 wt%. Similar, after milling of the AZ31-3G (Graphene) composite materials, a maximum potential capacity of 6.83 ± 0.04 wt% was attained within 792 ± 144.34 s, with desorption of the entire H 2 content in 143.2 ± 26.09 s. The obtained results revealed significant improvement in the hydrogen storage capacity of AZ31-Mg alloys with the addition of carbon materials and with respect to plastic deformation and milling techniques. Graphical illustration of sample preparation process flow. Image 1 • AZ31/Carbonaceous additives fabricated by Gravity resistance casting method. • Carbonaceous addition modifies the microstructure of AZ31 alloy. • AZ31-3G (Graphene)-HEBM reaches the H 2 capacity of 6.83 ± 0.04 wt% in 792 s. • HEBM exhibits enhanced hydrogenation properties than ECAP for AZ31-3G (Graphene). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) plastic deformation processes on the evolution of microstructural distributions and mechanical properties of SiC particles reinforced magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg MMCs). Investigations of the combined effects of the number of ECAP passes and SiC particles weight percentages were considered. The microstructural analysis results demonstrated a uniform distribution of matrix grain sizes and SiC particles (SiCp) segregation along the matrix grain boundaries as the number of ECAP passes increased. As the number of ECAP passes increased the presence and size of secondary phases were reduced at the pure AZ61 magnesium ally and 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC. In the case of 5 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC, the brittle Mg 2 Si secondary phase was observed and detected throughout the whole ECAP processes. The corresponding mechanical properties experimental investigation results confirmed that the elastic modulus was reduced by 47.98% for pure AZ61, increased by 5.38% for 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC and increased by 25.9% for 5 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC. The ECAP deformed 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC showed the highest performance of strain hardening rate, strength and ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper used a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and rotor dynamics to calculate the axial orbit and obtain axial orbit states that match experimental results. • This study is the first to investigate the reactor coolant pump's axial orbit under non-uniform inflow and analyze the reasons. Before this, few people paid attention to the influence of non-uniform inflow on rotor dynamic response. • The Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) turbulence model used in this paper calculated fluid pulsations at low frequencies that were very close to those obtained in the experiment, indicating strong calculation accuracy. In pressurized water reactors, a reactor coolant pump (RCP) is crucial for circulating coolant through the primary loop. However, in advanced passive (AP) reactors, the steam generator and RCP are not connected by a long pipeline, creating a transition section that leads to a non-uniform inflow at the pump inlet. The non-uniform inflow can affect the operational status of a pump, which in turn affects the motion state of the rotor. In this study, the variation of the axis orbit under non-uniform inflow was analyzed through experiments, and it was found that the shape of the axis orbit had undergone significant changes, and the amplitude of the orbit had also increased significantly, particularly in the y direction, where it increased by 88.6%. Subsequently, a combined approach of pump computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and rotor finite element analysis was used to analyze the cause of the axis orbit change. The study revealed the existence of a vortex with a pulsating frequency of approximately 16.4 Hz at the inlet of the non-uniform inflow. This vortex caused the impeller's attack angle to deviate from the design value, resulting in flow separation inside the impeller, an increase in the impeller's radial force, and radial force pulsation at the same frequency as the vortex. The change in the axis orbit was caused by the superposition of the rotor's unbalance mass and radial force pulsation under non-uniform inflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The quasi-unidirectional spatiotemporal self-mode locked is realized in an Er-doped fiber laser. • Different spatial dynamics of the STML solitons in the CW and CCW directions are observed. • The maximum output power in the CCW and CW directions can reach 61.56 mW and 63.84 mW, respectively. A spatiotemporal (ST) self-mode locked (ML) Er-doped fiber laser based on the nonlinear multimode interference (NL-MMI) effect without an intracavity isolator has been proposed. Such a STML laser could operate in a quasi-unidirectional regime in both clockwise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) directions. Different spatial dynamics of the STML solitons in the opposite directions are observed. For the STML solitons in the CCW direction, the beam profile is discretely distributed and the transverse mode instability (TMI) is observed. While for the STML solitons in the CW direction, the beam profile is relatively concentrated and can be partially controlled by adjusting the intracavity multimode (MM) fiber at the front-end of the MM coupler. These investigations would help to gain further understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics and mechanism in the STML lasers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The large energy polarization convertible solitons is realized in an all-PM mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser. • Fiber laser can realize 90° polarization conversion from fast axis to slow axis by changing the pump power. • The maximum output power of the fiber laser system is 154.93 mW, corresponding to the pulse energy of 9.53 nJ. In this paper, we have demonstrated an all polarization maintaining (PM) composite ultrafast Yb-doped fiber laser system mode-locked by semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM), which incorporates the amplifier with the resonant cavity together. Benefiting from this composite laser system, not only the pulse energy is significantly improved, but also polarization convertible solitons are realized. When the pump power is lower than 272 mW, the solitons with the central wavelength of 1029.78 nm and the pulse width of 16.54 ps are transmitting along the fast axis. However, the polarization direction of solitons is switched to slow axis as increasing the pump power to be larger than 272 mW. The maximum output power of the solitons can reach 154.93 mW, corresponding to the pulse energy of 9.53 nJ. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to realize 90° polarization conversion for ultrafast solitons in an all-PM fiber laser system. We believe the presented approach reveals a pulse scaling and polarization convertible potential of mode-locked fiber laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligent condition identification is the development trend of transformer condition recognition, However, the existing intelligent condition recognition has the disadvantage of single model and low recognition accuracy. In order to overcome the disadvantage, a transformer condition recognition method based on dissolved gas analysis features selection and multiple models fusion is proposed. At first, artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is employed to select a set of optimal dissolved gas analysis (DGA) features. Then, according to the selected feature set, support vector classifier (SVC) model, naive bayes classifier (NBC) model, and back-propagation neural network (BPNN) model are respectively established. Finally, the Dempster–Shafer​ (D-S) evidence theory is used to combine the output results of the three recognition models. The identification performances of the optimal DGA features set and the multiple models fusion are evaluated. The results reveal that the proposed method has the highest accuracy and consistency of 89.39% and 90.49% respectively. With the input vector of proposed optimal DGA features set, the overall performance of multiple model fusion method is superior than the SVC, NBC, BPNN, extreme learning machine (ELM) and K- Nearest-Neighbor (KNN). The accuracy and consistency are increased by 4.54%, 4.52%, and 10.42%, 14.68%, and 3.03%, 3.67%, and 10.6%, 13.45%, and 24.24%, 27.57% respectively. Also, the overall performance of multiple model fusion method with optimal DGA features set is increased significantly compared to multiple model fusion method with IEC Ratio, Rogers Ratio, Doernenburg Ratio, optimal DGA features set selected by particle swarm optimization (PSO) and harris hawks optimization (HHO). The accuracy and consistency are increased by 4.54%, 7.43%, and 6.06%, 7.33%, and 10.6%, 13.58%, and 1.51%, 1.39%, and 9.09%,10% respectively. This proves the effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Doping of cations is an effective method to adjust the properties of oxygen permeable membrane materials. Eight dual-phase oxygen-permeable membrane materials 75 wt% Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2-x Bi x O 2-δ -25 wt% Sm 0.6 Sr 0.4 Al 0.3 Fe 0.7 O 3-δ (CSBx-SSAF, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) and 75 wt% Ce 0.8 Sm 0.2-x Bi x O 2-δ -25 wt% Sm 0.6 Sr 0.4 Cu 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3-δ (CSBx-SSCF, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) prepared by solid state reaction method were investigated to explore the effect of Bi doping. Properties of the membrane materials, including sintering temperature, crystal structure, microstructure, thermal expansion coefficient, total conductivity and oxygen permeation flux, were explored. Study results show that Bi doping increases the thermal expansion coefficients and decreases the sintering temperatures and total conductivities of the dual-phase membranes as well as the oxygen permeation fluxes for the CSBx-SSAF series of membranes. However, the incorporation of Cu is beneficial to the membrane performance improving with the increase of Bi doping amount. EDS map analysis illustrates that the doped Bi elements partially enter the perovskite phase, partially form compound rich in Sr and Bi, and a few enter the fluorite phase. Highlights • Eight dual-phase oxygen-permeable membranes were prepared to study the effect of Bi doping. • Bi doping has a weak influence on the thermal expansion coefficient. • The sintering temperature and total conductivity decrease with the increase of Bi doping amount. • Bi doping reduces the oxygen permeation flux but the introduction of Cu improves it. • Part of Bi elements enter into the two constituent phases, and part form compound rich in Sr and Bi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The response surface methodology in the design of experiments (DOE) wizard and Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model were employed to estimate the optimum GTN damage parameters and to validate their significant effects respectively on the ductile fracture behavior of ECAP deformed AZ61 magnesium alloy. Hollomon's flow stress was applied to identify uniform deformation and non-uniform deformation regions to investigate the void nucleation and coalescence processes separately. The significance of statistical results was evaluated with the analysis of variance (ANOVA) based on P-values and coefficients of determination (R 2). Correspondingly, the contributions of ECAP plastic deformation and the corresponding local plasticity (damage progresses) on the progress of GTN ductile fracture damage parameters were studied. Desirability function was used to show the significance of individual and interaction effects of optimum initial damage parameters on the respective response variables. By using response surface methodology, the optimum GTN damage parameters were determined at the corresponding positions of each critical response variables. Results also showed that varying both stress triaxiality and damage variables simultaneously can greatly affect the curve fitting process of experimental, simulation and GTN model curves. However, at constant stress triaxiality condition, the GTN model curve was observed perfectly fitting with the tensile test curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Partitioning of cosmetic active compounds on hair surface and inside hair are quantified by preferential extraction methods. • High-resolution distributions of 2H-labelled active compounds are visualized by NanoSIMS imaging. • High lipophilicity and low lipophilicity compounds have distinct distributions in hair. Abstract A wide range of small molecules are used in our daily hair products to improve the appearance of hair and to protect it from damage from the environment. In order to better design formulations of these products, an understanding of the partitioning and distributions of these small molecules in hair is critical. In this study, we used preferential extraction methods to measure the partitioning of active compounds commonly found in hair cosmetic products on the hair surface and inside hair, and investigated the use of stable isotope labelling, cryo-sample preparation and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) for high-resolution visualization of distributions of these compounds. With this approach, we quantified partitioning and directly visualized distributions at high-resolution of four molecules (e.g. resorcinol, salicylic acid, pentadecyl alcohol and pentadecanoic acid) in hair. This has not been achieved before and revealed distributions of high lipophilicity active compounds in the lipid-rich and hydrophobic cell membrane complex network in hair, while low lipophilicity ones distributed dispersedly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this work, the hydrogen sorption properties of AZ31 magnesium alloys with various additions of nickel (Ni) (i.e., Ni (X = 0, 2, 4) wt.%) were investigated. Cast ingots with different AZ31/Ni P compositions were fabricated using a gravitating mechanical stir casting (GMSC) method. Two different processes, namely, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high energy ball milling (HEBM) were performed to improve its hydrogen storage properties. The particle size of the sample powders were measured by laser diffraction analysis. The microstructures, powder morphologies, and phase transformation were characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The hydrogen sorption kinetics were measured by a Sievert's type apparatus. The results showing the impact of the ECAP and HEBM processes on the hydrogen storage properties were compared. The AZ31-4 Ni ECAP processed sample showed a maximum hydrogen storage capacity of 7.0 wt.% at 2322 s with complete desorption of all the hydrogen in less than 5 min at a temperature of 375 °C. On the other hand, the pure AZ31 alloy which was treated with the HEBM process showed the maximum hydrogen capacity of 6.5 wt.% at 2393 s with desorption of all the hydrogen within 6 min. In addition, the activation energy, as illustrated by the Kissinger plot, revealed that the activation energy of the ECAP processed AZ31-4 Ni was 104.73 (KJ/mol), obviously lower than the material processed by HEBM and pure MgH 2. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Alloy composition fabricated by GMSC method. • AZ31-4Ni-ECAP reaches the H 2 storing capacity of 7.0 wt.%. • AZ31-4Ni-ECAP alloy exhibits activation Energy of (104.73 kJ/mol). • ECAP shows better results than HEBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The discrete-continue model (DCM) combining the three dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) and finite element method (FEM) is employed to investigate the influence of interfacial dislocation networks (IDNs) and lattice mismatch on the dynamics evolution of dislocations in the matrix channel of the single crystalline Nickel-bases superalloys (SCNBSs). For a given slip plane, the matrix dislocations with all three possible Burgers vectors are considered. For comparison, the critical resolved shear stresses (CRSSs) for matrix dislocation entering and freely gliding in the channel are calculated for both cases with and without IDNs considered. It is found that the CRSS for free gliding is evidently larger than that for entering the matrix channel, although the latter only considering the Orowan mechanism is generally used to describe the hardening of SCNBSs in the literatures. More importantly, the IDNs not only increase the CRSS for free gliding evidently but also change the matrix dislocations dissociation to a certain extent. The IDNs and lattice mismatch can either promote the dislocation dissociation or has no evident influence on it. Which effect the IDNs take depends on the character of the matrix dislocation. By means of DDD simulations, new CRSS models considering the effects of IDNs, lattice mismatch, matrix dislocation character and dislocation dissociation are suggested. Further, a criterion is also developed to estimate whether the dislocation dissociation can happen or not in the matrix channel with or without IDNs. Highlights • The interfacial dislocation network (IDN) plays an important role in the dislocation evolution in Nickel-based superalloys. • The IDN increases the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) for dislocation freely gliding in the channel evidently. • The IDN can change the dissociation of matrix dislocations. • New CRSS models including the influence of IDN, lattice mismatch, dislocation character and dissociation are developed. • A criterion for dislocation dissociation is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to improve the oral bioavailability of a practically insoluble drug, efonidipine hydrochloride (EFH), by agglomeration in acid solution/gastric fluid. The EFH nanosuspension was prepared by the wet-milling method with F68 as a dispersing agent, SDS as an auxiliary stabilizer and l -arginine as a pH adjusting agent. The EFH nanosuspension have been prepared in industrial scale-up. The dissolution rate of the EFH nanosuspension was greater than that of bulk EFH. An in vitro intestinal permeability study showed a clear increase in the apparent permeability of different intestinal segments compared with bulk EFH. Also, a pharmacokinetic study showed that the C max and AUC 0-24h of the nanosuspensions were approximately 1.76-fold and 2.2-fold greater than that of bulk EFH, respectively, and there was no significant difference compared with commercial tablets. It appears that wet-milling offers an effective approach to improve the dissolution rate and oral absorption of this practically insoluble drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies an endogenous adverse selection model in a dual-channel supply chain setting, in which the manufacturer can offer a menu of contracts to induce the retailer to costly acquire private demand information. We derive the manufacturer’s optimal incentive provision decision and show that although the increase of acquisition cost results in higher distortion effect on the retailer’s selling quantity, such a distortion effect can be alleviated in a dual-channel setting. The manufacturer’s incentive provision exhibits a threshold policy. When demand variation is high and information acquisition cost is low, acquiring demand information does not necessarily benefit the retailer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, commercial AZ31 Mg alloys were processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) to study the effects of processing route and numbers of passes on hydrogen storage properties of AZ31 alloys. Furthermore, Mg-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) were fabricated by gravimetric casting of AZ31 alloy, activated carbon and Ni to investigate the effect of additives on hydrogen storage properties. The results indicated that kinetics of hydrogen uptake increased with the increasing number of pass. AZ31 processed by ECAP route B c with 8 passes had hydrogen capacity of 7.0 wt%, and demonstrated the highest grain refinement and the fastest hydrogen absorption kinetics. With the addition of 5 wt% of activated carbon and 0.5 wt% Ni, the hydrogen sorption kinetics of MMCs was enhanced and was comparable to that of the AZ31 processed by ECAP with 8 passes; however, in exchange for the improved kinetics, the hydrogen storage capacity was lowered to 6.3 wt%. To enhance hydrogen absorption kinetics, adding catalysts in the casting process could be more efficient than post-casting ECAP treatment if saving processing time is the priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software defect prediction plays a significant part in identifying the most defect-prone modules before software testing. Quite a number of researchers have made great efforts to improve prediction accuracy. However, the problem of insufficient historical data available for within- or cross- project still remains unresolved. Further, it is common practice to use the probability density function for a normal distribution in Naïve Bayes (NB) classifier. Nevertheless, after performing a Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, we find that the 21 main software metrics are not normally distributed at the 5% significance level. Therefore, this paper proposes a new Bayes classifier, which evolves NB classifier with non-normal information diffusion function, to help solve the problem of lacking appropriate training data for new projects. We conduct three experiments on 34 data sets obtained from 10 open source projects, using only 10%, 6.67%, 5%, 3.33% and 2% of the total data for training, respectively. Four well-known classification algorithms are also included for comparison, namely Logistic Regression, Naïve Bayes, Random Tree and Support Vector Machine. All experimental results demonstrate the efficiency and practicability of the new classifier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cast commercial AZ61 magnesium alloys were processed through equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and were comminuted into chips by filing with a rasp in order to measure their hydrogen storage properties. The effects of the number of ECAP passes and the processing route of ECAP on the hydrogen storage properties of AZ61 magnesium alloys were investigated. ECAP processing led to severe dynamic recrystallization and grain refinement of the AZ61 alloys. Of the analyzed samples, the AZ61 alloy processed via the Bc ECAP route with eight passes exhibited the smallest grain size, the fastest hydrogen absorption and desorption rates, and the highest gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity of 6.2 wt%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel series of benzodihydrofuran derivatives was developed as potent MEK inhibitors through scaffold hopping based on known clinical compounds. Further SAR exploration and optimization led to another benzofuran series with good oral bioavailability in rats. One of the compounds EBI-1051 ( 28d ) demonstrated excellent in vivo efficacy in colo-205 tumor xenograft models in mouse and is suitable for pre-clinical development studies for the treatment of melanoma and MEK associated cancers. Compared to AZD6244, EBI-1051 showed superior potency in some cancer cell lines such as colon-205, A549 and MDA-MB-231. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, solution and ageing heat treatment processes were used to improve microplastic deformation behaviors of as-cast SiCp/AZ61 magnesium metal matrix composites (Mg MMCs) fabricated by stir casting method. Higher percentages of SiC particle reinforcements showed higher microhardness values. Ageing heat treatment process was seen significant on the 12 h aged 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC which induced lower microhardness value. At the 12 h ageing of 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC the formations of particle free regions and discontinuous secondary phases were observed. For a higher ageing time, the secondary phases distribution became continuous and laminar structure. The addition of 5 wt% SiC particles resulted in the formation of Mg 2 Si phase throughout the whole heat treatment processes. The addition of SiC particles reinforcements increased the phase heterogeneity during ageing heat treatment processes. XRD patterns revealed the presence of nanocrystalline MgSiO 3 phase on the 12 h aged 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC. Using reference intensity ration (RIR) method a 51.6% of MgSiO 3 phase was determined which can cause the formation of microplastic deformation behavior. And also, the maximum average crystallite size, compressive microstrain and microcrack-free phase boundaries were observed on the 12 h aged 2 wt% SiCp/AZ61 Mg MMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, advanced aluminium metal matrix composite reinforced by nanomaterials is reported. The materials used for the experiments are AA6061 aluminium alloy, compounded with inorganic nanotubes (INT) and fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles of WS 2 . Aluminium metal matrix composite with different weight percentage (0.1–0.5 wt%) of the INT and IF were prepared. Both the AA6061 aluminium and the aluminium metal matrix nanocomposites (MMCs) were re-melted by the stirring-casting method. Mechanical properties and microstructure analysis of the nano-MMCs were conducted. The measurements have shown that the hardness, yielding strength, ultimate tensile strength, and ductility were improved by up to 68% compared to the neat alloy for nanoparticles concentrations the range of 0.2 wt%. Metallography microstructure analysis showed that increasing the WS 2 INT or IF nanoparticles weight percentage in aluminium metal matrix composite, resulted in a more refined grains. The grain size of the composite matrix was reduced by up to 48.4% compared with that of neat AA6061 alloy ingot. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed that addition of 0.5 wt% of WS 2 nanotubes into the Al matrix resulted in INT agglomeration which had deleterious effect on the tensile strength. The composite materials reinforcement mechanism was studied. This analysis showed that the improved mechanical properties of the metal nanocomposites can be predominantly attributed to the differences in thermal expansion coefficients of the WS 2 INT (or WS 2 IF nanoparticle) and the AA6061 alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the establishment and characterization of an in vitro human small airway model (SmallAir™). The epithelial cells were isolated from the distal lungs by enzymatic digestion. After amplification, the cells were seeded on the microporous membrane of Transwell inserts. Once confluent, the cultures were switched to air-liquid interface. After 3 weeks of culture, the epithelium became fully differentiated, with morphology of columnar epithelium, and a thickness of 10–15 μm. Most significantly, CC-10, a specific marker of Club cells, was highly expressed in SmallAir™. CC-10 was detected by both immune-cytochemistry and Western Blot. As expected, SmallAir™ contained few Muc5-Ac positive cells (goblet cells). In contrast, CC-10 was not detected in MucilAir™, an in vitro model of the human nasal and bronchial epithelial model. Instead, Muc5-Ac was highly expressed in MucilAir™. However, both MucilAir™ and SmallAir™ contain basal cells and ciliated cells, showing cilia beating and mucociliary clearance. Clearly, MucilAir™ and SmallAir™ are two distinct airway epithelial models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the optimal contract design with countervailing incentives under asymmetric selling cost information in a dual-channel supply chain comprising a manufacturer and retailer. The manufacturer's selling cost is private and determines their reservation profit, which gives rise to type-dependent participation constraints. This study provides several intriguing results. First, when the external market correctly evaluates the selling cost advantage of the manufacturer, information asymmetry does not necessarily hamper channel efficiency, even in the dual-channel setting. Second, the retailer may distort the manufacturer's selling quantity either upward or downward, while the retailer may distort their own selling quantity in the opposite direction. Such a synergistic effect unique to the dual channels may help the retailer balance information rent extraction and channel efficiency. Third, the manufacturer may benefit from intensified channel competition as long as the cost differential is not significant, or the cost differential is significant, but the channel substitution rate is relatively low. Finally, further examining the value of information, we demonstrate that the profit differential of the retailer (manufacturer, supply chain) exhibits an inverted U-shaped (U-shaped, hat-shaped) pattern with respect to the low-cost manufacturer's reservation profit. • The optimal contract with countervailing incentives in dual channels is studied. • Information asymmetry does not necessarily undermine channel efficiency. • The supply chain members can benefit from the intensified channel competition. • The efficient manufacturer's proportion may benefit/hurt the firms and supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the hydrogen storage properties of commercial AZ31 and AZ91 magnesium alloys with refined microstructure. Various processing techniques, such as equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high energy ball milling (HEBM), were utilized to modify the microstructure and phase composition of the alloys. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical digital microscopy (ODM) were utilized to characterise the microstructure and phase transformations during the hydrogen absorption/desorption processes. The isothermal kinetics are measured by a Sieverts'-type apparatus at the temperature of 350 ℃. In the ECAP process, the AZ31 alloy had a slightly higher storage capacity and faster absorption kinetics, absorbing 6.0 wt% (6.6 wt% - maximum) of hydrogen in less than 12 min. In the HEBM process, AZ91 absorbed 6.5 wt% of hydrogen and desorbed it in 347 ± 13 s, a faster rate than AZ31. The pressure–composition isotherms of all studied alloys at a temperature of 300 °C were determined. The processed alloys exhibited no pressure hysteresis. The microstructure of bulk samples and the morphology of prepared powders were shown to affect their hydrogenation behaviour. The activation energies for hydrogen desorption were 119 ± 2 kJ/mol for AZ31 alloy processed by ECAP and 128 ± 3 kJ/mol for AZ91 alloy processed by HEBM, which are significantly lower than the activation energy values of pure Mg hydride. • Hydrogen storage properties of commercial AZ31 and AZ91 alloys are studied. • The ECAP and HEBM processes were employed to enhance hydrogen storage performance. • Both processes significantly improved the kinetic and thermodynamics properties. • The processed alloys exhibited no pressure hysteresis • The activation energies reduced to 119 ± 5 kJ/mol for AZ31-ECAP and 128 ± 5 kJ/mol for AZ91-HEBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The bidirectional mode locking and the quasi-unidirectional mode locking is realized in an Er-doped fiber laser. • The bidirectional operations could show different soliton state of the forward conventional solitons and backward bound solitons. • A record pulse energy of 1.12 nJ at the pump power of 430 mW is achieved. In this paper, we have experimentally demonstrated an ultrafast Er-doped fiber laser mode-locked by the GIMF-based saturable absorber without an optical isolator for various soliton behaviors. The adjustment of the polarization controller results in different losses for the counter-propagating lasers. And thus, not only the bidirectional solitons, but also the quasi-unidirectional solitons are realized. For the bidirectional operation, the counterpropagating conventional solitons with the pulse energy of >1.12 nJ demonstrates different central wavelengths, repetition rates, and pulse widths. For the unidirectional operation, the laser operates in either the clockwise or the counter-clockwise directions with an emission strengths difference of larger than 31 dB. Interestingly, the bidirectional operations could show different soliton state of the forward conventional solitons and backward bound solitons. Our research would be beneficial for the further understanding of the formation and transformation of the bidirectional solitons and can find vital applications in gyroscopic and other dual-channel applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Probiotic and starter bacteria are generally dried to produce easy-to-use ingredients that are stable and flexible for applications in the food, feed and pharmaceutical industry. The overall demand for dried probiotic bacteria has increased in the context of a rapidly growing market, evidencing the need for their larger scale production. Scope and approach The spray-drying of bacteria enables a larger production scale than the freeze-drying currently used; energy costs are lower and the process is sustainable. This is also a promising way to microencapsulate bacteria within various protective matrices to ensure their improved resistance during storage, technological processes and digestive stresses. Key findings and conclusions This review highlights some key strategies to improve the viability and efficacy of probiotics spray-drying, such as the enhancement of bacterial resistance, improved protection of the drying medium and optimization of the drying process. It also focuses on factors during the pre- and post-drying stages which may influence the quality and efficacy of spray-dried probiotic powders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spray-drying is expected to be a cost-efficient way to produce probiotic powders. Indeed, a novel simplified process was recently reported, using concentrated sweet whey (30 wt %) as a sole medium for both growth and spray drying of probiotics. The feasibility of scaling up this process was validated in the present work with a semi industrial pilot scale spray dryer. A multi-stage mild-conditions drying process, coupling spray-drying with belt drying and fluid-bed drying, was also applied in this work, in which the final probiotic survival was improved to approximately 100% (>10 9 CFU g −1 ). The change of probiotic viability in the powders was monitored during a 6-month storage, which indicated that storage temperature and moisture content of powders play crucial roles in the stability of probiotic powders. Moreover, spray-drying afforded a strain-dependent enhancement of bacterial tolerance in simulated intestinal fluid, in comparison with fresh cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to develop a green method for deproteinization of polysaccharide (PCC) from Cipangopaludina chinensis by freeze-thaw treatment (FTT). Based on single-factor experiments of FTT, firstly, the optimal deproteinization parameters of PCC were obtained by comparing their deproteinization ratio ( D r %), recovery ratio ( R r %) and selectivity coefficient ( K c ) as follows: freezing temperature of −40 °C, freezing time of 96 h, thawing temperature of 10 °C and freeze-thaw cycles of 11 times. Under optimal conditions, The D r %, R r % and K c of PCC were 87.10 ± 1.91%, 84.91 ± 2.45% and 5.77 ± 0.43, respectively. Then, the deproteinization performance of FTT for PCC under optimal conditions was compared with the most typical Sevage method. We found that there were no significant differences between FTT and Sevage method on the D r %, monosaccharide composition, characteristic group and molecular weight degradation. However, compared with Sevage method, FTT not only had higher R r % and K c , but also were non-pollution. The results demonstrated that FTT would be a promising and green method for deproteinization of PCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicle (EV) has become a type of potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis in liquid biopsy. However, the accurate detection of EVs for large-scale cancer scanning is still challenge due to the low sensitivity, high cost, and requirement of large instruments, which impedes their wide applications in clinical trials, especially in resource limited areas. Herein, we report a ZnO nanorods integrated microarray chip (ZnO-chip) for effective capture and sensitive detection of EVs. The ZnO-chip provides abundant binding sites for EVs capture. Meanwhile, the high-ordered hybridization chain reaction and non-ordered enzyme catalytic reaction are collaborated for cascade signal amplification. The oxidized product, glucose, can be read out directly by portable glucometer to realize accurate quantitation of EVs with a linear range of 1.0 × 104 to 8.4 × 107 particles/μL and a minimal detectable concentration of 3.3 × 103 particles/μL. Our approach could distinguish cancer patients from healthy individuals, proving the statistically increase of EVs in serums of cancer patients. Finally, we verify that the captured EVs can be released for downstream molecular assays by dissolving ZnO nanorods under slightly acidic condition. We believe our approach has remarkable possibility for the routine screening of cancer patients in clinical trials. [Display omitted] • ZnO nanorods integrated microarray chip with micro/nanostructured surface provides abundant binding sites for EVs capture. • The cascade signal amplification strategy was applied for improving the detection limitation of EVs. • The portable glucose meter was utilized to record the signals for EVs detection in resources-limited areas. • The proposed method could well-distinguish cancer patients from healthy individuals by detection of the EVs. • The captured EVs could be released under mildly acidic condition and recovered for downstream analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emphasize the effect of non-uniform inflow on the performance of RCPs. • Analyze the influence mechanisms of non-uniform inflow on flow structure. • Illustrate and analyze the hydraulic loss of pump under non-uniform inflow conditions. • Use power loss method for analyzing the hydraulic loss type of pump. In Advanced Passive (AP) series reactors, the reactor coolant pump (RCP) is directly connected to the bottom of the steam generator (SG) rather than a longer pipe for the fully development of inflow, which leads to the unsteady vortex at pump inlet. Thus, this type of inflow is called non-uniform inflow and might cause extra hydraulic loss. The method for analyzing hydraulic loss is by evaluating pressure drop, which cannot determine the exact locations of the loss occurred. In this study, experimental and numerical approach is employed to analyze the influence mechanism of non-uniform flow on performance of RCP. The power loss theory is adopted to investigate flow state and location of losses generated under different inflow conditions. The result shows that the non-uniform inflow causes the loss of total head increase inside the RCP. The total loss of head in the impeller and diffuser increased about 17% and 32% respectively. Then, the power loss integrated in hydraulic domain shows that the most important reason for hydraulic loss is the net decrease of mean kinetic energy, especially in non-uniform flow. For the local power loss, the change in distribution caused by kinetic energy also varies significantly. Depending on the loss mechanism inside the pump, it suggests a broad range of promising applications in hydraulic optimization of the RCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emphasize the effect of the non-uniform inflow on the performance of RCPs. • Build the non-uniform inflow structure with LDV measurement. • Illustrate and analyze the velocity distribution and turbulence intensity rate of inflow field. The hydrodynamic fields generated by the steam generator (SG) head at the reactor coolant pump (RCP) inlet are experimentally and numerically investigated in this paper. The velocity profiles and turbulence intensity rate were obtained with a Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) system. The velocity profiles under non-uniform inflow and uniform inflow conditions were obtained and compared. The numerical results on measurement sections were qualitatively and quantitatively validated against LDV data. The results indicated that the numerical method have a good agreement with the experiments. It can be known from the study that hydraulic performance of pump deteriorates with its inflow. In addition, the velocity profile of non-uniform inflow can be divided into three regions. These regions are constant high velocity region, large velocity gradient region and back flow region respectively. Furtherly, from the turbulence intensity rate analysis, it can be concluded that the non-uniform inflow is highly turbulent, which would bring significant performance changes to the pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a robust, effective, rapid and sustainable bifunctional electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is highly significant to meet the requirement of the increasing energy demand. Herein, we report the successful incorporation of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) onto the hydrothermally grown nanoforest-like nickel selenide (Ni 3 Se 2) grafted on the nickel foam (NF) via a facile dip-coating route. The fabricated Ni 3 Se 2 shows excellent catalytic activity owing to the strong affinity of Ni 3 Se 2 towards the NF substrate. Furthermore, the incorporation of rGO onto the Ni 3 Se 2 /NF can significantly enhance the conductivity and electrocatalytic performance of the rGO/Ni 3 Se 2 /NF electrocatalyst. The as-synthesized rGO/Ni 3 Se 2 /NF electrocatalyst exhibit a low overpotential of 292.61 mV and 251.01 mV to achieve the current density of 10 mA cm−2 (OER) and − 10 mA cm−2 (HER), respectively. The proposed rGO/Ni 3 Se 2 /NF electrocatalyst exhibit enormous active sites which in turn offers the low Tafel slope value (143.00 mV dec−1 and 134.22 mV dec−1) and enhanced electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) towards the OER and HER electrocatalytic activity in 1 M KOH solution. Furthermore, the rGO/Ni 3 Se 2 /NF electrocatalyst shows superior stability for 12 hrs with the retention rate of 99.9% and 99.8%, when operated at 10 mA cm−2 (OER) and − 10 mA cm−2 (HER), respectively. Benefitting from the synergistic action of rGO and Ni 3 Se 2 , the proposed rGO/Ni 3 Se 2 /NF electrocatalyst leads to an excellent OER and HER activity. This work offers a promising strategy for the construction of highly efficient non-precious bifunctional electrocatalyst. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Emphasize the effect of non-uniform inflow on the cavitation performance of RCPs. • Analyze the influence mechanisms of non-uniform inflow on cavitation characteristics. • Illustrate and analyze the evolution of cavitation under non-uniform inflow conditions. This study discusses the effect of non-uniform inflow on the cavitation characteristics of the reactor coolant pump (RCP). Using a combination of experimental study and numerical simulation, these phenomena was analyzed. According to numerical studies, cavitation begins at the leading edge of the suction side of the blade and spreads downstream. As the inflow pressure decreases, cavitation also occurs on the pressure side of the blades. However, the behavior of cavitation in RCP with non-uniform intake is distinct. The distribution of vapor within the impeller has shifted considerably. Analysis reveals that the velocity field fluctuates intricately. On one hand, the velocity direction dictates the value of the angle of attack, which is associated with the inception of cavitation. Alternatively, the velocity magnitude impacts the size of the vapor region. Moreover, the change in head during the cavitation process is dependent on the pressure difference between the impeller blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Research is being done on the hump phenomena of reactor coolant pump. At the moment, not much is known about the hump region of the reactor coolant pump. • In this paper, the research object is a scale model of a real reactor coolant pump in AP nuclear power plant. The information gathered has a high reference value and can be used to help keep nuclear power plants safe. • Pressure pulsation in the hump region is studied by numerical simulation, and the frequency range of low frequency pulsation can be accurately predicted by simulation. The reactor coolant pump (RCP) is the machinery used in nuclear power facilities to move coolant. So RCP operation must be safe in order for nuclear power plants to operate reliably. It was discovered throughout the experiment that the flow rate of RCP was unsteady between 0.875 Q 0 and 0.85 Q 0 and the pressure pulsation increased dramatically. As the flow drops, the head no longer increases, but instead declines. The condition of pump is in the hump region. This research conducts tests to determine the characteristics of pressure pulsation and uses numerical simulation to investigate the causes of increased pressure pulsation. According to the study, when the pump was working in hump region, the amplitude of low-frequency (< f r) pressure pulsation increase dramatically. The impeller's flow separation created vortices, which propagated downstream and caused stalls in the diffuser. The A_RMS of the low-frequency signal increases as a result of this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process engineering of Mg alloys is nevertheless compromised due to their relatively poor mechanical properties. To address some of these difficulties, metal-matrix composites (MMCs) of Mg-alloys have been investigated for sometime. In the present work, small amounts (up to 1 wt%) of WS 2 nanotubes are mixed with Mg-alloy (AZ31) using melt-stirring process above 700 °C. The new MMC nanocomposites exhibit much superior mechanical properties vis a vis the pristine alloy. Metallographic investigation demonstrates that the average grain size has been reduced in inverse proportion to the added amounts of nanotubes up to 1 wt%. Physical considerations suggest that the main mechanism responsible for the reinforcement effect lies in the mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the metal and the nanotubes. This mismatch induced large density of dislocations in the grain boundaries in the vicinity of the nanotube-matrix interface, which obstruct the crack propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flagella staining is a common method used in microbial research to identify and mark morphological features of bacteria. We improved the Blendon staining method by adding two steps to the usual procedure, viz. "preparation of a pre-atomized microscope slide" and "stretching flagella in situ ". The staining effects were then comparatively studied for this new, improved method on Bacillus subtilis , under four different culture conditions: 1) liquid culture medium, 2) aqueous solution at the bottom of slant medium, 3) solid culture medium adding water for stretching after culture, and 4) semi-solid culture medium adding water for stretching after culture. The results revealed that after the addition of these two steps to the usual procedure, the order of the staining effects for the four culture conditions from best to worst was as follows: semi-solid culture medium > solid culture medium > aqueous solution at the bottom of slant medium > liquid culture medium. Hence, the semi-solid culture medium brought about the best staining effect, with flagella stretching freely and not entangled with each other, while the liquid culture medium had the worst staining, owing to the serious background interference. This improved method is simple, low cost, and worthy of promotion. • Pre-atomized glass slides are conducive to the rapid spread of water and flagella. • With in-situ stretching, the flagella stretch freely and are not entangled. • The semi-solid medium is the most suitable for subsequent silver staining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rose petal derived 3D ZnO microchip was fabricated for CTC capture and release. • 3D rough spherical concave with aptamer synergistically enhance capture efficient. • The 84.4% of captured CTCs could be released under moderated acidic condition. • The 96.8% of released CTCs were alive and could be used for downstream analysis. • The EpCAM-RPD-ZnO-Chips were successfully used for CTC capture in clinical trials. The efficient capture and release of the circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are promising for the CTC related cancer diagnosis and subsequent analysis. However, it is a great challenge to isolate and enrich the rare CTCs from the complex peripheral blood sample, which inhibits its broad translating to the clinical applications. Although various papers reported that the nanostructure substrates can improve the capture efficiency of CTCs, few of researches constructed 3D hierarchical micro/nano-structured microdevice to enhance the efficiency of CTC capture and release with a simple manner. Herein, a bio-inspirited 3D epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) aptamer modified rose petal derived ZnO microchip (EpCAM-RPD-ZnO-Chip) was designed to realize efficient capture and release of the CTCs. The 3D rough spherical concave surfaces on the EpCAM-RPD-ZnO-Chip guaranteed the maximum contact with the CTCs, thus improving the capture efficiency. Moreover, simple release of CTCs by dissolving ZnO under moderate acidic condition was achieved. The topographical and target molecular recognition cooperatively contributed to highly efficient capture of CTCs. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image clearly showed that the filopodias and lamellipodias of CTCs stretched and attached to the ZnO nanomaterials. In sum, the proposed 3D EpCAM-RPD-ZnO-Chip is expected to be a promising tool for capture and release of CTCs in clinical trials, which might lay a foundation for downstream analysis and precise drug susceptibility test for the cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fouling on the heat exchanger surface during food processing has been researched extensively due to its great importance in energy efficiency, product quality and food safety. The nature of heat exchanger surface has an effect on the initial deposition behavior and deposit removal behavior to some degree. Protein adsorption on surface is considered to be the initial stage in fouling. In the current study, protein ‘pre-adsorption’ at room temperature on stainless steel has been investigated as a means to influence the behavior of protein fouling at pasteurization temperatures. Pre-adsorption was carried out with whey protein concentrate (WPC) and ovalbumin (OVA), respectively, which reduced the fouling of OVA (∼20–30% energy saving in the processing time examined). However, the pre-adsorption had little effect on fouling of whey protein concentrate. Contact angles were measured to show the surface change due to protein pre-adsorption. Protein pre-adsorption made the surfaces more hydrophilic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of Fe particle addition on MgZnCa eutectic-composition as-cast alloy was investigated. No difference was observed in the other main crystal phases, except for the Fe particles. Compared with the as-cast Mg 69 Zn 27 Ca 4 ternary system, the alloy with Fe added exhibited higher strength and plasticity. The fracture stress of Mg 69 Zn 27 Ca 4 with 4 vol% Fe reached nearly 700 MPa with 12% plasticity. The porous Fe particles increased the strength and toughness of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]