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An 11-month-old boy with productive cough was referred to our hospital. He had nasal obstruction immediately after birth, and wheezing, wet cough, and rhinorrhea were observed daily after the neonatal period. Clinical and imaging findings revealed secretory otitis media, chronic sinusitis, and bronchiectasis. Primary ciliary dyskinesia was suspected. Transmission electron microscopy of nasal cilia showed defects of the outer and inner dynein arms. Genetic examinations of the family revealed copy number variation in PIH1 domain-containing 3 (PIH1D3) in the proband and mother. This is the first report of a Japanese patient with primary ciliary dyskinesia caused by copy number variation in PIH1D3.

Stable electrode-electrolyte interphases on both electrodes are indispensable to warrant cycling stability of high-voltage Li-metal batteries. Here, we reveal a unique cooperative reaction mechanism to form protective interphase layers on both Li-metal anode and high-voltage cathodes, which is exemplified by a multifunctional additive ethoxy(pentafluoro)cyclotriphosphazene (PFPN). The F-rich PFPN first reacts with Li-metal anode to form LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which stabilizes the Li deposition/dissolution processes. Meanwhile, the in-situ generated PFPN derivatives with a de-fluorated structure are prone to be oxidized on cathode, forming a robust cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI) to prevent electrolyte oxidation and electrode degradation at high voltage. With PFPN to harness the aggressive battery electrodes, Li-metal batteries with high-voltage LiCoO2 (4.5 V) and LiNi0.5Mn1.5O2 (4.9 V) cathodes exhibit improved cycling stability and rate capability. In particular, the LiNi0.5Mn1.5O2|Li full cell with limited Li supply (N/P =7.6) demonstrates outperformed capacity retention of 90.7 % after 100 cycles, which is almost twice that of the cell using PFPN-free conventional electrolyte (47.5 %).

During the annealing of Ni and Ni-Mo films, a {110} texture, usually considered to be both of high surface energy and high strain energy, was found to develop. Quantitative thermodynamic model calculations showed that the anomalous formation of this {110} texture originates fundamentally from the grain yielding anisotropy of Ni. Based on extensive grain yielding anisotropy model calculations, a “texture map” based on {111}, {100}, and {110} textures was constructed to predict the texture transition temperatures for different film thicknesses. A kinetic analysis of the texture evolution in the films is further presented, revealing that the texture evolution is controlled by the self-diffusion of atoms at grain boundaries. These findings pave the way for the achievement of unusual surface orientations through the quantitative texture design of thin films.

Summary The lithium-metal battery (LMB) holds great promise for various applications for which high energy density is required; the adoption of LMB, however, is limited by poor performance of the lithium-metal anode (LMA), which is intrinsically associated with the unregulated ion transport and reaction. By coating an ion-transport rectifier on the LMA, which was synthesized from a metal-organic framework with high lithium-ion transference number and conductivity, we report here the fabrication of an LMB with a thin Li anode (≤50 μm), a thick LiCoO2 cathode (4 mAh cm−2), and lean electrolyte condition. Such an LMB can potentially deliver high gravimetric and volumetric energy density exceeding that of state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. This work offers a new strategy to regulate the ion transport and reaction at electrode-electrolyte interphase, facilitating the development of practical LMB for a broad range of applications.

Background Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection causes a spectrum of respiratory tract disease, and may be a significant pathogen in the context of immunocompromise. Here, we report direct-from-sample metagenomic sequencing of HMPV using Oxford Nanopore Technology. Methods We applied this sequencing approach to 25 respiratory samples that had been submitted to a clinical diagnostic laboratory in a UK teaching hospital. These samples represented 13 patients under the care of a haematology unit over a 20-day period in Spring 2019 (two sampled twice), and ten other patients elsewhere in the hospital between 2017–2019. Results We generated HMPV reads from 20/25 samples (sensitivity 80% compared to routine diagnostic testing) and retrieved complete HMPV genomes from 15/20 of these. Consensus sequences from Nanopore data were identical to those generated by Illumina, and represented HMPV genomes from two distinct sublineages, A2b and B2. Sequences from ten haematology patients formed a unique genetic group in the A2b sublineage, not previously reported in the UK. Among these, eight HMPV genomes formed a cluster (differing by ≤3 SNPs), likely to reflect nosocomial transmission, while two others were more distantly related and may represent independent introductions to the haematology unit. Conclusion Nanopore metagenomic sequencing can be used to diagnose HMPV infection, although more work is required to optimise sensitivity. Improvements in the use of metagenomic sequencing, particularly for respiratory viruses, could contribute to antimicrobial stewardship. Generation of full genome sequences can be used to support or rule out nosocomial transmission, and contribute to improving infection prevention and control practices.

The effect of structural order in the parent alloy substrate on the oxidation kinetics and oxide phase evolution was investigated for the thermal oxidation of amorphous Cu33at.%Zr67at.% and crystalline CuZr2 alloys of identical compositions in the temperature range of 200–250 °C. It was found that, besides the strong preferential oxidation of Zr in both alloys, the lack of structural order in the amorphous Cu33at.%Zr67at.% alloy results in much slower oxidation kinetics, as well as in distinctly different microstructures of the oxide overgrowth and its Zr-depletion zone in the wake of the ZrO2 overlayer growth front. The experimental findings can be rationalized on the basis of the strikingly different atomic mobilities of Cu, Zr and dissolved O in the amorphous and crystalline alloys, which also results in different nucleation barriers for crystalline oxide nucleation. The thus obtained knowledge on the underlying oxidation mechanisms provides new and profound insights into the surface engineering of metallic alloys.

In this paper a mathematical statistics and measurement approach called trans-logarithmic total cost function is used to give an objective calculation result to support Vertical Separation (VS) based reform of China railway industry. Three questions including whether the VS is suitable for the railway reform evolution in China, whether the VS can reduce the operation cost in China and the specific VS-based reform process are discussed and solved. Three total costs related parameters, two elasticity of marginal cost values, and three total income related parameters are applied to the decision-making. The results of case study show that: The passenger-freight transport combination is not helpful to reduce the total operation cost; Freight cost and network total cost, passenger cost and network total cost are replaceable; Passenger transport volume increases per 1%, the freight transport cost increases 2.154%, freight transport volume increases per 1%, the passenger transport cost increases 2.741%; It is inefficient when applied passenger-freight transport combination model; It is better to separate the passenger transport service, freight transport service and the railway network vertically. Finally, the detail China railway industry reform recommendations are presented with three steps: first, Railway Passenger Transport Corporation, Freight-Network Combination Corporation, Railway Freight Transport Corporation, Branch Railway Corporation and Public Interest Railway Corporation can be established and managed by China Railway Corporation, some powerful and related supporting policies should be formulated and carried out by State Railway Administration to ensure the reform enforcement; second, the investment approaches, railway industry incentives system etc. are the key reform elements; third, the passenger transport service, freight transport service and network service companies can be separated totally.

The thermal oxidation of ZrAl2 in the temperature range of 550–750 °C in pure oxygen has been investigated by a combinational experimental approach using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer, Auger electron spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The thermal oxidation leads to the growth of anomalously thick (up to 4.5 μm) amorphous (Zr0.33Al0.67)O1.66 surficial layers at temperatures as high as 750 °C. The oxidation kinetics obeys a parabolic law with an activation energy of 143 kJ/mol. The underlying mechanism for the formation of such micrometer-thick amorphous oxide surficial layers has been discussed on the basis of interface thermodynamics and the occurrence of high interface stability associated with a synchronous oxidation of Al and Zr elements.

Corner-point is an industry-standard type grid for application in reservoir simulation. The flexible gridding in corner-point grids provides several advantages over Cartesian grids for the representation of complex geological features. In this work, an embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) is extended to corner-point grids with a full-permeability-tensor formulation to simulate complex fractures in this type of grids. The developed model is implemented in an IMPEC, compositional reservoir simulator. We first describe the formulations of the full-permeability-tensor implementation together with the modified governing equations for EDFM simulations. Then, we present methodologies for computing matrix-fracture intersections and fracture-fracture connections in the EDFM considering the various block geometries in corner-point grids. Subsequently, case studies are presented to verify the developed model, where the impacts of grid distortion and cross derivatives on simulation results are discussed. Three-dimensional case studies are also shown to illustrate the influence of natural fractures on secondary recovery. The results of this study demonstrate the reliability of the developed model, and they also show the compatibility of the EDFM with different types of numerical solution schemes in existing simulators.

High silicon content Al-Si composites with a composition of Al-40 wt% Si were fabricated via a high-energy ball milling method. The microstructure evolution of Al-40 wt% Si milled powders and sintered composites has been thoroughly studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectrometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The mechanism of ball milling Al-40 wt% Si powders has been disclosed in detail: fracture mechanism dominating in the early stages, followed by the agglomeration mechanism, finally reaching the balance between the fragments and the agglomerates. It has been found that the average particle sizes of mixed Al-Si powders can be refined to the nanoscale, and the crystallite sizes of Al and Si have been reduced to 10 nm and 62 nm upon milling for 2 h–50 h, respectively. The finally formed Al-Si interfaces after ball milling for 50 h are well-cohesive. A dense and homogenous Al-40 wt% Si composite have been achieved by solid-state sintering at 550 °C. The results thus provide an effective support for producing bulk nanostructured Al-Si composites.

In current practice, drug visualization strategies mainly include 3H-or 14C-modification, or dye-labeling steps. Compared to current drug labeling strategies, drug molecules with autofluorescence can achieve accurate visualization of the drug's subcellular distribution. To this end, we screened various compounds in the traditional Chinese medicine compound library and selected a natural, label-free, fluorescent drug molecule named magnoflorine (MF). MF has fluorescence properties and does not require external intervention by the current labeling strategies, thereby proving to be suitable for reporting its distribution in living cells using structured illumination microscopy (SIM). In addition, using SIM, we found that MF not only had a high quantum yield but could also be well localized to the mitochondria. More importantly, the binding target of MF in mitochondria, namely hypochlorite (ClO-), was also revealed for the first time at the nanoscale visualization level. Finally, we also found that MF can play a role in binding to the ClO- as a target during ferroptosis, hence indicating that MF is a possible intervention drug for this process. In conclusion, we have identified for the first time a new fluorescent molecule, MF, that allows visualizing accurate drug distribution in organelles without additional labeling strategies with SIM. Furthermore, we have discovered the binding target of MF, which is beneficial for understanding of regulatory mechanism of drugs in various diseases.

In this paper, we formulate the formation mechanism of variability of Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) based on the risk pulse theory for the first time. The coupling and interactions among human errors, mechanical failures, terrible environment and organization factors might cause the system state change, and cause the variability during the operation processes of the system. Based on the collected historical occurrence frequency of each risk factor and the determined coupling and interaction relationships among the risk factors, the N-K model is used to calculate the coupling risk intensity, which provides a quantitative method to evaluate the variability of the functional module. The more frequent the coupling times, the greater the probability of the coupling. The greater the coupling intensity, the greater the risk and the greater the occurrence probability of accidents. Compared with previous improvement works, the historical statistical frequency of each risk factor is need during the calculation based on N-K model, the results are not influenced by experts. A case study is conducted by taking a railway dangerous goods transportation accident in 2001 as the background. The results show that N-K model is able to calculate the variability of the functional module, quantitatively and effectively.

The natural oxidation of amorphous CuxZr1-x (x = 0.33, 0.5, 0.67 and 0.75) alloys has been studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. It is revealed that passivation behavior occurs for amorphous CuxZr1-x alloys where x ≤ 0.67, which provides an effective composition range of amorphous CuZr alloys for long time service. A thin (2–5 nm) ZrO2 film is formed on top of amorphous alloys, with a Cu-enriched amorphous alloy layer at below. Surprisingly, tetragonal ZrO2 nucleates between the oxide film and the alloy at room temperature in the naturally oxidized am-Cu0.33Zr0.67 alloy. Amorphous Cu2O layer forms on top of the oxide film and surface segregation forming metallic Cu occurs for amorphous CuxZr1-x when x ≥ 0.75.

Owing to their unique short- or medium-range ordered microstructures and excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, amorphous alloys have attracted significant interest in recent years. For the application of amorphous alloys, clarifying their oxidation processes and mechanisms is necessary since many of the surface-related properties of amorphous alloys largely depend on the surface oxide layer. The aim of this paper is to review the recent research on the thermal oxidation behaviors of amorphous alloys under pure oxygen or air condition. The contents are divided into three categories according to the number of components the research considers, i.e., the oxidation of binary, ternary, and multi-component (>3) amorphous alloys. Each section discusses the thermal stability of the amorphous matrix, oxidation kinetics, and the oxide layer and amorphous substrate, which are strongly affected by internal factors (i.e., alloy elements and microstructure) and external factors (i.e., oxidation temperature, duration, and oxygen partial pressure, etc.). The general features of the oxidation of amorphous alloys – from simple binary to complex multi-component amorphous alloys – will be summarized. This overview of the current scientific understanding on the fundamentals of these materials may provide guidelines for the development of strongly corrosion-resistant amorphous alloys.

This paper reports on evaluating the firmness of tomato fruit using a newly developed spatially-resolved spectroscopy (SRS) system with an illumination optic fiber and 30 detection optic fibers arranged at the source-detector distances of 1.5–36 mm. Spatially-resolved (SR) spectra of 550–1650 nm were acquired for 600 ‘Sun Bright’ tomatoes at six maturity stages. The firmness of tomatoes was measured using acoustic/impact, compression and puncture tests. Partial least squares (PLS) models for individual SR spectra and their combinations were developed to determine optimal prediction models for the firmness parameters. The results indicated that firmness predictions varied with the light source-detector distance or SR spectra, and the optimal single spectrum was different for prediction of different firmness parameters. Those spectra acquired for the light source-detector distances of 6–24 mm resulted in better prediction results. Combinations of SR spectra gave consistently better predictions for the multiple firmness parameters than the optimal single SR spectra, with the correlation coefficients (rp) of 0.760 and 0.911 for acoustic and impact measurement, rp = 0.935 for compression, and rp = 0.917, 0.948 and 0.859 for puncture maximum force, slope and flesh firmness. Overall, the SRS technique gave excellent predictions of firmness parameters for impact, compression and puncture tests that measured the local properties of tomato tissues, and combinations of SR spectra improved prediction results.

Increase in energy demand has played a significant role in the persistent exploitation and exploration of unconventional oil and gas resources. Shale gas reservoirs are one of the major unconventional resources. Advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques have been the key to achieve economic rates of production from these shale gas reservoirs. In addition to their ultra-low permeability, shale gas reservoirs are characterized by their complex gas transport mechanisms and complex natural and induced (hydraulic) fracture geometries. Production from shale gas reservoirs is predominantly composed of two-phase flow of gas and water. However, proper modeling of the two-phase behavior as well as incorporating the complex fracture geometries have been a challenge within the industry. Due to the limitation of local grid refinement approach, hydraulic fractures are assumed to be planar (orthogonal), which is an unrealistic assumption. Although more flexible approaches are available, such as the use of unstructured grids, they require significantly high computational resources. In this paper, we introduce an embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) to explicitly model complex fracture geometries. The EDFM efficient approach is capable of explicitly modeling complex fracture geometries without increasing the computational demand. Utilizing EDFM alongside a commercial simulator, we constructed a 3D reservoir model to investigate the effect of complex fracture geometries on the two-phase flow of a shale gas well. In our investigation, varying degrees of hydraulic fracture complexity with 1-set and 2-set of natural fractures were tested. The simulation results confirm the importance of properly modeling fracture complexity, highlighting that it plays an integral part in the estimation of gas and water recoveries. In addition, the simulation results hint to the pronounced effect of fracture interference as fracture complexity increases. Finally, variable fracture conductivities and initial water saturation values were analyzed to further assess their effect on the two-phase production behavior of the shale gas well. This study examines the effect of non-orthogonal complex fracture geometry on the two-phase flow of shale gas wells. The work can provide a significant insight toward understanding the extent to which fracture complexity can affect the performance of shale gas wells.

Embedding complex discrete fractures in reservoir simulation is required to attain more realistic flow behavior of shale reservoirs. However, using local grid refinement to model discrete fractures is computationally expensive. Nevertheless, recent developments in a methodology called Embedded Discrete Fracture Model (EDFM) have overcome the computational complexity. In this study, we develop an efficient assisted history matching (AHM) workflow using proxy-based Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm and integrating with the EDFM preprocessor. The workflow can automatically perform history matching, production forecasting and uncertainty quantification. It has been successfully applied on a shale oil well in Vaca Muerta formation.

A microalgal suspension of Spirulina and Chlorella in water was hydrothermally reacted at 220 °C for 14 h in an autoclave; this efficiently obtained hydrothermal carbons as an aggregate of non-porous spheres several microns in diameter when phthalaldehyde was added as an auxiliary condensation reagent. The algal hydrothermal carbons contained considerable quantities of nitrogen; approximately 6 wt% originated from the protein component in microalga, which could be converted to microporous carbons with a ca. 2 wt% nitrogen-content and a specific surface area of approximately 700 m2/g, via heating from room temperature to 900 °C under an argon atmosphere. The algal porous carbons containing pyridinic-nitrogen derived from Chlorella exhibited high activity for electrical double-layer capacitors, with capacitances of approximately 250 F/g and 200 F/g, respectively, at current densities of 0.2 A/g and 1.0 A/g in 1 M H2SO4 in a three-electrode system under galvanostatic conditions.

Li metal anode (LMA) for practical Li-metal batteries suffers from safety hazards and capacity deterioration caused by its high reactivity and infinite volume change. Herein, a stable LMA with highly uniform surface potential distribution was demonstrated by coating Li with a negatively charged artificial solid electrolyte interphase (ASEI), which is formed by spontaneous in-situ polymerization of 2,3,7,8-tetrakis((trimethylsilyl)ethynyl)pyrazino[2,3-g]quinoxaline-5,10-dione (PPQ) at room temperature. As an ion-transport regulator, such an ASEI with negatively charged moieties provides preferential Li-ion transport with high Li-ion transference number (tLi+ = 0.74). As a robust artificial layer, the PPQ-stabilized Li (PPQ-Li) maintains high mechanical strength (Young’s modulus of 7.39 GPa) after being immersed in electrolyte, which readily suppresses formation of hazardous Li dendrites and diminishes parasitic reactions on LMA, leading to dendrite-free morphology after long-term Li stripping-plating tests. Such a multi-functional interphase could potentially promote more tailorable coating designs for practically durable LMA.

The ground-borne vibrations caused by surface and underground moving trains have been recognized as an important environmental issue. There are good reasons to develop prediction models to compute the ground-borne vibration from moving sources. Underground sub-surface structures linked with infrastructure construction are always present in cities like cavities, tunnels, pipes and subways. When these inclusions exist in the ground, the solution to the wave field in a soil layer with inclusions is required for modelling the vibrations from moving sources on the ground surface or inside the inclusion. One of the simplest inclusions in the ground can be an empty infinitely-long circular cavity. In this paper the concept of analytical layer element with a circular cavity is proposed by using the wave function method aiming at providing a powerful tool to compute the vibrations from surface and underground moving sources. A complete solution to the wave field in a soil layer of finite thickness with a circular cavity is given, and the layer element can be easily assembled with other soil layers (with or without inclusions) by the formulations commonly used for a multi-layered ground. Moving sources can be located on the ground surface or inside the cavity. Two application examples are provided to show the capability of the proposed layer element: one is a theoretical investigation on the influence of a cavity/tunnel on ground vibrations due to a surface moving load. The other is an example to calculate ground vibrations from underground moving trains.

Free-standing zeolitic imidazolate framework-71 (ZIF-71)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite membranes with 0, 5, 25 and 40 wt% ZIF-71 loadings were prepared and the pervaporation separation performance for ethanol and 1-butanol from water was measured. ZIF-71 was stable in water for seven days (both at room temperature and 60 °C); the crystal structure and morphology remained the same. ZIF-71/PDMS composite membranes were formed through addition cure and condensation cure methods. The addition cure method is not compatible with ZIF-71 resulting in membranes with poor mechanical properties, while the condensation cure method results in membranes with good mechanical properties. With the condensation cure PDMS synthesis method, the 40 wt% ZIF-71 nanocomposite membranes achieved a maximum ethanol/water selectivity of 0.81±0.04 (separation factor of 12.5±0.3 for 2 wt% ethanol feed) and maximum 1-butnaol/water selectivity of 5.64±0.15 (separation factor of 69.9±1.8 for 2 wt% 1-butanol feed). The mechanical properties of membranes were quantified with tensile testing. The Young's modulus increased considerably with increasing ZIF-71 loadings, indicating increased stiffness of PDMS membranes with addition of ZIF-71 particles. The fracture strain deceased with the introduction of ZIF-71 particles, suggesting decreased ductility. This is the first report of free-standing ZIF-71/PDMS mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) and the highest ethanol/water selectivity reported for ZIF-71/PDMS MMMs (free-standing or supported).

The steam-water condensing injector (SI) is a device capable of producing high-pressure subcooled liquid streams by combining steam and subcooled liquid jet at a higher pressure than the inlet streams. The present study investigated the SI's pressure elevation mechanism using supersonic steam and a subcooled water jet. The experiment was carried out using central-water jet type SI equipped with an overflow port at the inlet steam pressures of 0.3 to 0.7 MPa and inlet liquid mass flow rates of 0.4 to 0.7 kg/s. Axial pressure and temperature distributions were measured at the mixing nozzle and diffuser sections to study the pressure elevation mechanism. Based on the analytical foundation laid by Grolmes (1968), the one-dimensional analytical model was implemented by treating SI's two-phase flow regimes as inverted annular and dispersed flows. For the current SI geometry and operating conditions, the present one-dimensional model could predict the axial pressure distribution of the SI and the maximum discharging pressure with reasonable accuracy for sufficiently high inlet flowrate ratio conditions.