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Paleoelevation and paleoclimate reconstructions based on carbonate proxies rely on the preservation of syndepositional surface water isotopic signatures. This study investigates the reliability of fine-grained carbonates (micrites) in recording well-preserved isotopic composition. Utilizing a suite of research tools, including petrography, X-ray diffraction mineralogy, stable isotopes, clumped isotope temperatures, isotope mixing, solid-state bond reordering modeling, and trace element concentrations, we examine the diagenetic history of late Oligocene micritic carbonates from the Nima Basin in central Tibet. Our findings reveal that the lacustrine carbonates at deposition were micritic and calcite-dominated. However, they underwent partial dolomitization through cryptic recrystallization during shallow burial at temperatures of ∼34–40 °C, likely influenced by groundwaters with abundant Mg2+ and trace elements distinct from surface waters. Subsequently, during the further burial at temperatures of ∼120–130 °C, vein calcites precipitated from thermal fluids. Concurrently, the calcite component of fluid-adjacent micrites underwent open-system recrystallization, recording temperatures of 100–130 °C, while the associated dolomite component remained minimally altered due to its higher resistance to dissolution. In contrast, micritic calcites unaffected by thermal fluids experienced partial solid-state bond reordering that elevated clumped isotope temperatures to 50–60 °C. This study underscores the complex diagenetic histories that micrites can undergo, emphasizing the need for caution when interpreting carbonate stable oxygen isotopes in paleoclimate and paleoelevation studies, especially in tectonically active regions. Finally, our analysis infers that the stable oxygen isotopic values of the calcitic soil carbonates in the Nima Basin are well-preserved and reflect moderately high paleoelevations of ∼3.3 km at 26–25 Ma. This suggests a >1 km elevation gain during the Neogene, highlighting subsurface geodynamic processes as additional drivers of surface uplift in central Tibet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonate rocks are susceptible to diagenesis, and the correct identification of diagenetic features and stages are primary tasks in paleoelevation and paleoclimate studies using carbonate proxies. In this study, we apply three key parameters that include stable isotopes, clumped isotope temperatures, and U-Pb ages to identify different diagenetic stages, i.e., eogenesis, mesogenesis, and telogenesis. We then adopt these criteria to explore the diagenetic history of the middle–late Eocene lacustrine carbonates in the Gerze area of western central Tibet, which have yielded contrasting interpretations of diagenetic stages and paleoelevation estimates. Petrographic observations and electron microprobe element mapping permitted the identification of different diagenetic features. The Gerze carbonates (4GZ section) contain distinct phases of micrite and vein/vug-fill calcite (sparite) with different stable oxygen isotope values of −4 to −6 ‰ and −10 to −14 ‰ (VPDB), respectively. The micrites are dominantly dolomite in composition and yield clumped isotope temperatures of 40–50 °C, which are interpreted to be the result of dolomitization during shallow burial. In contrast, the vein/vug-fill calcites exhibit lower clumped isotope temperatures of 20–30 °C and U-Pb ages of 3.0–3.3 Ma, indicating a late-stage telogenetic origin after exhumation to near the Earth's surface. Our documentation of different carbonate diagenetic stages sheds light on existing paleoelevation interpretations. We conclude that existing evidence remains inconclusive as to the paleoelevation of the Gerze area basin floors during the middle–late Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Androgen receptor mutations were identified in women with Müllerian duct anomalies. • In silico analysis and ACMG guidelines classified the variants' pathogenicity. • Androgen receptor mutations resulted in conformational changes of the native protein. Müllerian duct anomalies (MDAs) are congenital developmental disorders exhibiting as a variety of malformations of female reproductive tract. The identified etiology of MDAs is limited. The present study aimed to unravel the underlying genetic causes of MDAs. Rare variants in androgen receptor (AR) were called from the cohort consists of patients with MDAs and underwent whole exome sequencing (WES) at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the causative genetic mutations. In silico analysis were used to classify the pathogenicity of each variant. Molecular modeling and simulations were conducted to investigate the conformational changes between the wild-type (WT) and mutant proteins. A total of 3 rare heterozygous variants in AR from the MDAs cohort in our institution were identified, with unknown effects. All variants were missense mutations, including c.173A > T, c.558C > A and c.1208C > T, and were absent or rare in East Asian populations in Genome Aggregation Database and the Exome Aggregation Consortium Database. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, c.1208C > T variant was classified as likely pathogenic, while the other two were variants of uncertain significance. During molecular dynamics simulations, WT and mutant proteins all reached stable status according to root-mean-square variance. Values of radius of gyration showed that Q58L and S186R protein would be more compact than WT, while the structure of A403V became looser. Despite, in comparison with WT, the number of hydrogen bonds increased in Q58L, while decreased in the other two variants. Furthermore, the solvent-accessible surface area diminished in Q58L and A403V while enlarged in S186R proteins, when compared with WT. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the association of AR mutation and MDAs. The identification of these variants, predicted to damage the structure and function of AR protein, not only expanded the mutational spectrum of causative genes of MDAs, but provide novel molecular genetic reference for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Bioaerosols released from sludge-drying process contains both bacteria and fungi. • Bacterial particles mainly distributed in 2.1–3.3 μm, while fungi in 2.1–4.7 μm. • The main bacteria identified were Bacillus anthracis and Lysinibacillus sp. YS11. • Aspergillus ochraceus and Gibberella intricans dominated in airborne fungi. • Bioaerosol emissions rely on moisture content of sludge and ambient temperature. Exposure to high levels of microbial contaminants during waste disposal leads to the development of various diseases, including respiratory symptoms and gastrointestinal infections. In this study, the emissions of airborne bacteria and fungi during the process of sludge bio-drying were investigated. The recorded emission levels of airborne bacteria and fungi were 2398 ± 1307 CFU/m3 and 1963 ± 468 CFU/m3, respectively. Viable bacteria were sized between 1.1 and 3.3 μm, while fungal particles were concentrated between 2.1 and 4.7 μm. High-throughput sequencing was used to conduct a microbial population assay, and correlation analysis was performed to estimate the relationship between key factors and bioaerosol emissions. The main bacteria identified were Bacillus sp., Lysinibacillus sp. YS11 , unclassified Enterobacteriaceae , Brevundimonas olei , and Achromobacter sp.; the primary types of fungi were Aspergillus ochraceus, Gibberella intricans, Fusarium concentricum, Aspergillus qinqixianii, and Alternaria sp. ; and the dominant opportunistic pathogens were Bacillus anthracis and Aspergillus ochraceus. At lower moisture and temperature levels, airborne bacterial concentrations were higher, especially the release of fine particles. In addition, moisture content had a significant impact on the microbial population in bioaerosols. This study provides insights into strategies for controlling bioaerosols in the exhaust gases of the sludge bio-drying process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biopharmaceutical industries are important sources of VOCs emission. • The types and emissions of VOCs are related to the processes adopted by enterprises. • Health risks was emulated based on the simulation of pollutants diffusion. • The VB12 process led to considerable ozone formation potential. • Benzene and chlorobenzene cause significant SOA formation potential. The biopharmaceutical industry contributes substantially to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions, causing growing concerns and social developmental conflicts. This study conducted an on-site investigation of the process-based emission of VOCs from three biopharmaceutical enterprises. In the workshops of the three enterprises, 26 VOCs were detected, which could be sorted into 4 classes: hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygen-containing compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds. Ketones were the main components of waste gases, accounting for 44.13%–77.85% of the overall VOCs. Process-based source profiles were compiled for each process unit, with the fermentation and extraction units of tiamulin fumarate being the main source of VOC emissions. Dimethyl heptanone, vinyl acetate, diethylamine, propylene glycol methyl ether (PGME), and benzene were screened as priority pollutants through a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation system. Ground level concentration simulation results of the Gauss plume diffusion model demonstrated that the diffusivity of VOCs in the atmosphere was relatively high, indicating potential non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks 1.5–2 km downwind. Furthermore, the process-based formation potentials of ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) were determined and indicated that N -methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethyl heptanone, and PGME should be preferentially controlled to reduce the ozone formation potential, whereas the control of benzene and chlorobenzene should be prioritized to reduce the generation of SOAs. Our results provide a basis for understanding the characteristics of VOC emission by biopharmaceutical industries and their diffusion, potentially allowing the development of measures to reduce health risks and secondary pollution. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) can convert solid carbon directly to electricity via electrochemical oxidation and require less investment compared to other liquid or gas-fed fuel cells. Anode characteristic is one of the important factors in achieving efficient and stable operation of DC-SOFCs. In this work, we have successfully designed and developed 2D multi-physics field models for DC-SOFCs with finger-like nickel-based anode (Cell-A) and traditional nickel-based anode (Cell-B), respectively. Simulation results revealed that the cell performance was significantly enhanced with increases in the anode porosity and decreases in the distance of carbon fuel to porous anode. More importantly, the anode featuring a finger-like pore structure assumed a pivotal role in cell performance. Specifically, Cell-A exhibited higher electrochemical performance compared to Cell-B due to the lower resistance for gas transport and more abundant amount of three-phase boundaries for electrochemical reactions. Experimental results verified the simulation findings by making and operating these two DC-SOFCs. The fabricated Cell-A with finger-like anode delivered higher power output of 858 and 371 mW cm−2 at 850 °C when fueled with hydrogen and activated carbon, respectively, relative to Cell-B with traditional anode. The beneficial characteristic of finger-like anode was further demonstrated by the ability of Cell-A to retain stable operation for 14.1 h at 100 mA with the fuel utilization of 15.8% at 850 °C. This study provides important guidance for the design and improvement of DC-SOFCs, and promotes the sustainable utilization of carbon resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A closed-loop integrated model including micro-vibration disturbance, dynamic characteristics of satellite, optical system of star sensor and attitude control algorithm is established. The control torque error caused by additional disturbance torque and the star sensor imaging error caused by structural resonance is fully integrated analyzed, which are firstly presented into the attitude control system (ACS). Steady-state and transient response analyses are completed to evaluate the impact of such two errors on performances of (ACS). Steady-state response results show that the effect of control torque error appears in lower frequency band with a peak of 6.784E-8″ at 53 Hz, while influence of star sensor imaging error on attitude determination mainly concentrates in high frequency band with maximum response of 0.4101″ at 315 Hz. Transient response results show that the two errors will not significantly affect control indicators such as rise time, overshoot and peak time. The results indicate that the influence of star sensor imaging error is non-negligible for satellite ACS which required milli-arc-second attitude control accuracy. According to the analytical results, traditional analysis only on payload optical axis cannot reveal the whole impact of micro vibration on LOS error, the two errors of micro-vibration introduced to ACS in this work must be considered for the development of spacecraft with 0.1″ pointing accuracy. • A closed-loop integrated model and attitude control algorithm is established. • ACS offset caused by control torque error and star sensor imaging error induced by micro vibration are presented. • The two errors significantly affect control indicators under steady-state response condition. • Control torque error appears in lower frequency band with small magnitude. • Star sensor imaging error mainly concentrates in high frequency band with considerable magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel hydroxyl-containing polyetherimide (named BAHPPF-ODPA) with highly aromatic backbone and contorted chain conformation was designed and synthesized as the precursor to fabricate carbon molecular sieve membranes (CMSMs) for H 2 /N 2 separation. The structural evolution from polymeric precursor to carbon during pyrolysis was investigated using characterization techniques combined with pyrolysis simulation. And the relationship between membrane structure formation and their separation performance was explored here. Results indicate that the generation and evolution of pyrolysis products including formed fragments and gases, which depend on the precursor chemistry and pyrolysis conditions, exhibited a significant influence on microstructure and performance of derived CMSMs. Designing precursors with an aromatic backbone and contorted structure and precisely tuning pyrolysis temperature allows the fabrication of CMSMs with controllable micropore structure and excellent H 2 separation performance. The BAHPPF-ODPA derived CMSM pyrolyzed at 600 °C exhibited the high H 2 permeability of about 3500 Barrer and the superior H 2 /N 2 selectivity of more than 400 were obtained after 750 h of long-term mixed gas (75:25 mixture of H 2 /N 2) testing, showing promising application prospects. The experimental and simulation results obtained here would be beneficial to understand the CMS formation and reasonable to design the precursor molecular structure for fabrication of high-performance CMSMs. [Display omitted] • A novel BAHPPF-ODPA precursor was employed to fabricate CMSM for H 2 /N 2 separation. • Evolution from precursor to CMS was investigated in detail by a combination of experiment and simulation. • Novel method for CMS model construction depends on material chemistry and structure was proposed. • CMSM shows both the high H 2 permeability and superior H 2 /N 2 selectivity, as well as good aging-resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine translation is a popular automation approach for translating texts between different languages. Although traditionally it has a strong focus on natural language, images can potentially provide an additional source of information in machine translation. However, there are presently two challenges: (i) the lack of an effective fusion method to handle the triangular-mapping function between image, text, and semantic knowledge; and (ii) the accessibility of large-scale parallel corpus to train a model for generating accurate machine translations. To address these challenges, this work proposes an effective multimodality information fusion method for automated machine translation based on semi-supervised learning. The method fuses multimodality information, texts and images to deliver automated machine translation. Specifically, our objective fuses multimodalities with alignment in a multimodal attention network, which advances the method through the power of mapping text and image features to their semantic information with accuracy. Moreover, a semi-supervised learning method is utilized for its capability in using a small number of parallel corpus for supervised training on the basis of unsupervised training. Conducted on the Multi30k dataset, the experimental results shows the promising performance of our proposed fusion method compared with state-of-the-art approaches. • An effective fusion method improves the mapping between different modalities. • Using a small number of parallel corpora can improve UMT results. • Different modal alignments affect ensemble learning results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapholita funebrana , also known as the plum fruit moth, is an oligophagous pest species that causes enormous economic losses of the fruits of Rosaceae. An eco-friendly method for the control of G. funebrana besides chemical control has not yet been developed. The sex pheromone communication system plays an important role in moth courtship and mating, in which pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs) are critical. In this research, we identified four PBPs, namely, GfunPBP1.1 , GfunPBP1.2 , GfunPBP2 , and GfunPBP3 , from the antennae of G. funebrana. The results of real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) showed that all four GfunPBPs were overwhelmingly expressed in the antennae and that GfunPBP1.2 and GfunPBP2 showed male-biased expression patterns, whereas GfunPBP1.1 and GfunPBP3 were equally expressed between sexes. The results of ligand-binding assays illustrated that although all four recombinant GfunPBPs (rGfunPBPs) had binding activity with the tested sex pheromone compounds, their preferred ligands were significantly different. rGfunPBP2 had the strongest binding affinity to Z 8–12:Ac and Z 8–12:OH; rGfunPBP1.1 preferred to bind Z 8–14:Ac, Z 10–14:Ac, and 12:OH more than to the other three GfunPBPs; and rGfunPBP1.2 exhibited stronger binding affinity to E 8–12:Ac than to the other rGfunPBPs. Molecular docking results demonstrated that hydrophobic forces, especially van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, were the most important forces that maintained GfunPBP–pheromone ligand complexes. This study will improve our understanding of the sex pheromone recognition mechanisms of G. funebrana and promote the development of novel strategies for controlling G. funebrana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaotic systems are suitable for image encryption due to their numerous intrinsic properties. However, the low-dimensional chaotic systems used in many existing chaos-based image encryption algorithms suffer from various drawbacks. To overcome such problems, a new four-dimensional multi-scroll hyperchaotic system is constructed in this paper. By studying the stability of equilibrium point, dissipation attractors, Lyapunov exponent spectrum, and bifurcation diagram of the system, these are proved that the system has rich dynamical behaviors. Then, based on the system, a new color image encryption algorithm is designed by using the classical structure of the 'scrambling-diffusion-scrambling' algorithm. In this image encryption algorithm, an optimized Arnold transform is used and the plaintext pixel sum is applied to the scrambling parameters so that different plaintext image pixels correspond to different scrambling parameters and are fully resistant to plaintext attacks. Then for the three Red, Green, Blue (RGB) channels, three different diffusion directions are adopted. Finally, the correlation between the pixels is further broken by an ascending permutation scrambling operation to get the final encrypted image. The experimental results show that the key space is up to 2207, the information entropy is up to 7.9998, the Number of Pixels Change Rate (NPCR) and the Unified Average Changing Intensity (UACI) values are close to the ideal values, the scheme can resist exhaustive and differential attacks, and the scheme has good robustness through noise attacks and crop attacks. • Design of hyperchaotic system based on multi-scroll and its encryption algorithm in color image. • The encryption algorithm uses a "scrambling-diffusion-scrambling" structure. • Experiments show that the algorithm is highly secure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obtaining the optimal cluster number and generating reliable clustering results in nonlinear manifolds are necessary but challenging tasks. Most existing clustering algorithms have considerable limitations in dealing with local and nonlinear data patterns, while graph-based clustering has shown impressive performance in identifying clusters in such data patterns. In this paper, we propose a robust clustering method with noise cutting based on directed k-nearest neighbor graph (CDKNN) to identify the desired cluster number automatically and produce reliable clustering results simultaneously on nonlinear, non-overlapping but locally tight-connected data patterns. This method draws support from the k-nearest neighbor graph to represent the complex nonlinear datasets and applies parameter adaptive process to make the proposed clustering method better adapt to specific data patterns. The proposed method is robust to the noises of arbitrary shape datasets because it uses a directed K-nearest neighbor to cut out sparse nodes. We use simulation and UCI real-world datasets to prove the validity of the innovatory method by comparing it to k-means, DBSCAN, OPTICS, AP, SC, and CutPC algorithms in terms of clustering ACC, ARI, NMI, and FMI. The experimental results confirm that the proposed method outperforms the alternative nonlinear clustering methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routing is one of the most important and time-consuming stages of physical design. As the process node of semiconductors keeps scaling down, the routing process faces increasing challenges, and the traditional solutions are not sufficiently efficient. In recent years, machine learning has aroused much interest in this context, and an increasing number of algorithms have introduced advanced machine learning techniques to help solve the routing problem. In this paper, we survey the recent development of machine learning-based routing algorithms. • This paper provides an overview of recent published machine learning-based routing algorithms. • Some trends on the development of machine learning-based routing algorithms are revealed. • The possible advantages and disadvantages on machine learning-based routing methods are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous carbon materials have been widely used as hosts for sulfur encapsulation to mitigate the low electrical conductivity of sulfur, lithium polysulfide shuttle, and drastic volume changes of sulfur species associated with lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). The ideal sulfur-host composite should have an optimal content of sulfur that partially fills the pores of the host and produces the exact amount of final discharged product Li 2 S that can be completely accommodated by the pores of the host. However, accurately determining this optimal content of sulfur is a challenge and no effective method has been established. In this work, we successfully determined the optimal sulfur content for the Ketjenblack EC-600 JD (KB) sulfur host by simply characterizing sulfur-KB (SKB) composites with different sulfur contents using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy coupled with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The LSB using the SKB with the optimal sulfur content of 52.9% showed a high specific capacity of 1535 mAh g−1 at 0.1C and a capacity of 680 mAh g−1 even at the high rate of 5C. Furthermore, it also showed stable cycling stability with low capacity decay rates of 0.05% and 0.09% per cycle over 500 cycles at 2C and 5C, respectively. [Display omitted] • A method to accurately determine the optimal sulfur content is developed. • The influence of void space in Ketjenblack pores is investigated. • A high specific capacity and stable cycling stability is achieved for lithium sulfur battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study ReLU deep neural networks (DNNs) by investigating their connections with the hierarchical basis method in finite element methods. First, we show that the approximation schemes of ReLU DNNs for x 2 and xy are composition versions of the hierarchical basis approximation for these two functions. Based on this fact, we obtain a geometric interpretation and systematic proof for the approximation result of ReLU DNNs for polynomials, which plays an important role in a series of recent exponential approximation results of ReLU DNNs. Through our investigation of connections between ReLU DNNs and the hierarchical basis approximation for x 2 and xy , we show that ReLU DNNs with this special structure can be applied only to approximate quadratic functions. Furthermore, we obtain a concise representation to explicitly reproduce any linear finite element function on a two-dimensional uniform mesh by using ReLU DNNs with only two hidden layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce mortality rate caused by life-threatening bacterial infections, advanced antibacterial materials have attracted widespread attention from researchers worldwide. In this study, the antibacterial P(AA-AM)/CA/GA nanofiber membranes with pH-responsive properties were successfully prepared by facile electrospinning technology. A series of characterizations of the obtained nanofiber membranes showed the addition of P(AA-AM) improves the surface wettability of the as-spun fibers in comparison to those of CA and CA/GA nanofiber membranes. High-temperature treatment was found to enhance the mechanical properties of the P(AA-AM)/CA/GA membranes due to the crosslinking reactions. The prepared P(AA-AM)/CA/GA nanofiber membrane exhibits a pH-responsive effect which is evident by the change in GA's release rate in solutions with different pH values. The cellulose acetate (CA) spinning nanofiber structure formed by P(AA-AM) coated GA also extended the release process of GA and improved the antibacterial timeliness of nanofiber membranes. The antibacterial experiments on E. coli and S. aureus showed that the electrospun nanofiber membranes containing GA had potent antibacterial properties, which were further enhanced by increasing the GA content in the P(AA-AM)/CA/GA blends. This study provides an insight into the design and preparation of pH-sensitive antibacterial materials using facile electrospinning technology. [Display omitted] • Antibacterial nanofiber membranes with pH-responsive properties. • Exhibit a pH-responsive effect by change in GA's release rate. • Composite membranes exhibit good reusability. • Provide clue for fabricating new pH-sensitive antibacterial films materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Finger-like nickel-based anode/electrolyte is successfully single-step fabricated. • BaO modification enhances ionic conductivity and mechanical strength of the anode. • DC-SOFC with BaO/Ni-YSZ anode gives an impressive output of 505 mW cm−2 at 850 °C. • DC-SOFC operates stably for 20.9 h at 100 mA with a high fuel utilization of 23.4 %. • Electrochemical reaction paths on BaO/Ni-YSZ anode are revealed by DFT simulation. Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are hopeful high-temperature energy conversion devices with all-solid-state structure, high efficiency, and low emission. The anode catalytic activity is a direct limiting factor in the electrochemical performance of DC-SOFCs. Here, we successfully fabricated a finger-like Ni-based anode/electrolyte in one step, followed by infiltrating BaO within the anode, which significantly improved the anodic reaction and DC-SOFC performance. At 850 °C, the BaO/Ni-YSZ anode-supported DC-SOFC gave the optimal output of 505 and 825 mW cm−2 powering by activated carbon and hydrogen, respectively, which were significantly superior to those of the cell with traditional Ni-YSZ anode. Moreover, DC-SOFC with BaO/Ni-YSZ anode exhibited more stable operation for 20.9 h under 100 mA at 850 °C, giving a relatively high fuel utilization of 23.4 %. These excellent performances can be partially attributed to the smaller particle sizes and more grain boundaries of the BaO/Ni-YSZ anode due to the BaO infiltration, which effectively enhanced the ionic conductivity and mechanical strength of the anode. More importantly, density functional theory simulation revealed that the infiltrated BaO in the Ni-YSZ anode enhanced the adsorption ability of Ni sites for carbon monoxide and oxygen ions, which led to the increased differential charge densities and the reduction in the energy barrier of electrochemical oxidation reaction, thus effectively improving DC-SOFC performance and conversion efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the application of silica fume (SF) in civil engineering in cold regions, relative influences from SF content and low temperature environment on the early hydration kinetics of composite cement pastes were evaluated based on the isothermal calorimetric method. The effect of high SF content on the apparent activation energy (Ea) of Portland cement and the filler effect (via the index of area multiplier) of SF on the hydration parameters was also analyzed. The results showed that the intensity of the shoulder peak (Al peak) of the hydration kinetic curve (heat flow curve) gradually grew as the SF content increased, and the double-peak phenomenon was gradually clear. The heat flow peak is delayed and lowered with the decreasing curing temperature, while the final time of the induction stage and the duration of the acceleration stage are delayed. Moreover, the duration of the acceleration stage was slightly extended with the increase of SF content. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of the heat flow curves dropped as the SF content and curing temperature increased. The low temperature environment and the inclusion of SF inhibited the growth in early hydration degree. The higher SF content mitigated the impact of low temperature on the hydration time parameter τ. The apparent Ea results also indicated that the SF reduced the temperature sensitivity of the hydration process of the composite cement pastes, which might contribute to the development of the hydration reaction at low temperatures. The AM (Area Multiplier) factor increased approximately linearly with increasing SF replacement levels. Apparent Ea decreased linearly with increasing AM, which may be attributed to a further reduction in the diffusion-controlled hydration rate of composite cement pastes with larger AM. • This study assessed the impact of SF particles on the hydration kinetics and apparent Ea at low curing temperatures. • The impact of low temperature and SF content on the hydration stage, hydration parameters were investigated. • The apparent Ea results show that the increase of SF content reduces the impact of low temperature on the hydration reaction. • Apparent Ea decreased linearly with the increase of area multiplier factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • PRP/chitosan/chondroitin sulfate immunomodulatory hydrogels are constructed. • The hydrogel has hemostatic and free radical scavenging effects. • Oxidative stress is reduced to enhance endothelial cell movement and tube formation. • Enhanced M2 macrophage polarization is realized via NF-κB pathway regulation. • Enhanced expression of key angiogenic factors promotes angiogenesis. Diabetic wound healing encounters numerous challenges including bacterial infection, macrophage dysfunction, excessive inflammation, and oxidative stress, causing delays in the overlapping processes of inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling and thus imposing a high burden on patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has demonstrated significant potential for diabetic wound treatment by promoting granulation tissue formation, collagen deposition, re-epithelialization, and angiogenesis. However, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, immunomodulatory hydrogel co-networks based on PRP, with strong hemostatic, antibacterial, and free radical scavenging effects, are developed for diabetic wound treatment. In vitro and in vivo, the hydrogels can reduce endothelial cell apoptosis and promote tube formation by regulating the oxidative stress microenvironment. For anti-inflammatory and tissue repair, the hydrogels can facilitate the M2 macrophage polarization by inhibiting phosphorylation of p-IκBα and p-P65 in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Through increasing the expression of key angiogenic factors (HIF-1α, VEGF, and FGF2), the hydrogels can significantly promote angiogenesis and the formation of endothelial cell tubular structures. These findings offer new insight into the synergistic regulatory contributions of the PRP-based therapy throughout multiple stages of healing, thereby establishing a biomolecular and cellular foundation for advanced diabetic wound management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene/cotton fibers show significant promise in wearable energy storage due to their low cost, porous structure, and exceptional integration ability into wearable systems. However, the eco-unfriendly reductants and standalone electric double-layer capacitor hindered their application. Herein, a green and rapid hydrothermal-electrodeposition method was proposed to fabricate polyaniline (PANI) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/cotton yarns without using any chemical reductants and oxidants. The PANI/rGO/cotton (PRC) yarn exhibited porous conductive network, structural controllability, and mechanical flexibility. Additionally, the PRC yarn electrode delivers a fast electron transport and ion migration, synergistic energy storage contribution, and a controllable capacitance (up to 81.2 mF cm−1 at 0.2 mA cm−1). The assembled yarn supercapacitor shows a good capacitance (19.8 mF cm−1 at 0.08 mA cm−1), excellent energy-power density (2.7 μWh cm−1 at 40 μW cm−1), and great capacitance retention. This green fabrication of PRC yarns brings new insights into the development of wearable energy storage. [Display omitted] • Polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide/cotton (PRC) composite yarn was made. • A green and rapid hydrothermal-electrodeposition method was proposed. • PRC yarn shows porous conductive network, structural controllability, and flexibility. • PRC yarn electrode shows fast electron/ion transport and synergistic capacitance. • PRC yarn supercapacitor shows good specific capacity, power density and cycle ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low temperatures environment in cold regions seriously affect the hydration reaction of cementitious materials. In this study, we specifically investigated the effect of low curing temperatures on the hydration heat of blended cement containing high fly ash (FA) content via isothermal calorimetry. The index of full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) value and the cementitious index (CMI) of FA were employed to assess the influence of low curing temperature and high FA content. Moreover, the different hydration stage was studied in detail. The decrease in curing temperature and the increase in FA content cause the end time of the induction period to be delayed, while the duration of the acceleration period and the arrival time of the exothermic peak increase. The CMI analysis reveals that the increase in temperature (10–20 °C) intensifies and advances the hindering effect of FA on cement hydration during the first 48 h of hydration. The FWHM value is related to the shape of the heat flow curve in acceleration and deceleration periods, which is mainly affected by the curing temperature, whereby a drop in curing temperature results in an increase in FWHM value. The FWHM values of samples cured at 5 °C, 10 °C, and 15 °C were 3.8%, 68.2%, and 154.8% higher than that of samples cured at 20 °C, respectively. This may be due to that the nucleation site effect of FA slows down the reduction rate of heat flow in the deceleration period, and the decrease in temperature makes the heat release curve gently. It is feasible to use a logarithmic function model to fit the hydration heat results of samples with FA content ranging from 0% to 42% and cured within the temperature range of 5–20 °C. Furthermore, this model can be utilized to predict the hydration heat for an extended age. [Display omitted] • The effect of FA content and low temperatures on the hydration heat was studied. • FA delays the induction period of hydration at 20 °C. • FA promotes the hydration reaction of blended cement paste at 5 °C. • The rise of curing temperature amplifies and advances the hindrance effect of FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale sparse linear equation solver plays an important role in both numerical simulation and artificial intelligence, and sparse triangular equation solver is a key step in solving sparse linear equation systems. Its parallel optimization can effectively improve the efficiency of solving sparse linear equation systems. In this paper, we design and implement a parallel algorithm for solving sparse triangular equations in combination with the features of the new generation of Sunway architecture, and optimize the access and communication respectively for 949 real equations and 32 complex equations in the SuiteSparse collection. The solution efficiency of the algorithm presented in this paper outperforms the cuSparse algorithm on NVIDIA V100 GPU platforms in more than 71% of the cases, and the speedup is even better in solving larger cases (matrix size greater than 10,000): our method increases the speedup from 1.29 time of the previous version to an average speedup of 5.54 and the best speedup of 32.18 over the sequential method on the next generation of Sunway architecture when using 64 slave cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new diterpenoids, including three secolathyrane diterpenoids (1–3) and one lathyrane diterpenoid (4), together with seven known diterpenoids, were obtained in the shelled seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. In particular, 1–3 possess a rare split ring structure, and currently only one compound with the same skeleton has been identified in E. lathyris. Compound 4 furnishes an unprecedented oxygen bridge structure. The structures were identified using various spectral techniques, including NMR, HR-ESI-MS, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD). The biosynthetic pathway of 1–4 was inferred. Furthermore, the cytotoxic activities of all compounds (1−11) were measured on three human tumor cells. New compounds 2 and 3 showed moderate cytotoxic activities against U937 cells with IC 50 values of 22.18 and 25.41 μM, respectively. [Display omitted] • Three secolathyrane diterpenoids (1-3) were isolated from the seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. • A lathyrane diterpenoid (4) with an oxygen bridge was isolated from the seeds of Euphorbia lathyris. • The possible biosynthetic pathways of the four new diterpenoids were inferred. • The cytotoxic activities of all isolated compounds were tested against three human tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of children's non-cognitive abilities is crucial for both individuals and society as a whole. In this study, using a follow-up survey on 5369 primary students in rural ethnic regions of northwest China, we aim to examine the levels of parental involvement in rural ethnic regions and investigate its effect on students' non-cognitive abilities. Our results show the following: first, parental involvement in rural ethnic regions of northwest China is quite low. Parents pay more attention to their children's academic performance than to their non-cognitive abilities and the personal involvement is seriously lacking. Second, students from families with more favorable economic status, high parental education levels, non-migrant parents, and primary caregivers who are parents experience higher levels of parental involvement. Though Han students generally have higher maternal involvement and lower paternal involvement than minorities, the ethnic differences are reduced after controlling the covariates. Third, using the value-added model, after controlling for individual, family, class, county and baseline variables, we find that maternal behavioral and personal involvement and paternal cognitive and behavioral involvement have significant positive effects on children's non-cognitive abilities. We use causal identification methods including propensity score matching and Mahalanobis distance matching to do the robustness test. • The non-cognitive ability and domains of parental involvement of primary students in rural ethnic regions are assessed. • Parental involvement is notably limited among sampled students, with more serious deficiency in personal involvement. • Maternal involvement is greater than paternal on all dimensions, yet the gap is smaller for ethnic groups. • Maternal behavioral and personal involvement have significant positive effects on children's non-cognitive abilities. • Paternal cognitive and behavioral involvement have significant positive effects on children's non-cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The anti-B7-H3 recombinant antibodies had high specificity and affinity for the B7-H3 antigen; • The anti-B7-H3 recombinant antibodies inhibited tumor cell growth by enhancing the ADCC in vitro ; • Anti-B7-H3 recombinant antibody could increase tumor immune cell infiltration and IFN- γ secretion, reduce T cell apoptosis, and subsequently inhibit tumor cell growth to a certain extent. Mortality due to malignant tumors is one of the major factors affecting the life expectancy of the global population. Therapeutic antibodies are a cutting-edge treatment method for restricting tumor growth. B7-H3 is highly expressed in tumor tissues, but rarely in normal tissues. B7-H3 is closely associated with poor prognosis in patients with tumors. B7-H3 is an important target for antitumor therapy. In this study, the fully human anti-B7H3 single-chain antibodies (scFvs) were isolated and screened from the fully human phage immune library with B7H3 as the target. The antibodies screened from a fully human phage library had low immunogenicity and high affinity, which was more beneficial for clinical application. Leveraging B7-H3 scFvs as a foundation, we constructed two distinct recombinant antibody formats, scFv-Fc and IgG1, characterized by elevated affinity and a prolonged half-life. The results demonstrated that the recombinant antibodies had high specificity and affinity for the B7-H3 antigen and inhibited tumor cell growth by enhancing the ADCC. After treatment with anti-B7H3 recombinant antibody, the number of infiltrating T cells in the tumor increased and the secretion of IFN- γ by infiltrating T cells increased in vivo. Additionally, the use of pleural fluid samples obtained from tumor-afflicted patients revealed the ability of anti-B7-H3 recombinant antibodies to reverse CD8+ T cell exhaustion. In summary, we screened the fully human anti-B7H3 recombinant antibodies with specificity and high affinity that increase immune cell infiltration and IFN-γ secretion, thereby inhibiting tumor cell growth to a certain extent. This finding provides a theoretical basis for the development of therapeutic tumor antibodies and could help promote further development of antibody-based drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Porous carbon effectively improves FT adsorption. • MOF-derived bimetallic oxides effectively enhance the electrochemical response of FT. • m-TiO 2 @FeTiO 3 /GCE has ultra-high sensitivity for FT. • m-TiO 2 @FeTiO 3 /GCE successfully used for FT detection in complex real samples. Fenitrothion (FT) is a common organophosphorus pesticide widely used in agricultural. Residues of fenitrothion in crops can adversely affect human health. In this work, modified MIL-125-Fe was prepared by changing the solvent ratios and further etching with iron nitrate, followed by high-temperature pyrolysis to obtain modified-TiO 2 /FeTiO 3 -doped nitrogen-containing carbon framework (m-TiO 2 /FeTiO 3 @NCF). The porous carbon material of m-TiO 2 /FeTiO 3 @NCF was used to modify the GCE to produce FT electrochemical sensor. Under optimized conditions, the sensor exhibited good detection performance for FT with a low LOD of 0.96 nM and a wide detection linear range of 1–9000 nM, and also exhibited good reproducibility (RSD = 2.08 %), repeatability (RSD = 1.09 %) and anti-interference performance. The sensor was successfully applied in real sample tests showing the recovery rates of 98.7 %–101.2 %. The present study provides a new idea for the rapid and accurate detection of FT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Scalable scCO 2 recirculation jet cavitation device. • Obtaining FLG without chemical intercalation. • Approximately 90 % of GNs were less than 5 layers. • High-performance graphene-based films for flexible sensors. In this paper, a simple operation, mild condition and no chemical intercalation method for graphene nanosheets (GNs) exfoliating was proposed. By utilizing the zero surface tension of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2) and the stable cavitation field generated by cavitation devices, the growth and rupture of cavitation bubbles between graphene layers were induced. The highest concentration of graphene dispersion was 0.723 mg/mL, with about 90% of GNs within 5 layers and about 36.6% of GNs having lateral dimensions greater than 1 μm, at an intensity ratio of I D / I G of 0.26. The tensile strength of the graphene-TPU composite film reaches 105.9 MPa, and the thermal conductivity can be adjusted by centrifugation speed to meet different requirements, with a maximum value of 20.8 W/(m∙K) at room temperature. In addition, the test results in cyclic stretching and temperature cycling experiments showed good repeatability, with a maximum sensitivity coefficient (GF) of 17.5. It has been proven that flexible graphene film can respond stably and quickly to input information, and convert it into strong signals for processing, making it an ideal material for pressure and temperature sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequent group activities of human beings have become an indispensable part of human daily life. Group recommendation aims to recommend preferred items to a group of users in recommender systems. The existing solutions on group recommendation are to explore group modeling with or without the help of auxiliary information on social networks. However, we observe that the social factors can be explored directly in the group without employing social information on social networks. Towards this end, we study the social effect-based design guideline to drive group modeling. In this work, we propose a novel S ocial dual- E ffect driven A ttentive G roup R ecommendation method (SEAGR) that well utilizes social selection effect and social influence effect from sociology to explore group representation learning for neural group recommendation. Specifically, we construct the social selection-driven group inherent modeling from interaction-level and user-level. To mimic interaction-based dynamic group decision-making, we also design a social influence-driven attentive influence mining model in terms of users' influence distinction in different groups. Based on these two components, an aggregative group representation is obtained. Moreover, neural recommendation for groups and users could be intensified reciprocally considering the impact of groups on users. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method on three real-world datasets, and demonstrate its advantages over state-of-the-art methods in accuracy through extensive experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The wettability of 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3YSZ) by molten Cu was noticeably improved by applying a direct current (DC). Furthermore, robust brazing of 3YSZ to a GH3128 superalloy using a Cu filler was achieved within seconds at 1100 °C with the assistance of a DC. When the DC flowed from 3YSZ to GH3128, the shear strength of the joints reached 225 ± 20 MPa at 1 s of energization and increased to 330 ± 30 MPa at 5 s of energization. The formation of Cu 51 Zr 14 at the 3YSZ/Cu interface, the dissolution of Ni into the Cu filler, the dispersive distribution of fine granular (Mo, Cr, W)(Ni, Cu) in the brazing seam and the relief of residual stress by ductile (Cu, Ni) solid solution were crucial for achieving the high-strength joints. This work provides a novel and economical method for ultrafast brazing of zirconia to metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti-extraction blast furnace slag (TEBFS) is an industrial solid waste, which is harmful to the environment and sustainable development of China's titanium industry. The efficient utilization of TEBFS is therefore urgently needed. In this study, calcium silicate boards were successfully prepared as partition materials. The effects of TEBFS content, cement content, calcium silicon mass (Ca/Si) ratio, and the Cl content of TEBFS on the material properties, pore structure, and phase composition of calcium silicate boards were explored. The results revealed that with an increase in TEBFS content, the average pore diameter of prepared samples gradually decreased. Furthermore, an excessive amount of cement and an excessively high Ca/Si ratio were not conducive to improving material properties. Optimum samples were prepared with 70 wt% TEBFS, 15 wt% Portland cement, and a Ca/Si ratio of 0.9. Under these conditions, the bulk density of the material was 1.64 g/cm3, the water absorption was 21.0%, and the flexural strength was 11.0 MPa. An identically prepared calcium silicate board using dechlorinated TEBFS had a flexural strength of 9.8 MPa, demonstrating the importance of chlorine in the calcium silicate formation process. This study provides an important reference for solving the waste management and recycling problems of TEBFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wettability of 3 mol% Y 2 O 3 -stabilized ZrO 2 (3YSZ) by molten Cu can be greatly improved by applying pulsed currents at 1373 K. The improvement was closely related to current polarity and influenced by duty cycle and frequency. When the Cu/3YSZ interface was under cathodic condition, the wettability was mainly improved by the formation of substoichiometric ZrO 2-δ and metallic Zr at the interface. Increasing duty cycle caused the interface to change from forming protrusions to creating depression. Decreasing frequency further deepened the depression. In the opposite polarity, the adsorption and enrichment of oxygen reduced the solid-liquid and liquid-vacuum interfacial energies, thus improving the wettability. Only bubbles formed at the interface. The larger the duty cycle, the more rapidly bubbles formed and escaped. The effect of frequency at this polarity was weak. Overall, this work provides a novel and effective strategy for tailoring the wettability and interfacial chemistry between zirconia and metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The fluorescent probe we reported here is the first example with highly selective and sensitive response to ONOO− in plants. • The probe can image endogenous and exogenous ONOO− in Arabidopsis thaliana root besides HeLa cell. • The probe has good water solubility. • A novel chromone-based fluorescence probe related with natural products was synthesized by facile route. As a typical reactive nitrogen species, peroxynitrite (ONOO−) plays an important role in cells and organisms. But in plants, information on the role of endogenous ONOO− remains limited. In order to explore its functions, it is necessary to probe ONOO− in biological systems, especially in plants. In this paper, we report RAW-A , a chromone-based fluorescence probe, exhibits a highly selective and sensitive response to ONOO−. It is worth noting that RAW-A has good water solubility, which is beneficial for the application of biological systems. RAW-A can respond to ONOO− even at low concentrations of ONOO−, indicating that the probe is expected to monitor ONOO− in real-time in living systems. In addition, confocal imaging experiments show that RAW-A can image endogenous and exogenous ONOO− in Arabidopsis thaliana root besides HeLa cell. It shows that RAW-A has the potential to be an imaging tool for studying the biological roles of ONOO− in plants. To our knowledge, RAW-A is the first fluorescent probe with highly selective and sensitive response to ONOO− in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The NF-TPV device using a periodic multilayer HM structures thermal emitter is investigated. • Two-cell structures achieve best 1.22 × 104 W/m2, surpassing CaCO 3 -InSb and hBN-lnSb structures by 2.17 and 1.12 times, respectively. • The improved performance owes credit to the strong coupling of HPhPs above the bandgap of PV cells. • The study offers a new approach to enhance the performance of NF-TPV systems. The near-field thermophotovoltaics (NF-TPV), as a solid-state energy converter, enables thermal-to-electric energy conversion efficiently due to the coupling of evanescent waves, holding great potential in waste heat recovery. Studies suggest that hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) excited in natural hyperbolic materials (HMs) have promising prospects to improve NF-TPV performance. However, the impact of coupling of HPhPs within multilayer HM structures on NF-TPV systems remains unexplored. Here, we study an NF-TPV system in which a periodic multilayer structure composed of different HMs serves as the thermal emitter, with InSb PV cell acting as the receiver. The numerical results show that the Two-cell structure achieves an output power of 1.22 × 104 W/m2 at a temperature of 900 K, surpassing the output power of the CaCO 3 -InSb and hBN-InSb structures by 2.17 and 1.12 times, respectively. The improved performance owes credit to the strong coupling of HPhPs above the band gap of the PV cell. The study offers a new approach to enhance the performance of NF-TPV systems in waste heat recovery and the utilization of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to construct calcium cross-linked gelatinized lotus rhizome starch (LRS)/sodium alginate (SA) hydrogel beads of adjustable quality and to reduce the digestibility of gelatinized starch. LRS was mixed with SA, gelatinized by heating and subsequently cross-linked with Ca2+ to form hydrogel beads. The digestibility of the gelatinized LRS could be adjusted by changing the dose of SA in the hydrogel beads. When the LRS/SA ratio was 4/6, the rapidly digested starch (RDS) content in the beads was reduced by 26.9% compared with gelatinized LRS alone, whereas the slowly digested starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) contents increased by 12.3-fold and 2.3-fold, respectively. In addition, the water distribution in the Ca2+-crosslinked LRS/SA hydrogel bead samples also showed an SA dose dependence. With increasing SA concentration, the ability of the hydrogel beads to immobilize water increased. The diffusion of Ca2+ into the interpenetrating polymer network that was prepared with gelatinized LRS and SA gradually resulted in gelation dominated by ion bonds, leading to the heterogeneous microstructure of the hydrogel beads, which also involved intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions. Overall, the present study suggested a strategy for developing novel LRS hydrogel bead systems for quality control and gelatinized starch digestibility downregulation by adjusting the SA dose, which provided insights for the innovation of personalized and convenient starchy products in the food industry. [Display omitted] • Gelatinized lotus rhizome starch (LRS) was used to construct hydrogel beads. • Ca 2+ -crosslinked LRS/sodium alginate (SA) beads formed interpenetrating network. • There are mainly hydrogen and ion bonds in the Ca 2+ -crosslinked LRS/SA bead. • Digestibility of the LRS/SA hydrogel beads were SA dose dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photomechanical actuator with large deformation and rapid response is highly desirable for smart textiles and soft robots. However, the conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer-based actuators with multilayered or blocky configuration suffer from interlayer instability, low effective utilization area, and manual assembly process, which limit their practical application. Herein, a series of PDMS composite fibers were fabricated through a scalable wet-spinning approach. To investigate the effects of light-responsive material dimension on the photomechanical performance of PDMS composite fibers, pseudo-1D gold nanorod (AuNR), 1D carbon nanotube (CNT), and 2D reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were used as photoresponsivity materials. To obtain a superior photomechanical property of these fibers, the effects of the light intensity, pre-train, fiber diameter, filler concentration and chemical structure were discussed, and their light-induced actuation mechanisms were presented. Among them, the RGO/PDMS fiber actuator showed the highest actuation stress (72.1 kPa at 40 % pre-stain), while the AuNR/PDMS fiber actuator exhibited the fastest response times of 12.6 s at 40 % pre-strain. This study provides valuable insights for the design and development of fiber actuators with outstanding photomechanical performance. [Display omitted] • PDMS-based fiber actuators are fabricated through a scalable wet-spinning approach. • Dimension, chemical composition, and content of the photoactive filler affects the actuation performance. • Graphene exhibits the best photoresponsivity when compared with carbon nanotubes and gold nanorods. • RGO/PDMS fiber actuator achieves a high actuation stress of 72.1 kPa at 40 % pre-stain with fast response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isotope engineering, which has received much attention for significantly reducing the optical loss of phonon polaritons, opens new doors for thermal radiation manipulation. Recent studies have shown that the shift and broadening of phonon lines caused by isotopic mass effects significantly affect near-field radiative heat transfer. Near-field thermophotovoltaics (NF-TPV) is an efficient thermal-electric energy conversion device based on radiative heat transfer at the nano/micro scale. However, the impact of isotopes on NF-TPV remains to be further studied. Here, we have theoretically studied the performance of NF-TPV systems with hBN thermal emitters of distinct isotope compositions. The numerical results show that the 98.7% 10B hBN isotope enrichment configuration reaches 67.8 kW/m2 output power and 34.7% efficiency when the emitter temperature is 900 K, surpassing the natural hBN by 8.3 kW/m2 and 1.20%. Nevertheless, the performance is suppressed in 99.2% 11B hBN structure, reduced by 1.8 kW/m2 and 0.64% compared to natural hBN. This is attributed to the isotope-induced shift and broadening of the region of hyperbolic phonon polaritons. This study can provide theoretical guidance for designing NF-TPV systems based on isotope engineering and has great application prospects in renewable energy and energy storage fields. • The impact of isotope on performances of NF-TPV systems with hBN thermal emitters is investigated. • The 98.7% 10B hBN shows the best performance (67.8 kW/m2 and 34.7%), surpassing other isotope composition devices. • The varied performance is due to the isotope-induced shift and broadening of the region of HPhPs. • This study provides theoretical guidance for designing NF-TPV systems via isotope engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The thermal decomposition performance and chemical phase changes of power reactor simulated high-level waste during the calcination process was studied. • The weight, and structure of the simulated waste change as the calcination temperature increases. With higher calcination temperatures, ranging from 100 to 900 °C, the waste darkens and the particle size decreases. • Below 600 °C, the waste experienced thermal decomposition of nitrate and formate compounds, leading to an approximate 40 wt% weight reduction. • At 600 °C, the waste's weight remained constant, and crystalline phases such as Zr x M 1-x O 2 (M = Ce, Pr, Nd), CeO 2 , and Gd x Ce 1-x O 2 were observed. The two-step vitrification process involves converting high-level waste from a liquid to a solid state through calcination, followed by melting the calcines with glass matrix material to form glassy wasteforms. The calcination process is a critical stage in the vitrification process. This study investigated the thermal decomposition performance and phase evolution of power reactor simulated high-level waste during the calcination process. As the calcination temperature increased from 100 to 900 °C, the resultant waste calcines showed increasingly darker color and smaller general particle sizes. Below 600 °C, the waste experienced thermal decomposition of nitrate and formate compounds, leading to an approximate 40 wt% weight reduction. At 600 °C, the waste's weight remained constant, and crystalline phases such as Zr x M 1-x O 2 (M = Ce, Pr, Nd), BaMoO 4 , CeO 2 , and Gd x Ce 1-x O 2 were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel semi-analytical solution to dynamic responses of road system under moving-vibratory traffic load. In the proposed solution, the road system is appropriately taken as a multilayered system composed of the asphalt layer, subgrade layer, shallow dry subsoil layer and the underlying saturated subsoil. The traffic load propagated from the tire is represented by a moving-vibratory elliptical uniform load to account for the effects of pavement roughness. Taking advantage of the basic solutions developed for the single dry layer and saturated layer based on Fourier transformation technique, the governing matrix function for the problem considered is assembled by the robust global matrix method (GMM), which comprehensively integrates the moving traffic load boundary condition, the continuity conditions between the different layers and the infinite depth condition of the half-space. The time-domain dynamic response is finally achieved by using the composite Gauss-Legendre integral method. The proposed solution is validated through comparing with well-established solutions. Extensive parametric analyses are performed to investigate the dynamic amplification effects of the traffic load on each layer. Particular attention is paid to explore the effects of stiffness and thickness of subgrade on the dynamic responses of the multilayered road system. The newly developed solution yields more reasonable dynamic responses of the road system under the traffic load, which provides a useful tool for dynamic design and assessment of road system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative fat mass (RFM) is a novel indicator for measuring body fat. The relationship between RFM and depression was explored using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005 to 2018. A general statistical description of the population included in the study was performed, and logistic analyses were used to explore the association between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), RFM and depression. Sensitivity analyses and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were also conducted to investigate the association between RFM and depression. A total of 28,836 participants were included in the study. In multivariate models, all obesity indices were associated with depression (P < 0.001). An increase of 1 SD in BMI, WC, and RFM was associated with a respective increased risk of depression of 2.3 %, 1.0 %, and 3.3 %. Excluding those taking antidepressants, the risk of depression was OR 1.88 (95 % CI: 1.26–2.79) for those with RFM in the highest quartile compared with those in the lowest quartile. After Inverse probability of weighting (IPW), the risk of depression in individuals with RFM in the highest quartile compared with individuals in the lowest quartile was 2.62 (95 % CI: 2.21–3.09). The RCS showed a possible nonlinear relationship between RFM and depression. RFM is associated with depression, suggesting that attention to RFM may be helpful for depression research. • RFM is an easy-to-measure obesity index that more accurately describes total body fat percentage than BMI and WC. • The association with depression has not been investigated in large sample studies. • In the NHANES database from 2005 to 2018, RFM had a stronger correlation with depression than BMI and WC. • Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical temperature sensor, especially the temperature sensor made based on fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technology, have numerous applications in temperature detection. However, most of these sensing materials are phosphors, which still face challenges in maintaining their chemical stability. In contrast, crystal materials exhibit superior thermal stability and fluorescence stability. The temperature sensing characteristics of Er: PbF 2 single crystal material were studied by the three modes temperature dependence curve. Excellent relative sensitivity and absolute sensitivity were obtained on FIR between two non-thermally coupled energy levels (non-TCEL: I(4F 9/2)/I(4S 3/2)) and two thermally coupled energy levels (TCEL: I(2H 11/2)/I(4S 3/2), and I(4S 3/2)/I(4S 3/2)) of Er3+ ions when excited by a 980 nm LD. Futhermore, with the increase of temperature, the luminescence emission color of the Er: PbF 2 single crystal varied from green to yellow-orange. These discoveries suggest that the Er: PbF 2 single crystal could serve as an excellent sensing medium for optical temperature sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct carbon solid oxide fuel cells (DC-SOFCs) are high-efficiency and clean power generation systems that can directly utilize solid carbon to produce electricity. However, the cell performance is hampered by the sluggish kinetics of the reverse Boudouard reaction at operating temperatures, as dictated by their operational principle. Here, carbon fuels loaded with varying amounts of MgO catalyst were successfully developed to promote the reverse Boudouard reaction and DC-SOFC performance. At 850 °C, the DC-SOFC powered by 5 wt% Mg-loaded activated carbon achieved peak power output of 236 mW cm−2, demonstrating a notable enhancement of 41.3% compared to that of 165 mW cm−2 in pure activated carbon-fueled cell. Furthermore, the single cell discharged stably for a prolonged duration of 41.6 h under 50 mA, achieving a noteworthy fuel utilization of 33.3% at 850 °C. These underscored the substantial contribution of MgO to the enhancement of DC-SOFC performance and efficiency. More importantly, the MgO catalyst displayed excellent stability without agglomeration during the high-temperature operation of the cell. Density functional theory simulation confirmed experimental findings that MgO reduced the energy barrier of carbon gasification reaction, thereby providing sufficient carbon oxide for cell operation. Finally, the reaction paths and internal mechanism of MgO-catalyzed carbon gasification were proposed to offer theoretical backing for the effective conversion of solid carbon fuel and improvement of cell performance. This study offers original perspectives on advancing carbon gasification reaction catalysts to facilitate the stable and highly efficient operation of DC-SOFCs, contributing to reduced carbon emissions and advancing sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress of hepatocytes plays a causative role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Reduced expression of hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a critical event in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and other liver diseases. Whether ER stress regulates HNF4α expression remains unknown. The aim of this study was to delineate the machinery of HNF4α protein degradation and explore a therapeutic strategy based on protecting HNF4α stability during NAFLD progression. Correlation of HNF4α and tribbles homologue 3 (TRIB3), an ER stress sensor, was evaluated in human and mouse NAFLD tissues. RNA–sequencing, mass spectrometry analysis, co-immunoprecipitation, in vivo and in vitro ubiquitination assays were used to elucidate the mechanisms of TRIB3-mediated HNF4α degradation. Molecular docking and co-immunoprecipitation analyses were performed to identify a cell-penetrating peptide that ablates the TRIB3–HNF4α interaction. TRIB3 directly interacts with HNF4α and mediates ER stress-induced HNF4α degradation. TRIB3 recruits tripartite motif containing 8 (TRIM8) to form an E3 ligase complex that catalyzes K48-linked polyubiquitination of HNF4α on lysine 470. Abrogating the degradation of HNF4α attenuated the effect of TRIB3 on a diet-induced NAFLD model. Moreover, the TRIB3 gain-of-function variant p.Q84R is associated with NAFLD progression in patients, and induces lower HNF4α levels and more severe hepatic steatosis in mice. Importantly, disrupting the TRIB3–HNF4α interaction using a cell-penetrating peptide restores HNF4α levels and ameliorates NAFLD progression in mice. Our findings unravel the machinery of HNF4α protein degradation and indicate that targeting TRIB3–TRIM8 E3 complex-mediated HNF4α polyubiquitination may be an ideal strategy for NAFLD therapy. Reduced expression of hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) is a critical event in the pathogenesis of NAFLD and other liver diseases. However, the mechanism of HNF4α protein degradation remains unknown. Herein, we reveal that TRIB3–TRIM8 E3 ligase complex is responsible for HNF4α degradation during NAFLD. Inhibiting the TRIB3–HNF4α interaction effectively stabilized HNF4α protein levels and transcription factor activity in the liver and ameliorated TRIB3-mediated NAFLD progression. Our findings demonstrate that disturbing the TRIM8–TRIB3–HNF4α interaction may provide a novel approach to treat NAFLD and even other liver diseases by stabilizing the HNF4α protein. [Display omitted] • TRIB3 is elevated in fatty liver and potentiates NAFLD progression. • TRIB3 interacts with HNF4α and promotes its K48-linked ubiquitination. • TRIB3–TRIM8 complex catalyzes ubiquitination of HNF4α at lysine 470. • Blocking TRIB3-HNF4α interaction alleviates NASH progression by inhibiting HNF4α degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • GACMO is fabricated by a scalable ball-milling and subsequent annealing process. • AC wraps around Mn 3 O 4 nanocrystals and attaches firmly to graphene sheet. • An ideal interfacial interaction and great 3D structure of the GACMO are presented. • An enhanced conductivity, reduced expansion, and alleviated agglomeration are shown. • GACMO shows excellent specific capacity, energy density, and cycle stability. The practical application of graphene/manganese oxide nanocomposites in energy storage presents a significant challenge due to their environmentally unfriendly and complex synthesis, as well as weak interface interactions. Herein, a sustainable and scalable ball milling-thermal annealing method is proposed to produce a graphene/amorphous carbon/Mn 3 O 4 (GACMO) nanocomposite. A triblock copolymer is employed as an intercalator to facilitate the formation of few-layer graphene during ball-milling, a precursor for amorphous carbon to encapsulate Mn 3 O 4 upon thermal-annealing, and thus an intermediate layer to enhance the interface interaction between graphene and Mn 3 O 4. Benefiting from its 3D porous structure and exceptional interface design, GACMO exhibits a large specific surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, enhanced structural stability. Consequently, the GACMO electrode presents a high capacitance of 219 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 with a 91.4 % retention at 10 A g−1 after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, the GACMO-based asymmetric supercapacitor shows a high capacitance of 138 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, superior energy/power density (62.1 W h kg−1 at 0.45 kW kg−1, 0.6 mW h cm−3 at 9.3 mW cm−3), and promising cycling stability (88.3 % retention after 10,000 cycles). This study brings new insights into the fabrication of graphene/metal oxide-based energy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial volume of RNA sequencing data have been generated from cancer cell lines. However, it requires specific bioinformatics skills to compare gene expression levels across cell lines. This has hindered non-bioinformaticians from fully utilizing these valuable datasets in their research. To bridge this gap, we established a curated Pan-cancer Cell Line Transcriptome Atlas (PCTA) dataset. This resource aims to provide a user-friendly platform, allowing researchers without extensive bioinformatics expertise to access and leverage the wealth of information within the dataset for their studies. The PCTA dataset encompasses the expression matrix of 24,965 genes, featuring data from 84,385 samples derived from 5677 studies. This comprehensive compilation spans 535 cell lines, representing a spectrum of 114 cancer types originating from 30 diverse tissue types. On UMAP plots, cell lines originating from the same type of tissue tend to cluster together, illustrating the dataset's ability to capture biological relationships. Additionally, an interactive and user-friendly web application (https://pcatools.shinyapps.io/PCTA%5fapp/) was developed for researchers to explore the PCTA dataset. This platform allows users to examine the expression of their genes of interest across a diverse array of samples. • RNAseq data of 84,385 samples derived from 5677 studies. • 535 cell lines representing a spectrum of 114 cancer types. • Ample sample number per cell line. • An interactive and user-friendly platform. • Easy identification of treatment-induced gene expression perturbations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone extracellular matrix (ECM) is a unique organic-inorganic composite material derived from highly mineralized liquid crystal (LC) organic substrate. However, it remains a substantial challenge to design bone ECM-like LC materials with sufficient available nucleation sites to mimic the mineralization process of natural bone. Herein, we designed a bioinspired hydrogel with bone ECM-like LC organic substrate and inorganic phosphate mineralization nucleation sites for robust cell biomineralization and bone regeneration. Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheet was firstly loaded by bioactive layered double hydroxide (LDH) based on electrostatic attraction to improve the stability and photothermal performance of BP. Then, the LDH@BP was creatively added into chitin whisker/poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (CHW/PEGDA) LC hydrogel, abbreviated as LCgel, to fabricate LCgel/LDH@BP to highly mimic the mineralization microenvironment of bone ECM. The bone ECM-like LC topology of LCgel/LDH@BP is conducive to facilitating cell adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. More importantly, the in-situ phosphate mineralization nucleation sites combined with mild hyperthermia induced by BP can further synergistically reinforce biomineralization of cells adhered on bone ECM-like LC substrate, thus substantially promoting cell biomineralization-mediated osteogenesis in vitro and in vivo. This study opens a new insight for the design of bioinspired hydrogel for cell biomineralization-mediated osteogenesis. Enlighted by bone extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization microenvironment, herein, a bioinspired LDH@BP-incorporated liquid crystal (LC) hydrogel was designed. The LCgel/LDH@BP hydrogel has bone ECM-like LC organic substrate and durable phosphate mineralization nucleation sites that can synergistically promote cell biomineralization. Notably, BP-mediated mild hyperthermia can further reinforce the cell biomineralization-mediated osteogenesis. [Display omitted] • A bioinspired hydrogel highly mimics the mineralization microenvironment of bone ECM. • Bone ECM-like LC matrix and phosphate nucleation site enhance cell biomineralization. • BP is firstly loaded by LDH to improve stability and photothermal performance of BP. • Mild hyperthermia reinforces cell biomineralization-mediated osteogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new method for constructing 2-resilient rotation symmetric Boolean functions with odd number of variables is presented. Based on an equivalent characterization of this class of functions and the relation between the orbit matrices and their complements, a system of equations about 2-tuples distribution matrix is established. Then the constructions of some 2-resilient rotation symmetric Boolean functions with odd number of variables can be converted into the solutions of the system of equations. We also give a sufficient condition for the constructed functions to have the maximum algebraic degree. Moreover, we provide a lower bound on the number of nonlinear 2-resilient rotation symmetric Boolean functions with odd number of variables. Particularly, the lower bound is 152 for seven number of variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]